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Example Michelle Q Band Reduction
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Example Q-band Spectroscopic Data Reduction
- Introduction
- Initial Steps
- Starting the Processing
- Wavelength Calibration
- Defining the Apertures
- Telluric Correction
- The Final Spectrum
This page gives an example of using the msreduce script to reduce a Q-band spectrum. It is based upon the experience of Kevin Volk (who uses the first person in this page where needed, mixed in with use of the third person to refer to the reader).
In this instance I have an observation of a bright science target and an observation of a standard star both at Q-band in the lowres20 spectral mode of Michelle. The observation was made to study the variations in a strong feature across the extended source. For the purposes of discussion here only the overall spectrum across the entire source will be extracted. The Q-band spectrum of this object is well known, as the object has been observed from space with the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) and previous to that by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS). Both these satellites obtained low resolution spectra of the object in question. The ISO spectrum is of better quality (at least in terms of providing continuous wavelength coverage) than anything that we can do from the ground. Those satellite observations did not provide any spatial information, however.
The raw data file for the science object observation is N20051229S0208.fits, while the raw data file for the standard star observation is N20051229S0211.fits. Both these files can be obtained from the Gemini Science Archive as they are now public. The science target is HD 56126, more often referred to as IRAS 07134+1005. The standard star is Procyon, alpha CMi. This is not one of the usual calibration stars for which the midir package has a flux curve, so this example carries out the reduction on the pretext that the standard star was alpha CMa, Sirius, instead. I will then need to scale the output spectrum down to allow for the difference in brightness between alpha CMi and alpha CMa, but for the purposes of illustration here that is not important. In Q-band the difference in effective spectral shape between an F5IV star, Procyon, and an A1V star, Sirius, is very small. The difference in brightness at these wavelengths can be found from the ratio of the IRAS [25] fluxes, for example, or from the ISO spectra of these objects.
Initial Steps
The first step is run nsheaders to set the instrument parameters for Michelle. This routine is found in the gnirs part of the Gemini package, but it is available once you invoke the midir package as well
cl> gemmini ge> midir mi> nsheaders michelle ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ NSHEADERS -- Mon Nov 27 12:47:12 HST 2006 setting header keywords setting nscut.section setting nsreduce.section resetting nswavelength.dispaxis setting nswavelength.coordlist, nswavelength.threshold, and nswavelength.fl_median setting the default logfile
Before starting the reduction it is useful to look at the raw data and see (a) what the atmospheric emission lines look like, so you can get a rough ID of the features, and (b) whether the spectrum needs to be defringed. This can be done from the raw data files if you wish, as in
cl> display rawdata/N200512S0211[1][*,*,3,1] zs- zr+ nsample=76800 cl> imexam cl> display rawdata/N200512S0211[1][*,*,1,1] zs- zr+ nsample=76800 cl> imexam
The first display command shows the raw data from one nod position, the first nod A position, for the object plus the sky. The way this looks in ds9 is as follows --
You can see the strong atmospheric bands as vertical bright lines in the image (the spectral direction is from left to right with short wavelengths to the left, and the up/down direction is along the slit), and the object is much too faint to be seen in the raw image. Using the IRAF imexam task you can do a line cut with the "l" cursor key to get a cut across the image--
This figure has been made with the y range set from 0 to 45000 ADU to show the true line to continuum contrast in fairly dry conditions at Mauna Kea.
The second display command displays the difference spectral image from the same nod, wherein the object spectrum can be seen--
Single NOD difference frame (chop A - chop B)
The raw spectrum is interrupted frequently by the atmospheric bands where the background is high and the atmospheric transmission is low. A line cut along the peak of the spectrum looks like this--
Line cut along the raw difference spectrum
where you see the atmospheric lines as absorption lines instead of emission lines. There is no fringing in this line cut, so defringing of the spectrum is not needed.
Of note is that the band at about 20 microns, near pixel 135, has split into two peaks at this resolution, and so it is not usable for the wavelength calibration.
Starting the Processing
I have set the parameters for nsreduce as follows: (these should work for
you except that the rawpath value need not be as indicated here)
midir> lpar msreduce
inspec = "N20051229S0208" Name of source spectrum raw data file(s)
(outtype = "fnu") Type of output spectrum: fnu|flambda|lambda*fla
(rawpath = "rawdata") Path for raw images
(line = 160) Line to use to identify the aperture
(fl_std = yes) Extract both source and standard spectra, do te
(std = "N20051229S0211") Name of standard spectrum raw data file(s)
(stdname = "alphaCMa") Name of standard star
(fl_bbody = no) Use blackbody option rather than spectrophotome
(bbody = 10000.) Temperature of calibrator for black-body fit
(fl_flat = no) Apply flat/bias to the raw data file(s) before
(flat = "") Input flat-field image(s) (raw data file(s))
(bias = "") Input bias image(s) (raw data file(s))
(fl_extract = yes) Run nsextract interactively
(fl_telluric = yes) Run msabsflux interactively
(fl_wavelengt = yes) Run nswavelength interactively
(fl_transform = no) Run nstransform interactively
(fl_retrace = no) Retrace spectrum, if appropriate
(fl_process = yes) Do initial processing with mprepare
(fl_clear = yes) Clear database sub-directory
(fl_negative = no) Extract from a negative spectrum (NOD mode)
(fl_defringe = no) Defringe the spectra (an intrinsicly interactiv
(fl_lowres = yes) Low resolution spectrum [msdefringe]
(fmin = 31) Start of filtering region (pixels) [msdefringe]
(fmax = 48) End of filtering region (pixels) [msdefringe]
(fl_dfinterp = yes) Interpolate across masked region [msdefringe]
(fl_zerocut = no) Mask out negative points [msdefringe]
(fl_reextract = no) Just re-extract the spectra
(linelist = "") Line list file name
(logfile = "spectrum.log") Log file name
(verbose = yes) verbose logging?
(status = 101) Exit error status: (0=good, >0=bad)
(scanfile = "") Internal use only
(mode = "ql")
Note that the parameters are set with the standard star name and raw data file name for the standard star spectrum, the raw data file name for the object, a path to these two raw data files, and various of the flags are set. In this case there is no need to do defringing so fl_defringe is set to "no". Most of the other parameters have their default values. The Michelle lowres20 Q-band spectra generally do not show any fringes and do not need defringing, as is the case here.
The call to msreduce can either be done by editing the parameters
to the values listed above or by the command
cl> msreduce N20051229S0208 std=N20051229S0211 stdname="alphaCMa"\
fl_defringe- rawpath="rawdata"
provided that the various flags were set properly using the IRAF command
epar. In a script the form of the call would be
msreduce ("N20051229S0208",
outtype="fnu", rawpath="rawdata", line=160, fl_std=yes, std="N20051229S0211",
stdname="alphaCMa",fl_bbody=no, bbody=10000., fl_flat=no, flat="", bias="",
fl_extract=yes,fl_telluric=yes, fl_wavelengt=yes, fl_transform=yes, fl_retrace=no,
fl_process=yes, fl_clear=yes, fl_negative=no, fl_defringe=no, fl_lowres=yes,
fmin=18, fmax=32, fl_dfinterp=yes, fl_zerocut=no, fl_reextract=no,
linelist="gnirs$data/sky.dat", logfile="example.log", verbose=yes)
with the rawpath parameter having to be set to whatever directory is appropriate.
Wavelength Calibration
When you run msreduce the task proceeds automatically until the wavelength calibration is to be done. It starts by taking the raw data files for the source and for the standard star and stacking the frames to produce a sky frame, to be used for the wavelength calibration, and a difference frame, from which the spectrum is to be extracted. These steps need no interactive input. You can instruct msreduce to skip the stacking of the raw data file by setting the fl_process flag to "no". Ny own preference is to start clean each time in a new directory each time I do a reduction, in which case this initial step is required. You can also set the flags to apply flat and bias frames to the data--these are set by the fl_flat flag. If this is set to "yes" then the appropriate raw file names need to be put in the flat and bias fields. In principle applying the flat and bias frames will improve the extraction of the spectra of extended sources. I have not generally found that this produces superior results myself. If you are reducing extended source spectra, I recommend experimenting with the flat and bias options to see whether these produce good results or not.
