Henry Melson Stommel (September 27, 1920 – January 17, 1992) was a major contributor to the field of physical oceanography. Beginning in the 1940s, he advanced theories about global ocean circulation patterns and the behavior of the Gulf Stream that form the basis of physical oceanography today. Widely recognized as one of the most influential and productive oceanographers of his time, Stommel was both a groundbreaking theoretician and an astute, seagoing observer.

Early life and education
Stommel was born in Wilmington, Delaware.  An anomaly among modern scientists, Stommel became a full professor without an earned doctorate. He received his B.S. in astronomy from Yale University (1942) and served there as instructor in mathematics and astronomy (1942–44).

Academic posts
He was research associate at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution from 1944 to 1959 where the Office of Naval Research generously supported his projects. He became professor of oceanography at Harvard University in 1959 and moved to Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1963, where he remained until 1978, returning to Woods Hole until his retirement. Stommel established the PANULIRUS station (begun in 1954) in Bermuda.  PANULIRUS was the name of a wooden, round bilged research vessel (thus R/V Panulirus) operated by the Bermuda Biological Station for Research for many years.  On a monthly schedule, the vessel obtained sea water samples at vertical intervals from the surface to great depths, which yielded temperature, salinity and some additional chemical data.  Because the sea bottom falls away very sharply, particularly to the East-south-east of Bermuda, it is possible to obtain a representative sampling within a few miles of land.  The resulting data set constitutes the longest such data series of similar character in the North Atlantic Ocean.

Stommel was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1962 and received the National Medal of Science in 1989.

Discoveries
Henry Stommel showed that the north-south gradient of the strength of the horizontal Coriolis force (the "beta effect") was responsible for the observed fact that the return flow of the slow interior gyre circulations is concentrated in fast moving western boundary currents, such as the Gulf Stream and the Kuroshio Current, a process known as western intensification. As a result, these western boundary currents have a larger and steadier transport than the corresponding boundary currents, such as the California Current and Canary Current, on the eastern side of the ocean basins. In subtropical latitudes, the western boundary currents are important in transporting the excess heat the earth receives in the tropics towards the poles.

Together with Arnold Arons, Stommel extended this circulation to the deep ocean,  proposing a global circulation in which surface water sinks in the polar regions to feed the deep boundary currents on the western sides of basins, while the interior flow actually moves towards the pole. This work, based on laboratory studies, predated the discovery of such boundary currents, and remains one of the great triumphs of theoretical physical oceanography. Stommel also developed early models of the thermohaline circulation which suggested that it might have more than one stable state.

In addition to his work on large-scale ocean currents, Stommel did research on a variety of problems in oceanography and meteorology. These include work on the classification of estuaries, estimates of turbulent diffusion, and studies of the impact of volcanoes on climate.

Marriage
Stommel married Elizabeth Brown, daughter of Huntington Brown, professor of English at the University of Minnesota, and Elizabeth Waldo Wentworth Brown, originally of Boston, on December 6, 1950. They had three children: Matthew (a professional fisherman in Falmouth, Massachusetts), Elijah (a physician at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center), and Abigail Stommel Adams (a nurse practicing in Falmouth).

Bibliography
 Science of the Seven Seas, Cornell Maritime Press, 1945.
 The Gulf Stream; A Physical and Dynamical Description, Second Edition, University of California Press, 1972.
 Lost Islands: The Story of Islands That Have Vanished from Nautical Charts, University of British Columbia Press, 146 pages, 1984.  Dover reprint, 2017
 "A view of the sea: A Discussion between a Chief Engineer and an Oceanographer about the Machinery of the Ocean Circulation", Princeton University Press, 184 pages, 1987. . This book has been translated into Chinese (Simplified) by Shanghai Scientific & Technological Education Publishing House, 2001.
 An Introduction to the Coriolis Force (with Dennis W. Moore), Columbia University Press, 297 pages, 1989.

References

Sources
 Biographical Memoirs: Henry Stommel, by Carl Wunsch, The National Academies Press, 1987.

External links
Biography at The National Academies Press
Biography at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

1920 births
1992 deaths
Yale University alumni
Harvard University faculty
American oceanographers
National Medal of Science laureates
Foreign Members of the Royal Society
Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences
Foreign Members of the USSR Academy of Sciences
Foreign Members of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Sverdrup Gold Medal Award Recipients

Henry Stommel


Dromornis is a genus of fossil flightless birds. It lived in Australia from the late Miocene to the early Pliocene. This means early humans never met this animal.

Dromornis had a huge beak and jaw capable of great force. It did not have the typical beak and claws of a carnivore, and its life style is not certain. Though they looked like giant emus, the Dromornis are more closely related to geese.

Dromornis stirtoni was three metres (10 feet) tall and weighed up to half a ton (500 kilos). It inhabited subtropical open woodland in Australia during the late Miocene. It may have been partly carnivorous. It was heavier than the  Moa and taller than Aepyornis.

D. stirtoni had a long neck and stub-like wings, so it was flightless. Its legs were powerful, but it was not a fast runner. The bird's beak was large and immensely powerful, leading early researchers to believe that it was used to shear through tough plant stalks. However, others have argued that the size of the beak suggests that the bird was a carnivore. There were forests and a permanent water supply where the Dromornis birds lived, although the climate was unpredictable.

Dromornis are part of a family of giant birds called Dromornithidae that lived from 15 million years ago until less than 30,000 years ago. Australasia had started to separate from other continents as Gondwana started to break up in the Mesozoic era.

Australia's last connection with Antarctica broke about 40 million years ago. Since then the animals of Australasia (Australia and New Guinea) evolved slowly in almost complete isolation from the animals of other continents, except for the occasional immigrant species from Asia.

Large birds
Elephant birds
Aepyornis
Moa
Dinornis
Terror birds
Phorusrhacos
Brontornis
Gastornis (Diatryma)

References

Fossils
Flightless birds
Anseriformes

Dromornis


The Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (or Hague Adoption Convention) is an international convention dealing with international adoption, child laundering, and child trafficking in an effort to protect those involved from the corruption, abuses, and exploitation which sometimes accompanies international adoption. The convention has been considered crucial because it provides a formal international and intergovernmental recognition of intercountry adoption to ensure that adoptions under the convention will generally be recognized and given effect in other party countries.

Objectives
The preamble to the Convention states:
Intercountry adoptions shall be made in the best interests of the child and with respect for his or her fundamental rights and to prevent the abduction [sic. should be "abduction of"], the sale of, or traffic in children and each State should take, as a matter of priority, appropriate measures to enable the child to remain in the care of his or her family of origin.

The main objectives of the convention, are set out in Article 1:
to establish safeguards to ensure that intercountry adoptions take place in the best interests of the child and with respect for his or her fundamental rights as recognized in international law,
to establish a system of co-operation amongst Contracting States to ensure that those safeguards are respected and thereby prevent the abduction, the sale of, or traffic in children,
to secure the recognition in Contracting States of adoptions made in accordance with the convention.

History
The convention was developed by the Hague Conference on Private International Law, the preeminent organization in the area of private international law. It was concluded on 29 May 1993 and entered into force on 1 May 1995. As of March 2019, the convention has been ratified by 99 states. South Korea, Nepal, and Russia have signed but not ratified it. Many countries which have not ratified the Convention do not permit foreign adoptions of their children nor adoptions of foreign children.

Policies and procedures
With respect to the previous multilateral instruments which include some provisions regarding intercountry adoption, the Hague Adoption Convention is the major multilateral instrument regulating international adoption and calls for the need for co-ordination and direct co-operation between countries to ensure that appropriate safeguards are respected.

The Hague Adoption Convention has several requirements. The adoption process includes establishing a "Central Authority" to serve as the country's primary contact in adoption processes; satisfying several checks for a child eligible for adoption, including verifying the propriety of the adoption under the laws of both countries; making a reasonable prior effort to facilitate a domestic adoption; and agreeing to use only certified adoption agencies.

Article III outlines the responsibilities that the entire process must be authorized by central adoption authorities designated by the contracting states. If fully implemented at the national level, the convention offers a protective framework against the potential risks of private adoption (when the adoptive parents set the terms of the adoption directly with the biological parents or with children's institutions placed in the country of origin, without recurring to accredited adoption service providers).

The Implementation and Operation of the 1993 Intercountry Adoption Convention: Guide to Good Practice, prepared by HCCH, provides assistance to the operation, use and interpretation of the convention.

Compliance
To comply with international standards, many changes have been introduced in national legislation enacting laws to criminalize the act of obtaining improper gains from international adoptions. However, instances of trafficking in and sale of children for the purpose of adoption continue to take place in many parts of the world. In the fiscal year of 2006, the Department of State Office of Children's Issues assisted in the return to the United States of 260 children who had been abducted to or wrongfully retained from other countries and 171 children were returned from countries that are Convention partners with the United States. Especially during emergency situations, natural disasters or conflicts, children are observed to be adopted without strict legal procedures being followed, with a risk that there may be cases of child trafficking. An excessive bureaucratization of the adoption process after the implementation of the Hague Adoption Convention has been noted to establishing possible additional barriers to the placement of children.

