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Can you identify this South American snake? The photo comes courtesy of Paul Nicholas, who spotted the snake (which was about 1 m long) while it was crossing a river below the Great Falls and King George Falls in the (mostly unexplored) upper Essequibo region of Guyana. The strange-looking lumps are water drops. Paul’s guides were not able to identify the snake – can you? I confess I haven’t tried too hard… field guides on Guyanan snakes are thin on the ground round here…
But, with its enormous eye and parallel dorsal strikes, the animal (which is a ‘colubrid’) should be identifiable (if, that is, it belongs to a known species).
For previous Tet Zoo posts on snakes see…
- Stupidly large snakes, the story so far
- Scolecophidians: seriously strange serpents
- Side-stabbing stiletto snakes
- Terrestrial elapids, take 2
- Why do some snakes have horns?
- Close encounters with the Father of Death
- Not two, not three, but FOUR anacondas
- The tiniest snakes
- “What was that cute little Mexican snake?”, and other musings…
- Snake 195 mm long eats centipede 140 mm long. Centipede too big. Snake dies.
- Micropechis ikaheka, the Small-eyed snake |
lithium processing plant, · lithium processing project explained - youtube10 jan 2017 . lithium is a chemical element with the symbol li and atomic number 3. it is a soft, silver-white metal belonging to the alkali metal group of.lithium processing - feeco international, inc.the production of lithium ...Soil compaction, · In geotechnical engineering, soil compaction is the process in which stress is applied to a soil causes densification as air is displaced from the pores between the soil grains. When stress is applied that causes densification due to water (or other liquid) being displaced from between the soil grains, then consolidation, not compaction, has ...archive.fast, · Mineral Reserves are shown in the Table below assuming a diluted NSR cut - off grade of $ 14 /t and are stated as Run - of - Mine (ROM) which represent tonnes of ore delivered to the crusher (pre ore - sorting) : Table 1 - 2 Recovered In - pit Reserve and Dilutedlithium ore in nigeria, · zimbabwe's lithium mine is attracting global attention . african .14 oct 2019 . the bikita mine has a reserve of 10.8 million tons of lithium ore, with a lithium content of 1.4%, or 150,000 tons. the arcadia lithium mine is.africa must assume its place in the global battery ...Kaolinite Processing | Equipment, Process Flow, Cases, · The kaolinite dry mining process is a simple and economical process. The ore is crushed to 25.4mm by a hammer crusher and fed into the cage mill to reduce the particle size to 6.35mm. The hot air in the cage mill reduces the moisture of the kaolin from about 20.
Steel, · Steel is a refined form of Iron added by various mods. IndustrialCraft 2 adds Steel, but it is called Refined Iron. Making Steel requires either the Railcraft or IndustrialCraft Blast Furnace, the Bronze Plated Blast Furnace, the Industrial Blast Furnace, or the High Oven.Reducing mercury emissions from the burning of coal, · Natural mineral fuel coal sulphur-fixing agent CN1382657A 2002-12-04 Process for supplying heat while preparing aluminat cement/active powdered coal ash by coal burning boiler and its products CN1421515A 2003-06-04 Method of reducing the exhausted toxic |
1. Identify at least two details in this chapter that reveal the setting (time period and place) of this novel.
2. Why is Jem's snowman creation so unacceptable to both Atticus and Miss Maudie?
3. What does the fire at Miss Maudie's house reveal about the people living in Alabama in the 1930s? |
Women’s health breakthroughs are responsible for saving thousands of lives. Even in situations where a condition isn’t life threatening, these innovations produce new methods that increase the quality of life for many patients.
- Fight Infertility with a Uterus Transplant
The uterus transplant is a relatively new procedure that has had positive results. The first American clinical trial was performed in 2015 and involved a transplant into a 26 year old patient. The first attempt failed and the new uterus had to be removed. Despite the setback, there have been successful transplants in Sweden. If perfected, this surgery could assist the over 50,000 U.S. women who experience infertility as a result of uterine removal or damage.
- An Improved Breast Cancer Detection Method
Breast cancer is a major concern for many women. Thanks to science and medicine, the way we detect this type of cancer keeps getting more and more accurate. Using a method called Molecular Breast Imaging (MBI), we can now uncover three times as many breast tumors than those found using mammography. This is an important step forward for women with dense breasts that are harder to view using traditional mammograms.
- A Better HPV Vaccine
An estimated 79 million Americans are infected with HPV. The Gardisil 9 vaccine received FDA approval in 2014. This updated version added five strains to the original and can prevent 90% of all vulvar, cervical, anal, and vaginal cancers.
Women who are concerned about cancer prevention should schedule regular, annual exams with their gynecologist. Contact Women’s Health and Menopause Center Southeast Michigan offices now to schedule an appointment to learn more about prevention and staying healthy. |
Take Charge: Emotions and Eating
Emotions can influence what, when and how much we eat. For example, you have probably heard that some people eat to cope with stress. Others eat to preoccupy themselves when they feel bored.
When you eat based on your emotions, it can hinder your weight loss efforts. Often, situations that trigger certain negative emotions prompt eating. Review the words below, think about each of the emotions, note any emotions that trigger your desire for food and add any other emotions or situations that trigger you to eat.
Afraid | Alone | Angry | Anxious | Bad | Blue | Bored | Content | Depressed | Disappointed | Fearful | Frustrated | Good | Grief | Guilty | Happy | Hate | Hungry | Insecure | Jealous | Lonely | Lust | Nervous | Peer Pressure | Regret | Sad | Scared | Self-pity | Shame | Sleepy | Stress | Time to eat | Tired | Unsure | Worried
If you have recently eaten and find yourself craving food again, do a quick emotional check. Do you want food because you are hungry—or to fill an emotional need? Here are some tips to keep your eating in check:
Remember which emotions and situations trigger you to eat.
Write a list of other things to do to fulfill that emotional need, for example, call a friend, take a walk, drink some water or another zero-calorie beverage, send an email to a pal or do a few yoga stretches.
Assess your physical hunger using the Hunger-Satiety Rating Scale.
Track the food you eat, how hungry you are when you eat and how you feel at the time. You may get a better idea of which emotions trigger eating when you are not physically hungry.
If you are having a hard time, reach out for help. Involve family members and friends to help support your weight loss efforts. Support groups, therapy and members of your health care team can also help. |
What is a Chaplain?
A Chaplain is an additional support for school communities to assist with the social, emotional and spiritual wellbeing of members of school communities.
Chaplains are able to run specific programs tailored to the needs of the school such as grief and loss, resilience building and anti-bullying. Chaplains also provide one-on-one care, mentoring and support for students, parents and staff. Chaplains network with the local community to provide a broad range of support services to the school.
What kind of activities can a Chaplain do?
- Work with Learning Support or Welfare Team to facilitate student wellbeing
- Provide pastoral care for students, staff and the wider school community
- Facilitate small group programs and one-on-one meetings with students
- Facilitate lunch time activities to assist students in building healthy relationships
- Network with welfare services, local churches and other agencies in the local community to provide a broad range of support services to the school
- Facilitate groups, events and activities to support spiritual wellbeing with voluntary student participation
- Build mentoring relationships and assist students with goal setting
- Support staff at school camps, excursions and other activities as required |
The number and string data types have an infinite number of possible values. The boolean data type, on the other hand, has only two. As we saw in Chapter 2, Lexical Structure, the two legal boolean values are the keywords true and false. A boolean value represents a "truth value"--it says whether something is true or not.
a == 4
if (a == 4) b = b + 1; else a = a + 1; |
The times of analog and VHS videos are long gone and now recording and editing videos with acceptable quality is within everyone’s reach through mobile devices and digital cameras. The time has come to know what formats we can use and for what. If the objective of our video is to make a DVD, we cannot use the same format as if it is to upload it to YouTube.
Currently we find an infinity of video formats. Depending on the quality you are looking for, the video will be exported one way or another. You can find various formats for both web pages and videos on YouTube or Vimeo, as well as for projecting in cinema quality or for viewing on your mobile device or Tablet.
If there were no different video formats, we would be very limited when it comes to making any type of video production since they would occupy an infinity of megabytes, in addition they would all have an extreme quality which would thus make it difficult to carry out projects for an exclusive job. By the way, if you are looking for websites to download royalty-free videos for your projects, there are many pages of free videos in HD and 4K
It is not the same to export a video in quality for YouTube or any online platform than to export them for a mobile device or a cinematographic film. Each one has essential characteristics that make everything optimized to get the most out of your production.
Many times the problem with all these options and formats is compatibility. Each device records in a different format and we can have problems when it comes to playing them, so it is very interesting to know what options there are and how to handle them to avoid headaches.
The fact is many people create video files in different formats, which are generally not supported. When trying to see them in different players we run into unavoidable conflicts and are forced to have to convert or re-encode them. This causes a lot of headaches due to the abundance of formats and codecs. The world of digital video is quite complicated, although we do not need to master it completely, just know which are the main formats, which are the most popular devices and how to convert between them.
In this article we try to share elementary information about three existing video formats, how they differ, their characteristics and the advantages and disadvantages of each one.
The formats used in digital video are more complex than those used in audio, which we will discuss in another article since logically it is about video plus audio and in some cases subtitles and images. Video file extensions indicate only the container used.
For example, the file named: The Following S02E10 HDTV X264.mkv, indicates that it is a Matroska (MKV) container and that the video is MP4 (H.264), encoded with the x364 codec.
According to Ontiva, containers can contain multiple video, audio, image, or subtitle track files within a single file.
The objective of this article is to detail three video formats most used today, their characteristics and differences.
Guide yourself if you need to encode video that you have filmed with a camera and you want to reproduce it on a specific device. To find out in which format to convert videos so that they can be viewed on a cell phone, tablet, console, DVD player or other device. Also to convert any series or movie downloaded from the internet.
In all cases, two things are needed:
- A video encoder or converter program.
- Have the necessary video codecs installed on the computer.
MP4 is the most widely used of the video formats today in portable devices such as cell phones and tablets and of course they can also be played on the computer. That’s why mp4 converter is one of the most popular tools today.
It allows encoding the video in almost any resolution, from the smallest that an iPod allows, HD (high resolution), 2K, to the recent 4K with excellent quality and relatively small files. Uses the H.264 video codec and AAC audio. When encoding video in MP4 using an application that allows it, we must specify the necessary size for each device.
MKV is the acronym for Matroska, it is a modern multimedia container for any type of content, such as movies, 3D animation, video games, images, texts, books, etc. It is used in computers, although it is also reproduced by multimedia equipment such as televisions that read data formats via USB.
In MKV series and movies are mainly distributed in any definition, including 3D. It has become one of the most popular formats on the internet as it is completely free. It generally uses the H.264 video codec and for DTS, AC3 or AAC audio, although they may contain other formats such as WebM.
AVI is a video and audio container created by Microsoft for use on computers. It can contain one video stream and several audio streams using different codecs. They can be DivX, Xvid or Motion JPEG for video and AC3 or MP3 for audio. AVI files can be viewed in any player, but they depend on the codecs installed in Windows. DivX is the first video codec that was used to encode DVD video movies and reduce their size so that they could be burned onto a traditional CD.
Xvid is a free video codec created as an alternative to other proprietary codecs to encode movies and reduce their size, without losing quality. AVI has lost popularity due to other formats that support high resolutions and that are compatible with portable devices. We must encode in AVI only content to reproduce on computers.
In order to play any file that needs the previous codecs, in addition to being able to convert any video file to another format, it is necessary to have the appropriate codecs installed in the operating system. Windows includes some of them, but the rest need to be installed. It can be done in two ways: manually with each codec by accessing its developer’s site or by installing packages that include most of them. |
Saturday Science: Blubber Gloves
How do animals stay warm in the winter? Try this Saturday Science experiment, brought to you by Steve Spangler Science, to find out!
The animals of the Arctic and Antarctic circles spend their lives surviving subfreezing air temperatures and frigid water. Their secret is blubber, a thick layer of body fat that comprises up to 50% of some marine mammals. Is there any way for humans to replicate this cold-weather adaptation? With the Blubber Glove experiment, you'll test a blubber substitute on a small scale and see what it's like to take a dip in cold water without turning into a human popsicle.
- Two large zipper lock bags (your hand should be able to fit inside)
- Duct tape
- Ice (crushed/cubes)
- Since we can't afford to send you to the polar regions, you have to recreate a typical Arctic or Antarctic circle scenario—so make an ice bath! Fill a one or two gallon bucket half full with cold water. Add a bunch (scientific measurement) of ice. This ice bath will be a great representation of the near-freezing waters of the polar regions.
- Since you aren't a seal, walrus, or whale, you don't have blubber. You need to find a suitable blubber substitute.
- Fill a zipper lock bag (make sure the bag is big enough to fit your whole hand inside) with three or four heaping spoonfuls of shortening. Seriously... get at it!
- Put your hand inside a second zipper lock bag of the same size and push it into the shortening-filled zipper lock bag.
- Spread the shortening around the zipper lock bags until the inner bag is mostly covered.
- Fold the top of the inner zipper lock bag over the top of the outer zipper lock bag, keeping the shortening between the two. Duct tape the fold in place so that the shortening may never escape (just like blubber, because whales can't use a treadmill).
- Now you have a blubber-filled glove, ready to test the frigid waters of the bucket in your kitchen. Stick your hand in the glove and dip your blubber-gloved hand into the icy water. Crazy… your hand doesn't get cold in the water!
- Try comparing a hand inside the Blubber Glove to a hand stuck in the water without the glove. What do you experience? It's probably a little chilly!
- Cotton balls
- Starch peanuts
- Dirt or sand
Uses for shortening: making cookies, frying chicken, melting chocolate, insulating a Blubber Glove?!?
How does a cooking ingredient double as a perfect insulator? Easy. Shortening is a fat, just like blubber, and is great for thermoregulation. That means fat keeps heat in and cold out. Fats work well as insulators because of their high density and low thermal conductivity relative to water. Despite being submerged in incredibly cold water, fats can maintain a constant temperature. Blubber, in particular, requires very little blood supply, allowing more blood to be circulated to skin surfaces that are more directly exposed to the frigid temperatures. Using the Blubber Glove, your hand isn't directly exposed to the water, so the fat takes the full brunt of the cold.
Watch museum staff try the Blubber Glove experiment in this blast-from-the-past This Week's WOW! |
Poem of Praise
What do you admire? Is there an activity you savor doing? Do you know of a place that relaxes and calms your inner turbulence? Has a friend or family member done something that brought you great happiness?
When you find something praiseworthy and write about it, your praise poem may engender a sense of worthiness and admiration in the reader. By capturing the flavor of something, you cultivate adimration and gratitude.
As in your poem on Joy, a poem in praise of something you admire can be healing and enobling.
In many of these poems in praise of dogs, bereaved owners express their grief over the loss of a beloved pet.
Exercise: Write a poem of praise of a common object.
Auden's "In Praise of Limestone" is spoken in an infomal tone; the conversational structure creates a dialogue between speaker and reader.
Exercise: write a poem of praise in which you create a casual tone, a dialogue between you and your reader.
In praising a person, you might compose a sincere tribute to him, enumerating his best qualities, and showing, perhaps, how that person has affected you and the people around you. Here again is Auden, writing "In Memory of W. B. Yeats," wherein the earth "receives an honoured guest."
Exercise: write an elegy to someone whom you held in great regard.
"My daffodils dance their praise to our Creator?" Karen L. Oberst's poem is composed in the Celtic style covering the four seasons.
Exercise: write a praise poem in the Celtic tradition in praise of the four seasons.
Opening with "When I was young and had no sense," George Orwell's "Ironic Poem about Prostitution" makes a Burmese girl's virgin voice lisp with irony.
Exercise: write an ironic poem of praise to someone or something in which you denigrate it.
Alternative Exercise: write a poem in praise of something unsavory wherein you glorify and celebrate its qualities, or conversely, write a poem to something admirable in which you denigrate it.
Please write a poem "In Praise of ______" in fifteen lines or fewer, and submit it for consideration on the APW Forum/Guests' Pages. Email subject line: Praise Poem. |
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- My watch list
- My saved searches
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In anatomy, Zenker's diverticulum is a diverticulum of the mucosa of the pharynx, just above the cricopharyngeal muscle (i.e. above the upper sphincter of the oesophagus). It was named in 1877 by German pathologist Friedrich Albert von Zenker.
Additional recommended knowledge
Zenker diverticulum mainly affects older adults.
Mechanisms and manifestations
In simple words, when there is excessive pressure within the lower pharynx, the weakest portion of the pharyngeal wall balloons out, forming a diverticulum which may reach several centimetres in diameter.
More precisely, while traction and pulsion mechanisms have long been deemed the main factors promoting development of a Zenker's diverticulum, current consensus considers occlusive mechanisms to be most important: uncoordinated swallowing, impaired relaxation and spasm of the cricopharyngeus muscle lead to an increase in pressure within the distal pharynx, so that its wall herniates through the point of least resistance (variously known as Killian's triangle, Laimer's triangle, or more accurately Killian-Laimer triangular dehiscence). The result is an outpouching of the posterior pharyngeal wall, just above the oesophagus.
While it may be asymptomatic, Zenker diverticulum often causes clinical manifestations such as dysphagia (difficulty swallowing), and sense of a lump in the neck; moreover, it may fill up with food, causing regurgitation (reappearance of ingested food in the mouth), cough (as some food may be regurgitated into the airways) and halitosis (smelly breath, as stagnant food is digested by microrganisms). It rarely causes any pain.
If small and asymptomatic, no treatment is necessary. Larger, symptomatic cases of Zenker's diverticulum have been traditionally treated by neck surgery to resect the diverticulum and incise the cricopharyngeus muscle. However, in recent times non-surgical endoscopic techniques have gained more importance (as they allow for much faster recovery), and the currently preferred treatment is endoscopic stapling (i.e. closing off the diverticulum via a stapler inserted through a tube in the mouth). This may be performed through a fibreoptic endoscope. Other non-surgical treatment modalities exist, such as endoscopic laser, which recent evidence suggests it less effective than stapling.
Other external links
|This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Zenker's_diverticulum". A list of authors is available in Wikipedia.| |
What Is a Urinary Tract Infection and How Is It Treated? What I Learned
Many people suffer from a urinary tract infection (UTI) at some point in their life, including me. Anyone who has suffered from this condition can tell you how painful it can be. A UTI in itself isn’t very dangerous; however, it can lead to a kidney infection, which can be dangerous. It’s extremely important to treat this condition as soon as you realize that it has developed.
What exactly is a UTI? What are the symptoms?
A UTI occurs when germs enter your urinary tract and cause an infection, just as the name suggests. The infection can spread into your bladder—and then eventually to your kidneys if not treated.
When you have a UTI you’ll notice one or all of the following symptoms:
- Painful or burning sensation when you urinate.
- A foul smell to your urine or cloudy appearance.
- Extreme pain for a while after going to the bathroom.
- You feel the need to urinate often.
- Not much urine comes out when you go to the bathroom.
What causes a urinary tract infection?
The normal cause for a UTI is just bacteria getting inside your urinary tract by means of your urethra, which is the tube connecting your urinary tract to the outside.
There are many ways that germs can get inside your urethra. Women tend to get UTIs more often because they have a shorter urethra and it’s easier for germs to get inside. Sex can make it easier to get germs inside, as well.
Drinking a large amount of caffeinated beverages can also contribute to UTIs. My doctor told me that this was the cause of my UTI. I would drink so many sodas every day and it just ended up taking a toll on my body. If you have a UTI and you drink a lot of sodas, stop now. I know that you may not want to stop drinking sodas, but at least drink plenty of water to counteract the effects.
How can it be treated?
If you think you have a UTI, the very first thing you should do is call your doctor and set up an appointment to be checked out. The sooner you treat a UTI, the better. If you do not treat a Urinary Tract Infection as soon as possible, it could eventually lead to a kidney infection which is extremely bad.
What to do while you wait for your doctor’s appointment:
The pain can be excruciating and having to wait even longer to get it fixed can be even worse. While you are waiting for your doctor’s appointment, you can go to a store and pick up the following items: a lot of water, cranberry juice, and AZO medicine.
AZO is a medicine specifically made to numb the pain of a UTI. They come in different types. You can purchase a kind that includes extra cranberry. You can also get a kind that is "extra strength." I find that they both work very well.
When you take AZO, make sure that you do not take it on an empty stomach, and also make sure that you drink plenty of water with it. I learned from personal experience that if I take AZO on an empty stomach, I will just be more miserable than I was to start with (I became extremely sick and vomited). Also, whenever you urinate after taking some AZO pills, you will notice that your urine is discolored; this is normal.
Be sure to drink plenty of water and cranberry juice while you wait, as well.
What to expect at the doctor’s visit:
When you go to the doctor’s you should be prepared for a few things. First off, the most obvious thing being: you need to make sure that you do not urinate before going. The doctors will need a urine sample when you arrive.
There was one time when my UTI first started showing up, that it got so bad that I needed to go to the ER. I had been to the doctor's before and received medicine, but it wasn’t doing anything for me and I went to the ER. When I got to the room to be examined, the nurse told me that she needed an extremely fresh sample of urine. Meaning, she needed to use a catheter to get a sample. When I went to the doctor’s office, I was not asked to get a catheter. Only at the Emergency room was I ever made to get a catheter. However, you should be prepared in the event that your doctor finds it necessary to do it. The woman that performed my catheter was very gentle and knew what she was doing, so it didn’t hurt.
Most of your doctor’s visit will be spent waiting, both in the waiting room and in the examination room itself. All the doctor really needs to do is take a urine sample and then run tests on it. So, I recommend taking someone with you to keep you company, or a book to read while you wait.
Antibiotics should be prescribed to you by your doctor when you leave. It’s very important that you follow the directions exactly as told by your doctor. Just because you feel better does not mean that you should stop taking your pills. Finish out your bottle so that you do not get another UTI.
Also, to women that use birth control: It’s extremely important that you remember that all antibiotics make your birth control useless. You should still continue taking your birth control pills, but you should always use a back-up method when having sex. Personally, I would continue using your back-up method for 2 weeks after you stop taking your antibiotics, just to be safe that the pills have kicked in again.
Is it possible to avoid UTIs?
There are many ways that you can avoid getting a UTI.
- You can drink at least 1 full glass of cranberry juice every 2 weeks, even if you can’t stand the taste. Drink it more often if you like the taste!
- Drink plenty of water every single day.
- It's good for women to urinate immediately after having sex to flush out the germs.
- If you feel the urge to urinate, do so. If you hold it in, you will only hurt your bladder.
This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and does not substitute for diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, prescription, and/or dietary advice from a licensed health professional. Drugs, supplements, and natural remedies may have dangerous side effects. If pregnant or nursing, consult with a qualified provider on an individual basis. Seek immediate help if you are experiencing a medical emergency. |
Sometimes devices connected to Lhings may need to convey some information or receive it. This information is usually sent using typed parameters. A typed parameter is characterized by its
type. The name can be any UTF-8 encoded string up to 50 characters long. The
type can be any of these five choices:
integer, when the parameter is an integer number.
float, when the parameter is a decimal number.
string, when the parameter is a string of characters. They must be UTF-8 encoded.
boolean, when the parameter is either true or false.
timestamp, when the parameter is a date and time. Values for timestamps are treated internally as integers that represent the UNIX timestamp of the desired date and time combination.
Typed parameters are useful because they provide Lhings more information about the way your devices behave, allowing for customization of the user interface, like in the case of the control panel.
Typed parameters are currently used in Lhings for these purposes:
- Defining the set of parameters of an action, in the device descriptor.
- Defining the components of the status of the device, also in the device descriptor. |
Why are some groups healthier than others, and how do these differences emerge and persist over the life course? How do social policies (e.g., housing, transportation, employment) relate to health and health inequalities? Why are there health disparities even in countries that have free universal health care? This course will address conceptual models for understanding health disparities in the US and internationally, how population science identifies the main sources of these disparities, and how public health can inform policy efforts to address these disparities.
After taking this course, you will be able to identify ways in which conditions in the healthcare setting and at work, school, and home influence health; identify models for considering how the social context provides both sources of stress and sources of support for health; and explain how social and physical environments, including schools and workplaces, the healthcare system, and neighborhoods, shape health and health inequalities over the life course.
This unit will introduce the social determinants of health framework and provide an overview of how stress and social connections impact health.
This unit will provide an overview of the ways in which the work and school contexts shape health.
This unit will introduce the healthcare system and discuss its impact on health disparities.
This unit will explore ways in which neighborhoods and the environment affect health. |
A battery of tests
to test your battery
1. If you had to boost the battery to start your car, this means
a. you need a new battery
b. you should have your electrical system checked
c. you need a new starter
2. If a battery has only one dead cell, it will still work because the rest
3. A Battery Hydrometer is a instrument used to check
a. the fluid level in the battery
b. the specific gravity of the fluid
c. the color of the fluid
4. A loose alternator or generator belt has nothing to do with charging
your car's battery.
5. You have just installed a new battery in your car, the horn won't
blow, the lights won't come on and the car will not make a sound.
a. you need new lights and horn
b. the battery must not have any acid in it
c. you must have loose or dirty connections
6. The higher the battery amperage the better the battery.
7. You can always tell if a battery has 12-volts because
a. it has 12 cells (places on top to put water in)
b. it has six cells
c. It has the terminals on the side of the battery instead of top
8. As long as your battery is sitting in your car where it won't fall,
there is no need for a battery hold-down.
9. You can easily distinguish the negative battery cable (on negative
ground cars) because
a. it is connected to the starter
b. it is connected to the engine or metal
c. it is always colored black
10. Your electrical system consists of a battery, alternator or
generator, starter, and voltage regulator.
1. B. - Something in your electrical system might have just pulled
your battery down. If so find the problem and that battery might
charge back up.
2. F ALSE-It only takes one dead cell to make a battery bad.
4. F ALSE-A tight belt is needed to keep the battery charged.
8. FALSE- All batteries have plates inside, when a battery is loose,
through normal driving, the plates may come apart causing your
battery to go bad.
If you missed 2 or less...you know more than most men.
If you missed 4 or less . . you're ready to buy an auto repair manual
If you missed 5 or more ... good, maybe I can sell you a new battery.
Jan Tarver is a mechanic employed by Sears.
Houston's celebration of International Women's Day— a Women's
Parade on March 6 and a cocktail party on March 8 are planned.
A Bicentennial Women's Parade with the theme, "200 Years is Long
Enough to Wait," is focusing on the national ratification efforts of the
ERA. Gertrude Barnstone is chairperson of the event.
Women and men wishing to work on the Women's Parade should
contact Juneau Shepherd, UH Women's Advocate at 749-3388.
The NW-Houston NOW Chapter is coordinating an International
Women's Day cocktail party honoring women of the Foreign Consular
Corps in Houston. The party is tentatively being planned for March 8
from 7 to 10 p.m. at the home of B. L. and Harry Jamail, 11125 North
Country Squire Road, (Memorial area).
If you would like to be a sponsor of the International Women's Day
party, call Barbara Lane-Farley 461-3212 or 461-6075.
Counselors Charlene Torrest, right, discuss plans for a mother- 28 at the Family Service Center,
left, and Stella Edmondson, daughter workshop on February
Exploring a new relationship
"There is no other relationship
that has as many possibilities or
as many pitfalls as that of the
mother-daughter," said Counselor Stella Edmondson, one of
the coordinators of a one-day
workshop, "The Mother-
Daughter Experience." Open to
women 18 and over, the workshop
will be held February 28 from 9
a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Family
Service Center, 3635 West Dallas.
"In the workshop we hope to
recognize the pitfalls but emphasize the enriching
possibilities that exist between
mother and daughter," Charlene
Torrest, counselor and co-
coordinator added. "It is the
ever-changing quality of the
relationship that we wish to
The coordinators hope the adult
participants will recognize each
other's individuality and will
examine the possibility of being
"This is not a day for heavy
confrontation but rather one
designed to open or improve
communication between two
adult women who just happen to
be related to each other," the
The workshop is $30 per family
($10 deposit). Mothers and
daughters wishing to participate
should call 524-3881.
Lilith, a planned city-wide
women's center, needs to
establish a good credit rating
before it can purchase a building
space to serve the total needs of
Lilith co-founder, Lynne Mutchler, put it this way: "In the
same way a young woman on her
own must establish credit, so
Lilith, Unlimited, Womansplace
in Houston, must establish a good
payment record to prove both the
seriousness of our purpose and
our business acumen.
"We would like to find a cheap
(or free) house or office to start
our telephone service, our
feminist library, and our media
service and printing facilities,"
If anyone has a suitable space,
they should contact Lynne
Mutchler, 667-6932, Brenda
Lewis, 668-3145, or Kay Whyburn,
BOARD continued from page 1
Health Task Force for the
Houston Inner City NOW, a
chapter that strongly supported
Alison Druck and Mary Lee
Guidry, two nursing candidates
for the Board of Managers.
Heavey says, "Dr. Watson has
done more to advocate for
patients than any other board
member. If he is replaced by a
nurse - a minority or white
woman - it will be another
classic case of pitting minority
men against women and making
us all fight over the crumbs they
throw at us. I think it's vicious."
Heavey, herself a longtime
advocate for better health care,
has personally advocated that
half the hospital board be composed of women because women
make up half the population and,
therefore, comprise half the
hospital patient and employee
As a spokeswoman for Inner
City NOW, she wrote each
commissioner a letter on behalf
of the appointment of Druck and
County Commissioner Eckels
replied: "Many years ago, I
learned the importance of having
the woman's point of view in
Boards of this nature and I am
proud of the fact that Ms. Barbara Schachtel has been on the
Board for some time. I think Mrs.
Schachtel is extremely well
qualified having been so closely
related to the public service area
to which her husband is so
dedicated. I would like to see an
expansion of this to include the
"I do not, however, find that
there is an opening suitable for
the appointment of either of the
fine ladies you have recommended. Please be assured that
careful consideration was given
to all areas of responsibility and
in my determination, the reappointment of Quentin Mease
and Dr. Alexander bringing with
them Mr. Danny Knowlton is in
the best interest of the hospital
and the taxpayers of Harris
Judge Jon Lindsay wrote the
Houston Inner City NOW chapter
as follows: "I supported Dr.
