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Take the 2-minute tour ×
What happens if I delete the ibdata1 file and restart the server, my database is MyISAM, I used InnoDB before but now all tables are MyISAM. Will be a big problem if I delete this file. As far as I know that will be recreated when I restart the server, but I don't understand what exactly is that file!
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3 Answers 3
up vote 2 down vote accepted
You should do the following:
Add this to /etc/my.cnf
Then perform the following:
1. service mysql stop
2. rm -f /var/lib/mysql/ib*
3. service mysql start
As to what the file is : ibdata1 stores the internal metadata for each InnoDB table that exists. Make sure all InnoDB tables are converted to MyISAM or mysqldump'd out before deleting ibdata1. There are also two other files: ib_logfile0 and ib_logfile1. Those are InnoDB log files for holding running transactions not fully commited to disk as well as MVCC (Multiversioning Concurrency Control) data.
Once you restart mysql from those three(3) steps, none of the InnoDB files should reappear. In fact, you should get a much faster mysql startup.
Don't forget to scale up the key_buffer_size
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InnoDB stores the tablespace for all tables with ENGINE=InnoDB in that file whereas in MyISAM the tablespace is stored in individual .MYD and .MYI files.
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InnoDB can also stores tables in .idb files. – Kedare Jun 8 '11 at 17:48
@Kedare, True if using innodb_file_per_table, but that is not the default configuration. – HTTP500 Jun 15 '11 at 14:55
Yes, you can remove the ibdata1 file. However, as long as you have the InnoDB engine enabled, the file will be recreated at startup. I wouldn't delete this file while the mysqld service is running.
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Your Answer
| <urn:uuid:04138f52-33da-477e-8462-e2546012f5a1> | 2 | 1.742188 | 0.609514 | en | 0.887828 | http://serverfault.com/questions/278048/mysql-ibdata1-file |
Take the 2-minute tour ×
I have a list view web part and a field named [Year] set as a number. I am trying to filter to show this current year's items, given today's date. I tried the following filter but get Filter value is not a number:
I am using SharePoint 2007 Standard.
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could you provide a little more code to help you out? – ali Sharepoint Apr 17 '13 at 15:35
3 Answers 3
One option we've used in the past is to create a calculated field in the list for the Year that is usually something like YEAR([Created]) and then create filters against that field. We have documented bugs with Microsoft on a few places where filters and grouping fails when trying to use a formula for date conversion and it is possible you are hitting one of those.
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I can't used the created field because the items were not added in order. That's why I added the year field. – Rick Apr 17 '13 at 17:34
I dont think there is a filter for that. Have you tried to create a new column called Filter Year or something like that. Make this a calculated list. And use the formulabox to filter by year (do you want this year, or maybe Create - 365) and choose the Date and Time format and Date Only. Then setting it up on a new view.
Not sure if this is what you wanted, or if this is the best solution.
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The Today function cannot be used to extract the current year on the fly for a filter value. You could create a view that is grouped by the year column, so the user can simply expand or collapse a specific year. Or, instead of a list view web part, use a data view web part and set the filter in SharePoint Designer.
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Your Answer
| <urn:uuid:9ed48249-bd4c-4928-bd06-ea7fd23ed631> | 2 | 1.515625 | 0.526114 | en | 0.915626 | http://sharepoint.stackexchange.com/questions/66093/sharepoint-2007-filter-for-current-year |
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
An embargo is when a government refuses to trade with a country or a certain part of a country. This is usually because of a political problem inside the country. It differs from a blockade in not requiring a state of war or obliging other countries to stop trading.
As with other economic sanctions, an embargo stops trade between countries. This means that the countries in question will get poorer. The hope is that the problem within the country will stop. | <urn:uuid:fbb3e904-f351-4ce5-b525-3138eaebd7a8> | 3 | 3.15625 | 0.858244 | en | 0.933226 | http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embargo |
Written by Stephen Cosgrove • Illustrated by Robin James
Reviewed by Marsha L. (age 7)
This story is about Memily. She lived in the Jasmine Jungle. In the middle of it there was a meadow. In this meadow there was a baby giraffe. Her name was Memily. It was hard for Memily to walk on her long legs.
Memily was sad because she had no one to play with. She played with the bunnies, but they said she was too tall. She wanted to play with someone that was the same size as her. One day when Memily was rustling through the uppermost branches of a very tall tree she saw anther giraffe as tall as her. His name was Hershal. Memily played with him and they became the best of friends.
My favorite part of the story was when Memily was playing with Hersal because it made me happy. My favorite characters were the bunnies because they were cute. My least favorite character was the elephant and the two zebras because they were mean to Memily. This story relates to my life becasue sometimes I have no one to play with. The pictures in the book help tell the story.
You should read this story becasue it is a sad, but good story.
| <urn:uuid:b25898a0-6550-4def-9823-b75b1a85eac6> | 3 | 2.65625 | 0.031319 | en | 0.996267 | http://spaghettibookclub.org/review.php?review_id=6218 |
Asian Massage Techniques
The Asian continent has fascinated the world in many regards. Especially for health enthusiasts, it has always been a mystery as to how the alternative methods for practicing medicine have been leading to success. the Asian health practices include focusing n the mind, body and spirit, reaching the higher self, gaining knowledge and using the combination of all these to achieve better health.
The Asian massages are also constructed on the same lines. Different massage techniques have been developed to build strength into the body while relieving pain and stress. Among the most common of these techniques are Shiatsu, Acupressure, Amma (or anma), Ayurvedic and Champissage. Lets have a brief look at how each achieves the goals of health and fitness.
1. Shiatsu: Shiatsu originated from Japan and focuses on using the fingers and acupuncture points for relaxing the person undergoing the massage. It is a uniquely eastern healing touch that works by controlling and balancing the flow of 'life energy', blood flow, that passes through the body. It concentrates in bringing about self-healing for the body through redirecting its own energies by applying slow pressure and stimulating blood flow. This brings relief from muscle and joint as well as stress. The immune system also gets stronger and the body has a greater fighting chance against disease.
2. Acupressure: Acupressure uses the same basic philosophy as Acupuncture, it is a Chinese technique for bringing rest from pain for the human body and focuses on using the fingers, instead of needles, to press focal points on the body so tension and stress built up within the body is released. A deep sound sleep is ensured after the session. It is also a method for treating anxiety.
3. Anma: Anma is another Japanese massage technique. The very word 'anma' means 'massage' in the Japanese language. Anma combines different limb movements to help a person experience peace and provide relief from pain and stress. It is based on the principles of a dance-like activity called Kata, which works to build up a tempo, pace and precision in a manner decided by the masseuse and makes use of different finger strokes, knee and elbow movements, stretching or manipulating the feet and hands and thus, requires the body to be agile and flexible. There is no need for taking off one's clothes during an Anma session and it can be practiced anywhere since no oils are used.
4. Ayurvedic: Ayurvedic is an Indian form of body massage which is used to cleanse the body of toxins. The basic technique is to use vigorous hand strokes to bring about a sense of peacefulness and restore balance in the body. It typically uses warm oil and concoctions of herbs to get the right results. Sometimes the massage oil is poured into the ears, between the brows and other specific energy points, with a client's permission, and help to reach greater levels of calm and serenity. But you should allow this only if you're totally comfortable with the practice.
5. Champissage: Champissage is essentially on the same basic principle as Ayuveda; it is a technique that mainly deals with treating the upper half of the body in the aim of promoting blood circulation in the scalp. It nourishes the hair roots essentially but the feel-good feeling persists as the masseuse massages the client's face, neck, ears, neck and shoulders besides upper arms to get all the cricks out. The massage is good for relieving headaches, stress and also helps to restore energy levels. (Source:
Rekomendasi Massage di Jakarta:
Sensual Massage and Body Massage for Man in Jakarta | <urn:uuid:0bf2a518-5d38-4526-86a4-e7d82ba5cc9f> | 2 | 2.296875 | 0.17912 | en | 0.939261 | http://spaplusandbodymassage.blogspot.com/2010/10/asian-massage-techniques.html |
SSA logo: link to Social Security Online home707. The Simplified Old-Start Formula
707.1 What is the simplified old-start formula?
The simplified old-start formula is used to figure the AME and the Primary Insurance Benefit (PIB). It is used if an individual meets the requirements for its use and if it produces a higher PIA than the AME or AIME formula.
707.2 How is the simplified old-start formula used?
Under the simplified old-start formula, your earnings for 1937 through 1950 are considered a single total amount. This total amount is allocated equally to each of those years (1937-1950). These years are used along with years after 1950 to determine your average earnings.
This formula considers computation and elapsed years in the usual way (§§703-704) except that years are counted from after 1936 instead of after 1950. Base years, however, are determined differently as explained in §705. | <urn:uuid:fef1c043-819f-49f5-985b-13bbe6ce9665> | 2 | 2.484375 | 0.04329 | en | 0.902868 | http://ssa.gov/OP_Home/handbook/handbook.07/handbook-0707.html |
Take the 2-minute tour ×
In java you could use System.out.println() to print a blank line but how does it work with log4j in a logfile? There I also want to have one or more blank lines inside the logfile.
I already read the follwing: log4j how to append blank line
But this is not really helpful because with
you do not print a message but other information like time and so on (the layout of the logger) are still stored inside the logfile. But I just want to have a total empty line. Can anyone help me please?
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2 Answers 2
up vote 6 down vote accepted
Log4j is not designed to write blank lines.
You cannot find this option in the logger, because the logger is independent of his appenders who write to a file or the console or something different.
I think you need to create your custom FileAppender which checks the Logging Message before the writing. If your message.equals("\n"); you append a blank line without the layout by accessing the file by your own and skip the normal logging with the layout. then you can use Logger.debug("\n");
Also it is a bad practice to add blank lines. It is similar to split your Log-Message over several lines. Your want all your Logmessage in one line each, so they are easy to parse for LogViewer-Tools like chainsaw or OtrosLogViewer One exception are Stacktraces.
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Create your own appender with empty layout and a logger that uses that appender. Then write the blank line using that logger. Make certain to set the additivity attribute for logger to false so that the root logger doesn't write the message using the formatting of its appenders.
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Your Answer
| <urn:uuid:eeefe228-f420-4393-b6e2-89fa81b75b9e> | 3 | 2.71875 | 0.669989 | en | 0.882575 | http://stackoverflow.com/questions/11843941/log4j-print-empty-line-to-logfile |
Take the 2-minute tour ×
is used in JavaScript to hide an element. But in jQuery,
is used for the same purpose. Which way is more efficient? I have seen a comparison between two jQuery function .hide() and .css("display","none") here.
But my problem is whether pure JavaScript is more efficient than jQuery?
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4 Answers 4
up vote 27 down vote accepted
Talking about efficiency:
document.getElementById( 'elemtId' ).style.display = 'none';
What jQuery does with its .show() and .hide() methods is, that it remembers the last state of an element. That can come in handy sometimes, but since you asked about efficiency that doesn't matter here.
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Efficiency isn't going to matter for something like this in 99.999999% of situations. Do whatever is easier to read and or maintain.
In my apps I usually rely on classes to provide hiding and showing, for example .addClass('isHidden')/.removeClass('isHidden') which would allow me to animate things with CSS3 if I wanted to. It provides more flexibility.
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I wouldn't say that. Depending on the number of calls, this can become a factor, since we're calling the jQuery constructor method each time. – jAndy Dec 3 '12 at 17:13
If you're doing this > 10,000 times in a second it may become noticeable. I can prove it :) – Jamund Ferguson Dec 3 '12 at 17:14
jsperf.com/jquery-hide-vs-native33 - please come again.. – jAndy Dec 3 '12 at 17:16
You proved my point. Here I adjusted my figure :) – Jamund Ferguson Dec 3 '12 at 17:16
32.000 op/s !== 1,000,000 – jAndy Dec 3 '12 at 17:17
a = 2;
function a(nb) {
of = cross;
return handling(nb);
In your opinion, what do you think is going to be the fastest?
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This one made me laugh, and is the best answer, nice one. – Ciro Santilli Oct 30 '14 at 10:38
Yes it is.
Vanilla JS is always more efficient.
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Your Answer
| <urn:uuid:4859b2e3-2df5-4e4a-8ed9-71503a2ea466> | 2 | 2.28125 | 0.242219 | en | 0.854822 | http://stackoverflow.com/questions/13688238/javascript-style-display-none-or-jquery-hide-is-more-efficient |
Take the 2-minute tour ×
I'm looking for an interactive graphing library for Python.
By "graph", I meant a set of nodes connected by a set of vertices (not a plot of values over x-y axis, nor a grid of pixels).
By "interactive", I meant I can drag-and-drop the nodes around and I need to be able to click on the nodes/vertices and have the library pass the nodes/vertices to my callbacks, which may add/remove nodes/vertices or display information (I cannot load the full graph at startup as the dataset is too large/complex; instead I'll be loading only the necessary slices of data depending on user inputs).
By Python, I meant the programming language Python, the graphing library should have CPython binding. I have Python 2.7 and Python 3.1, but can downgrade to 2.6 if necessary. This language requirement is because the dataset I'm working with only have Python binding.
The graphing library must support directed graph and be able to layout the nodes automatically. I need to put labels on the nodes.
Preferably, the layouting algorithm should place adjacent nodes near each other. It should be able to handle from 100-1000 nodes and about 300-4000 vertices reasonably in my 4 year old laptop (I typically start with around 100 nodes, but the number might expand depending on user input). Preferably it should be a library with not too many dependencies (except perhaps for Gnome). Open source is preferred.
I have already written a simple prototype of my program using Tkinter Canvas, but I need a more serious graphing library to expand the program. I've looked at graphviz and matplotlib, but apparently they're only for working with static graphs and apparently would need significant amount of work to do interactive manipulations (correct me if I'm wrong, I've only looked at them briefly). I've also tried generating the graph to an SVG file and using Inkscape to view it, but it's too slow and takes too much memory and because of the sheer number of vertices it becomes a tangled mess.
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3 Answers 3
up vote 14 down vote accepted
Looks like Nodebox might be what you want:
http://nodebox.net/code/index.php/Graph Mac OSX
http://www.cityinabottle.org/nodebox/ Windows (using OpenGL)
Nodebox screenshot
• graph.events.dragged: None or the node being dragged.
• graph.events.clicked: None or the last node clicked.
Also came accross Gephi, looks like that might have the functionality you want as well.
http://gephi.org/ Windows, Linux and Mac OSX
gephi screenshot
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You should add that Nodebox is for Mac OS X only afaik. – lecodesportif Apr 28 '11 at 13:21
@lecodesportif: Thanks, added a link to a Windows version of Nodebox as well. – Acorn Apr 28 '11 at 13:42
bring on the eye candy! ;-) – lecodesportif Apr 28 '11 at 13:55
You should definitely look at the igraph library if you haven't.
It's a powerful library that can handle large graphs and different layout styles. It can also be used for directed graphs and for interactive and non-interactive visualitzations in 2D and 3D according to the list of features. There is also a tutorial.
Update: Another well-known library is NetworkX for which there are Python packages here. Note that the Mac/Windows software Nodebox, recommended by Acorn, uses NetworkX algorithms.
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igraph's tkplot apparently is not available in its Python's binding, from what I see. – Lie Ryan Apr 22 '11 at 23:45
Yes, you're right, tkplot in igraph is R-only. – Tamás Apr 28 '11 at 12:19
I have the same problem. In the end, I think nodebox opengl seems to do the trick. Don't try to use the graph library at the following link
with nodebox opengl. It doesn't work, that graph library is only compatible with the mac OSX nodebox. But in anycase that is ok because you don't need it.
See for example the following question:
Adding label to an edge of a graph in nodebox opnegl
It shows example code which works for me, the code can be modified so that clicking on a node not only allows you to move the node, but also allows you to modify the graph.
Just delete
label = "Placeholder"
from the code and it works.
I put some more detailed example code here: Nodebox open GL Graph, size function not recognized. (Ubuntu)
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Your Answer
| <urn:uuid:c6fa55eb-373c-486e-8353-c9ba9e35edf3> | 2 | 2.046875 | 0.406523 | en | 0.91124 | http://stackoverflow.com/questions/5759878/is-there-an-interactive-graphing-library-for-python |
Take the 2-minute tour ×
I have Date/Time information where I want to get the average, min, max, range of the dates across "seasons" grouped by years and the only way I have been slightly successful of doing this is with tapply. The closest is the summary function in tapply. Results are what I only assume is a list by year of the min, max, 1st Qu, median etc. These are not exactly what i need but works fine.
Example of results I get from the tapply function from 1 season:
Min. 1st Qu. Median Mean 3rd Qu. Max.
"2003-04-22 00:00:00 UTC" "2003-05-03 00:00:00 UTC" "2003-05-12 00:00:00 UTC" "2003-05-10 02:00:00 UTC" "2003-05-18 00:00:00 UTC" "2003-05-21 00:00:00 UTC"
Min. 1st Qu. Median Mean 3rd Qu. Max.
"2004-04-07 00:00:00 UTC" "2004-04-13 00:00:00 UTC" "2004-05-10 00:00:00 UTC" "2004-05-01 07:08:56 UTC" "2004-05-11 12:00:00 UTC" "2004-05-20 00:00:00 UTC"
What I want to do is combine these lists I generate for different seasons into one big happy dataframe that I can export into a csv. I have searched and searched and am getting even more confused. Most people suggest the simplest is
test = do.call(rbind, sSM, eSM, sC) #note here sSM, eSM, sC are my "seasons"
However this gives me an error message or an empty "test" frame.
Ive read about the plyr package and assume that ddply instead of the tapply to force the result into a dataframe should work, but I can't figure out how to get that to even work because I can't get it to do the functions I would need such as the mean, min, max, & range...
The end result I would like is something like:
Season Year Min Max Mean Median
sSM 2003 2003-04-21 2003-5-1 2003-4-25 2003-4-23
eSM 2003...
sSM 2004...
eSM 2004...
THEN I would like to do the exact same, only determine within the Individual across years. I have an ID field in which in some years the same individual has been measured. I would like to get a mean start date for that individual across years within each season. Leaving out those individuals who were not measured over multiple years.
As I do not understand how to manipulate lists and arrays and even what tapply is doing I am at a loss as to how to fix all of this. Do I create an empty dataframe and put all this stuff into it in some loop or something? Below is some sample data from 4 "seasons" across a couple of years notice some dates have the date and time stamps and some just have the date.
structure(list(Year = c(2003L, 2003L, 2003L, 2003L, 2003L, 2003L,
2003L, 2004L, 2004L, 2004L, 2004L, 2004L, 2004L, 2005L, 2005L,
2005L, 2005L, 2005L, 2005L, 2006L, 2006L, 2006L, 2006L), ID = structure(c(11L,
12L, 13L, 14L, 15L, 16L, 17L, 1L, 2L, 3L, 4L, 5L, 6L, 7L, 8L,
9L, 10L, 14L, 15L, 1L, 2L, 3L, 6L), .Label = c("c_002", "c_102",
"c_104", "c_105", "c_109", "c_401", "c_9814", "c_9815", "c_9816",
"c_9819", "c_9901", "c_9902", "c_9905", "c_9908", "c_9911", "c_9912",
"c_9916"), class = "factor"), sSM = structure(c(10L, 10L, 9L,
17L, 8L, 8L, 7L, 18L, NA, 1L, NA, 15L, 13L, 12L, 6L, 3L, 5L,
2L, 4L, 16L, 14L, 11L, 11L), .Label = c("04/07/2004 15:00", "04/23/2005 10:01",
"04/25/2005 03:01", "04/27/2005 02:00", "04/27/2005 08:00", "04/29/2005 04:00",
"05/01/2003", "05/03/2003", "05/04/2003", "05/05/2003", "05/05/2006",
"05/07/2005 16:01", "05/11/2004 11:00", "05/11/2006", "05/13/2004 08:00",
"05/14/2006", "05/17/2003", "05/17/2004 12:02"), class = "factor"),
eSM = structure(c(13L, 18L, 15L, 21L, 16L, 10L, 14L, 20L,
NA, 1L, NA, 11L, 7L, 5L, 6L, 17L, 3L, 2L, 4L, 19L, 9L, 12L,
8L), .Label = c("04/27/2004 05:00", "05/01/2005 05:00", "05/06/2005 05:00",
"05/08/2005 07:01", "05/12/2005 21:00", "05/15/2005 19:00",
"05/18/2004 13:00", "05/18/2006", "05/20/2006", "05/21/2003",
"05/21/2004 01:01", "05/23/2006", "05/24/2003", "05/25/2003",
"05/26/2003", "05/27/2003", "05/27/2005 01:00", "05/28/2003",
"05/28/2006", "06/01/2004 02:01", "06/03/2003"), class = "factor"),
sC = structure(c(9L, 12L, 16L, 19L, 18L, 12L, 7L, 13L, NA,
10L, NA, 20L, 4L, 14L, 11L, 5L, 1L, 2L, 3L, 8L, 17L, 6L,
15L), .Label = c("05/26/2005 00:00", "05/26/2005 10:00",
"05/27/2005 06:01", "05/28/2004 08:00", "05/29/2005 23:01",
"05/29/2006", "05/30/2003", "05/30/2006", "05/31/2003", "05/31/2004 06:01",
"05/31/2005 15:00", "06/01/2003", "06/01/2004 07:02", "06/01/2005 16:00",
"06/01/2006", "06/03/2003", "06/03/2006", "06/04/2003", "06/05/2003",
"06/05/2004 01:00"), class = "factor"), eC = structure(c(11L,
2L, 15L, 6L, 17L, 17L, 2L, 8L, NA, 7L, NA, 13L, 5L, 9L, 9L,
3L, 10L, 1L, 4L, 12L, 14L, 16L, 12L), .Label = c("06/03/2005 18:00",
"06/04/2003", "06/04/2005 04:01", "06/05/2005 05:01", "06/06/2004 22:00",
"06/07/2003", "06/07/2004 23:00", "06/08/2004 19:01", "06/08/2005 03:00",
"06/10/2005 20:00", "06/12/2003", "06/13/2006", "06/14/2004 00:00",
"06/14/2006", "06/16/2003", "06/18/2006", "06/19/2003"), class = "factor")), .Names = c("Year",
"ID", "sSM", "eSM", "sC", "eC"), class = "data.frame", row.names = c(NA,
Here is some code Ive written thus far:
dates$StartSM = as.POSIXct(strptime(dates$sSM,"%m/%d/%Y",tz="UTC"),tz="UTC")
dates$EndSM = as.POSIXct(strptime(dates$eSM,"%m/%d/%Y",tz="UTC"),tz="UTC")
dates$EndC = as.POSIXct(strptime(dates$eC,"%m/%d/%Y %H:%M",tz="UTC"),tz="UTC")
dates$StartC = as.POSIXct(strptime(dates$sC,"%m/%d/%Y %H:%M",tz="UTC"),tz="UTC")
sSpringM = tapply(dates$StartSM, dates$Year, summary)
eSpringM = tapply(dates$EndSM, dates$Year, summary)
sCalving = as.vector(tapply(dates$StartC, dates$Year, summary))
eCalving = tapply(dates$EndC, dates$Year, summary)
datadates = do.call(rbind, sSpringM, eSpringM, sCalving)
share|improve this question
Can you replace the human readable version of your data with the output of dput(youDataGoesHere)? It will be much easier to make sure that the solution developed works for you since data types et al will match up exactly. – Chase Aug 3 '11 at 23:47
@Chase, sorry - I started to do that but then didn't....guess its always best to add it. I just thought the question was getting to long. I just want people to know Ive been trying to come up with something and making an attempt. – Kerry Aug 3 '11 at 23:53
No worries - I find dput() especially helpful when date/time formats are involved...differences therein seem to be the source of a lot of confusion. I'm still confused as to how you are defining spring and summer? Do the columns sSM, eSM, eC, sC have any value after you convert them to proper time formats above? – Chase Aug 4 '11 at 0:13
Can you elaborate on the 'Seasons' aspect of you data? As DWin notes below there doesn't appear to be any Seasons in the data you provide, and additionally I'd point out that all the dates in that sample are between April-June. – joran Aug 4 '11 at 0:17
@Joran Sorry for the confusion over season - I should have been more clear. In my "discussion" I used season as an example and put it into terms that in general people would understand. I didn't think it would matter what they were labeled in the actual data. I will correct this. As for my sample data - I have 126,000 data points. Limiting to April & June is my way of cutting things down. I have 15 "seasons" - so I figured what ever help I could get, I would extend it to go through each of my seasons on my own. – Kerry Aug 4 '11 at 15:52
1 Answer 1
You have (at the top anyway) a list, call it "yourlist". Try this to print them:
lapply(yourlist, format, "%Y-%m-%d")
If you want them in a matrix:
do.call(rbind, sapply(yourlist, unlist))
I don't see any "winter", "spring", etc in your structure. I have in the past used the data.table package's year, quarter, month and week functions to return a vector of numeric values for years, quarters, months and weeks. It's easy to plot with the integer years plus appropriate fractional additions like year(.)+quarter/4. Easier than the corresponding cut and label hassles that would otherwise result.
share|improve this answer
I apologize I shouldn't have mixed terms. sSM is a season for my own records. technically it is the start of spring migration, eSM is the end of spring migration sC is start of calving etc. What I want compile is over my different "seasons" regardless of what they are called - when is the average date, min and max? Then by individual over the years when is their particular average date within that particular season. – Kerry Aug 4 '11 at 15:56
Your Answer
| <urn:uuid:389f4bef-43db-4ddf-aad5-205c5961b3dc> | 2 | 1.726563 | 0.163739 | en | 0.871135 | http://stackoverflow.com/questions/6934316/r-combining-results-from-tapply-using-do-callrbind-or-ddply/6934742 |
Certain aquatic insects make up the major portion of a fish diet. The four main insect orders that emerge from our streams and lakes (in order of importance) are mayflies (Ephemeroptera), caddisflies (Trichoptera), midges (Diptera) and stoneflies (Plecoptera).
Types of Flies
The mayfly (Ephemeroptera) is the most important order of trout-stream insects. All mayflies have two large, upright wings; two or three tails; and most have two very small hind wings. Mayflies look like little sailboats floating in the current and are the only trout-stream insects with upright wings. The life cycle is: egg, nymph, dun (subimago), spinner (imago).
The Nymph
Mayfly eggs hatch into an underwater form called a nymph, which usually lasts about a year but may last two months to two years or more, depending on the species. Nymphs range in size from 3mm to 36mm or more and have three tails (rarely two) and gills emanating from the sides of the middle segments of the abdomen.
Nymphs grow from a very small size through progressively larger stages; each stage, called an instar, is accompanied by a molt. Nymphs vary greatly in shape, depending on the ecosystem they have become adapted to, such as fast or slow water. Most nymphs are dirty tan to brown in color with a lighter underside, but they can vary from cream to olive to black.
The Emergence
When the nymph is fully grown, it swims to the surface and changes into a winged fly called a dun (subimago) by splitting its nymphal skin and emerging from it. The dun rests on the surface, drying its wings, and then flies away to nearby trees or meadows. This entire procedure is called "the hatch." At this time the nymphs and the duns are extremely vulnerable.
Before and during the hatch, a standard fur-bodied type of mayfly nymph of the correct size and color fished wet is a good imitation to use. During the hatch, a mayfly-dun imitation such as a Sidewinder No-hackle Dun is my personal choice.
A standard hackle pattern can be fairly effective if tied sparsely. The fur body is what really floats both the No-hackle Dun and the sparse standard pattern.
One of the most deadly patterns of all during an emergence is the floating nymph. Over the years, I've found that trout often eat two or three nymphs for each floating dun. I believe trout prefer the floating nymphs because they have more time to capture the nymph. The dun, after all, can fly away at any time, but the nymph cannot.
The Spinner Fall
After the dun has dried its wings and flown to the trees, it rests for a period of a few hours to a few days and then undergoes a final molt into a spinner.
The dun is a drab insect with dull, opaque wings, and tails approximately equal in length to the body. The spinner is, by contrast, bright and shiny, with long tails (twice as long as the body), and clear transparent wings. The spinners return to the river, mate in a swarm (usually over riffles), and fall spent into the stream after egg-laying. During the spinner fall the correct imitation is a one-half-spent or full-spent mayfly spinner imitation. My personal choice is a Hen Spinner in the correct size and shape.
Spinner falls occur more often in the evening or at dark but can also happen during the morning hours, depending again upon the species and, of course, the weather. As a general rule, early-season mayflies (March to May) tend to be dark in color: dark gray wings and dark brown or olive bodies. Later, as the lighter yellows and greens appear, the prevalent insects are lighter in color, most likely to blend in with the background and escape their many predators. The wings become pale gray and the bodies yellow and pale buff or olive. Then in September and October, emerging flies are darker again. As the autumn leaves turn dark, so do the insects.
Caddis Lifecycle
The life cycle of a caddis differs from the mayfly and follows this order: egg, larva, pupa, adult. The eggs are deposited in or near the water, eventually hatching into a worm, which may or may not build a case, depending on the species. Two large groups of caddis larvae exist. One group builds a case or house (evidently for protection and camouflage) in which the larva lives. These cases may be constructed of practically any material such as twigs, stones, and bits of leaf or bark.
The other caddis are free-living, meaning they range about the bottom of the stream without cases. When matured, the larva makes a cocoon (much like a caterpillar) in which it changes into a pupa. When the pupa is fully developed, it cuts its way out of the cocoon and migrates to the surface. Some species crawl out of the water to emerge, and some drift in the film until the pupal skin is broken and the adult flies away.
The adult caddis are able to live much longer than mayflies, because they can absorb water. Most caddisfly species mate at rest, so the females are the ones taken by fish at egg-laying time. The caddis eggs are deposited on the water, on vegetation overhanging the water, or under water by diving females.
Caddis Hatch
During a caddis hatch three imitations are effective. Due to the drifting of the pupa in the film before emergence, a pupal imitation fished wet is often deadly. The stillborn adult, which is a pattern tied to imitate a fly stuck halfway out of the shuck on the surface, is in my experience the most deadly of all the patterns during an emergence. The dry Henryville Special is good at hatch time and during the egg-laying flight. A spent caddis is effective at the end of the fall of spent adults.
Of course, you must match the size and color of the natural with the artificial. As with all flies, a specimen must be captured and examined in the hand. Adult caddisflies are jumpy and wary, so are difficult to capture. Often an aquarium net is required. Caddisflies are attracted to bright lights, however, and during the evening your car lights can be a good collecting spot. With so many caddisfly species existing, most anglers do not bother to identify this order precisely as to species. It is enough to be aware of the five main colors - tan, gray, olive, cream, dark brown - and to have reasonable imitations in sizes 14 to 20.
Midge Sizes
These flies are especially important to trout in slower-moving water such as spring creeks and limestone streams. Some lake-dwelling midges are fairly large. They are rarely of much importance in faster currents. This is a very large and diverse group; midges can be almost any color, but black and olive are common. When trout are feeding on midges, they can be extremely selective. Exact size in the artificial is often critical. An error of a single size (#20 instead of #22) can mean a discrepancy of more than 30 percent, and almost always this is perceived by the critical eye of a trout. To be effective, close imitations of midges are necessary.
Midge fishing is often considered the ultimate challenge in fly fishing, because the imitations are very tiny and fly leaders must, therefore, be extremely long and fine. Leaders of 10 to 14 feet with tippets of 6X, 7X, or 8X are the most effective sizes. Light fly rods with fine tips are required to protect the fine tippets when striking and fighting a hefty fish. Of course, very small mayflies (Tricorythodes, Baetis, Pseudoeloeon), caddis, and terrestrials require the same light tackle; and while they are not technically midges, they are generally lumped together under the term midge fishing.
Stonefly Life Cycle
The life cycle is egg, nymph, adult. The generally flatish nymphs are readily distinguished from mayfly nymphs since they have only two short tails, rather long antennae, no gills on the abdomen, and two equal wing cases. When the nymph is mature, most species (but not all) crawl to land and emerge. They mate at rest and return to the water a few days to a few weeks later to lay their eggs.
Stonefly Emergence
The emergence is important only in those species that emerge in water, and they are best imitated by a combination latex-and-fur stonefly nymph or a down-hair-wing dry imitation. The egg-layers are well imitated by an adult stonefly artificial with a lot of hackle to simulate moving wings. Many of the medium and small stoneflies are yellow with a few showing olive, tan and dark brown. Usually the underside of the nymph is much lighter than the top.
Selecting an Artificial
How do you translate this knowledge into a fishing situation? Imagine you are in the middle of a pool with fish rising all around, flies buzzing in the air and drifting on the currents. How do you select the correct imitation? How do you pick an artificial at the right time that will take fish when they are feeding?
Insect Order
First, determine what type or order of insect is on the water. This is done by capturing one and examining it closely in the hand, preferably with an 8X or a l0X magnifying glass. If the flies are on the water, a simple tropical-fish aquarium net can be dipped onto the flow, and the current will carry the specimen into the net. If the fly is in the air, a simple net can be fixed to a stick and used like a butterfly net.
Determine What Fish are Eating
If fish are observed feeding underwater, two methods can be used to discover what they are feeding on. The best way is to catch a fish (usually one dummy can be taken using an attractor, such as a Coachman fished wet) and pump its stomach with a stomach pump. You then have proof positive of the fish's preference. If landing a fish is impossible, a simple wire seine can be held in the current while gravel and vegetation is dislodged upstream. Whatever is present will be washed into the seine and can be examined closely.
Once the specimen is in hand, the order and stage is determined (e.g., wet fly, nymph, dun, or spinner). Then select an artificial of the correct size, shape, coloration and type from the fly box, and you should be good to go.
This whole process takes place in the heat of battle, however, and a certain calm deduction is required. Most people get so excited by splashing fish that they take a wild guess as to the correct pattern and immediately begin to flail the water. They normally end up exhausted, frustrated and fishless.
To be successful you must remain calm, patiently obtain a specimen, and know a mayfly has upright wings, a caddis has tent-shaped wings, a stonefly has flat wings over the body, and a midge has flat, V-shaped wings (flat but to the side of the body); and you must know which artificial type works when each natural is on the water. If you are thoroughly familiar with these facts, you will be light-years ahead of most fly fishers and much more effective.
The Multiple Hatch
I have just described a simple hatch where only one or two types of insects are hatching at a time. Any observant fly fisher with a little knowledge of practical entomology should be able to choose his pattern and do well during such a hatch.
A much more difficult experience occurs during a multiple hatch. How do you select the right fly? This is a difficult problem even for veteran anglers. The answer is never simple. Experience, knowledge and close observation are required. A few bits of information should be of help.
Size of Food
First, trout usually feed on the insect present in the greatest numbers. Quite often a small fly will be present in company with a large fly but in much greater number; the fish will feed on the smaller fly exclusively, though the inexperienced fly fisherman usually tries the larger fly first. Try to decide which natural is most numerous. If a suitable imitation does not work within five minutes, look again and try another. Do not keep casting uselessly with the same pattern.
Next, try to identify the riseform and relate that to a fly type. Trout will rise very quietly and deliberately to insect forms that are smaller and cannot escape, such as medium to small mayfly spinners. The larger and more escape-prone the insect, the more hurried and splashy the rise. So if you observe that #12 Green Drake duns and #18 Baetis spinners are both on the water, and the riseforms are quiet dimples, the obvious choice would be #18 Hen Spinner in the correct color. Conversely, a violent riseform would indicate a #12 Sidewinder Dun to imitate the Green Drake.
At times when no hatch is in progress, and especially just before a hatch, fish will feed on the bottom as the immature insect forms become active prior to hatching. Seine the river and discover which nymphs are the most numerous and more mature (these will have the darkest wing pads). Often, you will find that the fish have a preference for smaller but more numerous forms over the larger but less prevalent species.
These multiple hatches can be mystifying, so don't be discouraged by a few failures. One of the most pleasing aspects of fly fishing is its complexity. I would soon tire of constant success, and multiple hatches certainly ensure against that. However, the practical entomologist will have a fighting chance at a solution to the problem.
Other Food Items
Trout and other freshwater gamefish feed on many other food items besides the four major orders. Although these other orders are normally of lesser importance, when they are numerous, fish will feed on them selectively, so a few representative imitations should be carried for the other aquatic, semi-aquatic or terrestrial forms, such as dragonflies and damselflies (order Odonata), grasshoppers and crickets (order Orthoptera), leafhoppers, true bugs (order Hemiptera), spongilla flies (order Neuroptera), Dobsonflies, fish flies, alderflies (order Megaloptera), aquatic moths (order Lepidoptera), beetles (order Coleoptera), true flies (order Diptera), and aquatic wasps (order Hymenoptera).
As you can see, this is a diverse group of insects available for fish to feed on, and they have adapted to every type of ecosystem imaginable, from lotic (running waters) to lentic (standing waters) and everything in between. Some aquatic insects can survive and flourish in streams that periodically dry up completely.
In addition to aquatic insects, some crustaceans are heavily fed upon by trout and bass. Thus wet flies, fished deep to represent scuds, sowbugs, shrimp, crayfish and other similar aquatic creatures, are often very effective when no surface activity is apparent.
If all those weren't enough for the fly fisher to imitate, quite often terrestrial insects get blown onto the water's surface. These are not normally as important as the aquatic insects; but at times, when large numbers appear on the surface, they can provide some very exciting fishing. Grasshoppers provide a large juicy meal, and large fish will be on the lookout for them during late July, August and September. Trout seem to relish ants, and in the fall, large flights of winged ants often appear in numbers. At these times the fish are very selective and antlike body imitations are essential.
Other terrestrial forms such as green oak worms, jassids, large beetles and spiders when they are in season are also important. Most fly fishing with terrestrials is done with dry flies.
Original article written by Carl Richards (adapted for this use).
Courtesy of Fly Fisherman Magazine | <urn:uuid:8a96167e-125b-476e-9aa7-a9f8ad02c8a9> | 4 | 3.71875 | 0.147596 | en | 0.949914 | http://takemefishing.org/fishing/fly-fishing/fishing-flies-lures/what-fish-eat/ |
In it, but not of it. TPM DC
Patty Murray: The One Percent Aren't 'Job Creators'
Newscom / Bill Clark
"Republicans seem to be operating under the backwards economic principle that only tax cuts for the richest Americans and biggest corporations are worth fighting for," the remarks read. "In fact, they have a name for this group of people: they call them 'job creators.' They believe the only ones who create jobs in America are the rich--and they claim that the tax cuts and loopholes they fight for that benefit the wealthy will somehow trickle down to ordinary families. Mr. President--we know this is wrong. We know this Republican economic policy has failed us. It was this kind of thinking that turned a surplus in into a deficit, that brought the economy to its knees, that failed the middle class--and that allowed the wealthiest Americans to amass record fortunes paying the lowest tax rates in decades."
Murray cites one of her own constituents -- billionaire tech company founder and venture capitalist Nick Hanauer -- who turned a lot of heads when he made this argument in a Bloomberg op-ed last week.
The GOP's definition of a "job creator" has become conventional wisdom, in part because Democrats haven't really contested it. Murray's remarks suggest that Dems, bolstered by a heightened national focus on the economy, taxes, and income inequality, will be taking this notion head on. | <urn:uuid:e3c6abfd-2e15-4523-9678-8c0857d60dc2> | 2 | 1.53125 | 0.040868 | en | 0.958228 | http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/patty-murray-the-one-percent-aren-t-job-creators |
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Transportation The Almighty Buck Build
Solar Roadways Project Beats $1M Goal, Should Enter Production 311
Posted by timothy
from the ok-but-what's-the-resolution dept.
Solar Roadways Project Beats $1M Goal, Should Enter Production
Comments Filter:
Isn't it impossible for solar cells to melt significant snow?
• by Maury Markowitz (452832) on Saturday May 31, 2014 @08:46AM (#47135353) Homepage
> Isn't it impossible for solar cells to melt significant snow?
Yes. Obviously if there is enough energy in the sunlight to melt the snow, the snow would melt already.
Heating snow to clear it is multiply-times less efficient than scraping it off with a snowplow.
This whole idea is the dumbest thing I've seen in years, designed by someone who knows nothing about solar power or road engineering. Ask anyone on the planet who's ever had a re-lay a cobblestone road surface how well they think this will work.
• by Anonymous Coward on Saturday May 31, 2014 @10:30AM (#47135829)
Seriously, cobblestone?
I'm a transportation engineer (I'm posting this anonymously so the details of my employment are not associated to my account) though with very little experience designing pavements. What my experience tells me though is that regardless of the panel itself it needs some sort of frame to hold it down.
Vehicles generate thousands of pounds of force parallel to the pavement face when they brake. This is what causes rippling in pavement at intersections when the asphalt is too soft or weak. So they've got the friction to stop the car what transfers that force to the ground (and prevents the ground from shifting)? Naturally you are going to need some sort of frame with very positive connection to the ground. That sounds unbelievably expensive. Current roadway costs are near $2 million dollars per lane mile (a 12 wide width of pavement 1 mile long). The materials that make up the roadway are generally pretty cheap (various engineered sands and gravels) and are applied to the roadway using large heavy equipment with very little human labor. You've now replaced that with presumably the same base system (you still have the same loads) a metal frame to hold the panel in place and the panel (these systems would replace the hard surface ie the asphalt or concrete). Even a minimal frame material wise is going to massively expensive. Steel is very very expensive in rough bar form (in comparison to things like concrete and asphalt), let alone in machined frames that require manual hand labor to install. What happens when a frame is bent? How's it anchored? Even massively damaged pavements are usually traversable, a missing or damaged panel sounds like a 2' circumference 1' deep pothole that will rip a tire off a vehicle at speed.
The next question is durability. They say they've tested them with truck loads, have they done the standard AASHTO pavement test that involves driving a semi around (in a 1/4 mile loop track) on them for 5 years straight to demonstrate long term durability? What about studded snow tires? What about an accident where a car flips at 70 mph and imparts forces that literally pulverize concrete to powder? What if the car then burns (a typical car fire approaches 3000 degrees) What about an accident where hazardous or corrosive products are spilled? What happens when a car being chased by the cops has it's tires shredded but then keeps driving on rims for 20 miles until the rims literally weld themselves to the rotor (the typical result on standard pavement is about a half inch groove from every rim for the length the car ran without rubber)? What about road debris coming off cars and hitting other cars (I've seen sections of concrete a foot thick destroyed by heavy objects falling off semis)?
How long are the panels good for? We design asphalt roads for 20 years and concrete for 40-50 years. And though the asphalt requires perodic treatments as part of it's life cycle unless a mistake was made they generally last that long. Most of the interstates lasted far longer than the 40 years they were designed for, in my state we've still got original interstate in locations that is approaching 60 years old.
We use the materials we do in roads because they are cheap, easy to put down (ie not labor intensive) and easy to fix (a temporary fix can involve dumping and spreading a load of gravel with common construction equipment). This system just screams money, and labor and lack of durability. Maybe I'll be wrong, I suspect I won't be. The ESALs (equivalent single axle loads) that a pavement takes over a life time can be astonishing (trillions of pounds of force over a 20-40 year lifetime). The panel and frame that support this are going to be flexed billions of times a year, fatigue fractures are a very real concern in metals.
Anyway, as I say I might end up wrong, i suspect I won't. I'm astonished people donated a million bucks for this and I believe once they do the real AASHTO testing that will be required before this can be used on roads they will demonstrate
• by mattr (78516)
• by F34nor (321515)
Have you looked into geopolymer concrete? How does a modern freeway compare with a modern airport landing strip?
• Yeah, they're as loony as the idiots who tried to introduce portable computers.
• by reg (5428) <> on Saturday May 31, 2014 @07:24PM (#47138583) Homepage
As someone with a PhD in Pavement Engineering, and an active researcher into pavement design, let me say this is a classic case of someone thinking that because something looks simple it is. Pavements are the most complex civil engineering structures to design, because they are the only structures designed to fail in fatigue. My wife showed me their video the other day, and all I could do was laugh. Reading their FAQ now, shows they've never asked an actual pavement engineer for their input (and FHWA funding shows nothing, in fact googling shows that they're not even really being funded by the FHWA research budget but by the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program i.e. this is money to promote small business, the research is a secondary goal).
Just a correction for you though - there is not really an AASHTO testing protocol, that was a one off test done 50s and 60s. Now, most proof testing of these types of innovative designs are done by accelerated pavement testing.
Before we even look at the engineering, look at the cost: the highest cost pavement currently are precast concrete slabs, which are similar in some ways to this idea (except they are 50 times the size). They cost about $3 million per lane mile to install. There are over 8 million lane miles of public road in the US, so their idea in their video of covering all the roads in the US would only cost $24 trillion (or nearly twice the US annual GDP) assuming they could get the cost down to that of concrete... Assuming for the moment that the solar panels themselves are cost neutral, just the cost of the glass and support structures would make this impossible to afford.
From an engineering perspective, you have functional and structural criteria. Functional are skid resistance, spray, noise and light reflectivity. The glass would polish, resulting in low skid resistance at high speed, and bad light reflection. Their textured surface would be OK for low speed skid, but really bad for noise and spray, even with drainage between the panels. Many new pavements have a porous top layer for this. Their paving stone like pattern would be really bad for noise (like block paving). Putting LED lights into pressure sensors for animals would be fun, but probably not reliable, and on roads you have to have systems that are reliable because either drivers can trust them, or they are a waste of time.
Structurally, the fact that they refer to gross vehicle mass is a dead giveaway that they don't know the first thing about pavements... The critical number is wheel load. Their panels look to be an awkward size between an interlocking block paver where the wheel load is spread across several blocks, and a concrete slab. The panels would need to be connected in such a way that they can expand and contract, with sufficient load transfer between panels for the entire surface to act as a continuum. With this size of panel there would a lot of flex at the joints, which would break most materials. Concrete slabs get joined using 1 inch dowel bars... Assuming these were placed on existing pavements, maybe they would work, but my guess is that they would get beat up quickly by highway traffic.
Then there is a question of life cycle assessment. Their "numbers" page shows they also know nothing about this either. They just include the benefits... There is no measure of the system, including manufacture, construction, maintenance, etc. They also don't have albedo measurements, etc...
So, to conclude, I don't think this idea is going anywhere fast. Their first step should be to hire a pavement engineer. Then they need to do some lab testing, then use their $1.7 million for an accelerated pavement test to determine if their design can work as a road, before they do any more messing around with electronics... At least their idea is not as silly as the people who want to put piezoelectric generators into pavements to capture all the "wasted" energy...
• The thing is that it is not snowing most of the time so you only need the heat for brief periods of time. The road can soak up the solar power over many days (where individually each day could not provided the power) and dump it's power over a short period of time to heat the road to melt the snow.
• by Issarlk (1429361)
They want to have plenty of those road, so it could be imagined that roads in an area would melt the snow using energy collected by roads where the weather is better.
• Even if we're talking about using solar power from tiles in Texas to melt the snow covering tiles in Vermont, we're talking about moving gigawatts+ of power here. I don't think these tiles could replace the huge power transmission lines.
• Solar powered melting devices have two advantages over blacktop from a thermodynamic perspective:
- Blacktop conducts part of the collected heat into the ground, whereas solar collection could hypothetically collect the energy before it gets to the ground, leaving more available to radiate back upward.
- When it isn't snowing, blacktop still radiates into the air above it. These devices could store energy to be released only when it's actually snowing.
That said, implementing these devices as anything other th
• by denzacar (181829)
essentially combines the labor-intensiveness of a cobblestone road with the specialized labor requirements of a hardwood floor
IF ONLY!
The plan is to have large concrete access channels []underneath the hexes.
Big enough for a man (or a wild dog, or a bear, or a nest of snakes, or wasps...) to crawl through.
Cobblestone roads?
These are concrete crawlspaces filled with easily harvestable copper and covered with electronics with built-in heating elements.
You know how roads tend not to spontaneously catch fire then burn for miles underground and you can't put them out with water cause they are electrified?
Well if this ever makes it off th
• by Livius (318358)
a billionaire's ruinously expensive driveway
I think you've found the real use case.
• From the Solar Roadways FAQ:
We designed our prototype to use 'virtual storage', meaning that any excess energy is placed back to the grid during daylight hours and then can be drawn back out of the grid at night. This is important as solar energy is only available during the day, but our heating elements need to have power at night in the wintertime in northern climates for snowy weather. However, we can add any current or future energy storage devices to our system. For instance, batteries and flywheels can be placed in the Cable Corridor for easy access, if customers wish to incorporate them. We chose to not use batteries in our prototype system. We fear that, if we make that the norm, our environmental project could leave mountains of lead acid battery in its wake."
Because solar roads will be on the electrical grid as both producers and consumers, the net effect is that roads and parking lots that aren't under snow cover, (because they've been plowed already, or because they're in a snowless region), provide power to offset that used to melt snow on roads that do have snow falling on them. Yes, this means that the snow melting capability will only be significant when the total road surface area 'paved' with these cells reaches a certain cri
• by AmiMoJo (196126) *
Their FAQ addresses this specific point. The heaters are powered by the grid, not solar alone. The solar panels feed in to the grid and then draw back out from it at night out when heating is required, eliminating the need for batteries.
• I don't think the plan is to melt snow from the energy generated from the panels but would require an input of energy. Obviously there are few things more effective in turning incident solar energy into heat than black rough surfaced asphalt.
Imagine the opacity of the glass surface after a few days of traffic with steel studs or rocks caught in the treads or just tires driving over blown dirt and dust .
The idea of a solar roadway sounds great to the intuitive but lousy to the analytical and practical.
• where to start with this...
[citation needed]. you sound like a wikipeida editor.
[citation needed] or are you also a meteorological modeling scientist as well??
[citation needed]ahh, you're a nobel winning physics scientist as well. then you are an expert in all things and don't need to provide any citation!
not if the solar panels were kept vertical... which would reduce the angle of incidence to snowfall.
• by Atzanteol (99067)
I have a hard time taking anybody serious who thinks you need to be a meteorological modeling scientist to know that solar panels don't work when it's dark...
• by De Lemming (227104) on Saturday May 31, 2014 @08:48AM (#47135359) Homepage
The Verge had a good article criticizing this project []. The article doesn't break down the project completely, but points out why their goals are far-fetched, and people should not get too exited.
Also note that when looking at the project, it's not initially clear that a connection with the main electricity grid is still necessary. At night, displaying the signs and defrosting the road is done with electricity from the net. During the day, the solar panels can transfer electricity back to the grid. Their current implementation doesn't include batteries to store electricity locally, and this wouldn't be very environmentally friendly anyway.
• by denzacar (181829)
That's a BINGO!
Someone needs to take steps to save the planet.
HAD they made this to be installable as easily as a macadam road, and as robust and scalable, there is a VERY slight chance that somewhere down the very long road this would actually benefit the environment.
Mainly because something like that is pure science fiction.
Instead, they made this in such a way that it must sit on a HUGE foundation of concrete, with both access shafts along the whole thing AND storm-drain channels (storm-water is apparently a pollutant according to their video) AND ev
• by F34nor (321515)
Storm water is a pollutant depending on what it is flowing over or leaching through. In addition it can overflow combined sewer storm water systems and dump untreated waste into rivers. Have you ever done any storm water work? What county do you live in? Go try and get a permit for an acre of flat impervious surface and find out.
Not all concrete leaches C02. Make it out of geopolyer concrete a C02 sink closely related to the long carbon cycle.
If you have to invest some energy to raise the surface temp to ju
• Test it parking lots first as some real year round traffic and weather will show where things like this will fail.
• by drinkypoo (153816)
That don't make no sense, because what you want is to have it in the actual use case scenario for testing. On a nice straight piece of road someplace, where people don't tailgate too much, ha ha. You need vehicles to be going over it at speed, and you need significant sections with on and off transitions etc so that you can perform a meaningful evaluation.
As slippery as oily, wet pavement is, I don't see how glass can't be a zillion times worse, no matter how you texture it.
• How much are these going to add to the light pollution problem? Lights pointing straight up are not what we are looking for.
• by Hydian (904114)
Hmmm...Good point...but if they can make it smart enough to detect animals on the road and warn drivers, then they could design them to only light up the sections of roadway that are in use, which would presumably make them even more energy efficient. Side effects of this methodology would be that it would alert cross traffic that vehicles were coming and it could dovetail into smart intersections, autonomous cars and traffic flow, but that is jumping a few steps further ahead into that general direction t
• by denzacar (181829)
Very little.
They will fail long before that.
It costs far more than ANY form of road (except maybe suspension bridges) and it is far harder to maintain WHILE it is far less durable.
And on top of that the quantity of electricity it produces is negligible.
• The Feds won't fund a national MagLev.
One is feasible and lowers carbon footprint.
The other is too costly and uses enormous amounts plastics.
• by crow (16139) on Saturday May 31, 2014 @11:20AM (#47136071) Homepage Journal
The should do the simple tests first.
They claim that the glass cover panels can hold up to traffic and provide sufficient traction. Why not mount just the glass covers over a stretch of road and see how it behaves? Until they get the covers right, the rest is irrelevant.
Once they have the ability to make a glass roadway, then they can deal with the question of what to put under it. How about just LEDs for traffic marking? Will they work in the day time? Will they put out too much light pollution?
Once they have the traffic markings working, they can get the heating elements needed for installing where it might snow. I'm under the impression that they have to melt the snow because the panels won't stand up to snow plows. Maybe it will make more sense to run pipes with heated antifreeze solution instead of direct electric heat. Maybe it will make more sense to redesign the glass covers to stand up to snow plows.
Once those are solved, putting in solar panels is a no-brainer that helps the economics of the project work.
In the end, once all the technical issues are solved, it's a matter of economics. What is the cost of a road made with the panels over 50 years as opposed to a traditional asphalt or concrete road when all the maintenance is factored in for each road type?
Considering all the above, I'm convinced that it makes much more sense to put solar on rooftops.
• One economic test would be to compare the price of installing the solar roadway with the cost of building a cover over the roadway with solar panels on it.
• by mrflash818 (226638)
I would rather see more businesses and individuals install PV into their local locations, that are either grid-tied with failover to standalone when there is a grid power outage, or standalone.
No need for solar roads, when most people and businesses have plenty of square meters on their property that could have PV. Over roofs, over driveways, over parking lots, and such.
• by laffer1 (701823)
Then we need some changes in thinking on the legal side. Laws to allow individuals and businesses to install solar panels despite HOA or downtown "beatification" laws. I'd have solar panels on my house right now if I could.
• I was curious so I added up all the crowd funding levels for this project. I came up with some interesting numbers.
1. The sum of all funding levels is $1.37M and not $1.75M. Where does the other $400K come from?
2. 80% of the contributors gave $50 or less resulting in 35% of the contributions.
3. 1.2% of the contributors gave $300 or more resulting in 22% of the contributions.
I wonder how many of those big contributors have a stake in the business and want to make it look good.
• Roads are not flat []. I realize that is an extreme example but roads are not always completely flat. They go over hills, through valleys and weather causes them to buckle slightly. All that has to happen is for an edge of one of these panels to come up a bit and you get a permanent bump in the road. Conventional roads can handle this as the bump just wears or is ground down and the road is fine again. With these panels any protruding edges would receive stresses at different angles and be prone to breakage. T
• by Briareos (21163) on Saturday May 31, 2014 @06:21PM (#47138357)
Thunderf00t [] summed up a lot of arguments why this is futile and/or a scam in this video []. From the summary:
Glass really isn't a feasible material to make roads out of.
| <urn:uuid:994052eb-9577-479e-a231-9ee121600300> | 2 | 1.96875 | 0.326362 | en | 0.962307 | http://tech.slashdot.org/story/14/05/31/138257/solar-roadways-project-beats-1m-goal-should-enter-production |
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Wendy's restaurants commit to more humane treatment of animals
Fast food chain Wendy's announced recently that it will require its U.S. and Canadian pork suppliers to phase out the use of gestation crates for female pigs, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) reports. This announcement comes just months after McDonald's made a similar promise.
The restaurant chain has been working with the HSUS for some time on the issue of gestation crates, which are used to confine female pigs during their four-month pregnancies. In the pork industry, the use of these crates, which keep the animals crated night and day in a cage that is too small for them to turn around, is widespread and common.
"[Wendy's] believes that confining sows in gestation stalls is not sustainable over the long term, and moving away from this practice is the right thing to do," said Dennis Hecker, head of Wendy's animal welfare committee and senior vice president of quality assurance.
In addition to McDonald's and Wendy's, other major pork providers such as Smithfield and Hormel have pledged to end the use of gestation crates at their facilities by 2017. Cargill has already reduced their risk of these cruel crates by 50 percent to help animals as they are bred for human consumption.
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Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Principled Nonvoting: The Beginning of Disengaging From the State
Labor day has come and gone, and there is an election this November. The campaign season is on. The airwaves, the internet, and what’s left of the print media are saturated with political ads. All of this leads many Americans to wonder who they’re going to vote for. Quite a few realize that the choice is essentially limited to the Democratic scoundrel or the Republican scoundrel. Regardless, to too many people voting is seen as a patriotic, almost sacred duty. Clichés abound about how our forefathers gave their lives so we can have the right to vote today. A lot of people see voting as a way to control the government and preserve our liberties. "If you don’t vote don’t complain", they say. In this article, however, I will explain why none of these positive things attributed to voting are true. In fact the very opposite is usually the case.
What should have been clear for generations is made ridiculously obvious after a year and a half of the Obama administration, namely that elections have failed as a means of controlling or changing the government. The almost seamless continuity of policy from the Bush administration to Obama’s presidency is undeniable and represents only the victory of the special interests in thwarting the people’s will.
After more than two centuries of elections the system has become quite good at this. In 1870 Lysander Spooner wrote in "NO TREASON, No. VI., THE CONSTITUTION OF NO AUTHORITY.":
Unfortunately, that is the perception, that voting equates to freedom. The reality is that nothing could be further from the truth. The fact that we are allowed to choose our dictators doesn’t make us any freer. It merely gives voters the feeling of power and the illusion of control. All the while they are being manipulated into supporting a government that implements policies detrimental to their well being.
What better way is there to get people to follow the law and pay taxes than to convince them that these things are their will? What better way is there to get people to tolerate the government’s evils than by convincing them that the situation is temporary and that they can change the government at the next election? What better way is there to get people to respect elected officials than to convince them that they, the people, chose these scoundrels to represent them? (A mandate, it’s called.) None of these things are true, but the fraud works. Democracy is held to be the best form of government yet devised. The question is best for whom? Certainly not the people.
It does work best for the ruling elites who can hide their evil plans behind a smiling democratic facade. The formula is to give people just enough freedom to feel free but not so much that the government loses control of them. To assure that the people will put up with their laws, antics, and taxes the ruling class must keep the citizens involved. Most will take the easy route and go along, especially when the economy is doing well and they feel prosperous. Thomas Paine warned of this over two centuries ago:
Does all this sound far fetched to you? According to a Georgetown University professor of history Carroll Quigley:
Unfortunately, he thought this is how the system should work. Dr. Quigley was not some fringe radical either. He was one of President Bill Clinton’s professors and was cited by him as a major influence.
It is past time for people to face the reality of what voting really is, an endorsement of the evils that governments commit. I call on you not to take part in this fraud any more. Withhold your consent! Have the courage to join us in principled nonvoting and commit not to vote ever again. Remember, if you vote don’t complain!
Please join and promote our group on Facebook, Vote for Nobody Campaign
1. I wish I could disagree with you, but it seems to me that there was once a "party of principle" that started hankering for an election victory (which for that party meant getting votes in the double digits) and so ran a nominee who was . . . a minor wheel in one of the major parties. And the "revolutionary" Taxed Enough Already Party has no stated intention of stopping the wars that do nothing to protect our freedoms or otherwise reducing the government spending that is bankrupting us.
2. Hey Henry, this is the second time you wish you could disagree with me! :-) You, unlike many, have the courage to face the ugly truths. Thanks for the comment.
3. Politically, just because you change the makeup of a clown, you still get a puppet and you don't hold the strings and never have. It's refreshing to read something about what i talk about a lot. It's a friggin' con job folks!
4. Direct slavery is too inefficient. Getting people to enslave themselves was a work of genius by the masters.
5. Hear hear. If you're going to vote for the sake of "being counted in opposition" vote Nobody. Personally, I make a point of not voting.
6. Darren - A most excellent article and very true. I am the Guest and Program Producer for a nationally syndicated talk radio show and would be interested in speaking with you about having you on the show as a guest. Please contact me at my email addy:
7. There is more that needs to be said about principled nonvoting.
Regardless of who votes for whom, no one can convey a power that one does not have to any gov’t bureaucrat - we cannot give any gov’t bureaucrat the right to initiate force against any other sovereign.
Now the federal gov’t and its owners have an unlimited reservoir of revenue from the “taxpayers” that can be used to expand the gov’t’s apparent powers. Which of the Founding Fathers would have run to the nanny State for any kind of assistance? Not one!
Abolish Social Security, return everyone’s money, with interest, and restore American sovereignty.
I have evidenced the entire Social Security Scam on my Blog at
8. What about voting third party or in local elections like school board or even town council honestly?
Im torn. I know I wont vote D or R on the national level again, but Im not sure whether to vote or not. I understand both arguments, especially in regards to third parties (the only thing ill vote for).
9. Anonymous,
I know the feeling, I used to be with the LP. The problem is that they are a 3rd party operating in what is openly called a 2 party system. That kind of tells you something.
Here in PA all the statewide 3rd party candidates are off the ballot. Their signatures were challenged & they were told they could withdraw at no charge or if they get removed after the signatures are checked they could pay $10s of thousands in fines & costs. So they all withdrew.
In '08 the Republicans sued to have the LP presidential candidate removed from the ballot here in PA. They lost, but the point there is that they tried costing thousands in lawyers fees. That's how stacked against 3rd parties the 2 party system is.
Please don't vote anymore. Thanks for the comment.
10. Well here in NJ its easy-ish to get on the ballot, so we actually have a number of 3rd parties running around. I understand what you are saying though. This is like the MDC in Zimbabwe when they boycotted the runoff there in 2008, correct? Boycott election and it loses legitimacy.
There has been some third party success in Vermont. The game is rigged, but can still be played if you learn how. The 3rd parties squander their money on unwinnable races when there are many they could win if they put money to it. I wrote an essay about this, but unfortunately its not on a blog, only facebook.
And again, what about local elections: municipal and school board. School board usually goes by under 100 votes, even under 50.
Im just quite torn and perhaps still on DT from being a patriotic citizen. :P
11. "Boycott election and it loses legitimacy."
You're on the right track. It's more like boycott the whole electoral process & the govt losses legitimacy. I'm not saying that people should abstain from voting until......No, I'm saying don't ever vote again, period. The idea is to begin phasing out the institution we call government.
That's why I would say don't vote in even local elections. Most of what municipalities do should be done privately anyway. Schools, roads, trash collection, security, all have been done privately before & should be that way again.
12. Just look at all the eminent domain occuring and you can see we are under attack from within.
13. Anonymous,
Eminent domain is just one of many ways the govt steals. Thanks for the comment.
14. Alright thanks for the responses. I still cant convince my friend not to vote. He thinks one day the third parties will win, so hell keep voting for them.
15. "I still cant convince my friend not to vote."
Thanks for trying. No one said it would be quick & easy. Keep up the good work, this will take a while.
16. Darren Wolfe will be on Call to Decision discussing Principled Nonvoting
Thursday, September 23 · 9:00pm - 10:00pm
The November elections are quickly approaching and Darren Wolfe of The International Libertarian will be on to share with us his take on voting and whether or not it really counts. We will be discussing his latest article "Principled Nonvoting: The Beginning of Disengaging From the State"
Listen to the show at your computer:
Call in numbers 1-800-777- 4403 U.S. Or Out Of Country 1-304-846-4448
Please join our Facebook group Principled Nonvoting:
Call to Decision website:
17. Why not vote in a Ralph Nader or a Ron Paul to shake up to whole system? Are they just pawns, too?
18. Thanks Darren for your principled LeFevreite manuevres here.. re nonvoting...will try to see if our old friend Alan Bock is healthy enough to have visitors(he is a neighbor)...and spend election night mocking and chortling...
MOST of my old YAF friends are all happy....NOT memory is NOT bad enought to NOT remember '94 and the Judas Goat Gingrich et al(ad nauseum).. a stuck and non- (visibly!) mobile govt is the MOST we can hope for...stuck in the rut...
but the gap will allow us to share with others WHY it is "good".....
Anyway keep up the good work.
And Thank You.
Chris Bieber in Lake Elsinore, CA
CAL-YAF State Director 1985-1995
19. We are still screwed if we don't vote.... Vote third party or write in atleast let your voice be heard soon it will be to loud to ignore we our anonymous we don't forgive we don't forget expect us
1. No, you don't have a voice by voting. Elections are the illusion of control. If they actually worked as advertised they'd do away with them. Better to join:
The Vote for Nobody Campaign
20. Darren, We discussed the fake-coin called modern democracy at our Linkedin thread also recently. We both are on the same page about our stand on the self-deception of our age called democracy.
'Not to vote' won't be an effective solution. We must work towards the cause of a 'reinvented democracy'. Your Hollywood star ' Russell Brand' is a champion of this cause. Please read his recent interview appeared in 'The Guardian' at the bottom of my 3 blogs:
With right voices raised at every available platform, and by constantly interacting with Media, the main culprits behind the proclamation of the existing false model as the TRUE MODEL of democracy, a day will come when our stand will become the stand of the world.
Please watch the recent rising up of 'COMMON PEOPLE PARTY' in India, and their winning an election in the State of Delhi. It is a real moment of hope for the world that a REINVENTED MODEL is possible ! (see blog on this people's party's win at link:
The theory of the NEW DEMOCRATIC MODEL is there at link:
1. Hi A, Thanks for the comment. "Not to vote" isn't the solution only a first step. Note that the title of this article is The Beginning of Disengaging From the State. This article isn't a manifesto. It's not that comprehensive. I'm focusing on a specific issue here.
The point is, as the physicians say, first do no harm. Participation in the political system supports the system. Advocating radical reform doesn't change that fact. With all due respect I see you engaging in the mistake of thinking that the problem is the people holding office. That isn't the case. The problem is institutional. Govts are the institutionalization of aggression. To tax they must initiate the use of force on "their" people. To regulate, to enforce drug laws, to draft (just to name a few examples), govts initiate the use use of force unless people submit to the threat. This is the core of the problem. We need to establish a stateless society where all peaceful people interact voluntarily. Force is only justified in self defense. Until we start to live by that principle there will be problems regardless of who wins the elections. | <urn:uuid:daaeb381-a022-46d0-acfc-36b5b755651f> | 2 | 1.976563 | 0.04797 | en | 0.964434 | http://theinternationallibertarian.blogspot.com/2010/09/principled-nonvoting-beginning-of.html?showComment=1284779353472 |
The 1937 Search
The Itasca Search
For the first few days, the Itasca and Capt. Thompson were in charge of search and rescue for Earhart, and had little help from other ships. The Itasca searched west and north, chasing down amateur and Navy messages suggesting Earhart was down on the water. The Swan and the steamer Moorsby helped search for a few hours north of Howland, but there was little Itasca could do productively given almost no solid information or leads on where Earhart went down.
Instead of providing detailed description of the movements and radio messages received by the Itasca and others, a synopsis of important events and areas of search follows. Many of the details are contained in the various radio transcripts, radio message traffic, ship logs, and reports from Capt. Thompson.
The Itasca cruised to the north, with a sharp lookout during the early morning hours, but was concerned about fuel reserves. During high speed search and rescue operations, fuel is expended faster than at most economical rate, and without additional fuel, the Itasca would have to abandon the survey within a couple of days or divert to Samoa for refueling. Meanwhile the US Navy became seriously involved in assisting in the search, as the Chief of Naval Operations authorized an aircraft carrier (the USS Lexington) to get underway as soon as possible with destroyer escorts (eventually USS Lamson, Drayton, and Hull). The Lexington was in San Pedro (Los Angeles), and had to transit to San Diego to pick up the aircraft. This was the fourth of July weekend, so getting airplanes and crew from liberty on short notice was difficult. At 2312 GMT on July 3rd, the USS Colorado departed Hawaii to help in the search. The Colorado carried three Vought OS2U “Corsair” two-seater scout aircraft, capable of being catapulted from the deck and recovered in the water from the battleship Colorado. The Colorado was on a NROTC training cruise when it was diverted from liberty call in Hawaii.