References

International adoption
Treaties concluded in 1993
Treaties entered into force in 1995
Adoption law
Hague Conference on Private International Law conventions
Treaties of Albania
Treaties of Australia
Treaties of Austria
Treaties of Belarus
Treaties of Belgium
Treaties of Benin
Treaties of Brazil
Treaties of Bulgaria
Treaties of Canada
Treaties of Chile
Treaties of the People's Republic of China
Treaties of Costa Rica
Treaties of Croatia
Treaties of Cyprus
Treaties of the Czech Republic
Treaties of Denmark
Treaties of Ecuador
Treaties of Estonia
Treaties of Finland
Treaties of France
Treaties of Georgia (country)
Treaties of Germany
Treaties of Ghana
Treaties of Guyana
Treaties of Haiti
Treaties of Honduras
Treaties of Hungary
Treaties of Iceland
Treaties of India
Treaties of Ireland
Treaties of Israel
Treaties of Italy
Treaties of Kyrgyzstan
Treaties of Latvia
Treaties of Lithuania
Treaties of Luxembourg
Treaties of Malta
Treaties of Mauritius
Treaties of Mexico
Treaties of Monaco
Treaties of Montenegro
Treaties of New Zealand
Treaties of the Netherlands
Treaties of Norway
Treaties of Panama
Treaties of Paraguay
Treaties of Peru
Treaties of the Philippines
Treaties of Poland
Treaties of Portugal
Treaties of Romania
Treaties of Serbia
Treaties of Slovakia
Treaties of Slovenia
Treaties of South Africa
Treaties of Spain
Treaties of Sri Lanka
Treaties of Sweden
Treaties of Switzerland
Treaties of North Macedonia
Treaties of Turkey
Treaties of the United Kingdom
Treaties of the United States
Treaties of Uruguay
Treaties of Venezuela
Treaties of Vietnam
Treaties of Andorra
Treaties of Armenia
Treaties of Azerbaijan
Treaties of Belize
Treaties of Bolivia
Treaties of Burkina Faso
Treaties of Burundi
Treaties of Cambodia
Treaties of Cape Verde
Treaties of Colombia
Treaties of Cuba
Treaties of the Dominican Republic
Treaties of El Salvador
Treaties of Fiji
Treaties of Guatemala
Treaties of Guinea
Treaties of Ivory Coast
Treaties of Kazakhstan
Treaties of Kenya
Treaties of Lesotho
Treaties of Liechtenstein
Treaties of Madagascar
Treaties of Mali
Treaties of Mongolia
Treaties of Moldova
Treaties of Namibia
Treaties of Rwanda
Treaties of San Marino
Treaties of Senegal
Treaties of Seychelles
Treaties of Eswatini
Treaties of Thailand
Treaties of Togo
Treaties of Zambia
Family law treaties
1993 in the Netherlands
Treaties extended to Greenland
Treaties extended to the Faroe Islands
Treaties extended to the Caribbean Netherlands
Treaties extended to the Isle of Man
Treaties extended to Ashmore and Cartier Islands
Treaties extended to the Australian Antarctic Territory
Treaties extended to Christmas Island
Treaties extended to the Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Treaties extended to the Coral Sea Islands
Treaties extended to Heard Island and McDonald Islands
Treaties extended to Norfolk Island
Treaties extended to Hong Kong
Treaties extended to Macau
20th century in The Hague

Hague Adoption Convention


Ciudad Real (this translates to Royal City) is a city in Spain. It is the capital of the province with the same name, in the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha.

The city has 69,063 people who live there. It is an average of 628 meters above sea level. The municipal area is 285 km². It is approximately 200 km to the south of Madrid.

Cities in Castile-La Mancha
Capital cities in Spain
Municipalities in Castile-La Mancha
Province of Ciudad Real

Ciudad Real


Radioactive decay happens to some chemical elements. Most chemical elements are stable. Stable elements are made up of atoms that stay the same. Even in a chemical reaction, the atoms themselves do not change ever.

In the 19th century, Henri Becquerel discovered that some chemical elements have atoms that change over time. In 1898, Marie and Pierre Curie called this phenomenon radioactive decay. Becquerel and the Curies were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for this discovery, in 1903.

Example
Most carbon atoms have six protons and six neutrons in their nucleus.  This carbon is called carbon-12s (six protons + six neutrons = 12).  Its atomic weight is 12.  If a carbon atom has two more neutrons it is carbon-14. Carbon-14 acts chemically like other carbon, because the six protons and six electrons are what govern its chemical properties.  In fact, carbon-14 exists in all living things; all plants and animals contain carbon-14.  However, carbon-14 is radioactive. It decays by beta decay to become nitrogen-14. Carbon-14, in the small amounts found about us in nature, is harmless.  In archeology, this kind of carbon is used to determine the age of wood and other formerly living things. The method is called radiocarbon dating.

Different kinds of decay
Ernest Rutherford found that there are different ways in which these particles penetrate matter. He found two different kinds, which he called alpha decay and beta decay. Paul Villard discovered a third kind in 1900. Rutherford called it gamma decay, in 1903.

The change from radioactive carbon-14 to stable nitrogen-14 is a radioactive decay. It happens when the atom emits a beta particle. A beta particle is a high energy electron or positron leaving the nucleus.

Other kinds of decay were discovered later. The types of decay are different from each other because different types of decay produce different kinds of particles. The starting radioactive nucleus is called the parent nucleus and the nucleus that it changes into is called the daughter nucleus. The high-energy particles produced by radioactive materials are called radiation.

These various kinds of decay can happen sequentially in a "decay chain". One kind of nucleus decays to another kind, which decays again to another and so on until it becomes a stable isotope and the chain comes to an end.

Speed of decay
The speed at which this change happens, is different for each element. Radioactive decay is governed by chance: The time it takes, on average for half the atoms of a substance to change is named the half-life. The rate is given by an exponential function. As an example, iodine (131I) has a half-life of about 8 days. That of  plutonium ranges between 4 hours (243Pu) and 80 million years (244Pu)

Nuclear transformations and energy
Radioactive decay changes an atom from one that has higher energy inside its nucleus into one with lower energy. The change of energy of the nucleus is given to the particles that are created. The energy released by radioactive decay may either be carried away by a gamma ray electromagnetic radiation (a type of light), a beta particle or an alpha particle. In all those cases, the change of energy of the nucleus is carried away. And in all those cases, the total number of positive and negative charges of the atom's protons and electrons sum to zero before and after the change.

Alpha decay
During alpha decay, the atomic nucleus releases an alpha particle. Alpha decay causes the nucleus to lose two protons and two neutrons. Alpha decay causes the atom to change into another element, because the atom loses two protons (and two neutrons). For example, if Americium were to go through alpha decay it would change into Neptunium because Neptunium is defined by having two protons fewer than Americium. Alpha decay usually happens in the most heavy elements, such as uranium, thorium, plutonium, and radium.

Alpha particles cannot even go through a few centimeters of air. Alpha radiation cannot hurt humans when the alpha radiation source is outside the human body, because human skin does not let the alpha particles go through. Alpha radiation can be very harmful if the source is inside the body, such as when people breathe dust or gas containing materials which decay by emitting alpha particles (radiation).

Beta decay
There are two kinds of beta decay, beta-plus and beta-minus.

In beta-minus decay, the nucleus gives out a negatively charged electron and a neutron changes into a proton:
 .
where
 is the neutron

 is the proton
 is the electron
 is the anti-neutrino
Beta-minus decay happens in nuclear reactors.

In beta-plus decay, the nucleus releases a positron, which is like an electron but it is positively charged, and a proton changes into a neutron:
 .
where
  is the proton
  is the neutron
  is the positron
  is the neutrino

Beta-plus decay happens inside the sun and in some types of particle accelerators.

Gamma decay
Gamma decay happens when a nucleus produces a high-energy packet of energy called a gamma ray. Gamma rays do not have electrical charge, but they do have angular momentum. Gamma rays are usually emitted from nuclei just after other types of decay. Gamma rays can be used to see through material, to kill bacteria in food, to find some types of disease, and to treat some kinds of cancer. Gamma rays have the highest energy of any electromagnetic wave, and gamma ray bursts from space are the most energetic releases of energy known.

References

Related pages
Half-life (element)
Ionizing radiation
Radiometric dating

Nuclear physics

Radioactive decay


Minister may refer to:

 Minister (Christianity), a Christian minister
 Minister (diplomacy), the rank of diplomat directly below ambassador
 Minister (government), a politician who heads a ministry (government department)
 Ministerialis, a member of a noble class in the Holy Roman Empire
Shadow minister, a member of a Shadow Cabinet of the opposition

Minister


John Frank Stevens (April 25, 1853 – June 2, 1943) was an American civil engineer who built the Great Northern Railway in the United States and was chief engineer on the Panama Canal between 1905 and 1907.

Biography
Stevens was born in rural Maine, near West Gardiner to John Stevens, a tanner and farmer, and Harriet Leslie French. He attended Maine State Normal School (now the University of Maine at Farmington) for two years. At the conclusion of his schooling in 1873, bleak economic conditions held little promise of a job, and he chose to go west. Entry into the field of civil engineering evolved from his experience in the Minneapolis city engineer's office. For two years he carried out a variety of engineering tasks, including surveying and building railroads, and at the same time gained experience and an understanding of the subject. He became a practical engineer, self-taught and driven by a self-described "bull-dog tenacity of purpose." In 1878 Stevens married Harriet T. O'Brien. They had five children, two of whom died in infancy.

By the age of 33, in 1886, Stevens was a principal assistant engineer for the Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway, and in charge of building the line from Duluth, Minnesota to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, across the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Although a large part of his work involved surveying, he assisted in all phases of railroading: reconnaissance, locating, organizing, and construction.

In 1889, Stevens was hired by James J. Hill as a locating engineer for the Great Northern Railway.

Stevens earned acclaim in 1889 when he explored Marias Pass, Montana, and determined its practicability for a railroad. Stevens was an efficient administrator with remarkable technical skills and imagination. He discovered a pass through the Cascade Mountains that bears his name, set railroad construction standards in the Mesabi Range of northern Minnesota, and supervised the construction of the Oregon Trunk Line.  Hill promoted him to chief engineer in 1895, and later to general manager. During his time at the Great Northern, Stevens built over a thousand miles of railroad, including the original Cascade Tunnel.

 Stevens Pass in the Cascade Range was named for him. (Most other Pacific Northwest landmarks with the word "Stevens" are named after Isaac Stevens, who is of no relation.)

Panama Canal
Stevens left the Great Northern in 1903 for the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad, where he was promoted to vice-president. Then, in 1905, at Hill's recommendation, he was hired by United States President Theodore Roosevelt as chief engineer of the Panama Canal.

Stevens' primary achievement in Panama was to build the infrastructure needed for the completion of the canal. "The digging," he said, "is the least thing of all." He proceeded immediately to build warehouses, machine shops, and piers. Communities for the personnel were planned and built to include housing, schools, hospitals, churches, and hotels. He authorized extensive sanitation and mosquito-control programs that eliminated yellow fever and other diseases from the Isthmus.

Reflecting his background, he saw the early stage of the canal project itself as primarily a problem in railroad engineering, which included rebuilding the Panama Railway and devising a rail-based system for disposing of the soil from the excavations. Stevens argued the case against a sea level canal of the kind that the French had tried to build.  He convinced Theodore Roosevelt of the necessity of a high-level canal built with dams and locks.

Resignation
Stevens, like his predecessor John Findley Wallace, resigned suddenly from the Canal project in 1907 to Roosevelt's great annoyance, as the focus of the work turned to construction of the canal itself. Even though he had worked closely with the Panama Canal Commission chairman Theodore P. Shonts and was also able to directly approach the Roosevelt Administration with requests for the project, he only spent two years in Panama.

As a railroad engineer, Stevens had little expertise in building locks and dams, and may have realized he was no longer the best person for the remainder of the job. Stevens would also have been aware that the original Cascade Tunnel, for which he was responsible, had been built too close to the ruling grade (maximum gradient for a single locomotive) and was perhaps turning from a credit to a debit. The true reasons for his resignation have never been known.

