text
stringlengths 199
648k
| id
stringlengths 47
47
| dump
stringclasses 1
value | url
stringlengths 14
419
| file_path
stringlengths 139
140
| language
stringclasses 1
value | language_score
float64 0.65
1
| token_count
int64 50
235k
| score
float64 2.52
5.34
| int_score
int64 3
5
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
As we study each of the seven dispensations, we will consider the following outline:
1) Man's State at the Beginning
2) Man's Responsibility
3) Man's Failure
4) God's Judgment
As we begin our study of the different dispensations, we need to go all the way back to the dawn of human history. Human history began thousands of years ago with the creation of Adam and Eve.
In Genesis 1:26-27 we learn about the creation of man: "And God said, Let Us make man in Our ______________________, after Our ________________________ . . .So God created man in His Own ________________, in the___________________ of God created He him."
Adam was created in the image and likeness of God! What is an image?
We know that an image can be found on most coins. Read Matthew 22:18-21. Whose IMAGE was on this Roman coin?____________________ When they looked at this coin, whose face did they see? _______________________ Whose image is found on our penny? on our nickel? on our dime? When you look at a quarter, who do you see? Whose LIKENESS and whose IMAGE is found on a dollar bill?
When you look into a mirror in the morning, whose IMAGE do you see? _____________________________________ Does the mirror reflect you? __________ Your IMAGE is in that mirror! According to Genesis 1:26-27, God's IMAGE was in man!
Man was created to reflect God and to mirror God! This was man's responsibility. Adam was to be like a mirror and this mirror was to reflect God and what God is like.
Adam was given the
Adam was also told to have D_________________________ (rule) over all of the animals (Genesis 1:26). God put Adam on the earth as the "KING OF THE BEASTS" (not Mr. Lion). Was God's blessing on Adam and Eve (Genesis 1:28)? _______
At the end of the sixth day of creation God saw everything that He had made (including Adam), and behold it was _________ ____________ (Genesis 1:31). We must always remember that what God created was GOOD! God is not the Author or the Cause of sin. God did not create a sinful man. He created Adam who later became a sinner. But when God first created Adam he did not have a sinful heart. He was perfectly INNOCENT.
The word INNOCENT means free from sin or wrong or guilt. In the beginning Adam was without sin. He was "NOT GUILTY" of any crime or of any sin. He had never disobeyed God. He had never broken God's law. His mind was not filled with evil thoughts. Adam was unacquainted with evil. He could have said, "I have no sin" (compare 1 John 1:8) and he would have been speaking the truth. He could have said, "I have not sinned!" (compare 1 John 1:10) and he would have been speaking the truth. If we say these things today are we telling the truth? _______ Adam was not a slave of sin. He was free and he was innocent!
Adam also enjoyed a wonderful relationship with God. He could walk with God and talk with God and enjoy wonderful fellowship with God. Also there was no sin in his life which would come between him and God (compare Isaiah 59:2).
Also Adam lived in a PERFECT ENVIRONMENT. He did not live in a sin-cursed world as we do today. Was there any crime in Adam's world? Was there any disease? Was there any death? Was there any poverty? The world Adam lived in was quite different from the world we live in. There was only one thing in Adam's world that was not good was THE DEVIL (Genesis 3:1; Revelation 12:9).
What responsibilities did God give to Adam? What kind of stewardship did Adam have? What did God place in Adam's hand? What was Adam told to do or not to do?
According to Genesis 2:15, what task was given to Adam? _____________________________________________________________________ From the very beginning Adam had work to do and a job to fulfill.
According to Genesis 2:16, what privilege was Adam given? ________________________________________________________________________ He was given a great deal of freedom to eat all kinds of delicious fruit. Could he eat apples? ______ oranges? ________ peaches? _______ cherries? _______ pineapples? _______ coconuts? _______ Adam did not have a very restricted diet. He could enjoy the wonderful varieties of fruit that God had made.
According to Genesis 2:17, what responsibility did Adam have? What was he told not to do? ____________________________________________________________________ God put into Adam's hand a very simple commandment. It was his duty to obey this commandment and not to eat from the fruit of one particular tree in the middle of the garden (compare Genesis 2:9). God gave Adam this very simple test of obedience. It was as if God were saying, "Adam, will you obey My Word or not?" As we shall see, Adam flunked the test!
What did God say would happen to Adam if he should eat the fruit (Genesis 2:17)? ___________________________________________________
Can you find the verse in Genesis Chapter 3 which tells us that Adam disobeyed God's simple command and fell into sin? Genesis 3, Verse _____. Adam chose to disobey God and to break God's command. Adam chose DEATH instead of LIFE.
According to 1 Timothy 2:14, who was deceived by Satan, Adam or Eve? _______ This verse tells us that Adam was _______ deceived! He was not tricked. He knew what he was doing and he chose to do it anyway. Adam was fully responsible for what he did. He fell into sin and he was GUILTY! He was no longer innocent!
Because of Adam's sin, God removed him from the garden of Eden. We read about this in Genesis 3:22-24:
Genesis 3:23 "the LORD God _______________ him _____________from the garden of Eden"
Genesis 3:24 – "So He ____________________ _______ the man"
Adam and Eve no longer had access to "the tree of life" and God placed at the east of the garden two angelic creatures called "cherubim", with a revolving sword like flame flashing around them like lightning bolts, making it impossible for people to come near this place again.
What are the last 3 words of Genesis 3:6? ______ ______ ______ These three words describe an event which completely changed our world! This earthshaking event had consequences and results that were more harmful and disastrous and far-reaching than any other event that has ever taken place. TODAY THE RESULTS OF ADAM'S SIN CAN BE SEEN AND NOTICED ALMOST EVERYWHERE WE LOOK! Here are some of the consequences of Adam's sin (please MATCH):
|1. _____||Sin entered the world and death passed upon all men.||A. Genesis 3:16|
|2. _____||Difficult toil is required in order to eat. Also each man
face physical death (back to the dust!).
|B. Genesis 3:17-18|
|3. _____||Pain and sorrow in bringing forth children.||C. Genesis 3:19|
|4. _____||Many were made sinners.||D. Romans 5:12|
|5. _____||All men condemned.||E. Romans 5:18|
|6. _____||The ground cursed.||F. Romans 5:19|
Today we live in a fallen and wicked world made up of sinful people who are all marching to the grave. All of this because of the three words we find at the end of Genesis 3:6!
Think about the following occupations, and then explain how Adam's sin has created the need for such occupations:
1) policeman 2) doctor 3) Judge 4) soldier 5) pastor 6) missionary 7) undertaker 8) detective 9) life insurance salesman 10) nurse. Can you think of others?
Explain why the following are a direct result of Adam's sin? Jails, funeral homes, a cemetery, a lock on a door or on a car, hospitals, etc. (Can you think of other things?)
Can you see the results of Adam's sin in your own life (in the things you do and do not do? in the things you say and do not say? in the things you think? in your dealings with others? etc.). How has the fall of man affected you?
Remember, Adam's sin has affected every member of the human race. One lit match could fall in a forest and as a result thousands of trees could fall (compare Romans 5:12). Adam fell and as a result the entire human race fell ("IN ADAM'S FALL WE SINNED ALL!"--New England Primer).
Has God done anything to overcome the terrible results of Adam's sin? Thousands of years later another great and far-reaching event took place as God's Son came to DIE for lost and fallen men: "For as by _________ man's (Adam's) disobedience __________ were made _____________________ (does this include you?), so by the obedience of __________ (the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ) shall many be made__________________________" (Romans 5:19). "For as in ___________________ all ________________, even so in ___________________ shall all be made _______________ (1 Corinthians 15:22). Death comes from Adam but Life comes from Jesus Christ!
When Adam sinned the image of God that was in Adam was marred and spoiled and ruined. This means that Adam no longer had the capacity to reflect God. Have you ever found a coin that was so scratched and worn that the image on the coin could not be seen? This is what sin did to God's image in man! Adam, instead of reflecting God, began reflecting SIN, SELF and SATAN.
Man was made to REFLECT! Before Adam sinned, man's soul was innocent and apart from sin. Man was given the opportunity to KNOW and to SHOW and to REFLECT God.
After Adam sinned man's condition changed greatly. Man's soul was in sin and polluted by sin. Man could on1y reflect the wrong thing:
After he sinned
When a sinful man is saved he has both a new nature and an old nature (Ephesians 4:22-24) and he can either reflect the SAVIOUR or he can reflect SIN, SELF and SATAN:
After his fall into sin, Adam gave birth to several children. Who did Adams children reflect? The answer is found in Genesis 5:3: And Adam lived 130 years and begat a son in his own ________________(in Adams likeness), after his _______________ (after Adams image); and called his name Seth. Whom did Seth reflect, God or Adam? __________ If you were to look at Seth, whose image and likeness would you see? _____________________ Every child that has been born into this world (except for Jesus Christ) has been born in Adams likeness!
There is only one way for a sinner to stop reflecting SIN, SELF and SATAN. He must be saved! Every person is either IN ADAM (unsaved) or IN CHRIST (saved--see 2 Corinthians 5:17). Only those who are IN CHRIST are able once again to reflect God (Ephesians 4:24 and Colossians 3:10). For an additional study dealing with man's responsibility to reflect God, see Science, the Scripture and the Saviour, Chapter 7 (The Creation of Man).
Adam was given a very important choice. He had to choose to obey God or disobey God. He had to choose LIFE or DEATH.
The same is true today. Every person must choose between life and death. Every person must choose between a blessing or a cursing. God sets this choice before every man (see Deuteronomy 30:19). What choice does God want us to make (Deuteronomy 30:19)? _______________________________________________
Adam's important decision centered around a tree--the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Today man's decision also centers around a tree--the tree on which Jesus Christ died (1 Peter 2:24). WHAT WILL YOUR CHOICE BE?
|TO BELIEVE ON CHRIST AND
TO REFUSE TO BELIEVE ON CHRIST
|You Must Choose!|
|
<urn:uuid:0d6bce11-fa9a-4d95-8985-c44fa3befdb6>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www.middletownbiblechurch.org/dispensa/dispch3.htm
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783402516.86/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155002-00002-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.963975 | 2,673 | 3.0625 | 3 |
Sources: The Library of Congress Country Studies; CIA World Factbook
In the 1980s, the Soviet Union had few conventional prisons. About 99 percent of convicted criminals served their sentences in labor camps. These were supervised by the Main Directorate for Corrective Labor Camps (Glavnoye upravleniye ispravitel'no-trudovykh lagerey--Gulag), which was administered by the MVD. The camps had four regimes of ascending severity. In the strict-regime camps, inmates worked at the most difficult jobs, usually outdoors, and received meager rations. Jobs were progressively less demanding and rations better in the three classifications of camps with more clement regimes. The system of corrective labor was viewed by Soviet authorities as successful because of the low rate of recividism. However, in the opinion of former inmates and Western observers, prisons and labor camps were notorious for their harsh conditions, arbitrary and sadistic treatment of prisoners, and flagrant abuses of human rights. In 1989 new legislation, emphasizing rehabilitation rather than punishment, was drafted to "humanize" the Gulag system. Nevertheless, few changes occurred in the conditions of most prisoners before the end of the Soviet period in 1991.
In the post-Soviet period, all prisons and labor camps except for fourteen detention prisons fell under the jurisdiction of the MVD. In the early and mid-1990s, the growth of crime led to a rapid rise in the number of prisoners. Because of overcrowding and the failure to build new prison facilities, conditions in prisons deteriorated steadily after 1991, and some incidents of Soviet-style arbitrary punishment continued to be reported. In 1994 a Moscow prison designed to hold 8,500 inmates was housing well over 17,000 shortly after its completion. Many prisons are unfit for habitation because of insufficient sanitation systems. In 1995 Nezavisimaya gazeta reported that the capacity of isolation wards in Moscow and St. Petersburg prisons had been exceeded by two to two-and-one-half times. Observers claimed that some prisons stopped providing food to prisoners for months at a time, relying instead on rations sent from outside. The lack of funding also led to a crisis in medical care for prisoners. In 1995 Yeltsin's Human Rights Commission condemned the prison system for continuing to allow violations of prisoners' rights. The report cited lack of expert supervision as the main reason that such practices, which often included beatings, were not reported and punished.
In 1995 conditions in the penal system had deteriorated to the point that the State Duma began calling for a transfer of prison administration from the MVD to the Ministry of Justice. According to Western experts, however, the MVD's Chief Directorate for Enforcement of Punishment has been prevented from improving the situation by funding limitations, personnel problems, and lack of legislative support, rather than by internal shortcomings.
By the mid-1990s, Russian penal legislation resembled that enacted in Western countries, although the conditions of detention did not. Post-Soviet legislation has abolished arbitrary or inhumane practices such as bans on visitors and mail, head shaving, and physical abuse. Also, prison officials now are required to protect prisoners who have received threats, and freedom of religious practice is guaranteed. Prisoners are rewarded for good behavior by being temporarily released outside the prison; in 1993 the MVD reported a 97 percent rate of return after such releases. However, the penalty for violent escape has increased to eight additional years' detention. In 1996 the function of guarding prisons was to pass completely from the MVD to local prison administrations, and a complete restructuring was announced for that year.
Although conditions in the labor camps are harsh, those in pretrial detention centers are even worse. According to the Society for the Guardianship of Penitentiary Institutions, the government's inability to implement a functional system of release on bail meant that by the end of 1994 some 233,500 persons--more than 20 percent of the entire prison population--were incarcerated in pretrial detention centers, sometimes for a period longer than the nominal punishment for the crime of which they were accused.
In 1994 the total prison population was estimated at slightly more than 1 million people, of whom about 600,000 were held in labor camps. Of the latter number, about 21,600 were said to be women and about 19,000 to be adolescents. Among the entire prison population in 1994, about half were incarcerated for violent crimes, 60 percent were repeat offenders, and more than 15 percent were alcoholics or drug addicts.
As in the Soviet period, corrective-labor institutions have made a significant contribution to the national economy. In the early 1990s, industrial output in the camps reached an estimated US$100 million, and forest-based camps added about US$27 million, chiefly from the production of commercial lumber, railroad ties, and summer cabins. Because the camps supply their products to conventional state enterprises, however, they have suffered from the decline in that phase of Russia's economy; an estimated 200,000 convicts were without work in the camps in early 1994 (see Economic Conditions in Mid-1996, ch. 6). In 1995 the chief of the Directorate for Supervision of the Legality of Prison Punishment reported that the population of labor camps exceeded the capacity of those facilities by an average of 50 percent.
In the mid-1990s, the Russian government maintained a precarious balance between the newly discovered rights of citizens and the government's perceived need for security from domestic criticism and threats to its power. Between 1992 and 1996, the record of the Yeltsin administration was decidedly mixed. Reforms gradually appeared in prison administration, the rights of those accused of crimes, and the introduction of trial by jury, but beginning in 1993 legislation and executive decrees increasingly had the objective of strengthening the arbitrary powers of government over its citizens in the name of national security. The Procuracy maintains much of the independence it had in the Soviet period; although the role of judges and defense attorneys nominally is greater in the post-Soviet system, Russia suffers a severe shortage of individuals experienced in the workings of a Western-style legal system.
The national security establishment, generally smaller and less competent than the pervasive KGB monolith of the Soviet period, has undergone reorganization and internal power struggles in the 1990s, and in some instances it has been made the scapegoat for setbacks such as the Chechnya invasion. Agencies such as the regular militia (police) and the Federal Border Service have not been able to deal effectively with increased crime, smuggling, and illegal immigration; lack of funding is an important reason for this failure. More specialized national security agencies such as the FSB maintain special investigative prerogatives beyond the purview of normal law enforcement.
As average Russian citizens have gained marginally greater freedom from the fear of arbitrary government intrusion, they have been plagued with a crime wave whose intensity has mounted every year since 1991. All types of illegal activity--common street theft, drug-related crime, murder, white-collar financial crime, and extortion by organized criminals--have flourished. Although the government has announced studies and special programs, Russian society continues to present an inviting target to criminals in the absence of effective law enforcement and the presence of rampant corruption.
* * *
The status and development of Russia's internal security agencies and crime situation are described in numerous periodical articles and a few substantive monographs. In The KGB: Police and Politics in the Soviet Union , Amy Knight describes the structure and influence of the KGB in its final stage before the end of the Soviet Union. The post-Soviet position of internal security agencies is described by J. Michael Waller in Secret Empire: The KGB in Russia Today . In Comrade Criminal: Russia's New Mafia , Stephen Handelman investigates Russia's organized criminal element and official corruption, against the backdrop of social conditions and government attitudes prevalent in the 1990s. The 1996 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report of the United States Department of State's Bureau of International Narcotics Matters provides a summary of narcotics activity and government prevention measures in Russia. Penny Morvant's article "War on Organized Crime and Corruption" describes Russia's crime wave and government attempts to combat it; two articles in the RFE/RL Research Report , Christopher J. Ulrich's "The Growth of Crime in Russia and the Baltic Region" and Julia Wishnevsky's "Corruption Allegations Undermine Russia's Leaders," approach the same topics from different perspectives. Numerous articles in the Christian Science Monitor , the Foreign Broadcast Information Service's Daily Report: Central Eurasia , and the Moscow daily newspapers Nezavisimaya gazeta and Izvestiya include current information on Russia's criminal justice and prison systems and on the crime problem. (For further information and complete citations, see Bibliography.)
Data as of July 1996
NOTE: The information regarding Russia on this page is re-published from The Library of Congress Country Studies and the CIA World Factbook. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Russia Prisons information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Russia Prisons should be addressed to the Library of Congress and the CIA.
|
<urn:uuid:3ab9f6b8-e069-4960-b110-557015c58a28>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www.photius.com/countries/russia/government/russia_government_prisons.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397695.90/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00116-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.959467 | 1,860 | 3.515625 | 4 |
The core idea behind Quaker faith and practice is that living is more important than doctrine, that our lives express our central commitments and faith. Parker Palmer reminds us, “Before I can tell my life what I want to do with it, I must listen to my life telling me who I am.” What we say and do reveals what we have come to understand through living, through listening, and through making mistakes and reflecting on them. Learning and living occurs in community and often the most vivid and important inspiration arises when we encounter a person whose life is a beacon, kindled with a spiritual fire that moves them to courageous action.
Bayard Rustin, Quaker activist and chief organizer for the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, lived such a life of inspiration. Last fall, Rustin posthumously received the Presidential Medal of Freedom honoring his life and work for equality and dignity for all people.
Rustin is best known for being the organizer of the March on Washington, but he also shaped the nonviolent philosophy of the movement. In 1956, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. invited Rustin to come to Montgomery, Ala., to help with the emergent bus boycott. King’s home had been bombed in February of that year, and in response, King applied for a concealed carry permit in Alabama. The state was reluctant to grant such permits to African-Americans; King was deemed “unsuitable” and the permit was denied. So instead, he kept his guns at home.
When Rustin arrived at King’s home, he was disturbed that he was greeted at the door by armed watchmen. When Rustin visited King with journalist Bill Worthy, Worthy almost sat on a pistol. Rustin said, “Watch out, Bill, there’s a gun on the chair.” Rustin helped King realize that nonviolence was a way of life, not merely a tactic, and persuaded him to learn about and adopt the principles of Gandhian nonviolent direct action.
Rustin lived with remarkable integrity—he never hid the fact that he was gay, never bowed to the judgments others made about his sexuality. He said, “My activism did not spring from my being gay, or, for that matter, from my being black. Rather, it is rooted fundamentally in my Quaker upbringing and the values that were instilled in me by my grandparents who reared me. Those values are based on the concept of a single human family and the belief that all members of that family are equal.”
Bayard Rustin lived the life he did because he was Quaker. The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), though including people of many faiths and of none, does what it does because it is Quaker. Our work embodies principles that arise from Quaker faith. When we enter a community, we listen first before we take action. We meet people where they are, and we are led by the people with whom we work because we see that of God in each of them. We understand that personal circumstances arise within larger systems, so we work on multiple levels. We seek heart change, community change, policy change, and system change, knowing that peace and justice depend on harmony at all levels. Our experience has confirmed the power of love to transform lives—not just the lives of those with whom we work, but our own.
In every community, we encounter people like Bayard Rustin, letting their lives speak and inspiring others to take great risks in the belief that together, we can create just and lasting peace. This issue of Quaker Action includes many stories of people who act from the same principles that animate Quaker faith. The Buddhists call such spiritual fellow-travelers “kalyanamitta” or “spiritual friends.” These Quaker kalyanamitta heal wounded communities and create peace by living in a way that prefigures a peaceful world. I hope that these stories will inspire you, just as your lives and your support inspire us.
Shan Cretin, General Secretary
|
<urn:uuid:c8f95c83-46b1-47bb-b6b3-cd4c28c6820a>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://afsc.org/story/let-your-lives-preach-let-your-light-shine
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397695.90/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00099-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.973139 | 839 | 2.828125 | 3 |
There are so, so many public opinion polls out there these days, particularly for the presidential race and the most hotly-contested Senate races.
Putting aside the many technical aspects of public opinion polls, here’s some rules of thumb for reading them, plus some resources:
1. Don’t cite one poll if there are many polls on the same race. Instead, use poll aggregators and models. Why? Because it’s too easy to simply cherry-pick the poll that makes your case.
According to the statistical model underlying the poll, one in twenty polls that were conducted perfectly will be wrong outside of the margin of error. So why would you base your view of the race on what could be an outlier?
2. The trend is your friend. As you look at the collections of polls, look at how polling is going overall. If one candidate is surging, that will show up. If the polls, taken altogether, show movement toward one candidate, take that seriously. Again, do not pick out one poll to make your case!
3. Never forget that polls are snapshots. Campaigns are not static. Stuff happens. Candidates give great speeches. Candidates make gaffes. Between external events, advertising, and what candidates say and do, opinion can change and often does.
4. Not everyone votes, but predicting who will do so is not so easy. At some point in high-profile races, pollsters start presenting results for “likely voters.” Each pollster has a different way of classifying people as likely voters and different methods can be more accurate than others. These likely voter screens can matter a lot for who is included and can be problematic. Your solution: Watch the trend and, when many polls are available, don’t focus on just one poll.
5. Field work affects who votes and won’t be fully reflected in polls. All those things that campaigns do — like call voters and knock on their doors — matter. Field activities, the get-out-the-vote work, can provide the edge for close campaigns, but not show up in the polls. Knowing this should lower your certainty when you read the polls.
6. In the presidential race, keep an eye on the state polls and the electoral college. In our system, it’s possible to win the popular vote and lose the election. It’s happened three times, including as recently as 2000. (The other two times were in 1876 and 1888). Focusing on the national polls can lead you astray.
Resources: What I read
1. HuffPost Pollster. This started out as an independent site and then was acquired by the Huffington Post. They’re very transparent about how they operate. They use a statistical model that plots and projects trends, but you can see each and every presidential and Senate poll that’s out there now and you can adjust the trend’s sensitivity.
The articles are well-done and, starting halfway down on the right, you’ll find links to all the polls you could possibly want, plus an color-coded electoral college map and Senate map. If you want to fool around with the polls, you can see what changes if you leave out certain type of polls or you can narrow the time period you’re examining.
2. RealClearPolitics. Besides gathering all sorts of articles from around the country, the site gathers lots of presidential and Senate polls and shows poll averages, an electoral college map, and a Senate map. One nice feature is that you can see the electoral map with toss-ups and no toss-ups. For the latter, if a candidate is ahead by any amount in the most recent poll average, he wins that state.
While I read the site every day and recommend it, do note that they don’t include every poll that comes out and it’s not clear why some are left out. Moreover, the time period for the poll average seems to vary. Sometimes you’ll have polls that were conducted weeks ago and other times only more recent ones are included.
3. Talking Points Memo Poll Tracker. This is the new kid on the block, having just started this year. They provide lots and lots of poll data and, like HuffPost Pollster, use a statistical model to show trends. That model looks to be pretty sensitive at times, perhaps too so.
But it’s very easy to see what’s going on in the states for the presidential and Senate races. And not only are they fully transparent about their approach, but have an app for various mobile devices.
And two more, which use poll data to model the presidential race:
1. The Princeton Election Consortium. This site is run by Princeton Professor Sam Wang and uses state polls to provide a snapshot of the race. Wang has done this in several past presidential races and proved to be extremely accurate. He provides a snapshot of the race and shows a prediction zone. Methods are fully disclosed. The site attracts wonky types who know statistics but the main elements are not hard to understand.
The key items here are two charts. One gives the median electoral votes estimated by the model. The other, called the meta-margin, shows how much polls would have to shift for there to be a tie between the presidential candidates.
2. Nate Silver’s FiveThirtyEight. Silver started out independent and then moved to the New York Times. Like the Princeton site, he was very accurate in 2008. However, his method, which is fully disclosed, is different. He uses polls and economic indicators and indicators about each state’s tendencies to show where the presidential race is now (the Nowcast) and to predict where it will be on election day.
Silver’s model has gotten more complicated over the years and we don’t yet know if it’s better. Readers should note he’s giving probabilities for who will win certain states and races, not saying what definitely will happen.
Both the Nowcast and forecast are shown in electoral votes and the percentage of the votes. Silver also provides a lot of information about each state and its status, along with many polls.
|
<urn:uuid:ebaf92df-1146-41aa-a875-85f3dc2e7138>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://pollways.bangordailynews.com/2012/10/20/national/you-want-to-know-whos-going-to-win-how-to-read-the-polls/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783394937.4/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154954-00075-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.954374 | 1,285 | 2.53125 | 3 |
When I look up
"area of a rhombus" on Google images, I find plenty of disappointing images like this one:
which show the formula, but fail to show why the formula works. That's why I really appreciate this image instead:
which, with a little bit of careful thought, illustrates why the product of the diagonals equals twice the area of the rhombus.
EDIT: Some have mentioned in comments that that second diagram is more complicated than it needs to be. Something like this would work as well:
My main objective is to offer students something that encourages them to think about why a formula works, not just what numbers to plug into an equation to get an answer.
As a side note, the following story is not exactly "visually stunning," but it put an indelible imprint on my mind, and affected the way I teach today. A very gifted Jr. High math teacher was teaching us about volume. I suppose just every about school system has a place in the curriculum where students are required learn how to calculate the volume of a pyramid. Sadly, most teachers probably accomplish this by simply writing the formula on the board, and assigning a few plug-and-chug homework problems.
No wonder that, when I ask my college students if they can tell me the formula for the volume of a pyramid, fewer than 5% can.
Instead, building upon lessons from earlier that week, our math teacher began the lesson by saying:
We've learned how to calculate the volume of a prism: we simply multiply the area of the base times the height. That's easy. But what if we don't have a prism? What if we have a pyramid?
At this point, she rummaged through her box of math props, and pulled out a clear plastic cube, and a clear plastic pyramid. She continued by putting the pyramid atop the cube, and then dropping the pyramid, point-side down inside the cube:
These have the same base, and they are the same height. How many of these pyramids do you suppose would fit in this cube? Two? Two-and-a-half? Three?
Then she picked one student from the front row, and instructed him to walk them down the hallway:
Go down to the water fountain, and fill this pyramid up with water, and tell us how many it takes to fill up the cube.
The class sat in silence for about a full minute or so, until he walked back in the room. She asked him to give his report.
"Three," he said.
She pressed him, giving him a hard look. "Exactly three?"
"Exactly three," he affirmed.
Then, she looked around the room:
"Who here can tell me the formula I use to get the volume of a pyramid?" she asked.
One girl raised her hand: "One-third the base times the height?"
I've never forgotten that formula, because, instead of having it told to us, we were asked to derive it. Not only have I remembered the formula, I can even tell you the name of boy who went to the water fountain, and the girl who told us all the formula (David and Jill).
Given the upvoted comment, If high school math just used a fraction of the resources here, we'd have way more mathematicians, I hope you don't mind me sharing this story here. Powerful visuals can happen even in the imagination. I never got to see that cube filling up with water, but everything else in the story I vividly remember.
Incidentally, this same teacher introduced us to the concept of pi by asking us to find something circular in our house (“like a plate or a coffee can”), measuring the circumference and the diameter, and dividing the one number by the other. I can still see her studying the data on the chalkboard the next day – all 20 or so numbers just a smidgeon over 3 – marveling how, even though we all probably measured differently-sized circles, the answers were coming out remarkably similar, “as if maybe that ratio is some kind of constant or something...”
|
<urn:uuid:e8a78885-4a0c-48e4-9a67-e046167067a3>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://math.stackexchange.com/questions/733754/visually-stunning-math-concepts-which-are-easy-to-explain
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395546.12/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00163-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.969628 | 859 | 3.296875 | 3 |
Campus Lighting Projects Save Energy
San José State and the CSU system partner with PG&E
to reduce demand for electricity and total electricity use by
installing new lighting products.
New lighting products benefit the campus in several ways; not only do they save energy, the new lamps ("light bulbs") generally produce a more natural color of light which improves people's ability to see.
Energy efficient lamps save energy in two ways, they use less energy themselves and they produce less waste heat, thus lowering the energy required for cooling a building.
Fall 2006 - SJSU begins a new phase in energy conservation through improved lighting products. Under consideration are:
- More energy efficient outdoor lighting.
- Improved timers and photo cells to turn outdoor lights on and off at appropriate times.
- Occupancy sensors and timers inside buildings to turn lights on when needed and off when no one is there.
- Replacing high energy light fixtures with skylights and new, more efficient lamps.
Summer 2006 - Campus Village Housing is benefiting from a $30,000 rebate program which hired students to retrofit the residential units with compact fluorescent lamps.
Spring 2006 - The campus changed over 20,000 fluorescent lamps and ballasts in academic building classrooms, offices and hallways, replacing T-12 lamps with T-8s. This resulted in the total energy peak use dropping by about 15%. Contributing 80% of the cost, PG&E partnered with the CSU and San José State to fund this $1.8 million project.
|
<urn:uuid:e0c394fb-aadb-4a34-b32d-4a095a4cdd63>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www.sjsu.edu/fdo/departments/maintops/deptnews/light/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396949.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00188-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.90556 | 312 | 2.609375 | 3 |
- freely available
Biophilic Cities Are Sustainable, Resilient Cities
AbstractThere is a growing recognition of the need for daily contact with nature, to live happy, productive, meaningful lives. Recent attention to biophilic design among architects and designers acknowledges this power of nature. However, in an increasingly urban planet, more attention needs to be aimed at the urban scales, at planning for and moving towards what the authors call “biophilic cities”. Biophilic cities are cities that provide close and daily contact with nature, nearby nature, but also seek to foster an awareness of and caring for this nature. Biophilic cities, it is argued here, are also sustainable and resilient cities. Achieving the conditions of a biophilic city will go far in helping to foster social and landscape resilience, in the face of climate change, natural disasters and economic uncertainty and various other shocks that cities will face in the future. The paper identifies key pathways by which biophilic urbanism enhances resilience, and while some are well-established relationships, others are more tentative and suggest future research and testing.
Share & Cite This Article
Beatley, T.; Newman, P. Biophilic Cities Are Sustainable, Resilient Cities. Sustainability 2013, 5, 3328-3345.View more citation formats
Beatley T, Newman P. Biophilic Cities Are Sustainable, Resilient Cities. Sustainability. 2013; 5(8):3328-3345.Chicago/Turabian Style
Beatley, Timothy; Newman, Peter. 2013. "Biophilic Cities Are Sustainable, Resilient Cities." Sustainability 5, no. 8: 3328-3345.
Notes: Multiple requests from the same IP address are counted as one view.
|
<urn:uuid:f650f07b-8208-4c91-b6c0-cf5639b01759>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://mdpi.com/2071-1050/5/8/3328
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783403823.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155003-00168-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.890133 | 370 | 2.703125 | 3 |
Trichomoniasis and Your Pregnancy
One of the most common curable sexually transmitted diseases; trichomoniasis can cause problems in your pregnancy if it is left untreated. While the symptoms of trichomoniasis may have you thinking that you have a yeast infection, it is important to get a proper diagnosis in order to effectively treat your trichomoniasis.
What is Trichomoniasis?
Trichomoniasis is a sexually transmitted disease that can affect both women and men. Often referred to as "trich," this infection is caused by the bacteria Trichomonas vaginalis, and infects the vagina, cervix, and penis. It can also affect urinary tract function. The infection can be difficult to diagnose because up to 60% of men and 40% of women exhibit no symptoms of trichomoniasis. Symptoms of trichomoniasis can also disappear spontaneously and without treatment. Common symptoms associated with trich include a yellow-green vaginal discharge in women and a thin, white discharge in men. There is an easy and effective cure for trichomoniasis with a success rate of 90% to 95%.
Trichomoniasis and Pregnancy
More than 8,000 pregnant women are infected with trichomoniasis every year in the United States. If you are pregnant it is important that you ask to be tested, especially if you are experiencing symptoms of trichomoniasis. Trich tests are not normally provided to expectant mothers but trichomoniasis can affect your baby. In particular, this infection is associated with pre-term and premature birth as well as low-birth weight in newborns (under 5 pounds). Trich can also cause Preterm Premature Rupture of the Membranes (PPROM), causing your uterus lining to break away before it is time for your baby to be born. Some research suggests that pregnant women infected with trich are two times more likely to have stillborn infants or to have their children die in infancy. In rare instances, trichomoniasis can be passed to your newborn during birth. If your baby contracts trich from you during birth, he can be treated with antibiotics.
Testing and Treatment
If you think you may have trich, it is important for you and your sexual partners to get tested. You will be given a physical exam during which your doctor will look for signs of infection around the vagina and cervix. A pelvic exam will determine if any cysts or sores are growing around the cervix. A vaginal swab will also be taken and tested for the presence of the bacteria causing trich.
If you test positive for trich you will probably only be treated if your symptoms are bothersome and persistent. The drug metronidazole is an effective cure for Trichomoniasis. However, some studies show that metronidazole actually increases the risk of pre-term or premature birth for your baby. A study performed by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development found that metronidazole use in pregnancy can significantly increase the chance of pre-term labor. To date, studies are inconclusive on the actual risks of using metronidazole during pregnancy. If your symptoms are bad, you may be offered clotrimazole vaginal tablets as an alternative treatment. These are inserted inside your vagina once daily for 7 days.
|Think you might have trich? Visit our Pregnancy Complications forum to discuss your concerns with other women.|
|
<urn:uuid:9b0ae42d-21c0-430f-82fd-c3208b0b35a0>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www.pregnancy-info.net/stds_trich_pregnancy.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396100.16/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00162-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.931833 | 709 | 2.6875 | 3 |
At the St. Augustine Alligator Farm and Zoological Park, there are almost three times as many wood stork nests this year than last year.
At least 17 nests with two to three chicks apiece are in the farm's rookery, according to Amanda Whitaker, bird and mammal curator.
In 2002, the farm had six nests but only one was successful. "We are elated at the success this year," she said.
The wood stork, an endangered species protected by federal and state laws, has been nesting at the farm since 2000.
Whitaker said the farm's goal is to increase its nesting population each year.
She said more are moving northward because of the destruction of habitats in South Florida through development.
"The mega rookeries that you used to see in South Florida just don't occur as they used to," she said Thursday.
She said the wood storks are an indicator species. "Their populations are used to gauge the health of the wetland ecosystem in Florida," she said.Frank Montalbano, director of wildlife for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in Tallahassee, called wood storks a "treasure."
"They are very much tuned into the natural ecosystem of Florida," he said in an interview from Kissimmee. He said a wood stork nesting is key to the dry down cycle of Florida's environment. During that cycle, the birds can forage for food and build nests.
The farm is assisting in the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Wood Stork Recovery Plan by monitoring its population. Whitaker and Gen Schrobo, bird and mammal senior keeper, also are involved in a project at the Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia where color-coded leg bands are attached to wood storks for future identification.
Wood storks have been on the federal endangered species list since 1984. Federal records show that there were around 60,000 in the Southeastern United States in the 1930s. In the 1980s, there were about 5,000.
"They are not unique to Florida, but they are really a treasure," said Montalbano.
© 2016. All Rights Reserved. Contact Us
|
<urn:uuid:4e46cc0b-7949-479f-8471-245c4fe8bc4f>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://staugustine.com/stories/053003/new_1570870.shtml
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397842.93/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00024-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.97603 | 451 | 2.96875 | 3 |
Valentine's Day is arriving. I want to buy flowers for my sweetheart, but it seems like a lot of resources go into growing and delivering a bouquet that will wilt just a few days later. You've suggested looking for eco-certified bouquets, but would I be better off just buying silk flowers instead?
This is a tough one. Comprehensive data aren't available for either real flowers or silk ones, but there's slightly more information available for the real thing—so let's start there.
Imported flowers have come to dominate the U.S. market in the last 40 years, as entrepreneurs and scientists have found ways to make blooms survive intercontinental plane trips. In 1971, just 8 percent of the roses, carnations, and chrysanthemums sold in the U.S. were imported. (These three flowers account for the majority of cut-flower imports.) By 2003, that number had grown to 91 percent, with most of those flowers coming from Colombia and Ecuador.
This shift from local to imported flowers is a mix of good and bad news for the environment. The bad news first: South American growers rely heavily on chemical fertilizers and pesticides. According to a 2007 study by the International Labor Rights Fund (now the International Labor Rights Forum) and the U.S. Labor Education in the Americas Project, 20 percent of the chemicals sprayed on Colombian flowers are illegal in the U.S. or Europe. They have contaminated the soil and caused severe health problems (PDF) for many workers. There are certification programs (PDF) for responsible growers, but it's often difficult to determine how any individual bunch of roses was raised.
On the other hand, flowers grown in equatorial zones and shipped to your local market probably use less total energy than the locally grown equivalent, despite spending five hours on an airplane. February isn't prime flower-harvesting season in most of the U.S., and efficient growing conditions usually trump buyer-producer proximity.
Ecologists at the U.K.'s Cranfield University compared (PDF) the environmental impact—including production and transport—of roses imported to England from the Netherlands with those coming from Kenya. The Dutch blooms required energy to heat their greenhouses but made a much shorter flight, while the Kenyan roses had the benefit of natural warmth but a long journey. In the end, the Kenyan roses were responsible for 0.4 pounds of carbon dioxide per flower, compared with 6.4 pounds per Dutch-grown rose. When the group took into account all greenhouse gases—including methane and nitrous oxide instead of just CO2—and adjusted for the fact that airplane emissions are especially damaging because they are injected into the atmosphere at high altitudes, the Dutch flowers had six times greater impact on global warming as did the Kenyan roses.
Unfortunately, nobody has conducted a comparable, comprehensive life-cycle analysis of silk flowers. Even so, it's possible to describe some of your silk pseudo-buds' environmental costs.
Although manufacturing silk requires a little more human intervention than harvesting roses, the super-smooth textile is still largely an agricultural product. Silk worms, the source of all real silk, feed on mulberry leaves. (Manmade flowers can also be constructed from cellulose-based rayon or petroleum-derived polyester. But let's save those down-market alternatives for a less romantic holiday.) Silk cultivators wait for the worms to form cocoons, which they collect after steaming the critters to death. The raw silk from the cocoons is spooled, boiled again, dyed, and then woven into fabric.
Mulberry trees are susceptible to viral, bacterial, and fungal infections, so most producers use chemicals to protect their crop. (Pesticides and fertilizers aren't used as heavily as they are in most crop fields, however, because the worms themselves are sensitive to chemicals.) Manufacturers use detergents, which can contribute to algal blooms, to separate the raw silk from the gum binding the cocoon together. Additionally, the bleaches and dyes often include dioxins, heavy metals, and a zo compounds, some of which are toxic.
Most of the energy required for silk production is spent on the steaming and boiling stages—and at the factories where the silk is spooled, woven, and wrapped into a sort-of convincing flower likeness. Unfortunately, there hasn't been enough research on the topic to assign a hard number to this energy use or the associated carbon dioxide output.
In the millenniums since silk production began, the industry has found a few ways to reduce its environmental impact. A handful of producers have figured out how to gather silk without killing the pupa. You can also buy wild silk, which uses far less energy and fewer chemicals. Since these niche products aren't widely available, however, it's unlikely that either of these techniques were used to create the silk flowers at your local arts-and-crafts store.
China produces more than 70 percent of the world's silk, while second-place India produces11 percent, so your silk flowers probably took a pretty long journey. But because silk flowers have an indefinite shelf life, they usually travel by sea freight, which requires considerably less energy than air freight. Shipping a one-pound bouquet of artificial roses generates roughly 0.28 pounds of carbon dioxide, or about one-twentieth the emissions that traveling by air creates.
Without more scientific research on the topic, it's impossible to say how many real roses it takes to equal the environmental impact of a bouquet of silk flowers. Keeping a vaseful of silk flowers is likely the environmentally responsible choice in the long run. Just how long? Who knows. But are you seriously considering hauling the same dusty vase of fake flowers out of the closet every year? That might lead to divorce—a much worse environmental consequence than an annual order of roses. The Lantern welcomes your recommendations for eco-responsible flower substitutes in the comments below.
|
<urn:uuid:3b6d124c-18e0-4f55-9af2-704804911d36>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/the_green_lantern/2011/02/he_loves_earth_he_loves_earth_not.2.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783408840.13/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155008-00134-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.950557 | 1,230 | 2.703125 | 3 |
Synopsis of the Books of the Bible, by John Nelson Darby, [1857-62], at sacred-texts.com
Chapter 8 gives details of that which takes place from another side of Judea, with reference to the Jews. The two empires of Persia and Greece, or of the East, which succeeded that of Babylon under which the prophecy was given, are only introduced to point out the countries in which these events are to take place, and to bring them before us in their historical order. The Persian empire is overthrown by the king of Greece, whose empire is afterwards divided into four kingdoms, from one of which a power arises that forms the main subject of the prophecy.
In the interpretation, we find the positive declaration that the events here related happen "in the last end of the indignation." Now it is the indignation against Israel that is here meant (Dan 11:36). This time of indignation is spoken of in Isa 10:25; it ends with the destruction of the Assyrian, who (Dan 8:5) is its principal instrument. All these passages shew us, especially in studying their context, that it will be in the last days that the events of these prophecies will be fulfilled. It will be "the time of Jacob's trouble, but he shall be delivered out of it." The Lord Himself alludes to this period (Matt. 24) calling His disciples' attention to that which Daniel says respecting it (compare Dan 12:1-11 with the Lord's words). It appears to me that the prophecy in our chapter does not relate so absolutely to the last days as the interpretation does [See Note #1]. The thing spoken of in the prophecy is not the last end of the indignation; but the fact that a little horn arises out of one of the four kingdoms, which had succeeded Alexander. Nevertheless, the grand object of the Spirit is to reveal that which will happen at the time of the end (Dan 8:17).
Let us examine the principal feature of the little horn. The power designated by "the little horn" enlarges its territory towards the east, and towards the pleasant land, or ornament [of the earth], that is to say, as it appears to me, towards Jerusalem or Zion. This horn exalts itself against the host of heaven, and casts down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and tramples on them.
Who are the persons intended by this expression-"the host of heaven and the stars?" Let us remember, that it is the Jewish system that is before us. When once we have got hold of this, the application of the passage is not difficult. The expression applies to those who, professedly at least, surround the throne of God, and particularly those who shine eminent among them. It is not the faithful who look towards heaven, of which chapter 7 speaks. To be the host of heaven describes a position and not a moral state (compare Dan 8:24). But this passage assumes that the Jews are again in this position before God, even although it would be but for judgment. That is to say, they are again under the eye of God as in relation with Him, as an object about which He concerns Himself, as a people still responsible for their former relationship with Him, although the Gentile power still exists. Now, if their condition does not answer to the position they reassume in His presence, they are, by the very fact of this position, the object of God's judgments. Observe here, moreover, that transgression is the thing spoken of, and not the abomination which some one sets up, and which makes desolate; and in the interpretation also, the transgression is come to its height.
This horn is, then, the instrument of chastisement on the Jews, who have returned-as to profession-into relationship with Jehovah, and into their land, assuming the character of His people, yet carrying transgression against Him to the highest point. The horn completely destroys some of them. But this is not all; he (for the word is no longer it, in agreement with the word horn-perhaps changed to designate the king in person) magnifies himself even against the Prince of the host. He carries his pretensions so far as to oppose himself to Him, to set himself against Christ in His character of Prince of Israel, against the Judge who comes, the Head of Israel, who is Jehovah Himself; for it is the Ancient of days who comes. Here, however, all is looked at in a Jewish aspect. He is the Prince of Israel. We see that it is Jehovah, because it is His sacrifice that is taken away-His sanctuary that is cast down; but He is presented as the Prince of the host [See Note #2]. The daily sacrifice is taken away from Him, not "by him." [See Note #3] The Jewish worship rendered to Jehovah is suppressed, His sanctuary cast down, and a time of distress appointed for the daily sacrifice (it is thus that I understand the verse), on account of transgression; and the little horn [See Note #4] (for here the it, agreeing with horn, is again used) casts down the truth, practises and prospers. The duration of the whole vision, with especial reference to the transgression which occasions it, and, it may be, comprising also the duration of the transgression that maketh desolate; in a word, the whole scene of transgression, and consequent desolation (the sanctuary and the host being trodden under foot), continues for 2300 evenings and mornings.
In Verse 19 (Dan 8:19) we see that the interpretation relates to the time of the end-a very important notice for the understanding of the passage [See Note #5]. And this is what shall happen in the last end of the indignation (upon Israel) when the transgression of the Jews is at its height. A king of fierce countenance, who understands dark sentences, shall arise; a kind of teacher or rabbi, but proud, and audacious in appearance. He will be mighty, but not by his own power. He will make great havoc, will prosper and practise, destroying the mighty, or a great multitude of persons, and especially "the people of the holy ones," that is, the Jews (Dan 7:27). He is subtle, and his craftiness is successful. He will magnify himself in his heart, and will destroy many by means of a false and irreligious security. At length, he will stand up against the Prince of princes. He will then be destroyed without human intervention. That is to say that at the time of the end, when the purposes of God will be unfolded, when His indignation against Israel draws to an end, the transgression of this people being already at its height, a king shall arise in one part of the former Grecian empire, whose power will be characterised by its increase towards the east and south, and towards Jerusalem; that is, it will be established in the present Turkey in Asia-Jerusalem being the point it aims at. This power will cause much destruction, and its strength will be great; yet, properly speaking, it will not be its own strength. The king will be dependent on some other power. He will also destroy the Jewish people. But there is something more than destructive power; there is a character of wisdom resembling that of Solomon in some respects. He is very subtle, and succeeds in destroying the Jews, by lulling them into a security in which they forget Jehovah. We see him then occupying himself about the Jews, not only as a conqueror, but as a teacher, by craft and by a deceptive peace. At length he stands up against Christ in His character of the Prince of princes or kings of the earth, that is, in His character of earthly supremacy. He is destroyed by divine power, without the hand of man.
This king is distinct from the little horn of chapter 7, who rules the great western beast. He is a king of the east, who arises, not from the Roman empire, but from the former Grecian empire established in Syria, and the adjacent countries, who derives his strength from elsewhere, and not from his own resources. He will interfere (in his own way) with the religious affairs of the Jews; but it seems to me that that which is said of him is more characteristic of the desolator, whom God allows the enemy to raise up on account of the transgressions of His people, than of the one who makes a covenant with them for a time, in order to ruin and drag them afterwards into the depths of apostasy. It is one who will oppress them, having his seat of action in the east, as the little horn of chapter 7 rules in the west [See Note #6]. The desolation is brought before us on the occasion of this little horn. Verse 11 [See Note #7] (Dan 8:11) is a kind of parenthesis which relates entirely to the Prince of the host; and the two last things it mentions (namely, that the sacrifice is taken away from Him and His sanctuary cast down) are introduced in connection with the Prince of the host, as a part of the desolation of Israel, to complete its description, without, as it appears to me, pointing out who it is that does these things. They are not spoken of in the king's own history, at the end of the chapter. They form a part of the desolation of the days alluded to in Verse 11 (Dan 8:11).
This appears to me to be the case, because events that took place under the successors of Seleucus, the first king of the north, have served as a type, or partial and anticipative fulfilment, of that which will happen in the, last days. In chapter 11 and here, there is a description of, or a strong allusion to, that which Antiochus Epiphanes did. The eleventh chapter relates it, I think, historically. The object of God in the prophecy is found in the events of the last days; and this is all that is given in the interpretation. It is well to observe, that no interpretation of a parable or obscure prophecy, either in the Old or New Testament, is simply an interpretation. It adds that which reveals by the result the meaning of the ways of God, or facts described in what is obscure, either by outward judgments which justify the spiritual judgment of His people when faith only would discern God's mind, or by some new features that give the true import of the events for the saints. Actual judgment makes openly plain what spiritual judgment alone discerned before, and thus is an interpretation. But other circumstances may be added in order to show the mind of God in the matter. In a word, it is God who communicates to His people that which gives its true value to that which precedes, or who directs them in their thoughts as to what has been said, by the revelation of His judgments. It is this which practically confirms them in His thoughts.
I have questioned a little whether the host of heaven may not mean the powers of the earth (the Jews only taking their place in it because they ought to be under the government of God, and are so to the spirit of prophecy). I do not reject this idea; but it appears certain that the Spirit has the Jews especially in view (see Dan 8:13). Verse 24 (Dan 8:24) might lead us to believe that He destroys others beside the Jews. Christ, exalted to the right hand of God, is the head of all power. But He is especially the head of the Jews. If any would even apply the title "Prince of princes" to this supremacy, the analogy of the word would justify the application. The connection between the host and the sanctuary in Verse 13 (
Dan 8:11) is masculine; while at the end of Verse 12 (Dan 8:12), the word, "it cast down," is feminine, agreeing with horn, which in Hebrew is a feminine noun.
The vision speaks particularly of the Seleucidae, or Asiatic successors of Alexander; and their acts, I doubt not, particularly those of Antiochus Epiphanes, are referred to in the vision, though Verse 11 and the first half of 12 (Dan 8:11-12), as noticed, are distinct. Thus the 2300 evenings and mornings are not necessarily applicable to anything beyond the acts of the Seleucidae, and Verse 26 (Dan 8:26) confirms this. The interpretation (Dan 8:23-25) applies only to the latter days. The sanctuary is not spoken of, but the destroying the "people of the saints" (the Jews), and standing up against the Prince of princes. In Verse 26 (Dan 8:26) read, "and thou, shut up the vision," not "wherefore."
Chapter 7 gives the power or horn of the west; chapter 8 that of the east; chapter 9 gives the state of Jerusalem under the power of the west; chapter 10, 11 the state under the powers of the east, including the wilful king.
The first half of the twelfth, closing with the word, "transgression," forms indeed part of this parenthesis. The 2300 days refer thus to the historical times. All we have of them, in the interpretation which unfolds what is yet to come, is that the vision is true. The parenthesis is from "Yea" (Dan 8:12), connected with "he," not with "it."
|
<urn:uuid:11e1b14a-d235-467d-b4e6-cd79abb055da>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www.sacred-texts.com/bib/cmt/darby/dan008.htm
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397213.30/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00099-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.968716 | 2,798 | 2.734375 | 3 |
Metz is a city in northeast France and capital of the Lorraine region. The city lies at the juncture of the Moselle and Seille rivers and has a rich 3,000 year old history in which it has had great importance as a military outpost and crossroads dating back to the Romans who first fortified it. The name Metz is derived from the Latin word Mediomatrica.
The city was returned to the French under the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, having previously been captured by the Germans in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71. When France fell to Germany in 1940 the city was annexed to the Third Reich. After the Allied invasion of France, Metz with its heavy fortifications, became an important focal point for the Germans to mount a defense to contain the advancing US Third Army and buy time for an organized withdrawal to the Saar region. The battle for Metz lasted from September until the end of November 1944, and both sides suffered heavy casualties. The last isolated forts of Metz did not surrender until well into December 1944.
While under German rule in 1901, work began on a Protestant church on the banks of an island on the Moselle River. The beautiful Temple Neuf was built by architect Conrad Wahn and inaugurated in 1904 by King Wilhelm II and his wife Auguste Viktoria. Its Neo-Romanesque styling was typical of many Protestant churches built across Germany in the early 20th Century, but some in Metz thought the style to be an affront to the architectural harmony of the city, as many of the surrounding buildings are of the French classical style. Despite this, the Temple Neuf is a unique and treasured landmark of Metz.
Aux Morts De Le Guerre
Located at the Place Gallieni in Metz is a memorial to fallen soldiers of World War I. Sculpted by Paul Niclausse and inaugurated in 1935, this monument depicts a mother with the naked body of her dead son across her knees. On the base of this secular pieta is engraved Aux Morts De Le Guerre, or "To The War Dead". After the German occupation of France in 1940, two large bas-relief figures of French soldiers flanking the statue, another bas-relief on a large slab above the statue and an inscription were removed by the Germans.
Fountain at the Esplanade of Metz
Located in the western district of Metz Centre is the Esplanade de Metz, a large garden area situated between the 18th century Palais de Justice (Law Courts) of Metz and the Basilica of St. Peter in Nonnaines. The 9,000 square meter garden is situated on what used to the be the citadel's moat and offers a panoramic view of the Saint-Quentin plateau. The garden hosted a World's Fair in 1861 and was redesigned in 1967 with the addition of a parking garage underneath the garden. The fountain pictured here lies at the northwest end of the garden.