The Chronology
July 4
0120 The CG station in San Francisco asked the Itasca to stop transmitting on 3105 and 6210 kHz, so a better verification of signals from Earhart could be accomplished. Over the previous 10 hours or so, message traffic regarding what the Achilles heard and how it correlated to the Itasca broadcasts consumed a fair amount of energy and time for various parties. The concern was that amateurs and other radio stations might have been hearing signals really coming from the Itasca.
0335 Itasca headed west to begin a survey 225 miles west of Howland, based upon the LA radio amateur reports and another amateur report (later determined to be unreliable), which at this time represented the only credible clue as to where Earhart might be located. The intent of the Itasca was to transit during the night to 179o W to begin a north-south survey, progressing eastward towards Howland Island.
0556 The PBY plane arrived back safely in Pearl Harbor. The Colorado worked the flight as plane guard just south of Hawaii, because the plane was seriously short of fuel. This delayed the Colorado slightly on her way south.
0600 Pan American Airways (PAA) station in Wake heard signals on 6210 kHz, but was told to change to 3105 kHz, as there appeared to be more activity on that frequency. Nighttime was approaching, and radio signals were beginning to be heard, as the propagation characteristics dramatically improve at night.
0750 The CG station in San Francisco confirmed the LA amateur radio operators’ report of 179o, 1.6, being SW of Howland. Since there was no west, east, north, or south provided, this was not much of a clue for Itasca, but at least the Itasca’s superior commander was reinforcing Thompson’s decision to search that area.
0830 KGU (Honolulu station of 2.5 kW at 750 kHz) broadcast to Earhart and PAA Honolulu heard returning signals on 3105 kHz.
KGMB (Honolulu station of 1.0 kW at 1320 kHz) broadcast a series of messages to Earhart, and a large number of responses were heard by various parties. Both radio stations were easily heard throughout the central Pacific, provided the radio was tuned to those frequencies. The idea was that if Earhart could receive any radio signals at all, these two strongest signals should be able to reach her. There is not a lot of first hand documentation of the broadcasts, nor of the responses. Relying primarily on newspaper accounts, a map with annotations kept by the Navy at the 14th Naval District (now in the Archives collection in San Bruno), and various message traffic, here is what we think happened. KGU may well have prompted Earhart to pay attention to the KGMB broadcasts to start at 1000 GMT, as KGU, being more powerful, was required by law to shut down later that night. It would be better to rely upon KGMB for information, as it had a license to operate continuously. The KGMB broadcast asked Earhart to respond with 2 dashes if on water, and 3 if on land. Army station Ft. Shafter in Hawaii indicate three distinct dashes between 0850 and 0900 GMT (i.e. Earhart was on land). The map has these annotations:
Night of 3rd –
KGMB Requested a Broadcast –
0630 GCT 4th (8 PM Local Honolulu Time to 2:15AM)
Asked for 8 dashes if on water – got eight in response.
Asked for 4 dashes if north of Howland and 6 is [sic] south [covered by ink stain] received
The Honolulu Advertiser indicates a response of four dashes, possibly indicating a position north of Howland, but what time nor in response to what specific broadcast is not mentioned. Other correspondence indicates four dashes were received as well. While not crystal clear, at least someone was responding. More on this will be discussed later, when the broadcasts were repeated the following night. Meanwhile, from 1000 to 1137 GMT, the Itasca, PAA Honolulu and PAA Wake all heard carriers and signals on 3105 kHz and 6210 kHz, but none of the signals were readable.
1200 The CG station in San Francisco reported hearing 6210 kHz from the west. This is not surprising, as all of the radio operators generally knew where Earhart went down relative to their own locations, and are most likely to search in the direction of that quadrant.
1215 PAA Wake heard a wobbly voice on 3105 kHz, described as being a man's voice.
1512 PAA Midway reported that PAA Honolulu obtained a bearing of 175° on these signals. At 1523 GMT, PAA Honolulu reported a bearing of 213° ± (another document states 210°), and reported that to the CG station in Honolulu. At 1540 GMT, PAA Wake obtained a bearing of 75°. Finally, some real progress! Unfortunately, radio bearing direction finding, to be accurate, must have at least two stations making measurements on the same signal at the same time to provide a reliable location. Obviously, the Wake measurement cannot be from Earhart. More on accuracy of radio bearings later on.
1700 The Lexington left San Pedro for Coronado Roads (off San Diego).
1742 The Itasca started its box search west of Howland.
2025 The CG Hawaii radio station began to set up the schedule for the KGMB broadcast later that night, and requested the Itasca not to broadcast on 3105 or 6210 kHz to better determine the origin of the signals. Apparently, the radio bearings obtained so far possibly indicated that it was the Itasca everyone was homing in on.
2100 The Lexington group with the destroyers left San Diego, bound for Hawaii for refueling prior to moving south to Howland to conduct the aerial search.
2140 Itasca asked the CG Hawaii station permission to broadcast on 3105, 6210, and 7500 kHz between 0730 and 0830 GMT July 5, as it was in the best position for Earhart to possibly receive radio signals.
July 5
0225 The CG relents and allows Itasca’s to transmit on these frequencies. Meanwhile, the Colorado began to send messages to the Itasca regarding refueling details at sea. It appears that the Itasca was not equipped with the proper gear for at-sea fueling, and some adjustments needed to be made to be able to do so.
0330 Itasca broadcast on 3105 kHz, and PAA Honolulu obtained a bearing on the Itasca of 210°. Based upon the position of the Itasca, the true angle at Honolulu should be 229.2°, a discrepancy of nearly 20°.
KGMB conducted its second night of broadcasts to Earhart. The instructions were for Earhart to turn on her transmitter for one minute for tuning purposes, and then to send four long dashes if she heard KGMB, then to wait for an acknowledgement by KGMB fifteen minutes later. PAA Honolulu (Makapuu Point), heard four dashes, and asked KGMB to repeat the message. Evidently, KGMB did so, as PAA reported hearing only two dashes as if power failed on the transmitter. At 0700, 0715, and 0730 GMT, Navy Radio Tutuila, American Samoa, heard four, four, and eight dashes respectively. The Honolulu Advertiser reports:
Miss Earhart was asked to use the carrier break four times if she was north of Howland, six, if south. She was asked to break twice to indicate if she were on land and three times if she were on water.
What we don’t know is if Earhart was to add these numbers together (six to nine total dashes possible) or at fifteen minute intervals. If the former, Radio Station Tutuila indicates eight dashes, or south, and on land. Meanwhile, PAA Honolulu obtained bearings of 213 and 215° on the 0630 GMT responses, depending upon the source. Itasca did not hear a single dash in response to KGMB. Midway picked up a bearing of 201°, but on a frequency halfway between Itasca and Colorado, slightly above 3105 kHz. Radio Tutuila heard nothing at 0630.
0700 We suspect that KGMB asked Earhart to respond with four dashes if north of Howland, six if south, and Tutuila heard four dashes. CG Radio Hawaii reported that PAA Honolulu reported a bearing of 200°T[rue], but we don't know at what time that bearing was obtained.
0730 We suspect KGMB asked for two dashes if on land, and three if on water. Tutuila heard eight dashes, four of which were strong, and possibly voice on 3105 kHz.
For the next few hours, a large number of reported signals were heard by Itasca, Baker and Howland Islands, and the PAA radio stations. Some of the most interesting:
0907 Itasca hears a generator start and stop on 3105 kHz.
0910 Both Baker and Howland Island report hearing a voice on 3105 kHz.
0916 Howland Island reports hearing Earhart.
1103 PAA Midway obtains a bearing of 175°, considered coming from South America or Russia, so it was disregarded.
1105 After being chastised by Itasca, Howland restarts its Earhart radio watch and obtains a bearing of NNW/SSE on magnetic pocket compass. States that it cannot determine which direction due to “night effect.” Interestingly, despite access to a theodolite for weather balloon measurements, no azimuthal calibration was made on the Howland direction finder. A pocket compass was the only available device. Night effect is actually a swinging of the directional bearing due to night propagation effects, and what Cipriani really means is that there is no way of determining a unilateral direction without a sensing radio to add to the direction finder.
1130 Radio Station Wailupe began to hear a ragged keyed message on 3105 kHz, which is reported to state: “281 North Howland Call KHAQQ beyond North don’t hold with us much longer above water shut off,” received by three Navy operators. Of all the post-loss radio messages, this particular message has the best chance of being from Earhart, particularly if it is proved that she landed at Gardner. It turns out that Gardner is 281 nm south of the Equator, and that distance can be easily determined by any experienced navigator. Since the message was ragged, perhaps the message was really “equator is 281 north of us.”
1223 PAA Wake reported a bearing of 144°, strength 5. This is likely the Itasca, who was broadcasting at the time and was bearing 141.56° true at Wake. Simultaneously, Midway obtained a bearing of 201°, well away from the possible location of Earhart, but possibly from the Itasca.
1250 Itasca diverted course for a position 281 nm north of Howland, believing the latest radio report. Itasca directed Swan to also move to that location to help conduct a search. A few hours later, the SS Moorsby, en route to New Zealand, offered assistance to the Itasca, and was directed to also go to a line 281 nm north of Howland.
1548 Howland heard Japanese music on 3105 kHz, which it continued to do until the 17th of July. So far, we have not been able to identify what station was broadcasting on 3105 kHz.
1625 Itasca heard Russian stations on 3105 kHz. We know of two low wattage stations from Siberia that might fit this description.
2219 Verification from Lae was received that Earhart left with 1100 gallons of gasoline, with an estimated 24 to 30 hour duration in the air.
2325 The CG station in San Francisco reported that radio technicians familiar with the plane said that the radio is unable to function on water, so therefore if the signals are to be believed, she must be on land. They also state that they believe Earhart flew the line of position to the Phoenix Islands. This radio message is the first to indicate that searching at sea might well be useless if one were to believe the various radio signals.
Late Finally, sometime during July 5th, a State Department memorandum from the Division of Far Eastern Affairs documents a phone conversation with Tsuneo Hayama, the Second Secretary in the Japanese Embassy, describing a telegram received from Tokyo offering assistance of the Japanese government, warships, and radio stations in the Marshalls. The US responded with current US ship assets and for Japanese authorities to coordinate with the Commandant 14th Naval District. The only Japanese ship that we are aware of that actually searched for Earhart was the Koshu, a oceanographic survey vessel, which departed its survey at 2200 GMT for the Marshall Islands, arriving sometime about the 9th.
July 6
0535 The CG Station in San Francisco relayed an opinion from PAA authorities that the 281 message may well be referring to the Phoenix Islands, as the radio bearings were beginning to intersect in that area.
0730 A report from the CG station in San Francisco documented that Lockheed Aircraft had definitively stated that the radio was inoperable if the plane was in the water.
0736 Itasca asked Howland to take a bearing on it at 0800 GMT. At 0832 GMT, Howland reported that the bearing was NNW or SSE, taken with a magnetic pocket compass. The Itasca at this time was 342.2° relative to Howland (magnetic), a good match to the 337 degrees reported. At 0930 GMT, Howland took another bearing, observing NW (315 degrees), versus the 345.9 magnetic orientation to Itasca, a far worse bearing error of nearly 31 degrees. At 0947 GMT, PAA Honolulu reported a bearing on the Itasca of 196.5°, but the bearing to the Itasca is really 232.38°, an error of nearly 36o! Based upon these errors obtained over the past couple of days, direction bearings should be considered indicators of direction, and not treated as literal bearings with any accuracy.
0842 Itasca and Swan saw heat lightning, which they interpret to be flares, and broadcast in the clear to Earhart: “we see your flares and are rushing to your location.” Unfortunately, a wide variety of people were listening in and a mad rush of press reporters sent out radio messages to the Itasca asking for information, pictures, etc. A few minutes later, the Itasca recognized that these were not flares, and with the latest information that Earhart is probably on land, abandoned the 281 North Howland line search and headed south at 1554 GMT to rendezvous with the Colorado for refueling at 1730 GMT on July 7th.
2025 Commander in Chief, US Navy ordered COM14 to take charge of the search, as the battleship Colorado was about to enter the search area, and the Lexington group would be arriving shortly.
2133 CG Headquarters approved the Itasca to be placed under control of the US Navy, and at 0053 GMT July 7th, the Itasca reported to COM14 for duty, ending its independent search for Earhart.
Research Papers Earhart Project Home Page
TIGHAR Projects TIGHAR Publications Contract Services Field Schools
TIGHAR Forum Contact TIGHAR TIGHAR Home Site Map | <urn:uuid:cd2c2efb-26b0-46ec-a7d5-22c21204fbd9> | 3 | 2.78125 | 0.026883 | en | 0.967253 | http://tighar.org/Projects/Earhart/Archives/Research/ResearchPapers/Itascasearch.html |
Topic: U.S. Constitution
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MT @th3j35t3r: @BraceyLane Constitution was written by&is defended by Patroits. Using it's Freedoms to collude w/enemy still makes u traitor
Twitter: @RichardRSmithJr
@AngelaGreben Your understanding of the U.S. Constitution is flawed. What makes you think they don't have the right to block?
Twitter: @SkylarJordan
Hey fella, before basing an argument on the U.S. Constitution you might want to ya know...read it.
Twitter: @RyanLMcCollough
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RT @IanMolony: Why Boehner’s invite to Netanyahu is unconstitutional http://t.co/2MTAvV3Kb4 #JustTheFacts @wessmith123 @WildPowers
Twitter: @wessmith123 | <urn:uuid:3ca3628e-f4f2-4444-b467-576f9dbdfd7a> | 2 | 1.757813 | 0.471982 | en | 0.777749 | http://topics.sacbee.com/U.S.+Constitution/ |
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The following page contains graphic descriptions of the beautiful, yet squishy, process of labor. The text may contain terms like "vagina" and "George Clooney". This page also contains graphic graphics of people, places and things. Especially things.
It is not recommended that this page be viewed by: users with large or wide-screen monitors, the easily nauseated, the already nauseous, those who just ate or are planning to eat, mothers to-be, and everyone else.
Do not operate heavy machinery while reading this page.
Side effects may include: sweating, headache, loss of motor control, something bad, loose stool, or a sudden or unexpected transformation into an octopus.
So life is going along just fine. You woke up right before the alarm went off. You got a coffee from Starbucks (*sip*). The radio played one of your favorite songs on the way to work. Then you got on the elevator broke down between floors. "Great! This ruins my whole day!" your internal monologue monologues internally.
Now what do you do? What do you do? Why is it always about you? Put down your damn coffee; she is having a baby here!
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Methods for delivering a baby
(fig. 1)
See Figure 1
3. Do some doctor-type stuff.
4. Baby!
See Figure 2
(fig. 2)
2. Call timeout so that umpire can wipe dirt off home base.
3. "Swing batter batter batter batter swing!"
4. Adjust cup.
If you are not wearing an athletic supporter, just adjust down there. Good ol' lefty might like playing right today.
5. "Sah-wing batter batter swing!"
7. Baby!
1. Pull out communicator.
If you don't have one, just pull your cellphone (make the communicatory sound when you flip it open. That's three clicks with your tongue in rapid succession. No no, faster than that. Okay, now a little slower. There you go. Now no one will know).
5. "Spock! There'"
7. "No...she' to...some...sort...of...tiny...person."
8. Stand aside as Bones teleports into the elevator.
9. Stand aside as Bones delivers baby.
10. Baby!
Elevator (Social)
See Figure 4
1. Press button for your floor. If you're feeling especially polite because last night you had that dream about what's-her-name from high school, ask your elevator companion what floor she'd like.
(fig. 4)
2. Press button for her floor, if appropriate.
3. Wait.
5. Wait.
6. Cough or make remark about the weather.
7. Hum along with elevator music ("...Nothing is real but pain now/Hold my breath as I wish for death/Oh please God, wake me...").
10. Baby!
(fig. 5)
See Figure 5
1. Be an octopus.
4. Wait for help to arrive.
5. Baby!
Man (Standard)
See Figure 6
(fig. 6)
7. "Hey, you pooped!"
8. Look again. See that oozy, off-colored mound of bloody what-ever-it-is stretching its way out of what used to be a tiny hole? That's the baby's head. Feeling woozy yet? Good. Move on to the next step.
9. Pass out.
10. Baby!
Personal tools | <urn:uuid:896a8e23-230c-4132-9f33-b8c14c5b79d4> | 2 | 1.570313 | 0.092945 | en | 0.935874 | http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/HowTo:Deliver_a_Baby |
Apr 10, 2013
To Juice or Not to Juice? (Part 2)
To Juice or Not to Juice? (Part 2)
So, last week we discussed the awesome benefits of drinking juice and why it’s not so cool to drink pasteurized, processed, or old juice.
Which brings us to our next question: should you do a juice cleanse? I mean, there’s lots of good stuff in fresh pressed juice, so what happens when you drink ONLY juice for a few days?
Of course, the answer depends on your body, your activity level and when you drink the juice, as well as several other things (that we’ll get to next post).
Athletes & Thin Bodies Need Protein
I make a living through exercise and thus, my body is lean and muscular. With my physical demands and low body fat, drinking only juice is quite detrimental to my metabolism.
Athletic bodies that break a sweat daily need protein to repair, restore and build lean muscle mass. Without protein, the body will break down lean muscle mass to fuel itself, and because lean muscle stimulates metabolism, this can harm metabolic function (and body composition) in the long run!
For athletes and thin folks, I wouldn’t recommend a juice-only cleanse. A better fit would be a juice-till-dinner or juice-and-lean protein cleanse. The chefs at Juicebox and I are working together to build recipes to support juicing athletes—stay tuned!
Now, for friends who do less intense exercise, like walking or gentle yoga, or are mostly sedentary or overweight, an all juice cleanse could be beneficial. Juice cleansing has a catabolic effect on the body: it breaks things down. For those with excess weight, a juice cleanse may stimulate breakdown and detoxification of adipose tissue.
You Won’t Lose Weight (Sorry!)
Unfortunately, a juice cleanse isn’t a quick fix to losing weight. While juicing can restore your organs, recalibrate your palate for clean, whole foods and help eliminate depleting cravings, it is not a sustainable way to lose weight.
Here’s why: for sustainable weight loss, you need lean muscle mass. This means you need not only high intensity workouts, but you also need lean protein several times a day. Moreover, fat is an essential nutrient in burning fat. You simply can’t burn fat without eating healthy fats!
The good news is that juice cleansing flushes your body with vitamins, minerals and enzymes that act as facilitators for weight loss and restoration. Think of juice as a tool your body uses to fix what’s broken, but the other two macronutrients—protein and fat—are the hands that hold the tool.
Juice After Your Workout
High quality juicers provide vegetable-heavy juices, but when the juice is a bit on the sweeter side, due to starch or fruit, the best time to drink juice is immediately following a high-intensity workout.
After a good sweat and contracting your muscles, cells are insulin sensitive—they are ready to gobble up glucose from the carbohydrates in juice and use this energy to fuel and repair muscular tissue. Moreover, your blood sugar won’t spike and crash, even if the juice is sweet.
Alright juicers, now you have a preview of how to approach a juice cleanse. Next week we’ll explore cleanse preparation, how often you should cleanse, and what happens in your body during a cleanse. Get pumped! | <urn:uuid:24eadf94-65b7-472c-aa85-c7ccdc545f69> | 2 | 1.625 | 0.072035 | en | 0.909513 | http://urbanleaf.com/blog/13772766/to-juice-or-not-to-juice |
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March 4, 2015 | 13th Adar 5775
56th General Assembly
December 1981
Boston, Massachusetts
The Congress is currently considering more than a dozen pieces of legislation that would seriously circumscribe the jurisdiction of the federal courts, specifically the Supreme Court, by eliminating their jurisdiction to hear certain cases. Among the individual issues affected by these proposed laws would be prayer in the public schools, abortion, school desegregation, and sex bias in the Selective Service.
We believe such legislation, if passed, would be unconstitutional. The impact of this legislation would be enormous, threatening the foundations of our system of government. First, it would blur the separation of powers that allows each branch of the federal government to operate independently. Second, it eliminates a significant part of the system of checks and balances among the branches of government. For nearly two hundred years, the responsibility of the Supreme Court to determine the constitutionality of legislation and executive actions has guarded against the excesses of the Congress and the presidency. Third, this legislation would destroy the uniformity of constitutional protections, creating diverse interpretations of the Constitution in each of the fifty states.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT: The UAHC opposes any attempt to tamper with the basic jurisdiction of our judicial system. We further oppose any attempts by the legislative or executive branch of the United States government to curb the authority of the federal judicial branch to hear and be the final arbiter of constitutional issues.
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| <urn:uuid:a67424f3-8679-4cce-b0eb-068449ae520c> | 2 | 1.640625 | 0.040174 | en | 0.920952 | http://urj.org/about/union/governance/reso/?syspage=article&item_id=2132 |
Many landowners express an interest in attracting and supporting wildlife on their forest land. The basic tool a landowner uses for wildlife management is habitat management, creating food and cover conditions suitable for the wildlife species that you would like to encourage.
You can also manipulate habitat to discourage species. Important habitat elements to consider are plant species that provide food and cover, distance to water, and amount of different habitats available, especially the amount of edge between distinct habitats which help determine which wildlife species an area can support.
Habitat diversity is essential to promoting wildlife use of your property. Having a variety of habitats and habitat elements helps to ensure that the right mix of resources are available to all wildlife. It is also helpful to have diversity both spatially across the property and vertically. Providing the nooks and crannies that different species can use will encourage them to your property.
You can choose to encourage certain species by understanding the unique needs of a particular species — and enhancing the resources that species finds attractive. Be aware that encouraging one species might adversely affect another.
You may choose to consider general needs of many species and thus to encourage a variety of animals to inhabit your property. Any action, or non-action on your part affects wildlife use of your property. As a landowner, you have the difficult job of considering the effect that your actions might have on all species.
Wildlife typically do not respect property boundaries. If a resource like food cover or water is available, then the animal will take advantage of it. Available, in this case, means that the animal can locate the resource, that it is in sufficient quantity for the animal to use, and that the animal feels safe enough to access the resource.
Riparian or streamside areas represent the most productive wildlife habitat types that you can have. Water is life to plants, and the animals that feed on them. Use extra care with management around water bodies, lake, streams, and such. Riparian areas often serve as corridors for wildlife to move between habitat types.
Wildlife management involves planning, setting realistic goals, providing the proper habitat elements, and waiting. Animals are specific in their needs and have varying requirements throughout the year. All of these needs must be met if the desired species is to occupy a given area. Planning for all of the animals' needs requires that specific goals be set. These goals must be reasonable in regard to the property that is being managed.
Finally, realize that it takes time to develop the habitat requirements for certain species. It may take several years for a cut-over area to develop the plants that your target species' need.
Planning for multiple species
Cooperation with neighbors may complement wildlife management projects for all parties. Though you need not enter into a joint project, it might be best if neighboring projects are complimentary. Perhaps your neighbor has a water source that wildlife on your property could use.
Communication with your neighbors informs them of your goals and objectives, reducing misunderstandings, while improving the success of your wildlife management plans.
Local native plants should be selected over introduced species or landscape cultivars. Introduced plants are often more expensive to establish and maintain. Native plants are adapted to the local environment, and the wildlife is familiar with these plants. However, ornamentals and non-native materials may have some aesthetic and wildlife value if chosen carefully.
With either native or introduced plants, certain problems may arise, namely, the appearance of unwanted animal species. Why are those species present? Because the habitat is suitable.
Check the requirements of unwanted species against those of the desired species and adjust the habitat accordingly. Check with a wildlife biologist for the requirements of unwanted species.
In some situations, making the habitat desirable for a particular animal's prey species or disagreeable to its predators might be the technique that works
Wildlife habitat may be enriched in some situations with artificial structures. These generally benefit specific species and require a specific type, size, and location. Approach the establishment of artificial habitat with the intent of providing for the needs of one particular species. Remember, these structures require periodic maintenance.
Under normal conditions supplemental feeding is an ineffective technique for wildlife management. It is more effective and efficient to provide proper habitat as a natural consequence of your wildlife management program.
Snag management for wildlife
Those snags (standing or fallen dead trees) that represent unclaimed firewood, lightning rods, fire hazard, or loss of growing area to some landowners are home to a variety of wildlife.
The Forest Practice Rules require that all snags that are unmerchantable and can be left safely should be left to benefit wildlife. Cavity nesting birds that limit insect and rodent populations as well as provide a flash of color and song, need snags to thrive.
The size and quality of snags vary. To be useful as nest or den sites, a tree should be at least 4 inches DBH and 6 feet tall. Hard snags, that are valuable as firewood and potentially as lumber, offer nesting sites for a variety of birds. Eventually, they decay to soft snags useful for nesting sites and as a source of insects for food. Soft snags have no commercial lumber value. All soft snags should be retained unless they are a safety hazard. A minimum of 1 hard snag per 5 acres should be left.
More is generally better. Groups of snags scattered throughout the property are helpful. Consider killing a few trees where snags are insufficient. | <urn:uuid:b18b7e9b-6208-4dc0-b4fa-2b6dfe6eae93> | 4 | 3.921875 | 0.072848 | en | 0.93755 | http://westernfarmpress.com/print/managing-vegetation-encourage-or-protect-wildlife |
7 Diet-Friendly Summer Drinks
7 Diet-Friendly Summer Drinks
Some of those tasty summer drinks can cost you an outrageous number of calories. Here are seven diet friendly concoctions that can help you beat the heat.
1. Iced Herbal Tea
Skip the sweetener by making a fruity herbal tea, like blueberry, passion fruit, or cherry and berry flavored teas, and chilling it in the fridge. Not only is the color fun, but the flavor is off the charts! For a little added sweetness, throw in a sweet slice of orange.
2. Iced Coffee
All of those chilly coffee house drinks can load you up on the calories, especially if you are adding flavored syrups. Try blending your leftover morning java with vanilla flavored soy milk and ice for a frosty coffee beverage. Coffee itself has only about five calories in a cup, so go easy on what you add!
3. Skinny Smoothies
Smoothie shop drinks are usually high in calories. Or if they are low-cal, they may contain a variety of artificial, processed ingredients. Save some cash and calories by making your own. Combine a banana, 1/4 cup of orange juice, 1/4 cup of milk, 4 oz of low-calorie vanilla-flavored Greek yogurt and a few handfuls of berries. Add one cup of crushed ice for a lower calorie, antioxidant-packed frosty smoothie. All of those additions make this a higher calorie drink, but at about 200 calories per serving (this serves two), it makes a great post-workout snack.
4. Water with a Kick
Water with lemon is a calorie-free restaurant favorite. Fight boredom by adding a few slices of cucumber or add fresh mint and lime to your water glass.
5. Shake It Up
If everyone is drinking cool milk shakes, don't feel like you have to be left out of the creamy, cold fun. You can make your own in the blender. Add one pack of Carnation Instant Breakfast. Choose any flavor that has no sugar added. Add one cup of skim milk and one cup of ice cubes. Blend into a frothy shake. This sweet treat can serve as a lower calorie dessert. One serving only packs about 150 calories.
6. Berry Bellinis
Antioxidants abound in this champagne drink. Mash a few of your favorite berries in the bottom of a champagne flute with the long end of a wooden spoon. Try the delicious combination of blueberries and raspberries. Top with some champagne for a flavorful and sophisticated drink.
7. Citrus Cooler
Part wine spritzer, part vitamin C fest, this drink is refreshing and delicious. Slice an orange, a lemon, and a lime. Squeeze one slice of each fruit into a wine glass and top with white wine. Pour in a little soda water for bubbles, add ice and enjoy. Sparkling wine can take the place of the two separate beverages if you have some on hand. The calorie-fee soda water cuts the usual 100-120 calories in a glass of wine. | <urn:uuid:7bc10052-c1fb-45b3-a699-7ff8a7cb02ea> | 2 | 1.523438 | 0.062457 | en | 0.893262 | http://www.3fatchicks.com/7-diet-friendly-summer-drinks/ |
AAPLOG position on “ELLA,” the newest “emergency contraception”
On August 13, 2010, the Food and Drug Administration approved the application for a new “Emergency Contraceptive” drug, ulipristal acetate, under the label “ella.”
Here is what the FDA approved drug literature says:
“How does “ella” work?
“Ella” is thought to work for emergency contraception primarily by stopping or delaying the release of an egg from the ovary. It is possible that ella may also work by preventing attachment (implantation) to the uterus. “ The latter is clearly abortifacient action.
Why does the FDA not consider this an abortifacient? It is kind of Semantic double-speak. Some medical groups define pregnancy as begining at implantation.” (To them, conception and implantation are defined as the same thing. They say, “pregnancy” is “conceived at implantation.”) ProLifers say that “human life begins with fertilization.” A human life is conceived at fertilization. So their side says “the ella effect is pre-implantation,’ thus is not abortifacient.” We say, “This medicine may result in death of a new human being by preventing implantation, thus is abortifacient.”
Don’t miss this important fact: Ella only delays ovulation if taken in the several days before ovulation happens, i.e., before the luteal surge which stimulates release of the egg. After ovulation, if the egg is fertilized, “ella” works as a progesterone-blocking abortifacient. How often would you guess a woman takes this in just the right widow (several days before ovulation) to delay ovulation? Not often. Taken at other times, it may have no effect on ovulation, but could still affect the development of secretory endometrium.
The egg must be fertilized on the day of ovulation. (After 1 day, it resists fertilization) And why does “ella” work for 5 days after ovulation? Because it is on about the 5th day after ovulation and fertilization that the new baby begins to implant—but can’t, because the uterine lining function is disabled by “ella” This is abortifacient action. And this is why “ella” can be used, as advertised, up to 5 days after intercourse.
The FDA literature hints at this (see quote above from ‘How does “ella” work?’), but the FDA does not use the word “abortifacient.” We find this very deceptive for the women considering using “ella” who would otherwise not even think of having an abortion.
The medical literature claims that Plan B is “up to 89% effective if used within 24 hours of unprotected intercourse, less so if used over the next couple days. The literature also claims that “ella” is “more effective” than Plan B, and effectiveness, although diminished, is still a reality if “ella” is taken 5 days after intercourse.
Q: How many days a month is a woman able to become pregnant?
Fact: About 4 days a month. Thus EC will appear to be effective about 26 days each month!! This is because it is impossible to get pregnant about 26 days a month (see below). Many of the days when women take EC, it is not possible to get pregnant anyway. This fact makes the “effectiveness” statistics look very good.
Some notes on timing:
If the sperm is deposited more than 3 days before ovulation fertilization ordinarily won’t happen, as the sperm is usually “dead” or not effective by ovulation time.
If the sperm is deposited 24 hours after ovulation, fertilization won’t happen, as the egg is “dead,” (i.e., no longer receptive to sperm).
So the narrow window of 2 or 3 days before ovulation to 24 hours after ovulation is the “fertilization window”
Delaying ovulation with use of EC in the preovulatory 2 day window of time apparently works as a contraceptive method by delaying ovulation several days, during which time the sperm dies, so it cannot fertilize the egg
AAPLOG note: Remember, it is not possible to get pregnant 26 days each month. This makes the “effectiveness” statistics look really good—much better than they really are. Also remember that the major studies on Plan B (which claims to be 89% effective) show NO DECREASE IN UNINTENDED PREGNANCY, AND NO DECREASE IN ABORTION RATES, even when the EC was given free, and given to the patient ahead of time to have on hand for emergency use. See http://www.aaplog.org/position-and-papers/emergency-contraception/ | <urn:uuid:b90d2d19-01ab-455e-a502-64452f7db60b> | 2 | 2.40625 | 0.042787 | en | 0.926206 | http://www.aaplog.org/position-and-papers/emergency-contraception/aaplog-position-on-%E2%80%9Cella%E2%80%9D-the-newest-%E2%80%9Cemergency-contraception%E2%80%9D/ |
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, who died on Monday after suffering a stroke, was arguably the most recognisable British politician since Winston Churchill.
Thatcher became prime minister in 1979, the first woman ever to be elected to the position.
She held power until 1990, winning three consecutive elections as leader of the Conservative party, and was appointed to the House of Lords, as Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven in 1992.
Thatcher was advised to stop public speaking on health grounds shortly before the death of Sir Denis Thatcher, her husband, in 2003. In her final years, she struggled with dementia.
In 2007, she became the first British prime minister to be honoured with a statue in the Houses of Parliament while still alive.
Grocer's daughter
Thatcher, née Roberts, was born in Grantham in Lincolnshire on October 13, 1925, the daughter of a grocer.
After attending Grantham Girls' School she went to Oxford University where she studied natural sciences and specialised in chemistry. She became president of the the university's Conservative Association in 1946.
In 1951 she married Denis Thatcher, a wealthy divorced businessman, with whom she was to have two children.
After a tough campaign she was elected as member of parliament for Finchley, in north London, in 1953 and became education secretary under Edward Heath after he won the 1970 general election.
Thatcher defeated Heath for the leadership of the Conservative Party in 1975 and became prime minister in 1979.
Arriving at 10 Downing Street, amid mounting industrial action by the country's unions, she famously said, in a paraphrase of St Francis of Assisi:
Falkland's factor
Thatcher's political philosophy, which later became known as Thatcherism, involved less state intervention and a commitment to free markets and entrepreneurialism.
Thatcher was a close ally and friend of late
US president Ronald Reagan [Reuters]
As her government began to introduce its policies, including reduced expenditures on services such as education and housing, unemployment rose sharply.
By December 1981, Thatcher's job approval rating had fallen to 25 percent, the lowest of her entire premiership.
In April 1982, Argentina invaded the British held Falkland Islands. After a short bloody war, the islands were recaptured.
The conflict helped boost Conservative support and the party won a landslide victory in the June 1983 general election, taking an overall majority of 144 seats.
Although strengthened by the election result, Thatcher's government found itself the following year challenged by a strike by Britain's coalminers.
Miners' strike
Thatcher was determined to lessen the power of the trade unions which she saw as holding the country to ransom. The strike turned into a violent and bitter dispute which split the country.
Eventually, after a year on strike, the National Union of Miners conceded without a deal.
Following the action, the unions went into steep decline, losing much of their power, rights and influence as well as millions of members.
Thatcher had long been a target for the Irish Republican Army which was waging a violent campaign for a united Ireland.
In October 1984, a hotel she was staying in was bombed by the IRA in a clear attempt to kill her and her cabinet.
Thatcher, who was in Brighton for the Conservative party conference, delivered her speech as planned in defiance of the bombers.
'Iron lady'
On the international stage, Thatcher wooed and bullied in equal measure.
Francois Mitterand, the late French president, famously described her as having "the eyes of Caligula and the mouth of Marilyn Monroe".
She faced fierce criticism over her opposition to economic sanctions over South Africa's apartheid regime.
At the height of the Cold War, Thatcher described Mikhail Gorbachev, the then Soviet leader, as a man she could do business with.
But it was with Ronald Reagan, the US president and her political soulmate, that she developed a special bond.
She backed Reagan's policy of deterrence against the Soviet Union, causing friction with allies who still adhered to the idea of détente that had been followed in the 1970s.
The Soviets described her as the “Iron Lady” - a tag she relished.
Her supporters credit her stance as playing a part in the eventual collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Fundamental change
In 1987, Thatcher led her party to a third term in power with a 102 seat majority, becoming the longest continuously serving prime minister of Britain since Lord Liverpool in 1812 to 1827.
However, controversial policies including the poll tax, which appeared to shift the tax burden from rich to poor, and her increasingly strident opposition to any closer integration with Europe, began to lose her support both in the country and in her party.
In November 1990, Michael Heseltine, who had resigned from Thatcher's government in 1986, challenged her for the leadership of the party.
Heseltine narrowly received enough backing from the parliamentary Conservative party in the first round of voting to take the contest to a second ballot.
Although Thatcher initially stated that she would contest the second ballot, she resigned after consulting with her cabinet colleagues and left Downing Street for good.
Thatcher's final years were dogged by ill health and a series of minor strokes meant she rarely spoke in public.
But critics and supporters alike would accept that she helped create a period of fundamental change, not just in Britain but across the world.
Source: Al Jazeera | <urn:uuid:7e096671-6cd8-4158-8104-d60ce9748fc1> | 3 | 2.96875 | 0.201492 | en | 0.979939 | http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2013/04/201348121216741421.html |
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Current Events
Is Hadiya Pendleton's death different from other Chicago murders? (Opinion and Video)
Hadiya Pendleton was a 15-year-old honor student who attended Dr. Marin Luther King Jr. College Prep High School, one of eight selective-enrollment public high schools in Chicago. She was gunned down Tuesday as she and friends sought shelter from the rain under a canopy at Harsh Park. At the time of the shooting there had been 41 murders in Chicago in 2013. Pendleton's was the 42nd. The aftershock of her death now ebbs and flows over the city.
She is not the first young person senselessly slaughtered in the city, and unfortunately she won't be the last; nor is she the first female, the first honor student, or the first murdered in a non-gang-related shooting. Police report that neither Pendleton nor her friends were gang members, although it would be easier for some to believe they were. Officials surmise the gunman mistakenly believed the teens were members of a rival gang and opened fire on them.
There must be more to this story. The "more" is how a story is perceived and the value mainstream American society and the media place on some lives while not placing much value on others, which is reflected in the stories the mainstream media promotes. It's the high expectations for children born into two-parent families and the low expectations for those born into single-parent ones. The outcry over Pendleton's death would be deafening if she had been white. This is not an outrageous statement—it's a true one.
If an honor student is gunned down in Englewood, one of the most violent neighborhoods in Chicago, many will say it's indeed a shame that child wasn't able to make it out of the war zone. There will be flowers, tears will flow and makeshift memorials will rise, but unspoken words will also infiltrate the minds of the majority ethnic group—why did the family live in such a horrible neighborhood, why was there no father in the home, why do people have children when they can't afford to live in suburbia with a white picket fence surrounding their home, 2.5 children and two cars in the garage? There are no canned answers, because each situation is different. However, respect for life—all life—should manifest itself in a humane society.
Pendleton was a "city kid," but her parents were married. She had a younger brother and extended family who loved her. She was an intelligent, lively young lady. According to reports from family and friends, boundless opportunities awaited her. She had accomplished much in her short life, including performing at President Barack Obama's recent inauguration with her school band and gaining admission to an excellent high school. Her life personified the potential and promise of the American Dream. Perhaps mainstream America can understand, and hopefully relate, to this tragedy, because Pendleton's family may mirror their own—with the exception of darker skin tones.
Horrifically, Pendleton's life ended less than one mile from Obama's Chicago home, in the neighborhood of Kenwood. Her life had limitless value, as every child and youth's does—even those born in Englewood, Greater Grand Crossing, Washington Park, Garfield Park and countless other violent Chicago neighborhoods.
Pendleton's future was hopeful and seemingly secure because of family unity and strength. I applaud her mother and father for the diligence and care they took with the life that was entrusted to them, and I mourn for Pendleton, but I mourn no less for the slain children in other areas of the city whose futures are also potentially bright. Their start may not have been as positive as Pendleton's, but they, just as she, deserved the chance to dream, live, and become productive members of society.
There are many who may not achieve the fame of a Jennifer Hudson or a Derrick Rose but who would have made it out of the killing fields if they hadn't died prematurely from a stray bullet.
So far, the city has offered an $11,000 reward for leads on Pendleton's shooter. Mayor Rahm Emanuel has talked about her death, and so has Obama. Words only—no actions. When the federal marshals are called in, Chicagoans will know "change has come America," to quote the words of the president. | <urn:uuid:c784ede7-0648-4684-a121-cf35b3834d0c> | 2 | 1.898438 | 0.195187 | en | 0.980251 | http://www.allvoices.com/article/13933443 |
Substantive due process
I find in Wikipedia’s article on “due process” that the United States Supreme Court in Snyder v. Massachusetts (1934) held that due process is violated “if a practice or rule offends some principle of justice so rooted in the traditions and conscience of our people as to be ranked as fundamental.”
The above would seem to be a good definition of “substantive due process,” which basically means that any legislative act or judicial holding that we think violates someone’s rights is a violation of due process. Thus if we believe that a law outlawing certain private sexual behaviors “offends some principle of justice so rooted in the traditions and conscience of our people as to be ranked as fundamental” (even though such laws existed in all the states up to recent years), then that law violates due process. But this makes a hopeless mishmash out of the words “due process,” which simply mean that a legislature in passing a law or a court in reaching a decision follows its normal and proper procedures under the law. Now, if a legislature or court deprives a person of some liberty that you think should never be infringed, regardless of the procedure by which the person is deprived of that liberty, then say so. But don’t destroy the objective meaning of words—and thus the very basis of law and liberty—by calling this supposed injustice a failure of “due process.”
A further problem is that due process properly understood only refers to decisions and holdings by a court, not to acts of a legislature. So there seems to be two principal ways in which the concept of due process has been distorted: (1) due process is changed to substantive due process, which means that certain types of deprivations of liberty and property simply can’t be enacted no matter how proper the process is; and (2) due process is used in reference to legislative acts, to declare a legislative act illegitimate because it fails “due process.” There are legitimate ways for a court to overturn the act of a legislature; claiming a lack of due process in the legislative act is not one of them.
Here is a brief, understandable explanation of substantive due process. Here is a list of 23 Supreme Court decisions that invoked substantive due process. Many of them involve laws governing sexual behavior and abortion: Loving v. Virginia, Griswold v. Connecticut, Doe v. Bolton, Roe v. Wade, Bowers v. Hardwick, Planned Parenthood v. Casey, and Lawrence v. Texas.
A final note: When the U.S. Supreme Court in 1857 held that Dred Scott could never be freed under any law, since that would be taking away Scott’s owner’s property rights in him without due process, that was correctly seen as an outrage against the Constitution, law, and logic. Yet today, a major part of the power of the federal courts over our society is based on the same illegitimate concept of substantive due process, and there’s not a peep of protest.
- end of initial entry -
A reader recommends David Bernstein’s article at the Volokh site defending substantive due process against its critics and tracing its origins to Dred Scott, and a brief overview of due process by Nick Szabo. I notice that Bernstein says that Bork’s Tempting of America has misinformed the critics of substantive due process. That would apply to me since I was influenced by Bork. I look forward to reading Bernstein’s article.
Posted by Lawrence Auster at August 28, 2007 09:07 AM | Send
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SIM cards
Phone unlocking to be 'expeditious and transparent,' while not affecting service contracts
The Obama administration, by way of the NTIA (National Telecommunications and Information Administration), today officially petitioned the FCC to voice its opinion that carriers should be required unlock customer's phones. The petition cuts right to the point, stating that US consumers should be able to request that their phone, tablet or other device be unlocked — and have it done free of charge and with no strings attached.
Said NTIA Administrator Lawrence E. Strickling, going further to say that the burden of handling unlocking should be put on the carrier, not the users, and that the process should be "expeditious and transparent." A Library of Congress decision regarding the DMCA took the ability for consumers to legally unlock their phones last year, and this petition hopes to secure these rights outside of that act.
The NTIA claims that carriers have plenty of mechanisms for keeping customers on their networks and following their rules, regardless of ability to unlock a handset and take it to a competitor. And we can likely all agree that this is the case, as unlocking a phone doesn't change the fact that you may still be in a service contract with that carrier.
Although this is a great step in the direction of consumers having control over their devices, it's up to the FCC to create the framework for this to happen. The NTIA is hoping to get the ball rolling though, stating:
The Obama administration has seemed to stay on the side of consumers with previous statements on this matter, but we have to hope that the FCC can set a strong framework to make sure carriers not only are required to unlock phones but are also held accountable for following the laws. As we all know, carriers don't always follow through on FCC requirements to be open with devices.
Source: Washington Post; NTIA
Reader comments
Obama administration petitions FCC to require carriers to unlock phones
Agreed. I actually have no problem with carriers locking phones during the subsidization period or until the contract is settled (ETF paid and all), but after that, they should immediately unlock the devices.
I played hell getting Verizon to unlock 2 phones that were long out of contract, and we had been a customer for over 10 years. We were initially told that it was impossible, then that it was possible but they don't do it. I finally had to lie and tell them that we were going to be traveling abroad and needed to use local networks while there. Totally unnecessary hassle for devices that we own outright.
On the other hand, I recently unlocked my old iPhone 3G on AT&T despite not being a customer for almost 4 years. Went to a page on their web site, submitted the phone's IMEI number, my old phone number and a few other miscellaneous details, and got an e-mail back within a few hours confirming that it's eligible for unlocking.
Say what you want about Verizon's network, but they're a total bunch 'a greedy bastards.
If something this minor is keeping your attention from the real problems happening right now, then you are easily distracted.
Stfu!! Why must people always get upset right away when a small political comment is made. I know this isn't a place for politics and I do not care to discuss them with anyone here but there's no need to be rude about it.
Overreact much. My comment wasn't even rude. Just an observation. Also nothing in my comment would suggest I was upset.
I've might have overreacted and I apologize for that but I believe the "keep it to yourself" comment wasn't needed.
Aren't people smart enough to tackle multiple issues at hand? Are you saying that people have to focus on one single issue at a time? If its too hard for you to focus on multiple issues all in one sitting, I feel bad for you. The government is a series of cogs and moving parts all doing jobs and tackling issues everyday for the millions of Americans and their livelihoods.
Telling someone to "keep it to yourself" when said person looks to be trying to start an off-topic political argument on a tech site is pretty appropriate.
Hmmmm. Just a observation... Let's just say 1 Hope this petition goes through...
2. Being The President isn't easy...
Posted via Android Central App
True...try to be the president and let's see if you can still comment like that.
Posted via Android Central App
If you know this isn't the place, and you don't want to discuss it, why make the comment in the first place?
*one of the extremely rare cases in which Obama can do something good without getting blocked by the GOP in Congress
Posted via Android Central App
Political parties are not necessarily there to agree with one another. If they were why have more than one?
There are numerous political parties because Americans have numerous opinions.
Posted via Android Central App
Don't be fooled. Both parties are the same carrying out the same agenda. Just another distraction to keep the populace against each other.
Posted via Android Central App
If he wanted to do something good he could have issued a Executive Order, both to the FCC and the DOJ to prosecute the carriers for illegal restraint of trade and be done with the issue. Instead we get this community organizer approach.
And if he issued an executive order, you ignorant idiots would be complaining about executive overreach and him being a "dictator."
Just STFU with the political spin.
I really..really hate when someone says this, not everyone is able to root their phone and not everyone is able to buy a nexus.
Not true. Almost everybody who would want to unlock their phone could definitely root it, and pretty much anybody in a locked-phone atmosphere could have bought a nexus just as easily as the phone they have.
That being said, not everyone wants to have to make either of those sacrifices. That is the problem. Not the difficulty (very little) of rooting or the expense (comparatively little) of buying a nexus.
That might be true of older phones, but newer devices should allow the consumer the option of unlocking the bootloader, which in turn would give us the ability to root.
When I was going overseas, I wanted to SIM-unlock my Galaxy S2 Skyrocket. AT&T claimed that because the phone was exclusive to them, they didn't have the ability to unlock this device. I then took it upon myself to unlock it on my own.
Unlocking and rooting is still more complicated than it needs to be. I shouldn't have to download software to unlock/root my phone. WebOS still gets the win here (one of the very few places).
Yeah, my comment didn't come off the way I meant it to. I meant to say for the time being, it's an immediate solution.
Posted via Android Central App
This. Absolutely.
Especially in times when they're limiting data and releasing phones without expandable storage; I'm fine with putting whatever bloat they want on the phones, SOMEtimes it's even useful! but for the love of anything you consider holy let us remove it if we don't find it useful.
Ditto. I can put up with some level of custom skin over stock Android, but it irritates me when there's carrier apps that aren't any better (maybe even worse) than a 3rd party app I can get on my own. Granted, the average consumer doesn't know any better and will use the carrier app, but those of us that configure the phone anyway we want, I want to be able to remove the bloat without hassle.
One could argue that while you're still paying the subsidy for the device, you really don't hold a right to removing carrier bloatware until the subsidy is paid.
That being said... once a subsidy is paid, your carrier plan should also reflect that in a reduced monthly cost, and at that point you should have the right to do whatever you wish with your device.
Heyyy...I know you :D
Pleasantries aside, Is bloatware the "software" carriers are trying to use in their "unlocking harms us" argument? Shit that I'd venture to say most people don't want or care about?
I don't accept your argument.
Its like saying your bank gets to tell you who you can take for a ride in your car until you make the last payment, or Best Buy gets to decide what you watch on that 60 inch TV till its all paid off.
You bought it on time payments, but its still yours from day one, as long as you make payments.
It's not the same. The bank is financing your car, not subsidizing its cost. Is AT&T supposed to come to your house and repo your phone when you default? They make their money off selling phone service. If people were allowed to unlock their phones before the subsidy is paid off and just immediately switch providers the subsidy would disappear overnight. Why should AT&T sell you a $700 phone for $200?
What SHOULD be is providers shouldn't sell phones. You go wherever and you buy your phone at full price. You take your phone around and shop for service. Phones would get better, service would get better and would cost less.
This. Carriers should only focus on one thing - service. I don't need them to manage my life, or install 30 apps on my phone before I even buy it just because they are trying to 'add value' or better yet suck me into additional services. All I need them to do is just provide great coverage/service.
However, I will say that us as a nation has been spoiled with $200-$300 phones, and it would be a big shift for us to start spending $600-$700. But I gotta imagine that the vendors would probably start offering discounts as well, and maybe we'd end up somewhere in the middle ($400-$500 phones?).
It is the same thing. AT&T isn't giving you a gift with the subsidy. You pay it off through your plan. No, they don't repo your phone of you stop paying for service but they do charge you a fee to cover the cost of the device you never finished paying off with your monthly plan.
It is a sad day when POTUS has to step in to do the job that the FCC lacks the competence to do.
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The FCC is a federal agency of the Executive Branch. They are a useful tool of the President's policies, hence they ARE the President. If the FCC hasn't had the initiative to enforce their own regulations... that is the fault of the President. He needs to have the stones to stand by his own policies, and see them through to implementation.
Posted via Android Central App
No, not really... My point was that if the president wants to require companies to do this, he has the power to issue an executive order and have the FCC enforce it. Whenever (if ever) he decides to do that, things will change. Until then, it's all just lip service from Lord Teleprompter.
Posted via Android Central App
Wow. You are so wrong. The FCC is made up of five commissioners posted by presidents to five year terms. Once they're appointed, they're independent. The President could issue whatever executive order he wants, and the commissioners can completely ignore it. Do us all a favor and don't open your mouth when you don't know what you're talking about (hint, talking point from faux news don't count as knowing what you're talking about).
Wow. You are so gullible to think all appointees act independently of the President's desires. There is a reason why they are chosen by him in the first place. And the FCC currently only has 3 sitting commissioners, and they were all appointed by this President. By the way... pull down your dress. Your dumb faux news comment shows your ignorance about me, and makes your arrogant stupidity bare for the world to see.
If they were just an extension of the Oval Office, then he could just issue an Executive Order. They aren't though and he can't and while some appointees will toe a line, not all will and certainly not all the time. Your continued insistence that he can simply issue an Executive Order displays your general ignorance.
Here's just one example, you arrogant little prick. Yes, he CAN issue an Executive Order for the FCC. No, they are NOT REQUIRED to do what the President wants, but orders are issued, and if he holds the majority (he appointed all 3 sitting commissioners), he usually gets what he wants. All I was trying to say is that he has the ability to make a stand on the issue, and will likely get what he wants. But, because I didn't speak in glowing terms of our fearless leader, you got all butt-hurt and had to be a jerk. You need to lighten up, and stop drinking the koolaid.
No, actually, what you said was:
Except you (finally) just acknowledged that the FCC doesn't have to do what the President says. Just because they're his appointees doesn't mean they'll do what he asks or tells them to. It's NOT the President's fault if the FCC doesn't do what he requests, they are under no obligation to do so.
You think things actually work one way, when they do not. The president could issue an Executive Order telling the Congress to vote for a complete federally-run medical system, but just like the FCC, they can completely ignore it. You're the one getting all 'butt hurt' from the way you're popping off, you might want to grab some of that lube mentioned above, or maybe see a proctologist, you might have a stick up your butt.
why don't you stop leaving comments everywhere and get a life or something. you're really annoying. and not funny at all
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Please tell me how you carrier unlock a CDMA device? Unless you import in the ESN from the original carrier but even then if the LTE bands are different it won't matter.
Posted via Android Central App
4g is nolonger CDMA, its GSM based. just different bands. It is possible that if this passes the phone manufacturers will build one phone, with all 3 or 4 LTE/4g bands.
True but, at least of right now the LTE bands only take care of Data, CDMA is still required for voice. Until we have VoLTE this is not entirety possible. My US Cellular Note 2, for example, uses LTE for 4g data bit CDMA for 3G and voice. You cannot unlock this via sim card.
Posted via Android Central App
The move won't impact many CDMA or LTE device owners. But it's a good move for GSM device owners. Unfortunately, there really aren't any options for CDMA device owners, since unlocking won't benefit them much. But ya still gotta support the movement for GSM device owners.
you can vote with your feet and your wallet. i personally would love to see Verizon brought to their knees.
It won't impact Verizon LTE device owners because recent devices with a SIM slot (which is apparently needed for LTE) are already sold unlocked. It might impact Sprint device owners, though. I don't know the network bands their Android devices pack, but their BlackBerry Q10 has AT&T's HSPA+ band (and T-Mobile's too, in those re-farmed areas.) And unlike Verizon, I don't think Sprint sells their LTE devices SIM unlocked.
Why won't it affect LTE devices?
LTE is GSM on steroids, and the phones sold into the LTE markets have pentaband software programmable radios.
My thought is to just sell phones unlocked from the get go but I can see where different technologies would cut down your choices
Keep Calm & Android On
It's exactly like that in most Asian countries. Over there, there is no relation between phones and carriers.
You buy a phone (unlocked). Get a SIM from whatever carrier you want and pop it in.
In some places in Europe as well.
There are a few countries that carriers are forbidden to sell phones at all.
Oddly enough, many small finance companies sprang up to do installment sales to people who couldn't afford to buy them outright.
Folks, this isn't Obama. It's his underlings who know something about the industry and the way it should be. The President himself still has a 2008 Blackberry, for crying out loud.
Maybe Verizon, being the good old' evil Verizon, somehow got him into a 6-year contract...?
Posted via Android Central App
His BlackBerry Bold 9900 from five years ago is still more secure than Androids and iPhones. Not just Obama's BlackBerry, but Blackberrys in general.
It's a part of the Executive branch. And does it matter who proposes it if it's good news for the consumer?
Obviously Mr. Obama doesn't have anything more important to do... While I applaud the sentiment, the government has much more important things to do.
I think you meant "how long do you think it takes to tell someone who will tell an intern to write a memo?"
Because I was not a Socialist.
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Because I was not a Jew.
Posted via my GT-I9505G
Suck it AT&T they refused to unlock a smartphone I bought from someone, who had finished the contract, because they said it wasn't technically my phone from the start, they said I had to get the person I bought it from to call AT&T and unlock it for me and I never even ran into that person again.
I just call AT&T and they unlock it for me. Done it on last 3 phones. The President didn't even need to head to the Situation Room.
Here is my take on this... And sorry if I offended anyone. This is actually a pretty big deal. For a presidential administration to go up against big corporate business is really rare. It doesn't matter who the president is or what party they belong to, Washington is a revolving door for cabinet members to take positions as CEOs at huge corporations after they leave their public office that is why I find this hard to believe. No matter what the rational or motive behind this I'm glad it's happening. Now I hope they tackle more important issues next. But I won't go into that
Posted via Android Central App
"For a presidential administration to go up against big corporate business is really rare."
Which is why they don't often go up against them. As much as I hate to say this, if the carriers are really serious about this, I don't see this happening. Either the legislative bill will die in the Congress (hellooo lobbying $,) or this FCC action will get challenged in courts (hellooo high priced lawyer $)
The good news is that a bill isn't needed. It the FCC just has to make it happen. Then the inevitable lawsuit from the carriers happens... But Hope springs internal
Posted via Android Central App
No offense, but you really haven't been paying attention these last 5 years. The Obama administration has done more during his tenure to "go up against big corporate business," than all of his predecessors combined. I do agree with this move, although this really won't have that much effect until CDMA technology is retired.
It should be done automatically OTA upon completion of the contract, or upon purchase if the full price is paid, right there in the store.
Posted via Android Central App
Unnecessary. If the customer switches networks, then they will be responsible for the ETF and any unpaid balance on the phone.
Yay Obamas doing something besides ruining the country or playing golf!
Posted via Android Central App
Exactly. People with Obama Derangement Syndrome seem to lurk in every comment section on every subject ready to spread their ignorance. These are the same types of folks that think making a lame pun with his name pauses for a rational critique.
You mean like saying "we should make a new state and send all of the liberals there. We could call it, Alobama"?
I think that if this were passed as law, the incentive for carriers to compete with each other would diminish. I think product innovation would subsequently suffer and we may see a decline in the awesomeness of the devices we enjoy today. This would be disappointing.
Yet Another Reason..
We should find a way to elect this group yet a 3RD TERM..
So we can keep fixing the MESS bush made.,
Housing..Healthcare.. 401's a War that SHOULD HAVE NEVER HAPPENED.. etc..
What a MESS bush made of this country..
bush.. The WORST Presidential Rating ever recorded
Thank Gawd for the Obama Admin..
Many more things than either McCain or Romney, which is the most important consideration. I have some criticism for specific policies but man consider the alternative.
One other thing to consider is that most of the FCC commissioners will be gone within six months so they have nothing to lose here. I am thinking this might just go through
Posted via Android Central App
Everyone thinks this is a great idea. Well, say goodbye to reasonably priced phones! Every smartphone will cost $600+ since the carrier won't be able to "charge" for unlocking and there will be no guarantee the carrier will have you as a customer long enough to recoup their subsidy. They cannot "eat" that lost subsidy and stay in business. Yet more proof the Obama administration doesn't understand economics... IDIOTS!
First off, most high end smartphones already cost around or above $600 when purchased in full. The Nexus is an exception and not the rule. Secondly, and more importantly, why do you think carriers charge an Early Termination Fee? To recoup the lost subsidy. While you may not agree with the Obama Administration, at least try to think before going on a rant.
I just hoped this thread would be on topic. Sadly, I also figured that all the Obama haters would take an opportunity to voice opinions simply because his name was in the thread title.
Uocked phones are useless when your carrier (verizon and sprint especially) do not easily allow non carrier branded phones on their network. Plus with all the bands/frequencies used the average consumer will try to use the wrong device on the wrong network.
Posted via Android Central App
While we're at it, why not allow me to use my Directv box to get Comcast or Fios. Most people get free or heavily discounted phones anyway. How many people actually pay full price for a phone? If you can't wait to upgrade then pay extra. Phones are practically free if you wait 2 months after they come out.
Seriously, another useless idea from an useless President.
^^Another useless comment from an uninformed idiot.
No phone is free.You pay for the cost of the phone through the coat of the plan. This is why bring your own phone plans like StraightTalk can offer unlimited everything for $45, because you're not paying for the phone as well. The $200 you give VZW/ATT/Sprint for an HTC One isn't buying a phone, that's a down payment on the phone.
It's not your phone until you've paid for it 100%. I have no problem with a carrier locking a phone that they still have an interest in. Once you've paid for it though, it's yours, and it should be illegal for a carrier to hold it hostage.
Oh look at you, so CLEVER! You even used polysyllabic words! How cute...
Seriously, did you come here JUST to troll the president on a tech website? Because that's pretty pathetic.
I know phones are expensive but at this point I would rather just move to the model used in other countries. We buy the phone, then we own it, the we get coverage from a carrier that fits our needs. The carriers are not hawking phones they are offering coverage.
Also there is enough political grid-lock and animosity in Washington right now so why must it flow into this forum? In my opinion Bush has done things some like, and things some don't. Obama has done things some like and things some don't. Heck All the presidents have, so let just leave it at that and hope this unlocking rule ends up helping us consumers in the end.
No joke. Half the animosity towards Obama (and Bush) is simply political rivalism. It's like hating the Yankees even if they do something good, except that what politicians do actually matters. As an example, if you poll people about specific elements of Obamacare (without mentioning the term Obamacare), they're largely in favor of it. Poll them about Obamacare by name and attitudes shift drastically because of political mudslinging. It's ridiculous.
Honestly, I do like the idea of being able to unlock my phone at any time for free, and because of that I'll overlook the government intervention. However, this gesture is kind of too little too late. If you're on Verizon or Sprint (or another CDMA-based carrier) there really is no concept of "unlocking". You can "flash" a CDMA phone to work on a different carrier, but that's a risky process and there's no guarantee it will even work. If you're on T-Mobile they already unlock your phone for free as long as you don't owe them money and have been a customer for a few months. I don't think that's too much to ask. I have no idea what AT&T's policy is, but if you're dumb enough to use them as a carrier you deserve to be jerked around.
If this move makes any kind of traction we'll probably be more than halfway there without any government intervention.
I think all the phone should come already unlocked from manufacture. Is it not true that carriers can block your IMEI whenever they find a excuse to do it? so what for they need to keep network locking you phone? | <urn:uuid:1a244f28-0f1c-4576-84e3-8a6f70b5617f> | 2 | 1.578125 | 0.236469 | en | 0.973486 | http://www.androidcentral.com/obama-administration-petitions-fcc-require-carriers-unlock-phones |
Practical Issues > Health - Index > Vegan Index
Which Oil is Healthiest?
Which oil is healthiest, olive, soy, or canola? Which oil is healthiest, safflower, sunflower, or corn? Which oil is healthiest, peanut, walnut, or grape? Which oil is healthiest, flaxseed, sesame, or coconut?
Let me ask the same question another way:
Given the choice, which form of execution is best?
Death by Hanging? Death by firing squad? Death by the electric chair? Death by lethal injection? Death by oil?
I'll take the oil, please. It's slower than the other options, but it is also absolute. Too much oil of any kind is a slow-torture artery clogger.
Do we need fat in our diets? The simple answer is yes, and fruits and vegetables and seeds and grains all contain small amounts of oil. A varied plant-based diet satisfies an individual's daily oil needs.
The United States Department of Agriculture extracted oil from human cadavers and determined that 50% of our calories should come from carbohydrates, 20% from protein, and 30% from fat. I have no idea as to how they determined their completely arbitrary numbers, but the cadaver method makes about as much sense as USDA's continued insistence that school children need to drink daily pints of milk.
One gram of carbohydrate contains 4 calories. One gram of protein contains 4 calories. One gram of fat contains 9 calories. Using USDA's numbers, in order to maintain his or her weight (multiply by 1.4), an average 150 pound man or woman needs 2,100 calories per day (1050 calories of carbs, 420 calories of protein, and 630 calories of fat). That translates to: 263 grams of carbs, 105 grams of protein, and 70 fat grams.
CONTROVERSY: The World Health Organization recommends that that same average individual requires between 28-35 grams per day of protein, so you see how controversial this issue can be.
If you want bad advice from knuckleheads, go to the Internet and search YouTube. Here is one from a self-described "expert" which had me screaming after the first 45 seconds:
Everybody seems to have a different opinion. The most intelligent nutritional advice comes from Dr. Douglas Graham. Dr. Graham recommends an 80-10-10 diet. That means the 150 pound person would eat 52 grams of protein, 420 grams of carbs, and 23 grams of fat.
That is more in line with my thinking and is my current diet. I believe that the greatest doctors such as Neal Barnard, T. Colin Campbell, Caldwell Esselstyn, Joel Fuhrman, Doug Graham, Michael Greger, John McDougall, and Dean Ornish, would also be more in agreement with the 80-10-10 diet than USDA's 50-20-30. USDA's primary mission is to promote the consumption of dead cows and milk and dairy products. That explains the rationale for their unhealthy advice. does one obtain 23 grams of fat or oil day?
Apples or other fruit? Sorry. That proverbial apple each day is 86 percent water. Add up the protein, fat, and carbs in one small apple (100 grams) and you're eating less than one gram of all of the above combined.
One notoriously fat-filled (200-gram) Haas avocado (I've known vegans who consume 5-10 avocados each day in the belief that avocados are healthy) contains 30 grams of fat. does one obtain the necessary 23 grams of fat?
Consider: One teaspoon of any of the above oils, be it olive, corn, or canola, contains approximately 14 grams of fat.
A 100-gram portion (3.5 ounces) of raw almonds contains nearly 50 grams of fat, while dry roasted almonds contain 52 grams of fat. A 100-gram portion of green olives contains 15 grams of fat. The black olives contain 7 grams.
A 1-pint portion of vanilla ice cream contains 48 grams of fat.
I've seen dieters go heavy on the green salads from salad bars, selecting dozens of the most delicious veggies and then the negate all of the good by pouring 1/2 cup or more of salad dressing. Salad dressing is their downfall. Here's where lemon juice can be your savior, or oil-free hummus, or fresh herbs. Just go easy on the oil. Two teaspoons of oil satisfy one's daily oil requirement. One-half avocado and one teaspoon of oil will supply all of your daily fat needs.
So...which oil do I recommend, the soy or olive or canola or safflower? My suggestion is to buy a bottle of the least processed cold pressed super-duper extra virgin (sounds like my high school years) olive oil that should cost between $20 and $30 per liter. These oils are so magnificent, that even their bouquets will add fat to your thighs. They are available in fine gourmet shops or online. Then, each time you have the urge to lubricate your internal engine with oil as your food, use no more than a teaspoon, and even that will be an extravagance.
My recipe for salad with an aromatic hint of olive oil flavor:
1) Make one salad. 2) Take one tablespoon of olive and gargle with it. 3) Discard olive oil. 4) Breathe on salad...
The least logical aspect of twenty-first century medicine is that when an individual suffers a life-threatening event, his physician usually has the knowledge to place a patient on a cleansing and life extending diet, one that no longer compromises the human body by filling it with illogical fuels. The cure, doctors admit by their response to near death experiences, is a simple as making dietary changes.
Why must one examine dietary changes after near-death episodes? Would it not make sense to prevent death and illness by eating healthy foods right from the start?
Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn's Reversing and Curing Heart Disease book is for the sick and heart-compromised. If we all had the vision to see, we would all be included in that category, even our children. Esselstyn's book spells out the simple dos and don'ts. Dr. Esselstyn defines the cause and in doing so, presents the cure.
While practicing medicine at America's number one cardiovascular hospital, the Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Esselstyn did everything in his power to make a complete nuisance of himself. Imagine a hospital treating more than 2 million patients each year? Talk about a cash cow. Add an Esselstyn or two, and remove hundreds of thousands of tests, procedures, and surgeries. Esselstyn's work alone could have cost the Cleveland Clinic a billion or more dollars per year in cashflow.
One day, an creative administrator was hit with a bolt of imaginative lightening. "Let's give Essy two dozen of the most hopeless heart cases, the ones who didn't respond to triple bypasses, balloon angioplasty, or other procedures."
And so they did.
Esselstyn took on 23 males and one female, all given virtual death sentences. The most remarkable of Dr. Esselstyn's patients was a colleague, Dr. Crowe. Esselstyn writes:
"After his heart attack in 1996, tests showed that the entire lower third of his left anterior descending coronary artery-the vessel leading to the front of the heart and nicknamed, for obvious reasons, 'the widowmaker' -was significantly diseased."
Caldwell Esselstyn's skill as a surgeon is obvious, but his proficiency as a writer might be the best part of his work. Although readers of his book have little or no skill in assessing heart damage by reviewing coronary angiograms or scans or x-rays, or other diagnostic tools, Esselstyn skillfully translates the language of cardiologists into a layman's understanding by presenting easily understood photographs with arrows and highlighted commentary. His book is a treasure map, and whether you are diseased or in perfect health, you will find the secret treasure.
Secret, because, as he writes:
"In the United states alone, more than half a million people die of it (heart disease) every single year...The United States spends more than $250 billion a year on heart disease. That's about the same amount the nation spent on the first two and half years of its military venture in Iraq..."