Alexander's reappointment and
thus voted against Commissioner
Bass' substitute motion to name
nurse Alison Druck. In doing so, I
by no means opposed having a
nurse on the board. Indeed...I
definitely favor a nurse
representative. It just seems that
next year, when four of the
board's seven seats come up, is a
likelier time for making that |
Essential Question: How have the strategies I have learned this year helped me to be a better reader, writer, speaker, and listener?
Do Now: Part 1: Student Survey (Periods 5,6, & 7) (8 minutes)
Part 2 (8 minutes):
In a notebook entry, think about the play performance you will be presenting next week during our finals day. In addition to showing your polished video presentation to the class and doing a peer review in response to each video, you will write a “metacognitive” essay about your experience with this play project and this year’s curriculum. Yesterday’s and today’s do-now pose questions that might be the core of that writing next week, and you are encouraged to use the answers you have written for these to formulate a better essay next week.
metacognition: the ability to know and be aware of one’s own thought processes; self reflection.
Answer the following:
1. How did you grow or change as a result of our recent play project or any of the other projects that we have worked on this year? Identify several and explain how you might apply that experience to real-life in the future.
2.How have you grown as a speaker, performer, or as a collaborator in a group setting?
3. What future plans do you have for using some of the things that you may have experienced or become better at through this year’s curriculum?
Example: Through our recent video projects I have learned a lot about using video as a means of expression and sharing. I plan to become better at using some of the tools that I only had time to experiment with or watch others use more effectively than I can now. I plan on making a blog that includes some of my video documentation of different things, including my work on creating an historical ice harvesting event. This included the use of old tools and equipment while demonstrating the individual work involved in this one-time third largest industry of Maine’s past.
II. Last minute checks
- One copy of your video on more than one group member’s laptop. I have a thumb drive for those who would like to turn in their projects today.
- There is a list of other things that were on yesterday’s handout that you might review before handing in your video.
III. Baz Luhrmann’s interpretation of Romeo and Juliet (34 or 42 minutes).
While watching the last part of the film you are to identify the use of camera angles and movement, lighting, music, costume and other stylistic devices on the graphic organizer on the back of this handout. |
- What is ISO year?
- What is a valid date of birth?
- Which countries use date format mm dd yyyy?
- What is timezone Z?
- What is Z in DateTime C#?
- What date format is DD MMM YYYY?
- What is the date format?
- What is DD Mon YYYY format?
- Why does the US use mm dd yyyy?
- What does t mean in time?
- What is Z in date format?
- What is the standard international date format?
- What is the most common date format?
- How dates are written in Europe?
- What is universal time zone?
- What is Z ISO 8601?
- Is ISO 8601 valid?
- What is the meaning of Z in timestamp?
What is ISO year?
An ISO week-numbering year (also called ISO year informally) has 52 or 53 full weeks.
That is 364 or 371 days instead of the usual 365 or 366 days.
The extra week is sometimes referred to as a leap week, although ISO 8601 does not use this term..
What is a valid date of birth?
The correct format of your date of birth should be in dd/mm/yyyy. For example, if your date of birth is 9th October 1984, then it will be mentioned as 09/10/1984.
Which countries use date format mm dd yyyy?
According to wikipedia, the only countries that use the MM/DD/YYYY system are the US, the Philippines, Palau, Canada, and Micronesia.
What is timezone Z?
Z – Zulu Time Zone (Military Time) Also known as: z – Zulu Time, Zulu. Areas with same time currently (UTC +0). Currently has same time zone offset as Z (UTC +0) but different time zone name. Zulu Time Zone (Z) has no offset from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).
What is Z in DateTime C#?
ToString using the ‘z’ format specifier, which will include a local time zone offset in the output. … In that case, either use the ‘Z’ format specifier, which designates a UTC time, or use the ‘o’ format string, which is the recommended way to persist a DateTime in text.
What date format is DD MMM YYYY?
Date/Time FormatsFormatDescriptionDD/MMM/YYYYTwo-digit day, separator, three-letter abbreviation of the month, separator, four-digit year (example: 25/JUL/2003)MMM/DD/YYYYThree-letter abbreviation of the month, separator, two-digit day, separator, four-digit year (example: JUL/25/2003)46 more rows
What is the date format?
Date Format TypesFormatDate orderDescription1MM/DD/YYMonth-Day-Year with leading zeros (02/17/2009)2DD/MM/YYDay-Month-Year with leading zeros (17/02/2009)3YY/MM/DDYear-Month-Day with leading zeros (2009/02/17)4Month D, YrMonth name-Day-Year with no leading zeros (February 17, 2009)24 more rows
What is DD Mon YYYY format?
The format for an ANSI date (or timestamp) literal is always the ISO format (yyyy-mm-dd). When you select your data you can display the date in whatever format you like. … select to_char(some_date_column,’dd-mon-yyyy’) from some_table; Note that the DATE data type in Oracle (despite it’s name) also stores the time.
Why does the US use mm dd yyyy?
The day-month-year order has been increasing in usage since the early 1980s. … The year-month-day order, such as the ISO 8601 “YYYY-MM-DD” notation is popular in computer applications because it reduces the amount of code needed to resolve and compute dates.
What does t mean in time?
T- (pronounced “T minus”) refers to the time remaining on the official countdown clock. The “T” stands for time. During planned holds in the countdown process (when the countdown clock is intentionally stopped), the T- time also stops. The L- time, however, is synced to the clock on the wall and continues to advance.
What is Z in date format?
zero hour offsetThe Z means “zero hour offset”, also known as “Zulu time” (UTC) in the ISO 8601 time representation. However, ACP 121 standard defines the list of military time zones and derives the “Zulu time” from the Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). TimeZone can be formatted in z, Z or zzzz formats.
What is the standard international date format?
YYYY-MM-DD where YYYY is the year in the usual Gregorian calendar, MM is the month of the year between 01 (January) and 12 (December), and DD is the day of the month between 01 and 31.
What is the most common date format?
Date FormatsDD-MM-YYYY. This is often the most logical date format to use, as it puts the numbers in order of significance. … MM-DD-YYYY. This is often the common date format to use in the United States, as to why, I am not sure. … YYYY-MM-DD. This format is pretty uncommon, although it is the most logical of the three.
How dates are written in Europe?
Official EU documents still tend to use DD. MM. YYYY but one document specifies the use of ISO 8601: “Dates should be formatted by the following format: YYYY-MM-DD.”
What is universal time zone?
Coordinated Universal Time or UTC is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. It is within about 1 second of mean solar time at 0° longitude, and is not adjusted for daylight saving time. It is effectively a successor to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
What is Z ISO 8601?
The toISOString() method returns a string in simplified extended ISO format (ISO 8601), which is always 24 or 27 characters long ( YYYY – MM – DD T HH : mm : ss.sss Z or ± YYYYYY – MM – DD T HH : mm : ss.sss Z , respectively). The timezone is always zero UTC offset, as denoted by the suffix ” Z “.
Is ISO 8601 valid?
The ISO 8601 standard defines an internationally recognized format for representing dates and times. … According to the basic format of ISO 8601, the date “September 7, 2019” is written as follows: “20190907”, or when expressed with delimiters: “2019-09-07”.
What is the meaning of Z in timestamp?
Zulu timeYes. ‘Z’ stands for Zulu time, which is also GMT and UTC. … The UTC time zone is sometimes denoted by the letter Z—a reference to the equivalent nautical time zone (GMT), which has been denoted by a Z since about 1950. |
Working through the above problem, an instructional video tells me to solve row 1, column 1 of the matrices as follows;
2a+b - (2a - b)
The video then goes onto used the disributive property, assuming a negative "1" in front of the parentheses, thus "negative 1 multiplied by negative 2a"
Is this correct? The reason I am asking is because I thought it would be negative 1 multipled by positive 2a, as there isn't a sign within the parentheses?
The video I am watching solves the equation as follows;
2a + b - (2a - b)
= 2a + b - 2a + b
= 2a - 2a + b + b
I can follow the rest of the solution, I am just confused as to why the teacher assumes a negative sign in front of the 2a which is within the parentheses. |
Is it better to make porridge with milk or water?
The key to getting a creamy, not-gluey bowl of oatmeal is using enough water . Notice we said water —cooking oatmeal in milk tends to make a stickier, thicker oatmeal.
What is the best way to cook oats?
Stovetop method Place 1½ cups of oats and 3⅓ cups of skim milk into a thick-based saucepan. Bring to a boil, stir, then boil for 5 minutes until oats are thick and creamy. Add a dash of skim milk after cooking . Serve into bowls and add your favourite toppings (LINK) for a delicious and wholesome start to your day.
Can you just add boiling water to porridge?
When you ‘re ready to eat, there are two ways to cook the oatmeal. The first option is to add 1/2 cup (or more) of boiling water to the jar, stir, cover, and let sit for 5 minutes. The oats and oat flour will absorb the water , making a perfectly creamy cup of oats.
Does porridge need to be cooked?
Normal cooking takes little away from oats . In fact, cooking helps release some nutrients that your body can ‘t extract from raw oats . If you enjoy raw oats moistened with water, by all means eat them that way.
Why is my porridge chewy?
It’s tempting to want to continually stir the oats as they simmer in the pot, but it can lead to too much starch, which results in a gummy, gluey texture. Follow this tip: Try to leave your oats undisturbed while they cook. Cover the pot as it simmers and give it just one or two stirs here and there.
How do you know when porridge is done?
they will drink it all up! bring to boil and let the porridge simmer until the grains are half- cooked (10 minutes).
Is it okay to eat oatmeal everyday?
Changes you can see in your body when you eat oatmeal every day . One of the best benefits of eating oatmeal daily is that doing so can help prevent obesity and weight gain. Secondly, oatmeal provides fiber to keep your stomach feeling full longer.
Is quick oats the same as oatmeal?
All forms of oatmeal derive from oat groats, which are whole, unbroken oat grains. Regular oats are also known as rolled oats or old-fashioned oats . This produces thick flakes of oatmeal . Quick oats , also known as quick -cooking oats , go through this same procedure, except they are pressed into thinner flakes.
Is oatmeal the same as porridge?
For oatmeal , the bran is removed from ground oats , while porridge , in the form of a dish or recipe, is named after the type of grain used to make it. An example of this is cornmeal, which is porridge made from corn. In this same way, porridge made from oats is called oatmeal .
Which is better for you Weetabix or porridge?
Porridge and Weetabix contain up to 10 times more fibre and just a fraction of the salt and sugar in other best-sellers. Kelloggs Special K meanwhile is marketed as a healthy breakfast cereal but has 17 times as much sugar as porridge , with half the fibre.
How do I make porridge work?
If warm oats are more your bag, keep a stash at work and mix 1/2 cup oats with one cup milk (or water or a mix depending on preference) and pop in the microwave for a couple of minutes.
Is porridge with water good for you?
Oat porridge made with water is a good mix of carbohydrates, protein and fibre and contains no salt or sugar. Opting to use milk will increase the fat, protein and calorie content, along with naturally occurring sugars in milk. Both water -based and milk-based porridge can form the base of a balanced, filling breakfast.
Can we eat Quaker Oats without cooking?
Answer: Yes, you can eat rolled oats without cooking them as during the milling process they are cleaned and heat treated.
Can you eat raw porridge oats?
Though raw oats are safe to eat , it’s recommended to soak them in water, juice, milk, or a nondairy milk alternative to avoid some unwanted side effects. Eating dry raw oats could lead them to build up in your stomach or intestines, resulting in indigestion or constipation.
Are overnight oats better than cooked?
The process of preparing oats by putting them on heat is generally considered less healthy for oats , as compared to a slow- cooking process by soaking them over a long duration. The bottom line is that overnight oats are better than regular oats nutritionally and even otherwise. |
Written by new contributor, Andy Stone
Problems were inevitable for Antarctic tourism from the start. Seen by many as the last unspoiled landmass on earth, the unique and vulnerable ecosystem is what attracts people to our southernmost continent. How do we handle tourism to a place whose only appeal to most of us is its lack of large-scale human contact? Doesn’t that defeat the purpose?
Dutch researchers have thought the same thing, and believe they have a solution; limit and then auction off visiting rights to Antarctica.
In some ways, their logic is sound. Tourist limits are needed; not only for future tourism to work, but for the Antarctica’s own sake. People pollute, disturb the animals and carry eggs, spores, rodents and other living matter that can spread. Even those few thousand trained scientists have unwittingly brought in numerous invasive species – what can we expect from tens or perhaps hundreds of thousands of possibly ignorant tourists? And as more and more tourists and companies line up to get in, they will only be harder to monitor.
At the same time, their plan does give an unfair advantage to the super-rich. While far from cheap today, at least now everyone theoretically has an equal chance of getting to Antarctica. But people with way too much money and no concept of its value are the bane of less fortunate auction goers everywhere – haven’t these researchers ever used eBay or seen how much Picassos sell for? If the auctions were well publicized, which these would be, the final price tags could be well out of reach for all but the very well-to-do. Is that fair? No. But this is a tricky proposition as reducing supply inevitably means higher cost. Ticket prices will be high no matter what they do.
If scientists get their way, there will be limits placed on the number of people who can visit Antarctica and the days they can go. This particular solution is better than nothing, but hopefully the final plan will have everyone in mind.
We’ll even throw in a free album. |
Here is the fourier transform way.
From fourier transform theory, , where rect denotes the function defined by:
By the convolution-multiplication theorem, multiplication in one domain gives convlution in another domain.
Convolving the rect function is easy so i will skip it. It gives the triangle function:
Now by definition of fourier transform:
To compute the integral we want, put f=0.
Now substitute , to get:
Here are a couple more I don't have the answers to, so I would appreciate if someone with an advanced knowledge of integrals...or a very nice computer system ...could verify them?
Now we know that
So we may rewrite as follows
Now since the region of integration is rectangular by Fubini's Theorem we may rewrite as follows
Now by two iterations of Integration by Parts (just for a note to those who wish to duplicate this, for simplicities sake call ) the inner iterated integral is equivalent to
Now seeing that as due to the overpowering effect of , and evaluating at zero we get
Now for the calculation of
The substitution of
Gives us the final answer of
So we then have that |
Bassett, C., and A. Lavery, T. Maksym, and J. Wilkinson, Laboratory measurements of high-frequency, broadband acoustic scattering of growing sea ice and oil beneath sea ice, Proc. Mtgs. Acoust., 21, 070008 (2014).
This figure roughly shows the experimental setup for laboratory experiments related to detecting crude oil spills under sea ice. In the experiments frazil ice, pancake ice, and congelation were grown and oil was released under the ice. High-frequency, broadband sonars were used to quantify the changes in acoustic backscatter when crude oil was present. The lines in the upper right-hand corners of the subplots are matched filter data from the experiments under congelation ice. The two peaks in the right plots are due to the presense of the oil and multiple interfaces (water/oil and oil/ice). The presence of the oil can also be inferred from frequency spectra.
The morphology of sea ice during the early stages of growth is strongly dependent on environmental conditions. Under calm conditions, congelation ice forms through downward growth of ice crystals from the water surface. Under turbulent conditions (surface waves), rapid freezing of ice crystals occurs in the upper water column (frazil ice), eventually consolidating into pancake ice through repeated collisions and agglomeration of the loose frazil crystals. It is expected that high-frequency scattering from the basal layer of the ice varies for different sea ice types and can reveal structural information that governs the behavior of the ice and its interactions with the environment. Broadband scattering measurements of sea ice are presented beginning with ice-free conditions and through initial stages of growth in laboratory experiments for both congelation and frazil ice. With increased interest in drilling for hydrocarbon resources in the Arctic and the associated environmental concerns of an oil spill in ice-covered waters, improved methods for detection of crude oil both under or frozen within sea ice are needed. Acoustic scattering data are presented demonstrating how the scattering changes when crude oil is spilled beneath the ice.
FILE » Bassett et al (2014) - aboratory measurements of high-frequency, broadband acoustic scattering of growing sea ice and oil beneath sea ice.pdf |
Definition: report writer
Software that prints a report based on a description of its layout. As a stand-alone program or part of a file or database management system, it can sort selected records into a new sequence for printing. It may also support the printing of mailing labels. Once created, the report description is stored in a file for future use.
Reports Are Defined
A report is created by defining which data fields are placed into which print columns and entering text for the page headers. Key fields and numeric fields are selected for subtotals and totals. Whenever there is a change of data in the key field, a subtotal of the numeric data is printed, and a total is printed at the end of the report. Although there is no real programming required, mathematical expressions are often used; for example COLUMN 1 = FIELD A + FIELD B.
Developed in the early 1970s, report writers, also called "report generators," were the precursor to query languages. They were the first programs to generate computer output without having to be programmed. |
The Banca Nationala’ a Romaniei have issued (24th December) new gold collector coins in remembrance of one of Romania’s historic gold coins issued during the rule of a national hero, Mihai Viteazul, translated as “Michael the Brave” (1558–1601). Prince of Wallachia,
Born under the family name of Pătraşcu, it is believed that his birth year was 1558 owing to a portrait sitting while visiting Prague in 1601. The painter Aegidius Sadeler noted on the picture the words aetatis XLIII, or, “in the 43rd year of life.” Very little is known about his childhood and early years as an adult, though most historians believe Mihai to have been the illegitimate son of Wallachian Prince Pătraşcu cel Bun, or Pătrașcu the Good (died 1557), of the Drăculeşti branch of the House of Basarab. Other historians have hypothesised that he merely invented his descent to justify his rule. His mother, however, was of noble and royal birth. She was Theodora Kantakouzene, a member of the Kantakouzenoi noble family present in Wallachia and Moldavia, and was thought to have been descended from the Byzantine Emperor John VI Kantakouzenos.
Mihai’s political rise was quite spectacular, as he became the ban of Mehedinţi in 1588, stolnic at the court of Mihnea Turcitul by the end of 1588, and ban of Craiova in 1593. Curiously, during the rule of Alexandru cel Rău, the latter had him swear before 12 boyars that he was not of royal descent. In 1599, Mihai, already a prince of Wallachia, won the Battle of Șelimbăr and soon entered Alba Iulia, becoming the imperial governor and the de facto ruler of Transylvania. A few months later, Michael’s troops invaded Moldavia and reached its capital, Iaşi. The Moldavian leader fled to Poland and Michael was declared
Mihai was assassinated by orders of the Hapsburg Emperor Rudolf on the 9th August 1601, as he attempted to win back Transylvania. The province had been fought for and overcome by the Hungarian nobles who were allied with the Hapsburg Crown, though Mihai’s forces defeated the Hungarian army and their allies.
During his rule, Mihai Viteazul issued magnificent gold coins in 1600 that were valued at 10 ducats. The splendid portrait of Mihai shows him in a three quarter pose wearing an ornate hat; his likeness is surrounded with a legend attesting to his authority over the three regions he united. The simple reverse design included text espousing Mihai’s further leadership over what was the greatest uniting of Romanian lands during and after the authority of the Ottoman Empire was ended.
The coins are produced by the Monetăria Statului at their facilities in Bucharest on behalf of the National Bank. The obverse side includes a depiction of Prince Michael the Brave on horseback, the inscription ROMANIA is placed in an arch shape above the primary design. The face value 10 LEI, the coat of arms of Romania, and the year of issue, 2018, are incorporated into the design.
The reverse design cleverly re-creates the gold coin issued in 1600 with the portrait of Michael the Brave, as depicted on the obverse of the 10-ducat coin
|10 lei||.999 gold||1.22 g||13.9 mm||Proof||500|
Each gold Proof coin is encapsulated and included in a custom case which includes the certificate of authenticity containing the signatures of the NBR governor and the central cashier. The gold Proof quality coins are dedicated to Romanian history of gold coins, and the 10-ducat coin of Michael the Brave will be available directly through the Bucharest, Cluj, Iasi, and Timişoara regional branches of the National Bank of Romania. |
Supporting your child in Year 10
We are all aware that the stresses and strains on young people are different to those we may have experienced at school ourselves, with new exam specifications and social media pressures adding to the usual complexities of being a teenager in Britain.
Students know that Year 10 will be more challenging and we will do everything we can to enable them to be happy, engaged and as stress-free as possible. We studied mindfulness in Year 9 to help prepare them for this shift in gear; you may find this link on teaching mindfulness to teenagers useful:
Please also support your child by letting them know they can talk to you about their feelings and helping them to address any concerns or questions they may have. It may not always be easy to find the right time to talk; if they do open up to you, it’s worth grabbing the opportunity while you can.
The workload will certainly become more intense in Year 10. Students will be set 1 hour of work for each subject, and on occasion there may be more depending on some coursework deadlines. It’s really important that students get used to the routine of sitting and working independently each evening, in preparation for the demands of years 10 and 11 and beyond.
We suggest students in this age group spend a maximum of 2hrs per evening studying; this could be spent on homework, reviewing notes or reading around the subject. For example, if your child is reading a novel or play they have been recommended by their English teacher that is thematically linked to a text they are studying, this could be included in this time
The following routine may help your child manage their time more effectively:
SEAS – Study, Eat, Activity, Sleep
Set a time for HOMEWORK so it doesn’t take over the whole evening
Set aside time for a MEAL and, whenever possible, eat with them and catch up with their day.
Set some time for ACTIVITIES OR RELAXING whether it’s going for a run, stretching, playing games or spending time online with friends.
Set a regular, agreed BEDTIME and make sure there are no phones or electronics in the room.
You may also find the following tips useful in helping to keep your child motivated:
- Agree a balance between work and social life and stick to the agreement. Flexibility is the key – if a special night comes up, agree that they can make up the work at a specified time
- All students fall behind, feel demotivated or overwhelmed, or struggle with the balance of social, work and school demands at times. When your child feels like this, berating and threatening them will have a negative effect. Talk to them about the issues, acknowledge their feelings and adopt a sensible attitude in helping them find a solution.
- Be flexible – use the 80/20 rule. If your child is sticking to what they are supposed to be doing 80% of the time, that’s a great start.
- If your child asks for your support, encourage them by helping them to see the difficulties in perspective. Teenagers often take an all or nothing approach to difficulties – “I’ve messed up this essay, I might as well give up.” Try and help them see the bigger picture and remind them that setbacks are often temporary and usually resolvable. |
The Translation of the Relics of the Right-Believing Prince Saint Wenceslas (Vyacheslav) of the Czech Lands.
On September 28, 935, when Saint Wenceslas went to Matins, he was wickedly murdered at the doors of the church by his own brother and his brother’s servants. His body was stabbed and discarded without burial.
The mother, hearing of the murder of her son, found and placed his body in a recently consecrated church at the princely court. They were not able to wash off the blood splashed on the church doors, but after three days it disappeared by itself.
After repenting of his sin, the murderer transferred the relics of Saint Wenceslas to Prague, where they were placed in the church of Saint Vitus, which the martyr himself had constructed. The memory of Prince Wenceslas is honored from of old in the Russian Orthodox Church.
Saint Wenceslas is also commemorated on September 28. |
Myofascial Release (MFR)
Transform pain, dysfunction and injury
Restrictions in the fascia can cause symptoms such as pain, tingling, or burning as fascia can bind to nerves and blood vessels. And in turn can result in reduced flexibility and mobility. Over time such ‘stress’ can further compromise body systems, this is why fascia has such a big impact on breath and our entire health.
Fascia litterally holds us together giving structure.
New research is illustrating just how important fascia is in relation to the healthy use of our body.
The fascial system requires hydration, not just in terms of drinking water - but unsticking with myofascial techniques, yoga fascia and restorative & yin yoga.
A model of biotensegrity - meaning tension + integrity = tensegrity. In other words our bones form the compression bearing “struts” and the fascia maintain the tension, this allows the bones to “float” in the fascia.
What can myofascial release help with?
Stress & anxiety
Improving breathing patterns
Chronic Fatigue & fibromyalgia
Poor posture & general muscle soreness
Carpal tunnel syndrome, tennis elbow
Pain & inflammation - injuries, bursitis, shoulder pain
Women’s health - cesarean section, prolapse, hysterectomy, scar tissue
Fertility issues, menstruation, pelvic/abdominal pain
A Gentle Approach To Pain & Posture
We are Fascia! Fascia is a 3-dimensional connective tissue that spreads throughout the body in an interconnected web. It interfaces with every muscle, nerve, blood vessel, organ and bone in the body. Fascia is made up of collagen and elastin fibers supported in a gelatinous matrix that infuses muscles down to the cellular level. It runs from the top of our heads down to the tips of our toes. It plays a part in metabolism, has a stabilising and shock absorbing function, directly interfacing with our musculoskeletal system. It is made up nearly a third of our body's fluid, fascia separates and connects the body parts. It is a sense organ; a system of body awareness or proproception. Fascia protects tissues offer support from damage and allows remodeling after an injury.
Fascia is affected by stress, trauma, (physical or emotional), poor posture, inflammation, induced muscular tension or inflammation - this creates tension in the fascia causing it to harden locally. Due to the fact that it is essentially an interconnected web, this hardened soft tissue pulls into other areas of the body, much like when you pull threads on a sweater causing all the other threads to organize along ‘lines’ of tension. This means for example that lower back issues can be caused somewhere else in the body and producing pain in the lower back. Such restrictions can create pain and compensatory patterns in the body and in turn help to create poor posture.
Restriction & Tension
Restrictions in the fascia can cause symptoms such as pain, tingling, or burning as fascia can bind to nerves and blood vessels. And in turn can result in reduced flexibility and mobility. Over time such ‘stress’ can further compromise body systems, this is why fascia has such a big impact on our entire health.
Myofascial Release, like many holistic modalities, champions the philosophy that the mind and body are connected and the importance of viewing an individual as a whole rather than only looking at a physical ailment or just emotional issue. The body has the ability to remember postural positions, actions and emotions without the brain reminding it to do so. Throughout the body’s fascial system flow microscopic cells containing energy which have the ability to retain memory. Sometimes memories can become locked into the fascial system and manifest themselves in physical pain (you can read more about this here). MFR offers a gentle and safe approach to addressing physical and emotional components of an injury.
Breathing is something we do 20,000 times a day, but we often don't really pay attention to it. Restricted breathing patterns can create issues in sports perfomance and endurance, but also in terms of feeling at ease in our body. Using a combination of Myofascial Release (MFR) and self-myofasical release, you will change restrictred breath patterns. Whether you have asthama, COPD, lung tissue damage or stress and anxiety you will learn how improve your muscle strength so you can use the oxygen you breathe more efficiently. This will help you cope better with feeling out of breath.
Learn techniques to breath more efficiently, to release muscles, including the diapragm, that inhibit your breath. Learn how relaxed and more efficient breathing creates ease in the body.
I see a wide range of clients that seek myofascial treatment after losing flexibility or
function following an injury, surgery or experience ongoing pain, in some cases that have been unresolved for some years. I treat clients with soft tissue pain patterns such as fibromyalgia, ME and Lyme disease. I also treat women’s health issues.
My clinics are based in Stonehouse and Stroud, Gloucestershire.
“ A scar is the tip of a fascial iceberg”
Scar tissue can occur as a result of physical trauma (either from surgery or similar injury). This density is often what creates a pull on the tissues deep under the skin, which can then in turn cause pain., and can often lead to compensations in other areas.
Read more about scar tissue release here. |
From Brady Yano and Katie Steen (SPARC) | Volume 44 | November 9th, 2017
THE OER DIGEST
Your bi-weekly newsletter for open education updates, opportunities, and reminders
DISTRICT ADOPTION RATES: A new report by the Babson Survey Research Group investigates the process by which K-12 school districts select curricula materials in four critical subject areas: Mathematics, English Language Arts, Science, and History and Social Studies. The key findings while expansive include the following:
- Over three-quarters of K-12 districts have made at least one full-course curricula adoption decision over the past three years, with the need to meet changing standards driving most of these decisions
- Most districts make an adoption decision for Mathematics (59%), followed by English Language Arts (44%), Science (29%), and History and Social Studies (19%).
- Districts with a high proportion of students in poverty have adopted open licensed full course curricula materials at twice the rate of districts with low rates of child poverty (22% as compared to 10%).
ON THE RISE?: Earlier this week, Inside Higher Ed published a story on “inclusive access” highlighting the publishing industry’s move to new business models. In the article, OER advocates Nicole Allen and Rajiv Jhangiani cited concerns that these models allow publishers to control when and how students access materials while restricting student choice. Catch up on Nicole Allen’s tweetstorm on inclusive access models here.
ZED CRED: Last week, Kwantlen Polytechnic University and BCcampus announced the release of Canada’s first Zed Cred! Students working towards a Certificate of Arts at KPU can now choose from nearly 50 zero textbook cost course offerings. As part of BCcampus’ Open Textbook Project anniversary last month, they announced that KPU is their leading institutional adopter.
TEXTBOOK GAME: No, we’re not kidding! Staff from De Anza College developed a new game aimed at showcasing how students struggle with college expenses, especially textbooks. The game is licensed CC BY, and is available for download and adaption here.
OER METAFINDER: Last month, George Mason University in collaboration with Deep Web Technologies released a new resource marketed as a one-stop search box for Open and Affordable Educational Resources. The resource sources its findings from many popular OER repositories and referatories such as MERLOT, OER Commons, and the Open Textbook Library. You can learn more about the resource here.
IT’S UP TO LIBRARIANS: Acknowledging the progress made in other states, a new paper written by Steven Bell and Joseph Salem outlines a framework for how Pennsylvania’s academic librarians can develop a statewide initiative to tackle the challenge of textbook affordability.