Small Gauge Rail in Metz
A network of two-foot gauge railways were used to rearm and resupply the many fortresses of Metz from supply depots up to 30 miles away. These mini locomotives were gas powered and armored. A similar system of small gauge steam engines were used for the same purpose in the First World War.
|
<urn:uuid:0321a893-d304-47b9-8c63-2122388f6602>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www.lostimagesofww2.com/photos/places/metz.php
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397873.63/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00156-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.965871 | 699 | 2.890625 | 3 |
Excess body weight: A major health issue in America
Modern life in America has led many people to eat more unhealthy foods, eat bigger food portions, and be less active. As a result, the number of Americans who are overweight or obese (very overweight) has been rising. About 1 in 3 American adults is now obese, and another 1 in 3 is overweight.
Being overweight or obese can have far-reaching health consequences. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), excess body weight increases a person’s risk for:
- Heart disease
- Type 2 diabetes
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol levels
- Liver and gallbladder disease
- Sleep apnea and respiratory problems
- Abnormal menstrual periods and infertility in women
- Certain cancers
Overweight and obese people, on average, do not live as long as people who stay at a healthy body weight throughout their lives.
Not only are more adults overweight or obese, but more children are, too. Among children and teens, about 17% are now obese. This number is about 3 times higher than it was a few decades ago, although it has leveled off in recent years.
Some of the same health problems affecting obese adults can also affect obese children. These include heart disease risk factors such as high cholesterol levels and high blood pressure, as well as asthma, sleep apnea, type 2 diabetes, muscle and joint problems, and liver disease. Obese children and teens are also at higher risk for social and psychological problems, such as discrimination and poor self-esteem.
Overweight and obese children and teens are more likely to have weight problems as adults, too.
Last Medical Review: 04/24/2015
Last Revised: 02/05/2016
|
<urn:uuid:d3e92161-d560-4b58-aa9a-4eac1a9bcd85>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancercauses/dietandphysicalactivity/bodyweightandcancerrisk/body-weight-and-cancer-risk-health-issues
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396224.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00188-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.950032 | 361 | 3.359375 | 3 |
City of Millbrae Powers Wastewater Treatment Plant on Kitchen Grease
Millbrae, California’s Water Pollution Control Plant is using inedible kitchen grease from restaurants to naturally produce biogas for generating renewable power and heat to treat the city’s wastewater.
The system, engineered and installed by Chevron Energy Solutions, includes a grease receiving station and an expanded cogenerator as well as other upgrades that will result in annual revenues and energy savings of $366,000 for Millbrae while nearly doubling the amount of green power produced at the plant.
More than 3,000 gallons of restaurant grease – the kind washed from grills and pans – will be delivered to the plant each day by grease hauling companies, which pay a city fee for disposals. Microorganisms in the plant’s digester tanks eat the grease and other organic matter, naturally producing methane gas to fuel the plant’s new 250-kilowatt microturbine cogenerator to produce electricity for wastewater treatment. Meanwhile, excess heat produced by the cogenerator warms the digester tanks to their optimum temperature for methane production.
“This project clearly demonstrates that cities can develop renewable energy economically, with multiple benefits to urban communities,” said Jim Davis, president of Chevron Energy Solutions. “By applying proven technologies and looking at the entire waste stream in new ways, the City of Millbrae has cost effectively upgraded its facilities, reduced its operating costs, created new revenue and solved environmental challenges all at the same time.”
“This innovative project brings new meaning to the term ‘sustainable development,'” said Millbrae Mayor Robert Gottschalk. “Through our partnership with Chevron Energy Solutions, we’re taking an urban waste and turning it into an asset for the city and the environment.”
Nationally, restaurants produce an average of 14 pounds of inedible grease per capita annually – a total of nearly 4.2 billion pounds each year in the U.S. alone. Much of this grease is disposed of in landfills, where it releases methane – a potent greenhouse gas – as it decomposes, sometimes directly to the atmosphere. Millbrae’s grease receiving station will reduce the amount of grease sent to landfills.
The grease and other organic matter will produce enough biogas at the plant to generate about 1.7 million kilowatt hours annually, which will meet 80 percent of the plant’s power needs and reduce its electricity purchases significantly. This lower demand for utility-generated power reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 1.2 million pounds annually, the same amount of carbon dioxide absorbed by planting about 170 acres of trees.
The total cost of the project, $5.5 million, was reduced by about $200,000 with a rebate awarded through the state of California’s Self-Generation Incentive Program administered by Pacific Gas and Electric Company. The net amount, along with maintenance costs, is being funded entirely by savings from the new system and will have no effect on the city’s wastewater treatment rates.
“This is the only wastewater treatment plant in the U.S. to receive and process inedible grease in a self-funding, purpose-built system that successfully addresses so many challenges simultaneously,” said Dick York, superintendent of the Millbrae plant. “It’s a complete solution that could be adopted in many cities around the country.”
Energy Manager News
- Energy-as-a-Service: Charting a Path Through Complexity
- Demand Energy, EnerSys Complete Storage Project
- Lunera Intros Pathway and Entryway LED
- FPL to Buy and Phase Out Coal-Powered Plant, Saving Customers $129M
- Environmental, Health and Safety Software Moves Forward
- Johnson Controls: Interest, Investment in Energy Efficiency Up
- First-Ever Statewide Endorsement of Retail Supplier, by Delaware, Goes to Direct Energy
- Oberlin, Ohio, Ratepayers to Receive $2.2M in Rebates for Sale of RECs
|
<urn:uuid:36c08ec2-6b72-43ee-9a6c-e4e5ea050882>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www.environmentalleader.com/2006/11/20/city-of-millbrae-powers-wastewater-treatment-plant-on-kitchen-grease/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395621.98/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00056-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.929353 | 854 | 2.6875 | 3 |
Maps of North Carolina Maps tend to be an very helpful area of ancestors and family history research, notably in the event you live faraway from where your ancestor lived. Since North Carolina political borders oftentimes changed, historic maps tend to be important in assisting you discover the precise location of your ancestor’s home, just what land they owned, exactly who his or her neighbors ended up being, and a lot more.
Maps of North Carolina typically have a tendency to be an outstanding resource for getting started with your own research, simply because they give considerably useful information and facts immediately. North Carolina Maps are usually a major source of important amounts of information and facts on family history.
North Carolina borders by Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. North Carolina’s 10 largest cities are Charlotte, Raleigh, Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Durham, Fayetteville, Cary, Wilmington, High Point and Greenville. Learn more about Historical Facts of North Carolina Counties.
Contact us if you have a map of North Carolina or link to a North Carolina Map you would like to see listed.
Interactive Map of North Carolina County Formation History
Old Antique Atlases & Maps of North Carolina
These are scanned from the original copies so you can see North Carolina and North Carolina counties as our ancestors saw them over a hundred years ago. Some North Carolina maps years (not all) have cities, railroads, P.O. locations, township outlines and other features useful to the avid genealogist in North Carolina.
- 1776 Atlas North And South Carolina Map
- 1776 Atlas Map Of North Carolina With Its Indian Frontiers (Nouthern Section)
- 1795 North Carolina
- 1804 North Carolina Atlas Map
- 1814 Atlas Map of North Carolina
- 1822 Geographical, Historical, And Statistical Atlas Map Of North Carolina
- 1827 Map of North and South Carolina, and Georgia
- 1836 A New Atlas Map Of Nth. Carolina With Its Canals, Roads & Distances from place to place, along the Stage & Steam Boat Routes. (with) two inset maps: Gold Region and the Neuse Rive
- 1845 North Carolina Atlas Map
- 1856 North Carolina Map
- 1880 North and South Carolina. (with) Plan of Charleston
D.O.T. County Road and Highway Maps of North Carolina
The North Carolina Department of Transportation is pleased to provide highly detailed county maps online. These maps contain more detailed information about man-made features than the geological survey maps. In addition to roads and boundaries, these maps include rural communities, churches, and cemeteries. Official NCDOT County Maintenance Maps are being generated into TIF and PDF. In each county, sheet number "MAIN" always shows the entire county. Each supplemental sheet shows area insets, usually congested areas. A sheet key is shown for any county that requires more than 2 sheets.
To View the Map: Just click the Image to view the map online. In order to make the Image size as small as possible they were save on the lowest resolution.
North Carolina Map Links
- North Carolina Digital Map Library (usgwarchives.net)
- North Carolina Maps (lib.unc.edu) North Carolina Maps is a comprehensive, online collection of historic maps of the Tar Heel State.
- North Carolina Maps, Atlases & Gazetteers (ancestry.com)
- North Carolina Maps – The Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection (lib.utexas.edu)
- U.S., Indexed County Land Ownership Maps, 1860-1918 (ancestry.com)
- Historical Maps of North Carolina (alabamamaps.ua.edu)
- American Memory Map Collection: 1500-2004 (memory.loc.gov)
- North Carolina USGenWeb Archives Digital Map Library (usgwarchives.net)
- North Carolina Map Books (amazon.com)
|
<urn:uuid:93581cbf-7a29-4f36-bc56-6565edd5f44d>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www.mapofus.org/northcarolina/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783399522.99/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154959-00041-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.863181 | 821 | 3.140625 | 3 |
The swine flu is the same strain that caused a pandemic and killed 40 people in Indiana in 2009.
Health officials say remember common safe hygiene practices when you pick up your favorite fair food and then head to the livestock barns.
The number of cases of swine flu in the state is the same, even as more counties show evidence of the disease.
Pigs are back at the state fair after being removed because of swine flu concerns.
More than 70 Monroe County residents are now infected with the virus.
State officials say they still haven't confirmed any human-to-human transmission of the disease.
Health officials have confirmed cases of influenza A in humans, but they say people should not worry about an epidemic.
Officials say there's no evidence the flu has been transmitted between people.
Find out why the pork industry in the Hoosier state is so important and how the state is recovering from the perfect storm that caused the industry to topple.
Those who registered for the first day of IU's online H1N1 vaccine reservation system received their doses on Monday at Assembly Hall.
|
<urn:uuid:6ad31c77-7783-4ac8-856e-973d48154cec>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://indianapublicmedia.org/news/tag/swine-flu/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783391519.0/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154951-00141-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.960922 | 226 | 2.796875 | 3 |
The Vienna International School prides itself on a very strong and successful arts programme. From music to visual and performing arts, the students have the ability to immerse themselves in the genre that best suits their talent. With highly qualified and dedicated artists and musicians as teachers, the students are able to develop and hone their skills, which allows them express themselves as confident and competent artists.
The music programme is essentially practical and creative. Students in all grades are encouraged to develop their own individual skills and interests in music as well as expand their broad base of expertise and musical knowledge. The curriculum focuses on performing, composing and listening skills.
The Visual Arts Department was established in 1978. It now has a complete program, starting in Primary and progressing through to IB Visual Arts in the Secondary school. Art students develop the following understandings in the four strands of visual art:
- Creative processes
- Elements and principles of art and design
- Reflection and appreciation
- Visual art in society
“I regard the theatre as the greatest of all art forms, the most immediate way in which a human being can share with another the sense of what it is to be a human being.” ~ Oscar Wilde ~
Drama is recognized as a subject that benefits the learning and development of children. There are three main strands to the effective use of drama: a means to build children’s confidence and develop their social skills; a teaching approach for exploring cross-curricular subjects and issues, and an aid in developing children’s performance and self-presentation skills. These strands often overlap or interact.
|
<urn:uuid:27954254-76d0-4b80-bd6e-7e4df90f1101>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www.vis.ac.at/show_content.php?hid=4&language=en
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396887.54/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00104-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.964714 | 325 | 3.015625 | 3 |
We’re all for hands-on learning, and libraries, both school and public, are uniquely suited to host activities around STEAM, a concept incorporating arts into STEM (science, technology, and math) that’s gaining leverage among educators.
Looking to get started? Check out School Library Journal‘s Pinterest page, curated by children’s librarian Amy Koester, author of our October 2013 cover story, “Full STEAM Ahead: Injecting Art and Creativity into STEM.”
From rubber band race cars to variations on the “Slink/Float lesson,” there’s a range of program ideas, activities, experiments, and reading suggestions. Koester, who works at the Corporate Parkway Branch of the St. Charles (MO) City-County Library District and blogs at ‘The Show Me Librarian’ will continue to pin her resource picks to the board.
|
<urn:uuid:494c8660-ae71-4766-b3fc-8c18d330ac16>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www.slj.com/2013/10/standards/steam-a-pinterest-board/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395620.9/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00030-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.913027 | 195 | 2.734375 | 3 |
Hawaii's earliest history with railroads is often credited to the Island of Kauai, whose first system opened in 1881 on three miles of narrow-gauge track at the Kilauea Plantation to haul sugar cane. By 1915 the island boasted over 200 miles of track, all of which served several sugar plantations on the island, although by the 1950s most of the island's railroads were abandoned. Today, Kauai once again has an operating railroad, the 2.5-mile Kauai Plantation Railway, a tourist railroad that operates seven days a week. The Island of Oahu's railroad history dates back to 1889 when the Oahu Railway & Land Company opened its 12-mile line between Honolulu and Aiea. Over the next roughly 20 years the railroad continued to expand and grow, mostly serving sugar plantations, local industry and hauling passengers.
In the railroad's final form it stretched all of the past Waimea Bay and Sunset Beach to Kahuku, where it served a sugar mill there, including an 11-mile branch to Wahiawa to serve local pineapple fields. After World War II the railroad's infrastructure was almost
entirely worn out after heavy use during the war to transport material
and troops. As traffic began receding following the war, when a 55-foot
tsunami struck the north shore of Oahu on April 1, 1946 the railroad
was all but forced to shutdown with the heavy damages inflicted on the
property (as well as its customers). Of all Hawaiian railroads the largest was the OR&L, which had double-track operations between Honolulu and Aiea, including block signaling and commuter train operations.
The Island of Maui's railroad history dates back to 1890 when the island's large Pioneer Mill, which harvested sugar cane, built a short railroad to better move its product to market. The railroad lasted until around 1950 when trucking
and mechanical farm machinery was more cost effective than railroads.
However, the railroad did not disappear. In 1969 A.W. "Mac" McKelvy
partnered with the Makai Corporation and began the Lahaina-Kaanapali & Pacific Railroad, better known as the Sugar Cane Train. The railroad has become extremely popular over the last 39 years and currently operates six miles of track.
The large Island of Hawaii's railroad history is best remembered with the Hawaii
Consolidated Railway, one of the state's only standard-gauge railroad
operations. The railroad was originally chartered as the Hilo Railroad on March 28th, 1899, to connect the Olaa sugar mill with Waiakea, a distance of eight miles. As the years progressed the railroad made numerous extensions, which included lines to Olaa, Kapoho (17 miles), Hilo itself and later a 12.5-mile line north of Olaa to Glenwood,
although the latter was later scaled back in the early 1930s. The
railroad continued to grow in the 20th century with a 33.5-mile line up
the Hamakua coast.
This extension was extremely expensive with numerous tunnels and
bridges which forced the railroad into receivership in 1914. It emerged
as the Hawaii Consolidated Railway and continued moving people and goods through World War II (its Hamarkua Division was very popular with tourists). As was the case with the Oahu
Railway & Land Company, however, the massive and devastating
tsunami on April 1st, 1946 destroyed numerous bridges and washed out the
right-of-way in several locations instantly forcing the railroad to
shutdown. Today, the Hawaiian Railway Society has rebuilt over six miles of track on the Island of Hawaii, with future plans for further extensions with excursions offered over the railroad. The society is also home to the state's most extensive collection of railroad equipment.
All in all, I know that I have not covered Hawaiian railroads in their entirety (other railroads once found on the islands include the Ahukini Terminal and Railroad Company, Hawaii Railway, Kahului Railroad, Kauai Railway, and Koolau
Railway) but I do hope for those who are either not from this
magnificent state or do not know its railroad history that the above information has been a bit helpful to you. And, while I know most folks go to Hawaii
for the beaches and the sun, if you have a chance you may also want to
either visit one of the state's few remaining tourist railroads or the Hawaiian Railway Society to get a glimpse at what railroading was once like in the Aloha State.
For more about Hawiian railroads please click here
to visit the Hawaiian Railway Society's website. While the site itself
only gives a general history of the state's railroads if you have a
specific question that needs answered please feel free to contact the
society. For more reading about Hawaii's railroad history you might want to consider picking up the book Hawaiian Railway Album: WWII Photographs, Vol. 2--Along the Main Lines of the Oahu Railway & Land Co. and the Hawaii Consolidated Railway by author Gale Treiber. The book is the second of four in the series that, through historic photographs, details railroading operations in Hawaii during the war years. Another book you may be interested in is Next Stop Honolulu!, The Story of the Oahu Railway & Land Co.
by authors Jim Chiddix and MacKinnon Simpson. The book covers the
famed railroad in over 300 pages from its earliest days to final closing
following the tsunami.
|
<urn:uuid:64483202-4aa9-4621-8722-50f67bf0a5bf>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www.american-rails.com/hawaiian-railroads.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397795.31/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00063-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.965587 | 1,153 | 3.3125 | 3 |
Learn something new every day
More Info... by email
Momentum is a measurement of motion that determines how much force an object of a given mass will exert when traveling at a set velocity. The equation for straight-line momentum is simple: p = mv, where p is momentum and m and v are mass and velocity. Angular momentum is a slightly different quantity; it involves calculating the motion of an object or particle around a fixed point, a system also known as an orbit. Calculating angular momentum differs slightly for particles and objects, but is similar to calculating linear momentum.
The formula for angular momentum of particles is L = rp. L is the momentum, r is the radius from the center of the orbit to the particle and p is the linear momentum of the particle: mass times velocity. Angular momentum as it applies to objects is somewhat different; the formula is L = Iω, where L is the momentum, I is the moment of inertia, and ω is the angular velocity. An important concept, the moment of inertia affects torque, or rotational force around a fixed axis. The moment of inertia is the product of the mass and the square of the rotational radius, or I = mr2.
An object's momentum around its axis causes the axis to remain stationary — regardless of the weight attached to it — when the mass is moving quickly, similar to the motion of a spinning top. In other words, the rotational motion of a rapidly-spinning body causes the axis to stabilize. For example, a bicyclist has an easier time staying upright when the bike's wheels are spinning quickly. Similarly, football players give the ball a spiraling motion to make it fly straighter toward their teammate, and by the same principle, a gun barrel includes rifling along the interior of the barrel to give the bullet a spiral rotation as it travels.
Calculating angular momentum is useful in determining the orbits of celestial bodies. Johannes Kepler, a 17th-century Dutch astronomer, developed his Second Law of Planetary Motion via the concept of conservation of angular momentum. This law states that as long as there is no external torque on an object in orbit, its momentum will never change. As it gets closer to the center of rotation, its rotational speed will increase, and it will decrease the farther away it gets from the axis of rotation.
One of our editors will review your suggestion and make changes if warranted. Note that depending on the number of suggestions we receive, this can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days. Thank you for helping to improve wiseGEEK!
|
<urn:uuid:df411d60-074c-4b1a-93d9-eb2074a0fc16>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-angular-momentum.htm
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783393997.50/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154953-00098-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.935987 | 529 | 4.3125 | 4 |
|Name: _________________________||Period: ___________________|
This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. What was Ed Monroe's occupation before he met Laura?
(a) Bounty hunter.
2. What was an ear spoon used for?
(a) To clean bowls.
(b) To clean ears.
(c) To examine skulls.
(d) To hear better.
3. What was Niles's occupation?
4. What was the Panama Pacific International Exposition celebrating?
(a) The end of a war.
(b) A new treaty signed.
(c) The completion of the Panama canal.
(d) The anniversary of a great battle.
5. Why did Laura say she did not take much notice of the first place Rose took her in San Francisco?
(a) There was too much to see.
(b) It was dark.
(c) She was talking to Rose.
(d) She was too tired.
Short Answer Questions
1. Where was Laura when she first saw Alcatraz?
2. What kind of food in San Francisco did Laura not like?
3. How old was Rose when Laura came to visit her?
4. What was Fremont Older's occupation?
5. Who wrote the first letter in the book?
Short Essay Questions
1. What did Laura talk about in the letter she wrote while in Kansas City?
2. How did Laura describe the Great Salt Lake?
3. What did Laura write about her time in Chinatown?
4. What did Laura say she noticed about her first ferry ride?
5. What was Laura's nickname, and why?
6. What made Laura disconcerted on her trip across the desert?
7. What made Laura so uncomfortable on the trip?
8. Why did Laura not like the Harvard lawyer on the train?
9. Who built Rose's house, and why was this so significant?
10. How did Laura describe her first view of the Pacific Ocean?
This section contains 520 words
(approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page)
|
<urn:uuid:a00cecc9-fa3c-452c-9dd8-757ecc28861c>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www.bookrags.com/lessonplan/west-from-home/test3.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397842.93/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00201-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.954142 | 467 | 2.796875 | 3 |
Hurricane Katrina could cost more than $100 billion, according to the latest estimate from Risk Management Solutions. On Tuesday, risk-modeling firms placed the potential costs at up to $25 billion. Where do these numbers come from, and why do they vary so much?
Teams of mathematicians, statisticians, meteorologists, and structural engineers compile the figures. Risk-modeling companies predict damage by comparing weather forecasts with detailed information about what lies in a storm's path. Using data from the National Hurricane Center, they estimate the wind speeds generated by the storm at various locations. The damage analysis typically addresses entire neighborhoods at a time; for each ZIP code, the modelers know the total value of buildings in the area, what percentage of them are residential, how many of those are wood-frame houses, and so on.
Once the modelers make a guess as to which buildings will be affected, and by what wind intensity, they can start to project the damage—and assign dollar amounts. For this they use "vulnerability functions," which derive from historical data about previous hurricanes. If a residential neighborhood in New Orleans were likely to be hit by Katrina's 100-mph winds, the damage estimates might come from the insurance claims made after 100-mph winds hit a similar neighborhood during Hurricane Charley or Hurricane Andrew.
Historical comparisons don't work for unique or unusual structures in harm's way. When the insurance companies saw Hurricane Floyd approaching Florida in 1999, the potential damage to the space shuttle couldn't be determined from past experience. Since shuttle damage could contribute a significant amount to the total cost of the storm, the modelers assessed the risk informally.
In general, information about previous storms comprises claims for all sorts of losses, like structural damage, destroyed equipment, and even interrupted business. The standard vulnerability functions incorporate all these factors into the final estimate. Overall projections can refer either to the insured damages or to the total costs of the storm. A $9 billion estimate reported in the news on Tuesday referred to insured and uninsured damages from the wind alone; the new $100 billion estimate applies to the total cost including flood damage. These numbers reflect damage to the local economy and infrastructure, but they don't account for global effects—like the dramatic increase in gas prices.
What good are these numbers? Insurance companies hire risk-modeling companies to help them prepare for the aftermath. They want to know how much money they'll need to settle claims, and how many agents they should send into the field. They don't care so much about the overall numbers—for the most part, those are computed for the risk-modeling company's press releases. Instead, the insurance companies use the same data and vulnerability functions to create estimates about their own specific liabilities.
Explainer thanks Rick Clinton of EQECAT and Shannon McKay of Risk Management Solutions.
|
<urn:uuid:fea26654-0413-4727-99d2-1408a374d30e>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2005/09/how_do_they_estimate_hurricane_damage.single.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783398075.47/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154958-00073-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.944393 | 579 | 3.03125 | 3 |
Engaging the Online Learner This updated edition includes an innovative frameworkthe Phases of Engagementthat helps learners become more involved as knowledge generators and cofacilitators of a course. The book also provides specific ideas for tested activities (collected from experienced online instructors across the nation) that can go a long way to improving online learning. Engaging the Online Learner offers the tools and information needed to: Convert classroom activities to an online environment Assess the learning that occurs as a result of collaborative activities Phase in activities that promote engagement among online learners Build peer interaction through peer partnerships and team activities Create authentic activities and implement games and simulations Praise for Engaging the Online Learner "The Phases of Engagement framework provides a road map for creating community at each phase of an online course. This book is an invaluable guide to innovative practices for online learning."Judith V. Boettcher, coauthor of The Online Teaching Survival Guide "Engagement is the heart of online learning. The authors have developed an encyclopedia of tried-and-true learner engagement activities that are authentic and ready to use."Donald P. Ely, professor emeritus, instructional design, development and evaluation in the School of Education, Syracuse University
Back to top
Rent Engaging the Online Learner 2nd edition today, or search our site for other textbooks by Rita-Marie Conrad. Every textbook comes with a 21-day "Any Reason" guarantee. Published by Jossey-Bass.
Need help ASAP? We have you covered with 24/7 instant online tutoring. Connect with one of our tutors now.
|
<urn:uuid:08b02209-5566-46cd-a256-8c96e39134c6>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www.chegg.com/textbooks/engaging-the-online-learner-2nd-edition-9781118018194-1118018192
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395560.69/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00084-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.909374 | 325 | 2.578125 | 3 |
This chapter describes how to identify and resolve problems that relate to Access Control Lists (ACLs).
This chapter includes the following sections:
•About Access Control Lists (ACLs)
•ACL Configuration Limits
•Displaying ACL Policies on the VEM
•Debugging Policy Verification Issues
About Access Control Lists (ACLs)
An ACL is an ordered set of rules for filtering traffic. When the device determines that an ACL applies to a packet, it tests the packet against the rules. The first matching rule determines whether the packet is permitted or denied. If there is no match, the device applies a default rule. The device processes packets that are permitted and drops packets that are denied.
ACLs protect networks and specific hosts from unnecessary or unwanted traffic. For example, ACLs are used to disallow HTTP traffic from a high-security network to the Internet. ACLs also allow HTTP traffic but only to specific sites, using the IP address of the site to identify it in an IP ACL.
The following types of ACLs are supported for filtering traffic:
•IP ACLs—The device applies IP ACLs only to IP traffic.
•MAC ACLs—The device applies MAC ACLs only to non-IP traffic.
For detailed information about how ACL rules are used to configure network traffic, see the Cisco Nexus 1000V Security Configuration Guide, Release 4.0(4)SV1(3).
ACL Configuration Limits
The following configuration limits apply to ACLs:
•You cannot have more that 128 rules in an ACL.
•You cannot have more than 10,000 ACLs (spread across all the ACLs) in one VEM.
The following restrictions apply to ACLs:
•You cannot apply more than one IP ACL and one MAC ACL in each direction on an interface.
•A MAC ACL applies only to Layer 2 packets.
•VLAN ACLs are not supported.
•IP fragments are not supported n ACL rules.
•Non initial fragments are not subject to ACL lookup.
•The established option to specify TCP flags is not supported.
•You cannot have two not-equal-to (neq) operators in the same rule.
•ACL is not supported in port channels.
The commands listed in this section can be used on the VSM to see the policies that are configured and applied on the interfaces.
Use the following command to display configured ACLs:
•show access-list summary
Use following commands on the VSM to see run-time information of the ACLMGR and ACLCOMP during configuration errors, and to collect ACLMGR process run-time information configuration errors:
•show system internal aclmgr event-history errors
•show system internal aclmgr event-history msgs
•show system internal aclmgr ppf
•show system internal aclmgr mem-stats (to debug memory usage and leaks)
•show system internal aclmgr status
•show system internal aclmgr dictionary
Use the following commands to collect ACLCOMP process run-time information configuration errors:
•show system internal aclcomp event-history errors
•show system internal aclcomp event-history msgs
•show system internal aclcomp pdl detailed
•show system internal aclcomp mem-stats (to debug memory usage and leaks)
Displaying ACL Policies on the VEM
The commands listed in this section can be used to display configured ACL policies on the VEM.
Use the following command to list the ACLs installed on that server
~ # module vem 3 execute vemcmd show acl
Acl-id Ref-cnt Type Numrules Stats
The Acl-id is the local ACLID for this VEM. Ref-cnt refers to the number of instances of this ACL in this VEM.
Use the following command to list the interfaces on which ACLs have been installed
~ # module vem 3 execute vemcmd show acl pinst
Debugging Policy Verification Issues
To debug a policy verification failure, follow these steps:
Step 1 On the VSM, enter the debug logfile filename command to redirect the output to a file in bootflash.
Step 2 Enter the debug aclmgr all command.
Step 3 Enter the debug aclcomp all command.
For the VEMs where the policy exists, or is being applied, enter the following these steps from the VSM. The output goes to the console.
Step 4 Enter the module vem module-number execute vemdpalog debug sfaclagent all command.
Step 5 Enter the module vem module-number execute vemdpalog debug sfpdlagent all command.
Step 6 Enter the module vem module-number execute vemlog debug sfacl all command.
Step 7 Enter the module vem module-number execute vemlog start command.
Step 8 Enter the module vem module-number execute vemlog start command.
Step 9 Configure the policy that was causing the verify error.
Step 10 Enter the module vem module-number execute vemdpalog show all command.
Step 11 Enter module vem module-number execute vemlog show all command.
Save the Telnet or SSH session buffer to a file. Copy the logfile created in bootflash.
|
<urn:uuid:ec6c7768-1b34-4b1b-9ef2-99abc5deedcd>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/switches/datacenter/nexus1000/sw/4_0_4_s_v_1_3/troubleshooting/configuration/guide/n1000v_trouble/n1000v_trouble_9acls.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397795.31/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00190-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.750489 | 1,126 | 3.078125 | 3 |
An anonymous reader writes from a report via PC Magazine: Speaking at a recent symposium in Amsterdam, Rolls-Royce vice president of innovation for marine, Oskar Levander, said, "The technologies needed to make remote and autonomous ships a reality exist." In partnership with the Advanced Autonomous Waterborne Applications Initiative (AAWA) project, Rolls-Royce, DNV GL, Inmarsat, Deltamarin, NAPA, Brighthouse Intelligence, Finferries, and ESL Shipping are leading the $7 million effort. Unmanned ships could save money, weight, and space, making way for more cargo and improving reliability and productivity, the AAWA said in a recent white paper. "The increased level of safety onboard will be provided by additional systems," Rolls-Royce said on its website. "Our future solutions will reduce need for human-machine interaction by automating selected tasks and processes, whilst keeping the human at the center of critical decision making and onboard expertise." Initial testing of sensor arrays in a range of operating and climatic conditions is already underway in Finland. Phase II of the project will continue through the end of 2017. Rolls-Royce plans to launch the first remote-controlled cargo ships by 2020, with autonomous boats in the water within the next two decades. Rolls-Royce was in the news last week when they unveiled their first driverless vehicle called The Vision Next 100.
Check out the brand new SourceForge HTML5 speed test! Test your internet connection now. Works on all devices. ×
An anonymous reader writes: Google has launched a hardware project dubbed 'Project Bloks' to help teach kids how to code. There are three components to the learning experience: Brain Board, Base Boards, and Pucks. The Brain Board features a processing unit that is based off of Raspberry Pi Zero, which controls and provides power to the rest of the connected components. It does also interact with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth devices. The Base Boards are connective units that let users design instruction flows. Finally, the Pucks are the components you interact with. They're shaped with switches, arrows, buttons, dials and more, and can be programmed to turn things on or off, move avatars, play music, and more. What's neat is you can record instructions from multiple pucks into a single one. Some of them can be made with simple, inexpensive materials like paper with conductive ink. You can watch the official introduction video on YouTube. Google did release a subsequent video about the project called "Developing on Project Bloks."
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Windows 10 already includes ways to clear out applications and data to repair misbehaving systems or prepare them to be sold, courtesy of the Refresh and Reset features added in Windows 8. Microsoft is now adding a third option: a new refresh tool. Currently available only for Windows Insiders, the new tool fetches a copy of Windows online and performs a clean installation. The only option is whether or not you want to preserve your personal data. Any other software that's installed will be blown away, including the various applications and utilities that OEMs continue to bundle with their systems. Ars Technica points out that the tool isn't perfect. For example, "it installs a preview build from the fast track, but Microsoft notes that the new tool can sometimes install a version older than the one currently installed. When this kind of version mismatch occurs, the option to preserve your files is removed."
An anonymous reader writes from a report via Softpedia: Microsoft has open-sourced Checked C, an extension to the C programming language that brings new features to address a series of security-related issues. As its name hints, Checked C will add checking to C, and more specifically pointer bounds checking. The company hopes to curb the high-number of security bugs such as buffer overruns, out-of-bounds memory accesses, and incorrect type casts, all which would be easier to catch in Checked C. Despite tangible benefits to security, the problem of porting code to Checked C still exists, just like it did when C# or Rust came out, both C alternatives.
An anonymous reader writes from a report via CNET: A report from software trade organization BSA The Software Alliance shows that the software industry is driving economics gains across the country. The software industry had a $1.07 trillion impact on U.S. gross domestic product in 2014, according to the report. It's being driven by 2.5 million jobs directly related to the software industry, with an additional 7.3 million positions for people in real estate, professional services and other fields the industry supports. California surpassed all other states with 408,143 software jobs that contributed roughly $90.53 billion to the GDP. New York came in second with 147,361 software jobs contributing $37.16 billion. Texas came in third with 200,000 jobs adding about $30 billion. Alaska came in last place with 1,325 software jobs contributing $248 million to the GDP.
An anonymous reader writes: Microsoft has just patched a vulnerability that affects all Windows versions ever released. Called BadTunnel, the security flaw allows attackers to pass as a WAPD or ISATAP server and intercept all network traffic. Exploitation is trivial and firewalls are natively designed to open the port through which the attack is carried out. BadTunnel can be triggered whenever the user clicks URI or UNC links/paths in Office files, IE, Edge, or other applications that support the URI/VNC scheme (and most do). Additionally, an attacker can carry out his attack from the other side of the world, and does not need to have a foothold on the victim's network. While recent Windows OS versions received patches, exploitation points remain open for non-supported Windows operating systems such as XP, Windows Server 2003, and others. For these operating systems, and for those that can't be updated just yet, system administrators should disable NetBIOS.
An anonymous reader writes from a report via The Verge: The biggest manufacturer of the Raspberry Pi minicomputer, Premier Farnell, has been acquired by Swiss industrial component supplier Daetwyler Holding AG for roughly $871 million. According to Bloomberg, the deal will reportedly help both companies compete better in the components market. "By combining forces, we significantly increase our competitiveness and extend our product range," Daetwyler Chairman Ulrich said in a statement, "facilitating a one-stop shopping experience for our wide range of customers from a multitude of industries." Premier Farnell is one of the only companies with a license to design and distribute Raspberry Pis. The Wall Street Journal says the Raspberry Pi devices are a big part of the company's business, as the division in charge of the Pi raked in 16 percent of the company's total revenue last year.
An anonymous reader writes from a report via GameSpot: At E3 2016, AMD has announced the Radeon RX 470 and RX 460. They will join the RX 480 in the company's Polaris family. Both GPUs will be VR-capable, whereas the RX 480 is made for 1440p gaming. AMD says the RX 470 will focus on delivering a "refined, power-efficient HD gaming" experience, and that the RX 460 will offer a "cool and efficient solution for the ultimate e-sports gaming experience." The RX 480 will be priced starting at $200 for the 4GB variant, with the other two cards most likely priced lower. The company did also announce that the chips are extremely thin, offering a very low Z-height, and will fit into thin and light gaming notebooks. They support a wide variety of features that include DX12, HDR, HDMI 2.0b, DisplayPort 1.3/1.4, and H.265 encoding/decoding. AMD claims the RX 480 card outperforms $500 graphics cards in VR. The RX 470 and RX 460 have yet to have official release dates. However, the RX 480 is scheduled to launch on June 29. In April, AMD announced a plan to license the design of its top-of-the-line server processor to a newly formed Chinese company, creating a brand-new rival for Intel.
Dave Knott writes from a report via Popular Science: Popular Science has an article detailing Campus 2, Apple's upcoming headquarters, including a video with a tour of the complex which is still under construction. The Spaceship, as many have nicknamed it, is over one mile in circumference and when it is completed later this year it will house 13,000 employees. Its exterior will largely be composed of thousands of huge curved glass planes; the floors and ceilings will be constructed from hollow concrete slabs that allow the building to "breathe," bolstering its eco-friendly qualities. Campus 2 will run entirely on renewable energy, with rooftop solar panels providing an output of 16 megawatts of power and acting as the campus's primary energy supplier. Upon completion, the main building will have four stories above ground and three below, with numerous other facilities including seven cafes, a fitness center and a 120,000 square-foot theater where Apple will hold its famous product announcements. Construction on the building is expected to be finished by the end of 2016. Interesting facts: Apple used 4,300 concrete slabs, weighing a total of 212 tons, to create the structure. The Spaceship also features 330-ton, 92-foot-tall steel reinforced doors for its restaurant -- the dining-hall doors alone span 60,000 square feet and collectively weigh 330 tons. The campus boasts 900 panels of vertical glass, 1,600 panes of canopy glass, 510 panes of clerestory glass, and 126 panes for skylight glass (3,000 total). The total cost of the project is approximately $5 billion.
jader3rd writes: Quartz has an article written by the CEO of Ready, David S. Bennahum, about how public education should be embracing computer science, and how existing programmers don't like these efforts because they feel that doing so will result in kids being exposed to programming in a manner different then how they were introduced to it. Bennahum writes: "Writing software today is eerily similar to what it was like in the late 1950s, when people sat at terminals and wrote COBOL programs. And like the late 1950s, the stereotype of the coder is largely unchanged: mostly white guys with deep math skills, and minimal extroversion. Back in the Sputnik-era, people thought of programmers as a priesthood in lab coats: the sole keepers of knowledge that ran these exotic, and mysterious room-sized machines. Today the priesthood is a little hipper -- lab coats have long given way to a countercultural vibe -- but it's still a priesthood, perhaps more druidic than Jesuitic, but a priesthood nonetheless, largely comprised of white men." "Instead of attempting to lure code-literate teachers away from Silicon Valley, we need to revolutionize the way coding is done. Rather than fit the person to the tool, let's fit the tool to the person. Pop computing can help us get there, offering a gloriously diverse array of tools to match our gloriously diverse species. It's only a matter of time before the process of making software itself is transformed, from one that requires a mastery of syntax -- the precise stringing of sentences needed to command a computer -- to the mastery of logic. Logic is the essence of software creation, and the second step after mastering syntax.'
MojoKid quotes a report from HotHardware: Google has been teasing its Project Tango augmented reality (AR) platform for years but no OEMs have stepped up to the plate to deliver Tango-enabled hardware until now. Lenovo just came out with its PHAB2 Pro 6.4-inch phablet smartphone which packs a full-fledged AR experience. The PHAB2 Pro will be the first commercially available Lenovo smartphone in the U.S. and it leverages Tango AR technology in three ways. The smartphone's "eye" uses motion-tracking to determine its location in 3D. Area learning can also feed location information to the phone, and depth perception allows the phone to analyze the world around it. The PHAB2 Pro is also huge with a 6.4" QHD display covered in 2.5D curved glass. Powering the PHAB2 Pro is a Snapdragon 652 processor with 4GB of RAM, a generous 64GB of storage and a microSD slot. There's also a 16MP rear camera, 8MP front camera and a 4050 mAh battery. Lenovo's Motorola Mobility division also announced the Moto Z and Moto Z Force, which are next generation Android flagships. The Moto Z is the standard model and measures just 5.2mm thick and comes with a 5.5" QHD AMOLED display, a Snapdragon 820 processor with 4GB of RAM and up to 64GB of storage. Its 13MP rear camera features optical image stabilization and laser autofocus, while its 5MP front camera with wide-angle lens takes care of selfies. Then there's the new Moto Z Force, which ups the ante with a 3500 mAh battery, a 21MP rear camera and a shatterproof screen. But what truly makes the Moto Z and Moto Z Force stand out are Moto Mods. These are modular accessories that attach to the back of the smartphones via four magnets and a 16-pin connector. It's much more elegant than what LG has employed with the G5 (which requires you to remove the bottom of the smartphone). Instead, Moto Z users can simply attach an accessory, like the JBL SoundBoost Mod which brings high-end sound, with a quick snap.
An anonymous reader writes from a report via BetaNews: Windows Insider chief Dona Sarkar announced in a blog post that they are releasing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 14361 for both PC and Mobile to Windows Insiders in the Fast ring. This new release includes new features, some improvements to existing features, and various bug fixes that the company hopes to iron out before the Windows 10 Anniversary Update. A LastPass extension for the Microsoft Edge browser, and Hyper-V Container, which will let you use Docker natively on Windows 10, has been added. A series of improvements have been made to Windows Ink, and the Settings app, which includes changes to the colors so it's more obvious where you are. The Blu-ray icon and Network Quick Action icon have also been updated. You can read the full list of improvements and fixes for PC here.
Trailrunner7 quotes a report from On The Wire: The Federal Trade Commission has sent comments to the Department of Commerce, outlining a list of concerns about the security and privacy of connected and embedded devices, saying that while many IoT devices have tangible benefits for consumers, "these devices also create new opportunities for unauthorized persons to exploit vulnerabilities." One of the key security problems that researchers have cited with IoT devices is the impracticality of updating them when vulnerabilities are discovered. Installing new firmware on light bulbs or refrigerators is not something most consumers are used to, and many manufacturers haven't contemplated those processes either. The FTC said the lack of available updates is a serious problem for consumers and businesses alike. "Although similar risks exist with traditional computers and computer networks, they may be heightened in the IoT, in part because many IoT chips are inexpensive and disposable, and many IoT devices are quickly replaceable with newer versions. As a result, businesses may not have an incentive to support software updates for the full useful life of these devices, potentially leaving consumers with vulnerable devices. Moreover, it may be difficult or impossible to apply updates to certain devices," the FTC comments say. In early May, the FTC issued a 10-page letter to eight leading players in the mobile communications arena requiring them to tell the agency how they issue security patches.
simpz writes: The Register reports that Microsoft has changed the Windows 10 update dialog and no longer shows the "X" close button. They say once agreed to there is no obvious back-out method and it is now out of step with Microsoft's own documentation on this. They have a screenshot of this. As noted above, the latest move is out of step with Microsoft's Knowledge Base documentation, which says you can re-schedule your upgrade.
DaGoatSpanka quotes a report from MacRumors: Apple yesterday released the first preview build of Swift 3.0, a major update to Apple's open source Swift programming language. Swift 3.0's official release is expected to come in late 2016 after proposed changes are finalized. The Swift 3.0 preview can be downloaded from the official Swift website. There are versions of Swift 3.0 available for Xcode 7.2, Ubuntu 14.04, and Ubuntu 15.10. [Swift 3.0 is not source compatible with Swift 2.2 as it introduces source-breaking changes, but going forward, the goal is to make Swift 3.0 source compatible with future Swift language updates.] Swift 3.0 will likely be shown at Apple's upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC).
|
<urn:uuid:2f9cf8ec-e73c-41db-8ba4-5d01018ecaad>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
https://build.slashdot.org/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396945.81/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00001-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.938218 | 3,522 | 2.546875 | 3 |
Nowadays every enterprise, be it small or large, depends on information technology (IT) for some or most of its operations, and with IT; comes information security. Most of the small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) and sometimes large enterprises are unaware of the issue of information security and hence often ignore it. The budget (if) allocated for the purpose of implementing cyber security is usually too scarce to get a thorough penetration test and/or security compliance done. This negligence often leads to a security breach and ultimately costs more in the form of data loss and incident handling costs. It is always better to follow a proactive strategy than a reactive one in the field of cyber security.
In this article we are going to discuss the Windows vulnerability assessment utilizing some free and easy to use tools. The tools have been chosen intentionally that anyone with basic technical understanding can use them, so that the Administrator of even a small enterprise can utilize them to generate results and take appropriate action.
Before discussing vulnerability assessment and the tools in detail, here are few terminologies that need to be discussed:
- Vulnerability: Vulnerability can be understood as a weakness or flaw in the application which allows an attacker to cause undesirable operations or gain unauthorized access. Presence of vulnerability poses a threat to the user of the application as it might lead to data compromise. Example: Buffer Overflow
- Threat: An event or action that might prejudice security. A threat can also be described as a potential violation of security. Example: A Virus
- Attack: Any action that attempts to violate the security of a system. Example: Brute Force
- Exploit: A command sequence or data chunk whose aim is to take advantage of a flaw or vulnerability in an application. Example: MS 12-020 RDP exploit
Now we understand the basics, so let’s move forward. Vulnerability assessment in terms of cyber security can be understood as the process of Identifying, Enumerating and Ranking the vulnerabilities present in a system or network in order to patch them. It is concerned with the security of the resource and its environment and is a proactive approach.
Typical assessment steps:
- Classifying system resources
- Allocating enumerable value to the classified resources
- Detecting possible threats (vulnerabilities) to each resource.
- Eliminating the vulnerabilities on priority basis.
Often people, even in IT industry, confuse vulnerability assessment with penetration testing. Here are the differences between the two:
Vulnerability Assessment Penetration Testing
- Aim is to find out all potential vulnerabilities. Aim is to identify and exploit the vulnerabilities.
- It provides an overview of the existing flaws. It demonstrates the impact of the flaw.
- Might present false positives regarding the Exploiting the vulnerabilities removes the vulnerabilities. It does not validate them. chance of a false positive.
It is difficult to check if the security measures Simulating the attack determines if the security measures (IPS, IDS, firewall etc.) can be bypassed or not.
Windows operating systems are some of the most used as well as exploited OS around the world. The ease of deployment and usage has not only made them popular among the common people but also a soft target for the attackers. Here we are going to discuss some tools which can be utilized to easily perform Windows vulnerability assessment so that the flaws are identified at the right time by the right people to avoid security breaches.
Open Vulnerability Assessment System: Initially named as GNessUs, OpenVAS is a powerful vulnerability scanning and management framework. It was forked from the popular vulnerability scanner Nessus after it went proprietary in 2005 (initially it was free and open source).
OpenVAS is based on client-server architecture over SSL. The architecture is explained below (source: http://www.openvas.org/software.html):
- OpenVAS Scanner: At the core of the architecture is the OpenVAS scanner which executes the Network Vulnerability Tests (NVTs). The NVTs are regularly updated with the NVT feed.
- OpenVAS Manager: It provides the service of combining the vulnerability scanning with vulnerability management. The manager makes it possible to implement various clients for consistent behavior. It also controls a SQL database for central storage.
- Greenbone Security Assistant: GSA provides a browser based interface for the application.
- Greenbone Security Desktop: GSD provides a desktop client.
- OpenVAS CLI: A simple command line interface.
- OpenVAS Administrator: It is a full service daemon whose task is user and feed management.
The protocols implemented in OpenVAS are:
- OpenVAS Transfer Protocol (OTP)
- OpenVAS Management Protocol (OMP)
- OpenVAS Admininstrative Protocol (OAP)
Feature overview of OpenVAS:
- Many target hosts are scanned concurrently
- OpenVAS Transfer Protocol (OTP)
- SSL support for OTP (always)
- WMI support (optional)
- OpenVAS Management Protocol (OMP)
- SQL Database (SQLite) for configurations and scan results
- SSL support for OMP (always)
- Many concurrent scans tasks (many OpenVAS Scanners)
- Notes management for scan results
- False Positive management for scan results
- Scheduled scans
- Flexible escalators upon status of a scan task
- Stop, Pause and Resume of scan tasks
- Master-Slave Mode to control many instances from a central one
- Reports Format Plugin Framework with various plugins for: XML, HTML, LateX, etc.
- OpenVAS Administration Protocol (OAP)
- SSL support for OAP (always)
- All OAP commands also as command line parameters
- User Management
- Feed status view
- Feed synchronization
Greenbone Security Assistant (GSA)
- Client for OMP and OAP
- HTTP and HTTPS
- Web server on its own (micro-httpd), thus no extra web server required
- Integrated online-help system
Greenbone Security Desktop (GSD)
- Client for OMP
- Runs on Windows, Linux, etc.
- Support of Internationalization (English, German, French…)
- Client for OMP
- Runs on Windows, Linux, etc.
OpenVAS comes pre-installed on the Backtrack 5 under:
Backtrack > Vulnerability Assessment > Vulnerability Scanners.
Steps to setup OpenVAS in Backtrack 5
OpenVAS provides a utility to check the setup of the application, it can be fired up using the following command under the directory “/pentest/misc/openvas”
This command checks and provides advisories on the issues related to the setup.
Add a user to the OpenVAS using the option OpenVAS Adduser. Output is displayed in figure 1.
Figure1. Adding a user to OpenVAS
Create the certificate using the option OpenVAS Mkcert Certificate creation is demonstrated in figure 2.
Figure 2. Certificate created
Synchronize the NVTs using the option OpenVAS NVT sync. NVT sync. process is shown in figure 3.
Figure 3. NVT sync.
Start the scanner through option Start OpenVAS Scanner. The output of the function and the following steps are shown in figure 4.
Create the client cert using the command:
# openvas-mkcert-client –n om –i
Rebuild the database by running the command:
# openvasmd –rebuild
Create an administrative user using the command:
# openvasd –c ‘add_user’ –n AdminNameHere –r Admin Start OpenVas Manager # openvasmd –p 9390 –a 127.0.0.1 Start OpenVAS Administrator # openvasad –p 9393 –a 127.0.0.1
Figure 4. OpenVAS Setup
Start Greenbone Security Assistant
# gsad –http-only –listen=127.0.0.1 –p 9392
Access the Greenbone Security Assistant interface to start the assessment using a web browser with address 127.0.0.1:9390. Figure 5 shows the GSA interface.
Figure 5. GSA interface
Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer: MBSA is a software tool provided by Microsoft to assess the security state of a Windows machine. MBSA looks for missing security patches and security misconfigurations to find out the basic security issues the machine might be facing. MBSA not only looks out for OS based issues but also for some the widely deployed Microsoft services and applications such as Windows IIS, SQL server, Internet Explorer (IE), MS office. Figure 6 shows the MBSA interface.
Figure 6. MBSA interface
MBSA provides two interfaces to use the application, the graphical interface can be accessed by the Mbsa.exe and the command line interface can be accessed through the Mbsacli.exe. Although both the interfaces perform the same function, the command line interface provides some advanced technical options for better administration. The advantage of using the graphical interface is that it displays the result immediately after the process of scanning. After completing the process of scanning a single computer or multiple computers, MBSA provides a list of security recommendations that can easily be implemented by the administrator to elevate the security level of the machine. Figure 7 displays the result of a MBSA scan.
Figure 7. MBSA scan result
Secunia PSI: Although Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA) can be used to check for missing updates for the Windows OS and services, what about the third party applications? Even if the release of a new version of an application is known, it is often ignored, so this is where Secunia Personal Software Inspector comes in. Secunia PSI is a free application for security scanning. It checks out which applications need to be updated and is also capable of automating the process of updating. The application can run in the background and identify the programs that need updating, and download the appropriate patch and install it, without much user interaction. If it is not capable of updating the application itself, it notifies the user about it and also provides some instructions that can be helpful in the process. Figure 8 shows the output of Secunia PSI for a windows machine.
Figure 8. Secunia PSI scan result
Secunia PSI performs its functionality by examining the files on the computer and extracting software vendor specific metadata. This collected data is further sent to Secunia’s server for determination of the applications installed on the machine and provides the report of the security updates which are missing from the system. By allowing scanning for all the updates through one interface and automating the process of updating, it substantially reduces the effort required for keeping the system updated and increases the security level. Figure 9 displays the Secunia PSI interface after updating the specific application.
Figure 9. Secunia PSI output
Protector Plus- Windows Vulnerability Scanner: Protector Plus-WVS is a utility, developed by Proland Software that is capable of detecting the vulnerabilities present in a Windows environment. It scans a machine for vulnerabilities and displays the result in the form of a list. Along with the vulnerabilities it also provides the rating of the vulnerabilities and a link to the appropriate Microsoft patch (Microsoft Security Bulletin). It is a simple program which requires no installation and executes by simply double-clicking the Winvulscan.exe. Along with displaying the result list it also creates a log file named as Protector_Plus_Windows_Vulnerability_Scan.htm in the folder where the .exe is. The result of the Protector Plus WVS is shown in figure 10.
Figure 10. Protector Plus WVS result
Windows Sysinternals: Windows Sysinternals is actually not a vulnerability scanner, but it is capable of assisting users with its various functionalities. It is a collection of utilities which can help to manage, diagnose, troubleshoot and monitor a Windows machine. The utilities of Sysinternals have been bundled together into a single suite, the Sysinternals suite.
The list of the tools in the suite is:
- AccessChk AccessEnum AdExplorer
- AdInsight AdRestore Autologon
- Autoruns BgInfo CacheSet
- ClockRes Contig Coreinfo
- Ctrl2Cap DebugView Desktops
- Disk2vhd DiskExt DiskMon
- DiskView Disk Usage (DU) EFSDump
- FindLinks Handle Hex2dec
- Junction LDMDump ListDLLs
- LiveKd LoadOrder LogonSessions
- MoveFile NTFSInfo PageDefrag
- PendMoves PipeList PortMon
- ProcDump Process Explorer Process Monitor
- PsExec PsFile PsGetSid
- PsInfo PsKill PsList
- PsLoggedOn PsLogList PsPasswd
- PsService PsShutdown PsSuspend
- RAMMap RegDelNull RegJump
- RootkitRevealer SDelete ShareEnum
- ShellRunas SigCheck Streams
- Strings Sync TCPView
- VMMap VolumeID WhoIs
- WinObj ZoomIt
The utilities provided in the Sysinternals suite are small yet quite useful. The utilities such as Process Explorer, RAMMAP, and Autoruns are very advanced and provide functionalities which are not even provided by various commercial applications. Although these utilities do not provide any vulnerability detection, yet they can be very helpful in detection of various security threats/attacks and daily troubleshooting.