Of Esselstyn's 24 patients, one did die. All of the others survived through the duration of this twelve-year study. Of the man who did die, Esselstyn writes:
"...He had been accepted into the study after sustaining a massive heart attack during an unsuccessful angioplasty... his left heart chamber was so badly damaged and scarred that it was able to pump blood at less than 20 percent of its normal capacity...After he had spent nearly five years on the program, a follow-up angiogram compared four of the areas where his arteries had narrowed. Two were unchanged. Two had improved. Ten months later, he died of cardiac arrhythmia...his heart, which was so scarred, had literally electrocuted itself into arrest...As for the rest of the group, all improved."
The survivors? Esselstyn confidently calls them "heart attack-proof."
The 24 patients came to Dr. Esselstyn cumulatively having suffered through 49 life-threatening cardiovascular events in the years leading up to the study. Esselstyn writes:
"Among the fully compliant patients, during the twelve-year study, there was not one further clinical episode of worsening coronary artery disease..."
Six patients left the study, being unable to stay with a vegan diet. For them, the call of the cheese and meat represented the call of the wild. Of them, Esselstyn writes:
"In every one of them, the heart disease had grown worse. They had suffered...four cases of increased angina, two cases of ventricular tachycardia, four bypass operations, one angioplasty, one case of congestive heart failure..." Caldwell Esselstyn is a visionary. After challenging his own colleagues and the millions of patients who spend billions of dollars to suffer needlessly, Esselstyn proposes:
"The collective will and conscience of my profession is being tested as never before. Now is the time for legendary work."
Robert Cohen
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Animal Studies Bibliography
Ecofeminists argue that animals and women are both oppressed by patriarchy. These arguments, however, do not actually demonstrate that animals are oppressed. While there are symbolic parallels between women and animals, it is not in feminists' best interests to focus on this similarity.
The theoretical connection between the oppression of women and the oppression of animals is usually based on the Warren's (1990) concept of the logic of domination. The argument attempts to show how the same logical process is behind both oppressions. A privileging of supposedly male-only traits, a hierarchical value system, and the belief that lower things can be subordinated support the notion that men can subordinate women. Similarly, the argument goes, privileging human over animal leads to human subordination of animals. There is debate among ecofeminist as to which premise (dualism, value-hierarchy, or subordination) is responsible for oppression. Warren's point, however, is to show the similar structure of different oppressions. The problem with this argument is that subordination is not the same thing as oppression. Subordinate roles may not be oppressive (e.g. different military ranks, or children subordinate to parents' control in a non-oppressive way). The premises, then, are not enough to explain oppression. We must understand what makes particular contexts oppressive. In the case of women, such subordinations as pay inequities and violence against women are morally wrong because if women were treated equally in these areas, they could benefit from them as well as men could. This reasoning, however, does not apply to animals, and here the analogy between the oppressions breaks down. Animals have different capacities than women, and fair treatment of animals thus is not the same as fair treatment of women. The argument only shows that animals are subordinate, not that they are oppressed, and this latter step is crucial to any attempt at analogy.
Practical connections between oppressions of animals and women are similarly problematic. For example, Cantor (1983) argues for parallels between the domestication of pets and of women. However, while there are clear disadvantages to women from this arrangement (dangers stemming from financial dependence, etc.), it is not clear whether or how animals are harmed or oppressed by having learned traits of docility and dependence. Similarly, Adams in various places attempts to break down the human-animal barrier and emphasize the our shared capacities and subjectivity. The comparisons she makes, however, still have differences that keep the analogy from actually illuminating anything about why we should change out treatment of animals. The animal rights perspective offers better reasoning because it explains why we should not treat animals in particular ways (how attributing particular states to them creates particular obligations on our part). In short, making an analogy between women's oppression by patriarchy and animals' oppression by patriarchy does not work due to important differences between animals and women. There are, however, important symbolic connections (e.g. women hung on meat hooks in pornography and the use of animal epithets like bitch against women). However, there are also positive images of animals, as in describing someone as graceful as a swan, and men are also often animalized, especially when they are physically or sexually aggressive. Due to these complexities, it is unclear what effect feminist emphasis on these connections would have. Further, emphasizing a connection of women to animals, nature, and emotion is dangerous in that it would endanger women politically and would possibly be a mischaracterization of animals, whose subjectivity, feelings, etc. we know very little about. In short, feminist should not focus on making the connection between their own oppression and that of animals, nor should animal rights activists try to make such parallels. Feminists do have a responsibility to work against animal oppression, but it is the same responsibility they have toward any oppressed group, rather than being the result of a special connection between women and animals.
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> ANSA English > News
U.S. President Obama to visit Pope Francis in March
Both 'share commitment to fighting poverty and inequality'
21 January, 19:37
U.S. President Obama to visit Pope Francis in March (By Stefania Fumo) (ANSA) - Vatican City, January 21 - President Barack Obama will meet Pope Francis for the first time at the Vatican on March 27, the White House said Tuesday.
A White House statement said Obama "looks forward to discussing with Pope Francis their shared commitment to fighting poverty and growing inequality".
The visit to the Italian capital will take place as part of a trip to Europe by Obama that begins on March 24 in The Hague for a nuclear security summit hosted by the Dutch government. This will be followed by a US-European Union summit with European Council President Herman Van Rompuy and European Commission President José Manuel Barroso in Brussels on March 26.
The US president will also meet with Belgian leaders and NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen.
Obama's presidency has been marked by some high-profile clashes with the Catholic Church, including over sexual and reproductive rights. But Francis' approach to world economic issues is seen as more in line with Obama's thinking than that of the previous pope Benedict, who stepped down in February 2013.
In an interview last year, Obama called Francis an "extraordinarily thoughtful and soulful messenger of peace and justice".
"I haven't had a chance to meet him yet", Obama said then. "But everything that I've read, everything that I've seen from him, indicates the degree to which he is trying to remind us of those core obligations". In what was his first major manifesto since becoming pope in March 2013, Francis in November called for a renewed focus on the poor and criticized what he said was the tyranny of markets that excludes too many people.
In his 50,000-word document titled Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel) the pope wrote that charity "means working to eliminate the structural causes of poverty and to promote the integral development of the poor". "This means education, access to health care, and above all employment, for it is through free, creative, participatory and mutually supportive labor that human beings express and enhance the dignity of their lives".
His words echo those spoken by Obama a year earlier, when the president announced a new campaign to reduce chronic hunger and lift 50 million people in Africa out of poverty within a decade. "The whole purpose of development is to create the conditions where assistance is no longer needed, where people have the dignity and the pride of being self-sufficient," the US president said in 2012. Obama, who has made fighting rising inequality the domestic priority for the remainder of his second term in office, praised the pope's stance on inequality in a major economic address in December. "Across the developed world, inequality has increased", Obama said, and then quoted from Pope Francis. "Some of you may have seen just last week, the pope himself spoke about this at eloquent length: 'How can it be,' he wrote, 'that it is not a news item when an elderly homeless person dies of exposure, but it is news when the stock market loses two points?'," said Obama. Eradicating world hunger, reducing waste and ensuring long-term food security are also themes close to the pope's heart as well as the president's. "It is intolerable that thousands of people die of starvation every day, when massive amounts of food are available that often simply go to waste," Francis said in a message Tuesday to global leaders gathering at the annual World Economic Forum in Davos. | <urn:uuid:9cbf01ae-dc20-46b0-99ce-70f7898bcae8> | 2 | 1.96875 | 0.027494 | en | 0.973627 | http://www.ansa.it/web/notizie/rubriche/english/2014/01/21/President-Obama-visit-Pope-Francis-March_9939754.html |
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The Critic's Resource on AntiEvolution
Weasel Words
4. Each character in each child has an equal chance of mutating. Children having mutations are displayed in red.
5. A simple strategy: select a child that has more word forming characters in place. It may be unchanged from the Mother. It is possible, even likely, that the winning word will not be one that you were expecting or trying for.
6. Each generation subtracts one point from your word score.
7. When a dictionary word becomes the Mother, click Finish to add the word score to your cumulative score.
8. To play competitively, open a browser tab for each player.
Select mutation rate: 2% 4% 6% 8% 10%
Select word length: 3 4 5 6 7
Generation: Current Mother: Cumulative Score:
Odds: / Viewed: = Word Score:
Evolve Your innerHTML:
Completed Words:
Dawkins' Weasel illustrates the cumulative power of selection in a population of imperfect replicators. This game allows you to select the individuals that are allowed to replicate. Each generation is comprised of fifty individuals copied from the Mother. Each individual child is copied letter by letter, and each letter has a chance of mutating during the copy process.
1. Scoring is based on beating the odds.
• About 1 three letter string in 30 is an English word.
• About 1 four letter string in 180 is an English word.
• About 1 five letter string in 2500 is an English word.
• About 1 six letter string in 40,000 is an English word.
• About 1 seven letter string in 70,000 is an English word.
2. So to beat the odds with four letter words, you need to find a word by viewing fewer than 180 randomly generated strings. Your word score will be 180 divided by the number of mutated strings presented.
3. Because the process of generating mutations has no memory, mutations may be identical to the Mother, or to a member of a previous generation.
4. In the original Weasel program, improvement was defined as an increase in the number of characters that match a specified target.
5. In Weasel Words, improvement is defined as an increase in the number of characters that match any dictionary word.
6. Improvements defined this way are not all of equal value. Some combinations of characters have more possibilities for further improvement than others.
Based on "Weasel" as described by Richard Dawkins
Weasel Javascript algorithm coded by Wesley R. Elsberry.
Game concept, scoring, coding and design by Midwifetoad
Weasel Words Game concept, scoring, coding and design are the intellectual property of James L. Sowder.
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Mixing ozone and co2
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• Mixing ozone and co2
Just wondering.. can i split my co2 reactor so that it has 2 inputs 1 for ozone and 1 for co2?
This way i don't have to put any equipment in my aquarium and the ozone solved for 100%...
Furthermore.. Is normal co2 tubing ozone resistant?
• #2
you have a philips aquarium purifier???
I tried one from jaap liefting, but I don't see whether it is working or not.
the apparatus makes clicks, but otherwise??? I put connected an airpump to it and let it bubble in a glass for one hour..... measured the redox afterwards in this glass as well as in a control and didn't measured any increase in redox potential...
anyway.. just a side step.
real question: why do you want to use ozone????
• #3
Well the main reason is just to purify my water. Something fishy (hehe) is in my water.. You know the massive algue problems i had, so i wanted to switch to Ozone just to sterilize my water and make sure no other shit is causing problems. Also, because i get one for free, it doesn't hurt my wallet to try.
• #4
You mean splitting the input where the CO2 gas comes in.
You need a t-stuk (sorry don't no the correct English word for it but Gilles will understand it) thats fits CO2 tube and ozone tube. Is this the same size?
I am not sure it this is available. My guess is that the pressure of the CO2 keeps the ozon out of your CO2 system. But I ma not sure if the ozon device give enough pressure to to keep the CO2 from entering this system.
• #5
Good point, hadn't thought about the co2 pressure yet
p.s. will use an wooden airstone at first, to see how that goes.
• #6
UV will do better than O3.
O3 is really not that useful for us.........I've used it and it can easily kill plants and fish like Chlorine.
More for marine systems. Can be used with a Redox controller(I'd suggest this)
Tom Barr
• #7
If you feed them in separately I don't see why you'd have a problem unless the O3 unit didn't have enough pressure to keep water from backing up through it. You'd probably do well to get a check valve of some sort in there, but I have no idea if you can find one that's not going to react to the O3. | <urn:uuid:c1acf45a-b927-4741-b092-44e1a83b8d62> | 2 | 1.859375 | 0.035011 | en | 0.942893 | http://www.barrreport.com/forum/barr-report/co2-enrichment/7919-mixing-ozone-and-co2 |
Parallel Bible results for Proverbs 18
New International Version
Proverbs 18
WYC 1 He that will go away from a friend, seeketh occasions, that is, feigneth causes, (or looketh for reasons); in all time he shall be despisable. NIV 1 An unfriendly man pursues selfish ends; he defies all sound judgment. WYC 2 A fool receiveth not the words of prudence; no but thou say those things, that be turned (over) in his heart. NIV 2 A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions. WYC 3 A wicked man, when he cometh into (the) depth of sins, despiseth wholesome lore, (or discipline,) and commandment; but scandal and shame followeth him. NIV 3 When wickedness comes, so does contempt, and with shame comes disgrace. WYC 4 Deep water is the words of the mouth of a man; and a strand floating over is the well of wisdom. (Words from a person's mouth can be like deep water/can be as deep as the water; and the well of wisdom is like a stream flowing over.) NIV 4 The words of a man's mouth are deep waters, but the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook. WYC 5 It is not good to take the person of a wicked man in doom, that thou bow away from the truth of doom. (It is not good to favour a wicked person, so that thou turn away from the truth in judgement.) NIV 5 It is not good to be partial to the wicked or to deprive the innocent of justice. WYC 6 The lips of a fool meddle themselves with chidings; and his mouth stirreth strives. (A fool's lips mix, or mingle, themselves in with arguments; and his mouth stirreth up strife.) NIV 6 A fool's lips bring him strife, and his mouth invites a beating. WYC 7 The mouth of a fool is [the] defouling of him; and his lips be the falling of his soul. NIV 7 A fool's mouth is his undoing, and his lips are a snare to his soul. WYC 8 The words of a double-tongued man be as simple; and they come unto the inner things of the womb. Dread casteth down a slow man; forsooth the souls of men turned into women's condition shall have hunger. (A gossip's words be tasty; and they go down into the innermost parts. Fear casteth down the lazy; and those who be timid shall have hunger.) NIV 8 The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man's inmost parts. WYC 9 He that is nesh, and dissolute, either unsteadfast, in his work, is the brother of a man destroying his works. NIV 9 One who is slack in his work is brother to one who destroys. WYC 10 A full strong tower is the name of the Lord; a just man runneth to him, and [he] shall be enhanced. (The Lord's name is a full strong tower; the righteous run to it, and they shall be safe.) NIV 10 The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe. WYC 11 The chattel of a rich man is the city of his strength; and as a strong wall compassing him. (A rich person's possessions is the city of his strength; and they be like a strong wall surrounding him, or so he thinketh.) NIV 11 The wealth of the rich is their fortified city; they imagine it an unscalable wall. WYC 12 The heart of man is enhanced, before that it be broken; and it is made meek, before that it be glorified. (A person's heart is raised up in pride, before that it is broken; and it is humbled, before that it is glorified.) NIV 12 Before his downfall a man's heart is proud, but humility comes before honor. WYC 13 He that answereth before that he heareth, showeth himself to be a fool; and worthy of shame. NIV 13 He who answers before listening-- that is his folly and his shame. WYC 14 The spirit of a man sustaineth (him in) his feebleness; but who may sustain a spirit light to be wroth? (A person's spirit can sustain him in sickness; but who can endure with a broken spirit?) NIV 14 A man's spirit sustains him in sickness, but a crushed spirit who can bear? WYC 15 The heart of a prudent man shall hold steadfastly knowing; and the ear of wise men seeketh teaching. (The heart of a person with understanding shall steadfastly hold onto knowledge; and the ears of the wise seek out teaching, or instruction.) NIV 15 The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge; the ears of the wise seek it out. WYC 16 The gift of a man alargeth his way; and maketh space to him before princes. (Giving a gift openeth, or smootheth, one's way; and maketh an opening for thee among the leaders, or among the powerful.) NIV 16 A gift opens the way for the giver and ushers him into the presence of the great. WYC 17 A just man is the first accuser of himself; his friend cometh, and shall search him. (He who is the first to speak for a cause seemeth right; but then his opponent shall come, and shall search him out.) NIV 17 The first to present his case seems right, till another comes forward and questions him. WYC 18 Lot ceaseth against-sayings; and deemeth also among mighty men. (Casting lots ceaseth arguments; and also judgeth, or decideth, among the mighty.) NIV 18 Casting the lot settles disputes and keeps strong opponents apart. WYC 19 A brother that is helped of a brother, is as a steadfast city; and [the] dooms be as the bars of cities. (A brother helped by a brother, is like protection from the wall of a steadfast city; but arguments be like the bars of a city, preventing entry.) NIV 19 An offended brother is more unyielding than a fortified city, and disputes are like the barred gates of a citadel. WYC 20 A man's womb shall be [ful]filled of the fruit of his mouth (A man's belly shall be fulfilled, or satisfied, by the fruit of his mouth); and the seeds of his lips shall fill him. NIV 20 From the fruit of his mouth a man's stomach is filled; with the harvest from his lips he is satisfied. WYC 21 Death and life be in the works of [the] tongue; they that love it, shall eat the fruits thereof (they who nurture it, shall eat its fruits). NIV 21 The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit. WYC 22 He that findeth a good woman, findeth a good thing; and of the Lord he shall draw up mirth (and he receiveth favour from the Lord). He that putteth away a good woman, putteth away a good thing; but he that holdeth (onto an) adulteress, is a fool and unwise. NIV 22 He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the LORD. WYC 23 A poor man shall speak with beseechings, (or with pleadings); and a rich man shall speak sternly. NIV 23 A poor man pleads for mercy, but a rich man answers harshly. WYC 24 A man friendly to fellowship shall more be a friend, than a brother. (A man given to fellowship with thee, can be more of a friend, than even thy own brother.) NIV 24 A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. | <urn:uuid:16cefe15-d9a7-4b82-8ba4-da5a85f009a6> | 2 | 2.046875 | 0.115407 | en | 0.968149 | http://www.biblestudytools.com/parallel-bible/passage/?q=proverbs+18&t=wyc&t2=niv |
Blood Types Problem Set
Problem 5: Who is NOT the father of my grandson?
Help to answer the question
Blood types
The child in question has blood type B. Since the mother is blood type A, the child must have received an O allele from the mother, and a B allele from the biological father. The mother's blood type is AO, the child is BO, and the father is either AB or B, which are the only two types that could be the source of a B allele.
If the father is type B, the genotype could be either BB (homozygous) or BO (heterozygous). If either of the two "gentlemen" in question has blood type O or blood type A, he can be excluded as being the biological father.
Rh factor
The child in question is Rh+. The Rh+ allele is at a different locus than the A, B, O alleles. Rh+ is dominant to Rh-. In this particular case, the father could be either Rh- or Rh+, and no discrimination on this factor is possible.
The Biology Project
University of Arizona
Thursday, October 23, 1997 Contact the Development Team
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The Weight of the World
Short story By: Swineshead
Literary fiction
The machines stopped working at first.
Submitted:Mar 18, 2008 Reads: 479 Comments: 18 Likes: 10
The machines stopped working at first. For weeks, the silent machinery we relied on rumbled and groaned as though troubled, as though their juice was running out, as though they were dying of old age. Then, one day in June, they all just gave out and gave up. The screens of our televisions turned into small, luminous- white dots in the centre of the pane. Cement mixers ground to a halt. Cars trundled along on momentum but then remained stationary as their engines spluttered to an early death. Factories became useless - empty tributes to past industry. Offices, over time, returned to paper-based work. Then the offices emptied. The world changed.
Even the sound of the world changed. An eerie silence descended over us as only the sounds of weather, human activity and animals could be heard. Mostly intermittent sounds of distress and a distant elemental rumbling. The world seemed to be unmoving - a static place where very little happened. Inertia on a grand scale. Walking around became difficult, almost impossible, as the ground sucked at every motion. When the taps were turned on, no water spurted forth. You were lucky to get a trickle of liquid so people began buying the bottled stuff. Then stealing it. The bottled stuff started to run out.
I couldn't tell you what happened on a global scale. I can only tell you what happened to me. The TVs and radios have been down for months and no news has filtered through as nobody can travel to spread the word. We're all stuck. Christ knows what's happening to the tides. There are fewer stars in the sky than there once were.
I'm a big man. Six foot three in my boots and stocky. You wouldn't want to fight me. Even now that my movements are slowed by the conditions, with the weight of the world on my shoulders I could still throw a punch at you through the thickness of the air that would floor you. If you came near my house, tried to loot water from my family like the packs of thieves we see daily, I would break your jaw the way I do every day now. It's a ritual. Wake up, look for raiders, take them out.
With the power in my body, I've been blessed that I'm one of the last movers. There are others like me. Mainly men. A few women. We can struggle through the pull beneath us, the senseless gravity that's polluting this planet. We can just about make it through the streets, each step like uprooting a tree. We raid supermarkets, steal the water, steal the tins of food and we hoard what we take, rationing it out to our families.
We walk through the streets which, when you stand and look straight ahead, seem deserted. But then you look down and you see the people who once walked freely laying down, faces pressed against the tarmac, hands pressed up against the invisible force against the paving slabs. You hear the occasional moan. There is nothing you can do but struggle on.
Sophie is on the floor. Jack and Alex too. They haven't moved in a long time now. The gravity sucks at them and they can't respond. They're like iron filings attached to a magnet. It's my job to provide for them while I still can - but the pull is getting stronger and my limbs are like an old man's now. With every forward motion I feel bone grind against bone, muscle chaffing against sinew. I won't be able to carry on much longer. Soon I'll be pinned to the floor like them. Soon I'll be face down in the carpet of our home, unable to lift my head. I guess we'll all starve to death when that happens.
It's funny. In a dark way it's funny that this should've happened. When we least expected it, the planet mocked us. I lost count of how many times we complained that life was dragging us down. We moaned, on and on that we shouldn't have to go to work - that we were too tired. We always talked, Sophie and I, about the elements of our life that made us feel stuck and trapped. The boys too - always saying they couldn't wait to get out of this small town and get to the city. They imagined that escape would result in freedom. Even then I found it ironic. They craved freedom from their school but really, when it came down to the bare facts, they craved adulthood, which would be more of a weight on them than they could ever have known. Funny how kids want to escape the freedom and boredom of childhood. They don't stop to think what's around the corner. The office-jobs, long hours, rent payments and early mornings.
I'm an optimist. I think the balance will be restored. Something will change. Either things will just return to normal or, if we're lucky, the gravity will flip the other way and we'll all float upwards - floating away from the earthbound suffocation.
Today - on the way back from collecting canned food and water - I saw an old man, crumpled in his garden, nose buried in grass. He was screaming - his noisy yelps muffled by the soil in his mouth. I went over to see if I could help him but after the exertions of the trip I couldn't lift him from his spot. Then I noticed something of concern. A pointer toward where we might be headed.
His nose was buried in the earth. The toes of his shoes had cut through the earth and half of his feet were embedded in the floor. When I checked his hands, they too were submerged. His fingers weren't visible beneath the dirt. I suppose this means it's getting stronger. We're not just going to be laying flat on the ground forever more. We're going to be sucked in, slowly but surely. We're going to be drawn back to the centre. Every skeleton of every creature alive sucked down, slowly down through the earth and the sand and the oceans and the tectonic plates, down into the red-hot magma boiling beneath us.
Jesus. There's a happy thought for you.
| <urn:uuid:abd03cbc-6825-4ba8-9c1d-2a74fd8c251d> | 2 | 1.578125 | 0.429016 | en | 0.979176 | http://www.booksie.com/literary_fiction/short_story/swineshead/the-weight-of-the-world |
Dime-sized Burundi is squeezed in between Rwanda and Tanzania and is volatile enough for the both of them. Although Burundi is stocked with national parks full of hippos and lions, the danger of traveling in Burundi dwarfs the country's attractions.
What to do
Put these on a list and save them for later, when Burundi stabilizes and becomes a destination that travelers can tour without fearing random violence or a political implosion during their stay.
Kibira National Park is almost a readymade safari. The smallish park is full of curious monkeys and other wildlife and criss-crossing trails allow you to navigate through the park easily.
Ruvubu National Park is full of look outs and elevated platforms where you can scout wildlife and track herds. Although otherwise bare of human influence, the towers help safaris track animals through the brush.
Getting there
Burundi is such a small country that only a few African airlines have flights there. However there are many flights to Tanzania and traveling from Tanzania to Burundi is a possibility.
The bottom line in traveling to Burundi is that if you're not part of an official trip, your best bet is to travel to a different country until things take a turn for the better. | <urn:uuid:c4b7e9b2-78c5-4fb7-bcc6-295fed1eda8c> | 2 | 1.734375 | 0.415276 | en | 0.949806 | http://www.bootsnall.com/africa-burundi |
A Kickstarter-funder human-powered helicopter (HPH) Atlas has finally won the Sikorsky Prize, establish 33 years ago, for spending 64.11 seconds airborne in 10.8 feet altitude, with a drift of 32.1 feet. AeroVelo, an engineering team from Canada, went even beyond the official requirements of the competition, which were asking the participants to have their helicopters up in the air for at least 60 seconds, reaching the altitude of 9.8 feet. [Read more...]
AeroVelo, consisting of two PhDs, one MASx and some undergrad students, were originally aiming to raise $30.000 on Kickstarter, but ended up with more than $34.000, which they used for the construction of Atlas. The historic Sikorsky Prize, establish by the American Helicopter Society (AHS), was sought after by a number of different teams, yet nobody has managed to achieve what is called one of the greatest challenges in aviation history before. Check out their amazing victory in the video below!
Website: kickstarter.com
In 1980, AHS put up a $250K prize for the first HPH to hover for 1 min and reach a height of 3 m | <urn:uuid:52ab7703-0382-4b30-8199-edda2fbb4789> | 2 | 1.851563 | 0.019867 | en | 0.961938 | http://www.boredpanda.com/human-powered-helicopter-wins-sikorsky-prize/ |
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Microwaves, Radio Waves, and Other Types of Radiofrequency Radiation
What is radiofrequency (RF) radiation?
Radiofrequency (RF) radiation is at the low-energy end of the electromagnetic spectrum and is a type of non-ionizing radiation. Non-ionizing radiation has enough energy to move atoms in a molecule around or cause them to vibrate, but not enough to ionize (remove charged particles such as electrons). RF radiation has higher energy than extremely low-frequency electromagnetic radiation, but lower energy than some other types of non-ionizing radiation, like visible light and infrared. Ionizing radiation has even higher energy.
How are people exposed to RF radiation?
Natural sources include:
• Outer space and the sun
• The sky – including lightning strikes
• Broadcasting radio and television signals
• Transmitting signals from cordless telephones, cellular phones and cell phone towers, satellite phones, and 2-way radios
• Radar
• WiFi and Bluetooth
• Cooking food (in a microwave oven)
• Heating body tissues to destroy them in medical procedures
Microwave ovens
Microwave ovens work by using very high levels of a certain frequency of RF radiation (in the microwave spectrum) to heat foods. When microwaves are absorbed by food containing water, it causes the water molecules to vibrate. This produces heat. Microwaves do not use x-rays or gamma rays, and they do not make food radioactive. Microwave ovens can cook food, but do not otherwise change the chemical or molecular structure of it.
In the past, there was a concern that leakage from microwave ovens could interfere with pacemaker function. Pacemakers are now designed to be shielded from outside electrical activity, so this is no longer a concern for most people. If you are worried, though, you can ask your doctor if being around a microwave is safe for you.
Full-body security scanners
Millimeter wave scanners do not use x-rays (or any other kind of high-energy radiation) and the amount of RF radiation used is very low – much less than that from a cell phone. According to the Food and Drug Administration, these scanners have no known health effects. However, TSA allows people to be screened in a different way if they object to screening with these scanners.
Cell phones and cell phone towers
Cell phones and cell phone towers use RF radiation to transmit and receive signals. Some concerns have been raised that these signals might increase the risk of cancer, and research in this area continues. For more detailed information, refer to our documents Cellular Phones and Cellular Phone Towers.
Does RF radiation cause cancer?
Studies done in the lab
Most animal and laboratory studies have found no evidence of an increased risk of cancer with exposure to RF radiation. A few studies have reported evidence of biological effects that could be linked to cancer..
Studies in people
A number of studies have looked at the possible link between cell phones and cancer. Although one large study showed a possible link, most studies did not. Still, many question the quality of these studies and their ability to find a link. The possible link between cell phones and cancer risk is discussed in detail in our document Cellular Phones.
What do expert agencies say?
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) is part of the World Health Organization. Its major goal is to identify causes of cancer. IARC has stated that there is limited evidence that RF radiation causes cancer in animals and humans, and classifies RF radiation as “possibly carcinogenic to humans” This was based on the finding of a possible link in at least one study between cell phone use and a specific type of brain tumor. IARC considers the evidence overall to be “limited” because of the conflicting findings and generally low quality of the studies that have been done.
Does RF radiation cause any other health problems?
Studies in the lab
In people
People have been exposed to large amounts of RF radiation through accidents involving radar equipment. This has led to severe burns.
How can I avoid exposure to RF radiation?
Additional resources
More information from your American Cancer Society
Cellular Phones
Cellular Phone Towers
Known and Probable Human Carcinogens
Ultraviolet (UV) Radiation
X-rays, Gamma Rays, and Cancer Risk
National organizations and websites*
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Website: www.cdc.gov
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Website: www.epa.gov
Understanding Radiation: www.epa.gov/radiation/understanding-radiation-overview.html
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Website: www.cancer.gov
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
Website: www.niehs.nih.gov
Electric and Magnetic Fields: www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/emf/index.cfmww
Alexander RC, Surrell JA, Cohle SD. Microwave oven burns to children: an unusual manifestation of child abuse. Pediatrics. 1987;79(2):255-260.
Castillo M, Quencer RM. Sublethal exposure to microwave radar. JAMA. 1988;259(3):355.
Elder JA, Chou CK. Auditory response to pulsed radiofrequency energy. Bioelectromagnetics. 2003;Suppl 6:S162-73.
Elder JA. Ocular effects of radiofrequency energy. Bioelectromagnetics. 2003;Suppl 6:S148-61.
Federal Communications Commission. Radio Frequency Safety FAQs. 6/25/2012. Accessed at http://transition.fcc.gov/oet/rfsafety/rf-faqs.html on September 13, 2013.
Food and Drug Administration. Radiation-Emitting Products and Procedures: Products for Security Screening of People. 6/8/2012. Accessed at http://www.fda.gov/Radiation-EmittingProducts/RadiationEmittingProductsandProcedures/SecuritySystems/ucm227201.htm on September 13, 2013.
Food and Drug Administration. Microwave Oven Radiation. 1/13/2010. Accessed at http://www.fda.gov/Radiation-EmittingProducts/RadiationEmittingProductsandProcedures/HomeBusinessandEntertainment/ucm142616.htm on August 29, 2013.
Léonard A, Berteaud AJ, Bruyère A. An evaluation of the mutagenic, carcinogenic and teratogenic potential of microwaves. Mutat Res. 1983;123(1):31-46.
Oktay MF, Dasdag S, Akdere M, Cureoglu S, Cebe M, Yazicioglu M, Topcu I, Meric F. Occupational safety: effects of workplace radiofrequencies on hearing function. Arch Med Res. 2004 Nov-Dec;35(6):517-21.
Petersen RC. Bioeffects of microwaves: a review of current knowledge. J Occup Med. 1983;25(2):103-110.
Transportation Security Administration. Advanced Imaging Technology Traveler’s Guide. 7/23/2013. Accessed at www.tsa.gov/traveler-information/advanced-imaging-technology-ait on September 13, 2013.
World Health Organization. Electromagnetic fields & public health: Microwave ovens. February 2005. Accessed at www.who.int/peh-emf/publications/facts/info_microwaves/en/ on August 29, 2013.
Last Medical Review: 10/16/2013
Last Revised: 10/16/2013 | <urn:uuid:d69faa8a-4329-4fe6-b77a-16fc16126471> | 4 | 4 | 0.063173 | en | 0.932727 | http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancercauses/radiationexposureandcancer/radiofrequency-radiation |
Gene Therapy for Head and Neck Cancers
Gene Therapy for Head and Neck Cancers
ABSTRACT: Despite advances in surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, survival of patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck has not significantly improved over the past 30 years. Locally recurrent or refractory disease is particularly difficult to treat. Repeat surgical resection and/or radiotherapy are often not possible, and long-term results for salvage chemotherapy are poor. Recent advances in gene therapy have been applied to recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. Many of these techniques are now in clinical trials and have shown some efficacy. This article discusses the techniques employed in gene therapy and summarizes the ongoing protocols that are currently being evaluated in clinical trials. [ONCOLOGY 15(3):303-314, 2001]
Squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck affects approximately 125,000 patients annually in developed countries worldwide. In the United States, an estimated 30,100 new cases will be identified in the year 2001, with 7,800 associated deaths.[1] Primary therapy for localized disease is surgery with or without adjuvant radiotherapy or radiotherapy alone. Despite advances in surgical resection, reconstruction, and adjuvant treatment, survival in these patients has not improved significantly over the past 30 years.[2]
Local and/or regional tumor recurrence develops in approximately one-third of patients following surgery.[3-6] In the majority of cases, disease recurs in the region of the original primary tumor and leads to severe morbidity due to pain, oropharyngeal dysfunction, and laryngeal obstruction, with resultant difficulties in swallowing and speech. Once the cancer has recurred and/or metastasized, the patient is often considered incurable. Conventional salvage treatment, including radiation therapy or surgery, is often difficult or disfiguring and offers little hope for long-term survival.
Several chemotherapeutic agents have been used in recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. Combination regimens with cisplatin (Platinol) and fluorouracil (5-FU) have induced responses in 32% to 47% of patients; however, this therapy can be toxic and shows no clear impact on survival.[7-12]
When recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck becomes refractory to chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy, the median life expectancy is 3 months and the tumor response rate to second- or third-line chemotherapeutic agents is approximately 15%. Two-thirds of patients dying with this disease have no symptomatic distant metastases. Therefore, local and regional disease control is paramount, and there is an urgent need for more effective therapies for these terminally ill patients. Because of these considerations, much of the interest in treating squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck currently lies in generating new and effective therapies such as gene therapy.
Gene therapy has the potential for targeting cancer cells while sparing normal tissues. These treatments are potentially useful for recurrent disease, as well as in the adjuvant setting (ie, at the resected margins). The purpose of this article is to describe the principles of gene therapy as they relate to head and neck cancer and to summarize the ongoing protocols that are currently being evaluated in clinical trials.
Principles of Gene Therapy
Gene therapy may be defined as the introduction of genetic material into a cell to modify cellular function.[13] The transfer is either in vivo (in which the gene is introduced into the body) or ex vivo (in which a tumor is removed, the genetic material is delivered, and the cells are then reintroduced into the patient). The ex vivo approach has not been utilized in head and neck cancer because superficial lesions of the head and neck usually lend themselves to direct injection of genetic material.
Genetic material is transferred via vectors that may be chemical, physical, or viral. The ideal vector would transfer an exact amount of genetic material into a specific area of each target cell, thereby allowing proper expression of the gene product without causing toxicity. Unfortunately, the ideal vector does not exist.
Chemical transfection introduces DNA with calcium phosphate, lipid, or protein complexes. Lipid vectors are a combination of plasmid DNA (pDNA) and a lipid solution that result in the formation of a liposome. This fuses with the cell membranes of a variety of cell types, passing the pDNA into the cytoplasm and nucleus, where it is transiently expressed. DNA/protein complexes can be more specific than liposomes by conjugating DNA with a tissue-specific ligand or antibody.[13] The DNA is thus internalized via receptor-mediated endocytosis. To prevent lysosomal DNA degradation, it is usually complexed to an endosome lysis agent.[13]
Physical transfection of genes is accomplished by electroporation, microinjection, and ballistic particles.[2] These have not been particularly useful in clinical trials as of yet. Currently, viral vectors are the most widely used method of genetic transfer.
Viruses in Gene Therapy
Viruses commonly used in gene therapies include retroviruses, adenoviruses, and herpesviruses.
Retroviruses: Retroviruses contain RNA genomes that undergo reverse transcription after infecting a cell, thereby producing double-stranded DNA. This DNA integrates in a stable, random fashion into the host genome, thus passing copies of the gene to all subsequent generations of cells. One limitation of retroviruses is that they can only infect actively dividing cells, leaving quiescent cells unaffected. As DNA is permanently inserted, this also raises long-term safety questions.
Adenoviruses: An adenovirus is a DNA virus that infects a cell, loses its protein coat, and transfers DNA into the nucleus, where it is transcribed. This DNA does not integrate into the host genome, and thus, its effects are transient (range: 7 to 42 days). Therefore, multiple administrations of the vector are usually required. The advantage of adenoviral vectors is that most cells are susceptible to infection, regardless of their position in the cell cycle. In addition, adenoviruses can be produced at a high titer—up to 1012 plaque-forming units—making their administration more efficient. As exposure to adenovirus is common, approximately 90% of humans have antibodies against the virus. Preexisting antibodies can limit the effectiveness of this strategy, particularly upon a second exposure to the vector.
Summary of Commonly Used Vectors in Gene Therapy
Herpesviruses: Most herpesvirus vectors are developed from strains of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1). This is a double-stranded DNA virus that has several interesting properties, including the ability to remain latent in tissue and to be reactivated at the original site of infection. After infecting a cell, HSV-1 replicates within the cell, causing cell lysis and infection of surrounding cells. In addition, HSV-1 thymidine kinase (tk) is expressed during viral replication—a property that can be exploited to activate prodrugs, such as ganciclovir (Cytovene). In addition, HSV-1 is a common pathogen in humans and rarely causes significant illnesses. Table 1 summarizes the advantages and disadvantages of the various clinically significant vectors.
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| <urn:uuid:06d33ff1-5da6-494d-b939-d5e981934118> | 2 | 2.5 | 0.126515 | en | 0.935854 | http://www.cancernetwork.com/head-neck-cancer/gene-therapy-head-and-neck-cancers |
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Midwest Jewish Studies Association - Shofar Book Reviews
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Shofar - Book Review Index
A New Sound in Hebrew Poetry: Poetics, Politics, Accent, by Miryam Segal. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2010. 206 pp. $34.95.
While Miryam Segal’s A New Sound in Hebrew Poetry: Poetics, Politics, Accent focuses on a seemingly marginal issue, it holds the echoes of the fierce historical battle over the soul of a people. Reading this book—“a genealogy of the proto-Israeli accent as it functioned in the burgeoning Hebrew literature of Palestine” and an examination of “the role of poetry in the formation of national identity” (p. 4)—it is impossible not to admire the emotional, cultural, intellectual and political investment that was required to give modern Israeli Hebrew its sound.
Contemporary Israel’s immense and vibrant literary output seems to be a sheer miracle for anyone who knows that only 150 years ago Hebrew was primarily a written language, not a living tongue (almost akin to Latin). The Zionist movement, which promoted Jews’ return to their ancient homeland, recognized that the “entire nationalist project depends on the success of linguistic unification” (p. 51). Zionist leaders saw Hebrew, the language of the Bible, as vital to the creation of the old/new nation. But even with the Zionists’ ideological commitment to Hebrew, the way it would be pronounced was as of yet undetermined. In the late 19th century, despite the fact that the majority of Jews in Palestine used the Ashkenazi accent when praying, the Zionists saw the Sephardic pronunciation of Hebrew (the way it was pronounced by the Jews of the greater Middle East) as more authentic and therefore preferable. (The Ashkenazi pronunciation of Hebrew was dominant throughout Europe [and was thus associated with the Diaspora]. It often emphasizes the penultimate syllable. Sephardic usually puts the emphasis on the last syllable of the word.)
In her first chapters, Segal shows that Hebrew’s ascendancy into a spoken language was not inevitable, but rather took an enormous amount of effort. She tracks how the modern Israeli accent was initially created, beginning with the nascent movement in Palestine to make Hebrew the language of instruction in schools during the 1880s through the triumph of the “new accent” in the late 1920s. She delves into the long-forgotten debates between “pedagogues,” most notably, Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, who promoted a “Sephardized” Ashkenazi speech, and David Yellin, who hoped to build a synthetic Hebrew from a multitude of pronunciations. Segal concludes that Ben Yehuda’s Hebrew triumphed because it resembled the Sephardic accent that Ashkenazi-speaking immigrants were already attempting to adopt.
Against this textured historical and linguistic backdrop, Segal investigates the link between the creation of a new national language and its literature—specifically, between Ben-Yehuda’s Hebrew and contemporaneous poets. As in other cultures, poetry and singing were used in Jewish Palestinian education to instill children with a connection to their folklore and foster national pride and unification. Alas, little Sephardic-accented children’s poetry existed. Moreover, many Hebraists feared that the Sephardic pronunciation, with emphases on the last syllable, would form monotonous, heavy lines unsuitable for poetry (p. 124). Although H. N. Bialik had revitalized Hebrew as a literary language, he had used the Ashkenazi pronunciation. Sephardic poetry’s modest beginnings were thus in the arenas of educational children’s and folk songs. Through these, Sephardic made its way into the “high” form of poetry.
Segal examines the poetry and literary roles of the 1920s’ female poets, most notably Rahel Bluwstein (which the author spells “Bluvshtain”). Informed by gender theories, Segal highlights the unique role that female poets—who were heretofore undervalued and almost entirely unrecognized —were able to play in this virgin poetic field. She argues that women were seen as “authentic” bearers of culture and that “the new accent . . . was associated with women, who, in the criticism of the period were most often perceived as verbally, rather than textually expressive” (p. 74). Specifically, she shows how Bluwstein (known to Hebrew readers as “Rahel”) cultivated the persona of one who speaks directly from the land, not as a poetess who crafts her words.
Segal uses Bluwstein’s famous poem “Rahel” (which refers to the Biblical figure by the same name) to both demonstrate its “authenticity” and dispute Bluwstein’s male critics who viewed her writing as more primitive. Segal examines how Bluwstein links herself to the Biblical Rahel using physical, sensual traces rather than intertexts (“Behold her blood flows in my blood”). She argues that by connecting the ancient and present, Bluwstein skips the intervening centuries, including the Diaspora and rabbinic Judaism, and “maintain[s] the pretence of a perfectly realized authentic Hebrew.” Bluwstein, says Segal, “treats that hybrid, new accent Hebrew as if it were pure and wholly authentic” (p. 91). Nevertheless, because of the marginalization of female writers, Bluwstein’s new accent poetry was not received as “high” poetry. Segal argues, however, that the female writers had demonstrated the literary possibilities of the “new accent,” opening the door for their male counterparts.
In her final chapter, Segal examines how Avraham Shlonsky became the quintessential writer in the new accent even though he was one of the later writers to use it (p. 100). Shlonsky transitioned by experimenting with “folk songs” in the new accent and only later used it in the “higher” form of poetry. Segal argues that Shlonsky became the iconic poet of the new accent for two distinct reasons. The first is his own talent and innovation—he was the first poet to fully explore Sephardic Hebrew’s literary promise and to quash the fears that it was unsuitable for great poetry. Secondly, he formulated new-accent poetry as continuous with the past, assuring that it will not undo the recent poetic achievements in Ashkenazi Hebrew.
Rightfully, Segal dedicates the longest discussion of any single poet to Shlonsky. This chapter, however, is the most technical and least accessible, in part because of the difficulty in explaining the intricacies of Hebrew’s musicality and prosody to English readers who may not know Hebrew. Segal’s analysis of Shlonsky’s diction is both linguistic and ideological, informed by her understanding of the tensions between the Diaspora and new immigrant pioneers. Yet it seems more appropriate for scholars of Hebrew poetry than for educated English readers. While her historical chapters give a clear sense of the forces at play during this critical period, the description of this virtuoso—hero of this tale—falls short.
A New Sound in Hebrew Poetry is a small but dense book. It is a pity that Segal does not offer a glimpse of contemporary Israeli Hebrew speech to show how the language has evolved since the 1930s. Nevertheless, the book is informative and interesting, especially for those English readers unfamiliar with this section of Hebrew literary history and the development of modern Israeli Hebrew.
Nili Gold
University of Pennsylvania | <urn:uuid:6b6747b3-9c93-405b-b3e0-2b334e56a1ac> | 2 | 2.3125 | 0.031922 | en | 0.959502 | http://www.case.edu/artsci/jdst/reviews/Sound.htm |
2013 Bond Information
McWhirter Elementary
300 Pennsylvania
Webster, Texas 77598
Original Building Completed: 1956
Building Area: 181,577
Building Capacity: 1,100
Bond Proposal: Complete Rebuild $ 30,804,660
McWhirter Elementary is the oldest elementary school in the district. The original building was built in 1956 and was called Webster Elementary. In 1971, Webster Primary opened right next door to the campus. In 1992, the two schools were combined to make McWhirter Elementary. The school is a maze for children to negotiate. A student must walk a quarter of a mile to see a nurse because they have to wind through two schools, connected only by an exterior awning. Safety concerns exist because there are more than 72 exterior doors compared to 10 to 15 exterior doors at the majority of CCISD elementary schools.
Rebuilding McWhirter Elementary will provide a smaller footprint for an elementary school resulting in increased energy efficiency and significant operational cost savings. Without a rebuild, McWhirter Elementary needs $14.2 million in priority repairs and replacement. | <urn:uuid:e8cbe4ef-de2b-4900-b2fc-4676bbcc4ee2> | 2 | 1.992188 | 0.026787 | en | 0.941935 | http://www.ccisd.net/2013-bond-election/elementary/mcwhirter-elementary |
The Wisconsin State Senate is scheduled to vote Tuesday on election-related issues, like limited voting.
Senate moves to pass bill limiting voting hours
The Wisconsin state Senate has moved one step short of passing a bill that would limit early voting in the two weeks before an election.
Democratic opponents used a procedural move Tuesday to prevent a final vote on passing the bill until Wednesday.
The bill would restrict in-person absentee voting to between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. on weekdays in the two weeks before an election. No weekend hours would be allowed and total voting hours would be limited to no more than 45 hours per week.
Democrats and other opponents say the intention is to make it more difficult for Democratic voters in urban areas to vote. But Republican supporters say voters still have plenty of opportunity to cast early ballots.
Write-in candidates wouldn't have to be counted
Mickey Mouse, Aaron Rodgers and other famous people and characters entered as write-in candidates for public office would not have to be counted any longer under a bill passed by the Wisconsin state Senate.
Current law requires every vote be counted for the candidate it was intended, even if it's Mickey Mouse or Bart Simpson. Election officials say that can be a time-consuming, laborious process.
The bill passed on a voice vote Tuesday would require in most cases that write-in candidates only be counted for registered candidates. If a certified candidate dies or withdraws before the election, all write-in votes would be counted.
The proposal now heads to the Assembly, where it also must pass and be signed by Gov. Scott Walker before becoming law. | <urn:uuid:e60de87f-6d28-4bba-b869-a2f7a5ba12d4> | 2 | 1.59375 | 0.640515 | en | 0.966501 | http://www.channel3000.com/news/politics/wisconsin-senate-to-vote-on-limiting-voting-writeins/24914488 |
3. Given the following table definition: 05 ITEM OCCURS 10 TIMES INDEXED BY IND. 10 ITEM-DESCRIPTION PIC X(10). The value of IND, can be specified or altered by each of the following EXCEPT: SET IND TO 1 SEARCH ITEM… SET IND UP BY 1 PERFORM VARYING IND FROM 1 BY 1 … MOVE 1 TO IND
Want an answer?
No answer yet. Submit this
question to the community. | <urn:uuid:b55a33c9-1f52-4a9f-b9ee-d28763b77b77> | 2 | 1.671875 | 0.999689 | en | 0.66824 | http://www.chegg.com/homework-help/questions-and-answers/3-given-following-table-definition-05-item-occurs-10-times-indexed-ind-10-item-description-q3438734 |
Herbal Home Remedies for Swollen Bleeding Gums
Swollen Bleeding Gums Swollen and bleeding gums are the most commonly seen symptoms in dental and oral disorders, usually a sharp toothache accompanied. Gingivitis, in children or in adult, can be a terrible nightmare, especially when the pain is such a throbbing shooting that it would keep you awake the whole night through. How to stop bleeding and swollen gums then? Probably taking over-the-counter painkillers might come to mind right off the top of your head, they, unfortunately, only bring a temporary relief in most cases. For the sake of a better cure, the priority should be given to figure out the specific causes first and then choose the corresponding solution, regardless of home remedies or regular treatment you pick finally. In addition, daily care matters too.
What causes swollen bleeding gums?
The causes for gum swelling and bleeding vary from the different points of views – modern medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).
Modern medicine
From this perspective, they are mainly categorized into local and systemic factors.
Local factors
(1). Local stimulation caused by wisdom teeth, receding gums, dental plaque, and tophi. The accumulations of the dental tophi and plaque, the usual result of food impaction, bad dentures, and poor oral hygiene, lead to periodontal diseases like plaque-induced gingivitis and periodontitis;
(2). Other local stimulations and oral bad habits. The stimulations, of mechanical causes, chemistry, defective dental prosthesis, bad obturator, bad appliance, and open-mouth breathing, result in focal inflammation such as hyperplastic inflamed gums and periodontal inflammation;
(3). Local tissue hypersensivity. Allergic reaction, induced by exposing locally to allergens, brings about red sore gums when gums involved. The example is plasma cell gingivitis;
(4). Painful traumatized gum around tooth and osseous surgery.
Systemic factors
(1). Endocrine changes. Influenced and stimulated by increased levels of sex hormone and progestin, gingival tissue triggers nonspecific inflammation, which thus generates bleeding gums, increased exudation, and gingival hyperplasia, etc. The examples are puberty-associated gingivitis, pregnancy gingivitis, and paradentoma;
(2). Systemic diseases, such as blood system diseases like leukemia, diabetes mellitus, cardio vascular disorder, renal function disorders, and tumor, etc. This is usually ascribed to poor immune function, which thus results in weakened body’s defenses to local stimulation and then gingival inflammation, blood coagulation disorders, organic changes to blood vessels, and change in the Hemodynamics, etc.;
(3). Other external factors acting on the whole body, for example, smoking and taking blood thinners.
Traditional Chinese medicine
Natural remedies, like apple cider vinegar and baking soda, sometimes can bring in unexpected cures. In addition, herbal remedy is one of great optional natural solutions too, which can be made by yourself at home or bought over the counter from drug stores.
TCM thinks that teeth are the extensional part of bone, hosted by kidney. Combined with Stomach Channel of Foot Yang Ming passing through the upper gum and Large Intestine Channel of Hand Yang Ming through the lower gum, it is believed that an aching tooth is closely associated with kidney, stomach, and large intestine. And, there are a variety of causes for bleeding swollen gums, like wind-fire invading teeth, stomach fire flaring gum, deficient kidney yin, cold and heat stimuli, and decayed tooth, etc.
How to treat bleeding and swollen gums with home remedies?
Given the above-mentioned reasons, different herbal remedies should be adopted to reduce this condition based the diagnosis.
(1). Stomach fire flaring gum. The symptoms and signs are swelling and aching of gum, swollen cheek, even chewing difficulty, localized burning sensation, bitter taste in mouth, bad breath, constipation, red tongue with yellow coating, etc. The treatment should be clearing away heat, reducing fire, and relieving swelling and pain. The recommended herbal formula is Qing Wei San, modified accordingly. Regular Chinese herbs used are Shi Gao (Gypsum), Huang Lian (Coptis Rhizome), Sheng Di Huang (Rehmannia), Sheng Ma (Black Cohosh Rhizome), Huai Niu Xi (Achyranthes Root), Da Huang (Rhubarb), Chi Shao (Red Peony Root), Zhi Mu (Anemarrhena Rhizome), and Xu Chang Qing (Cynanchum Paniculatum Root);
(2). Flaring up of fire due to deficient kidney yin. The symptoms include slightly swollen gums, slight redness, dull soreness, loose and shaky teeth, or accompanied with gum bleeding. The cure should be nourishing yin for lowering fire and tonifying kidney to strengthen teeth. The formula of Liu Wei Di Huang Wan is highly recommended. Regular herbs are Shu Di Huang (Rehmannia), Nu Zhen Zi (Privet Fruit), Shan Zhu Yu (Asiatic Cornelian Cherry Fruit), Shan Yao (Chinese Yam), Huai Niu Xi, Ze Xie (Water Plantain Root), Gu Sui Bu (Drynaria Rhizome), and Xi Xin (Chinese Wild Ginger);
(3). Cold and heat stimuli. The symptoms are sudden onset, pain involving with forehead and two flanks of head, throbbing shooting, and no gum swelling and bleeding. If the pain is wandering, swift, and extending to forehead and flanks, it is caused by wind pathogen; if pain is triggered by inhaling of cold air or touching of cold substance and the sore spot is fixed, it is due to cold pathogen. Herbs for the former are Gui Zhi (Cinnamon Twig), Fang Feng (Ledebouriella Root), Bai Jie Zi (White Mustard Seed), Jie Geng (Balloon Flower Rhizome), Zi Su Ye (Perilla Leaf), Xu Chang Qing, Bai Shao (White Peony Root), and Gan Cao (Licorice Root); herbs for the latter are Dang Gui (Dong Quai), Xi Xin, Chuan Xiong (Szechuan Lovage Root), Bai Zhi (Angelica Root), Chuan Jiao (Szechuan Pepper), Zhi Ke (Ripe Fruit of Zhi Shi), Jie Geng, and Gan Cao;
(4). Decayed tooth. Oral drugs tend to have poor curative effect and it is preferred combining with local processing. Ding Tong San is recommended here. Herbs are Dang Gui, Sheng Di, Xi Xin, Bai Zhi, Lian Qiao (Forsythia Fruit), Ku Shen (Sophora Root), Chuan Jiao, Huang Lian, Wu Mei (Mume Fruit), Jie Geng, and Gan Cao.
1. Suman
Sep 2nd, 2013 at 18:23 | #1
Where to get this Chinese medicines. On please mail me what these herbs are called in hindi as I see the symptoms are stomach fire flaring gums
• admin
Sep 5th, 2013 at 09:55 | #2
If you are sure yours belong to the pattern of stomach fire flaring gums, the Chinese formula ‘Qing Wei San’ (Clear the Stomach Powder) is the one you should give it a try. And you can get this ready-made Chinese patent medicine online. Please do yourself a favor and search it online if you do need it. And sorry hindi is Greek to me!
2. sushma
Nov 19th, 2013 at 06:57 | #3
my gums are swollen , it does not pain as well as no color effect but it bleed all the time when i brush my teeth and if i press it even with my tongue it start bleeding please suggest me what should i do????????
• admin
Nov 24th, 2013 at 14:45 | #4
According to your description, the evidence tells that this may be a deficient type of swollen bleeding gums, namely the No. 2 scenario mentioned in the article. In this case, a Chinese patent medicine called Yu Nu Jian is recommended. But please go see your TCM doctor to make sure about it if necessary since so little information is available from you.
3. Kelli
Aug 11th, 2014 at 20:41 | #5
I have receding gums and sometimes sensitive teeth, but not the pain or bleeding associated with the aforementioned dental conditions. I brush my teeth very gently (with a very soft toothbrush), have changed toothpastes (which appears to have not worsened the symptoms), used baking soda and (unfiltered) apple cider vinegar and have done oil-pulling and do not observe improvement. What would be your recommendation based on this information (and where would you recommend I acquire said product)?
Thank you in advance for your assistance.
• admin
Aug 13th, 2014 at 10:41 | #6
From the perspective of Western medicine, receding gums are caused by lack of vitamin C; from the TCM point of view, this condition is mostly caused by stomach fire attacking mouth and therefore nutrition deficiency to gums. It doesn’t always, of course. I am wondering if you have any signs that mentioned in the stomach fire flaring gum. If yes, you can have a try to both vitamin C and Huang Lian Shang Qing Wan, a Chinese patent medicine available online; if no, you’d better look for other remedy instead.
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5.3: What Is the Role of Science and Mathematics in Engineering?
Difficulty Level: At Grade Created by: CK-12
This chapter has already introduced some ways in which science and math are connected to engineering. The chapter will continue to explore these connections in invention, innovation, education, careers, and design, as well as the impact on our daily lives. It is also becoming clear why it is critical to prepare for engineering education in college by taking and doing well in science and math courses throughout elementary, middle, and high school. In fact, the single best indicator of success in graduating with a college degree in engineering, science or math is taking courses in high school that include four years of math (at least through trigonometry) and three years of lab science. In the remainder of this chapter, we will now expand, articulate, detail, and exercise the engineering–math–science connection. The techniques of mathematics and the phenomena of science are like the brushes and colors on an artist’s palette. Just as an artist creates a new reality with his/her painting, so does an engineer create a new reality for how individuals live in a society. We have seen an example of this not only with the creation of the first pocket radio, but also how the reality of our daily lives have been impacted by other artifacts such as the cell phone and the computer. The next section will examine in greater detail the nature of the connection between math, science, and engineering.
What Is Engineering?
Engineering creates valued products such as the pocket radio. This is done by analyzing the nature of a problem or a need and then applying knowledge of math and science while completing the engineering design process to develop a solution to the design problem. A knowledge of science (e.g., chemistry, physics, and biology) helps the engineer understand the constraints inherent in a problem and helps the engineer develop possible approaches for a solution. Math (e.g., algebra, geometry, calculus, computer computation) is used both as a tool to create mathematical models that describe physical phenomena and as a tool to evaluate the merit of different possible solutions.
The profession of engineering is more formally defined by ABET, an organization that accredits college engineering programs, as “Engineering design is the process of devising a system, component, or process to meet desired needs. It is a decision-making process (often iterative), in which the basic sciences, mathematics, and the engineering sciences are applied to convert resources optimally to meet these stated needs.” Within this definition, science and mathematics are described as an essential part of the entire engineering process. They do not act alone within this process. “Engineers apply the principles of science and math to develop economical solutions to technical problems. Their work is the link between perceived social needs and commercial application.” (US Department of Labor) The goals of math and of science in engineering differ from those within the field of mathematics (where the goal is to quantitatively represent functional relationships) or the field of science (where the goal is to understand the natural world). In engineering, math and science are tools used within the engineering design process. Using the design process to address a problem or an issue leads to the solution of the problem and a product which might be a component, a system, or a process that fulfills a need that will benefit society. All fields of engineering use the tools of both math and science throughout all steps of the engineering design process. Effective use of math and science are critical to creating a high-quality solution to a need and an associated product of the process.
It often occurs that a high-quality product that comes out of an effective design process (including math and science) is taken for granted, such as a bridge standing for decades or centuries with no problems. Such a situation is illustrated with the Golden Gate Bridge, which has stood for more than seven decades since it was opened on May 27, 1937 (Figure 3). When an inferior solution comes out of a flawed design process, catastrophe may result, and a bridge may collapse with possible loss of lives. Such an occurrence is illustrated below by the Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse (Figure 3). On November 11, 1940, this bridge, located at Puget Sound, Washington, began swaying strongly in the wind and eventually broke up due to the resonance of the bridge which twisted until it broke up. There are mathematical tools available to analyze for waves and resonance of structures, but they were not applied in the design process of the bridge. This demonstrates the importance and need to broadly explore and utilize mathematics and science appropriate to the engineering design problem at hand.
The Golden Gate Bridge and the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. The Golden Gate Bridge, a signature landmark of San Francisco, had the world’s longest span when opened May 27, 1937. The Tacoma Narrows Bridge, Puget Sound, Washington, broke up after in a strong wind on November 11, 1940.
Activity - Impact of disaster on an industry's design practice.
There have been many other disasters that occurred because of a flawed design process. One is the consecutive crashes of two British Comet jets in 1954. Go to the two web sites that describe the investigation and the resulting design changes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Havilland_Comet and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TWA_Flight_800. How did the disasters cause engineers to change the airplane’s design?
What Is Science?
The meaning of what science is can be debated and has changed over time. It is reasonable to think today of science as a process by which humans try to understand how the natural world works and how it came to be that way. The branches of science most frequently used by engineers include physics, chemistry, and biology. This is reflected by the fact that almost all undergraduate engineering programs require students to take foundational courses in those subjects. An example of how such science connects to engineering can be shown with the global problem of the lack of access to clean water by populations in some of the developing countries around the world. In developed countries turning on the bathroom faucet gives safe and drinkable water gushing from the tap. This safe and convenient water is actually a luxury that is not present everywhere. When it is not available, and water is not purified, people can become sick or even die from causes such as dehydration, cholera, dysentery, and cancer. So how have engineers figured out how to find, transport, purify, sanitize, and deliver water to those who need it? The following example should help answer that question as well as give a concrete example of how science connects with engineering.
Although more than half of the surface of the earth is covered with water, it is not accessible to plants, animals, or humans because of its 3-4% salt content. So, can we just remove the salt? No, because it is not so easy and can be costly. Science provides a variety of phenomena that can be used to desalinate water, and a few will be presented here. Chemistry tells us that there are many ways to desalinate water. One of the ways that water can be purified is by evaporation and condensation, which leaves the impurities in the original water. Another way is that, in freezing water the ice leaves the impurities behind in the unfrozen liquid. Another way is based on the fact that certain pore sizes of molecular membranes will allow water to diffuse through the membrane under pressure while leaving behind larger complexes of sodium and chlorine. Chemistry also has data on a variety of physical properties of water and salt water, including the thermodynamic data of heat of evaporation, heat of condensation, and heat of freezing. So what can be done with the different phenomena and all the data that are available?
The first question to answer is: Are there any types of engineering fields with individuals that work with such phenomena and data with the goal of desalinating water? The answer is yes. Chemical engineers are trained to use such phenomena and data to design and build large-scale processing plants for producing products such as cosmetics, antibiotics, and gasoline as well as purified water. Today, millions of gallons of water are being desalinated by flash evaporation, which uses evaporation and condensation phenomena, and by reverse osmosis, which uses molecular membrane technology based on membrane diffusion principles. A nuclear driven flash evaporation plant located on the Caspian Sea is shown in Figure 4.
Nuclear powered flash distillation desalination equipment located on the Caspian Sea.
What Is Mathematics?
Math is utilized in a variety of ways within many fields of engineering. The most crucial aspects of math within this field involve cost–benefit–risk analysis and the use of mathematical models. “Mathematical models may include a set of rules and instructions that specifies precisely a series of steps to be taken, whether the steps are arithmetic, logical, or geometric. Sometimes even very simple rules and instructions can have consequences that are difficult to predict without actually carrying out the steps. ... Often, it is fairly easy to find a mathematical model that fits a phenomenon over a small range of conditions ... but it may not fit well over a wide range.” (AAAS) Given the importance of having an end result that not only works, but also is safe and dependable, it is easy to understand why the use of mathematical models is an invaluable aspect of the engineering design process, as well as how these models would be applied to various steps within this process. Nearly every aspect of mathematics can be, and is, applied to the engineering design process in some way. All fields within engineering require an advanced knowledge of, and the ability to properly use, many math skills, including (but not limited to) algebra, calculus, geometry, measurements, tables and graphic representations of results, mathematical formulas, and time lines.
Activity—What kinds of science and math do engineers need to address some of today’s global societal issues?
Consider the list of contemporary global societal issues shown in Table 1. From the list, select two or three global issues of interest to you and write them down. Think about them and then write about the math and science that might be used to address each of the particular issues.
Contemporary global societal issues
• Drought in the Southwest United States.
• Lack of drinkable water in many nations.
• Aging bridges that are prone to collapse.
• Lack of accessible and reliable public transportation.
• Need for renewable energy sources.
• Children and others disabled by landmines and other weapons.
• Environmental polution from oil and chemical spills (Figure 5).
• Need for safer cars.
• Global warming from carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels (Figure 5).
• Unsafe and unpleasant airports around the world.
Icebergs breaking off glaciers and an oil spill.
Icebergs breaking off glaciers and an oil spill.
Review Questions
The following questions will help you assess your understanding of the What Is the Role of Science and Mathematics in Engineering? section. There may be one, two, three, or even four correct answers to each question. To demonstrate your understanding, you should find all of the correct answers.
1. Mathematical models
1. describe scientific phenomena
2. can evaluate cost
3. require a calculator
4. are easier to build than physical models
2. Engineers use mathematics and science to
1. understand the world
2. solve problems
3. build models
4. design a process
3. An example of a mathematical model is
1. the budget for product development
2. drawings used to design a product
3. the engineering design process
4. rate of the flow of water through a hose
Review Answers
What Is the Role of Science and Mathematics in Engineering?
1. a,b
2. b,c,d
3. d
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Aldehydes and Ketones
Practice Aldehydes and Ketones
Practice Now
Too Much Sugar
Too Much Sugar
License: CC BY-NC 3.0
Sue went in for her yearly physical exam. She was nervous about what the doctor would say, since she had put on a little weight in the last year (well, actually more than a little). She had a urinalysis done while she was there just to check on some things. That was when her doctor informed her that her urine sugar was positive and that she might have diabetes mellitus.
Why It Matters
• Testing for sugar in the urine is a quick and non-invasive way of screening for diabetes, a disorder in which the body does not use glucose correctly. Today we have modern lab tests for this parameter. Back in the “old days”, things were not so easy. In medieval times, the urine was tested by sitting it out on a window sill and seeing if the bees were attracted to it. Another unpleasant test was to taste the urine to see if it was sweet.
• Credit: Jessica Merz
Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jessicafm/187457292/
License: CC BY-NC 3.0
Diabetics must regularly check their blood glucose level to make sure it stays in the safe range [Figure2]
• The first chemical tests for urinary glucose were based on simple organic chemistry. Glucose is what is known as an aldohexose – a six-carbon compound with an aldehyde group at carbon one. This compound is known as a reducing sugar because it can be oxidized to form a carboxylic acid while reducing a metal cation to a lower oxidation number.
• Two very similar tests for reducing sugars are Benedict’s reagent and Fehling’s reagent/ Both are based on a reaction with Cu2+, but in two different buffers. Glucose is oxidized to gluconic acid while the blue Cu2+ solution becomes a red precipitate when the copper is reduced to Cu+.
• Another common test was the Tollens’ test. In this method, a solution of [Ag(NH3)2]+ (a silver-ammonium complex is mixed with the urine. The silver ions are reduced to metallic silver, forming a grey precipitate in the bottom of the test tube. Many textbooks talked about seeing a silver mirror, but that almost never happened.
• Modern methods utilize a test strip that can measure the amounts of several constituents. Glucose is measured using the glucose oxidase enzyme method. The enzyme oxidizes glucose to the carboxylic acid while forming hydrogen peroxide. This compound then reacts with the reduced form of a dye (colorless). In acid, the oxidized form of the dye turns pink, indicating a positive test.
• Watch a video at the link below to see the performance of a Benedict’s test:
Show What You Know
Use the links below to learn more about diabetes mellitus and urine glucose testing. Then answer the following questions.
1. What is diabetes mellitus?
2. What is the basic problem in diabetes?
3. Is glucose normally found in the urine?
4. How is a glucose tolerance test administered?
5. How is diabetes treated?
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Purdue students charged with switching prof's keyboard to improve grades
Three Purdue students have been accused of entering their professor's computer and changing their grades -- even A to A+. They're said to have switched out the professor's keyboard to log keystrokes and glean passwords.
Purdue has a lofty engineering tradition. Screenshot by Chris Matyszczyk/CNET
Who understands the importance of performance better than an engineer?
Yet the pressures that come with performing to perfect levels can cause some engineers to cut corners, even obfuscate.
How tragic, then, that three apparently bright (or not quite so bright) young things studying engineering at Purdue University have been charged with using their skills to artificially jack up their grades.
I am not sure how sophisticated this alleged scheme was.
It all began to allegedly unravel at the end of 2012 when an engineering professor was suddenly struck by suspicion that the password on his computer kept changing. He knew he hadn't changed it.
So, as the Indiana Journal and Courier reports, the university's IT security team went into action.
It discovered that the professor's computer had been accessed to allegedly make students seem a touch more clever than they were.
I mention that this scheme might have been less than sophisticated because one of the accused students is said to have been logged onto to the university's Wi-Fi network using his own name.
Those from the sophisticated underworld might think this was a less than stellar thought process from a student of aeronautics and astronautics.
The more the university investigated, the wider the accusations became.
An electrical engineering student was also charged with multiple offenses.
A nuclear engineering major was accused of changing just one grade. He was also said to be the lookout.
Why would they need a lookout? Because the scheme allegedly involved switching the professor's keyboard with one that looked the same, but had a key-logging device inserted.
With this simple ruse, the professor's passwords were allegedly gleaned.
You might wonder whether all these students needed to change their grades.