The reduction proceeds to the wavelength calibration step next. The tasks attempt to produce an automatic line identification of a cut across the middle of the sky frame. These automatic line IDs are always poor in my experience (see below) so you have to reset the line identifications to the start with the "i" key command, and then manually identify the lines/bands. One marks each peak by moving the cursor near it and then hitting the "m" key, and entering the wavelength in Angstroms when prompted. The proper line IDs to use are listed below.
Result of the Automatic line IDs:
Note that if you get something that looks like this for the initial wavelength solution
where the central wavelength is 0 angstroms, it means that the nsheaders command has not been used to set the parameters of the spectroscopy. But even with the parameters set the wavelength solution is way off; the central wavelength is more or less correct but the dispersion is much too large leading to an absurd wavelength range from less than 5 microns to more than 35 microns, while the actual values are roughly from 16 to 24 microns.
The approximate line positions:
position Wavelength
pixel 52 175860
pixel 75 182980
pixel 87 186480
pixel 98 190150
pixel 108 193100
pixel 141 203220
pixel 152 206530
pixel 169 211750
pixel 191 218550
pixel 215 225950
pixel 228 229410
pixel 234 231990
I find it helpful to start by identifying two lines/bands, and doing a linear fit over the wavelength range. This produces a close enough wavelength solution to allow the rest of the lines to be automatically IDed when marked thereafter. To select a linear fit use the commands :order 2 and "f" to refit. I used the lines at roughly pixels 52 and 234 for this purpose.
Initial linear fit from two line IDs:
The wavelength calibration is good to within a few hundred Angstroms, or a few times 0.01 micron. If you need higher precision than this you would have to work harder on the wavelength calibration aided by an atmospheric emission model at the proper resolution.
Once the initial wavelength calibration is carried out the nstransform routine finds the same sky lines for different positions along the slit. This step generally can be done using the automatic re-identification, but if you are taking the spectrum of an extended source and wants the best possible wavelength solution for all positions along the slit you may need to do this interactively. Michelle does not have a lot of curvature of the sky lines over the array so the automatic line re-identification normally works well; thus when prompted about whether you wish to examine the line identifications you can usually answer "N" and let the software trace the lines without any manual interaction.
The same process is then followed for the standard star, with the sky lines being at the same places as listed above, resulting in a wavelength calibrated sky spectrum for file N20051229S0211.
Wavelength calibrated sky spectrum (calibration star):
Defining the Apertures for the Spectra
Next you have to choose the apertures for the object and for the standard, in this case these were chosen to get all the flux. The standard star is of course a point source, but the science target is somewhat extended on the slit and I have chosen a wide aperture to get all the flux. The aperture is close to 50 pixels wide, extending +18 and -30 pixels from the central position. You can either use the "l" and "u" keys to mark these limits, as was done here, or use the colon commands :lower -30 and :upper 18 to set these values.
When selecting the aperture I also select the background regions to the right and left of the aperture. This is done using the "b" key command to go into the background selection window, then using "t" key command to clear any automatically selected background regions. I then use the "s" key to select reasonable areas for the background and type "f" to fit these. The following three images show the automatic background you start with for HD 56126, the result of the manual selection of background regions for HD 56126, and the manually selected background for the calibration star.
Initial background for the science target spectrum
Manually defined background for the science target spectrum
Manually defined background for the calibration star spectrum
Aperture for the science target spectrum
Once the aperture is defined it is then traced. For Michelle (or T-ReCS) the tracing does not show much curvature across the array in any of the spectral modes. Thus a linear trace or a low order polynomial trace is enough. You generally needs to remove a few points from the fit in regions where there is no signal. This is done using the "x" key command, followed by using the "f" key command to re-fit the trace. The default order of the fitting in the GNIRS package is higher than is needed for Michelle, as shown in the initial tracing of the science target or of the calibration star shown below. Use the colon commands ":order" and ":function" commands, if needed, to change the type of fit to be used. My experience is that :order 3 is usually all that is needed with any of the polynomial fitting functions.
Initial tracing for the science target spectrum
Final tracing for the science target spectrum
For an extended source the tracing may be less accurate than that for a calibration star, depending on whether there is any spatial variation in the spectrum over the slit.
Aperture for the calibration star spectrum
Original tracing for the calibration star spectrum
Linear tracing for the calibration star spectrum
Revised tracing for the calibration star spectrum
Now the script produces wavelength calibrated raw spectra for the science target and for the calibration star, still rather badly chopped up by the atmospheric transmission.
Wavelength calibrated science target raw spectrum
Wavelength calibrated calibration star raw spectrum
Ones science spectrum may look quite different than what is shown above, but if your telluric calibration spectrum looks much different than what is shown just above then something is wrong.
Telluric Correction
The most difficult part of the reduction is the telluric correction, and the solution presented here may not be the optimum result that is possible. The atmospheric bands are deep so the corrections that are to be made are large for certain parts of the atmospheric window, and this amplifies the noise in the two spectra.
The method used here is to set dscale and offset to 0.0
with colon commands
:dscale 0.0
:offset 0.0
which is done with your cursor in the plot window. Generally you then have to rescale the upper plot with the "w" and "e" key commands to see the useful part of the spectrum, as there are usually large spikes caused by division of essentially zero by zero in the regions where the atmospheric bands are totally opaque. It usually takes several attempts before the scaling in the upper window is set so that you can see the spectrum.
You should also use the "t" and "s" commands in the lower window to select the regions where there is signal and to exclude the regions just below 24 microns and near 25.5 microns where there is no signal due to strong water bands. This prevents these bad regions from dominating the RMS that is calculated across the spectrum. Once this is done, you then manually enter scale and shift values to get the smoothest possible spectrum, perhaps using the "a" key command to get the automatic "best shift" for a given scale value. There is no unique way to do this that I know of. My preference is keep the scaling value near 1.0, but in some instances as here a rather different value is the only way to produce a good result.
The telluric corrections are done using the msabsflux routine which in turn calls the telluric task which is in the noao.onedspec package in IRAF. The help for the telluric task should be consulted concerning the various key commands and colon commands available.
The original plot from telluric via mstelluric
The plot from telluric after dscale and offset set to 0
The plot from telluric after the shift is reset
The plot from telluric after the wavelength regions are selected using the "t" and "s" keys
The plot from telluric for the "best" shift and scaling
At present finding the best shift and scaling is a matter of trial and error. You should seek to produce the smoothest possible output spectrum with the atmospheric bands removed. It is not always possible to completely remove the bands, but as shown here even in Q-band it is usually possible to find a combination of shift and scale values that give a good result.
The Final Spectrum
Even at the "best" shift the band centers show spikes, such as at 21.78 microns. Due to the two regions where there is no signal and the shall shift needed to best remove the atmospheric bands there are also larger spikes at the edges of the zero signal regions. These can be removed using the "j" key in the splot routine, followed by writing out the new spectrum as a fits file with the "i" key command..
I supplied the standard star name in the call to msreduce and set the fl_bbody flag to "no", so the resulting spectrum is (ideally) calibrated in Jy. The blackbody option produces a spectrum that is correct in shape but for which the level is arbitrary.
I now have a the calibrated spectrum for the science target HD 56126. If this were a reduction for science I would need to scale the values for the proper brightness of the object, or (better!) have the expected spectral values corrected for the atmosphere available in IRAF for Procyon and use those in the reduction. The spectrum shown is too bright by a factor of 33.97/18.45 = 1.84 with about a 7% uncertainty based upon the IRAS photometry for these two stars. In this case as only part of the object was sampled in taking the spectrum the absolute calibration is probably not important.
Plot of the re-scaled spectrum
I get a nice spectrum out that in fact matches very well in shape with the ISO spectrum of the object, and without problems across the strong bands. This is in part due to the object being bright, but it indicates what is possible for ground-based Q-band spectroscopy from Mauna Kea under good conditions. My final cleaned spectrum is shown below. The Y axis is in Jansky. The output units can be set with the outtype parameter in the call to msreduce as you wish.
Plot of the cleaned and re-scaled spectrum
A log of all the keystrokes I used to reduce the spectrum can be found here along with some comments as to what is being done. The complete IRAF terminal log is also available for people to look at.
Last update 2008 September 8, K. Volk & R. Mason


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The Readers' Writers: Paranormal romance author Lexi George
I don't have a list of favorite romance authors. But if I did, Lexi George would join Victoria Alexander in my top five.