Vulnerability assessment as described above helps to substantially reduce the risk of a security breach. It should not be taken as a substitute to other security practices such as penetration testing, malware scanning, IPS/IDS implementation, log analysis etc., but should be practiced as a complementary process. As it does not require special training in the information security domain and can be accomplished by anyone with a basic understanding of computers, it must be in the priority list of any enterprise which desires to keep its data safe.
|
<urn:uuid:47e63490-44ef-4611-a364-4f9d8f50633c>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://resources.infosecinstitute.com/windows-vulnerability-assessment/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397695.90/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00178-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.874861 | 2,923 | 3.046875 | 3 |
P l a n e G e o m e t r y
An Adventure in Language and Logic
|1.||From a given point to draw a straight line equal to a given straight line.|
|2.||Let A be the given point, and BC the given straight line;|
|3.||we are required to draw from the point A a straight line equal|
|(The construction begins by drawing the equilateral triangle ABD; then extending DA, DB, to E and F; drawing a circle with radius BC,
thus making BG equal to BC; then making DG, DL radii of a circle, so that on subtracting DB, DA respectively, AL will equal BG and therefore BC.)
|5.||From the point A to the point B, draw the straight line AB;|
|6.||and on it draw the equilateral triangle ABD;||(I. 1)|
|7.||and extend the straight lines DA, DB to E, F.||(Postulate 2)|
|8.||With B as center and BC as radius, draw the circle CHG,|
|9.||meeting DF at G.||(Postulate 3)|
|10.||With D as center and DG as radius, draw the circle GKL,|
|11.||meeting DE at L.||(Postulate 3)|
|12.||Then AL will equal BC.|
|13.||For, since B is the center of the circle CHG,|
|14.||BC is equal to BG.||(Definition 16)|
|15.||And since D is the center of circle GKL,|
|16.||DL is equal to DG.|
|17.||But in those lines, DA is equal to DB;||(Definition 9)|
|18.||therefore the remainder AL is equal to the remainder BG.|
|19.||And we have shown that BC is equal to BG;|
|20.||therefore each of the straight lines AL, BC is equal to BG.|
|21.||And things equal to the same thing are equal to one another.|
|22.||Therefore AL is equal to BC.|
|23.||Therefore from the given point A we have drawn a straight line|
|24.||AL equal to the straight line BC.|
|25.||Which is what we wanted to do.|
This proposition leads directly to the next one, where we will be required to cut off from the longer of two straight lines a length equal to the shorter line. The solution is obvious -- but notice how we must rely on Proposition 2; line 6 below. In fact, the next proposition is the only one that requires Proposition 2. The "given" point is the endpoint of a line.
The student should now begin to see how each proposition depends on previous propositions. That is the nature of any logical theory. That is the axiomatic method.
|1.||Given two unequal straight lines, to cut off from the longer line|
|2.||a straight line equal to the shorter line.|
|3.||Let AB and C be the two given straight lines, and let AB be|
|5.||we are required to cut off from AB a straight line equal to C.|
|6.||From the point A draw AD equal to C;||(Proposition 2)|
|7.||and with A as center and radius AD, draw the circle DEF.|
|8.||Then, since the point A is the center of circle DEF,|
|9.||AE is equal to AD.||(Definition 16)|
|10.||But C is also equal to AD.||(Construction)|
|11.||Therefore each of the lines AE, C is equal to AD.|
|12.||Therefore AE is equal to C.||(Axiom 1)|
|13.||Therefore from AB the longer of two straight lines|
|14.||we have cut off a straight line AE equal to C, the shorter line.|
|15.||Which is what we wanted to do.|
Please "turn" the page and do some Problems.
Continue on to the next proposition.
Please make a donation to keep TheMathPage online.
Even $1 will help.
Copyright © 2016 Lawrence Spector
Questions or comments?
|
<urn:uuid:5cfa7492-38e2-4ebe-ba6d-2b38d1f60a91>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www.themathpage.com/abookI/propI-2-3.htm
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783403826.29/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155003-00026-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.842845 | 947 | 3.890625 | 4 |
Family: Emberizidae, New World Sparrows view all from this family
Description ADULT Has gray-brown upperparts overall; back feathers have pale margins with rufous centers and dark subterminal mark. Gray-brown crown has pale central stripe; note the indistinct pale supercilium and face markings. Pale throat is bordered by indistinct dark line. Underparts are gray-buff with indistinct streaks on breast and flanks. JUVENILE Similar, but with bolder head pattern and more pronounced streaking below.
Dimensions Length: 5 1/4-5 3/4" (13-15 cm)
Habitat Summer visitor (mainly May- Aug) to arid, dense, tall grassland with scattered bushes; winters in southern U.S. and Mexico, where also present year-round.
Observation Tips Fairly easy to see when singing, but otherwise a real challenge.
Range Rocky Mountains, Southwest, Texas, Plains
Voice Song is a brief, sweet trill preceded by, and ending with, a couple of whistling notes; call is a thin tseep.
Similar Species Botteri's Sparrow A. botterii (L 5.75-6 in) has more rufous back, grayer face, and yellow-buff wash to underparts; very local summer visitor (Apr-Sep) to southeastern Arizona and southern Texas grassland.
Discussion Secretive sparrow with unremarkable plumage. Scurries through dense vegetation and hard to flush. Only realistic opportunity for observation comes in spring, when males are vocal; sometimes seen in parachuting song flight. Sexes are similar.
|
<urn:uuid:ff3e9e5d-2a3e-40ee-80d4-9f43910033d5>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www.enature.com/fieldguides/detail.asp?curFamilyID=208&curGroupID=1&lgfromWhere=&curPageNum=2
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397749.89/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00089-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.893559 | 345 | 2.78125 | 3 |
PURPOSES.—It is an old and true maxim that government should be brought as near the people as possible. This the township system does. In our country all power resides in the people, and the township provides a convenient means of ascertaining their wishes and of executing their will. The farther away the government, the less will be the people’s power; the nearer the government, the greater will be the people’s power. The township system enables each community to attend to its own local affairs—a work which no other agency can do so well—to remove readily and speedily its local public grievances, and to obtain readily and speedily its local public needs.
The citizens of the township are the people living in it, whether native or foreigners who have become citizens. It exists for their benefit, to afford them a means of securing their rights and of redressing their wrongs. It is these persons that the law has in view when setting forth the privileges and immunities of citizenship.
RIGHTS.—All citizens of the township arc entitled to enjoy the rights of “life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness.” The township government exists for the purpose of securing these rights to the people. All have equal claims to the fullest protection of the law. They may use their own property as they choose, and do whatever pleases them, so long as they do not interfere with the rights of others. Whenever one’s act, speech, or property interferes with the rights of others, he falls under the censure of the law and becomes subject to its penalty.
All male inhabitants born in the United States, and foreigners who have become citizens, who have resided within the State, county, and township the time required by law, are entitled to vote at all township, county, state, and national elections. Several States require ability to read, or the payment of poll-tax, as a qualification to vote; a few permit the subjects of foreign countries to vote; and in some States women are permitted to vote in school elections or in all elections. Lunatics, idiots, paupers, and persons convicted of certain high crimes are disfranchised; that is, are not permitted to vote. The right of suffrage is one of great power and value, being the basis of all free government, and is jealously guarded by the laws of the land.
DUTIES.—The people have extensive rights and they have equally extensive duties. Each citizen has rights that others must respect. It is the duty of each to observe and regard the rights of all other persons; and when he does not, the law interferes by its officers and deprives him of his own rights by fine or imprisonment, and in some instances by a still more severe penalty. It is the duty of the people to love and serve the country; to be good citizens; to labor for the public good; to obey the law, and to assist the officers in its enforcement.
|
<urn:uuid:e08a2135-a76b-42f1-a680-f6aefbb711c3>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www.bookrags.com/ebooks/15018/13.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783398216.41/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154958-00131-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.97479 | 615 | 3.375 | 3 |
The concept of “credit” is not a new one.
Indeed, the idea of having an “account” with a merchant is one that is hundreds of years old. In some cases, a community member with some standing and reputation could purchase goods at a store, and the merchant would collect payment at a later time, usually at the end of the month, or at the end of the season.
History of the Credit Card
However, during the late 1800s, charge plates and credit coins were beginning to find popularity.
These could be used for purchases, and payment collected later.
The first credit cards didn’t appear until the 1920s.
Gas stations pioneered them as ways to encourage customer loyalty, since they were initially only good at the issuing station. Later, gas stations began to accept each other’s cards.
Another precursor to the credit card was the Charga-Plate, which was a metal plate that looked remarkably like a military dog tag.
They were very similar to department store credit cards used today, but often merchants kept them at the store. When a purchase was made, the embossed metal plate (carrying the customer’s information) was placed in an imprinter with a piece of paper so a record could be made. The Charga-Plate was unique in that it was made from metal. Other credit card precursors were made from card stock, cardboard, or celluloid, and were notoriously easy to counterfeit.
One of the most innovative developments in credit card history was the Air Travel Card, which not only provided numbering system as a way to identify the person using the card, but to also identify the issuer.
This card could be used amongst participating airlines. Not only could consumers use the card to buy a plane ticket and pay later, but using the card gave them a 15% discount — the first reward card.
Expanding the Role of Charge Cards
After a while, it became apparent that it would be more convenient if one card could be used at multiple merchants, rather than getting a charge card for each merchant.
Banks in Brooklyn and New York City began issuing cards that were good at a variety of local merchant establishments (no going out of town).
It certainly made things easier, but what happens if you want to travel with the same level of cash-free convenience?
Enter the Diners Club card.
Many credit the Diners Club card as being the first widely accepted charge card. This card could be used at dining and other entertainment establishments all over the country, starting in 1950.
American Express later forged a worldwide network that would except its charge card, released in 1958. A year later, in 1959, American Express introduced the first card made from plastic.
It is important to note that, up until this time, all of these credit arrangements worked as charge cards. The balance wasn’t revolving; it had to paid off each month. (Indeed, American Express didn’t issue its first true credit card until 1987.)
The Rise of Credit Cards
During the time period up to 1958, many banks had tried — and failed — to create a true credit card that would be accepted by a wide variety of merchants in a wide variety of places.
There just wasn’t enough trust between the banks.
However, Bank of America managed the feat in 1958 with the launch of the BankAmericard. Over time, the card underwent some changes, and, with the help of affiliates around the world, it evolved into the Visa payment processor. In 1966, the forerunner to MasterCard was formed.
These interbank associations made it possible for consumers to use their credit cards in a wide variety of ways, rather than being tied down to a specific store, local area, or having to be a customer of a certain bank. Any member bank could issue the card, and any merchant who was part of the system could accept it.
This revolution is what prompted the launch of credit as we know it today.
Credit Cards Today
Of course, credit cards have evolved further.
We now have rewards credit cards, and a wide variety of programs to choose from. On top of that, we are moving toward digital wallets, which would allow us to keep our credit cards stored on smart phones and other mobile devices. We also have online credit systems, such as Bill Me Later.
It will be interesting to see what the future holds for credit.
|
<urn:uuid:950cf030-1a89-4a61-a317-47b43024c69b>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://creditcardsmarts.org/10/history-of-the-credit-card/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783400031.51/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155000-00153-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.981617 | 917 | 2.875 | 3 |
(Of textiles or garments) resistant to shrinkage.
- Chitin (the carbohydrate part of cuticle, extracted from shrimp shells) is already used to make wool shrink-resistant.
- Mildew-resistant, odor-resistant, and shrink-resistant, this suit was fabulous.
- As with wool alone it is desirable to impart shrink-resistant properties to the wool-fiber blends.
For editors and proofreaders
Line breaks: shrink-resist¦ant
Definition of shrink-resistant in:
What do you find interesting about this word or phrase?
Comments that don't adhere to our Community Guidelines may be moderated or removed.
|
<urn:uuid:9d27ac55-7c27-4ce6-be87-1fd932918ab4>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/shrink-resistant
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783394414.43/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154954-00186-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.868202 | 138 | 2.578125 | 3 |
Pollution coming from factory smoke stacks (photo: Bigstock)
Environmentalists have been talking about a carbon tax for years. The idea may finally be getting traction in Washington, as economists consider various tools to balance the budget this spring. Joe Aldy, a professor of Public Policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School joins Steve Curwood in the studio to discuss whether a carbon tax stands a chance.
CURWOOD: It’s Living on Earth, I'm Steve Curwood. For years there’s been talk of a tax on carbon pollution as a way to fight global warming. But it’s gotten little traction until recently when both conservative and liberal economists have argued that a carbon tax could help cut the federal deficit and keep other taxes low. Joining us to discuss all this is Harvard economist Joe Aldy, a former aide to President Obama. Welcome to Living On Earth!
ALDY: Thank you, it's my pleasure to be here
CURWOOD: Professor Aldy, we asked you to come in because there seems to be all this excitement now in Washington about the prospect of carbon tax. There’s been a series of meetings and recently there was a standing room-only meeting at the American Enterprise Institute, which is known for being very conservative and skeptical of the whole notion of dealing with climate issues. Why is Washington suddenly so interested in a carbon tax?
ALDY: Well, I think there are a couple of reasons why Washington is interested in the carbon tax. One is, if you paired it with reducing tax rates, you can actually make our tax system more efficient. I think also it’s a function of the math; that when you look at all the alternatives to raising revenues or cutting spending in the tax or fiscal reform debate, there are actually not a lot of very palatable alternatives.
And all of a sudden a carbon tax looks more appealing when you compare it to, say, increasing the payroll tax by two percent. People have talked about the reduction in spending on defense and on entitlements; it’s also on par with the home interest deduction. Some people say if we got rid of the home interest deduction that would help close the budget deficit and deal with our long-term debt problems.
None of those are easy options, and I think that when you look at the potential revenue that a carbon tax can raise, that looks more appealing than having to go down some of these other avenues.
CURWOOD: So explain to us a the concept of a carbon tax – how would this work?
ALDY: So the basic idea of a carbon tax is to say that all of the sources of carbon dioxide ¬– the most important greenhouse gas – would actually have to bear the cost that they have on the global environment. So, you would actually impose a tax for every ton of carbon dioxide that’s emitted when we burn a ton of coal, or natural gas or we burn oil and petroleum products.
CURWOOD: So where in the world has a carbon tax been used so far?
ALDY: So we’ve seen it in a number of places. A number of northern European countries have actually had a carbon tax on the books and in place dating back to the early 1990s. So, Sweden, Finland, Norway and Denmark have all had carbon taxes in their energy system. Some of the carbon taxes range anywhere from 20-100 dollars per ton of CO2, which are actually quite meaningful, and in some cases larger than what we would consider here in the United States.
I think most relevant when we think about it in the context of the current fiscal environment, is what British Columbia implemented in 2008. The province of British Columbia imposed a carbon tax, and they used all the revenues to reduce existing household taxes on…for family income, and business taxes, a 50-50 split between families and businesses.
They ramped the tax up, it’s now 30 dollars a ton of CO2, so they set at the beginning a schedule where the price would increase over time. But at the end of the year, they take all of the revenues, they don’t increase the size of the government, they’re actually saying we’re going to reduce the taxes that families and businesses pay, and it’s actually had a pro-growth impact.
And I think that’s one of the important things about this in fiscal reform, is by raising revenues through carbon tax – by putting a tax on something bad like pollution – we can reduce taxes on things that are good, like the income that families earn and that businesses earn.
CURWOOD: So how successful has the carbon tax been in places like British Columbia?
ALDY: Well, you’ve actually seen their emissions go down, you’ve seen their consumption of petroleum actually go down relative to other parts of Canada. Even if the price starts out modest at the beginning, if you show the schedule of how the price will increase overtime, when businesses are making investments, when a family is thinking about buying a new car or a new home, they can take this into account in their planning. And that means they’ll make prudent investments in energy efficiency and alternative energy sources that help reduce their emissions over time.
CURWOOD: Professor Aldy, you’re an economist, so help us with some math here: How could a carbon tax help reduce this enormous deficit that we have?
ALDY: So I was at this conference in Washington that discussed a carbon tax. The kind of magnitude of carbon tax that was commonly raised was on the order of about 100 billion dollars or 150 billion dollars a year. This would be associated with a tax that would increase in the price of gasoline, maybe 15 cents a gallon. So this is something that people would actually see, but if you actually raise the tax on the order of 100-150 billion dollars a year, over a decade, that’s more than a trillion dollars.
When you look at the kinds of proposals on the table to reduce taxes, to shore up the long-term deficit outlook, having a trillion dollar piece of the pie there, if you will, that helps make all the math add up, is going to be really important.
CURWOOD: Carbon tax would inevitably mean higher price at the pump, more expensive electricity - how are people going to come to accept this?
ALDY: Well, I think the important thing is that we’re discussing a carbon tax in the context of what would be a very large tax and fiscal deal. So when one says: ‘Well, look, I’m going to be paying a little bit more for gasoline, or a little bit more for electricity,’ it may be in the context of a deal that also keeps the income tax rates for the vast majority of Americans at the level we’ve enjoyed over the past decade. If we don’t do anything, they go up on January 1.
So, it’s recognizing that there are going to be these trade offs and for a lot of people they’ll find that they may be better off if they face lower rates of tax on their income, even if that means they pay a little bit more for the energy-intensive, emissions-intensive consumption that they entertain.
CURWOOD: Some folks will say, though, this is a regressive tax, especially for really poor people who don’t have the benefit of other tax rates. If you don’t pay tax already and the price of gasoline goes up because there’s a carbon tax, it hurts you. How do you address that?
ALDY: Well, I think that there are a number of ways in which one can try to mitigate these concerns. I’ll note that in 2009, several Republicans in the House introduced a carbon tax bill. One of whom was recently elected to be the junior Senator from Arizona, Jeff Flake. In that bill, they were concerned about the impacts of a carbon tax on the elderly, on people who collected social security. So cutting the payroll tax doesn’t really benefit you if you’re retired. They actually take some of the revenues from the carbon tax and increase the benefits that would be paid out to social security.
CURWOOD: And what about somebody who’s living from paycheck to paycheck, you know, a young person who’s got a very low income job, maybe working in a fast food restaurant and needs to put gas in that car to get to that job, he’s not going to get to Social Security, he doesn’t even have to pay taxes… all he sees is the price going up.
ALDY: Well, let’s be clear, though, that person who is working minimum wage, might not be paying income taxes, but that person is paying payroll taxes. One could actually look at using a carbon tax, in part, to reduce the tax on labor, which a lot of economist would say: ‘Hey, that could actually be good for jobs, it would be good for the economy if we reduce the taxes on labor,’ and so, even if you’re not paying income taxes every April, you’re paying with every paycheck; your employer is withholding payroll tax. So there’s a way in which you can actually help out even those individuals by the way you take the carbon tax revenues and bring them back into the economy.
CURWOOD: It takes a long time to get things done in Washington. I’m guessing this doesn’t happen in the lame duck session we’re looking at over the next couple of weeks.
ALDY: You know, it’s one of these things where sometimes it takes a while for the impossible to become plausible, and then become inevitable. Sometimes it happens very quickly… I’m probably not going to go to Vegas and bet on it happening in the lame duck, but it depends on how these talks evolve. I think it’s probably more likely that we’ll do a short-term fix in the lame duck, but we’ll probably structure it in a way where we’re going to see a bigger, longer-term, more robust agreement, hopefully in 2013.
CURWOOD: How much do you think superstorm Sandy has affected the debate on carbon tax?
ALDY: You know it’s interesting. When I talked to a friend about some of the images that we saw from New York and New Jersey, he actually said, these pictures remind me of Bangladesh after a bad monsoon season. Just seeing this unbelievable amount of destruction of the roads and the bridges and the infrastructure, and houses completely wiped out… and I think it’s important to really say: ‘We know climate change can actually pose real damage to us here in the United States.’
And whether we say Sandy was the function of climate change or not, we do know from the best scientists out there that storms like Sandy are going to become more common. Being able to say, ‘Wait, if we don’t do anything about this, we’re going to see more storms like Sandy. We’re going to see more droughts, like what we’ve been experiencing here in the United States over the last couple of years.’
I think that actually will create more interest for people to say: ‘Well, what can we do about this? How can we take action?’ And being able to identify some of the policy tools at our disposal, I think we’ll encourage the public to say, ‘You know what? Let’s try that idea. Let’s make a difference in terms of how we produce and consumer our energy, and recognize that we can do this in a way that’s actually good for our economy.’
CURWOOD: Joe Aldy is an economist who teaches at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard. Thanks so much for coming in, Joe.
[MUSIC: Neil Young “Ramada Inn” from Psychedelic Pill (Reprise Records 2012).]
ALDY: Thank you for having me, I've enjoyed it.
Living on Earth wants to hear from you!
P.O. Box 990007
Boston, MA, USA 02199
Donate to Living on Earth!
Living on Earth is an independent media program and relies entirely on contributions from listeners and institutions supporting public service. Please donate now to preserve an independent environmental voice.
Major funding for Living on Earth is provided by the National Science Foundation.
Kendeda Fund, furthering the values that contribute to a healthy planet.
The Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment: Committed to protecting and improving the health of the global environment.
Contribute to Living on Earth and receive, as our gift to you, an autographed copy of one of Mark Seth Lender's extraordinary hummingbird photographs. Follow the link to see Mark's current collection of photographs.
|
<urn:uuid:c2428257-8a7a-4ee0-936f-d4c80b2a9bb3>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www.loe.org/shows/segments.html?programID=12-P13-00046&segmentID=4
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783408840.13/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155008-00126-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.957353 | 2,727 | 2.609375 | 3 |
May 1, 2013
Electron-Beam Pasteurization Of Raw Oysters May Reduce Viral Food Poisoning
According to the Centers for Disease Control, about one in six Americans gets food poisoning each year. Additionally, virus infection risks from consumption of raw oysters in the U.S. are estimated to cost around $200 million a year.
To address the issue of health risk from eating raw oysters, Texas A&M University graduate student Chandni Praveen, along with Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientist Dr. Suresh Pillai and a team of researchers from other agencies and institutions, studied how electron-beam pasteurization of raw oysters may reduce the possibility of food poisoning through virus.Other entities involved in the study included the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and University of Texas School of Public Health-El Paso regional campus.
The results of this study will be published in the June issue of the leading microbiology journal, Applied and Environmental Microbiology.
"The study was performed using a human norovirus surrogate called murine norovirus (NoV), and a hepatitis A (HAV) virus along with advanced quantitative microbial risk assessment tools," explained Pillai, professor of microbiology and director of the National Center for Electron Beam Research at Texas A&M University. "A salient feature of e-beam pasteurization technology is that it uses commercial electricity to generate the ionizing radiation that inactivates the viruses. It is a green technology because no chemicals are involved."
Pillai said the FDA already has approved the use of electron beam technology as a pathogen intervention strategy to control the naturally occurring Vibrio vulnificus bacterial pathogen in shellfish.
According to the FDA, raw oysters contaminated with Vibrio vulnificus can be life threatening or even fatal when eaten by someone with liver disease, diabetes or a weakened immune system.
"We're all for any means of technology that enhances the safety of our product," said Sal Sunseri, co-owner of P&J Oysters and a representative of the Louisiana Oyster Dealers and Growers Association. "While we provide a safe product, we know there are at-risk groups, and that processing methods like freezing, high-pressure treatment and electron-beam irradiation reduce or eliminate the risk for those groups and enhance the overall safety of our product."
At this time, however, electron-beam technology is not being used for commercial oysters sold in the U.S.
"For the study, we chose the norovirus and hepatitis A virus, as these are pathogenic threats to those consuming shellfish, and chose oysters as they are a type of mollusk that's more commonly eaten raw," said Praveen, a doctoral candidate in the toxicology program of the Food Safety and Environmental Microbiology Laboratory at Texas A&M.
Praveen said she and the other researchers also chose the viral pathogens as opposed to bacterial as they were more difficult to treat and also require a host species.
"Bivalves such as oysters are also filter feeders that obtain their food by pumping water through their system and filtering small organisms," she said. "This can lead to the possible accumulation of NoV and HAV viral pathogens, as well as bacterial pathogens."
Pillai said non-thermal food processing technologies are needed to reduce these infection risks.
"This is the first study that has attempted to quantify the reduction in infection risks of raw oysters contaminated with different levels of virus when pasteurized at FDA-approved doses," he said.
Pillai said that the study showed if a serving size of 12 raw oysters were contaminated with approximately 100 hepatitis A and human noroviruses, an e-beam dose of 5 kGy (kilograys) would achieve a 91 percent reduction of hepatitis A infection risks and a 26 percent reduction of norovirus infection risks. A kilogray is a unit of absorbed energy from ionizing radiation.
Pillai said the study showed that if electron-beam pasteurization technology was included as part of a comprehensive food safety plan to reduce illnesses from raw oysters, significant public health benefits and, by extension, significant savings in medical and related expenses due to foodborne illness, can occur.
On the Net:
|
<urn:uuid:68a97feb-1a73-4b4e-a7d5-91d8a8c6479b>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/1112835484/electron-beam-pasteurization-of-raw-oysters-may-reduce-viral-food-poisoning/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783408840.13/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155008-00023-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.955759 | 903 | 2.75 | 3 |
Knowledge reference for national forest assessments - observations and measurements (annotated bibliography)
In a survey of 112 canopy researchers, examples of problems cited include: bias in the selection of study species or sampling locations; difficulties in obtaining adequate replication; problems in collecting data in a three-dimensional, complex environment; logistical constraints in moving between canopy sampling points; and, disturbance, sometimes including interference of the object being studied (i.e., `demonic intrusion') caused by access. Designing experimental protocols for work in the canopy requires at the outset the allocation of time and resources for anticipating and overcoming the particular sampling problems associated with the work.
This paper present includes a study of 100 trees to compare this measurement method to four alternatives�two field instruments, ocular estimates, and regression models. Using the taping method as the standard of comparison, accuracy of the tested alternatives was adequate for softwood species, but short of the specified measurement quality objective for estimating the mean crown diameter of hardwoods. Due to savings in field costs, ocular estimation and regression models were the best alternatives to direct measurement with logger's tapes (from abstract).
With the increased use of variables such as canopy cover, phytosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and overstorey leaf area index (LAI) in forestry research.
Tree crown shapes are integral to a variety of models because volume estimates, surface area estimates, or various types of two dimensional crown projections are directly related to crown shape.
This paper presents a new method for assessing crown radii at different tree heights, using a simple mechanical device, the crown window. It described briefly about the manufacturing of device and the equipment is more useful than other sophisticated techniques, such as digital photo analysis or laser based instruments in estimating crown radii and their corresponding heights with acceptable accuracy.
This paper presents a crown cover chart for estimating the crown coverage of open-grown oaks and hickories in oak savannas and similar plant communities.
Tree crown information contributes to the investigation of several key forest ecosystem attributes: biodiversity, productivity, sustainability, aesthetics, forest environment, and wildlife. It describe about how crown are measured and why crown are measured.
The estimation of vegetation cover or canopy closure can be difficult and costly. The utilization of a vertical sampling tool, such as a canopy densitometer, along linear transects provides a reasonable means of generating reliable cover estimates. Estimates represent both the horizontal and vertical diversity of sample areas and may represent description of species composition, size, and canopy structure as well as non-tree characteristics, such as ground surface condition and shrub or herbaceous cover.
|
<urn:uuid:811900e3-a936-4b05-837e-a392c7c5c0e2>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www.fao.org/forestry/8782/en/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396459.32/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00086-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.924498 | 535 | 2.875 | 3 |
A new study published October 22 in the Archives of Internal Medicine, a journal of the American Medical Association, has found that type 2 diabetes patients who consumed at least one cup of legumes (such as beans, chickpeas or lentils) per day significantly improved their glycemic (blood sugar) control and also reduced their risk of heart disease through lower blood pressure.
The study, conducted by David J.A. Jenkins, M.D., of the University of Toronto and St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, Canada, and colleagues, compared the results of a diet of increased legume consumption with a high-fiber diet, and found the increased legume consumption more beneficial to both glycemic control and heart disease risk for patients with type 2 diabetes.
Low glycemic index (GI) foods have been associated with improvement in glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes and have been recommended in many national diabetes guidelines, the authors wrote in the study background. This study affirms those recommendations with respect to legumes.
The study appears online in the October 22, 2012 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, doi:10.1001/2013.jamainternmed.70, a journal of the American Medical Association.
The Study; Method
The researchers conducted a randomized controlled trial of 121 patients with type 2 diabetes melitus to test the effect of eating more legumes on glycemic control, serum (blood) lipid levels and blood pressure.
The study participants were randomly assigned for a three-month trial period to either a legume diet that increased their consumption of legumes by at least one cup per day or to a high insoluble fiber diet that increased their consumption of whole wheat products.
Blood tests were taken at the beginning and end of the trial period to measure for changes in hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) values. Based on this measure, the researchers also calculated cardiovascular disease (CHD) risk scores for each patient at the beginning and end of the study period.
“Glycated hemoglobin or glycosylated hemoglobin (hemoglobin A1c, HbA1c, A1C, or Hb1c; sometimes also HbA1c) is a form of hemoglobin that is measured primarily to identify the average plasma glucose concentration over prolonged periods of time,” and is one of the criteria used in the diagnosis of diabetes and in monitoring of blood glucose levels in patients with diabetes, according to the 2010 American Diabetes Association Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes.
In diabetes mellitus, higher amounts of glycated hemoglobin, indicating poorer control of blood glucose levels, have been associated with cardiovascular disease.
The researchers found that the low-glycemic legume diet reduced HbA1c values by -0.5 percent and the high wheat fiber diet reduced HbA1c values by -0.3 percent.
The low-GI legume diet reduced cardiovascular disease (CHD) risk by -0.8 percent, compared with a reduction in CHD risk in the high wheat fiber diet of -4.5 mm Hg, the authors calculated.
The greater reduction in CHD risk associated with the legume diet was largely because of a greater relative reduction in systolic blood pressure on the legume diet, the researchers reported.
“In conclusion, legume consumption of approximately 190 g per day (1 cup) seems to contribute usefully to a low-GI diet and reduce CHD risk through a reduction in BP,” the authors wrote.
“These findings linking legume consumption to both improved glycemic control and reduced CHD risk are particularly important because type 2 DM [diabetes melitus] is increasing most rapidly in the urban environments of populations in which bean intake has traditionally been high (e.g. India, Latin America, the Pima Indians of Arizona),” the authors conclude.
“Support for the continued use of such foods in traditional bean-eating communities, together with their reintroduction into the Western diet, could therefore be justified even if the effect on glycemia is relatively small, given the magnitude of the problem and the need for acceptable dietary options, especially those options that may also have a BP and cardiovascular advantage.”
In invited commentary submitted by Marion J. Franz, M.S., R.D., C.D.E. of Nutrition Concepts by Franz Inc., Minneapolis, Minn., and published by the Archives of Internal Medicine with the new study, Mr. Franz writes, “The importance of the glycemic index (GI) and fiber in diabetes mellitus (DM) nutrition therapy has been controversial.”
“Legumes, as documented in the study by Jenkins et al, are components of a healthy eating pattern for people with DM and the general public. Whether people with DM can eat the amount necessary to improve glycemic control is debatable, and, if legumes do improve glycemia, is it because of their low GI or high soluble fiber content?” the commentary further states.
“Nutrition therapy for DM is effective. However, just as there is no one medication or insulin regimen appropriate for all persons with DM, there is no one nutrition therapy intervention. A variety of nutrition therapy interventions have been shown to be effective. Nutrition education and counseling must be sensitive to the personal needs and cultural preferences of individuals and their ability to make and sustain lifestyle changes,” Franz concludes.
The new study report was published online October 22, 2012 in the (Archives of Internal Medicine, doi:10.1001/2013.jamainternmed.70.
The commentary was published along with the study appears in the (Archives of Internal Medicine. Published online October 22, 2012, doi:10.1001/2013.jamainternmed.871.
For information on a healthy diet, exercise and other lifestyle factors that promote wellness and prevent diseases, see the HelpingYouCare® resource pages on Wellness/ Healthy Living for Seniors & Caregivers, including:
- Diet & Nutrition: Physical Wellness;
- Exercise: Physical Wellness;
- Sleep, Hygiene, Quit Smoking & Other Healthy Practices: Physical Wellness;
- Activities to Preserve Mental Acuity: Intellectual Wellness;
- Social Interaction & A Sense of Connection With Others: Social Wellness;
- Other Areas of Wellness: Emotional, Ethical/ Spiritual & Vocational Wellness; and
- Healthy Living: Stories of Inspiring Seniors.
Copyright © 2012 Care-Help LLC, publisher of HelpingYouCare®. All rights reserved.
NOTICE: If you are reading this article on any website other than HelpingYouCare.com, please click HERE to go to the original article. No website other than HelpingYouCare® has been given permission to publish this article.
|
<urn:uuid:493fad63-9144-428c-8a93-75716dae2b06>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www.helpingyoucare.com/22873/eating-legumes-may-help-diabetes-patients-control-blood-sugar-lower-heart-disease-risk-study-finds
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397865.91/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00187-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.914841 | 1,421 | 2.96875 | 3 |
By Linda Weld, RN, MSN, CIC, and Jane Kirk, MSN, RN, CIC
Hand hygiene compliance and the prevention of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) is a challenge in any healthcare setting. Pediatric hospitals have both unique issues and opportunities in the performance of hand hygiene. Many of the patients are unable to understand or comply with hand hygiene due to their age or physical condition.
Children may have chronic conditions that impact their resistance to infection, such as cystic fibrosis and medications for conditions such as arthritis or asthma, and their lack of previous exposure to a specific pathogen. Parents and other family members play a critical role in the care of the child. They may assist with care measures while the child is hospitalized to both learn the activities they will need to perform at home and to provide a familiar and comforting presence while the child is in the facility.
Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children (TSRHC) in Dallas, Texas is an orthopedic children’s hospital performing spinal and other surgical procedures. TSRHC is one of the nation's leading pediatric centers for the treatment of orthopedic conditions, certain related neurological disorders and learning disorders, such as dyslexia. The hospital was recently awarded by U.S. News & World Report the No. 1 ranking for 2013-14 to the combined TSRHC and Children’s Medical Center (CMC) pediatric orthopedic program. The program includes 18 TSRHC orthopedic surgeons who care for children with a range of orthopedic conditions at TSRHC, and in collaboration with University of Texas Southwestern Medical School at two CMC facilities. TSRHC treats children with orthopedic conditions such as scoliosis, club foot, hand disorders, and hip disorders. The facility sees patients from the state of Texas and has links in the international community. The patient population includes those that may be staying for two to four months for staged procedures and physical therapy. Often times the parents stay with the child for the duration of the hospitalization. This provides an opportunity for hand hygiene and infection control education as parents participate in the care of their child and continue the care after taking the child home. Many of the international patients are from areas with very different cultural beliefs and knowledge on the importance of hygiene measures. Some of these patients come from areas where basic services which we take for granted, such as electricity or running water inside the home, are not available.
Preventing the patients from acquiring infections post-surgery is a challenge that TSRHC takes very seriously. The most common HAIs following surgical procedures are surgical site infections (SSIs), complicating up to 22 percent of all operative procedures.(1) A study done of HAIs in 61 PICUs in the United States, an SSI incidence of approximately 6 percent in 110,000 patients studied was reported. The study reported that on average, the length of stay and financial costs were significantly increased (10.6 days and $27,288, respectively) for each pediatric patient with a potentially preventable SSI.(2)
Recently TSRCH adapted electronic hand hygiene compliance monitoring as part of their process to improve hand hygiene and prevent HAIs. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) hand hygiene is the number one way to prevent HAIs.(3) The system chosen was the GOJO SMARTLINK™ Hand Hygiene Solutions which incorporates innovative measurement tools to track and report real-time hand hygiene compliance rates as a stand- alone system.
The system works by providing a sensor above the patient doorway that tracks entry/exits as hand hygiene "opportunities", while the SMARTLINK™ Technology in the soap/sanitizer dispensers calculate the hand hygiene "events." All information is sent via an internet gateway to the software system. The software calculates the hand hygiene events over opportunities into the "compliance rate." These measurements are provided by way of feedback screens to the staff and provide constant awareness of their hand hygiene compliance. These measurements are group based and capture everyone who walks into the patient’s room, including visitors.
After several weeks of baseline measurement, a GOJO clinician-based support team partnered with TSRHC to implement processes to improve the electronic measurements. This included ensuring administrative and leadership support, and guiding frontline caregivers to determine how they wanted to improve hand hygiene compliance. Using the Six Sigma DMAIC process, the multidisciplinary performance improvement team determined their strategy to improve hand hygiene compliance. Some of these strategies included competition between the clinic staff, parent and patient education and developing a pamphlet for them, a Hand Hygiene Awareness Day, hand hygiene coloring books for the patients, Staff education – both individual and group, individual feedback, and ongoing communication between the hospital and the vendor.
Observations were done to determine the percentage of entries and exits into the room that were related to families and visitors. This demonstrated that between 25 percent to 30 percent of the activity in and out of the rooms were related to families and visitors and validated a need for family and visitor education. Families are more aware of the need for hand hygiene and are being encouraged to remind all people who enter the room to clean their hands before caring for their child.
The changing of hand hygiene behaviors is not something that can be accomplished quickly. It requires frequent feedback to staff and celebrating small victories. Systems that can assist in giving feedback to the staff are important in changing practices and should be a part of the activities in a program to improve hand hygiene.
Linda Weld, RN, MSN, CIC, is an infection preventionist at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital.
Jane Kirk, MSN, RN, CIC, is clinical director at GOJO Industries, Inc.
1. Rosenthal, A. et al (2013). Text of Infection Control and Epidemiology 3rd Edition Chapter 39, Pediatrics. Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.
2. Sparling, K.W. et. al. (2007). Financial Impact of failing to prevent surgical site infections. Quality Management in Health Care 16(3)219-225.
3. Boyce, JM.et al (2002).Guideline for Hand Hygiene in Health-Care Settings. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 51: No.RR16.
|
<urn:uuid:6407fbfb-41f3-438e-9874-fac9e0c1cabf>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/articles/2013/09/using-technology-to-improve-hand-hygiene-compliance-in-a-pediatric-hospital.aspx
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397748.48/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00041-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.944518 | 1,295 | 2.71875 | 3 |
Small John Deere Tractors
Author: ROD BEEMER
During the initial wave of powered farming in the early 20th century,
most medium- to large-scale farmers traded in their mules for tractors. In
the 1930s, when manufacturers began marketing their wares to the holdouts,
they began building smaller, inexpensive tractors designed to do the work of
two mules. This color history covers John Deeres entries in the market,
namely its extremely popular two-cylinder models: the L, LA, M, MC, 40, 420,
320, 430, and 330. Today, these models are some of the most popular among
the old-tractor crowd. New color photography features restored models today
and is supplemented by archival images from the early 20th century. Sidebars
examine John Deeres competitors in the class.
Hardbound, 9 x 10 1/2, 128 pages, 80 color and 40 b&w ill.
Length: 9w x 10.5h
Restoration Supply Tractor Parts
All rights reserved
|
<urn:uuid:e3f5ed45-a52e-46b8-b8c8-3f877966b1c6>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www.tractorpart.com/134869AP.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397842.93/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00039-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.909776 | 229 | 2.859375 | 3 |
The ATN/AIR–P is trying to raise awareness about our clinical and research activities. Our aim is to advance the care of children with ASD by making information available to parents, healthcare professionals and the wider community about the latest tools, strategies, practices, and findings, as they prove effective. Here you will find information on how the ATN/AIR-P is increasing knowledge and awareness to address medical conditions in autism through development of tool kits and availability of training opportunities through webinars.
Search through our section of tool kits and webinars to learn more. These can be found on the left side area of this page.
What is a tool kit?
A “Tool Kit” is a set of print or electronic materials that contain educational tools designed to support families and providers of children affected by autism in the management of their care. Tool Kits may also be targeted directly to the children to educate them or support them in the management of their own care. Tool Kits provide information on a focused topic with a specific goal such as supporting a family in making a health related decision for their child with ASD. Please visit our AIR-P Tool Kits page to learn more about all of the tool kits we have available for parents and professionals to date. Examples of the ATN/AIR-P tool kits include:
ATN/AIR-P Medication Decision Aid
Many families of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are faced with the option of using medicines to help treat their child's challenging behaviors. This is a tough medical decision and there is no one right answer. Though many children with autism may benefit from medications that ease challenging behaviors, families often struggle with making the decision of whether medication use is right for their child. This is why the Autism Speaks Autism Treatment Network created the Medication Decision Aid. It includes a family decision aid and answers to frequently asked questions—all designed to help you clarify your values and goals and then talk with your healthcare provider about the options, benefits, and possible downsides of medications. This tool kit can be used at any point in your decision-making process, including the re-evaluation of medications your child is now taking.
ATN/AIR-P Parent's Guide to Toilet Training in Autism
Each child with an ASD is different. But children with ASD have some common problems that can make toileting training hard for them. Knowing about these problems can help you come up with different ways to meet your child’s needs. This tool kit provides caregivers tips to increase toileting success by teaching toileting skills, providing advice on preparing schedules and routines and promoting visual supports.
ATN/AIR-P Parent’s Guide to Applied Behavior Analysis
This tool kit is an informational guide to Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA). It is designed to provide you with a better understanding of ABA, how your child can benefit, and where/how you can seek ABA services. ABA is a set of principles that form the basis for many behavioral treatments. ABA is based on the science of learning and behavior. ABA is considered an evidence-based “best” practice treatment by the US Surgeon General and by the American Psychological Association. “Evidence based” means that ABA has passed scientific tests of its usefulness, quality, and effectiveness.
ATN/AIR-P Sleep Tool Kit (Parent Booklet)
Many children with ASD have difficulty with sleep. This can be stressful for children and their families. This informational booklet is designed to provide parents with strategies to improve sleep in their child affected by ASD. The suggestions in this tool kit are based on both research and clinical experience of sleep experts.
ATN/AIR-P Visual Supports and Autism Spectrum Disorder
The Visual Supports and Autism Spectrum Disorder tool kit provides a step-by-step, easy-to-understand introduction to visual supports and the ways that parents and other caregivers can begin using them. The pamphlet provides practical examples of how to begin integrating visual supports into a child’s daily routines. The tool kit provides actual visual supports for parents to print, cut out and use, along with links to resources that provide more detailed information for those who want to go further.
|
<urn:uuid:1826b734-0663-4d5e-a00d-a243b390dcf8>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www.airpnetwork.org/site/c.7oJGLPPsFiJYG/b.8296119/k.C6B3/Tools.htm
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397873.63/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00159-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.950394 | 862 | 2.671875 | 3 |
The Impact of British Colonialism on Irish Catholicism and National Identity: Repression, Reemergence, and Divergence
Le statut toujours contesté de l’Irlande en tant que « colonie interne » de la Grande Bretagne a eu un effet important sur le souvenir historique que les Irlandais conservent de leur passé. Cet article analyse la relation historique entre politique et religion en Irlande à travers une étude de l’impact de la domination britannique et de ses conséquences sur la formation et l’évolution de l’identité irlandaise. Cette recherche suggère qu’il n’est guère possible de comprendre le rôle de la religion dans la politique irlandaise sans tenir compte de l’influence de la domination britannique en Irlande.
Mots-clés :impérialisme/colonialisme, relations anglo-irlandaises, identité nationale, société et religion, Église catholique d’Irlande
Keywords :imperialism/colonialism, Anglo-Irish relations, Irish Catholic Church, national identity, society and religion
PlanHaut de page
- 1 Benedict Anderson, Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism, (Revi (...)
- 2 For the best elaboration on the creation of the nationalist narrative, see Declan Kiberd, Inventing (...)
1Why did Irish national identity come to be equated and linked with a Catholic religious identity? This article builds upon previous scholarship that explores the relationship between national and religious identity. However, my argument focuses on the effects of British imperialism rather than other approaches emphasized in previous studies. I posit that the best way to understand how Catholicism became so linked with Irish identity is by focusing on the colonial experience. This approach builds upon a tradition of scholarship that emphasizes the social construction of identities1. My analysis recognizes that Irish nationalists needed to construct or invent their identity2. When discovering or creating their identity in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, they emphasized those aspects of and events in history that supported their narrative. According to traditional Irish nationalist interpretations, the British, while intending to create a single dominant religious tradition loyal to the British crown, inadvertently created competing religious traditions in Ireland and a fusion of Catholic and nationalist identities. Hence, this paper focuses primarily on the colonial experience to explain the strength, nature, and evolving relationship of Catholicism and Irish nationalism.
- 3 Michael Hechter, Internal Colonialism: The Celtic Fringe in British National Development, London, R (...)
- 4 Nicholas Canny, Making Ireland British, 1580-1650, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2001; Anthony C (...)
- 5 Tadhg Foley and Maureen O’Connor, Ireland and Empire: Colonies, Culture, and Empire, Dublin, Irish (...)
- 6 Tadhg Ó hAnnracháin, “The Consolidation of Irish Catholicism within a Hostile Imperial Framework”, (...)
2Ireland has long been called an internal colony of Britain3. While Ireland’s status as a colony is often seen as complex and ambiguous and therefore contested, many depict the Irish as a national group that was subjugated by British imperialism and sought to resist it4. Thus, Ireland can be identified as a colonized territory, and the Republic of Ireland is often considered a postcolonial state. As such, Ireland has increasingly been compared to other colonial territories, especially India5. While there are diverse bases of comparison to other colonial territories, the common experience of imperial subjugation and subsequent desire for independence links Irish history to other territories that were colonized and who subsequently became independent. In the Irish case, the effort to achieve independence from Britain culminated in the Easter Rising of 1916, the War for Independence from 1919-1921, and the Anglo-Irish treaty that brought Free State Status to twenty-six counties. The de Valera-led Irish government wrote a new constitution in 1937, and subsequently, Ireland was declared a republic in 1948. Because the status of six counties in Ulster remains contested from the Irish nationalist perspective, much of twentieth century Irish history can be explained by the Irish effort to achieve independence from British imperial rule. Part of British imperial policy in Ireland went beyond an effort to control Irish territory and included an effort to transform Irish religious beliefs and practices. The Irish who had long identified with the Catholic Church and practiced Catholicism resisted the British effort to create a national Church of Ireland that would correspond to the established Church in England. The Irish clung to their religious beliefs and practices not only because of their faith but also because it became a symbol of their identity and a means of political resistance to British imperial policy6. Ultimately, Irish Catholicism emerged stronger and more connected to national identity because of British imperialism and the Irish effort to resist it.
- 7 Luke Gibbons, Transformations in Irish Culture, Notre Dame, University of Notre-Dame Press, 1996, p (...)
3While many have analyzed the impact of imperialism, few have specified the sequence of interaction between colonial powers and the indigenous religion of those they seek to conquer. I adopt a four-stage model developed by Gibbons to explain the impact of the colonizer on the relationship between the religious and national identity of the colonized7. First, an indigenous religion exists before colonization but comes to be appreciated and remembered as part of the struggle for national self-determination. In this period there is little if any link between political and religious identities. The second historical stage of colonial domination results in the attempt to marginalize or eliminate the indigenous religion as part of a larger process of cultural imperialism. As a result, while some indigenous culture survives colonization, the religious values and identity of the imperial power often begin to be incorporated into the culture of the colonized. More importantly, however, the religious and emerging national identities of the colonized become fused.
4The period immediately after independence is the third stage of the historic sequence where the metropolitan’s power over the satellite’s religion and political identity obviously begins to fade. When sovereignty has been attained, a postcolonial nationalism and determination permeates the society attempting to resurrect and respect elements of traditional culture including religion. It is in this period that an independent government attempts to foster those aspects of traditional culture including religion that help to define the national identity. After the generation that fought for and achieved independence in the former colony is gone, a new set of priorities and values comes to shape life in the fourth stage of historic development. Attempting to recreate an idyllic national past is no longer so important, and neither is the state and society’s protection and promotion of a historic religious identity. States seek viability in the modern state system, and publics that gain power in modern democracies increasingly expect government to deliver public services, jobs, increasing living standards, and overall prosperity. The competition between modern political parties to achieve material benefits for constituencies becomes the goal of politics in postcolonial societies that have matured past their initial preoccupation with national autonomy and cultural authenticity. The increased focus on material and consumer satisfaction reduces the priority of traditionally defined religious agendas and secularization is the result. This four stage process can thus be used to delineate the different historic periods that characterize the relationship between religion and politics. I will apply this model to explain the changing relationships of Church and State in Ireland over the centuries, specifying the growing linkage of religious and national identities due to British imperial policy and the unraveling of this nexus when the effects of British imperial policy dissipates.
- 8 Thomas M. Charles-Edwards, Early Christian Ireland, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2000; Pa (...)
5Ireland’s history as a Catholic nation long precedes the arrival of the British. Most date the arrival of Christianity back to the fifth century when Patrick and other saints played critical roles in converting the island. While Patrick came from Britain first as a slave and later as a bishop, his conversion of Celtic Ireland to Christianity is not seen to be the beginning of imperialism in Ireland. This is because Patrick and the early Christian Church effectively integrated or built upon Celtic traditions to develop an Irish spirituality that fused historic beliefs and festivals with the faith and practice of Catholicism8. This Catholicism was not uniquely British and while clearly emanating from Western Europe did not arrive as part of an effort to achieve colonial control over Ireland. The Church was primarily organized in this early period into a scattered number of monasteries, and many of these monastic settlements were founded by famous Irish saints who inspired the asceticism associated with early Celtic Christianity. This monastic tradition came under attack with the arrival or Viking or Norse invaders in the eighth century. Even though these marauders sacked several monasteries, there is little evidence that these invaders affected the Catholic identity of the Irish in the following centuries.
- 9 Hughes, The Church in Early Irish Society, p. 263-274.
- 10 Corish, The Irish Catholic Experience, p. 30-62.
6What caused change in Irish Catholicism was not this foreign threat but an internal reform movement within the Irish Church that began in 1101 with a synod in Cashel. The reforms initiated by this synod and others in the early twelfth century were intended to bring order and discipline to the Irish Church9. These changes moved Ireland’s religious practices more in line with the teaching of the Roman Church, but the integration of Irish Catholic practice into the continental traditions of Catholicism was accelerated by the arrival of the Anglo-Normans in the late twelfth century. While the Anglo-Normans continued to modernize the Church, their presence did not threaten the religious identity of the native Irish. These successful conquerors shared the same Catholic identity and basic faith as the indigenous Irish they conquered. As a result, Catholicism was changed as monasteries and the power of local abbots gave way to a diocesan-organized Church that centered power in the hands of bishops. While the Church may have been organized differently, the political transformation that began with the Anglo-Norman’s arrival did not challenge the Catholic identity of the Irish10.
- 11 Ibid., p. 63-95; Jane Ohlmeyer, “A Laboratory for Empire? Early Modern Ireland and English Imperial (...)
- 12 For an excellent overview of these dissenting Protestants, see Richard L. Greaves, God’s Other Chil (...)
- 13 Thomas Bartlett, “Ireland, Empire, and Union, 1690-1801”, in Kevin Kenny (ed.), Ireland and the Bri (...)
7The real challenge to the Catholic identity of the Irish began with Henry VIII’s decision to declare himself head of the Church in England. As he and later English kings became increasingly assertive in demonstrating their control over Ireland, they insisted that the Irish conform to the established Church of the realm11. While the plantation in the seventeenth century brought some English settlers who identified with the established Church in England, most Irish continued to identify with their Catholic faith. Many who came in the plantation period were various Protestant dissenters, anxious to avoid the need to conform to the established Church in England. The largest single group was Presbyterians from Scotland, but Quakers and other dissenters came to Ireland and settled in Ireland as well. These dissenting groups kept their dissenting faiths while maintaining their political loyalties to Britain12. Meanwhile, the indigenous Irish sought to retain their Catholic faith despite the proselytizing efforts of many Protestants. Thus, a division of religious belief and identification coincided with differing political allegiances in the aftermath of the Plantation13. This reality allowed the connection of Catholicism and Irishness in the nineteenth century when Irish nationalism begins to mobilize in its modern form.
- 14 Homi K. Bhabha, The Location of Culture, London, Routledge, 1994; Aimé Cesaire, Discourse on Coloni (...)
- 15 This thesis is emphasized in Jonathan Hart, Empires and Colonies, Malden, MA, Polity Press, 2008 an (...)