Subsequent career
Following the collapse of Imperial Russia in 1917, leaders of the provisional government appealed to President Wilson for help with their transportation systems. Stevens was selected to chair a board of prominent U.S. railroad experts sent to Russia to rationalize and manage a system that was in disarray; among his work was the Trans-Siberian Railway. After the overthrow of the provisional government, the board's work ceased. Stevens was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal by the War Department for his service in Russia.

Stevens remained in Allied-occupied Manchuria and in 1919 headed the Inter-Allied Technical Board charged with the administration and operation of the Chinese Eastern and Siberian railways. He remained in an advisory capacity until occupying Allied troops were withdrawn; he finally left in 1923.

After his return to the United States Stevens continued to work as a consulting engineer, ending his career in Baltimore in the early 1930s. He was awarded the Franklin Institute's Franklin Medal in 1930.

He then retired to Southern Pines, North Carolina, where he died at the age of 90 in 1943.

References

Further reading
 "Conquering the Landscape" (Gary Sherman explores the life of the great North American trailblazer, John Frank Stevens), History Magazine, July 2008.
 "Stevens, John Frank" in American National Biography. American Council of Learned Societies, 2000.
 Baugh, Odin A. (2005). John Frank Stevens: American trailblazer. Spokane, WA: Arthur H. Clark Co.
 Foust, Clifford (2013). John Frank Stevens: Civil Engineer. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press.
 Hidy, Ralph W. and Muriel E. Hidy, "John Frank Stevens, Great Northern Engineer,"  Minnesota History (1969) 41#8 pp 345–361
 McCullough, David. (1977). The Path Between the Seas: the creation of the Panama Canal 1870-1914. New York: Simon & Schuster.
 Sibert, William Luther, & Stevens, John Frank (1915). The Construction of the Panama Canal. New York: D. Appleton & Co.
 Stevens, John Frank (1936) "An Engineer's Recollections", McGraw-Hill Publishing Company, Inc. Includes his essay: "To the Young Engineers Who Must Carry On"

External links

1853 births
1943 deaths
American civil engineers
American people in rail transportation
Panama Canal
American canal engineers
People from West Gardiner, Maine
University of Maine at Farmington alumni
Explorers of Montana
John Fritz Medal recipients
People from Southern Pines, North Carolina
Engineers from Maine
Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army)
Civilian recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (United States)
Grand Officers of the Order of the White Lion
Recipients of Franklin Medal

John Frank Stevens


Louis Sebastian Theroux (born 20 May 1970) is an English-American broadcaster. He is best known for his investigative series such as When Louis Met, Louis Theroux's Weird Weekends, Louis Theroux's BBC Two Specials.

Theroux was born in Singapore and is a dual citizen. He moved to London when he was a year old. He was educated at Westminster School and Magdalen College, Oxford where he gained a degree in history. In 2013, he moved to Los Angeles. Theroux's mother is British; his father is American writer Paul Theroux.

He is an atheist.

References

Other websites

1970 births
Living people
Alumni of the University of Oxford
American atheists
American television personalities
American television producers
American television writers
English atheists
English television producers
English television writers
People educated at Westminster School, London
Television personalities from London
Writers from London

Louis Theroux


Aid Still Required  (ASR) is a not for profit 501(c)(3) organization committed to bringing attention and humanitarian aid to areas suffering from natural disasters or human crises.  Incorporated in Santa Monica, California, US, in 2008.  The name, "Aid Still Required" and the mission were born out of the need to bring these issues back into the spotlight after they have left the news headlines and public awareness.  Aid Still Required indicates its commitment to finding innovative ways to build back these regions through environmentally sustainable means. Future project locations are Thailand, Appalachia, NYC First Responders, Haiti, and the Gulf Oil.

Southeast Asia
In December 2004, the tsunami in Southeast Asia claimed 230,000 lives and destroyed the livelihood of millions of families and communities in 12 different nations. In response to the tsunami, Aid Still Required founders, Hunter and Andrea Herz Payne created its first project: a CD compilation endorsed by former United States President Bill Clinton's United Nations Office  of the Special Envoy for Tsunami Relief. The CD contains tracks by musicians such as Paul McCartney, Norah Jones, Avril Lavigne, James Taylor, Sarah McLachlan, Bonnie Raitt, John Lennon, Eric Clapton, Shawn Colvin, Ani DiFranco, Maroon 5, Beth Nielsen Chapman, Phantom Planet, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Ray Charles, and ASR founder and president, Hunter Payne. ASR are currently working on two projects in Southeast Asia.

Indonesia
Banda Aceh was the region most damaged by the tsunami where 160,000 people were lost. The livelihoods of many survivors were destroyed when the rush of seawater decimated the reef protecting the region virtually destroying the day-fishing industry.

Proceeds from the Aid Still Required CD supports a local Aceh NGO called Yayasan Lamjabat's Ujung Pancu Project which is a job training center, specializing in sustainable and environmentally friendly development, conservation, and disaster-preparedness. The project is located 6 miles from Banda Aceh at the most northern end of the mountain range that runs from West Sumatra to Aceh. The mountains, hills, and wetlands in this area are home to stunning natural beauty and are filled with a plethora of wildlife, many species of birds, and some species that have yet to be identified. Aceh is being rapidly deforested for building materials and farming land; if it continues, communities and industries will eventually clear the area. It is essential that remaining forest be protected in order to provide a safe haven for existing wildlife and to provide lasting benefits to the local communities. The forest also protects the communities from dangerous flooding and landslides as well as being an abundant source of food such as fruits and nuts.

The Ujung Pancu Project provides reforestation  and seaweed cultivation programs, teaches the community how to transition to organic and fish farming, and addresses the rights and protection of women, children, and the elderly. Yayasan Lamjabat reflects ASR's mission to incorporate environmental and economically sustainable perspectives when looking at development.

Sri Lanka
Following the tsunami, officials from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) suggested the creation of a tsunami early warning system for Southeast Asia. If one had been in place prior to December 2004, hundreds of thousands of lives would have been saved. The entire Indian Ocean region remains vulnerable as it is still without a comprehensive and coordinated tsunami warning system.

Though the northeastern coast of Sri Lanka took the direct brunt of the wave, the tsunami was so forceful that waters smashed into the coast on the opposite side of the island as well, causing mass destruction to the southwestern coastal village of Peraliya, among others. The wave was so powerful, it created the world's largest train disaster by derailing the Queen of the Seas Colombo-Galle Express train which killed 1700 people. It is estimated that in Peraliya village alone, 2,500 people perished. Only eight walls from the 490 village homes remained standing

ASR has identified a local tsunami warning center in Peraliya, a coastal village in southwestern Sri Lanka to support. The Community Tsunami Early Warning Center (CTEC ) was begun by international volunteers and has plans to expand to a total of four centers along the coast. Research is also under way exploring the possibility of exporting the program to the Indonesian and Thai coastlines. In addition to supplying a public address system, CTEC strives to create an empowered community, educated and prepared, and to rediscover traditional and local knowledge of signals that predict natural disasters.  CTEC shares Aid Still Required commitment to sustainable, ecologically friendly development and to the volunteer spirit.

The village of Peraliya is featured in The Third Wave. Upon hearing about the tsunami, Australian humanitarian medic and 9/11 first-responder Alison Thompson and partner Oscar Gubernati came to Sri Lanka to provide assistance and ended up in Peraliya. Their original plan of volunteering for two weeks turned into a two-year life-altering journey in which they established a refugee camp, a local medical center, both flourishing today, and CTEC, the first and only early-warning center of its kind in the entire region.  The film's title, The Third Wave, refers to the wave of volunteers who came to provide aid to the region.

Darfur, Sudan

The Village Restoration and Advancement Initiative (VRAI)
Christie Communications and Aid Still Required have collaborated in the development of The Village Reforestation and Advancement Initiative. It utilizes age-old farming techniques and irrigation systems to help stop desertification and environmental degradation and to regenerate the soil, thereby restoring self-sufficiency to villagers. The initiative is focused on planting forest breaks to stop the desert creep, protect villages, and revitalize the land. Its similar desert topography to the Darfur region bodes well for success of VRAI in Darfur. Due to violence surrounding the Spring 2010 Sudanese elections, piloting this venture in Darfur is still dangerous at this time.  Christie and Aid Still Required are exploring partnerships in the region.

Hurricane Katrina
On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf of Mexico and quickly became the costliest natural disaster in American history ($81.2 billion) causing severe damage in Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana.  Worst hit was New Orleans where 80% of the city was covered in floodwater, 1,836 people died, and over 200,000 homes were destroyed. Aid Still Required has identified the first two projects it would like to support in New Orleans.

Wetlands restoration
The wetlands of the Gulf Coast have provided natural protection against hurricane flood for centuries as every 2.7 miles of wetlands can reduce a storm surge by one foot. Decades of dredging in the waters off the Louisiana coast, however, in conjunctions with the construction of the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO), have severely degraded the wetlands in and around the New Orleans delta. In addition to floodwater protections, these wetlands are home to 25% of the total domestic marine catch, including shrimp, crabs, and crawfish

Often referred to as "the hurricane highway",  MRGO creates a direct pathway from the Gulf of Mexico to the inner harbor of New Orleans. A Louisiana State University report states that MRGO may have made the storm surge 20% higher and two or three times faster as it hit the city. MRGO has experienced consistent erosion since its construction in the 1960s and is now three times wider than originally built. Constructed in large part to facilitate passage of larger ships, it has developed shoals, which now make it impassable to those same vessels. The Army Corps of Engineers has recommended that the outlet be closed, but the plan has not yet been approved.

Recognizing the importance of the wetlands as a natural barrier for New Orleans and their importance to the region's native wildlife, Aid Still Required is researching various means of restoration. The Gulf Coast Oil Spill which began in April 2010 is bringing heightened awareness to the issue. Common Ground Relief is a local organization that is making great strides in wetlands restoration, establishing a local nursery and utilizing volunteers to rehabilitate portions of the bayou and to rebuild and restore homes in the Lower Ninth Ward.

The New Orleans Floating Townhouses
During Hurricane Katrina in the St. Roch area of New Orleans, floodwaters destroyed foundations of many buildings and homes. ASR has proposed a project to utilize sustainability and protect the homes by using zero energy consumption and making the homes floatable in case of another catastrophe.