An appellate attorney by trade, Lexi grew up in an Alabama rural community where the general store supplied everything a barefoot little girl could want, including jars of pickled eggs. Her childhood home sat near the railroad tracks and Lexi admits to a continued fondness for long train whistles embracing the night. She also confesses to the church library being one of her favorite writing hideaways to escape the loving interruptions of her husband, children and dogs.
Lexi's work first appeared in the anthology "So I Married a Demon Slayer." Readers demanded more, and Lexi eagerly responded with her debut novel "Demon Hunting in Dixie," the story of a warrior, a demon, and the girl next door. "Demon Hunting in the Deep South" followed with previous secondary characters taking center stage as the heroine and hero in what has become a thoroughly enjoyable, funny, romantic and extremely well-written series.
"Demon Hunting in a Dive Bar," the third offering, is now set for release. Half demon Rebekah runs a club replete with a vegetarian flesh-eater, a musical ghost seeking a piano bar, and a demon-hunter who has ensnared Rebekah's full attention. The fact the warrior is looking to kill Rebekah's buddies bent on destroying the remaining demon-hunters might be a bump in the road to romance.
If you enjoy demonic characters, ultra-sexy heroes, and romance laced with fresh humor and tightly crafted plots, definitely pick up a Lexi George book.
Q) Your Southern community roots shine through in your work and add a subtle but sincere charm to the characters and settings. Is this something you plan during the writing stage or a natural flow?
A) I'd have to say it's more of a natural flow. For years, when I attended writing conferences and craft classes, I heard the adage "write what you know." I thought, because I'm a lawyer, that it meant I had to write about the law, which held about as much appeal for me as taking a nap in an ant bed. It wasn't until I started writing the demon hunter series that I had a big "duh" moment. You see, for me, writing what I know means small towns and the South. Although I briefly lived in NYC with my husband the first year we were married, I was born and raised in a small town and I've lived in a small town for the past 22 years. The Southern part is in my bones and inseparable as wet from water.
Q) The obvious question: Given your experience in playhouse productions (she met her husband while performing Oliver), why paranormal and not a more traditional style of romance?
A) I will tell you a secret: I LOVE historical romance! I cut my teeth on Georgette Heyer, but I've always loved magic, too. The first book I wrote (and never sold) was a fantasy romance with hunky warriors, wizards, demons, and trolls. So, when I set out to write a romance, the paranormal element worked for me. The thing I love about writing paranormal is the freedom it brings. Anything can (and does!) happen in Hannah, because of the magic, and I love that. It's exciting to write, and it's natural for me because I've always loved myths and fairy tales.
Q) Your novels are standalone (books that can be read without reading any others in the series), yet, "Demon Hunting in a Dive Bar" ends with a hook leading into the next book and new characters. Sometimes readers object to cliffhangers, so, why do it?
A) Good question! When I wrote Demon Hunting in Dixie, it was with a series in mind. I have a lot of characters and story lines whirling around in my head, and ending the book with a hook is one way to let the reader (and me!) know that the story isn't finished. There's a lot going on in Hannah, Alabama; too much to fit into one book. And I love the continuity and the recurring wacky characters. Tickles my funny bone.
Q) You traveled the traditional publishing route, amassing many rejections along the way before finding a home with Kensington Books, instead of turning to e-publishing or self-publishing. What was behind that decision?
A) Pure unadulterated stubbornness! I started writing more than 15 years ago and, from the start, I dreamed of walking into a bookstore and seeing my work on the shelf. With that goal in mind, I just kept plugging away. One hundred and forty-five rejections later, I made it! I got my contract with Kensington in 2010, right as e-book sales took off.
Q) Any parting comments for fans or those yet to read your stories?
A) I am thrilled and humbled to get the opportunity to share my stories with others. It's a dream I dreamed, but wasn't sure would ever come true. And I hope I make you laugh!
DA Kentner is an award-winning author. www.kevad.net


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LightSquared's plan to build a nationwide 4G network was hit by what seemed like a death blow in February, when the Federal Communications Commission revoked its tentative approval because the network would interfere with GPS devices. But LightSquared has influential friends, and lawmakers were eager to blame the FCC, even if they didn't really understand the technical reasons that caused LightSquared's proposal to fail. Spectrum swaps with federal users to bail out the company have also been proposed.
LightSquared came up with its own proposal on Friday (PDF), which involves sharing 5MHz of spectrum with the federal government in a band partially used for weather balloons. It also involves abandoning its most controversial piece of spectrum, the one just below the GPS signals. But LightSquared still wants to build on the lower 10MHz of its spectrum, even though the FCC has already rejected it as unsuitable because millions of existing GPS devices can't filter out neighboring signals. To compensate, LightSquared would lower the power levels in this portion of spectrum to 52dBm per sector EIRP, down from the previously planned power level of 62dBm, which was found to interfere with GPS.
Specifically, LightSquared is proposing to relinquish any claim on the 10MHz (1545-1555 MHz) closest to the GPS band. It is simultaneously asking for rule changes (PDF) that would permit its "eventual robust commercial use of that lower 10MHz of spectrum," a downlink band at 1526-1536 MHz.
This isn't much of a concession. LightSquared already agreed to temporarily give up on deploying in the upper 10MHz. But that wasn't sufficient. "Based on the testing and analyses conducted to date, as well as numerous discussions with LightSquared, it is clear that LightSquared's proposed implementation plans, including operations in the lower 10MHz, would impact both general/personal navigation and certified aviation GPS receivers," the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) told the FCC in February. That information led to the withdrawal of LightSquared's conditional approval to deploy terrestrial broadband services.
LightSquared's approval from the previous year had been conditioned on preventing interference with GPS devices. The NTIA did find that LightSquared could prevent interference with GPS by adjusting power levels, antenna height, and antenna angles, but LightSquared rejected this as impractical. Such modifications would prevent the proposed network from hitting appropriate service levels without an investment of billions to build more base stations, which would in any case cause more interference with GPS receivers.
LightSquared "volunteers" to delay use of spectrum it can't use anyway
LightSquared does seem resigned to at least some further delay in deploying on the lower 10MHz, as it says it would "voluntarily" not deploy on that lower 10MHz while the FCC conducts the potential rulemaking proceeding. Since the FCC has already explicitly told LightSquared it cannot deploy on this chunk of spectrum, the use of the word "voluntarily" is an interesting one.
LightSquared hopes its concessions, including the lower power level and some geographic restrictions, will allow limited use of the lower 10MHz until it becomes viable to proceed with "robust terrestrial use of that spectrum." But robust deployment could well require major changes to GPS receiver standards, and replacement of millions of existing GPS devices already deployed for personal and public safety use. Even if a government plan to overhaul GPS standards is devised, it would take many years to implement because of the huge GPS install base.
The new part of LightSquared's proposal involves deploying terrestrial services on 1670-1675 MHz, which LightSquared already has authority to use nationwide, and on 1675-1680 MHz, which LightSquared wants to share with federal government users. This would create a contiguous 10MHz of spectrum for downlink to get the network started, while LightSquared would use its uplink bands of 1627.5-1637.5 MHz and 1646.7-1656.7 MHz.
The 1675-1680 spectrum is "used for federal purposes including National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration weather balloons," the IDG News Service reports. The FCC is moving ahead with spectrum sharing—but getting spectrum from the government is not easy, and the federal spectrum LightSquared wants isn't part of the 1,000MHz the government is targeting for sharing.
"I suppose if they avoid using bands that cause problems for GPS and are able to figure out some way of sharing government spectrum, then the proposal is technically feasible," wireless researcher Peter Rysavy told Ars via e-mail. "However, making sharing work is potentially very complicated, so it could be a long-term process to figure out the mechanics. Beyond technology, the politics of getting the spectrum swapped could also be very challenging."
The lower 10MHz did cause problems for GPS in government testing, as we noted earlier, and GPS makers have opposed LightSquared's plans.
In a response to LightSquared's latest proposal, GPS maker Trimble said it "supports the initiation of a rulemaking proceeding to consider the appropriate long term use of the mobile satellite spectrum adjacent to GPS," but wants to avoid paying lots of money to overhaul GPS devices.