8Much of the era of colonization is characterized by the cultural domination by imperial powers over the subjugated people’s beliefs and religious practices. As several works have indicated, this domination was based on a cultural predisposition or rationalization for the subjugation of the colonies.14 While the idea of imperialism may have conspired to create colonies, it inevitably led to the creation of resistance to that domination15. Those who rebelled against colonization sought to end what they perceived as unjust and inhumane domination. Even if many attempted to conform to the new culture of the imperialist, they were rejected because of their race, status, or ethnic origin. The very logic of imperial domination engendered the response of resistance and, ultimately, the drive for national self-determination and an end to colonial rule. The origins of Irish nationalism and the rebirth of Catholicism in the nineteenth century derived from the effects of a reaction against British imperialism and an attempt to reinvent a Gaelic culture, preserve a Catholic religious identity, and reinvigorate Catholic religious practice. The emergence of Irish nationalism and the rebuilding, both physically and spiritually, of the Church in Ireland must be understood as highly interrelated processes. As in other colonial settings, the means by which nationalism emerged and engaged society was based on a desire to achieve independence.
- 16 Irene Whelan, The Bible War in Ireland: The Second “Reformation” and the Polarization of Protestant (...)
- 17 Nigel Yates, The Religious Condition of Ireland 1770-1830, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2006.
- 18 Donal Kerr, “The Catholic Church in the Age of O’Connell”, in Brendan Bradshaw and Dáire Keogh (eds (...)
- 19 Brian Jenkins, Irish Nationalism and the British State: From Repeal to Revolutionary Nationalism, M (...)
9In the Irish case, political independence coincided with religious independence. Whelan even considers the revival of Catholicism in the nineteenth century as a response to a religious revival among Protestants in the early nineteenth century16. Yates depicts these reform movements as parallel processes17. However one interprets internal reforms in the different churches in Ireland, it is clear that O’Connell strengthened the unity and link between the Catholic Church and the Irish people as the basis of Irish nationalism18. The attempt of Protestantism to overwhelm Catholic belief and practice yielded a response as Catholics, especially the hierarchy, felt threatened. British imperialism was not just a matter of political control or economic advantage. It took the form of a cultural effort to transform Ireland into a land much more akin to the values and practices of those in England. Jenkins emphasizes that the attempt to integrate Ireland into the United Kingdom after the Act of Union was destined to fail and the Catholic Church played an important role in motivating Catholics to resist British rule and seek their own separate political destiny19.
- 20 Steve Bruce, Politics and Religion, Cambridge, Polity, 2003, p. 46; Brian Girvin, From Union to Uni (...)
- 21 Whelan, The Bible War in Ireland.
- 22 The argument against the second reformation is made by Jennifer Ridden, “The Forgotten History of t (...)
- 23 The Church played an important role in expanding educational opportunities for Catholics in the nin (...)
10The desire to overthrow the yoke of this British tyranny united the different elements of Irish society. A dominant religion, in the case of Ireland the Catholic Church, played an important role in forging the unity that was necessary for nationalism to become an effective mass movement20. To understand how Catholicism emerged as part of the nationalist movement, one must understand that nationalist movements are typically secular political movements that may incorporate religion as well as a wide array of cultural forces designed to break the hold of power of the colonizer. Thus, this process does not mean that religious elites need to lead political movements for religions to play a role in the politics of nationalism. Politicians and nationalist revolutionaries can employ religion as a force for their own secular political cause. In the case of Irish nationalism, the Catholic Church became a powerful political actor because of its desire to resist the attempt to convert the Irish masses to Protestantism that began in earnest in the early nineteenth century21. While not all scholars agree with this “second reformation” argument, it is clear that by the middle of the nineteenth century the Irish Catholic Church was increasingly successful in gaining its independence and negotiating effectively with the British government22. Not only did the Church hierarchy but religious groups like the Christian Brothers played key roles in helping to mobilize Irish nationalism, not just from the pulpit but from an emerging and enlarging educational system23. By the late nineteenth century, Catholicism was successfully conjoined with Irish nationalism by its identity as a persecuted Church, by the faithfulness of its followers, and by the ability of the Church to organize and meet the spiritual needs of the Irish public.
- 24 Anthony D. Smith, Chosen Peoples, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2003, p. 151-154.
- 25 John H. Whyte, Church and State in Modern Ireland, 1923-1979 (Second Edition), Dublin, Gill and Mac (...)
- 26 Tom Fahey, “Catholicism and Industrial Society in Ireland”, in J.H. Goldthorpe and C.T. Whelan (eds (...)
- 27 Gustave de Beaumont, Ireland: Social, Political, and Religious (Trans. W.C. Taylor), Cambridge, Bel (...)
- 28 David Martin, A General Theory of Secularization, Oxford, Blackwell, 1978.
- 29 Emmet J. Larkin, “Church, State, and Nation in Modern Ireland”, American Historical Review, 80:5 (1 (...)
11As Gaelic Ireland increasingly lost its viability under the rule of the British and receded to the Western corners of the island, the Irish masses needed some common bond upon which they could maintain or create their national identity. Catholicism served this function perfectly because it united the Irish majority in their devotion to the same faith. While Smith identifies an ancient argument for the island’s sacred status24, most scholars focus on the strengthening nexus between Catholicism and Irish nationalism in the nineteenth century. Whyte contended that the liberal attack on the Church and its influence in society united Catholics in the Anglo-American world, including Ireland25. Fahey has argued that Irish Catholicism revived as Irish society began to industrialize and link itself with the outside world, but even in rural Ireland during the early nineteenth century there was a unity between priests and the people in Ireland that provided much deference to ecclesiastical figures26. De Beaumont contended that the Irish response to British imperialism was due to the oppression of the Catholics based on the penal laws27. While the Irish case clearly has some unique factors that may account for the fusion of Catholics and nationalism, Martin cites a common pattern where a dominant religion fuses with nationalism to become part of the national identity28. Therefore, one of the commonalities upon which Irish nationalists could forge a nation was the widespread adherence and devotion to the Catholic faith, one that Larkin identifies in his work on the devotional revolution in Ireland29.
- 30 David W. Miller, Church, State and Nation in Ireland 1898-1921, Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburg (...)
- 31 Tom Inglis, Moral Monopoly: The Rise and Fall of the Catholic Church in Modern Ireland, Dublin, Uni (...)
12The faithfulness of Irish Catholics to their religious heritage has historically provided the Church with tremendous institutional power in society30. In the past the Church has been able to utilize its power to transmit its message effectively from the pulpit and through its control of the schools and the administration of social services. The result has been that Irish society became viewed as one of the most religious of the Catholic nations. The Church has been able to influence the values and behaviour of the Irish people to conform to its doctrine and teachings. The Church’s capacity to influence behaviour obviously extends to political concerns that the Church hierarchy interprets as impinging upon the faith and morals of the Irish people. To the extent that Ireland’s continued participation in the British Empire had ramifications relevant to fundamental Catholic doctrines, one would naturally expect the Church to play a role in directing the emerging Irish nationalist movement. The Church’s remarkable development in the nineteenth century allowed it to emerge in harmony with the needs and conditions of the Irish in that time period. Its control of education for Catholics gave it not only a formative power in shaping individual values, but it also gained respect in society as the source and reservoir of intellectual thought. The Church also emphasized those values that were necessary in post-famine Ireland. Frugality and celibacy outside of marriage helped serve a social purpose in removing economic pressure from an impoverished economy. The devotions to the Blessed Mother and the Sacred Heart provided solace and inspiration. In general, the religion that the Church taught conformed to the spiritual needs of an agrarian society. Thus, the Church played an important role in linking religious values and structures with the everyday living of the irish majority31.
- 32 Conor Cruise O’Brien, Ancestral Voices: Religion and Nationalism in Ireland, Chicago, University of (...)
- 33 Dermot Keogh, “The Catholic Church, The Holy See and the 1916 Rising”, in Gabriel Doherty and Dermo (...)
13Although the Catholic bishops opposed violence as a means to pursue the Irish nationalist cause, the secular political need for a dynamic that could unify the Irish people nonetheless counteracted and overwhelmed the desires of the hierarchy. The rapidly growing support for Sinn Féin and the elevated status of those executed as martyrs in 1916 made the Church leaders overlook any theological argument against the practical political need to support the cause of Irish nationalism32. In fact, recent scholarship suggests that there was an informal alliance between the Church and nationalist revolutionaries because of a common belief that self-determination needed to go beyond home rule. In addition, the hierarchy also opposed partition as did the Irish nationalists33. While the bishops may not have approved of the means that Irish revolutionaries used to gain independence, they shared a common political vision for a united Ireland, free of British control.
- 34 Girvin, From Union to Union, p. 15-16.
- 35 Richard Kearney, Navigations: Collected Irish Essays 1976-2006, Dublin, Lilliput Press, 2006, p. 63 (...)
- 36 There are numerous authors who agree with this conclusion. See Kevin Collins, Catholic Churchmen an (...)
14Beyond attempting to secure the hierarchy’s support but more importantly not become the target of the bishops’ wrath, nationalists also sought to secure the support of the Catholic masses behind their effort at securing freedom and reinventing Celtic Ireland. Pearse’s emphasis on blood sacrifice for the cause of the Irish nation paralleled the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross memorialized in every mass the faithful attended. Thus, nationalists were able to enlist Catholics for their cause since the vast majority of Catholics not only despised the English political domination of their island but also resented the historic British persecution of the Catholic Church34. The need for a common bond overlapped with an anti-British antagonism concerning the right to freely practice one’s faith. The Catholic religious identity served as a means of organizing and mobilizing the lower strata of society around the goal of defending the nation35. By the late nineteenth century, Catholicism was an integral part, if not the defining element, of Irish national identity36.
- 37 Emmet J. Larkin, “The Irish Political Tradition”, in Thomas E. Hachey and Lawrence J. McCaffrey (ed (...)
- 38 Tom Garvin, Preventing the Future: Why was Ireland so poor for so long? Dublin, Gill and Macmillan, (...)
15A communitarian ethic deeply rooted in the Irish past also fostered the successful integration of national and religious identity. In spite of their historical political decentralization and the numerous foreign invasions and settlements, the Irish Catholics have perceived themselves as culturally homogenous – as one ethnic group – since the nineteenth century. This sense of unity built upon a Celtic sense of self and adapted from an aristocratic Gaelic order helped the Irish integrate and equate their Catholic and national identities. Larkin has demonstrated that O’Connell’s founding of the Catholic Association and his achievement in generating unity in Ireland around its traditional communitarian ethos was especially important in merging Irish nationalism and Roman Catholicism into an organic all-encompassing identity37. Another important characteristic of Irish Catholicism that helped promote the successful integration of national and religious identity in Ireland was the traditional strand of authoritarianism in the Irish Church and Irish culture38. Because of its doctrine of infallibility and the fidelity of its followers, the Church was able to command an obedience and loyalty that made the Irish faithful willingly accept the directives of the Church. Eventually, as the Irish masses developed a devotion to the cause of nationalism, this movement could depend upon the fervent support of the Irish masses. This granted populist figures vast discretionary power to lead as they saw fit and to expect an unquestioning acceptance of their decisions.
- 39 Eric Hobsbawm, On Empire, New York, Pantheon Books, 2008, p. 9-10.
16The effect of colonization on politics and culture does not end with the achievement of formal independence or even the recognition of sovereignty for a nation. Even though there is often far more cultural continuity than nationalists would hope for when they achieve independence, the end of imperial control of the colony means that the new independent state can use the institutions of the modern state for the purposes of achieving its national aspirations. Because the postcolonial state typically perceives itself as an island of authenticity surrounded by an alien world, it uses its power to pursue a nationalist agenda39. Thus, after independence, a religion wedded to the nationalist aspirations of those who now lead the government will grant informal power in the new state to religious leaders and develop policy that conforms to that religion’s beliefs and values. Hence, the postcolonial state becomes the vehicle to implement nationalist policies and defers to religious leaders who are seen to be supportive of the nationalist cause for independence. In addition, when the nationalist struggle for independence has been linked to a persecuted Church, the national identity of the post-independence period is also linked with a religious identity.
- 40 Dermot F. Keogh, Ireland and the Vatican: The Politics and Diplomacy of Church-State Relations, 192 (...)
- 41 Mary N. Harris, “The Catholic Church from Parnell to Partition”, in Brendan Bradshaw and Dáire Keog (...)
- 42 See Dermot Keogh, The Vatican, the Bishops and Irish Politics: Church and State in Ireland, 1919-19 (...)
- 43 Fiona Bateman, “Ireland’s Spiritual Empire: Territory and Landscape in Irish Catholic Missionary Di (...)
- 44 This conclusion is supported by several sources. See Jérôme aan de Wiel, The Catholic Church in Ire (...)
17After the founding of the Irish Free State, the Church hierarchy played a more conspicuous role in Irish political life than they had in the era of British rule. The influence and power of the Church after independence was demonstrated by the deference early Irish governments showed to the bishops and the Holy See40. In making policy, nationalist-motivated politicians who had effectively utilized references to the unique Catholic heritage of Ireland before independence continued to do so afterward. The passive role of the Church hierarchy during the Rising and its active opposition to the cause of violent revolution minimized its direct political influence in the years immediately after independence. Even though the heroes of the nationalist revolution did not heed the advice of Church leaders concerning the use of violence in the struggle for independence, the policies of the new state reflected their continued faith in the Church and in most, if not all, of its social teachings41. These policies fulfilled the clergy’s desire to maintain a viable rural community that linked national nostalgia with Catholic social principles. The Church endeavored to repel the threat it saw in an urban life-style. For the Church, this new life-style was antithetical to the traditional Irish national identity and threatened the ideal Catholic social order. As a result, the Church hierarchy quickly learned to cooperate with those whose previously violent methods they had condemned42. The continued strength of the Church meant that the large number of vocations could serve not only the domestic needs of the Irish but also fulfill a missionary agenda that was prominent in the early years after the Free State was founded. This missionary activity was seen as an important part of the Irish nationalist project43. Thus, the Church’s strength as a social institution meant that it could complacently oversee Irish politics without worrying that state policy might deviate from its teachings. Unfortunately, the tightening merger of Catholic and Gaelic identities after independence contributed to the institutionalization of the religious divide that separates north and south in Ireland44.
- 45 Bill Kissane, “The Illusion of State Neutrality in a Secularising Ireland”, West European Politics, (...)
- 46 John Cooney, The Crozier and the Dáil: Church and State in Ireland 1922-1986, Dublin, Mercier, 1986 (...)
- 47 Girvin, From Union to Union, p. 106-135; Kearney, Navigations, p. 67.
18By the time de Valera wrote and Ireland enacted a new constitution in 1937, the Catholic religion was guaranteed a special role in society and the entire document adapted principles of corporatism that were popular in Church thinking at that time45. Even though Cooney and Whyte claim that the bureaucratic tendency of the state to expand its sphere of control in society collided with the Church’s desire to retain its sphere of influence46, the historic symbiosis of Catholic and Irish national identities permitted corporatism to be a successful means of organizing politics in post-independence Ireland. De Valera’s constitution provided an effective and formal merger between the Catholic Church and the Irish nationalist elites47. As long as the Irish masses continued to equate their national and religious identities, there was no need to separate these two conceptually distinct aspects of Irish political identity. The fusion of Catholic and Irish national identities forged in the colonial period became strengthened as the postcolonial state sought to realize the goals of the nationalist revolution. Hence, British imperialism can clearly be seen as a force that strengthened the Catholic nature of Irish society in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
- 48 Timothy J. White, “The Emergence and Transformation of a Post-Colonial State”, Journal of the Third (...)
- 49 Kearney, Navigations, p. 69.
19While nationalists like de Valera may seek to live aloof from the world of Western powers or imperialists, their economic policies of isolation and frugal comfort must compete with the culture of material prosperity and self-satisfaction that so permeates the culture of the wealthiest states. The allure of material prosperity, jobs, and higher incomes becomes very tempting. After the energy of the era of national independence has faded, the more practical concerns of the people make realizing the idealized past an increasingly difficult proposition for those who govern postcolonial polities48. Ireland, like many postcolonial states, has abandoned its effort to isolate itself and has increasingly sought to integrate with other societies beyond the narrow confines of a parochial national identity, and the Church has been put in a defensive position attempting to maintain a postcolonial nationalism that is threatened by modernity49.
- 50 M.E. Chamberlin, Decolonization: The Fall of European Empires, Oxford, Basil Blackwell, 1985, p. 78
- 51 Kearney, Navigations, p. 389.
20It is the task of those that follow the generation of liberation to seek an accommodation between the idealized values of the nation and the traditional religious identity with the materialism that dominates modernity. While the postcolonial state may pursue policies in accord with a desire to attain cultural authenticity and a pre-imperial past, the post-postcolonial leaders now govern based on a different set of values. These values are shaped not just by the dominant values of the West but by the political constraints and domestic politics of the postcolonial state50. One scholar has identified this period of modernity trying to replace revivalism as the “demythologizing project51”. The government now pursues material prosperity as a means of maintaining popular support. Deference to traditional religious elites wanes as politicians must now pay attention to public opinion polls and the concerns of corporate leaders.
- 52 Kearney, Navigations, p. 61; Peadar Kirby “The Catholic Church in post-Celtic Tiger Ireland”, in Jo (...)
21In the Irish case, Seán Lemass led the effort to modernize the Irish economy in the late 1950s, by reducing, if not ending, the history of emigration and economic underdevelopment. While Lemass never claimed he was abandoning de Valera’s vision of an isolated and autonomous Gaelic Ireland, he nevertheless pursued these policies not as an isolated political elite but one that recognized the growing dissatisfaction among the populace with the poverty that was too pervasive and inescapable in the Ireland of the 1950s. By the 1970s Ireland had joined the European Community and had achieved a period of rapid economic growth, unprecedented in its history. This economic success only served to whet the appetite of the Irish public and government for greater economic achievement. The result of this increased desire at the personal and governmental level for more economic prosperity has been the phenomenal growth of the Irish economy from 1995-2007 known as the Celtic Tiger. Ireland’s integration into this global culture is seen as threatening its historical nationalism which was based on a parochial conception of national identity and a fusion of Catholicism and nationalism52. The rapid secularization that has come to Ireland as part of its change threatens to undermine one of the historic bases of Irish identity.
- 53 The most recent criticisms of secularization in democracies come from Jean Bethke Elshtain, “Religi (...)
- 54 For a historical view of this process, see Philip S. Gorski, “Historicizing the Secularization Deba (...)
- 55 Louise Fuller, “Religion, Politics and Socio-Cultural Change in Twentieth-Century Ireland”, The Eur (...)
22While some have been critical of efforts to apply theories of secularization to democracies and especially the Irish case53, the decline in the status and power of the Church in Ireland means that at least one of the theories of secularization should apply. The key question is to determine how secularization is manifest in a particular national context54. Despite the continuing power of the Church in terms of its control of primary and secondary education as well as its ideological or ideational control exhibited by its parish priests and hierarchy, the Church no longer possesses its historic role both in defining Irish identity and establishing the cultural values of Irish society. By the late 1950s and early 1960s, the integration of Catholicism and national identity which had delayed or prevented the secularization that had come to the rest of Europe finally yielded to those forces associated with the arrival of industrialization and urbanization55. Many scholars argued that the ascendance of science and reason in the Western world meant the diminution of the mystical force of religion. Modernity tended to bring cultural and political pluralism. Ultimately, this liberalism was seen to be in conflict with traditional religious faith, including Christianity. In the past thirty to forty years numerous efforts have been made to decipher the relationship between economic and social modernization and the decline of religion. Theories of secularization have proliferated and so have definitions and diverse meanings for this concept. Many assumed that a dichotomy existed between an ethnic, rural society supportive of traditional religion and a conservative personal morality and an urban, cosmopolitan society more liberal theologically and in terms of personal morality. However, these static dichotomies could not detect the process of change and interaction between different religious and socio-psychological orientations of different national groups.
- 56 This conception of a moral monopoly comes from the title of Inglis’s book, Moral Monopoly.
- 57 For this general argument see Peter Achterberg, Dick Houtman, Stef Aupers, William de Koster, Peter (...)
- 58 Peter L. Berger, “Christianity and Democracy: The Global Picture”, Journal of Democracy, 15:2 (2004 (...)
- 59 Garvin, Preventing the Future, p. 256-262.
- 60 James Corkery S.J., “Cultural Change and Theology in Ireland”, Studies, 88 (1999), p. 371-380.
- 61 For an example of a study highlighting how secular societies lose the link between religion and ide (...)
23In societies like Ireland, secularization means that the historic dominant religion, one that helped to define national identity, loses its monopolized position in society56. Thus, the privatization of religiosity accompanies the secularization of society. Tolerance of differing religions and patterns of belief become the norm and a more pluralistic and ecumenical society is the result. While some of the faithful may become defensive of the religious traditions being abandoned, the increased polarization between religious and non-religious should not be seen as a reversal of the secularization process57. The Catholic Church has attempted to make its peace with modernity and a more pluralistic, democratic society since Vatican II58. This Council attempted to forge an uneasy truce between the secular values of modern industrial societies and the Catholic tradition. Religion was to be demystified, to conform more to the existing culture. These changes, while most dramatic in some parts of the developing world where liberation theology attempted to remove the Church from supernatural concerns, have not been as evident in the Irish Church. A conservative hierarchy and the traditional fusion of Catholicism and historic Irish nationalism have made it difficult for both priest and prelate to bring about an aggiornamento of Catholicism in Ireland. Even though a changing and more secular lay elite emerged beginning in the 1960s, the Church has yet to accommodate this anti-clerical trend in Irish society59. Corkery argues that Irish theology needs to take into account the cultural changes in society. The traditional desire for discipline and self-denial has not allowed Irish Catholicism to make an accommodation with liberalism or with valuing individual self-expression60. The Church is thus put in a defensive position as it continues to interpret the materialism of affluence and indifference to spiritual values as its most immediate threats. This cultural change threatens not only the loyalty of the Irish public to the Church but also threatens to sever the historic link between Catholicism and nationalism in Ireland61.
- 62 This question is the title of a book by Vincent D. Twomey, The End of Irish Catholicism? Dublin, Ve (...)
- 63 Tom Inglis, “Catholic Church, Religious Capital and Symbolic Domination”, in Michael Böss and Eamon (...)
- 64 John Coakley, “Religion, National Identity and Political Change in Modern Ireland”, Irish Political (...)
24The profound cultural changes that have come with the rapid socioeconomic development of Ireland have also been accompanied by a variety of Church scandals. These have tended to reinforce the troubled role for the Church in Irish society. While some may ask if we are witnessing the end of Irish Catholicism62, it is more prudent to predict that the Church will play a greatly reduced role in Irish society in coming decades. As vocations have decreased significantly in recent decades, the Church has lost much of its institutional capacity to provide education, health and social services. Instead, the state and the private sector have become increasingly important in the lives of people in the Irish Republic, replacing at least to some extent the traditional role played by the Church. This means that the symbolic or social power of the Church has been dramatically reduced in recent years63. Coakley contends that the result of this transition has meant that a civic and more inclusive nationalism is replacing an ethnic and exclusive nationalism64.
25This article has demonstrated that the historic relationship between religion and national identity in Ireland can best be understood by focusing on and appreciating the impact of Ireland’s encounter with the British Empire. Before the British attempted to exert political control over the island, Ireland’s Catholicism may have provided a common religious set of beliefs and experiences for many on the island, but religion was not associated with political identity. In the era of the Celts, Catholicism in no way united the warring factions and clans that comprised the decentralized Irish society from the time of Patrick to the arrival of the Anglo-Normans. Gradually, the effort to impose an alien religion along with an alien ruler created a fusion in the minds of the Irish between these two conceptually distinct elements of identity. Thus, by the nineteenth century, as Irish nationalism emerges as a mass movement, it became linked with the devotional revolution of the same century creating a nexus between religious and national identity.
26By the time of the struggle for independence early in the twentieth century, Catholicism had become a defining element of what many believed it meant to be Irish. Like other postcolonial states, the Irish government after independence strove to realize not just the dreams of an ancient Celtic or Gaelic past but developed policies that paid formal deference to the traditional religion, in this case Roman Catholicism. Irish society has rapidly changed in recent decades, abandoning aspirations of the frugal comfort of a mythical national past for the material comforts modernity has to offer. This has helped to not only diminish the political relevance of Catholicism as a hierarchical Church but perhaps more importantly delinked the connection between Catholic identity and national identity. This historic and evolving relationship can only be fully grasped if we understand the legacy of imperialism and how it has shaped Irish history. While the impact of imperialism may be less obvious in the future, the trajectory of the relationship between national and religious identity in Ireland can only be understood as emanating from the imperial process.
27I would like to thank Michele Dillon, Máire Nic Ghiolla Phádraig, Peter McDonough, Walker Gollar, Robert Snyder, Hilary Carey, and Tom Inglis for comments on earlier versions of this article. I would also like to thank Shannon Sweeney who served as my research assistant on this project and Nancy McDonald who provided editorial assistance. Funding for a research assistant for this project came from Janice Walker, Dean of the College of Social Sciences. I would like to thank her for this research support.
1 Benedict Anderson, Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism, (Revised Ed.), London, Verso, 2006; Jean-François Bayart, The Illusion of Cultural Identity (Trans. By Steven Rendell, Janet Roitman, and Jonathan Derrick), Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 2005; Eric Hobsbawm and Terence Ranger (eds.), The Invention of Tradition, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1992; Alexander Wendt, Social Theory of International Politics, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1999. My approach does not assume that nationalism replaces religion as has sometimes been assumed. For an argument supporting my position, see Jose Santiago, “From “Civil Religion” to Nationalism as the Religion of Modern Times: Rethinking a Complex Relationship”, Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 48:2 (2009), p. 394-301.
2 For the best elaboration on the creation of the nationalist narrative, see Declan Kiberd, Inventing Ireland, Cambridge, Harvard University Press, 1996.
3 Michael Hechter, Internal Colonialism: The Celtic Fringe in British National Development, London, Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1975.
4 Nicholas Canny, Making Ireland British, 1580-1650, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2001; Anthony Carty, Was Ireland Conquered? International Law and the Irish Question, London, Pluto, 1996; Kevin Kenny, “Ireland in the Empire”, in Kevin Kenny (ed.), Ireland and the British Empire, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2004, p. 90-122; and Stephen Howe, Ireland and Empire, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2000. For the contested nature of Ireland’s status as a colony see David Lloyd, “Historicism and Irish Postcolonial Studies”, in Clare Carroll and Patricia King (eds.), Ireland and Postcolonial Theory, Notre Dame, University of Notre Dame Press, 2003, p. 48-49 and Raphaël Ingelbien, “Irish Studies, the Postcolonial Paradigm and the Comparative Mandate”, in James P. Byrne, Padraig Kirwan, and Michael O’Sullivan (eds.) Affecting Irishness: Negotiating Cultural Identity Within and Beyond the Nation, Bern, Peter Lang, 2009, p. 21-41.
5 Tadhg Foley and Maureen O’Connor, Ireland and Empire: Colonies, Culture, and Empire, Dublin, Irish Academic Press, 2006; Kaori Nagai, Empires of Analogies: Kipling, India and Ireland, Cork, Cork University Press, 2007; Julia M. Wright, Ireland, India, and Nationalism in Nineteenth Century Literature, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2007.
6 Tadhg Ó hAnnracháin, “The Consolidation of Irish Catholicism within a Hostile Imperial Framework”, in Hilary M. Carey (ed.), Empires of Religion, New York, Palgrave Macmillan, 2008, p. 25-42; Oliver Rafferty S.J., The Catholic Church and the Protestant State: Nineteenth Century Irish Realities, Dublin, Four Courts Press, 2008.
7 Luke Gibbons, Transformations in Irish Culture, Notre Dame, University of Notre-Dame Press, 1996, p. 172.
8 Thomas M. Charles-Edwards, Early Christian Ireland, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2000; Patrick J. Corish, The Irish Catholic Experience: A Historical Survey, Wilmington, DE, Michael Glazer, 1985, p. 1-29; Kathleen Hughes, The Church in Early Irish Society, Ithaca, Cornell University Press, 1966; James Lydon, The Making of Ireland: From Ancient Times to the Present, London, Routledge, 1998, p. 3-5; Michael Richter, “Models of Conversion in the Early Middle Ages”, in Doris Edel (ed.), Cultural Identity and Cultural Integration: Ireland and Europe in the Early Middle Ages,, Dublin, Four Courts Press, 1995, p. 116-128; John R. Walsh and Thomas Bradley, A History of the Irish Church 400-700 AD, Dublin, Columba Press, 2003.
9 Hughes, The Church in Early Irish Society, p. 263-274.
10 Corish, The Irish Catholic Experience, p. 30-62.
11 Ibid., p. 63-95; Jane Ohlmeyer, “A Laboratory for Empire? Early Modern Ireland and English Imperialism”, in Kevin Kenny (ed.), Ireland and the British Empire, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2004, p. 33-35.
12 For an excellent overview of these dissenting Protestants, see Richard L. Greaves, God’s Other Children: Protestant Nonconformists and the Emergence of Denominational Churches in Ireland, 1660-1700, Stanford, Stanford University Press, 1997.
13 Thomas Bartlett, “Ireland, Empire, and Union, 1690-1801”, in Kevin Kenny (ed.), Ireland and the British Empire, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2004, p. 62.
14 Homi K. Bhabha, The Location of Culture, London, Routledge, 1994; Aimé Cesaire, Discourse on Colonialism (Trans. Joan Pinkham), New York, Monthly Review Press, 1972 ; Frantz Fanon, The Wretched of the Earth (Trans. Constance Farrington), New York, Grove Press, 1963; Albert Memmi, The Colonizer and the Colonized (Trans. Howard Greenfeld), Boston, Beacon Press, 1991 ; Ashis Nandy, The Intimate Enemy: Loss and Recovery of Self under Colonialism, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1983.
15 This thesis is emphasized in Jonathan Hart, Empires and Colonies, Malden, MA, Polity Press, 2008 and Edward Said, Culture and Imperialism, New York, Vintage, 1993.
16 Irene Whelan, The Bible War in Ireland: The Second “Reformation” and the Polarization of Protestant-Catholic Relations, 1800-1840, Madison, University of Wisconsin Press, 2005.
17 Nigel Yates, The Religious Condition of Ireland 1770-1830, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2006.
18 Donal Kerr, “The Catholic Church in the Age of O’Connell”, in Brendan Bradshaw and Dáire Keogh (eds.), Christianity in Ireland: Revisiting the Story, Dublin, Columba Press, 2002, p. 164-185.
19 Brian Jenkins, Irish Nationalism and the British State: From Repeal to Revolutionary Nationalism, Montreal, McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2006.
20 Steve Bruce, Politics and Religion, Cambridge, Polity, 2003, p. 46; Brian Girvin, From Union to Union: Nationalism, Democracy and Religion in Ireland – Act of Union to EU, Dublin, Gill and Macmillan, 2002, p. 3-14.
21 Whelan, The Bible War in Ireland.
22 The argument against the second reformation is made by Jennifer Ridden, “The Forgotten History of the Protestant Crusade: Religious Liberalism in Ireland”, Journal of Religious History, 31:1 (2007), p. 78-102. For the effectiveness of the Church as an institution independent of British rule in Ireland see Emmet J. Larkin, The Consolidation of the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland, 1860-1870, Chapel Hill, University of North Carolina Press, 1987.
23 The Church played an important role in expanding educational opportunities for Catholics in the nineteenth century. For a good study of its role in primary and secondary education see Paula Biancalana, “The Roman Catholic Church, the National Schools and the Role of the Christian Brothers”, in Marguerite Quintelli-Neary (ed.), Visions of the Irish Dream, Newcastle, Cambridge Scholars Press, 2009, p. 34-63. For a study of the role of the Church in creating higher education for Catholics, see Colin Barr, Paul Cullen, John Henry Newman, and the Catholic University of Ireland, 1845-1865, Notre Dame, University of Notre Dame Press, 2003.
24 Anthony D. Smith, Chosen Peoples, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2003, p. 151-154.
25 John H. Whyte, Church and State in Modern Ireland, 1923-1979 (Second Edition), Dublin, Gill and Macmillan, 1980.
26 Tom Fahey, “Catholicism and Industrial Society in Ireland”, in J.H. Goldthorpe and C.T. Whelan (eds.), The Development of Industrial Society in Ireland, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1992, p. 246-248. For the latter argument see Marcus Tanner, Ireland’s Holy Wars: The Struggle for a Nation’s Soul, 1500-2000, New Haven, Yale University Press, 2001, p. 231.
27 Gustave de Beaumont, Ireland: Social, Political, and Religious (Trans. W.C. Taylor), Cambridge, Belknap, 2006 , p. 209-215.
28 David Martin, A General Theory of Secularization, Oxford, Blackwell, 1978.
29 Emmet J. Larkin, “Church, State, and Nation in Modern Ireland”, American Historical Review, 80:5 (1975), p. 1244-1276.
30 David W. Miller, Church, State and Nation in Ireland 1898-1921, Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh Press, 1973.
31 Tom Inglis, Moral Monopoly: The Rise and Fall of the Catholic Church in Modern Ireland, Dublin, University College Dublin Press, 1998, p. 8-9.
32 Conor Cruise O’Brien, Ancestral Voices: Religion and Nationalism in Ireland, Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 1994.
33 Dermot Keogh, “The Catholic Church, The Holy See and the 1916 Rising”, in Gabriel Doherty and Dermot Keogh (eds.), 1916: The Long Revolution, Cork, Mercier Press, 2007, p. 250-309.
34 Girvin, From Union to Union, p. 15-16.
35 Richard Kearney, Navigations: Collected Irish Essays 1976-2006, Dublin, Lilliput Press, 2006, p. 63-65; Anthony Smith, The Ethnic Origins of Nations, New York, Blackwell, 1986, p. 159.
36 There are numerous authors who agree with this conclusion. See Kevin Collins, Catholic Churchmen and the Celtic Revival in Ireland, 1848-1916, Dublin, Four Courts Press, 2002; Richard V. Comerford, Ireland, London, Arnold, 2003, p. 88-93; Jonathan Githens-Mazur, Myths and Memories of the Easter Rising: Cultural and Political Nationalism in Ireland, Dublin, Irish Academic Press, 2006; David Hempton, Religion and Political Culture in Britain and Ireland: From the Glorious Revolution to the Decline of Empire, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1996, p. 72-86; Inglis, Moral Monopoly; Jenkins, Irish Nationalism and the British State, p. 43-72; John A. Murphy, “Religion and Irish Identity”, in Princess Grace Irish Library (ed.), Irishness in a Changing Society, Totowa, NJ, Barnes & Noble Books, 1988, p. 133-135.
37 Emmet J. Larkin, “The Irish Political Tradition”, in Thomas E. Hachey and Lawrence J. McCaffrey (eds.), Perspectives on Irish Nationalism, Lexington, University of Kentucky Press, 1989, p. 99-120.
38 Tom Garvin, Preventing the Future: Why was Ireland so poor for so long? Dublin, Gill and Macmillan, 2004, p. 254-255; David E. Schmidt, “Catholicism and Democratic Political Development”, Éire-Ireland, 9:1 (1974), p. 59-72.
39 Eric Hobsbawm, On Empire, New York, Pantheon Books, 2008, p. 9-10.
40 Dermot F. Keogh, Ireland and the Vatican: The Politics and Diplomacy of Church-State Relations, 1922-1960, Cork, Cork University Press, 1995.
41 Mary N. Harris, “The Catholic Church from Parnell to Partition”, in Brendan Bradshaw and Dáire Keogh (eds.), Christianity in Ireland: Revisiting the Story, Dublin, Columba Press, 2002, p. 213.
42 See Dermot Keogh, The Vatican, the Bishops and Irish Politics: Church and State in Ireland, 1919-1939, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1986 and Patrick Murray, Oracles of God: The Roman Catholic Church and Irish Politics 1922-37, Dublin, University College Dublin Press, 2000.
43 Fiona Bateman, “Ireland’s Spiritual Empire: Territory and Landscape in Irish Catholic Missionary Discourse”, in Hilary M. Carey (ed.), Empires of Religion, New York, Palgrave Macmillan, 2008, p. 267-287; Kevin Kenny, “The Irish in the Empire”, p. 113-121; Mary Kenny, Goodbye to Catholic Ireland, London, Sinclair-Stevenson, 1997, p. 116-138; The argument that Irish missionary activity emerged from a communitarian and earlier Celtic sense of philanthropy is made by Philip L. Kilbride and Noel J.J. Farley, Faith, Morality and Being Irish: A Caring Tradition in Africa, Lanham, MD, University Press of America, 2007, p. 18-27.
44 This conclusion is supported by several sources. See Jérôme aan de Wiel, The Catholic Church in Ireland 1914-1918: War and Politics, Dublin, Irish Academic Press, 2003; John Fulton, The Tragedy of Belief: Division, Politics, and Religion in Ireland, Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1991; and O’Brien, Ancestral Voices.
45 Bill Kissane, “The Illusion of State Neutrality in a Secularising Ireland”, West European Politics, 26:1 (2003), p. 73-94; Don O’Leary, Vocationalism and Social Catholicism in Twentieth Century Ireland: The Search for a Christian Social Order, Dublin, Irish Academic Press, 2000.
46 John Cooney, The Crozier and the Dáil: Church and State in Ireland 1922-1986, Dublin, Mercier, 1986 and Whyte, Church and State in Modern Ireland.
47 Girvin, From Union to Union, p. 106-135; Kearney, Navigations, p. 67.
48 Timothy J. White, “The Emergence and Transformation of a Post-Colonial State”, Journal of the Third World Spectrum, 3:1 (1996), p. 29-46.
49 Kearney, Navigations, p. 69.
50 M.E. Chamberlin, Decolonization: The Fall of European Empires, Oxford, Basil Blackwell, 1985, p. 78.
51 Kearney, Navigations, p. 389.
52 Kearney, Navigations, p. 61; Peadar Kirby “The Catholic Church in post-Celtic Tiger Ireland”, in John Littleton and Eamon Maher (eds.), Contemporary Catholicism in Ireland: A Critical Appraisal, Blackrock, Columba, 2008, p. 28-32; Ciarán O’Kelly, “Being Irish”, Government and Opposition, 39:3 (2004), p. 504-520; Tom Inglis, “The Global is Personal”, in Eamon Maher (ed.), Cultural Perspectives on Globalisation and Ireland, Bern, Peter Lang, 2009, p. 114; and Timothy J. White, “Decoupling Catholic and National Identity: Secularisation Theories in the Irish Context”, in Louise Fuller, John Littleton, and Eamon Maher (eds.), Irish and Catholic? Towards an Understanding of Identity, Dublin, Columba, 2006, p. 238-256.
53 The most recent criticisms of secularization in democracies come from Jean Bethke Elshtain, “Religion and Democracy”, Journal of Democracy, 20:2 (2009), p. 5-17 and Joshua Mitchell, “Religion Is Not a Preference”, Journal of Politics, 69 (2) (2007), p. 351-362. For more thorough evaluations of secularization and the role of religion in the West more generally see Charles Taylor, A Secular Age, Cambridge, Belknap, 2007 and Mark Lilla, The Stillborn God: Religion, Politics, and the Modern West, New York, Knopf, 2007. In the Irish context critics of secularization theory include: Kissane, “The Illusion of State Neutrality in a Secularising Ireland” and Máire Nic Ghiolla Phádraig, “The Power of the Catholic Church in the Republic of Ireland”, in Patrick Clancy, Sheelagh Drudy, Kathleen Lynch, and Liam O’Dowd (eds), Irish Society: Sociological Perspectives, Dublin, Institute of Public Administration, 1995, p. 594-595.
54 For a historical view of this process, see Philip S. Gorski, “Historicizing the Secularization Debate: Church, State, and Society in Late Medieval and Early Modern Europe, CA. 1300-1700”, American Sociological Review 65:1 (2009), p. 581-617. For a more recent view of the fuzziness of patterns of fidelity in the European context, specifically the distinctions between “believing without belonging” and “belonging without believing”, see Ingrid Storm, “Halfway to Heaven: Four Types of Fuzzy Fidelity in Europe”, Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 48:4 (2009), p. 702-718.
55 Louise Fuller, “Religion, Politics and Socio-Cultural Change in Twentieth-Century Ireland”, The European Legacy, 10:1 (2005), p. 41-54; Hugh McLeod, Religion and the People of Western Europe: 1789-1982, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1997, p. 21.
56 This conception of a moral monopoly comes from the title of Inglis’s book, Moral Monopoly.
57 For this general argument see Peter Achterberg, Dick Houtman, Stef Aupers, William de Koster, Peter Mascini, and Jeroen van der Waal, “A Christian Cancellation of the Secularist Truce? Waning Christian Religiosity and Waxing Religious Deprivatization in the West”, Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 48:4 (2009), p. 687-701.
58 Peter L. Berger, “Christianity and Democracy: The Global Picture”, Journal of Democracy, 15:2 (2004), p. 76-77.
59 Garvin, Preventing the Future, p. 256-262.
60 James Corkery S.J., “Cultural Change and Theology in Ireland”, Studies, 88 (1999), p. 371-380.
61 For an example of a study highlighting how secular societies lose the link between religion and identity, see Phil Zuckerman, Society without God: What the Least Religious Nations Can Tell Us about Contentment, New York, New York University Press, 2008.
62 This question is the title of a book by Vincent D. Twomey, The End of Irish Catholicism? Dublin, Veritas, 2003. For the problems experienced recently by the Catholic Church in Ireland, see James S. Donnelly Jr., “The Troubled Contemporary Irish Catholic Church”, in Brendan Bradshaw and Dáire Keogh (eds.), Christianity in Ireland: Revisiting the Story, Blackrock, Columba, 2002, p. 271-286.
63 Tom Inglis, “Catholic Church, Religious Capital and Symbolic Domination”, in Michael Böss and Eamon Maher (eds.), Engaging Modernity: Readings of Irish Politics, Culture and Literature at the Turn of the Century, Dublin, Veritas, 2003, p. 43-70; Enda McDonagh, “Church-State Relations in an Independent Ireland”, in James P. Mackey and Enda McDonagh (eds.), Religion and Politics in Ireland at the Turn of the Millennium, Blackrock, Columba, 2003, p. 63.
64 John Coakley, “Religion, National Identity and Political Change in Modern Ireland”, Irish Political Studies, 17:1 (2002), p. 25.Haut de page
Pour citer cet article
Timothy J. White, « The Impact of British Colonialism on Irish Catholicism and National Identity: Repression, Reemergence, and Divergence », Études irlandaises, 35-1 | 2010, 21-37.
Timothy J. White, « The Impact of British Colonialism on Irish Catholicism and National Identity: Repression, Reemergence, and Divergence », Études irlandaises [En ligne], 35-1 | 2010, mis en ligne le 30 septembre 2012, consulté le 28 juin 2016. URL : http://etudesirlandaises.revues.org/1743 ; DOI : 10.4000/etudesirlandaises.1743Haut de page
© Presses universitaires de RennesHaut de page
|
<urn:uuid:835b1e33-7010-49cb-88a9-ab3f099aa43d>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://etudesirlandaises.revues.org/1743
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397695.90/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00038-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.906433 | 13,472 | 2.921875 | 3 |
The Squid and the Electric Current: Remembering the Work of a Brain Pioneer
In the late 1940s, Sir Andrew Huxley and Sir Alan Hodgkin teased a nerve cell from an Atlantic squid, placed it into a seawater bath and zapped it with currents. Then, with the data, they built a mathematical model that explained, for the first time, how electricity travels along nerves to control muscle movement and thought.
Many of the building blocks behind anesthesiology has its origins in the Nobel Prize-winning research these scientists did involving squids. Huxley’s death was announced this week, and as part of the NewsHour’s ongoing effort to shed some light on hugely important scientists and the role that they play, we take a look at his work.
Almost all communication in our brain and spinal cord results from nerve impulses that allow electricity to travel the length of a nerve cell and then pulse from one cell to the next. At the time that Huxley and Hodgkin teamed up, there was debate over the mechanics of how this works: how nerve cells transmit electrical signals.
Some believed these signals relied on molecules that carried charged ions in and out of the cell membrane, said Daniel Gardner, professor of physiology and neuroscience at Weill Cornell Medical College. “What they discovered was this idea of a carrier molecule wouldn’t work.”
Huxley and Hodgkin instead proposed that electrical signals rely on special hinged gates – part of proteins that span the cell’s membrane – that open and close, allowing a cascade of charged ions to rush into and out of a cell.
They relied on a technique called a voltage clamp, which measured the pulse of current across a nerve cell membrane.
And they used the giant axon of the squid. An axon is a nerve fiber that extends from a neuron, carrying impulses from the body of the cell to other neurons or to muscles. The long, stringy squid axons can be as much as 1,000 times thicker than their human counterparts, making them ideal for study. The axon in the squid stretches along the length of its body, and is part of a neuron involved in the animal’s well-developed emergency escape behavior.
They dissected out the squid axon and inserted tiny silver wires, or micro electrodes, into its core to record the electrical current inside and outside of the nerves.
Huxley and Hodgkin’s data and equations showed that electricity itself opens and closes gates controlling the flow of charged ions across the nerve cell’s membrane, and when gates are open for a few milliseconds, sodium ions rush in and then potassium ions rush out of the cell, Gardner explained. Based on these findings, scientists then searched for the molecular mechanisms responsible for this gating and this flow, and found proteins with watery pores that span the membrane, allowing ions to flow. Parts of the proteins move tiny amounts when the voltage changes, opening and closing the gates.
“It’s a fundamental principle, the action potential, and understanding how it works is the basis for everything,” Levine said.
Their findings were published in five papers in the Journal of Physiology, London.
“They are physiologists, and they were trying to make sense of something,” Gardner said. “What they came up with was a series of equations. They can all be written down neatly on one page, and there are probably people who have memorized them completely.”
Huxley performed all of his calculations on a handheld calculator with a crank and derived a mathematical model for the process, which is now taught in every introductory neuroscience class.
“It was one of the few cases where we really understood something at a cellular basis and where mathematics predicted the physiology,” Gardner said.
Drugs used in anesthesiology, for example, shut off nerve cell activity by blocking the cell’s sodium ion channels. Ion channels also play a key role in the heart by inducing rhythmic activity. The research also provided insight into how neurons communicate with each other and has been key to learning and memory research.
Ragnar Granit of the Nobel Committee of Physiology and Medicine, who received the same prize in 1967, summed up the significance when he presented Huxley and Hodgkin, along with fellow scientist John Eccles, the Nobel Prize:
“By elucidating the nature of the … electrical events in the peripheral and central nervous system, you have brought understanding of nervous action to a level of clarity which your contemporaries did not expect to witness in their lifetime.”
Photo credit: Professor Andrew Huxley, seen here in October 1963, was awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine for the research he had carried out on the human nervous system. Photo by Keystone/Getty Images.
Clarification: The text has been revised to clarify information about the nerve cell membrane and so-called “action potential.”
|
<urn:uuid:34925f00-0c29-4ed9-bd94-040baa113e95>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/in-the-early-1950s-sir/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397842.93/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00136-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.955695 | 1,021 | 3.46875 | 3 |
Guest Author - Asha Sahni
Ben More. Scotland’s islands are not known for munros; Ben More is the only hill/mountain on Mull over 3,000 feet tall. The summit can be most easily reached from Loch na Keal and offers, in clear weather (mist and fog can descend fast), views of local islands including Iona, Staffa and Ulva.
Duart Castle. High on a clifftop, overlooking the Sound of Mull, Duart Castle was in active use from the fourteenth to seventeenth centuries, after which human habitation ceased and weather and nature took their toll on this magnificent building. Sir Fitzroy Maclean acquired his ancestral home in the early twentieth century, and invested substantial time and money in renovating Duart Castle, now open to the public who can explore the building from dungeons to keep.
Lochs. Mull’s sea and freshwater lochs – favoured by sailors and fishermen - include Loch Assapol, Loch Caol, Loch na Keal, Loch Mingary, Loch Scridain and Loch Tuath and Loch Uisg. It is believed that Loch Ba was once home to an old goddess – one of the many faces of the cailleach – who sustained her youth by washing in Loch Ba every hundred years at the dawning of a day before animals were awake. One morning she inadvertently roused a restless dog, who barked thus breaking her magic of everlasting youth.
Tobermory. Tobermory, sometimes called Mull’s capital, is a popular stopping off point for cruise ships. Welcoming brightly painted buildings surround the harbour of a town whose attractions include a distillery, a marine visitor centre, a museum and a pottery. The children’s television series Balamory was filmed on Tobermory, a name given to one of the characters in The Wombles...
Wildlife. Mull is a haven for wildlife – buzzards, corncrakes, dolphins, eagles, otters, red deer, sharks, whales... Mull has an extensive population of white-tailed eagles – the largest bird of prey in the UK. Wildlife photographer and presenter Gordon Buchanan grew up on the Isle of Mull.
Wrecks. 1588 - the Spanish Armada galleon San Juan de Sicilia takes shelter in Tobermory Bay; she is blown up as she leaves, taking her treasures with her to the seabed. In the middle of the seventeenth century Oliver Cromwell seds five ships to Mull – his purpose to capture the ten-year-old Chief of the MacLeans; a storm foils the English, and three of the ships sink on the rocks below Duart Castle. In 1945 a plane travelling from Canada to Scotland crashes on the Mull mountain Ben Talaidh; prompt rescue action by locals ensures that five out of eight of the travellers survive; if you are lucky you may still find a piece of the wreckage on the mountain.
|
<urn:uuid:db406a7e-765a-43c2-9e42-b307d6c871ea>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art179810.asp
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783398075.47/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154958-00112-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.948949 | 620 | 2.65625 | 3 |
Market Capitalization is total market value of a company's equity. It is one of many ways to value a company and is calculated by multiplying the price of the stock by the number of shares issued. If a firm has one type of stock its market capitalization will be the current market share price multiplied by the number of shares. However, if a company has multiple types of equities then the market cap will be the total of the market caps of the different types of shares.
In most publications or references market cap is broken down into the mega cap, large cap, mid cap, small cap, micro cap, and nano cap. Market Cap is a measurement of business as total market value of all of outstanding shares at a given time, and can be used to compare different companies based on their size.
Based on recorded statements the market capitalization of The Kroger Co is about 33.07 B. This is 59.01% higher than that of the Services sector, and 260.35% higher than that of Grocery Stores industry, The Market Capitalization for all stocks is 121.67% lower than the firm.
The Kroger Co is rated second overall in market capitalization category among related companies. Market capitalization of Grocery Stores industry is now estimated at about 93.72 Billion. Kroger totals roughly 33.07 Billion in market capitalization claiming about 35% of equities under Grocery Stores industry.
|
<urn:uuid:d9a1087b-246a-4420-b07f-2c247bc0e592>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www.macroaxis.com/invest/ratio/KR--Market_Capitalization
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396872.10/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00197-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.954184 | 289 | 2.546875 | 3 |
Contents - Previous - Next
This is the old United Nations University website. Visit the new site at http://unu.edu
IV. The transformation sub-system: cultivation to market size in fishpens
2. Some efficiency measures
An alternative method of rearing market-size milkfish entails transformation from fingerlings in bamboo and net enclosures (fig. 33). In contrast to rearing in brackishwater ponds, fishpens are operated in bodies of freshwater, where the operator has much less control over the fishrearing environment. Although the pen concept has resulted in experimental operations in many small lakes in the country, the only large-scale commercial activity is in the shallow 90,000-ha Laguna de Bay, adjacent to Metro Manila (fig. 34). Although Laguna de Bay is a reasonably productive eutrophic lake, it is not as productive as many other tropical lakes, such as Lake George in Uganda.52 In 19701971, the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) successfully introduced the pen method of fish culture, achieving yields of close to 4 tonnes per hectare per year relying solely on the abundant natural food available in the lake.
By 1973, the fishpen sub-sector was producing annual harvests valued at P77 million from 4,800 ha of fishpens.53 BY early 1976, pen area had grown to over 7,000 ha, and estimated total milkfish production to 47,000 tonnes (table 20): quite remarkable growth for only a seven-year period. The rapid growth in fishpen area in the early 1970s is indicative of the dynamism of the private sector in the Philippine economy and its willingness to take risks with a new venture.
Despite the attractiveness of fishpens to private investors because of the high rate of return on investment that can be achieved, numerous problems have surfaced. These problems relate, on the one hand, to environmental factors beyond the control of fishpen operators, such as the weather, aquatic macrophytes, and plankton blooms that result in fish kills and, on the other hand, to socio-economic factors brought about by the alleged impact of fishpens on the capture fishery that has existed in the lake for centuries. These problems combined to reduce fishpen area in 1976-1977 to approximately 4,000 ha.
Plankton blooms, most probably caused by the enriched inflow from the heavily fertilized rice-fields of Laguna Province and from sewage wastes of urban communities, result in rapid reductions in dissolved oxygen which cause fish kills in several parts of the lake. In 1973, for example, the loss of an estimated 1 million fish was recorded; some owners lost 90 per cent of their stock.53
A typhoon that occurred unseasonably early in 1976 resulted in widespread destruction of fishpens, further discouraging the large number of lawyers, doctors, and even movie stars who had rushed to invest in fishpens after LLDA's success became known. Water hyacinth, driven by high winds, damaged the bamboo and netting materials, allowing large quantities of fish to escape to the delight of the small-scale fishermen living around the lake who then caught them with their gill nets. Similarly, major typhoons occurred in 1978, but the three years since have been characterized by relatively calm weather.