Upcoming Events, Proposal and Registration Deadlines, Report-Backs
REGISTER: OpenCon Live will be taking place this weekend, November 11-13th. Tune in for a few hours, or a few days, from wherever you are to become an expert in different areas of Open, build your network, and get involved in an Open project or two! http://www.opencon2017.org/opencon_2017_live
REGISTER: Michigan is hosting a #GoOpen Summit at three sites across the state on December 5th.The program’s breakout sessions are designed for K-12 district administrators. http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/GoOpen_Summit_Flyer_600903_7.pdf
CALL FOR PROPOSALS: BCcampus’ Festival of Learning is set to return next spring! The deadline to submit a proposal is December 11th. https://bccampus.ca/festival-of-learning-2018/call-for-proposals/
STORIES FROM THE FIELD
Quick snapshots of those making change on the ground level, and those impacted
FROM ALBERTA: “The next steps are really looking at the longevity of the OER pilot project, of its potential renewal and of the effectiveness of this first go-around,” Miller said. “Ideally in the future, this pilot project, if successful, gets expanded to impact more and more students, especially lower-year classes, first-year and second-year students who have especially expensive textbooks.” Read more>
FROM CALIFORNIA: “A summer’s worth of research eventually led Harris into his fall semester film documentary class with a big idea to find the answer to the question: why are textbooks so expensive? So Harris along with classmate Evan Waugh, a 28-year-old film major, decided to find out by focusing on how students are affected by the inelasticity of the textbook market in their short documentary.” Read more>
FROM SASKATCHEWAN: “King stressed that although textbook cost is very important when he is assigning textbooks for his courses, the textbook must meet his minimum standards. The textbook has to be peer reviewed and King knew the reputation of the open textbook author, Dr. Timothy Taylor. King, himself, has written for textbooks in the past and was looking for a textbook that included instructor materials, such as powerpoints, solution manuals, and testbanks.” Read more>
HOT OFF THE PRESS
Each edition, we’ll highlight an interesting, new, openly-licensed resource
The Open Textbook Network has added a new title, Beginning Japanese for Professionals: Book 2. This textbook is designed for beginning learners who want to learn basic Japanese for the purpose of living and working in Japan.
Interesting Discussions and Strategic Reads to Repost or Share
Great to Share >>
OER: Bigger Than Affordability | Inside Higher Ed
Interesting to Consider >>
Faculty Buy-in Builds, Bit by Bit: Survey of Faculty Attitudes on Technology | Inside Higher Ed
How Two Virginia Colleges Are Reducing Costs and Accelerating Completion | Washington Post
Nonprofit Launching 2 New OER English Language Arts Curricula | THE Journal
Pricey College ‘Extras’ Undercut Student Efforts to Graduate | Campus Technology
States, Not Publishers, Driving Innovation in the Curriculum Marketplace | New America
Have suggestions for the next edition? Let us know at [email protected], or tweet us @OERdigest.
The OER Digest is a public newsletter distributed to a broad group of stakeholders across the higher education community. You can join the open Google Group or check out the distribution list here. |
Died in Cambridge, Massachusetts on February 2, 1865.
G.P. Bond and his father, W.C. Bond, have been honored by naming a moon crater Bond (33.2S, 36.0W, 110.6 km diameter, in 1973). A region on Saturn's moon Hyperion, which they co-discovered, is called Bond-Lassell Dorsum (48.0N, 143.5W, named 1982). Asteroid (767) Bondia was discovered on September 23, 1913 by J. H. Metcalf at Winchester observatory and provisionally designated 1913 SX; other independent findings had been designated A902 SA, 1929 OA, 1933 FO1, 1938 DQ2, 1957 UR, 1958 XA1, and 1959 AD. |
Microsoft today revealed the third generation Photosynth technology. Microsoft claims that this version of Photosynth is dramatic step forward in smoothness and simplicity. The new Photosynth technology supports four basic experiences: spin, panorama, walk, and wall.
- Photosynth : spin – Spin around an object as small as a seashell or as large as a mountain.
- Photosynth : panorama – Put yourself in the center of a space and look in every direction.
- Photosynth : walk – Follow a path through the woods or fly toward a destination.
- Photosynth : wall – Slide across a scene, checking out every last detail.
If you are not aware of how Photosynth works, here is a brief explanation from Microsoft.
When you upload a set of photos to our cloud service, our technology starts by looking for points (called “features”) in successive photos that appear to be the same object.
If it finds many features that reoccur in your set of photos, it passes this information on to the second step: bundle adjustment. Bundle adjustment, a standard technique in photogrammetry, determines where in 3D space each feature is, exactly where each photo was taken from, and how the camera was oriented for each photo.
Third, the technology uses the feature points in each photo to generate 3D shapes. It does so on a per-photo basis rather than trying to generate a global 3D model for the scene. The 3D model generated by Photosynth is coarse—you can see it if you type “c” (for camera) in the viewer and then use your mouse wheel to zoom out.
Next, the technology calculates a smooth path (think of it as a Steadicam) through—or very close to—the camera locations for each photo. Using this path, Photosynth presents the experience of moving through a synth as a gliding motion even if the actual photos were shot at different heights or slightly off-angle. You can see the path if you type “m” (for map) in the viewer. Finally, Photosynth slices and dices the images into multi-resolution pyramids for efficient access.
Microsoft offers technical preview of this new Photosynth service. You’ll need to sign up for it.
Read more about it here. |
Beacons are devices that use a new type of Bluetooth technology called the Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) to send signals to smartphones to pinpoint their location within accuracy of about a meter. Similar to a lighthouse beacon signaling a ship, nearby smartphones use these location signals to trigger actions such as location based promotions (through mobile coupons), navigation, notifications, or simply store the data for analysis.
What is iBeacon?
iBeacon, from Apple, is a proximity awareness feature in some of the newer iPhones and iPads. The location-based software detects when a user dwells or departs from a Beacon's area as well as estimating distance from the Beacon. These events can trigger a reaction in the user's iPhone or iPad to which they can respond via an app. The beacon hardware is designed to broadcast over a small area, so it can even run on low power and only a small button cell battery can be used to keep it running for months. The iBeacon itself only transmits its presence, so it cannot detect or engage any recipients unless they have a receiving device such as an app on their iPhone or iPad. Therefore the value in any iBeacon solution is in the software that interprets and connects with the Beacon, not the physical iBeacon itself.
How does it work?
iBeacons transmit a signal once a second that smartphones can see, a bit like a lighthouse. Most retail locations choose to place them near the front entrance, so the app on the customer's smartphone knows as soon as they walk in the door. Beacons are generally the size of a coin, need no external power (batteries last anything from 6 months to 9 years) and they do not need an internal connection. Most beacons have a maximum range of 50m, but because they use wireless technology to broadcast they are affected by objects around them. For example a wall or a person in the way will reduce their range. In a retail environment a beacon will normally have a range of 10-20m depending on where it is positioned and how it is configured.
How can we use iBeacons?
Do not get surprised if you receive a discount coupon on your smart phone while passing through a store in a mall. If used properly and wisely, iBeacons can help your increase your sales and achieve targeted marketing by offering targeted digital coupons.
With our software you can create beautiful coupons and connect them to your iBeacon promotions!
Do you have any questions? Contact us! |
The Cold War ultimately brought the Soviet Union down, but it took nearly half a century to accomplish this goal. In 1945, around the end of World War II, the Soviet Union and United States waged this war of threatening words and fear. The Cold War was a top concern on the international affairs front. From communism opponents' perspective, its purpose was to contain communism and avoid nuclear conflict. But the Soviet Union aimed to spread communism to the United States, if not the rest of the world.
These two powerhouses disagreed over political, cultural and economic differences. The United States began developing retaliatory weapons, should the need to use them arise. These weapons were called the Strategic Triad and included long-range bombers, submarines and land-based missiles. This led to the first nuclear arms race, during which the two governments stockpiled as many nuclear weapons as they could in order to keep the other government in line. Luckily, nuclear war was avoided, in large part due to the scare tactics of the Cold War.
In the 1950s, the Soviet Union and the United States engaged in the space race. Both countries wanted to be the first in space for a myriad of reasons, particularly because their defense and military capabilities stood to benefit from a successful space program. The space race was fueled by the ever-intensifying rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union won that contest by launching the satellite Sputnik into orbit on Oct. 4, 1957. But the U.S. was the first country to successfully land on the moon. You can learn more about the race to the moon in How Lunar Landings Work.
The tension between the United States and the Soviet Union wasn't just restricted to the nuclear arms race and space race. Many Cold War-related crises erupted over the years, including the Korean and Vietnam Wars, the Bay of Pigs Invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis.
The Soviet Union's arms race, space race and continued support of the communist regime (all of which cost a lot of money) resulted in a stagnant economy with virtually no growth. When Mikhail Gorbachev was appointed to the presidency of the Communist Party in 1985, he became an advocate of change. Gorbachev laid his goals out: rejuvenate the long-lagging economy and accelerate economic development.
He worked with President Ronald Reagan and the United States government to come to terms with the arms and policy disagreements that had escalated over the years. Relations between the United States and the Soviet Union improved rapidly. In 1989, Gorbachev and President George H.W. Bush declared an end to the Cold War. That same year marked the fall of the Berlin Wall in Germany, signifying the end of communism in East Germany. The communist governments in Czechoslovakia, Romania and Bulgaria also fell in December 1989.
In 1990, Russia elected Boris Yeltsin to the presidency. The Soviet Union officially came to an end in 1991 and split into republics (a system of government in which an elected official leads): Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgystan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. These republics are self-governed, rather than ruled by the Soviet Union.
When the Soviet Union dissolved, it led to a domino effect of communist nations collapsing. Learn which ones were affected -- and which ones weren't -- in the next section. |
Extinct for nearly 66 million years, dinosaurs were among the most unique creatures to ever walk the earth; there are truly no animals today that share much resemblance to dinosaurs, except for birds, which are often considered by scientists to be a classification of dinosaurs. Having ruled the earth for a period of nearly 150 million years, paleontologists have uncovered a number of really strange and weird facts about dinosaurs. From having absurdly large teeth to having a literally very questionable mating practice, here are our top ten really weird facts about dinosaurs.
10. Most Dinosaurs Were Vegetarians
Vegans, whiny organic-food bloggers, outspoken plant lovers, and just about everyone who shops at Whole Foods Market: pack up your bags and just give up. Really, just do it right now. Dinosaurs already beat you to the punchline: they loved the earth and wanted to let other life live more than we humans do. They were ethical, respectful of moving flesh, as the majority of dinosaurs were indeed vegetarians. That doesn’t mean there weren’t meat eaters; we all know the voracious appetite of the velociraptor and T-Rex, thanks to Jurassic Park. Basically, if a dinosaur stood on all four feet, it was a vegetarian, and if it stood on two feet, it was a carnivore.
9. The Brain of the Stegosaurus Was About the Size of One Dense Brazil Nut
Stegosauruses had an extremely low brain to body mass. Their brain weighed approximately three ounces, was the size of about two dense walnuts, and their body mass was approximately 5 tons, which is heavier than most cars on the road today. Can you imagine if your car’s engine were the size of a walnut? Can you imagine if your brain had the same overall ratio to your body mass…your brain would be far less than the size of a split pea! This explains why stegosauruses likely had limited mobility and likely little brain capacity.
8. One Dinosaur Could Run Nearly 40 Miles Per Hour
So you are driving in traffic, and all of the sudden, you see a Dromiceiomimus running towards your car really fast. You say to yourself “NBD, I’ll just drive faster.” So you hit the acceleration, take the car to 30 miles per hour, and that pesky Dromiceiomimus is catching up to you. Eventually, you take the car to 40 miles per hour, only to see the predatory dinosaur version of Usain Bolt catching up to you. How frightening would it be if this creature still existed today, that our own vehicles would not able to outrun it in normal daytime traffic?
7. This Dinosaur, Popularized By The Land Before Time, Weighed As Much As 17 Elephants.
Does everyone remember Little Foot? You know, the cute little dinosaur whose mother passes away in the beginning of the classic Amblin Entertainment film The Land Before Time. I loved Little Foot while growing up, constantly watching his journey through hardships and prejudices. And you know what, he would grow up to be one of the largest species of animals that ever existed. The Brachiosaurus weighed 80 tons, the size of 17 large elephants. Imagine if we had zoos and were able to put Brachiosauruses in zoos today – that would be an incredible sight.
6. Although There Are Millions of Dinosaur Fossils That Have been Around For As Much As 230 Million Years, the First Dinosaur Fossil Was Not Discovered Until 1822.
In an attempt to figure out the origins of the iguanodon, an English obstetrician turned paleontologist named Gideon Mantell discovered, before anyone else in all of recorded human history, discovered the first dinosaur fossil. Since then, an entire field dedicated to the uncovering of dinosaurs, ancient fossils, and Cretaceous era artifacts has come about, widely known throughout the world as paleontology. I guess this is one of those instances where an accident leads to a major discovery! |
On 25 March 1965, Martin Luther King led thousands of nonviolent demonstrators to the steps of the capitol in Montgomery, Alabama, after a 5-day, 54-mile march from Selma, Alabama, where local African Americans, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) had been campaigning for voting rights. King told the assembled crowd: ‘‘There never was a moment in American history more honorable and more inspiring than the pilgrimage of clergymen and laymen of every race and faith pouring into Selma to face danger at the side of its embattled Negroes’’ (King, ‘‘Address at the Conclusion of the Selma to Montgomery March,’’ 121).
On 2 January 1965 King and SCLC joined the SNCC, the Dallas County Voters League, and other local African American activists in a voting rights campaign in Selma where, in spite of repeated registration attempts by local blacks, only two percent were on the voting rolls. SCLC had chosen to focus its efforts in Selma because they anticipated that the notorious brutality of local law enforcement under Sheriff Jim Clark would attract national attention and pressure President Lyndon B. Johnson and Congress to enact new national voting rights legislation.
The campaign in Selma and nearby Marion, Alabama, progressed with mass arrests but little violence for the first month. That changed in February, however, when police attacks against nonviolent demonstrators increased. On the night of 18 February, Alabama state troopers joined local police breaking up an evening march in Marion. In the ensuing melee, a state trooper shot Jimmie Lee Jackson, a 26-year-old church deacon from Marion, as he attempted to protect his mother from the trooper’s nightstick. Jackson died eight days later in a Selma hospital.
In response to Jackson’s death, activists in Selma and Marion set out on 7 March, to march from Selma to the state capitol in Montgomery. While King was in Atlanta, his SCLC colleague Hosea Williams, and SNCC leader John Lewis led the march. The marchers made their way through Selma across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, where they faced a blockade of state troopers and local lawmen commanded by Clark and Major John Cloud who ordered the marchers to disperse. When they did not, Cloud ordered his men to advance. Cheered on by white onlookers, the troopers attacked the crowd with clubs and tear gas. Mounted police chased retreating marchers and continued to beat them.
Television coverage of ‘‘Bloody Sunday,’’ as the event became known, triggered national outrage. Lewis, who was severely beaten on the head, said: ‘‘I don’t see how President Johnson can send troops to Vietnam—I don’t see how he can send troops to the Congo—I don’t see how he can send troops to Africa and can’t send troops to Selma,’’ (Reed, ‘‘Alabama Police Use Gas’’).
That evening King began a blitz of telegrams and public statements, ‘‘calling on religious leaders from all over the nation to join us on Tuesday in our peaceful, nonviolent march for freedom’’ (King, 7 March 1965). While King and Selma activists made plans to retry the march again two days later, Federal District Court Judge Frank M. Johnson, Jr. notified the movement attorney Fred Gray that he intended to issue a restraining order prohibiting the march until at least 11 March, and President Johnson pressured King to call off the march until the federal court order could provide protection to the marchers.
Forced to consider whether to disobey the pending court order, after consulting late into the night and early morning with other civil rights leaders and John Doar, the deputy chief of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, King proceeded to the Edmund Pettus Bridge on the afternoon of 9 March. He led more than 2,000 marchers, including hundreds of clergy who had answered King’s call on short notice, to the site of Sunday’s attack, then stopped and asked them to kneel and pray. After prayers they rose and turned the march back to Selma, avoiding another confrontation with state troopers and skirting the issue of whether to obey Judge Johnson’s court order. Many marchers were critical of King’s unexpected decision not to push on to Montgomery, but the restraint gained support from President Johnson, who issued a public statement: ‘‘Americans everywhere join in deploring the brutality with which a number of Negro citizens of Alabama were treated when they sought to dramatize their deep and sincere interest in attaining the precious right to vote’’ (Johnson, ‘‘Statement by the President,’’ 272). Johnson promised to introduce a voting rights bill to Congress within a few days.
That evening, several local whites attacked James Reeb, a white Unitarian minister who had come from Massachusetts to join the protest. His death two days later contributed to the rising national concern over the situation in Alabama. Johnson personally telephoned his condolences to Reeb’s widow and met with Alabama Governor George Wallace, pressuring him to protect marchers and support universal suffrage.
On 15 March Johnson addressed the Congress, identifying himself with the demonstrators in Selma in a televised address: ‘‘Their cause must be our cause too. Because it is not just Negroes, but really it is all of us, who must overcome the crippling legacy of bigotry and injustice. And we shall overcome’’ (Johnson, ‘‘Special Message’’). The following day Selma demonstrators submitted a detailed march plan to federal Judge Frank M. Johnson, Jr., who approved the demonstration and enjoined Governor Wallace and local law enforcement from harassing or threatening marchers. On 17 March President Johnson submitted voting rights legislation to Congress.
The federally sanctioned march left Selma on 21 March. Protected by hundreds of federalized Alabama National Guardsmen and Federal Bureau of Investigation agents, the demonstrators covered between 7 to 17 miles per day. Camping at night in supporters’ yards, they were entertained by celebrities such as Harry Belafonte and Lena Horne. Limited by Judge Johnson’s order to 300 marchers over a stretch of two-lane highway, the number of demonstrators swelled on the last day to 25,000, accompanied by Assistant Attorneys General John Doar and Ramsey Clark, and former Assistant Attorney General Burke Marshall, among others.
During the final rally, held on the steps of the capitol in Montgomery, King proclaimed: ‘‘The end we seek is a society at peace with itself, a society that can live with its conscience. And that will be a day not of the white man, not of the black man. That will be the day of man as man’’ (King, ‘‘Address,’’ 130). Afterward a delegation of march leaders attempted to deliver a petition to Governor Wallace, but were rebuffed. That night, while ferrying Selma demonstrators back home from Montgomery, Viola Liuzzo, a housewife from Michigan who had come to Alabama to volunteer, was shot and killed by four members of the Ku Klux Klan. Doar later prosecuted three Klansmen conspiring to violate her civil rights.
On 6 August, in the presence of King and other civil rights leaders, President Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Recalling ‘‘the outrage of Selma,’’ Johnson
called the right to vote ‘‘the most powerful instrument ever devised by man for breaking down injustice and destroying the terrible walls which imprison men because they are different from other men’’ (Johnson, ‘‘Remarks’’). In his annual address to SCLC a few days later, King noted that ‘‘Montgomery led to the Civil Rights Act of 1957 and 1960; Birmingham inspired the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and Selma produced the voting rights legislation of 1965’’ (King, 11 August 1965).
Garrow, Protest at Selma, 1978.
Johnson, ‘‘Remarks in the Capitol Rotunda at the Signing of the Voting Rights Act,’’ 6 August 1966, in Public Papers of the Presidents: Lyndon B. Johnson, 1965, bk.2, 1966.
Johnson, ‘‘Special Remarks to the Congress: The American Promise,’’ 15 March 1965, in Public Papers of the Presidents: Lyndon B. Johnson, bk. 1, 1966.
Johnson, ‘‘Statement by the President on the Situation in Selma, Alabama,’’ 9 March 1965, in Public Papers of the Presidents: Lyndon B. Johnson, 1965, bk. 1, 1966.
King, ‘‘Address at Conclusion of the Selma to Montgomery March,’’ in A Call to Conscience, Carson and Shepard, eds., 2001.
King, Annual report at SCLC convention, 11 August 1965, MLKJP-GAMK.
King, Statement on violence committed by state troopers in Selma, Alabama, 7 March 1965, MLKJP-GAMK.
King to Elder G. Hawkins, 8 March 1965, NCCP-PPPrHi.
Lewis, Walking with the Wind, 1998.
Roy Reed, ‘‘Alabama Police Use Gas and Clubs to Rout Negroes,’’ New York Times, 8 March 1965. |
The Janissaries and the Ottoman Armed forces
A Janissarie, the large flap of the headdress was in imitation of the sleeve of Hajji Bektash, founder of the Bektashi dervishes, who laid his hand on early Janissaries to give his blessing. Those who won distinction in battle were permitted to wear distinctive headdresses.
Murad continued the Janissary system .Janissarie, from Ottoman Turkish: (yeniçeri) meaning "new soldier" with the Devshirme ( the Collecting ) recruitment system, where a certain number of Christian boys in their early teens were delivered to Ottoman authorities and converted to Islam . The Devshirme was ended by Sultan Murat IV in the mid 17th century .Those with the right physique and aptitude would be placed in the Janissaries. Others would be drafted into imperial service to be officals, gardeners,armourers and other positions.
The Janissaries grew in size to only a quarter of the regular army's size. Only sons and gypsies (deamed unrealible) were exempt. The Janissaries were introduced by Orhan as a bodyguard and were developed into a military unit by Murad to offset the power of the army. It was against Moslem law to enslave Moslems .They were admitted to the more eclectic Bektasi branch of Islam.
The Janissaries were lead by the Agha of Janissaries who sat with other ministers at the Divan. The Janissaries were made up of a number of divisions and each had its own barracks and had their own symbol, a key, fish, etc. Upon arriving, the new boys were lined up and at a signal ran to the company headquarters. The one who arrived first was made the leader of the class. They raised their right hand and swore alliengence to Allah and were circumcised. They remained slaves of the sultan all their lives .The men of their barracks became their family and swore an oath to them over a tray holding a copy of the Koran, salt and a sword. Each barrack room had a few large copper cauldrons called kazan, around which they gathered for their meals in the evening. If thet were lost in battle the officer of the barrack was dismissed. The Janissaries symbolically kicked over their kazans when in revolt. Titles were drawn from the kitchen, the senior comanders were soup men, below them were the cooks, watercarrier and so on.
the Ottoman army was the first regular army to emerge since the collapse of the Roman Empire. Its army on campaign were highly organized, with tents laid out in neat rows, cooks and kept clean to prevent disease. The army went out on campaign almost every year, the direction of the campaign signalled by horsetail standard being planted on the Scutari hill (Asia) or the Belgrade Gate ( Europe).
16th century Venetian print of a Janissarie commander
They were given the best training available to turn them into warriors and administrators .Promotion was only through merit. The Janissaries went through rigours training and were no permitted to marry or own property at first. By the mid-18th century they had taken up many trades and gained the right to marry and enroll their children in the corps and very few continued to live in the barracks. Many of them became administrators and scholars. Retired or discharged Janissaries received pensions and their children were also looked after. This evolution away from their original military vocation led to corruption and dilution of military valor and was the essence of the system's demiseThe Janissaries have been likened to the Roman Praetorian Guard and they had no equivalent in the Christian armies of the time, where the feudal lords raised troops during times of war.
Ancient Warriors - Janissaries
Most Janissaries went into battle with the two and a half foot long yataghan.
Free born Moslem were not allowed to enter the Janissaire. They could , however enter the huge defterdar , or accounting class, which managedthe bureaucracy managing the empires finances .Janissaries became the first Ottoman standing army, replacing forces that mostly comprised tribal ghazis, whose loyalty and morale could not always be trusted. Janissaries trained under strict discipline with hard labour and in practically monastic conditions in acemi oglan ("rookie" or "cadet") schools, where they were expected to remain celibate. They were also expected to convert to Islam. All did, as Christians were not allowed to bear arms in the Ottoman Empire until the 19th century. Unlike other Muslims, they were expressly forbidden to wear beards (a Muslim custom), only a moustache. Many Janissaries were converts to the zealous Bektas dervish sufi order.
Sultan Mehmed II going to Friday prayers, surrounded by Janissarie guards
The Janissaries were paid quarterly and the Sultan himself, after authorizing the payment of the salaries, dressed as a Janissary, visited the barracks and received his salary as a regular trooper of the First Division. Logistical support also set the Janissaries apart from their contemporaries. The Janissaries waged war as one part of a well organized military machine. The Ottoman army had a corps to prepare the road, a corps to pitch the tents ahead, a corps to bake the bread. The cebeci corps carried and distributed weapons and ammunition. The Janissary corps had its own internal medical auxiliaries, Muslim and Jewish surgeons who would travel with the corps during campaigns and had organized methods of moving the wounded and the sick to traveling hospitals behind the lines.
Janissaries carrying cooking pots . When janissaries ceremoniously overturned their large cooking pot, it meant they would no longer eat the sultan's rations and were in revolt. The large copper cooking pot was the meeting place of the janissaries
. The symbol of the force were the pot and the spoon. The large communal spoon became a standard. The titles of the officers were also influenced by the kitchen, such as first cook.
The janissaries were the personal slaves of the sultan, his bodyguard, and in the beginning they were not permitted to marry. Originally, their number was limited to 20,000, but this increased rapidly and during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent they were permitted to marry .Their power was to become so great that they would enthrone and dethrone sultans. Each large city had its contingent of janissaries, who lived with their families in large janissary districts. Owing to the irregularity of pay from the captial, many of the took up trades. Heroism was bounded up in individual combat with swords, spears and maces and the janissaries were slow to take up the use of European weapons . For courage indiviual combat, the janissaries were allowed to wear celenk, or feathers in their turbans .The janissariesmarched to distinctive music, the mehter, similar to a modern marching band. The music was also used to strike fear into enemies.
A serasker or Commander-in-Chief early 19th century
As Janissaries became aware of their own importance they began to desire a better life. In 1449 they revolted for the first time, demanding higher wages, which they obtained. By the early 17th century the early iron discipline had been lost and began to gain a reputation for ineptitude and corruption. The Ottomans maintained their traditional approach to warefare while the europens modernized. Finally, Mahmud II succeeded in forcibly disbanding themafter the Auspicious Incident in 1826 after the janissaries revolted after discovering the sultan was training a new army along European lines . The main Janissaries were cut down by artillery and guns of soldiers of the new army in Instanbul and throughout the empire and broght to an end a system that lasted for five hundred years. The corps was proscribed and the Bektashi dervishes who supported them were outlawed.
music of the Janissaries Funeral March
The sipahis or cavalry
There were six divisions (Alti Bölük) of cavalry in the Ottoman Empire made up of the Sipahis, Silahdars, Ulufejis and Gurebas . The Sipahis came to formed the largest part of the cavalry.
In contrast, the sipahis or cavalry, was made up of Turks and formed a large part of the Turish army. The sipahis were granted fiefs of land called timar and ziamet from which they collected revenue. Regular sipahis held the smaller timar and officers the larger ziamet. In return they had to serve in the army and collect revenue from their timar. A timar holder also had to provide five soldiers and a ziamet holder twenty. the timar were not passed down to a sipahis' son, one a small portion would. Timar had to be earned through merit in battle.The Sipahis were originally founded during the reign of Murad I. The siphas were important is disbanding the Janissaries in 1826 and were themselves disbanned a few years later as sultan Mahmud II modernized Ottoman forces.
Akinci - Irregular light cavalry
The Akinci (Turkish for raider ) Irregular light cavalry provided their service for free, hoping to gather loot and pillage in the Ghazi tradition and were deadly with their bows and delivering Parthian shots . Some hoped to be be promoted to the sipahis. The Akinci were important for actions behind enemy lines,toutching crops,looting and harrassing supply lines and reconnaissance. Unlike the heavy cavalry, they were designed for speed. They were also important for wearing down an enemy in battle before the professionals, the sipahis and Janissaries would attack.
The Ottoman Navy
Ottomam Admiral's galley
Unlike earlier nomadic empires, the Ottomans developed a powerful navy. The early ships of the Ottomans were used against pirates and for piracy themselves against infidel ships, the Ghazis of the land became Ghazls of the sea. Bajazet I laid the foundation of Ottoman sea power by establishing shipyard, Mehmed II put these ships to good use to conquer Constantinople in 1453. The title of the Ottoman admiral was the Kaptan PashaThe growth of Ottoman sea power cost the Genoese and Venitiand dearly. Genoa lost its access to the Black Sea and colonies in Crimea and Tribizond after the fall of Constantinople and islands in the Aegean such as Lesbos in 1462. Venice lost Lepanto in 1499 and Cyprus in 1570.The navy inceased in skill and by 1522 were able to drive the Knights of St.John from Rhodes, which had been raiding Ottoman ships and coastal towns . The Knights Hospitallers of Jerusalem, driven from Smyrna (in 1403) by Timur, had settled at Rhodes, which they hastened to render impregnable. Apparently they succeeded, for attack after attack from the Mamluk Sultans of Egypt failed to shake them from their stronghold, whence they commanded the line of commerce between Alexandria and Constantinople, and did a brisk trade in piracy upon passing vessels. The Knights of Rhodes were the Christian Corsairs of the Levant; the forests of Caramania furnished them with ships, and the populations of Asia Minor supplied them with slaves. So long as they roved the seas the Sultans galleys were ill at ease. Even Christian ships suffered from their high-handed proceedings, and Venice looked on with open satisfaction when, in 1480, Mohammed II. despatched one hundred and sixty ships and a large army to humble the pride of the Knights. The siege failed, however; DAubusson, the Grand Master, repulsed the general assault with furious heroism, and the Turks retired with heavy loss.
Ottoman sailor with astrolab
After the fall of the Fatimd Caliphate, North Africa had broken up into small chieftans and become bases for piracy. Moors who had fled Spain after 1492, encouraged piracy against Christians and the Spanish in particular, even raiding the coasts of Spain. Spain, under Queen Isabellaretaliated and siezed control of a number of North African ports. It was around this time that saw the rise of the great cosair brothers, Aruj (c.1474-1518) and Khairedden Barbarossa (c.1487-1546), Turkish subjects from the island of Lesbos.. The brothers liberated Algiers from the Spanish and offered it to the Ottoman sultan and was made a province (sanjak) in 1517with Aruj being appointed bey.Khairedden Barbarossa efforts to help the Muslims of Spain in need and transporting them to safer lands earned him the honorific name Baba Oruç (Father Aruj) which evolved into Barbarossa (meaning Redbeard in Italian). He was made beylerbey of of Africa by Selim I, who was happy to add the North african territory to the empire after securing Egypt. Suleiman appointed him Kapadan Pasha to fight the growing power of the Christian naval forces in the eastern Mediterrian, commanded by Genoese Andrea Doria who fought for the Habsburgs.Aruj died in 1518 fighting the Spanish.Barbarossa sought an alliance with Spain as an ally against Spain,leading to the Turco-French Treaty of 1536.