Collaborations

Darfur PSA campaign with NBA players
The Aid Still Required NBA Campaign for Darfur began many months before Aid Still Required officially became a nonprofit. A letter that founder Andrea Herz Payne had written expressing concern over investments funding the crisis in Darfur ended up in the hands of NBA Cavaliers player Ira Newble. Ira contacted Sudan expert Smith College professor Eric Reeves and the seeds for NBA player involvement began. Hunter and Andrea saw the potential impact NBA players could make on raising awareness about the Darfur crisis and started contacting players and the press. In fall 2007, Participant Media contacted the Paynes asking for their assistance in creating the Darfur Now PSA Campaign. The Paynes enrolled Olympic athlete Rafer Johnson, NBA players Steve Nash, Baron Davis, Ira Newble, Eric Snow, and Matt Barnes, actors Lauren Conrad and Kristoff St. John, and humanitarian Lauren Bush in the campaign. Five members of their hometown team, The Los Angeles Lakers (Kobe Bryant, Derek Fisher, Andrew Bynum, Trevor Ariza, and Luke Walton). Kobe Bryant's PSA launched the Aid Still Required website the day it aired on ESPN, March 4, 2008, which also included an interview with Grant Hill about Darfur.

Participant media
Darfur Now PSA Campaign, Darfur Now Roundtable. Darfur Now Roundtable In the summer of 2008, Participant Media asked Aid Still Required to host a Roundtable discussion for the entertainment and nonprofit communities. Los Angeles Lakers Derek Fisher and actor Don Cheadle co-hosted; keynote speakers were former State Department Africa specialist, humanitarian and activist John Prendergast of The Enough Project and Omer Ismail of Darfur Peace and Development Organization.

Thecommunity.com/ Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) Campaign
Commencing in December 2009. The 14th Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, actors Morgan Freeman, Anne Archer, Nancy Cartwright, Priscilla Presley, Joel Madden.  Actress CCH Pounder, Los Angeles Lakers Andrew Bynum, Luke Walton, Josh Powell, Didier "D.J"  Mbenga, and Jordan Farmar, former NBA All-Star Bill Walton, and activist Daniel Ellsberg participated at ASR's request.

Hans Zimmer and The Remote Control Foundation
"Save An Angel" Mother's Day Campaign  with Hans Zimmer and teenage songstress Rachel Eskenazi-Gold.  Former NFL Player, humanitarian and Milken Institute staffer Rosey Grier contributed a PSA for Aid Still Required.

References

External links

 http://www.aidstillrequired.org/articles/Exotic_AdventureQ1-2010.pdf

Charities based in California
2008 establishments in California
Development charities based in the United States

Aid Still Required


Egon Bondy's Happy Hearts Club Banned is a "studio" album by the Czech underground band The Plastic People of the Universe. It was recorded in 1974-1975 in Houska Castle and in atelier in Prague. It was released in 1978 (France) and in Czech Republic in 2001. The album title is a parody on the name of The Beatles album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Tracklist
Title (Music/Lyrics)
Dvacet (Milan Hlavsa/Egon Bondy)
Zácpa (Hlavsa/Bondy)
Toxika (Hlavsa/Bondy)
Magické noci (Hlavsa/Bondy)
M.G.M. (Hlavsa/)
Okolo okna (Hlavsa/Bondy)
Elegie (Hlavsa/Bondy)
Podivuhodný mandarin (Hlavsa/Bondy)
Nikdo (Hlavsa/Bondy)
Jó-to se ti to spí (Hlavsa/Bondy)
Já a Mike (Hlavsa/Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., translator Jaroslav Kořán)
Ranní ptáče (Hlavsa/Bondy)
Francovka (Hlavsa/Bondy)
Jednou nohou (Hlavsa/?)
Spofa blues (Hlavsa/Bondy)
Apokalyptickej pták (Hlavsa/Pavel Zajíček)
Píseň brance (Hlavsa/František Pánek)

Musicians
Milan Hlavsa – bass guitar, vocals
Josef Janíček – guitar, vibraphone, vocals
Jiří Kabeš – violin, vocals
Vratislav Brabenec – alto saxophone
Jiří Šula – drums
Jaroslav Vožniak – drums
Vasil Šnajdr – flute
Zdeněk Fišer – theremin

The Plastic People of the Universe
1978 albums
2001 albums
Rock albums

Egon Bondy's Happy Hearts Club Banned


Middle Chinese (), or Ancient Chinese as used by linguist Bernhard Karlgren is a name given to an older version of the Chinese language.  People spoke it during Southern and Northern Dynasties and the Sui, Tang, and Song dynasties (6th century - 10th century). The term "Middle Chinese", in contrast to Old Chinese and Modern Chinese, is usually used for historical Chinese phonology, which wants to reconstruct the pronunciation of Chinese used during these times.

Middle Chinese can be divided further. There was an early period and a later period. These can be told apart by the pronunciation of certain sounds that changed.

Chinese language

Middle Chinese


St Ives is a seaside town and port in west Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town lies north of Penzance and west of Camborne on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. It was once commercially dependent on fishing but fishing has declined and the town is now primarily a holiday resort. St Ives has become renowned for the large number of artists who work there. It was named best seaside town of 2007 by the Guardian newspaper.

Tate St Ives is an important art gallery that is located in St Ives.

Towns in Cornwall
Civil parishes in Cornwall

St Ives, Cornwall


Enterprise content integration (ECI) is a marketing buzzword for middleware software technology, often used within large organizations, that connects together various types of computer systems that manage documents and digital content.

ECI systems often work in tandem with other technologies such as enterprise content management, document management, groupware, and records management.

It takes a decentralized approach in order to manage content from various resources. ECI implementations exist on a tier above the organization's existing software and provide wide-ranging search, indexing, and access functions.

Functions
ECI systems, in particular, and Unified Information Access systems in general, attempt to address the growing trend of the recognition that so-called "unstructured content," such as a series of documents, can be important and can contribute to business development. Their other important function lies in their ability to increase the efficiency with which organizations can retrieve data by providing a single channel to access a wide variety of storage locations.

Enterprise content integration aims to answer a number of needs in today's organizations:
 Migrating content (documents and images) from one system to another
 Synchronizing part or all the content between two or more content repositories
 Searching for documents across all content repositories
 Offering a single point of access to all documents and content of the organization
 Publishing or pushing this content to other systems (enterprise portals, websites)

Features
ECI functions through the use of a metadata catalog that contains records regarding data throughout the enterprise in order to enable users to seek, browse, locate, and retrieve the necessary information. ECI metadata catalogs are able to collect data from a wide array of sources, including digital asset management systems, file and web servers, and individual users' PCs. Vendors sometimes refer to this sort of decentralized content management as a virtual repository or a virtual file system.

In addition to gathering data for the metadata catalog, some ECI systems are able to connect to the resources offered by a computer system directly through an interface such as an API. These types of connections are often referred to as adapters, connectors, or content bridges by ECI vendors.

ECI systems can also offer automated aggregation, packaging, and distribution of indexed content through administrator-configurable channels, which allows flexible reporting and powerful analytic capabilities across a wide array of data sources. ECI administrators can design the system by specifying rules for the way indexed content should be packaged as well as how and to whom the content should be delivered. To accomplish these goals, some ECI systems are able to integrate with other computer systems such as publishing systems and format converters, often through web service interfaces.

Vendors
A number of vendors have provided ECI solutions throughout the history of the technology. One of the first was Context Media (now owned by Oracle); their Interchange Platform (now known as Interchange Suite 3.0) provided several cutting-edge features, including a dashboard interface for monitoring the flow of content and the creation of metadata, a component that allowed the definition of relationships among collected data, and a packaging and distribution function.

Venetica Corporation, founded in 1993, also pioneered ECI solutions with its flagship Venice Bridge product. Venetica was acquired in 2004 by IBM and its ECI technology is now sold as IBM Content Integrator, which provides out-of-the-box connectors for the industry's most popular content management systems, as well as several features for federation and developer services.

Agari Mediaware was another company among those in the first wave of ECI solution providers. However, the company filed for bankruptcy in July 2003. This was likely due to the poor market reception of the product; it was viewed by many implementers as an architecture rather than a complete solution, and most companies desired a solution that could be quickly put into place and enabled with a minimum of additional effort.

Other vendors of ECI systems include Day Software, EntropySoft, and SeeUnity, all of which offer a variety of connectors to various content management systems. A number of search-based applications vendors sell ECI systems, such as Aspire (Search Technologies), Cloudview (Exalead), Lookeen Server, and Documentum.

Footnotes

References

Bergman, M.K. Untapped Assets: The $3 Trillion Value of U.S. Enterprise Documents. BrightPlanet Corporation White Paper, July 2005.
Brette, M., Chidlovskii, B., and Roustant, B. Documentum ECI self-repairing wrappers: Performance analysis. SIGMOD '06: Proceedings of the 2006 ACM SIGMOD International Conference on Management of Data, pp. 708–717, New York, NY. ACM, 2006.
Rosenblatt, B. Enterprise content integration: a progress report. Seybold Report: Analyzing Publishing Technologies, 2003.

Content management systems

Enterprise content integration


Spray foam (expanding foam in the UK) is a chemical product created by two materials, isocyanate and polyol resin, which react when mixed with each other and expand up to 30-60 times its liquid volume after it is sprayed in place. This expansion makes it useful as a specialty packing material which forms to the shape of the product being packaged and produces a high thermal insulating value with virtually no air infiltration.

History
Otto Bayer (1902–1982) is credited with the invention of polyurethane in 1937. He succeeded in synthesizing polyurethane foam by exploring his basic idea that mixing small volumes of chemical substances could create dry foam materials.

Polyurethane was further developed for different applications, ranging from shoe soles and cushions to industrial uses. In the 1940s rigid foam was applied to airplanes, and in 1979 polyurethane began being used as building insulation.

Properties

Thermal resistance
R-value is the term given to thermal resistance to heat flow.  The higher the R-value of an insulation product, the more effective the insulation properties. Spray polyurethane foam comes in a range of densities and cell structure. Low density foams are referred to as open cell SPF while higher density foams are referred to as closed cell foam.  1.8-2 pound polyurethane foam has the highest R-value of readily available spray foam insulation used in homes and buildings.

Polyurethane is a closed-cell foam insulation material that initially contains a low-conductivity gas in its cells.  As a result of the high thermal resistance of the gas, spray polyurethane insulation typically has an initial R-value around R-3.4 to R-6.7 per inch.  In comparison, glass wool typically has an R-Value of only R-3 to R-4 per inch.

Foam insulation blocks all three forms of heat transfer:

Conductive heat transferThe flow of thermal energy through a substance from a higher to a lower temperature region. Foam thermoset plastics reduce conductive heat transfer due in part to having very loose molecular bonds; In addition the cells of the installed spray foam are either filled with air in the case of open cell foam or HFC's (365mfc, 227ea, 245fa) or H(C)FO's (1336mzz(Z), 1233zd(E))  in closed cell foam.