Serious as these risks from typhoons were for the fishpen entrepreneurs involved, socio-economic problems were just as pressing. While fishpen production continued to climb, catch from the lake capture fishery was declining (table 20). The capture fishery had actually been declining continuously since 1963 so it is not possible to ascribe the decline exclusively to the presence of fishpens. However, the initial uncontrolled erection of fishpens in the lake produced conficts with the small-scale fishermen, who claimed that fishpens had reduced their fishing area and in extreme cases had even blocked access to the water. Sabotage of fishpen nets became common, and most fishpens now have guard houses at regular intervals along the perimeter of the pen to guard against these surreptitious acts.
Controlling the location of fishpens of private investors has been a major problem for LLDA. Jurisdictional disputes between LLDA, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), and the municipalities around the lake have only recently been resolved in favour of LLDA, which now has exclusive licensing authority. A 15,000-ha fishpen belt has been designated within which all pens must be located (fig.34).
Laguna de Bay, like any other body of water, has a certain carrying capacity based upon its primary productivity. Delmendo and Gedney53 have made the only estimate of the lake's potential productivity (63,000 - 270,000 tonnes), based on conditions prevailing in 1973. What effect fishpens may have on the lake's productivity is debatable.
Fig. 33. Details of Fishpen Enclosures. Source: See note 53.
Increased stocking of milkfish in pens may even increase carrying capacity if they crop phytoplankton that is left untouched by other species. Construction of fishpens has certainly reduced fishing areas; however, one cannot ascribe the declining capture fishery catch solely to fishpen expansign, since it had been declining for several years before the first fishpens appeared. From 1963 to 1973, while the number of small-scale fishermen increased from 13,000 to 16,000 and shrimp catch increased by 25 per cent, catch of fish from the capture fishery declined by more than 75 per cent, and snail harvest declined by almost 75 per cent. Total production in Laguna de Bay declined from almost 350,000 tonnes in 1963 to only 120,000 tonnes in 1976.57 In part, therefore, declining capture fishery catch is due to overfishing.
While the value of production from the lake increased from P77.2 million in 1968 to P149.1 million in 1973, all of this increase in revenue accrued to the owners of fishpens. The value of the capture fishery (fish, shrimp, and snails) actually declined over the period from P77.2 million to P72.3 million. The decline in value in real terms was even greater. Except on those occasions when milkfish escape from fishpens after typhoons, and are subsequently caught by municipal fishermen, or when fishermen are employed as fishpen labourers, the fishpen business has apparently had little positive impact on the many fishermen living around the lake.58
To deal with the need to involve former small-scale fishermen in more than simply providing labour to fishpen owners, the LLDA has recently embarked on a project with financial support from the Asian Development Bank to develop 2,500 ha of fishpens in 2.5-ha, 5.0-ha, and 10-ha modules that would be managed by former fishing families or groups of families.59 The project has both milkfish and tilapia components, the tilapia to be raised in cages rather than pens. Tilapia cage culture, based primarily on supple mental feeding-in contrast to milkfish in pens, which feed on the lake's natural production-is already practiced by many fishing households. The nutrient flow and detrital production from the lakeside duck farms has undoubtedly aided tilapia production from cages near the shoreline. Participation in the project is limited to families with annual incomes less than P9,000, and the loan to participants carries a 14 per cent interest rate and is payable in five years through deductions from proceeds of sales of milkfish through LLDA.
Fig.34. Laguna de Bay, Showing the Fish Sanctuary and the Fishpen Belt. Source: See note 54.
Three problems, however, must be overcome for the milkfish component of this project to succeed. First, reliable supplies of large quantities of fingerling must be found (the 2,500 ha to be developed will require approximately 75 million milkfish fingerlings annually). Secondly, a way must be found for the small 2.5-5.0-ha modules to remain profitable despite economies of scale that favour larger pen sizes. Finally, the project may experience difficulties in persuading fishermen with low incomes to invest in the capital-intensive fishpens.
Managing the capture fishery to reduce overfishing and allow stocks to recover to produce higher sustainable yields is an alternative approach that might be considered to assist the small-scale fishermen. A second alternative may place added emphasis on tilapia cages with their lower investment requirements, rather than requiring fishermen co-operators in the project to invest in both milkfish pens and tilapia cages concurrently.
2. Some efficiency measures
How profitable are the milkfish pen operations? Unfortunately, no economic analysis has been conducted since the mid-1970s. It is, therefore, not useful to report here any detailed costs and returns analysis.
TABLE 20. The Laguna de Bay Fishery, 1963, 1968, 1973, and 1976
|Number of fishing households||6,511||7,812||7,839||n.a.|
|Approx. number of fishermen||13,000||16,000a||16,000a||n.a.|
|Number of fishing gear units||9,740||n.a.||n.a.||n.a.|
|Capture fishery catch (tonnes)|
|Fishb||82,882||39,055||20,723 1||36 678|
|Fishpen harvest (tonnes)||-||-||19,204||47,020|
|Production per hectare (kg) from capture fisheryd|
|Value of production (million pesos)||n.a.||77.2||149 1c||n.a.|
Sources: 1963 data-see note 55; 1968 and 1973 data-see note
1976 data-the statistics section, BFAR, Manlia (c. Ramos, personal communication)
- = none
n.a.= not available
a. Calculated based on approximately two fishermen per
household, as implied by 1963 data,
b. Excluding fishpen harvest
c.51 per cent of value comes from fishpens. Value from capture fishery declined to P72.3 million.
d. Adjusted to reflect use of 4,000 ha of lake for fishpen purposes in 1973, leaving 86,000 ha for capture
Nevertheless, for 1974, the rate of return on investment was variously estimated at 27 per cent 53 and 60 per cent.60 Ramirez61 estimated a 35 per cent internal rate of return for the same period. There are significant economies of scale in fishpen construction costs because the major fixed cost is the double net and bamboo perimeter of the enclosure (fig. 33). Pen area can be quadrupled by only doubling the perimeter. Consequently, the smaller pen sizes appear to be uneconomical, with the largest pens in the lake in 1980 exceeding 100 ha. In 1974, construction costs were estimated at P78 per metre, or P98,600 for a 10-ha pen. The cost of bamboo has more than doubled since that time, but the continued expansion of the area under production indicates that profits are still being made.
Few details are available regarding the economic efficiency of the fishpen sub-sector, although Ramirez61 estimated the input-output relationship of milkfish production in pens using a Cobb-Douglas production function. On the basis of the data of Nicolas et al.,62 Ramirez concluded that the average-size pen in 1974 (6.5 ha) was too small and that stocking rate and labour inputs per hectare should be increased to maximize profits.
If one wishes to make comparisons between the fishpen and fishpond sectors, it is important first to distinguish between "production maximization" and "profit maximization." Due to diminishing returns, the maximum production per unit area is not the same level of production that maximizes profits. Similarly, it is profit potential, not production potential, that determines to which sector additionally available inputs should be applied. The basic rule is that society will benefit the most if the inputs are used in that sector where their contribution to total returns (the value of the marginal product) is the greatest. If the added value derived from the marginal input (i.e., fingerlings) is higher in one sector than in another, a disequilibrium condition exists, assuming each sector pays the same input price.63 This point can be clearly illustrated by comparing the output response to added fingerling input in fishpens as compared to that in brackish-water fishponds.
Fishpen producers are able to achieve high rates of return, despite mortalities during rearing that approach 45-50 per cent.64 The mortality rate for fingerlings reared to market size in brackish-water ponds is lower at approximately 35 per cent.28 Based on these average (not marginal) mortality rates, each 1,000 fingerlings stocked in fishponds will produce, on average, approximately 162.5 kg of market size milkfish (four pieces per kg). The same quantity of fingerling stocked in fishpens will, on average, produce only 137.5 kg (four pieces per kg). If one looked only at the average products above, one would incorrectly conclude that society would benefit more by stocking fingerlings in fishponds rather than in fishpens.
The relevant principle for maximizing profits, however, is a marginal, and not an average concept. In other words, it is the response of output to the added (marginal) input that is important. The production elasticities (which measure the responsiveness of output to the marginal input) of fingerling in the fishpond and fishpen sectors are 0.14 and 0.52 respectively.65 These elasticity estimates imply that a 10 per cent increase in the stocking rate in fishponds will result in only a 1.4 per cent increase in output; in fishpens, a 10 per cent increase in stocking rate will result in a 5.2 per cent increase in output, ceteris paribus. These results are consistent with the findings reported earlier that while the average stocking rate of fingerlings in fishponds is roughly optimal, in fishpens it is too low. Profits as a whole (and benefits to society) could be increased if the fingerling stocking rate in fishpens were increased, even if it had to be at the expense of reduced supply of fingerlings for fishponds.
The fact that this situation prevails is indicative of disequilibrium in the transformation sub-system. Ten years ago, before fishpens were introduced to Laguna de Bay, 100 per cent of fingerlings produced were stocked in fishponds; currently only 35 per cent of fingerlings produced are stocked in fishponds, with the remaining 65 per cent stocked in fishpens. Given the relatively short period involved since the introduction of fishpens, and the occasional typhoons that have heavily damaged them from time to time, it is still fair to characterize the fishpen sector as an "infant industry." In this sense, the division of fingerlings between fishponds and fishpens is in a transitional stage, responding to the relative economics of the two sectors. Given the higher profits (due apparently to lower average costs of production) and the higher production elasticities in fishpens, one can expect that as time passes an increasingly larger proportion of fingerlings will be stocked in fishpens until equilibrium (equal value of the marginal product) between the two sectors is attained.
Earlier, we argued that the supply elasticity of fry was high; in 1974-1977 fry supply appeared to respond to the added demand for fingerlings to stock the fishpens. If fry are not a constraint, fishpen production, with its lower average productivity per 1,000 fingerlings stocked but higher profits, will benefit society as a whole because total milkfish production in the Philippines will have increased, and at a lower average cost of production. In fact, fishpens have increased total milkfish supply by over 45,000 tonnes, or approximately 45 per cent, since 1971.
We also carefully pointed out, however, that fry supply response cannot be predicted in the face of more recently expanding fishpen area and higher stocking rates in fishponds. If fry (and hence fingerlings) are a constraint, the current preference for stocking fingerlings in fishpens instead of fishponds should be a matter of concern, from the point of view of both nutritional standards and income distribution. If fishpens expand to the full 15,000 ha allowable in Laguna de Bay, they will require 450 million fingerlings for stocking, possibly more than the procurement subsystem can supply and still meet recommended fishpond requirements. For nursery-pond operators to rear this quantity of fingerlings will require 682 million fry (survival from fry to fingerling in brackish-water ponds is 66 per cent), or over one-half of the annual fry catch in 1976. If the fishpen and fishpond requirements cannot both be met, the matter will be resolved by the price system, and the relative economics of the two sub-sectors will determine to which of the two the available fingerling supply will be allocated. Current relative economics would favour the fishpens, in which case the absolute quantity of milkfish produced (assuming current survival rates) would be reduced. Private entrepreneurs who can afford the sizeable capital investment required for fishpens would benefit, however.
To some extent, higher prices of fry and fingerling are a blessing in disguise. To begin with, assuming no biological overfishing, supply of fry will be higher at higher prices. (Fry gatherers stopped gathering in mid-1977 because of low prices.) More important, higher fry prices will encourage fishpond producers to become more efficient and to lower their average costs of production. In particular, higher fry prices may encourage entrepreneurs in the transformation subsystem to increase the survival rates of their fry and fingerling through better handling and acclimatization.
These questions regarding the impact of the fishpen industry on both the milkfish resource system and the Laguna de Bay capture fishery are complicated by the fact that there are several alternative uses for the water of Laguna de Bay, of which fisheries are only one. In addition to seeing it as a possible water source for Manila, LLDA also envisions pumping lake water to nearby Cavite Province for irrigation purposes. To a certain extent, both of these uses could still be complementary to the capture fishery and to pens and cages. A potentially more serious problem for the fishpens is related to the building of a hydraulic control structure at the confluence of the Pasig and Marikina rivers just north of the Bay, designed to minimize flooding in Manila by diverting the Marikina River into Laguna de Bay when necessary, and to prevent saltwater intrusion to the lake through the Pasig River during the dry season when the water level of the lake is low. The Pasig River links Laguna de Bay with Manila Bay and runs through the heart of the city.
There is a debate as to what effect this hydraulic control structure will have on the milkfish pen industry, however.
As pointed out earlier, milkfish (unlike the hardier tilapias) are particularly susceptible to stress when low levels of dissolved oxygen occur. Algae growth is beneficial to production, but only to a point. When algae blooms collapse and dissolved oxygen levels fall, fish kills may result. The occurrence of algae blooms is a function of temperature, light, and nutrient loadings, the first two of which are beyond human control. In making their case for construction of the hydraulic control structure, LLDA stated that it would prevent nitrogenous wastes in the Pasig River from entering the lake, thereby removing approximately 30 per cent of the current nitrogen loading.66 Their belief was that nitrogen limits phytoplankton production and hence, in addition to its other uses, the structure would benefit the fish industry. An internal rate of return of 24.7 per cent was estimated for the structure, based in part upon the added benefits expected to accrue to the Laguna de Bay fisheries, including fishpens.
An alternative point of view, put forward by Nielsen et al.,52 is that nitrogen is not the limiting factor and, therefore, the assumed benefits of excluding nitrogenous wastes are based upon a false assumption. Moreover, Nielsen et al. believe that periodic intrusions of saline water are essential to maintain a balanced production of the plankton on which the fishpen industry depends and that such intrusions reduce the likelihood of fish kills caused by collapsing algae blooms. Saltwater intrusions clear inorganic turbidity from the water column, and Nielsen et al. conclude that turbidity, not nitrogen, is the limiting factor. They cite the negative correlation between saltwater intrusion and fish kills in support of their argument. However, it should be pointed out that correlation does not necessarily imply causality.
These ecological questions are extremely complex, and detailed discussion of them is beyond the scope of this paper. Suffice it to say, however, that if Nielsen et al. are correct, the hydraulic control structure may have a negative impact on production of milkfish and other species susceptible to low levels of dissolved oxygen, with a consequent reduction in milkfish fingerling demand.
It is quite apparent from the foregoing discussion that the potential impact of the fishpen sub-sector on the milkfish resource system is considerable. Continued expansion of fishpen area, if it produces higher fry prices, will lend added impetus to the development of milkfish hatcheries. However, many of the foregoing predictions remain hypotheses. Further research on the biological and economic impact of fishpens on the milkfish resource system, on the Laguna de Bay capture fishery, and on the ecology of the lake would appear to be most worthwhile.
Contents - Previous - Next
|
<urn:uuid:a4bb30f1-9319-451a-b8ef-a8ba5f72d921>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://archive.unu.edu/unupress/unupbooks/80346e/80346E09.htm
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395346.72/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00174-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.941457 | 4,540 | 2.5625 | 3 |
Definition of teamster
n. - One who drives a team.
The word "teamster" uses 8 letters: A E E M R S T T.
No direct anagrams for teamster found in this word list.
Words formed by adding one letter before or after teamster (in bold), or to aeemrstt in any order:
d - smattered l - streamlet p - attempers r - smatterer tetramers s - teamsters
Words within teamster
not shown as it has more than seven letters.
List all words starting with teamster, words containing teamster or words ending with teamster
All words formed from teamster by changing one letter
Other words with the same letter pairs: te ea am ms st te er
Browse words starting with teamster by next letter
Previous word in list: teams
Next word in list: teamsters
Some random words: wud
|
<urn:uuid:91093ee3-6ba0-448f-ad0b-f6fbd0b654a5>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www.morewords.com/word/teamster/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783398216.41/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154958-00125-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.843679 | 198 | 2.578125 | 3 |
Two or three decades in the future, how will the counties’ populations match up to what they are now?
Larger; older; a bit more ethnically diverse, according to the latest forecast.
Basing its outlook on population growth patterns in the past, a state agency projects that Gloucester County will have 45,222 inhabitants by 2040, and Mathews County will have 10,067.
Leading up to those figures, the projections are for 39,681 people in Gloucester in 2020 and 42,520 in 2030. In Mathews, the projection is for 9,284 in 2020 and 9,680 in 2030.
Census counts in 2010 for these localities were 36,858 in Gloucester, and 8,978 in Mathews.
Population projections for 2020, 2030 and 2040 were released recently by the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service at the University of Virginia.
The center forecasts rapid statewide population change, increasing from the 2010 census count of 8,001,024 to 10,530,228 in 2040.
Cooper Center demographers also worked up a future look at local populations by age and racial makeup.
In 2010, Gloucester County had 5,410, or 14.6 percent of its population, age 65 or older. That figure is expected to rise to 26 percent of the projected 2040 population.
Mathews County has had an older population than Gloucester for generations.
|
<urn:uuid:a4d8bc98-c952-4e79-8b23-42e9c2fcef11>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www.gazettejournal.net/index.php/news/news_printme/8524
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783391519.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154951-00147-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.957303 | 296 | 2.671875 | 3 |
Certainly, when we are under stress, we suffer both emotionally and physically. Although everyone will experience stress in their lives, some people do seem to handle it better than others. And though some people seem to naturally handle stressful situations without letting it "get to them," in reality, it is a combination of both natural and learned skills that helps us deal with stressful times.
While we cannot change the temperament we were born with, or medical problems we may have, we can all learn better ways to handle stress.
Recognizing signs of stress
When people feel overwhelmed, they may:
- find it difficult to sleep
- lose their appetite (or want to eat everything in sight)
- find it hard to concentrate
- even seem to forget things more often.
When these symptoms last for many weeks, then a person might have depression, especially if the symptoms are associated with: sadness, tearfulness, a loss of interest in things.
This person should see a mental health counselor or primary care physician for an evaluation.
Deal with stress the healthy way
Healthy ways of dealing with stress can decrease uncomfortable physical and emotional symptoms. Of course, actively working to decrease external stressors is helpful, but sometimes you have no control over a situation. Remembering and following some of the following steps may help you improve your ability to survive stressful times more successfully:
- Allow plenty of time for sleep, and practice good "sleep hygiene." That means sleeping in a comfortable place; no caffeine or alcohol before bed; getting up at a regular time each morning, regardless of how well you slept the night before.
- Get some regular exercise almost every day for at least 30 minutes. It could be a walk around the block or a workout at the gym, but get up and move. Do not exercise, however, within one to two hours of going to bed.
- Eat healthy. Remember to include lots of fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Try to avoid lots of fatty foods and sugary foods.
- Drink plenty of fluids, preferably water. Limit caffeinated drinks and alcohol.
- Avoid mood-altering drugs like alcohol, marijuana, cocaine and other drugs.
- Be with people.
Family and friends make a difference.
The strongest factor that separates those who deal with stress well from those that do not is the presence of a strong social network of friends and family. The most important things you can do to get through stressful times are: spend time with family and friends; talk to these people; do things for others; let others help you.
|
<urn:uuid:fb6a7d99-c529-43bf-993e-5f6ca6718fe8>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www.cleveland.com/healthfit/index.ssf/2013/04/healthy_ways_to_deal_with_stre.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783402746.23/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155002-00077-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.958221 | 524 | 2.921875 | 3 |
AFRICA: New meningitis vaccine nears debut
Saturday, March 14, 2009
A new vaccine that promises to eliminate meningitis in Africa will be rolled out in a mass campaign in West Africa this year, according to the UN World Health Organization (WHO).
Twenty-five million doses of the meningococcal A, or MenA, vaccine are currently in production in India and the drug is expected to be introduced in Burkina Faso late 2009.
“This is the beginning of the end of the disease,” said Marc LaForce, the director of the Meningitis Vaccine Project (MVP), an initiative of WHO and the non-profit PATH that has been developing the vaccine since 2003.
The vaccine currently used in the region spanning from Senegal to Ethiopia – called the ‘meningitis belt’ for its vulnerability to deadly outbreaks – offers at most two years of protection, according to MVP.
While the disease is more deadly in the meningitis belt than anywhere else in the world, there have been no prevention vaccines for the strain found in Africa- until now, according to clinical trials with MenA.
Recent studies with patients age one to 29 in India, Mali, Senegal and The Gambia have shown that the new vaccine will provide long-term protection. Lead researcher LaForce has said the drug “will allow the elimination of the meningococcal [meningitis] epidemics that have afflicted the continent [Africa] for more than 100 years.”
Months away from the vaccine’s US$29-million donor-financed debut in three countries – Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger – LaForce told IRIN the deadly bacteria that attack the spinal cord and brain lining cannot be wiped out overnight.
“Look at polio and how long it took to eliminate that. We are looking at 10 years at least [for elimination],” he said.
More than 45 years after the polio vaccine was licensed, there were still more than 1,600 infections worldwide in 2008, according to WHO – down from 350,000 cases 20 years ago.
LaForce told IRIN the MenA vaccination campaign’s goal is to reach “herd immunity”, in which if at least 70 percent of the population is immunised, then the entire population is protected.
When asked if people who might refuse vaccinations could thwart herd immunity, LaForce said the response has been “tremendous” in clinical trials to the vaccine and that “70 percent [immunisation] coverage will not be hard to reach.”
LaForce has said that “a single case of meningitis can drive a family into a spiral of poverty from which they may never recover.”
Even with antibiotic treatment, at least 10 percent of people stricken with meningitis die and 20 percent are left with permanent disability including mental retardation, deafness or amputation, according to WHO.
The international health agency reports more than 9,500 cases thus far in 2009, including an outbreak in a camp for displaced persons in Darfur, Sudan where aid workers have recently been ordered to leave.
WHO aims to immunise 250 million people in the meningitis belt by 2015. The Global Alliance for Vaccine and Immunization (GAVI) has agreed to create an emergency stockpile of the MenA vaccine starting in 2011 with an initial investment of $55 million.
WHO has pledged to “fast-track” approval of the vaccine as soon as it is licensed in India, according to the director of WHO’s Initiative for Vaccine Research, Marie-Paule Kieny.
Kieny told IRIN the vaccine is scheduled to become a routine childhood immunisation by 2012.
Potential obstacles to mass immunisation are new meningitis strains and inadequate funds to continue beyond the three roll-out countries, according to Kieny.
MenA is expected to cost governments 40 cents per dose; current meningitis vaccines cost up to $1.58, according to WHO.
LaForce said the challenge in developing MenA has been in part financial. “These are the poorest areas in the world. Large pharmaceuticals were not interested in producing a specific product for Africa.”
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has funded MVP’s creation, research and development since 2001.
|
<urn:uuid:590d08cf-e1c1-45a1-896d-d446ebe6ddbc>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://wow.gm/africa/article/africa-new-meningitis-vaccine-nears-debut
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397562.76/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00175-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.948827 | 910 | 2.75 | 3 |
Subacute Thyroiditis causes
back to top
An ESR test is a blood test that helps your doctor determine if you're experiencing inflammation. This test can also monitor inflammatory diseases.
The sedimentation rate test measures inflammation in the body. It is also called the sed rate or the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) test.
Trigger finger is a painful condition in which a finger locks when it's bent or straightened. Find out about treatments.
|
<urn:uuid:0502f942-4e7e-40bd-8096-1a3dfab50cca>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
https://www.aarpmedicareplans.com/channel/subacute-thyroiditis_causes
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783402479.21/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155002-00067-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.900442 | 99 | 2.625 | 3 |
Newborn testing includes sickle cell screening, which means children with the disease are being identified early and offered preventative measures to address future complications.
“A lot of what we do is education. Many people haven’t had someone close to them with sickle cell anemia so they don’t know a lot about it,” said Dr. Mary Lynn Fecile, director of the pediatric sickle cell anemia program at Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital.
“One of the major causes of death in children used to be infection,’’ Fecile said. Using a penicillin prophylaxis, we give babies a low dose of penicillin because the spleen doesn't do one of its job well, which puts these babies more at risk for infection.”
Children with sickle cell anemia are also monitored with screenings for eye problems, stroke risk and lung function, Fecile said. Children must also learn the importance of hydration and modification in things like sports activities in order to prevent pain crises and other symptoms.
Many adults with sickle cell anemia are followed by their primary care doctors and only see a specialist, such a hematologist, when they are in crisis, said Dr. Lily Shah, hematologist with Andrews & Patel Associates in Camp Hill.
Disease presentations varied
“How sickle cell anemia affects a person is very individual so the way we treat sickle cell anemia is by how symptomatic people become,” Shah said. “Some people may have occasional mild pain and others may have very intense pain that lands them in the hospital.”
The overall strategy is to keep on top of any signs or symptoms of the disease and take preventative measures to avoid severe flare-ups, she said.
“It definitely can affect quality of life; someone can be in and out of the hospital several times a year,” Shah said. “Some people live with a certain degree of pain and are at risk for infection and other people are able to work and function quite well.”
Symptoms of sickle cell anemia include:
- Periodic intense pain, often referred to pain crises, caused by sickle-shaped cells clogging the vessels and blocking blood flow to the chest, joints and bones. Doctors try to assess the cause. “Could a urinary tract infection or a cold have caused a more active destruction of the blood cells and tipped them into a pain crisis” Shah said.
- Fatigue and weakness caused by the anemia.
- Swollen hands and feet may be the first sign of sickle cell disease in babies.
- Frequent infections
- Delayed growth. Lack of healthy red blood cells can cause a child to enter puberty later.
- Fevers, which may be a first sign of infection. Any child who has sickle cell anemia and gets a fever should be seen by a doctor for evaluation and blood testing, Fecile said.
- Chest pain and difficulty breathing, which could be signs of acute chest syndrome, a potentially life-threatening complication of sickle cell anemia.
- Stroke. Children should be screened at age 2 to determine if they are at higher risk for stroke, Fecile said.
- Priapism (painful prolonged erection)
- Vision problems. Sickle cells can block blood vessels to the eye and damage the retina. Children should have regular vision screening at age 10, Fecile said.
|
<urn:uuid:0dd06938-2adc-4229-ab56-262192351819>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www.pennlive.com/bodyandmind/index.ssf/2013/10/sickle_cell_anemia_symptoms_an.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395548.53/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00081-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.949696 | 733 | 3.140625 | 3 |
The book covers a critical compilation of analytical methods used for the monitoring of pesticides and their degradation products in water. It contains up-to-date material and is the direct result of the authors' experience in the field of pesticide analysis. The book is structured in six chapters, starting from general aspects of pesticides like usage, physicochemical parameters and occurrence in the environment. A second chapter is devoted to sampling from water matrices, stability methods of pesticides in water and quality assurance issues. The general chromatographic methods for pesticides are reported, including the newly developed electrophoresis methods and GC-MS and LC-MS confirmatory analytical methods. Sample preparation methodologies, including off-line and on-line techniques are described in the next two chapters, with a comprehensive list of examples of pesticides and many metabolites, including the use of different GC-methods and LC-methods. The final chapter is devoted to the development of biological techniques, immunoassays and biosensors, for the trace determination of pesticides in water samples.
The book answers one of the key problems in pesticide analysis: the diversity of chemical functional groups, with varying polarity and physicochemical properties. Pesticides and their metabolites have received particular attention during the last few years in environmental trace-organic analysis. For instance, in the case of groundwater, the use of pesticides has become a cause for concern. Under the right conditions, pesticides, such as fertilizer nitrogen, can move through the soil into groundwater, a phenomenon once thought improbable. The movement of agrochemicals in surface water flow can be, in some instances, a major problem, specially in the case of water soluble pesticides that are generally transported to estuarine and coastal waters. Estuarine waters feature gradients of both pollutant concentrations and physicochemical characteristics such as salinity, turbidity and pH, and all these parameters must be carefully considered when developing methods of analysis for trace organics in estuarine waters.
One of the key parameters in analytical determination is the environmental sampling. Different protocols and devices are needed for sampling sea-water samples - usually using large sample volumes of more than 50 litres either with LLE or SPE, with the problems encountered due to dissolved and particulate matter - which is different from drinking water and well water sampling. The representativeness of the sampling is also of concern.
The sample preparation of organic compounds from water matrices has been recognized to be a bottleneck and it has been traditionally neglected in the literature. We should comment following R.W. Frie's ideas - that the most sophisticated hardware is useless if the chemistry in the protocol does not work. During the last few years new adsorbents have appeared - carbon type, polymeric sorbents with high capacity and immunosorbents - which can more efficiently trap the more polar compounds.
The development of advanced automation methods based, usually on solid phase extraction techniques - PROSPEKT, OSP-2 and ASPEC XL - are examples of commercially available equipment that are of growing importance. These systems are generally coupled to LC and GC techniques.
Sampling and sample handling can not be regarded as separate techniques in the analytical process and both should be integrated into the whole analytical determination. For this reason, validation and confirmation methods, such as mass spectrometry, either GC-MS and/or LC-MS, are needed. These serve to check the quality assurance of the developed method. The discussion between multiscreening versus specific methods of analysis and the influence of the matrix (ground-, surface- and estuarine-water), is also a point of concern due to the diversity of chemical classes within the compounds of study.
Finally the use of rapid methods of analysis, which refer basically to biological techniques, biosensors and immunoassays are also of growing interest for the determination of pesticides in environmental matrices. The rapid development of these techniques, being more sensitive and that can work at different pH and drastic environmental conditions, like very different pH and salinity values, makes that these methods are very useful and complementary to conventional GC and/or LC techniques for the determination of pesticides.
For university departments of analytical chemistry and environmental chemistry, analytical departments of chemical industries, environmental organizations and chemical and environmental libraries.
|
<urn:uuid:ec507ed7-2727-4a73-8bad-055a82ea781b>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://store.elsevier.com/product.jsp?isbn=9780444818423
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783408828.55/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155008-00013-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.933345 | 864 | 2.921875 | 3 |
< Browse to Previous Essay | Browse to Next Essay >
Columbia County -- Thumbnail History
HistoryLink.org Essay 7801
: Printer-Friendly Format
Columbia County, in southeastern Washington, has a population of 4,064 (in 2000), making it one of the more sparsely populated of Washington’s 39 counties. At 868.8 square miles, it is the ninth-smallest county in the state. It is bordered by Whitman County and the Snake River to the north, Walla Walla County to the west, Garfield County to the east, and the Oregon state line to the south. The mainly agricultural county was carved out of Walla Walla County in 1875. It is known for asparagus, green peas, and especially wheat, with ranching and logging also playing a significant role. Agriculture and food processing still dominate the economy, with manufacturing and government representing the majority of the county’s nonagricultural employment. Dayton, the largest town and county seat, recorded a population of 2,655 in the 2000 Census. Dayton is well known for the historic preservation of its downtown.
The Land and its First People
Northern Columbia County has rolling hills and valleys, with its lowest elevation of 504 feet on the Snake River on its northern border. Farther south, the terrain becomes rugged and forested, with the Blue Mountains rising to 6,401 feet at Oregon Butte in the southern part of the county.
The lower Snake River was home to bands of Palouse and other Sahaptin-speaking people, including Nez Perce, Yakama, Walla Walla, Umatilla, and Wanapum. The Blue Mountains formed the western part of a 17-million acre region traditional to the aboriginal Nimi'ipuu people, renamed Nez Perce by Lewis and Clark when they arrived in the region in 1805. The horse was central to the lives of both the Palouse and the Nez Perce.
The traditional Nez Perce Trail crossed the future Columbia County, extending east from Wallula (Walla Walla County) and entering Columbia County southeast of Waitsburg (Walla Walla County) and following the southern bank of the Touchet River to present day Dayton. Here it crossed the river and followed Patit Creek northeast. The trail exited the county about seven miles west of where Pomeroy (Garfield County) is today (2006). From there the trail continued east across the Rockies to the Great Plains.
On October 12 and 13, 1805, Lewis and Clark canoed on the Snake River along the boundary separating Columbia and Whitman counties on the outbound leg of their expedition to the Pacific Ocean. They did not stop in the future Columbia County on the night of October 12, instead opting to spend the night in the future Whitman County at the mouth of Alkali Flat Creek. But on their return trip to St. Louis on May 2, 1806, Lewis and Clark spent the night on Patit Creek about two-and-a-half miles east of present-day (2006) Dayton.
In the late winter of 1834, Captain B. L. E. Bonneville crossed Columbia County on the Nez Perce Trail, surveying the Northwest on behalf of the United States government. There is a vague reference in F. A. Shaver's 1906 book, An Illustrated History of Southeastern Washington, that prior to 1834, the British Hudson's Bay Company (the British fur-trading company) had remained "undisputed occupants since 1829," but no other details are provided. This may be a reference to Fort Nez Perce, later known as Fort Walla Walla (distinct from the U.S. Army's Fort Walla Walla). Fort Nez Perce was built in 1818 near the future town of Wallula (Walla Walla County) by the North West Fur Company. In 1821 the Hudson's Bay Company merged with North West Fur, bringing the fort under Hudson's Bay control.
One of the first white settlers in Columbia County was Henry M. Chase. Chase and another man, P. M. Lafontain, built cabins and possibly a small fort early in 1855 at the site of present day Dayton. (Several other settlers also moved into the area that year, but did not stay long.) In June 1855, Chase and Lafontain received word of a pending Indian attack and fled.
On their way out of the area they picked up Louis Raboin, also known as Louis Moragne. Moragne was another early Columbia County pioneer who actually moved to the county in the early 1850s, several years before Chase arrived. Moragne lived in a cabin on the Tucannon River in the eastern part of what would later become Columbia County. The town of Marengo, formed at the site in the 1870s, was named after him.
Permanent settlement reached Columbia County in 1859, with claims taken up along the Touchet and Tucannon rivers and along Patit Creek. Henry and Jesse Day arrived from Oregon in March 1859 with a herd of cattle. Jesse Day located a homestead on the Touchet River at the present site of Dayton. Henry returned to Oregon briefly but then came back in 1860 and settled with his own herd of cattle on the Touchet.
Samuel L. (1825-1906) and Margaret (1844-1922) Gilbreath arrived in August 1859. According to Shaver, Margaret Gilbreath was the first white woman to locate in the county. In March 1860 she gave birth to a daughter, the first pioneer child born in the county. The Gilbreaths went on to have a total of 13 children; the youngest, Frederick Gilbreath (1888-1969), would serve as a general in the U.S. Army during World War II.
In the fall of 1859, Frederick Schnebley homesteaded at the Dayton site of the former Chase homestead, which had been destroyed in the 1855 Indian attack. Elisha Ping, another settler whose name features prominently in early Columbia County history, arrived in August 1860 and settled on the Patit.
A number of wagon roads were built through the county in the 1860s (including the Walla Walla to Lewiston, Idaho, wagon road in 1862). Dayton was a stop on the stage line and appears to have stayed that way through the 1860s. Settlers slowly drifted into the county in the 1860s, but in the early 1870s settlement rapidly increased.
A post office named Touchet was established in Dayton in 1864 and would operate under that moniker until changing its name to Dayton in 1872. Jesse Day and his wife Elizabeth Day filed the plat for the town of Dayton on November 23, 1871. Dayton is named after Jesse Day. The town quickly grew, reaching a population of 526 by the spring of 1877, according to a report filed by the county assessor.
Until 1875 there was no Columbia County, just a large Walla Walla County stretching across southeastern Washington to the Idaho border. In October 1869 the first attempt was made to create a new county from the eastern part of Walla Walla County, but this effort failed. A second effort in 1875 was successful, and Columbia County officially came into existence on November 29, 1875. The eastern border of Columbia County at that time was the Idaho state line, but in November 1881 the eastern part of Columbia County was separated to form Garfield County.
Dayton became the county seat, and both the new county and town grew quickly; an 1879 census showed Columbia County with 6,894 residents, and the 1880 United States Census gave Dayton a population of 996.
In 1880 Jacob Weinhard arrived from Portland where he'd worked as a foreman in his uncle's brewery. Seeing the potential of the land for growing barley, he established the Weinhard Brewery. By 1904 his enterprises included the brewery, a malt house, the Weinhard Saloon and lodge hall, the Weinhard Theater and an interest in the Local Citizens National Bank.
The railroad arrived in Dayton in July 1881 and the first passenger train left for Walla Walla on July 19. The railroad greatly aided the development of both business and agriculture in the county. Prior to July 1881 farmers had to haul wheat for sale to Walla Walla by wagon, a 50 to 60 mile round trip. With this travel time now eliminated by the railroad's expansion into the county, Columbia County farmers were able to expand their farms and get better prices for their crops.
The town of Dayton was quarantined for 10 days during a smallpox epidemic in November 1881. Eleven Dayton residents died (with 21 deaths were reported in all of Columbia County), but the quarantine was credited with preventing further death from the illness.
Fires plagued Dayton in its early history. Some were deliberately set. On April 8, 1882, a fire wiped out three blocks in the business district. A fire occurring on June 24, 1887, and another on August 11, 1890, each caused more than $110,000 worth of damage. Nevertheless, the town grew rapidly and prospered: "In 1903 the population of Dayton was given as 2,745" (Shaver).
The Blue Mountain Cannery was built in Dayton in 1934. At the time, it was one of the largest canneries in the United States. It had its trial run of canning peas on July 20, 1934, and during its first season canned up to 7,500 cases of peas per day. The cannery expanded in 1939 to accommodate asparagus operations.
The Blue Mountain Cannery sold out to the Minnesota Valley Canning Company in 1947, and in 1950 began operating under the Green Giant label. The Green Giant Company was purchased by Pillsbury in 1978 and subsequently bought by Seneca Foods. In June 2005, Seneca Foods announced plans to close the asparagus cannery. Seneca planned to retain much of the facility as part of its seed and agronomic research operation.
As part of Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal, two Civilian Conservation Camps were established in Columbia County in 1935, one on the outskirts of Dayton on Patit Road and another in the southeastern part of the county.
During World War II, the Dayton camp was used to train military police, and in 1945 was turned into a labor camp for German Prisoners of War. Remarked Jo Ann Whitmore, a child living in Dayton at the time: "I think they [the camp guards] must have taken them [the German prisoners] out for work crews. We kids would wave at them when they came back at night."
The railroad town of Starbuck came into being in the 1880s. Starbuck is located on the Tucannon River about 20 miles northwest of Dayton. In its early years Starbuck was a division point on the main line of the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company. At one time up to 24 trains a day went through the town.
The town was named after railroad official W. H. Starbuck and was platted on June 1, 1894. In 1900 Starbuck had a population of 215 and continued to grow and prosper in the early decades of the twentieth century. The Bank of Starbuck started in 1904 and ran until 1929. A large brick school was built in 1910 with inside plumbing facilities (still something of a novelty in rural America in 1910) and in 1916 boasted 217 students.
In 1914 the opening of the High Line Bridge across the Snake River downstream from Lyon's Ferry eliminated some of the train traffic that went through Starbuck, and after that time it was no longer a railroad division point. The town was a grain-shipping point for a number of years, but by the mid-twentieth century Starbuck's fortunes were fading. In 1956 its high school students were sent to Dayton; in 1961 the railroad station in the town closed. In the 2000 Census, Starbuck had a population of 130. Dayton, meanwhile, went on to become the principal town of Columbia County.
Cattle, Logs, Wheat, and Moonshine
The early pioneers attempted to make cattle and sheep ranching the dominant industry in Columbia County. However, harsh winters and resulting food shortages soon took its toll on livestock.
The winter of 1861-1862 is one of the worst on record in the history of Washington state, and caused a serious hardship among the nascent settlements in Columbia County. The cold and snow arrived early in January 1862 and lingered into March. Most of the settlers living in the county lost their stock from starvation. Farmers burned their fence rails for firewood. Travelers passing through the area froze to death in temperatures reportedly as low as 28 degrees below zero and snow approaching three feet deep "on the level" (Shaver).
Wheat farms were established in the county in its earliest years and quickly became the dominant industry. Beginning in the 1890s, technological advances made in the equipment used to harvest wheat made it easier to produce even more wheat.
Logging was another major industry in the first decades of Columbia County's history. Sawmills were built in the Blue Mountains, where timber was abundant; additional sawmills were built along local county rivers. Logging continued to play a role in the county's industry until the 1960s, though some logging mill owners made more money by turning to farming.
Reflecting the dominance of agriculture in Columbia County in the early twentieth century, 10 county farmers established the Farm Bureau on December 17, 1922. The Farm Bureau's goals were simple: (1) to establish a marketing program to ensure fair pricing and (2) to represent the interests of local farmers in Olympia. By 1924 the Farm Bureau had 321 members.
Granges also sprang up in the county during the 1930s. The establishment of the Farm Bureau and the granges resulted in a number of social centers being established throughout the county: "There was a corn club at Tucannon and a pig club at Whetstone" (Fletcher).
Prohibition -- the legal prevention of the manufacture, sale, or transportation of alcoholic beverages -- became the law in Washington state on January 1, 1916; 1919 saw the ratification of the Prohibition amendment to the U.S. constitution, which was not repealed until 1933. Columbia County, like most of the rest of America, has tales to tell about local efforts to circumvent the law.
The Blue Mountains were ideal for cooking moonshine "by the light of the moon" (Fletcher). Wilma Fletcher quoted a Walla Walla Bulletin interview of a "mountain man" on his methods: "'Using sprouted wheat or corn for a batch was just dandy ... We'd put the sprouted wheat in a barrel of boiling water, add sugar and let it set for about eight days. Then we'd boil it in a big copper kettle to purify it.'" Added Fletcher, "He sold hooch for $10 a gallon and the pick of the brew for $20."
Damming the Snake
By the late 1950s, the Lower Snake River Project was underway in southeastern Washington. It involved the construction of four dams on the Snake River, including the Little Goose Dam, which straddles the river between Columbia and Whitman counties.
In 1958, the Port of Columbia was developed to take advantage of the economic opportunities afforded by the project. Located in Dayton, the Port is responsible for purchasing and developing land to assist in the county's economic development.
In the mid-1960s construction got underway for Little Goose Dam in the northeastern part of Columbia County. The initial phase of the dam was completed in March 1970, and an additional three power units were added in 1978.
The dam resulted in the formation of 37-mile-long Lake Bryan, named for Dr. Enoch A. Bryan (1855-1941), president from 1893 to 1916 of Washington Agricultural College (later Washington State University). The lake is used for recreation, and in 1981 the ski resort of Bluewood opened 21 miles south of Dayton, providing another recreational opportunity for southeastern Washington.
The 1970 Census put the population of Columbia County at 4,439. By 2000, the population had trended downward to 4,064. However, Columbia County, and particularly Dayton, adopted new strategies to meet the twenty-first century.
Historical and Historic
A number of historical structures were torn down in Dayton during the 1950s, and in the 1970s more were threatened. The railroad station in Dayton closed on January 1, 1972, and this seems to have been the catalyst to begin historic preservation in the city. The Dayton Historical Depot Society was formed in 1974 and one month later the old railroad station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1975, the Union Pacific Railroad donated the station and adjoining property to the Dayton Historical Depot Society. Restoration of the station began that same year. In July 1981 (on the 100th anniversary of the railroad's arrival in Dayton), the Depot opened to the public as a heritage building museum. It is the oldest surviving railroad station in Washington.
Columbia County also has the oldest working courthouse in Washington state. Built in Dayton in 1887, it is on the National Register of Historic Places. It has been maintained throughout the years and was extensively renovated in the early 1990s.
In 1999, the Downtown Dayton Historic District was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. This district includes 29 buildings (15 built before 1900) in a four-block area, and 117 buildings in all of Dayton. As the twenty-first century began, Dayton was becoming well known in southeastern Washington for its historical preservation.
Agriculture in Columbia County is also changing with changing times. Wheat, peas, and asparagus continue to be the dominant crops, but now experimental farms are also growing new crops such as garbanzo beans and lawn grass seed.
F. A. Shaver, An Illustrated History of Southeastern Washington (Spokane: Washington Western Historical Publishing Company, 1906); W. D. Lyman, Lyman’s History of Old Walla Walla County, Vol. 1 (Chicago: S. J. Clarke Publishing Company. 1918); Robert E. Ficken, Washington Territory (Pullman: Washington State University Press, 2002), 120, 187; Robert Hitchman, Place Names of Washington (The Washington State Historical Society, 1985); James W. Phillips, Washington State Place Names (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1971); Washington: A Guide to the Evergreen State compiled by workers of the Writers’ Program of the Work Projects Administration in the State of Washington (Portland: Binfords & Mort, 1941); Ruth Kirk and Carmela Alexander, Exploring Washington’s Past: A Road Guide to History (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1995), 178-179; Frank T. Gilbert, Historic Sketches of Walla Walla, Whitman, Columbia, and Garfield Counties, Washington Territory (Portland, Oregon: A. G. Walling, 1882); W. D. Lyman, Lyman’s History of Old Walla Walla County, Vol. 2 (Chicago: S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1918); “Incorporations of Washington Cities and Towns by Year,” Municipal Research and Service Center of Washington website accessed September 18, 2010 (www.mrsc.org); Historylink.org, The Online Encyclopedia of Washington State History, “Columbia County – Thumbnail History” (by Phil Dougherty) http://www.historylink.org; “Dayton -- 80 Next November: Keeps Getting Better but Not Bigger,” Spokesman-Review, September 30, 1951, pp. 8-9; Col. Virgil F. Field, “History of the Washington Army National Guard,” 248th Support Center (CRAO), website accessed September 19, 2010, (http://96tc.washingtonarmyguard.org/248th/sponsor/historywng.htm); Dayton Devleopment Task Force and Dayton Chamber of Commerce, “Dayton and Columbia County Visitor Information Guide,” (1988); Steven R. Lorton, “Historic Dayton,” Sunset Magazine, May 2000, p. 78; “Pioneer Families,” Dayton Chronicle, February 10, 1988, p. 1; “Dayton Celebrates with Pioneers and Recalls Foundation Days,” The Spokesman-Review, November 20, 1921, p. 4; C. A. Nelson and Mrs. Donald J. Lyman, “Dayton Community Survey 1955,” Dayton file, Northwest History Room, Spokane Public Library, Spokane.
Note: This essay was slightly expanded on April 15, 2013.
< Browse to Previous Essay
Browse to Next Essay >
Licensing: This essay is licensed under a Creative Commons license that
encourages reproduction with attribution. Credit should be given to both
HistoryLink.org and to the author, and sources must be included with any
reproduction. Click the icon for more info. Please note that this
Creative Commons license applies to text only, and not to images. For
more information regarding individual photos or images, please contact
the source noted in the image credit.
Major Support for HistoryLink.org Provided
By: The State of Washington | Patsy Bullitt Collins
| Paul G. Allen Family Foundation | Museum Of History & Industry
| 4Culture (King County Lodging Tax Revenue) | City of Seattle
| City of Bellevue | City of Tacoma | King County | The Peach
Foundation | Microsoft Corporation, Other Public and Private
Sponsors and Visitors Like You
This essay made possible by:
The State of Washington
Washington State Department of Archeology and Historic Preservation
Columbia County Courthouse (William Burrows, 1887), Dayton, October 2003
HistoryLink.org Photo by Priscilla Long
Columbia County, Washington
Courtesy U.S. Department of Agriculture
Starbuck Junction, Columbia County, 1890
Photo by E.J. Partridge, Courtesy UW Special Collections (Neg. UW5353)
Touchet River near Dayton, Columbia County, n.d.
Courtesy Washington Department of Ecology
Columbia County Courthouse (William Burrows, 1887), Dayton, 1960s
Central School (1880), Dayton, 1899
Courtesy UW Special Collections (Neg. UW15518)
Train depot, Dayton, 1910s
Basalt bluffs, Columbia County, Route 261, near Snake River, October 2003
HistoryLink.org Photo by Priscilla Long
Columbia County Grain Growers elevators along the Snake River, Route 261, Columbia County near Starbuck, October 2003
HistoryLink.org Photo by Priscilla Long
Palouse wheat fields, Columbia County, October 2003
HistoryLink.org Photo by Priscilla Long
Lyon's Ferry grain elevator on the Snake River, Columbia County Route 261, near Starbuck, October 2003
HistoryLink.org Photo by Priscilla Long
Palouse wheat farm on Eagar Road, north of Dayton, Columbia County, October 2003
HistoryLink.org Photo by Priscilla Long
|
<urn:uuid:396f5bca-c5ab-4c79-9ad9-f1770b632fc0>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=7801
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396945.81/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00002-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.959692 | 4,818 | 3.140625 | 3 |
Buchu is a low shrub native to the Cape region of South Africa. The dried leaves are harvested and an essential oil is obtained by steam distillation. The two primary species of Buchu used commercially are Agathosma betulina (syn. Barosma betulina) and Agathosma crenulata (syn. Barosma crenultata).
Buchu leaf preparations have a long history of use in traditional herbal medicine as a urinary tract disinfectant and diuretic and for urinary tract infections and inflammation as well as inflammation of the prostate. In Europe, it was also used to for gout. The original use of buchu by native peoples of southern Africa is unclear because buchu is a general term for aromatic plants. It appears to have been applied topically, possibly as an insect repellant, and also used internally for stomach problems, rheumatism and bladder problems.
|
<urn:uuid:464b5b2c-feab-442e-8267-82c8fc0749e3>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www.4allvitamins.com/product_info.php?products_id=8761&product_configuration_id=13603
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783398628.62/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154958-00106-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.955555 | 193 | 2.90625 | 3 |
U. MICHIGAN (US) — Paper wasps have brains that are less than a millionth the size of the human brain, yet new research shows they have a similar ability to recognize and remember a familiar face.
Published in Science, the study marks the first time that any insect has demonstrated such a high level of specialized visual learning, says lead author Michael Sheehan, a graduate student working with Elizabeth Tibbetts, evolutionary biologist at the University of Michigan.
“Wasps and humans have independently evolved similar and very specialized face-learning mechanisms, despite the fact that everything about the way we see and the way our brains are structured is different,” Sheehan says. “That’s surprising and sort of bizarre.”
Paper wasps have extremely variable facial patterns that they use to recognize each other as individuals. (Credit: Michael Sheehan)
In earlier research, Tibbetts showed that paper wasps (Polistes fuscatus) recognize individuals of their species by variations in their facial markings and that they behave more aggressively toward wasps with unfamiliar faces.
In 2008, Sheehan and Tibbetts published a paper in Current Biology demonstrating that these wasps have surprisingly long memories and base their behavior on what they remember of previous social interactions with other wasps.
In the new study, Sheehan and Tibbetts tested learning by training wasps to discriminate between two different images mounted inside a T-maze, with one image displayed at each end of the top arm of the T.
Twelve wasps were trained for 40 consecutive trials on each image type. The paired images included photos of normal paper wasp faces, photos of caterpillars, simple geometric patterns, and computer-altered wasp faces. A reward was consistently associated with one image in a pair.
The paper wasps, which are generalist visual predators of caterpillars, were able to differentiate between two unaltered P. fuscatus faces faster and more accurately than a pair of caterpillar photos, two different geometric patterns, or a pair of computer-altered wasp faces. They learned to pick the correct unaltered wasp face about three-quarters of the time.
Two simple black-and-white geometric patterns should have been easy for the wasps to distinguish, because the insects’ compound eyes are good at detecting contrast and outlines, Sheehan says. But the wasps learned complicated face images more rapidly than the geometric patterns.
At the same time, introducing seemingly minor changes to a P. fuscatus facial image—by using a photo-editing program to remove a wasp’s antennae, for example—caused test subjects to perform much worse on the facial recognition test.
“This shows that the way they learn faces is different than the way they seem to be learning other patterns. They treat faces as a different kind of thing,” Sheehan says.
“Humans have a specialized face-learning ability, and it turns out that this wasp that lives on the side of your house evolved an analogous system on its own. But it’s important to note that we’re not claiming the exact process by which wasps learn faces is the same as humans.”
The ability to recognize individuals is important to a species like P. fuscatus, in which multiple queens establish communal nests and raise offspring cooperatively, but also compete to form a linear dominance hierarchy. Remembering who they’ve already bested–and been bested by–keeps individuals from wasting energy on repeated aggressive encounters and presumably promotes colony stability by reducing friction.
A closely-related species of wasp, P. metricus, which lacks the varied facial markings of the paper wasp and lives in colonies controlled by a single queen was also tested. In the T-maze test, P. metricus scored no better than chance when asked to distinguish between individuals of its own species.
“Differences in face learning between the two species cannot be attributed to general differences in visual learning, as both species learned to discriminate between pairs of artificial patterns and caterpillars at the same rate and with the same accuracy,” the study says. “P. fuscatus and P. metricus differed only in their ability to learn normal face stimuli.
“The evolutionary flexibility of specialized face learning is striking and suggests that specialized cognition may be a widespread adaptation to facilitate complex behavioral tasks such as individual recognition.”
Funding for the project was provided by the University of Michigan and an E.S. George Reserve Scholarship to Sheehan.
More news from University of Michigan: www.ns.umich.edu/
|
<urn:uuid:b73224ed-d86d-4969-8baa-1588d6ac93ef>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www.futurity.org/like-us-wasps-don%E2%80%99t-forget-a-face/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783403508.34/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155003-00145-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.950271 | 980 | 3.6875 | 4 |
DETROIT, Nov. 3 (UPI) -- The Ford Motor Co. allowed slave labor at its German plants during World War II, according to excerpts from a new book published in the London Telegraph.
Referring to newly declassified government documents, Wallace alleges Nazi links at the Detroit company went well beyond Henry Ford.
The documents indicate his son Edsel, then company president, could have been prosecuted for trading with the enemy had he not died in 1943.
The evidence included 11 letters between Edsel Ford and the head of Ford's French division in 1942 which suggest that the parent company knew and approved of the manufacturing efforts being undertaken on behalf of the German military.