"The issue is not merely whether there are 'technology solutions' to interference issues, but whether or not those solutions can be implemented at reasonable cost and without substantially hindering future innovation in location-based products and services," Trimble VP and general counsel Jim Kirkland said in a statement e-mailed to Ars. "Moreover, consistent with established FCC policy, any such costs must be borne by the new spectrum use, not US businesses and consumers who rely on GPS." Kirkland did not say whether LightSquared's newly proposed power levels are low enough to prevent interference.
LightSquared's friends in Congress want the FCC to get its network back on track immediately. US Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-FL) recently demanded a solution from FCC officials, but FCC Chief of Engineering and Technology Julius Knapp said LightSquared's fate is subject to an open proceeding, and it's too early to endorse any one proposal.
Congressional Republicans have been split on LightSquared, a story in The Hill notes, with some blasting President Obama for helping LightSquared too much, and others accusing Obama's administration of deliberately torpedoing LightSquared's proposal.


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Passive House Gets Active
Portland, Oregon, is a hotbed of sustainable building. In keeping with that tradition, the 2010 North American Passive House Conference was held there November 4–7, 2010. Almost 350 architects, engineers, builders, and energy consultants from 41 states and six Canadian provinces came to listen to Passive House experts from around the world. Topics included the building science behind the Passive House standard, applying Passive House principles to various building types (new construction and retrofits, residential and commercial), the certification process, and lots of case studies. It was a chance for Passive House supporters to mix and mingle and show off their latest projects, and for those new to the Passive House standard to learn more about this up-and-coming building technique. This was the second annual North American Passive House Conference, with attendance about 30% greater than the first.
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Passive House Primer
The Passive House standard evolved from the superinsulated houses of the 1970s and the research surrounding them. German physicist Wolfgang Feist and Swedish professor Bo Adamson developed it in response to a rigorous energy standard introduced in Sweden in 1988. From 1988 to 1996, Feist refined the underlying concepts and the modeling software. He founded the original Passive House Institute in 1996 in Darmstadt, Germany. (For more on Fiest, see "Interview with Passive House Pioneer," p. 20.)
A Passive House is designed to be extremely energy efficient. In order to be certified as a Passive House, a building has to meet only three criteria:
- Space heating and cooling cannot exceed 15 kWh per square meter per year (4.8 kBtu/ft2 per year).
- Source energy cannot exceed 120 kWh per square meter per year (38.1 kBtu/ft2 /year).
- Building air tightness cannot exceed 0.6 ACH50.
If you can achieve these goals, you have reduced the energy consumption of the building by roughly 90% over a typical code-built building. Once you reduce your utilities that much, it's easy to get to net zero energy. Results like these are also promoted by ACI's Thousand Home Challenge for retrofits (see "The Thousand Home Challenge," HE May/June '09, p. 22), and EPA's next-generation Energy Star program for new construction (see "Energy Star for Homes 3.0," HE Jan/Feb '11, p. 6).
What separates the Passive House certification process from most other third-party building certifications is that these benchmarks must be met by blower door testing and analysis of a year's utility consumption data. You don't get the certificate unless you can prove that you meet the requirements.
It's hard to hit these goals via trial and error. Most modeling software isn't very helpful, either—most energy consultants agree that modeling software isn't usually very reliable for predicting a building's energy use. The Passive House standard uses a complex spreadsheet, called the Passive House Planning Package (PHPP), developed by Feist, to predict energy use. Passive House experts contend that it does an excellent job of predicting energy use because it is calibrated to measured performance data. Apparently it's not that easy to use—a large part of the Passive House Consultant certification training involves learning how to use the PHPP.
The secret behind building a successful Passive House is really no secret at all. The building science has been know for decades:
- Superinsulate.
- Eliminate thermal bridges.
- Make the building airtight.
- Install an energy or heat recovery ventilator (ERV/HRV).
- Use high-performance windows.
- Optimize passive solar and internal heat gains.
For Passive House certification, you design your building using the PHPP software, incorporating those principles; test the airtightness; and then prove you meet the utility consumption thresholds after a year. On the surface, the certification process seems much simpler to manage than some of the prescriptive-based programs like LEED. The only real stumbling blocks are the PHPP modeling, which is not trivial, and actually building the building to the model specifications.
A common complaint about most green-building programs is the additional cost required to meet a certification or a strict set of building specifications. Program supporters have a tendency to search for convincing cases that prove that it really doesn't cost any more to build a sustainable house, so as not to scare away potential builders or homeowners. Passive House advocates, on the other hand, are very realistic about costs. The figures usually tossed around indicate that it costs from 7% to 15% more to build a Passive House. As with all green-building programs, once you factor in reduced utility, health care, and productivity costs, those margins go down, perhaps even to zero. (For more on Passive House, including book reviews, see "Resources.")
The Conference
The 2010 Passive House Conference started with a full day of advanced Passive House Consultant workshops. These were open only to certified Passive House Consultants or people who had already taken most of the consultant training. The two-day public conference, with Katrin Klingenberg acting as hostess, kicked off the following day with a short opening speech by Sam Adams, Portland's mayor. He focused on the city's longtime support for all things sustainable and green, and the community's support for related public programs. Closing, he suggested that all conference attendees go to one of the local microbreweries or wine bars and request a free beverage in return for our support of Portland's ambitions.
The mayor was followed by several keynote speakers who all had interesting things to say about climate change, the Passive House standard, and related topics. There are about 20,000 certified Passive Houses in Europe, the bulk of them multifamily buildings. There are currently only a handful in North America. All the speakers agreed that the Passive House standard, or a similar approach, is the only way we will avert significant climate change within the next few decades. As one speaker put it, if we can limit climate change to 2ºF, we might survive as a species. Most speakers also agreed that the principles behind the Passive House standard and net zero energy homes have to be incorporated into building codes in order to be successful. Examples include California's current legislative initiatives and Denmark, which is legislatively targeting Passive House-level performance starting this year.
The rest of the conference included three or four simultaneous breakout sessions on a variety of topics. There were lots of case studies, mostly of buildings that are not yet certified (they have to wait until some actual performance data are collected before receiving certification). A session on the certification process made it clear that it's not really as simple as it might at first seem to get a building certified. There are documentation and paperwork requirements, and you have to submit a certification package to a certifying agency. One of the most interesting sessions was on mechanical systems for Passive Houses. Compared to a typical forced-air or radiant system, a Passive House can usually be heated and cooled with a minimum of low-cost equipment. The insulation and building envelope do the real work. One other interesting session focused on Passive Houses in a hot-humid climate. The original standard was developed for European climates, which are predominantly heating climates. There are special challenges when you try to build a Passive House in a climate like that of New Orleans.
There were ample networking and exhibit times on the agenda. Not surprisingly, there were a lot of window vendors exhibiting. There were also several ERV/HRV vendors. The closing session on November 6 featured Dr. Wolfgang Feist and Rocky Mountain Institute founder Amory Lovins (via video). Lovins built possibly the first building in the United States patterned after the Passive House standard, after visiting Dr. Feist in Germany. The final, optional, day include a tour of Passive Houses in the Portland area. More than 130 people went on that tour, a healthy turnout.
Not So Passive Anymore
Overall, this conference was very interesting. There were more case studies than I would have liked and less building science than I would have liked, but it was definitely educational. Many of the presenters were from Europe, where they have a lot more experience with Passive House construction than we do in the United States. It was interesting to hear the European point of view. On top of that, the food was good, the weather was great, the facility was very nice and reasonably priced, and the crowd was interesting.
The Passive House approach is just one of many competing standards for alleviating climate change, reducing our dependence on petroleum products, and building better houses. There are many voluntary regional and national green-building standards and certification programs, and we're starting to see more and more mandatory green building codes. It's becoming difficult to keep track of all these things. I'm hoping that at some point in the future, we see a convergence of some of these standards. As one of the European conference presenters suggested, the only way to really solve the problems related to climate change is through national building codes and standards. If that ever happens in the United States, which is questionable, I hope that parts of the Passive House standard are included in that code.
Steve Mann is a HERS rater, Green Point rater, LEED AP, Certified Energy Analyst, serial remodeler, and longtime software engineer.
The Passive House Institute is the original Passive House online resource that promotes the work of the Passive House creator Wolfgang Feist. Although this is a reasonable English-, French-, and German-language resource, Passipedia provides much more content in a readily digestible form.