Radiant heat transfer The process by which heat energy in the form of light (usually IR unless the substrate is hot enough to glow in the visible range) is emitted more strongly by warm surfaces and absorbed by other materials especially those of low IR reflectivity (think matte black finish). Radiant heat transfer does not require a medium. Foam insulation materials, such as spray foam insulation, are opaque to thermal radiation, like most solid materials.

Convective heat transfer Heat which is created elsewhere that is transported by means of a fluid, such as water or in our case air. Spray foam insulation's most important attribute is the ability to air seal creating a custom airtight envelope within the building structure. The added benefit to air sealing is the ability to block convective heat transfer from interior to exterior during heating months and vice versa during cooling months, as the heat cannot escape through gaps in the buildings envelope without the aid of air movement from infiltration as a means of transport.

Applications

Packaging applications
Spray foam is a very specialized packing material, often required for use in shipping valuable fragile items. Engineered packaging principles are designed to protect sculptures, vases, large fossils, lamp bases, busts, computers, furniture, chandeliers and other objects of unusual shape. By virtue of the liquid foam expanding by up to 30-60 times the volume of its liquid state, it efficiently protects almost any size, form and weight.

The custom fit of the molds, top and bottom, securely and uniformly cushions the object. There are many types of alternative materials that can be used to handle more specific needs.

Building applications

Spray foam insulation or spray polyurethane foam (SPF) is an alternative to traditional building insulation such as fiberglass. A two-component mixture composed of isocyanate and polyol resin comes together at the tip of a gun, and forms an expanding foam that is sprayed onto roof tiles, concrete slabs, into wall cavities, or through holes drilled into a cavity of a finished wall.

"Spray foam" is also an informal term used to refer to various plastic foam materials that are used in building construction to provide thermal insulation and minimize air infiltration. Polyurethane and polyisocyanurate are two types of foam used in this application.

Types
Spray polyurethane foam (SPF) insulation can be categorized into two different types: light-density open-cell spray foam insulation and medium-density closed-cell spray foam insulation. Both types of SPF are thermoset cellular plastics comprising millions of small cells.

Open cell insulation can be crushed in your hand and has a lower insulation value.  Closed cell is rigid to the touch and each air cell is completely sealed.  While closed cell foam has a higher R-value, it is more costly to buy.

Medium-density closed-cell spray foam (ccSPF)

Medium-density closed-cell foam insulation is often referred to as two pound (2 lb) foam. It is a rigid insulating material with a Long Term Thermal Resistance (LTTR) R-value that ranges between 5.1 and 6 per inch When the required minimum thickness of 50 mm is installed, ccSPF is both a vapour barrier and an air barrier.

In Canada, the National Building Code references two standards that apply to the manufacturing and installation of ccSPF: the CAN/ULC S705.1 Material Standard and the CAN/ULC S705.2 National Application Standard. The installation standard requires that all installers of ccSPF in Canada be licensed and carry a photo ID card.

Typically the foam's natural colour is yellow, however in Canada all ccSPF that have CCMC listings are required to have a unique colour for field identification.

Light-density open-cell spray foam (ocSPF)

Light-density open-cell SPF is commonly known as half-pound foam. It is a semi-rigid material with a sponge-like appearance that expands during installation and creates small, open cells that are filled with carbon dioxide. Due to its ability to expand during the application process, it fills cracks, crevices and voids and adheres to irregular surfaces or substrates to form an air sealing insulation.

While the R value will vary, most ocSPF products have an R value of around 3.8 per inch. Unlike medium-density closed-cell SPF, thinner layers of ocSPF are not particularly effective as vapour barrier because the air infiltrates through the open cell structure. However, when installed at 5.5 inches or more, ocSPF does act as an air barrier. It is often used for interior walls because it provides sound reduction by blocking and absorbing air leakage. It is usually only recommended for indoor applications.

Application methods

Asia
A type of use quite familiar in South East Asian countries is applying the foam by spraying it against the bottom of roof tiles under high pressure with a spray gun. A hard but flexible layer of rigid foam is then created and seals all the tiles to each other and to the steel structure.

This spraying method, especially very popular in Thailand, is used not only against heavy leaks but helps also as insulation against the enormous heat the roofs constantly face.

This tropical heat causes the steel substructure that supports many roofs in that part of the world, to continuously expand and contract, changing slightly the position of the tiles resting on top of them. This displacement eventually creates small openings between the tiles and the substructure, through which rainwater can seep, creating leaks that can damage the plastered ceilings, electric wiring, and other components of the  building supporting the roof.

Europe
Some 150,000 properties have been treated with polyurethane foam insulation in the UK. There are systems which have British Board of Agreement approval for use in existing and new build applications and can show compliance to Building Regulations.  However, if applied incorrectly or in damp spaces, spray foam insulation can trap moisture and destroy the roof.  As a result, very few mortgage lenders in the UK will offer a loan to buy or to refinance any home that has any spray foam insulation, especially the closed-cell type.

North America
The Canadian National Building Code references the CAN/ULC S705.2 National Application Standard which must be followed during all installations of 2lb medium density closed cell polyurethane foam. Every installer of CAN/ULC-S705.1 compliant medium density, spray applied foam must be licensed in order to spray foam and hold valid photo ID issued by their Quality Assurance Program (QAP) provider showing their license is in good standing.

The United States has adapted to using sprayfoam insulation and a new technology called Wall Injection to retrofit existing wall construction by drilling small holes between wall studs in the structures framing and filling the void with a less aggressive expanding water-based foam. This allows existing home and business owners to conserve energy by creating a thermal envelope in their existing structure.

Benefits
Spray foam insulation, like other insulation, saves on energy costs and lowers utility bills. Studies by the US Department of Energy show that 40% of a home's energy is lost as the result of air infiltration through walls, windows and doorways. Buildings treated with spray foam insulation insulate as much as 50% better than traditional insulation products.

Insulation properly deployed can be part of a system designed to protect against moisture, which provides the benefit of reducing the chance of harmful mold, mildew and rotting of wood.

In addition to building temperature and moisture control, spray foam insulation is often used to reduce noise. Foam insulation serves as a barrier to airborne sounds, and reduces airborne sound transfer through a building's roof, floor and walls compared an uninsulated structure.

In the United States, homes treated with spray foam insulation often qualify for state and federal tax deductions.

Insulation of all types stops a good deal of energy loss. Some types including spray foams also seal air leaks. Insulation can also save energy in hot climates by reducing air conditioning use.

Blowing agent history and climate impact
Most closed-cell spray foam was formed using hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) blowing agents that have high global warming potential, partially or completely offsetting the climate benefits of the energy savings they can offer. Global treaties such as the Montreal Protocol, Kyoto Protocol, Kigali Amendment, and Paris Climate Agreement all include requirements for phasing out and substituting less environmentally friendly blowing agents. In the United States, a 2015 rule under the United States Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) programme regulated the phase-out of certain high-GWP blowing agents and the transition to lower-GWP goods. The rule increased the alternatives list and restricted the use of high-GWP hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) in foam blowing.

A few spray foam suppliers have started supplying spray foam blown with
hydrofluoroolefin (HFO) blowing agents without this problem as of early 2017. In 2002 a worldwide patent was awarded to Foam Supplies Incorporated for a new generation eco-friendly foam blowing agent that is free of Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), and Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) called Ecomate®. This is based on naturally occurring methyl methanoate.

Health effects

Spray foam insulation is typically non-toxic only after it has cured. While curing, spray foam emits a gas that causes blurred vision and trouble breathing. Using full face and respiratory protection while applying the product is recommended.

Isocyanates are powerful irritants to the eyes and gastrointestinal as well as the respiratory tracts. Direct skin contact with isocyanates can also cause marked inflammation. Some people say that their eyes feel like they have sand in them at the onset of problems. Some break out in a rash on their arms, chest, and neck.

Overexposure to isocyanates can sensitize workers, making them subject to asthma attacks if they are exposed again. Respiratory irritation may progress to a chemical bronchitis. Additional exposures can make the onset easier with less isocyanate necessary to start the attack.

Sporadic cases of hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) have also been reported in workers exposed to isocyanates. The symptoms may seem like the flu, with fever, muscle aches, and headaches. Other symptoms may include a dry cough, chest tightness, and difficult breathing. Individuals with chronic HP often experience progressively more difficult breathing, fatigue, and weight loss. Individuals with acute HP typically develop symptoms 4–6 hours after exposure.

Curing times of new generation spray foam insulation are very short.  Once cured the foam is completely inert and non toxic.

See also
Building insulation materials
Insulation (list of insulation material)
R-value (insulation)

References

External links

Building materials
Building insulation materials
Sustainable building
Thermal protection
Energy conservation
Heat transfer
Packaging

Spray foam


David Miller is a British writer and journalist based in Wimbledon, London.

Journalism
David Miller has contributed to many publications including the magazines Film Review, TV Zone and Starburst (where his work includes interviews with Sir Ian McKellen, Tom Baker and Ray Harryhausen).

Until 2007 he was editor of the UK-based horror genre magazine Shivers. He then became editor for the last few issues of The Poirot Collection, a partwork which presented the Agatha Christie's Poirot television episodes. He is currently editor of The Agatha Christie Collection partwork for Chorion, which brings together and presents the newer episodes of Poirot and Marple; the 1983 series Partners in Crime, and Agatha Christie film adaptations such as the Margaret Rutherford Miss Marple films and the all-star adaptations of The Mirror Crack'd, and Murder On The Orient Express.

Books
David Miller co-wrote the book They Came From Outer Space! with Mark Gatiss (of The League of Gentlemen), and is author of The Complete Peter Cushing; an overview of the life and works of the actor Peter Cushing. This was originally published as The Peter Cushing Companion.

Bibliography

Non-Fiction

 The Complete Peter Cushing (original title: The Peter Cushing Companion)()
 They Came From Outer Space!: Alien Encounters In The Movies (with Mark Gatiss) ()

British magazine editors
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)

David Miller (editor)


Pointe shoes are special shoes worn by ballerinas. They are made with a wide, flat, reinforced front end. This lets the dancer stand on tiptoe.

In normal flat ballet shoes, the toe construction does not provide this support for the dancer's body weight. So they cannot stand or dance en pointe.

History
Mid-18th century dancer Marie Camargo of the Paris Opéra Ballet was the first to wear a non-heeled shoe, enabling her to perform leaps that would have been difficult, if not impossible, in the old shoes.