Before the United States entered the war, Ford supplied Germany with military equipment, while declining to make engines for the British air force.
|
<urn:uuid:cf83c278-e147-4a7a-8ca3-af7c97884c71>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2003/11/03/Book-Ford-used-slaves-in-Nazi-plants/UPI-52261067883253/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783398516.82/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154958-00036-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.968442 | 165 | 2.703125 | 3 |
Sure you want to attract attention, but of the right kind. To avoid the attention of stinging insects you might find on an outdoor place, you'll need to think like an insect and tone down anything that causes you to appear like a potential source of pollen, food or threat.
Taking care with what you wear
1Wear light-coloured clothing. Bright floral colours attract bees and wasps.
- Wear red. Insects cannot see red but are attracted to white and yellow.
2Avoid perfumed soap and shampoo. Also avoid wearing perfume, cologne or aftershave. If you smell like a flower, the bee or wasp might think you are one.
3Make sure your clothes and body are clean. The smell of sweat seems to aggravate bees and make them more aggressive. It doesn't do much for humans either.
Avoiding actions that encouraging stings
1Swinging or swatting at an insect may cause it to sting. Stay calm and move with gentle gestures.
2Do not run. Calmly walk away without making a fuss or waving your hands about. Commotion will attract the insect, especially if it is a wasp.
4Do not burn scented candles or incense when eating or spending time outdoors. The scent will attract the insects.
5Leave wasp nests and bee hives well alone. If someone knocks on your door, you are likely to want to see who. If that person starts punching, tearing or kicking your house, you're likely to get angry. Wasps and bees are no different and they'll defend their home. Keep well away!
- Wasp nests often look like papery constructions.
6Do not squash or crush wasps. The odor that is released will attract all of its buddies to defend (or avenge) and that is something nobody wants to bring down on themselves.
Are wasps attracted to people wearing the color blue?wikiHow ContributorIt depends on whether or not it is a bright color. Wasps are attracted to bright and floral colors because they mistake it for flowers. They are blind to the color red, however.
How do I get rid of a wasp in my house?wikiHow ContributorA wasp will naturally navigate to a window. Once the wasp finds a window, open the window a little and it will usually get out. If you have a screen, you may have to close the window in order to trap the wasp. The wasp will eventually die in this case, however. Another option would be to help guide the wasp to an open door.
What should I do if a wasp flies up to me and lands on me?wikiHow ContributorStay calm and just don't move around too much. Most likely it will get bored and fly away. Do not panic, freak out, or swat at it. Doing so will agitate the wasp and cause it to sting you.
Do wasps and bees sting for no good reason?wikiHow ContributorNo. They use it defensively, which means that for whatever reason, they perceived you as a threat to the well being of the bee or wasp colony. Don't go poking things that aren't your business.
How can I avoid bees?wikiHow ContributorIf there is a bee around you, hold still and do not panic until she flies away. To avoid attracting bees in the future, don't wear perfume or brightly-colored clothes.
How do I know what time is best for playing outside without any bees being out?wikiHow ContributorEvening and nighttime is best, as bees are least active at this time and have poor night vision.
What should I do if a bee is on me?wikiHow ContributorSince bees don't want to sting as they can only sting once, then they die, it's best to stay really still and then either it flies off, it tries to eat you because he thinks you are a flower (don't worry they only have a proboscis). Be patient, the bee will tire of you and leave soon.
What if I am playing with toy swords or something like that outside?wikiHow ContributorIt is unlikely that anything will sting you unless you're hitting a bee's nest or a bee. As long as you don't bother the bees or wasps, you can do whatever you like.
- Wasps can sting multiple times; bees just once.
- Both wasps and bees are important pollinators; live in harmony with them by not enticing them to your picnic, toning down your attractiveness to them and not antagonizing them.
- If you think you are being attacked, then run through vegetation.
- Hang up a brown paper bag in your outdoor eating area. It might fool wasps or bees into thinking there is already a nest in place, causing them to avoid trespassing. You can also purchase fake nests. There is no guarantee this will work perfectly; it's just one thing to try along with the more reliable things outlined above.
- Do not aggravate them. Generally, they will only attack if they feel like they are under threat. Both genders of bee can sting; when it comes to wasps, only females can. Also, bees can only sting once - wasps, multiple times.
- Put aluminum foil on open soda cans, so that the bees do no fly in and then sting your mouth when you try to drink from the soda can.
- If you are allergic to wasps and/or bees (it is not uncommon to be allergic to both if you're allergic to one), and you are stung, get medical help immediately. This is especially important if you cannot breathe or you feel dizzy.
|
<urn:uuid:f4d703d0-ccbb-4dc3-854a-951736b28de0>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www.wikihow.com/Avoid-Bee-or-Wasp-Stings
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396455.95/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00053-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.957956 | 1,180 | 2.546875 | 3 |
Mary Ann Trail, Associate Professor in the Library, Richard Stockton College of New Jersey
Carolyn Gutierrez, Associate Professor in the Library, Richard Stockton College of New Jersey
Definition of Information Literacy: The ability to know they need information, choose an appropriate source, find the information, evaluate it and internalize it enough to make it their own.
TRAIL: There is no doubt that Millennials are superb users of technology. When we Baby Boomers can’t set our watches, we know where to go to get help. After all, Millennials have grown up with technology. 94% of youth ages 12-17 who have Internet access say they use the Internet for school research and 78% say they believe the Internet helps them with schoolwork. 71% of online teens say that they used the Internet as the major source for their most recent major school project or report. (Rainie)
College students in particular are heavy users of the Internet. It is part of their daily routine. Technology is integrated into their daily communication habits. Any faculty member can verify the number of students on cell phones as soon as class gets out. One-fifth (20%) of today’s college students began using computers between the ages of 5 and 8. By the time they were 16 to 18 years old all of today’s current college students had begun using computers and the Internet was a commonplace in the world in which they lived. 72% of them check for e-mail once a day. (Rainie)
But here is the statistic that really hurts. Nearly three-quarters (73%) of college students say they use the Internet more than the library, while only 9% said they use the library more than the Internet for information searching. (Rainie)
The expectations of techno savvy students has to make an impact on what happens in the classroom.
Research shows that Millennials use the Internet, but does research show that Millennials use the Internet better and wiser? I wanted to know what the quality of their usage was. Are Millennials effective searchers and are they able to critically evaluate their Internet results?
There seems to be a lot of anecdotal evidence to point to the contrary. Betsy Barefoot wrote in the Jan 2006 Chronicle of Education that “few first year college student’s can easily distinguish fact from fiction in online and print sources, and even fewer have ever been exposed to the scholarly resources that can be found in a college or university library.” (Barefoot)
I found two surveys of faculty expectations of incoming freshmen. The list of expectations from the California faculty is impressive, no wonder they are disappointed. I thought it interesting that 2/3 of the faculty estimate that entering students “cannot adequately analyze information or arguments and cannot synthesize information from multiple sources. Only a minority can evaluate online resources. Students are less willing to deeply engage in difficult thinking tasks.” (Academic)
Understanding University Success also lists what the faculty expect freshman to know although on a national scale. It emphasizes the importance of online research and the particular problems students have of using Internet resources. (Understanding)
Initial findings of another California study included when accessing information, students always go first to the familiar and that may not be the best source. Students have tremendous difficulty generating research questions or choosing focused topics for study and first year students often lack the ability to evaluate information and to apply information although the more years of college students have the better able they are to suggest a variety of resources to address their information needs. (Fitzgerald)
The literature also includes studies that focus on specific Information Literacy skills. Mittermeyer and other authors from the Quebec Universities felt that “these results show that one cannot assume that even the most fundamental and long standing information tools, e.g. the library catalogue and the scholarly journal are known to incoming undergraduates.” (Mittermeyer)
A large-scale study specifically focused on Web use by university undergraduates showed disappointingly that 40% considered the web as trustworthy as books and articles. The authors believe that students substituted their subject judgment for objective evaluation criteria and believe that they critically evaluate web information. (Wang)
At Stockton, we have two examples were our own research supports the findings of research at other institutions. In the first we used pre/post tests to evaluate the effectiveness of a library skills workbook. Students had the most difficulty identifying quality resources in journal and on the Internet.
This past Spring we used the Educational Testing Services new Information Communication Technology Literary Assessment to evaluate our students’ overall information literacy. Again the findings reinforced the literature. Although our students performed at the national average, on Web Searching 32% could not identify the authority of a web page, 47% had trouble identifying whether a page was objective and 25% with currency
What skill sets are Millennials missing? Or as the phrase goes what is it that “the students don’t know what they don’t know!”
It seems to be summed up into the ability to choose the correct source of information, the ability to evaluate information and the ability to internalize it and make it their own. These are all skills identified by the ACRL as characteristic of the information literate person.
GUTIERREZ: Now that we have some data on this new breed of student and their information literacy skills, here are some suggestions for addressing perceived problems:
Don’t assume your students have the same knowledge base as you had as a student or that, because they have grown up using computers, they are adept at academic research.
In “It’s the Information Age, So Where’s the Information?” Jill Jenson points out that most faculty in their formative years had hands-on experience using a library and print resources. When computers and the Internet became widely available, faculty had to learn new technical skills, but could adapt much of their prior experience to guide them in their academic research. Millennial students do not have this frame of reference. Be especially careful when using terminology that may have no meaning for today’s students, such as abstract, biography/bibliography, or peer review. Jenson suggests asking students anonymously to jot down on a piece of paper the definition of a term used in class or to distinguish between terms that might be confusing. This practice helps to identify sources of confusion without embarrassing students in front of their peers. (Jenson 107-113)
Include class discussion on research methods and
hands-on research sessions
During these sessions it is important to emphasize why students are asked to do research and the critical thinking process in the selection and use of information resources effectively. Perhaps some of the blame for students’ weakness in research skills lies with us, the educators. According to Naomi Barron, a linguistics professor at American University, quoted under the heading “Millennials and Me” in a recent article in the Chronicle of Higher Education “The Millennials are products not just of a constant information barrage, but also of an educational system that has lost its ability to impart skills.” (Carlson, A34).
Expect that many students will be in denial about
their level of research skills.
Students often believe that technological competence equals information literacy. Initially, many students will be convinced they don’t need help with their research skills Professors from three different disciplines at the University of Oklahoma teemed up to dispel this myth. In their article “Turning Techno-Savvy into Info-Savvy,” authors Brown, Murphy and Nanny describe their use of “authentic pedagogy” based on real world problem-based activities. They point out that students have to find information literacy relevant to their lives and needs before learning can occur. The authors’ stress that “instruction must focus on learning styles and preferences of the target population.” (Brown et al, 386)
Incorporate evaluation of information sources into your teaching. With information bombarding them from all sides, students have little basis on which to judge the value of what they find nor have most of them formed the habit of critical evaluation. Many students equate typing a broad topic into a Web browser with doing research. Teach students why they are researching the topic and why the library’s resources are valuable, that they library databases have been carefully selected for suitability for their research and contain material unlikely to be found in a web search.
Get some insight into their world and frame of reference.
The book by Rebekah Nathan, an anthropology professor, entitled My Freshman Year: What a Professor Learned by Becoming a Student discusses what she learned about college students when she registered as a student and lived the student life in the dorm. She observed students without preconceptions about what a college student should or should not be. Adopting this attitude toward students will help you gain a fresh perspective and some common ground to communicate with them. (Nathan, 2005)
Utilize peer mentors to help train or assist students
in information research skills.
Librarians have long been aware of the tendency of students to turn to their peers for help in academic research. Most research is done outside the library and even when students come to the library, they often bypass the reference librarian and ask another student for research advice. Take advantage of this characteristic by training student tutors in the College Writing Center in basic information research skills so that they can advise students.
Consider an old-fashioned intervention
A research skills workbook.
This recommendation may be bucking current trends, but Professor Trail and I have found in our research study published in the Journal of Academic Librarianship in November of this year, that the act of researching a topic online, writing down what they found, and evaluating and documenting it in APA or MLA format, improves students’ skills. (Trail et al, 2006)
Make the library and integral part of your course.
Collaborate with the librarians.
One of the recommended practices cited in the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) document “Characteristics of Programs of Information Literacy that illustrates Best Practices: A Guideline” is collaboration among disciplinary faculty, librarians and other program staff, such as such as learning centers, teaching centers, and IT units. (ACRL, http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlstandards/characteristics.htm)
At our college, the business faculty and the librarians are collaborating to improve students’ information literacy skills. We have observed that our business students, in comparison with other majors, seemed to be weaker in research skills. This may be because a large proportion of them are transfer students and have not had the benefit of previous instruction at our institution and also because they do not write as many research papers as, for example, history or literature majors. We pre-tested the students at the beginning of the semester using a questionnaire that addressed the ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standards. http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlstandards/informationliteracycompetency.htm
Following a library orientation session, we assigned a research skills workbook tailored to business research. After the workbooks were corrected and discussed in class, we administered a post-test identical to the pre-test. Results showed a small but significant improvement. We will meet with the faculty and analyze the results carefully to see what strategies we can employ to further improve IL skills next semester.
Betsy Barefoot in The Chronicle of Higher Education reported on the perception of first year college students that campus libraries are “largely irrelevant to their lives.” (Barefoot, B16)
One reason students tend not to consult librarians for research assistance is because they are not perceived as specialists. Change this perception by including the librarians as information advisers to your class.
Involve the librarians in first-year programs as part of the instructional team. The habit of using the library is established in the freshman year. If it doesn’t happen then, it is unlikely to happen in junior or senior year.
Designate a Class Librarian to work with your class on an on-going basis.
Embed links to library databases in class web pages and make sure your students use them.
Schedule at least one lab session in which the students do hands-on research under the guidance of you or the librarian (or preferably both) at the time in the semester when preparation for research should begin.
Ask students to construct a research portfolio and submit it with their paper/project. In this portfolio the student would record, step-by-step, their search process, which databases they used, what they found, what subject and keywords they entered, etc.
Finally, get prepared for greater ethnic and
cultural diversity in the student body.
Statistics published in the American Association of College & University News in Oct. 2006, predict that in next 10 years enrollment is projected to grow 42 % for Hispanics s, 28% for Asian & Pacific Islanders and 30% for American Indian and Alaskan native students. (AAC&U News, http://www.aacu.org/aacu_news/AACUNews06/october06/facts_figures.cfm). This cohort may come with a whole different set of experiences and background!
Academic Literacy: A Statement of Competencies Expected of Students Entering California’s Public Colleges and Universities. 2002. www.universityofcalifornia.edu/senate/reports/acadlit.pdf.
American Association of Colleges and Universities, Facts & Figures, AAC&U News, October 2006. http://www.aacu.org/aacu_news/AACUNews06/october06/facts_figures.cfm
Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) Characteristics of Programs of Information Literacy that Illustrate Best Practices: A Guideline http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlstandards/characteristics.htm
Barefoot, Betsy, “Bridging the Chasm: First-Year Students and the Library.” Chronicle of Higher Education 52(20) B16.
Carlson, Scott, “The Net Generation Goes to College: Tech-savvy 'Millennials' have lots of gadgets, like to multitask, and expect to control what, when, and how they learn. Should colleges cater to them?” The Chronicle of Higher Education 52.7 (October 7, 2005):A34-A37.
Fitzgerald, Mary Ann, “Making the Leap from High School to College.” Knowledge Quest 32.4 (Mar-Apr 2004): 19-24.
Jenson, Jill D, “It’s the Information Age, so where’s the information? Why our students can’t find it and what we can do to help.” College Teaching 52.3 (Summer 2004): 107-113.
Mittermeyer, Diane, “Incoming first year undergraduate students: How information literate are they?” Education for Information, (December 2005), 23(4) 203-232
Nathan, Rebekah. My Freshman Year: What a Professor Learned by Becoming a Student. Ithaca & London: Cornell University Press, 2005.
Rainie, Lee, Max Kalchoff, and Dan Hess, (2005) Pew Internet & American Life Project Data Memo [Online]. Available: Http://www.pewinternet.org/reports/toclasp?Report=73. (Accessed November 8, 2006)
Understanding University Success: A Report from Standards for success: A Project of the Association of American University and the Pew Charitable Trusts. 2003, http://www.s4s.org/cepr.uus.php
Wang, Yu-Mei and Marge Artero, “Caught in the Web: university student use of web resources.” Educational Media International 42 (1) 71-82.
|
<urn:uuid:604b5849-1a62-4397-9c5c-362d4d4259b0>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www.nyu.edu/frn/publications/millennial.student/Familiarity.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783408840.13/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155008-00161-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.936677 | 3,353 | 3.390625 | 3 |
80 color plates
9 1/2 x 7 1/2
Joseph Hooker (1817–1911) was a groundbreaking botanist who circled the globe discovering, describing, naming, or introducing over 12,000 plants that have since changed the makeup of our gardens and landscape. His plant collecting expeditions, first to Antarctica and later to India and the Himalayas, and his publications, many of which were illustrated by the prolific Victorian botanical artist Walter Hood Fitch, secured his reputation in the scientific community and attracted the attention of Charles Darwin, who became a friend and confidante.
In 1865 Hooker succeeded his father Sir William Hooker as the director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. And in 1877 he took a highly successful expedition to the Western United States with the leading American botanist Asa Gray. With Joseph Hooker: Botanical Trailblazer, Pat Griggs and Jim Endersby present a compelling biography of one of the world’s great botanists through the many relationships that influenced his life and shaped his ideas.
|
<urn:uuid:6fadca99-2e40-40d9-806d-94ec2c0ab494>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www.press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/distributed/J/bo13551276.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783399522.99/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154959-00088-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.965809 | 221 | 2.5625 | 3 |
Two observations from yesterdays New York Times article about quantum computing (Moving Toward Quantum Computers.)
First, the drawing accompanying the article (here) is interesting to me. I wonder where they got the idea for it and whether this idea involved Q*bert, color codes, or topological codes? Or was it just the same old: we have no idea how to draw a quantum computer, so lets just make a cool looking graphic?
Second, I find this sentence fascinating: “D-Wave has built a system with more than 50 quantum bits, but it has been greeted skeptically by many researchers who believe that it has not proved true entanglement.” Emphasis mine. Okay I find it fascinating not because of the debate about the quantum nature of D-wave’s machine, but for its language. If there is “true” entanglement, what is “false” entanglement? Further for some reason I can’t quite pen down the sentence strikes me as awkward. In particular it feels like it needs to be something more like “that is has not proved that its system possess real entanglement.” (Yes I understand the sentence, yes I’m not good at reading comprehension, and yes I’m beyond pedantic.) Am I the only one having a hard time parsing this sentence
|
<urn:uuid:7c050acf-19d8-4712-8dce-a3b1d4556eac>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://dabacon.org/pontiff/?p=4568
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396106.25/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00190-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.941569 | 284 | 2.546875 | 3 |
Our Civil Engineering Seminar of this week will be presented by three
graduate students: Michael Hochscheidt, Karl Krueger, and Tony Oxley.
Several different methods for determining pile capacity are in use today. Three of these methods were evaluated to determine the accuracy of the predictions with regards to the actual capacity determined from testing. After analyzing the data the most accurate method for all soil types appeared to be the Army Corps method. The DRIVEN program was shown to be extremely inaccurate in cohesionless soils, and the API method was fairly close to the Army Corps method. It was also determined that no trends due to pile size, type or material or soil strength were present. However, there was significant variability in the data, so it is recommended that additional testing and analysis be performed to confirm the conclusions reached.
|
<urn:uuid:ac1eb577-88c4-40d4-b1df-38c6553b9a24>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://blogs.mtu.edu/cee/2011/12/01/comparison-of-three-methods-for-driven-pile-capacity/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397865.91/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00025-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.963569 | 167 | 2.90625 | 3 |
Known as far back as at least 1500 B.C., this small annual plant is a member of the parsley family. Both the leaves and seed have a distinctive sweet licorice flavor. The greenish-brown oval anise seed perfumes and flavors a variety of confections as well as savory dishes. It's also used to flavor drinks such as pastis, arrack, anisette and ouzo. Anise seeds have been used as a digestive for centuries, and in India they're chewed after a meal not only for digestion but to sweeten breath. Anise seed plays an important role in the cooking of Southeast Asia. Chinese cooks are more likely to use star anise than the seed.
From The Food Lover's Companion, Fourth edition by Sharon Tyler Herbst and Ron Herbst. Copyright © 2007, 2001, 1995, 1990 by Barron's Educational Series, Inc.
|
<urn:uuid:d9c3ef7a-4868-4089-b4b5-d9987880b2a7>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www.foodterms.com/encyclopedia/anise/index.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783394937.4/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154954-00160-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.956885 | 185 | 2.625 | 3 |
There’s no better time than April Fools Day to check in on the progress of the global warming crisis:
Debate about the reality of a two-decade pause in global warming and what it means has made its way from the sceptical fringe to the mainstream.
Even global warming profiteers have had to admit that their predictions are not coming true. True to form, they blame the embarrassing lack of rising temperatures on the source of all other problems — the emissions produced by human activity.
James Hansen, the head of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, says the lower than expected temperature rise between 2000 and the present could be explained by increased emissions from burning coal.
That is, increased emissions cool the planet, countering the warming caused by increased emissions.
Others come close to admitting that the jig is up for the Great Global Warming Swindle.
“The global temperature standstill shows that climate models are diverging from observations,” says David Whitehouse of the Global Warming Policy Foundation.
“If we have not passed it already, we are on the threshold of global observations becoming incompatible with the consensus theory of climate change,” he says.
Whitehouse argues that whatever has happened to make temperatures remain constant requires an explanation because the pause in temperature rise has occurred despite a sharp increase in global carbon emissions.
It is becoming impossible to pretend that we haven’t been lied to. The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change responds by screeching still more hysterical lies:
The upcoming IPCC report is expected to lift the maximum possible temperature increase [over the century] to 6C.
If temperatures still won’t go up, they may raise that to 12°C so that we’ll really be scared.
On tips from Just TheTip, Bob Roberts, DaddyOD, and Artfldgr.
|
<urn:uuid:38ce4116-621f-4cb5-a439-a45a56bffe09>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://moonbattery.com/?p=27888
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783392099.27/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154952-00154-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.921037 | 389 | 2.578125 | 3 |
When you stand atop the ancient mound of Megiddo, with the remnants of 25 civilizations beneath your feet, each hill and valley you see tells a biblical tale. Every army that ever crossed this land clashed in its shadow. No wonder the Book of Revelation set the great battle of the End of Days against this backdrop, and called this place Armageddon.
Megiddo stands at the very hub of history. It was a central stop on the greatest trading route of ancient world, which crossed the land bridge of Canaan to link the far reaches of the Fertile Crescent – Egypt in the south and Mesopotamia in the north. Joshua (Joshua 12:21), King Solomon (I Kings 9:15) and the ill-fated King Josiah (2 Kings 23:30) all beheld its walls, which finally fell to the invading Assyrians.
When you come to Tel Megiddo, now Megiddo National Park and a World Heritage Site, you can’t help but sense the power of the massive gates that held the Egyptian army at bay for months, and the gates above them attributed to King Solomon. You will look down on a round altar where Canaanite sacrifices were carried out, and understand what the Bible means when it talks about “high places” where the Canaanites – and the Israelites – sacrificed to idols (2 Kings 23:19). The remains of the city the Assyrians built here some 2700 years ago are here as well, now scattered across the landscape.
Another Megiddo highlight is the descent down 180 steps into the shaft and tunnel, hewn in an amazing engineering feat to channel spring water into the city in the eighth century BCE, during the reign of King Ahab.
Though no town existed here in Jesus’ day, a surprising illustration of the nativity story has become a popular photo op: stone feeding troughs in stables from the days of the Israelite kings are precisely the type of manger in which the baby Jesus was laid (Luke 2:7).
Right down the road from Megiddo, an amazing discovery was made in November 2005 in excavations prior to the expansion of a prison, of all things: a mosaic floor bearing three inscriptions in Greek. Among them is one honoring a woman named Akeptos, “lover of God, who contributed the table to God, Jesus Christ as a memorial.” Archaeologists say that because the inscription mentions a table (and not an altar, a later custom) the Eucharist at the time must have still been conducted around a table, the way the first Christians did it. That may make this building unique in the Christian world, and we look forward to this site’s renovation, so Christian visitors can once again worship at what might be the oldest church ever found.
But nothing beats standing at the top of Tel Megiddo to take in the inspiring view: Mount Carmel to the west, Mount Gilboa to the east, Samaria to the south and, to the north, just across the valley – Nazareth. What better place to pray over and ponder this incomparable rendezvous with past and future.
|
<urn:uuid:2446d6da-2bbc-4bc3-975d-d3d846557d5e>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://goisrael.com/Tourism_Eng/Tourist%20Information/Christian%20Themes/Details/Pages/Megiddo%20chr.aspx
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395548.53/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00020-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.936094 | 648 | 3.03125 | 3 |
Solar Houston Initiative
The Solar Houston Initiative is focused on identifying and over-coming barriers associated with establishing a solar infrastructure that is incorporated into the overall energy system of the City of Houston.
Cities across the country are realizing the benefits of solar energy:
- Power from secure, domestic energy
- Sustainable, "green" urban development
- Clean energy production that helps meet greenhouse gas reduction targets and climate change goals
- Development of new economic opportunities.
The Solar Houston Initiative will leverage the expertise of diverse and experienced project partners to achieve a sustainable solar infrastructure in the city. Project partners will develop a plan to make solar energy cost-competitive by 2015 through the following: Develop and implement significant market-changing activities including:
- The advancement of current and new technologies
- Public outreach
- Education programs.
- Develop and implement significant market-changing activities including:
- Houston-specific solar energy advancement policies
- Regulations and legislation that promote cost-effective solar energy utilization
- Identify high visibility locations for demonstration sites and install solar energy systems
- Implement solar programs in focused neighborhoods such as affordable housing areas
- Work with schools to integrate solar education into the curriculum
Program Management and Partners
The City of Houston selected Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC) to manage the Solar Houston Initiative. HARC established an advisory council as well as a correspondence group. The 14-member advisory council, which consists of representatives from local businesses, universities, school districts, environmental organizations, and foundations, meets quarterly to review plans and discuss progress. The correspondence group consists of stakeholders interested in promoting solar energy technologies thorugh the city. Members of the group receive project updates that they can us to inform their networks. In addition, correspondence group members can make suggestions to the advisory council about the direction and progress of the project through HARC.
Houston Partners include:
- BP America
- City of Houston (Project Lead)
- Clinton Climate Initiative
- Discovery Green Conservancy
- Greater Houston Builders Association
- Houston Advanced Research Center
- Houston Community College Association
- Houston Endowment
- Houston Habitat for Humanity
- Houston Independent School District
- Texas State Energy Conservation Office
- U.S. Green Building Council
- University of Houston
|
<urn:uuid:c6246b22-a04d-4345-829d-ac1d9c35253f>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www.solarhoustontx.org/AboutSolarHouston/SolarHoustonInitiative/tabid/1811/Default.aspx
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783403508.34/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155003-00199-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.903506 | 457 | 2.65625 | 3 |
The Development of the Canon of the New Testament
Arianism, and Arius (4th century CE)
Arianism was a Christian heresy first proposed early in the 4th century by the Alexandrian presbyter Arius. It affirmed that Christ is not truly divine but a created being. The fundamental premise of Arius was the uniqueness of God, who is alone self-existent and immutable. The Son, who is not self-existent, cannot be God.
An ascetical, moral leader of a Christian community in the area of Alexandria, Arius attracted a large following through a message integrating Neoplatonism, which accented the absolute oneness of the divinity as the highest perfection, with a literal, rationalist approach to the New Testament texts. Christ was viewed as the most perfect creature in the material world, whose moral integrity led him to be "adopted" by God as a son but who nevertheless remained a secondary deity, or Logos substantially unlike the eternal, uncreated Father and subordinate to his will. Because the Godhead is unique, it cannot be shared or communicated so that the Son cannot be God. Because the Godhead is immutable, the Son, who is mutable (being represented in the Gospels as subject to growth and change) cannot be God. The Son must, therefore, be deemed a creature who has been called into existence out of nothing and has had a beginning. Moreover, the Son can have no direct knowledge of the Father since the Son is finite and of a different order of existence. This thesis was publicized ~323 through the poetic verse of his major work, Thalia (Banquet), and was widely spread by the tactic of popular songs written for laborers and travelers.
According to its opponents, especially Athanasius, Arius' teaching reduced the Son to a demigod, reintroduced polytheism (since the worship of the Son was not abandoned), and undermined the Christian concept of redemption since only Christ who was truly God could redeem the world. From the outset, the controversy between both parties took place upon the common basis of the Neoplatonic concept of ousia ("substance" or "stuff"), which was foreign to the New Testament itself.
Following an exchange of condemnations (323-324) between the Arians and various gatherings of clergy in Egypt, Palestine, and Syria, Constantine, eager for unity and peace, sent emissaries to mediate the conflict. This effort failed, and he summoned the Council of Nicaea (the First Ecumenical Council) in May 325, to settle what he termed "a fight over trifling and foolish verbal differences". The bishops issued a creed to safeguard orthodox Christian belief. This creed states that the Son is homoousion to Patri (of one substance with the Father), thus declaring him to be all that the Father is: he is completely divine. When Arius refused to sign the creed, the bishops declared him a heretic and exiled him and the Arian leaders. This seemed to end the controversy, but it was only the beginning of a long-protracted dispute.
Although the Arian leaders were exiled, they tried by intrigue to return to their churches and sees and to banish their enemies. They were partly successful. Influential support from colleagues in Asia Minor and from Constantia, the Emperor's daughter, succeeded in effecting Arius' return from exile and his readmission into the church after consenting to a compromise formula, despite the opposition from Athanasius. Shortly before he was to be reconciled, however, Arius collapsed and died while walking through the streets of Constantinople in 336.
When Constantine died in 337, Constans became emperor in the West and Constantius II became emperor in the East. The former was sympathetic to the orthodox Christians and the latter to the Arians. At a council held at Antioch (341), an affirmation of faith that omitted the homoousion clause was issued. Another council was held at Sardica in 342, but little was achieved by either council.
In 350 Constantius II became sole ruler of the empire, and under his leadership the Nicene party (orthodox Christians) was largely crushed. The extreme Arians then declared that the Son was anomoios (unlike) the Father. These Anomoeans succeeded in having their views endorsed at Sirmium in 357, but their extremism stimulated the moderates, who asserted that the Son was homoiousios (of similar substance) with the Father, and conservatives, who asserted that the Son was homoios (like) the Father. Constantius at first supported the Homoiousians but soon transferred his support to the Homoenas, led by Acacius. Their views were approved in 360 at Constantinople, where all previous creeds were rejected, the term ousia ("substance" or "stuff") was repudiated, and a statement of faith was issued stating that the Son was "like the Father who begot him".
After Constantius' death in 361, the orthodox Christian majority in the West consolidated its position. The Arian persecution conducted by Emperor Valens (364-378) in the East and the success of the teaching of Basil the Great of Caesarea, Gregory of Nyssa, and Gregory of Nazianzus led the Homoiousian majority in the East to realize its fundamental agreement with the Nicene party. When the emperors Gratian (367-383) and Theodosius I (379-395) took up the defense of orthodoxy, Arianism collapsed. In 381 the Second Ecumenical Council met at Constantinople. Arianism was proscribed and the Nicene Creed was approved.
Although this ended the heresy in the empire, Arianism continued among some of the Germanic tribes to the end of the 7th century. In modern times some Unitarians are virtually Arians in that they are unwilling either to reduce Christ to a mere human being or to attribute to him a divine nature identical with that of the Father. The Christology of the Jehovah's Witnesses is also a form of Arianism; they regard Arius as a forerunner of Charles Taze Russell, the founder of their movement.
The above was taken from the Encyclopædia Britannica.
Pages created by Glenn Davis, 1997-2010.
For additions, corrections, and comments send e-mail to [email protected]
|
<urn:uuid:3f947f2d-66a3-4e57-8601-a25da597b95f>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www.ntcanon.org/Arianism.shtml
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397565.80/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00194-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.974414 | 1,321 | 3.421875 | 3 |
Thursday, December 19, 2013
Cairn (Carron) Ironworks Scotland Campbell Family
Since the publication of the December 2013 article in the Talbot Times on Nellie Campbell, a great deal of research has discovered that the cooking pot referred to in the article was actually made at the Carron Ironworks which was a famous Scottish iron foundry. Many researchers over the years thought the spelling of the foundry was Cairn. This pot was donated to the Elgin Archives & is available for viewing.The Carron Company was an ironworks established in 1759 on the banks of the River Carron near Falkirk, Stirlingshire, Scotland. It was at the leading edge of the Industrial Revolution. It prospered due to the development and production of a short-range and short-barreled naval cannon called the carronade. It was one of the largest iron works in Europe through the 19th century producing many types of ironworks. In 1982 it became insolvent after 223 years and renamed Carron Phoenix.
|
<urn:uuid:b0604589-2eb2-4093-a13f-e2cb846bc83a>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://elgincountyogs.blogspot.com/2013/12/cairn-carron-ironworks-scotland.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395039.24/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00094-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.976638 | 213 | 2.609375 | 3 |
War Between the States
Tennessee Civil War Trail
In 2008, historic Blountville, Tennessee became the second site in the State of Tennessee to become an official part of the Tennessee Civil War Trails.
See below for more information about the Battle of Blountville and historic Sullivan County.
The war in Sullivan County
East Tennessee became a battleground for the Northern and Southern forces. The railroad running through this section was the chief means of communication, travel and supply for the South. For this reason, the bridges, telegraph lines and tracks had to be protected; they were in possession of the Confederate forces for nearly three years of the war, but
when Burnside was assigned to the command in East Tennessee, reaching Knoxville, September 3, 1863, he mapped out an agressive campaign to gain control of the railroad.
The Battle of Blountville took place on September 22, 1863. Confederate forces numbered 1,257 men, while there were double that number on the Federal side. The 4-hour siege began at noon when Union Col. John W. Foster attacked and shelled the town, setting fire to the Courthouse, initiating a flanking movement and compelling the Confederate forces to withdraw. Confederate men, women and children retreated through Brown's meadows, resulting in a Union victory.
For a complete account of the Sullivan War in Sullivan County, please visit the Archives and History Center within the Sullivan County Department of Archives and Tourism.
Muster Roll of Captain J. W. Bachman's Co. G, 60th TN Regiment Volunteers
The Sullivan County Department of Archives and Tourism is blessed with a rare find... that of the muster roll of Captain J. W. Bachman's Co. G., 60th TN Reg. Volunteers. This roll is dated March 1, 1863 to April 30, 1863, and many Sullivan Countians are listed as present, dead or missing.
The unit was organized October 1, 1862 and mustered into Confederate service on November 7, 1862. Most of the men were captured at Vicksburg and served the remainder of the war in Vaughn's Brigade in East Tennessee and Western Virginia.
Click the image below to view a closeup of the roster.
|
<urn:uuid:848e15f8-7ca0-4ab6-9193-7dbceafb93ee>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www.historicsullivan.com/tourism_battleblountville.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397695.90/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00006-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.957623 | 448 | 3.65625 | 4 |
Even the most skilled teachers will have days when they lose control of their classroom. All it takes is a single rowdy kid and before you know it, you're sitting at your desk unsure of how to regain the control you had ten minutes ago. How do you take control of your class back from this kid? Here are a few suggestions to help you out:
1. Use your voice.
This doesn't mean that you have to yell. There are a great many teachers who think that the best way to control a class is to make sure that their voice is always the loudest. In many cases, however, it is the quietest voice that gets the most respect. This doesn't mean whispering, it means that you tell your class simply, in a calm voice or even a lowered pitch, that you will not tolerate the continued misbehavior. No matter what age your students might be, they still need to hear that what they are doing is unacceptable.
2. Take action.
The idle threat is useless. It is the threat that they know you will carry out that carries the most weight. Younger kids react strongly to public discipline—names being put on the board, having to sit outside of the class during story time. The punishment itself does not have to be harsh—having them sit on a chair next to your desk at the front of the room for ten minutes is hardly corporal punishment—but it is public. Older students, however, sometimes need the larger punishments—detention, sent to the office, disciplinary meetings with parents. Asking a senior to sit outside of the classroom won't carry the same weight that it will with a child in the second grade.
3. Resist the urge to react.
Students, no matter how old they are, act out because they want to see your reaction. When you react to what they are doing, they feel rewarded. Instead, continue with your class's lesson as you planned. Eventually even the positive attention the student has been receiving from his/her peers will go away when they see that you aren't going to do anything about it and they will want to get back to work. If you allow yourself to show anger or frustration then the behavior could grow worse. Take deep breaths and keep your cool.
These might seem like very basic ideas for class control, but many teachers forget about them when faced with a classroom full of unruly students who refuse to give the teacher the respect that she/he deserves. Sometimes all you need is to take a moment to let the class act out and they'll calm themselves down. Other times you'll have to put every student's name on the board. Every class is different! Take your time. You'll figure out which methods work best for you and your class.
For more information on classroom aids, visit http://www.classroommicroblog.com and http://www.classmicroblog.com.
|
<urn:uuid:18aa1f15-fa74-421f-85e5-65ca460bbcb7>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www.eduq.com/Articles/How-to-Control-Your-Class.aspx
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783399106.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154959-00064-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.978685 | 594 | 3.09375 | 3 |
INTRODUCTION The role of assessment Changes in assessment Expected outcomes: what to expect from the course Reading the course material A two-way conversation Application Ð a practical approach Planning your study 1 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND TO ASSESSMENT Introduction 1.1 Historical issues and assessment 1.1.1 The Chinese literati 1.1.2 The feudal system in Europe 1.1.3 Colonialism in Africa RE-EVALUATION OF ASSESSMENT IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN CONTEXT 2.1 The exam crisis in South African schools 2.1.1 How valid or reliable is the Matric exam as an assessment method? 2.1.2 Are tests and exams still useful forms of assessment? 2.2 The influence of context on the educational situation 2.2.1 The key economic forces that drive our new education system 2.3 Changes in the South African context: social and political context 2.3.1 Changes in South Africa's social context 2.3.2 Changes in South Africa's political context 2.4 The influence of educational system, infrastructure and policies on assessment 2.4.1 The National Curriculum Statement 2.4.2 Change as a process 2.5 Outcomes-based education and assessment 2.5.1 The term ``outcomes-based'' 2.6 Reflection on the case study WHY ASSESS? Introduction 3.1 Choosing a purpose for assessment 3.1.1 Assessment in order to grade or sort 3.1.2 Assessment in order to promote or select 3.1.3 Assessment in order to evaluate 3.1.4 Assessment in order to predict
(v) (v) (v) (vi) (vi) (vi) (vii) (viii) 1 1 1 2 2 2 4 4 8 13 15 15 16 16 16 19 19 21 23 25 29 31 31 31 31 31 32 32
3.1.5 3.1.6 3.1.7 3.1.8 3.2 3.2.1 3.2.2 3.2.3 3.3 3.3.1 3.3.2 4 Assessment in order to control Assessment in order to diagnose Assessment in order to guide and motivate Assessment in order to learn Key concepts in assessment Approaches to assessment Assessment involves comparison Fairness in assessment The teacher and assessment Planning an assessment cycle The focus and purpose of assessment
32 32 33 33 33 33 34 39 42 44 45 46 46 47 48 56 57 57 58 59 69 69 69 71 71 74 74 74 78 78 80 81 93
EFFECTIVE ASSESSMENT 4.1 Assessing with outcomes and integration in mind 4.1.1 Planning to integrate teaching and assessment 4.1.2 Planning the assessment strategy 4.2 The assessment of higher-order thinking skills 4.2.1 Bloom's taxonomy of thinking 4.2.2 Questions and answers 4.2.3 Instructions and action words 4.2.4 Activities 4.3 Fairness 4.3.1 Curriculum fidelity and diversity 4.3.2 Eliminate gender and cultural bias 4.4 Assessment and moderation 4.5 Useful feedback REPORTING AND RECORDING Introduction 5.1 Reporting according to outcomes 5.2 Criterion-referenced reporting for grades 5.3 Criterion-referenced reporting per outcome 5.4 Reflection on effective recording ADDENDUM A BIBLIOGRAPHY
THE ROLE OF ASSESSMENT
The way teachers think about assessment and assessment practices reveals much about their thinking about the teaching-learning situation per se. Why would we say that? Just think about the following: . What teachers assess indicates what they see as important and applicable. . Who assesses whom tells us much about power relationships as well as about how learning occurs. . How and when the assessment takes place says much about the reasons for assessment. . The ways in which teachers mark, record and give feedback reveal a lot about their thinking with regard to learning as such. It is clear, then, that the way in which a teacher assesses is related to that teacher's beliefs about content, the teacher's role, learners and the purpose of teaching and learning. For this reason it is also clear that there is an interrelationship between teaching, learning, curriculum and management, and that ideas about...
|
<urn:uuid:655837cb-eac4-4062-90b4-09043e1f41db>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www.studymode.com/course-notes/Educator-As-Assessor-958428.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783393146.70/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154953-00024-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.880033 | 891 | 3.625 | 4 |
Figure 2: Mean cumulative mass balance of all reported glaciers (blue line) and the reference glaciers (red line), from glaciers in the Americas and Eurasia.
Preliminary figures for glacier mass balance for 2010/2011 have just been released and show that data from more than 100 mountain glaciers from around the world continue a strong trend of losing mass. The melt water from glaciers flows into the oceans and adds to sea level rise.
The report says:
"The average mass balance of the glaciers with available long-term observation series around the world continues to be negative, with tentative figures indicating a further thickness reduction of one metre water equivalent (m w.e.) during the hydrological year 2011. The new data continues the global trend in strong ice loss over the past few decades and brings the cumulative average thickness loss of the reference glaciers since 1980 at more than 15 m w.e."
Figure 1: Mean annual mass balance of reference glaciers from glaciers in the Americas and Eurasia.
I reported in January 2011 on research from Canada that most mountain glaciers are on the retreat. Many glaciers in Europe, New Zealand, Africa and the US Rocky Mountains will lose up to 75 per cent of their mass by the end of the century. The melt from mountain glaciers will contribute up to 12 centimetres of sea level rise by 2100.
Himalayan GlaciersHimalayan glaciers are more complex with most retreating, some stable, and a very few advancing. Glaciologists have been paying particular attention to trends in Himalayan Glaciers after the Glaciergate! error in the IPCC 4th assessment report.
A recent study found that Himalayan Glaciers Will Shrink by Almost 10 Percent, Even If Temperatures Hold Steady Study author Brigham Young University geology professor Summer Rupper said that "These particular glaciers have seen so much warming in the past few decades that they're currently playing lots of catch up,"
She predicts that almost 10 percent of Bhutan's glaciers would vanish within the next few decades. More concerning, the amount of melt water coming off these glaciers could drop by 30 percent.
A National Research Council report from September 2012 found that Himalayan Glaciers Retreating at Accelerated Rate in the Hindu Kush region.
Glaciers in the northwestern Himalayas and especially in the Karakoram Range are subject to surges and are the exceptions to the overall trend of decreasing glacier extent and volume in the region. A comprehensive study by glaciologists from the University of Zurich found that State of Himalayan Glaciers Less Alarming Than Feared
- World Glacier Monitoring Service - preliminary glacier mass balance data 2010/2011, updated 17 January 2013
|
<urn:uuid:472ba1e8-b476-444b-b6f5-891cce06d2be>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://takvera.blogspot.fr/2013/01/glaciers-continue-losing-mass-adding-to.html?spref=tw
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395039.24/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00195-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.929809 | 541 | 3.578125 | 4 |
How the Program Works
The Be Safe and Sound in School program aims to improve the safety and security of our nation’s schools by mobilizing parents, school administrators, elected officials, policymakers, and students to take action on the issue of school safety and security. B3S
- Educates individuals on the elements of school safety
- Engages school administrators, parents, students, law enforcement, and other community members in making school safer
- Facilitates the development of strategic plans
Be Safe and Sound in School requires full commitment from school administrators, teachers, staff, community and business members, parents, and students. It is critical that all stakeholders be engaged in the identification of problem areas, assessment of school needs, and the development and implementation of solutions.
The Be Safe and Sound in School model is a comprehensive approach to school safety that addresses school safety problems by evaluating physical conditions such as lights, locks, alarms, and cameras, as well as cultural and social variables such as bullying, violence, and vandalism that may promote an unsafe environment. The steps in the program model are
- Form an action team
- Identify safety and security problems
- Hold a school safety and security forum
- Develop an action plan
- Publicize your initiative
- Advocate for your cause
- Evaluate success and revise the plan
During the years 2001-2003, two schools were selected as pilot sites to test the principles and processes of the Be Safe and Sound model: an elementary school in South Philadelphia and a rural high school in Central Kentucky.
NCPC worked with the head principal at each school to form a comprehensive safety and security campaign. Safety and security assessments were completed, including an environmental assessment and school climate surveys of students, parents, and staff. Assessment findings served as the basis of discussion at school safety and security forums. School principals and parents developed comprehensive safety and security action plans based on the results of the forum. In August and September 2003, the pilot schools were designated the first "Safe & Sound" schools to mark their commitment to the safety and security of their students, staff, and faculty.
During the 2005-2006 school year, NCPC, in collaboration with the Allstate Foundation, went on to select ten schools in Pennsylvania to receive funding to support their efforts to address school safety and security. Spurred by the Be Safe and Sound program, the ten sites came up with creative and innovative ways to address school safety, including
- Engaging students, by asking graphics and computer students to develop photo ID cards that could be used to identify both students and visitors (Central High School – Erie, PA)
- Implementation of character development materials that highlight the importance of respect, trustworthiness, and responsibility(GECAC Charter School – Erie, PA)
- Development of emergency plans to address scenarios such as bomb threats or violence in the building; these were also supplemented by mock-emergency drills (Lehman Intermediate school – Dingman’s Ferry, PA)
- Enhancement of a closed circuit television system to permit more complete observation of the campus (Forbes Road Career/Technical Center – Pittsburgh, PA)
|
<urn:uuid:55748e88-0760-4951-a794-53844957d8cd>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
https://www.ncpc.org/programs/be-safe-and-sound-campaign/about
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395992.75/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00194-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.963115 | 638 | 3.171875 | 3 |
Death and Afterlife
Shortly before his death, A.D. sat for this portrait. Over eighty years old, widowed nineteen years before, having outlived three sons and his namesake grandson, Lytle spent his last years with his daughter and surviving grandchildren.
Well-known in Baton Rouge, his work remained relatively unknown outside the city until 1911, when the publication of the ten-volume Photographic History of the Civil War brought his name and photographs before the nation. Lytle had sold his glass plate negatives of Baton Rouge during the Civil War to an agent of the publisher. A great number of other glass plates remained in his home, unused and gathering dust.
Andrew David Lytle, Sr., died on 8 June 1917. The nation was embroiled in the First World War; photography no longer required bulky, heavy equipment and years of experience to capture an image; the “snapshot” replaced professional photographers; life moved on.
Late in her life, a granddaughter of Lytle told a haunting story of a childhood memory. A few years after the photographer’s death, with family members watching, A.D.’s daughter took many of his remaining glass plate negatives to the well behind the family home and threw them down the dark shaft, laughing at the sound of her father’s life’s work, his eye of silver, crashing into oblivion.
After A.D. died, his work fell into obscurity. However, a new picture of the man began to form and take on mythic proportions, a myth of mystery and intrigue. For the 1892 edition of Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Louisiana, a “vanity” publication in which individuals wrote their own biographical sketch for publication, Lytle wrote, “in the progress of the conflict [the Civil War] he attached himself to the Confederate Signal service, with which he was connected at the fall of Port Hudson.” In 1911, when contacted by the publisher’s agent from New York, Andrew’s son Howard embellished the story to include his father’s active participation in spy operations, signaling from high points around town to his co-conspirators, and smuggling photographic chemicals through enemy lines. Over the next sixty years the story grew, took on new vigor, and passed into the realm of fantasy.
Historical evidence suggests the Confederate forces at Port Hudson had a loosely organized information gathering network but no “spy” agency. Most of the information passed between lines verbally, as official orders of the day record. Photographic chemicals openly passed from North to South under official orders from Washington, occasionally with President Lincoln’s signature. Further research may reveal some factual evidence of Lytle’s activities, but current research indicates he had no need to smuggle, no one to pass photographs to.
|
<urn:uuid:7f4da384-56b4-4fcb-87c1-639fb241e146>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://exhibitions.blogs.lib.lsu.edu/?p=431&page=12
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397213.30/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00085-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.972033 | 586 | 2.53125 | 3 |
By completing the MOSFET Lab in ABACUS - Assembly of Basic Applications for Coordinated Understanding of Semiconductors, you will be able to:
a) understand the operation of MOSFET devices,
b) understand the limitations of the gradual channel approximation, and
c) understand the limitations of the drift-diffusion model.
The specific objectives of the MOSFET Lab are:
For better understanding of the operation and modeling of MOSFET devices, the following texts are highly recommended:
1. Michael Shur, Physics of Semiconductor Device (Prentice Hall).
2. Simon M. Sze and Kwok K. Ng, Physics of Semiconductor Devices (Wiley, 2006).
3. Dragica Vasileska, Stephen M. Goodnick and G. Klimeck, Computational Electronics: Semiclassical and Quantum Device Modeling and Simulation, Chapter 2 (CRC Press, 2010).
Exercises and Homework Assignments
Solutions to Exercises
Work in progress!
Take a Test
This test will assess your conceptual understanding of the physical, mathematical and computational knowledge related to operation of MOSFET devices.
Solve the Challenge
In this final challenge you will integrate all you have learned about operation of MOSFET devices.
|
<urn:uuid:b32388a7-f557-404f-b6f7-a1d64ed7a4a8>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://nanohub.org/topics/MOSFETLabPage?version=5
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783393332.57/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154953-00133-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.805905 | 278 | 2.96875 | 3 |
Updated: February 8, 2016, 12:12 pm
The DWR's main revenue source is from license and permit sales.
The Utah DWR has several funding sources that are used to support its programs. Many of these programs support wildlife species that are pursued by hunters and anglers, while others support non-game species. Certain programs, such as habitat restoration and protection, directly support both game and non-game species.
The Division of Wildlife Resources annual budget for fiscal year 2015 (July 1, 2014 to June 31, 2015) was $81,168,934. DWR receives the following types of revenue:
Restricted funds: The majority of DWR's revenue is generated from the sale of hunting and fishing licenses and permits. These funds are restricted for exclusive use by DWR and cannot be transferred to other state agencies. One hundred percent of the license dollars collected stay within the DWR to carry out the division's mission to conserve and protect the wildlife of Utah. Funding overages or shortages are managed through an interest-bearing account maintained by the State Treasurer. Other types of funding in this category are revenues from Certificates of Registration (CORs), donations, wildlife license plates and miscellaneous fees.
Federal funds: Each year, the DWR receives federal funds for wildlife, sportfish and sensitive and endangered species. Federal funds for the wildlife and sport fish programs come from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). The DWR receives revenue allocated by the USFWS from federal excise taxes on hunting and shooting equipment and fishing equipment and motorboat fuel. Each state's allocation is based on the state's hunting and fishing license sales and land area. These funds are generally matched with state funds in the ratio of 75 percent federal to 25 percent state funds.
Federal funding for sensitive and endangered species is generally distributed through grant requests. The DWR has received between $200,000 and $13 million annually for research and habitat protection for sensitive and endangered species. Other federal agencies, including the Bureau of Reclamation, Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and Department of Defense, award funds to accomplish their agency goals on a contract basis.
Dedicated funds: Certain operations, such as Hardware Ranch, generate limited funds to be used only by the DWR. Contributions are also dedicated funds.
General funds: General funds (tax dollars) account for nine percent of DWR's annual budget. These funds are used primarily for sensitive species, law enforcement, wildlife depredation and some fish hatchery programs. Because the legislature has indicated that the DWR should not use hunting or fishing license revenue to fund nongame species management, these funds help cover the costs of nongame management.
An annual work plan and budgeting process ensures that all funds are optimized. DWR's fiscal responsibility is reflected in its performance in both state and federal audits.
During the 1995 general session, the legislature created the Wildlife Habitat Account. This account provides dedicated funds to be used only for the enhancement, preservation, management, acquisition and protection of fish and wildlife habitat and for improving public access for fishing and hunting. The Wildlife Habitat Account generates about $2 million each year for projects.
Habitat Council: Project proposals originate in the field. They are then reviewed and prioritized by regional management teams and then forwarded to the Habitat Council for review and recommendation. The DWR director authorizes projects and the money to do them. This council is comprised of four DWR representatives and four citizens who represent big game, waterfowl, upland game and sport fishing interests. All potential projects are brought to the Habitat Council for review. DWR habitat managers present these projects, but they can originate from another agency, a landowner or anyone Utah.
Investing in the future: From our perspective, this habitat program represents an enormous opportunity, a great responsibility and the best possible investment for the future.
The hunting and fishing public has always been willing to pay their way and has strongly supported programs designed to produce tangible results on the ground. Our commitment is to build on our successes and expand our efforts to the benefit of all wildlife habitat and citizen interests throughout the state.