According to the police, one had nine F's and one incomplete. It would seem hard not to improve on that.
On the other hand, another student, who is accused of changing a total of 24 grades, allegedly altered two A's to A+.
Two of the students have been charged with a multitude of felonies and misdemeanors -- you know, things like burglary, trespassing, and computer tampering -- while the other is reportedly in Japan.
I fear their resumes might, if they are proved guilty, suffer.
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satya mamillapalli
Ranch Hand
Joined: Jun 22, 2005
Posts: 63
int i =10;
Khalid book shows value of (++i + --i) as 21.How?
Should ++ and -- have right to left associativity?Then
(++i + --i) = (++i + 9) = (10 + 9) = 19
Please Advise..
[ August 18, 2005: Message edited by: satya mamillapalli ]
Joe Borderi
Ranch Hand
Joined: Oct 23, 2004
Posts: 151
Why don't you write a driver program? The JVM should give you the definitive answer.
Bob Nedwor
Ranch Hand
Joined: Aug 17, 2005
Posts: 215
Here it is:
class test {
public static void main (String [] args) {
int i = 10;
System.out.println(++i + --i);
C:\J2Class>java test
Any of you experts correct me if I am wrong, but what is happening here is the first operation is that we are incrementing i from 10 to 11, then adding it to i again which would otherwise still be 11, but since the decremenation occurs first, i then becomes 10 again. Thus 11 + 10 = 21. I hope that helps.
Bob N
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SCJD - (B&S) Used 1.5 And It Runs On Solaris10
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Joe Borderi
Ranch Hand
Joined: Oct 23, 2004
Posts: 151
I apologize. Your topic read "What is the value...?" Your post, in essence, asked, "Why is the value...?" For "what is the value?" questions, the best answer always comes from your Java compliant JVM. This forum is good for "Why is the value...?" questions.
In short, I believe you have misunderstood "associativity" and "order of operation."
Try the following:
sayan nmn bhattacharya
Joined: Aug 08, 2005
Posts: 2
Here is how it works
++ or -- operator takes more precedence over + operator
the sequence of operation would be like this
int i =10;
"++i + --i" piece will be
step 1
++i (so i becomes 11)
step 2
--i(so then i becomes 10)
the adding operands
Hope this helps
satya mamillapalli
Ranch Hand
Joined: Jun 22, 2005
Posts: 63
I know the answer is 21. But WHy..
Do the Unary Prefix operators(++a,--a) associate from right to Left?
In the example ++,-- has higher precedence than '+'.
Then between ++,-- , they have right to left associativity..
Please let me know if I am missing any here?
Please Advise..
Vlado Zajac
Ranch Hand
Joined: Aug 03, 2004
Posts: 245
Prefix operators associate from right to left so in
a is first incremented, then decremented.
There is a binary + operator in
a that evaluates from left to rigth so ++i is done before --i.
[ August 19, 2005: Message edited by: Vlado Zajac ]
Arvind Giri
Ranch Hand
Joined: Jun 26, 2005
Posts: 91
dear satya,
there is a difference in associativity and evaluation order. Here the problem is related to evaluation order and not associativity.
every operand is evaluated from L to R;
so it would be
--> ++i + --i
--> 11 + --i
--> 11 + 10;
--> 21
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ACT TWO, Scene 1
(Evening, in the house of Ibe's father, when they have finished the evening meal, Ibe starts to talk to his father, his mother and Nwanyinkwo about Ugomma.)
Ibe: Father! What I want to tell you and Mother this evening is: there is a certain girl at our school, we have known each other since our first year in high school. Her name is Ugomma. I like her behavior very much. Which means I want to marry her. That is why I want to tell you, because the hawk does not start to fly without perching on the kolanut tree.
Ogbediya: Did you say ...
Obike: Wait (in a loud voice). Are you going to start now! Is it to you that he is telling this?
Ogbediya: O - o - o pardon me. Don't be angry.
Obike: Ibe! What did you say is the name of that young woman?
Ibe: Her name is Ugomma.
Obike: What did you say her work is?
Ibe: I did not say she worked at anything. I said that she is a student at our school.
Obike: What is she studying?
Ibe: She and I are in the same class and this year she will come out.
Ogbediya: The young woman, is she, is she pretty ...
Obike: (In a loud voice.) This woman -- wait now so I can hear! Use your ears and listen. After I finish asking him what is on my mind, you and he can then do as you please. (He questions Ibe.) Where did you say this young woman is from? Who are her parents?
Ibe: She is from Omukwu Agbaja. Her father is David, a road worker.
Obike: (Angrily.) Ibenegbu, what you are saying, does it come from your own heart? Or did some person tell you to say it? It seems to me that you must be drunk because these words you are speaking are not the words of someone who is thinking straight. What put this kind of thought into your head? Since I was a child and my father died, my mother and I have stayed in this place struggling in every way; then I married your mother who is right here now, until we gave birth to you and Chinyere. Of these two children that God gave me, you are the first. I then took an oath and promised God that rather than the education that was denied me be denied to my children, it would be better for me to go naked in order to see that you both were educated. Since that time, we have tightened our belts, buying you food and drink, buying you clothing as well as providing for your schooling. We suffered what we knew and what we didn't know [endured all kinds of suffering], and had faith and hope that when you grew up to adulthood, there would be a good future for us. Some of my age group educated their children up to grade six; some did not put them in school even for one day; but when you graduated from grade six, for your sake I sold oil palms, sold raffia palms, sold breadfruit, sold pears and also sold my forest lands and all my lands in order to send you to high school. This is your fifth year in high school, you have not come out from that high school, you have not started to work, you have no means of support, and the first thing you can tell me is that you want to marry the child of David. Go and marry David's child
then, am I stopping you? Where is my bed, let me go and lie down and rest myself. (He rises and goes to enter the house. His mother takes a mother's heart and calls him back.)
Nwanyinkwo: Obike! Obike!
Obike: A a a a [angry sound].
Nwanyinkwo: Come, my son, come. (Soon he comes in.)
Obike: What is it?
Nwanyinkwo: Come and sit down, my son, so we can review this matter. There is no way an eye is that it can't be used for looking. There is nothing the ear hears that makes it close. Something we don't know how to do, a way to do it exists. Ibe my child, it is true that you have grown to manhood now, and I don't see anything bad in your words, but what I want you to make clear to us is how you are going to stay in high school while being married and also studying, because one does not use two feet to jump over a log.
Ogbediya: Ibe my son, you have heard what your mother and father asked. Go ahead and explain to us well so that we can know what to say. For a young man to grow up, get married and have children is something all parents want. But all things go accordingly.
Ibe: I have heard what you all said but I understand that my father's anger is not that I am not sufficiently mature to marry or that I have not matured enough to marry at all. Rather he is angry because I have had no work experience. It is true that I am still a student. I certainly know that very well. One does not tell a young child to carry his younger sibling. I will finish my studies, but what I am saying is that you should know that I have seen the one I want to marry when I am ready.
Obike: Mother, you and Ogbediya my wife, listen. It is said that what a person says when he is drunk is what he has in mind when he is clear-eyed. The words Ibe spoke this evening have shown me what he is learning in high school. I had thought I would tell him that when he came out of high school this year he would enter another school, where teachers are trained. If he did one year of that and came out he could then get a teaching job, but now see what he is thinking. A person for whom one was thinking thoughts of life, but he himself is thinking thoughts of death. From today forward, if I lay eyes on Ibe's situation
again, you all will know that my name is not Obike Ekwueme. All right, let's watch. (He points to Ibe.) When you finish marrying the daughter of David, you will also marry the one of Solomon.
Ogbediya: Master, my husband, I don't know what to say now, you tell me that I have spoken. Is it Ibe that you are swearing an oath about or is it someone else? Is Ibe from another family? Is he a child of another village? Is he not your
son? Remember that it is said that when one puts salt in the food and he cannot taste it, what he put in is lost. If you abandon Ibe's education now the shame will then be ours ...
Obike: (Loudly interrupts her.) Let it be! There is nothing the eyes can see that makes them bleed.
Nwanyinkwo: Ibe, come and go to bed. Ogbediya, come, it is getting late. Leave the matter as it is.
The lights go out and the curtain closes.
ACT TWO, Scene 2
(Morning of the next day. Ibe sets off early to go to see his friend, Onwukwe, and ask him to accompany him to his sister's marriage residence in Obizi. Onwukwe is washing clothes when Ibe enters.)
Ibe: (Knocks on the door.) Hey Onwukwe, are you there?
Onwukwe: Who is it?
Ibe: A person!
Onwukwe: Is that person Ibe?
Ibe: Yes.
Onwukwe: Please come in. I have work in my hands.
Ibe: Where are you?
Onwukwe: I am here in the back yard.
Ibe: Strong fellow! Are you washing clothes?
Onwukwe: Man, let me wash a bit the clothes I am going to wear to go to church tomorrow and to school on Monday. Have you washed your own?
Ibe: Who washed? Come and let's talk.
Onwukwe: The way you came out so early this morning, without first washing the clothes you are going to wear to school this week, is this good?
Ibe: It is good, man, but not completely good. I'm not really happy.
Onwukwe: I knew it, I said that something caused the cocoyam to cry "nwim." What happened? (He stays looking at Ibe.)
Ibe: Rinse your clothes and spread them out and let's go inside the house.
Onwukwe: All right. Please wait just a minute. (They enter the house and sit down.) Please, I have no kola.
Ibe: Don't worry about it. Please, my brother, I want you to accompany me to Obizi, my father's sister's home place.
Onwukwe: What happened? Is everything all right?
Ibe: Everything is fine. It concerns the matter of Ugomma and me.
Onwukwe: Ahaa! How is it going with you and that girl? I'm sure you did not abandon her completely, or is it that you haven't made up your mind?
Ibe: Strong fellow, can it be that you don't know who I am? All the time I was telling you about Ugomma, did you think I was joking? Things between the girl and myself have turned out to be real. That's why I came about this matter.
Onwukwe: When I was behind the house I heard your voice. I knew that something had caused the cocoyam to cry "nwim."
Ibe: What you say is true. The toad does not run out in daylight for nothing: if it is not chasing something, something is chasing it.
Onwukwe: What did you say happened in Obizi?
Ibe: Please, brother, I want you to go with me to Obeakpu Obizi, the home place into which my father's sister married, so that she can come and talk to my father concerning the marriage of Ugo and me. I told him and my mother last evening what I had in mind but my father did not want to listen to what I was saying.
Onwukwe: Why was your father angry about the matter? What did he say?
Ibe: The gist of it was that I had no employment, how could I as a student still talk about getting married, that if a woman was more important to me I should leave school and tell him so he could find a wife for me, or if I wanted to finish school first, I should forget about the woman, that he would not be paying my school fees and also getting me a wife.
Onwukwe: M m m! How did you reply? Don't you think that what he said was suitable? Isn't this how I too replied to you the first day you told me about it?
Ibe: It is what you replied to me. His words were good. There was nothing at all bad in what he said--indeed, his words showed that he had been thinking about my welfare and my future, but what I wanted him and my mother to understand was that Ugo will not prevent me from finishing my education. What she and I decided was that we should inform our parents of our thoughts, and do the few small traditional things and then leave the other things in that way. When the farmer sees the yam, that's when he cuts it. You know that time does not wait for people. I don't want them to take Ugomma away from me and that is why I say that I should start to look for the black goat in the daytime.
Onwukwe: That's good thinking. Now, you want your father's sister . . .
Ibe: I want you to accompany me to go and tell her everything because she is the only one to whom my father will listen. If it were left for my mother to decide, she and I feel the same way.
Onwukwe: I had better get ready so we can go. (He goes out to get dressed.) Come back quickly so I will be able to iron these clothes I have washed.
Ibe: We will not waste any time there because I myself must still soak my own clothes. The fear I have is that we will not find her at home now because today is their big market day.
Onwukwe: Which day will you ask her to come?
Ibe: I will want her to come this evening because tomorrow Ugo and I have agreed that we will meet to find out what our people's thoughts are. (They then go out.)
The curtain falls and the lights go out.
ACT TWO, Scene 3
(In the house of Okwuchi, Ibe's aunt. When they arrive, Okwuchi is inside, assembling in a basket the things she will use for going to market. Her two children, Ike and Nneka, are eating sliced cassava and bits of palm kernels near their mother inside the house. Ibe and his friend knock on the door and enter.)
Okwuchi: Ike, please, son, look after your sister. I want to go to market to buy things to make soup this evening. Don't go anywhere before I return. Take this slice and sustain yourselves until I return and cook supper.
(Ike goes and brings a stone, Nnenna fetches palm kernels, Ike starts to beat them. Their mother continues packing.)
Ike: Nneka! Don't let the chicken touch its mouth to that slice before I crack the palm kernels we will eat with it.
(Ibe and his friend then knock on the door three times.)
Ibe: Knock! Knock! Knock!
Okwuchi: Who is knocking?
Ibe: Somebody!
Okwuchi: Ike, please, my child, go and see who is knocking.
Ike: Uncle! (He embraces him.)
Ibe: Ike!
Ike: E-eh?
Ibe: How are you?
Ike: Fine. Welcome!
Ibe: Ahaa. Is your mother at home?
Ike: Yes, she's in the house but she's getting ready to go to market.
(Ibe, Onwukwu and Ike go to see Okwuchi and Nneka inside the house.)
Ibe: Greetings, Auntie! Are you all right? (Onwukwe also greets her.)
Okwuchi: My nephew! Welcome. Who sent you here? Is everything all right? What happened? Is Obike alive?
Ibe: He is alive.
Okwuchi: Your mother and her children as well?
Ibe: They are all fine.
Okwuchi: (Brings two chairs for them.) Please sit down. (She calls Ikechukwu, who has already gone out to the compound, leaving Nneka, who stays nearby. Ikechukwu then comes, and his mother calls him to send him on an errand inside the house.)
Onwukwe: (Calls Nneka to question her.) Baby, come. (She comes.) How are you?
Nneka: Fine.
Onwukwe: What is your name?
Nneka: Nneka.
Onwukwe: Nneka. You have a nice name. (Nnkea leaves him and goes out.)
Ibe: Auntie! Auntie!
Okwuchi: (In a somewhat high voice.) I'll be right there.
Ibe: Please come, Auntie. We are in a hurry.
Okwuchi: Really, you are always like that whenever you come here. What you want to tell me, is it such that you people will not eat before you leave?
Onwukwe: (To Ibe.) Let's forget about food and say why we came here. We can eat when we get home.
(Okwuchi is still off to one side grinding pepper in a mortar. Ikechukwu then
gathers up a four baskets of oil beans and goes to where his mother is.)
Ibe: Auntie, please don't trouble yourself about food. We ate something this morning before we came. Weren't you getting ready to go to market before we came in? Is it that you don't want to go because we came?
Okwuchi: Since you say that you will not wait for me to cook a little something for you before you leave, never mind then. Have I even seen what my children will eat, let alone what I will beg people to eat? Take this as a snack.
(She goes out and leaves them and enters the house where she and Ike stay. After they have finished eating, Ike brings them two cups of water, a dish and a spoon and goes out again; Okwuchi then enters.)
Ibe: Thank you, Auntie!
Onwukwe: Auntie, thank you!
Okwuchi: (She brings a chair and sits down.) You are welcome, my children.
Ibe: Auntie, we have come on a matter of great importance. Ever since I was a child, you yourself know that I was not a person who was stubborn toward his parents. You also know that I was not a person who started anything without first telling his parents. You also know that I do not do shameful or embarrassing things. I do not mine where there is no gold. It is true
that parents will teach their children very well, showing them the paths to follow in their lives. However, there are some things a person grows up to decide for himself before he tells his parents.
Okwuchi: (She nods.) That's how things are.
Ibe: There is a certain young woman whom I have known since childhood, going to the same school together. Ever since I was in kindergarten she and I have known each other, up until now when she and I are in the same high school. When we still were in elementary school we agreed that we would get married when we grew up and finished our educations. Now the two of us will come out of high school this year. That's what I called my mother and father together and told them, but my father did not want to listen to what I was saying.
Okwuchi: What did your parents say they were angry about?
Ibe: There was no disagreement between myself and my mother. She was happy when she heard this. It was my father who gave me trouble about the matter.
Okwuchi: What did your father say he was angry about?
Ibe: He said he was angry because I was still a student, that he would not keep me in school and also marry a wife for me at the same time, but what I discovered on my own was that he wanted to take charge of finding a wife for me.
Okwuchi: Now what do you think about what your father said?
Ibe: What I think is that if you know what you can come and tell him, you should come and tell him, because only you can say things he will listen to, because nothing will keep me from marrying Ugo. Rather, if I do not marry her I will remain a bachelor until I die. (He frowns.)
Okwuchi: (Speaks to Onwukwe.) My son, have you seen how your friend has become very angry?
Onwukwe: It is what I told him that this type of thing is not something one scolds or become angry about. Hot soup must be sipped slowly. When he told me that there was a sister of his father who had married here, I told him that it was through her that we would get everything we want.
Okwuchi: (Smiles a little.) Sir, I have heard what you said. There was nothing wrong in it. All will be well. You should go home so I can start on my trip to market. (They rise to leave.) You did not tell me the thoughts of the one that you and she, who the young woman is.
Ibe: She and I have arranged everything. She says that everything is now in the hands of me and my people.
Okwuchi: What did you say her name was?
Ibe: Her name is Ugomma.
Okwuchi: From where?
Ibe: She is from Omukwu Agbaja.
Okwuchi: Who are her parents in Omukwu Agbaja?
Ibe: David Okeosisi, who is a road worker.
Okwuchi: David whose wife was born in Uturu?
Ibe: Yes.
Okwuchi: All right. If I return from the market early I will come before people start to eat their evening meal.
Ibe: Good. Auntie, try to come today, because tomorrow I will go there.
Onwukwe: Goodbye now.
Ibe: Goodbye. We will be expecting you.
Okwuchi: All right. Goodbye, my children. (Okwuchi takes her basket and starts off for the market.)
The lights go out.
ACT TWO, Scene 4
(In the house of Obike. Obike is not at home. He has gone to market when Okwuchi comes. Ogbediya is cooking when she comes. She knocks at the door before entering. In a little while, Ibe just walks in. Nwanyinkwo is in her room.)
Ogbediya: Mmaji! Mmaji!
Mmaji: Ooh! (She runs in.) You have returned, mother.
Ogbediya: Yes! Where have you and your sisters and brothers been?
Mmaji: We were at the front of the compound waiting for you to return. We did not even see when you came across.
Ogbediya: I came in by the path behind the house. Please, my child, take something and light the fire so we can start to cook supper before your father gets home. (They start to cook; after they finish, there is a knocking at the door.)
Okwuchi: Knock--Knock--Knock. Is anyone at home?
Ogbediya: Who is that?
Okwuchi: It is I, o.
Ogbediya: (To Mmaji.) Go find out who is knocking and open the door for her.
Mmaji: Auntie! Welcome.
Okwuchi: Yes, my child. Are you all well? (Mmaji replies, yes!) Is your mother at home?
Mmaji: Yes!
Okwuchi: Ogbediya and children, I greet you all.
Ogbediya: O O O! Sister of my husband! Welcome.
Okwuchi: E e e. How are you all?
Ogbediya: We are fine. Who brought you here this evening?
Okwuchi: I brought myself.
Ogbediya: (Brings a chair.) Here is a chair.
Okwuchi: Thank you. Let me first greet mother. Is she at home?
Ogbediya: Yes, she is at home. I think she is in her room.
(She goes out another door to see her mother, the elderly woman, Nwanyinkwo. In a short time she re-enters.)
Okwuchi: Ogbediya! Is your husband at home?
Ogbediya: He is in such a mood (so stubborn). When I speak, you all tell me I have spoken. This is the market where he has been since this afternoon. That is why I hurried home to be sure that I cooked supper on time.
Okwuchi: Please, let him come quickly. It is getting dark and I must go home and cook supper for my children. They have not eaten since this afternoon, before I went to market.
Ogbediya: (Looking out toward the front.) Oho, your journey is going well. He has just returned.
(He enters wearing Igbo traditional dress, staff in hand, and a towel around his neck.)
Obike: (In surprise.) Ha! Who brought this person here?
Okwuchi: I brought myself. You have returned!
Obike: E-e-e! How are your children?
Okwuchi: They are very well.
Obike: Please come take a chair and sit down.
Okwuchi: You people and I have a little matter to discuss.
(He brings a chair, she sits down and his wife brings her own and comes close.)
I will also want Mother to be here and listen to what I have to say.
Obike: Ibe! Ibegbu!
Ogbediya: I have not seen him since I returned from the market. Mmaji! Mmaji!
Mmaji: Yes?
Ogbediya: Go and call grandmother and tell her that we're waiting for her here.
(She runs out, and leaves from there. Nwanyinkwo comes by the door from which Mmaji left, takes her walking-stick and enters. Hand on waist, she takes a low chair.)
Okwuchi: Greetings!
The others: Greetings! Greetings my child.
Okwuchi: The matter I came to talk about is brief but it is a matter of very great importance. Our ancestors said that an elder does not stay in the house while the goat gives birth on a tether. What I want to talk about concerns your son Ibe. Ibe has matured in all aspects of a man, this year he will finish school, and these few months remaining do not stop anyone from doing anything. His age-mates have already married, since last year. It is true that he is still going to school, but man waits for time, time does not wait for man. Now I have heard that there is someone he has selected on his own, saying that she is the one he wants to marry. I heard it from a certain woman friend of mine. I was very happy when I heard it because the young woman is of fine character, and also has intelligence and ability. I know her mother and father well. They are good people. They have
many oil palms and raffia palms, and goats and chickens abound at their place. They have plenty of wide open land. That's why I want us to team together with Ibe, so that we can go and marry this girl for him. He is young now but he has made up his mind. (Ibe then enters with his friend, Onwukwe.) That is all I have to say.
Ogbediya: Oh look at Ibe coming.
Obike: Ibegbu, come here and sit down. Onwukwe, go and wait for him inside the house.
Nwanyinkwo: My children, listen. All your words sound good. Since the day when my son Ibe called us together and told us about this, I have been thinking about it whenever I went to bed at night. This matter is not something you approach by scolding or in anger. It is something we need to put our heads together about, take it slowly and be unanimous in it. It is not a thing we should tear our clothes over, or agonize over. I am happy that God had mercy and Okwuchi is here in this place now. The place where the crying child points his finger, if his mother's people are not there, his father's people are there. Therefore, we should agree to what Ibe said because I have seen that his heart is with that girl. One does not know what breaks the firewood and throws it into the water; it is said that it is the monkey. [Proverb implying that Ibe's family might shoulder the blame if things do not turn out well.] Obike, do you hear what I have said?
Obike: (In a gentle voice.) I have heard what you said, mother. What you said will be agreed to because you are the one who said it. But in my own mind, I would still not agree that my son should stay in school and be married. As my mother, in order to give you honor and respect in the things you said, how do we follow up on this matter?
Okwuchi: I thank you all. But Obike, my mother's eldest son, to cut the matter short, let me leave because I have stayed too long. We will tell Ibe to find out if the girl and her people have made up their minds before we can arrange for us and them to meet face-to-face. Whatever the outcome, he should let us know. If his journey is successful, you all can meet and decide on the day you will go to Agbaja to see them. If I am invited I will go along as well. I am leaving. Goodbye. (She leaves.)
The Others: All right. Good night. Safe journey.
Obike: Hm m, Ibe, you've heard what we said, you will go first and inquire of the girl if she will agree that you come and do the wine-carrying on her behalf, because if she does not agree, all these things we have been running around doing will be a waste of time.
Ibe: I will go when I return from school tomorrow.
Obike: If they agree, we will see it through in one trip, then come back and do the next thing. Hurry and go now and find out what you will do. People are finishing their evening meal. (They go out one by one, and only Obike remains.) (Muttering.) I just want to fulfill all the promises. I know very well who David Okeosisi Nweke is. He will not agree to have someone talk about marrying his daughter while he is still maintaining her in high school.
The lights go out.
-- on to Act Three --
| <urn:uuid:7a70889e-f7a1-4c37-a985-6ab47592e971> | 2 | 2.34375 | 0.023948 | en | 0.981749 | http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00fwp/igbo/osuagwu/thematter_act2.html |
Nakajima Ki-27
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The Nakajima Ki-27 (Allied codename: “Nate”) was a single-seat fighter plane flown by the Japanese Army in World War II. It was similar to the A5M Claude, and the predecessor to the Ki-43 Oscar.
The history of the Ki-27 goes back to 1934, when the Army announced a competition for a new fighter. The Kawasaki Aircraft Company won the competition with its Ki-10 biplane, but Nakajima’s failed entry eventually became the Ki-27, which the Army showed a renewed interest in the next year. The first flight of the new fighter was in October of 1936, and it began its operational service in early 1938. The Nate had an impressive production run, with over 3300 units built in all.[1]
The trademark feature of the fighter was maneuverability. It was one of the most maneuverable monoplanes ever made, more so even than the Zero or Oscar. Top speed was good: 280 mph, provided by a 710-hp air-cooled engine. The Nate was armed with two fuselage-mounted machine guns and could carry 220 pounds of bombs. Like its Navy counterpart, the Claude, it had fixed landing gear, and like most Japanese planes of the time, it was lightly armored and could not take much battle damage.[2]
The Ki-27 served in the Second Sino-Japanese War, and was the fighter type most commonly encountered by the Flying Tigers. Ki-27s based in Manchuria and northern China fought the Soviet air force as well, in a series of border incidents in 1938 and 1939. Nates could generally hold their own against Soviet fighters, although their inferior armament was a disadvantage (most Soviet fighters at the time carried four machine guns).[3] By the time of the Pearl Harbor attack, the Ki-27 was out-dated and in the process of being replaced by the Oscar. However, it still saw extensive service in the first year of the war, notably in the campaigns in Burma and the Philippines. The later years of the war saw it relegated to the training role, although a few were used as kamikazes in the last desperate months.
1. Complete book of World War II Combat Aircraft, by Enzo Angelucci and Paolo Matricardi, VMB Publishers, 2006
3. The World’s Greatest Fighters: From 1914 to the Present Day, by Robert Jackson, Chartwell Books, 2005
External Links
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Rage Against The Machine
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Rage Against The Machine (often abbreviated RATM) is an American alternative rock band that formed in California in 1991. They are well known for their anarchist political lyrics, protests, and vocal opposition to censorship. The group is made up of four members; guitarist Tom Morello, vocalist Zach de la Rocha, bassist Tim Commerford and drummer Brad Wilk.
One characteristic of RATM's lyrics is the repetition of fighting words, which has resulted in vandalism and riots surrounding their concerts.
For the past two years, the group has sporadically toured the US and some other countries such as Australia and Japan. However, there has been no word on an official reunion tour or album being in the works as of yet.
Rage Against the Machine are outspoken socialists both directly and indirectly. The guitarrist Tom Morello was a supporter of the Occupy Wall Street-movement.
Rage Against The Machine's studio albums are:
• Rage Against The Machine (1992)
• Evil Empire (1996)
• The Battle of Los Angeles (1999)
• Renegades (2000)
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Just when it seemed like the fight to protect the public's right to know in California had been preserved, an effort is underway in Sacramento to make the names of people who draw government pensions a state secret.
It comes after numerous judges have ruled in recent years that public employees' retiree pay is a matter of public record. In fact, the public nature of pensions had become so accepted that the state's giant pension agency, the California Public Employee's Retirement System, was about to post payment data on its website.
It's the same data that this newspaper has posted on its web site at www.mercurynews.com/salaries/pensions.
But retired public workers made a big stink over CalPERS' plans and the agency backed down. The argument was a retread of previous bogus claims that the disclosure of government pay makes people susceptible to scam artists and identity thieves.
There is no firm word yet that the retirees will find anyone in the Legislature to carry a bill against the public's interest that would roll back the court decisions. You can bet that if such an effort were successful, current government workers would be tripping over each other to try the same thing to block disclosure of their names and salaries
Let's suppose for a moment that they really do try to have the law changed to block disclosure of salaries and pensions.
What such a bill should be called is the Bruce V. Malkenhorst act of 2013.
You remember Bruce V. Malkenhorst. Or at least you should. He's one of the greatest grifters of all time.
He worked for the tiny Los Angeles County city of Vernon, population 113. Yes, 113. His salary topped out at more than $911,000, and he was thought to be the highest paid government worker in the United States if you exclude sports coaches and a few professors at public universities. There seems to be little question that Malkenhorst was the highest paid local official in California history
He wore an emerald pinkie ring and numerous bracelets and was chauffeured about Vernon in a limousine.
Two years ago, Malkenhorst pleaded guilty to misappropriating public funds -- $60,000, a smidgen of his pay.
But he is still the state's highest paid pensioner, receiving more than $529,000 in retirement pay a year.
Imagine if CalPERS and other retirement agencies were blocked by law from identifying who gets such fat checks?
At Vernon, Malkenhorst was essentially a one-man scam artist, one bearing the numerous job titles in addition to city manager, including, finance director, redevelopment director, city clerk, city treasurer, others.
He used them to create a pension spike as high as Mount Everest.
But last year, CalPERS caught up with him. An audit showed the spiking and called for Malkenhorst's retirement pay to be slashed to $115,000 a year, a move CalPERS board could soon make following an administrative hearing. If that happens, the retirement agency is expected to try and recoup years of overpayment to Malkenhorst, its spokesman, Brad Pacheco, told me.
But that Malkenhorst is quite a guy, one who won't go down without a fight. Now he's suing Vernon, claiming that the city must make up the $400,000 difference between his pension based on fraud and what CalPERS is paying him.
There's gall and then there's what must flow in Malkenhorst's veins. The man makes Tony Soprano look like the Dalai Lama.
Now imagine, again, if government salaries were not public record. Imagine that they were secrets.
Yes, Malkenhorst is an aberration -- more than 99 percent of government employees are honest, hardworking people. But what helps keep them that way? Transparency.
Why should efforts to block the release of pensioner's names be named for Bruce V. Malkenhorst? Because secrecy enables thieves.
The idiocy over pay and pension pay records has to stop. They are public record. Anyone in Sacramento who carries a bill to reverse the court decisions making them open records will be working against the public interest and deserving of much scorn. It's time for this idiocy to stop.
Thomas Peele is an investigative reporter for this newspaper and teaches public records at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. He is also the co-chairman of the Society of Professional Journalists, Northern California Chapter, Freedom of Information Committee. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow him at Twitter.com/thomas_peele. | <urn:uuid:bff1a00e-77db-40db-8b72-347606bda44f> | 2 | 1.75 | 0.158386 | en | 0.969406 | http://www.contracostatimes.com/columns/ci_23776859/thomas-peele-must-stop-fighting-notion-public-employee |
NAME DBD::SQLite - Self-contained RDBMS in a DBI Driver SYNOPSIS use DBI; my $dbh = DBI->connect("dbi:SQLite:dbname=dbfile","",""); DESCRIPTION SQLite is a public domain RDBMS database engine that you can find at . Rather than ask you to install SQLite first, because SQLite is public domain, DBD::SQLite includes the entire thing in the distribution. So in order to get a fast transaction capable RDBMS working for your perl project you simply have to install this module, and nothing else. SQLite supports the following features: Implements a large subset of SQL92 See for details. A complete DB in a single disk file Everything for your database is stored in a single disk file, making it easier to move things around than with DBD::CSV. Atomic commit and rollback Yes, DBD::SQLite is small and light, but it supports full transactions! Extensible User-defined aggregate or regular functions can be registered with the SQL parser. There's lots more to it, so please refer to the docs on the SQLite web page, listed above, for SQL details. Also refer to DBI for details on how to use DBI itself. CONFORMANCE WITH DBI SPECIFICATION The API works like every DBI module does. Please see DBI for more details about core features. Currently many statement attributes are not implemented or are limited by the typeless nature of the SQLite database. DRIVER PRIVATE ATTRIBUTES Database Handle Attributes sqlite_version Returns the version of the SQLite library which DBD::SQLite is using, e.g., "2.8.0". Can only be read. unicode If set to a true value, DBD::SQLite will turn the UTF-8 flag on for all text strings coming out of the database (this feature is currently disabled for perl < 5.8.5). For more details on the UTF-8 flag see perlunicode. The default is for the UTF-8 flag to be turned off. Also note that due to some bizarreness in SQLite's type system (see ), if you want to retain blob-style behavior for some columns under "$dbh->{unicode} = 1" (say, to store images in the database), you have to state so explicitly using the 3-argument form of "bind_param" in DBI when doing updates: use DBI qw(:sql_types); $dbh->{unicode} = 1; my $sth = $dbh->prepare("INSERT INTO mytable (blobcolumn) VALUES (?)"); # Binary_data will be stored as is. $sth->bind_param(1, $binary_data, SQL_BLOB); Defining the column type as "BLOB" in the DDL is not sufficient. DRIVER PRIVATE METHODS The following methods can be called via the func() method with a little tweak, but the use of func() method is now discouraged by the DBI author for various reasons (see for details). So, if you're using DBI >= 1.608, use these "sqlite_" methods. If you need to use an older DBI, you can call these like this: $dbh->func( ..., "(method name without sqlite_ prefix)" ); $dbh->sqlite_last_insert_rowid() This method returns the last inserted rowid. If you specify an INTEGER PRIMARY KEY as the first column in your table, that is the column that is returned. Otherwise, it is the hidden ROWID column. See the sqlite docs for details. Generally you should not be using this method. Use the DBI last_insert_id method instead. The usage of this is: $h->last_insert_id($catalog, $schema, $table_name, $field_name [, \%attr ]) Running "$h->last_insert_id("","","","")" is the equivalent of running "$dbh->sqlite_last_insert_rowid()" directly. $dbh->sqlite_busy_timeout() Retrieve the current busy timeout. $dbh->sqlite_busy_timeout( $ms ) Set the current busy timeout. The timeout is in milliseconds. $dbh->sqlite_create_function( $name, $argc, $code_ref ) This method will register a new function which will be useable in an SQL query. The method's parameters are: $name The name of the function. This is the name of the function as it will be used from SQL. $argc The number of arguments taken by the function. If this number is -1, the function can take any number of arguments. $code_ref This should be a reference to the function's implementation. For example, here is how to define a now() function which returns the current number of seconds since the epoch: $dbh->sqlite_create_function( 'now', 0, sub { return time } ); After this, it could be use from SQL as: INSERT INTO mytable ( now() ); $dbh->sqlite_create_collation( $name, $code_ref ) This method will register a new function which will be useable in an SQL query as a COLLATE option for sorting. The method's parameters are: $name The name of the function. This is the name of the function as it will be used from SQL. $code_ref This should be a reference to the function's implementation. The driver will check that this is a proper sorting function. Collations "binary" and "nocase" are builtin within SQLite. Collations "perl" and "perllocale" are builtin within the DBD::SQLite driver, and correspond to the Perl "cmp" operator with or without the locale pragma; so you can write for example CREATE TABLE foo( txt1 COLLATE perl, txt2 COLLATE perllocale, txt3 COLLATE nocase ) or SELECT * FROM foo ORDER BY name COLLATE perllocale If the attribute "$dbh->{unicode}" is set, strings coming from the database and passed to the collation function will be properly tagged with the utf8 flag; but this only works if the "unicode" attribute is set before the call to "create_collation". The recommended way to activate unicode is to set the parameter at connection time : my $dbh = DBI->connect( "dbi:SQLite:dbname=foo", "", "", { RaiseError => 1, unicode => 1, } ); $dbh->sqlite_create_aggregate( $name, $argc, $pkg ) This method will register a new aggregate function which can then be used from SQL. The method's parameters are: $name The name of the aggregate function, this is the name under which the function will be available from SQL. $argc This is an integer which tells the SQL parser how many arguments the function takes. If that number is -1, the function can take any number of arguments. $pkg This is the package which implements the aggregator interface. The aggregator interface consists of defining three methods: new() This method will be called once to create an object which should be used to aggregate the rows in a particular group. The step() and finalize() methods will be called upon the reference return by the method. step(@_) This method will be called once for each row in the aggregate. finalize() This method will be called once all rows in the aggregate were processed and it should return the aggregate function's result. When there is no rows in the aggregate, finalize() will be called right after new(). Here is a simple aggregate function which returns the variance (example adapted from pysqlite): package variance; sub new { bless [], shift; } sub step { my ( $self, $value ) = @_; push @$self, $value; } sub finalize { my $self = $_[0]; my $n = @$self; # Variance is NULL unless there is more than one row return undef unless $n || $n == 1; my $mu = 0; foreach my $v ( @$self ) { $mu += $v; } $mu /= $n; my $sigma = 0; foreach my $v ( @$self ) { $sigma += ($x - $mu)**2; } $sigma = $sigma / ($n - 1); return $sigma; } $dbh->sqlite_create_aggregate( "variance", 1, 'variance' ); The aggregate function can then be used as: SELECT group_name, variance(score) FROM results GROUP BY group_name; For more examples, see the DBD::SQLite::Cookbook. $dbh->sqlite_progress_handler( $n_opcodes, $code_ref ) This method registers a handler to be invoked periodically during long running calls to SQLite. An example use for this interface is to keep a GUI updated during a large query. The parameters are: $n_opcodes The progress handler is invoked once for every $n_opcodes virtual machine opcodes in SQLite. $handler Reference to the handler subroutine. If the progress handler returns non-zero, the SQLite operation is interrupted. This feature can be used to implement a "Cancel" button on a GUI dialog box. Set this argument to "undef" if you want to unregister a previous progress handler. $dbh->sqlite_backup_from_file( $filename ) This method accesses the SQLite Online Backup API, and will take a backup of the named database file, copying it to, and overwriting, your current database connection. This can be particularly handy if your current connection is to the special :memory: database, and you wish to populate it from an existing DB. $dbh->sqlite_backup_to_file( $filename ) This method accesses the SQLite Online Backup API, and will take a backup of the currently connected database, and write it out to the named file. BLOBS As of version 1.11, blobs should "just work" in SQLite as text columns. However this will cause the data to be treated as a string, so SQL statements such as length(x) will return the length of the column as a NUL terminated string, rather than the size of the blob in bytes. In order to store natively as a BLOB use the following code: use DBI qw(:sql_types); my $dbh = DBI->connect("dbi:SQLite:dbfile","",""); my $blob = `cat foo.jpg`; my $sth = $dbh->prepare("INSERT INTO mytable VALUES (1, ?)"); $sth->bind_param(1, $blob, SQL_BLOB); $sth->execute(); And then retrieval just works: $sth = $dbh->prepare("SELECT * FROM mytable WHERE id = 1"); $sth->execute(); my $row = $sth->fetch; my $blobo = $row->[1]; # now $blobo == $blob $dbh->sqlite_enable_load_extension( $bool ) Calling this method with a true value enables loading (external) sqlite3 extensions. After the call, you can load extensions like this: $dbh->sqlite_enable_load_extension(1); $sth = $dbh->prepare("select load_extension('')") or die "Cannot prepare: " . $dbh->errstr(); NOTES Although the database is stored in a single file, the directory containing the database file must be writable by SQLite because the library will create several temporary files there. To access the database from the command line, try using dbish which comes with the DBI module. Just type: dbish dbi:SQLite:foo.db On the command line to access the file foo.db. Alternatively you can install SQLite from the link above without conflicting with DBD::SQLite and use the supplied "sqlite" command line tool. FUNCTIONS AND BIND PARAMETERS As of this writing, a SQL that compares a return value of a function with a numeric bind value like this doesn't work as you might expect. my $sth = $dbh->prepare(q{ SELECT bar FROM foo GROUP BY bar HAVING count(*) > ?; }); $sth->execute(5); This is because DBD::SQLite assumes that all the bind values are text (and should be quoted) by default. Thus the above statement becomes like this while executing: SELECT bar FROM foo GROUP BY bar HAVING count(*) > "5"; There are two workarounds for this. Use bind_param() explicitly As shown above in the "BLOB" section, you can always use "bind_param()" to tell the type of a bind value. use DBI qw(:sql_types); # Don't forget this my $sth = $dbh->prepare(q{ SELECT bar FROM foo GROUP BY bar HAVING count(*) > ?; }); $sth->bind_param(1, 5, SQL_INTEGER); $sth->execute(); Add zero to make it a number This is somewhat weird, but works anyway. my $sth = $dbh->prepare(q{ SELECT bar FROM foo GROUP BY bar HAVING count(*) > (? + 0); }); $sth->execute(5); PERFORMANCE SQLite is fast, very fast. I recently processed my 72MB log file with it, inserting the data (400,000+ rows) by using transactions and only committing every 1000 rows (otherwise the insertion is quite slow), and then performing queries on the data. Queries like count(*) and avg(bytes) took fractions of a second to return, but what surprised me most of all was: SELECT url, count(*) as count FROM access_log GROUP BY url ORDER BY count desc LIMIT 20 To discover the top 20 hit URLs on the site (), and it returned within 2 seconds. I'm seriously considering switching my log analysis code to use this little speed demon! Oh yeah, and that was with no indexes on the table, on a 400MHz PIII. For best performance be sure to tune your hdparm settings if you are using linux. Also you might want to set: PRAGMA default_synchronous = OFF Which will prevent sqlite from doing fsync's when writing (which slows down non-transactional writes significantly) at the expense of some peace of mind. Also try playing with the cache_size pragma. The memory usage of SQLite can also be tuned using the cache_size pragma. $dbh->do("PRAGMA cache_size = 800000"); The above will allocate 800M for DB cache; the default is 2M. Your sweet spot probably lies somewhere in between. TO DO The following items remain to be done. Warnings Upgrade We currently use a horridly hacky method to issue and suppress warnings. It suffices for now, but just barely. Migrate all of the warning code to use the recommended DBI warnings. Leak Detection Implement one or more leak detection tests that only run during AUTOMATED_TESTING and RELEASE_TESTING and validate that none of the C code we work with leaks. SUPPORT Bugs should be reported via the CPAN bug tracker at TO DO There're several pended RT bugs/patches at the moment (mainly due to the lack of tests/patches or segfaults on tests). Here's the list. (breaks tests) (requires a patch) (requires a patch) Switch tests to Test::More to support more advanced testing behaviours AUTHOR Matt Sergeant Francis J. Lacoste Wolfgang Sourdeau Adam Kennedy Max Maischein COPYRIGHT The bundled SQLite code in this distribution is Public Domain. DBD::SQLite is copyright 2002 - 2007 Matt Sergeant. Some parts copyright 2008 Francis J. Lacoste. Some parts copyright 2008 Wolfgang Sourdeau. Some parts copyright 2008 - 2009 Adam Kennedy. Some parts derived from DBD::SQLite::Amalgamation copyright 2008 Audrey Tang. This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as Perl itself. The full text of the license can be found in the LICENSE file included with this module. | <urn:uuid:855ee28a-b552-47a6-8530-38ccccd6f434> | 3 | 2.6875 | 0.131638 | en | 0.816049 | http://www.cpan.org/modules/by-module/DBD/AUDREYT/DBD-SQLite-Amalgamation-3.6.16.readme |
Silent community
Signs speak volumes at CNCC language class
When Jeff Reece moved to Craig he was all alone.
Sure, he had his family, but he didn't know anyone who spoke his language, at least not the way he spoke it.
Reece is deaf. He considered signing to another deaf person a treat.
"(My family) knew I was alone with a hearing family," Reece signed to Kevin Haynes as he interpreted Wednesday, sitting at a crowded table at Galaxy Restaurant.
His family sought out Ted and Elberta Cochran, a Craig couple who were both deaf.
"I was excited," Reece signed. "Oh, you're deaf like me."
Alberta, who doesn't read lips, said she remembered meeting Reece and was excited about the prospect of having someone other than her husband with whom to sign.
On Wednesday, Reece and the Cochrans got a chance to meet and chat, something that's happening more frequently now since Kevin Haynes started teaching an American Sign Language class at Colorado Northwestern Community College.
The class meets once a week, on Wednesdays. And once a month, Haynes takes his students out for some real-world experience.
"It gives them a chance to practice because they have to communicate with our three deaf friends," Haynes said. "So they can't cheat."
Most students sitting around the table Wednesday had at least a friend of a friend who is deaf and were eager to learn more sign language.
Kryssi Soule is taking the class because she had a deaf friend in high school and is now toying around with the idea of becoming an interpreter.
"(Haynes) helps out a lot. It's a good class," she said. "It really helps to talk with somebody."
Haynes said he might offer a second course if there's enough interest next semester.
A few seats down from Soule, Deena Armstrong continued her conversation with Reece and others through signing.
"As a hearing person, they're very welcoming," Armstrong said.
Armstrong has known the Cochrans for more than 10 years and attends deaf Christmas parties and ministries.
Elberta Cochran can't read lips. For her, signing is the only way to get a point across. So when she comes across another person who is deaf, it's a welcoming break in her silence.
"We are isolated," Elberta Cochran said about having so few people with whom to communicate.
"I liked to be able to sign to him," Elberta signed, remembering back to when she first met Reece.
"The deaf culture is very close," Arm--strong said. "It's close because they can communicate."
Commenting has been disabled for this item. | <urn:uuid:96ad63cd-90c4-45b4-88cd-cc5cd1856028> | 2 | 1.71875 | 0.059783 | en | 0.987514 | http://www.craigdailypress.com/news/2006/dec/07/silent_community/ |
Intersection of Life and Faith
The Magnificant Mystery Men
• John Sweetman
• 2003 1 Dec
The Magnificant Mystery Men
Matthew 2:1-12
Births are intimate celebrations for family and friends
I guess that there are three big events in most peoples' lives. The first is our birth and the second is our wedding (if we are married). These events are so significant that they are celebrated throughout our lives with birthdays and anniversaries. The third big occasion, that obviously no one here has yet experienced, is our death and funeral. Now I realise that becoming a Christian and baptism are more important spiritually, but I'm talking about most people.
Let's think about these three events. Weddings tend to be pretty elaborate affairs. I remember my wedding . . . Lots of people make an effort to be at weddings — some you know well and often others that are more distant relatives or from the other side of the family. They're both formal and fun. But you wouldn't call them intimate.
Funerals are even more formal than weddings. The mourners at a funeral will range from the closest family to those that are merely acquaintances, but who wish to show their respect to the family. Funerals are opportunities to both grieve and celebrate the life of the person, but you wouldn't really call them intimate.
But births are different. You wouldn't call a birth formal. They're messy, fun and beautiful. Oh I realise there may be some pain involved (Debbie did squeeze my hand very hard) and occasionally deep disappointment that cuts deep, but most times once that precious bundle has emerged, it's time for close family and good friends to celebrate with laughter and horror stories and, of course, lots of cuddles of the "dried prune." Sorry, but someone has to be honest! Births are usually special, intimate celebrations for close family and friends.
And Jesus' birth was just like that
Jesus' birth was pretty similar. I know that Joseph and Mary were actually away from home. That they'd travelled to the south of Judea away from their hometown of Nazareth and there appeared to be no family around when Jesus was born in a stable. Well that was true for the night of the birth. They'd just arrived in town. But the reason they'd travelled to Bethlehem was for a Roman census where "everyone went to his own town to register." (Luke 2:3) Because Joseph was a descendent of King David, he had to go to David's hometown to be counted in the census. So you can imagine the family that would have been around the place at the time. If Mary was also a descendent of David, as many scholars say that Luke's genealogy of Jesus (Luke 3:23-37) suggests, then it would have been like a huge family reunion in Bethlehem; a real "rellie" bash.
But what about the terrible circumstances — giving birth in a cattle shed? Well you have to remember that Mary and Joseph were not yuppies who can't survive without a mobile phone and dishwasher. They were from good working class, country stock. These were the days when women would give birth in the bush. I can imagine they would take it all in their stride. "Okay Joseph, grab those rags. Wrap them around the baby. That's good, now put him down in the straw in this feed trough. That's right, gently." Admittedly, not quite what you'd expect for God's son, but it could have been almost, dare I say, exciting.
Of course, the shepherds who visited the night of the birth weren't exactly friends or family. But being from the lower end of the social spectrum, and rejected by many of the religious establishment who regarded shepherds as unclean and the pits of society, I think they were kind of God's stand-in family for the night. I mean God has always particularly loved and accepted those who are doing it tough.
So the birth of Jesus was a lovely local birth, just the way God planned it. I can imagine the family gathering around the next day as the news got out. Jesus' birth was probably not all that different from yours. There were no headlines, no reporters, no grand pronouncements, no big parties. It was just another lovely local birth celebrated intimately by family and some shepherds.
Except for the "wise men"
Except for the wise men! How on earth do they fit into the picture?
Read Matthew 2:1-12. These wise men are surrounded by legend. Traditionally they were recognised as three kings by the names of Casper, Melchior and Balthasar. Casper was young, beardless, and ruddy, and he brought the frankincense. Melchior was an old, grey-haired man with a long beard, and he brought the gold. And Balthasar was swarthy with a newly grown beard, and he brought the myrrh. This, of course, is all fiction. We don't even know how many there were (there were three gifts, not three men Matthew 2:11), let alone their names or facial features.
But we do know that they came some time after the birth (Matthew 2:1) and that Jesus' family was now in a house (Matthew 2:11). Herod's decision to kill the boys in Bethlehem under two years of age (Matthew 2:16) would suggest that by the time the wise men arrived, Jesus may well have been a toddler.
And we do know that these visitors were "Magi" — this is the word translated "wise men" in the KJV, but left in its original form in the NIV (because it's difficult to translate). It seems to originally have been a name for a Median tribe. You see the Medes and Persians formed an empire together, but the Medes were finally subdued by the Persians, and this tribe of Medes kind of retreated from the political world to pursue a more meditative lifestyle. The Magi were a cluster of truth-seekers committed to holiness and wisdom. They were skilled in philosophy, medicine and natural science. Kind of like a whole family of university professors. You can imagine the conversation at the dinner table!
Well, whether the Magi came from this tribe, or a similar group, it's incredible that these philosophers from Persia would get involved in an ordinary, intimate, local, family event, on the other side of the world.
Who travelled to worship Jesus on the strength of a star.
But these Magi had a clue that something special was happening. As trained astrologers with insatiable curiosity, they had seen a remarkable astrological phenomenon. A new star had appeared in the east (Matthew 2:2). We're not sure what this new star was. It could have been Halley's comet in 11BC, or a brilliant conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter in 7BC, or Sirius rising at sunrise with extraordinary brilliance from 5 to 2BC. Perhaps, more likely, it was a special God-designed phenomenon that was not obvious to everyone. Certainly Matthew 2:2 would suggest this. However the star appeared, in the worldview of these searchers and thinkers, a change in the heavens meant that God was on the move.
There was also a strong expectation throughout the world of those days, that the time was ripe for the appearance of a King in Israel who would usher in a reign of peace for humankind. So the Magi put the star and the hope together, packed their bags with expensive presents, and headed off in search of this baby king whom they believed would change the world.
They had no idea that others would not welcome such wonderful news with open arms. They could not comprehend that wily, King Herod, may have had another agenda (Matthew 2:1-8) when he sent them off to Bethlehem to find the baby. I mean they'd travelled the world just for the opportunity to worship the baby king and offer him gifts. Who wouldn't be excited about a new chance for the world; the possibility of a leader who could bring real peace? You just couldn't wipe the smile off their faces when they felt that they were getting close (Matthew 2:10).
Imagine Mary's surprise when she opened the door of her one room, working-class cottage in Bethlehem to see a group of dignified Persian philosophers and scientists climbing down off their camels. Imagine her wide-eyed wonder when they prostrated themselves in front of the toddler in her arms and honoured him with wonderful words of worship (Matthew 2:11). Imagine her deep gratitude when they offered Jesus expensive gifts that would support her little family for many years.
Then these Magi climbed back on to their camels and disappeared into the sunset. (Well actually the sunrise to be more accurate, seeing they were from the East.) They had travelled to Israel on the strength of a star, and fulfilled their dream. They actually head the list of millions of Gentiles who have worshipped Jesus as the Son of God.
Because they were truth-seekers
The mysterious Magi show us that God's work is much greater than we often envisage. Imagine God bringing eastern astrologers to worship his Son in Bethlehem through the medium of a new astrological phenomenon and the advice of Herod the horrible. Oh I realise that Scripture also played a part (Matthew 2:5-6), but God's revelation through astrology seems a little questionable. However, the more I read Scripture and the more I study God's work, the more I realise that you can't fit God in a box. It was just like the God I'm growing to know, to bring philosophers from Persia to worship his baby boy in the backwoods of Israel. I love a God who does the unexpected and impossible. I can just imagine him saying to the angels with a smile on His face, "Now my Son's birth is to be a local, family affair generally unnoticed by the world, but, hey, I think I'll throw in a huge angel choir, and some wealthy astrologers from Persia for good measure." Don't think that you can second-guess God. He's far too immense and powerful and astute for that. Let God be God and just worship Him.
But what I find really surprising about this Scripture is not so much the way God works, I'm used to being astounded by that, but the faith of the Magi. On the basis of what must have been a few whimsical dreams, they set off to find and worship this newborn king. Oh, God may have spoken to them directly or in a dream (He certainly did in Matthew 2:12), but we find no evidence of this in the passage. Just a new star (Matthew 2:2), and they're gone.
I guess this shouldn't surprise me, because it has always been the nature of seekers. The people living alongside Joseph and Mary may have thought that the baby next door was just another squawking toddler, but the Magi from across the world didn't. They were searching for truth and purpose and spiritual reality, and they recognised that this baby was central to the future of the world. What are months, maybe years, on the road when you're going to worship a world-changing king?
Jesus once told a little story (Matthew 13:45-46) about a merchant who spent his life dealing in fine pearls. He knew his pearls and made lots of money. But one day he came across the most magnificent pearl he had ever seen. Every other pearl paled in comparison. So he went and sold everything he owned in order to buy it. What's the good of a reasonable pearl collection when you're missing the most valuable one? The Magi were looking for the precious pearl, and when they felt they'd found it, wild horses couldn't keep them away.
So come on truth-seekers — focus on Jesus
At the heart of Christmas lies the incredible truth that the Magi only partially recognized. It's even better than they thought. That toddler, unbelievable as it seems, was actually God's Son who came from heaven to help us understand how much God cares, to set us free from our rebellion against our creator through his own sacrificial death, and eventually to judge and rule our world. Now that's a magnificent pearl of truth that's worth abandoning everything for.
But in our honest attempts at Christmas to celebrate this truth and worship God's Son, we so easily obstruct it. Offering our lives and gifts to Jesus can be obstructed by the need for buying the right presents, and Christmas carols and lights, and food and festivity. Oh there's nothing wrong with any of these things. Christmas should be a time of celebration. I love carols and presents and Christmas dinner, but they can easily be distractions.
You see these things are peripheral. They're nice pearls when there lies an absolutely magnificent pearl at the heart of our celebration. His name is Jesus. You may not have to travel across the world to honour him; you may not have expensive gifts to offer him; and you certainly don't have to talk to kings to find him. But the attitude of the Magi is one that necessarily pervades all true worshippers. We abandon our agendas and desires and priorities to offer our worship to Jesus. We focus on Jesus.
There are many people this Christmas who will celebrate a lovely local birth. They will remember a baby who was born 2000 years ago, think nice thoughts towards others, and maybe even pray for peace on earth. It will be a good Christmas for them. They will enjoy their pleasant pearls.
But there are others (including many of us here) who, as fervent truth seekers, will abandon their priorities and prejudices to offer themselves wholeheartedly to Jesus; who will do whatever it takes to put Jesus first; and who will grasp this priceless pearl with both hands. They know that every sacrifice is worthwhile, because they know they have found the truth that they have been searching for all their lives. This Christmas they will truly worship Jesus.
In doing this, we follow in the footsteps of the Magi, those magnificent, mystery men whom God brought from the other side of the world to worship King Jesus.
John Sweetman is principal of Queensland Baptist College of Ministries in Brookfield, Queensland, Australia. | <urn:uuid:e3bee8bf-2f92-46b5-a1dc-feb82b891f88> | 2 | 1.8125 | 0.03099 | en | 0.981578 | http://www.crosswalk.com/faith/men/the-magnificant-mystery-men-11545250.html |
Aung San Suu Kyi released in Burma (Myanmar), but don't forget what happened in Depayin
The last time Aung San Suu Kyi was released it was 2002, and to reporters like myself covering Burma, it was obvious that an olive branch had been extended, though we weren’t sure how far it would go.
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Myanmar's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi (c.) smiles to her supporters as she leaves the headquarters of her National League for Democracy, on Nov. 15, in Yangon, Myanmar.
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The world has cheered the release of Aung San Suu Kyi, after more than seven years under house arrest. She is busy giving interviews, meeting political allies, and getting her political bearings in military-ruled Burma (Myanmar).
The last time this happened was in 2002, as part of what was billed as a national reconciliation program. To reporters like myself covering Burma, it was obvious that an olive branch had been extended, though we weren’t sure how far it would go.
The mood of détente didn’t last. By the following year, Ms. Suu Kyi was attracting huge crowds as she toured the country, to the obvious irritation of junta hardliners who feared any challenge to their grip on power.
Recommended: Could you pass a US citizenship test?
Then came the events of May 30, 2003. A deadly ambush in the northern district of Depayin by pro-government thugs on a convoy of Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy (NLD) supporters marked the end of her brief spell of freedom and the start of another cycle of repression in Burma.
The official account of the Depayin incident was that rowdy NLD activists had clashed with local residents in a remote village. This gave a pretext for the regime to detain the opposition leader, for her own safety.
In reality, as I found out when I traveled to the scene, it was a one-sided attack by men armed with sticks and knives. Bodies were piled into trucks and taken away. I was told of men plied with alcohol and recruited to fight.
Few believed the government’s version of events. Why would they? I was skeptical when I went there to report the story.
But establishing what did happen, and the death toll, has been complicated by the fact that many of the witnesses were detained or went missing. One crucial witness was Suu Kyi, who was trapped in her car during the attack.
By some accounts, the attack may have been an attempt on her life, though it’s unclear how it failed. Nobody could doubt that such an attack had gotten a green light from Burma’s top generals, who remain in power today.
At the time, exiled Burmese activists put the death toll at 70. But this was mostly guesswork. Some supporters were arrested and are probably still in jail. I’m sure Suu Kyi will keep calling for the release of them along with all 2,000-plus political prisoners in Burma.
She may eventually give her account of the events at Depayin, another blood-soaked episode in Burma’s political history. Recall that Suu Kyi is the daughter of Gen. Aung San, who was assassinated in 1947 by a political rival on the eve of Burmese independence from Britain. Some NLD officials are nervous about her security in the current climate.
And the pro-government thugs at Depayin? In April, their organization, the Union Solidarity and Development Association, formed a political party, the USDP, which duly won a landslide in last week’s election.
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Depressed about the economy? Go see a feel-good movie!
Recently, some film critics have noted a resurgence in "feel good films," the sort of fun, mindless entertainment that one watches when things are starting to get difficult in the real world.
Citing the inexplicable popularity of Beverly Hills Chihuahua, some suggest that the stalled economy has left moviegoers yearning for the kinds of films that will enable them to forget about the difficulties of everyday life.
Admittedly, there is a fair bit of evidence to back up this idea. The top ten movies over the past month or so have skewed heavily escapist, with goofy comedies, sex farces, children's films, and violent fantasy flicks all doing quite well. In fact, even the few movies set in the "real" world were either civics lessons that peaked around the time of the elections (Oliver Stone's W) or period pieces, like The Secret Life of Bees and Changeling. As far as contemporary America was concerned, it basically has served as the background for unrealistically redemptive, feel-good comedies (Soul Men, Role Models, Sex Drive) or romances (Zack and Miri Make a Porno, Nights in Rodanthe).And, no, High School Musical 3 doesn't exist in the real world. It exists in a parallel Disney universe, where Zach Efron is straight and high school students aren't awkward, obsessively self-conscious conglomerations of bad style choices, squeaky voices, and overactive sebaceous glands.
Admittedly, parsing the last couple of months of cinema like this might be something of a stretch; after all, most movies are, at their heart, unrealistic. However, coming off the biopic frenzy of the last few years and the heavy push toward realistic drama, the most popular offerings at the movie theaters definitely represent a big step away from the complexities of day-to-day life.
There's a good reason for this: when things get rough and confusing, audiences want to see a world that makes sense, where good is honored, evil is punished, and love reigns triumphant. To a cynical observer, this may seem simplistic or unsophisticated, but that is exactly the point. In escapist movies, every problem, no matter how complex, gets tied up in two hours. This enables audiences to briefly occupy a space where life is fair.
In the movies, Dick Fuld would go to jail; in real life, he is still on the board at Lehman Brothers, where he continues to draw a salary. In the movies, an asteroid would hit one of the resorts where AIG holds its regular bacchanals; in real life, the taxpayers are now picking up the bill for these little soirees. In the movies, mean old Mr. Potter is defeated in the final reel by Jimmy Stewart. In real life, however, his body double, Hank Paulson, is currently dispersing billions of dollars of taxpayers' money in a way that is completely incomprehensible.
Speaking of It's a Wonderful Life, it's worth noting that the so-called "Golden Age of Cinema" pretty much got its start in the Great Depression, when feel-good flicks and escapist films rolled out of Hollywood by the truckload. From the Wizard of Oz to Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, and Top Hat to King Kong the Depression years were chock full of spectacles and morality tales that helped people forget about the miseries of their daily lives.
While the "feel-good movie index" may not be the best way to gauge the economy, it certainly has its uses. More to the point, I'm not going to rest easy until talking dog movies have migrated their way out of the top 20!
Bruce Watson is a freelance writer, blogger, and all-around cheapskate. "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" is currently the 11th most popular movie in the country, which makes him very nervous.
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Wednesday, March 4, 2015
Pennsylvania's Highway Clash: Urban v. Rural
on PA Interstate 80On I-80 in Pennsylvania
Photo: redskunk
It's a hard irony that what connects cities to the countryside "“ highways "“ now appear to be driving urbanites and rural citizens apart. Actually, nobody's disagreeing about pavement or signage, just how to pay for them.
In Pennsylvania, the highway battle has intensified since Governor Ed Rendell (D) succeeded with a plan to turn Interstate 80, which slices east to west through the whole state, into a toll road. State legislators approved the highway plan, but now two Republican Congressmen from rural, far NW Pennsylvania have dug in, determined to prevent it. Phil English (R) of the 3rd District, and John Peterson (R) of Pennsylvania's 5th say that tolls on Interstate 80 would penalize their districts to pay for mass transit improvements in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
"What will be hurt, (English) said, are small communities along I-80 that rely on travelers' patronage plus businesses and industries within that area that use the interstate. "˜There is an old saying"¦."don't tax you, don't tax me, tax that man behind the tree." Behind the tree are travelers and truckers,'" English said
He and Peterson have taken two Congressional swipes at the toll plan "“ one, an outright ban, another that would toss any toll income out of Pennsylvania back in the federal bucket. Governor Rendell and his supporters are furious.
Some nasty accusations flew this week. "The level of rhetoric in Pennsylvania is astounding," Rod Nofziger, director of government affairs for the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association told Land Line (a truckers' news service). "OOIDA officials view tolls on interstates to be double taxation on truckers, who already pay fuel taxes and mileage taxes." New Jersey neighbors don't care much for the toll plan either.
The roads debate has gotten hotter than asphalt in August, and Rep. Peterson told the Pittsburgh paper he expects "a real slugfest in Washington."
on Interstate 80 in PA
Interstate 80 W, Clearfield County, Pennsylvania
Photo: Nicholas T
Okay. But aren't rural and urban interests ALWAYS at odds? Well, in Pennsylvania, according to an opinion research team, the answer is an astonishing NO. G. Terry Madonna and Michael Young, compiled 20 polls of Pennsylvanians and found that upstate and downstate citizens generally agree, even on the sweaty "values" issues.
"The conventional wisdom predicts big differences," they wrote, "But the data beg to differ." They found that the same percentage of urban and rural citizens "think that abortions should be illegal under any circumstances (20%)." Even more surprising, there are no differences between percentages of urbanites and ruralites who "somewhat or strongly oppose equal rights based on gender identity." Again, 20% of both city and country residents.
In a new article, Madonna and Young observe that the toll highway issue has been extremely divisive. But, based on their earlier finding of general urban/rural harmony, they argue that the highway conflict isn't an expression of underlying "culture wars" or the re-emergence of stereotypical splits between "hicks" and "slicks."
No, it's really over the money at stake. And, they write, "as such, it threatens to unsettle the crucial economic questions once thought to be decided -- who gets what, when, and how. It also threatens to obscure, if not obstruct, the wide and growing consensus in Pennsylvania."
The source of that threat is, of course, scarcity -- a very old problem, to be sure. But it's now threatening in intensely new ways because the federal government has been spending proportionately less on infrastructure of many kinds -- including highways. Consequently, state and local governments have had to put out more. For a jolly good time, check out this report from the Congressional Budget Office on infrastructure spending 1956-1994:
State and federal spending on infrastructure
Source: Congressional Budget Office (and Daily Yonder)
"The federal share of such spending rose dramatically during the first half of that period, expanding from 17 percent in 1956 to 40 percent in 1977. Since the end of the 1980s, however, state and local governments have contributed approximately 75 percent of public infrastructure outlays, and current patterns of spending maintain that trend." (Note that the CBO report ends in 1994, before the federal government had wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to pay for.)
So if state governments must pay more for interstate highways, where will this "more" come from? Tolls and gas taxes are two possibilities - both of them unpopular.
We hear a lot about the cultural divisions between rural and urban Americans, but culture doesn't explain Pennsylvania's toll road "slugfest." This battle isn't over "values" but money "“ the money needed to pay for federal highways that the feds can't or won't provide. | <urn:uuid:cd8e0fd2-b8ed-4f92-9bd8-bbd2b241a8b6> | 2 | 1.515625 | 0.141773 | en | 0.954126 | http://www.dailyyonder.com/pennsylvanias-highway-clash-urban-v-rural |
[Physics FAQ] - [Copyright]
Original by Warren G. Anderson 1996.
The Black Hole Information Loss Problem
In 1975 Hawking and Bekenstein made a remarkable connection between thermodynamics, quantum mechanics and black holes, which predicted that black holes will slowly radiate away. (see Relativity FAQ Hawking Radiation). It was soon realized that this prediction created an information loss problem that has since become an important issue in quantum gravity.
In order to understand why the information loss problem is a problem, we need first to understand what it is. Take a quantum system in a pure state and throw it into a black hole. Wait for some amount of time until the hole has evaporated enough to return to its mass previous to throwing anything in. What we start with is a pure state and a black hole of mass M. What we end up with is a thermal state and a black hole of mass M. We have found a process (apparently) that converts a pure state into a thermal state. But, and here's the kicker, a thermal state is a MIXED state (described quantum mechanically by a density matrix rather than a wave function). In transforming between a mixed state and a pure state, one must throw away information. For instance, in our example we took a state described by a set of eigenvalues and coefficients, a large set of numbers, and transformed it into a state described by temperature, one number. All the other structure of the state was lost in the transformation.
In technical jargon, the black hole has performed a non-unitary transformation on the state of system. As you may recall, non-unitary evolution is not allowed to occur naturally in a quantum theory because it fails to preserve probability; that is, after non-unitary evolution, the sum of the probabilities of all possible outcomes of an experiment may be greater or less than 1.
In the face of such evolution, quantum mechanics falls apart, and we are faced with a dilemma. Do black holes really defy the tenets of quantum theory, or have we missed something in our thought experiment. Perhaps the black hole is not the same after it has evaporated to mass M as it was initially at mass M. Or perhaps there is some subtle correlation in the Hawking radiation that we are missing, but that supplies the missing information about the pure state.
This, then, is the black hole information loss problem. The fact that information is lost is reflected in the thermal nature of the emitted radiation. But any thermal system can be assigned an entropy via the Gibbs law dE = S dT. Thus, we can calculate the black hole entropy by dint of the fact that we can calculate the black hole temperature (by dint of the fact that the quantum radiation is thermal). This is, I think, what people are getting at when they say that black hole entropy is responsible for the information loss. I would say it the other way, that black hole information loss is responsible for black hole entropy. The simple fact of the matter is that they are the same thing in slightly different terms.