Passipedia is the definitive online resource on the Passive House standard. The wide-ranging content, in both German and English, includes articles about Passive House basics, construction detailing, building certification, case studies, and much more. Members of the International Passive House Association (iPHA) have special access to content that is more in-depth.
International Passive House Association
With more than 20 national Passive House advocacy and certification organizations around the world, the movers and shakers in the Passive House community decided to create an international umbrella organization. iPHA's focus is to promote the Passive House standard and increase public and media awareness.
PHIUS is the North American iPHA affiliate responsible for certifying Passive Houses and Passive House consultants in the United States. PHIUS produced the 2010 North American Passive House Conference. It also provides ongoing Passive House consultant training.
Homes for a Changing Climate (2008)
This 100-page, small-format (6 inch x 8 inch) book is coauthored by Katrin Klingenberg and Mike Kernagis, PHIUS cofounders, and Mary James, former Home Energy publisher. It contains a brief introduction to the Passive House standard, followed by nine case studies. Most of the case studies are not actually Passive House-certified projects, but they do demonstrate applying Passive House principles to new and retrofit construction. Readers looking for construction detailing or hard-core building science should consult some of the on-line resources. Available at homeenergy.org and lowcarbonproductions.com.
"Passive Efficiency" and "Passive House" (Home Power, Issue 138).
This pair of articles by Katrin Klingenberg and Mike Kernagis, Passive House Institute US co-founders, is a good introduction to the science and art of Passive Houses.
Recreating the American Home: The Passive House Approach (2010).
This new 100-page book, also by Mary James, contains more case studies from across the United States. Available at homeenergy.org and lowcarbonproductions.com.
This book, the second Passive House book by Low Carbon Productions, contains a brief Passive House introduction and 10 case studies. At 100 8.5 inch x 9 inch pages, including lots of photos, it doesn't contain a huge amount of detail, but it's the most in-depth Passive House book currently on the market. Each case study includes an extensive description of the project, basic floor plans, often some construction detail drawings, and quite a few color photos. Projects include new homes, various types of retrofits, and even a factory-built modular home, in a variety of North American climates. The text mixes very basic building science with some very detailed construction assembly descriptions, an interesting juxtaposition.
There's a certain amount of repetition from case to case, but there is also a lot of good information as well. The extensive color photos give the book the feel of a small-format coffee table book—attractive, but not necessarily an in-depth resource. Personally, I could use more construction drawings and photos, and fewer interior and exterior design shots. Window and ERV/HRV manufacturers, and envelope sealing and insulation products are usually mentioned by name, but it's time consuming to refer back and dig them out. An annotated product glossary would make that much easier.
Those minor criticisms aside, Recreating the American Home: The Passive House Approach is a good introductory book if you want to know more about the Passive House standard and how real people are using it on real projects. It's inspiring to see the energy efficiency that you can achieve with a tight envelope, high insulation levels, and extreme attention to detail.
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Lindsay Lohan's Probation Revoked — Will She Face Jail Time?
Lindsay Lohan's probation was revoked Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court stemming from her June car accident, People reports.
Lohan's probation was revoked as a formality after prosecutors asked a judge to consider finding the 26-year-old actress in violation of her probation.
Child stars gone bad: Retrace Lindsay's rocky road to Liz & Dick
Prosecutors claim that the Liz & Dick star lied to a police officer, obstructed an officer and that she was driving recklessly when she crashed her Porsche into a dump truck back in June. Although Lohan completed the requirements of her formal probation, which stems back to a 2011 necklace-theft case, she is still on informal probation until May 24, 2014.
Lohan did not attend Wednesday's hearing and her attorney, Shawn Holley, told reporters afterward: "We're all hoping to get this behind us very quickly."
Lohan is next due in court on Jan. 15, on which date a hearing will be set to determine whether she violated probation during the crash. There is also a possibility that prosecutors could argue that Lohan violated her probation earlier this month when she was arrested in New York for allegedly punching a woman in a nightclub.
Lohan faces up to 245 days in jail.
View original Lindsay Lohan's Probation Revoked - Will She Face Jail Time? at TVGuide.com
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Finding Nirvana
Of course it was a bad idea, but even the guide considered it safe. He bought 400 rupees' worth. So did some of my Sherpa friends. The interpreter planned to give it to her parents to improve digestion, eyesight and stamina. Why not try a piece?
Of course it was a bad idea, but even the guide considered it safe. He bought 400 rupees' worth. So did some of my Sherpa friends. The interpreter planned to give it to her parents to improve digestion, eyesight and stamina. Why not try a piece?
Nobody knew what this thing was, but it looked harmless. A tapered cylinder stretching two inches long, it had ridges popping across and a tuber sprouting out one end. It resembled a shriveled caterpillar with a tumor growing from its forehead.
As we trekked to Hungung, a remote village in Nepal, we heard the locals proclaim the magical properties of "YAW-Sheh GOOM-bah." It treats sunburn, strengthens nails, regenerates the hairline! It's the well-known Himalayan Viagra! It's the world's only half-plant, half-animal. One bite accelerates thinking, relaxes the mind and makes the fat man slim!
A porter named Krishna told me about a depressed Englishman who swallowed the "magic vegetable" yarsagumba. He immediately started a hotel business, made millions and seduced a beautiful woman. A German tourist on the same trek refused to try it. Two days later, a freak avalanche crushed him to death.
"Please, please," Krishna said, assuring me I was lucky to find anyone who'd sell it. "I'll eat the other half."
I later found out that yarsagumba—one of several names and spellings it goes by—forms when a fungus attacks ghost moth larva. The caterpillar mummifies, and a mushroom shoots out of its head, spreading spores that kill other caterpillars.
We nearly met the same fate. Forty-eight hours after buying the stuff, three of us were convulsing. Making matters worse, it had been cloudy for days. This meant the solar cell only had the juice for a two-minute SOS.
I phoned my cousin. She never sleeps and has a high limit on her MasterCard. It was 3 a.m. in Los Angeles when Amanda answered.
"So you're in a village in the Himalaya," she responded. "You just OD'ed on a caterpillar with shrooms growing out its head—and you want an evac on a Soviet-era helicopter?"
I meant to answer, but the line went dead.
Hungung is a curious place. To get there, I took a flight to an airstrip in Tumlingtar, Nepal. Then I joined 23 others smashed into and on top of a flatbed truck that jostled along until the road ended near a cliff. Next, we trudged five days over switchbacks and passes, crossing canyons over bridges made of rusted chain link. The area lacks running water, electricity, machinery and an official spelling. Almost everything is made from stone, reeds, wood and dung mortar. Speaking in one of the Sherpa languages, children in Hungung petted my skin and asked why it was white.
I had left for Hungung to research a book about K2's heroes, seek peace and avoid frustrations at home. I met the yarsagumba dealer on the way back. His gnarled arms and dented face made me think of a tree stump. A group huddled around him, and he unfolded a grubby handkerchief that revealed the yarsagumba.
He combed his fingers through the pile. Speaking in Nepali, he said you should chew the "worm bean" straight, but you can also grind it to a paste, brew it as tea, rub it on your skin or sprinkle it on food. Its value exceeds $100,000 per kilo. But he liked me and would cut a deal.
I distrust hard drugs; life is psychedelic enough without them. I didn't imagine yarsagumba could be a narcotic. Everyone described it as medicine. I haggled, bought some worms and, along with my friends, ate one. It tasted like English Breakfast Tea and had the texture of wood. I waited for the energy boost to power me up the 1,200-meter climb planned that day. Nothing happened.
At camp that evening in Num, a villager examined our worms. We'd been scammed, she said. For that inferior stuff to work, we'd need to gorge ourselves on two dozen pieces. Playing it safe, I swallowed another. My friend Pasang Lama took two.
A few hours later, my vision blurred. The ground morphed, wobbling and sinking beneath my boots. Black polka dots scattered across my field of vision, winking off, on, off, on, then darting away in green streaks. My jaw vibrated. Everything I touched was velvet. Time turned frenzied, cartoonish. Drugs aren't for everyone, but that caterpillar was working for me.
We crouched inside a hut around a fire, eating rice and dahl. Nobody else felt the effects of the half-plant, half-animal. Some claimed I was faking it. Pasang swallowed another. If I felt weird, this 25-year-old mountaineering prodigy wouldn't let me go it alone. Oblivious, I sang a Sherpa tune resembling "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" and shoveled handfuls of rice into my mouth. The yarsagumba made everything taste like truffles in A-1 steak sauce.