In 1534 Tunis was seized by Barbarossa and annexed by the empire.Ottoman fleet under Turgut Reis which had earlier conquered Libya (1551) and of Salih Reis, who had conquered the coasts of Morocco beyond the Strait of Gibraltar in 1553.In 1535, the Habsburg emperor assembled a fleet of four hundred and and army and took Tunis. Barbarossa attacked the Balearic Island port of Mago, seizing ships and thousands of Christians .After an attack on Venitian islands , The Pope, Venice ,Spain and the Maltese Knightsformed a Holy League to combat the Ottomans and assembled a fleet of some 200 vessels.Barbarossa defeated Andrea Doria at the Battle of Preveza in 1538. This victory secured Turkish dominance over the Mediterranean for the next 33 years, until the Battle of Lepanto in 1571. The Christians were disunited and unable to exploit this victory and the sultan rebuilt his fleet stronger than before.Barbarossa retired in Istanbul in 1545 and died in 1546.
Starting from the early 17th century, the Ottoman fleet began to advance into the Atlantic Ocean . In 1617 the Ottoman fleet captured Madeira in the Atlantic Ocean and raided England.Ottoman ships were sighted off the coast of North America.In the rest of the 17th and 18th centuries, however, the operations of the Ottoman fleet were largely limited to the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea, Red Sea, Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea. The 18th century was a period of stalemate for the Ottoman fleet. During the Russo-Turkish War of 17681774 however, the Ottoman fleet was destroyed in the Battle of Chesme (1770). The next Russo-Turkish War again saw numerous naval defeats at the hands of the Russian Black Sea Fleet under Admiral Fyodor Ushakov
The 19th century saw further decline in Ottoman naval power, despite occasional recovery. Following the defeat against the combined British-French-Russian fleet at the Battle of Navarino in 1827, Sultan Mahmud II gave priority to develop a strong and modern Ottoman naval force. The first steam ships of the Ottoman Navy were acquired in 1828. In 1829 the world's largest warship for many years, the 62x17x7m ship-of-the-line Mahmudiye, which had 128 cannons on 3 decks, was built for the Ottoman Navy at the Imperial Naval Arsenal on the Golden Horn in Istanbul.
In 1875, during the reign of Sultan Abdülaziz, the Ottoman Navy had 21 battleships and 173 other types of warships, ranking as the third largest navy in the world after the British and French navies.
The poor condition of the fleet was evident during the Ottoman Naval Parade of 1910, and the Ottoman Navy Foundation was established in order to purchase new ships through public donations. Those who made donations received different types of medals according to the size of their contributions. The bad state of the Ottoman fleet became even more evident with the outbreak of the First Balkan War, when it was twice defeated by the Greek Navy at the battles of Elli and Lemnos, while several smaller vessels were captured or sunk by Greek torpedo boats. The only Ottoman naval successes were the raiding actions of the light cruiser Hamidye under Rauf Orbay.
Ottoman government ordering large dreadnought battleships like Sultan Osman I and Resadiye. Despite the payment for both ships, the United Kingdom confiscated them at the outbreak of World War I and renamed them as HMS Agincourt and HMS Erin. This caused some ill-feeling towards Britain among the Ottoman public, and the German Empire took advantage of the situation by sending the battlecruiser SMS Goeben and light cruiser SMS Breslau which entered service in the Ottoman fleet as Yavuz Sultan Selim and Midilli respectively. This event significantly contributed to the decision of entry into World War I on the side of Germany and the Central Powers.Following the end of World War I, the Ottoman Navy was dissolved by the Allies
The ships of the early Ottoman navy were based on the Genoese and Venitian galleys and galleass.There were of about 1,500 to 2,000 tons with heavy cannons portholes on the upper and lower decks. The galleys were the battleships of the age. Sleeker galleons were the destroyers of the age, rowed by freemen. Galleasses were powered by sail and oars.In addition to sails. Galleons, common in the New World but rare in the Meriterrainian, were powered by sail. A typical galley had tiers of oars, requiring galley slaves who were chained by one leg. Usually there were three men to a large oar and 26 oars on each side.In battle they could be manoeuvred to ram or so the enemy craft could be boarded.There was usually one large gun on the prow and four or five amidships. wikipedia |
Attendance tracking of every student is an important task as a teacher. It provides an overall idea whether any student has not found any subject interesting or not. It gives us ideas about some other parameters like regularity of students, leaves count and unexcused absents of the students. Attendance sheet is important for all these reasons.
Attendance Sheet- Why it is important
Attendance sheet is important for many things when you have more than ten students in class. Usually, we can’t remember who has been present in all classes or who has not been. That’s why a real time record is necessary. Attendance sheet does the task here.
Attendance Sheet- What are the features
There are some features which a standard attendance sheet must include. These are as follow-
Monthly Attendance Record: A standard attendance sheet always has an at a glance Record of monthly attendance record where a record of everyday attendance is kept. You can get straight to the dates when a student missed classes, and it becomes easy to find out the most consistent students in the classes, and if someone is skipping classes, we can easily identify the cause after a face to face session after classes.
Space for all students’ Details: A standard attendance sheet has to be fit for all students’ data. That’s why it’s important to have enough space to write the attendance and the causes of absents for all the students in class.
Column for remarks: We often miss this feature. A good attendance sheet must include a special column for remarks. Remarks state that why a leave is taken. Apart from this, it reflects a blank space where you can put important notes for each student.
What you should look for while selecting free attendance sheet online
There are some features you should look for while you are roaming online to download free attendance sheets. The features are listed up above, but there is hardly any sheet that can match the requirements of a standard professional attendance sheet. We need something solid which we can go for blindly. Here the features go-
The size of the Sheet: The sheet of attendance should be as per the standard size- A4 or letter. If you select a good looking and feature rich attendance sheet with an abnormal size, you can’t print those sheets using a printer. That’s why always go for a familiar paper size.
Margins of the sheet: Have a look at the margins of the sheet because if you don’t look at the margin, it will kill your all efforts at last when you go for printing the sheet. If the sheet has short margin, then you can’t print the whole page properly. A standard sheet of attendance must have a standard margin which is between 0.5 to 1.0 cm.
Some Free Attendance Sheet for you
Here are some free references of attendance sheet for you. These are handpicked by our team and all of these are ready to use. Just put the names of the students start your activities with these attendance sheets.
An attractive looking attendance sheet where every detail is mentioned properly and thats why it is selected as one of the best templates for students attendance.
Another sheet of attendance that is taken here for its precise design and compact format. You can choose this template as your own template for checking students attendance.
If you prefer functionalities over design then its a piece to choose. It has solid features and it does not provide anything that is not required to track attendance.
Buzz here, if you get stuck anywhere using these ultimate attendance sheets. Suggestions are welcome so we can upgrade this assistance article for teachers like you! |
The largest city of Massachusetts, US, is Boston, which also happens to be the city’s capital. The capital covers an approximate area of 125sq.kms and is situated at 19 ft. from sea level. The city’s geography is split into two- of which the land masses occupy 54%, and the remaining is water.
Population in Boston, MA has reached a toll of nearly 4.5 million people, and interestingly, over 13% of them go to work on foot. This is the highest amount for any US metropolis. Flights to Boston raise the scale, bringing nearly 15 million passengers a year.
The city comfortably sits on the vast Shawmut Peninsula and marks the converging spot for the two major rivers, Charles and The Mystic. It’s surrounded by marshy swamps, which separate it from the main lands, also because of its altitude. Dubbed “the city of neighborhoods,” Boston, MA is encompassed by 21 neighboring cities, towns and suburbs. The city’s rivers separate it from these neighbors, defining the perimeters of the city naturally.
The city has an average annual temperature of 52 degrees Fahrenheit, with the coldest month being January, where the temperature drops to as low as 29.3 degrees. The month of July is the hottest, with peaking temperatures of 51.6 degrees.
The downtown region isn’t particularly mapped out; it’s haphazard. On the other hand, the other areas of the city are well-planned and have a neat grid layout. It has a large rapid transit system, the famous MBTA’s green, that serves a large percentage of both locals and visitors, and which happens to be the world’s oldest subway system.
Boston’s median household income was last recorded at $51,739. The city has an ever-changing population distribution mainly made up of Whites, Latin Americans, and Asian and a small percentage of African-Americans. People with an Irish ancestry make up the largest percentage followed by those of Italian and West Indian ancestries in that order. The city is a tourist attraction, and this fact is proved simply by Faneuil Hall’s visitor status of over 20 million people, annually!
The States are most famous for the baseball leagues, and Boston, MA is known to hold the earliest morning event annually! The Red Sox plays the home game.
When it comes to education, the city is called America’s Athens City, with over a hundred institutes and universities. A large number of local international students complete their higher studies from the Greater Boston area. |
Hurler and Hunter Syndromes
Hurler syndrome and Hunter syndrome are the lysosomal storage diseases known as the mucopolysaccharidoses. Hurler syndrome, also called mucopolysaccharidosis type I (MPS I), is caused by a deficiency of alpha-L-iduronidase. Similarly Hunter syndrome, also called mucopolysaccharidosis type II (MPSII), is caused by a deficiency of iduronate-2-sulfatase (I2S). In both diseases, the mutations lead to the accumulation of dermatan sulfate and heparan sulfate, the presence of which in body tissues leads to a variety of clinical findings. Both diseases are similar, but Hunter syndrome is a less severe form of Hurler syndrome. Hunter syndrome can be clinically differentiated by a lack of corneal clouding but with the additional finding of aggressive behavior. As an aside, Hurler syndrome was formerly known as gargoylism, as build-up of mucopolysaccharide leads to the coarsening of facial features. |
In Merlin Stone's book "When God Was a Woman", about early goddesses, there is a strange hypothesis about the importance of snakes in the early Middle East. MS notes that snakes are associated with prophecy and wisdom - and goddesses - in several places, such as Egypt, Sumer, Crete, and Greece. In Egypt, the female deity of pre-dynastic northern (Lower) Egypt was the cobra goddess Ua Zit. Egyptian deities and royalty has a uraeus emblem - a head and hood of a cobra. Some Sumerian goddesses, such as Inanna, were associated with snakes. In Minoan-era Crete, we find some statuettes of goddesses or priestesses with snakes. In one case, the snakes are cobras. In Greece, in what is most likely a Minoan legacy, Hera and Athena were associated with snakes, and the shrines of Delphi, Olympia, and Dodona were originally associated with goddesses. However, they were taken over by the followers of the male gods Zeus and Apollo, who were depicted as snake-killers. Even then, the greatest wisdom was associated with priestesses. Serpenticidal male gods also include Marduk, who killed Tiamat, and Yahweh himself, who killed Leviathan.
MS suggests a connection to the Adam and Eve legend. The Philistines had "snake tubes" nearly identical to some found on Crete, which is consistent with them being Cretan refugees. So some "snake priestesses" may have set up shop in Palestine when the Israelites showed up. The Adam and Eve legend may have been an effort to discredit these women, for it suggests that snakes are wicked, and women who listen to snakes are wicked. This is all in keeping with the Yahvist effort to discredit religions other than the worship of Yahweh, which is a sordid story of religious persecution. This persecution involved going so far as destroying a bronze snake kept in the Temple, the Nehushtan, which could supposedly cure snakebite. This snake was probably associated with an earlier acceptance of this snake cult.
But how did this snake cult actually work? It is difficult to say, but MS offers a strange hypothesis. She notes that we are told that Cassandra and Melampus had acquired prophetic powers from having their ears licked with snakes. So is there some snakebite connection? MS suggests that there was, and tells of someone who had been immunized against krait venom, but who had been bitten by a krait [Cobras in the Garden, H. Kursh]
He had developed a sense of enhanced awareness and he had visions. He reported himself making up verses, and said "My mind had extraordinary powers."
This is evidently much like mescaline [from peyote] or psilocybin [in certain mushrooms], used by some Native Americans for similar purposes; those who take these two or LSD often feel as if they are in touch with the basic forces of existence and a sensation of perceiving the events and meaning of the past, present, and future with great clarity and comprehension. It could well be that some snake venom has components with similar effects.
So could it be that early snake prophetesses (and male prophets) were going on snakebite trips?
Oracles connected with snakes were consulted in Greece and elsewhere for important decisions, which seems very trustworthy of people with "highs".
One does have to ask the question on how this type of prophesying got associated with women instead of men or both sexes equally in the ancient Middle East.
This only adds to the riddle of Minoan Crete. Since the priestesses there were important citizens, and since they are associated with snakes, then could some of the leaders of Crete back then have been snakebite-tripping priestesses? The possibility of a "feminist theocracy", rule by a largely female priesthood, seems awesome enough (no prominent "kings"), but this is truly wild.
I confess I don't have much taste for theocracy, but I would certainly prefer a Minoan-type theocracy (if that was what it was) to the more familiar kinds - Jewish, Christian, and Muslim - which I find absolutely disgusting.
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Planning theorists often criticise the negative impact of designing urban spaces around the needs of automobiles. Theorists lament the resultant unsafe conditions for pedestrians, and the associated loss of vibrant street cultures. They cite our increasing dependence on automobiles for even brief travel, and draw attention to the way that we shuttle from our homes into the private, homogenised, commercial spaces of shopping malls, thus impoverishing the public arena. Against this critical backdrop, the following snippet from Walter Benjamin’s Arcades Project caught my eye – this from Convolute A, p. 32:
“The narrow streets surrounding the Opera and the hazards to which pedestrians were exposed on emerging from this theater, which is always beseiged by carriages, gave a group of speculators in 1821 the idea of using some of the structures separating the new theater from the boulevard. / This enterprise, a source of riches for its originators, was at the same time of great benefit to the public. / By way of a small, narrow covered arcade built of wood, one had, in fact, direct access, with all the security of the Opera vestibule, to these galleries, and from there to the bouolevard…. Above the entablature of Doric pilasters dividing the shops rise two floors of apartments, and above the apartments – running the length of the galleries – reigns an enormous glass-paned roof.” J.A. Dulaure, Histoire physique, civile et morale de Paris depuis 1821 jusqu’a nos jours (Paris, 1835), vol. 2, pp. 28-29. [A1, 6]
Until 1987, the carriage ruled the streets. On the narrow sidewalks the pedestrian was extremely cramped, and so strolling took place principally in the arcades, which offered protection from bad weather and from the traffic. “Our larger streets and our wider sidewalks are suited to the sweet flanerie that for our fathers was impossible except in the arcades.” Flaneur Edmond Beaurepaire, Paris d’hier et d’aujourd’hui: La Chronique des rues (Paris, 1900), p. 67. [A1a, I]
There is a certain amusement value in wondering whether critical urban theorists – had they existed in the early 19th century – would have generated “tyranny of the carriage!” articles, in the same way they currently generate “tyranny of the automobile” articles. More substantively, though, this passage interests me as a model for highlighting the ambivalent potentials of historical change. Benjamin here takes several steps that are sometimes missing from critical analyses of urban form:
(1) He does not judge the consequence by the cause – he highlights that it was base profit motive and speculation that led to the creation of the arcades, but does not assume that this observation, by itself, carries critical impact;
(2) He does not assume that the impact of change was intentional – speculators were focussed on immediate personal profits, and were not explicitly intending to create an exemplary or novel form of social experience, which would then come to take on a life of its own; and
(3) He recognises the ambivalent character of change – the arcades made money for speculators, but this does not prevent them from also making positive contributions in a broader sense.
These insights – expressed, in typical Benjamin form, through the selective appropriation and reorganisation of the insights of others – are all very useful tools for understanding and critically evaluating historical innovations. |
If you’re a homeowner tackling a DIY plumbing job, be sure you’re well-versed in these plumbing terms.
Looking to flex your muscle as a DIY plumbing repair, maintenance and improvement pro? Here are 10 common plumbing terms you should know before diving into a DIY project:
Use this bendable, metal rod with a curved end to clear clogged drains. Toilet augers are the most common for household DIY, but there are also larger, sometimes motorized, augers for underground drain lines.
- Plumbing snake
Similar to an auger, a plumbing snake can break up clogs, according to Lowe’s. Made of thin, flexible metal, this tool can reach small, confined spaces with ease.
This fixture controls the water flow from sinks, tubs and showers. Some have two handles – one for hot and another for cold water. Others have just one lever to control the flow and temperature.
This opening connects to the piping system and allows wastewater to leave the area and reach the pipes. Most drains are a simple open hole, while some have protective grates covering them.
These are circular, rubber washers that serve as watertight seals between two parts of a plumbing system. O-rings are essential components and must be replaced after time or wear and tear.
- Overflow and backflow
Overflow occurs when there’s a blockage in the plumbing system that prevents water from draining. Backflow is when water travels back up the pipes into the main plumbing system. Both can cause damage to the sewer system, requiring immediate repair.
- Burst pressure
When there is excess pressure in the pipes, it can cause a pipe or tube in the plumbing system to burst. Many times, plumbing materials will specify burst pressure levels so to inform plumbers and homeowners to ensure the tubes and pipes are strong enough for the system.
- Septic tank
A hold-all for waste, septic tanks let solid particles settle before pumping and removing them from the closed chamber.
This important mechanical device controls water flow. Plumbing systems include several types of valves, such as shutoff valves under sinks and toilets. These allow you to turn off the water supply when performing repairs. Relief valves allow you to release excess pressure or temperature.
- Pressure gauge
A measuring device used to determine the amount of pressure in the pipes, this gauge is important for monitoring system performance.
Even with your enhanced plumbing knowledge, there are certain issues that require the expert skills of a professional. Don’t hesitate to schedule an appointment with a licensed plumber.
Being prepared before home repair issues arise is always a good strategy. Plans from Service Line Warranties of America can help you pay for covered water, sewer and other service line repairs. |
Car= 25m/s on x axis and truck= 20m/s on y axis
Car is 1250 kg truck is 1900kg
They collide and fuse together and the combined wreckage slides of the road. With final velocity Vf and at angle ° with respect to x axis . there are no external forces acting for The duration of collision
2. Relevant equations
A) using conservation of momentum calculate the final velocity Vf and the angle° the instant after the impact one in x direction and one in y direction .
B) show by a direct calculation of the kinetic energies just before and just after the collision that energy it’s not conserved. What was the percent cubage in the kinetic energy? Where did the lost energy go?
C) the fused wreckage slides a distance Delta(X) 150ft from the point of impact until it comes to rest use the work energy theorem to calculate the coefficient of friction Mk.
Please someone solve it in support lost ! |
In the last 15 years, a recognizable surge in the field of Brain Computer Interface (BCI) research and development has emerged. This emergence has sprung from a variety of factors. For one, inexpensive computer hardware and software is now available and can support the complex high-speed analyses of brain activity that is essential is BCI. Another factor is the greater understanding of the central nervous system including the abundance of new information on the nature and functional correlates of brain signals and improved methods for recording these signals in both the short-term and long-term. And the third, and perhaps most significant factor, is the new recognition of the needs and abilities of people disabled by disorders such as cerebral palsy, spinal cord injury, stroke, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), multiple sclerosis, and muscular dystrophies. The severely disabled are now able to live for many years and even those with severely limited voluntary muscle control can now be given the most basic means of communication and control because of the recent advances in the technology, research, and applications of BCI. This book is intended to provide an introduction to and summary of essentially all major aspects of BCI research and development. Its goal is to be a comprehensive, balanced, and coordinated presentation of the field's key principles, current practice, and future prospects. |
WAS I RAPED?
If you believe that you have been raped or sexually assaulted please call at 1.800.656.HOPE (press ONE at the menu) to discuss options for care and support. If you'd like to report the attack to police, call 911.
There are three main considerations determining whether or not a sexual act is consensual or is a crime. "Consensual" means that both people are old enough to consent, have the capacity to consent, and agreed to the sexual contact.
Common QuestionsI didn't resist physically — does that mean it isn't rape?
People respond to an assault in different ways. Just because you didn't resist physically doesn't mean it wasn't rape — in fact, many victims make the conscious decision that physical resistance would cause the attacker to become more violent. Lack of consent can be expressed (saying "no") or it can be implied from the circumstances (for example, if you were under the statutory age of consent, if you were temporarily incapacitated, or if you were afraid to object because the perpetrator threatened to harm you or a loved one).
Rape can occur when the offender and the victim have a pre-existing relationship (sometimes called "date rape" or "acquaintance rape"), or even when the offender is a victim's spouse. It does not matter whether the other person is an ex-lover or a complete stranger, and it doesn't matter if you've had sex in the past.
Just because you don't remember being assaulted doesn't necessarily mean it didn't happen and that it wasn't rape. Memory loss can result from the ingestion of GHB and other "rape drugs," and from excessive alcohol consumption. Note, without clear memories or physical evidence, it may be more difficult to pursue prosecution (talk to us or your local police for guidance).
If you were asleep or unconscious, then you didn't give consent. Note, though, that without clear memories or physical evidence, it may be more difficult to pursue prosecution (talk to us or your local police for guidance).
Alcohol and drugs are not an excuse — or an alibi. The key question is still: did you consent or not? Regardless of whether you were drunk or sober, if the sex is nonconsensual, it is rape. If you were unconscious due to drug or alcohol consumption, that means you were unable to give consent.
It depends on the circumstances. If you didn't say "no" because you were legitimately scared for your life or safety, then it may be rape. Sometimes it isn't safe to resist, physically or verbally.
If you've been raped or sexually assaulted, or even if you aren't sure, contact us at 1.800.656.HOPE (press ONE at the menu) or get live help from the Online Hotline. |
Pre-Kindergarten (48 to 60 months)
With kindergarten just ahead, pre-school preparation is the focus for our four- and five-year-olds. The curriculum is designed to encourage development of the basic skill sets the children will need to succeed while the instruction is carefully structured to accommodate their varied learning styles.
Fine motor skills development is stressed; including holding a pencil in our writing center where each child can learn to write their name as well as their address and phone number – a milestone in identity development and family consciousness. Math, literacy and science skills are refined, as well. Sequencing and patterning are practiced, numbers are added and letter-sounds are explored.
There’s plenty of playtime, of course, with cooperative play replacing parallel play and group games being a regular affair. Here, the children learn that “not winning” does not equate with “failure” and that another chance to participate and, perhaps, “do better,” awaits them shortly.
Our pre-schoolers also get to extend their classroom learning into the community as they participate in field trips to fun and exciting destinations including area police and fire stations, libraries, theatres and museums.
The pre-school experience is expansive, exciting, focused and fun! |
In line with his New Year resolution, that in 2014 he will increase his efforts to bust the myths surrounding giftedness and advocate for acceleration and ability grouping opportunities for gifted students, and in preparation for a webinar and Global GT chat on Twitter for the next two weeks, Columbus Cheetah is updating his myth busting presentations.
Columbus Cheetah’s discussion of the myths surrounding giftedness are based in his own brand of cheetah logic and the wonderful analogy of the cheetah to the gifted person given in Stephanie Tolan’s wonderful article ‘Is it a Cheetah?’
This is a myth which particularly concerns Columbus Cheetah.
It is used to argue against accelerating gifted students on the grounds that either
a) it will be detrimental to the flow of the student’s learning or
b) it will have negative social effects on the student
Columbus Cheetah is very eager to advocate for gifted students to be able to learn at a suitable LEVEL and PACE and to have the opportunity to spend time with their TRUE PEERS who may not be the same age as themselves.
Acceleration is an educational intervention that moves students through an educational program at a faster than usual rate or younger than typical age.
Acceleration means matching the level, complexity and pace of the curriculum with the readiness and motivation of the student.
In order for students to be engaged in their learning it is important to pitch the teaching at what Dr Katherine Hoekman would call ‘the eyebrow wrinkle level’ of challenge – possible to attain with effort – but neither impossibly difficult nor far too easy.
Professor Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi’s work, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, notes that people are happiest when they are in a state of flow when they are completely absorbed in the activity at hand and nothing else seems to matter. For the state of flow to occur the challenge of the task and the ability of the performer need to be matched. The task should be neither too easy nor much too difficult.
You can listen to the TED talk at http://www.ted.com/talks/mihaly_csikszentmihalyi_on_flow.html
For gifted students to find that eyebrow crinkle level or state of flow they may need to be given acceleration.
This could take the form of early entry, year or stage level advancement, subject level advancement, dual enrolment, curriculum compacting or telescoping, correspondence courses or extra-curricular programs or mentoring.
Regarding pace Columbus Cheetah says this myth can be busted using similar methods of observation of the cheetah’s running gait, physics and common sense as were used for busting Myth 5.
The cheetah is the world’s fastest land mammal. It can accelerate from zero to 40 mph in three strides and to full speed of 70 mph in three seconds. As the cheetah runs, only one foot at a time touches the ground. There are two points, in its 20 to 25 foot (7-8 metres) stride when no feet touch the ground, as they are fully extended and then totally doubled up. Nearing full speed, the cheetah is running at about 3 strides per second
Slow motion of cheetah running from National Geographic
Note those two points when the cheetah has no feet touching the ground.
Not only do gifted students learn at a faster pace they also often make great leaps in understanding by seeing the implications of the facts or by associating knowledge from several fields
One of the main concerns about acceleration is that the student could
have social problems because of being with a group of older students.
Dr Karen Rogers says “Gifted and talented students should spend the majority of
their school day with others of similar abilities and interests”
And Prof Miraca Gross emphasises the importance of finding a true friend who
can be a sure shelter and share at a deep level and that the likeliness of this
happening is greater if the student has been accelerated http://www.sengifted.org/archives/articles/play-partner-or-sure-shelter-what-gifted-children-look-for-in-friendship
If there is doubt about whether a student is a suitable candidate for acceleration working through the Iowa Acceleration Scales will give a helpful conservative indicator score.
Iowa Acceleration Scale Manual: A Guide for Whole –Grade Acceleration K-8
The Connie Belin & Jacqueline N. Blank International Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development
Susan Assouline Ph.D., Nicholas Colangelo Ph.D., Ann Lupkowski-Shoplik Ph.D., Jonathan Lipscomb B.A., Leslie Forstadt B.A
Published by Great Potential Press
You can read more about acceleration at
Hoagies Gifted Education Page http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/acceleration.htm
Policy and implementation strategies for the education of gifted and talented students |
Protection of ex Giralia is important for the health of Exmouth Gulf - one of Australia's most significant coastal environments, bordering the Ningaloo Coast World Heritage Area. The gulf's eastern shore (Exmouth Gulf East) is a nationally important wetland (designated by the Australian government) and a key biodiversity area (designated by BirdLife Australia). The Exmouth Gulf East wetland is described in its listing as a nationally important wetland as an 'outstanding example of tidal wetland systems of low coast of north-west Australia, with well-developed tidal creeks, extensive mangrove swamps and broad saline coastal flats'. It includes one of the largest discrete areas of mangroves in Western Australia and mudflats that are up to 4 kilometres wide (at Giralia Bay). Currently, just 1% of the Exmouth Gulf East wetland is protected in reserves. |
This Landsat image shows evidence of the hydraulic mining of gold in the Tapajos River Basin in Brazil. Bright areas in the forest show where the banks of streams have been washed out and panned for gold, reducing vegetation cover and exposing the soil. The disturbed sediment makes the river water appear bright brown, as seen where the River Crepori enters the larger River Tapajos on the left of the image. We used Landsat 5 data to illustrate this story, enhancing the natural colour image with an infrared channel to improve contrast in the river water and mined areas.
High levels of mercury are associated with the disturbed sediment, representing a threat to the food chain in the rivers. Although mercury is used in gold extraction, it seems there is a much larger amount of naturally-occurring mercury released with the disturbed sediment.
Data source: Landsat 5 TM data courtesy of UMD-GLCF |
Image Credit & Copyright: Robert Arn
Explanation: Rising as the Sun sets, tonight's Full Moon could be hard to miss. Remarkably, its exact full phase (May 6 03:36 UT) will occur less than two minutes after it reaches perigee, the closest point to Earth in the Moon's orbit, making it the largest Full Moon of 2012. The Full Perigee Moon will appear to be some 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than a Full Moon near apogee, the most distant point in the elliptical lunar orbit. In comparison, though, it will appear less than 1 percent larger and almost as bright as April's Full Moon, captured in this telephoto image rising over suburban Fort Collins, Colorado, USA.
Don't forget to visit our new sponsor, Tees with 'Tude!! |
Zoopolis offers a new agenda for the theory and practice of animal rights. Most animal rights theory focuses on the intrinsic capacities or interests of animals, and the moral status and moral rights that these intrinsic characteristics give rise to. Zoopolis shifts the debate from the realm of moral theory and applied ethics to the realm of political theory, focusing on the relational obligations that arise from the varied ways that animals relate to human societies and institutions. Building on recent developments in the political theory of group-differentiated citizenship, Zoopolis introduces us to the genuine "political animal". It argues that different types of animals stand in different relationships to human political communities. Domesticated animals should be seen as full members of human-animal mixed communities, participating in the cooperative project of shared citizenship. Wilderness animals, by contrast, form their own sovereign communities entitled to protection against colonization, invasion, domination and other threats to self-determination. `Liminal' animals who are wild but live in the midst of human settlement (such as crows or raccoons) should be seen as "denizens", resident of our societies, but not fully included in rights and responsibilities of citizenship. To all of these animals we owe respect for their basic inviolable rights. But we inevitably and appropriately have very different relations with them, with different types of obligations. Humans and animals are inextricably bound in a complex web of relationships, and Zoopolis offers an original and profoundly affirmative vision of how to ground this complex web of relations on principles of justice and compassion.
Place, Politics, and Identity in the Nature-culture Borderlands
Author: Jennifer R. Wolch
A highly topical survey of human's treatment of animals. Each year billions of animals are poisoned, dissected, displaced, killed for consumption, or held in captivity to be discarded as soon as their utility to humans has waned. The animal world has never been under greater peril. A broad-ranging collection of essays, Animal Geographies contributes to a much-needed, fundamental rethinking about our relation to animals. Animal Geographies explores the diverse ways in which animals shape the formation of human identity, looking, for example, at the racialization and gendering of animal images. From questions of identity and subjectivity, it moves to consideration of the places where people and animals confront the realities of coexistence on an everyday basis. It then examines the ways in which animals figure in the ongoing globalization of production and mass consumption, and finally, takes up legal and ethical approaches to human-animal relations. Animal Geographies compels a profound rethinking of the history of our relations with animals and offers a series of proposals for reconstituting this relationship on a progressive basis.