Two notes to finish off. First, you might think that the thermal nature of the black hole is inevitable since it is radiating, but you would be wrong. In most of these quantum radiation calculations, the spectrum of the radiation does not have a Planck spectrum. If that had been the case for black holes, too, then we would not be able to assign a temperature or an entropy to black holes. In that case, people probably still would not believe Bekenstein and instead of the information loss paradox we'd still be wondering how to reconcile black holes with the second law. The thermal spectrum of Hawking radiation is one of the most serendipitous results in modern physics, in my opinion, which is another way of saying that something deep and not understood is going on.
The second is an interesting sidelight. While it's true that the Gibbs law gives the correct Bekenstein-Hawking entropy from the calculated temperature, no one has been able (until a few months ago) to explain the entropy directly from quantum mechanical / statistical mechanical grounds. In fact, it has been proven that semiclassical gravity is insufficient to account for this entropy. This is a profound result, since the thermodynamical entropy is obtained at a semiclassical level (in fact, due to some quirks that I suspect are related to the non-linearity of gravity, it is essentially classical). Thus, we are faced with the disconcerting choice that A) thermodynamical entropy does not always have a statistical mechanical basis or B) gravity is not a fundamental interaction, but rather a composite effect of some more fundamental underlying theory. Option B is not disconcerting to superstring theorists, however, it is exactly their point of view. Interestingly, since about the beginning of the year, the superstring people have jumped into the "origin of black hole entropy" fray. It turns out that by using some old result about monopoles in certain types of field theories they have been able to count the string states that would contribute to a certain (unphysical) class of a black hole of a given mass. The entropy is exactly that given by the Bekenstein area formula. The experts assure me that this will be extended to more physical models in the future. An exciting prospect indeed, if it pans out. | <urn:uuid:2d0e7ca5-cfd6-4e19-94e9-dc133b9bf145> | 4 | 3.515625 | 0.440401 | en | 0.93048 | http://www.desy.de/pub/www/projects/Physics/Relativity/BlackHoles/info_loss.html |
ExCarbs for Exercise With Diabetes
A New Way To Handle Exercise
By John Walsh, PA, CDE and Ruth Roberts, MA
Authors of Pumping Insulin
and Using Insulin
Rev. Vaughan Quinn
This article is part of an exercise chapter from the book, STOP The Rollercoaster (now Using Insulin) , written with Lois Jovanovic-Peterson, M.D. This book covers interesting ways to use multiple injections, carb counting, blood sugar patterns, reducing risks for complications, and more.
Much of this information comes from the authors'personal experiences. John and Ruth's preferred exerciseis biking. Their experience includes an 1100 bike ride, three rides between San Francisco and San Diego,two centuries under full load, and three "hell"rides between Tecate and Ensenada in Mexico. Otherathletic accomplishments: 23 mile canoe trip, several day walks beyond 20 miles, diabetes team triathelons, and the remodelling of 12 houses.
They've presented work shops on carb counting at three of the last five International Diabetic Athletes Association Conferences, and discussed exercise effects with a wide range of endurance athletes. John and Ruth are on the Board of Directors of the IDAA, and John has provided clinical care for a wide variety of athletes in San Diego.
Why Excarbs?
People with diabetes often associate exercise withloss of control. Like others, they want to exercise because it makes them feel better and improves their health. But what happens? A long walk, some rollerblading, or painting a house, and their blood sugar drops. Eating a candy bar then sends the blood sugarsoaring. Some extra insulin to correct the high and the blood sugar goes low again.
Exercise often introduces confusion to control. A systematic approach is hard to come by. Instead, people often respond to problems after they occur, thinking "I'll start my exercise, then check my blood sugar and take care of problems later," or the unfortunate alternative "I won't exercise at all."
It's true that absolute rules in exercise are never entirely possible because so many factors like insulin doses, physical fitness, physical effort, wind resistance, grade of the course, and stress hormone levels vary from individual to individual and from event to event. But in this article we show how exercise can be balanced more closely.
This article introduces ExCarbs, a brand new system that allows exercise to be effectively balanced by eating replacement carbohydrates and by adjusting insulin. Extra Carbs for Exercise, or ExCarbs, provide the yardstick to measure the impact an exercise will have on the blood sugars.
ExCarbs can be eaten to replace carbohydrates burned by physical activity or exercise. By replacing this carbohydrate before, during, and/or after the exercise, blood sugar control can be maintained. No insulin is taken to compensate for ExCarbs. In addition, ExCarbs can be used to guide insulin dose reductions for those who want to lose weight, and for those who don't want to eat large amounts of carbohydrates during long periods of exercise.
So, you have choice. Once you know how many ExCarbs are needed to balance an exercise, you can choose to:
1. Eat all of these ExCarbs (advantages: easy to do, good for maintaining your current weight), or
2. Use the ExCarbs as a guide to lowering your insulin doses (advantages: good for weight loss, great for limiting quantities of food during long periods of exercise), or
3. A combination of the two.
The first approach, eating all the carbohydrates which are burned while exercising, is the most straightforward approach. But the second and third approaches have distinct advantages, too. We'll show how to do all three.
Who is the ExCarb system for?
It can help anyone doing any level of exercise or work, who wants to understand how exercise affects their blood sugar control. But it has special benefits for those who use an insulin pump or multiple injections and have learned how to use insulin in a physiologic way:
1. So that longer-acting insulins, like N, L, UL, or Lantus, or the basal rate on a pump, keeps their blood sugar level while fasting,
2. So that the meal doses of Humalog or Regular (or meal boluses from a pump) keep the blood sugar controlled with meals, i.e. that doses vary to match the amount of carbohydrate in each meal, and
3. So that a precise dose of Humalog or Regular can safely lower any high blood sugar reading to normal.
Where Does The ExCarb System Come From?
The calories of energy consumed in different types of exercise are easy to determine from standard tables developed by exercise physiologists over many years. For mild exercise like walking, carbohydrates contribute 30% to 40% of the total calories burned. As the intensity of exercise rises, the portion of total calories burned from carbohydrate also rises, reaching about 70% of total calories during strenuous aerobic exercises like running a marathon.
In Table 1, we've translated various types of exercise into grams of ExCarbs. The numbers listed are usually the maximum amount needed per hour of exercise to prevent a low. Table 1 provides the key information for maintaining control during a wide range of physical events. Adjustments have been made to compensate for the intensity of an exercise. As outlined in the last column of the table, a smaller percentage of total calories will come from carbs during milder exercises, but as exercise intensity rises, so does the percentage of calories that comes from carbohydrate. The last column also illustrates the importance of choosing higher carbohyrate foods when participating in intense, vigorous exercise.
As an example of how to use the table, if you weigh 150 pounds and walk 3 miles in an hour, you'll use 300 calories of energy. (Not shown in the table.) During this mild walk, around 30% of the total calories, or about 90 calories, will come from carbohydrate. (most of the other 70% come from fat stores for this mild exercise.) These carbohydrates come from a variety of sources, but mainly from glucose stored in muscle, glucose removed from the blood, and carbs that are eaten. All of these carbs have to be replaced within a few hours of an exercise.
Since there are 4 calories in each gram of carbohydrate, about 22 grams (90/4) of carbohydrate will need to be eaten for this one hour walk. This 22 grams is equal to an average-sized apple, or to a cup of milk plus a graham cracker. If you walk at this same pace for 2 hours, you'll need 44 grams of carbohydrate, and for a shorter 30 minute walk, about 11 grams. But if you run the same 3 miles at a speed of 8 mph, you'll need about 65% of your energy as carbohydrate. This comes out to 54 grams of carbohydrate for this run lasting 22 minutes or more than twice the amount needed for the leisurely one hour walk!
Carb Counting and Exercise
With most flexible insulin therapy programs, the longer acting insulin (or basal rate) is first adjusted to keep the blood sugar normal and level while fasting. Then the carbohydrates in each meal, measured in grams, are balanced with a premeal dose of Humalog insulin matched to that amount of carbohydrate. John, for example, uses 1 Humalog for each 14 grams of carb. (As noted, fat and protein do have some effects, but these are minimal.)
ExCarbs can then be added as needed to balance exercise or they can be translated into an equivalent insulin dose reduction. (See the 450/500 Rule.) Any exercise that can be translated into calories, and most can, can also be translated into the grams of carbohydrate it will burn. The carbohydrate can be measured and replaced. Carb counting gives you the best handle on the effect that both meals and exercise will have on your blood sugars.
Attention to carbohydrate intake is important not only for blood sugar control but also for athletic performance. "An excellent diet cannot make an average athlete great, but a poor diet can make a great athlete average." Although fat and protein can act as fuels during exercise, endurance begins to suffer if the amounts of fat and protein are too high in the diet. This is especially seen when exercise is long or intense.
Diets low in carbohydrate rob the muscles of the glycogen stores they need for endurance and performance. For example, a trained marathon runner on a high carb diet can run for about 4 hours before exhaustion sets in. But when on a high fat, low carb diet, the same athlete will become exhausted in less than an hour and a half, long before a marathon ends.
Athletic performance faces another challenge in diabetes. Endurance suffers not only when the diet is low in carbohydrate, but also when the blood sugar goes high or low. A high or low blood sugar means that glucose delivery to muscles as fuel is impaired and thus can directly affect performance. With diabetes, both the replacement of carbohydrate consumed by exercise, and the balancing of this carbohydrate intake with matching insulin doses become critical to maximum performance.
To improve their performance, athletes eat a diet high in carbohydrate and load up on carbs just prior to major exercise events. Carb counting is very popular among pumpers, athletes, and others who want great control. For complete instructions on carb counting, see the Carb Counting section, or obtain a copy of the Pocket Pancreas or Pumping Insulin.
ExCarbs As Carbohydrate Replacement
The simplest way to keep blood sugars normal while exercising is to eat extra carbohydrate. To do this, look up your planned exercise in Table 1, then, through carb counting, eat foods with this amount of carbohydrate to maintain control.
As noted, carbohydrates make up only part of the total calories used during any particular exercise. The remaining calories come mostly from fat and a lesser amount from protein. Although fat and protein calories can affect weight and insulin doses moderately in the long-run, they have little immediate effect on blood sugars compared to carbohydrates. So to offset exercise, you first want to determine how many total calories the exercise uses, and then find out what portion of these total calories are coming from carbohydrate. These carbohydrates needed to balance exercise are ExCarbs. Table 1 lists some ExCarb values for you.
When Are ExCarbs Replaced?
The ExCarb table tells us how many total carbs are required, but we also need to know when to replace them. Even if the blood sugar is normal before exercise, all of these carbohydrates are not replaced before the exercise starts. As one example, during 30 minutes of moderately strenuous exercise, like running at 8 mph, about half of the fuel comes from carbs, roughly 40% from internal glycogen stores in leg muscles and the other 10% directly from the blood. Only the glucose obtained from the blood has to be immediately replaced by eating or by new production of glucose. Even when insulin levels are high, glycogen use during this 30 minute run rises only to 50% with another 16% coming directly from the blood.
During the first 30 to 45 minutes of exercise, local muscle glycogen stores provide about five times as much glucose as the blood. But as the same run continues beyond 30 minutes, more carb fuel comes directly from the blood. The blood glucose contribution climbs to about 40% and the insulin level quickly drops by 50% under normal circumstances during the first 2 hours of exercise.
However, if insulin levels are high, the portion coming from the blood and needing immediate replacement would again be raised. The more insulin, the more eating required. Excess insulin blocks release of fuel from large internal stores in muscle glycogen and in fat pads. Eating becomes critical to the supply of fuel whenever insulin levels are high.
In many circumstances, though, most of the carbohydrate burned during exercise will come from these internal stores. If there is an appropriate insulin level when exercise starts, these internal glycogen stores begin releasing their stored glucose as fuel for the exercise. Then following exercise, internal glycogen stores are rebuilt over the next 3 to 36 hours. This is done through a gradual removal of sugar from the bloodstream. The longer and the more intense an exercise, the longer it takes to rebuild these glycogen stores.
This is why all the ExCarbs do not all have to be eaten right away. It is also why the blood sugar tends to go low in the hours following a long period of exercise, especially during the night. Many athletes with diabetes routinely add a portion of their ExCarbs to their bedtime snack to prevent this nighttime drop.
Replacing spent exercise energy with a matched amount of ExCarbs provides an excellent way to balance short periods of exercise, usually those that last less than 45 minutes. But as the length and intensity of exercise increases, so does the need to lower insulin doses. Luckily, as we'll see, ExCarbs can be translated into equivalent units of Humalog or Regular insulin as a way to better estimate these insulin dose reductions. Lowering the insulin dose allows more fuel to be obtained from internal stores of glycogen and fat, rather than from eating. How to do this and how to make combined adjustments are covered below.
ExCarbs as a Guide to Insulin Reductions
The second way to offset exercise is to lower insulin doses. This helps those who want to lose weight and those participating in long periods of exercise who don't want to consume the large portions of ExCarbs required. Lowering the insulin dose allows more fuel to be obtained from internal stores of glycogen and fat, rather than from eating additional food.
Training makes a tremendous difference in insulin adjustments. Exercises in which you rarely participate are likely to require larger insulin dose reductions than those that are routine. Most people doing regular exercise have already lowered their routine insulin doses to compensate. They usually require smaller decreases in their doses because they have already enlarged their glycogen stores and are already on reduced insulin doses. But in starting a weekend canoe trip or training for a marathon, major insulin reductions will often be needed.
But when do you lower the insulin dose for exercise? There are general guidelines to go by. When exercise lasts 30 minutes or less, it is usually easier to simply eat the small amounts of carbohydrate needed, rather than think about lowering insulin doses. But as exercise stretches beyond 30 to 45 minutes, and a higher percentage of fuel comes from blood glucose, a reduction in the insulin dose is more likely to be needed. This is often done by lowering the dose of Humalog given to cover the meal that occurs before exercise. As activities stretch to 90 or 120 minutes and beyond, the long-acting insulin (or basal rate on a pump) will often need to be lowered.
In lowering insulin doses, one of the first questions that comes to mind is: how long before my exercise should I lower an insulin to ensure the blood insulin level will actually be lower when I start? In those without diabetes, the blood insulin levels are very responsive and will drop within the first 15 minutes of starting even moderate exercise. But with diabetes, one has to consider which type of insulin is being lowered to know when to lower it. There is always a lag between when a dose of insulin is injected and when the level of that insulin actually starts to change in the blood.
If an injection of Humalog or a pump bolus of Humalog is lowered for a meal so that the exercise following the meal is less likely to lower the blood sugar, the insulin level in the blood will begins to "drop" 15 to30 minutes later, and stay lower than after a normal meal coverage for 3 and a half hours. If the basal rate on a pump with Humalog is lowered, there is usually at least a 90 minute delay before the insulin level in the blood actually drops. If one wants to lower the effect from a longer-acting insulin, the wait is even longer. These long lag times between when insulin doses are lowered and when the blood insulin level actually starts to drop will, of course, be shortened when some of the speedier monomeric insulins, like Humalog. Table 2 provides a rough timetable to show how long after the lowering of various types of insulin an actual drop in the blood insulin level will be seen.
Table 2: How long before your exercise should you reduce each of these insulins
so that you have less insulin in your blood as you begin exercising?
Meal Humalog or Humalog bolus: 15 to 30 min.
Meal Regular or Regular bolus: 30 to 45 min.
Basal rate on a pump: 90 minutes to 3 hours
NPH or Lente: 4 to 8 hours
UL: 10 to 24 hours
Lantus: 24 hours
The 450 or 500 Rules
How can ExCarbs be used as a guide to lower insulin doses? Once someone knows how many carbs are equivalent to a unit of Humalog or Regular, a close estimate of insulin dose reduction can be made. Long-acting insulins, of course, are harder to translate into ExCarbs because of their long action times, although Table 4 provides guidance on this.
The key to translating carbs into Humalog insulin is provided by the 500 Rule, and with Regular the 450 Rule is used. This rule, developed from John's clinical experience, says that the number of grams of carbohydrate covered by one unit of Humalog can be found by dividing the number 500 by the average total daily insulin dose. This rule provides a close approximation for how many grams of carbohydrate will be covered by 1 unit of Humalog. It works best for those with Type 1 diabetes. The number 450 gives a better estimate for those using Regular insulin.
For instance, someone who requires 25 total units of insulin each day will need about 1 unit of Humalog for every 20 grams of carbohydrate (500/25 = 20), while someone else who uses 50 units a day will need about 1 unit of Reg. for each 10 grams of carbohydrate (500/50 = 10).
Let's try using the 500 Rule to look at lowering insulin doses. We'll calculate an insulin dose reduction for someone who weighs 150 lbs. and uses 40 units of insulin a day. If we divide his daily average insulin dose of 40 units into 500, we get 12.5 which is rounded up to 13. (Table 3 is helpful for translating the 500 Rule.) This calculation tells us that one unit of Humalog should cover about 13 grams of carbohydrate (provided we take about half of our insulin as NPH, L, UL, or the basal rate on a pump). For the 30 minute run at 8 mph mentioned earlier, we calculate needing at most 72 grams of carbohydrate to compensate for the run. Knowing this, we can easily figure that the run will be equivalent to 72 grams/13 grams per unit or 5.5 units of Humalog.
Most likely, the exercise could not be completely balanced by only lowering the insulin doses. Rather, a combination of carb intake and insulin reduction would be used. For instance, if the runner decided to eat 33 grams of carbohydrate, he could apply the other 39 grams toward reducing his insulin doses by 3 units. (Dr. Carol Wysham at the Rockford Clinic in Spokane has her patients split this insulin reduction between the Humalog and long-acting insulins with good results.) Following this strategy, for a morning run, a person could lower his/her breakfast insulin by 2 units of Humalog and 1 unit of L or NPH, and eat an extra carbs equal to 33 grams of carbohydrate.
Keep in mind that the 450 and 500 Rules work best for those with Type 1 diabetes who use an insulin pump or multiple daily injections in a physiologic way. See the checklist in Table 3 to make sure you can use the 450/500 Rule, then refer to the table to estimate your own carb coverage. Discuss using this system with your personal physician before any attempt is made to actually use it.
Unfortunately, with Type 2 diabetes, the 450 and 500 Rules are not as precise in their estimate because an unknown portion of the total daily insulin dose will come from a person's own internal insulin production. This makes it impossible to know the true "total" daily insulin dose. In this case the translation of carbs to units of Humalog might be estimated by the personal physician, but cannot be accurately estimated by the 500 Rule. The estimate for carb coverage obtained from the 500 Rule will usually underestimate true insulin need in Type 2 diabetes, ie, it tends to be safe to use when covering carbohydrate intake, but may underestimate how far insulin doses need to be reduced for exercise, especially if blood sugars are well-controlled in someone with Type 2 diabetes.
How Far Can I Reduce My Doses?
There are limits to how far insulin doses can be lowered. Let's say your current insulin dose is correct (i.e., your control is quite good). You start a strenuous exercise program in preparation for running a marathon. With multi-mile runs on training days, you earn enough ExCarbs to seemingly replace your entire insulin dose. But can your insulin be eliminated if you exercise long enough?
With Type 2 diabetes, maybe. But with Type 1 diabetes, definitely not. The limit on insulin dose reduction is revealed by what happens to insulin levels in marathon runners who don't have diabetes. During maximum training, their blood insulin level will drop no further than to half of its original level. This tells us that in Type 1 diabetes, the insulin doses can be reduced no more than 40% or 50% from the original dose for even the most intense exercise programs like running a marathon.
It seems obvious, but we'll repeat: never take any dose of insulin that seems inappropriate. If you usually take 3 units of Humalog for your meal before you begin your normal exercise and this dose has been working great, never take more nor less than this amount, even if suggested by the ExCarb system, the 500 Rule, or any other rule.
Combined Adjustments
So we've covered eating ExCarbs and lowering insulin doses as ways to balance your exercise. What about combining the two? General recommendations for combined carbohydrate and insulin adjustments are given in Table 4, modified from Pumping Insulin. Both the intensity of an exercise and its duration will affect how exercise needs to be balanced through adjustments in carb intake and in doses of meal Humalog or longer-acting insulins. Basically, the longer and the more strenuous an exercise, the greater the adjustment required, and the more likely that insulin doses will have to be lowered.
The length of an exercise is easy to determine, but intensity is a different matter--this can only be estimated. Intensity is highly specific to each individual. Two people may be running side by side at identical speeds, but one may be running at maximum intensity, while for the other the same exercise may be mild.
"Mild" exercise is any extra activity that is relatively easy for you to do, such as casual walking. "Moderate" exercise involves something that makes you breathe harder, but which you could do for some time, such as brisk walking or jogging. "Intense" exercise involves anything that causes deep breathing, but still allows you to carry on a conversation. Examples are race walking or a steady fast bike ride.
If you cannot carry on a conversation while exercising, your effort is beyond intense and into the anaerobic range. Examples of anaerobic exercise are the 100 yard dash and power weight lifting, During short periods of anaerobic exercise, the blood sugar can rise despite seemingly adequate insulin levels because glucose is mobilized very rapidly from glycogen stores to supply fuel. This can overwhelm the current insulin level and cause the blood sugar to go up. If experience shows that the blood sugar rises after this type of exercise, check with your physician for more specific instructions on insulin adjustments.
What If The ExCarb System Doesn't Work?
The greatest problem in maintaining control with exercise shows up when the current insulin doses have not been correctly set. Insulin doses that are set too high or low create problems in fuel delivery. A key question to ask if the ExCarb system is not working is, "Are my current insulin doses set properly?"
An example of someone with insulin doses set too high is a person who has frequent low blood sugars in the afternoon, but who decides to start exercising at 3 p.m. anyway without first lowering their insulin dose or eating extra Excarbs. The insulin reaction that follows will now be quite severe, but should not be blamed on the exercise. Blame it instead on the underlying excessive insulin level.
Another example of excess insulin would be someone who takes a large dose of Regular just before eating a meal that contains lots of carbohydrates. Even though this dose matches the carbs in the meal, two hours later the blood sugar has risen to 300 mg/dl because the injection was taken just before eating and hasn't yet begun to balance the food. The person, confident he is safe, goes out for a 6 mile run. The severe insulin reaction 45 minutes after the 300 reading should again not be blamed on the exercise. Humalog is less likely to cause this type of imbalance.
An example of insulin doses set too low is someone who wakes up in the morning with a reading of 180 mg/dl, and then goes jogging for 30 minutes. She is surprised when her blood sugar has risen to 240 mg/dl on her return. Again, the exercise is not to blame. Rather, the underlying lack of insulin allows the liver to begin producing glucose, and encourages muscle glycogen stores to break down rapidly with the release of even more glucose into the blood. Meanwhile, the lack of insulin also prevents glucose from moving across cell membranes into muscles for use as fuel. Her blood sugar control would likely have been aided with a small dose of Humalog before starting her jog or even better by maintaining blood sugar control during the previous night.
One's training level can also play havoc with readings. Whenever we start a new exercise, we use more glucose than normal because our muscles are poorly trained and inefficient. Stimulated by the new exercise, these underpowered muscles immediately begin to enlarge their glycogen stores by removing extra glucose from the blood. This raises the risk for a low blood sugar. Once muscles have become trained for this particular exercise and glycogen stores have been built up, this excess drop will no longer be seen.
Another less predicable factor is the counteractive effect of stress hormones on insulin. This often occurs at the start of a competitive event, like a swim meet, a 10K run, or a century bike ride. Nervousness at the starting line comes from the release of stress hormones, which cause stored glucose to be released, independent of the insulin level. Blood sugars often rise unexpectedly in these circumstances.
Problems can also creep in when exercise conditions change. If you usually walk 2 miles on flat ground, but decide to walk the same distance in hilly country, you'll use more fuel in climbing these grades. A strong headwind can increase carbohydrate consumption by about 1% for each extra m.p.h. of headwind (i.e., for a 10 m.p.h. headwind, increase carbs by 10%). Walking in dry sand or soft snow can easily double the amount of carbohydrate needed for the same walk on firm ground.
Problems can also arise for activities that have uneven pacing, like spring-cleaning or football, where it's hard to predict whether you'll spend the next hour sorting through the closet for throwaways or moving furniture, or spend the entire game on the bench or on the field. Luckily, most activities don't suffer from this unpredictability.
Tying It All Together
In planning for exercise, think of these four steps:
1. How long and hard am I going to exercise?
2. How many ExCarbs will I use? (see Table 1)
3. What's my current insulin level? (Am I having frequent highs, lows, or both? If my blood sugar is high, am I low on insulin and need more in order to exercise, or did I recently take enough insulin and am just high temporarily? Do I need to lower doses more because this is a new or longer exercise, or less because I'm already trained for it?)
4. Do I want to use my ExCarbs as food to eat, as a guide to reduce my insulin doses (Table 3)*, or as a combined adjustment (Table 4)*?
* Never adjust your insulin doses on your own without first discussing these changes with your physician and getting approval.
ExCarbs are an excellent system for both exercising and maintaining a much better handle on control. Keep in mind that carbohydrate is the nutrient most important to athletic performance. Therefore, some intake of carbohydrates during any longer exercise is required for maximum performance.
Exercise can make you feel and look younger, especially if you understand how to master your blood sugar control in the process. Exercise also appears to be a major way to reduce risks of complications and live a healthier life. Let us know how ExCarbs work for you.
The following references are provided for readers who desire additional information:
1. R. Passmore and J.V.G.A. Durnin: Human energy expenditure. Physiol. Reviews 35: 801 1955.
2. E.W. Bannister and S.R. Brown: The relative energy requirements of physical activity. Exer. Physiol. New York, N.Y., Academic Press, 1968.
3. E.T. Howley and M.E. Glover: The caloric costs of running and walking one mile for men and women. Medicine and Science in Sports 6: 235, 1974.
4. G. Bray: The acute effects of food intake on energy expenditure during cycle ergometry. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 27: 254, 1974.
5. H.T. Edwards, R. Margaria, and D.B. Dill: Metabolic rate, blood sugar, and the utilization of carbohydrate. Am. J. Physiol. 108: 203-209, 1934.
6. D.L. Costill: Carbohydrate nutrition before, during, and after exercise. Fed. Proc. 44: 364-368, 1985.
7. M.J. Franz: Nutrition: Can it give athletes with diabetes a boost? Diab. Ed. 17:163-171, 1991.
8. M.C. Foss, et. al.: Hormone-fuel metabolism during exercise of insulin-dependent diabetic patients treated with an artificial B-cell unit. Acta Diabetol. Lat. 26: 185-194, 1989.
9. J.F. Yale, A. Leiter, and E.B. Marliss: Insulin resistance during recovery from strenuous exercise is greater in obesity. Int. J. Obes. A: 108, 1985.
10. P. Felig and J. Wahren: Role of insulin and glucagon in the regulation of hepatic glucose production during exercise. Diabetes 28(1): 71-75, 1979.
11. A. Schiffrin and S. Parikh: Accommodating planned exercise in Type 1 diabetic patients on intensive treatment. Diabetes Care 8: 337-342, 1985.
Updated date: Wed, 03/04/2015 - 16:28
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article imageNirbhaya's father: I want the world to know my daughter's name
By Can Tran Jan 6, 2013 in World
December 16 was the night where a massive “wake-up call” has run nationwide across India. That night, one of the most brutal acts of rape took place. The victim was a 23-year-old medical student who went through a horrifying ordeal of rape and other acts of violence at the hands of six males with one of them armed with a metal rod. She was taken to Singapore to be treated at Mouth Elizabeth Hospital; but, the victim succumbed to her injuries. While she struggled to stay alive, the victim succumbed to her injuries and passed away. Her actual name wasn't given out; but, she went by the following names: “Nirbhaya,” “Ananat,” and “Braveheart.” These were the names that the people of India had given her. Another name she was given was “India's Daughter.”
Since that night until now, the victim's real name wasn't given out. Authorities have not yet disclosed the name of the victim; it's unknown if or when they will. Currently, Nirbhaya's father is pressuring the authorities to release the daughter's real name. His reasoning is that by giving the name that she will be an inspiration for rape survivors.
Her father said that his daughter did nothing wrong and died while trying to protect herself from danger. He said that he was proud of her. Then, he said that giving out her name as a means to give courage to current survivors and future survivors. Even though there have been public outrage and calls upon stricter laws against rape & harsher punishments against rapists, the number of reported rape cases continues to grow. In short, there are plenty of rapes still happening.
The main reason Nirbhaya's real name is still secret is due to Indian law. Under Indian law, the ID of victims in such cases are not disclosed is to protect their privacy and keep them out of the eyes of the media.
Nirbhaya's boyfriend, who was also brutally assaulted in the attack, spoke out on the subject.
He's not the only one who's calling for his daughter's name to be disclosed. Also calling for her name to be disclosed is Shashi Tharoor, India's junior education minister. Tharoor wants Nirbhaya's name to be disclosed to name a new anti-rape law after her. By giving out Nirbhaya's real name, Tharoor feels, she should be honored. If her name is given out, it shows that Nirbhaya was a real human being with a name and not just some sort of symbol.
While there are plenty of men speaking out against rape, there is an op-ed letter on The Hindu said that it is a wake-up call to them. In this letter, it says that there is much more the men of India can do. This doesn't just focus on making a stance against violence let alone rape against women. It calls forth India's men to champion equality such as helping out with domestic work, allowing female family members to go out late at night, and so forth.
These are examples of the gears being set in motion for possible changes to India's law and society.
More about nirbhaya, ananat, New delhi, new delhi bus rape, new delhi gang rapes
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Cannon fire marks start of Civil War encampment at Statehouse
The Columbus Dispatch •
Cannon fire echoed off Downtown buildings today as a two-day Civil War encampment got under way at the Ohio Statehouse.
The event, which is free and open to the public, takes over the Statehouse west lawn to recreate what camp life was like for soldiers in the field during the Civil War.
Organizers of the annual event note that the Union Army used the Statehouse grounds as they awaited their orders to depart for combat between 1861 and 1865.
Visitors today were able to watch as re-enactors with the 1st Ohio Light Artillery, Battery A, fired one of the four original Civil War cannons that reside on Statehouse grounds. The cannon firing demonstrations will continue both days between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.
The encampment includes displays and explanations of the food and weapons used by the soldiers, as well as medical instruments and practices of the era. | <urn:uuid:8d054122-684a-4055-adb6-09858dde02b9> | 2 | 2.09375 | 0.044613 | en | 0.967142 | http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2014/05/09/cannon-fire-marks-start-of-civil-war-encampment.html |
DIY Network
Maintain Your High-End Kitchen Gear
More in Kitchen
When you invest in pro-quality kitchen equipment, it looks so substantial and solid that it's easy to think it should keep working indefinitely without much attention. Unfortunately, that's not the case. Even the toughest-looking kitchen gear needs maintenance and TLC, and the efforts will help you protect the value of your investment.
"Not only is any pro equipment expensive to replace, but if you don't follow some basic guidelines it will lose its cooking efficiency and pro look quickly — and isn't that the reason you invest in the quality stuff to begin with?" says Bill Handziuk of Union Gas, a major Canadian natural gas utility.
Handziuk, who oversees the community education efforts for the company's 1.25 million customers, says the first law of caring for pro appliances like gas ranges is to follow the advice outlined in the owner's manual. "If you've lost it, you can almost always Google the manufacturer's name and download a new version from the Internet," he says.
Beyond the manufacturers' user guidelines, you can also follow these expert recommendations for maintaining your pro appliances.
Shine, Don't Scrape, Stainless Steel
It's ironic, but appliances designed to withstand the rigors of a professional kitchen will suffer if you try to clean them with anything more abrasive than a sponge or stronger than soap and water.
"I really only recommend dishwashing liquid like Dawn to safely clean any surface in the kitchen without harming it," says Clark Turney, manager of The Maids Home Service based in Knoxville, Tenn. "If you dilute it right it will also cut grease, and you can buy the antimicrobial version."
Stainless steel surfaces are particularly deceptive, says Turney: "They look solid but they're actually quite porous. They will absorb oil in particular, which is why your fingers will leave prints and smears on stainless steel appliance fronts. Little holes on the surface will also catch and hold anything you use to clean!"
Wiping the surface with a lint-free cloth and just a little dishwashing liquid diluted in warm water is the best idea, at least to start, says Turney. "I always tell people, 'You can go stronger later but it's hard to take soap back out of the water,' so start with the least amount you can and then add more if you're not getting the job done."
Cleaning solutions with citric acid, like some orange cleaners, bleach or even vinegar, can't stay on stainless steel for more than a few seconds before they do damage. Any type of steel wool scouring pad or plastic scrub brush will also age the stainless surface with scratches.
For stronger streaks or crusted-on messes, Turney instead recommends a bit of soft liquid cleanser such as Soft Scrub (non-bleach), thinned about half and half with water and applied with a soft sponge and a bit of rubbing, then rinsed with a damp sponge and dried with soft, white towels.
Clean Cooktop Spills Sooner than Later
When upgrading from an electric range to gas burners, you gain pro-chef heat but you lose the ability to pop out the burner coil if you need to clean or inexpensively replace it.
"If you have a gas-fired stove and you want it to cook safely and at its maximum effective level, you need to keep the burners clean," says Handziuk. "Clean spills right away while you can still get them with water or a little soap and water, and check those little holes in the burners that allow the gas to come out to make sure they're not blocked with debris. If they are, use a toothpick or a very tiny brush to pick out the debris so the gas can flow freely again."
If all you have is a cleaning solution with bleach or another flammable ingredient, put off cleaning the burners for another day. And always make sure the stove is completely cool before you start any wiping. Before you turn the stove back on, ensure cleaning fluid is fully rinsed and the stovetop is dry.
If you haven't yet purchased a gas range and are maintenance-minded, sealed burners ease clean up with rings that surround the burners to keep spills from flowing underneath. Other easy-clean features to look for include a glass or porcelain backguard, seamless corners and edges and a raised edge around the cooktop.
Use Your Oven as Designed
Keeping a pro-style oven clean isn't a tall order because most high-quality models are self-cleaning, but other steps are still necessary to keep them at peak performance over the long haul.
If you're tempted to fit an oversize roaster in the oven by removing the racks and placing it directly on the floor, resist. "That's a good way to damage the heating element or the floor itself, which isn't designed to hold that much weight," says Handziuk. "Always cook with at least one rack inside the oven to help support the weight of the pots."
Covering the entire bottom of the oven with foil to catch drips and speed clean up is also inadvisable. "The foil can block the air circulation, which makes the oven much less efficient over time. It will stop giving you the cooking results you expect."
Another no-no: using commercial oven cleaners on a self-cleaning or continuous cleaning oven. They may damage the finish and could even void your warranty.
Only You Can Prevent Oven Fires
The other way to preserve your investment in gas-fired kitchen equipment is to keep it from catching fire.
"Keep flammables away from sources of gas at all times," says Handziuk. "For example, don't keep the day's mail in a basket on a counter near the oven. It's a great temptation, but always use a pot holder, not a tea towel, to remove hot pots from the oven. And keep aerosol cans away, even the ones with cooking spray inside."
Never cover the temperature controls, air openings or vents of your appliances and don't store boxes on top of, or pressed against, natural gas appliances.
"For the most part, if you follow the guidelines about keeping flammable items away from the stove and not using abrasive cleaners, you can keep your own gas range in shape without any need for professional assistance," says Handziuk.
But there's one notable exception: "A good gas flame on a range is blue, not yellow," says Handziuk. "A gas fireplace has been designed to have yellow flames for a pleasing appearance, but yellow on a stove burner means the gas is not igniting properly. If that happens, do not use it until you've had it checked out by a reliable service professional." | <urn:uuid:99d96526-a2f1-4693-b9cb-f4101217b58a> | 2 | 1.59375 | 0.133872 | en | 0.954518 | http://www.diynetwork.com/kitchen/maintain-your-high-end-kitchen-gear/index.html |
C#: Process
C# RedirectStandardOutput
Arrow indicates movement
RedirectStandardOutput eliminates the need for output files. It allows us to use a console program directly inside a C# program—without having to rely on output files being written to the disk. We redirect into a StreamReader.
First, this program shows the use of the ProcessStartInfo class and its properties FileName, UseShellExecute and RedirectStandardOutput. It sets up the Process instance for having its output read in the C# program.
Next:The Process.Start method is run and the StandardOutput property on the Process instance is accessed and read from.
Note:This provides a way to redirect the output of a command line executable to the C# program as a string.
C# program that redirects standard output
using System;
using System.Diagnostics;
using System.IO;
class Program
static void Main()
// Setup the process with the ProcessStartInfo class.
ProcessStartInfo start = new ProcessStartInfo();
start.FileName = @"C:\7za.exe"; // Specify exe name.
start.UseShellExecute = false;
start.RedirectStandardOutput = true;
// Start the process.
using (Process process = Process.Start(start))
// Read in all the text from the process with the StreamReader.
using (StreamReader reader = process.StandardOutput)
string result = reader.ReadToEnd();
This section shows the output of the process.
7-Zip (A) 4.60 beta Copyright (c) 1999-2008 Igor Pavlov 2008-08-19
Programming tip
ProcessStartInfo is a settings class. It is attached to Process class to change the behavior of the Process invocation. To redirect the output of a process, set UseShellExecute to false and RedirectStandardOutput to true.
Also:You must specify the file name (with the FileName property) before calling Process.Start.
Using keyword
The using-statement is a safe way to use the Process and StreamReader classes. StreamReader is assigned to the StandardOutput stream on the process instance. We can then use ReadToEnd on the StreamReader to access the process text.
Tip:The ReadLine method can also be used on the StreamReader. This may be more efficient for larger amounts of data.
Process: gear
The Process class is available by including the using System.Diagnostics directive. This class interacts with the Windows OS. With it you can invoke any executable on the system. The system must be configured to allow this.
We used ProcessStartInfo to redirect the standard output of a command line executable to the C# program as a string. This provides a way to use a console program directly inside of a C# application. This avoids text files and pipes. | <urn:uuid:813552be-132b-4089-b5bb-38eecee545e6> | 3 | 3.109375 | 0.059083 | en | 0.711476 | http://www.dotnetperls.com/process-redirect-standard-output |
OLDaily, by Stephen Downes
April 20, 2011
Feature Article
Response Statement
Stephen Downes, April 20, 2011.
My second contribution to the debate at the WSIS-UNESCO site, consisting of my response to David Wiley and some of the commenters. The key point is that I define 'commercial use' as 'use that blocks access' in order to resolve the vagueness the proponents of commercial use complain about (and at the same time, try to take advantage of).
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Language Structure is Not Innate
Russell Gray, Austronesian Basic Vocabulary Database, April 20, 2011.
One of the enduring theses about language and language learning is Chomsky's contention that it is based in a common and innate deep or structural grammar. But here now is a study showing that "language structure is not set by innate features of the cognitive language parser (as suggested by the generativists), or by some over-riding concern to "harmonize" word-order (as suggested by the statistical universalists). Instead language structure evolves by exploring alternative ways to construct coherent language systems. Languages are instead the product of cultural evolution, canalized by the systems that have evolved during diversification, so that future states lie in an evolutionary landscape with channels and basins of attraction that are specific to linguistic lineages." See also LanguageHat and Languiage Log (and if you're not familiar with these blogs, and if you have an interest in language, then by all means explore them further - they are both fantastic sources and staples in my daily reads).
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Trust and Networks
Gideon Rosenblatt, Alchemy of Change, April 20, 2011.
files/images/Relationship-Status.jpg, size: 17314 bytes, type: image/jpeg I really have mixed feelings about arguments linking the role of trust with success in networks. I mean, I get what the authors mean when they say things like "Trust builds living networks that are highly resilient, flexible and efficient." My project is, while I can get a handle on what is meant by 'resilient', 'flexible' and 'efficient', I don't know what is meant by trust. It's something that can be high or low, it's something that can create tolerance or forgiveness, and all the rest of it. But when you push the concept, it begins to break down into thinks like autonomy, diversity, openness or interactivity, that sort of thing. When you push it, 'trust' itself vanishes and more rather more pragmatic and concrete values manifest. So we see in this article the author talk about the idea that network membership is voluntary, that members are autonomous, that they interact as peers, that there is no external controlling force. So why don't wee address trust in these terms? I think it's because the larger entities online don't want there to be a balance of power, and so the word 'trust' is a nice euphemism can can be used; it sounds good, and it puts a human face on some very unhuman entities. Just my thoughts, for what they're worth.
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University Newspaper Figures Out How To Get Around Administration's Censorship Orders
Mike Masnick, TechDirt, April 20, 2011.
files/images/dq1iY.jpg, size: 48322 bytes, type: image/jpeg I spent the better part of my misspent youth in student newspaper offices and had to deal with the censorship thing on numerous occasions. So I'll just echo Mike Masnick of TechDirt: "Frankly, the administration at LaSalle should be ashamed of itself. It's not teaching these students journalism at all. It's teaching them about a paranoid administration that wants to hide from the truth. This aspect of the story seems a hell of a lot more damaging to LaSalle University than the original story of the strippers. That could have just been one crazy professor. But the systematic censorship of a student newspaper concerning "damaging" content suggests a university that people shouldn't want to be associated with. If an organization is afraid of the press, there's usually a damn good reason why: because they have things to hide."
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Advice from 13 Canadian and World Experts
Maxim Jean-Louis, Website, April 20, 2011.
Maxim Jean-Louis has shared a number of documents related to the development of a proposed Ontario Online Institute. I have access to three of these:
- Advice from 13 Canadian and World Experts
- What I Heard, a summary of results of consultations
- Advice from Private Sector Providers of Platforms, Services and Infrastructure for Online Learning in Ontario
"If an OOI is about students, then it should be about lifelong learners, not just those already in college or university, but also those who are seeking to upgrade their essential skills for work or further studies or seeking to leverage online learning for their workplace learning and development."
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Social Learning, Complexity and the Enterprise
Harold Jarche, Life in Perpetual Beta, April 20, 2011.
Harold Jarche weighs in with a longish post that touches elements that will be familiar to his regular readers but which offers an excellent overview for those new to his thinking. In a nutshell, he argues that "our relationship with knowledge is changing as our work becomes more intangible and complex." This means our workplaces must change, and workplace learning must change, to embrace social learning in a complex environment. This doesn't just happen by waving your hands; you need something like Jane Hart's five ways of using social media for learning in the organization, he suggests. There are examples and business cases and plenty of resources to learn from.
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Adapt.js Offers JavaScript Alternative to CSS Media Queries
Scott Gilbertson, Webmonkey, April 20, 2011.
Nice nifty little Javascript that will handle stylesheet selection for you, thus offering support to browsers that don't recognize the @media directive in CSS.
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hooks, bell. (2010) Teaching Critical Thinking: Practical Wisdom
Reviewed by Leonel Lim, education review, April 20, 2011.
There has long been a need for "a more congenial form of rationality that emphasizes contextuality, ambiguity, creativity, and a tolerance of heterogeneity over logical certitude, validity, universal principles, and polarizations typified by binary 'us–them' thinking." But what would such a critical thinking look like, and is the book being reviewed here a step in the right direction? I don't know. I can see how, as the reviewer says, "Teaching Critical Thinking is in many ways a reaction to the dominant ideas and ideals of the field." But I'm not sure I'm ready to accept just any reaction; it has to be about more than just transcending bias. The reviewer writes, and I agree, "Developing a form of critical thinking rooted in practical wisdom may require more than the acknowledgement and inclusion of individuals' subjective and emotive qualities, or the eschewal of the skills of logic and argument analysis in thinking curricula."
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The Usability of Passwords
Thomas Baekdal, Baekdal, April 17, 2011.
This is something worth taking note of for the future: "It is 10 times more secure to use 'this is fun' as your password, than 'J4fS<2'." Moreover, it is much more likely that I would remember a phrase like 'this is fun' than some random - or even non-random - string of numbers and characters. But there are other, much more effective, ways to block brute force attacks: "A hacker can hack the password 'alpine fun' in only 2 months if he is able to attack your server 100 times per second. But, with the penalty period and the 5 second delay, the same password can suddenly sustain an attack for 1,889 years." Long enough for most of us. Related: Moodle Security.
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Local social capital through e-mentoring: an agenda for new research
D. Kevin O'Neill, Learning, Media and Technology, April 17, 2011.
I was disappointed when I read this paper, not merely because of the generally weak writing, the glaring logical error in the first paragraph, or the use of references for no good reason (such as the citation to support the assertion that "information and communications technologies are re-shaping our culture in far-reaching ways") but because the topic is of sufficient importance and even insight to merit a much more serious and far-reaching enquiry. Contra Putnam (who is cited approvingly in this article) the online mentoring provides the opportunity to extend and enhance (what is euphemistically called) social capital. Still, you'll get some description of tele-mentoring projects, so it's not all a loss.
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Copyright 2010 Stephen Downes Contact: [email protected]
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YOU would be forgiven for thinking a stake had been driven through the heart of the ethanol lobby in Washington, DC. The contentious tax credit it used to get, which put $6 billion a year of taxpayers’ money into the pockets of wealthy agri-business concerns, expired on January 1st with barely a whimper. Faced with demands for an end to the subsidy from critics on both the left and the right of the political divide, bio-refiners who use maize as their feedstock seemed simply to have accepted their fate. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth.
The reality is that, despite this summer’s scorching temperatures and record drought, America's maize farmers are doing just fine. Their corn is currently selling for around $8 a bushel—four times its price in 2005, and up over 30% since June. The handouts had become virtually irrelevant anyway, thanks to a mandatory requirement that demands an increasing amount of corn-based ethanol be used to dilute petrol sold at the pump.
The petrol Americans put in their cars nowadays contains up to 10% ethanol (E10). In the Mid-West, where many of the bio-refineries are located, a blend containing 85% ethanol (E85) is also available for so-called “flex-fuel” vehicles. Lately, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved a blend with 15% ethanol (E15) for use in ordinary petrol-powered vehicles built from 2001 onwards.
For all this and more, ethanol producers can thank the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which established a controversial mandate known as the Renewable Fuel Standard. Originally, the RFS programme required that 7.5 billion gallons (28 billion litres) of renewable fuel (ie, corn-based ethanol) be blended annually into petrol by 2012, to help reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, cut oil imports and keep the farm lobby in clover.
Following the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, the mandated schedule was upped to 13.2 billion gallons of corn-based ethanol annually by 2012, rising to an unprecedented 36 billion gallons by 2022. Today, around 40% of America’s field corn goes to making ethanol for blending purposes.
But consider this: if 36 billion gallons of ethanol are to be produced from corn, America will be diverting all its current field-corn capacity to ethanol production by 2022. To meet the needs for just domestic animal feed, as well as ethanol production, farmers will then have to devote additional acreage normally reserved for food crops to growing yet more field corn. Whether mandated or not, market forces will impel them to do so.
The world has already witnessed the negative knock-on effects of America’s food-to-fuel mandate. The United States accounts for 60% of the maize exported globally. Apart from providing feed for cattle, pigs and chickens, corn flour is a staple for millions of people in poorer parts of the world. With agricultural-commodity prices everywhere on the rise again (corn futures are up 50% since early July), the bread riots of several years ago are threatening to return. And so the law of unintended consequences wreaks its merciless havoc.
Today's situation is a far cry from ethanol’s original role as a mere additive for boosting petrol’s octane rating. After tetra-ethyl lead was banned from petrol for health reasons in the 1990s, the octane-boosting additive of choice was methyl tertiary-butyl ether. But MBTE was later found to have its own problems (it contaminated drinking water supplies), and was replaced with ethanol. Since then, ethanol has been added to petrol in increasing quantities—not for health, environmental or performance reasons, but solely to fulfill the mandated requirements set by the politically charged RFS programme.
While the ethanol added to petrol helps the air-fuel mixture in the engine burn smoothly rather than explode prematurely (ie, “knock") when under heavy load, it does not give the fuel more punch. In fact, the consensus is that motorists get 5-10% fewer miles to the gallon from petrol containing 10% ethanol (E10) compared with pure petrol. They do 25-30% worse when switching from E10 to E85.
That is only to be expected. A gallon of ethanol contains 67% the energy stored in a gallon of regular-grade petrol. Any blend is therefore bound to deliver inferior fuel economy. Motorists with flex-fuel vehicles reckon they have to fill up nearly twice as often when using E85 as opposed to E10.
The hassle aside, is it worth it? To simplify matters, take the present average rack price (ie, the price refineries charge their customers) for a gallon of ethanol ($2.13) versus a gallon of regular petrol ($2.84). Thus, the ethanol delivers 67% of the energy for 75% of the price. Answer: stick with petrol.
The ethanol lobby plays up the fact that ethanol produces fewer harmful emissions of carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter than either petrol or diesel. That is all true. But what is rarely mentioned is that, when burned in a car engine, ethanol produces significantly larger quantities of formaldehyde and related compounds such as acetaldehyde.
The United States government has declared formaldehyde a carcinogen, and lists acetaldehyde as a probable carcinogen. Such compounds are also adept at triggering photochemical reactions. As such, they generate greater amounts of ground-level ozone. Overall, an ethanol exhaust produces over twice as much ozone as a petrol engine’s. That means more smog. So much so that the California Air Resources Board—ever concerned about the millions of vehicles in the Los Angeles basin, with its pollution-trapping inversion layer—has set special emission standards for formaldehyde and its relatives alongside those for nitrogen oxides and other pollutants.
To get matters in proportion, aldehydes in general, and acetaldehyde in particular, may be pretty nasty pollutants, but they are not as bad as some of the original emissions found in petrol exhausts. Carmakers have done an impressive job over the decades cleaning those up. They will presumably do the same for ethanol's remaining emissions.
Meanwhile, much remains to be done on weaning America off corn-based ethanol. Like Brazil's, the United States' ethanol policy remains tilted exclusively towards renewable sources. For political reasons, this nowadays means corn, but eventually that will change. Ethanol is currently being made in non-commercial quantities from cellulosic materials (eg, corn husks, wood pulp and even switchgrass) that do not compete with food or feed crops. Whether these demonstration processes can be scaled up to produce ethanol commercially for $2 a gallon or less is an open question.
What is not in doubt is that ethanol can be made from fossil fuels—including natural gas, coal and petcoke (the coke residue from cracking oil)—for a good deal less than the cost of producing it from corn. Celanese, a chemical company based in Dallas, has a “game-changing” acetyl technology called TCX that can convert natural gas, coal or petcoke into ethanol for $1.50 a gallon—equivalent, the company says, to making petrol from crude costing no more than $60 a barrel.
The advantage of processes like TCX that use non-renewable feedstocks is that they do not strain the food supply. Nor are they affected by the weather or crop yields. Celanese is currently building one such ethanol plant, in China, and plans another in Texas. With America’s super-abundance of cheap natural gas, ethanol from a TCX plant would seem an ideal candidate for the forecourt. But without a change in the law, that is never going to happen.
Things would alter dramatically, though, if a couple of bills moving through Congress actually make it onto the statute book. One is the Open Fuels Standard Act, introduced in May 2011, which is stuck in committee. If passed, this would require flex-fuel vehicles capable of running on any combination of petrol, ethanol or methanol to account for 95% of each manufacturer’s fleet by 2017. The cost of adapting a petrol-powered vehicle to run on these other fuels is nowadays marginal (less than $100) when the modifications are incorporated on the assembly line. Motor manufacturers have long since replaced all the natural rubber seals and cork parts in fuel systems that ethanol used to attack.
The second bill, the Domestic Alternative Fuels Act, was introduced in January 2012. This would allow ethanol produced from any domestic hydrocarbon, other than petroleum, to satisfy the RFS mandate. In other words, ethanol made from natural gas could be used to fill the quota that is satisfied today solely by corn-based ethanol. The farmers and their agri-business partners hate the very idea. Though it has bipartisan support, the bill’s chances of becoming law would therefore seem slim.
Letting motor fuels compete at the pump is the obvious way to go. But even if both bills were enacted, such competition would be available only to the 13m or so new vehicles that join the American fleet each year. Left out of the equation, notes Joseph Cannon, chief executive of the Fuel Freedom Foundation, a campaign group based in Irvine, California, are the 250m petrol-powered vehicles that are on American roads today. For there to be real competition at the pump, these cars and light trucks also need to be given the option to use the most competitive fuel available.
As the EPA’s regulations stand, it is illegal to convert existing petrol-driven cars to run on ethanol or methanol, or even battery power. Doing so invalidates their emissions certificates. Tesla Motors, an electric-car company based in Palo Alto, California, was fined $275,000 by the EPA because the emissions certificate of the vehicle its battery-powered roadster was based on (a featherweight Lotus Elise from Britain) had been invalidated by removing the source of those emissions and using a pollution-free electric drive instead.
But what if the EPA'S rigid cerification rules were relaxed in a way that allowed the engines in existing vehicles to be made less polluting? The result, Mr Cannon believes, would be a surge in kits for converting cars and trucks that are already on the road to flex-fuel vehicles—which would then be free to use the most competitive fuel of the day.
As for the cost of conversion, a couple of years of innovation would probably beat the price of after-market kits down to a $100 or so. At a stroke, the EPA would then have succeeded, beyond its wildest dreams, in reducing overall vehicle emissions, cutting the cost of motoring, and replacing much of America's imported oil with at least home-grown, if not home-brewed, alternatives. | <urn:uuid:740ac429-2bc8-4020-90de-62298a6b73a1> | 3 | 2.546875 | 0.088861 | en | 0.954988 | http://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2012/08/alternative-fuels?fsrc=rss |
Middle East and Africa
The cycle of history
The Arab summer will be delayed
See article
Readers' comments
Todd T
Arab Summer? That was never going to happen. At least as long as Arab people keep allowing their holy men to make laws based on interpretation of holy books and then backing those holy laws with the force of government guns. No form of government is useful for anyone but the leaders in charge as long as law is justified by religious belief. This does not mean a person cant or should not believe in a religion. It has to be by choice. The second government steps in and starts imposing religious law or creating secular laws based on religious beliefs or even cultural traditions, you have a nightmare country that allows the whipping of 14 year old rape victims, slavery and everything else bad in a government.
The bottom line is every single person individually has the right to exist on their own terms but their own rules and live the way they choose. No groups, traditions, governments, religions, unions, associations, kings, presidents, chief or even the head of the family has any sort of authority over the existence of an individual. Government is there to provide a set of agreed on rules so these free individuals can coexist with minimal interference with one another. The second government/religion starts to dictate to an individual what they can do, what they can believe in or say and then back those rules up by the violence or incarceration or even stealing thier property, the government has gone too far.
With the arab summer, the people simply keep putting back in charge so called religious groups when they should be banning them from government entirely. There can be no arab summer in a country where a woman can be killed out of hand for being the victim of rape or a child can be sold into slavery to pay a debt and on and on. All of this justified by "having always done it this way" traditions and a religion that says god says all of this is legitimate.
I feel for those people but my sympathy is not very deep, they are all choosing the path they are following and if they choose to continue to be ruled by 7th century feudalism, then they deserve to suffer the consequences of their choice.
Todd T in reply to A.white
Short answer is yes, my work exposes me to people from everywhere, I have lived in muslim countries, not arab ones and I do have a long time friend who lives in Saudi Arabia with her husband of 20 years and they both used to live in Japan and want to move back because Riyadh is an insane place for women to live and this is what her husband tells me. I speak japanese myself and have worked in more than 20 countries, primarily in Asia, North America and a bit of Europe.
All that said, the question you ask is intended to imply that anyone who has never been exposed or lived in these counries somehow cant form an opinion or judge a culture, which I will disgree with. Here in LA where I live an Egyptian couple was jailed for having a girl as a slave for 8 years, from 10 years to 18, why, because she was paid to this couple as part of a debt, their excuse, this is what is always done in Egypt. Other examples, no there is never an excuse for a religious leader to have a 14 year old girl whipped to death in Bangladesh for the crime of BEING raped. The Taliban based on their idea of using force to impose religious law, shot a 15 year old girl for wanting freedom for herself and other girls and now in England some other religious leader has declared she should die anyway because her existence is still a threat? You do not have to live in these countries to conclude the culture itself is dysfunctional and that dysfunction stems from the force of arms and violence to impose religious belief and law on others. No one has to live in a country to know that certain actions happening in that country have no excuse or reason to exist and ending the justification for those horrendous acts is what needs to happen. Every other religion has long ago given up the concept of brutalizing and killing in the name of god, it is time all religions give up the concept they can use force to impose religion. A person choosing to join or follow is the path to take not force. In the case of the missing arab summer, it simply will not happen for Arab peoples if they keep allowing their religion to pick up weapons or the force of secular law to impose the will of the holy men. It would seem, in Egypt, the people agree here, they apparently realize the Muslim Brotherhood and their leader trying to be the new Mubarak is a bad idea. Lets hope they kick him and the fanatics out or he wakes up and gets rid of the fanatics himself.
A.white in reply to Todd T
While I agree with many of your points, and certainly consider the specific instances you've mentioned to be horrible occurrences that should never happen under any government or in any culture, the issue I have with your line of thinking is treating the 2.2 billion Muslims or 450 million Arabs in the world as one monolithic society whose problems, opinions, and beliefs are all exactly the same. I agree with you that those things should never happen. So would countless Muslims all across the world. You say you don't have to live in "these countries to conclude the culture itself is dysfunctional and that dysfunction stems from the force of arms and violence to impose religious belief and law on others." To which culture are you referring? The Taliban in Kabul, Afghanistan? Or women's societal circles, in Marakkesh Morocco?
These are people, not animals. Individuals, not stereotypes. If you had lived there, you would see that. That's why I asked.
abu tayyi
As usual, an excellent survey of everywhere... almost. It's a good thing that Palestinians are used to being shunted aside, pushed to the background and generally ignored (if not brutalized) because that seems to be the case with this edition. I may well have missed it, but I have yet to see the word "Palestine" anywhere in these pages, much less a full article. That would not seem to bode well for 2013 -- but then, maybe that's the point: Another year of "non-recognition" these unfortunates.... (With apologies to TE if I've missed their predictions.)
Ibn Khaldun was living in a period when the golden age of Islamic civilization was over and he saw it coming. In Muqaddamah (An Introduction to History), he associated the upcoming decline to the weakening of Assabiyah. I can not find an exact translation for the word in English. But if Ibn Khaldun was alive today, what would have been his prediction about the future of Islamic countries?
Ibn Khaldun was right about the decline of the golden age that started after the Mongol invasion, but centuries long after his death, Ottoman and Safavid empires were still in power. The infighting between Sunni Ottomans and Shiite Safavids weakened the over extended empires and contributed to their final collapse.
But long before the collapse of Ottomans and Safavids, the notion of critical thinking vanished in Islamic domain and the critical philosophers starting from Suhrewardi to Ibn Khaldun were targeted. The Assabiyah might be on the rise but the critical thinking and tolerance for philosophy is not on the rise yet.
The balance from the earlier critical thinking "philosophy" has shifted towards Popular Discourse "Kalaam". This is still prevailing despite the accumulation of large capital of petro Dollars. The dominant discourse is military Jahad and not knowledge development.
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The transition
Ready for Day One
Preparations for the handover have gone rather well
See article
Readers' comments
David Axelrod - 53 - Senior advisor - Political strategist - Obama's Karl Rove.
When did 'Karl Rove' become a title?! The AX may not like it you know!
those living in the dictatorial regime might eye the USA president election with envy.but the USA electorate wouldn't have feel at ease too early.the leaders you elected eventually will be the politicians whom they used to be.
Everyone loves dream, especially the beautiful one.
Somehow, Americans are deeply fond of dreams, so much so that many appear dreamy even when awake, thinking they are living up above the clouds. In good times, some dreams materialize, thus falsely encouraging people to make more unrealistic dreams. But in bad times, like what is happening now, dreams can become great burdens and can be real agonizing. Stop dreaming – time to come down to earth and face the reality.
Americans are equally enthused in change, often over-enthused, hoping against hope that change would always be for the better. Again, in reality, oftentimes change could result in a worse scenario.
Yes, get ready for DAY ONE, a new era, a new president, and a new year to usher in a new nation. As the nation is now almost at the bottom (be it financially or politically), it cannot (and will not be expected to) sink much further. But then it may remain near the bottom for an unknown period of time. Just make sure not to immerse in the sea of euphoria and keep dreaming for too long.
(Tan Boon Tee)
In retaining Gates, Obama kept the only member of the entire outgoing cabinet who exhibited any real competence. Obama is replacing the other pitiful dross with some of the people who brought relative peace and booming prosperity during the Clinton Administration, augmented by successful academics and effective bureaucrats and politicians. Good. Proven competence, trained intelligence, and unbiased reason will be a refreshing change after the Reprise of the Age of the Dinosaurs we've just endured.
The Economist could produce a fascinating centerfold by juxtaposing pictures of the Bush Cabinets and Obama's incoming advisors. Ashcroft, Rummy, Powell, O' Neill, Rice, Norton, Principi, Abraham, Chertoff, Gonzalez- what a roster! A senator who had been defeated by a dead opponent; an arrogant denier of military reality and muzzler of dissent who "didn't do quagmires"; a heroic soldier whose advice was ridiculed and whose honor was squandered; a Commerce Czar who couldn't explain away Cheney's "deficits don't matter", or anything else; a stunned and impotent Secretary of State who achieved absolutely nothing of any note whatever anywhere in a tortured world that begs for diplomacy; an Interior Secretary who did all she could to let the drillers, diggers, polluters and loggers undo every environmental protection while she busied herself denying climate change; a Veteran's Affairs director who left wounded soldiers to rot in hellish hospitals; an Energy Secretary who said that his department had no purpose and should be disbanded as Russia and OPEC gathered money and power; a Homeland Security chief who let a great city twist slowly in a hurricane, then rot; an Attorney General who determined that rights cherished since Magna Carta didn't exist, and proposed that a President was incapable of breaking the law; what a gallery of goofs, incompetents, and criminals! And then there's Paulson...
It would be an interesting exercise to try to find one member of that tragicomedy troupe who enhanced his or her reputation or the well-being of the country or the world during the time they abused or mishandled the unbridled power bestowed on them by a rubber-stamp Congress. Given that no strong, talented Republicans stepped forward to save the country from the Bush debacle when their party ruled by decree, how can Obama be faulted for keeping Gates, adding LaHood, and declaring the rest of the GOP cabinet cupboard bare? The current times don't call for simple-minded, dogmatic, 18th-Century minds, and that's all the Republicans have had to offer for far too many years. Let them go gentle into a long, long, long, long,long, long night. Don't wake them.
Obama’s inauguration day 2009
We expect the swearing to be placed in the economic and social dimension in correlations with the great challenges associated to the current financial crisis. He is coming at a difficult time.
There are big challenges ahead at the domestic and international levels. But I personally believe that Barack Obama will make a difference and he will be a leading figure in the history of the United States of America and the rest of the world as well. America has opened a new page in its history. It comes to show and convince the rest of the world that this beautiful country does not believe in fate, which manifests the “determinism” of social expectations.
America gives the same opportunities and the same chances to all. That is why the American people have brought Barack Obama to the highest position of the US administration. The expectations are enormous and we wish good luck to president and vice-president elects Barack Obama and Joe Biden. I have a deep conviction that makes me believe they will succeed despite the severe financial and international crises, because they have tried to reach out all the skills of the United States of America including Republicans to work with them in the new administration. That is a very significant political maturity.
God bless America
@martin horn:It's a relatively minor quibble, but it's important. Having someone of another party lead the DOD is a major acknowledgement towards a practical, inclusive policy apparatus. I'm already tired of GOP complaints that the cabinet isn't bipartisan or inclusive enough - and yes, those accusations have been made.
I did not register as an American. Does that make me a liar?yg1968 wrote:January 16, 2009 18:19Gates is not a "registered Republican". He has worked under Democratic and Republican Presidents.
I'm getting rather tired of obama not being more supportive of the Palistanians over the murdering israelis in Gaza.AS a black he should understand the underdog better, but I suppose a rich lawyer does'n really understand the underdog at all. Very disapointing.I am also weary of the whole "first black president thing".When will the black community stop bitching about how badly then suffered and just get over it?It is really very tiresome.
martin horn
rabow, I think the author was aiming for, "The only notable Republican politician of note." Gates may ideologically be a Republican, but he hasn't been active in his party in terms of promoting its ideals or politicians. The author mentions early in the article that Gates is an impressive holdover from the Bush Administration, so I highly doubt it was an intentional insult.
CA Manish Bhandari
Mr. Obama
Whole world looking at you , perhaps they have a lot of expectations from your regime
I know that way is not easy and you will have to combat with recession, unemployment and specially terrorism.
I believe things will be better as soon as you go ahead
Wish you all the best.
Mr Obama, District officials and others have suggested that folks would do just as well to stay home, away from the live event on January 20. Well, there have been many a winter when concert goers, like myself, have stayed up all night in frigid temperatures (and snow fall) (and paid hundreds of dollars) to see favourite artists on stage. This is a once in a lifetime (and free) event and I hope the turnout will show the world that people around the country (including liberals) are astute enough to understand the hard choices that must be made for us the see the change we believe Mr Obama is intelligent and wise enough to help deliver.
good article, the American people took a chance when we picked Obama that he would not follow his extreme voting record and I am glad to see our faith was not punished. At this early stage his presidency is Turning out as well as I hoped
The idea that he is not registered as a Republican, frankly, is a pretty sorry excuse for not calling Gates a Republican given his professional experience. Furthermore, he has not worked for a Democratic president until the Obama administration, which is still days away.In his own words:SEC. GATES: I felt, when I was at CIA, that as a professional intelligence officer, like a military officer, I should be apolitical, and so I didn't register with a party. I consider myself a Republican. Until yesterday, all of my senior appointments have been under Republican presidents.
He ran a god campaign, and his cabinet seems good as well. But we must not expect too much from him. The problem has been at least five years in the making, and probably over 10 (if we just count the years when Westerners were borrowing so heavily, it's even more), so it will take a long time, and a lot of pain, to fix the finance mess. Obama will need to be more of a guide, trying to get the finance mess sorted ot, but he can only work rather slowly.
Jesse Fell
Have we ever needed a President to succeed as much as we need President Obama to succeed? Good luck, Mr. President. Good luck, good luck!
"It includes few southerners or Republicans, however. The only Republican of note is the transport secretary, Ray LaHood."Apparently running the Pentagon excludes an individual from being 'of note'? Gates is a very prominent Republican.
If all these reports of professionalism are even half true what benefit to the rest of mankind would there be if they were imitated in other countries?
Mark R
"It is time to let the Russian royal family rest in peace." No new tsars, like you recommended in July 2007.
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U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Youth at Work
Here is an example of unfair treatment at work that may be based on a person's disability:
Steven has just started working part-time at a popular clothing store. Steven is one of 50 operators responsible for taking phone orders. All of the operators work in small workstations in one large room. Normally, employees are not assigned a specific workstation. Instead, employees chose their own workstations on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Because Steven uses a wheelchair, he has great difficulty moving up and down the narrow aisles. Even though Steven arrives 30 minutes ahead of his start time, he frequently cannot find an available workstation before his scheduled shift. Steven tells his manager, Andrew, about his problem and asks to be assigned to a workstation close to the door. Andrew tells Steven that the company does not give special treatment to anyone and suggests that Steven try coming to work earlier.
The clothing store discriminated against Steven when it refused his request for a reasonable workplace change that he needed because of his disability.
There is no indication that assigning Steven a workstation by the door would be too expensive or too disruptive to the company. | <urn:uuid:6470202e-4359-44e7-b8b9-8f4f5807ae39> | 3 | 2.90625 | 0.031141 | en | 0.975788 | http://www.eeoc.gov/youth/disability1.html |
Electoral Districts
Previously, under the Representation Act, 1996 Ontario was divided into electoral districts whose names and boundaries were identical to those of its federal electoral districts, and required redistribution whenever a readjustment took place at the federal level under the Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act (Canada).
With the passing of Bill 214 and the Representation Act, 2005, Ontario’s electoral boundaries are no longer identical to the federal electoral boundaries. As of the October 10, 2007 provincial general election, Ontario is divided into
107 electoral districts. The districts consist of 11 northern electoral districts that are identical (except for a minor boundary adjustment) to the ones that existed on October 2, 2003, and 96 southern electoral districts that are identical to their federal counterparts, as they existed on September 1, 2004.