Next thing I remember, I woke in a sweltering tent. Although on the ground, I groped for a handhold to prevent myself from falling through. The walls of the tent seemed to be closing in on me. I needed to get outside.
Crawling on hands and knees, I sucked in the balmy air and wondered why the weather had turned tropical. I noticed the water in my Nalgene had frozen. Strange. Wind thrashed at my face, freezing my eyelids. Realizing my senses were off, I ducked into the tent, tossed the water bottle inside my sleeping bag and forced myself to bundle up.
A moment later: blump, blump blump. Something was rapping on my tent. I unzipped the door and craned out. Aava Shrestha, our interpreter, was wild-eyed. Pasang needed help. Krishna was deteriorating. So were others. Hurry.
"What do you want to do?" she asked. "He's going to die."
I tried to think.
Aava stared at me, growing impatient. She repeated herself. "He is going to die."
My legs felt detached, but they shuffled out of the tent. Pasang, sprawled on the rocks with a sleeping bag jammed under his head, jerked his torso forward. His neck whipped back. It looked as though he were being electrocuted.
A village doctor arrived with an antique stethoscope and inflatable armband. Two men pinned down Pasang so the doctor could get a reading.
"This can't be right," he said.
The doctor tested himself and then got another reading off my friend's flailing body.
Pasang's blood pressure was zero.
The doctor pronounced him dead, but Pasang protested the diagnosis. The convulsions continued. Exasperated, the doctor suggested some saline and left in search of an IV.
By then, my cousin had called a helicopter for Pasang. He was a friend of hers, too, and she'd been nursing an infatuation for months. The helicopter cost $1,880 an hour with a nonrefundable deposit for the three-hour trip. The locals were astonished. Why would an American spend so much to save a Sherpa?
I explained: Sherpas frequently save Westerners. Sometimes we like to return the favor.
Frantic, we scanned the skyline and listened for the beat of propeller blades. Nothing. Pasang's convulsions had mellowed into a full-body quiver, but his eyes were glassy, and he'd stopped talking. Was he getting better? Worse? We sat in a circle around him, Krishna praying, Aava holding back tears. I held Pasang's hand and watched my friend in silence. The helicopter wasn't coming that day. Thunderstorms had grounded it in Tumlingtar.
Next morning, the sun rose, and so did the dead. Pasang could talk enough to tell us to send the helicopter back. It wasn't worth the price, he said. They charge more in an hour than the average Nepali makes in a year, and he'd be fine.
We couldn't cancel the flight or get our money back. So, what the hell, why not enjoy a jaunt on an old bird that had proudly served the Soviets?
Villagers swarmed out of their homes to watch the creature land. Or try. It took three attempts to touch down in a mushroom cloud of diesel and dust. I hunkered inside its battered body, and the machine convulsed as if it too had overdosed on yarsagumba. The seats were unscrewed, which made me wonder about the propeller blades.
We lurched up. Hovering between rest and restlessness, death and transcendence, I leaned against the window and watched the mountains, forests and millet fields zoom past in a freewheeling blur.
Maybe one of the yarsagumba myths had turned out true? Life felt precious; my soul, repaired. Nearly dying had reminded me to live. I didn't need to hide in the mountains anymore. Now that I had found what I wanted, I was ready to return. Nirvana was inside a decrepit helicopter, spiraling toward Kathmandu.
Peter Zuckerman's writing has received the Livingston Award, the Scripps National Journalism Award and the Blethen Award. He is writing the history of K2.


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David McIntosh
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Title: Lightning and Salem Power Plant 2Landscape Photographer: Melissa FagueGenre: Landscape PhotographyItem ID#: NGHT-0006Main colors of this photograph: Blue, white and yellow
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BANGKOK » Christmas is not a holiday in predominantly Buddhist Thailand, and its palm trees outnumber pines, but the country still set a world record with its holiday spirit.
One of the country's largest shopping malls arranged a publicity stunt involving 852 schoolchildren dressed in green and red hoodies to break the Guinness World Record for the largest human Christmas tree. They outdid a German record of 672 participants in 2011.
To the relief of parents, and the chagrin of a few teenagers, the children were not hoisted onto a human pyramid shaped like a conifer.
It was more an exercise in crowd control, grouping the assembled 6- to 15-year-olds into a tree-like formation on the ground.
"I kind of thought we'd get to stand on each other's shoulders," said 13-year-old Nattakit Liewkulnattana. Like most participants at the event, he doesn't celebrate Christmas. He wasn't sure whose birthday the holiday marks ("Santa Claus?") but was excited to take part in a world record, and maybe get something in return.
"I want presents!" the teen said. All participants got to keep their hoodies.
The record was set in 15 minutes, 29 seconds.
Guinness representative Fortuna Burke certified the feat, counting on a clicker as children filed onto an outdoor verandah at Siam Paragon mall, the event's organizer. Once in place, the children waved as a drone flew overhead to capture aerial images.
Although Christmas does not appear on Thai calendars and is a regular workday, hotels and shopping malls decorate starting in mid-November for what is a big shopping season during Thailand's peak tourism months.
Thais also set other off-beat records this year. On Valentine's Day, a couple set a record for longest kiss (58 hours, 35 minutes and 58 seconds). Also in February, nearly 4,483 people swung hula hoops for seven minutes, a record for the most people dancing with hula hoops simultaneously in one place.
Associated Press writer Thanyarat Doksone contributed to this report.


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Claudia Sava
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The Rabbit's Lair
Creative Fix
The Rabbit's Lair occupies a charming old building in the historic commercial district of Rogers, Arkansas.
Doctor's Orders
Mahogany counters and shelves provide ample display space at The Rabbit's Lair, where bolts and bundles meld with the original pharmacy fixtures.
Meet the Staff
Front row, from left: Mary Elizabeth Schopp (owner) and Clarice Strode Moore (owner); second row: Judy Moore, Kathy Collins, Joyce Colf, Alice McElwain, and Rheba Ford; third row: Lisa Watson, Elizabeth Hamrin, Julie Kiffin, Cathryn Ward, Susan Miller, and David Moran; fourth row: Janet Myers, Jen Perrin, Ellen Coffelt, Kari Harter, and Susan Glass; back row: Chris Masoner, Shana Brewer, Nedra Angell, Kathleen Myers, Crystal Davis, and Candy Hargrove; not pictured: Toni Fenton, Jo Ann Collier, Cindi Puchi, and Amy Dye.
Built-In Storage Space
Drawers that once housed pharmaceutical goods now hold threads and fibers.
Pins and Needles
In addition to quilting supplies, The Rabbit's Lair carries finished projects, such as wool pincushions from Buttermilk Basin that feature seasonal motifs.
Wool Wonders
An assortment of wool and wool samples find a home in the former compounding room.
Floral Display
Bolts of quilting cottons serve as a backdrop for sweet samples at The Rabbit's Lair.
Butterscotch Road
Staff member Candy Hargrove designed Butterscotch Road, an Arkansas Traveler block quilt, for Quilt Sampler® Spring/Summer 2013 magazine. The Rabbit's Lair offers kits for the quilt in throw, twin, queen, and king sizes.
Machine-Quilting Details
Karen Kielmeyer machine-quilted a pattern of curved flower, leaf, and swirl motifs in each block and a continuous heart in the sashing strips. In the border, she outlined the appliqués, added similar motifs as in the blocks, and quilted a Baptist Fan pattern in the backgroud.


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The Gusher Awards are back after a summer hiatus of a couple of weeks. This week's award goes to …
"The Great American Novel is something like a unicorn – rare and wonderful, and maybe no more of a notion. Yet every few years or so, we trip across some semblance of one. Oof! What's this? Why, it's The Story of Edgar Sawtelle (Ecco), a sprawling skein of a yarn about a farm nestled up against the forest primeval …"
June 2008, Elle
Unicorns are not "rare and wonderful" and "maybe no more of a notion" — they are mythical and there's no "maybe" about whether they are "a notion." Mixing the simile in the first sentence with that metaphor of "a sprawling skein of a yarn" makes it worse, and "Great American Novel" and "forest primeval" are clichés. There's been a lot of talk this year about the decline of book reviewing in newspapers, and women's magazines aren't helping with prose like this.