This book explores a theory of habitat rights for wild animals, positioning animal property rights within the existing institution of property and discussing the practical implications of giving property rights to animals.
Metamorphoses of the Zoo marshals a unique compendium of critical interventions that envision novel modes of authentic encounter that cultivate humanity's biophilic tendencies without abusing or degrading other animals. These take the form of radical restructurings of what were formerly zoos or map out entirely new, post-zoo sites or experiences. The result is a volume that contributes to moral progress on the inter-species front and eco-psychological health for a humankind whose habitats are now mostly citified or urbanizing.
Covers all aspects of cities, their suburbs, and other urban areas. Includes urban economics, urban planning, urban architecture, urban ecology, urban transportation systems, urban politics, and urban social relations.
This huge international bestseller, fully revised for non-American readers, is now in ebook. Last Child in the Woods shows how our children have become increasingly alienated and distant from nature, why this matters, and what we can do to make a difference. It is unsentimental, rigorous and utterly original. 'A cri de coeur for our children' Guardian Camping in the garden, riding bikes through the woods, climbing trees, collecting bugs, picking wildflowers, running through piles of autumn leaves... These are the things childhood memories are made of. But for a whole generation of today's children the pleasures of a free-range childhood are missing, and their indoor habits contribute to epidemic obesity, attention-deficit disorder, isolation and childhood depression. This timely book shows how our children have become increasingly alienated and distanced from nature, why this matters and how we can make a difference. Last Child in the Woods is a clarion call, brilliantly written, compelling and irresistibly persuasive - a book that will change minds and lives.
This anthology, from the literature of sociology and other disciplines as well, examines the various roles that animals play in human societies. It covers a full spectrum of human-animal interaction: pets and companions; animals as sources of food, clothing and labor; animals in captivity; humans and wildlife; animals as research subjects; and animals as objects of recreation and sport. "Between the Species" represents many of the leading experts in this field, including the authors, who co-edit a scholarly series on animals, society, and culture.
NOMINATED AND SHORT LISTED FOR THE SURVEILLANCE STUDIES BOOK PRIZE 2011! This theoretically informed research explores what the development and transformation of air travel has meant for societies and individuals. Brings together a number of interdisciplinary approaches towards the aeroplane and its relation to society Presents an original theory that our societies are aerial societies, or 'aerealities', and shows how we are both enabled and threatened by aerial mobility Features a series of detailed international case studies which map the history of aviation over the past century - from the promises of early flight, to World War II bombing campaigns, and to the rise of international terrorism today Demonstrates the transformational capacity of air transport to shape societies, bodies and individual identities Offers startling historical evidence and bold new ideas about how the social and material spaces of the aeroplane are considered in the modern era
The sixth edition of Canadian Politics offers a comprehensive introduction to Canadian government and politics by a highly respected group of political scientists. For this edition, the editors have organized the book into six parts. Part I examines Canadian citizenship and political identities, while Parts II and III deal with Canadian political institutions, including Aboriginal governments, and contain new chapters on the public service and Quebec. Parts IV and V shift the focus to the political process, discussing issues pertaining to culture and values, parties and elections, media, groups, movements, gender, and diversity. The chapters on Parliament, bureaucracy, political culture, political communications, social movements, and media are new to this edition. Finally, three chapters in the last section of the book analyze components of Canadian politics that have been gaining prominence during the last decade: the effects of globalization, the shifting ground of Canadian-American relations, and the place of Canada in the changing world order. Of the 21 chapters in this edition, 9 are new and the remainder have been thoroughly revised and updated. |
Polynesians in the Pacific were the first to feel through a wooden medium the surge and heave of the sea beneath bare feet. They were the first to surf. Surfing was a way for the Polynesian to encounter and be thrust forward by the force of a living, more-than-human world. Western culture, in its habit of seeing nature only as resource, nearly put an end to this native practice upon its arrival in the Hawaiian Islands early in the 1800s. From the point of view of the western mind, nature was a living force, but one to be opposed.
Natives needed to be saved from nature’s influence. Early missionaries forbid partly naked locals from hanging-ten on the Hawaiian surf. Although nearly pushed to extinction in the nineteenth century, surfing made a come back and it was largely in western culture. Shock eventually turned to fascination. Even Mark Twain, when visiting Hawaii, described in awe a native taking the drop: “he would fling his board upon its foamy crest and himself upon the board, and here he would come whizzing by like a bombshell!”
At the turn of the twentieth century surfing would hit mainstream America. And yet, although American culture ended up adopting the indigenous practice of surfing, something about riding it remained fundamentally counter to the American Way. The experience of being thrust forward by a force of nature, caught in a hurtling rhythm not your own is contrary to the individualism our culture has popularly prized.
While surfing survived in such a culturally egocentric climate, it also evolved. In the 1940s the surfboard emerged from the Pacific onto California’s concrete coast where it acquired polyurethane appendages. Skateboarding was born. Across this new synthetic sea skateboarding recreated the cut and swerve of the surfboard. But concrete hadn’t the same permeable and at times forgiving surface. It proved hard and unyielding. Concrete required more than just wheels.
The board culture and perspective soon changed. The board had originally been a medium to feel nature. What was felt now was abrasive; it was cement and it was spread everywhere for cookie cutter homes in a suburban sprawl. Faced with the monotony and conformity this new landscape produced, the board was often used to fight, not to feel.
During the 1980s in and around L.A., a culture of aggression was growing that had a degree of influence on skateboarding — Hardcore Punk. In his documentary book American Hardcore, Steven Blush points out that “Aside from a few urban hoods like Downtown LA and Hollywood, Southern California is one giant, sterile suburb” (74). He claims that “Hardcore was born of that suburbia” (74). Skateboarding wasn’t, but it became increasingly associated with the beginning of this culture. As it did, something fundamental to the board began to be jeopardized. Like hardcore, skateboarding increasingly styled itself as aggressive, reckless and destructive. With a strong “skate and destroy” orientation, skateboarding was no longer about feeling oneself thrown by a force of nature as in surfing. Skateboarding was more an act of throwing oneself in defiance against what was seen as a synthetic and oppressive force of culture. To skate and destroy not only the American Dream, but oneself with it, arguably seemed the purpose of many skateboarders.
But western culture has destroyed enough in its comodification of the more-than-human world. Perhaps skateboarding can do more than turn the logic of consumption and destruction back upon the culture that unleashed it. Perhaps skating can do more than grind away the American Dream.
Here in Vermont there’s not much to grind, or for that matter even roll wheels on. Here the desire to destroy does not resonate so much. In the 1830s and 1920s there were two waves of an almost state-wide clear cutting of trees. Arboreal eradication. The environment was denuded without thought of consequence, just as in California and in much of North America. However, most of the Vermont forests that were destroyed a second time, nearly a century ago, have returned. The forests are still young, but they now cover 80% of the Vermont landscape. This gives us plenty of wood for boards, but not all that many skate spot options. We don’t regret it though. Much of the skatable surface we do have is exposed to a wilderness re-emerged. Many roads are a border land between culture and the more-than-human world.
In these Green Mountains we have a chance to renew an engagement with such a world and let our boards do what the Polynesians’ board once did – act as a medium between us and nature, between us and a world outside that is more complex than the system of city and suburbia. |
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|man pages section 1M: System Administration Commands Oracle Solaris 11 Information Library|
- send ICMP (ICMP6) ECHO_REQUEST packets to network hosts
/usr/sbin/ping host [timeout]
/usr/sbin/ping -s [-l | -U] [-abdlLnrRv] [-A addr_family] [-c traffic_class] [-g gateway [-g gateway...]] [-N next_hop_router] [-F flow_label] [-I interval] [-i interface] [-P tos] [-p port] [-t ttl] host [data_size] [npackets]
The utility ping utilizes the ICMP (ICMP6 in IPv6) protocol's ECHO_REQUEST datagram to elicit an ICMP (ICMP6) ECHO_RESPONSE from the specified host or network gateway. If host responds, ping will display:
host is alive
...on the standard output and exit. Otherwise, after timeout seconds, it will write:
no answer from host
The default value of timeout is 20 seconds.
When you specify the s flag, sends one datagram per second (adjust with -I) and prints one line of output for every ECHO_RESPONSE that it receives. ping produces no output if there is no response. In this second form, ping computes round trip times and packet loss statistics; it displays a summary of this information upon termination or timeout. The default data_size is 56 bytes, or you can specify a size with the data_size command-line argument. If you specify the optional npackets, ping sends ping requests until it either sends npackets requests or receives npackets replies.
When using ping for fault isolation, first ping the local host to verify that the local network interface is running.
The following options are supported:
Specify the address family of the target host. addr_family can be either inet or inet6. Address family determines which protocol to use. For an argument of inet, IPv4 is used. For inet6, IPv6 is used.
By default, if the name of a host is provided, not the literal IP address, and a valid IPv6 address exists in the name service database, ping will use this address. Otherwise, if the name service database contains an IPv4 address, it will try the IPv4 address.
Specify the address family inet or inet6 to override the default behavior. If the argument specified is inet, ping will use the IPv4 address associated with the host name. If none exists, ping will state that the host is unknown and exit. It does not try to determine if an IPv6 address exists in the name service database.
If the specified argument is inet6, ping uses the IPv6 address that is associated with the host name. If none exists, ping states that the host is unknown and exits.
Specify the flow label of probe packets. The value must be an integer in the range from 0 to 1048575. This option is valid only on IPv6.
Turn off fragmentation. For IPv4, this means setting the Don't Fragment bit. For IPv4 and IPv6, this means do not allow fragmentation as the datagrams are sent. If the data_size exceeds the MTU, then ping might report that sending failed due to Message too long.
Turn on the statistics mode and specify the interval between successive transmissions. The default is one second. See the discussion of the -s option.
Turn off loopback of multicast packets. Normally, members are in the host group on the outgoing interface, a copy of the multicast packets will be delivered to the local machine.
Specify a next-hop router so that the probe packet goes through the specified router along its path to the target host. This option essentially bypasses the system routing table and leaves the probe packet header unmodified. Only one next-hop router can be specified.
Set the type of service (tos) in probe packets to the specified value. The default is zero. The value must be an integer in the range from 0 to 255. Gateways also in the path can route the probe packet differently, depending upon the value of tos that is set in the probe packet. This option is valid only on IPv4.
Record route. Sets the IPv4 record route option, which stores the route of the packet inside the IPv4 header. The contents of the record route are only printed if the -v and -s options are given. They are only set on return packets if the target host preserves the record route option across echos, or the -l option is given. This option is valid only on IPv4.
Send UDP packets instead of ICMP (ICMP6) packets. ping sends UDP packets to consecutive ports expecting to receive back ICMP (ICMP6) PORT_UNREACHABLE from the target host.
ping all addresses, both IPv4 and IPv6, of the multihomed destination. The output appears as if ping has been run once for each IP address of the destination. If this option is used together with -A, ping probes only the addresses that are of the specified address family. When used with the -s option and npackets is not specified, ping continuously probes the destination addresses in a round robin fashion. If npackets is specified, ping sends npackets number of probes to each IP address of the destination and then exits.
Bypass the global IPsec policy and send and receive packets in the clear for this connection only. This option can be used to troubleshoot network connectivity independent of IPsec. Because this option bypasses system-wide policy for this connection, it can only be used by superuser or a user granted the sys_net_config privilege.
Specify the traffic class of probe packets. The value must be an integer in the range from 0 to 255. Gateways along the path can route the probe packet differently, depending upon the value of traffic_class set in the probe packet. This option is valid only on IPv6.
Set the SO_DEBUG socket option.
Specify a loose source route gateway so that the probe packet goes through the specified host along the path to the target host. The maximum number of gateways is 8 for IPv4 and 127 for IPv6. Note that some factors such as the link MTU can further limit the number of gateways for IPv6.
Specify the outgoing interface address to use for multicast packets for IPv4 and both multicast and unicast packets for IPv6. The default interface address for multicast packets is determined from the (unicast) routing tables. interface_address can be a literal IP address, for example, 10.123.100.99, or an interface name, for example, eri0, or an interface index, for example 2.
Use to send the probe packet to the given host and back again using loose source routing. Usually specified with the -R option. If any gateways are specified using -g, they are visited twice, both to and from the destination. This option is ignored if the -U option is used.
Show network addresses as numbers. ping normally does a reverse name lookup on the IP addresses it extracts from the packets received. The -n option blocks the reverse lookup, so ping prints IP addresses instead of host names.
Set the base UDP port number used in probes. This option is used with the -U option. The default base port number is 33434. The ping utility starts setting the destination port number of UDP packets to this base and increments it by one at each probe.
Bypass the normal routing tables and send directly to a host on an attached network. If the host is not on a directly attached network, an error is returned. This option can be used to ping a local host through an interface that has been dropped by the router daemon. See in.routed(1M).
Send one datagram per second and collect statistics.
Specify the IPv4 time to live, or IPv6 hop limit, for unicast and multicast packets. The default time to live (hop limit) for unicast packets can be set with the ipadm(1M) set-prop subcommand, using the icmp_ipv4_ttl property for IPv4 and the icmp_ipv6_hoplimit property for IPv6. The default time to live (hop limit) for multicast is one hop. See EXAMPLES. For further information, seeipadm(1M).
Note - You might observe property names that begin with “_” (underbar). These properties are private to a protocol and are subject to change or removal. See ipadm(1M).
Verbose output. List any ICMP (ICMP6) packets, other than replies from the target host.
The network host
Example 1 Using ping With IPv6
This example shows ping sending probe packets to all the IPv6 addresses of the host xyz, one at a time. It sends an ICMP6 ECHO_REQUEST every second until the user interrupts it.
istanbul% ping -s -A inet6 -a xyz PING xyz: 56 data bytes 64 bytes from xyz (4::114:a00:20ff:ab3d:83ed): icmp_seq=0. time=0.479 ms 64 bytes from xyz (fec0::114:a00:20ff:ab3d:83ed): icmp_seq=1. time=0.843 ms 64 bytes from xyz (4::114:a00:20ff:ab3d:83ed): icmp_seq=2. time=0.516 ms 64 bytes from xyz (fec0::114:a00:20ff:ab3d:83ed): icmp_seq=3. time=4.943 ms 64 bytes from xyz (4::114:a00:20ff:ab3d:83ed): icmp_seq=4. time=0.485 ms 64 bytes from xyz (fec0::114:a00:20ff:ab3d:83ed): icmp_seq=5. time=2.201 ms ^C ----xyz PING Statistics---- 6 packets transmitted, 6 packets received, 0% packet loss round-trip (ms) min/avg/stddev = 0.479/1.583/4.943/1.823
Example 2 Using ipadm to Set Hop Limits
The following commands use ipadm(1M) to set IPv4 and IPv6 hop limits.
# ipadm set-prop -p _ipv6_hoplimit=100 icmp # ipadm set-prop -p _ipv4_ttl=100 icmp
The following exit values are returned:
Successful operation; the machine is alive.
An error has occurred. Either a malformed argument has been specified, or the machine was not alive.
See attributes(5) for descriptions of the following attributes: |
This page is designed to help you complete your homework assignments. The Children’s Room has many tools, from books and magazines to databases and the Internet, to help you:
There are resources in the library databases that can help you accomplish these goals, too. You will find them here. You can use these at home or at the library. Even if the library is closed (a Sunday, for example), you can still use library resources!
Your teacher has assigned a project. You have a page of information you need to find as well as questions to answer. You need to write a report on what you have learned.
Don’t panic! There are lots of resources—books, magazines, databases, and the Internet—at the library. Check to see which of these resources your teacher wants you to use so you’ll know what resources are acceptable.
Let’s say you are doing a penguin project. Your special penguin is the rockhopper penguin. Does the library have any books on rockhopper penguins? Here’s how to find out.
First, search the library’s online catalog. Type in “rockhopper penguin” in the search box. No books are found. Don’t worry, though; even if there isn’t a book on rockhopper penguins, there are probably books about penguins, and in some of those books there may be information about your penguin.
You will need to click on each title that sounds interesting, then read the description to see if it has the information you want.
Here’s a book that sounds good. It shows you a call number, which tells you where in the Children’s Room the book is shelved, and it also says the book is available. There is no mention of rockhopper penguins in the title. You will need to look further down the page to see if there is anything in the description.
Oh, it says there is information about 13 penguin species (types)! Maybe the rockhopper is one of them. Since the description doesn’t say which species are included, you will have to visit the library and look in the index in the back of the book to see if “rockhopper” is listed. An index tells you what is inside the book in detail. It can help you decide whether the book is the right one for your project.
Here is another book that might be good. Is there a mention of rockhopper penguins in the description? Yes! You know that you will find information about your penguin in that book.
Now that you have these books, you may want to add to this information by using the children’s databases, including Amazing Animals, Kids Infobits, and PebbleGo Animals. There are also websites you can visit for more information:
You’ll notice that Wikipedia is NOT on the list. Since anyone can post to Wikipedia, you might find material that isn’t correct. For example, if you know rockhoppers are penguins that live in a cold place, but someone changed something in Wikipedia to say that some penguins like the rockhopper can live in a tropical rainforest, you might want to include that in your report because you think it might be true. (Hint: it isn’t!) Use web sources you *know* you can trust. Wikipedia can’t be trusted. Those listed above CAN be trusted.
Now you need to put your report together. Write down the facts you have found in your research. An easy way to do this is to use index cards. Write ONE fact on each card. Then you can shuffle them and put them in the order you want to write about. This makes writing your report much easier, and also means that you can organize your facts in the order the teacher wants you to write about them.
Write a draft of your report. You can scratch out, change how you write sentences, change the order of your facts, and fine-tune everything. Once you have it organized the way you want, you can write or type your final copy. Add photocopies or printouts of maps and pictures.
Hooray! You’re done! |
Feeding Your Cat Throughout Life
One of the most important things that you can do to care for your cat is to provide the correct nutrition. Many cat owners may not realise that those nutritional requirements will change as the pet grows from a kitten to an adult cat and then into a senior feline.
Other factors will also influence your cat’s food requirements. These factors are individual to the cat and can include overall health, activity levels, indoor and outdoor exercise, and your cat’s metabolism. Understanding how these factors, along with age, require different diets and feeding levels is one of the most important aspects of being a responsible owner.
General Nutrition Requirements
Many people assume that feeding a cat is just like feeding a dog. In fact, a cat is very different than a dog when it comes to nutritional requirements. Cats are obligate carnivores which means that they have to have meat, and small amounts of animal fat, as their primary source of energy and nutrition.
Cats do not need to have carbohydrates in their diet and cats that are fed foods with more than minimal carbohydrates are at much greater risk of developing several metabolic health conditions. They also run the risk of becoming overweight or obese and having problems with arthritis, diabetes and digestive issues as they mature.
Cats also must have the minerals, vitamins, fatty acids and amino acids from meat that are essential for their good health. These are always best supplied to the body in natural form and not in the form of a supplement that may actually provide the incorrect ratio or too high of a concentration of the various elements.
Always read the label and check to make sure meat or seafood, ideally listed without the term by-product, are in the top slots on the ingredients label. This is true for both wet and dry foods and both can be optimal sources of essential nutrition for your cat if you read the label and choose wisely.
Look for foods that do not include artificial flavours and colours, which will have very scientific looking names. Taurine, niacin and thiamine as well as other B Vitamins are often added to supplement for the breakdown of these compounds during the processing of the food and to provide the nutrients necessary for good cat health.
To understanding how the general nutritional requirements of cats change throughout their life, let’s look at our cats over three stages; kittens, adults and senior cats.
Feeding Kittens (Birth to 1 Year)
Anyone that has had the joy of kittens in their house knows that this is the most active stage in the life of most cats. It is estimated that a kitten, per pound, needs about twice as much energy as a mature cat to not only thrive but to continue to grow and develop. Choose a specific food developed for kittens and do not feed adult cat food as it is not high enough in energy.
Kittens need to eat multiple times a day from weaning at about 8 weeks through to approximately 8-10 months. They should have food at least three and preferable four times a day. Dry food can be left out free choice during this period but wet food should not as it can provide the perfect environment for harmful bacteria and other contaminants to develop.
After 10-12 months of age drop feeding back to 2 times per day and follow the daily allowances provided on the side panel of the food. Carefully monitor weight and cut back slightly on each feeding if you notice that the juvenile cat is very sedate and is gaining weight or, conversely, increase slightly for an active older kitten or one that is outside.
Feeding Adult Cats (1 to 7 Years)
Adult cats, unless they are very active and outdoors, should be fed what is known as a maintenance diet. This will provide them with a balanced nutritional intake but also help to prevent weight gain that is so common with indoor cats. It is important to monitor serving sizes based on both the cat food recommendations as well as how your cat is responding. Outdoor cats will often need slightly higher food amounts as they are more active.
For pregnant or lactating females there are special diets that boost vitamins, minerals and protein to help with the additional demands of pregnancy. Your vet can assist in choosing the best diet and monitoring your expectant or nursing mother cat as to weight management and overall health.
Senior Cats (7 Years and Older)
With cats now living longer thanks to better vet care and better understanding of diet, senior cat nutrition is essential. These cats need to have lower calorie diets to prevent weight gain as they gradually slow down with age. Special senior cat diets in both wet and dry form provide additional required nutrition while reducing the actual volume of food required, an important fact as these cats may simply not eat as they used to.
Always watch for changes in your cat’s eating habits at any stage in their life. Often food refusal or constant hunger and changes in weight are the early signs of health issues. Remember too that each cat is different and if you have multiple cats keeping a close eye on each cat’s food consumption habits is essential. |
Protein Consumption Information
One of the most common reasons people give for consuming what I believe is an excessive amount of protein is to enhance athletic performance. Many people are being told by personal trainers, coaches, and other fitness experts, that increased protein consumption will help them to become more muscular and improve performance.
This is a myth, and a dangerous one, and it is generally perpetuated by people with little or no solid nutrition training.
Overall, protein recommendations are too high. Studies documenting human protein requirements have consistently found them to be at around 10-35 grams per day. The average American consumes 100-120 grams per day. In North America, 70% of protein consumption is in the form of animal foods – elsewhere, 84% comes from plant foods. Even people who consume a completely vegan diet are consuming around 60-80 grams of protein per day, much more than is required.
A bodybuilder only needs about 7 grams of additional protein per week in order to build more lean muscle mass. However, rather than increasing just the protein component in the diet, the body builder needs more calories overall – when more calories are consumed, more protein is automatically consumed, but the ratio remains the same.
We are particularly concerned about teenage athletes, many of who take a diet already lacking in fruits and vegetables and make it worse by adding more protein, usually animal protein, to the diet. Teenagers tend to build muscle when they combine resistance training with growth spurts. In other words, there is only so much muscle development that can happen for some bodies at some times. This is seldom taken into account when dietary recommendations are made.
A varied diet containing fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts and seeds will provide about 50 grams of protein for every 1000 calories. Green vegetables are almost 50% protein, and consuming them does not increase the risk of cancer, heart disease and other degenerative conditions like consuming animal foods does.
Whey protein drinks and supplements are often touted as beneficial for athletes. Remember that whey protein is dairy, and, in my opinion, there is not a worse food for human consumption. According to Dr. Joel Fuhrman, one of the country’s leading experts on diet and health, whey protein added to the diet of rats increased cancers and tumors. Not surprising in view of the fact that there is enormous evidence linking dairy consumption to prostate and breast cancer. Smoothies are great foods for young athletes but the protein source should be plant-based.
Consuming more protein than your body needs is a health hazard. Excess protein is stored as fat or excreted through the kidneys. Eliminating the excess nitrogen it produces is stressful to the kidneys and can cause de-mineralization of the bones and tissues. Animal protein increases acidity in the body which promotes bone loss and helps disease thrive. A healthy body is alkaline.
In addition to increasing protein, athletes are often encouraged to take a variety of supplements and steroids. This is an equally bad plan, as some of these supplements are dangerous.
Young athletes, particularly serious ones, often make terrible choices about diet in order to improve performance in the short term, without regard to the long-term consequences. By way of example, out of the more than 600 German Olympic athletes on the 1964 team, fewer than 10 are still alive today. Based on the average age of athletes participating in the Olympics, this represents an enormous number of people dying prematurely.
The proper way to develop a muscular body is to combine resistance training with a healthy, plant-based diet. Athletes who choose to practice vegetarianism can become just as muscular as their meat-eating counterparts and many famous, world class athletes have been vegetarians. A diet that is 90% plant based with small amounts of animal origin food has been found to be healthful and consistent with disease prevention. It is not necessary to destroy one’s health in order to enhance athletic performance.
Prepared by: Toni Branner, MA Exercise Physiologist/Tina Marie Mendieta, MS,RD/LDN |
What do you think of if someone mentions the Boy Scouts? Probably songs around the camp fire, working for badges, and distinctive uniforms. Yet the Boy Scouts of Poland have so much more to their history. Within two years of their founding in 1916 they were participating in the Greater Poland Uprising, but their involvement in war didn’t stop there as they were also participants in the Polish-Ukrainian war (1918), the Polish-Bolshevik War (1919-1921) and the Silesian Uprisings (1919-1921). The Nazis knew of this history of Polish Scouting and so, immediately after invading Poland in 1939, Polish Scouts and Guides were labelled criminals and the organisation banned. Rather than forestalling any action by the youth however, this simply led to Scoutmaster Florian Marciniak deciding to organize the boys to fight the invaders. Through contacts with the Polish government in exile and members of the home Army who had evaded capture by the invaders, the Scouts formed a resistance movement called the Gray Ranks (Szare Szeregi) in 1940 which actively fought against the German occupation of their homeland. Although formally independent the Grey Ranks worked closely with the official Polish Resistance movement.
Before the war the Polish Scouting Association required an oath (Scouting promise) from the boys who joined. In this simple oath they promised ‘service to the people and country, and education and improvement of their skills’. When the Gray Ranks were formed the oath was extended to include ‘I pledge to you that I shall serve with the Gray Ranks, safeguard the secrets of the organisation, obey orders, and not hesitate to sacrifice my life.’ In addition to this code was a plan of action known as “Dziś – jutro – pojutrze” (“Today – tomorrow – the day after”) –
“Today” – struggle for Poland’s independence.
“Tomorrow” – prepare for an all-national uprising and the liberation of Poland.
“The Day After” – prepare to rebuild Poland after the war.
Scoutmaster Marciniak used the pre-war scouting structure to organise his new troops. Each member of the Gray Ranks was part of a 7-person ‘Squad’; three or four squads then formed a ‘Troop’, with the troops from a specific area (city district, town or village) coming together in a ‘District’ which was then part of a ‘Region’.
One of their first operations was to distribute propaganda leaflets amongst ethnic Germans who had been re-settled in Poland from Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. By signing the leaflets SS (for Szare Szeregi) the Gray Scouts were deliberately sowing confusion amongst the Germans who thought that the information was coming from the Schutzstaffel – Hitler’s SS! During late 1939 and early 1940 the Gray Scouts also helped to smuggle people out of south-eastern Poland (which was occupied by the Russians) into Hungary. The Soviet Union captured a number of these young scouts and held them at Ostashkov prison; they were executed later in 1940.
As time went on and the children received more training their activities became more frequent, and more dangerous.
The children within the Gray Ranks were divided into groups. Boys and girls aged 12 to 14 joined units called the Zawisza (named after a medieval Polish knight and diplomat) which were not allowed to take part in any activities such as sabotage and painting slogans on walls. Instead they were trained in secret schools to be auxiliary support once the national uprising took place, the most important role they played was the Scouting Postal Service which was organised during the Warsaw Uprising.
Members of the Zawisza (both boys and girls) couldn’t wait until they were old enough to join the Combat Schools (for ages 15 and 16) where the Scouts learnt about surveillance, communications, propaganda and reconnaissanace as well as committing small acts of sabotage to inspire local people to join the struggle against the Nazis. Amongst the actions these youths participated in were:
- Surveillance of German military units and their movements, and passing the information to the Allies – this enabled the Allies to compile a complete list of German units stationed in Poland, their insignia and approximate complements.
- Painting patriotic and anti-German slogans on walls.
- Distributing leaflets and fake German newspapers to both the local population and German troops.
- Destroying German flags.
- Setting off fire alarms to disrupt German events.
- Rescuing national monuments which were being removed by the Germans.
- Letting off stink-bombs in cinemas used by German troops!
When members of the Gray Ranks reached the age of 17 they joined the Assault Groups which were directly subordinate to the Home Army. The boys were trained at secret NCO schools as well as at officer schools for commanders of motorised and engineering units. As well as training for battle, members of the Assault Groups also attended underground universities to gain knowledge and skills which would be needed to rebuild Poland after the war.
The actions carried out by the Assault Groups was a step up from that on the Combat Schools with the young men taking part in acts considered to be ‘major sabotage’, and they were a key part of the Home Army’s special troops. The actions they took part in included
- Liberating prisoners from German transports and prisons.
- Blowing up bridges and other infrastructure.
- Carrying out the sentences of special courts – including executions.
- Fighting in pitched battles against the occupying forces.
There were many Assault Groups in Warsaw who were formed into a number of battalions which took part in the Uprising in that city in 1945 and were as successful, if not more so, as the adult members of the Resistance. Other units joined the partisan groups which operated in the forests covering the Swietokrzyskie Mountains.
Whilst the boys of the Gray Ranks were trained to fight the Nazis the girls formed units which worked as munitions carriers, liaison officers and nurses, as well as helping with propaganda and correspondence.
The Polish Scouts were so well trained that by 1943 the Gray Ranks were openly taking part in resistance operations, including playing a vital role in a raid on the Gestapo prison in Warsaw where they freed 25 prisoners, amongst them the important resistance leader Jan Bytnar. In 1943 the Gray Ranks also assassinated three SS officers who had committed atrocities against the civilian population.