While the Division budget may seem large, it is rather small compared to many western states. This is due, in part, to revenue limitations that Utah has placed on itself by restricting the quantities of licenses, by restricting the numbers of non-resident licenses, and through efforts to keep the cost of hunting and fishing licenses at nominal levels.
|
<urn:uuid:8f3708d5-1238-467a-9ea9-4c1c96a53a91>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://wildlife.utah.gov/about-us/64-what-we-do/about-us/191-financial-overview.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395346.72/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00159-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.947125 | 923 | 2.609375 | 3 |
By Mary A. Sego
Primary Creator: Purdue Reamer Club
Extent: 0.2 Cubic feet. More info below.
Date Acquired: 05/07/2010
Subjects: Purdue Reamer Club
Forms of Material: Artifacts (object genre)
The history of the Purdue Reamer Club before 1922 is uncertain. There are only stories, rumors at best, which tell when the order was initially formed. In the early part of the 20th century, University housing for male students was at a premium. Purdue Hall, built to house those lucky few who were nominated by their home counties to go to Purdue tuition free, was unavailable to the regular students. Ladies Hall, built in 1874, was only for the few women students enrolled at that time. The men had only two other choices for housing; join a fraternity or live off campus.
Since the Greeks were more organized, and they knew more people, they easily controlled the extracurricular activities. They were also the major leaders in larger activities, such as the Debris, the Exponent, Prom, and the Military Ball. Even though the student body decided these offices, the independents offered only token resistance. In the spring of 1922, it became apparent that the Greeks were becoming divided among themselves. C.C. Reeder, an independent student, saw the potential to get non-Greeks elected, due to the Greek division. He formed a group of off campus students, known as "The Unorganized Student Association." This was an attempt to further divide the Greeks, so as to elect independents, but the group was short-lived. Reeder returned in the fall with a new approach to the same idea, and the Purdue Independent Association (PIA) was formed. The Purdue Independent Association fared better than its ancestor, remaining active until the mid-1950s. In time the Purdue Independent Association became more and more active, and the members' interest became more diversified in the quest to find new ways to help their fellow students and help the University. The Greeks had formed the Gimlets club to increase the school spirit among fraternity men. In September of 1922, a group of sports-minded individuals met to consider the possibility of furthering the interest of non-fraternity men in both varsity and intramural sports. They concluded that an organization similar to the Gimlets would be best. The group's first constitution called for the formation of the Reamer Club. The name, Reamer, was selected because the PIA felt the "Reamers would smooth out the holes the Gimlets made." In other words, they would finish the tasks that the Gimlets undertook.
After much deliberation by the Dean of Men, the constitution of the club was finally approved in October of 1923, thus establishing the Purdue Reamer Club. The group was to obtain "the good will and cooperation of all groups." Because of the relative inactivity of the club, the Reamers were looking for a reason for their existence as an outstanding group of men, instead of "just another honorary society." A new constitution was adopted on June 2, 1926. The club carried on various spirit raising activities on campus from that point on.
The club was still carrying on its good work in the years from 1932-1937, and it was during these years that the Reamer club started on one of its most outstanding pieces of work for the promulgation of Purdue traditions. In November of 1937, a sophomore pharmacy student, Israel Selkowitz, had an idea. He suggested that Purdue have an official mascot, something symbolic of a school rich in engineering heritage. This idea was developed and carried on until the culmination of efforts took place on September 11, 1940, when the Boilermaker Special I was presented to the university. The Purdue Reamer Club was appointed caretakers of the mascot at that time, and is still carrying out these duties.
For more information on the club, see: http://www.purduereamerclub.org/history.php
Access Restrictions: Collection is open for research.
Acquisition Source: Sammie Morris
Acquisition Method: Donation.
Preferred Citation: MSR 7, Sammie Morris Reamer Club artifacts, Karnes Archives and Special Collections, Purdue University Libraries
|
<urn:uuid:fa264cf4-65a8-4085-b756-688b4fb7fc89>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www4.lib.purdue.edu/archon/index.php?p=collections/findingaid&id=1564&q=earhart&rootcontentid=11153
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783391519.0/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154951-00069-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.97765 | 880 | 2.703125 | 3 |
Store and forward technologies allow for the electronic transmission of medical information, such as digital images, documents, and pre-recorded videos through secure email transmission.
This information can include X-rays, MRIs, photos, patient data, and even video-exam clips. Store and forward communications primarily take place among medical professionals to aid in diagnoses and medical consultations when live video or face-to-face contact is not necessary. Because these consultations do not require the specialist, the primary care provider and the patient to be available simultaneously, the need for coordinating schedules is removed,and the efficiency of the health care services is increased.
These technologies provide important benefits to patients and providers. Some of these benefits include:
- Patients can get timely specialty care without needing to travel beyond the location of their primary care providers;
- Wait times for specialty care are lessened, especially in areas with shortages of medical specialists;
- Primary care providers and medical specialists can review patient cases, regardless of their respective locations;
- Medical specialists can review patient cases when it is convenient for them;
- The Store and Forward process can overcome language and cultural barriers.
Store and forward technologies are most commonly used in radiology, pathology, dermatology, and ophthalmology:
- In radiology, physicians at small rural hospitals can forward X-rays or MRI's to specialists at major medical centers for review;
- In dermatology, primary care providers can take digital photos of their patients' skin conditions and forward the images to dermatologists for review and determination of treatment if needed;
- In ophthalmology, eye screenings for diabetic retinopathy, a disease that is a major cause of blindness among individuals with diabetes, can be captured digitally by retinal cameras and transmitted to a specialist for review. These screenings are particularly effective in preventing vision loss or blindness.
It is important to note that store and forward services are not always reimbursable by private insurers, and Medicaid policies on this issue vary from state to state.
To see firsthand how store and forward would work in a clinic setting please watch the above video.
Store and Forward Successes
Studies have shown that store and forward technologies are important tools to help expand access to health care, in particular, specialty care, and to increase the comprehensiveness and efficiency of a health care delivery system.
A 2014 study, utilizing store-and-forward telehealth technology, found that implementation in rural areas saves not only time and money, but also increases patient satisfaction. After receiving care, 95% of surveyed patients reported that they wanted to continue using teleneurology; 90% were completely satisfied with their medical visits.
In this 2014 study, the use of store-and-forward technology in dermatology diagnoses was found to be accurate for both pigmented and nonpigmented lesions when compared to examination by a clinical dermatologist. This success in accuracy shows that progression and development of additional store-and-forward techologies may be affective in some medical areas.
|
<urn:uuid:7481d89d-ff9c-4c98-9ffd-6d3ba5ba75bc>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://cchpca.org/store-and-forward
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783394937.4/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154954-00139-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.928784 | 612 | 2.90625 | 3 |
The Battle of the Somme
Though the world has largely forgotten it, July 1 is the anniversary of one of the worst military catastrophes in human history. It is called the Battle of the Somme, and it took place in France during the First World War.
On that day the Allied commander, General Douglas Haig, foolishly ordered more than 100,000 men to charge across “no mans land” just after dawn. The German army knew that an attack was coming, and they crisscrossed the battlefield with machine-gun fire, systematically mowing down the heavily laden troops. It was the bloodiest day in British history, with nearly twenty thousand men killed and thirty-five thousand wounded. The French and German troops suffered comparable casualties.
The tragedy of the Somme was its utter waste of human lives. The battle continued for 140 days and soon involved some 3 million men. More than a third of them became casualties before it was over. And for what? The Allies never drove the Germans back more than seven miles at any point, and even that ground was lost in 1918.
Oh, I know this all happened long ago and far away. What does it matter today? But somehow it seems fitting for us to pause for a moment to remember the sacrifice of the men who died and the 4 million family members whose beloved husbands, sons, and fathers never returned. It all began at dawn on July 1, 1916.
|
<urn:uuid:1869bf85-c02d-48a3-b623-0121dccf8494>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
https://bible.org/illustration/battle-somme
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783402479.21/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155002-00098-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.979548 | 296 | 3.46875 | 3 |
Following the Perl Cookbook (by Tom Christiansen and Nathan Torkington, published by O'Reilly) spirit, the PLEAC Project aims to gather fans of programming, in order to implement the solutions in other programming languages.
In this document, you'll find an implementation of the Solutions of the Perl Cookbook in the REXX language.
REXX is an interpreted, general purpose programming language that is used for both system and applications programming, as well as scripting tasks on a number of platforms ranging from mainframes to hand-held devices. ANSI Standard of the REXX language released in 1996. The language has undergone extensive development over time, and is now available in two flavours: * REXX or 'classic' REXX * Object Oriented REXX or ooREXX The difference between these two flavours can be likened to that between the C, and C++ languages: syntactically similar, but the latter extended to support object oriented programming. More information is available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/REXX Comments about the examples: * Incomplete examples are marked with the relevant PLEAC tags * Complete, but untranslateable, examples are so-marked * Extensive use of third-party libraries made [see Appendix] * Regina 3.3 interpreter used for testing [*NIX and Win32]
|
<urn:uuid:98eb88f4-b35d-4dc5-8aa6-8c10bba918e3>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://pleac.sourceforge.net/pleac_rexx/index.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397864.87/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00093-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.886472 | 276 | 3.015625 | 3 |
MEYERSVILLE, TEXAS. Meyersville is just east of U.S. Highway 183 and fourteen miles south of Cuero in extreme southern DeWitt County. It is the county's second oldest German community. Adolph Meyer and his sister settled on the north side of Twelve Mile Coleto Creek near the La Bahía Road crossing in May 1846; the Fritz Hausman family arrived soon thereafter. In 1847 the settlement was named in honor of Meyer. John Yorkqv, for whom Yorktown, Texas, is named, aided these settlers, who built log homes near the creek. Supplies were brought from Victoria, a three-day trip of twenty miles, until a store was established at Meyersville. By 1850 twenty families had settled in the area, and in 1851 a log structure was built to serve as a schoolhouse and Lutheran church. Polish immigrants also began settling at Meyersville in the 1850s, and many attended Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church, which was housed in a frame structure built in 1859. Some German settlement also occurred on the south side of Twelve Mile Coleto Creek and was considered part of Meyersville, but after 1873 this southside settlement was known as Upper Meyersvilleqv. The northside community was then sometimes called Lower Meyersville, though "Lower" was eventually dropped. Population estimates distinguishing these two communities are unavailable; the settlements, simply listed as Meyersville, totaled around 200 to 250 residents from the 1880s to the 1920s, when 150 residents were recorded there.
Meyersville received a post office in December 1851. In 1866 Lutheran residents built the county's first stone church and named it in honor of St. John. This structure served as a recreation building after a new church was built in 1921. Catholic residents built a larger church in 1880 and replaced it in 1939. The first cotton gin, built at the community in 1868, was horse-powered and ginned two bales a day. Meyersville eventually had a gristmill as well. Two days each week were set aside for corn grinding, and farmers would come to Meyersville from as far as fifteen miles away since there were no other mills in the area except at Yorktown. Other early businesses included grocery stores, a mattress factory, a saddlery, a blacksmith shop, and a brewery. The black sandy soil proved good for cotton farming, which soon supported three gins and eventually six. Meyersville students first attended a parochial school taught by one Polish-speaking and two German-speaking nuns. A public school for the community dates back at least to 1899. A two-room, two-teacher school was built in 1924 and used until the 1950s. In 1961 Meyersville, Westhoff, and Arneckeville were the only three rural school districts remaining in DeWitt County. By 1948 the cotton economy was gone and the gins silent, but the Isaac Egg and Sons general store was still operating in 1962. The Egg family was the supplier of the 14,000 turkeys used in the first Turkey Trot in Cuero in 1912. In 1985 Meyersville still had a few businesses and active churches. The population estimates for the Meyersville communities approached 250 during the 1940s but decreased to 150 during the next decade and by 1968 to 110, which remained the figure given for 2000.
Image Use Disclaimer
All copyrighted materials included within the Handbook of Texas Online are in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107 related to Copyright and “Fair Use” for Non-Profit educational institutions, which permits the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA), to utilize copyrighted materials to further scholarship, education, and inform the public. The TSHA makes every effort to conform to the principles of fair use and to comply with copyright law.
For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml
If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
The following, adapted from the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, is the preferred citation for this article.Handbook of Texas Online, Craig H. Roell, "Meyersville, TX," accessed June 24, 2016, http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/HLM61.
Uploaded on June 15, 2010. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
|
<urn:uuid:76cad832-3f0e-442c-a319-5a29439384b9>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hlm61
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783391519.0/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154951-00108-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.979506 | 940 | 2.5625 | 3 |
Gluten-free is a word that is popping up more and more in grocery stores and in food magazines, but what is gluten and who would benefit from going “gluten-free”?
Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley. While the list of gluten-containing foods may seem small at first, the fact is that the majority of packaged products in the grocery store and in fast food restaurants contain gluten because wheat is used as a filler ingredient or because the food has been contaminated with gluten during harvesting, milling, and/or the production processes.
In some folks, eating gluten triggers a damaging response in the body. Celiac Disease is an autoimmune disease in which gluten damages the small intestine and does not allow food to be properly digested. People with Celiac disease are harmed by even very small amounts of gluten and following the gluten-free diet for life is the only way to treat the disease.
Other folks follow a gluten-free diet and find that they have more energy, less skin problems, and less irritable bowels by avoiding wheat and gluten products. These folks are likely gluten intolerant. Symptoms of gluten intolerance can improve on a gluten-free diet.
Whether you are strictly avoiding gluten because you have been diagnosed with Celiac disease, or you are experimenting with gluten-free foods for other reasons, a gluten-free diet can be a healthy way to eat if you follow two simple rules:
Cook more! Buy minimally processed ingredients such as fruits, vegetables, spices, meats, and gluten-free grains – then put that apron on and have some fun in the kitchen!
Eat a variety of grains! There are many wholesome grains out there, but so often our diets are limited to just a couple of them. Be adventurous and try some of these gluten-free grains and starches:
- Legumes, beans, lentils, and black eyed peas
- Nuts and nut flours
- Potatoes, sweet potatoes, potato starch, and potato flour
- Rice, brown rice, wild rice, and rice flour
- Tapioca flour
Shopping gluten-free also provides us the opportunity to become a savvier consumer. Label reading is essential for following a gluten-free diet, as so many of our packaged food products contain a long list of food addictives that would not be present if we were making the product at home – using whole foods ingredients. Some of these additives, such as hydrolyzed wheat protein, malt flavoring, and wheat germ, contain gluten and are avoided on a gluten-free diet.
Highlight on Quinoa: quinoa is an ancient South American grain that is known for it’s nutty flavor and excellent protein profile. It is one of the few non-meat complete protein foods as well as being a good source of fiber, magnesium, and iron.
Confetti Quinoa with Nori, Sesame and Raw Cashews
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Makes 2-3 servings
1 cup quinoa, dry
2 cups water
1 tablespoon unrefined extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ginger, minced
3/4 cup celery and leaves, chopped
2-3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons wheat-free tamari
1/2 cup dried nori (about 2 toasted nori sheets, Eden-brand), crushed or torn
2 teaspoons sesame seeds
1/4 cup raw cashews, crushed
Sea salt and crushed black pepper to taste
Optional: 1/2 cup beans (aduki, black or white beans)
Combine water and quinoa in covered pot. After water comes to a boil, turn heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes or until all of the water has been absorbed. Fluff with a fork and cool.
Heat saucepan to medium-high heat, then add olive oil. Sauté garlic and ginger about 1 minute. Turn heat to medium, add quinoa and sauté for 1 minute. Add celery, sesame oil and tamari and mix until quinoa is coated. Crumple nori sheets as you would a piece of paper, sprinkle over mixture. Top with cashews and sesame seeds and mix again. Add beans and mix thoroughly.
Recipe reprinted with permission from Gluten-free Warrior: Gluten-free and wheat-free recipes by Genevieve Sherrow. Warrior Press, 2010
Cooking with grains other than wheat delights the taste buds and provides extra nutrition by adding much needed variety to our diets.
Enjoy your nutritious adventures in the kitchen!
For more information on Celiac disease and gluten-intolerance, check out this website:
Learn about Celiac disease symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment.
Find a gluten-free restaurant near you, a local chapter of the Gluten Intolerance Group (GIG), and browse the recipe database for a delicious gluten-free recipe for dinner tonight.
|
<urn:uuid:487dd3fc-5115-4387-960f-e2939bac1fdc>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://blog.mysanantonio.com/sada/2011/09/celebrating-gluten-free-grains-by-anna-macnak-rd-ld/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783393997.50/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154953-00198-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.936696 | 1,031 | 2.75 | 3 |
Hibernation is a power-saving state designed primarily for laptops. While sleep puts your work and settings in memory
and draws a small amount of power, hibernation puts your open documents and programs on your hard disk
, and then turns off your computer. Of all the power-saving states in Windows, hibernation uses the least amount of power. On a laptop, use hibernation when you know that you won't use your laptop for an extended period and won't have an opportunity to charge the battery during that time.
|
<urn:uuid:53cc1ab5-bac2-41f3-8ec0-bda7b6d3f393>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www.sevenforums.com/509686-post2.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783402699.36/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155002-00165-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.918561 | 107 | 2.6875 | 3 |
The U.S. federal government, through its Office of Management and Budget, has compiled the following guidelines for racial categorization. Indiana University uses these categories for Affirmative Action reporting purposes.
American Indian/Native American or Alaska Native
Persons having origins in the original peoples of North America who maintain cultural identification through tribal affiliation or community recognition.
Asian or Pacific Islander/Asian American
Persons having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, or the Pacific Islands. This area includes: China, Japan, Korea, India, Pakistan, Nepal, the Philippine Islands, Samoa, and Polynesia.
Black/African American, not Hispanic
Persons having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa.
Persons of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central or South American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race.
White, not Hispanic
Persons having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, North Africa, or the Middle East.
|
<urn:uuid:b3d9ddca-5e05-4f95-a2ce-dcabd8d74305>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www.indiana.edu/~affirm/race.shtml
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783403823.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155003-00144-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.846492 | 213 | 3.046875 | 3 |
Library Open Repository
The role of temperature and maternal ration: using Euprymna tasmanica as a model.
Steer, MA and Moltschaniwskyj, NA and Nichols, DS and Miller, MR (2004) The role of temperature and maternal ration: using Euprymna tasmanica as a model. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 307 (1). pp. 73-89. ISSN 0022-0981
Steer_et_al_200...pdf | Request a copy
Full text restricted
Available under University of Tasmania Standard License.
Using a ‘model’ sepiolid, Euprymna tasmanica, this study investigated the role of maternal nutritional and thermal history on egg quality and subsequent embryo survival. E. tasmanica is a multiple spawner, therefore it was possible to track egg quality and hatching success over successive spawning episodes. A two-factor orthogonal experimental design, involving two feeding levels (high and low rations) and two temperatures (summer and winter), was implemented with half of the replicates used to explore embryonic development and the remaining half examining egg-yolk quality via fatty acid analysis. Differences in reproductive output and embryo mortality were largely attributed to maternal ration and not temperature. Females maintained on low ration produced smaller clutches, consisting of smaller eggs and exhibiting higher embryo mortality rates than high ration females. Both batch fecundity and relative hatching success declined over successive clutches. Lipid content was also significantly lower in low ration females, however, the relative quality in terms of lipid and fatty acid constituents was maintained regardless of treatment and spawning frequency. It is suggested that elevated embryo mortality rate in eggs spawned by low-fed females was a function of insufficient maternally derived yolk resources to fuel embryogenesis. Results indicate that maternal nutritional and reproductive history are important determinates for offspring survival,potentially having significant effects on the magnitude of subsequent recruitment events in squid populations.
|Keywords:||Embryo mortality; Maternal effects; Multiple spawner; Euprymna tasmanica|
|Journal or Publication Title:||Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology|
|Page Range:||pp. 73-89|
|Identification Number - DOI:||10.1016/j.jembe.2004.01.017|
|Additional Information:||The definitive version is available at http://www.sciencedirect.com|
|Date Deposited:||14 Jul 2010 05:10|
|Last Modified:||18 Nov 2014 04:11|
|Item Statistics:||View statistics for this item|
Actions (login required)
|Item Control Page|
|
<urn:uuid:40a0d4be-9d6d-448d-91a5-848d90a33d7a>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://eprints.utas.edu.au/9945/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783391519.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154951-00058-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.853644 | 569 | 2.515625 | 3 |
VISIT TO THE TOMB OF AL-MUíTAMID IBN ĎABBAD -
ARAB SPAIN'S POET KING
by Habeeb Salloum
I was barely aware of my fellow passengers, my daughter and I waited near
Jamaa el Fna, Marrakesh's most famous square, for our bus to begin on its way to
Aghmat - a Berber village some 33 km (20 mi) away.
Our goal was the tomb of the Andalusian poet-king al-Muítamid ibn
ĎAbbad located in that town. Unlike
the other passengers, I was in another world.
My mind had strayed back to the 11th century when this Moorish monarch's
court in Seville was the resort of lovers, poets, musicians and all types of
Even as the bus began to move, my thoughts did not stray away from
al-Muítamid's world of love, splendour and tragedy.
In spite of the bus driver's loud playing tape, urging the Arab people to
overthrow their un-Islamic rulers, my thoughts were back in history, to the time
when Arab Spain was at the zenith of its cultural flowering - the era when
al-Muítamid ibn ĎAbbad was Seville's poet-king.
After the fading away of the illustrious Umayyad caliphate in the 11th
century, Arab Spain broke up into two dozen paltry states, dubbed by some
writers as Ďturbaned Italian republicsí.1
They were ruled by petty-monarchs, who came to be known as mukluk
at-tawaíif. Year after year,
they bickered or fought each other in an endless series of trivial wars.
At the same time, the usually quarrelling Christian states in the north
were uniting and beginning to occupy parts of Arab Spain, putting into motion
the Christian conquest of the Iberian Peninsula.
Strange as it may seem, this did not bring the Arab mini-states together.
Their rulers continued on their merry ways, paying tribute to the
Christians and warring against each other - at times with the help of their
Yet, even with all this turbulence, this was Moorish Spain's finest
cultural era - a time of affluence and literary accomplishments. The rulers of Badajoz, Granada, Zaragoza, Seville, Toledo and
other city-states, who had inherited the grandeur of Umayyad Spain, filled their
towns with majestic palaces and enchanted gardens.
Even when feuding or vying for political dominance, they tried to attract
to their courts the most renowned of entertainers, poets and scholars.
Each state became a little earthly delight, living in a world of
make-believe, unaware of the northern armies pounding at their gates.
Of all these petty kingdoms, Seville, under the ĎAbbadids, was
militarily and culturally the most formidable.
Abu al-Qasim Muhammad ibn Ismaíil ibn ĎAbbad (1013 to 1042 A.D.), the
founder of this dynasty, was noted for his wise rule and literary attributes.
He was succeeded by his son al-Muítadid (1042-68), who was a genuine
patron of literature and the arts, and a poet in his own right.
However, he was feared for his tyrannical ways.
His offspring, al-Muítamid (1068-91), the third and last successor of
the ĎAbbadid dynasty, surpassed his two ancestors in courage, magnanimity and
composition of poetry. Histories of
Moorish-Spain are permeated with praises for this enlightened prince who was to
occupy the throne for 23 event-filled years.
Abu al-Qasim Muhammad ibn ĎAbbad al-Muítamid (also known as
Muítamid Ďala Allah, al-Zafir and al-Muíayyad Abu al-Qasim), a
contemporary of England's William the Conqueror, was born in 1040 at Beja near
Seville. He became famous for his poetry, especially the love odes to
his wife Iítimad, a former slave girl, once called al-Rumaykiya, who he
showered with love and precious gifts. A
great and tragic figure he surrounded his life with a halo of romance and legend
and tasted both the joys and bitterness of life.
A poet of love in his early years, he went on, in his later days of
exile, to write verses of nostalgia, sorrow, suffering and deep humiliation.
Ibn Bassam, a contemporary Arab bard, describes his poetry as being
sweeter than the blooming calyx of odoriferous flowers and unequalled in
tenderness of the soul.2
When al-MuĎtamid inherited the throne, he became a protector of bards
and men of letters. Besides seeking
the company of musicians and intellectuals, he himself played the lute and
composed delicate poetry. High-spirited
and grand in his way of life, he became an outstanding representative of the
11th century Andalusian-Arab poets and is ranked with the best of Arab
His father, in the early part of his reign, appointed him as governor of
Shalb - today the Portuguese city of Silves.
Here he learned the art of politics while at the same time enjoying life.
He brought to court his childhood companion, Ibn ĎAmmar, a
poet-adventurer whose artful verses had captured al-Muítamid's heart.
Lovers of the fair sex and poetry, they became intimate friends and
enjoyed an adventurous time together.
A story is told that a few years previously when al-Muítamid and his
bosom companion Ibn ĎAmmar, whom he had also made his advisor, were walking in
disguise along Seville's river, Wadi al-Kabir (Guadalquivir), they passed a
number of women washing their linen. Noting
the wind rippling the surface of the river, al-Muítamid improvised a half
verse, challenging his friend to finish the second part:
"Sanaí al-rihu min al-ma'i zarad
(The wind has spun a coat-of-mail of water)Ē,
Noting that Ibn ĎAmmar hesitated, one of
ďAyyu dir`in li-qitalin
(What a shield it would be for battle, if it stiffened)."
Struck by her quick wit and great beauty, al-Muítamid bought her
freedom from her master, the muleteer Rumayk ibn al-Hajjaj, and later married
her. It is said that he adopted the
public name al-Muítamid Ďala Allah (he who counts on God) because of her
name Iítimad (Reliance).3
Al-Muítamid's and Ibn ĎAmmar's relationship was close and moving but
ended in tragedy. When
al-Muítamid became sovereign, he bestowed on his friend many honours, but
Ammar betrayed him by satire, then by rebellion.
Outraged, the king killed him with his own hands.4
As a youth in his father's court and in Shalb, al-Muítamid's foremost
preoccupation was with poetry and the pleasures of friends in the company of
singing girls. He had inherited his
poetical talent from both his grandfather and father, and was later to pass on
this ability to his children. In
this part of his early life, his obsession was majalis al-uns (carefree
gatherings), enlivened by poetical jousts, drink and song.
These sessions inspired him to become an outstanding poet concentrating
on the themes of wine, gaiety and love. Once,
while drinking with his friends, the wine induced him to recite:
"As I was passing by,
A vine, its tendrils tugged my sleeve.
ĎDo you designí, said I,
ĎMy body so to grieve?'
ĎWhy do you passí, the vine
Replied, Ďand never greeting make?
It took this blood of mine
Your thirsting bones to slake.í5
Another time, describing a beautiful concubine, he
"She loosed her robe, that I might see
Her body, lissome as a tree.
The calyx opened in that hour
And oh, the beauty of my flower!"6
In this period of his fun-filled life, beautiful
maidens gave him the inspiration to write ghazal (love poetry).
At times he put in words his ensnarement with the fair sex:
"Her piercing eyes cut my heart in two,
And my eyes wept with longing for her...
And I would kiss the lips behind the veil,
And embrace the pearl necklace above your embroidered sash!"7
After the death of his father in 1068, al-Muítamid,
at the age of 28 ascended the throne. In
the next two decades, besides being a benevolent ruler and an eminent statesman,
he became known for his personal noble qualities.
Historians have written that he was the most chivalrous, courageous,
liberal, high-minded and unselfish of all of al-Andalus's Petty Kings and noted
for his virtues of discretion, generosity and modesty.
Al-Muítamid's court turned into a resort of renowned poets and literary
men. Among those who received his
favours were, besides Ibn ĎAmmar, who some historians call the greatest of the
11th century Andalusian-Arab poets, ĎAbd al-Jabbar ibn Hamdis, who fled Sicily
when the Normans occupied that island, the bard Ibn Lubbana, once one of
al-Muítamid's vizirs, and Bakr ibn ĎAbd as-Samad, a noted poet of that era.
In this early part of his reign, when all that surrounded him were
prosperity and ease, he was content with life and remained devoted to Iítimad.
Submissive to her whims, he sang her verses of passion and tenderness,
which reflected a deep, noble and undying love.
They had a splendid life in court together and he could barely be
separated from her. Once, while he
was away on a military expedition, he wrote a long passionate poem to her in
which he lamented:
"I am pining because of being separated from you,
Inebriated with the wine of my longing for you;
Crazed with the desire to be with you,
To sip your lips and to embrace you! ...
Come to me, dear, fully trusting me,
Believe me: my heart is in your bond!"8
Al-Muítamid had met Iítimad ar-Rumaikiya about 1059 when both were
around 19. She appears to have been
beautiful, capricious, gracious, witty and a good poetess, well versed in
literature. The king's infatuation
with the former slave girl knew no bounds and he attempted to indulge her every
wish. Once, while looking through
the palace window, she saw some old ladies mixing mud in the street.
She exclaimed to al-Muítamid, "If they could do that, why couldn't
I?" And it was for al-Muítamid to order that dirt be mixed with perfumes
so that his beloved and her maids could play in the mud.9
Another story is told of Iítimad watching snowflakes falling - a rare
event in Cordova which hardly knows winter - when she burst into tears calling
al- Muítamid a monster and tyrant for not taking her to some country where she
might see this lovely thing every winter. Wanting
to satisfy her, he had all the surrounding land planted with almond trees, so
that every winter their blossoms would be a substitute for snow.10
Iítimad bore al-Muítamid six sons and a number of daughters - one,
called Zubaydah, married the Christian monarch Alfonso VI who had, besides her,
four other wives.11 Her sons all perished in
battle and it is said that she mourned them until her last days, dying
Even though al-Muítamid was immersed in love and poetry, he did not
neglect state affairs. He enlarged
his kingdom, occupying among others cities, Cordova, Jaťn and Murcia.
Seville's poet-king was in the heart of every battle and proved to be a
great warrior. He is reported to
have told one of his sons who was fighting by his side, "Do not fear, for
death is easier than humiliation and the road of kings is from the palace to the
As a result of his conquests, he became the most powerful monarch among
the Petty Kings. Yet, neither his
kingdom nor any of the other small Muslim states could hold back Alfonso VI,
King of Castile, Leůn and Navarre, who had resolved to conquer the entire
After Alfonso occupied Toledo in 1085, he forced many of the
Andalusian-Arab states, among them Seville, to pay tribute.
The Muslims of Andalusia realized that if they were to survive, they had
to seek help and turned to the Almoravids, the Berber rulers of North Africa.
Some of the Andalusian-Arab rulers were not enthusiastic about this
invitation but Alfonso's conquering legions left them no choice.
Al-Muítamid is reported to have said in response to the criticisms
brought against him by the Petty Kings that he preferred to be a camel driver in
Morocco rather than a swine herder in Castile.13
The Arab kings of Seville, Badajoz and Granada sent a delegation to
Marrakesh, pressing Yusuf ibn Tashufin, leader of the Almoravids, for help.
Ibn Tashufin agreed and in 1086 crossed the Strait of Gibraltar with his
army. At the Battle of Zallakah,
near Badajoz, aided by al-Muítamid and the other Andalusian-Arab princes, he
defeated Alfonso and liberated the Muslims from paying tribute.
Al-Muítamid fought like a lion, having three chargers killed under him
and receiving three severe wounds. Returning
together as heroes to Seville, al-Muítamid and Ibn Tashufin spent some time
together before the latter returned to Africa.
No sooner had Ibn Tashufin reached his capital in Morocco, then the Petty
Kingdoms returned to their squabbling ways, giving the Christians a chance to
renew their attacks. The Arab
kings, among them al-Muítamid, again travelled to Marrakesh seeking the Berber
leader's assistance. At the same
time, the religious leaders of al-Andalus were petitioning Ibn Tashufin to rid
them of their contending Arab monarchs who were unable to cope with the
Ibn Tashufin returned to Andalusia in 1090 and in a short time disposed
of the Party Kings, despoiled their cities and sent the rulers who were not
assassinated into exile in North Africa. Only
al-Muítamid, who had been in the forefront of those asking for Ibn Tashufin's
aid, offered serious resistance. At
the last hour, Seville's king attempted to forge an alliance with Alfonso, but
it was too late. After six days of
onslaught, Seville surrendered in 1091 and al-Muítamid and his family were put
in chains then loaded on black barges. Ibn Tashufin, who had come to rescue Andalusia from the
Christians, instead, led its foremost king into captivity and disgrace.
people of Seville gathered on the banks of their river to view the sad spectacle
of their beloved sovereign and his family being taken into exile.
Ibn Labbana's elegy, well describes this heart rendering scene:
shall forget everything before the morning by the Guadalquivir
when they were in the ships, like dead men in their graves;
The people crowded on both banks, watching how these pearls
floated on the froth of the river.
Veils fell, because maidens no longer cared to cover their faces,
and faces were torn, as mantles were in the old time;
The moment came: what tumult of farewells! Damsels and
Gallants vied in lamentation."14
As the captives were crossing the Strait of Gibraltar
to Tangier, Ibn al-Labbana mused:
"The Mubarak weeps, now that Ibn ĎAbbad is gone,
It weeps over the departed lions and gazelles;"15
The prisoners were initially taken to Meknes, then to Aghmat - the
Almoravids' first capital, located in the foothills of the High Atlas Mountains.
During the first two years of exile, though living in utter destitution,
al-Muítamid enjoyed some personal freedom, but poetry was his only solace.
He often reminisced in verse about his beloved Seville.
In one of these poems, he reflects:
"I wonder whether I ever shall spend a night
With flower gardens and water pools around me,
Where green olive groves, far famed, are planted,
Where the doves sing, the warbling of birds resounds."16
As time went on, al-Muítamid mourned his pitiful existence in fine verse, lamenting his cruel captivity. Remorseful, he decried the misery of his family, which had fallen from the pinnacle of happiness and power to the depths of poverty and debasement. During their first 'Id al-Fitr (the Muslim festival of the breaking of the fast) in confinement, tormented by the sight of his wife and daughters spinning wool, he lamented in sorrow:
"You see your daughters in tatters, hungry,
Penniless, they are spinning for other people:...
Treading on hard clay, barefooted, humbled
As if they had never been treading on musk and camphor,
Their hollow cheeks show signs of lack of food,
They sigh, their tears roll down like copious rain."17
When one of al-Muítamid's and Iítimad's last remaining sons, ĎAbd
al-Jabbar, in 1093 revolted in al-Andalus, they greeted the insurrection with
hope and joy. Ibn Tashufin feared
al-Muítamid would try to escape and had him put in fetters.
Al-Muítamid responded to his captor, writing in verse:
"My chains: Do you not know I am a Muslim?
You refuse to pity me, you are unmerciful."18
In the same poem, addressing his son, he bemoaned his
sad condition and that of his family:
"The sound of iron chains rings in my ear
So heavily; its touch fills the eyes with tears:
Your little sisters are dying in grief for you
So is your mother: bereavement sears her heart:
She weeps - no cloud ever shed more copious streams."19
The rebellion was broken after a few months and the son killed. Constantly grieving over the loss of her offspring and the sad condition of life in Aghmat, Iítimad became very ill and died shortly afterwards. In 1095, Al-Muítamid, still in chains and overwhelmed with grief for his beloved, passed away in abject destitution at the age of 55. One of Arab Spain's eminent figures, he has been written about for centuries. Al Marrakushi, a 13th century historian, said of him: "If one wanted to list all the examples of beauty produced in Andalusia from the time of the conquest to the present day, then al-Muítamid would be one of them, if not the greatest of all."20
I was still reminiscing about this poet-prince who represents the epitome of the brilliance of Arab culture, when near 30 km (19 mi) from Marrakesh, we turned to the left on a narrow road. In about 5 minutes we were in the village of Aghmat, boasting in al-Muítamid's time medrasas (schools) and royal tombs. Now, all we could see were the modest reddish adobe homes of the townspeople. As we walked from the bus stop, every one beamed when we asked the way to al-Muítamid ibn ĎAbbad's tomb. Not one person seemed surprised that strangers had come to visit the village's most famous site.
As it has been for many centuries, his mausoleum in Aghmat is still well-known and frequented by travellers. The romantic aura of Seville's virtuous lyricist-king has drawn visitors from the day Ibn Tashufin brought him a prisoner to the city. His first guests were poets like Ibn Labbana and Ibn Hamdis, who visited him while he was still alive.
After al-Muítamid's death, his contemporaries, including friends, fellow poets and even strangers, came to visit his tomb, paying their respects to this proverbial king. Among those were the poet Abu Bakr ibn ĎAbd as-Samad, who visited the grave a few days after al-Muítamid's death and Ahmad Ibn Muhammad al-Maqqari, the 17th century last great historian of the Moors in the Iberian Peninsula who wrote the famous Mohammedan Dynasties in Spain. The paying of homage to this poet-king whose life ended in tragedy has continued until our day.
Standing inside the mausoleum, newly renovated in 1991, I surveyed the three gravestones: those of al-Mu Ďtamid and Iítimad, divided by that of one of their daughters. Turning, I saw tears flowing from my daughter's eyes as she gazed on the graves of the once proud and powerful king of Seville and the ones he loved. I remembered the words of the traveller who wrote, "People weep for him still."21
My eyes watered, recalling the words of Ibn Bakr, who after kissing al-Muítamid's crypt, recited a long poem which included these verses:
"Oh king of kings, do you hear?
May I address you?
Or do these circumstances not allow you to hear?
When your palaces were deprived of your presence,
And you were not there as usual during the feasts,
I humbly came to this ground, my purpose being
At your tomb to recite a poem of praise to you!...
My eyes send forth one stream after another, but
The fire of my heart flames constantly anew."22
Back in Marrakech, the bus let us off besides a mausoleum-like building. Stopping a passer-by, I asked, "What is this structure?" He smiled, responding, "It's the tomb of Ibn Tashufin - the hero of our nation." I could barely hold back the tears. Hero he might be to some people, but to me he was the one who humiliated Arab Spain's most brilliant literary mind and had him die in chains.
Arberry, A.J., Aspects of Islamic Civilization as Depicted in the Original Texts, George Allen and Unwin Ltd., London, 1964.
Arberry, A.J., Moorish Poetry - a translation of The Pennants, an Anthology compiled in 1243 by Ibn Sa`id, The Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1953.
Burkhardt, Titus, Moorish Culture in Spain, George Allen & Unwin Ltd., London, 1972.
Chejne, Anwar G., Muslim Spain Its History and Culture, The University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, 1974.
Huart, Clťment, A History of Arabic Literature,
William Heinemann, London, 1903.
Hole, Edwyn, Andalus: Spain Under the Muslims,
Robert Hale Ltd., London, 1958.
Imamuddin, S.M., Muslim Spain 711-1492 A.D.,
E.J. Brill, Leiden, 1981.
al-MakkarŪ, Ahmed, Ibn Mohammed, Mohammedan
Dynasties in Spain, Vol. I & II,
translated by Pascual de Gayangos, Johnson Reprint Corp., New York, 1964.
Nykl, A.R., Hispano-Arabic Poetry and Its
Relations with the Old ProvenÁal Troubadours, J.H. Furst, Co.,
Wasserstein, David, The Rise and Fall of the
Party-Kings - Politics and Society in Islamic Spain 1002-1086, Princeton
University Press, Princeton, 1985.
Watt, Montgomery, W., A History of Islamic Spain,
Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh, 1967.
|
<urn:uuid:96ace7a4-ba3e-4a25-8fba-b76648fcc791>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www.alhewar.net/Basket/Habeeb_Salloum_al-mutamid_bin_abbad.htm
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783399425.79/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154959-00010-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.961981 | 5,532 | 2.53125 | 3 |
The boyhood of Thomas Edison (orig.16mm print)
Filmed in the original buildings at the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Michigan.
Run time 14:07Production Company CoronetAudio/Visual sound, colorLanguage English
Educational Collaborator: Arthur W. Foshay, Ed.D. Professor of Education, Teachers College, Columbia University.
This film dramatizes incidents from the boyhood of one of America's great practical scientists. Tom's sitting on eggs to hatch them, his early experiments with chemicals and electricity, the newspaper he published on a train, all point up his curiosity, persistence, ingenuity, and his ability to learn through observation. Qualities which were later to help him change the world.
Grade levels: Primary, Intermediate.
A Coronet Instructional Film, 1964
|
<urn:uuid:051cfa64-f6ba-4ec9-8bfb-027648c7037c>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://archive.org/details/filmcollectief-01-661?start=655.5
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397795.31/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00164-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.946482 | 172 | 2.546875 | 3 |
History of Sedative-hypnotics
In 1903, barbital, a derivative of barbituric acid, was
introduced. Its sleep-inducing and anxiolytic effects made it very popular in
clinical medicine. It soon became popular as a treatment for anxiety and as the
first "sleeping pill". In 1912, phenobarbital was introduced. Phenobarbital, in
addition to sedative-hypnotic properties, has anticonvulsant properties and has
become one of the most important pharmacological treatments for epilepsy. The
success of barbital and phenobarbital spawned the synthesis of over 2,500
barbiturates. Of these many barbiturate analogues, only about 20 are still on
the market. The effects of these various barbiturates are generally similar,
differing primarily in potency and duration of action.
The partial separation of sedative-hypnotic-anesthetic from
anticonvulsant properties, found in phenobarbital, led researchers to search for
agents with more selective effects on the functions of the CNS. In the late
1930's, relatively nonsedative anticonvulsants were developed (e.g., phenytoin
and trimethadione). In 1957 the first benzodiazepine, chlordiazepoxide (Librium)
was synthesized. Benzodiazepines have demonstrated the ability to relieve
symptoms of anxiety with relatively little interference with cognitive function
or wakefulness. Benzodiazepines and barbiturates share very similar properties
but the benzodiazepines have demonstrated to have a much safer pharmacological
profile. Benzodiazepines have therefore replaced barbiturates for most uses,
particularly for treatment of anxiety and sleep disturbances.
Behavioral Effects in Humans
Sedative-hypnotic drugs depress behavior, moderate
excitement, and induce calmness. These drugs depress the central nervous system,
however, they usually produce therapeutic benefits at far lower doses than those
causing substantial generalized depression of behavior.
Barbiturates have a wider and more powerful effect on the
central nervous system than the other sedatives. The barbiturates can produce
varying degrees of depression of the CNS, ranging from mild sedation to general
anesthesia. In low doses barbiturates have a calming effect, and some of the
barbiturates (e.g., phenobarbital) have demonstrated selective anticonvulsant
properties. In moderate doses they produce a drunken euphoric state, similar to
alcohol. Sedation and sleep result from increased doses, and even higher doses
produce surgical anesthesia. Because of their ability to produce sedation and
decrease sleep latency, barbiturates were popular in the treatment of insomnia
prior to the advent of benzodiazepines. However, because of the high incidence
of tolerance and physical dependence following chronic use and the relatively
high danger of overdose, these drugs are rarely used today for the treatment of
anxiety or sleep disturbances.
Benzodiazepines share the sedative-hypnotic properties, but
produce fewer side effects than barbiturates. Like barbiturates, benzodiazepines
have also been reported to produce anticonvulsant effects. In addition, these
drugs are used clinically as muscle relaxants, antiepilieptic agents, and to
produce sedation before operative procedures. The antianxiety effects of
benzodiazepines are more selective than those of other sedative-hypnotics --
they relieve anxiety at lower doses and thus produce minimal sedation and motor
impairment. The benzodiazepines are currently the most important class of drugs
for treatment of anxiety and sleep disorders.
Mechanism of Action
Barbiturates and benzodiazepines act similarly to produce
depression of central nervous system function and behavior. Both classes of
drugs enhance the ability of the inhibitory neurotransmitter, gamma aminobutyric
acid (GABA), to activate a
type of receptors known as GABA-A receptors. These drugs increase the
effectiveness of GABA by altering the receptor so that GABA can bind more
easily, an effect known as allosteric regulation. Activation of the GABA-A
receptor opens an ion channel, allowing negatively charged chloride ions to
enter the cell, producing an inhibition of neuronal activity.
In addition to barbiturates and benzodiazepines,
ethanol appears to produce
depression of central nervous system function, in part by enhancing the ability
of GABA to bind to the GABA-A receptor. This may explain why these three classes
of drugs potentiate each others' effects and why tolerance to one results in
cross-tolerance to another.
Thought Questions and Quick Quiz
- Drugs, such as benzodiazepines and alcohol, that are generally
depressant on behavior often produce excitatory effects, particularly at low
doses. How would you explain these apparently paradoxical effects?
- Barbiturates and benzodiazepines are effective for a variety of clinical
problems, ranging from anxiety and sleep disturbances to seizures. Given
their pharmacological effects, why do you suppose this is the case?
|
<urn:uuid:3b89e368-2559-4534-8c84-1fa87d0f60cf>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www.onestopgate.com/gate-study-material/pharmaceutical-science/medicinal/hypnotics.asp
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783394414.43/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154954-00152-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.848933 | 1,117 | 3.375 | 3 |
I've started an exercise program of vigorous walking for about 30 minutes followed by 10–15 minutes on a rowing machine. I get thirsty during my workout, but I've been told not to drink any fluid during this time because it is best to drink a thirst-quencher that replaces minerals and fluids after exercising. Do you agree with this?
Definitely not! You should drink water any time you take a break during your workout. For your particular program, it would be best to drink water either between walking and rowing, or before you start your walk. Don’t wait until you get thirsty. If you can tell you’re losing water, replace it.
Even if you don’t perspire during exercise, which you probably do, you will lose fluid through breathing. Your blood volume is directly related to your water volume and intake.
If you get dehydrated, your blood volume will be lower. Blood is necessary to move oxygen and nutrients to the cells and flush out waste products and CO2. Lowered blood volume will cause the heart to pump faster and harder, placing an unnecessary strain on your heart.
I would also recommend staying away from athletic drinks to replenish fluids and minerals. Most of them are loaded with sugar, giving you a quick blood sugar rise only to be followed by a drop with fatigue. Instead, drink water or diluted apple juice or orange juice (50 percent juice, 50 percent water). After cooling down from exercising, eat a piece of fruit.
|
<urn:uuid:baa66d33-7c4e-46a5-a970-d83ca4a48d10>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www.drdavidwilliams.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/article.detail/ID/f4add281-6e19-47b5-b2c9-431ff46a46bc
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783404826.94/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155004-00024-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.94817 | 308 | 2.796875 | 3 |
Finnish is an extremely difficult
language. Also, to native speakers of Indo-European
languages, many of the constructions in Finnish would seem quite foreign and strange. However, Finland
is a rather hi-tech country, and thus a lot of native Finnish
speakers can be found on the internet
. It is from a few Finnish
linguists on IRC
that I know most of the following:
Finnish is a very, very
inflected agglutinative language. There are verb conjugations, for each tense. The personal pronouns are as follows. Note that the personal pronouns themselves inflect, the following are just the common, nominative forms of them.
minä - I
sinä - you (singular)
hän - he/she (no differentiation is made)
me - we
te - you (plural)
he - they (humans)
ne - they (inanimate objects, informally used for humans in some cases)
Verb conjugation in the present tense is actually fairly simple. The personal pronoun is often omitted in Finnish, although in formal or emphasizing situations it is often left in place. Most verbs follow a fairly normal pattern in the present tense. The verb "speak" in it's uninflected form (I'm not entirely sure if calling it the infinitive would be correct) is "puhua", and is conjugated thus:
(minä) puhun - I speak
(sinä) puhut - you speak
(hän) puhuu - he/she speaks
(me) puhumme - we speak
(te) puhutte - you all speak
(he) puhuvat - they speak
The pattern is -n, -t, double the final vowel (such as omista, own, hän omistaa, mene, go, hän menee etc. If the verb already ends with a double vowel, leave it as is), -mme, -tte, -vat. The pattern for the direct past (aka the "perfect" tense) is: puhuin, puhuit, puhui, puhuimme, puhuitte, puhuivat. So as you can see, the endings remain fairly constant.
As is usually the case in any language, the verb "to be" is somewhat irregular, although not quite as bad as you might think. The uninflected form is "olla", and it is conjugated:
(minä) olen - I am
(sinä) olet - you are
(hän) on - he/she is
(me) olemme - we are
(te) olette - you all are
(he) ovat - they are
Verbs in Finnish are negated with the word ei (which also means "no" when spoken by itself) (and, courtesy Loather, does in fact itself conjugate. Oops. I guess that would explain how we can have implicit subjects with negative verbs. I always wondered about that).
Minä en puhu ranskaa - I don't speak French
Hän ei mene asemalle - He isn't going into the station
As for the nouns and adjectives, they have cases much like in Latin. This is what I mean by "Finnish is really hard". In fact, Latin scholars might recognize some of the cases. But Finnish has not five, but fifteen main cases. Here, for the brave souls who wish to know, are the 15 cases, using kirja, book, as an example:
nominative, the basic form. Kirja (book)
genitive, possessive. Kirjan (the book's)
accusative, points to something. Kirja (this book)
partitive, points to something as object... Luen kirjaa (I'm reading the book)
essive, as something... Kirjana (as a book)
translative, refers to change... Sivut muuttuivat kirjaksi (pages bound into a book)
inessive, in something... Kirjassa (in a book)
elative, from something... Kirjasta (from a book)
illative, into something... Kirjaan (into a book)
adessive, on something... kirjalla (on a book)
ablative, from (on top) of something... Kirjalta (from on top of a book)
allative, onto something... Kirjalle (onto a book)
abessive, without something... Kirjatta (without a book)
comitative, Refers to doing something with possessive... Hän tuli kirjoineen (he came with his books)
instructive, by something.. Kirjoin (only in plural)
Prepositions, therefore, don't exist in Finnish. (correction, they do, sort of. But in a different way and purpose than in English) Some things are attached to end of the nouns as suffixes. For example, kirjani is "my book".
The word order in Finnish is more unfixed than English, but some word orders come off as being "normal" and others as being more archaic and poetic. (like "Into the woods I walk" vs. "I walk into the woods" in English). Most sentences do have the Subject-Verb-Object order, however.
One other interesting tidbit. In English, the names of a country and their respective languages are some different, and irregular. I.e., England; English, Japan; Japanese; France; French; Spain, Spanish, and so on. In Finnish, the name of the country and its respepctive language are always the same. The country is capitalized, and the language is all lowercase. For example, the word for Finland in Finnish is Suomi, while the Finnish language is suomi. France is Ranska, French is ranska. England is Englanti, English is englanti.
This guide is hardly comprehensive, and as most of you probably can tell, I'm a native English speaker, so my knowledge of Finnish pretty much consists of what you see here. If anyone who knows more than me has anything to add, I encourage them to add something below or /msg me with corrections.
: Yeah, I figured I'd make a few mistakes. Thanks to Lother
for the corrections. Keep 'em comin', guys. ;) I've ammended my writeup as necessary for said mistakes.
|
<urn:uuid:6bba7289-f1f6-4cde-932d-f0f9fa1a75ca>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://everything2.com/user/xmatt/writeups/Finnish?showwidget=showCs1055642
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783400572.45/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155000-00161-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.919393 | 1,427 | 2.546875 | 3 |
Homemade Silly Putty
- 2 parts white glue
- 1 part liquid starch
- Small mixing bowl
- Airtight container
- Combine glue and starch in a bowl and mix well.
- Let dry until the putty is workable.
- You may have to add a bit more glue or starch. (This may not work well on a humid day.)
- Store in an airtight container.
More on: Activities for Preschoolers
Copyright © 1998 by Patricia Kuffner. Excerpted from The Preschooler's Busy Book with permission of its publisher, Meadowbrook Press.
To order this book visit Meadowbrook Press.
|
<urn:uuid:5e447711-fe21-43dc-a1f7-076668e1a26a>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://fun.familyeducation.com/childrens-art-activities/sculpting/36683.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395039.24/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00100-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.859696 | 141 | 2.53125 | 3 |
Save those snowballs to get in to Science Center
The snow has finally arrived, and there's a good reason to celebrate – free admission to Carnegie Science Center.
Anyone who makes a snowball this winter and saves it in their freezer will receive a free general admission to the Science Center on the Summer Solstice, Sunday, June 21.
Every person who brings a snowball to Carnegie Science Center on June 21, the first day of summer, will receive a free general admission and have the opportunity to launch their snowball into the Ohio River via a giant slingshot or air cannon from aboard the USS Requin attack submarine.
Hundreds of snowballs survived the spring of 2008 in freezers throughout the region and beyond, making their way to Carnegie Science Center on the Summer Solstice and redeemed for free admission. Snowballs arrived at the Science Center in coolers, freezer bags, frosty coffee cans and plastic storage containers.
While packing your snowballs, remember these snowy facts:
• Snow forms from tiny crystals in clouds. Snow is not frozen rain; that's called sleet.
• When tiny frozen crystals collide and stick together, they form snowflakes.
• Most snowflakes melt before reaching the ground.
• Because of the molecular structure of water, snowflakes are always hexagonal.