Gusher Awards appear on Fridays on One-Minute Book Reviews unless no praise went far enough over the top that week to qualify. For a different view of David Wroblewski's Hamlet-influenced first novel, see the review of The Story of Edgar Sawtelle written in iambic trimeter verse that appeared on this site on Aug. 28 www.oneminutebookreviews.wordpress.com/2008/08/28/. A reading group guide to the novel was posted on Sept. 3 www.oneminutebookreviews.wordpress.com/2008/09/03/.
© 2008 Janice Harayda. All rights reserved.


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Hello everyone.
I will transcribe here a very interesting article of Mr Calestous Juma, Professor of the Practice of International Development and Director of the Agricultural Innovation Project at Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University, Author of The New Harvest: Agricultural Innovation in Africa1 (Oxford University Press, 2011).
The article is a reflexion on the ideal definition and role that universities could and should play in the ignition of the huge potential that Africa agriculture has. I hope you find it exciting and interesting; your comments are more than welcome.
Unlike existing universities, the new institutions would work closely with farmers and agribusiness which would be a source of ideas on curricula, pedagogy, choice of students and location.
Even before the global financial and fuel crises hit, hunger was increasing in Africa. In 1990, over 150 million Africans were hungry; as of 2008, the number had increased to nearly 250 million. Starting in 2004, the proportion of undernourished began increasing, reversing several decades of decline, prompting 100 million people to fall into poverty.
One-third of people in sub-Saharan Africa are chronically hungry—many of whom are smallholder farmers. High food prices in local markets price out the poorer consumers—forcing them to purchase less food and less nutritious food, as well as to divert spending from education and health and to sell their assets. This hunger-weak agricultural sector cycle is self-perpetuating.
Over the last 25 years, growth in agricultural GDP in Africa has averaged approximately 3% but has varied significantly among countries. Growth per capita, a proxy for farm income, was basically zero in the 1970s and negative from the 1980s into the 1990s. Six countries experienced negative per capita growth.
Productivity has been basically stagnant over 40 years—despite significant growth in other regions, particularly Asia, thanks to the Green Revolution. Different explanations derive from a lack of political prioritization, underinvestment, and ineffective policies. The financial crisis has exacerbated this underinvestment, as borrowing externally has become more expensive, credit is less accessible, and foreign direct investment has declined.
Only 4% of Africa's crop area is irrigated, compared to 39% in South Asia. Much of rural Africa lacks passable roads, translating to high transportation costs and trade barriers. Cropland per agricultural population has been decreasing for decades. Soil infertility is a result of degradation: nearly 75% of the farmland is affected by the excessive extraction of soil nutrients.
Fertilizer use in Africa is less than 10% of the world average of 100 kg. Just five countries (Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe) account for about two-thirds of the fertilizer consumed in Africa. On the average, sub-Saharan African farmers use 13 kg of nutrients per hectare of arable and permanent cropland, whereas the rate in the Middle East and North Africa is 71 kg.
Part of the reason why fertilizer usage is so low is because of the high costs of imports and transportation: fertilizer in Africa is two to six times the average world price. This results in low usage of improved seed: as of 2000, about 24% of the cereal-growing area used improved varieties, compared to 85% in East Asia and the Pacific. As of 2005, 70% of wheat crop area and 40% of maize crop area used improved seeds, a significant improvement.
Addressing these challenges will require considerable investment in agricultural science, technology and engineering. The challenge for Africa is developing appropriate institutional arrangements through which existing scientific and technical knowledge can be transmitted from research facilities to farms. Such institutional innovation could form a basis for renewed cooperation between Nordic countries and Africa.
Functions of new agricultural universities
The challenges facing African agriculture will require fundamental changes in the way universities train their students. It is notable that most African universities do not specifically train agriculture students to work on farms in the same way medical schools train students to work in hospitals. Part of the problem arises from the traditional separation between research and teaching—the former is carried out in national research institutes and the latter in universities.
National Agricultural Research Institutes (NARIs) operate a large number of research programs that provide a strong basis for building new initiatives aimed at upgrading their innovative capabilities. In effect, what is needed is to strengthen the educational, commercialization, and extension functions of the NARIs.
More specifically, clustering these functions would result in dedicated research universities whose curriculum would be modeled along full value chains of specific commodities. For example, innovation universities located in proximity to coffee production sites should develop expertise in the entire value chain of the industry.
This could be applied to other crops as well as to livestock and fisheries. Such dedicated universities would not have a monopoly over specific crops but should serve as opportunities for learning how to connect higher education to the productive sector.
The new universities need to improve their curricula to make them relevant to the communities in which they are located. More important, they should serve as critical hubs in local innovation systems or clusters.
The recent decision by Moi University in western Kenya to acquire an abandoned textile mill and revive it for teaching purposes is an example of such an opportunity. Such connections can be fostered without owning the facilities.
Many of the NARIs are located in the proximity of a wide range of productive facilities with which they can foster long-term working relations. They can also branch into new knowledge-based fields. For example, NARIs located close to breweries can build up expertise in biotechnology using fermentation knowledge as a foundation. Similar arrangements can be created with other agro-based industries such as sugar mills and fish factories.
Roadmap for implementation
Many models show how to focus on agricultural training as a way to improve practical farming activities. Ministries of agriculture and farming enterprises in African countries should create entrepreneurial universities, polytechnics, and vocational schools that address agricultural challenges. Such institutions could link up with counterparts in developed or emerging economies as well as institutions providing venture capital and start to serve as incubators of rural enterprises.
Establishing such institutions will require reforming the curriculum, improving pedagogy, and granting greater management autonomy. They should be guided by the curiosity, creativity, and risk-taking inclination of farmers.
The tasks laid out above will take considerable dedication, courage and commitment. Such efforts need to be recognized and rewarded. One way to do so is to institute Agricultural Innovation Prizes for outstanding contributions to strengthening agricultural research in African countries. The prizes would recognize achievements in research, teaching, commercialization and extension.
Over the last decade considerable work has been done to redefine the role of government in agricultural research, decentralize research activities, increase stakeholder participation, identify new financial instruments, and strengthen system-wide linkages. These measures have been purposed on an incremental basis. They have indeed yielded commendable results.
The next challenge, however, is to build on these achievements and pursue bold steps aimed at upgrading the status and performance of agricultural institutes by creating genuine innovation systems that involve research, training, extension, and commercialization.
This process will be nontrivial and will require bold political action involving high-level leaders. The efforts will come with political risks and debate. Maintaining the status quo, however, is riskier than experimenting with new models. Mistakes will be made. But as Albert Einstein said, "Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new."


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LONDON – In Britain, a horse is a horse — not a main course.
Tesco, the country's biggest supermarket chain, took out full-page newspaper ads Thursday to apologize for an unwanted ingredient in some of its hamburgers: horsemeat.
Ten million burgers have been taken off shop shelves after the revelation that beef products from three companies in Ireland and Britain contained horse DNA. Most had only small traces, but one burger of a brand sold by Tesco had meat content that was 29 per cent horse. The contrite grocer told customers that "we and our supplier have let you down and we apologize."
Reaction to the scandal in Britain goes beyond concerns about contaminated food. While people in some countries happily dine on equine flesh, in the land of Black Beauty and "National Velvet," the idea fills many with horror.
Mary Creagh, environment spokeswoman for the opposition Labour Party, reflected the feelings of many when she said Thursday that eating horsemeat is "strongly culturally taboo in the United Kingdom."
She was echoing prohibitions in Western cultures that go back to 732 A.D., when Pope Gregory III declared horse-eating a pagan practice.
Horsemeat has never been a staple of European diets, but from the mid-19th century it was eaten in countries including Britain as cheap filler food for the poor.
"It tended to be in burgers and potted meats and sausages as cheap supplementary food," said culinary historian Annie Gray. "And it wasn't always labeled, just as we're finding out at the moment."
The sale of horsemeat in the U.K. continued through the 1930s Depression and World War II, when many foods were rationed.
But hippophagy — eating horses — never really caught on in Britain, a land of horse lovers and beef eaters.
"The eating of beef is totally symbolic of being English," Gray said — so horse was always going to be seen as a poor substitute.