After their invasion of Poland the Germans had created a ‘border’ between Polish territories annexed by Hitler and the parts of the country which were merely ‘occupied’. In the seven months from August 1943 the Gray Ranks joined with the Polish Home Army to target these border posts, thirteen were destroyed although the Scouts lost one of their best leaders – Tadeusz Zawadzki Zoska.
The boys of Gray Ranks played a vital role in keeping up morale amongst the civilian population, and also seeking justice. Their chief target in 1944 was SS-Brigadefuhrer Franz Kutchera who ordered the mass executions of Poles and Jews; he was assassinated by members of the Gray Ranks in February 1944.
When the Poles heard about the Allied landings in Northern Europe in June 1944 there were more 8,359 members of the Gray Ranks who had a great deal of experience in fighting the Nazis. Ready to do their bit in the final push against the Third Reich they joined with the Warsaw Uprising which began on 1st August 1944, fighting with the assault groups which attacked and liberated the Gesiowka concentration camp with the aid of a captured Panther tank. The prisoners who were freed from the camp joined in the ill-fated uprising which lasted for 63 days. The Polish Boy Scouts fought hard to the bitter end and suffered incredibly high casualties – the Zoska Battallion, for example, (named after Tadeus Zoska) lost over 70% of its boys. Those who survived the Uprising retreated to the forests and hills where they continued to fight the Germans until final victory in 1945.
After the war the Polish Scouting Movement took back its pre-war name and the Gray Ranks ceased to exist. Yet the reputation of these youthful fighters was well known and they were seen as a threat by the communist authorities which now ruled Poland. The Scouting Movement was forced to become a part of the Pioneer Movement and was eventually banned in 1949 and only reinstated after the fall of communism. |
A plant cutting, or clone, is a vegetative technique of reproducing plant genetics and quantities asexually. The methods vary in complexity according to the plant species, environmental conditions and desired results but in general, there are several techniques that can be utilized to increase your strike rate when cloning.
It’s worth mentioning that many different professional horticulturalists have a variety of different techniques, try to adapt the many different lessons into your own personal method for success!
Removing a section from the donor plant:
To begin, always ensure you use medically sterile tools and disinfect all surfaces prior to starting. Immediately after removing a cutting from a mother plant, we recommend to sit the seedling in a bowl of pH-balanced tap water. Using a scalpel, make a further cut at the base of the stem whilst the stem remains underwater. Ensuring the cut is made underwater minimizes pathogens getting into contact with the delicate plant tissue. Try to cut the stem on a 450 angle to increase surface area of the meristem and vascular bundle. Try to ensure your cuttings have at least two sets of leaves and two sets of nodes above the cut. Cuttings that are 10-20cm in length, taken from the middle of the plant tend to strike fastest!
Using Cloning Gel:
Once the cut has been made, gently plunge the cut stems into a reasonable amount of Ezi-Root. Ezi-Root contains both NAA and IBA. Studies have shown that a combination of these two rooting hormones is more effective then either used alone. We recommend pouring the required amount of gel onto a sterile dish; this prevents plant matter contaminating the bottle.
Once you have dipped the stems into your cloning gel, it’s time to tenderly place your seedlings into your desired medium, or ideally, into a TurboKlone aeroponic cloning appliance.
Propagation Media or Aeroponic Cloning?
TurboKlone provides a constant flow of aerated mist onto the base of the stems, encouraging rapid root development in a perfectly controlled environment. The first step preparing your TurboKlone is to use appropriate water.
The best results we’ve seen have been utilizing RO Water (reverse osmosis) or some form of filtered water. Ideally the water temperature will sit between 180-230C and the room temperature will be roughly the same. Generally cuttings prefer a slightly warmer rootzone as this encourages faster tissue development. That being said, too warm and your cuttings will be more open to pathogen development and problems can occur. The pH of your water should be kept between 5.5 and 5.8, this can be achieved using pH up/down but try to be sparing with your nutriment and chemical use at this point.
Ensure you have appropriate lighting at a safe distance from the canopy. Our choice is T5 Fluorescent bulbs initially until the roots have struck. T5’s can be mounted directly on top of the humidity dome or roughly 8-12 inches from the top of the canopy.
In the first three days of the propagation process the unabsorbed cloning gel will wash off fairly quickly; this wash off will create a good nutrient base for the first 3 days. At day 4, now add a light dose of Roots Excelurator by House & Garden.There isn’t much uptake of nutrients prior to root nubs developing – hence, no adding Roots Excelurator until a few days into the grow cycle. It is also an option to also add 5ml of H2O2 (3% kind) at day 5. This helps freshen the grow chamber, prevents pathogen development and adds additional O2 – without harming the cuttings.
The humidity dome should remain on until the clones’ root zone is strongly established and lateral root growth is clearly evident. This is generally around day 6-10 depending on your plant variety. Tapering the humidity down can be achieved by removing the humidity dome for successively longer periods each day after this period. The inbuilt fan of the TurboKlone helps to regulate temperatures of the rootzone and the air surrounding the unit. This encourages faster root development with less stress to your genetics.
If the environment is outside of the norm, water temperatures can be manipulated by either placing the system on the ground (coolest air will be on or near the floor – this will help get cooler temps). The cooler the water – the greater % of dissolved oxygen in the water. Or, raise the system on a shelf or table to increase temps slightly. If needed, use a heating pad under the reservoir to increase temperatures even more. In extreme hot conditions, a timer might be an option. Typically, all hydroponic systems suffer when in conditions warmer than 80+ degrees F (26.7 degrees C). Always make sure the system is on a flat surface. This will keep the air from the fan circulating along the side & bottom of the system. The constant flow of air against the system will help stabilize the water temperature & give you consistency.
Always clean the system before a Kloning cycle (use H2O2 from the grocery store). Add the recommended amount of water in the reservoir (so that the intake grid on the pump is completely submerged), run the system for 30-45 minutes, then drain & rinse thoroughly.
Ensuring you have precise, healthy genetic replication of your plants is crucial for medical-grade cultivation. Regardless of your process or choice of propagation materials, always ensure you strive for cleanliness and efficiency. Don’t be afraid to try different techniques and document the results, it’s the best way to learn!
Lastly, if you’re having any difficulties or have any growing queries, hit up the Stealth Garden Team on social media! We are all avid gardeners and enthusiastic horticulturalists; we love to help with your questions! |
Scariest stats, so far, on global warming
Here’s one way to look at it: If you’re around 50 now, the rest of your life will be much tougher thanks to the changing weather patterns. But you’ve got it easy compared to your children who will have some truly scary years thanks to the rapidly changing climate.
In the annals of climatology, 2014 now surpasses 2010 as the warmest year in a global temperature record that stretches back to 1880. The 10 warmest years on record have all occurred since 1997, a reflection of the relentless planetary warming that scientists say is a consequence of human emissions and poses profound long-term risks to civilization and to the natural world.
Of the large inhabited land areas, only the eastern half of the United States recorded below-average temperatures in 2014, a sort of mirror image of the unusual heat in the West. Some experts think the stuck-in-place weather pattern that produced those extremes in the United States is itself an indirect consequence of the release of greenhouse gases, though that is not proven.
Several scientists said the most remarkable thing about the 2014 record was that it occurred in a year that did not feature El Niño, a large-scale weather pattern in which the ocean dumps an enormous amount of heat into the atmosphere. …NYT
Climate change deniers have been clinging to El Niño as a way out of what they regard as climate change nonsense. They don’t have El Niño to lean on anymore.
Longstanding claims by climate-change skeptics that global warming has stopped, seized on by politicians in Washington to justify inaction on emissions, depend on a particular starting year: 1998, when an unusually powerful El Niño produced the hottest year of the 20th century.
With the continued heating of the atmosphere and the surface of the ocean, 1998 is now being surpassed every four or five years, with 2014 being the first time that has happened in a year featuring no real El Niño pattern. Gavin A. Schmidt, head of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies in Manhattan, said the next time a strong El Niño occurs, it is likely to blow away all temperature records. …NYT
So now believer and denier are going to have to face some really hard times together.
graphic via shutterstock.com |
The DLP "light engine" uses either three digital micromirror device (DMD) chips, or one:
Either way, red, green and blue images — in the three primary colors, that is — are formed separately and meet at the screen or at the retina of the eye. Each video frame is either spatially (with three DMDs) or temporally (using one DMD and a color wheel) divided into three subframes, one for each color primary. White source light is changed into the appropriate color for each subframe by means of wavelength-subtracting prisms or transparent colored segments of the spinning color wheel.
But, aside from the hue thus optically afforded it, each subframe is in effect a mosaic in black, white, and shades of gray.
An important question is, how many shades of gray?
The simple (much too simple; see below) answer is that consumer DLP displays and projectors divide the luminance range from black to white (ignoring hue) into 28 or 256 steps.
This means that real-world luminance, which actually falls anywhere along the continuous tonal range from black to white, is summarized as 256 discrete shades of gray. Alternately stated, the "grayscale resolution" that is used for consumer-level DLP displays is 256. Yet another way of putting it is that the grayscale's "bit depth" is 8 bits per primary color component: the power of two which 256 is, not surprisingly, corresponds to the number of bits (8) needed to represent all 256 possible integer values from 0 to 255.
An 8-bit bit depth is not ideal; it's an engineering compromise. The problem is that the grayscale steps at lower luminance levels are visually too far apart. Instead of seeming to grade smoothly into one another, they form "bands" or "false contours" on the screen.
For mathematical reasons having to do with the decreasing percentage of step n which each new increment to step n+1 represents, the banding or false contouring problem tends to go away as luminance level rises. But in darker scenes and in dimly lit areas of ordinary scenes, banding or false contouring can be objectionable.
According to "DLP from A to Z," an excellent article by Alen Koebel in the August 2005 issue of Widescreen Review magazine, "Professional [DLP] video sources use 10 bits per component; professional displays should be able to reproduce at least 8,192 (213) gray levels. DLP Cinema projectors, arguably the most advanced manifestations of DLP technology, are currently able to reproduce more than 32,000 levels." (Magazine subscribers may download the WR article in PDF form by clicking on the appropriate hotlink on this page.)
"More than 32,000" equates to 215, or 32,768 levels of gray.
Koebel doesn't make it crystal clear, but I'm guessing that the main reason for the lower grayscale bit depth on consumer (i.e., non-professional) DLPs is that they're 1-chip, not 3-chip. Because of the need to use a color wheel, the time of each video frame has to be divided in three parts — or, rather, at least three parts, depending on how many segments there are on the color wheel. In one place in his article, Koebel does say that "having full gray scale resolution for all three colors ... is not feasible in the time available." I think this is what he means by that.
This problem is only exacerbated by the fact that the color wheel is rotated at a speed high enough to have "four (called 4X), five (5X), or six (6X) sets of RGB filters pass in front of the DMD chip during a [single] video frame." This is done to minimize the "rainbow" artifacts I discussed in An Eye on DLP, No. 1. But it reduces the duration of each primary-color subframe and thereby lowers the number of micromirror on-off cycles that can be squeezed into it. That in turn makes for an upper limit on the gray-scale resolution.
Several strategies are used to offset the banding/contouring problem at low luminance levels which results from not really having enough bit depth or gray-scale resolution. One of these strategies is "dithering."
In spatial dithering, if a pixel needs an "in-between" shade of gray that is not available due to bit-depth limitations, the pixel is formed into an ad hoc unit with adjacent pixels so that, among all the pixels of the unit, the average gray shade is correct.
Temporal dithering averages different shades of gray assigned to a particular pixel from one video frame to the next to get what the eye thinks is an in-between shade.
"Combined, spatial and temporal dithering typically add two or three bits of 'effective' resolution to the gray scale," says the WR article, "at the cost of increased noise and flicker in the image." If we assume an actual gray-scale resolution of 8 bits, dithering can nominally simulate a bit depth of 10 or 11 bits.
The algorithm used for spatial and temporal dithering is much more complex than what I have said actually indicates. Suffice it to say that dithering involves an only semi-intelligent attempt to modify the gray levels assigned to an image's pixels in order to smooth over false contours. (And remember that gray shades translate into colors, by virtue of the fact that each pixel of each red, green, or blue primary hue, before it is tinted such by the optics of the DLP light engine, comes with its own associated "shade of gray.")
On my Samsung 61" rear projector, the dithering algorithm is apparently responsible for a "stippling" or "pebbling" effect I can see in black areas of the screen when looked at up close. For example, when there are black letterboxing bars on the screen, I can see patternless, busily moving "noise" in the renering of black, if I get within inches of the screen — assuming I don't turn brightness down low enough to "swallow" it, that is.
Other people have complained in online forums about single-chip DLPs' temporal dithering in particular. They say it blurs or "pixellates" the trailing edges of brightly colored objects moving rapidly across the screen — sort of like an artifical "tail," where the object is the "comet." I myself have never noticed this effect.
Still, because dithering does produce artifacts, TI has come up with a way to minimize the need for it. It's called dark video enhancement, or DVE.
DVE puts one or two additional segments on the color wheel. In addition to two red, two green, and two blue segments, now a seventh and (depending on the implementation) possibly an eighth segment are introduced for the express purpose of creating what might be called a dark-video subframe (or two subframes) of the entire video frame.
When a red color-wheel segment moves between the light source and the DMD chip, the DMD creates a red subframe. Just the intensity of red is taken into account. When a green segment swings around, the DMD switches to creating a green subframe. When a blue segment is in the proper position, the DMD switches again to take just the intensity of green into account.
So, logically, when a dark-video segment is active, the DMD produces pixels whose intensity corresponds only to the gray-scale information at the low end of the luminance range. The higher luminance levels are ignored so that the gray-scale resolution at the low end can be given a bit depth that has been increased by one or two bits.
I'm not sure what color the dark-video segment actually is, or whether it is clear or possibly a neutral shade of dark gray. I do know (because the WR article tells me so) that "the DMD is "driven only by green-channel data during these segments. Since green contributes nearly 60 percent to the [overall] luminance of each pixel ... this gives a reasonable approximation to having full gray scale resolution for all three colors."
The best I can tell, DVE has been introduced in front projectors only, as of now. I have yet to find a rear projector which has it. (Of course, really expensive front projectors with three DMD chips don't need it, since they lack a color wheel in the first place.)
More on DLP technology in the next installment. |
Content communities allow users to share online multimedia materials. Popular content communities include YouTube
, and SlideShare
. After registering for an account, individuals upload their materials, describe them, and make them publicly available. Visitors search the content communities by keyword, subscribe to individual users, and provide feedback on the content.
How content communities enhance undergraduate research
Image courtesy of Webtreats etc. Some rights reserved.
Resources - Content communities are essentially online databases of multimedia content. Just like geological databases, users can search content communities for information that is related to their research. One might subscribe to the Scripps podcast for updates about marine geology or to the National Science Foundation's YouTube channel for the latest science news. Advisers can also generate content to make parts of the research process more efficient, like videos to train students on lab techniques.
Communication - The creation of multimedia content (e.g., videos, podcasts) requires effective communication skills. Authors learn to convey scientific information through the effective use of images, video, music, and dialogue. Because content is typically available for public comment, a content community can mirror the process of peer review in scientific discourse. Authors can use the comments section to discuss the content and revise the material.
Recruiting- Multimedia presentations that describe the undergraduate research experience are effective recruiting tools. In content communities, users can find undergraduates describing their research experiences, faculty discussing the process of mentoring, and institutions advertising research opportunities.
Where to start
Determine the type of content you would like to share online. Register for an account and upload your videos, photos, or presentations. Tag and describe your online materials. You can search for online content without becoming a member, but you will typically be required to create a profile if you would like to provide feedback on the content. When you discover users that regularly posts content of interest, subscribe to their channel or join their group.
Know copyright law - Be sure to abide by fair use and copyright regulations when sharing content on the web. Consider licensing your work through Creative Commons and using their search engine to locate materials. The 50+ Ways Wiki has an excellent list of places to find audio, video, and images. Always read the user agreement and be aware of who owns the content published through the community.
Get help - Consult your instructional technology department for help with generating multimedia content. Instructional technology specialists also have useful strategies for teaching students how to work with multimedia. Use online sources that have tips for creating podcasts and videos. Also contact academic support centers and librarians for help with literature searches, writing, and oral communication.
Invest time - To find useful resources in content communities, you'll likely spend a significant amount of time searching. When generating content, expect that it will take some time to learn the software and search for licensed media files. Adjust your research schedule to include time for drafts, reflection, and revisions before making the content public.
Examples of content communities
- YouTube - allows users to post and comment on videos. Users can also create and subscribe to channels.
- Vimeo - a video content community with an additional groups function.
Where to find more information |
...Examinees are required to fill out detailed 24-hour records for the first two weeks, and the number of hours they spent outdoors each day for the rest of the four-month period.
If Fukushima Prefecture residents develop cancer of the thyroid gland in the future, authorities will determine the likelihood of the disease being linked to the nuclear disaster. They will base the decision on comprehensive assessments of individual doses and any increase in the cancer rate in the wider community.
Radiation damage to the thyroid gland depends largely on the body's internal dose, but knowing external doses helps to inform the general trend in internal conditions, experts said.
When dose data is unavailable, there is no way to tell whether an abnormality in the thyroid gland has anything to do with the nuclear accident.
"Dose estimates are essential for evaluating a causal relationship between disease and radiation in those cases where people unfortunately fall ill and consider applying for compensation," said Saburo Murata, deputy director of the Hannan Chuo Hospital in Osaka Prefecture.
In the past, Murata has helped atomic bomb survivors and nuclear plant workers apply for health compensation.
"I advise people to keep records of any changes in their health conditions and their whereabouts, including from now on," he said. |
70 years ago workers won Flint sit-down strike
Published Feb 28, 2007 12:50 AM
1937 FLINT SIT-DOWN LABOR HISTORY SERIES
PARTS: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
In “The Threepenny Opera,” Bertolt Brecht asks the question,
“What is the crime of robbing a bank compared to the crime of owning a
bank?” A play about the Great Sit-Down Strike—Feb. 11 was the
70th anniversary of its triumphant conclusion—might ask the question,
“What is the crime of seizing the plants compared to the crime of owning
In 1936, 43 percent of the U.S. automobile industry belonged to General Motors.
Its profits for that year totaled nearly $284 million. Its
assets—including 69 plants in 35 states—were valued at $1.5
billion. The company had 37 percent of the worldwide car and truck market. GM
President Alfred P. Sloan was the highest paid executive in the country.
GM would tout their claim that wages were high—$1,500 a year. The United
Auto Workers disputed those figures, citing the irregularity of the work. Laid
off workers were forced to take out loans from the company, with payments
deducted from their wages upon return to work. To avoid layoffs, you might get
to work on the boss’s house or, if you were a part-time farmer, bring him
some meat or produce.
The UAW Women’s Emergency Brigade.
The assembly line was a living hell. The ever-increasing pace of the
line—the speedup—gave many workers the appearance of a 50-year-old
before turning 30. A sit-down participant described “hands so swollen I
couldn’t get my fingers between each other.” A sociologist of the
time observed “occupational psychosis” from the monotony and
The pain was felt deeply in Flint, Mich., home of GM and a quintessential
company town. Of the 146,000 residents, 44,000 worked for GM. There was no
company store, but that was the only company thing you didn’t “owe
your soul to.” Before GM’s arrival it was a town of 14,000
concentrated around carriage-building. Housing construction didn’t keep
up with population growth; many autoworkers lived in tar paper shacks without
indoor plumbing and others were forced to rent from GM.
No wonder then that the wave of sit-down strikes sweeping the U.S. in 1936
would culminate in a 44-day occupation in Flint.
Strikers inside the plant.
The sit-down strike was not invented in 1936. It was reportedly used in 15th
and 18th century France, early 19th century England and even in ancient Egypt
by a group of stonemasons. The early part of the 20th century saw occasional
sit-downs in the U.S., France, Italy, Yugoslavia, Spain, England, Wales and
In the 1930s, a decade defined by class warfare, 1936 was the pivotal year when
the sit-down made the transition from a little-used tool to the key weapon.
Akron, according to Jeremy Brecher in his book “Strike!” “was
the crucible in which it was forged.” Rubber workers got the idea after
two union baseball teams sat down on the field, demanding a non-union umpire be
ejected and a union ump be brought in. On Jan. 29, 1936, workers sat down at
Firestone. When the plant went silent, they screamed “We done it!”
Two days later they sat down at Goodyear, days later at Goodrich. Another
sit-down at Goodyear, and then all of Goodyear was on strike. The strike ended
in victory March 18. Sitting down became a more or less weekly affair in Akron.
It then swept the nation, with 48 sit-downs recorded in 1936, most of them
lasting more than 24 hours.
Sit-downs were also spreading through France like wildfire. The June 22, 1936,
edition of Time magazine reported “8,000 Paris slaughterhouse employees
walked out. Clerks of all Paris’ great department stores continued their
‘stay in strikes.’ The world-famed dressmaking houses had to close.
Guests made their own beds in hostelries as various as the ultra-conservative
Grand Hôtel and the swanksters’ Hôtel Georges V. Outside Paris,
for every strike settled when the week opened, another was declared.”
Meanwhile 30,000 factory workers at Renault and an equal number at Citroën
were returning to work, having won all their demands. That same year the French
government reduced the standard workweek from 48 to 40 hours and made two weeks
Radicals in the labor movement—members of the Socialist, Communist, and
other working class parties—saw the critical importance of organizing the
hundreds of thousands working in the automobile industry. They knew that they
had to crack the mighty General Motors and they had to hit key plants where it
would hurt the most.
One such plant was the Fisher body plant in Cleveland, and on Dec. 28, 1936, a
sit-down of 7,000 silenced the noisy presses. Two days later the strike moved
outside, joining strikes already going on in Atlanta and Kansas City. Now it
was time to take on Flint. A dress rehearsal had already taken place at the
strategic Fisher Body One; a brief sit-down won the rehiring of three fired
On Dec. 30 rumor spread that dies, the tools that stamp out body parts, were
being shipped out. A lunchtime meeting on the evening shift drew a huge crowd.
When the union organizer, Bob Travis, asked what ought to be done, cries rang
out: “Shut her down.” Before the shift was over the plant was in
the hands of the workers. The smaller Fisher Two was also taken that same
Thousands of workers created their own community. Perhaps some of their more
class-conscious leaders had read about and were inspired by the Paris Commune.
Decisions were made democratically at the nightly strike meeting. There were
committees for everything from defense to entertainment and education. Many
line workers had never felt so alive.
Their baptism by fire came on Jan. 11, 1937, when guards at Fisher Two refused
to allow food in. Outside pickets brought food in by ladder to the second
floor, but the guards then confiscated the ladder. Then the police began to
surround the plant. Pickets swarmed to the gate. Twenty inside strikers, with
homemade clubs, demanded the guards open the gate. When the guards refused,
they forced the gate open. The police fired tear gas and vomit-inducing gas (of
which GM had its own private stockpiles).
The union sound car called on pickets to hold their posts and those inside to
grab the fire hoses. The cops were driven away by the force of the hoses and a
rain of two-pound hinges. Before they left they shot and wounded 14, including
a striking bus driver picketing with the autoworkers. This episode became know
as the “Battle of Bulls’ Run,” because, as one striker
recounted, “I never saw cops run so fast.”
Now GM was feigning a willingness to talk things out. By 3 a.m. on Jan. 15,
Michigan Gov. Frank Murphy announced “a peace.” The union agreed to
evacuate the plants, which by now included several in Detroit and Indiana, and
the company agreed not to resume production. The plants outside of Flint were
emptied of strikers and a big celebration was planned.
Before the celebration could take place, word of a double-cross was leaked to
the union by a sympathetic reporter. GM’s Vice President Knudsen had
agreed to meet with the union-busting “Flint Alliance” to discuss
“collective bargaining”—thus removing the union as the sole
bargaining agent. The city manager was deputizing Alliance members, creating a
vigilante force to compel a back-to-work movement. The evacuation of Fisher One
and Two was called off.
Now the union needed to gain some ground to break the stalemate. They wanted to
take Chevrolet Four, a critical plant, but it was heavily guarded. In a gamble
that would prove successful, they chose to occupy Chevrolet Nine, and to leak
word of the occupation to draw the guards away from Chevy Four. After being
told at a meeting they were needed at Chevy Nine, scores of pickets, half of
them from the Women’s Auxiliary and the Women’s Emergency Brigade,
converged on the plant. When the cops fired gas into the plant, attempting to
smother its occupants, the women smashed the windows to allow the gas to
escape. Combat with the police left many strikers bloodied and bruised, but the
police retreated in the face of such determination.
Not long after, a call to the union hall announced that Chevy Four had been
taken. Within hours, the Michigan National Guard descended upon Flint. The
union held strong and responded to a court injunction to evacuate by declaring
“Women’s Day.” Women came from all over Detroit, Toledo,
other parts of Ohio and elsewhere, and their parade became the longest (end to
end) picket line in Flint history.
On Feb. 10 GM finally signed an initial agreement to recognize the UAW as the
sole bargaining agent, for a period of six months, at the most important
plants. This initial victory would lay the foundation for the many gains that
On Feb. 11, 1937, after 44 days, the strikers marched out, leading a two-mile
parade that was joined by thousands and thousands. Relations between labor and
capital would never be the same.
1937 FLINT SIT-DOWN LABOR HISTORY SERIES
PARTS: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Articles copyright 1995-2012 Workers World.
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From the introduction: The Planetary Science Decadal Survey (PSDS) was conducted by the Space Studies Board (SSB) of the National Research Council, (NRC) in 2009-2010 to "...develop a comprehensive science and mission strategy for planetary science that updates and extends the Board's 2003 solar system exploration decadal survey, New Frontiers in the Solar System: An Integrated Exploration Strategy." Ref 1
A major element in the development of this strategy was the conduct of a broad set of mission and technology studies that were used to assess the feasibility, implementation cost, and science return from missions designed to address high priority science at destinations throughout the solar system. Mission destinations included inner planets (Mercury, Venus, Moon), Mars, primitive bodies (asteroids, comets, etc.), outer planets (giant planets and ice giants) and outer planet satellites. Based on science priorities and programmatic guidelines, the NRC science panels identified promising mission concepts they recommended for study. In some cases, architecture-level trade studies were conducted to rapidly explore alternative mission concepts for a given set of science objectives as a way to select the most promising mission concept, from a science, cost and risk perspective, that the science panel recommended for higher maturity point design study [Ref 2]. In other cases, the panels elected to quickly identify point design mission concepts based on historical study results without doing an architecture level assessment of alternatives. With the support of NASA HQ, the NRC assigned each study and one of its NRC science panel members to a NASA study center (APL, GSFC, JPL, GRC and MSFC). Some results from mission studies prior to the PSDS went directly to the Independent Cost Estimators and the Steering Committee. After a team completed a point design study, the results were reviewed by the relevant NASA HQ point of contact (POC), subjected to independent cost evaluations, and then passed on to the PSDS Steering Committee. In total, 31 studies at varying levels of concept maturity were conducted. Table 1 is a complete list of the mission studies.
Performing architecture-level trade studies and mission concept point design studies was a major effort, presenting a number of challenges to the study centers, NASA HQ and the NRC PSDS team. As a result of this work, many lessons were learned along the way that can benefit future efforts that require similar design team study support. The PSDS Lessons Learned task was undertaken to identify those lessons learned and make them available for future similar efforts. The approach taken was to send questionnaires to the full range of study participants, including the PSDS science champions and panels, study center leads and team participants (JPL, GSFC, APL, GRC and MSFC), and NASA HQ POCs. The set of responses reflects a complete cross-section of study participants and provides excellent insight into the PSDS mission study process. This report documents the lessons learned. |
… and the USDA Proposed National Organic Rule
By Eric Sideman, Ph.D.
MOFGA’s Director of Technical Services
Organic agriculture is based on systems that have evolved through natural processes. Of course, growing crops organically is not a natural process itself because agriculture, by nature, is not natural. Here in Maine natural vegetation on most of the land base would be forest. The basic premise is that the farming practices and inputs in organic production should be those that are most compatible with the natural communities. For the most part the materials that are used in organic systems are in their native state-perhaps physically modified by grinding, for instance, or produced by biological processes. Synthetic materials are almost entirely prohibited. However, organic standards selected a few synthetic materials that they allowed – requiring that they meet stringent criteria concerning their safety to humans and the environment, their place in the agroecosystem from origin to breakdown, and their compatibility with a system of organic production. Soap is an example of a permitted synthetic chemical.
One exception to this basic guideline is the group of chemicals known as “inerts.” Every time I run spell check my computer tries to correct “inerts” to “inert.” I guess the word is not a noun in the English language, but it has become one of the most commonly used nouns recently at the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) meetings. Inerts refer to ingredients in pesticide formulations that are not active in relation to the particular purpose of that pesticide. In other words, any chemical in the pesticide formulation that is not actively killing the target pest is an inert.
The word ‘inert’ is actually a misnomer in most cases, because inerts are almost always chemically functional and actually are added intentionally to enhance the performance of the active ingredient. They are generally solvents, emulsifiers or synergists or compounds that in some way make the active ingredient work better.
What is so upsetting about inerts is that they are secret ingredients. According to EPA rule, pesticide manufacturers must reveal their active ingredient on the pesticide label. But inerts, no matter how many or whatever they are, can simply be lumped together and called “inert ingredients.”
While their name suggests otherwise, inert pesticide ingredients vary widely in their acute and chronic toxicity and environmental effects. Some, such as water, honey, wheat, carrots and sawdust, are relatively nontoxic. Others, such as methylene chloride, methyl bromide and naphthalene, are active ingredients in other pesticides and are clearly acutely toxic to living things. Many inerts are organic solvents, such as glycol ethers or xylenes, that have numerous toxicological problems and often are found in ground water.
The Inert Issue
Organic crop protection generally relies on methods other than directly killing target pests. Methods used include crop rotation, crop barriers, maintaining beneficial habitat and other cultural and biological means. As a last resort, however, pesticides are permitted. The permitted pesticides are natural in origin, including those derived from plant material (such as rotenone) or microbes (such as Bacillus thuringiensis).