The 11 northern electoral districts are: Algoma—Manitoulin, Kenora—Rainy River, Nickel Belt, Nipissing, Parry Sound—Muskoka, Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury, Thunder Bay—Atikokan, Thunder Bay—Superior North, Timiskaming—Cochrane, and Timmins—James Bay.
These electoral boundaries will remain until they are replaced by provincial legislation. | <urn:uuid:fb4e1f1b-50c2-42f6-b5b9-7ef4b955c048> | 3 | 3.390625 | 0.027421 | en | 0.95031 | http://www.elections.on.ca/en-ca/tools/electoraldistricts/?channel_id=%7Bd0d84f54-6f4d-409c-bb32-d9471655e300%7D&lang=en |
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Google's Android may lead to major market changes
updated 02:55 pm EDT, Thu October 9, 2008
Android could signal shift
Google's Android platform could be the cause of a major concept shift in the smartphone market, not because subscribers call for features, but because wireless operators and phone makers see the value of standard platforms, argues ABI Research. The firm predicts that the success of Android rests with the ability to first convince phone builders that they need to replace the operating systems shipping in today's phones, and second, convince wireless operators that having numerous phones in a line-up, with each running a standardized operating system, is the best business model. For wireless carriers, the positive side of a standard operating system is simplified technical support and marketing.
With the smartphone market inching its way toward standardization, but accounting for only 14 percent of the overall cellphone market, a large success for Android could be the push the market needs for major change, claims ABI Research director Kevin Burden.
Android was developed through the Open Handset Alliance, with over 30 technology and mobile companies working to develop the underlying technology, which is being marketed as the first complete, open and free mobile platform. The first phone to use the technology will be the G1, a collaboration between HTC and T-Mobile.
By Electronista Staff
1. Mr. Strat
Forum Regular
Joined: Jan 2002
Can't wait
Can't wait until my G1 gets here on the 22nd.
1. Guest
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Nov 1999
You are applauded by many! You are support an OPEN revolution in technology.
Continue to support buyers and developers for this platform!
The future is mutually great for developers, consumers, and the company. Google is the ONLY company that should be the idol of all corporations on earth. The world would be a great place. Don't let greed enter your hearts!
Stay strong, defeat the zionists!!
1. bhuot
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Nov 2003
show us the features
It will only be successful when they actually sell more phones because of it. I am still waiting to see what the better feature (not license) is, that will help it compete against the iPhone. Most successful consumer open source products are successful because they have some advantage in features/price, not just license. More people have iTunes than Firefox. And Guest, you are a troll - go announce that in a Microsoft forum - this is for Apple users. And the word "zionist" as you are using it is a racist term.
1. dynsight
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: May 2005
Hmm, I guess our guest was sarcastic?
What this approach fails to take into account is ease of use. Phone users (even "smartphone" users), tend to be less sophisticated, and need to access data and services quickly and easily.
RIM and Apple have succeeded in this approach; Windows has had some modicum of success as well, but instead of making future releases easier to use, they have been more difficult (from my experience, the Black Jack was a disaster).
If Android is simple to use, responsive it will be a welcome addition. Generally in platform wars, it is not the "best" platform that wins, but the one(s) that perceive to meet consumers' needs.
Beta was better technologically better than VHS, but more movies (and adult content!) was available.
Personally, I think it is good to have multiple platforms and OS's in the phone market. Diversity is good.
1. Guest
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Nov 1999
Zionists, guess what,
Zionist supported IBM, which counted the deaths of the Jews. We need to defeats the zionists, which funds both sides of war, infiltrate most countries, any play everyone the fool by pretended to do good.
They are weasels, and so are most corporations. Remember ENRON? Yeah, lucky your social security money didn't go down with it hahaha
Sadly 50% of Americans are just plain stupid because they are fed by the TV set. How is CENSORED TV a real education?
America is the "TREASURE ISLAND" in the Disney movie Pinocchio, and most of the American people are the "Jack-asses" or donkeys! Too clear, just way to clear....
1. Guest
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Nov 1999
Check this seriously!
Barack Obama is a ZIONIST ILLUMINATI part 1
1. nhmlco
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Mar 2007
Java Applets, anyone?
Why does putting Android on widely varying hardware strike me as repeating many of the same issues that plagued Java Applets?
IIRC, "write once, run anywhere" was anything but...
1. Jeff Simpson
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Feb 2007
Competition will be good.
I think some of us need to double up on our lithium doses and leak-check the ray-deflecting tin foil helmets we're wearing.
I CAN see that oil and other corporations do unduly influence world decisions, but good lord, folks, can we stay on topic?
1. spyinthesky1
Conspiracy theory
I reckon guest is a zionist.
1. JulesLt
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Joined: Jul 2005
Seeing value
Yep, they see so much value in a standard platform, they're happy for Google to develop it for them for free!
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Pablo Neruda Essay - Neruda, Pablo (Pseudonym of Ricardo Eliecer Neftali Reyes y Basoalto)
Neruda, Pablo (Pseudonym of Ricardo Eliecer Neftali Reyes y Basoalto) 1904–1973
A Chilean poet and diplomat, Neruda was active in various social and political movements. The recipient of the 1971 Nobel Prize for Literature, Neruda celebrates in his poetry love, nostalgia, experience, and the interior life. He is considered one of the finest surrealist poets of our time. (See also CLC, Vols. 1, 2, 5, 7, and Contemporary Authors, Vols. 19-20; obituary, Vols. 45-48; Contemporary Authors Permanent Series, Vol. 2.)
Pablo Neruda's Odas Elementales are particularly interesting for their fusion of a considerable amount of social doctrine and of many subjects traditionally considered "unpoetic" into very effective poetry…. Neruda's choice of poetic subject has made certain poetic techniques particularly apt. For it is evident that personification, catalogues, and the creation of foil relations between large parts of poems (frequently structured dialectically) are techniques common to most of these poems.
Nevertheless, as hasty equation of the dialectic structure common in Neruda's poetry with the dialectic form of his Marxist social doctrine (generally progressing from past to present to a more or less hortatory future) would certainly be an oversimplification. For these poems are odes, and their dialectic structure also corresponds to the traditional division of the Pindaric ode into strophe, antistrophe, and epode. The two influences would appear to complement and reinforce each other, the form of the ode perhaps supplying the tripartite structure, the Marxist doctrine the tendency toward the temporal division into past, present, and future.
Such a structure is readily apparent in "Oda a las Américas."… The strophe and antistrophe correspond to the typographical division between stanzas one and two, and their temporal division into past and present. But Neruda's dialectic here is somewhat complicated by his concern with universalizing his poem. This concern causes him to call upon America primarily in terms of the beauties of its nature, especially at the beginning, and only to present a more explicit and direct vision of its people in the middle section…. For America as a continent with its natural beauties has a greater direct appeal for the reader, regardless of national, class, or ideological affiliations, than a more partisan class or historical approach, say exclusively through the Pre-Columbian Indians, could possibly have. At the same time, specific historical, class, and even certain chauvinistic appeals to a Pan-Latin Americanism, must be and are made in the poem to fill both doctrinal and exemplary needs. This results in some tension and ambivalence between the two directions, finally united at the end.
It is evident from the prominent place nature has in this poem, and from its first lines, where the oceans are said to have kept the continent pure and intact in a more or less military metaphor ("guardaron"), that we are here in a world similar to the beginning of the Canto General, where nature is called upon to resist the Spanish conquerors and to act as one with the Indian defenders. A different emphasis, however, is apparent in this poem. Whereas in the Canto General nature's purpose was primarily to protect the largely helpless Indian civilizations, here it is clearly the other way around, and in the latter part of the poem there is a fairly explicit reproach to the Latin Americans for allowing their beautiful continent to be plundered by the new conquerors…. (pp. 41-2)
Much of the ambivalence evident in the second part of the poem over just where the real value of the Americas lies, whether in the unspoiled beauty of its nature, or in its people, is undoubtedly due to the poet's personal sense of outrage and disappointment at what he feels to be the complete failure of Latin Americans to achieve viable and independent political and economic institutions. A resolution of all ambivalence finally occurs when the speaker makes clear in the last section of the poem that the continent's treasure includes both the land and its people…. The dialectic between nature's purity and man's misery and corruption finally resolved in a new man in harmony with nature also presents a specific Latin American formulation of the general Marxist dialectic of past versus present to synthesize in an ideal future. (p. 42)
[Neruda] seems … to be opting for the sentimental view of the Pre-Columbian Indian as the noble savage living in a largely paradisiacal environment, who is now come to woe at the hands of foreign invaders, rather than for a more orthodox Marxist dialectic, which would see Pre-Columbian America in a more objective and perhaps less rosy light…. Neither the Canto General nor most histories would suggest that the Indians under Spanish rule, or any considerable part of the population of these countries since independence has been much better off than they are now. The cause of this logical inconsistency, apart from what is perhaps some simple carelessness in the poem's elaboration, appears to lie in Neruda's political beliefs. These seem to have dictated the creation of an earlier, golden age, to act as a foil to the present state of affairs, and so to portray that state as negatively as possible. That golden age is conveniently not specified. The resulting lack of a clear subject to make possible the creation of a dramatic antithesis or foil considerably reduces the effectiveness of this last image, and leads to the simplistic visualization of these countries in terms of editorial page cartoon images as caricatures of mouths, rather than of their suffering inhabitants. (pp. 43-4)
In addition … to the structural use of foils for the creation of the dialectic and the general polemic and extra-literary foils of exploited-exploiter which pervade the poem ideologically, Neruda manages to create another, a very emotional foil relation between the polemic eloquence of his narrative voice which reproaches and contrasts with the shameful silence of the Latin American reader. This final foil relation reaches out beyond the poem itself, seeking to resolve the poem-reader dichotomy in the synthesis of the reader's direct action against the postulated common enemy.
In "Oda a la pobreza," Neruda uses similar techniques, but structures his poem about a central dichotomy between himself, the poor of the world, and a poverty personified much like the figure of a medieval vice. The poem is divided into the past of the poet, when he himself was persecuted by poverty, and the present, when he relentlessly hounds poverty wherever he can find it. The foil relation is thus dramatized into a personal confrontation between the narrative voice and a personified enemy. The explicit appearance of the narrative voice as the rhetorical "I" in the poem greatly increases the vigor and force of the poem, adds to the effectiveness of the contrast, and serves as a sincerity ploy to capture the sympathy of the reader for the speaker and his cause.
Catalogues serve an important function in the poem. The enumeration of the objects which he first associates with poverty … is essentially metonymic, but the more extended catalogue of his persecution of poverty toward the end of the poem … is so amplified as to create its own world, a world of the future where poverty is already substantially defeated…. [The] tremendous sense of action and the images of positive, constructive work seem already to represent the desired millennia…. The structure of the poem, then, while essentially a dichotomy between the poet pursued by poverty in the past, and the poet now pursuing it in the present, nevertheless manages to arrive at the suggestion of a synthesis, where poet and people together construct a world without poverty.
In "Oda al caldillo de congrio," a poem much lighter in tone, Neruda is presented with a problem which is roughly the opposite of that in "Oda a las Américas." There he had to make specific a very general subject, along with a good deal of potentially unacceptable social doctrine. Neruda's program in these poems includes subjects considered inherently unpoetic. This is implied in the title Odas Elementales, and here takes him into that area of the expository presentation of cognitive material which is usually avoided by most good poets. This poem is a poetic recipe.
Besides the able creation and manipulation of images and rhythms, Neruda manages to generalize the subject by certain specific poetic techniques in combination with the humorous tone. Thus we progress by syntactic association and juxtaposition … [until we approach] bathos…. To insure that the reader has not been completely swept away, and that he remembers the tenor of these witty hyperboles, the poem's subject appears again … for a final juxtaposition.
But this poem is not typical of the manner in which Neruda handles such a problem in these poems, just as the lack of polemic content and social doctrine is not typical. The link between polemic content and the combination of foil, personification, and catalogue is therefore made more apparent in this poem by a prominent diminution of both foils and personification. Catalogue structure is, of course, inherent in a recipe. Much more common is the solution in "Oda al átomo," where he strongly personifies and dramatizes a specific, scientific concept, the atom, puts it into a social setting, and creates foils into a dialectic structure, all through amplification and catalogues of pathetic, emotion-arousing imagery with exemplary value…. (pp. 47-8)
Whatever focus Neruda uses in these poems, in nearly all of them foil, personification, and catalogue are key structural elements. This is undoubtedly in part due to the epic mode of most of the poems, which calls for generous amplifications and broad, emotive contrasts. More specifically, personification allows Neruda to bring into a specific dramatic framework both the abstractions of his social doctrine (as in "Oda a la pobreza"), and very specific, somewhat unpoetic subjects (as in "Oda al átomo"). Foils are used to organize his material into the dialectic perspective of his doctrine. And the catalogues serve mainly to universalize by amplification and thus to create the distinctly epic mode of these poems.
Neruda's ideology also creates some interesting similarities between these poems and much medieval doctrinal poetry, especially the Everyman morality play, where foil, personification, and catalogue were also key structural elements for the exposition of an ideology whose dichotomy between good and evil was even more absolute than that of Neruda, and which supplied no synthesis as it refused to countenance any true dialectic between good and evil. It is indicative of Neruda's talent as a poet, however, that whereas in the plays the resolution of the dichotomy always occurs within the character of Everyman himself, and the audience remains largely passive, Neruda often manages to focus his dialectic upon the reader himself, who is then called upon to provide the synthesis by direct action. (pp. 48-9)
Walter Holzinger, "Poetic Subject and Form in the 'Odas Elementales'," in Revista Hispánica Moderna, XXXVI, 1970–1971, pp. 41-9.
Pablo Neruda is fecundly dead. His poems keep coming into English, sometimes bruised and tattered by the translator's egotistical ineptitude and sometimes decently clad, as in [Fully Empowered]. Almost always enough survives the metamorphosis to serve as an invigorating example of how a truely universal poetic consciousness goes about its business….
A difficult poet Neruda may be; but he never, to my knowledge, wrote nonsense. Fifty or more years ago, though, even his friends had trouble with a line like, "I am sad, but I am always sad," considering it either unintelligible or unnecessarily repetitive. When asked to explain himself, that sad eyed young poet from the South wrapped himself tighter in his railman's cloak and kept his own counsel. But when hostile critics of Veinte poemas de amor y una canción desesperada (1924) laughed long and mockingly as they recited, "I don't love her anymore, that's true, but perhaps I love her," Neruda tried his best to explain in La Nación. "For ten lonely years my poetry has obeyed differing rhythms and conflicting currents. Joining them, braiding them together, unable to find a permanent essence because it doesn't exist, I've composed Twenty Love Poems and a Desperate Love Song…." (p. 100)
Quite early, Neruda seems to have realized that an integral poetry, more like Rimbaud's than Baudelaire's, must aim to reproduce or represent that level of authenticity below censored consciousness at which mind operates in endless alternations and concatenations of contraries. These are the differing rhythms and conflicting currents he alludes to. Fidelity to his own feelings had forced Neruda to do violence to the niceties of language and to defy the logic of identities which, because it ignores time, can maintain that A is always A. What the critics were laughing at was a natural consequence of this precocious poet's discovery that you can be sad now, and then again sad; you can love this way and that, but never in the same way consecutively. In Twenty Poems, love and unlove, trust and mistrust, Mary-sunlight and Mary-shadow alternately beat out a rhythm which is locked in time and which cannot come to rest in any permanent essence because nothing of the sort exists in time and nothing at all can exist outside it. (pp. 100-01)
Like William Carlos Williams, Neruda … learned to kill the explicit sentence, but with weirdly different results. [Residence on Earth is, according to Neruda,] "a heap of very monotonous, almost ritualistic poems, full of mystery and sorrows like the poems of the old poets. Something very uniform, like a single thing attempted without success."
What is this single thing attempted without success?… Intellect, Neruda is saying, has deprived poetry of its substantiality, has removed it from the arena of existential struggle so that it can no longer give sustenance. Neruda wants to re-endow the poetic message with substance and sustenance. He wants to "penetrate life and make it prophetic." But for the time being he can do no more than establish an authentically self-expressive language that accurately registers a relentless and desperate attempt to refloat a monstrously barnacled universe of human aspirations that has foundered in time. He has the language now, but no credible and life-empowering dream to make it fully intelligible, and the only form is the pressure of the effort itself. Forget this, and the pre-political poems of the Residencias (1925–47) seem opaque and aphasic; remember their intention, and they become unbearably articulate in a way as yet unavailable in English. (p. 101)
What is the most moving about the later Neruda is not his occasional political stridency, but the enormous generosity of his vision and his unfailing sense of humor. "You learn poetry," he said in 1956, "moving step by step among things and beings, never isolating, but rather containing them all within a blind expansion of love." Fully Empowered (1962) is a triumphant expression of this all-encompassing expansiveness. Here is the house, whimsically built from the stars down; here is a child that needs washing; here are thistles and clocksmiths, friends and enemies, all have a place in this finally convincing Nerudian universe where, as Rilke has it, song is existence itself. You read these poems and you ask yourself sometimes: "Didn't Brother Pablo say this better somewhere else?" And the answer is, "Maybe, but never mind, no one ever said it better, ever." (p. 102)
Luis E. Yglesias, "Out of Some Rumbling Wholeness," in Review (copyright © 1976 by the Center for Inter-American Relations, Inc.), Spring, 1976, pp. 100-02.
Attached to the end of a literary career that spanned five decades and that gathered to itself, like moss to a rock, more than 40 volumes of poetry, prose, verse drama, and translations, Neruda's Memoirs is not so much a summing up, a culmination of a life, as it is simply one more chapter added to his continuous revelation of himself. He was first driven to poetry, he says in Memoirs, by youthful shyness, a sort of "kink in the soul" that intensified both his sense of innate human solitude (the common inheritance of so many Latin-American writers) and his own particular separation from those around him. Thereafter, self-disclosure in poetry seemed to him one way of smashing whatever barriers were raised between himself and his fellowman….
Pablo Neruda's Memoirs, therefore, is not his first conscious venture into the confession of how he lived, who he was. His poetry is as progressive as it is prodigious, and it moves through stages in which he was—among other less definable things—a romanticist, a surrealist, an erotic lyricist, a symbolist, a realist, a political revolutionary. Through all these multitudinous sea changes, however, the constant is Neruda himself, and in some works he is pointedly autobiographical….
Neruda professes in Memoirs to have been, always, too simple a man, which was both his honor and his shame. He was born not to pass judgment, he says, but to love. From the start, his life's education was anti-literary and anti-intellectual, taking its source from instinct rather than from reason, arousing in him a suspicion of all fixed ideas, precepts, structures, and sects—including those of the Communist dialectic, which he subscribed to with reservations. His problem in his voluminous confessions, therefore, seems never to be W. B. Yeats's mystery of how to locate within his many-sided complexities a "unity of being," nor is it how to construct any vast Yeatsian synthetic "vision." Like Walt Whitman, his acknowledged model, Neruda seems at peace with his metamorphoses and contradictions. ("Pablo is one of the few happy men I have known," Ilya Ehrenburg once wrote about him.) His problem, rather, is how to fix in language the person he was at any given moment; the task, he wrote in Black Island Memorial, is never-ending…. (p. 19)
The result of Neruda's approach to his remembrances is a book of lapses, of airy interstices, but also of fullness—a sort of distilled essence of himself in both substance and form. He never seems prompted to play the part of sage, of the comprehensive thinker who somehow captures his life and era with trenchant abstractions; and except in isolated parts, Memoirs seems hardly to have been written at all, if we think of writing as language that is tight, sparse, impeccably fashioned, consciously structured. "Our [Latin] American stratum is dusty rock, crushed lava, clay mixed with blood," Neruda says, attributing his style to his continental heritage. "We don't know how to work in crystal." Perhaps for these reasons, it is doubtful that Memoirs will ever appear on a list of great literary autobiographies. Much more certain is its destiny as a book of uses. It is the starting point for all future biographers. It will serve as a rich mine of support for those who share Neruda's political views…. The chapter "Poetry Is an Occupation" is invaluable for students of Neruda's work, and innumerable short portraits of writers and artists should serve scholars as a bottomless source of opinions and quotations….
The drama of his position in Latin America, he once said, didn't permit him the luxury of being uncommitted; and he felt strongly that even poetry that professed to be impervious to politics was thus political to the roots. "Everyone has to choose a road," he said in an interview with Robert Bly, "a refined and intellectual way, or a more brotherly, general way, trying to embrace the world around you, to discover the new world." Neruda's choice was the second one. It was, in a word, Whitman's. (p. 20)
Robert Maurer, "A Confession of Life," in Saturday Review (© 1977 by Saturday Review Magazine Corp.; reprinted with permission), February 19, 1977, pp. 18-20.
Neruda must have written these marvelous, exasperating memoirs fitfully during the last [, busy] decade of his life…. Neither his publishers nor his editors say so, but it would be one explanation for their discontinuity and unevenness…. Another explanation may be that these are, after all, memoirs: the reader must be thankful for whatever the writer is pleased to remember. But the most persuasive explanation, whatever the manner in which they were written, is that Neruda could not have performed differently—a poetic genius trying in an unaccustomed medium to fit the prose of his life to the persona he created in more than 60 volumes of poetry. (p. 3)
[Many] of these anecdotes, vignettes, prose poems, are succulent leaves that we should not do without. Some of them have the charm and humor and mystery of his best poems…. He manages, too, despite his self-absorption, to come up with some charming portraits, some done with love, some with malice, of Ehrenburg, García Lorca, Juan Ramón Jimenez, Rafael Alberti, Nehru, Miguel Hernández. He is master in all this, as in his poetry, in making the homely, neglected detail vividly new, the grand mysteries intimate….
Only the knowing will discover some of his malice and obtuseness in his memoirs. (p. 18)
[Still] Neruda … must be forgiven his disingenuousness, malice, vanity and egoism—he was a brave man who wished us well and generously left us an incomparable body of poetry, the finest in Spanish in this century. (p. 20)
Frank MacShane, "Neruda in New York," in The New York Times Book Review (© 1977 by The New York Times Company; reprinted by permission), March 13, 1977, pp. 3, 18, 20. | <urn:uuid:681a33c2-1548-46f9-9118-132c9c35eda6> | 2 | 2.390625 | 0.024101 | en | 0.966959 | http://www.enotes.com/topics/pablo-neruda/critical-essays/neruda-pablo-pseudonym-ricardo-eliecer-neftali |
Public Release: Common diabetes drug fails to fulfill promise of improving cardiovascular risk in people without diabetes
"There has been a lot of anticipation based on research in diabetic patients suggesting that metformin has cardiovascular benefits beyond its effects on blood glucose. We were hoping to find that it might also prevent hardening of the arteries, a warning sign for future heart attacks and strokes, in people without diabetes already on a statin"*, explains study leader Dr David Preiss from the University of Glasgow in the UK.
Metformin is a safe, inexpensive drug that is recommended as the first-line treatment for people with type 2 diabetes. It works by reducing the overactive glucose production associated with diabetes but it has also been shown to reduce other related risk factors for heart disease such as cholesterol levels, and inflammatory and blood clotting markers in earlier studies conducted before the common use of statins.
The landmark UKPDS trial found that metformin treatment led to a 39% reduction in risk of heart attack over 10 years in diabetic patients, but whether its potential cardiovascular benefits could be replicated in individuals without diabetes had not been tested until now.
The Carotid Atherosclerosis: MEtformin for insulin ResistAnce (CAMERA) trial, was designed to investigate the effect of metformin on changes in carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT; an established marker of atherosclerosis)** in non-diabetic individuals with heart disease taking statins. A total of 173 patients were randomly assigned to metformin (850 mg twice daily; 86 individuals) or matching placebo (87) for 18 months. The trial was funded by the Chief Scientist Office, Scotland.
After 18 months, no improvement in cIMT or the extent of atherosclerotic plaque in the carotid arteries was noted in patients taking metformin. The average cIMT increased significantly in both groups (0.024mm per year for metformin, 0.017mm for placebo).
However, metformin significantly reduced all measures of adiposity (body weight [by over 3kg], body fat, body mass index, and waist circumference) compared with placebo, similar to what is often achieved on weight loss drugs, alongside improvements in other risk factors for the development of type 2 diabetes (eg, lower insulin and haemoglobin A1c [HbA1c, reflecting blood glucose levels]).
Overall, 251 adverse events were reported--136 in 63 patients taking metformin and 115 in 58 patients given placebo. Gastrointestinal events (diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting) were more common in patients taking metformin. According to Dr Preiss, "Major cardiovascular outcome trials are needed to conclusively assess metformin's cardiovascular effects in people without type 2 diabetes--such trials are underway at present. We cannot dismiss the potential cardiovascular benefit of metformin in patients without diabetes but CAMERA suggests that metformin has limited impact on important cardiovascular risk factors when patients are already on a statin."*
Writing in a linked Comment, Chris Lexis and Iwan van der Horst from the University Medical Center Groningen in the Netherlands caution, "The CAMERA study shows that the effect of metformin--in addition to current best treatment, including statins--on cIMT is probably small or negligible...[but] whether the primary endpoint of CAMERA or secondary endpoints such as HbA1c best represent cardiovascular outcome is unclear. The definitive evidence for the role of metformin in non-diabetic cardiovascular disease will have to be provided by large randomised clinical trials powered for cardiovascular outcomes such as the Glucose Lowering In Non-diabetic hyperglycaemia Trial (GLINT; ISRCTN34875079), in which 12 000 patients with high cardiovascular risk and dysglycaemia but without diabetes, will be assigned to metformin or placebo for 5 years. Until then, the role of metformin for improving cardiovacular outcomes has promise, but is still largely unproven."
**A thickening of the lining of the two arteries that supply the brain with oxygenated blood is an established marker for the diagnosis of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and a strong indicator of cardiovascular risk.
| <urn:uuid:71d88e1c-76b0-4484-ac23-271e358cb34d> | 2 | 2.484375 | 0.045004 | en | 0.926588 | http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-11/l-cdd110513.php |
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Mapping exercise forces exposes a wealth of adult fitness science information
The first alternative to kinetic exercise devices. Body Oars on the right act like an exoskeleton, to carry exercises forces to and from targeted core muscles without using the skeleton to carry any forces, so warn joints/disks do not matter
Craig Wise
Correctly mapping anything for the first time exposes many facts that were previously unconsidered. Mapping DNA has likely already exposed millions of new facts that no one ever pondered before.
In the year 2000, out of personal necessity, I adapted the force mapping technique I used at work to trace destructive forces through blueprints of proposed structures, to instead trace the forces of any exercise method, through sketches of people using them.
In 2000 I did not imagine that I was the first person to ever map the tracks and interactions of exercise energy through the human body. As far as difficulty, any third grade science wiz kid could trace these same forces.
By 2004, I knew I must be first to do this as virtually everything it exposed was unknown by modern fitness and exercise science experts. But when we try explaining these discoveries to today's fitness and exercise experts, more often then not their reactions are how I imagine candlestick makers reacted to light bulbs, the first time they ever heard of them. Instant denial, sometimes angered.
Several years ago several other engineers contributed more observations based on force mapping exercise methods, so we formed the not for profit Adult Exercise Efficiency Project.
It's purpose is to share these findings with adults around the world, because this information is not going to come first from the fitness and exercise industry, or the media that promotes them.
This is because Force Mapping exercise methods expose a new science that fixes a horrific mistake fitness experts have always made, which makes it impossible for the average to weaker adult to become and remain physically fit, for even one year.
That problem starts with possibly the most important discovery that mapping exercises forces exposes, that virtually every muscle and cardio strengthening exercise method (wet or dry) people have used since prehistoric times, does not actually work anyone's muscles.
They all work the skeleton, forcing joints and spinal disks to then work the muscles. So exercises have always limited their power to less than the force the weakest loaded joint or spinal disk can handle. So once a joint or disk is worn down or broken, so is the ability to do stout traditional (kinetic) exercise.
Why traditional exercise methods do not work physically work muscles:
Virtually every muscle or cardio strengthening exercise ever taught aims the force needed to hinder muscles, Motion Resistance Energy, at the skeleton instead of the targeted muscles, usually through the wrists and ankles.
Delivering the resistance energy intended for muscles through the skeleton first causes a kinetic cascade of force transfers, one at every joint and spinal disk in-between the hands or feet, ending at the last joint or disk before the targeted muscles, not at the muscles.
These transfers cause joints and or disks to be either smashed or tugged from the motion resistance energy, making these parts much harder for muscles to move.
So the real exercise machines that humans have always used for virtually every muscle or cardio exercise, is the last joint or spinal disk before the targeted muscle(s), because it creates totally new motion resistance, just because it becomes hard to move from the original motion resistance from the exercise method.
The last skeletal part does not transfer the force to the muscle, it generates all new 'tension' energy against the muscles because it becomes much harder to move while being smashed or tugged from the original motion resistance energy.
So for average to older and motion hindered adults, exercise methods that use their joints and disks to opposes muscles, creates a series of painful and damaging problems. They are likely ignored because these same methods can be extremely empowering for children and very young adults, up until their very early twenties.
To verify what I mean by kinetic (all modern) exercises make it impossible for average to weaker adults, to stay physically fit, this recent study from Iowa State University, based on the US government fitness standards, found that less than 3.5% of American adults never get enough exercise to be physically fit.
This Iowa State study covered all adults. It is obvious that somewhere between 4 and 20 times more younger adults (age 18-35) are physically fit, than adults 35 or above.
So just using the most conservative ratio of 4 to 1, that study verifies that less than 1% of American's over age 35, are physically fit. states that less then 20% of adults are physically fit, but they offer no study for that statement, well theyare not lieing, as 3.5% is mathematically less than 20%.
Force Mapping shows this pathetically small amount will never increase much as long as adults are only being shown exercise methods that drive immensely more force through their joints and spinal disks, than ends up opposing their muscle contractions.
If you go back a million years and found zero physically fit adults over age 34, than comparatively speaking, today's over $100 billion dollar fitness and exercise science industries do not appear to have improved that percentage by even 1%, since the beginning of time.
At about age 20, the skeleton hardens into adulthood, and joints and spinal disks are finished rapidly growing bigger and stronger. Now these mature moving skeletal parts need ever more time to just fully recover after being overworked.
By age 30 overworked joints or disks can need 2 to 3 weeks to just fully recover. So the huge adult problem with virtually every exercise ever taught by fitness and exercise science experts, is also exposed by using elementary school math.
If an average adult uses traditional exercises frequently enough to maintain physical fitness, they never give their joint and spinal disks enough time to fully recover, so instead they continually wear down exposing ever more nerves, causing kinetic exercises to become torturously painful, for likely 99% of older adults.
The very few older adults that do seem to be able to maintain powerful fitness much longer I have also studied to find a common denominator, which surprisingly is not directly genetic.
They were extremely active children, often very competitive athletes, cross country runners or very hard working farm kids. So during childhood they were lucky enough to have developed far stronger and tougher joints and spinal disks, that can naturally do much harder and tougher work, and so they also last far longer before wearing out.
The next most important discovery is a real universal measure for the efficiency of any muscle or cardio exercise adults do, which was also totally unrealized and not even considered.
Beyond just profissional opinions, no measurements for efficiency of individual exercise methods and fitness devices appears to have ever existed. It is like saying there is little difference between a Yugo and a Mercedes Benz SL, because they both roll down the street.
I have seen doctors prescribe tread mills for little old ladies. After a couple weeks they do have greater strength and stamina, and the doctor stamps this successful. But after a month or two, their knees or lower backs start screaming pain and they no longer can use a treadmill. Then a month or so later they are in worse condition than before they started.
If the mapping or exercise forces was in place, doctors would know that stationary bicycling is about five times better muscle exercise for older people than running, simply because they could see that their knees are only being stressed from core running muscle exertion as long as they stay seated.
The running knees of an average weight adult are stressed far more by falling body weight fighting gravity than by core muscle exertion, so the cyclist is able to exert their core running muscles two to five times harder than if running, with still less joint or disk smashing and stress than running, while still holding the same heart rate, for the same length of time.
That measurement of Adult exercise efficiency:
Because adult joints and spinal disks no longer benefit from frequently being overworked, the percentage of all motion resistance energy, to any exercise, that only opposes muscle contractions, is naturally that method's measurement of adult exercise efficiency. So there is also a universal measure for adult exercise method efficiency, exposed by force mapping.
Proof that this is that measure?
In any form of electrical, structural or mechanical engineering, perfect efficiency happens at the point of no wasted material or energy.
Because the average adult only needs frequent stout exercise (motion resistance energy) for their muscle systems (heart is muscle) to become and remain powerfully fit, any motion resistance that escapes while doing anything but opposing their muscle contractions, is wasted. If it all opposes muscle contractions, than nothing is wasted.
Note: Perfect adult exercise efficiency alone, does not mean exercise effectiveness. The most efficient exercises will not build any new muscle without also enough exertion to heat up the targeted muscles.
Force Mapping exercises expose how traditional dry exercises waste almost every gram of the motion resistance energy (from the exercise), while using it to smash or tug joints and spinal disks, and that for traditional water exercise motions (swimming or water aerobics), the lion's share of motion resistance energy just escapes into the water, leaving much less fighting joints disks or muscles.
Because far more motion resistance energy will be opposing contractions with a highly efficient exercise method, only firm, never high exertion, is all average, older or weaker adults will ever need to become and maintain powerful fitness from years to decades.
That brings this to the next most important discovery I believe that mapping the forces of exercise through the human body exposes.
A new adult fitness science I call "Direct Resistance" exercises, which are naturally many times more efficient than kinetic exercise can ever be, because they are limited to the full strengthening potential of the targeted muscle(s), instead of how much force the weakest joint or disk along the kinetic chain can tolerate, as is the case with all modern exercise methods.
Direct Resistance exercises aim the motion resistance energy only in the directions that hinder the targeted contractions first, as the force enters the body, so joints and disks have no energy to transfer or fight against.
Since 2001, I have tested and prototyped numerous ways to do this.
That brings me to the next most important discovery, designing Direct Resistance devices.
I first developed a new class of non kinetic water exercise devices I call Body Oars, because of their use fullness for people who could not even do any traditional core running exercise.
I used water first, as it offers many abilities without machinery, that must be mechanically built into dry Direct Resistance machines. But Direct Resistance methods can be designed for use anywhere, I think they will even prove most perfect for space travel.
Force Mapping has enabled me to design many devices that I cannot show off yet, but I do show off several of nearly twenty variations of Body Oars, that do many powerful things for almost all adults.
Countless millions maybe billions of older, weaker and motion hindered adults, even millions too old or hindered to walk well, can use the most basic version of Lower Body Oars, I call LOBOS, to drive a marathon worth of motion resistance against just the contractions of their large core running and abdominal muscles, while gently holding their ideal heart rates.
See the illustration, which compares Body Oars to running on a tread mill, to realize that the motion resistance is all and only directly opposing core muscle contractions. No forces are moving up or down the leg bones or spine, so no smashing or tugging happens. Only the muscle systems handle much force.
LOBOS can allow millions of adults and motion hindered people to exert their large core muscles up to hundreds of times harder, deeper and farther than warn down or disabled joints and disks could ever tolerate while doing traditional exercise, or anything else for that matter.
In ten minutes LOBOS can direct more motion resistance energy against core muscles than many of these people may have opposed in months, or even years doing everything combined.
LOBOS are so efficient that only very gentle but full range exertion is needed to massively strengthen older and weaker bodies, and without any joint or spinal stress or pain during the workout.
A similar version can also allow a pro athlete, even an NFL lineman at 400 pounds, to run core mobility muscle marathon applying still more exertion than the strongest knee on earth could handle while running, and he could also do this only days after braking a lower leg or foot, or separating an ACL in his knee.
No kinetic exercise on earth can do these things, but this is just a few of the many things never seen before about exercise that engineering science exposes about it.
The Direct Resistance method Body Oars use, is like strapping on an exoskeleton to carry all the exercises forces to and from the core muscles, that bones carry during traditional core running muscle exercises. But Body Oars are just one of numerous ways to do this, that force mapping exposes. | <urn:uuid:9287c3b9-fd8e-4f0a-99bb-a0831547fe21> | 2 | 2.46875 | 0.476535 | en | 0.957446 | http://www.examiner.com/article/mapping-exercise-forces-exposes-a-wealth-of-new-adult-fitness-science-info |
MIT Creates Global Award for Sustainability, but Only if You're in the U.S.
Why are sustainable innovations for the developing world limited to inventors based in the U.S.?
MIT once again takes the lead in driving bottom of the pyramid innovations with its latest announcement of the $100,000 Lemelson-MIT Award for Sustainability. From the Lemelson-MIT website:
The $100,000 Lemelson-MIT Award for Sustainability honors inventors whose products or processes impact issues of global relevance, as well as issues that impact local communities in terms of meeting basic health needs, and building sustainable livelihoods for the world's poorest populations.
MIT students and researchers have already produced scads of inventions that aim to improve the lives of those living on less than $2 per day, or "the bottom of the pyramid." There's the all-terrain wheelchairs for the poor, ventilators for disaster zones and a $3 suction healing device.
Nominations are due by October 5th and should highlight inventors who "enhance human development, mitigate human environmental impact, and/or provide adaptations to environmental changes that are unalterable in the near term."
Still, it's unfortunate that eligibility is limited to "U.S. citizens, permanent residents, or foreign nationals currently working legally in the United States." There is plenty of innovation at the bottom of the pyramid, and $100,000 goes a lot farther there.
Add New Comment
• Edward Canton
As the Awards Program Officer for the Lemelson-MIT Program, thank you to Fast Company for the article about the Lemelson-MIT Award for Sustainability. This US-based award promotes innovations that address challenges facing the developing world, with a goal of recognizing and honoring individuals who have produced technological inventions that make a positive impact in developing countries.
We also wanted to note that the inspiring innovations mentioned in this article produced by MIT students, are not connected to the Lemelson-MIT Award for Sustainability. This is a national award, not limited to members of the MIT community. Our most recent winner, Dr. BP Agrawal who developed a holistically sustainable approach to solve water resource issues in Rajasthan, India, was profiled in a Fast Company article this past June,
We hope to see 2011 nominations from Fast Company’s innovative readers! | <urn:uuid:37764564-836a-492f-bf9e-e711c4a1ba2c> | 2 | 2.171875 | 0.020436 | en | 0.940366 | http://www.fastcompany.com/1674769/mit-creates-global-award-sustainability-only-if-youre-us |
Next: , Previous: References, Up: Browsing
4.4 Changing the Current Man Page
The man page currently being browsed by WoMan can be changed in several ways. The command woman can be invoked to format another man page, or the current WoMan buffer can be buried or killed. WoMan maintains a ring of formatted man pages, and it is possible to move forwards and backwards in this ring by moving to the next or previous man page. It is sometimes useful to reformat the current page, for example after the right margin (the wrap column) or some other formatting parameter has been changed.
Buffers formatted by Man and WoMan are completely unrelated, even though some of the commands to manipulate them are superficially the same (and share code).
Run the command man to get a Un*x manual page and put it in a buffer. This command is the top-level command in the man package. It runs a Un*x command to retrieve and clean a man page in the background and places the results in a Man mode (man page browsing) buffer. If a man buffer already exists for this man page, it will display immediately. This works exactly the same if WoMan is loaded, except that the formatting time is displayed in the mini-buffer.
Run the command woman exactly as if the extended command or menu item had been used.
Bury the buffer containing the current man page (Man-quit), i.e., move it to the bottom of the buffer stack.
Kill the buffer containing the current man page (Man-kill), i.e., delete it completely so that it can be retrieved only by formatting the page again.
Find the previous WoMan buffer (WoMan-previous-manpage).
Find the next WoMan buffer (WoMan-next-manpage).
Call WoMan to reformat the last man page formatted by WoMan (woman-reformat-last-file), e.g., after changing the fill column. | <urn:uuid:b0c0fa5b-bd68-4301-83c3-e5a3f8430b1f> | 2 | 2.109375 | 0.043666 | en | 0.848151 | http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/woman/Changing.html |
Don’t let decongestants squeeze your heart
Don't let decongestants squeeze your heart
During cold season, millions of Americans reach for an over-the-counter decongestant to clear a stuffy nose. Some read the warning label: "Do not use this product if you have heart disease, high blood pressure, thyroid disease, diabetes, or difficulty in urination due to enlargement of the prostate gland unless directed by a doctor." Few heed it.
Many of your favorite decongestants are no longer so easily available on pharmacy shelves. Others are getting an ingredient makeover. These changes are part of a national effort to close down home-based methamphetamine labs. Methamphetamine is a highly addictive street drug that is easily made from pseudoephedrine, the active ingredient in Sudafed and hundreds of other over-the-counter (OTC) decongestants.
Some states have passed laws put-ting products containing pseudoephedrine behind the counter. You don't need a prescription, but you do have to ask a pharmacist or clerk for them and show an ID or sign a log. Bills working their way through the U.S. Congress as of late 2005 could make this a national change.
Fearing that customers will shy away from asking for these products, some drug companies are replacing pseudoephedrine with a similar over-the-counter decongestant called phenylephrine that can't be made into methamphetamine.
Is phenylephrine just like pseudoephedrine for people with heart disease? Unfortunately, no one is certain. There are very few studies to date.
Effects beyond the nose
Pseudoephedrine con-stricts blood vessels in the nose and sinuses. This shrinks swelling and drains fluids, letting you breathe easier again. Unfortunately, the drug doesn't affect only the head — it tightens blood vessels throughout the body. One effect is a possible increase in blood pressure. In research trials most people showed a minimal increase in blood pressure. Only 3% had a marked increase in blood pressure.
The FDA says that pseudoephedrine is safe when taken as directed. That doesn't mean it's risk free. Over the years, there have been reports of heart attacks, strokes, disturbed heart rhythms, and other cardiovascular problems linked with use of pseudoephedrine.
Phenylephrine has been in nasal sprays such as Neo-Synephrine and Vicks Sinex for years. It never made it big as an oral drug, though. Since it is in the same class of drugs as pseudoephedrine, it carries the same FDA safety rating. Phenylephrine is expected to have similar effects on congestion and the cardiovascular system as pseudoephedrine, but that remains to be seen.
Simple switches
Most people can take an over-the-counter decongestant without a hitch. If you have high blood pressure or heart disease, the American Heart Association recom-mends playing it safe. That means talking with your doctor first, or trying a remedy that doesn't contain a decongestant.
Alternatives are available. In the drug realm, antihistamines such as Benadryl, Chlor-Trimeton, Zyrtec, and Claritin can help with a stuffy nose from a cold and are safe for the heart. The American Heart Association Web site touts the Coricidin HBP line of over-the-counter drugs for people with high blood pressure. Nasal sprays deliver a decongestant and should minimize cardiovascular effects.
If you want to avoid medications altogether, you can try a variety of things to clear your head. Breathe Right nasal strips, and a steamy shower, can relieve congestion. Drinking plenty of hot fluids, keeps mucus moist and flowing.
January 2006 Update | <urn:uuid:eba550d3-5446-4bfc-8da7-d5626d9272c6> | 2 | 2.4375 | 0.100637 | en | 0.93442 | http://www.health.harvard.edu/family_health_guide/dont-let-decongestants-squeeze-your-heart |
Data decomposition
The numerical domain decomposition is described as a Gambit (Fluent) unstructured hexahedral cell mesh, however, the geometrical arrangement in question may allow for a regular data decomposition for parallelisation. Unstructured codes such as CABARET have a potentially high degree of instruction parallelism, but their data accesses requires a large amount of indirection, which increases memory operations for the indexing information and usually results in poor spatial locality and higher latencies for data access. This is not to say that the underlying algorithms will not scale as efficiently to as many cores as a structured grid based scheme would.
Unstructured grids require a list of the connectivity which specifies the way that a given set of apexes form the individual cells (indirect referencing). This is not required in a structured approach since we can usually deal with the local to global references via offsets. The performance of the parallel CABARET code will rely heavily upon an efficient data partitioning. Both in terms of performing the actual decomposition itself and also giving a well load balanced and communication optimized simulation.
Algorithms for finding efficient partitions of unstructured grids must ensure that the number of cells assigned to each processor is roughly the same, and also that the number of adjacent cells assigned to different processors is minimised. The goal of the first condition is to achieve efficient load balancing for the computations among the processors. The second condition ensures that the communication pattern resulting from the placement of adjacent cells to different processors can be optimised.
Phil Ridley 2011-02-01 | <urn:uuid:57d0ccc4-1981-4562-86b0-9ba586af6270> | 2 | 2.171875 | 0.796492 | en | 0.934565 | http://www.hector.ac.uk/cse/distributedcse/reports/cabaret/cabaret/node12.html |
Saturday letters
Published: Saturday, December 7, 2013 at 1:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Friday, December 6, 2013 at 10:58 a.m.
A better rule:
Respect others
Your article on lack of trust in others being on the rise prompted me, as it did an earlier letter writer, to reaffirm my own guiding principle. I do not agree with him, however.
The Golden Rule, shortened to the writer's "do as you would be done by," does not do it for me as a guide to life. It is egocentric, an attitude that interferes with true concern for others. How do we know what the other truly wants? And, given Freud, how do we even know that what we seek for ourselves is healthy and freeing? Well-meaning as we may be, we become controlling and manipulative of others.
No, better guidance comes from Kant: "Do not use another human being as a means to an end. Each person is an end in himself (or herself)." Only with that respect for others can we hope to achieve a civil and truly beneficent society.
Paula G. John
Cigarette litter
I recently read that placing an object, like a marble or a penny, in a jar every day helps you visualize an accomplishment, especially when exercising, eating right or becoming a nonsmoker.
Now, every time my husband and I go to yoga class on Venice Beach, I pick up a seashell to represent our commitment to better health.
For five years, we've gone early to visit with newfound friends to compare notes about shopping, dining, theater experiences or news. This ritual now includes finding a seashell by the seashore.
As we walk toward the water, we notice a significant amount of cigarette butts left behind by thoughtless, inconsiderate smokers.
Unfortunately, smokers were given back their right to smoke on Florida beaches. It did not give them the right to litter, making Venice Beach their personal ashtray.
Each smoking cigarette holds many additives and produces numerous toxins when burnt. Deadly tar and nicotine end up in the cigarette filter discarded on the beach. Besides the obvious filters, what I thought was a piece of coral was actually a pitted, plastic filter.
Most cigarette filters are synthetic now; they'll be sticking around for a long, long time or until some form of animal picks them up.
How utterly careless and irresponsible it was for a smoker to leave it behind.
Sandee Kim Eudy
Shelter skeptic
If you think that building a shelter or two will end Sarasota's homeless problem, you are dead wrong. Construction of the facility will add to our problem.
Having lived in the Washington, D.C., area, I can assure you that half our homeless population will refuse to enter the facility. Many of Washington's homeless refuse to be warehoused even on sub-zero nights. The half that will agree to enter the shelter will be enough to fill it.
What is the city's plan when the shelter fills? Build another? Build two more? If you start to build holding facilities for the homeless, you will never have enough beds and enough staff. What do you do when the homeless have overstayed their welcome? You cannot let them stay there forever. What's the plan?
The sheriff's department is going to check for outstanding warrants; the homeless -- including those with prior police problems -- know that too.
Don't delude the population into thinking that the problem is going to disappear once you construct some multimillion-dollar buildings and hire staff. Homeless people from all over the nation will flock to Sarasota, based on our new facility, our weather and our wealth. Don't let the advocates for the homeless tell you that the problem will be solved if you proceed with the plan. You'll still have homeless in the parks and panhandlers on street corners. The difference is that you will also have a new shelter full of problems that you have no plan to deal with.
Stephen Arnhart
Why Romney
lost to Obama
The argument put forth by a recent letter writer contrasted the importance, to voters, of Mitt Romney's administrative business record versus Barack Obama's likability.
The writer overlooked some decisive criteria used by the voting public resulting in the election and re-election of President Obama.
First, John McCain lost because during his campaign he displayed a lack of administrative decision-making (e.g., his selection of running mate Sarah Palin).
Romney lost, not because of his recognized administrative experience to personally manipulate the relatively unregulated financial free market. Romney lost because, in order to win the Republican nomination, he succumbed to and was stuck with the radical ideology of the far right -- the paranoid fear spit out by talk radio and the Fox media, the anti-women rantings of certain Republicans, the resistance of leftover segregationists from the Old South, the undemocratic financial support from our nation's plutocrats seeking a larger power base to control our economy and, last but not least, the tea party.
Furthermore, Romney insultingly neglected to to recognize the increasing inequality of economic opportunity among the haves, the middle class and the have-nots.
Romney was excellent at flipping businesses and property for personal gain, but when you run for president you can't flip off issues involving the American Dream.
The letter writer was perhaps half-right about criteria when choosing a president, but can our political system select a whole person possessing all that is needed?
James J. Connolly
This story appeared in print on page A16
▲ Return to Top | <urn:uuid:83f87c74-d70f-4173-b42e-e1cb8687aa48> | 2 | 1.875 | 0.074179 | en | 0.957153 | http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20131207/LETTERS/312079999/2265/www.heraldtribune.com?Title=Saturday-letters |
History of the Sioux for kids
Sioux after 1500
Sioux woman
Red Elk Woman, a member of the Sioux
In the 1500s and 1600s AD, Sioux people were still living around the Great Lakes (modern Minnesota); that's where they were in 1667 when they first met French fur traders. But by the 1700s the Sioux (you pronounce it SOO), along with the Cheyenne and the Arapaho, had left their home to live on the Great Plains instead, further west (in modern North and South Dakota and Minnesota).
Sioux hunters
Sioux hunters
The main reason that the Sioux moved to the Great Plains was that beginning in the early 1600s they were pushed out of the Great Lakes area by the Ojibwe and Chippewa people, who had been pushed out of their own land further east by European settlers. The Ojibwe and Chippewa had guns and used them to win battles against the Sioux. Another important factor was that about 1730 the Sioux got horses from the Cheyenne. By 1750 AD, the Sioux turned around and used their horses to push out the Cheyenne and the Kiowa and the Mandan, and hunt buffalo all over the Great Plains.
The Sioux supported the British against the Americans in the Revolutionary War in the late 1700s, but after the war the Sioux made a series of treaties with the Americans.
But by about 1850 AD people realized that this new system of hunting buffalo with horses also had a bad side. Living so far north, where there were long cold snowy winters, it was hard to find enough grass for the horses to eat during the winter. Sioux people found that the horses could survive by eating the bark of cottonwood trees. These trees grew in the valleys alongside rivers, so that's where Sioux people took their horses in the winter.
But that's also where buffalo usually went to spend the winter, protected from the worst of the cold weather and snow. When people and horses were in the valleys, the buffalo were afraid to go there. Many buffalo died from the cold and snow, up on the high plains.
Between the unintended damage to the buffalo herds and the Sioux hunting the buffalo in the summer, by 1850 there were fewer and fewer buffalo around. Also, European people built the first railroad across the Great Plains at this time, which frightened the buffalo and made it hard for them to travel on their usual migration routes. The Sioux began to go hungry.
Sitting Bull
Sitting Bull (Tatanka Iotanka)
Now that the train was coming through, a lot of Europeans wanted to take over the Great Plains for themselves, to farm it. They could grow lots of corn there and ship it back to the East Coast cities on the trains. These Europeans realized that if they killed the rest of the buffalo, the Sioux would have to do whatever the European people wanted, in exchange for food.
So that's what they did. They killed almost all of the buffalo, just leaving them there to rot, and by the 1860s many Sioux had died and the rest were desperate. In 1862, Sioux warriors killed more than 800 Americans in Minnesota. After the Civil War ended in 1865, the United States was happy to send a lot of soldiers West to fight the Sioux (and the Navajo), and things began to get even worse. In 1868, the United States army signed a treaty with the Sioux that said that the United States would never let settlers move into the Black Hills. But when explorers found gold in the Black Hills four years later, the United States broke that treaty. There was a big battle over this - the Battle of the Little Big Horn - and the Sioux won, under their great chief Sitting Bull, killing many United States soldiers including General Custer. But winning the battle didn't help - there still weren't enough buffalo, and there were more and more United States soldiers.
In 1889, many of the Sioux turned to a new Christian idea of the Ghost Dance which they thought would protect them against their enemies. But all that happened was that United States soldiers came and killed Sitting Bull, and more Sioux were killed at Wounded Knee in 1890. By 1900, all Sioux people were living on reservations, under the control of the United States government.
Sioux reservations
A map of Sioux reservations about 2000 AD
During the 1900s, most Sioux lived on a large reservation covering about half of South Dakota and large parts of Nebraska, North Dakota, Wyoming, and Colorado. Many Sioux people still spoke their own language. Sioux people began to farm corn and raise cattle, and to work towards a tourist industry.
Early history of the Sioux people
Sioux before 1500 AD
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On the Dolomite roads with a bicycle!
For the past 25 years, the first Sunday morning in July, more than 9000 cyclists conquer the roads of the Dolomites. Three routes lead through the fascinating scenery of Val Badia and other alpine valley during the most famous amateur competition in Italy. Cyclists choose between the shorter route over the famous 4 mountain passes or the Sellaronda with a length of 55 km and a difference in altitude of 1780 m over Campolongo Pass, Pordoi Pass, Sella Pass and Gardena Pass. The medium route is 106 km long and features a difference in altitude of 3090 m over the Campolongo Pass, Giau Pass and Falzarego Pass. Finally, the long route, the true marathon route is 138 km long with a difference in altitude of 4190 metres. It is however not easy for anyone, as you have to cycle over the summits of the Giro d'Italia, a dream of any cyclist. You need heart, legs and courage, even if you go slowly to enjoy the panoramic views.
2014highly recommended
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"MP3Gain: How can it be possible?", It 's indicated that the gain adjustments are lossless
post Aug 1 2012, 00:35
Post #1
Group: Members
Posts: 19
Joined: 19-December 10
Member No.: 86635
So I've been thinking of trying to write a similar program from scratch and there's one main thing that I don't even understand how it's possible, yet alone done. So as is said, the process MP3Gain uses is lossless. Thinking about it, the only way MP3Gain could work where any player would play back the songs with whatever the target volume was would be if the change is present in the waveform. After MP3Gain is applied, if it weren't obvious from the beginning, in any audio editing software, the gain reduction is clearly visible. I could somewhat understand how the process can be reversed with added value, even if the waveform clips, as the information could still somehow be stored (more easily than the other way around). On the other hand, when taken away, don't you permanently lose the dB that you took from the threshold? As an example, if a song starts with some 6 decibel ambient noise and you reduce the song by 6dB, wouldn't that intro just completely disappear? And if the change is undone, wouldn't you not get any of the data back (unless it's stored) and just make the existing data 6dB louder? If that's the case, it isn't really undoing the changes; it's really just adding the difference in value back between the indicated ReplayGain value and what it is now.
Sorry this was kinda long-winded but the last thing though I'd also like to ask about is clipping. If a track's peak values are clipping by default, reducing the loudness now would be too late, wouldn't it? Wouldn't it be clipping no matter what at this point, contrary to what is indicated? The peaks would be chopped off either way since the structure of the waveform is no longer saved after being finalized. And also, the maximized volume indications don't make sense (has to be turned on in the options). For example, I have a file which ReplayGain indicates peaks at about 1.05 (16-bit = 100.8dB) and yet it's marked that only a 1.5dB reduction would be necessary to get it maximized (the loudest point before clipping - 96dB). Is there something I'm missing?
Thanks guys! Answers to these would be extremely helpful.
PS- A lot of the things here indicate to me that the values, whether over or under, remain as part of the data in the container but just doesn't play back, or rather, clips since it's within the 16-bit parameter.
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post Aug 2 2012, 06:40
Post #2
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Posts: 19
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First of all, I'd just like to say that many of you are underestimating my knowledge and how easy it would be to explain certain things to me, just with a limited number of jargon. Just because you may have learned something first doesn't mean that it's the order someone else may have learned. In other words, just because a certain understanding of facts preceded something else for you doesn't mean that's the only logical way it could make sense. That shouldn't be a factor in the first place in my opinion; this is a forum. What's especially annoying is that many of the remarks have a negative connotation but whatever, I'll ignore that as it is I after all who's seeking for help. I can put up with it as long as it isn't constantly reiterated. You're either willing to educate on the subject matter or you're not.
QUOTE (2Bdecided @ Aug 1 2012, 08:59) *
...with "mp3" in front...
The first thing I did was search this and I actually found a useful link in this very forum: http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index....ic=24527&hl. It's largely stuff I knew for a short while at some point. I can't believe I completely forgot about it all. That still only answers for a bit of my confusion. Anything there though could've easily been explained with about three sentences, but moving on...
QUOTE (pdq @ Aug 1 2012, 09:16) *
I seem to recall that the dynamic range of the mp3 format is in excess of 200 dB. While this is not technically the same as float 32, it is way more than needed in any real world situation.
Edit: The convention is to equate 1.0 with zero dB and anything smaller as negative dB. That way it makes no difference if you are talking about 16 bit integer, 24 bit integer, 32 bit float etc. Full scale for integers is 1.0 = 0 dB, while for float 1.0 is still o dB, it's just not full scale.
Edit2: dB is a logarithmic scale. Multiplying or dividing the amplitude by a factor means adding or subtracting the properly scaled logarithm of the factor to the dB.
Certainly, I mean, the threshold of pain starts as low as around 120dB SPL. The idea should really be so that recordings, when equivocally reproduced at 0dB, sound as loud as the instruments/effects in them would be in real life, or rather, as loud as intended. So anything above 140dB FS shouldn't really even exist and above 130 would really just be unnecessary (though the option for it should exist), so since what you say is actually the case, then yes, MP3 is capable of reproducing more than enough dynamic range. Just for clarification, the global gain field is limited in adjustment to 8-bit integers and each increment relates to ~1.505dB. Wouldn't that mean that it's capable of reproducing a dynamic range of ~383.775dB? Or, is it limited to a 32 bit depth which would be 192dB FS? Lol, I have a feeling that neither is right but I think I'm getting closer. XD
When I saw that the values were represented as 0.xxxxxx-1.xxxxxx, I pretty much instantly realized that the point was to compensate for differences in potential bit depth values. I incorrectly assumed (due to lack of conceptual practice) that it relates to the maximum values of each bit depth so in the case of 16-bit, I was thinking 1.0 = 96dB. As it logically makes sense, it actually relates to 0dB FS in relation to a bit depth value. I don't quite understand "float" beyond possibly an incorrect educated guess that it goes well beyond 192dB if not limitless? <Shrug> That wouldn't make sense though. Doesn't there need to be a cap?
I don't get what 1.05 represents though if it's not relative to 96dB or 144dB or whatever it may be. How is it determined?
QUOTE (db1989 @ Aug 1 2012, 09:24) *
There is no such thing as a 16-bit MP3, as you have already been told.
I understood that the first time. That's why I said within the parameters of 16-bit. An MP3 can be encoded with a 24-bit parameter as well so TO WHATEVER THIS APPLIES TO (as I understand it's not a direct application on the file), when I'm referencing 16-bit, I was already corrected that it's a decoding limitation so that is to what I refer. You can clarify that further for me, as I was asking, or you can patronize me ON A FORUM where people come to inquire for help due to lack of knowledge on a subject. Whichever makes you feel better I guess...
Now, can we keep it cool from here? If you don't feel like answering any of my inquiries because you feel that my knowledge level is way below what is worth your time (however that makes sense), then simply don't respond.
Because 1.0 is an instantaneous point, specifically the maximum, on a waveform with possible amplitudes between -1 and 1, on a linear scale; whereas a decibel is a measure of loudness based on the aggregation of many samples over a period of time, measured logarithmically. A sample at +1 alone does not equal either 96 dB, 0 dB FS, or any other measure of decibels.
Assuming that your reference to 96 dB means dynamic range – rather than, for example, dB SPL, which is not relevant – to have/demonstrate this, the file would need to contain least two waves: one oscillating between 1 and 1, and one between (-1/32768) and (1/32767).
I know the amplitude of a waveform ranges from between 1 and -1. In relation to a bit depth value, 1 does equal to 0dB FS though. I thought that's what it was in relation to, no? If not in relation to anything, then how does it determine if there is clipping at all? EDIT: MJB2006 mentioned the values which it relates to.
I of course didn't mean 96dB SPL as that's obviously not relevant; not sure why it was necessary to even go there besides in a false attempt to put yourself on higher grounds. I however admit (no reason why I shouldn't or should not have admitted anything else) that I don't understand why the second wave is necessary and how or why this would be true. How could I when things are just randomly thrown out there without explanation? Should I go look that up as well - anything I don't know which is mentioned? That's the premise under which I came here in the first place.
Again, linear vs. logarithmic. Without intending offence, considering this and the fact that you don’t know what the time and frequency domains are, it’s probably time to do some background reading before continuing with this thread.
Linear vs. logarithmic - got it. I just restated my thoughts and was asking what would be the correct way to go about understanding this. You get much more from a simple explanation from interaction and experience than you do from an irrelevant three chapters in a book to get to (if even) one relevant statement, all of which will be forgotten without actual application and/or practice.
QUOTE (saratoga @ Aug 1 2012, 11:06) *
MP3s do not have an associated number of bits, or even any specific precision at all. Number of bits is a property of PCM, which MP3 is definitely not.
Ok, but MP3s can be told to limit the decoding of it to 16-bit PCM; is that not true? If it is, then regarding this specifically, that's what I meant even if I didn't initially understand correctly. If that's in fact not true, then what does the 16-bit parameter in an MP3 file indicate then?..
Sigh... Like I've never been there and not more than once even...
This is the equivalent of you asking somewhere about a question which has something to do with gradients which you conceptually understand just not practically and I link you this: go ahead, click this...
Your first response was genuine and it was appreciated; try not to feel like you're on a battle front and that you need to affiliate with the group mindset.
This isn't something you can learn from an internet forum. You'll need a textbook.
You're assuming too much about me and in general. I'm sure if I understood what those terms were about, I'd easily be able to explain it to somebody with a simple response and expand further on things they might further not understood. Past a certain point I guess it would be fair to say that it's up to them to make any further connections. In this case here, I don't think the line has even been anywhere near reached. There is such a thing as a "bad teacher" you know. Not only that but the better the teacher, the simpler and better he/she could explain more complicated things.
This post has been edited by Typhoon859: Aug 2 2012, 07:29
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post Aug 2 2012, 16:05
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QUOTE (Typhoon859 @ Aug 2 2012, 01:40) *
You're assuming too much about me and in general.
Yes, it seems I was mistaken to assume you were serious. Now I see you're happy with what you already know, and its pointless to answer your questions.
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Posts in this topic
- Typhoon859 "MP3Gain: How can it be possible?" Aug 1 2012, 00:35
- - greynol You appear to assume that mp3 data is 16-bit integ... Aug 1 2012, 00:50
|- - 2Bdecided QUOTE (greynol @ Aug 1 2012, 00:50) I rec... Aug 1 2012, 13:59
- - saratoga QUOTE (Typhoon859 @ Jul 31 2012, 19:35) I... Aug 1 2012, 02:25
|- - greynol Since we're not dealing with power, a ~0.2dB i... Aug 1 2012, 03:30
|- - saratoga QUOTE (greynol @ Jul 31 2012, 22:30) Sinc... Aug 1 2012, 15:01
- - Typhoon859 Right, so, there evidently seems to be a lot I don... Aug 1 2012, 13:24
|- - db1989 QUOTE (Typhoon859 @ Aug 1 2012, 13:24) In... Aug 1 2012, 14:24
|- - saratoga QUOTE (Typhoon859 @ Aug 1 2012, 08:24) Re... Aug 1 2012, 16:06
- - pdq I seem to recall that the dynamic range of the mp3... Aug 1 2012, 14:16
- - mjb2006 QUOTE (Typhoon859 @ Jul 31 2012, 17:35) i... Aug 1 2012, 19:31
- - Typhoon859 First of all, I'd just like to say that many o... Aug 2 2012, 06:40
|- - saratoga QUOTE (Typhoon859 @ Aug 2 2012, 01:40) QU... Aug 2 2012, 16:05
- - Typhoon859 QUOTE (mjb2006 @ Aug 1 2012, 14:31) If yo... Aug 2 2012, 06:45
|- - 2Bdecided QUOTE (Typhoon859 @ Aug 2 2012, 06:45) Wh... Aug 2 2012, 11:53
- - halb27 A short explanation of mp3 technology in the entir... Aug 2 2012, 10:20
- - db1989 QUOTE (Typhoon859 @ Aug 2 2012, 06:40) QU... Aug 2 2012, 11:05
- - [JAZ] @Typhoon859: You should read again your posts, and... Aug 2 2012, 13:03
|- - [JAZ] QUOTE ([JAZ] @ Aug 2 2012, 14:03)... Aug 2 2012, 17:38
|- - alanofoz QUOTE ([JAZ] @ Aug 3 2012, 03:38)... Aug 3 2012, 02:52
- - greynol You're saying full scale is not maximum amplit... Aug 3 2012, 04:51
|- - alanofoz QUOTE (greynol @ Aug 3 2012, 14:51) You... Aug 3 2012, 23:50
|- - [JAZ] QUOTE (alanofoz @ Aug 4 2012, 00:50) QUOT... Aug 4 2012, 10:55
- - [JAZ] The signal to noise ratio is the difference betwee... Aug 3 2012, 09:54
- - 2Bdecided I think we scared him off. Interesting how, on a ... Aug 3 2012, 09:58
|- - skamp QUOTE (2Bdecided @ Aug 3 2012, 10:58) Int... Aug 3 2012, 10:11
|- - 2Bdecided QUOTE (skamp @ Aug 3 2012, 10:11) QUOTE (... Aug 3 2012, 10:51
|- - Destroid QUOTE (2Bdecided @ Aug 3 2012, 10:51) Ser... Aug 3 2012, 11:17
|- - bandpass QUOTE (2Bdecided @ Aug 3 2012, 10:51) The... Aug 3 2012, 11:31
- - Destroid Actually, I hope this person is still lurking and ... Aug 3 2012, 10:50
- - greynol Allow me to throw another reason into the mix as t... Aug 3 2012, 15:36
- - alanofoz Hmmm... I re-read my post and didn't think it ... Aug 5 2012, 01:53
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RSS Lo-Fi Version Time is now: 5th March 2015 - 05:37 | <urn:uuid:700d32a7-66b8-4aad-9437-4f3b009ddbcf> | 2 | 1.539063 | 0.151851 | en | 0.954343 | http://www.hydrogenaud.io/forums/index.php?showtopic=96284&pid=804088&mode=threaded&start= |
Mozilla unveils debugger that works like a VCR
Debugging is nobody's favorite part of programming, and the larger and more complex the app, the more difficult the debug job. Worse, some bugs can't seem to be reproduced in a predictable way, but buzz out often enough to be a disaster.
Mozilla's new debugger, called Rr, was devised to address this problem. Originally written to aid with the debugging of Firefox, the program works by recording an application's execution, as one might record a TV program, then replaying the recording -- which can be single-stepped, reversed, and so on -- and using that playback to perform the debugging deterministically.
"The memory layout is always the same [for the recorded program]," says Mozilla. "The addresses of objects don't change, register values are identical, syscalls return the same data, etc."
Aside from making difficult-to-reproduce bugs easier to track down, Mozilla claims Rr can make the entire debugging cycle less painful. For instance, when combined with fuzzers, the programmer can see in detail how the fuzzed input causes a problem. Large projects -- like Firefox -- with a large roster of unit tests can have any individual failures generated by those tests sifted out and debugged on their own.
Mozilla claims the total amount of performance overhead introduced by using Rrr is relatively small, with slowdowns of around 1.25 to 3 times normal execution speed, with most of the slowdowns at around a factor of 1.2. The company claims Rr could in theory be made faster, but this degree of slowdown is more than acceptable for the work done with it.