Horsemeat is eaten in European countries such as France, Belgium and Italy, as well as by many in China, among the traditionally nomadic people of Central Asia and in parts of Latin America.
In France, specialist horse butchers and supermarkets sell "viande chevaline." There and in Belgium it's popular both cooked and raw, in a form of steak tartare.
Continental journalists have felt the need to explain the context of the Anglo-Irish scandal to readers. An article in 20minutes.fr said the horsemeat discovery had caused a "psychological shock for British consumers, who are no fans of horsemeat butchers." France's Le Figaro newspaper explained that the Irish "are known for their respect of this animal … and are not in the habit of eating its meat."
Animal-rights campaigners including actress Brigitte Bardot have made little headway against the horsemeat trade, though concerns have arisen over animal welfare. In Belgium, the supermarket chain Lidl stopped selling horsemeat in 2011 after concerns about the treatment of animals by its Latin American suppliers.
Some of the horsemeat eaten in Europe comes from Britain, whose love of horses doesn't stop it from sending thousands of horses a year abroad to be killed for meat.
Fans of horsemeat say it is extremely healthy: low in cholesterol and fat, high in protein and omega-3 acids.
"I think it's delicious," said Caroline Roddis, a freelance writer who organizes Flogging a Dead Horse, a series of dining events at which horsemeat is served. "It is slightly sweeter than beef and it has got such a good depth of flavour it is hard not to like it."
Roddis reports a healthy interest in her London events, which draw as many as 50 British and foreign diners a night to sample the delights of horseflesh.
She hopes the "horseburger" scandal will make people think more about what they eat.
Officials say the source of the contamination may be a powdered beef-protein additive imported from Spain and the Netherlands to pad out the cheapest burgers, which typically contain between 60 and 70 per cent meat alongside flour, water and other fillers.
"We don't really think (about) what we are putting in our mouths," Roddis said. "You go to the supermarket and you buy something that looks pinkish and has a label and you don't really think about where it comes from. I think we've really lost touch."
The handful of hardy entrepreneurs who sell horsemeat in Britain say the scandal has — paradoxically — been good for business, raising the profile of a meat few had considered.
"We've been very busy the last couple of days," said Paul Webb, director of Exotic Meats, a company in the English Midlands that sells horse burgers, sausages and steaks alongside cuts of crocodile, kangaroo and impala.
He says typical horsemeat buyers are "middle-aged, middle-class people who want to try something different."
"We've done some radio phone-ins, and 90 per cent of the comments were 'I'd try it,'" Webb said.
But not everyone was convinced: "Some people say, 'I have a horse. It'd be like eating my grandmother.'"
Jill Lawless can be reached at http://Twitter.com/JillLawless


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Simply Faithful: 'Bread of Angels' praises Lydia's struggle
Of all the books I've read, historical romance has to be my favorite genre. It reminds me that human relationships are messy — that love is much stronger than a greeting card can capture. And when it's really well written, I also learn more about the past, more about our world's story.
That's why "Bread of Angels" is at the top of the stack of books on my porch. Author Tessa Afshar has won awards and praise for her other novels — all Biblical fiction — so I have high hopes for this book about Lydia, the first in Europe to convert to Christianity.
Here's what Afshar has to say about her book, which released last week:
Q: "Bread of Angels" is based on the biblical story of Lydia from the book of Acts. Why did you choose to write a book about her?
A: Some lives seem to burn with an incandescent light, leaving their inexorable mark on history. Lydia was such a person. The first convert in Europe, she succeeded in the realm of commerce where men dominated and ruled. Her home became the first church in the continent that yielded the greatest influence in the spread of the Gospel for centuries. The world changed, you might say, because of Lydia's intrepid generosity and leadership. She wasn't even afraid to host a couple of jailbirds in her home, even though it probably reflected badly on her. If anyone deserved to have her own book, it was Lydia.
Q: Where does the title "Bread of Angels" come from?
A: The psalmist Asaph calls manna the bread of the angels. (Psalm 78:25) Being unable to reap or sow in their 40-year wanderings, the Israelites were given this miraculous substance as a daily provision from heaven.
The whole point of manna, besides feeding the people, was to teach trust. To teach them that morning by morning, God would provide for that day. There was no earthly way to control this provision. They could not plan or arrange or manipulate their way into receiving manna. They had to trust that, every day, God would meet them again at the point of their need.
When I thought about Lydia, a woman in a man's world, a woman bearing the burdens of a lavish business with many dependents, I felt that perhaps more than anything, the weight of responsibility might have pressed her down. She either had to trust her own ability, or rely on a God who would give her the bread of angels.
I liked this concept, because it seems to me that most of us struggle, at least to some degree, with the same choice, especially when it comes to our jobs. The work of our hands has so many complex emotional threads attached to it. We long to be useful. To make a difference. To use our gifting. Add to that the reality that in our world, our stability is attached to work. We can't pay the rent unless we get paid. There are layers of fear running through our jobs. Layers that are, to some degree, beyond our control.
But God lavishes the bread of angels upon us. Not in the form of manna, but in the shape of what we most need for that day. Emotional, practical, relational strength and provision. Part of the novel deals with this struggle for trust.
Q: You called Lydia intrepid earlier, yet your novel also deals with fear. Tell us a little about those seemingly conflicting themes.
A: Lydia works alongside men in a world where women are second-class citizens. That takes a lot of courage. And the way she insists on hosting Paul and his friends, even after they land themselves in jail and earn the ire of the whole city, also suggests a persistent kind of audacity. There is no doubt about her courage. And yet I have learned that courage does not mean the disappearance of fear. On the contrary, some of the bravest people I know have terrifying struggles with fear.
I think fear bears profound power in most of our lives. The Prophet Isaiah said, "You shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear" (Isaiah 54:14). In other words, fear causes oppression. In all its iterations: Anxiety, worry, agitation, trepidation, dark imaginings, panic, fear of failure, of rejection, of letting people down, of abandonment, of not measuring up — every manner of fear is a chain that binds. Oppresses. And one day, he says, that oppression shall cease. It shall cease because the Messiah will overcome it.
In "Bread of Angels," I wanted to show a woman who was at once valiant and fearful. And I wanted to show those fears shifting, paling through the progression of her faith.
Q: Lydia has a secret. Can you tell us about that?
A: Secrets have a profound power. They can eat at us. They can birth shame and guilt and lead to self-condemnation. In those hidden places of our hearts that have never seen the light of day, never felt grace applied to them because they have never been spoken, the enemy gains a foothold. At some point, secrets have to be spoken to be healed. I wanted to address this theme in "Bread of Angels" because I come across so many women who tell me: "I have never told this to anyone …"
— Marketta Gregory is a former religion reporter who can't stop writing about what is sacred and holy. She is a native of Oklahoma but makes her home in Rochester, New York, with her husband, two crazy boys and one very vocal Pomeranian. Find more of her writing at SimplyFaithful.com or check out her book, "Simply Faithful: Finding the Sacred in Everyday Life."


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A New Jersey police officer and his employer, the township of Hanover, are facing a million-dollar civil rights lawsuit after the officer allegedly tackled a 15-year-old boy in retaliation for his use of a video camera to document the encounter.
In March 2012, Austin DeCaro and two friends cut through Black Brook Park on the way to the home of one of the boys in the group. Because the park is closed at night, they were stopped by Joseph Quinn, a plainclothes officer in an unmarked car. The boys sat on the curb on Quinn's orders. DeCaro, who says he carries a camcorder with him everywhere he goes, decided to document the encounter.
"Turn that video camera off right now, or it's going to be mine forever," said a voice on the videotape that DeCaro says belongs to Quinn. When DeCaro asked "why," there was a scuffle as Quinn allegedly tackled the 100-pound teenager.
"Now you're under arrest," the police officer said in the video. "You get off of me," DeCaro replied.
The video appears to show the camera being thrown. DeCaro says it was damaged as a result.
"They were going to charge him with obstruction, vandalism, and being in the park after dark," DeCaro's father told a local television reporter. But when the video of the encounter was shown to the police chief, the department "dropped all charges except for being in the park."
In May, the family filed a lawsuit against Quinn and the city, charging the officer with using excessive force and violating their son's constitutional rights. Now Quinn is getting some unwanted publicity thanks to a story on the local television news. The police department declined to comment for that story, citing the pending lawsuit.


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