Most organic farm certifiers, such as MOFGA, want to do the best they can when determining whether a particular pesticide formulation meets organic standards or not. We ask for a list of all the ingredients in the formulation and all the processes that the manufacture uses in production. We premit very few synthetic materials; those that we do permit are justified by meeting a set of criteria assuring health and environmental safety. However, inerts are a different issue. Since they are secret and are not required to be revealed by law, most manufactures consider them trade secrets. Many pesticides that have been used by organic farmers since the beginning, such as rotenone, pyrethrum, Bt, etc., contain synthetic inerts. These continue to be permitted by MOFGA, even though we may not know the inert ingredients, simply because organic growers used them before MOFGA existed.
I thought that the greatest benefit to MOFGA and our farmers of the Organic Food Production Act and the developing National Organic Program would be that someone with clout (the USDA) would be able to handle this issue. I thought that the USDA would develop and keep an up-to-date list of brand name products that are permitted according to organic standards. The USDA is not.
A private, nonprofit organization called the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) has been set up and is run by a board of directors of many of the old time players in the organic industry. I am on the advisory council of the Institute. The main purpose of OMRI is to review brand name products and determine if they meet organic standards. The Institute requires full disclosure of all ingredients, including inerts, for a review. It has reviewed many of the materials commonly used, but most are still on the market with no review and with secret inerts.
The NOSB is now working on a project to get a list of all of the inerts found in pesticides that are commonly used in organic production. The goal is to take that list and determine which of the inerts meet the criteria for permitted synthetic chemicals. Then it will be up to OMRI to use that list of permitted inerts and decide which products truly meet organic standards. We hope for no surprises, but I think there will be. I think we will lose some products that are now widely used. I guess that you all agree that we still want to know.
You can help by writing to the manufacturers of the materials you use and asking them to get a full OMRI review of their products. The Organic Materials Review Institute can be reached at P.O. Box 11558, Eugene, Oregon 97440.
About the author: Eric is MOFGA’s “extension agent” and is available to answer questions at the MOFGA office and at the Common Ground Country Fair. |
- Scientists at the Delta Research and Extension Center conducted a trial with cotton treated with no neonicotinoid insecticide seed treatments, with neonicotinoid ISTs and with a neonicotinoid IST plus Transform, a new plant bug insecticide registered in cotton.
Environmental groups appear to be setting their sights on the neonicotinoid class of insecticides and other pesticide compounds as the main culprits in honey bee population declines. The evidence the insecticides are the main cause is sketchy. The loss of such insecticides would put many cotton farmers in an unprofitable situation.
Jeff Gore, research entomologist at Mississippi State University’s Delta Research and Extension Center, was one of a group of Extension and university entomologists who talked about the group’s efforts to unravel some of the mysteries in the decline of bee populations during a special session at the Consultants Conference at this year’s Beltwide Cotton Conferences.
Scientists at the Delta Research and Extension Center conducted a trial with cotton treated with no neonicotinoid insecticide seed treatments, with neonicotinoid ISTs and with a neonicotinoid IST plus Transform, a new plant bug insecticide registered in cotton.
“In the two treatments where we used neonicotinoid seed treatments we had to make one foliar insecticide application for thrips,” said Gore. “Where we didn’t use a neonicotinoid we made three foliar insecticide applications for thrips.”
For plant bug control, more sprays were required across the board: six where they used neonicotinoid insecticide seed treatments; seven where they did not and seven where they applied neonicotinoid seed treatments followed by applications of Transform.
“Those applications occurred throughout the season, and they were right along with the state average for those sprayings for tarnished plant,” said Gore. (Earlier in the presentation, he indicated plant bugs have become the most important insect in Mid-South cotton production following the adoption of cotton containing the Bt resistance trait.)
“The attack has been on neonicotinoids, and the study indicated we used more insecticides where we didn’t apply them. As you can see (referring to a slide), where we didn’t use neonicotinoids we applied about twice as much active ingredient across all those insecticides applied to those plots.”
Gore also talked about the value of the neonicotinoid insecticide seed treatments. “Where we didn’t use the neonics we spent a lot more money ($186.14 vs. $99.22 and $114.66) than we spent where we used neonics.” |
From: The Encyclopedia of Canada's Peoples/Americans/J.m. Bumsted
Americans in Canada have experienced some degree of hostility, ranging from subtle suspicion to outright prejudice. Some of the hostility has come from British newcomers who found American cultural values in newly settled districts different from their own, while more has come from native-born Canadians whose suspicion of the territorial and imperial pretensions of the United States has extended to its citizens. In many cases cultural and political suspicion have been inextricably mixed and combined with senses of Canadian dependency and insecurity relative to the United States. Unlike most immigrants to Canada, who are allowed to become fully committed Canadian citizens upon naturalization, the American immigrant is often unable to escape a residual Canadian belief that his or her naturalization somehow cannot ever overcome American origins. Naturalized Americans are thus less frequently referred to as “new Canadians” than as “ex-Americans.” In its most extreme form, Canadian suspicion of the United States has led to outbreaks of overt anti-Americanism, usually spilling over against Americans resident in Canada. Expressions of Canadian anti-Americanism directed against the United States are not quite identical with expressions of Canadian hostility towards Americans in Canada, but there is usually some ultimate connection.
The first such outbreak of anti-Americanism came in the early years of the nineteenth century in Upper Canada, where, as we have seen, thousands of “late Loyalist” or “post-Loyalist” settlers born in the American colonies or the United States arrived between 1790 and 1810. The Upper Canadian élite were bothered by the political principles of the new American settlers, who were said to exhibit “a spirit of Democracy,” “Republican principles,” and “ideas of equality & insubordination.” Some of the hostility to the Americans was cultural, but most was political. It was feared that they would be of “doubtful loyalty” if an American war (and invasion of Upper Canada) occurred.
With the declaration of war by the United States upon Great Britain on 18 June 1812, the American residents of Upper Canada – like most resident aliens associated with an enemy power in any war – were caught in the middle. An American army under General Isaac Hull invaded Upper Canada only a few weeks later, and a considerable number of American-born inhabitants in the western district joined the invasion. Many other Americans, claiming neutrality, refused to join militia units to fight the invaders; other Americans in the Niagara area behaved similarly when American troops crossed the border near Fort Niagara. Over the next few years, there was considerable evidence of what historian Gerald Craig described as “disaffection, treason, or neutralism” on the part of American settlers in Upper Canada, although whether they merited the treatment they received is another matter. Official attitudes surfaced at the trials at Ancaster in 1814 of nineteen persons for high treason; eight were executed and ultimately thirty had judgments of outlawry entered against them.
Although the bulk of Americans resident in Canada had supported the British cause (many of those who did not fled back across the border), the élite of the province ended the war convinced that American “republicanism” must be suppressed if they were to avoid another war with a “powerful and treacherous” enemy. The government of Upper Canada simultaneously pressed for British immigration and struggled to suppress the resumption of an American influx; the lieutenant governor refused to permit the administration of the oath of allegiance to Americans (which prevented their receiving land titles and made them liable for prosecution under sedition acts); the provincial assembly voted in 1816 to punish residents who had spent the war years in the United States and had returned to Upper Canada; and the province refused to make land allotments to the children of Loyalists unless they could prove that both they and their parents had remained loyal during the late war. Then in 1817 Colonial Secretary Lord Bathurst informed the Upper Canadian government that immigrants arriving from the United States were to be treated as aliens until properly naturalized, an instruction which Attorney General John Beverley Robinson interpreted to mean that all American immigrants were aliens. Thus began what has become known as the “Alien Question.” It kept Upper Canada in an uproar until 1827, when the matter was resolved in favour of the American settlers.
This effort legally to eliminate, in effect, most Americans from Upper Canada was an early example of the increasingly prevalent “Loyalist” mentality of nineteenth-century Ontario, which rested on a Messianic vision of the province’s role as an outpost of the British Empire. The sheer virulence of the persecution of Americans after 1815 may well have encouraged in them a sense of community that had not previously existed. But it also served as a substantial barrier to the continued arrival of new American settlers in Upper Canada. Why come to Canada to be marginalized when plenty of good land was on offer in the mid-western states?
After confederation, anti-Americanism was too important a component of both the historic and the newly emergent Canadian identity to disappear. It would resurface in times of economic crisis – as in the later 1870s, when Canada countered American protectionism with tariffs of her own, or in 1911, when Canadians rejected a reciprocity treaty with the United States. Similarly, many Canadians were concerned about the effects upon Canada of the “Americanization” of the west. “The North-West will be American,” prophesied man-of-letters Goldwin Smith in 1903. Smith was a continentalist who did not find the prospect he envisioned particularly frightening, but others did. One Manitoba writer observed in 1909, “The great majority of these American settlers are good citizens but they . . . are first, last and always, Americans.” Canadian immigration official William Duncan Scott in 1914 dismissed such concerns as silly, adding that, if Americanization “means that the progressiveness of the American will be copied by the Canadian, the more rapid Americanization the better.” The very quality admired in the Americans by Canadian immigration officials – their experience with North American agricultural and climatic conditions – often invoked negative responses in some quarters. While Scott insisted that “the people from the United States most readily adapt themselves to Canadian conditions,” British journalist Howard Angus Kennedy countered that the American farmer’s “power of screwing the last ounce of wheat out of his land and the last cent out of his wheat is undoubted; but there his life begins and ends. He may not be a rowdy; but his moral qualities are merely negative. He is a human farming-machine.”
Another round of anti-Americanism occurred in Canada in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Much of Canadian hostility was directed against the government of the United States for its policies in Vietnam, but there were other factors as well. The era was one of rising Canadian nationalism, which always expressed itself in a process of distancing from the United States. One of the major public debates was over American investment (or “ownership”) in Canada. Another concerned the prominence of Americans in the Canadian university system, especially key social science disciplines such as economics, political studies, and sociology. The simultaneous lack of knowledge about Canada on the part of the major American academic organizations did not help in the controversy, since many American groups had difficulty accepting that Canada was, indeed, a foreign country. |
Added by Adrian Watt on Mar 12, 2008
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Barotrauma refers to injuries caused by increased air or water pressure, such as during airplane flights or scuba diving. Barotrauma of the ear is common. Generalized barotraumas, also called decompression sickness, affects the entire body.
Your middle ear includes the eardrum and the space behind it. The only connection between your middle ear and the "outside world" is a thin canal called the Eustachian tube. This connects your ear with the back of your mouth. When you swallow, you may notice a small click in your ears. This is a bubble of air being moved through the Eustachian tube. These bubbles are constantly moving into the middle ear, where they balance the ear's inner pressure. Ear barotrauma can occur when these tubes become blocked or partially blocked.
On an airplane, barotrauma to the ear – also called aero-otitis or barotitis – can happen as the plane descends for landing. Barotrauma of the ear also can happen when scuba divers descend. The pressure change can create a vacuum in the middle ear that pulls the eardrum inward. This can cause pain and can muffle sounds. Your ear will feel stuffed and you may feel as if you need to "pop" it.
In more severe cases of barotrauma, the middle ear can fill with clear fluid as the body tries to equalize the pressure on both sides of the eardrum. This fluid is drawn out of blood vessels in the lining of the inner ear, and can only drain if the Eustachian tube is open. Fluid behind the eardrum is called serous otitis media. It can create pain and hearing difficulty similar to a middle ear infection.
The eardrum can rupture (break) in severe cases of ear barotrauma, causing bleeding or leaking of fluid from the ear. A ruptured eardrum can result in hearing loss. In severe cases, it is possible for the pressure to create a leak between the deepest structures of the ear (the fluid-filled bony canals called the cochlea and semicircular canals) and the inner ear space. This deep leak is known as a fistula. If this occurs, the balance center can be affected, resulting in a sensation of spinning or falling called vertigo. This complication may require emergency surgery.
Barotrauma is the most common medical problem reported by air travelers. It is much more likely to happen to people who have colds, allergies or infections when they are flying. It is common in children because their Eustachian tubes are narrower than those of adults and become blocked more easily.
Barotrauma in the lungs also can occur, but this is not seen in air travelers. It occurs, rarely, in divers who hold their breath, when the diaphragm moves abruptly in a "gasping" effort. The diaphragm is the main muscle used in breathing. This form of barotrauma creates a vacuum in the lungs and can result in bleeding into the lung tissue. A more common form of barotrauma in the lungs is caused by the mechanical ventilation systems used in hospital intensive care units to help patients breathe. In this case, air sacks (alveoli) in the lungs may be ruptured or scarred due to high air pressure within the lungs. Ventilator-associated barotrauma is a complex medical concern. |
Happy Easter! I have had a great weekend with friends and family and I still have one more day off. Yay! One of the highlights in first grade is our study of worms. We teacher the 4th R, rot to the kids and integrate it into our recycling unit. One of the places we will visit is our local worm farm. Yes, you read that right a worm farm. You can get worms, worm poop, worm poop tea, and even bat guano (poop). I love teaching about worms. The kids love it, and they really are an important part of our Earth. Worm friends are something we make every year and the kids love them. I mean I have older students who come back and tell me they still have their worm buddy as a stuffed animal at home. I thought I would share this simple project with you.
The supplies that you will need are:
First the kids stuff their worm (nylon) and tie off the end. I find that many kids have never touched a nylon, so I have to give them a minute just to play with it.
Once it is stuffed, they make segments on their worms with the rubber bands. Depending on how tight the bands are, they may need help with this.
Next, I or a parent hot glue the felt around the middle of the worm to represent its clitellum.
Last, I let them draw five hearts on the nylon because worms have five hearts. And there you have it, a new worm friend!
Another great activity to do with worms is to build your own class worm bin. You can read more about how to do that here.
So there you have it. You too can make your own worm friend. Your kids can write about them, read to them or just use them for pretend play. There are so many possibilities. |
Math For Fifth And Sixth Grade
Grade levels: 5th & 6th
Subject: Adding and Subtraction Fractions
Introduction: This lesson is for fifth and sixth graders to show squares, rectangular, and circular regions divide each into equal parts and shade same or all of the parts. Ask what fraction is shaded and what fraction is not shaded. Divide a region into non equal parts and explain that fractions are not appropriate.
Purpose: To develop a lesson that have a school and home connection, so that the students can turn to their computer and access their work. Family and friends can very much share in this experience. Students will understand other means of solving mathematical problems.
Academic Standards ( Objectives):
STATE GOAL 6:
DEMONSTRATE AND APPLY A KNOWLEDGE AND SENSE OF NUMBERS, INCLUDING BASIC ARITHMETIC OPERATIONS, NUMBER PATTERNS, RATIOS, AND PROPORTIONS.
Describe, express, and represent whole numbers, proper and improper fractions, and decimals and the relationships between them using concrete materials, drawings, words, and mathematical symbols.
Material: Overhead projector, paper, pencil, chalk board and computers.
Activities and Procedures:
1. The lesson will begin with a home connection illustration. Student will bring in a pie or a personal pizza. Then the students will go to funbrain and work on fractions. Can the students identity a mixed fraction?
2. Student will transfer what they learn from home connection to a actual school problem and solve. Plus, work on math stories problems. Can the students add mix fractions?
3. Students will practice given problems and assignments per teacher instructions. Also, students will go to fractions on the internet. Can students solve fractions accurately.
Conclusion: As a result of the activities students will be able to demonstrate and solve fractions and mixed fractions.
Rubric For Fractions/Internet
|Students must master 90% of activities provided by computer on fractions and related activities|
||Students must solve 80% of internet problems.|
|Students must solve 70% of internet problems.|
Back to the SMART index page
© Ellen Hymon |
A Christmas Gift Tradition - A Sled
In Canada the Sears Department Stores still give out free for the asking the Christmas Wish Book catalog. I pickup my catalog each September to look at all the decorations and toys that are available during the holiday season. The Christmas catalog has and continues to be the avenue for boys and girls to peruse and then make lists for Santa Claus to find for toys wanted to be found under the tree. Almost every child has wanted to see a sled under the tree. Then to hope for snow to put the sled through its paces.
Store issued catalogs have been on a decline for many years due to several factors; the cost of the catalog, internet shopping and buyers living in areas close to large stores. In years gone by catalogs were issued by Sears and Roebuck, Montgomery Ward, J.C. Penny, and even local hardware stores. In many rural areas the local hardware store became Santa's Toyland during the Christmas season. One item that appeared at some point on almost every child's Christmas wish list was for a sled. Even today sleds may be made of plastic or have different shapes, but a sled is still a hot item. The thrill and excitement of flying down a hill low to the ground with the snow coming up to greet your face.
In early North America toys were manufactured in the home or by a small, local craftsman. The first toys were made of wood. It was not until the mid 1800's that more organized toy companies employing large numbers of workers and making large quantities appeared on the scene. By 1850 there were about 50 major toy manufactures in the United States. With the publication of "A Visit from St. Nicholas" in 1837 the concept of giving presents during the holiday season took hold. The tradition of presents under the Christmas tree was born. Sleds were not a new item, but with the use of machinery it was now possible to mass produce sleds. A poem by Eugene Field of this era Put it into perspective:
"Got a clipper sled, an when us kids goes out to slide,
"But just fore Christmas I'm as good as I kin be!
The earliest sleds found in New England and Midwest U.S.A. were made of wood and came in various sizes. Sizes could range from 12"-52" or even longer for whole groups to slide down the slopes on. By the 1850's some sleds were appearing on the market with metal runners. The metal runners lasted longer than wood and gave the sled a easier gliding motion.
The first major manufacture of sleds was the Paris Manufacturing Corporation of South Paris, Maine. It was founded by Henry F. Morton in 1861. The sleds were hand painted by his wife and the sleds did not have a steering control. The sleds sell for several hundred dollars due to the hand painted nature. Oak was employed as it is a hard wood. A sled has to take a great deal of weight usually by the individual jumping onto it.
A sled appeared in the 1870's Montgomery Ward catalog. One model even had a ornamental swan on the front. There was a sled for each price range - 60 cents to $1.15 for the most deluxe. It was during this time that one interesting company did appear, the E. Bassingdale Garton Company of Sheboygan, Wisconsin. For the pedal car collector the name will ring many bells. The Garton Company in the 20th Century became one of the major manufactures of pedal cars for children. Today a Garton pedal car of any type is sought by collectors to add to their collection. Sleds came in many styles from plain wood to painted animals or figures on the body of the sled. There was even a special sled for girls which was smaller and lighter. Some sleds had names on the body - Snow Flake, Yankee Clipper, Devil, American Racer, Canadian Racer. Colors were bright in many instances the hot color of red being the favorite. Sleds were usually made of three planks of wood with a set of handlebars to grab on and steer with. Many sleds had decals or decorations on the body and some on the handlebars, as well.
Of course the most famous American sled is the "Flexible Flyer." The sled was the idea of a Pennsylvania Quaker farmer Samuel Leeds Allen. He operated a farm equipment manufacturing business in the 1880's. He found the business was a success, but was of a seasonal nature. Allen began to think and search for another item that could be manufactured in the off season. A product that could be sold in the winter. Sleds were being manufactured by individuals - Allen hit upon the idea of mass production. In addition at this time mass produced items were becoming a status symbol since for whatever reason a higher value was being placed upon manufactured goods. In another event that would demonstrate that manufacturing was becoming more sophisticated he tested his design on different models on a farm in New Jersey. In 1889 he applied to the US Patent Office for his design. The sled rode on a single pair of steel runners and very importantly had a hinged attachment near the center that steered and controlled the direction of the sled. By turning the handlebars and shifting ones body or weight on the base of the sled it could be coxed into a different direction.
But, he was ahead of his time. The sled did not sell. The sleds that contained to find their place in the Christmas market were still the heavier unsteerable sleds. The major manufacturer was Paris Manufacturing of South Paris, Maine.
It was not until after the Sears catalog of 1908 featured several different types of sleds made of hardwood and having good spring runners that the "Flexible Flyer" made a return. The sleds sold by Sears went for 91 cents and were 30" long.
In 1913 the "Flexible Flyer" that we think of made it into the stores. It was 56" long and had a large red arrow on the wood frame. The "Red Arrow" became the famous trademark. Allen now convinced two large department stores to stock and sell his sleds especially during the Christmas season. R.H. Macy's New York City and John Wanamaker of Philadelphia. By 1915 the "Flexible Flyer" was selling 2,000 sleds a day. With the steering mechanism the safety issue for children and taking the worry away from parents was being focused on as a major selling point.
By the 1920's Sears was offering the "Flying Arrow" - "Watch it fly around corner, these sleds actually steer, runners are highly tempered spring steel, they carve up abruptly in front which leaves more of the long runner on the ground, making it easier to steer and giving a better coasting surface." The price $2.87.
By the 1930's improvements were being made, the steer was easier and could move the sled in different directions easier. Just like an automobile that undergoes testing and adjustment through the years the sled was no different. Sales skyrocketed in the 1930's and the item became even more popular due to the character that began to appear on the sled. In an agreement with Walt Disney - a decal of Mickey and Minnie Mouse began to appear on sleds.
Once World War II was over the Baby Boomers began to appear on the scene in record numbers - the sales of "Flexible Flyers" took off. Wherever there was the chance for snow, the item on the Christmas list was for a sled. In the 1960's Allen's "Flexible Flyer" company had been purchased by a firm that manufactured outdoor swing sets. Some sled models were manufactured in aluminum only now. There appeared the "Saucer Sled" and even to go along with the hit Bat Man television show of the period - "Batwing sled." The sled was in the shape of a Bat wing.
Today sleds have come full circle -in the 1800's wood and no steering -wood and metal with controls - to metal and no control today. The "Flexible Flyer" has passed into history since the company changed owners several times since the late 1960's.
Sleds in the Movies
Sleds have appeared in many movies through the years. Probably the two most famous were; 1941 - Citizen Kane with Orson Wells. The movie opens with Kane's last words - Rosebud. In fact, the central core of the movie focuses on what did those words "Rosebud" mean and what did they relate too. What was Kane trying to convey as he dropped the snow globe and uttered those words. Of course as the movie went on the audience came to know the secret that he was his child-hood sled. The memories of good times with the sled although he was poor was the message being conveyed. In the end the audience witnesses the sled being tossed into the giant furnace along with other objects of value and the last words remain a mystery - innocence of a child with his red sled gone forever. The Rosebud sled from the movie was sold at auction years ago. The auction was held in New York City and the buyer was Steven Spielberg -the price was $60,500. The interesting note is that there were actually three Rosebud sleds, but the other two were really burned in the making of the motion picture. The more recent 1993 Ethan Hawk starring Liam Neeson based on the Edith Wharton's book of tragedy, repression and irony. Set in rural New England an accident with Neeson hit-ting a tree with his sled sets the tone of the movie. The sled demonstrated the danger of the early sleds that did not have steering or controlling mechanism.
Miscellaneous Sled Information
1. In 1910 "Flexible Flyer" introduced a "Tuxedo Racer Model" - in honor of the Tuxedo Club in New York City - it was a major spot for sledding.
2. 1913 - "Flexible Flyer" red arrow trademark introduced.
3. 1940s - the baby sled back was introduced. The wrap around wood piece was to keep a baby from falling from the sled. Also a handle was added to the front of the sled so the baby could be pulled.
4. 1940 "Flexible Flyer" straight runner models phased out. 5. A "Flexible Flyer" sled rests in the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. It will remain on display forever as a part of American history.
Flexible Flyers and other Great Sleds - 1997 - published by Shiffer Publishing.
Jim Trautman is a freelance writer for magazines and television. He is presently working on several projects. Jim can be reached at [email protected] |
With so many busy and stressful lives, meditation and mindfulness are very hot topics right now in the Yoga community as well as mainstream mental health, psychotherapeutic and medical worlds. As anyone who has practiced meditation for any length of time may attest, the hype is warranted. Also, more and more research is showing that the benefits of practice on mental and physical well-being is clear.
For many of us who are beginning the practice of meditation the phrase seen on so many bumper stickers: “Meditation, Its Not What You Think” is all too real. Though most do have positive experiences even from the beginning it is a shock for many just how challenging it can be to simply sit and be with oneself.
With few exisiting habits or skills in working with the mind the parade of thoughts, feelings and other distractions is the rule, and any moments of calm are the happy exceptions. Experienced meditators across many traditions describe this as a manifestation of “Monkey Mind”; this expereince of hopping from one thought or experience to another without rest. Meditation practice is the process of taming the monkey to gain a degree of control over its activity.
It is no wonder many become discouraged and give up the practice. A common lament is they just think to much to meditate. This is a variant of the theme beginners who feel discouraged in the initial phase of Yoga practice express that they aren’t flexible enough to do Yoga. This is not so, of course, and an unfortunate early form of obstacle and resistance that will keep the novice from solving those very difficulties.
It is in these casse that the need may be greatest as stress and it deleterious effects may be undermining health and wellbeing and ruining a great opportunity to enjoy a more peaceful, healthy and enjoyable life.
In classical sitting meditative disciplines a more self-accepting attitude as well as a strong ethos that demands cosistent and persistant practice exists to overcome these initial obstacles. For many who are navigating busy and overwhelming lives though, recognizing and adapting the practice itself may be the solution.
Below are some steps to employ the busy mind in strategies to develop and expand upon basic mental focus skills that canin turn build the concentration, contemplation and meditation strength in a more incremental ways. This approach recognizes that though the mind may resist attempts to slow down, as even modest gains are made the draw to take care of your inner self can grow.
Here you may learn how to stay focused through the turmoil of life by following a few tips that teach you how to concentrate on your goal. Be as patient and accepting of yourself as you can. Again, the support of a teacher of a friend with experience can offer helpful support and guidance.
One of the main problems that deter a person’s success is their lack of concentration. Lapses encourage disturbances to get in the way and stall progress. If ones wishes to proceed on their road to success, it is imperative they learn how to concentrate. Here are some easy to learn exercises that are easy to implement.
1) Silence or Noise:
Most people cannot concentrate when it is too noisy, but others work better with music or others in the midst of a crowded room. If you are not aware as yet what best suits you, then try out the different environments. How? Take a notepad and a pencil or pen with you and try and write down a letter in all the three circumstances in a set amount of time. Five minutes. That is all you will need to determine where your source of concentration lies. How? Check not only for length but also for development as that is more important.
2) Focal Point:
Every morning, before you leave for work or on the way, stare at any object for five minutes. You can do this while in the toilet, car or bus. You will find this difficult, but whatever happens, do not move your gaze away. Hold it. Wait. And then, as the minutes pass you may find yourself deeply meditating about things that happened to you yesterday or challenges you have to face in a few minutes. Congratulations. You have begun to explore the art of concentration.
3) Deep Breathing:
In the beginning, you can do this while staring at the object from tip number two, but if you wish to move towards real concentration, do this separately. Sit down on the floor or a chair with your spine straight. If its hard, place a cushion. Close your eyes. Breathe. Count the number of inhales. When you have reached 100, start counting backwards but this time count the exhales. If you get lost or distracted start over. Mastering this will take you a while, but once you do move on to other kinds of mathmatical calculations such as naming the months of the year from December backwards or alphabetically. After that, make up exercises as you like.
Focus on an animal: cat, dog or even ant or bird. Follow their every movement as if they exist in a vaccumm. Study every tiny spot on their body. The point of this is to learn how to diversify your concentration in such a way that movement does not deter you from your goal.
Practice the above four tips and like magic, you may start enjoying life to its fullest because you will be able to focus on the things you want to focus on and disregard those that disrupt. Practice the above tips daily and you will be that much more closer to achieving your dreams and goals. As always please read my website disclaimer before beginning this or any practice described here. |
Breastfeeding greatly benefits your baby’s immune system. Breastmilk contains precious antibodies and enzymes that protect your baby from chronic conditions such as obesity, allergies, asthma, and diabetes.
Unfortunately, most newborns are missing a beneficial gut bacteria that helps in the utilization and absorption of all of breastmilk’s nutrients. Dreaming of Baby speaks with Dr. Tanya Altmann on the importance of breastfeeding and of having the right gut bacteria.
Daniela: Good afternoon, Dr. Tanya Altmann, and welcome to Dreaming of Baby. It’s a pleasure to be speaking with you today. We’re very much looking forward to our discussion on breastfeeding and how this affects a baby’s immune system. Before we start addressing this subject, grateful if you could introduce yourself and your work in this field to our readers.
Dr. Tanya Altmann: Hello. I am a UCLA trained pediatrician, parenting book author and mom of 3 boys. I practice pediatrics in Calabasas, CA with an emphasis on infant and child nutrition and preventive medicine.
How does breastfeeding boost a baby’s immune system?
Daniela: Thank you, Dr. Altmann. To start with our discussion, what role does breastfeeding play in boosting a baby’s immune system?
Dr. Tanya Altmann: Breastfeeding is the ideal source of nutrition for a new baby. Breastmilk contains the right amount of nutrition, as well as special carbohydrates babies need. When breastfeeding, you pass immunoglobulins onto your baby to help protect your little one. In addition, breast milk contains special carbohydrates called human milk oligosaccharides to help feed the good bacteria in your baby’s gut. Basically, breast milk is ideal, but your baby needs to have the right gut bacteria to utilize and absorb all the nutrition in breast milk. Recent research has shown that many babies born in the United States are missing the good gut bacteria needed to use all of the special nutrients in breast milk.
Dr. Tanya Altmann: “Recent research has shown that many babies born in the United States are missing the good gut bacteria needed to use all of the special nutrients in breast milk.”
Daniela: Are babies normally born with this good gut bacteria?
Dr. Tanya Altmann: 100 years ago they were, but due to generations of modern medical interventions like C-Sections, antibiotic use and formula, many babies today aren’t born with the right gut bacteria to utilize all of that liquid gold. Even if today’s mom does everything right, has a vaginal birth, poops on the delivery table and breastfeeds her little one, she may not have the right gut bacteria to pass on to her new baby.
Dr. Tanya Altmann: That’s where probiotics come into play. Probiotics are great for everyone at every age, especially newborns.
Daniela: And can the mom take probiotics during pregnancy to ensure the best start for her child?
Dr. Tanya Altmann: Moms can take probiotics during delivery, and I recommend that. However, research shows that by giving a newborn baby the right probiotic after birth and breastfeeding, a baby’s gut can become colonized with the right good gut bacteria to help protect them for a life of good health.