• No two snowflakes are identical.
|
<urn:uuid:f5d72667-aafc-4291-aeb7-4a7832570055>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www.sopghreporter.com/story/2009/01/20/kids/save-those-snowballs-to-get-in-to-science-center/1363.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783402516.86/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155002-00053-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.911649 | 276 | 2.703125 | 3 |
Note: Our PDF books contain no DRM and can be printed, copied to multiple computers owned by you, and once downloaded do not require an internet connection.
|$39.99 (USD)||Buy Paperback from Amazon.COM||[Buy]|
|$19.99 (USD)||Buy DRMFree PDF EBook Pack|
Introduction to Neural Networks fpr C#, Second Edition, introduces the C# programmer to the world of Neural Networks and Artificial Intelligence. Neural network architectures, such as the feedforward, Hopfield, and self-organizing map architectures are discussed. Training techniques, such as backpropagation, genetic algorithms and simulated annealing are also introduced. Practical examples are given for each neural network. Examples include the traveling salesman problem, handwriting recognition, financial prediction, game strategy, mathematical functions, and Internet bots. All C# source code is available online for easy downloading.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 provides an overview of neural networks. You will be introduced to the mathematical underpinnings of neural networks and how to calculate their values manually. You will also see how neural networks use weights and thresholds to determine their output. Matrix math plays a central role in neural network processing.
Chapter 2 introduces matrix operations and demonstrates how to implement them in C#. The mathematical concepts of matrix operations used later in this book are discussed. Additionally, C# classes are provided which accomplish each of the required matrix operations. One of the most basic neural networks is the Hopfield neural network.
Chapter 3 demonstrates how to use a Hopfield Neural Network. You will be shown how to construct a Hopfield neural network and how to train it to recognize patterns.
Chapter 4 introduces the concept of machine learning. To train a neural network, the weights and thresholds are adjusted until the network produces the desired output. There are many different ways training can be accomplished. This chapter introduces the different training methods.
Chapter 5 introduces perhaps the most common neural network architecture, the feedforward backpropagation neural network. This type of neural network is the central focus of this book. In this chapter, you will see how to construct a feedforward neural network and how to train it using backpropagation. Backpropagation may not always be the optimal training algorithm.
Chapter 6 expands upon backpropagation by showing how to train a network using a genetic algorithm. A genetic algorithm creates a population of neural networks and only allows the best networks to ?mate? and produce offspring. Simulated annealing can also be a very effective means of training a feedforward neural network.
Chapter 7 continues the discussion of training methods by introducing simulated annealing. Simulated annealing simulates the heating and cooling of a metal to produce an optimal solution. Neural networks may contain unnecessary neurons.
Chapter 8 explains how to prune a neural network to its optimal size. Pruning allows unnecessary neurons to be removed from the neural network without adversely affecting the error rate of the network. The neural network will process information more quickly with fewer neurons. Prediction is another popular use for neural networks.
Chapter 9 introduces temporal neural networks, which attempt to predict the future. Prediction networks can be applied to many different problems, such as the prediction of sunspot cycles, weather, and the financial markets.
Chapter 10 builds upon chapter 9 by demonstrating how to apply temporal neural networks to the financial markets. The resulting neural network attempts to predict the direction of the S & P 500. Another neural network architecture is the self-organizing map (SOM). SOM?s are often used to group input into categories and are generally trained with an unsupervised training algorithm. An SOM uses a winner-takes-all strategy, in which the output is provided by the winning neuron?output is not produced by each of the neurons.
Chapter 11 provides an introduction to SOMs and demonstrates how to use them. Handwriting recognition is a popular use for SOMs.
Chapter 12 continues where chapter 11 leaves off, by demonstrating how to use an SOM to read handwritten characters. The neural network must be provided with a sample of the handwriting that it is to analyze. This handwriting is categorized using the 26 characters of the Latin alphabet. The neural network is then able to recognize new characters.
Chapter 13 introduces bot programming and explains how to use a neural network to help identify data. Bots are computer programs that perform repetitive tasks. An HTTP bot is a special type of bot that uses the web much like a human uses it. The neural network is trained to recognize the specific types of data for which the bot is searching.
The book ends with chapter 14, which discusses the future of neural networks, quantum computing, and how it applies to neural networks. The Encog neural network framework is also introduced.
|
<urn:uuid:12d89c40-0df4-4e7c-bce9-fc5d1a9f7bde>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www.heatonresearch.com/book/programming-neural-networks-cs-2.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397873.63/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00070-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.90937 | 976 | 2.8125 | 3 |
Section 7: Phase Control and New Structures
We have mentioned several times that laser light and the bosonic atoms in a gaseous BEC are coherent: The quantum phase of each particle is locked in phase with that of every other particle. As this phase coherence is lost, the condensate is lost, too. What is this quantum phase? Here, we must expand on our earlier discussion of standing waves and quantum wavefunctions. We will discuss what is actually waving in a quantum wave as opposed to a classical one, and acknowledge where this waving shows up in predictions made by quantum mechanics and in actual experimental data. Unlike poetry or pure mathematics, physics is always grounded when faced with experimental fact.
Like vibrating cello strings or ripples in the ocean, quantum wavefunctions are waves in both space and time. We learned in Unit 5 that quantum mechanics is a theory of probabilities. The full story is that quantum wavefunctions describe complex waves. These waves are sometimes also called "probability amplitudes," to make clear that it is not the wavefunction itself which is the probability. Mathematically, they are akin to the sines and cosines of high school trigonometry, but with the addition of i, the square root of -1, to the sine part. So, the wave has both a real part and an imaginary part. This is represented mathematically as (see sidebar), where the i is called the "complex phase" of the wavefunction.
Figure 25: While the complex part of a quantum wavefunction "waves," the probability density does not.
Source: © William P. Reinhardt. More info
The probability density (or probability distribution), which tells us how likely we are to detect the particle in any location in space, is the absolute value squared of the complex probability amplitude, and as probabilities should be, they are real and positive. What is this odd-sounding phrase "absolute value squared"? A particle's probability density, proportional to the absolute value of the wavefunction squared, is something we can observe in experiments, and is always measured to be a positive real number. Our detectors cannot detect imaginary things. One of the cardinal rules of quantum mechanics is that although it can make predictions that seem strange, its mathematical description of physics must match what we observe, and the absolute value squared of a complex number is always positive and real. See the math
What about the stationary states such as the atomic energy levels discussed both in this unit and in Unit 5? If a quantum system is in a stationary state, nothing happens, as time passes, to the observed probability density: That's, of course, why it's called a stationary state. It might seem that nothing is waving at all, but we now know that what is waving is the complex phase.
For a stationary state, there is nothing left of the underlying complex waving after taking the absolute value squared of the wavefunction. But if two waves meet and are displaced from one another, the phases don't match. The result is quantum interference, as we have already seen for light waves, and will soon see for coherent matter waves. Experimentalists have learned to control the imaginary quantum phase of the wavefunction, which then determines the properties of the quantum probability densities. Phase control generates real time-dependent quantum phenomena that are characteristic of both BECs and superconductors, which we will explore below.
Phase imprinting and vortices
When does this hidden phase that we don't see in the experimentally measurable probability density become manifest? The simplest example is in interference patterns such as those shown in Figure 26. Here, the phase difference between two macroscopic quantum BECs determines the locations of the regions of positive and negative interference. So, situations do exist in which this mysterious phase becomes actual and measurable: when interference patterns are generated.
Figure 26: Interference of two coherent BECs, separated and allowed to recombine.
Source: © William P. Reinhardt (left image) and Wolfgang Ketterle (right image). More info
But, there is more if we fiddle with the overall phase of a whole superfluid or superconductor with its many-particle macroscopic wavefunction. Imprinting a phase on such a system can create moving dynamical structures called vortices and solitons. Both signify the existence of a fully coherent, macroscopic many-particle quantum system.
A phase can be "imprinted" by rotating such a macroscopic quantum system. This creates vortices as we see in the density profile calculated in Figure 27. Physicists have observed such vortices in liquid superfluids, gaseous BECs, and superconductors. All have the same origin.
Figure 27: Quantum vortices in a BEC (top) and the corresponding phase of the quantum wavefunction (bottom).
Source: © William P. Reinhardt. More info
We can obtain a physical picture of what's happening if we examine the phase of the underlying macroscopic wavefunction. That's difficult to do experimentally, but easy if we use a computer calculation to generate the coherent many-body macroscopic wavefunction, as Figure 27 illustrates. Here, unlike in an experimental situation, we fully know the phase of the wavefunction because we have programmed it ourselves. We can then calculate its absolute value squared if we like, which gives the resulting probability density that an experiment would observe. If we calculate the phase in a model of a circulating BEC, superfluid, or superconducting current, and compare it to the observable probability density, we find the phase changes periodically as you trace a circle around what appear to be holes in the probability density, as you can see in Figure 27. Each hole is a tiny quantum whirlpool, or vortex; the lines of phase radiating outward indicate that the quantum fluid is circulating around these holes.
Solitons: waves that do not decay
Clearly, then, altering the phase of a macroscopic wavefunction may have dramatic effects. Another such effect is the creation of the special nonlinear waves called "solitons," which physicists have observed in BECs following a phase imprinting. Solitons are a very special type of wave. They can, and do, pass right though each other without dissipating. And if they are in a superfluid (a gaseous atomic BEC in this case), they will carry on this oscillatory motion forever. These are called "density notch solitons," and are created by phase imprinting on part of a condensate. The process both creates and drives the motion of the solitons, just as circular phase imprints both create and maintain superfluid vortices.
Figure 28: Density notch soliton.
Source: © William P. Reinhardt. More info
The vortices and solitons are both highly unusual persistent defects in the quantum wavefunction. Were these systems not macroscopic superfluids, such defects would just disappear and dissipate of their own accord. Try to make a hole in a tub of water and watch it fill in. (On the other hand, lumps of water can propagate without dispersion: Think of tsunamis, where, in exactly the right circumstances, lumps of water can move across a whole ocean.) The same would happen to a quantum bump or dip in the density corresponding to one or a few quantum particles in free space: The wavefunction would spontaneously disperse. It is the collective and coherent nature of the many-particle BEC that allows these nonlinear wave structures to persist. Of course, if you can create a whirlpool as the bath tub drains, it will persist; but such a classical whirlpool has nothing to do with the phase of the liquid water, phase being a purely quantum concept as we apply it here.
Figure 29: The formation of vortices in this BEC shows that it is a superfluid.
Source: © Martin Zwierlein. More info
The vortices and solitons we describe are all consistent with the idea that all the particles are in a single quantum state. These highly dilute gaseous condensates are essentially 100 percent pure, in the sense that all the particles occupy a single quantum state in the trap—although, to be sure, the quantum state wavefunction distorts as the trap is filled. The simple tools developed here have their limitations. They apply to dilute atomic gases, but cannot deal with a more traditional liquid such as 4He in its superfluid state. Owing to the very strong interactions between the helium atoms at the much higher density of the liquid, the condensate is only about 10 percent pure condensate. This does not affect its remarkable properties as a superfluid, but certainly makes its theoretical description more difficult. In fact, it makes the quantitative description of the coherent quantum wavefunction a tremendously exciting exercise in computational physics.
|
<urn:uuid:5ece3547-ae37-4c2b-ac46-b07359f12ce2>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www.learner.org/courses/physics/unit/text.html?unit=6&secNum=7
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397865.91/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00179-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.9361 | 1,846 | 3.78125 | 4 |
Timor Sea Justice Campaign
For various historical reasons, East Timor has never had maritime boundaries.
As a sovereign nation East Timor wants maritime boundaries and is legally entitled to have them. Unfortunately, the Australian Government has persistently refused to establish permanent maritime boundaries with East Timor in accordance with current international law.
Australia has even withdrawn its recognition of the maritime boundary jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice and the International Tribunal of the Laws of the Sea, leaving East Timor with no legal avenues to assert its rights.
The uneven negotiating positions have resulted in a series of temporary resource sharing agreements that short-change East Timor of billions of dollars worth of government royalties generated by oil and gas resources located in the Timor Sea.
Not only would permanent boundaries bring some closure to the Timorese’s long and determined struggle to become an independent and sovereign nation, but they could deliver a significant income to the second poorest country in Asia.
For example, the Greater Sunrise gas field located 100 kilomtres from East Timor’s coastline is expected to generate about $40 billion in government revenues. If boundaries were established in accordance with international law, Greater Sunrise would lie entirely within East Timor’s Exclusive Economic Zone.
The Timor Sea Justice Campaign is comprised of concerned Australians of various ages, backgrounds and political persuasion who all want our Government to give East Timor a fair go.
Specifically, we’re calling for the establishment of permanent maritime boundaries between East Timor and Australia in accordance with international law – that is, the boundary should be drawn along the median line halfway between the two countries’ coastlines.
If you would like to get involved please contact us, or even if you just want to stay informed of any developments, sign up to our mailing list here.
|
<urn:uuid:5a8ac648-b337-4b61-8927-8c5b48608356>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www.timorseajustice.com/TSJC/introduction
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395679.92/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00056-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.951868 | 370 | 2.53125 | 3 |
Learn something new every day
More Info... by email
The Seattle Underground is a tourist attraction in Seattle, Washington that resulted from city planning after the destruction of a large number of downtown buildings during the Great Seattle Fire in the late 19th century. If you’d visited Seattle before 1889, the buildings and shops were constructed at a lower level. This created problems for residents and businesses, since areas of the business section in town would and did flood.
After the fire, creative city planners decided to arrest these problems by raising the level of most of the buildings. Some buildings that had survived the fire still had lower entrances, which meant walking down, or up a few flights of stairs to get where you needed to go. Ultimately, buildings were remodeled to give street access.
Unfortunately, the Seattle Underground became the site of unsavory activities. Illegal liquor establishments during Prohibition flourished in the Seattle Underground. In fact most people avoided the Seattle Underground due to fear of crimes and of catching potentially contagious illnesses. Most of the old basements from surviving buildings were condemned, yet interest in them flourished in the 1960s.
Much of the Seattle Underground is decidedly unsafe, but parts of it, located under Pioneer Square have been restored and made safe for tours. This restoration has been influenced greatly by Seattle resident Bill Speidel, who decided to begin offering tours to the less dangerous parts of the Seattle Underground in 1965. Due to the old architecture, and the history associated with the Seattle Underground, these tours have become increasingly popular.
You can tour the Seattle Underground with Bill Speidel’s company, and you may be surprised by some of the things available to do there. For instance, some couples have gotten married in the Seattle Underground. The tour covers about three blocks underneath the city, but much of it is on uneven ground, and the weather can be chilly. Speidel’s group recommends bringing a warm jacket and good walking shoes for the trip.
You can even dine at the Seattle Underground Café, certainly a place with lots of moody lighting. One of the surprise aspects of the tour is a number of portraits by mostly local artists of Seattle’s past residents of note. There are also several places to stop and note artifacts of Seattle’s past. On a tour you’ll get plenty of information about early Seattle, and the seamy side of the Underground during its condemned years. You do need to book a tour of the Seattle Underground in advance — Speidel’s company recommends booking the tour at least two weeks ahead of your planned visit.
One of our editors will review your suggestion and make changes if warranted. Note that depending on the number of suggestions we receive, this can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days. Thank you for helping to improve wiseGEEK!
|
<urn:uuid:0ba5d272-a74d-49ed-af80-0fdaddf8b62a>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-seattle-underground.htm
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396945.81/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00085-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.969535 | 573 | 2.640625 | 3 |
Revista Brasileira de Epidemiologia
Print version ISSN 1415-790X
CARMONA-FONSECA, Jaime. Plasmodium vivax malaria recurrence according to the use of primaquine: analysis of longitudinal descriptive studies. Rev. bras. epidemiol. [online]. 2012, vol.15, n.3, pp.488-503. ISSN 1415-790X. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1415-790X2012000300005.
BACKGROUND: primaquine (PQ) is the only drug available in the market to prevent Plasmodium vivax malaria recurrence, but several aspects are still unknown. OBJECTIVE: To compare PQ regimens to prevent recurrence of vivax malaria. METHODS: systematic review and meta-analysis of data. RESULTS: 1. According to descriptive studies, is PQ effective in preventing recurrence of vivax malaria? Yes. The comparison of studies that did not use PQ to others that did, using any regimen, showed that if PQ is not used, recurrence is highly likely. 2. Are equal daily doses effective (mg/kg) but total doses different? The total dose of 75 mg is equally or more effective than 210 mg. 3. Does the efficacy depend on where the infection happens? Yes. There is variation by country and region. 4. Does the recurrence rate depend on the post-treatment time follow-up? The answer is not uniform everywhere. CONCLUSIONS: Although not 100%, PQ is effective in preventing recurrence. Total doses of 210 and 75 mg are equally effective, but 75 mg alone has been evaluated in India, where P. vivax seems to respond better to PQ than elsewhere. The effect of place in the proportion of recurrences seems evident, even using the same total dose. The role of follow-up time is not clear. Although the standard regimen has an average effectiveness of 90% or more, alternative regimens should be assessed.
Keywords : Primaquine; Malaria; Plasmodium vivax; Recurrence; Efficacy; Descriptive studies.
|
<urn:uuid:9227f4b7-f778-4b5b-9851-bc1482ec7fbf>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www.scielosp.org/scielo.php?script=sci_abstract&pid=S1415-790X2012000300005&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=en
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397562.76/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00028-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.874065 | 465 | 2.765625 | 3 |
THE words “culture” and “civilization” carry different meanings for different scholars. In this study both stand for that which is most fundamental and enduring about the ways of a group persisting in time. That is to say, they cover those values, norms, institutions, and modes of thinking to which successive generations in a given society have attached primary importance.
Numerous such discrete cultures have existed in time, and many can be recognized today. However, scholarly accords on the identification of cultures, past and present, cannot be presumed. Civilizations resist reliable mapping, and each scholar is therefore naturally inclined to chart his own way through the labyrinth of culture-related records by relying on mental processes of discernment, analysis, comparison, and evaluation that are congenial to him and his particular academic craft.
One of the major impediments in the path toward agreement is no doubt the fact that a culture—quite contrary in this respect to a state as this political unit is recognized in the modern state system and international law—is not administered by one center of authority and does not have precise boundaries either in space or in time. Indeed the contours of a civilization are bound to be fuzzy if only because the reach and intensity of its influence are unpredictable and because the timing of its impact cannot be controlled. Furthermore, not only are ideas—and these are the structural core of a civilization—airy and fragile entities which cannot be circumscribed as unequivocally as concrete events or institutions; they are also subject to more subtle metamorphoses than the latter in the sense that their life cycle cannot be dated or chronicled in manners common to the writing of straight political or economic history.
These difficulties in the morphology of any single civilization are naturally confounded when the focus of analysis shifts to intercultural relations and exchanges. Such communications—and they have marked all epochs in world history—occur in greatly diverse ways. Cultures may interact on the plane of biography as when an individual in culture A is deeply affected by the thought world of culture B. Now such an impact, however enriching or enfeebling for the particular person, is usually entirely devoid of historical consequences. The situation is altogether different only when the individual happens to be Alexander the Great or Mohammed; Eleanor of Acquitaine, Schopenhauer, or Gandhi; Picasso or Ataturk or Mao Tse-tung. For in such cases the reaction to culture B is known to have spawned entirely new, even revolutionary, systems of thought, among them some in which the germs of culture C become evident, at least in retrospect.
However, the most common auspices for intercultural encounters are offered by collective entities. And into this category one may place politically unified empires (such as those identified with Rome, Persia, China, Ottoman Turkey, Spain, France, Britain or the Soviet Union); multi-cultural nation states (like Malaysia, the Union of South Africa, Nigeria, or the United States); great trading cities and leagues of geographically far-flung towns; international systems of co-ordinate yet culturally disparate states, such as the United Nations and other international organizations, world churches, cosmopolitan societies, and fiscal or commercial associations.
Next, contacts between cultures may be willed or unwilled. Involuntary communications are illustrated by the imperceptible diffusion of an art style, a language, a religion, or a technique of doing things. Willed encounters include the importation of an alien crop; the deliberate propagation of a set of concepts, as for instance the dissemination of Christianity, Islam, or Buddhism by religious missions, or the translation and adaptation of texts; the implanting of literacy in formerly nonliterate areas such as Africa South of the Sahara, or of a special alphabet as evidenced by the work of certain Byzantine apostles in adjoining Slavic realms. Among numerous instances of purposeful interactions within the framework of a given political system one may cite: population policies that aim—officially at least—at the mingling or redistribution of culturally diverse national segments, as for example Alexander the Great’s insistence on intermarriages between Macedonians and Asians, or ancient Assyria’s device of forceably transferring culturally uncongenial peoples from one province to another—a precedent followed in the twentieth century by the Soviet Union in the administration, for example, of the Baltic region and by Maoist China in the management of Tibet; the methodical pairing or merging of traditionally different institutions, typified by Alexander’s attempt to fuse the Greek polis with the Iranian barony and by Great Britain’s colonial policy of Indirect Rule in such places as Singapore, Uganda, and Nigeria, in which indigenous and English institutions were made to coexist and interact; intentional efforts to resolve culture-conditioned conflicts and misunderstandings between states by resort either to some kind of negotiation or to armed force.
Lastly, and as the foregoing illustrations indicate, explicit allowance must be made for the fact firstly, that war is an encounter between civilizations whenever it involves culturally different units; secondly, that relations between cultures are bound to be conflicted in virtue precisely of their difference; and thirdly, that intercultural relations, whether willed or unwilled, may occur in conditions either of peace or of war or of protracted conflict. That is to say, they transcend these political dichotomies.
A few additional generalizations on the subject of encounters between civilizations are tenable. International historians, who are permitted an overview, are entitled to conclude that some civilizations have been more outgoing than others; that some regional histories have richer records of intercultural contacts than others; and that some periods are marked by more intense exchanges than others. For instance, communications in the Hellenistic Age and the first half of the twentieth century were so intense that contemporaries were tempted for a while to speak of One World and to assume that cultural differences had been superseded by a unified world culture. Yet, as historians of the Alexandrine and Hellenistic epochs know, Persians, Indians, Jews, Egyptians, Greeks, and Macedonians had in fact retained their cultural identities. And much the same may well be true today as we review the net result of that intense movement commonly known as Westernization. For the signals from Southern and Eastern Asia, the Middle East, Africa South of the Sahara, and even Latin America are certainly to the effect that residual, traditionally basic norms, values, dispositions, and modes of comportment have not been annulled by the leveling forces of Westernization.
In common parlance “borrowing” suggests a purposeful transaction between two parties—the lender and the borrower. That is to say, the word is not a mere synonym for “communication,” “exchange,” or “interaction.” In the rarefied context of comparative and international culture history, by contrast, in which neither intent and purpose nor the particulars of the ensuing exchange can be documented reliably, “borrowing” should probably be allowed to cover all processes or projected processes of transplanting ideas and institutions that can be verified. Contrary to interpersonal or even interstate relations—at least as these are understood in Western vocabularies of morality and law—”borrowing” is perfectly legitimate if it results in appropriation. Indeed in such a case we speak of “successful” cultural borrowing rather than of deceit and trickery.
These dimensions of the issue have received masterful treatment from Leo Frobenius and Oswald Spengler. Frobenius, who was the first to study Africa in depth as a living cultural organism, uses the term paideuma when he speaks of that core of a people’s culture which resists transformation and annulment. But he also maintains that the destiny of each culture, be it primitive or civilized, is heavily dependent upon a people’s capacity for assimilating new acquisitions and upon its talent for shaping these acquisitions into forms that harmonize with the paideumic structure.
Spengler, who was greatly influenced by Frobenius, went further in his examination of interactions between civilizations and societies. After chiding historians for their eagerness to establish causal series, which makes them count only the obvious influences and ignore those not readily apparent, he has this to say:
Two Cultures may touch between man and man, or the man of one Culture may be confronted by the dead form-world of another as presented in its communicable relies. In both cases the agent is man himself. The closed-off act of A can be vivified by B only out of his own being, and eo ipso it becomes B’s, his inward property, his work, and part of himself.
Commenting on the transfer of Buddhism from India to China in what is often called the “Indianization of China,” Spengler thus finds that there was no movement of “Buddhism” from India to China but only an acceptance of part of the Indian Buddhists’ store of images by Chinese of a certain spiritual tendency who then fashioned a new mode of religious expression having meaning for Chinese, and only Chinese, Buddhists. What matters in all such cases, he continues, is not the original meaning of the forms, but the forms themselves, for they suggest to the native sensibility of the observer potential modes of his own creativeness. Even though Indians and Chinese both felt as Buddhists in those days, they remained spiritually as far apart as ever—a conclusion which has since been confirmed by Arthur Wright, the foremost modern scholar on this particular intercultural encounter, even as it has been borne out by the record of actual Indo-Chinese relations. In light of subsequent developments it was thus plainly premature to assume that Chinese thought had been significantly Indianized.
Another prolonged process of so-called Indianization in the course of which Hinduism and Buddhism were allowed to impregnate several ancient societies in Southeast Asia, notably those in Java, Khmer-Cambodia, and Burma, had similarly negligible effects. For in this case too we find that the adjacent civilizations brought forth religious orientations, art styles, and political systems which diverged radically from models and designs associated with the Indian subcontinent. And closely analogous judgments commend themselves after a review of the great movement of Sinification which paralleled Indianization in parts of this vast Southeast Asian region. Each of the episodes here mentioned may thus be said to illustrate the proposition that the original connotations of ideas are not transferable in their authenticity; that borrowing is selective, and that grafting processes may stimulate unexpected forms of cultural growth.
The history of cultural relations between Europe and Asia confirms these general findings. Two particularly complex chapters—one relating to the Arab reception of the Hellenic legacy, the other to the impact of the modern Occident upon the Orient—suggest, furthermore, that misunderstandings and distortions of culturally indigestible foreign ideas ensue easily; that grafts are subject to outright ejection; and that such abortive attempts at cultural borrowing are apt to induce distrust, jealousy, or hostility in the ranks of the debtor civilization. That is to say, cultural borrowing does not necessarily lead to a narrowing of distances between the parties involved in the relationship. As Gibb, Von Grunebaum, Schaeder, Tarn, Saunders, and others have conclusively shown, Muslim Arabs thus valued the Hellenic inheritance for essentially utilitarian reasons. Being mostly interested in borrowing certain external forms or technical aspects, they knew how to disregard all elements in the Greek body of thought that would conflict with “the truth” as established in their fundamental Koranic norms and precepts. For example, in Aristotle’s work they singled out logic and metaphysics as objects of study because here their theologians found dialectical weapons and techniques of argument which they needed for the refutation of adversary positions and threatening new ideas. The substance and spirit of Greek philosophy, history, and literature, by contrast, constituted a challenge to which they refused to respond. In fact, their original openness to Hellenism gave way, in time, to withdrawal, isolationism, rebellion, and antagonism—a sequence of dispositions also discernible from the late nineteenth century onward when Muslim élites in the Middle East began to seek a selective attachment to the civilization of the modern West with a view, mainly, to rediscovering the sources of success in history. In the early phases of this morally and politically disconcerting period the borrower’s interest came to center on emulating forms of constitutional government and codes of law. In the later twentieth century, however, it was clear that the introduction of the technical Western idiom and apparatus had by no means been tantamount to the establishment of democracy and the rule of law.
Somewhat different reactions were registered in East Asia where law and government had also been selected in this epoch as suitable objects of Westernization. Japan’s Meiji Constitution of 1889 and varied borrowings from European, notably Swiss and German, public law, appeared to have been securely grafted upon trusted traditions of rule. But when Hozumi Yatsuka, a leading exponent of Japanese politics, had occasion to explain the modern hybrid system to a Western audience, he felt compelled to insist that the Meiji Constitution was an authorized, not a contractual, constitution which, having emerged wholly from the august solicitude of the emperor, was subject to abolition at the latter’s discretion. As Richard H. Minear points out, Hozumi’s writings have a thrust distinctly different from that of his Western informants—one that ought to oblige us to look to traditional Japanese ideas about the state and the emperor rather than to Western legal theories.
The conclusion that Western-type law is not the proper measure for the organization of human relations in Japan also holds for China. Here, where Confucian and Realist methods of statecraft had converged upon nonlegal systems of controlling both China proper and the peripheral societies over which Peking claimed dominance, international law was naturally viewed suspiciously when it was first encountered in the nineteenth century. In fact, Wheaton’s “Elements of International Law,” which had been translated into Chinese by an American missionary, was at that time regarded by mandarins as something of a Trojan Horse. Acquiescence in its presence appears to have set in only after it was discovered in a dispute with Prussia that international law could be a useful defensive weapon in relations with the West—an approach that also proved entirely compatible with the tenets of Marxism-Leninism which Maoist China was to borrow later on. For in the context of this ideology, too, it is axiomatic that international law is devoid of intrinsic normative validity in the conduct of international relations even as it may prove, on occasion, to be a tactically desirable device. In this particular case, then, the conclusion appears justified that the borrowing process has been successful, all the more so as Communist China has known how to reject explicitly almost every other import from without and how to discredit the earlier borrowing process as well as the foremost lending civilization.
The chief tool of these intricate exercises in intercultural relations has been the concept of “cultural aggression.” This form of imperialist stratagem, to cite a report dated December 29, 1950, by the writer Kuo Mo-Jo to his government, was implemented above all by American subsidies granted to Chinese religious, cultural, and medical enterprises as well as by American support of schools and welfare institutions. Two hundred hospitals, more than two hundred orphanages, approximately twenty leper sanitariums, thirty schools for the blind, and so on, are enumerated in this document in order to corroborate the thesis that “It [this aggression] has enabled American imperialists . . . to lead the Chinese people into error and to debase them with the intention of morally enslaving them.” As Von Grunebaum points out in connection with this reference, modern Arab spokesmen, among them the youthful Anwar as-Sadat, have vilified the West in very similar fashion, whereas Japanese reactions to the same phenomenon have been marked by a critical spirit of self-awareness.
A retrospective view of diverse episodes of cultural borrowing suggests that a grafting process is controllable, even though its ultimate outcome may not be predictable. In each case to which allusion has here been made, it has also been possible to point to an identifiable paideumic structure in Frobenius’ sense in terms of which foreign ideas were either integrated or ejected. Whether this will continue to be the case is, however, an open question if only because modern totalitarian statecraft can be presumed capable of knocking cultures out entirely.
Even though the preceding comments have suggested that borrowing does not imply cultural poverty or bankruptcy on the part of the receiving cultures, that lending does not presuppose the presence of a culturally wealthy or superior civilization, and that lenders and borrowers occasionally reverse their rôles, it may yet be justifiable to distinguish between strong and weak civilizations, provided, of course, that suitable criteria of distinction are found. It is in the framework of such inquiries that Talcott Parsons’ concept of “seedbed societies” appears useful, albeit with modifications that may have the effect of denaturing the original term.
In “Societies: Evolutionary and Comparative Perspectives,” Parsons argues that some societies have been seedbeds of development which became crucially important only long after the societies themselves ceased to exist. His exemplars here are ancient Israel and classical Greece on the ground that the former had a decisive influence on Islam, whereas the latter made a deep impact on Rome. In the Parsons scheme in which change is lord, societies are graded in accordance with their adaptive capacities as archaic, intermediate, and modern. The measure of distinction appears to be the understanding of law and the uses to which law is put; for law—Parsons writes—when developed to the requisite level, furthers the normative components of the societal structure from the exigencies of political and economic interests and from personal, organic, and physical-environmental factors. Since both Talmudic and traditional Islamic law lack the level of generality which Max Weber called “formal rationality,” neither can qualify as “modern” law in Parsons’ view. The societies in which these legal systems were operational must therefore be classed as “intermediate.” Confucian China could not break through archaic particularism, Parsons writes, because it had not developed a strong legally defined and protected order which could make economic activities relatively independent of requirements for particularistic political protection. And Rome failed the test, he concludes, because the empire did not bring forth a sufficiently integrated community even though Roman law came closest by far among pre-modern legal systems to meeting the formal aspects of these requirements.
The Parsons way of evaluating societies is persuasive if one holds to the view that all civilizations are fundamentally alike. Having the same potential for development, they may then be expected to evolve the same norms and to move in the same directions. And in such premises it is of course quite proper to apply the stern standards of accomplishment that have evolved in one particular civilization, namely, that of the Occident. This cannot be done, by contrast, if one finds in the process of isolating and comparing civilizations that there are few if any significant trans-culturally valid givens. In such a context China is culturally distinct precisely because its system of preferred values has never allowed for the understanding of law which is taken for granted in the West. Likewise, one would not have expected either the Chinese or the Indians to differentiate between the cosmic and the social orders in manners considered rational in the West, since the belief was traditionally dominant in both cultures that the social and political order is a function as it were of cosmic forces. And finally, it is doubtful whether our idea of development as progression—which provides the measure of evaluation in the Parsons model—is compatible at all with the philosophies of time encountered in the Orient; for what mattered most in classical China and India as well as in the Islamic culture world was after all the past. The challenge confronting countless generations thus called for “progress” by returning to the truths as they had been known, rather than by charting novel roads in future time.
Whatever the shortcomings of the two great Asian civilizations in the pure Parsons design, both may be said to qualify as seedbed societies on the ground that they have spawned enduring beliefs and institutions in a great variety of adjoining lands. Ancient Israel, by contrast, appears to have been a seedbed society only in so far as it gave the impetus to the evolution of Christianity and Islam. However, it had no effect anywhere upon art, metaphysics, philosophy, law, or political organization. Hellenie Greece—Parsons’ other classical example—may well be the seedbed culture par excellence if only because so much was invented here without any influence from without, and that in just about every field of human concern. Yet, and after allowance is made for the epoch of Hellenization in certain areas of the Middle East including Bactria and Northwest India, the impact has been lasting only in what later became known as European civilization. As Schaeder observes in a penetrating comparative study of human destiny in the Orient and the Occident, no changes or mutations of the human condition were induced by Greek thought in either Western, Southern, or Eastern Asia. In some of these areas it was Persia—traditionally the counterplayer to Greece—which left indelible marks. In fact, if the diversity of recipient or borrowing societies is one of the criteria in identifying seedbed cultures, Persia may well be the leading contender for this designation. Recognized by friends and foes in antiquity as the “prestige nation,” it was allowed to have profound effects upon Armenia and Cappadocia—the meeting ground, incidentally, of Greek and Persian cultures; the Jewish community, which evolved the Torah under Persian rule and incentive; India, where in Nehru’s view Iranian influences have been continuous, as well as upon the régimes called forth by Alexander the Great and his Hellenistic successors. In the Arab and Islamic world, meanwhile, the Persian impact upon statecraft, court organization, tax system, art, and architecture was so pervasive as to justify references to the Iranian conquest of Islam.
What then are seedbed civilizations, and in which if any ways are they different from seedbed societies as conceived by Parsons? Reflections on intercultural relations, notably cultural borrowing, suggest that such realms must be abodes of culturally distinct or original thought, and that the influences emanating from them should be intensive in effect, perhaps also extensive in scope. These conditions have been met by several of the world’s civilizations in the course of international history, most notably by Persia, Greece, and Western Europe. Neither of these influential nuclear areas borrowed much from other civilizations after its identity had become discernible, which meant in the case of Western Europe after Hellenic, Roman, Christian, and Germanic legacies had been blended into a unique life style. Two of these areas, namely Greece and Persia, are today mental references only, being defunct as culturally self-sustaining political systems, and the vitality of the third as a cultural creditor complex is in jeopardy today.
The varied destinies of civilizations raise several questions, among them the following: How does one measure “success” in the morphology of cultures? Are seedbed civilizations by definition culturally and politically resilient? Do they forfeit their status when they do not emerge intact from “times of troubles”? Conversely, is cultural borrowing stimulated by “times of troubles,” and is there a causal relation between such times of stress and significant breakthroughs in the development of civilization?
The term “Time of Troubles” was introduced into culture history by Arnold Toynbee in association with the following propositions or laws of history. Civilizations develop by responding successfully to the challenges they encounter. The records show, however, that each known civilization has come up against one challenge with which it could not cope because its creative minority proved no longer capable of having the mass of the people follow the elitist lead. There thus ensues a crisis or breakdown in the civilization which marks the beginning of the “time of troubles” (a phrase borrowed from the history of Russia) during which units of the same civilization are engaged in war. In the last phases of this troubled period, when the fighting instincts wane and the civilization is exhausted, a Universal Empire arises. It too is a creature of disintegration and men rebel against its oppressive presence by seeking salvation in religion and by promoting the evolution of a Universal Church.
Toynbee elucidates this cyclical pattern by pointing to developments in the civilizations of India, China, the Hellenic world of which Rome is in his view an integral part, and of Western European society after 1494. This sweeping attempt at equalizing cultures leads him to some rather startling conclusions. Since he had to find universal churches and empires in “Indie Society” and “Sinic Society” before he could locate the times of troubles that preceded these institutions he simply refers to Hinduism and Mahayana Buddhism as “Churches” even though neither of these religions allows for such an appellation. Likewise he certifies certain periods in the histories of these Asian societies as extraordinarily troubled even though the incidence of fighting would be described as normal were the civilization analyzed on its own terms. For example, in referring to endemic and destructive warfare between local states in Northwest India during the times covering the life span of the Buddha, Toynbee goes out of his way to overlook the Hindu caste system, which stipulated that kings were members of the ‘warrior caste and had a religious duty therefore to be at war. Moreover, he quite ignores the historical fact that Buddhism, which originally taught a contrary doctrine, was ejected, that Hinduism remained the supreme reference, that wars were endemic on the Indian subcontinent also in subsequent centuries, and that India was culturally influential as a seedbed society in precisely these crucial war-marked periods.
When Toynbee turns to the antecedents of the Han Empire, he finds—quite rightly—a clearly marked time of troubles, known as the period of “The Warring States” (453—221 B. C.). What he fails to see or to say is that statecraft and the science of waging war as then perfected by the so-called School of Realists has been respected by successive Chinese governments including that of Mao Tse-tung, never more so than in the countless “times of troubles” with which they had to contend. For contrary to Toynbee, the flame of militarism did not burn itself out in what he calls the post-Confucian age. Not only did all Chinese schools of thought condone resort to war when neighboring states were badly governed or required chastisement for other reasons, but governments and pretenders to government traditionally followed their advice, even as China continued to play its rôle as a superior “creditor” nation in cultural relations with adjacent peoples, all indiscriminately described by spokesmen for this seedbed society as “barbarians.” That is to say, the acceptance and experience of military conflict had no troubling effect on China’s execution of “Heaven’s Mandate.”
Toynbee’s interpretation of the four hundred years’ crisis in Hellenic history, which commenced, in his opinion, toward the middle of the fifth century B. C. when the Greeks failed to break out of the narrow framework of the city state and engaged in interstate wars, is also open to criticism. What seems to be overlooked here is the consistent, deeply felt commitment to the small polis as the only form of political organization that was capable of serving man as an individual and a citizen and of furthering his independent and inventive genius. The price for the exercise of this option was chronic internecine conflict and ultimate disintegration, it is true. But as the rich records left by Greek philosophers, scientists, historians, artists, poets, and statesmen show, it was paid not only consciously but in full awareness of the tragic implications of the choice. Here too then one is entitled to conclude that a civilization flourished in the so-called “times of troubles” even as its political armor was gradually worn away.
It is clear in the perspective of comparative culture studies and international history—which is usually not the perspective of the world historian—that “trouble” is perceived and evaluated differently in different civilizations. This is so, we learn from Robert Livingston, a neurophysiologist also concerned with problems in intercultural communication, because there is no one metaphysical pool of universal human thought, no one language to dictate analogous logical processes of thinking, and no one culture to guide perception and commitment. What is critical in culture A may therefore be part of normal life in culture B. Likewise, what is perceived in one place as a challenge deserving of response may be totally ignored in another civilization.
The question whether times of troubles are a necessary precondition to significant breakthroughs in the development of civilization cannot receive a conclusive, trans-culturally valid answer in light of these probably immutable realities. Indeed, and as preceding comments have suggested, it is even questionable whether such concepts as “breakthrough,” “development,” and “advance” can be accommodated by all of the world’s civilizations. Subject to these reservations, however, it appears that the inventiveness of seedbed cultures has not been arrested or otherwise affected by internecine wars. All-Under-Heaven may have been in chaos in the Period of the Warring States, but it brought forth a great variety of new and diverse systems of ideas even as its élites succeeded in building what has been China ever since. Ancient Greece was ravaged by wars but none of these conflicts, not even the fratricidal Peloponnesian War, was instrumental in impeding daring and innovating thought. Indeed, the greatest names in Greek literature, historiography, science, and philosophy are associated with the tumult of this epoch. And greatly similar factual correspondences mark the histories of Renaissance Italy and of modern Europe, where breakthroughs in the natural sciences as well as in the humanities and arts appear not to have had any relationship at all with, for example, the Italian Wars, the Thirty Years’ War, the wars of the French Revolution, the Franco-Prussian War, or the First World War.
The further question, namely, whether times of troubles are conducive to cultural borrowings also resists a definitive answer, at least as long as one holds to Toynbee’s definition of “troubles.” Persia’s military defeat by Islamic forces certainly led to massive borrowings from the victorious new religion. Yet in this instance converse movements were even stronger. For in the war-filled centuries during which Mohammedanism was giving rise to a new civilization, the Persians not only developed their own language and their own variation of Islam, but also played the leading rôle in internationalizing Arabic and Islamic institutions. That is to say, they continued to represent their civilizations as a seedbed culture. And much the same can be said for classical Greece after its defeat by Macedon and Rome, and for modern Europe after the politically destructive experience of the great intra-civilizational war of 1914. Indeed, the massive yet deliberately selective borrowing of Occidental ideas and institutions by culturally discrete and politically autonomous societies of Eastern and Southern Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa occurred precisely in the first four decades of the twentieth century.
A retrospective view of seedbed civilizations under stress yields only a few transculturally valid conclusions, among them the following.
No civilization comes to mind that did not have its “times of troubles” in the sense of being required to cope with war. In fact, historical evidence indicates that war was not conceived in these societies as the worst or most calamitous of troubles. The opposite seems true, namely, that warfare was accepted as an integral part of existence, albeit on greatly various grounds. The trouble that is war thus did not doom, invalidate, or weaken the civilizations of China, India, Persia, Greece, and Western Europe. After all, none would have “survived” or could have been recognized as a creditor realm in intercultural relations had it been otherwise—that is to say, had the civilization in question not shown itself fit to absorb peace as well as war, military victory as well as defeat.
What was often wrecked by warfare were particular political structures and systems which represented a given realm at a certain point in time. Now these are of course important not only as specific manifestations of a culturally distinct realm but also as ramparts guarding against “trouble” from within and without. Yet the fact remains that such institutions are transient by comparison with the culture that had brought them forth, and that we are therefore dealing here with two sets of references which should not be confused. At any rate, survival and identity in the civilizations here surveyed have been functions not of particular political or economic arrangements but rather of certain fundamental ideas and mental persuasions which had lent uniqueness to the culture complex in the first place and which were not compromised in international relations even when the civilization was embattled.
|
<urn:uuid:65e0bdb8-505d-4e3b-9e40-d9e88a4a6a10>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www.vqronline.org/essay/civilizations-under-stress-reflections-cultural-borrowing-and-survival
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397873.63/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00162-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.96753 | 6,892 | 3.078125 | 3 |
How do Antarctic animals stay warm in bone-chilling water?
- Discuss how quickly our bodies are chilled in cold water. What do we do to stay warm? (move around, wear insulating wetsuits, get out of the water).
- Ask students to list ways in which animals are able to stay warm in cold water (blubber, air in feathers, oil on fur, low surface area to volume ratio).
- Have the students cover one hand with a plastic bag.
- Put a generous amount of solid shortening into another bag. Have the student put the plastic-covered hand into the bag with the shortening. Knead the shortening to make sure the hand is completely surrounded by shortening.
- Wrap duct tape around the portion of the bag covering your wrist to seal the bag (optional).
- Cover the other hand with two plastic bags (without shortening). This is the "control."
- Place both hands simultaneously into a bucket of cold water.
- Have a student time how long each hand remains underwater.
- Whales, Weddell seals, and penguins all have blubber.
Discuss how the solid shortening is like the blubber that these Antarctic animals have.
- Discuss what other advantages blubber gives marine animals besides warmth. (buoyancy)
- Remove the bags from the students' hands and seal the bags so water won't get in. Attach weights to the outer bag of each "glove."
- Put the bags into the bucket of water. How much weight can each bag hold before it sinks to the bottom of the bucket?
Blubber as a food reserve
Once penguins have laid their egg, the parents take turns incubating it. The parent that stays on the nest keeps the egg warm while the other is off feeding on krill and fish. Adelie penguins trade off every two weeks, while Gentoo penguins switch every day.
How are the Adelie penguins able to survive for so long while sitting on the nest? How are the Gentoo penguins able to find enough food to sustain themselves while remaining relatively close to shore? What strategies for nesting and incubating do other penguins species undertake?
- four large resealable clear plastic bags
- one pound of solid vegetable shortening (such as Crisco)
- duct tape
- a bucket of cold water with ice cubes
- a watch with a second hand or a stop watch
- weights (stones or weights used on a balance)
|
<urn:uuid:2c86ff4a-4e49-4180-9273-7258a8e4b1a7>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://octopus.gma.org/surfing/antarctica/blubber.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783393518.22/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154953-00119-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.916054 | 527 | 3.796875 | 4 |
The world's first malaria vaccine could be in widespread use within two years following "significant" results from an ongoing clinical trial.
Researchers reported at a malaria conference in Durban, South Africa, that the jab continues to protect a substantial proportion of babies and young children 18 months after vaccination.
The mosquito-borne disease kills around 660,000 people every year, most of them children in Sub-Saharan Africa.
British pharmaceutical firm GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), which makes the vaccine, said it would apply for a licence from the European Medicines Agency next year.
If the vaccine - code-named RTS,S - is confirmed to be safe and effective, the World Health Organisation has indicated that it will support use of the vaccine as soon as 2015.
GSK has vowed to sell the vaccine at cost price plus 5%, which it said would fund further research into tropical diseases.
The new results are from a study of 15,000 babies and children in seven African countries.
They show the vaccine is far from perfect, but still offers significant protection.
Eighteen months after a three-dose vaccination programme, young children were 46% less likely to suffer clinical malaria.
For every 1,000 children vaccinated, 21 cases of severe malaria were prevented, according to the results.
The vaccine was less effective in babies. Infants who had the jabs when they were just a few weeks old were 27% less likely to suffer from malaria.
Scientists will now investigate whether a booster dose can increase protection in the longer term.
Halidou Tinto, one of the study's principal investigators, said the vaccine had "the potential to have a significant public health impact".
"Many millions of malaria cases fill the wards of our hospitals," Dr Tinto said.
"Progress is being made with bed nets and other measures, but we need more tools to battle this terrible disease."
GSK chief executive Sir Andrew Witty said: "While we have seen some decline in vaccine efficacy over time, the sheer number of children affected by malaria means that the number of cases of the disease the vaccine can help prevent is impressive.
"These data support our decision to submit a regulatory application for the vaccine candidate which, if successful, would bring us a step closer to having an additional tool to fight this deadly disease."
The development of the jab has been jointly funded by GSK and Bill and Melinda Gates through the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative.
Professor Eleanor Riley from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine said if the vaccine is cheap enough it has huge potential.
"It would be great if the vaccine had 80-90% efficacy," she told Sky News.
"But it has taken us 15 years to get this far with this vaccine.
"The question is: can we wait another 15 years before we roll out a vaccine that is going to save lives?"
|
<urn:uuid:dfbbf10d-22f8-4420-bf8f-0134e7010b0d>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://news.sky.com/story/1151476/malaria-vaccine-could-be-widespread-by-2015
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783394987.40/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154954-00116-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.966095 | 594 | 3.3125 | 3 |
» Student Handout
Devising Your Political Strategy
Note to Students: You will be creating a persuasive strategy aimed at a particular target group (see below) to either support or oppose President Bush's Social Security proposal. As a political strategist, your goal is to convince the people in your target group that they should favor the policy-maker's proposal for change. As you develop your strategy, be sure to consider ethics. [See definitions below from dictionary.reference.com]
- A set of principles of right conduct
- A theory or a system of moral values: "An ethic of service is at war with a craving for gain" (Gregg Easterbrook)
- Study of the general nature of morals and of the specific moral choices to be made by a person; moral philosophy
- The rules or standards governing the conduct of a person or the members of a profession: medical ethics
Think about the following ethical considerations as you launch your political strategy campaign to inform and convince your target audience:
- Should you disclose all information to all segments of society, even if constituencies have different needs and priorities?
- Is omitting information acceptable, as long as you do not lie outright?
- Is an explicit appeal to different ethnic groups, religions, or interest groups acceptable even if the appeal might divide the groups from each other?
- Should you try, at all costs, to convince people of your proposal's validity? In other words, do the ends justify the means?
- Using the information you learned as you explored the Web sites and completed the handout "Understanding Different Views of Social Security Reform," create a presentation for the group you have been assigned. Remember, you are a political strategist whose goal is to convince your target group that your proposal is good for them. You are not making policy.
- Working with your group, create a cartoon, write a radio advertisement, make a video, write a political speech, or even come up with another idea -- as long as you are compellingly persuasive. Make your presentation to your class.
- As your classmates are doing their presentations, take notes below, writing down which facts they include and whether or not you think they are convincing.
- After the presentations are over, write a paragraph answering the "Ethical Considerations" questions below the chart.
|The Intended Audience
||The Strategy and the Supporting Facts|
|Americans age 50 and older|| |
|Americans aged 25-49|| |
Did any group omit information that you consider crucial?
Did the omission distort what you perceive as the accuracy of the presentation?
Is the omission ethical or not ethical?
|
<urn:uuid:fe0dae32-c7cc-489c-a566-b4517899d1b3>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/teach/architect/hand4.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396222.11/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00198-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.928514 | 540 | 2.515625 | 3 |
Expert says Kilauea volcanic activity is steady
According to U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologist Matt Patrick, Kilauea’s volcanic activity is steady.
“There’s no sign of it slowing down, stopping or speeding up,” he told a packed room at a Volcano Awareness Month presentation held Tuesday at the Kilauea Visitor Center auditorium.
Patrick gave an hourlong overview on Halemaumau Crater and its active lava lake that fills the overlook crater, as well as a summary of the history of the summit area of Kilauea volcano.
Using real-time webcam footage, he showed attendees how the overlook crater has seen fluctuating lava lake activity, with occasional explosions caused by parts of the rim of the crater falling into the lave lake.
According to information provided by USGS, the level of the lake fluctuates constantly. The rise and fall is dependent upon gas buildup within the lava that pushes the surface up as much as 65 feet before the gas escapes and the lava drops down.
During the past year, the lava level was generally around 100 to 165 feet below the rim. Five years ago, the lava was at one of its lowest points at 720 feet below the floor of Halemaumau; two years ago it was at a relatively high level, about 200 feet below the crater rim.
Patrick said it’s currently around 160 feet below the rim.
“It’s been in that general vicinity over the past year. No indication that we’re going to depart from that. We can also have potentially abrupt changes,” he said.
Active Lava Hawaiian Tours owner Michele Lopez said she attended the event to learn more about what was going on with the volcano. Lopez said she had to stop her tours after changes occurred along the east rift zone in 2013.
“So what happened on Oct. 1 of last year, apparently the lava had stopped flowing in Kalapana. So for us, there’s no ocean entry, no coastal plane entry, no pali entry for our tours. For the last three months, tour companies have been idle,” she said. “So I went in there and got informed in order to predict and anticipate what’s happening with the volcano.”
Eruption has been ongoing in the east rift zone since 1983, but the flow recently changed directions. Previously it had been flowing into the ocean and along the coastal plain which, Patrick said, was easier for people to see.
“Eight months ago, the vent changed location and the flow changed direction into a much more remote area,” he said.
Mayor Billy Kenoi issued a proclamation in 2010 designating January as Volcano Awareness Month. Talks, discussions and activities regarding the volcano are made possible by the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, in cooperation with Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, the University of Hawaii at Hilo and Hawaii County Civil Defense.
For more information about the month’s activities, visit the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory website at hvo.wr.usgs.gov.
Email Megan Moseley at [email protected].
|
<urn:uuid:84bcf961-4a56-4226-b495-4dcfef33bf10>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://westhawaiitoday.com/news/local-news/expert-says-kilauea-volcanic-activity-steady
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397795.31/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00079-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.959821 | 665 | 2.515625 | 3 |
Droseraceae (Sundew Family)
A carnivorous plant with a cluster of white flowers atop a leafless stalk rising above a rosette
folded, basal leaves. Venus fly-traps are native
only to an area within about 75-miles of Wilmington, N.C., but they have been introduced to Florida, New Jersey and other locations.
When insects or spiders disturb any two of the six tactile bristles on the upper surface of the folded leaves of this fascinating plant, the hinged halves of the leaf snap shut, trapping the prey. A chemical secreted by the prey stimulates the flow of the plants digestive enzymes (this does not take place if the plant is stimulated by an inert object such as a pencil tip). Following digestion of the prey, the nutrients are absorbed and the leaf is reset.
Image Gallery: 14 photo(s) available
Bloom InformationBloom Time: May , Jun
, SC Native Distribution:
Coastal plain of North and South Carolina; also reported from New Jersey and Florida. Native Habitat:
Moist sandy areas and pinelands.
|
<urn:uuid:db769f9b-cc80-42cc-81fd-9d74d675191e>
|
CC-MAIN-2016-26
|
http://www.wildflower.org/mobile/plants/result.php?id_plant=DIMU4
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783399385.17/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154959-00159-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.867894 | 227 | 3.265625 | 3 |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.