The first dancers to rise up on their toes did so with the help of an invention by Charles Didelot in 1795. His 'flying machine' lifted dancers upward, allowing them to stand on their toes before leaving the ground. This lightness and ethereal quality was well received by audiences and, as a result, choreographers began put more pointework into their pieces.

As dance progressed into the 1800s, the desire grew to dance en pointe without the aid of wires. When Marie Taglioni first danced La Sylphide en pointe, her shoes were nothing more than modified satin slippers. Because the shoes of this period offered no support, dancers would pad their toes for comfort and rely on the strength of their feet and ankles for support.

The birth of the modern pointe shoe may be due to the early 20th century Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova, who was one of the most famous and influential dancers of her time. Pavlova's feet had particularly high arches, which left her vulnerable to injury when dancing en pointe. To help this problem, she would put tough leather soles into her shoes for extra support, and would flatten and harden the toe area to form a box. While this practice made dancing en pointe easier for her, it was regarded by her rivals as 'cheating'.

Health concerns
Girls will usually start en pointe between the ages of 10 and 13. Starting too early may be bad for the feet of the dancer. Dance teachers' societies give their members information and advice on this subject.

Some girls will never go en pointe. This is usually because they are not strong enough, as going en pointe means one has to have enough strength. Ballet class is not social dancing, it is aimed at professional training. But the basic pre-pointe class may still be useful for young dancers who later move into, for example, stage dancing. In that case, the lack of pointe work would not interfere with their eventual employment.

It takes considerable strength in the feet, ankle, leg, knee, and abdomen to dance en pointe. Students must be at least 11 or 12 years of age before attempting pointe work. The bones and growth plates in the feet are usually not fully hardened and developed before that age. Serious foot deformities can result from starting pointe too early, even if the student is strong and skillful. Attempting to dance en pointe before the feet and toes are fully grown can cause career-ending damage that will prevent dancing en pointe for a lifetime. Top ballet schools have specialist orthopaedic consultants, and foot X-rays are an obvious and necessary safeguard before pointe work begins.

Usage by male dancers
Pointe shoes are normally only worn by female ballet dancers. Male dancers may wear them for a comic effect in unorthodox roles such as the Ugly Stepsisters in Cinderella, or Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream. The all-male dance troupe Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo have dance programs with choreography entirely on pointe. This is one element of spectacle for the audience to demonstrate how the physical demands of classical ballet combine the artistic and the athletic.

Construction
All pointe shoes are handmade. There are many different companies which make these shoes. Some of them include: Bloch, Capezio, Gamba, Grishko, Gaynor Mindens, Sansha and Freed of London.

There are many different parts to a pointe shoe:
Platform
Vamp
Throat
Binding
Sockliner
Quarter
Drawstring
Outer sole

Proper fit and safety
Its important that pointe shoes fit correctly. If they do not, it can cause the dancers feet to become sore. It can also affect the way the dancer performs in them and may cause injury to the dancer. A dancer may need to try on many pairs of pointe shoes before they find ones that fit correctly. Also, when the pointe shoes are "dead" (too soft to dance in any more), the shoes will need to be replaced.

With light use, a pair of pointe shoes may last through ten to twenty hours of wear. A dance student may get weeks of serviceable use from a pair of pointe shoes. Professional dancers wear out pointe shoes much more quickly; a new pair may wear out in a single performance. As a result, ballet companies either buy shoes in bulk or give shoe allowances for their dancers.

Quantity & quality
Ballet companies order pointe shoes in huge quantities at maybe $50-$110 a pair. A soloist or principal dancer will have her shoes specially hand-made to her needs, and may get through several in a single performance. Dancers' feet take a terrific battering, and few end their careers without having some damage to their feet. This is the reality behind the light, airy, graceful sight on the stage.

Demi-pointe
Demi-pointe shoes are often used to train dancers who are new to pointe technique. They help dancers get used to the feel of pointe shoes, strengthen the ankles and feet. The toe box allows the dancer to feel a pointe, while the insole and outsole work together to give the resistance for developing foot and ankle strength.

Demi-pointe is often used in modern dance, because choreography in modern dance most often asks for balance on the ball of the foot, which is what those shoes are made for.

References

Footwear
Ballet

Pointe shoes


Vector graphics (also called graphical modeling, or object-oriented graphics) is a type of computer graphics. Vector graphics uses geometrical objects, like points, lines, curves, and polygons to model the image. Mathematics can be used to describe the graphics. Most often vectors and matrices are used. The first major use of vector graphics was in the Semi-Automatic Ground Environment air defense system.

The other way to model computer graphics is to use raster graphics. Raster graphics model images as a collection of pixels. Unlike raster images, vector-based images can be scaled indefinitely without loss of quality. Vector graphics are most often used for diagrams, and other things that can be described using simple shapes. Photographs are most often raster images.

Related pages
Raster graphics

Computer graphics
Vector graphics

Vector graphics


Roli Mosimann is a drummer, electronic musician and record producer who has worked in genres ranging from industrial to pop.  Originally from Switzerland, Mosimann first came to attention with the New York City no wave band Swans and later collaborated with Foetus leader J. G. Thirlwell in the duo Wiseblood.

As a producer, Mosimann has worked with That Petrol Emotion, The Young Gods, The The, Celtic Frost, New Order and The Hair and Skin Trading Company, and helped birth Faith No More's Album of the Year, among others. He was an early producer for Skinny Puppy's The Process and Marilyn Manson's Portrait of an American Family; however, both bands were unsatisfied with the results and chose to finish those albums with other producers (Martin Atkins and Trent Reznor, respectively).

Roli Mosimann has most recently worked with Jojo Mayer and Miloopa (engineering and mixing the latter band's "Unicode" album).

References

External links

Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
Swiss electronic musicians
Noise rock musicians
Swans (band) members
Swiss record producers
Swiss drummers
Swiss male musicians
Male drummers
Swiss audio engineers
Swiss expatriates in the United States
Swiss rock musicians
Industrial musicians

Roli Mosimann


Nathaniel Springer Berry (September 1, 1796April 27, 1894) served as the 28th governor of New Hampshire during the American Civil War.

Early life
N. S. Berry was born on September 1, 1796, in Bath (in modern-day Maine, then a part of Massachusetts).  His father died when Berry six years old, and after his mother's remarriage the family relocated to Bath, New Hampshire, where Berry attended the local schools.

At age 16 Berry became an apprentice in a leather goods manufacturing factory, where he learned the tanning, currier and saddle making trades.

Start of career
After completing his apprenticeship at age 21, Berry relocated to Bristol, New Hampshire, where he purchased a tannery.

In the 1820s and 1830s Berry was active in the New Hampshire Militia.  He received a commission as a second lieutenant in the 34th Regiment, and advanced through the ranks to become regimental commander with the rank of colonel.

Berry later relocated to Hebron, New Hampshire, where he continued to operate a successful leather goods business until it was destroyed in an 1857 fire.

A Democrat, Berry served in the New Hampshire House of Representatives in 1828, 1833, and 1834.  He served in the New Hampshire State Senate in 1835 and 1836.  Berry was also a delegate to the 1840 Democratic National Convention.

Unhappy with the Democratic Party's support for slavery, and also interested in other reform movements including temperance, Berry became involved in the movement which led to the creation of the Free Soil Party.  He ran unsuccessfully for Governor as a Free Soil Democratic candidate in every annual election from 1846 to 1850, enabling the election of Whig nominee Anthony Colby by splitting the Democratic vote in 1846.  In some elections Berry's candidacy prevented the "regular" Democratic nominee from receiving the majority of the popular vote required by New Hampshire's constitution, and the state legislature had to choose the winner.

Berry served as a Judge of the Grafton County Court of Common Pleas from June 1841 to June 1850.  He was a Judge of Grafton County's Probate Court from 1856 to 1861.  He became a Republican when the party was created in the mid-1850s.

Governorship

In March 1861 Berry was the successful Republican nominee for Governor.  He was reelected in March 1862, and served from June 1861 to June 1863.

Serving during the American Civil War, Berry was a strong supporter of the Union.  During his governorship New Hampshire provided to the Union Army fifteen infantry regiments, three companies of sharpshooters, four companies of cavalry and one company of heavy artillery.

In June 1862, Abraham Lincoln desired to issue a call for more recruits to join the Union Army, but hesitated because he wanted to demonstrate that the war effort still had popular support, following a perceived ebb in Union state morale as the result of several battlefield reverses.  Berry was one of the organizers of an effort to send Lincoln a letter from the state governors to inform him that the states would respond positively if he issued a call for additional troops.  Now able to demonstrate popular support for continuing the war effort, Lincoln requested the states to provide additional soldiers.

Berry was also an active participant in the September 1862 War Governors' Conference.  During this meeting Union state governors indicated their continued support for Lincoln's wartime policies, including the Emancipation Proclamation Lincoln indicated he intended to issue at an opportune moment.

Later life
Berry did not run for reelection in 1863.  He resided first with his wife's family in Andover, Massachusetts, and later with his daughter in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  He later returned to Hebron, where he lived until moving to Bristol in 1888 to reside with his son.

Death and burial
Berry died in Bristol on April 27, 1894, at age 97.  He was buried at Homeland Cemetery in Bristol.

See also
New Hampshire Historical Marker No. 223: Home Site of Nathaniel Berry Governor, 1861–1863

References
Nathaniel Springer Berry at New Hampshire Division of Historic Resources
Nathaniel Springer Berry at National Governors Association
Hebron's Governor: Nathaniel S. Berry, by Ronald Collins, Hebron Historical Society

|-

1796 births
1894 deaths
Governors of New Hampshire
People from Bath, Maine
People from Hebron, New Hampshire
Members of the New Hampshire House of Representatives
New Hampshire state senators
New Hampshire Republicans
New Hampshire Democrats
New Hampshire Free Soilers
New Hampshire state court judges
American militia officers
Union (American Civil War) state governors
Republican Party governors of New Hampshire
Tanners
19th-century American judges

Nathaniel S. Berry


Joseph Charles Schultz Jr. (August 29, 1918 – January 10, 1996) was an American Major League Baseball catcher, coach, and manager. Schultz was the first and only manager for the Seattle Pilots franchise during their lone season before they became the Milwaukee Brewers. Seattle entered the American League as an expansion franchise in 1969, and moved to Wisconsin shortly before the following season.

Playing career
Born in Chicago, he was the son of a major league baseball player—Joe (Germany) Schultz, an outfielder who played for seven of the eight National League clubs (1912–16; 1919–25) and who later became a manager in the St. Louis Cardinals' extensive farm system. In 1932, at age 13, Joe Jr. appeared in his first professional game, as a pinch hitter for the Houston Buffaloes of the Class A Texas League; the elder Schultz was managing Houston and Joe Jr. was serving as the Buffaloes' batboy that season.