Since Rr is a newly minted project -- currently a 1.0 release -- it's limited in many ways. The single biggest limitations are platform and architecture: It only debugs 32-bit Linux x86 processes, although a port to x86-64 is promised in the future. There's no word yet about whether Rr could be ported to Windows, but odds are it would require some major reworking. Haswell CPUs aren't supported yet, and ports to ARM are currently out of the question, since Mozilla claims that ARM processors don't have the needed performance counter features to support the program.
Also, Rr can only emulate a single core, so any programs with bugs that arise from multicore parallelism probably won't be debuggable with Rr. The same goes for programs that use shared memory, since Rr can't record anything outside of the process it's capturing.
Mozilla has released Rr under an MIT-like license, with the source available at GitHub.
This story, "Mozilla unveils debugger that works like a VCR," was originally published at Get the first word on what the important tech news really means with the InfoWorld Tech Watch blog. For the latest developments in business technology news, follow on Twitter.
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Step 1: Get supplies
You will need:
1 Gameboy Advance (the original one not the SP or Micro)
1 Solar Panel (from garden lights)
1 Switch (optional yet recomended)
1 Diode (definatly NOT optional)
1 Voltage Regulator (only optional if your solar panel can't give out more than 6 volts)
A little bit of spare wire
Step 2: Put the small parts together
Picture of Put the small parts together
Attach them in a series going:
Switch -> Diode (make sure electricty flows from the switch to the regulator) -> Voltage Regulator
Step 3: Attach the new series to positive terminals
Picture of Attach the new series to positive terminals
Connect the end with the switch to the solar panel.
Next, connect the end with the voltage regulator to the Gameboy.
Make sure both are on positive terminals
Solder works best!
Step 4: Connect grounds
Connect both the negitive terminal and the top of the voltage regulator to any ground on the device. You can use the negative terminal on the Gameboy for the best ground
Step 5: Insert batteries
Get Ni-Cd (Nickle-Cadium) batteries. These are the only ones that will work in this circuit. You can just put them in the old Gameboy battery compartment.
Step 6: Let your Gameboy charge in the sun
Flip the switch and set it in the window to let it charge. Most solar lights won't give you enough power to let the Gameboy work without batteries so it's best to let the solar panel just charge the batteries.
Congrats, your all done (and I just finished my first instructable). Go and celebrate.
Madrias3575 years ago
You don't just have to use NiCD batteries: I've charged NiMH batteries with this type of setup.
andrew937 years ago
where did you buy that solar panel? i'm looking for a big one but all i found is a small one!!
bmlbytes (author) andrew937 years ago
1. This is a very small solar panel
2. I didn't buy it. It came out of solar garden lights
3. Try ebay | <urn:uuid:fffc6218-fef7-4e19-8a42-ade176385916> | 2 | 1.898438 | 0.018714 | en | 0.872753 | http://www.instructables.com/id/Solar-Gameboy-Advance/step6/Let-your-Gameboy-charge-in-the-sun/ |
Lion economies
DEFINITION of 'Lion economies'
A nickname given to Africa's growing economies, which had a collective GDP of $1.6 trillion in 2008, close to Russia's or Brazil's. Key sectors contributing to Africa's collective GDP growth include natural resources, retail, agriculture, finance, transportation and telecommunications. Improvements in political stability and economic reforms have aided growth. (For more, see: Why You Should Pay Attention To Africa Right Now.)
The International Monetary Fund estimates that sub-Saharan Africa’s economies will grow by 5.4% in 2014 and by 5.8% percent in 2015. Nigeria’s economy, Africa’s largest, could grow at about 7.1% a year through 2030, according to McKinsey & Co.
As big as Africa's collective GDP is and as fast as it's growing, Africa-only mutual funds or ETFs are rare. The sole continent-wide ETF, the GDP-weighted Market Vectors Africa ETF (AFK), invests in South Africa (22%), Nigeria (18%), Egypt (17%), Morocco (9%) and Kenya (2%).
See also: Tiger Economy; Tiger Cub Economies; Celtic Tiger; Four Asian Tigers; and other 'tiger' variants.
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A colloquial term that refers to a number of cities in central ...
2. Nordic Tiger
A colloquial term for the Scandinavian nation of Iceland. Prior ...
3. Tatra Tiger
A nickname or colloquial term for the central European nation ...
4. Gulf Tiger
5. Baltic Tiger
6. Tiger Cub Economies
The four Southeast Asian economies of Indonesia, Malaysia, the ...
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Working Reserves
DEFINITION of 'Working Reserves'
Reserves held by banks above the required minimum level - or cash reserve ratio - mandated by regulations and laws. Working reserves are normally in the form of vault currency, deposits at other banks, cash being collected and excess reserves held as deposits at the Federal Reserve bank. Banks typically hold a buffer of working reserves to avoid their reserves falling below the minimum required level due to large net withdrawals.
Banks hold an optimum level of working reserves since inadequate working reserves would lead to avoidable interest penalties on borrowed reserves. On the other hand, an excessively high level of working reserves would mean foregoing substantial interest income on customer loans.
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The Province of Munster (Mumhain)
Munster is the most southern of the provinces, consisting of counties Clare, Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary and Waterford. Its name derives from a pre-Christian goddess, Muma. Like the other provinces of Leinster and Ulster, the full English name incorporates the original Gaelic, together with the Norman suffix "-ster", which is related to the modern French terre, meaning "land".
In the divisions used before the arrival of the Normans, the province was divided into two, the northern kingdom of Thomond and the southern kingdom of Desmond, with the border running through the Slieve Luachra mountains. For centuries the Munster Eoghanachta dynasties - later to acquire such surnames as McCarthy, O'Sullivan and O'Connell - fought intermittent wars with the high kings based in Leinster, and with the O'Briens. After the coming of the Normans their power waned and the Butler and Fitzgerald families dominated the north and south of the province respectively.
Apart from the large towns of Cork, Waterford and Limerick, in the nineteenth century Munster was still a predominantly rural region, with a wide variation in prosperity, from the relatively fertile and wealthy areas of south Tipperary and east Cork, to the bare subsistence levels along the Atlantic coast in south Kerry and west Cork. It was these latter areas that suffered most in the Famine itself and in the great emigrant depopulation which followed. | <urn:uuid:8356abc3-3464-459c-a5fa-beb2a1bfb8b1> | 3 | 2.9375 | 0.034326 | en | 0.95034 | http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/browse/counties/munster/index.htm |
SQL Statement Execution
The purpose of this part of the guide is to provide some information on how the DP4 SQL Engine executes SQL statements, so that developers have the best chance of writing statements in the most efficient form. You must not develop your system in such a way as to rely on the DP4 SQL Engine executing statements in a particular way: wherever possible we will seek to improve the SQL Engine by adding new optimisations, which may mean the database is accessed in a different way.
The code of the SQL Engine is very complex. When a particular statement is being compiled the Engine may transform the statement in many ways to reduce the number of accesses to the database to the minimum and to minimise the amount of extra work it has to undertake, for example to sort records. These transformations take the form of scoring the various parts of the statement in various ways, to determine which to execute first. It is very difficult to explain these transformations in simple terms, especially for the SELECT statement. In case of doubt use the AUXDEBUG ADC to discover exactly how a statement is executed.
The following explanations mention various flags from time to time:
Before considering the SELECT statement the other statements are briefly considered.
An INSERT statement will be executed by a call to rec_fectch_main(EQUAL). If there is a matching record, then the INSERT will fail, unless the table is auto-increment. If a table is auto-increment any call to INSERT will result in a call to rec_autoinc() followed by a call to rec_post_with_flags() specifying either CHECK_PARENT, if omit_checks is not set, or NO_CHECK if it is.
If the go faster flag is set then the record is not fetched initially, and the INSERT may erroneously update an existing record. Therefore,when go faster is set, INSERT statements are only safe on auto-increment tables .
For an explanation of how UPDATE reads the records it will update, see the explanation of the WHERE clause for the SELECT statement.
The updating done by UPDATE statements is executed by a call to rec_post_with_flags specifying the UPDATE_ONLY flag. This will cause a commit failure at the next COMMIT WORK if the record does not exist. If the omit_checks flag is not set the CHECK_PARENT and CHECK_CHANGE flags are also specified.
If an UPDATE statement changes the primary key of the record, it works differently:
1. First a check is done to see that there is currently no record with this primary key. If there is then the UPDATE fails
2. Next the existing record is deleted, specifying flags to rec_kill as for a DELETE statement.
3. The new record is posted, as though for an update, but omitting the UPDATE_ONLY flag.
For an explanation of how DELETE reads the records it will update, see the explanation of the WHERE clause for the SELECT statement.
When deleting records the flags are specified as follows:
The processing of the SELECT statement can be extremely complex, especially where there are several joins. The goal of the SQL Engine is to produce the correct result set for a query with the least amount of database access through query optimisation. In practice this goal is not always currently achieved, as there are some optimisations which could be performed but which are not. Queries more complicated than the optimiser can deal with may well be executed in a fairly inefficient manner.
WHERE Clause Optimisation
The remarks in this section also apply to ON clauses in SQL2 joins. ON clauses are treated as though they were ANDed with the WHERE clause.
The optimisations performed by DP4 SQL are mainly concerned with identifying the best index to use for reading a table, and reading as few records as possible from a table. For any table in a query the whole table will be read unless an index can be found with N keys for which keys 1 through M, 1 ≤ M ≤ N, there is a condition on the keyfield of the form fieldname=expression or expression=value (where expression is an arbitrary expression that evaluates to a result of the apppropriate type (perhaps even a subquery). What is more there must not be any OR which would allow these fields to take other values. It is much better to issue two queries without an OR than to this query:
select * from orderheader where ordernumber=1 or ordernumber=10000
An alternative, which is optimised, would be to use a UNION of two subqueries.
Important possible classes of optimisation are not performed. For example there is no optimisation which uses start and stop points for searching where BETWEEN, or IN clauses are used, nor of LIKE or MAX searches. Such optimisations will be added as time, resources and general usefulness permit. However many potential optimisations are extremely complex in the general case. Compared with earlier releases the current version of DP4 SQL will optimise many computer generated or modified queries better. Some software has a habit of fully parenthesising all expressions (or predicates to use the official jargon), and prior to the release 4.521/4.617 DP4 SQL gave up trying to optimise when it encountered such parentheses.
To clarify, here are some examples:
Where there are multiple optimisable predicates in the WHERE clause, and there are several candidate indexes, the SQL Engine will pick an index according to one of various rules.
ORDER BY and GROUP BY clauses can both affect the index used for queries, but only if the compilation of the WHERE clause had not already caused an index to be selected.
The use of DISTINCT on a column may also require the SQL Engine to sort data, and according to internal documenation also affects the choice of index. However, this does not appear to be the case currently.
Optimisation of Joins
So far we have considered only queries on a single table. A very important part of optimisation is concerned with optimising the number of fetches required to construct the result set of joins. You may find it helpful to refer to SQL Joins, which is adapted from information previously published on the DP4 User group. This explains how joins are constructed, and introduces some of the issues involved in optimising join construction.
The basic example of a join is the following:
select ordernumber,line from orderheader, orderline where order_header.ordernumber=order_line.ordernumber
which can also be written as:
select ordernumber,line from orderheader join orderline on order_header.ordernumber=order_line.ordernumber
There are two possible efficient schemes for performing this query:
Depending on other aspects of the SELECT statement the SQL Engine may use either of these strategies. In fact for the query as written here the SQL Engine will use the first strategy. If the order of the table names was interchanged it would use the second strategy.
The choice of strategy may be influenced by the type of join used, and by the WHERE clause. This will be illustrated by some examples.
Where more than two tables are read in a single select statement the current SQL engine can occasionally make very poor decisions about the best order to read the tables in. From version 4.523 you can control the order tables are read in, and therefore force the query to be executed in a more efficient way.
Strategies for writing efficient SQL
Some implementations of SQL allow a programmer to supply hints to the SQL Engine as to how a query should be executed. It is reasonable to do this, because as the relatively simple example above shows there is sometimes no absolutely right way to execute a query. In many cases the best strategy will be different depending on the relative number of records in the tables concerned. The DP4 SQL Engine did not support hints until release 4.523. The hint syntax used by DP4 may affect portability of your SQL to some extent - it will cause problems if your SQL engine does not accept C style comments (an extension invented by Oracle). Although SQL has some powerful features, it also has many glaring gaps, of which this is one of the most prominent (another being the impossibility of simply fetching one record in a particular direction relative to one you know about already).
The most important thing to do is to keep statements simple. In many cases there is no particular reason to generate a hugely complex query. If you are accessing the DP4 SQL Engine from a C/C++ program, or indeed any sufficiently powerful language, using either ODBC or pipes to SQLEXE, then you can probably write your own code to combine results from several simpler queries in an appropriate manner.
Other than this, the only real influence you have over the execution of the statement is the order tables are listed in. The first listed table is the least likely to be read multiple times. Therefore you should put the table for which reading repeatedly would be most inefficient first in the list of tables and join other tables from that one, and whenever possible ensure that tabels are listed in an order which will allow efficient use of indexes. If you use the /*DP4SQL O0*/ compiler hint mentioned in the next section the SQL Engine will not change the order of your tables at all, and you can experiment with ordering the tables in different ways to get the best performance.
The order of predicates in a WHERE clause, and the order of expressions on either side of a comparison has no effect on the efficiency of your SQL in DP4.
Compiler Hints
From version 4.523 you can affect the optimisation behaviour of the SQL Engine to some extent, by using a compiler hint that takes the form of a C style comment. (It might be considered better to use an ANSI or ODBC escape syntax, but the comment syntax has the merit that it can be placed anywhere in the SQL statement and is syntactically independent of it). The compiler hint takes the following form:
/* DP4SQL optionvalue... */
The value will always be a single digit. Currently the only options are O to specify how to reorder the tables in a multi table SELECT, and I to specify how to choose the indexes to be used. For example the comment /* DP4SQL O0*/ will force the SQL Engine to access tables in the exact order specified in the FROM clause of a SELECT. You can specify a default value for the O and I options in the [SQLLIB] section of the DP4 Configuration file. Specify a value for the O option by adding a line of the form table_sort=n. Specify a value for the I option by adding a line of the form table_index=n.
The meanings of the various values for the options are given in the table below:
Option Value Meaning
O 0 The tables are accessed in exactly the order specified in the FROM clause
O 1 The tables are reordered so that where possible tables which are used for grouped or higher precedence sorted fields are accessed earliest. It is not possible to reorder tables where one or other is outer joined.
O 2 The tables are reordered so that tables which are mentioned most often in the WHERE clause are accessed first. Tables mentioned equally often are sorted so that where possible (not outer joined) tables which are used for grouped or higher precedence sorted fields are accessed earliest.
O 3 The tables are reordered so that where possible child tables are accessed before parent tables that are mentioned in a condition, and otherwise those which are mentioned most often in the WHERE clause are accessed first. Tables mentioned equally often are sorted so that where possible tables which are used for grouped or sorted fields are accessed earliest.
I 0 All tables are accessed using the prime index
I 1 Tables are accessed using the first index where the total number of keyfields minus the number of leading keys specified by a predicate is as small as possible.
I 2 Tables are accessed using the prime index if all its keys are specified by predicates, or the first index encountered that has the largest leading subset of its keys specified by a predicate.
There should only be at most one hint for each option in a statement. Each hint option applies on a global level to the whole statement - you cannot use multiple hints to force different behaviours on different tables. | <urn:uuid:b86c4672-0d10-489d-8fae-385a0935e65e> | 3 | 3.234375 | 0.314051 | en | 0.906243 | http://www.itimdp4.com/manpages/SQL/SQL_Implementation.htm |
Narratives Essential to Renewable Energy & Sustainable Business
picture-4 These pages, at various junctures ranging from an institutional history of the TVA in relation to sustainable business to examinations of a particular industry such as coal to a deconstruction of the meaning and utility of a common trope about common carbon energy forms now in use, have oriented readers to the way that established forces in favor of present modes of energy production exist in complex interplay with two distinct primary pathways to coming energy transitions.
Today, in a way that again undertakes to show the pervasive and potent role of mediated expression, again in relation to the Southern Appalachian's leading indigenous energy source--which is to say, coal, THC takes readers on a tour of the gritty, vile, and murderous legacy from which the mining of coal has developed.
John Sayles' mastery of the medium blesses our journey, but, as was often his approach, history is the fundamental guide, the muse that contextualizes--that absolutely must for the foundation for-- any rational study and comprehension of this seamy dark tale of America.
Prior to reexamining, with slightly different and additional detail added to the mix, the history and political economic reality of coal in Appalachia, or to pondering the heart-wrenching venality of capital and government that transpired in Central West Virginia, and the heroic struggle of men and women who stood together in solidarity in spite of that vicious assault on human rights, this humble correspondent intends to provide some threads with which to put a different spin on the fabric of this yarn.
In the first place, THC asks readers to consider the earliest introduction to his work, in which he wrote, "Energy consists of three sorts of increases in human capacity beyond that in our bodies alone: the first drives machinery that has brought us a world of plenty; the second produces either process heat---anything from cooking to the necessity of speeding up reactions at paper mills--or the ability to warm water or ourselves; the third involves any current of energy---now overwhelmingly electricity---that we use for comfort, light, entertainment or otherwise."
These down-to-earth formulations, today, call forth both other earthy responses and more difficult sorts of ideation. Readers may follow along apace.
William Kinsella represents a certain sort of intellectual development. Arcane language, references to seemingly iconic but overwhelmingly inaccessible texts, and a general disposition to convey a sense of conversation among the cognescenti abound in his writing. But what he says is exceedingly useful to those who would ground themselves in how science, technology, and energy function in shaping social and political possibility.
"The terms “big science” and “big technology” signify pervasive and characteristic phenomena within the contemporary social order. ... a mode of activity that combines well-established, modernist goals of knowledge production with more recent forms of organization. The organizational forms of big science involve complex, long-term, costly projects conducted by large communities of researchers, support staff, and administrators, rather than by individual actors or small groups. ...(T)his modality increasingly represents what science means to scientists, sponsors of science, the public, and those who study science from academic or policy perspectives. ...(L)arger disciplinary networks...inform their projects and practices. Concepts of “'social epistemology,' 'epistemic communities,' or 'superorganisms' capture some of these features of big science and suggest implications for epistemic agency."
What Kinsella--and he is only one of thousands of thinkers doing this--is pointing out is that the 'knowledge' that moves social decision-making forward about technical matters more and more appears as if given-from-on-high. These networks of 'knowledge-creation' leave no room for citizen commentary, let alone participation in development of policy or construction of specific implementations of policy.
Second, readers ought to be able to apprehend that all such matters of energy usage--involving interwoven strings of resource extraction, power production, electricity consumption, and more, all inevitably involve a polarization of the local and the global. This flows from the above observation in a way that should be obvious. The folks from the street-corner cannot really speak to the issues, and the perquisites of corporations larger than nation-states rule the conversation.
One question that develops from this concerns the potential for communities to network in such a fashion that local empowerment is possible without completely gutting the seeming irresistible impetus to centralized production and management. While this is precisely what THC has argued again and again, particularly in regard to that little engine that could in Vermont, evidence of such thinking regularly appears in different contexts.
One group from Appalachia is exceeding clear about this. "'Think globally, act locally.' More and more, it takes a region, a 'community of communities' to solve problems experienced locally. This blog is an exploration of emerging 'regional communities' and the 'regional intelligence' that brings them together. 'Community precedes cooperation.' This is my thesis. It comes from over 35 years of working for regional cooperation. Communities routinely manage competition." This would make Lou Zellar or Mike Ewall beam; even if they are not directly involved, their models show up here for anyone who can see straight.
Finally, redolent of both Wendell Berry and Don Harris, this humble correspondent would make the argument that these issues inevitably bring up issues very close to the center of the human condition indeed, right at the belly of the beast, as it were. Wendell Berry himself, once more, incisively and a little chillingly, asks readers to ponder this disconnect among food, farms, land, and energy.
"Now that the issue of sustainability has arisen so urgently...we can see that the correct agricultural agenda following World War II would have been to ...refine the already established connection between our farms and the sun and to correct, where necessary, the fertility deficit. There can be no question, now, that that is what we should have done. It was, notoriously, not what we did. Instead, the adopted agenda called for a shift from the cheap, clean, and, for all practical purposes, limitless energy of the sun to the expensive, filthy, and limited energy of the fossil fuels. It called for the massive use of chemical fertilizers to offset the destruction of topsoil and the depletion of natural fertility. It called also for the displacement of nearly the entire farming population and the replacement of their labor and good farming practices by machines and toxic chemicals. This agenda has succeeded in its aims, but to the benefit of no one and nothing except the corporations that have supplied the necessary machines, fuels, and chemicals-and the corporations that have bought cheap and sold high the products that, as a result of this agenda, have been increasingly expensive for farmers to produce."
Developing, as folks shall soon see, from roots much earthier and more nakedly violent than what takes place in the hyper-mediated and apparently sterile, neutral public and technical environs that prevail today, these skeins of treachery and courage and resistance and betrayal and upheaval that marked coal's growth as the twentieth century grew toward its middle years have in fact yielded the sorts of analytical forms that currently hold sway.
Before THC departs this article, he hopes to permit readers to see that--despite apparent bright articulations of expertise and empirical necessity that emanate from the corps of technicians who make policy today--the same warp and woof of class conflict that characterized Blair Mountain, West Virginia ninety years ago, continue in force to this moment. Part of the process of achieving a more democratic energy policy, support for renewable energy, or promoting sustainable business, in fact, depends on this comprehension of class dynamics and social dialectic in all aspects of energy, no matter the seeming mathematical perfection of the surface appearance.
Almost certainly, most readers whose normal disposition would be to consider themselves advocates of 'corporate social responsibility' or 'sustainable business,' whatever those catch-phrases mean in a particular context of use, would bridle at the idea that studying such matters depended almost completely on a clear comprehension of labor history. Nonetheless, the dependency is, at least given an acceptance of rationality, one hundred per cent accurate.
The demonstration of this point is actually relatively easy. First of all comes the admission that 'joint-stock-corporations,' the parent of today's statutory corporate procedure, and its progeny have all existed for one primary purpose in terms of utility--to carry on a course of business activity; and another primary purpose in terms of stockholder equity--maximization of profit. That's a sum total.
Second, agreement to the following fact necessarily follows from the world's being a place of cause and effect. Should all aspects of the production and profit functions of a specific corporate animal be operating at any sort of acceptable level--i.e., nothing dire threatens either the creation and distribution of product or the profitability of such activities--the chances approach zero that it will concern itself with CSR or sustainable business. Such developments always entail some problem, issue, or conflict that the corporate body is experiencing.
Third, upon examination of both the logic of capital and the history of capitalism, every expression of such problems, conflicts, or issues--global warming, environmental degradation, child labor, sweatshop practices, predatory competitive practices, and on and on and on and on, ad infinitum--relate to, stem from, or intertwine inextricably with the basic dialectic of capital, the conflict between worker and owner. No corporate form can legally evolve otherwise, inasmuch as fiduciary responsibility necessitates the greatest profit possible.
Once this is clear, gentle readers will note, quod et demonstratum, THC has proven his original point, inasmuch as labor history, detailing a working class existence central to which is the class conflict from one expression or other of which flows a bearing of the burden of CSR and such, now obviously underlies any explication of this assumption of an unwelcome business burden. Examining the history of labor conflict and coal has a lot to do with present notions of appropriate technology, sustainable business, and so forth.
Now THC is well aware that another view is possible. Corporations might increase profits vis-a-vis a building up of goodwill, branding themselves as the defenders of right and honor, and all other manner of hypothetical possibilities. Were we to inhabit a hypothetical world, such POV's would be worthy of attention. In the actual world, such a model has practically zero predictive or empirical validity, however, so onward to the labor history of coal we go.
A single source can often provide such a 'balanced and accurate overview' that a reader might well stop right there. Although it only touches the the most obvious points, an Appalachian blog makes accessible much of the way that Appalachia's history intermixes with the history of coal-mining.
On the other hand, even a bit more research, as for example an early twentieth century obituary of an industrial family's scion who opportunistically leads the way in the development of an industry, shows the multilayered sorts of developments that make up this as-yet untold overall tale of how the mining of coal impelled and paralleled the rise of the United States.
One way of examining this vast, complex, exciting, innovative, secretive, murderous, and prototypically capitalist industry breaks it into five time periods, two of which are completely beyond the focus of today's article, which is John Sayles' feature film. So much remains to explore and explicate, but as a way of viewing this history, such a five part division can help.
The early period, which actually begins in the early-to-mid eighteenth century, continues until the Civil War, more or less. During this time, markets for coal are almost exclusively local, mining itself takes place, for the most part, along waterways that have exposed deposits, and the labor of extraction depends primarily on men and boys, with some assistance from horses and mules.
While many of the current regions that produce much of America's underground coal, such as Western Virginia as early as 1817, had begun to produce coal during this period, technical skill did not permit the extraction of coal given geographical challenges. Thus, only the river valleys permitted mining, as in Paducah Kentucky, or along the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers and their tributaries. Small operations were overwhelmingly predominant, and although grueling and dangerous, the industry did not snuff out lives by the hundreds.
The next period, though on occasion earlier operations show some more industrialized characteristics, dates from roughly the end of the Civil War to the last decade of the nineteenth century, more or less. Two factors played key roles in this technically. The first was the invention of dynamite, which primarily supported mining and civil engineering projects that required removing large amounts of earth and rock, or digging into it.
The second element of the rise of mechanized deep mining was the growth of steel. Of course, both the chemical experimentation of Nobel and others that produced copious new ways to blow things up, and the multiple innovations in steel processes that grew geometrically from the mid-nineteenth century onward, in turn connected with the capacity to extract and ship coal.
What almost all standard annals overlook in these varied technical melanges, however, is the way that 'labor problems' drove innovation, and the concomitant increases in productivity. Already, in the coal towns of Appalachia and elsewhere, these processes had begun to manifest themselves in the final decades of the 1800's.
Sometimes, all of these factors--new technologies, huge upgrades in output, and vicious class-battles between owners and miners--all go hand in glove. Such a case defined the inception of this second phase in one of the world's most important coal fields, the anthracite mines of Northeastern Pennsylvania, where low sulfur and relatively accessible deposits that were ideal for metallurgical applications mushroomed production in the second half of the nineteenth century.
The "Molly Maguires" phenomena in the anthracite mining districts--in which pro-union terrorists committed murder and mayhem, in retrospect turn out to resemble propaganda campaigns that such large scale mine operators as Charles Gowen carried out to criminalize and otherwise intimidate organizing efforts. Some of the miners hung for 'crimes' in these cases received pardons, well after they had hung from their necks until dead.
The third period includes the events depicted in John Sayles' film, "Matewan," and runs more or less to the beginning of WWII, or even later, depending on how one analyzes the social, technical, and economic processes of mining. In this interval, the introduction of rails, of electrical conveyance, and of equipment to amplify the striking power of the gritty miner began to appear and became increasingly common.
Overwhelmingly, without even a hint of equivocation or doubt, this humble correspondent can deduce several important points about the mining of coal, the initial two of which are relatively benign and uncontroversial, though often overlooked for all of that. First, colliers define the induction of the industrial epoch, especially of course in the creation of a relatively cheap source of steam. Second, nearly every sort of mechanized complexity that an observer might take as 'modern' stems from, or has inextricable ties to, the mining and use of coal. The same sorts of things apply to petrochemicals generally, as well, but coal definitely came first, and arguably led the way.
Third, and most clearly, though almost never put this way in 'standard' assessments of the industry and its impacts on society, mining has evinced the most vicious, visceral, almost primordial expressions of class conflict. In relation to current questions about energy policy, jobs, sustainable business, and other topics of particular interest to JustMeans readers, this connection of coal's history to class conflict is especially noteworthy. Reform, and 'business better' in such cases, thereby flows from the bedrock nature of capitalism in ways that one might otherwise ignore or misinterpret.
Appalachian history, in particular, connects to coal's hideous history of murder and mayhem. In lopsided fashion, the initiation of and benefiting from violence flow from the top down, exactly opposite of the characterization that flowed out of the above-mentioned 'Molly Maguire' incidents.
While scores and scores of commentaries make this point now--that owners were corrupt, aggressively and even murderously violent, and completely dishonest in their dealings with labor and the 'public,' such narratives largely allow this interpretation by looking at particular cases instead of at the trend of the coal industry and capitalism generally. This humble correspondent, however, insists on making the general point, though, anomalously, few other monographs of recent vintage have done this.
For an ineluctably authentic vocalization of this indictment, one can turn to such a source as the Autobiography of Mother Jones, "the miner's angel" who regularly risked life and limb both to bring organizing assistance to the benighted and to distribute the collier's message to a wider audience. For more than three decades, her calm wit documents THC's point about coal mining and class conflict.
*In 1891, she helped strikers in Virginia and showed a keen appreciation of the way that judicial and administrative forces had decidedly mixed feelings about their almost universally siding with the owners;
*In1899, near Arnot, Pennsylvania, militant women led strikers to victory when they drove off the mules that were carting scab coal for weighing and payment;;
*In all of the early 1900's, she was in and out of West Virginia and elsewhere in the toughest country, organizing while thugs put pistols in her face and threatened to disappear her in like fashion as the dozens of disappeared miners during this time ended up at the bottom of old mine shafts or otherwise disposed of for the crime of wanting a more democratic workplace. Not once did she lose her optimistic aplomb--“Goodbye, boys; I’m under arrest. I may have to go to jail. I may not see you for a long time. Keep up this fight! Don’t surrender! Pay no attention to the injunction machine at Parkersburg. The Federal judge is a scab anyhow. While you starve he plays golf. While you serve humanity, he serves injunctions for the money powers.”
*In all this period of strife, she played every sort of role--nurse, organizer, documentarian, legal expert, formal witness, administrative liaison: she helped broker the meeting between Teddy Roosevelt and John Mitchell that ended the massive strike of 1902 in the miners' favor; she recalls Clarence Darrow's closing argument in one egregious action against the union--“This contest is one of the important contests that have marked the progress of human liberty since the world began. Every advantage that the human race has won has been at fearful cost. Some men must die that others may live. It has come to these poor miners to bear this cross not for themselves alone but that the human race may be lifted up to a higher and broader plane.”
*In one encounter after the end of that victorious action, owners' gunmen assassinated half a dozen union backers while they slept, her vivid recollection of blood darkened pillows splattered with bits of brain and bone simply awful; after another, later strike victory, she first challenged union leadership over Mitchell's seeking a subscription of a dollar per miner for a big house for his wife, stating a philosophy of stewardship that ought to stand for those who want anything worthwhile to this day: "From then on Mitchell was not friendly to me. He took my attitude as one of personal enmity. And he saw that he could not control me. He had tasted power and this finally destroyed him. I believe that no man who holds a leader’s position should ever accept favors from either side. He is then committed to show favors. A leader must stand alone."
*In many other cases between the end of the decade and the beginning of the 1920's she showed up, she spoke truth to power, she validated a worker's right to a union and a better life, referring to Pennsylvania women "who sang themselves out of jail" after they chased away scabs to land behind bars-->once(, "in a frightful district called 'Russia,'" ... miners had been peons for years, kept in slavery by the guns of the coal company, and by the system of paying in scrip so that a miner never had any money should he wish to leave the district. He was cheated of his wages when his coal was weighed, cheated in the company store where he was forced to purchase his food, charged an exorbitant rent for his kennel in which he lived and bred, docked for school tax and burial tax and physician and for 'protection,' which meant the gunmen who shot him back into the mines if he rebelled or so much as murmured against his outrageous exploitation. No one was allowed in the Cabin Creek district without explaining his reason for being there to the gunmen who patrolled the roads, all of which belonged to the coal company. The miners finally struck – it was a strike of desperation," and Mother Jones was there; she organized a huge march, under such circumstances, perhaps over a thousand strong, against the State's governor whom she characterized as akin to 'Nero,' fiddling while West Virginia suffered burns from hellish fires.
*In 1919, after concentrating for years on peace issues with Debs, another miners' promoter--who went to prison for saying that folks didn't have to go to war, she found herself, in 1919, in West Virginia once more, where her "attention was called to the brutal conditions of the Sissonville prison Camp in Kanawha County, West Virginia. The practices of the dark ages were not unknown to that county. Feudalism and slave ownership existed in her coal camps. I found the most brutal slave ownership in the prison camp. Officials of state and nation squawk about the dangers of bolshevism and they tolerate and promote a system that turns out bolshevists by the thousands. A bunch of hypocrites create a constabulary supposedly to stamp out dangerous 'reds,' but in truth the constabulary is to safeguard the interests of the exploiters of labor. The moneyed interests and their servants, the officials of county and state, howl and yammer about law and order and American ideals in order to drown out the still, small voice of the worker asking for bread."
*In 1919, she described the Steel Strike in similar terms: "During the war the working people were made to believe they amounted to something. Gompers, the President of the American Federation of Labor, conferred with copper kings and lumber kings and coal kings, speaking for the organized workers. Up and down the land the workers heard the word, 'democracy.' They were asked to work for it. To give their wages to it. To give their lives for it. They were told that their labor, their money, their flesh were the bulwarks against tyranny and autocracy. So believing, the steel workers, 300,000 of them, rose en masse against Kaiser Gary, the President of the American Steel Corporation. The slaves asked their czar for the abolition of the twelve-hour day, for a crumb from the huge loaf of profits made in the great war, and for the right to organize."
*Again, in 1920, all over the world, all around the country, and in Matewan, where THC's attention will soon focus, "The government, under Hoover, opened up scores of scab mines. Non-union coal was dumped on the market. The miners believed that the Federal Government was against them. They set about organizing the non-union fields. I went here and there. I went to West Virginia. Thousands of dollars had been spent in that field. I went among the women in the tent colonies on the hills. The story of coal is always the same. It is a dark story. For a second’s more sunlight, men must fight like tigers. For the privilege of seeing the color of their children’s eyes by the light of the sun, fathers must fight as beasts in the jungle. That life may have something of decency, something of beauty--a picture, a new dress, a bit of cheap lace fluttering in the window--for this, men who work down in the mines must struggle and lose, struggle and win."
This humble correspondent's reliance on the articulation of this brave, hilarious, and compassionate godsend to the working class is not at all a matter of necessity. Instead, it is explicitly a result of ease of presentation. Mary Harris Jones showed a breadth of vision that made hers a voice of authority around the country and around the world.
Repeatedly, she verbalizes accurately the true state of class relations and social conflict amid the engineers and trigger-men who were the technicians and muscle for capital( "Whenever the masters of the state told the governor to bark, he yelped for them like a mad hound. Whenever they told the military to bite, they bit."
During the war, she spat out, "The cost of living during the war went rocket high. Copper stock made men rich over night. But the miner, paying high prices for his food, for his living, was unpatriotic if he called attention to his grievances. He became an 'emissary of the Kaiser' if he whispered his injuries. While boys died at the front and the copper miners groaned at the rear, tile copper kings grew richer than the kings against whom the nation fought."
Just before Wilson won reelection for lying to the people about his peaceful intentions, she spoke to 'middle-class' women in the West: "You Don't Need a Vote to Raise Hell," she pointed out, "I am not an anti to anything which will bring freedom to my class, but I am going to be honest with you sincere women who are working for votes for women. The women of Colorado have had the vote for two generations and the working men and women are in slavery. The state is in slavery, vassal to the Colorado Iron and Fuel Company and its subsidiary interests. A man who was present at a meeting of mine owners told me that when the trouble started in the mines, one operator proposed that women be disfranchised because here and there some woman had raised her voice in behalf of the miners. Another operator jumped to his feet and shouted, ‘For God’s sake! What are you talking about! If it had not been for the women’s vote the miners would have beaten us long ago!’"
Later, she wrote, "Some of the women gasped with horror. One or two left the room. I told the women I did not believe in women’s rights nor in men’s rights but in human rights. 'No matter what your fight,' I said, 'don’t be ladylike! God Almighty made women, and the Rockefeller gang of thieves made the ladies. I have just fought through sixteen months of bitter warfare in Colorado. I have been up against armed mercenaries but this old woman, without a vote, and with nothing but a hatpin has scared them. ... Politics is only the servant of industry. The plutocrats have organized their women. They keep them busy with suffrage and prohibition and charity."
And, penning her memories about the months immediately following the brutality on Blair Mountain that John Sayles depicts, the intrepid ninety-odd year old tigress spoke of "Medieval West Virginia," a place where human progress had moved opposite the suppositions of Horatio Alger and other American boosters. "I have been in West Virginia more or less for the past twenty-three years, taking part in the interminable conflicts that arose between the industrial slaves and their masters. The conflicts were always bitter. Mining is cruel work. Men are down in utter darkness hours on end. They have no life in the sun. They come up from the silence of the earth utterly wearied. Sleep and work, work and sleep. No time or strength for education, no money for books. No leisure for thought. With the primitive tools of pick and shovel they gut out the insides of the old earth. Their shoulders are stooped from bending. Their eyes are narrowed to the tiny crevices through which they crawl.
Evolution, development, is turned backward. Miners become less erect, less wide-eyed. ... Cruel is the life of the miners with the weight of the world upon their backs. And cruel are their strikes. Miners are accustomed to cruelty. They know no other law. They are like primitive men struggling in his ferocious jungle-for himself, for his children, for the race of men."
To allot just a single additional witness to the compelling testimony of Mother Jones, this humble correspondent might turn to a popular historian from the 1930's, a wealthy woman who had turned in directions decidedly pinkish because her conception of 'sustainable business' and something at least vaguely resembling democracy required such a shift in direction. Mary Heaton Vorse's Labor's New Millions, now a classic, told the story of the Congress of Industrial Organizations, in the process paying homage over and over to the stalwart struggles of the miners.
"This is the Allegheny Valley, known as the Black Valley. Up here in Breckenbridge, Fannie Sellins was murdered in 1919. Near here the coal miners, protesting against the execution of Sacco and Vanzetti, were beaten and fired on. All union labor was crushed in the Black Valley for a generation. Only the miners kept the union flag flying."
She notes the origins of one of the chief tactics underlying CIO victories, since owners were chary about shooting workers who had tied themselves to the owner's goods. "What was equivalent to the sit-down was an old custom of the mine workers. When the company became so economical with timber that safety was endangered, coal ceased to come up."
A wide variety of other sources also document these matters. Academic and State Governmentrchives are full of recollections, log books, photos, court records. The source material for this story still exists.
Moreover, the reality of the coalfield experience is also possible to imagine statistically. A local compilation of data might tell of the four or five or six miners in a community who die, on average, over a period of years at the coal face. Recent reconstructions of data can list, in dry detail, the fifteen to twenty thousand miners who died in 'catastrophic accidents' that killed five or more at once, leaving the analyst to scramble for other sources to tell of Black Lung, lost limbs, those who died singly or in pairs or trios or quartets.
However one chooses to reconstitute this tale so central to whatever America is at this juncture, the view is of grim-faced workers who must frequently choose between staring down a bayonet and wearing a scab's lamp into the mine. This history is the skeleton on which today's hopes and cheers for 'business better' hangs. And yet, and yet, nothing has yet truly compiled and conveyed these horrific annals of brutality and heroism, That ought to be a part of any sustainable business scenario for the future, so that the fresh-faced naif of the present day can learn a bit more than what this humble correspondent can command on short notice.
In any event, having seen anew the early development of coal mining generally, and in slightly greater detail having familiarized themselves with the stages of development of coal mining in Southern Appalachia, readers have arrived at the end of WWI in the region, a time of dire straits in the industry and hugely competitive forces generally. As well, as readers may recall, the United States was in the process of tossing aside the League of Nations and adopting a 'go-it-alone' attitude toward an 'open-door' foreign policy.
All of these matters come to bear on the occurrences that took place on Blair Mountain in West Virginia in the Summer of 1921. John Sayles' film "Matewan" proffers a tragic vision of that time and place and trouble at once lyrical and heart-wrenching, both socially real and dramatically intense. This movie should form part of the core curriculum of all who want to understand 'energy' questions, as well as of those who would do 'business better.'
The gritty, barely discernibly lit mining interiors that Sayles presents in this film serve the intentional purpose of expressing for viewers the true nature of underground mining. The opening scene thereby circumscribes the enclosure that swallows up the miner, whose cough suggests a nascent black lung that was as common as weeds among lifelong miners. The title, "Matewan," probably means less to people than, for example, "9/11," but just as important a story of terror lies behind the former as behind the latter phrase.
In its development--from mundane aspects of working the bowels of the earth, such as breathing, blowing up rocks with dynamite, working among sweating beasts and men--to its concluding lines, "Take it or leave it," this initial introduction captures the entire tragic arc of this tale and life under capitalism generally. Lacking any organized expression of collective power, miners can either go without a job or work for ninety cents a ton, far less than promised.
The effect of such arbitrary reductions immediately appear, as a miner's wife and other family members of workers find themselves shut out of the only place from which they can buy food with the scrip money that they receive as pay. A tough and exceedingly gruff and unfriendly, but well-dressed guard fends them off with a rifle.
An affecting bluegrass tune, "Fire in the Hole," makes its first leap from the screen here. Its lyrics can mean either that a dynamite blast is about to occur or that men have just died in a mine explosion. Perhaps this mirrors a recurring thematic element in the film of the dual, or even dialectical, meanings and messages that yield ubiquitous tension, as between the need to work and the one-sided inequity that characterize the drudgery.
To break the spontaneous walk-out of the miners after the company summarily lowered its rate, the company brought in Black and Italian strikebreakers. All of this happened constantly in the hyper-competitive environment of over-capacity and decreased demand that followed WWI, in which the owners had made super-profits that made no difference in their desire to continue maximizing return.
Whites threaten violence, but the Sheriff, Officer Hatfield, warns them that he will brook no violence. This scene, like so many in Sayles' films, bristles with this unresolved angst, a sense that the merest breath will unleash a hurricane of violence or wild trouble.
And that stress then increases as the Blacks meet their new bosses' interlocutors, who inform them of the the nature of the reality that they have contracted to endure. Their tools will cost a week's wage; they will not receive actually cash wages, but company scrip that they must spend at the company store; moreover, their housing, water, and other services, all 'provided by the company,' will also lead to paycheck deductions.
The sense of futility and seething anger at this rotten deal simmers in the scene, which Sayles breaks with the introduction of the pro-union miner sent to help organize the facility, who shows up to rent a room from a relatively young widow--her husband died in coal-face accident, and she now keeps body and soul together by running a rooming house.
At dinner, the viewer meets yet another intriguing character, a fresh-faced, earnestly holy fourteen year old Pentecostal preacher who is also a miner. This introduces the element of religious fervor into the story, which is yet another set of contrarieties, since Kenehan, the organizer, is pretty clearly agnostic in his outlook.
The next group of scenes, which in a Hollywood film would have been the beginning of 'Act Two,' develops the central message of the story--that of class consciousness. The organizer avers that they all--as working men, are under the boss's 'iron heel,' and that they need models like Big Bill Haywood, a hero that illustrates Kannehan's IWW inclinations.
At the mine camp, from which the striking worker's have all been evicted, the Blacks, joined by Italians, learn that while the promised rate for their labor has without warning diminished, the prices at the company store have risen. They also learn that complaints are futile and bring hostile and threatening warnings.
The 'company-preacher,' played by Sayles himself, gives a fiery anti-communist sermon next--again matching the reality of many company supported clerics. He says that Satan, in the form of Bolsheviks and Union organizers, is very likely present right now, right here. At the assertion of the equivalence of the "Prince of darkness" with unions, the Pentacostal youngster glares angrily at his senior.
Meanwhile, the striking miners are meeting with Kennehan. Many express their hatred for n******s and d***s; the Blacks merit the label of scab, according to one person, while the Italians know nothing about mining and get people killed as a result. One bespectacled fellow who looks altogether too soft to be doing any underground work, says that 'we'd rather blow up the mines that put up with Black and foreign competitors stealing our jobs.'
Kennehan listens attentively, when Jones shows up saying that someone had let him know about a union meeting. He knows that he has been the subject of derision, to which he responds that he is willing to accept the 'n' word without a fight, but that no one will get away with calling him a 'scab.'
Kennehan challenges him to be worthy of 'being treated like a man' by standing with the working class against the owners. He compares them all to no better than manure to the rich capitalist class, suggesting that only two kinds of people in the world, those who work and those who don't.
'We work, and that's all anyone needs to know' to know what to do.
He also deals with the issue of violent retaliation. He warns that any such action will serve as an excuse to crush the union and only their disciplined solidarity with each other can overcome the money and guns and political clout of the owning class. When 'they can't get the coal from the ground,' then they'll bargain.
Kennehan and another union representative have a meeting with one of the Italian miners. The scene shows his wife, their small child, in their humble dwellings. Italians bemoan the 'sindicato' complication. If they fight the owners, the company goons shoot them. If they continue to scab, the miners might very well shoot them instead. In the end, cooperation is decided upon, a decision cemented by the following scene: James Earl Jones shows the Italians how to work a coal seam, though, in one of the many touches that speak to the way that workers in fact--as those who have worked such jobs know--help others who are in the same shoes that they have no choice but to wear.
When, after a scene break, a night-time confusion of torches and anger erupts, the White strikers take up arms and go to fight off the interloping Blacks and immigrants whom they believe are headed to the mine in order to scab under cover of darkness. Instead, the strikers find that thy suddenly have new allies, when the new work crews all toss their buckets and tools back at the owner's rep and announce their mass resignation.
Just prior to the next union meeting, stronger now, an unseen hand signs a note: "a 'Red' has shown up. Send help." Professional anti-union goons, the type that this humble correspondent has studied in the course of his American Studies thesis, ride into town in a rattletrap but serviceable motor car, each with pistols and several sporting rifles or shotguns in addition.
All of these disparate forces make for complicated storytelling; Kennehan's message that class conflict makes sense of the scene, however, placing most of what shows up on screen in a useful context. Not everything fits neatly, however. When the thugs come to assert their territorial right to pick fights and practice vicious intimidation in the miners' woodsy encampment, the only thing that prevents them from badly brutalizing one minor that they have already injured is that wild, furry hillbillies emerge silently from the woods to hold ancient but obviously quite functional musketry on the mercenaries, who, led by their nervous leader, beat a hasty retreat.
THC does not want to ruin the filmic experience for his readers. Somehow, despite all of the contradictory energy and manysidedness that Sayles unleashes here, which just looks about impossible to wrap up neatly--and plenty more, dealing with love and gender and slighted womanly passion and murderous spies and liberation theology and libel and contracts to kill and more pops up to complicate everything even more--the film not only reaches a narratively satisfactory, if tragic, ending.
Something akin to justice wins out for a short time, even though the concerted power of capital and national guard and hired henchman in the long run plunder the working class and ruin most attempts at organization. The many deaths include those characters to whom this humble correspondent and many other viewers will find most compelling and with whom identification is easiest. John Sayles doesn't go for 'feel-good' vibe.
His experience of making the film tells the tale of finding out about the 'Coal Wars' for the first time as he hitchhiked through the State while huge UMWA battles were brewing. When people said, 'Oh, it's nothing like the coalfield wars,' a movie was born.
Of course, he had to finance it himself, out of the proceeds of "Brother From Another Planet," because nobody from Hollywood wanted to do a film about a 'socialist mining martyr.' Progressive, and some would say radical or even 'socialist' historian Eric Foner, has reviewed "Matewan" and the companion book about the movie that Sayles penned. Foner incisively reveals that the finely honed capacity of the movie to show a specific place in ways that seemed gritty and real was also a failing, in terms of a bigger picture understanding of the social and political reality of the Blair Mountain battles of ninety years ago.
"Yet the relentless concentration on the local community, MATEWAN’s greatest strength, also contributes to its most glaring weaknesses – the absence of context, both historical and political… (T)he Matewan strike an isolated local incident, as portrayed in the film. Rather, it formed part of a prolonged struggle for unionization that lasted for decades. Unionism in 1920 was hardly new to the miners of southern West Virginia, and it did not require someone coming from outside the bring its message to Matewan. The region-wide 1912 strike had inaugurated a period of intensely violent struggle between the union and mine owners. ...(M)oreover, the mine workers union, perhaps the most racially integrated labor organization in the nation, succeeded in uniting black and white miners, as well as natives and immigrants. The problem is not that Sayles does not trace these earlier events but that he gives the miners no sense of their own history, forcing them to rely on an outsider for lessons in union organizing and racial tolerance…"
For all of the historical accuracy of what Foner contends, this humble correspondent remains adamant. For an understanding of class conflict and the nature of class solidarity, few other American films come close to what Sayles has accomplished here. And for those who care, this is a service for those who would comprehend better what sustainable business must mean, if it means anything more than a corporate P.R. slogan.
Rebecca Bailey's dissertation, Matewan Before the Massacre, clearly represents one amazing possibility for focused knowledge about a particular community that stands at a critical intersection of class, commodity, region, and nation, with mediating influences of family, community, and culture. Her work both supports some of the sense of inevitable conflict that emerges in the previous two sections and suggests additional factors--particularly national policy and economic administration, that comprise part of the next level of investigation of coal's inputs and impacts into America and its relation with energy.
This humble correspondent has also compiled, in just his brief review of this topic, literally dozens of source materials that examine such influential elements of local life as culture and community and microeconomics and local politics, in place of class conflict and capital's rule, in order to account for Matewan's place in the swath of deadly strife that came to pass as the great culling took place in Europe. THC proposed, nevertheless, that Mother Jones was accurate, and that the IWW hero of Sayles' film, Kenehan, was correct in pointing to the working class' actions--both inchoate and conscious--were the dispositive keys to Matewan.
This also means that they would be the 'dispositive keys' to understanding the development of energy sources and the relationships between development and energy, even though all of the other components undoubtedly contribute to the telling of a good yarn, whether that tale concern the whole sweep of the killing fields of Appalachia or the introspective memories of the life and times of a boy preacher who remembers the struggles of his youth. While 'coal is king' has a certain resonance, 'class is king' is the expression of America's 'great evasion' that has frequently made an appearance here before.
Looking forward from the viewpoint of 1920, and the bitter mayhem emanating from the inherent fury of the workers' fight with the owners, one would have to wonder about the known diminution of unions in this nation. Explication of that, readers may rest assured, is forthcoming. The issue forms one sturdy piece of a triad of elements in the next installment in this series on coal.
Looking backward from 1920, the words of a Harvard professor, from his 1924 monograph, Coal and Civilization, are at the very least interesting to consider. He promotes a heroic view of carbon quite popular at that time, and exceedingly out of fashion now.
Whereas the benighted 'races' of Europe lacked easy access to "this truly magnificent mineral," one can easily discern that "the rise of Great Britain and Germany, in the past two centuries, is clearly and mainly bound up with their great coal resources." The author, E.C. Jeffries, a plant paleontologist, innovated methods for determining the exact nature of the entire range of coals--from peat and lignite to shale and tar sands, from which he might have deduced that the massive elevation of the sciences in the university and economic life generally also intersects remarkably with this dirty, combustible rock.
Of course, THC would advise caution in accepting such grand statements wholesale, at the same time that these ideas likely have more useful and truthful to say than otherwise. And, in this day and time, when the fashion is to disparage coal and disregard its continuing influence on social, political, and economic life, the lessons of Dr. Jeffries, as well as the more willfully ignored lessons of "Matewan," should form core pieces of a reschooling curriculum about how the world actually works.
The aphorism is indisputable. 'One cannot find a way forward without an understanding of where one wants to end.' Equally inevitable is another quip. 'One cannot determine a favorable goal that is rational without clearly apprehending how one has arrived at one's current pass.' As with so much of what he places on the plate, THC is adamant again in his imprecation to 'pay attention.'
M. King Hubbert, toward the end of his life, wrote "The World's Evolving Energy System." He also spent his passage through this 'veil of tears' asking for folks to employ their capacity for keen observation and evolving understanding. Based on his life as a geologist and astute chronicler of the real ways of science, he provided a powerful big-picture composite that nods to and fits snugly with THC's admonitions about class and sustainability.
"Human history can be divided into three distinct, successive phases. The first, comprising all history prior to about 1800, was characterized by a small human population, low energy consumption per capita, and very slow rates of change. The second, based on the exploitation of the fossil fuels and the industrial metals, has been a period of spectacular and continuous exponential growth. However, because of the finite resources of the Earth's fossil fuels and metallic ores, the second phase can only be transitory. Most of the ores of the industrial metals will have been mined within the next century. The third phase, therefore, must again become one of slow rates of growth, but initially at least with a large population and high rates of energy consumption. Perhaps the foremost problem facing mankind at present is that of how to make the transition from the present exponential growth phase to the near steady-state of the future by as non-catastrophic a progression as possible."
In pondering Hubbert's thoughts, the pupil now might, "sure as shootin'," as THC's father liked to proclaim, profitably consider the sorts of materials that John Sayles and this humble correspondent are making available. That Hollywood bridled at funding Sayles is certainly noteworthy. As to the clunky prose outpourings of THC, they are like the mine-owner's tonnage rate. Readers can 'take them or leave them,' as they see fit.
The "Fight to Reclaim the Commons" offers some grounded advice in matters of this sort. A project of the Media Education Foundation, its recent documentary, "This land Is Our Land," puts in cultural focus all of the elements of this story today--commoditization, scientific and industrial secrecy and dissimulation, vicious predation by the upper classes, working class resistance, and the media nexus of this movie.
THC will be reviewing "This Land Is Our Land" more carefully in the future. For now, he would merely want readers to note that this intersection--the rejection of property's untrammeled rights in conjunction with the claiming of the common elements of life by working people--is one inextricably linked both to the history of coal that has here unfolded, and to the evolutionary potential for such dreams as sustainable business.
Finally, for a further grounding-through-media, to close this penultimate section of this article, THC has a couple of additional suggestions. One would introduce the reader to a distant, but still planned story, of the Centralia mine ignition and continued--for close to eternity--combustion there, where the voices of the local folk and the miners resonate with loads of wisdom for mortals less aware of the realities of history. The second would be a close viewing of and listening to John Sayles himself, talking about this experiment in meaning that has formed the basis for our discussion today. | <urn:uuid:b14edcd9-49ac-4eb5-9739-b5792dcd1541> | 2 | 2.34375 | 0.021361 | en | 0.963034 | http://www.justmeans.com/blogs/narratives-essential-to-renewable-energy-sustainable-business |
Submarine force part of Navy's enduring presence in Puget Sound
Submarine Group 9 Public Affairs
Seafair 2014 and Fleet Week Seattle is winding down, and the U.S. Navy's local submarine force was happy to be a part of the festivities.
Eight ballistic missile submarines and two guided missile submarines are homeported here in the region, along with other U.S. Navy ships such as the aircraft carriers USS John C. Stennis and USS Nimitz.
The Navy's ballistic missile submarines, often referred to as "boomers", serve as an undetectable launch platform for intercontinental missiles. They are designed specifically for stealth and the precise delivery of nuclear warheads if directed by the President.
During their typical patrols, ballistic missile submarines can spend about three months at sea submerged and rarely seeing daylight. Their job is to complete a patrol completely undetected by potential adversaries.
The Navy's guided missile submarines provide the Navy with unprecedented strike and special operations mission capabilities from a stealthy, clandestine platform. Armed with up to 154 tactical missiles and equipped with superior communications capabilities, guided missile submarines are capable of launching missile strikes and supporting Special Operation Forces (SOF) missions.
Submarine service is a stealthy and secretive business by nature and necessity. Sailors who work on submarines routinely conduct sensitive work that can't be discussed outside the world in which the crew operates.
Both the ballistic missile and guided missile submarines are part of the Ohio class of ships, which are 560 feet long and 42 feet wide and weigh more than 16,500 tons. A nuclear-powered propulsion system helps push the ship through the water at more than 20 knots.
These submarines are unique in the Navy with two rotating crews, Blue and Gold, which allow the ship to be deployed on missions more often without taxing one crew too much. A typical crew on the submarine is approximately 150 officers and enlisted sailors.
Since the crew on a submarine is smaller than on most ships, each crew member must have the smarts to do highly technical work. They also need to be versatile enough to do their specific job and at the same time be prepared to do things like fight fires and control flooding in an emergency.
The ballistic missile submarines, which have had their original 30 year service life extended to 42 years, are scheduled to be replaced by the Ohio Replacement submarine. The Navy is currently in the design phase of the replacement project with the first ship set to begin construction in 2021.
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Get your kids' sleep schedule back on track for school
Created: 07/29/2014 9:56 AM
By: Kim Tobin, KOB Eyewitness News 4
School is just around the corner and one of the biggest challenges for kids and parents is getting back on track with a healthy sleep schedule.
"They need to wake up, they're going to be tired and it's a fact," Dr. James Bradley from Lovelace said.
Bradley helps families make the transition from the late summer nights, to the school scheduled mornings.
"I think as a parent, talking with your child about going back to school is very difficult, because of their unscheduled sleep and wake time during the summer," Bradley said.
Bradley says people need to start having those conversations now, so they can be ready when the first day arrives.
For some quick tips, he suggests staying away from caffeine and chocolate a few hours before bed, avoiding exercise late in the evening, starting the routine bedtime and wakeup time now and discussing plans to limit technology like TV, computers and cell phones before bed.
"It's like the cell phones and things are there and the parents are not in the bedroom, and so it's really difficult to provide structure for that teenager," Bradley said.
Bradley encourages short, 30 minute naps in the afternoon and says "catching up" by sleeping in, is allowed.
"During the weekends, allow them to get more sleep," he said. "Maybe two hours more sleep than they do during the week, so they get improved sleep and catch up on their sleep."
As a general rule, kids between 12 and 18 should get about nine hours of sleep a night. But it really depends on what works best for the individual person.
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Tutorials/HTML5 video
From LCA2010
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Jan Gerber (pad.ma, firefogg)
Tutorial resources
You will be required to bring a laptop with wireless connection and the following software installed:
You are also required to bring a couple of example videos that you can transcode to Ogg Theora/Vorbis and use as examples.
You can also download Ogg video content from a local server during the tutorial. | <urn:uuid:1aa00b9a-6600-4622-9b00-1c09b06b7892> | 2 | 1.828125 | 0.761304 | en | 0.884173 | http://www.lca2010.org.nz/mediawiki/index.php?title=Tutorials/HTML5_video&oldid=568 |
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What do you think of President Obama’s nuclear arms policy?
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April 8, 2010 - 10:21pm
In April 1982, Reagan declared publicly that "a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought." He added "To those who protest against nuclear war, I can only say ‘I’m with you.’"
During 1981, the Reagan administration formulated the "zero option": the negotiated withdrawal of all intermediate range missiles from Europe.
On January 16, 1984, he delivered a conciliatory address, declaring that the United States and the Soviet Union had "common interests and the foremost among them is to avoid war and reduce the level of arms." Indeed, "I support a zero option for all nuclear arms."
FOR SOME TIME, Reagan had wanted a summit at which he could meet Soviet leaders and promote a disarmament agreement. When Reagan had his chance to talk with Mikhail Gorbachev in Geneva in Nov 1985, "he couldn’t wait.... He was eager." In a joint statement, they repeated: "A nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought."
April 8, 2010 - 10:25pm
In 1986, both leaders pushed their recalcitrant colleagues toward a nuclear disarmament agreement. That January, Gorbachev proposed a program to eliminate all nuclear weapons around the world. To the dismay of US national security officials, Reagan welcomed Gorbachev’s proposal. On January 17, Shultz told the state department’s arms control group to get working "on what a world without nuclear weapons would mean to us" and how to obtain it. "I know that many of you and others around here oppose the objective of eliminating nuclear weapons," he said, "but the president of the United States doesn’t agree with you, and he has said so on several very public occasions."
In 1986 at the Reykjavik summit, Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev, both passionate about nuclear disarmament, shocked deterrence experts with an unimaginable proposal – total nuclear disarmament. “It would be fine with me if we eliminated all nuclear weapons,” said Reagan.
April 8, 2010 - 10:33pm
Let me repeat that last part:
“It would be fine with me if we eliminated all nuclear weapons,” said Reagan. “We can do that,” replied Gorbachev, “Let’s eliminate them. We can eliminate them.”
Either you must denounce Reagan - or stop whining and sniveling about Obama. AND, quite frankly, like we CONSTANTLY heard from Republiturds when Bush was President, "HE IS THE COMMANDER IN CHIEF AND YOU ARE NOT TO QUESTION HIM. QUESTIONING THE PRESIDENT IS TREASON."
You can't have it both ways. We're tired of your hypocrisy.
(all info shamelessly plagariazed from the Atlantic Council website & from the Boston Review. If you want to see the actual articles - Google "Ronald Reagan Nuclear Disarmament" and look for those two articles - they're at the top)
April 8, 2010 - 11:22pm
I noticed after I voted that 69% said its bad because Nukes are America's trump Card. What a bunch of hog wash! I have several comments to that. First is that the longer we do not use them the less of a threat they are to others. Take the Middle East. Do you think they would have attacked the USA on 9/11/01 if they honestly thought we would retaliate with nukes? I don't think so. Second point is as a military veteran I remember being taught that the first job of the military is to create peace not war. You people sound like a bunch of kids; My sticks bigger than your stick, nana nana. If there ever was a nuclear war there would be nothing left to claim as victor. Also think of it this way. How can we dictate that other countries not have nukes when we have them. Is there any fair play in that. Lets really look at our morals and I mean seriously look at them.
April 9, 2010 - 12:53am
Thank God most of us don't listen to the liberal/marxist spin. Obama, just like Jimmy Carter is stripping our military. Now he is taking away our superiority of our nukes. I am surprised he didn't apologize for bombing Japan again. Obama will be America's downfall. Obama's "change" is called "MARXISM."
April 9, 2010 - 7:42am
Being an Armed forces U.S.Army grunt, I have had experience what 60mm, 81mm, & 4.2mm can do to for-ever destroy what habitat there was in nature can do,. willie-pete (white phosphorous), & more than a few others can do, I wouldn't want to be any-where near these devastating round's can do to permanently damage, or ruin your breakfast, lunch ,& or dinner (let alone a snack), & these are only a small part of the arsenal the Armed Forces have, imagine what nuclear bombs can do? they can really F--- up your daily affair's,even block the sun for year's to come, I live way up North, & it get's very cold, but imagine what a nuclear winter can bring?, that's why I keep constantly packing my duffle bag's w/ extreme cold weather gear, & survival pack's to keep me going f/ quite sometime,.I suggest you do the same f/ your benefit, just in case somebody, or someone get's p-----.
April 9, 2010 - 7:50am
Having nuclear weapons is an irrevalent issue. First you need a President with a set that is willing to use them. The US is on the road to becomming the next third wsorld country. We are exporting our jobs and businesses and importing poisoned toys and such that are capable of killing our children and crhppling our populace and we want to reduce nuclear weapons.
April 9, 2010 - 11:52am
In response to those who approve of Commie Obama's nuclear arms policy, I would just like to point out that the Russians have broken every arms treaty they ever engaged in. You kool aid drinkers need a reality check.
April 9, 2010 - 1:21pm
Calling the Commander in Chief a commie?
I thought that was considered TREASON. It sure was when Bush was President.
April 9, 2010 - 1:16pm
Even when you point it out to a Republican that RONALD REAGAN - REPUBLICAN HERO EXTRAORDINAIRE - was for total nuclear disarmament and worked closely with the Russians (repeatedly, over many years) to reduce the number of nuclear weapons, they forget it as soon as they hear it.
It's like it's some pathological sickness they have.
They call Obama a commie for wanting to reduce the number of nukes - do they do the same for Reagan?
Come on, Repubs! Be honest FOR ONCE! Let's hear you call Reagan a commie!
Carla Hernandez
April 12, 2010 - 7:52am
Your response is purely emotional/biased...pointless. If obamao was true to his radical ideology he would disband the secret service. But, of course, he won't do that because he knows it would leave him vulnerable to certain attack. So why is he helping those who hate America and Americans by leaving us vulnerable to attack?! Grow up deal with reality...this guy is not serving the oath of the Office and that's why the majority of us see his actions as anti-American!
April 13, 2010 - 8:23pm
Ironically, powerful warfare, like nuclear, was created to create peace. The belief was that if every country had a weapon so destructive, fear would overrule and war would be history, and it seems to be working. However, since the weapon exists, there is no reason to have an abundance of it, because it only takes about 10 to catastrophically destroy Earth, which is fearful enough for no one to use it. Not to mention, we have always set an example for other countries, and this could do the same, which would be good for our character, our Earth, and our peacefulness, along with world peacefulness.
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Tell us what you think | <urn:uuid:f5129e85-91ca-4d17-afb0-4f2ab6a95150> | 2 | 1.914063 | 0.039392 | en | 0.958962 | http://www.legion.org/comment/714 |
Minnesota Trusts
Trusts are a common estate planning tool. With a trust, the trust creator (the grantor) gives property to a trustee to hold, manage, and spend for the benefit of the trust beneficiaries. Trusts can either be revocable or irrevocable. With a revocable trust the grantor retains the right to change the terms of the trust, or revoke it entirely. With an irrevocable trust, the grantor gives up that right.
A trust can also be either a testamentary trust or an inter vivos trust. A testamentary trust is created in a will and only comes into existence when the will is probated. An inter vivos or living trust comes into existence right away, during the lifetime of the grantor.
There are several different types of trusts, each with a specific purpose. The most common trusts are used to manage money for the benefit of the grantor’s children until they become responsible adults. Special Needs Trusts or Supplemental Needs Trusts can be used to provide support for beneficiaries with special needs. Other trusts can be used to reduce estate tax consequences, protect assets from creditors, or to maintain the family cabin. At Lewis Kannegieter Law, Ltd. we can help you determine whether a trust is appropriate to fulfill your estate planning goals. | <urn:uuid:791d22d1-85fa-4d14-a632-1faf83f4262f> | 2 | 2.09375 | 0.039159 | en | 0.925325 | http://www.lewisklaw.com/estate-planning/minnesota-trusts/ |
What is a Sichuan Peppercorn?
The Sichuan (sometimes spelled Szechuan or Szechwan) peppercorn is actually not a peppercorn in the traditional sense. It is the outer pod of a tiny fruit (a species of plant in the genus Zanthoxylum) widely grown in Asia as a spice. It is widely used in the cuisine of Sichuan Province in China, as well as in Tibetan, Bhutanese, Nepalese, Japanese, Konkani, and Batak, Toba cuisines, among others.
In Chinese, the Sichuan peppercorn is known as huājiāo (花 椒; literally "flower pepper"). Though it is relatively unknown in the United States because of an importation ban related to potential damage to citrus trees from 1968 to 2005, you may find it called "Szechwan pepper," "Chinese pepper," "Japanese pepper," "aniseed pepper," "Chinese prickly-ash," "Fagara," "sansho," "Nepal pepper," or "Indonesian lemon pepper." Because of its limited availability and high cost, many "Sichuan" seasonings don't contain actual Sichuan peppercorns.
Sichuan pepper is an important spice in the Nepali (Gorkha), Tibetan and Bhutanese cooking in the Himalayas because so few spices can be grown there. It is popular in the momo, a dumpling filled with vegetables and meat and spiced with the Sichuan peppercorn.
Sichuan peppercorns have a very unique aroma and flavor that is not hot or pungent like other peppers, but has fragrant lemon overtones and creates a tingly sensation in the mouth that works well with hot spices. That sensation, called "má" (麻 literally "numbing") in Chinese, is a key ingredient in one of the most common flavors in modern Chinese cuisine, "málà", a combination of "má" and "hot (piquant)" (辣), referring to the feeling in the mouth after eating the sauce. The flavor is found in a variety of dishes, from cold noodle dishes, to fried fishes to soups (including hot pots) or as a dipping sauce.
Interestingly, "málà" is also sometimes used in Mandarin slang to mean "sexy". The Mandarin title of the animated series Kim Possible is Málà Nuhái (麻辣女孩 literally "numbing-hot girl"). | <urn:uuid:77d88c55-afb2-45f2-a0ec-51c5271d9b50> | 3 | 2.796875 | 0.766146 | en | 0.944584 | http://www.luspices.com/main/sichuan/ |
SanDisk Unveils Self Encrypting X300s Solid State Drive Series
+ Add a Comment
Bullwinkle J Moose
Can I use the hardware encryption as a boot drive with Linux or any other NON-Windows 8 OS such as XP?