Joe Jr. batted left-handed and threw right-handed; he was listed as  tall and . He had a distinguished prep career at St. Louis University High School and signed his first contract with the Cardinals in 1936, but was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates, where his father had become minor league director, after the 1939 season. After appearing in only 22 games for Pittsburgh between 1939 and 1941, Schultz made his way back to St. Louis with the Browns of the American League, where he spent six seasons (1943–48) as a backup catcher and pinch hitter. In 328 major-league at bats over all or parts of nine MLB seasons, Schultz batted .259 with 85 hits, 13 doubles and one home run, struck as a pinch hitter against Pete Gebrian of the Chicago White Sox at Comiskey Park on August 11, 1947.

Coach for Browns and Cardinals
In 1949, Schultz served as a coach with the Browns, and then he managed in the minor leagues from 1950 to 1962, returning to the Cardinals' organization in 1958.

He became a Cardinals coach in 1963 and worked with three National League pennant winners (1964, 1967 and 1968), and two world championship clubs (1964, 1967) through 1968.

Manager for Seattle Pilots
The success of the Cardinals led to Schultz's 1969 opportunity with the Pilots. Although they were badly outdrafted by their fellow expansion team, the Kansas City Royals, during the player selection lottery, Schultz and general manager Marvin Milkes actually thought the Pilots would finish third in the newly formed American League West.  Indeed, Schultz managed to keep his patchwork team within striking distance of .500 for most of the early part of the season. However, a 9–20 July effectively ended any chance at respectability, and the Pilots finished last in the new West, with a mark of

However, it can be argued that Schultz's efforts were hamstrung by the Pilots' off-the-field problems. They played at Sick's Stadium, an aging minor league park that was clearly inadequate even as a temporary facility. The Pilots were also plagued by an unstable, undercapitalized ownership; they were nearly broke by the end of the season.

Schultz was relieved of his duties as manager in mid-November, and was replaced by Dave Bristol as the team struggled in limbo during the 1969–70 offseason. Only weeks before the 1970 season opener, the Pilots were purchased by a group headed by Bud Selig and transferred to Milwaukee, where they have remained since.

The Pilots' year of existence was immortalized in Ball Four, the best-selling, controversial memoir of the 1969 season by Seattle pitcher Jim Bouton that was published in 1970. Bouton tells humorous anecdotes about Schultz and some of the motivational speeches he gave to the Pilots. According to Bouton, Schultz's speeches were heavily laced with profanity, even with some original curses (his favorites being the seemingly interchangeable and used for all occasions: "shitfuck" and "fuckshit"). The author claims that Schultz was well liked by his team, but some of his choices were questioned by the players. In a May 28 game against the Baltimore Orioles, he accidentally gave the umpire the wrong lineup card, which came to backfire when opposing manager Earl Weaver noticed they were batting out of order. In a later anthology on managers Bouton edited, I Managed Good, But Boy Did They Play Bad, Bouton noted Schultz's sense of humor and added that, given the circumstances of the last-place team, "I couldn't have had a better manager than Joe Schultz."

Remainder of career
Schultz coached with the Royals (1970) and the Detroit Tigers (1971–76) before leaving baseball.

After Billy Martin was fired with 28 games left in the 1973 season, Schultz took over as interim manager for Detroit for the rest of the way, compiling a mark of 14–14. Counting his interim stint with the Tigers, he had a career record of 78–112 (.411) as a major league skipper. Apart from that assignment, Schultz never managed in the majors again after the Pilots collapsed.

Death
Schultz died in St. Louis, Missouri, at the age of 77, and is interred at Calvary Cemetery in St. Louis.

See also

 List of second-generation Major League Baseball players
 List of St. Louis Cardinals coaches

References

External links

1918 births
1996 deaths
Albany Travelers players
Asheville Tourists players
Atlanta Crackers managers
Baseball players from Illinois
Columbus Red Birds players
Detroit Tigers coaches
Detroit Tigers managers
Houston Buffaloes players
Kansas City Royals coaches
Kinston Eagles players
Major League Baseball catchers
Major League Baseball first base coaches
Major League Baseball third base coaches
Memphis Chickasaws players
Pittsburgh Pirates players
Portland Beavers players
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St. Louis Browns players
St. Louis Cardinals coaches
San Antonio Missions managers
Seattle Pilots managers
Toledo Mud Hens players
American expatriate baseball people in the Dominican Republic
Baseball players from St. Louis

Joe Schultz Jr.


Innamincka is a very small town in north-east South Australia. It is 1065 km northeast of Adelaide and 459 km from Lyndhurst up the Strzelecki Track. It is on the banks of Cooper Creek in the state's Channel Country, and surrounded by the Strzelecki, Tirari and Sturt Stony Deserts. It is within Innamincka Regional Reserve. In 2006 there were 131 people living in the town.

History
The area was the traditional home of the Yandruwandha, Aborigines. The first European to visit the area was Charles Sturt in 1845. He was followed by A C Gregory in 1858 and then Burke and Wills. A monument to Sturt, Burke and Wills was built in Innamincka in 1944.

In 1882 a police camp was set up and a small settlement followed.  From 7 April 1889, a Royal Mail coach ran fortnightly from Farina, operated by merchants Davey and Pilkington. The town was first named Hopetoun after the Governor of Victoria, the Earl of Hopetoun but it was never popular with locals. The town was never very large, but had a hotel, a store and a police station. Until 1901 the police station was also the customs post for collecting duties on cattle brought overland from Queensland into South Australia. In 1928 the Australian Inland Mission built a hospital here, the Elizabeth Symon Nursing Home. Severe drought and poor access to the settlement resulted in the hotel and hospital closing. In 1951 the police post closed and the town was abandoned.

Increased tourism and discovery of gas and oil in the late 1960s led to the formation of Cooper Creek Hotel Motel Pty Ltd. The company opened a hotel, a store and accommodation in the abandoned town. In 1994 the Elizabeth Symon Nursing Home was restored by Dick Smith and Australian Geographic and used as a visitor centre for South Australian Parks and Wildlife.

The town common, on the banks of the Cooper, is popular with campers, as are the town's public coin-in-slot toilets and showers.

Burke and Wills

The Burke and Wills expedition passed through this area on their journey across Australia from Melbourne to the Gulf of Carpentaria. They set up a camp on Cooper Creek at Camp LXV, their 65th camp since leaving Melbourne. This camp is also known as The Dig Tree. Members of the expedition camped at the Dig Tree from 6 December 1860 to 21 April 1861.

The Victorian Contingent Party under Alfred Howitt was sent by the Victorian government to find the expedition. Howitt found the remains of both leaders, Robert O'Hara Burke and William John Wills and buried them close to the site of Innamincka. He also found the only survivor, John King on the 15 September 1861. King was living with and being cared for by the Yandruwandha aboriginals.

Howitt returned to the area in 1862 as leader of the Victorian Exploring Party. He set up a depot camp at Cullyamurra Waterhole before digging up the bodies of Burke and Wills and taking them to Melbourne for a State Funeral.

The site of Wills' grave and King's site are on Cooper Creek downstream of Innamincka. Burke's grave, Howitt's camp and the Dig Tree are on Cooper Creek upstream of Innamincka.

References

Other websites
Outback NSW
 Burke and Wills Web A website with many of the historical documents about the Burke and Wills Expedition.
 The Burke and Wills Historical Society
 The Diary of William John Wills  The diary written by Wills while at the Cooper from 23 April to 28 June 1861.
 William John Wills' journal Images from the National Library of Australia's digital manuscript collection.
 Aerial Video of Innamincka

Towns in South Australia

Innamincka, South Australia


Lapu-Lapu City is a first class highly urbanized city in the Philippine province of Cebu. The city occupies most of Mactan Island, a few kilometers off the main island of Cebu and also covers the area of Olango Island further to the southeast region, plus a few other islands. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of about 292,530 people.

The city is linked to Mandaue on mainland Cebu by the Mactan-Mandaue Bridge and Marcelo Fernan Bridge. Mactan-Cebu International Airport, the second busiest airport in the Philippines, is in Lapu-Lapu City. The only aquarium attraction in the Visayas is also in Lapu-lapu City. It is known as "Opon'.It is also home to the Mactan Shrine.

Location
Lapu-Lapu City borders Mandaue to the west, Cebu Strait to the east, Consolacion to the north, and Cordova to the south.

History
In the 16th century, Mactan Island was colonized by Spain. Augustinian friars founded the town of Opon in 1730. It became a city in 1961 and was renamed after Native Royalty the Datu Lapu-Lapu, the Island's chieftain who defeated Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan in 1521. This battle is commemorated at the Lapu-Lapu shrine in Punta Engaño.

Politician Manuel A. Zosa, the representative of the Sixth District of Cebu, sponsored the Bill converting the former municipality of Opon into the present day City of Lapu-Lapu. This was the Republic Act 3134, known as the City Charter of Lapu-Lapu which was signed on June 17, 1961 by former Philippine President Carlos P. Garcia.

Barangays
Lapu-Lapu City is politically subdivided into 30 barangays.

Gallery

References

Other websites
 Official Lapu-Lapu City government website

Cities in the Philippines
1730 establishments
Establishments in the Philippines
1730s establishments in Asia

Lapu-Lapu City


Elden Pueblo (Hopi: Pasiwvi) was a prehistoric Native American village located at the foot of Mount Elden near Flagstaff, Arizona. The pueblo is thought to have been part of a major trading system. Various trade items such as macaw skeletons from Mexico as well as shell jewelry from the coast of California have been found throughout the site. The area is now protected and is used for research and educational purposes.

History
The area was settled by the Sinagua peoples from approximately 1070 to 1275. It is believed that the site was home to 200–300 people within 60–70 rooms. Aside from the structures constructed of compacted stones, a burial mound was discovered near the site. Two individual burials were found under the site.

The site was discovered by Harold Colton, who originally named it Sheep Hill Pueblo. When Jesse Walter Fewkes excavated it in 1926 and shipped the recovered skeletons and pots to the Smithsonian, it created a controversy with Arizona's archeologists including Colton and Byron Cummings of the University of Arizona. Colton and Fewkes sparred in the journal Science and in various outraged Arizona newspapers. The controversy was part of the impetus for the 1927 Arizona Antiquities Act and the creation of the Northern Arizona Society of Science and Art.

There is some controversy about the burial mound; some say the mound is simply a dirt pile from the nearby Fewkes' excavation. Ruins from another structure were also found underneath the mound which also leads to questions about its authenticity.