The computer must always boot natively from UEFI.
How is the key on the drive protected?
A: The original encryption key value is generated in the factory by an on-board random number process; it never leaves the drive. When the drive is configured by the user (or I.T.), the authorization key is used to encrypt the encryption key inside the drive, so the key is never stored in the clear. The encryption key can be changed by the user administration function (IT department), which ensures that anybody who might have had possession of the drive before the user puts it into service could not have obtained any information that might give him any help in later retrieving data from the drive.
How do I manage a large number of systems with self-encrypting drives? Is software available to administer these drives?
A: Multiple Independent Software Vendors( ISVs), who traditionally manage encryption functions, now provide management of self-encrypting drives, both locally and remotely.
So, can someone break into the encrypted drive without remote access and management like the NSA can do if a thief does not have the hardware key of the drive itself?
(Disclaimer: Bullwinkle's response)
Sure, but the methods used to access encrypted data in the linked article do not correspond to the methods used by the NSA which have direct access when using the Operating Systems specified by the encryption Standard employed on this drive
The response to using the hardware encryption on actual "TRUSTED" systems other than Windows 8 or server 2012 was a bit vague...
Can you clarify this response?
"Standard Response"
How about dual booting to Linux?
Good Luck!
Wait for it....
The video actually gets interesting after the 19 minute mark
Now that is the best and most effective counter-argument I've seen on this site in a very long time. Most impressive, and the content even surpasses the original article.
With that type of contribution one should strongly consider placing those efforts into a professional contributing writing career.
As for the video, I would also look forward to a Hak5 version of it
I like how people say "standard encryption methods have been cracked" when it's really "I need physical access to your computer to get a RAM dump". It's like saying your money can be stolen if a thief can reach for your wallet.
But try to imagine how many computers are left in a state of *on* and are also not properly secured. Add to that, one would be surprised to se how many computers are left completely unattended at public wifi locations such as coffeeshops.
One could quite easily bypass most any security measure using an optical disc, usb, or something similar.
But this drive isn't targeted for those computers. It's for corporate sectors who need that security in order to protect trade secrets on the computer.
At the end of the day though, encryption is increasingly becoming vulnerable to the fact that data pertinent to knowing how the system works is stored in RAM. The only way I think we can improve security is to have the data resident in a place that's harder to access, like in cache or registers.
And I also have a feeling it's why we won't have non-volatile RAM any time soon.
IF it is made for any type of corporate environment, the...
Simply distract anyone at the office; such as a secretary (politically correct term - assistant) for about a minute or so... Then do the same, insert optical disk or usb drive.
Have more than a minute insert a keylogger
Secretary isn't PC? Sigh.
The PC police force us to use new euphemisms but then the "next generation" of PC police forget that the euphemisms established by their predecessors are indeed euphemisms and force us to change 'em, eg: Janitor -> "custodian".
..."assistant" can't be PC as it implies subservience.
Bullwinkle J Moose
"It's for corporate sectors who need that security in order to protect trade secrets on the computer."
But if the "Hardware" Encryption Key is tied to the serial number and/or Guid(Globally Unique Identification), you are SOOOOOO screwed!
The ONLY key that can be user changed is the actual encryption key that is then encrypted with the hardware key
If you are "Online" the "Owner" of the drive can easily be identified even if you paid cash for it and the "Hardware" key can be used by "Unknown" parties (CIA, NSA or whoever) to see everything on "Your" encrypted drive and know that IT IS INDEED YOUR Drive, due to the GUID and serial numbers of YOUR computer and every piece of software on said computer as well as the accounts you access online
To say that this type of drive is to "KEEP" or "PROTECT" secrets is a bit of a stretch if not an outright fraudulent statement
Buying a drive that has a 99.9999% of failing to keep secrets is a bad buy at any price in my book
I looked for the link to information tying the ID to the Hardware Encryption key but it appears to have been pulled from the Internet and all you will now find are worthless "Promises" that your data cannot be decrypted without any proof that this is the case
I stopped listening to worthless Gov't / NSA / CIA promises long ago
If you can't prove it, it's OBVIOUSLY not true as we are all now finding out on a daily basis
... Honestly I'm thinking someone's gone off the deep end here.
Let's just figure out what the hell Seibu Kaihatsu used to encrypt Raiden 2. Nobody, not even Seibu Kaihatsu themselves, has cracked it.
Bullwinkle J Moose
The NSA and others have been worming their way into encrypted volumes THAT DO NOT contain backdoors for years now
Targeted individuals who found "Clean" key-generators for NON-BACKDOORED encryption programs prior to the Stuxnet Beta tests in the U.S. around 2006-7 should check their encrypted drives for malware once again
Keygens that are "STILL" malware free in encrypted volumes on Read-Only Optical Disks will be found in many cases to contain key-logging worms IF you were a target
They ARE getting into NON-Backdoored encrypted volumes!
Why do you think WWW.KEYGEN.US was never removed from the Internet over the past decade by "Law Enforcement" but instead was riddled with trojan key-loggers and worms just prior to the Stuxnet Beta-Tests that began around 2006-7
Do some research on your own!
The NSA and others will not tell you how they are getting in, and just because you have CLEAN open source encryption will not protect you as long as you are using FREE applications that continually connect and send data to the Internet
The entire premise that you have Clean Encryption so your data is safe is a false one!
and you heard it here first!
Do you honestly believe that just because this is not in the news, it isn't happening?
Who's crazy now?
Hardware based encryption is just so much easier to get into, even if you disconnect from the Internet to open your encrypted volume and disconnection will not protect you from the worms
Ease of use and AUDIT FREE hardware based closed source is the perfect weapon for public deployment
> Please provide links as to why the NSA wouldn't use it <
Why would anyone jump through all the hoops to secure their software based encryption when they could just use a hardware encrypted disk?
"EASE OF USE" is what is killing you now!
If you do find those non-existant links proving that the NSA would never design, deploy or target hardware encrypted disks, they should all be FIRED for not doing their job
Disinfo is just a part of that job and is just another resource to them
Speaking of disinfo.....
Why is it that I never get an apology from people like you who call me the nuttcase when they later read in the news that I was right all along?
Try reading my older posts at this site
Just because it sounds crazy to someone who doesn't research security topics on their own but instead believes all the propaganda they hear from supposedly "Reliable" sources, doesn't make me the crazy one
The problem with these security nutjobs is that you're telling me that I can't trust the government, open source communities, etc. that are basically trying to tell me that everyone who's told me everything about everything is a lie and I'm supposed to trust you. Some random person on the internet who rambles about as much as the transient who hangs out at the trolley station. I don't care how credible you are. As far as I know, you're just another handle on the internet spouting rabble.
I already assume once I'm connected to the world, I'm not safe. But I also know that if someone really wants to get me, they'll get me. I avoid digging my nose into things or say things that'll get me into trouble. Sure, now I sound like a droving sheep that the government wants me to be. What, because I want to stay out of trouble?
And what I don't get is why anyone who's paranoid about people hacking into them and such ARE STILL ON THE INTERNET. The only way to be safe is to be disconnected from the world. Not just from a network, but from society, from everything. And while that doesn't guarantee your safety, you'll just be another person in a crowd of 7 billion others.
Bullwinkle J Moose
You are not supposed to trust me or anyone else
You are supposed to do your own research if you want security
But, Oh My....
We seem to have drifted off topic a bit
Nice looking drive huh? | <urn:uuid:175008de-c026-4c9a-b7d7-94187c54bcaa> | 2 | 2.171875 | 0.775638 | en | 0.946037 | http://www.maximumpc.com/sandisk_unveils_self_encrypting_x300s_solid_state_drive_series |
Tag Archive: CSS 2.1
Internet Explorer 7 and CSS 2.1 compliance
What are Web Standards?
The term web standards can mean different things to different people. For some, it is ‘table-free sites’, for others it is ‘using valid code’. However, web standards are much broader than that. A site built to web standards should adhere to standards (HTML, XHTML, XML, CSS, XSLT, DOM, MathML, SVG etc.) and pursue best practices (valid code, accessible code, semantically correct code, user-friendly URLs etc.).
| <urn:uuid:6a4c5371-4773-4a56-a5ca-4abccec06214> | 2 | 2.171875 | 0.731648 | en | 0.845937 | http://www.mohammedarif.com/tag/css-21/ |
View Full Version : KT100 RPM
Dave Ahrens
06-04-2004, 12:55 PM
How many rpm can you turn on a stock KT100.
jayden hughes
06-07-2004, 09:22 PM
you should be able to get about 14900 - 15800 rpm from a KT 100, any more rpm and the motor stops pulling and your at risk of siezing your engine.
Jean Stafford
06-18-2004, 09:04 AM
I've free winded them to 18,000, but it AIN'T a good idea.
The maximum RPM for any given track is a little different depending on the layout of the track. We race on two, and one requires 14,400 from a Super Can Kart, while the same kart runs best at 13,700 at the other.
Treat it like a golf course, if it goes uphill, don't over wind it. If it has a real sharp corner, and long straights, you'll probaly have to rev a little higher.
By the way, the KT1-100 stops producing toirque around 13,700 Can and 14,400 on a Pipe. At least by my dyno.
Jean Stafford | <urn:uuid:9d025b1f-c094-4cfe-b255-5970f8e66759> | 2 | 1.601563 | 0.102706 | en | 0.87449 | http://www.mrpmotorsport.com/community/archive/index.php/t-83.html |
Does Hiking Yosemite National Park's Half Dome Still Present a Wilderness Experience?
Half Dome is an alluring destination, but is the hike to the top a wilderness experience? NPS Photo.
Thousands of folks trek to the top of Half Dome in Yosemite National Park each summer. Their footprints have created a well-worn path up past Vernal and Nevada falls and onto the granite behemoth. Which begs the question: Does Half Dome offer visitors a wilderness experience?
How can it? The fact that so many folks make the hike arguably makes it impossible to enjoy a wilderness experience. Then, too, there's the use of cables provided by the National Park Service to make it possible to reach the summit with some measure of safety. In a true wilderness setting, you wouldn't find cables to help you along your way.
There's no question that the view from Half Dome is spectacular, but even it detracts from the wilderness experience when you gaze down upon the Yosemite Valley with its roads, lodgings, parking lots, and thousands of visitors.
To get others' opinions on this question, Steve Sergeant at the Wildebeat interviewed a handful of experts and hikers. You can find his audiocast on the matter here. Check it out.
Simply put, NO.
A wilderness experience? You really have to ask?
Most of the National Parks I have been to have raped the wilderness with roads, lodgings, gas stations, parking lots, buses, trails, bridges, signs, scenic flights, large groups guided by corporate outfitters, etc..
There are a few of Our National Parks that I enjoy as a wilderness type of experience.
Unless these areas (or other areas in the NPS system for that matter) are within the boundaries of the Congressional designated Wilderness, they are not bound by the laws, prohibitions, and spirit of the 1964 Wilderness Act, nor do many of these areas have a wilderness management plan. Of course, the Wilderness Act didn't set forth use levels. One only has to visit several other wilderness areas across the NPS to realize during the summer, often we are really not alone in the wilderness.
As we saw with the 2006 NPS management policy fiasco, it is becoming increasingly easy for the NPS directorate to be handmaiden to the White House policy desires and not the Organic Act. Of course, one must only look at the rim of the Grand Canyon to see that development, tourism, and the NPS have always gone hand in hand.
I agree Anonymous (not verified), the fact is that the National Park Service manages most of our wilderness acreage.
I feel Our National Park Service, in almost the entire Wilderness areas that I visit has ignored or stepped around the Wilderness Act which defines an area of wilderness to mean an area of undeveloped Federal land retaining its primeval character and influence, without permanent improvements.
I see an over abundance of permanently developed improvements in over built trails, bridges, signs, scenic flights and in the commercialization of Wilderness as in large groups guided by corporate outfitters.
I would argue that the NPS has done much to promote wilderness. I know that even though the Great Smokies does not qualify as a wilderness area the NPS treats it as though it does have that designation. I feel certain that many other parks are doing similar acts. I live in Yosemite and have enjoyed the experience of hiking Half Dome, it is spectacular. That is probably why you don't get that widerness experience you feel entitled to. Venture only a little further to Clouds Rest and you will be rewarded. Or you may want to experience Half Dome by entering from somewhere other than Yosemite Valley. Spending the night at Little Yosemite Valley and hiking up in the wee hours of the morning will certainly allow for a less crowded experience. As long as National Parks are in spectacular places there will be crowds. Yosemite offers hundreds of miles of trails that are in designated wilderness areas where you will not be affected by crowds or over development. Its a difficult task to make available for the public enjoyment without having any impact. I think that the NPS does a pretty good job of finding a balance. Of course you can't please everyone.
I don't care what the legal definition of 'wilderness' is. For me, it's a place where I don't see any other human beings for long periods of time. With the crowds at Yosemite, even on so-called backcountry trails in the high country, that's impossible. (Doesn't matter if they're hiking alone, with a club or a 'corporate' outfitter).
Wilderness isn't defined by a lack of people; rather, it's about our relationship with the land. Any managed land, never mind what it's called, ceases to be wild. If the NPS truly "promoted" wilderness as Anon claims, it would leave things be, as it claims does (rangers repeatedly spew the mantra "we let nature take its course" to visitors even though what the NPS does is anything but). For one of the best discussions on wilderness, please see Jack Turner's collection of essays titled The Abstract Wild. Turner shows that "The national parks were created for, and by, tourism, and they emphasize what interests a tourist--the picturesque and the odd. They are managed with two ends in mind: entertainment and the preservation of the resource base for entertainment. Most visitors rarely leave their cars except to eat, sleep, or go to the john."
The NPS has subverted wilderness by micromanaging it. It has destroyed wilderness by building tens of thousands of buildings and thousands of miles of roads.
Anon may not be familiar with the case of the Kolob Canyon region of Zion National Park. The January 1962 edition of National Wildland News documents one instance of NPS subverting wilderness. The article quotes the western representative of the National Parks Association who wrote a letter to Zion's superintendent imploring him not to build a seven mile road into the Kolob wilderness.
Referring to the proposed road, the representative said, "First, it would destroy scenic qualities. Second, it would eliminate entirely the cloak of solitude that rests over the area now. Third, it would forever mar the sense of adventure one inevitably feels when he approaches the region. It would become just another 'accessible' part of the park, and having been stripped of its wild character--a quality that sets it apart from the masterpiece that is Zion Canyon--it would be reduced to comparative mediocrity. . . . I do not believe we should concern ourselves with making every vista, canyon or natural feature accessible. We should work to make this mood of atmosphere available in its purest form. This atmosphere is the very essence of the national park idea."
The superintendent did what superintendents are best at (ignoring the public), and now hundreds of thousands of tourists traveling from SLC to Vegas can spend 15 minutes driving the road and two minutes taking a photo before hopping back in the car and speeding away.
I can cite plenty--perhaps countless--examples of what the NPS has done to "promote wilderness." This one example serves my point.
Wild areas cannot be micromanaged, nor can the animals or plants inside them. They must be self willed. We ought to leave the bears alone and stop tattooing their lips and piercing their ears; we ought not to engineer the wilderness; wilderness areas should be blank areas on maps where nature truly "takes its course" without any meddling from Homo sapiens.
Since homo sapiens have inhabited this hemisphere for at least the past 10,000 years, and for probably much longer, we too have to be factored in as a part of the "post-glacial" wilderness experience. I try to keep my park visits as "traditional" as possible, without breaking any modern day taboos (like hunting and gathering for instance).
For me this manifests itself in a clamber down the steep rocky banks of the Virgin River, in the shimmering heat of a summer afternoon, where I proceed to strip off my clothes and jump into the cool clear waters to soak and sooth my overheated brain. I then proceed to rub gobs of the mucky reddish clay from the shoreline all over my body and then let it dry into thin peeling patches of mud before leaping back into the river to wash it off and begin the process all over again. Ahh.....the fun of being a North American Ape-Man!
Nearby I can hear the loud insistent hum of the park shuttle bus engine whining up and down the canyon road, bursting at the seams with tourists eager to know where they can find a "scenic" trail that will only take an a hour of their time, so they can get to Bryce for the sunset and then to the North Rim before the dining room closes.
I'm a King Kong man, I'm a voo-doo man
I'm an ape man.
I don't feel safe in this world no more
I don't want to die in a nuclear war
I want to sail away to a distant shore
And make like an ape man.
--------The Kinks
I agree with much of what has been said here. And truthfully, on a personal level, I do question many management decisions of the NPS. However, a big problem we face, more than NPS management, is the expectations of visitors . Too many people just want to see animals from their cars, tour buses, etc. rather than expending any energy and actually experiencing anything.
Our park visitors, in many cases, aren't doing anything active, and expect to be catered to. Of course, this is not what the wilderness experience is about, but how can we shift these core attitudes?
I spent this past summer conducting recreation research in Alaska, you'd be surprised at my data. It's sad how people want to see these places on TV, but rarely want to expend any energy at all on the experience.
In my opinion, this is the root of the problem.
I believe this is a problem of our National Park Service; it has turned into government paid caterers.
"Oh Ranger, there is a bear in my woods.."
It is time the National Park Service stopped this nonsense and got back to preservation and education by not offering the couch, TV or tourist bus and urging folks to walk the Wilderness where expectations do not survive.
This is a very funny thread! It really shows the distinct dilemma that anyone (NPS or whoever else you want to put in there) faces with it's mission.
The thread begins with the initial question: "Is hiking Half Dome a wilderness experience?" No, seems the consensus. And why? Because the NPS "manages" the wilderness, thus reducing its "wild" qualities. No, it's because humans are there at all that's the problem. No, it's because the NPS caters to tourists that don't want to get out of their cars and want to be "catered" to.
But isn't the problem with climbing Half Dome exactly about those tourists who ARE getting out of their cars and doing a pretty strenous day climb in order to experience the very wilderness that's being bemoaned?
Here's how I see it (right or wrong). If we define the wilderness experience as time spent in a place without human influence, there has not been a wilderness experience in the Americas for 20,000 to 40,000 years (depending on your science). If you are talking about land that isn't somehow managed by humans but left to the influence of nature alone, we lost wilderness by first few decades of the twentieth century. Hell, the air we produce in our cities has influenced designated wilderness areas for decades, let alone the physical structures of roads and buildings.
Wilderness can only truly be defined by the way we manage the land. And it's important to realize that wilderness in, say, Alaska, is far more easily managed as wilderness (because of its remoteness, though that protection is beginning to fail as well) as, say, the California mid-Sierra where thousands and thousands of San Franciscans and Los Angelinos and Sacramentoads flock for a bit of relief in whatever is left of nature in the mountains.
I'm not sure what you expect the NPS to do? (And the question applies to anyone expected to manage it, government-affiliated or not). There's lots of complaints, but I see few suggestions.
Here's how to make Half Dome a more "wilderness" kind of experience: limit access. That is how we've traditionally maintained a wilderness experience for people and it should apply to Half Dome as well. Make them register. Limit the number of bodies per day.
What Half Dome needs, like any designated wilderness area, is a human firewall that allows only the smallest footprint possible and less of a human highway.
Glenn's notion of limited access has been practiced successfully with The Narrows and The Subway at Zion for many years. It makes perfect sense for high congestion regions, and I would personally like to see it extended to the Bright Angel and South Kaibab Trails, along with too many others to name in one posting.
The idea of wilderness carries with it too many variables for accurate definition. "Managing" wilderness is folly; that, in my world, removes it from consideration as true pristine wilderness. Try as we like, mankind just isn't intelligent enough to manage Nature. The more we attempt to, the bigger debacle we leave as our legacy. Until we as a species as alleged "stewards" of our lands accept and admit that we cannot do as we damn well please, where and whenever we please, our remaining resources, both flora and fauna, are to be forever subjected to the whims of the arrogant, the profiteering and those whose evolutionary development specific to their intelligence stagnated in the era of the last Ice Age.
My initial comment was in reference to the ridiculous notion of waiting in line to take a walk. How can that be a wilderness experience? The only things missing from that circus were the pop machines and the hot dot vendors. Wilderness indeed........
As far as I can tell, the (big-W) Wilderness areas in the contiguous 48 states are all such small islands of wildness surrounded by lands that are in many cases heavily impacted by human presence. Even if we completely eliminated all amenities for human visitors, such as trails, signage, established campsites, and ranger stations, a tremendous amount of management would still be needed just to keep the influences from the adjacent civilization from impacting these places. And most of the wildlife (plant or animal) in the preserves aren't necessarily aware of the boundaries of these preserves anyway, and trying to keep the unimpacted wildlife in, and the impacted wildlife out, is probably impossible.
It was interesting, when I interviewed the Yosemite spokesman, what he had to say about the possibility of limiting day-use access to Half Dome:
STEVE: [15:37] So there's no thoughts at this point of a lottery system like Mount Whitney?
SCOTT GEDIMAN: [15:41] There isn't -- No, there is no point. And what's interesting is, when people have brought that up in a lot of the media attention and a lot of people have thought about that, not only is it something that we're not looking at doing, but things like that they're very staff intensive, and to have people, and we certainly -- we don't have the staff, and I don't say that as a cop-out, but I say that as something that when you're up there regulating, you've got thr Half Dome trail, people are coming from Glacier Point, people are coming from Tuolumne Meadows, people are coming from Yosemite Valley. You have people converging on the trail, you have a lot of people coming, and to really have someone there to check permits or to check people is not something we're looking at doing anytime soon. And we don't have the problems right now, of course the solitude and the people, that's the biggest concern we have among wilderness users, but as far as issues like bear encounters, human waste, trail degradation, it's at a manageable level, and so if it continues to be that way, then we'll continue to manage it the way we are.
So they don't have the resources to manage the traffic, and feel they have higher-priority problems elsewhere in the park to spend their resources on.
The WildeBeat "The audio journal about getting into the wilderness"
Bingo Steve....good interview. Glad that to hear the Park's position on permits. After careful thought, I feel 60% of the people going up the Half Dome trail need education. When you get a wilderness permit, you have to listen to a bear-proof container lecture. If and I say IF, permits for Half Dome were started, I'd recommend that if you get a permit you could not do the hike for 3 days after. That way, you'd have to hear a mini-lecture on safety, water, cables etc -or- read a sheet -or- watch a 15 minute video. Like "drive up/drive back" one-day banshee skiers, one-day Domers could benefit from reasonable guidance. But as Scott said there are no resources to manage and monitor all this.
Rick D.
There are higher priority problems elsewhere to spend resources?
How about removing the cable system entirely then.
That ought to stifle, limit the flow of wilderness seekers a bit.
On November 21st, 2007, Random Walker wrote:
How about removing the cable system entirely then.
There are certainly wilderness advocates who are in favor of this proposal. Unfortunately, the cables are considered a historical monument, and thus are also to be protected by the park. This is a case where the laws that enforce preservation of various park features are in conflict.
The WildeBeat "The audio journal about getting into the wilderness"
At Rocky Mountain National Park early (c. 1915) guides put up cables on the North Face of Longs Peak. In about 1979 several of us past seasonal Longs Peak Rangers with the concurrance of the current Longs Peak crew, at that time, got together in a meeting and petitioned the park to remove the cables, which was subsequently accomplished in 1981(?), returing that route to a low 5th class (protecction from the eye bolts left in place). There is an alternative route through the Keyhole around the West Face and up the Homestretch route which requires some scrambling up a well trodden path. Several thousand climbers do so each year, making the 5,000 vertical foot treck from the trailhead. The rationale chopping the cables was in response to Wilderness Area designation in the 1980 Colorado Wilderness Bill.
The Chasm Lake Shelter which, built in the 30s was deemed a cultural resource at the time and retained even though it was within the Wilderness boundary. None of us wanted this utilitarian and historic structure removed. In winter of '04-'05 the shelter was demolished and rearranged by an avalanche. | <urn:uuid:5ce7946a-b822-4042-bf9e-d1c516bd0330> | 2 | 2.125 | 0.140396 | en | 0.96124 | http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com/2007/11/does-hiking-yosemite-national-parks-half-dome-still-present-wilderness-experience |
Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2009 Mar; 1156(1): 1–18.
PMCID: PMC2805335
Genes, Cognition, and Communication: Insights from Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Twin and family studies have demonstrated that most cognitive traits are moderately to highly heritable. Neurodevelopmental disorders such as dyslexia, autism, and specific language impairment (SLI) also show strong genetic influence. Nevertheless, it has proved difficult for researchers to identify genes that would explain substantial amounts of variance in cognitive traits or disorders. Although this observation may seem paradoxical, it fits with a multifactorial model of how complex human traits are influenced by numerous genes that interact with one another, and with the environment, to produce a specific phenotype. Such a model can also explain why genetic influences on cognition have not vanished in the course of human evolution. Recent linkage and association studies of SLI and dyslexia are reviewed to illustrate these points. The role of nonheritable genetic mutations (sporadic copy number variants) in causing autism is also discussed. Finally, research on phenotypic correlates of allelic variation in the genes ASPM and microcephalin is considered; initial interest in these as genes for brain size or intelligence has been dampened by a failure to find phenotypic differences in people with different versions of these genes. There is a current vogue for investigators to include measures of allelic variants in studies of cognition and cognitive disorders. It is important to be aware that the effect sizes associated with these variants are typically small and hard to detect without extremely large sample sizes.
Keywords: genes, language, communication, specific language impairment (SLI), dyslexia, autism, microcephalin, FOXP2, ASPM, copy number variants, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), copy number variant (CNV)
Most human genes have the same DNA sequence, for all people. If a gene takes the same form in virtually everyone it is said to be “fixed” in the population. Although mutations of fixed genes sometimes occur, when they do they are often either lethal or associated with disease or disability. When common individual differences among people are shown to be heritable, this points to a causal role for genes that are not fixed, but that show allelic variation from person to person.
Studies of twins provide a means of teasing apart genetic and environmental influences on a trait and have demonstrated moderate to high heritability for a host of cognitive traits and disorders, including verbal and nonverbal intelligence (Bouchard 1998), language skill (Stromswold 2001), reading ability (Harlaar et al. 2005), specific language impairment (SLI) (Bishop 2002), dyslexia (Grigorenko 2004), and autism (Rutter 2005). Such findings led researchers to expect that once we developed sufficiently sensitive molecular genetic tools we would readily identify genes that were implicated in cognition generally and communication more specifically. Yet, after more than a decade of research toward this goal, it is clear that the task is far harder than anyone anticipated. One way of reconciling the moderate-to-high heritability of cognitive abilities with the lack of genes of large effect is to postulate that there are common allelic variants that affect cognitive function, but they are individually of small effect size and do not have their effects in isolation: They operate against a background of genetic influences and their impact may also be affected by environmental factors. Thus, an allelic variant may be associated with lowered ability only when it co-occurs with disadvantageous alleles on other genes or with specific environmental circumstances; against a different background, it may be neutral, or even advantageous.
Research conducted over the past decade has increasingly supported a multifactorial account of genetic influences on individual differences in human cognition, but when researchers consider specific neurodevelopmental disorders, there is less agreement. According to one view, the etiology of disorders is no different from the etiology of individual differences in the normal range: Both are affected by the combined influence of many common variants, the effects of which are small, and interdependent with one another and the environment (Plomin & Kovas 2005). However, an alternative possibility is that we are dealing with numerous but heterogeneous genetic variants that are individually very rare (Keller & Miller 2006). Thus, there might be genes that have a large effect size in affected individuals, but only a small effect at the level of the population, because they affect only a tiny minority of cases. Rather than attempting to review the enormous and growing literature on genetic influences on normal and impaired cognition, I shall use examples from neurodevelopmental disorders to illustrate these issues before briefly reviewing studies on the role of copy number variants in autism, as well as on microcephalin and ASPM, two putative genes for brain size. Finally, I shall consider how we would integrate what we know about genetic influences on human cognition and communication with evolutionary considerations.
Language Development and Disorders
Language is found in all human cultures. Regardless of whether they grow up in a Western city or a remote Amazonian forest, children learn to talk. Furthermore, this remarkable skill, unlike anything seen in another species, is mastered within around 4 years. Languages vary substantially in the sounds and rules they use to convey meaning, and we are still a long way from understanding how language learning is achieved, but it is clear that most children acquire it rapidly and without explicit instruction. Furthermore, language learning is remarkably robust in the face of neurobiological insults, such as perinatal brain damage, and environmental adversities, such as limited language input (Bishop & Mogford 1988). Even severe hearing loss need not handicap language acquisition, provided the child is exposed to a sign language (Neville & Mills 1997). Nevertheless, some children have problems with language acquisition for no apparent reason. In most cases, these children learn to talk, but they master language milestones much later than normal, and they may continue to use simplified syntax and vocabulary into adulthood. Where such a picture is seen in a child of otherwise normal intelligence for no apparent cause this is termed specific language impairment (SLI). Although it is less well-known than developmental dyslexia or autism, SLI is a relatively common developmental disorder. The boundary between SLI and normality is not clear cut and prevalence rates depend on how it is defined: Tomblin et al. (1997) gave estimates of 3 to 7%, depending on the cutoffs used.
For many years it was assumed that SLI was caused by inadequate parental communication, but a trio of twin studies in the 1990s provided evidence of high heritability (see Bishop 2002 for review). One expects twins growing up together to resemble each other because they are subject to the same environmental influences. If, however, monozygotic (MZ) twins, who are genetically identical, are more concordant for disorder than dizygotic (DZ) twins, who share on average only half their segregating genes, this is evidence for a genetic influence on disorder. Findings from twin and family studies suggested that it would only be a matter of time before a gene for SLI would be discovered. The expectation seemed fulfilled when a mutation of the FOXP2 gene was found to co-segregate perfectly with speech and language disorder in a three-generational British family, the KE family (see Fisher 2005, for review). Much debate followed over whether this was a “gene for language” or even a “gene for grammar,” an oversimplistic and sensationalist view that the researchers were at pains to dispel (Fisher 2006). Comparative studies indicated that this gene was highly conserved (similar in DNA sequence) across mammalian species, with only three amino acid substitutions distinguishing between FOXP2 proteins in a human and a mouse. Two of these changes had occurred after divergence of the lineage between chimpanzees and humans, and further analyses of the gene identified evidence that high survival value had led to the changes rapidly spreading through human populations. As Fisher (2006) noted, the gene is a transcription factor that regulates other genes and had impact on many systems, not just the brain; nevertheless, it is clear that disruption of its function affects development of brain regions important for language. However, FOXP2 is not a general explanation for SLI; investigations of other affected individuals seldom found any mutations of this gene (Newbury et al. 2002), except in a handful of cases with a similar complex phenotype involving both verbal dyspraxia and language deficits (Macdermot et al. 2005).
Other researchers conducting twin studies of SLI argued that in the majority of cases it is not a distinct disorder, but rather the extreme end of a normal distribution of language ability, likely to be influenced by multiple genetic and environmental influences of small effect (Plomin & Kovas 2005). Similar conclusions have been reached about a host of physical disorders, such as heart disease, diabetes, and allergies, with geneticists talking of complex multifactorial disorders (Sing & Reilly 1993). There were several reasons for this shift in conceptualization. First, many common disorders, including SLI, do not usually show family pedigrees indicative of classic Mendelian inheritance: As Sing and Reilly succinctly put it, these disorders aggregate but do not segregate in families. In this regard, the KE family is the exception rather than the rule, with 15 family members across three generations showing an autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance (i.e., the probability of an affected parent having an affected child is 50%). A second reason for favoring a multifactorial model is when a disorder is common. As argued by Keller and Miller (2006), most Mendelian disorders that affect reproductive fitness have very low prevalence because of selectional pressures against the mutation. If we accept that language proficiency would have conferred a reproductive advantage for ancestral humans (Pinker 2003), then it is hard to explain the persistence of common heritable language impairments in terms of a single gene of large effect. A third line of evidence concerns the relationship between disorder and the distribution of abilities in the population as a whole. SLI, like many other disorders, does not have pathognomic features; rather, it is defined in terms of arbitrary cutoffs on a continuum of language ability. Plomin and Kovas (2005) added a more technical argument, one based on a specific analytic method that gives an estimate of “group heritability”—the heritability for extreme scores on a dimension. They argued that if group heritability is significant, then this is evidence of genetic continuity with normality. However, neither of these latter two lines of evidence is watertight. We know that the KE family's problems are caused by a very rare mutation, yet their difficulties can still be quantified in terms of low language test scores. More generally, there are some features of SLI that are not normally distributed in the population; rather most children acquire full competence by around 4 years of age, leaving a tail of cases with persisting difficulties. Apparent continuity with normal-range performance may simply be a consequence of the measuring scale. This is the case for problems using verb inflections (Bishop 2005) and difficulties in speech production (Bishop & Hayiou-Thomas 2008), both of which are highly heritable. Using simulations, Bishop (2005) showed not only that significant group heritability could be found for a disorder caused by a rare mutation, but that the pattern of results for verb inflection difficulties was more consistent with such a cause, rather than that of multifactorial inheritance. Thus, it seems likely that rare variants could account for at least some cases of SLI other than those in the KE family.
Nevertheless, it seems probable that for many common forms of SLI we are unlikely to find individual genes of large effect; rather the etiology will be complex and involve a constellation of influences, each of which is small in magnitude. An important question for future research is whether we can distinguish phenotypically between forms of SLI that are caused by rare genetic variants, those that are heritable but with complex polygenic etiology, and those that are more environmental in origin. To resolve such questions we may need to move from traditional clinical methods of assessment and diagnosis and focus instead on theoretically motivated measures of underlying processes of perception, memory, and linguistic representations (Bishop 2008).
How, then, are we to discover the relevant genes? The main approach available to molecular geneticists doing the first studies in this field was linkage analysis, which involves looking for genetic markers that are shared at above chance frequency in affected individuals from the same family (see Newbury & Monaco 2008 for overview). This method relies on the fact that there are many regions of the genome that show a high degree of variation from one individual to another. Often these are in noncoding regions, thought to be unimportant for causing individual differences. However, their variability makes them useful because it is unlikely that any two unrelated people will have the same DNA sequence—this means that one can track how the DNA sequence in a given chromosome region relates to the phenotype in multiple people from the same family. A common misconception is that discovery of linkage equates to identification of genes that cause disorder. In fact, the highly variable genetic markers used in linkage analysis are unlikely to be functional. However, sections of DNA that are close together tend to be inherited together in blocks, so if we find significant linkage to a DNA marker then there is a good chance that a gene close to that marker may be involved. Thus, genetic markers act as signposts to regions of the genome that are likely to harbor risk genes. The identified region may contain many different genes, and further painstaking work is needed to characterize all of these and look for mutant DNA sequences within them. To illustrate this point Newbury and Monaco (2008) noted that the linkage region initially identified in the KE family contained around 100 genes, many of which were plausible candidates because they were known to affect neurological function. Progress in identifying FOXP2 might have been much slower, had it not been for a fortuitous discovery of a single case with a similar phenotype having a chromosomal translocation that disrupted this gene.
Linkage analysis is a useful method when looking for genes of major effect, especially if the same genes are involved in different families. It is less good at detecting genes of small probabilistic effect, although the method can be made more powerful when quantitative traits are considered, where one looks for a relationship between degree of genetic similarity and degree of phenotypic similarity between individuals in a pair. Increasingly, with the advent of fast automated genetic analysis, researchers are moving to an alternative method, association analysis. Association analysis is conceptually rather simpler than linkage analysis in that it involves categorizing individuals in terms of allelic status at a given locus, and looking for associations with phenotypic measures. It is much more sensitive than linkage analysis to small effects; however, the sensitivity of association analysis is counteracted by the fact that it is effective only if the marker is very close to the actual risk gene. Association analysis has traditionally been used to home in on regions that were identified by linkage analysis or to test for association with specific genes that were strong candidates because their function was known. It has now become more common in molecular genetic studies to perform association analysis covering the whole genome by considering associations with a large array of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (i.e., variations at a single nucleotide site that differ between members of a species; McCarthy et al. 2008). However, the simplicity of this approach is deceptive, because on the one hand the associations are likely to be weak and probabilistic, and on the other hand the number of loci that are screened is potentially enormous—in current studies typically running into the hundreds of thousands. This poses problems of interpretation when an association is found, because adjustment has to be made to p-values to take into account the inflated probability of chance findings. But, if such correction is too stringent, one may end up dismissing associations that are small but genuine.
One solution is to adopt a two-stage procedure in which the first genome scan is used to identify target markers that look promising, and the second to replicate in a new sample (Thomas et al. 2005). However, since each sample requires large numbers to detect weak associations, such work is time-consuming and expensive. Furthermore, failures to replicate still occur even when a statistically conservative multistage approach is used. Another way to improve reliability of findings is to capitalize on the fact that contiguous SNPs tend to be inherited together in a “haplotype block” and to look for associations between phenotypes and constellation of alleles in a block (Daly et al. 2001). An analogy of the difference between doing association analysis using SNPs and using haplotypes would be passing through a city on a train and noting just one letter of the station name: doing this give the rider a clue as to location, but a sequence of four consecutive letters is far more informative as to where one is. Similarly, haplotype analysis is more likely than analysis of single SNPs to generate replicable findings. Ultimately, however, it has to be remembered that the genes of interest do not directly code for behavior: They determine which proteins are produced by cells, thereby influencing brain structure and function. Proof of a causal role for a gene requires studies of its mode of action, with a demonstration that allelic variants affect expression levels of proteins that serve key functions in the neurobiology of the trait in question (Newbury & Monaco 2008). Until this is done we cannot know whether a SNP or haplotype that is associated with a phenotype is a functional variant or merely a nearby marker.
Molecular genetic studies of SLI have been conducted by the SLI Consortium (SLIC), who assembled a large group of families affected by SLI from both epidemiological and clinical samples. They focused on three main measures of the phenotype: (1) scores from expressive and (2) receptive composites of a widely used clinical language assessment, and (3) a test of nonword repetition, previously shown to demonstrate particularly high heritability in twin studies by Bishop et al. (1996, 2006), and regarded as a measure of phonological short-term memory. Linkage was found between a region on the long arm (q) of chromosome 16 and the nonword repetition phenotype, and between a region on the short arm (p) of chromosome 19 and the expressive language score (SLI Consortium 2002). Both linkages have been replicated in additional samples, though the specific language traits linked to chromosome 19 are not consistent from study to study (Falcaro et al. 2008; SLI Consortium 2004). These two linkage sites were not, however, significant in studies by a North American group, who instead reported significant linkage to chromosome 13 (Bartlett et al. 2002). Lack of agreement in results of genome scans is an all-too-common finding and raises concerns about false positives, despite statistical attempts to control for these. However, other explanations are plausible: Results can be influenced by different methods of sampling, of phenotypic measurement, or choice of statistical method. Furthermore, where there is genuine but weak linkage, random sampling error will affect whether it is detected.
Our ability to home in on genes relevant to SLI is hampered by our limited understanding of how genes build a brain that can learn language. Vernes et al. (2008) adopted a novel approach by taking as a starting point the findings from the FOXP2 gene, which is known to have a role in switching on and off other target genes. Although mutations of FOXP2 are causal in only a small minority of cases of SLI, these authors reasoned that FOXP2 regulates other genes that are important in the development of neural pathways implicated in language, and so they hypothesized that such genes might be involved in cases of typical SLI. Vernes et al. carried out a functional genomic screen for FOXP2 targets and discovered that FOXP2 binds to and downregulates a gene on the long arm of chromosome 7 called “contactin-associated protein-like 2” (CNTNAP2). CNTNAP2 is a polymorphic gene known to be important in neural development. Around the same time that Vernes et al. were conducting their study, Abrahams et al. (2007) had been looking for genes that show differential expression in the fetal brains of humans and rodents, and identified CNTNAP2 as one of two genes that showed strikingly higher and more focal expression in human prefrontal cortex compared to other regions, and generally higher cortical expression in humans than in rodents. Using the sample from the SLIC Consortium, Vernes et al. showed that in children with typical SLI, nonword repetition scores were significantly associated with polymorphisms of this gene. Using a cluster of nine SNPs that showed association with nonword repetition, the researchers identified four haplotypes that among them accounted for 94% of individuals. The most common of these haplotypes had a frequency of 35%, and was found in 40% of those with nonword repetition deficits (performance more than 2 SD below the population mean), as compared with 29% of those with good nonword repetition (more than 0.5 SD above the population mean). Children who had no copies of this haplotype had a mean standard score of 95.2 on nonword repetition, those carrying one copy had a mean score of 89.7, and those with two copies had a mean score of 89.4, consistent with a dominant effect. It is noteworthy that the effect size of this haplotype, at just below d= 0.4, is large relative to many of the associations described in this field (see below); nevertheless, presence of the risk haplotype does not guarantee poor nonword repetition—indeed the majority of those with poor nonword repetition scores did not have this risk haplotype, and many of those with good nonword repetition did have one or two copies of it. A further point to note is that replications of association studies are always important, and they frequently find smaller effect sizes than the original study. Also, the association does not seem specific to SLI: Genetic differences in CNTNAP2 have also been associated with autism (Alarcón et al. 2008) and schizophrenia (Friedman et al. 2008).
What can this tell us about genetic influences on normal language development? One conclusion is that language development is robust in the face of genetic as well as environmental risks; the fact that many people with risk alleles do not develop frank disorder suggests that it is unusual for a “single hit” to compromise language development. This conclusion from genetics is nicely consistent with behavioral data, suggesting that deficits associated with SLI, such as ones affecting memory or auditory perception, may be seen in family members who do not themselves show any severe language difficulties (Barry et al. 2007, 2008). This makes sense if one assumes that language shows strong “canalization” (Waddington 1942), so that a range of genotypes can produce the same phenotype. Only when there are two or more factors disrupting language processes will an overt deficit be observed (Bishop 2006). If this is the case then genetic studies might be most fruitful if they focus on component aspects of the phenotype, which run in families but are only probabilistically associated with clinical-level impairment.
Reading and Developmental Dyslexia
Language impairment and reading disorders often go hand in hand, yet from a genetic perspective there is an important difference between them. Oral language is a universal human characteristic with obvious survival value. Written language, on the other hand, is a human invention that is not found in all societies and is of recent origin in the scale of human evolution. Although literacy has clear benefits in enabling acquisition of knowledge across, as well as within, generations, it is not clear that illiteracy affects reproductive fitness, and persistence of genetic variants that selectively impair reading would pose far less of a paradox than would persistence of variants affecting oral language.
The diagnosis of developmental dyslexia is made when a child has unusual difficulty learning to read for no apparent reason. The disorder is typically defined in terms of a substantial mismatch between general intelligence and literacy skills, although the logic of this approach has been challenged (Lyon 2003). A genetic basis for dyslexia was recognized in some of the earliest work on this topic (see Schumacher et al. 2007 for review), with Hallgren (1950) noting that dyslexia often ran in families and suggesting that genes were implicated. Subsequent twin studies have largely confirmed this impression; two large-scale two studies, the Colorado Twin Study (Wadsworth et al. 2007) and the Twins Early Development Study (Harlaar et al. 2005) both found significantly higher concordance for reading disability in MZ than in DZ twins.
Twin studies provide evidence that genes are implicated in developmental dyslexia, but they give no indication of how many genes are involved. As with SLI, when researchers first started to investigate the genetics of dyslexia there was an expectation that we might find a single dominant or recessive gene that could explain the disorder. However, this did not turn out to be the case. Rather, probabilistic linkages were reported. In the first linkage study conducted in this area, Smith et al. (1983) focused on a group of nine families in whom dyslexia appeared to be inherited in an autosomal dominant manner. They tested 21 markers and found linkage to a region of chromosome 15, with one family contributing substantially to this result. Although the precise location has varied from study to study, linkage to the long arm of chromosome 15 was subsequently replicated both in an extended study by Smith and colleagues, and by other groups (see Fisher & DeFries 2002 for review of the early work).
With the passage of time a wider range of markers and more sophisticated methods of analysis became available, allowing further investigations of the same families. Using a quantitative approach to linkage analysis, Cardon et al. (1994) found linkage to a region of the short arm of chromosome 6 (6p22.2). This was subsequently replicated in several independent samples, though there have also been some failures to replicate (see Fisher & DeFries 2002; Fisher & Francks 2006).
In the past few years, researchers have identified specific genes that appear to be implicated in dyslexia. Findings do not always replicate, and it can be hard to know whether this is because of type I error, lack of power to detect small effects, or heterogeneity between populations. I shall focus on just on one region on chromosome 6 where considerable progress has been made in the past few years, but for detailed critical review of other putative associations see Paracchini, Scerri, and Monaco (2007).
Using samples from the UK and US, Francks et al. (2004) refined the linkage region on 6p22.2 to a 77-kb region that spanned two genes, TTRAP and KIAA0319. Within this region they identified a risk haplotype, tagged by three SNPs, that had a frequency of around 12% in these samples and had an average effect between −0.23 and −0.34 SD (depending on the sample) on IQ-adjusted reading measures. Cope et al. (2005) focused on a region of chromosome 6p22.2 containing 7 candidate genes, evaluating 137 SNPs in this region in an independent UK sample. A multistage analysis was used, first identifying SNPs that showed association with dyslexia in pooled DNA samples, then evaluating the association in individual cases and controls, as well as looking at associations within families. In addition, haplotype analysis was conducted. Significant association was found for a two-SNP haplotype within the KIAA0319 gene: The most common form with alleles 1–1 was equally frequent for affected versus unaffected cases, but two other common forms, 1–2 and 2–1, showed contrasting effects. (Conventionally, 1 is the more frequent allele, and 2 is the less frequent). The 1–2 haplotype was found in 35% of those with dyslexia and 27% of those without, whereas for 2–1, the figures were 24% in those with dyslexia and 36% in unaffected controls. Note that while the report of this chapter is titled “Strong evidence that KIAA0319 is a susceptibility gene for developmental dyslexia,” this is not the same as saying that KIAA0319 conveys strong susceptibility. Extrapolating to the general population, one would expect that most individuals with the 1–2 risk haplotype would not be dyslexic, and most dyslexic individuals would not have the 1–2 haplotype. In a further analysis of the samples of both Francks et al. and Cope et al., Harold et al. (2006) analyzed all the markers previously identified by those researchers as well as additional SNPs in this region and found further evidence for association of dyslexia with KIAA0319, with five SNPs showing association in both samples. Interestingly, they found only weak and inconsistent support for association with another gene located close to KIAA0319, namely DCDC2, which had previously been reported as also associated with dyslexia.
Paracchini et al. (2006) noted that a causal role for variation in KIAA0319 in dyslexia would be supported if it could be shown that the risk haplotype affected neural function. They conducted studies in human cell lines using mass spectrometry to compare the level of transcription generated from chromosomes with high or low risk haplotypes. The experiment was carried out in different cell types (neuroblastoma and lymphoblastoids) using multiple genetic markers. Control cell lines were also tested to guard against type I error. The results indicated that the risk haplotype was associated with reduced gene expression of KIAA0319. This result requires replication, as it was based on just six individuals, but it fits well with data from Harold et al. (2006) indicating that the putative functional mutation is likely to reside within the regulatory region of KIAA0319. Paracchini et al. (2007) further reported that KIAA0319 affects neuronal migration, providing a plausible link to previous neuroanatomical work showing abnormal neuronal migration in the brains of those with dyslexia (Galaburda et al. 2006). They noted, however, a problem with this hypothesized causal route, which is that impairment of neuronal migration would be expected to have a broad impact on many aspects of cognitive development, rather than a selective effect on reading. Nevertheless, it is possible that a reading-specific vulnerability could be induced if the regional expression of the gene were moderated by the effect of other genes. Another puzzle, though, concerns the extent to which a mechanism of abnormal neuronal migration fits with a view of dyslexia as continuous with normality. Although one can undoubtedly have degrees of severity of migrational abnormalities, these abnormalities are usually regarded as a pathological phenomenon. The fact that association between haplotypes and dyslexia is most striking when severe phenotypes are used is consistent with results from a sample studied by Deffenbacher et al. (2004) and is another pointer to the possibility that at least some forms of dyslexia may be etiologically distinct from the low end of the normal range.
This contrasts with a multifactorial conceptualization, which regards dyslexia as being influenced by the same causal factors as operate across the whole continuum of reading ability. If this is correct, then it should be possible to identify relevant genes not only in rare dyslexic samples, but also in general population samples, where one would attempt to identify allelic variants that were predictive of reading across the range of ability. Two studies looked at haplotypes of KIAA0319 in general population samples. Luciano et al. (2007) used a sample of 440 adolescent twins and their parents who had been used to obtain estimates of genetic and environmental influences on literacy-related traits. Although they reported significant associations with 2 of 10 studied SNPs in this gene, and with a three-SNP haplotype, around half the associations were in the opposite direction to those previously reported in studies of dyslexic samples. This puzzling result could just represent type I error, but it is not the only case of a “flip-flop” phenomenon, whereby association with a risk allele is replicated, but in the opposite direction. Lin et al. (2007) conducted simulations to show that the extent to which different markers were co-inherited (i.e., in linkage disequilibrium) can vary from one population to another, and that where the phenotype depends on a specific constellation of allelic variants, then flip-flops between populations can occur. This further emphasizes the extent to which phenotypes depend on genetic constellations rather than individual genes. Another point to note is that Luciano et al. did not correct for IQ, and given that reading and IQ tend to be correlated, the phenotype they studied would be rather different from those in samples of dyslexics, who are usually identified on the basis of a mismatch between poor reading and average or high IQ. Given the very weak evidence for replication found by Luciano et al., it is of interest to find more positive results in a general population sample studied by Paracchini et al. (2008). They analyzed a set of SNPs and haplotypes that had previously been identified as risk or protective factors for dyslexia in over 5,000 children from a new population-based sample for whom reading measures were available. The three-SNP haplotype previously identified as a risk factor by Francks and colleagues again emerged as significantly associated with reading ability (and in the same direction), with the association improving when IQ was controlled. Depending on the specific measure used, the regression coefficients (which directly reflect change in z-score going from zero to one to two copies of the 1−1−2 haplotype) ranged from around −0.03 to −0.08. Though significant, this is considerably weaker than the association reported by Francks et al. They did not, furthermore, replicate the findings of Cope et al. for a two-SNP haplotype associated with good reading.
Developmental dyslexia is often presented as a success story for the field of genetics because specific linkages on chromosomes 6 and 15 have now been replicated across a number of samples. However, candidate gene associations account for only a small proportion of variance, in contrast to the high heritability estimates obtained from twin studies. This, of course, is just what would be predicted by a model of complex multifactorial etiology, but it emphasizes that we are not finding genetic variants that are necessary and sufficient for causing dyslexia. Take, for instance, the SNP rs2038137 in KIAA0319, which gave the most significant association in the chromosome 6p study of Harold et al. (2006) when both samples were considered together. The risk allele had a frequency of 70% in cases of dyslexia and 62% in controls in the Cardiff sample, a difference that would be far too small to be of use in predicting outcomes. Assuming a base rate of dyslexia of 10% in the population, in a sample of 1000 people, we would expect to find 628 with the risk allele, of whom 11% would have dyslexia, and 372 with a low-risk allele, of whom 8% would have dyslexia. Clearly, even where significant associations are replicated across several samples, the variants that have been found have only a small contributory effect to the etiology of dyslexia. There are two possible interpretations of this result: One possibility is that there is a functional variant that has a stronger causal relation with disorder, which is close to, but not identical with, the region identified by association analysis. But, another very plausible interpretation is that these risk factors correspond to genes of small effect and need to be combined with other genetic and/or environmental factors to exert their influence. When the first behavioral genetic studies of dyslexia revealed high heritability, many of us in the field anticipated that sooner or later there would be genetic tests that would make it possible to identify a child's risk of dyslexia before the start of schooling. The much more complex picture revealed by molecular genetic studies makes that goal seem increasingly unattainable.
Autism and Copy Number Variants
When molecular geneticists first began to study autism, they anticipated that it would be relatively straightforward to find genes associated with this disorder, because all the phenotypic data indicated extremely high heritability (Barnby & Monaco 2003). However, despite a huge research effort from consortia using samples gathered from all over the world, progress has been slow. One possible reason could be that the phenotype is not appropriately specified. As we found for SLI, the clinical characterization of a disorder may not be optimal for defining a genetically meaningful phenotype. More progress may be made if autism is reconceptualized in a quantitative fashion, rather than as a syndrome. Furthermore, the possibility has been made mooted that different components of autism may have different genetic origins, with the full syndrome being observed only when a specific constellation of deficits is seen (Happé et al. 2006). Evidence came from Ronald et al. (2006), who gave a brief questionnaire regarding autistic-like symptoms to parents of a general population sample of twins and found that the three domains of social impairments, communication impairments, and restricted interests/repetitive behaviors showed only weak phenotypic correlations and little genetic overlap. Of course, finding that components of autism can fractionate is not strong evidence against a distinctive etiology for the syndrome: Consider, for instance, the case of Prader−Willi syndrome, caused by a deletion on chromosome 15 and characterized by excessive appetite, low muscle tone, and learning disabilities (Whittington & Holland 2004). If one were to do an analogous study to that of Ronald and colleagues in the general population, measuring these traits, it is unlikely they would have shared genetic variance, simply because Prader−Willi syndrome is a rare disorder that accounts for a tiny minority of cases. Similarly, the causes of the triad of impairments in autism could be unitary, even though they can fractionate in the general population. Stronger supportive evidence for Ronald et al.'s model comes from studies of relatives indicating that similar features, milder in kind and sometimes occurring in isolation, can be seen in cases of the “broader phenotype” (Dawson et al. 2002). Furthermore, the fact that the CNTNAP2 gene has been found to be associated with autism as well as with SLI (Alarcón et al. 2008) is consistent with the notion that there may be common genetic risk factors for both these disorders, which may be differentiated only in terms of there being other risk alleles in those with autism that lead to additional symptoms. It should be noted, however, that although this idea is currently popular, it is not fully supported by behavioral data on relatives; the broad phenotype of autism does not appear to encompass the kind of nonword repetition deficits associated with CNTNAP2 and seen in individuals with SLI and their relatives (Bishop et al. 2004; Whitehouse et al. 2007). The possibility of etiological overlap between SLI and autism is currently a focus of considerable research interest, but the jury is still out. One promising approach is the development of instruments that allow one to quantify underlying dimensions of autism; this allows us to assess subclinical features of this disorder in relatives in the quest for genotype−phenotype associations (Duvall et al. 2007).
One consequence of reconceptualizing autism as the result of a specific conjunction of “risk” alleles is that it might explain why such alleles persist in the population despite the fact that individuals with autism are unlikely to reproduce (Keller & Miller 2006). The argument is sometimes made that features of autism that are disadvantageous when they occur as part of a syndrome could be beneficial if they occur in isolation. For instance, Happé (1999) noted that the detail-focused cognitive style seen in autism could be advantageous under certain circumstances. Baron-Cohen (2000) made a similar case, quoting Temple Grandin, who herself has autism, as follows: “‘What would happen if you eliminated the autism genes from the gene pool? You would have a bunch of people standing around in a cave, chatting, and socializing and not getting anything done!’” (p. 491).
In the past few years, there has been growing interest in an alternative line of explanation for the failure to find genes for autism. The problem may have been not so much with phenotypic definition as with the nature of the molecular genetic investigations—investigations that have focused on looking for differences in genetic markers that typically encompass 1 to 10 base pairs. In addition to these conventional genetic markers, there is another kind of polymorphism, copy number variant (CNV), which operates on a much larger scale, involving deletions, insertions, duplications, and rearrangements of sections of DNA of length from 1000 base pairs up to several million base pairs (Beckmann et al. 2007; Redon et al. 2006). These may arise as spontaneous mutations, or be transmitted from parent to child. For years it was thought that gene dosage was determined solely by the alleles inherited from each parent, but it is now evident that dosage can also be affected by the presence of two copies of a gene on the same chromosome.
Two independent studies (Marshall et al. 2008; Sebat et al. 2007) reported increased rates of CNVs in individuals with autism. Intriguingly, most of the CNVs were not seen in the parents, indicating that they had arisen as sporadic mutations, rather than being inherited. It is ironic that the massive push for genetic studies of autism was prompted by twin and family studies that indicated high heritability, yet these latest results have revealed genetic anomalies that arose de novo. This raises questions as to whether the presence of CNVs may provide an explanatory mechanism only for a small subset of those with autism—as Beaudet (2007) noted, sporadic CNVs are associated with cases of autism that are atypical in that they are associated with other syndromic features and have an equal sex ratio. It will also be of interest to know how far such de novo mutations are related to paternal age, which has been linked with risk of autism (Reichenberg et al. 2006).
Another difficulty for studies of CNVs in relation to disorder is the fact that CNVs are so common in the general population. Beckmann et al. (2007) noted that in the HapMap project, when the focus was solely on differences at the level of the single nucleotide polymorphism, it was estimated that the difference between any two randomly selected genomes was only 0.1%, but this estimate has now been estimated upwards to at least 1%, with most of the difference due to CNVs. Because they can span regions of the chromosome containing many genes, CNVs can potentially affect a wide range of phenotypic characteristics. The problem, then, is that if one finds that an individual with autism has a CNV, it cannot necessarily be assumed that this is a factor in causing the autism (Abrahams & Geschwind 2008). It may be the case that research in this area will be less useful in identifying CNVs that cause disorder than in identifying genes that are duplicated or deleted by the CNV, which may be likely candidates for playing a role in autism.
Microcephalin and Abnormal Spindle-Like, Microcephaly-Associated (ASPM)
The next example is something of a cautionary tale, showing how extrapolating from disorder to gene function in the general population is fraught with difficulties. The size and complexity of the brain is one of the most distinctive features differentiating humans from other primates (Passingham 2008). The brains of modern humans are more than 4 times larger than those of great apes. Genes that underlie this difference were discovered in the course of studying individuals affected by primary microcephaly. This condition is diagnosed when head circumference is at least 3 SD below the level expected for age and sex, in the absence of other syndromic features. Some forms of primary microcephaly are inherited as a recessive autosomal condition, and to date, six genes have been identified as important in the etiology (Cox et al. 2006). Typically, microcephaly is associated with mental retardation, often accompanied by other signs of neurological impairment such as motor handicap and seizures.
Microcephaly is a very rare condition, but its genetic basis aroused considerable interest when it was discovered that there is wide variation (polymorphism) in one of the genes that had been implicated, microcephalin, which when mutated leads to premature termination of synthesis of a protein involved in fetal brain development. Wang and Su (2004) documented this variation and compared human forms of microcephalin with those seen in 12 species of nonhuman primate. They found surprisingly high allelic variation in humans, whereas there was much less within-species variation in ape and monkey samples. If genetic diversity is due to selective pressure rather than random drift, then we expect to see more nucleotide replacements that alter a gene's protein product than replacements that do not. Subsequent work by Mekel-Bobrov et al. (2005) and Evans et al. (2005) produced such evidence for continuing adaptive evolution of both microcephalin and another microcephaly gene, ASPM (Abnormal Spindle-like, Microcephaly-associated), with both an ancestral form and a new derived form co-existing in human populations. For both genes, the data were consistent with positive selection pressure for the new derived form. Such findings fit with the idea that there were evolutionary pressures favoring the cognitive advantages of a large brain that outweighed the additional physiological costs of maintaining it. However, to confirm that microcephalin and/or ASPM were implicated in this development, one would need to show that there were indeed differences in brain size and cognition associated with the derived and ancestral forms of these two genes. Recent studies have failed to support these predictions. Woods et al. (2006) found no effect of genotype on brain volume measured using magnetic resonance imaging with 120 participants. Rushton et al. (2007) measured general mental ability, head circumference, and social intelligence in 644 Canadian adults of varied ethnic background and again found no relationship between these phenotypes and a person's genotype. The largest study conducted to date by Mekel-Bobrov et al. (2007) looked for association between the alleles of microcephalin and ASPM and intelligence in 2,393 individuals, and found no detectable effects of genotype on phenotype. These are sobering findings following the initial excitement regarding these two genes, and they emphasize that one cannot always predict what the correlates of common genetic polymorphisms will be from knowledge of the effects of a pathological mutation affecting the same genes. As Woods et al. (2006) noted, both microcephalin and ASPM are expressed in organs other than the brain, and it may be that positive selection for the derived variants of these genes has nothing to do with cognition.
A final line of evidence about the possible effect of microcephalin and ASPM is indirect: Dediu and Ladd (2007) noted that there were population differences in the frequency of derived and ancestral haplotypes for both microcephalin and ASPM. For both genes the new derived forms are relatively common in Europe, North Africa, and parts of Asia, but rarer in sub-Saharan Africa. In other populations, the frequencies of derived forms diverge for the two genes. The authors noticed a correlation between the type of language spoken in a population and the frequency of allelic forms, with tone languages being most common in populations where the ancestral alleles predominate, and nontone languages being most common in those populations where the derived allele is found with higher frequency. Dediu and Ladd emphasized that they were not proposing that genotype determined the type of language that could be learned: in general a human child can learn any natural language it is exposed to. However, they suggested that a genotype that facilitated pitch discrimination might have played a role in determining which acoustic cues became linguistically salient when a language developed. Although the concordance between population genotypes and type of language is intriguing, this work has to be seen as hypothesis-generating rather than definitive (Nettle 2007). Nevertheless, it gives clear predictions, not least of which is the idea that a person's genotype will determine their ability to learn to hear tone distinctions. Even more speculatively, we might predict that versions of these genes will relate to language proficiency in opposite ways, depending on whether the language learned is a tone language. As yet these remain hypotheses in need of formal test.
Why Do Genetic Influences on Cognition and Communicative Skill Persist?
A puzzling question for evolutionary biology is why an optimal genotype has not reached fixation in the species. Suppose, for instance, that we have an allelic variant that is associated with good verbal skill. There is good reason to believe that possession of articulate and complex language conveys benefits on the individual, and would have an impact on survival value and reproductive success in ancestral humans (Hurford 1991). Possession of oral language makes it possible to transmit information over time and space, to form social bonds, and to contemplate future as well as past events. The fact that in the past few generations people have had access to birth control, altering the relationship between ability and reproductive success, is irrelevant here, because evolution operates over a much longer time-scale. According to standard evolutionary theory, early humans with a “high verbal” form of the gene would have left more offspring than those without, so that this optimal form gradually would become the dominant one, even if the selective advantage was relatively slight (Pinker 2003). How, then, can we explain the persistence of a “nonoptimal” version of the allele in the population?Keller and Miller (2006) addressed this question in the context of mental disorders, but their conclusions have relevance for individual differences in cognition. They noted that a common line of argument is in terms of “balancing selection,” whereby an allele is maintained in the population because disadvantageous effects are counterbalanced by advantageous traits. Most genes are pleiotropic, that is, have multiple effects, and so one can envisage a situation where an allele might be maintained because, for instance, it affects the balance of verbal and nonverbal abilities, rather than the absolute level of either skill. Accounts of autism that stress the advantages as well as the disadvantages of the “autistic cognitive style” could be regarded as instances of this theory. However, Keller and Miller (2006) are highly skeptical about this type of explanation because it only works if the balance between advantage and disadvantage of a trait is very close.
Another possibility is that evolution of genes for cognition is still underway. If these genes emerged relatively recently they could still be subject to natural selection. We considered this possibility in relation to microcephalin and ASPM, both of which show all the hallmarks of genes currently undergoing selection in human populations. However, as we saw, there was little evidence that they play a role in influencing cognitive abilities within the normal range. While it would be naïve to assume that evolution had stopped with the emergence of modern humans, there is as yet no evidence for genetic variants that are adaptively evolving and influencing cognitive abilities.
For common, heritable, psychiatric disorders, Keller and Miller argued in favor of a “common disease/rare variant” model (Wright et al. 2003). According to this model there is little consistency in genotype from one affected individual to the next, and adverse mutations affecting any given locus are rare. Keller and Miller noted that complex behaviors (which would extend to language, intelligence, and social behavior) involve integrating many complex pathways and so are potentially vulnerable to mutations at many loci. Although some geneticists find this model “too depressing to contemplate” (Keller & Miller, p. 402), it seems increasingly plausible for autism (Abrahams & Geschwind 2008), and examples such as the KE family indicate that it applies to at least some cases of specific language impairment.
A final model maintains that cognitive and communicative skills are affected by the combined effect of many genetic and environmental influences, and individual alleles are unlikely to account for substantial amounts of phenotypic variance, even if heritability is high. When the phenotype is a disorder, this becomes the “common disease/common variant” model (Wright et al. 2003), but advocates of this view argue that the term disease is inappropriate, because there are no clear dividing lines between normality and abnormality (Plomin 2000). Insofar as this model applies, it predicts that we are likely to discover more genetic variants that have small effects, that are common in the general population, and that affect skills in the normal range as well as in disorders. As we have seen, research on both language and literacy disorders has been moving toward adoption of this model for at least a proportion of cases.
Future Directions
Over the past 25 years the role of genes in cognition has changed from being a minority interest to a hot topic. This trend has been largely driven by technological developments in the field of genetics that allow for rapid analysis of an individual's DNA. Nowadays anyone who has access to samples of DNA—from blood or cheek-scrapings or other tissues—can send this material to a commercial laboratory which will categorize individuals according to whatever aspect of the genotype the researcher requests. Over recent years the field has changed to reflect these developments. In the early days, research proposals focused on behavior and on defining better ways of measuring phenotypes and building cognitive models of underlying processes. With the advent of brain imaging, proposals started to include a structural and/or functional imaging component, with the hope that identifying the brain regions and/or networks underlying the disorder might bring more order into a chaotic field. Within the past decade genetics has been bolted on as the latest weapon in the attack on complexity. Thus, whereas in the past we assessed subtypes of reading disability or activation of the frontal lobes, now we now can categorize people according to allelic variants in the hope that this will reveal clearer patterns. So far, however, the result has not been greater clarity; on the contrary, as each new methodology is incorporated into the study of disorders, greater degrees of complexity are encountered. This is to be expected given what has emerged about the multifactorial nature of the influences on cognitive abilities and disabilities. We should not anticipate one-to-one relationships between allelic variants and phenotypes, be they traditional behavioral measures or neurobiological endophenotypes (Flint & Munafò 2007). The amount of variance that will be accounted for by variations in a single gene will usually be tiny and difficult to detect except in very large samples. Plomin et al. (2006) put the field in a sobering context by noting that in a whole genome scan for variants associated with intelligence, the largest effect size found was 0.1%, well below Cohen's (1992) cutoff for a “small” effect size (d= 0.2). Does this mean that the whole enterprise of molecular genetics of cognition and cognitive disorders should be abandoned?
My own view is less downbeat. Genetic studies can help unravel the complex etiology of cognition and disorders, provided a biologically informed approach is adopted. The shotgun application of a whole genome scan to look for associations between allelic variants and cognitive traits is one way forward, but may not necessarily be the best method to generate replicable findings. An alternative approach is to use a rare monogenic disorder or an animal model as an entry point, and, from an understanding of the biological pathways involved, identify other genes that are likely to be implicated, as was done by Vernes et al. (2008) in the case of developmental language disorders. Another important issue is the extent to which gene expression varies according to the environment. When the search for susceptibility genes is conducted using a design that includes relevant measures of the environment, this opens up the possibility of exploring gene−environment interaction (Rutter 2006). This may reveal genes that have little or no effect in one context but exert a more powerful influence in another.
At one level, the complexity of genetic influences on human traits may be a cause for celebration. Certainly, it makes research in this area challenging, but it also keeps at bay the looming specter of genetic selection for cognitive traits. In the first half of the 20th century concerns were frequently voiced that, as humans became able to control their fertility, the more intelligent would reproduce less, leading to a decline in overall intelligence in the population. This might indeed be expected if IQ were determined by a few genes of major effect, whose effects were independent of environment. However, although a negative association between intelligence and fertility has been reported in the US during the last century (e.g., Retherford & Sewell 1989), the average intelligence of the population has increased over the same period (Flynn 1984). This provides further evidence for the multiplicity and complexity of influences on human cognition.
Thanks to Simon Fisher and Andrew Whitehouse for comments on an early draft. The author is supported by a Principal Research Fellowship from the Wellcome Trust.
Conflicts of Interest
The author declares no conflicts of interest.
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