Archeological studies have uncovered information regarding architectural design and the social hierarchy of the Sinagua people. Social hierarchy can be deduced from the variations in burial techniques as well as the decorative features of the grave.

Although it has been stated that the Winona meteorite was found at Elden Pueblo, it was in fact found at another Sinagua site miles away.

References

External links

 Interactive Dig, Elden Pueblo at Archaeology (magazine)

Native American history of Arizona
Archaeological sites in Arizona
History of Coconino County, Arizona
Coconino National Forest
Archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places in Arizona
National Register of Historic Places in Coconino County, Arizona
Protected areas of Coconino County, Arizona
Ruins in the United States
Sinagua
Ancient Puebloan archaeological sites in Arizona

Elden Pueblo


Lake Mezzano (; ) is a small crater lake of central Italy, of volcanic origin, which was formed 400,000 years ago.

The lake has a circular shape typical of crater lakes.  Its surface area is 475,000 m² the altitude of its surface is 452 m and has a perimeter of 2,516 m.

The emissary which leaves Lake Mezzano is river Olpeta, that is an affluent to Fiora.

The lake lies in the territory of the community of Valentano (VT).

In the 1980s an archaeologic campaign brought back to light a number of historical and prehistorical findings. Many of those are now exhibited in the Museo della Preistoria e della Rocca Farnese in Valentano.

Calderas of Italy
Volcanic crater lakes
Lakes of Lazio

Lake Mezzano


Jan Kubelík (5 July 18805 December 1940) was a Czech violinist and composer.

Biography
He was born in Michle (now part of Prague). His father, a gardener by occupation, was an amateur violinist. He taught his two sons the violin and after discovering the talent of Jan, who was aged five at the time, arranged for him to study with Karel Weber and Karel Ondříček. Aged eight he studied at the Prague Conservatory with Otakar Ševčík, of whose technique he became the most famous representative. As a child, he used to practice 10 to 12 hours a day, or "until my fingers started to bleed." After 1898, he toured as a soloist, soon becoming renowned for his great virtuosity and flawless intonation, and his very full and noble tone. He played a Guarneri del Gesù and also two Stradivarius violins: he acquired the 1715 Stradivarius Emperor in 1910.

After great success following his debut in Vienna, and in London (where he first appeared at a Hans Richter concert in 1900), Kubelík toured in the USA in 1901 for the first time. He made his first appearance for the Royal Philharmonic Society, London in the season of 1901–2, and in 1902 was awarded the Society's Gold Medal (in succession to Eugène Ysaÿe). In 1902 he brought the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra to London, having assisted it financially in the previous year.

In 1903 he married Countess Anna Julie Marie Széll von Bessenyö (born 1 March 1880 in Budapest), niece of former Prime Minister of Hungary Kálmán Széll, with whom he had eight children, five violinist daughters and three sons, among them conductor Rafael Kubelík.

Kubelík made a number of recordings; his acoustic recordings were made for The Gramophone and Typewriter Ltd.and Sister Companyes.The Gramophone Company/Victor Record, for Fonotipia/Odeon and Schallplatte Grammophon/Polydor (who also recorded Váša Příhoda, Franz von Vecsey and Jacques Thibaud).  The Gramophone Company recorded him as obbligato to Dame Nellie Melba in 1904, a match which reflected the classical phrasing, tonal purity and security of his art and was an ideal complement to it. Their early version of the Bach-Gounod Ave Maria (G.C. 03033) was recorded twice, in October 1904 and again in February 1905, and this was one of the great early classics of the gramophone, one of those records which 'made' the instrument a popular success, though the double celebrity single-sided title retailed at one guinea. Nine years later (when technology had improved) the partnership was reformed to re-make the record (as 03333), in May 1913 with organ accompaniment and again in October 1913. It was the latter version which then survived in the inter-war catalogue in two-sided form.  His 1935 Carnegie Hall concert was also recorded and has been reissued.

He wrote music, including six violin concertos, and continued to perform in public until his death, with a pause between the end of World War I and 1920, during which period he composed. In 1920 he resumed his concert career.  In 1917, he was elected as an honorary member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia music fraternity by the fraternity's Alpha Chapter at the New England Conservatory in Boston.

Jan Kubelík died in Prague in 1940, aged 60.

Critical reception and legacy
In 1907, reviewing a concert by Kubelik at New York's massive Hippodrome Theatre, the New York Times wrote

In 1903 Kubelik's portrait was painted by Philip de László, and a 1912 Cubist painting by Georges Braque incorporates a handbill featuring the words "Mozart Kubelick" (sic).  Carl Sandburg mentions Jan Kubelík in his Chicago Poems, 1916.  He is adored by the sisters in Sally Benson's collected short stories which later became the film Meet Me in St. Louis (1944).  He is also referred to in Robert Ludlum's 2002 novel The Janson Directive.

Selected works

Violin and orchestra

 Concerto No. 1 in C major (published 1920)
 Concerto No. 2
 Concerto No. 3
 Concerto No. 4 in B major (published c.1932)
 Concerto No. 5
 Concerto No. 6
 Cadenzas for the Violin Concerto in D major, Op.61 by Ludwig van Beethoven
 Cadenzas for the Violin Concerto in D major, Op.77 by Johannes Brahms
 Cadenzas for the Violin Concerto No. 5 in A major by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Violin and piano
 Burlesque
 Oriental Scene (published c.1931)
 Menuett (published 1931)

Discography of Fonotipia titles

39162 Souvenir (Drdla) XPh 270 (27 cm)
39163 Danse Hongroise (Nachez) XPh 272 (27 cm)
39164 Variazioni sulla ballata di Mefisto (Gounod) XPh 2732 (27 cm)
39191 Serenade (d'Ambrosio) (27 cm)
39192 Perpetuum mobile (Paganini) XPh 276 (27 cm)
39193 Serenade (Drdla) (27 cm)
39194 Traumerei (Schumann) XPh 285? (27 cm)
39195 La Ronde des Lutins (Bazzini) XPh 295 (27 cm)
39884 Scherzo Tarantella (Wieniawski) XPh 2231 (27 cm)
39925 Der Zephir (Hubay) XPh 2228 (27 cm)
62036 Cavatina (Raff) XPh 2400 (27 cm)
62037 Vision (Drdla) (27 cm)
62496 Serenata napolitana (Sgambati) (27 cm)
62497 Le cygne (Saint-Saëns) (27 cm)
62573 Poeme (Fibich) (27 cm)
62574 Berceuse (Drdla) (27 cm)
62603 Serenade de Pierrot (Randegger) (27 cm)
69010 Sextet, Lucia di Lammermoor (Donizetti) (35 cm)
69013 Variazioni sull'Inno Nazionale Inglese XXPh 275 (35 cm)
74083 Danza Spagnola Zapateado (Sarasate) 5526F (30 cm)
74084 Zingaresca (Sarasate) 5526F (30 cm)
75085 Capriccio in Sol minore (Paganini) 5527F (30 cm)
75086 Cadenza del Concerto Paganini in Re Maggiore (Kubelik) 5527F (30 cm)

Source: J.R. Bennett, Dischi Fonotipia Numerical Catalogue - A Golden Treasury (J. Dennis/Record Collector Shop, Ipswich 1953).

References

 Blom, Eric, ed., Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 5th edition, London, 1954, pp. 287–88
Stanislav Jandík, Čaroděj houslí. Vyprávění o Janu Kubelíkovi, který proslavil české jméno po celém světě, Za svobodu, Praha, 1949, Czech language

External links

The Jan Kubelík Society

 František Sláma (musician) Archive. More on the history of the Czech Philharmonic between the 1940s and the 1980s

1880 births
1940 deaths
19th-century classical composers
20th-century classical composers
Czech male classical composers
Czech classical musicians
Czech classical violinists
Male classical violinists
Fonotipia Records artists
Honorary Members of the Royal Philharmonic Society
Prague Conservatory alumni
Czech Romantic composers
Royal Philharmonic Society Gold Medallists
20th-century classical violinists
20th-century Czech male musicians
19th-century Czech male musicians
Musicians from Prague

Jan Kubelík


Pure Pwnage is an Internet video series.  It is about a man named Jeremy who spends his days playing video games and making fun of other people, or as he calls them, "n00bs". The first season of the show had 12 episodes. The people who make the show are planning to make at least two more seasons and maybe a full length movie. The first season ends with a cliffhanger that leads into the second season. The second season is expected to be put online in 2007.

History
The show started when two friends got together and made a short video of the main character talking about video games. Inspired by the cultural phenomenon that online video gaming has become, and the series creators' personal online experiences; the series actually spawned from a project for film school. After they uploaded the video onto the Internet, it got downloaded a few thousand times, so they made Episode 1: Life of a Pro Gamer. The character 'Jeremy'(Played by Jarett Cale), also known as 'teh_pwnerer', was designed to comically represent, and almost stereotype, online gamers around the world. This concept was based loosely around the idea of a person who had grown up doing nothing but online gaming; whose entire vocabulary and social mannerisms were molded solely by internet interactions. As such, the episode was supposed to be a mockumentary of sorts, as Jeremy is followed and filmed by younger brother 'Kyle'(Geoff Lapaire) (Played depicting "A day in the life of a ProGamer". After this became very popular, they made episodes 2 and 3.  When episode 4 was downloaded roughly 3000 times, they decided that they should pursue this full-time. Throughout the series, the characters make use of many expressions in videogame terminology, including "noob", "uber-micro" and of course "pwnage".

The series has introduced several other recurring characters, such as:
"FPS_Doug" -- Jeremy's illtempered rival (and sociopath), played by Joel Gardiner;
"Dave" -- Jeremy's close friend and local 'ProCook', played by Dave Lee
"Tagi" -- Jeremy's World of Warcraft addicted love interest, played by Miranda Plant
"TBag" -- the heavily sponsored Halo 3 player,
and "Teh_Masterer" -- Jeremy's ninja-clad mentor, Played by Geoff Lapaire - Voiced by Fr.William Craig
as well as an assortment of villains.

The series has also adopted a dynamic storyline in favour of its original, pseudo-casual style of interviews. Despite the additional casting and switch towards plot driven episodes, the series remains true to its satirical view of current trends in the gaming industry and the greater online community. The series has quickly developed a large fan base, spanning across multiple continents, and only continues in its success as its 2nd season comes to a close.

Other websites
Official site
 Jeremy's MySpace page
 Pure Podcast
 Pure Pwnage Quotes on Wikiquote
 Pure Pwnage Interview on the ABC2 Show Good Game

Entertainment websites

Pure Pwnage