Dr. Tanya Altmann: A daily probiotic can help babies colonize their gut with good bacteria to help them absorb all of breast milk’s important nutrients. We also know that babies born without good gut bacteria are 5 times more likely to develop allergies and diabetes and 3 times more likely to develop obesity later on in life. So I recommend that all of my patients take a daily probiotic and that breastfed babies get a baby probiotic daily.
Dr. Tanya Altmann: It’s that balance of good gut bacteria over bad gut bacteria that we all need and starting in the first week of life can set your little one up right.
Dr. Tanya Altmann: “Babies born without good gut bacteria are 5 times more likely to develop allergies and diabetes and 3 times more likely to develop obesity later on in life.”
How do C-sections affect baby’s gut health?
Daniela: You mentioned earlier C-sections, how do these affect the baby’s gut health?
Dr. Tanya Altmann: Babies born via C-Section are born with a sterile gut, no good or bad gut bacteria. So whatever a baby is first exposed to, often the hospital, will colonize the babies gut. We’ve known for quite some time that C-Section babies especially need probiotics, but it wasn’t until recently that the right good baby gut bacteria was identified by researchers at U.C. Davis. Now we know that it’s B. Infantis that babies first need when they are born.
Dr. Tanya Altmann: Moms always ask me about Eczema, allergies, asthma, diabetes, and obesity in children as they are skyrocketing due to an improper balance of good vs bad bacteria in babies’ gut. Research shows that when good gut bacteria outweighs the bad, it sets babies up for life-long health. There’s a critical window in babies’ first 6 months of life that determines their health trajectory. If good bacteria are thriving, they’re more likely to develop a healthy metabolism and immune system later in life. So it’s actually the good gut bacteria from mom that helps protect baby.
Daniela: Very interesting. And is this somehow related to what we’ve been hearing quite a lot of: vaginal seeding?
Dr. Tanya Altmann: It is the good bacteria in mom’s gut and stool that passes to baby during vaginal delivery. The good gut bacteria is in the mom’s gut, not the mom’s vagina.
Why are probiotics important for baby?
Daniela:: Thanks for clarifying, so probiotics give that very important B. Infantis to newborns?
Dr. Tanya Altmann: Look for a probiotic that is clinically proven to restore B. infantis in baby’s gut. Such a baby probiotic is easy to give as you just mix the powder packed with a few milliliters of breast milk and feed it to your baby daily. It helps colonize a new baby’s gut with the right good gut bacteria to help a baby utilize all of the important nutrition in breast milk and also protect their gut for life.
Daniela: And can this be done immediately once the baby is born?
Dr. Tanya Altmann: Yes, as soon as baby starts consuming breastmilk or colostrum.
Daniela: How would you know if a baby was born with the good gut bacteria or not? Would there be immediate symptoms or it’s something more long-term?
Dr. Tanya Altmann: Great question! The only way to know for sure would be to culture the baby’s stool, but recent UC Davis research has shown that 97% of babies born in the U.S. no longer have this good gut bacteria.
Dr. Tanya Altmann: Without the good gut bacteria, babies are more likely to develop eczema, allergies, diabetes and other illness and disease. It’s really the first 6 months of life that determines a baby’s health trajectory. If good bacteria are thriving, they’re more likely to develop a healthy metabolism and immune system later in life.
Dr. Tanya Altmann: “Recent UC Davis research has shown that 97% of babies born in the U.S. no longer have this good gut bacteria.”
Daniela: Wow, that’s a staggering figure! You also mentioned antibiotics. Would this be the effect of antibiotics the mom took throughout her life, or when given directly to the baby?
Dr. Tanya Altmann: It could be either, but every time a person takes antibiotics, it alters their gut bacteria, so if a mom doesn’t have the right gut bacteria, either from taking antibiotics or maybe she was born via C-Section, that determines what gut bacteria her baby will get from her.
How can I prepare for my breastfeeding journey?
Daniela:: Interesting. As you’ve noted, the effects of not having good gut bacteria are plenty and this further emphasizes the importance of probiotics and breastfeeding. How can moms-to-be prepare for their breastfeeding journey?
Dr. Tanya Altmann: Before delivery, take a breastfeeding class if possible and/or watch a video on nursing to help get you used to the concept. Ask your pediatrician for some lactation resources such as a consultant or class in your area. Although breastfeeding is natural, not all babies are born experts (and neither are us moms!). Breastfeeding may take some patience and help and that’s ok. Even one meeting with a lactation consultant can make a world of difference to get you and your little one on track for breastfeeding success. So don’t be afraid to ask for help.
Daniela:: Are there any indications that can help moms ensure that their baby is getting enough milk?
Dr. Tanya Altmann: Your baby should be having at least few wet and dirty diapers a day and as your real milk comes in, stools will turn from black to brown to green to yellowish. That’s how you know your baby is getting your breast milk. Also, your pediatrician will closely follow your babies weight the first few weeks of age. Initially, babies may lose a few ounces, but once your milk is in and baby is feeding well, by 5 to 7 days of age your baby should start gaining weight and be back at birth weight by 2 weeks or so of age. If you have any concerns that your baby may not be eating enough, having enough dirty or wet diapers or isn’t gaining weight, see your pediatrician as soon as possible.
Daniela:: Thank you for this, Dr. Altmann. On a final note, what would be your one piece of take-home advice to a mom-to-be?
Dr. Tanya Altmann: Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Although breastfeeding is natural, babies aren’t born experts. Ask your pediatrician or a lactation consultant for help. Even one or two sessions can make a huge difference in breastfeeding success. We know that breast milk is the best first thing for baby, but recent research shows that it needs to be combined with probiotics to help babies utilize all that liquid gold and really set baby up for a healthy gut and future life. And take time to enjoy every minute!
Daniela:: Thank you, Dr. Altmann! What you’ve shared with us today will be helpful to many moms on their own journeys. |
Feb 29, 2008
Reversible, reagentless solubility changes in phosphatidylcholine-stabilized gold nanoparticles
This paper describes an approach for preparing gold nanoparticles using an environmentally benign method. This new synthetic route utilizes non-toxic components from soybeans. By using phosphatidylcholine (lecithin) extracted from soy as a ligand, nanoparticles with unique solubility properties were discovered. These lipid-stabilized gold nanoparticles can be synthesized in either aqueous or organic solvents and then can be resuspended in a different solvent without using additional reagents or chemical modification. This reversible solubility change results from the amphiphilic properties of the phosphatidylcholine ligand and can be repeated multiple times without altering the size, shape or optical properties of the nanoparticles.
For practical use, the solubility conversion method allows for modification of a nanoparticle in one solvent prior to use in a second solvent. This will open new avenues to nanoparticle assembly, modification and biofunctionalization. These materials will be useful in several applications including the design of biosensors and in studying membrane–protein interactions. Furthermore, this route has already been shown to be an effective method of preparing water-soluble nanoparticles of narrow-dispersity.
There is an emerging need for synthetic routes that produce non-toxic nanomaterials especially for nanoparticles being considered for use in medical applications. By synthesizing nanoparticles using benign building blocks, the likelihood of toxicity caused by impurities or decomposition products can be reduced. Lipids obtained from inexpensive renewable feedstock are ideal benign building blocks for the synthesis of greener nanomaterials. The toxicity of these and other nanoparticles are being assessed using screens available through the Safer Nanomaterials and Nanomanufacturing Initiative. By learning what properties influence toxicity it will be possible to further improve the syntheses.
About the author
Postdoctoral researcher Marilyn M Mackiewicz and graduate student, Benjamin R Ayres work with the Safer Nanomaterials and Nanomanufacturing Initiative to design new routes for synthesizing nanomaterials with minimal environmental impacts. They work at Portland State University in the lab of Professor Scott M Reed, a member of the Department of Chemistry and the Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute. |
Welcome back to my interactive notebook series. Today I thought I would share the how. How do I begin? More importantly, how do I lay down expectations and assess those expectations throughout the school year.
Once we are all excited about making our own book, we brainstorm and learn what makes a thumbs up notebook. I introduce all of the components and then I spend a day on each one and we practice them.
As I said, I break each of these categories into a separate lesson. For the cutting out the pieces, I model thumbs up, thumbs so-so and thumbs down cutting. We talk about what those pages look like. Then I give them each a sticky note with a thumb on it and they get to vote on which one they believe is thumbs up cutting. We do this for each category, they love it!
Now that we are all on the same page, we begin working on pages in our notebooks. In the beginning we fill out a self-reflection sheet to assess our page that we complete. As my students become more aware of the expectations, we just do the reflection page once in a while.
We glue this page on the left side of their notebook (I have my kids do their notebook pages onto the right hand side of there their notebook). It makes a good reminder of what is expected.
So….would you an interactive notebook reflection page? Grab your free thumbs up self-reflection page here.
Remember if you missed my previous posts on interactive notebooks, click below. |
Hybrid and electric cars: what you need to know
With hybrid and fully electric cars more and more in the news, maybe you’ve been thinking about giving the gas station a pass.
If that’s the case, read on—here’s a handy guide from Budds’ with everything you need to know.
Hybrids and electrics 101
“Electric” vehicles, such as the Chevy Bolt EV, run on electricity only—as you might imagine. The length of time a vehicle may run without being recharged depends on the vehicle specs, including the weight and number of batteries.
A hybrid, as its name applies, runs on a combination of gas and electricity. Plug it in when you need a recharge and you’re good to go. The Chevy Volt is a good example here.
Hybrids typically use a technology called regenerative braking—meaning that the vehicle uses the energy that is produced while you brake to feed the battery. As you drive, normal braking increases the available charge to the battery and saves on fuel economy. Bonus: you’ll be able to drive past more gas stations than you’d imagine.
Compared to standard cars, hybrid and electric vehicles have smaller engines—since the engine is not the only source of power. These motors are also more efficient.
The bodies themselves are usually built with more lightweight materials. This stands to reason; after all, the heavier the vehicle, the more gas you’ll need, as more torque is required to move the wheels.
Regardless of the type of hybrid or electric vehicle you choose, the vehicle will naturally emit less pollution than a vehicle that runs on gas alone. No surprise—governments love this. That means in Ontario, you can claim a tax credit on the Bolt, Volt and Cadillac CT-6 Plug-in.
Do hybrids and electrics really save you money?
When hybrids first hit the market, they were expensive. (Some might say prohibitively so.) That meant any savings you saw at the gas station were eaten up in the initial cost of the vehicle.
However, hybrids have since become more popular and more manufacturers are making them. And with demand higher, prices have come down. You can now get into a hybrid for under $40k.
No, that’s not laundromat money. But when you think about the fact that you’re driving the most advanced tech on the road and saving the environment at the same time, it’s a remarkable price.
GM cars, part 1: the Chevrolet Bolt EV and Volt
Both will save you money over time and both contribute much less (and, in the case of the Bolt, nothing) to greenhouse gases.
The Bolt, in particular, should come with its own trophy shelf. It was:
- The 2017 Motor Trend Car of the Year
- The AutoGuide.com Readers’ Choice Green Car of the Year
- One of Automobile Magazine’s2017 All-Stars
- The 2017 Green Car of the Year
- Green Car Reports’ “Best Car to Buy in 2017”
- A 2017 North American Car of the Year, and
- One of Car and Driver’s “10Best”for the 2017 model year.
GM cars, part 2: Cadillac CT-6 Plug-in
Cadillac is in on the action with the CT6 Plug-in. When it relies exclusively on the battery, this hybrid will go 50km—pretty remarkable. The gas engine is a high-output 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder. Regenerative braking helps recharge the electric motor—plus, as the name implies, you can plug this Caddy in to recharge it. A full charge and a full tank of gas will get you about 700 km.
GM cars, part 3: the new Buick Electric SUV
Buick’s new SUV reportedly will be based on the Bolt, using the same 60kWh battery that the Bolt uses. Green Car Reports says it may end up looking a lot like the current Buick Encore.
Wondering which to choose?
If you take longer trips and don’t have a second vehicle, the Volt or CT6 might be better for you, as they rely on electricity and gas combined.
But if you want an affordable, green way to commute back and forth without having to fill up, the Bolt is the perfect solution. Drive it to work and back, plus do a few errands, and then charge it overnight and you’ll be ready to go the next day.
Either way, if you’ve been considering a hybrid but haven’t been able to make up your mind, stop in to Budds’ and talk to us. We’d love to, ahem, plug you in. |
Pretty brides of many Asian countries and Middle Eastern countries as well as certain African nations love to sport henna tattoos on their hands during their wedding. Henna tattoos are not like permanent tattoos that you can get at a tattoo parlor. Henna is a natural dye that stains the skin temporarily and helps one sport intricate designs on their hands. You will find the Internet is full of henna designs and information related to henna color care. However, there are very few websites that offer information related to the science behind the henna stains. In this article, we shall discuss how does henna work and stain our skin. So, without much delay, let us get our facts straight.
What is Henna?
Lawsonia inermis or the mignonette tree are different names for the same flowering plant called henna. The name 'henna' is derived from an Arabic name 'hinna'. The leaves of this plant are used to dye skin, fingernails, hair and even leather or wool since the Bronze Age. This form of tattoo art is used extensively during festivals and celebrations, especially during weddings. The leaves of henna when crushed do not stain the skin. They will stain only after the release of lawsone molecules present in the leaves, after smashing them with something mildly acidic liquid like tea. Thus, henna leaves are dried and ground into a powder to make a paste of toothpaste-like consistency. This paste is applied on the skin or hair for staining. This dye is completely natural and has no side effects. Side effects if any, arise only when natural henna is mixed with adulterants like carmine, pyrogallol, orange dye, chromium, silver nitrate, etc., that help in altering the effect of henna stain on skin.
How Does Henna Work?
After the application of henna, the dye leaves a burgundy stain on the skin. The color of the stain depends on individual skin type and the amount of time that henna was allowed to stay on the skin. The color on the skin is due to the lawsone molecules present in the leaves. These lawsone molecules are more concentrated in the petioles of the leaves. As mentioned in the preceding paragraph, lawsone molecules are released only when the leaves are crushed with a mildly acidic liquid. Thus, many people trade henna in the form of powder that is made by drying, milling and shifting the leaves. When one needs to apply henna tattoos, the powder is mixed with lemon juice, tea or similar mildly acidic liquids. A thick paste is formed and used to apply intricate, detailed body designs. Few drops of essential oils like eucalyptus, Cajeput, lavender or tea tree are added to henna paste. These oils contain monoterpene alcohols that help in improving the staining characteristics.
Our skin is made up of a number of cell layers. The outermost layer of the skin is called stratum corneum. It helps keep away dirt and other infectious agents from the lower layers of the skin. This layer of skin is thick on certain parts of the body like palms and foot soles (especially the heels) and may be thinner on other parts like the ear skin. The stratum corneum is made up of keratin which also makes up for fingernails and hair. When henna is applied on your skin or hair, the lawsone molecule is small enough to penetrate the skin cell. It enters the columns of skin cells and does not bloat or spread out like a drop of ink would on a tissue paper. Thus, the stains remain sharp and clear, till the complete exfoliation of the upper layer of skin. Henna stains darkest on the cells that are in close contact with the dye and the skin cells farthest from the dye have lighter shades.
Where are Henna Stains Darkest on the Skin?
As I have already discussed, henna stains darkest on body parts with thicker layers of stratum corneum. This means that the top part of feet, soles of feet and palms are regions where henna stains the darkest. You will find henna stains very dark, nearly black in color on the feet. It may take about 3 to 6 weeks for the color to completely fade from the feet. When it comes to hands, when applied on the top of the hands, it gives a dark brownish shade. It may last for about 10 to 12 days. Henna applied on the palms, near the knuckles and fingers will stain a bit darker than the top of the hand. Here, the color won't wear off so soon and take about 15 days to completely fade. The best place to wear a henna tattoo is on the hands (palms and lower hand) and feet (top of the feet and soles). This is because palms and feet have about 50 layers of stratum corneum. This helps the henna molecules to penetrate deep into the skin and saturate the color completely, thus, imparting a darker stain.
Where are Henna Stains Lightest on the Skin?
Henna stains are lightest on the upper arms, ankles and lower back. Henna applied on the wrist and lower arm will stain light or dark brown in color. As you move further up on the upper arm, the color will be lighter and half the shade on your palm and feet. The color will fade quickly in about a week or so. Color on the shoulders, upper back, lower back as well as on the waist will be very light. This is because, these areas do not absorb more of the dye molecules. Also, these areas are oily and wet due to perspiration. Ankles too stain well, but the color has a brownish shade and remains for a longer duration. Apart from that, henna applied on neck and face, stain the lightest.
Why Does Henna Stain Darken with Time?
After removing the dried henna paste from your skin, you will observe that the color is orange initially. In about 48 hours, you will observe the color darkening into a deep brown or blackish shade, depending on your skin type. This is because, air helps to oxidize the henna stain and causes the color to darken. You can even apply something alkaline on your skin or try steaming to force the oxidation process. This will help give you a darker shade of your henna body art.
Why Don't Henna Stains Last Forever like a Tattoo?
Henna does not stain forever like a tattoo because, henna molecules actually stain only the upper, dead skin cells like the stratum corneum. These skin cells are shed and exfoliated on a daily basis. This natural process helps in exposing a new dead skin layer and getting rid of the old one. Thus, as the skin layer is exfoliated, the lawsone molecules are lost along with them. Thus, as the dead cells exfoliate, henna will begin to fade. If you have a cut, bruise or opening on your skin, and you apply henna, this stain will remain forever. This is because henna will stain the dermal layer and this layer does not exfoliate like the stratum corneum layer. In case of tattoos, the ink stains the dermal layer that makes them last forever. Therefore, make sure you do not apply henna over a cut or scratch on your skin.
As you can see, the science behind henna stains is not very complicated. If the paste remains in contact with the skin for a longer time, you will observe a darker color that remains for a longer time. Henna stains last for about 1 to 3 weeks on hands and feet and fade away within a week from areas such as chest, back, waist, etc. You should apply henna paste for about 6 to 24 hours for the stain to saturate into the skin pores. If possible, do not wash the area with water for about 6 to 24 hours after removing the henna paste. As the skin undergoes natural exfoliation, the henna stains will fade and disappear with time. Enjoy sporting new henna tattoos as and when you like. One thing is for sure, you will never be bored with the designs you choose as your temporary body art. |
Threats that robots will soon be taking over the world have been happening for decades. In my opinion, this seems highly unlikely in our lifetime, if ever. But there are some worrying statistics surrounding automation and how this process — which uses technology to do things that humans would usually do — could detrimentally impact women. In fact, a new report by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) has found that robots are more likely to take women's jobs than men's.
Their research has revealed that 9% of women work in occupations with a "high potential for automation" compared to four percent of men. This strengthens previous findings by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which stated that 70% of the roles most likely to be automated were held by women. (Young people aged between 20 and 24 are also more at risk than other age groups.)
According to the ONS, senior professions within the medical and education sectors had the lowest risk of being disrupted by automation. But everyone from waiters, cleaners, and postal workers to machine operatives, retail assistants, and receptionists had a much higher risk.
Women are slowly moving into higher paid professions, notes consulting company McKinsey. Between 2001 and 2018, female employment in the likes of teaching, legal, medical, and project management roles rose by almost one million. Conversely, the number of women in administrative and secretarial jobs reduced by 450,000. Still, the female link to several of the high-risk occupations is undeniable.
Although this sounds like bad news for gender equality, the IPPR thinks it could be the key to progression. "Automation presents an opportunity. In times of flux, possibilities for structural change are opened up," the organisation writes in the report. It goes on to explain that new jobs may be created by technological innovation and that there is "the possibility of shaping those jobs to ensure they are accessible to everyone."
There is a catch, however. People, particularly those at the top, will have to make a conscious effort to make a fairer world a reality. To avoid endless debate over the topic, the IPPR has come up with several recommendations.
Firstly, it proposes a social partnership organisation that will offer free or subsidised automation consulting, loans, and support to companies that typically involve low-paid work. When productivity is increased in these areas, it is hoped pay will increase too. Again, this is unlikely to happen naturally. But it could be a positive result of raising the minimum wage to the "real living wage" and giving employees more bargaining power.
To make sure any changes remain fair to women, it is also necessary, says the IPPR, to ensure that bigger companies have a diverse gender representation on their boards. It suggests implementing a target of 30 percent female board representation by the end of 2020. If this is not met, the government should respond by making a 50% representation compulsory by 2025.
As well as providing women with better pay and differing job opportunities, automation — if done properly — could also reduce working hours (which would be a godsend for any woman dealing with hours of "unpaid" work in her personal life). The dream of working less days a week may never manifest itself, but employees could be offered a benefit in the form of more annual holiday.
So the next time you panic about a robot stealing your job, try and think on the bright side. With a little effort from employers and some intervention from the government, automation could be the best thing to happen to women in the workplace. |
"Courage is being scared, and yet, up to the horse"
A Arrandeterra, l´equine nearest to you in the province of Girona.
What is Equine?
The equine therapy is whereby use the passage and movement of the horse as a therapeutic instrumentBecause its rhythmic step walk is very similar to a person, so we engage a client physiotherapy active and passive at the same time, which is very useful for rehabilitation, maintenance or recovery of movement and mental and physical abilities.
The treatment team consisting of a physiotherapist, a specialist equine, equinoterapeuta and a horse.
* It is divided into the following areas:
Hippotherapy: suitable for users with physical affection, participate in the activity passively.
Therapeutic Riding: for users who can perform some action on the animal with cognitive behavioral alteration.
Riding adapted: for users who need some additional resource to practice riding as a sport.
Riding office: for users with social adaptation problems.
In which cases is the equine favorable?
-Patologies Neurological: cerebral palsy, hemiplegia, multiple sclerosis, poliomyelitis. -Trastorns mental and psychiatric disorders. -Retard mental. -Autisme. -Síndrome Down. -Language school in the area of learning, attention, hyperactivity, psychomotor -Retard motivation .... -Discapacitat auditory, visual and sensory. -a problem behavioral and social adaptation. -Trastorns emotional. -Malalties neurodegenerative diseases. -Alteracions Food: anorexia and bulimia.
-Development and similar verbal communication. Increased attention and mental concentration. -Afrontament fears. -Increase the confidence and self-esteem. -Increase adaptability. -Disminueix aggression. -Increase cooperative behavior. -Increase responsibility.
-Estabilitza the trunk and head. -Develop balance horizontal and vertical. -built body symmetry. You must hold the psychomotor coordination. -Develop handedness. -Incrementa elasticity, muscle strength and agility.
-Regulation and muscle toning. -Inhibició tonic reflex and associated movements. -Automatització the march.
Must hold social integration. -Develop awareness and body image.
equine Girona: Related news. |
Parenting in the digital age
Modern technology has many benefits to our children but it has the potential to expose them to dangers unique to the digital world.
With careful consideration and management these risks can be minimised by the use of simple tools to restrict harmful content which your child may encounter. With this in mind we would like to draw your attention to a number of websites that offer clear guidance on how to provide the safest online environment possible. We have a number of parental control guides listed below, but if you are struggling to find a link for your device a more comprehensive list can be found at Internet Matters.
Another useful tool is the Common Sense Media website, where you will find comprehensive reviews for all kinds of media, films, games, books and TV shows. They list all potentially harmful content and also have parents and children’s reviews.
Parental control guides:
Tablets and Phones
Social Media : Not recommended for children (For parents) |
This is what you need to know about Día de los Muertos
If this is your first time hearing about Día de los Muertos and you're planning to head down to the annual street festival in Corpus Christi, there are a few things you should know.
What is Día de los Muertos and how is it different from Halloween?
Día de los Muertos is a Mexican holiday that celebrates the lives of loved ones who are deceased. The celebration includes altars — at home, churches or other public places — with food and drinks, parties, music, and activities that departed loved ones enjoyed.
Although Día de los Muertos, which is celebrated in Mexico and other Latin American countries on Nov. 1-2, falls closely to Halloween, the celebrations are different.
On Halloween, the dead are feared. Día de los Muertos embraces the dead returning home as something spiritual and natural. For some, Día de los Muertos has helped with healing and closure after losing a loved one.
For centuries, altars have been built to honor departed loved ones on Día de los Muertos. Some people have perpetual altars for loved ones that they leave up all year.
Many of the items placed on the altars have deep meaning. Here's a brief explanation of the symbolism:
- Candles: To light the dead's path and journey.
- Typical food: Pan de muerto or bread for the dead is placed on the altars or "ofrendas" to feed loved ones who have passed during their journey. People also place the favorite beverages or food their loved ones enjoyed like mole, tamales or fruit.
- Flowers: Flor de Cempasuchil or marigold flower is the traditional flower for the dead. Its yellow and orange colors represent the colors of decay and autumn, when nature begins to die and something new begins. Death was celebrated because it brought on rebirth.
- Photos of loved ones: These photos are placed on the altars to represent those to whom the altars are dedicated. It is meant as a recognition of the cycle of life and death.
- Arch: A portal to allow the spirits to come. It's a pathway between the dead and the living.
- Sugar skulls: Th sugar skulls are labeled with the name of loved ones who have passed on. After the celebration people can eat them, taking a bite out of death, which is a good thing.
Pan de muerto
Spiced with anise, pan de muerto or bread of the dead is slightly sweet, and it is traditionally eaten on Día de los Muertos and placed on the altars.
Where to find pan de muerto in Corpus Christi:
- La Michoacana bakery, 3829 Crosstown Expressway, has been baking pan de muerto since Oct. 23.
- Jalisco Bakery, 822 S. Port Ave., will have the bread starting Oct. 29.
- H-E-B Bakeries will sell pan de muerto starting Oct. 31, officials said. |
- Decile is defined as one of ten equal groups which are divided a large group of values or statistics.
The richest 10 percent of the population is an example of a decile.
Statistics any of the values which divide a frequency distribution into ten groups of equal frequency; also, any of these groups
Origin of deciledec- + -ile
- Any one of the numbers or values in a series dividing the distribution of the individuals in the series into ten groups of equal frequency.
- Any one of the ten groups.
Origin of deciledec(i)– + –ile2.
- (statistics) Any of the values in a series that divides the distribution of individuals in that series into ten groups of equal frequency.
- Although few people scored high marks, everyone did quite well—the lowest decile was over 50%.
- Any one of the ten subsets or groups so divided.
- Our school is in the top decile for exam results.
- (astrology) An aspect or position of two planets when they are distant from each other a tenth part of the zodiac.
- ceiled, delice |
|Appears in Collections:||Faculty of Health Sciences and Sport eTheses|
|Title:||The Relationship of Lean Body Mass and Protein Feeding: The Science Behind the Practice|
|Author(s):||Macnaughton, Lindsay Shiela|
|Supervisor(s):||Tipton, Kevin D|
Witard, Oliver C
muscle protein synthesis
|Publisher:||University of Stirling|
|Citation:||Macnaughton LS, Wardle SL, Witard OC, McGlory C, Hamilton DL, Jeromson S, Lawrence CE, Wallis GA, Tipton KD (2016) The response of muscle protein synthesis following whole body resistance exercise is greater following 40 g than 20 g of ingested whey protein. Physiol. Rep. 4, e12893. ISSN 2051-817X|
|Abstract:||The development of lean body mass (LBM) is closely linked to protein feeding. Along with resistance exercise protein feeding, or amino acid provision, stimulate muscle protein synthesis (MPS). Repeated stimulation of MPS above protein breakdown results in lean mass accretion. Many athletes aim to build or maintain LBM. The aim of this thesis was to better understand the relationship between LBM and protein feeding in trained individuals. This aim was studied in the applied setting and at whole body, muscle and molecular level. Chapter 2 revealed differences in total body mass and LBM between young rugby union players competing at different playing standards. Protein consumption was higher in players that played at a higher standard. The protein consumption of players at both playing standards was higher than current protein recommendations for athletes. The Under 20 (U20) rugby union players in Chapter 3 also consumed more protein than current recommendations state. Their dietary habits changed depending on their environment and they consumed more protein while in Six Nations (6N) camp compared with out of camp. Also, there were changes in dietary habits for individuals, however, those changes did not occur at the group level. Using the camp as an education tool for good nutrition habits could be advantageous. As a group, rugby union players’ body composition did not change from pre to post a 6N tournament. However, there was individual variation, which could be meaningful for the individual players. We provide evidence suggesting that in elite sport, athletes should be considered as individuals as well as part of a group if appropriate. The protein ribosomal protein S6 kinase 1 (p70S6K1) is part of the mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) pathway, which regulates MPS. The response of p70S6K1 activity was 62% greater following resistance exercise coupled with protein feeding compared with protein feeding alone in Chapter 3. P70S6K1 activity explained a small amount of the variation in previously published MPS data. The activity of the signalling protein p70S6K1 was unchanged in response to different doses of whey protein in Chapter 4 and 5. These data suggest that resistance exercise is a larger stimulus of p70S6K1 activity and when manipulating aspects of protein feeding p70S6K1 activation may be a limited measure. Consumption of 40 g of whey protein stimulated myofibrillar MPS to a greater extent than 20 g after a bout of whole body resistance exercise. The amount of LBM that the trained individual possessed did not influence this observed response. These data suggest that the amount of muscle mass exercised may influence the amount of protein required to increase MPS stimulation. For those engaging in whole body resistance exercise 20 g of protein is not sufficient to maximally stimulate MPS. The athletes in Chapters 2 and 3 of this thesis consumed more protein than current recommendations that do not take into account whole body exercise. Current post-exercise protein recommendations may no longer be optimal given this new information. Future work should directly investigate the MPS response to protein ingestion following resistance exercise engaging different amounts of muscle mass in well trained and elite populations. Identifying the protein dose required for maximal stimulation of MPS following whole body exercise would be an informative area of future research.|
|Type:||Thesis or Dissertation|
|Lindsay Macnaughton Ph.D. Thesis Final Submission with appendices.pdf||Complete thesis with appendices||3.28 MB||Adobe PDF||View/Open|
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Everyone’s been injured at some point in their life. Accidents can happen to anyone, however careful we are. So it’s no luxury to have basic first aid knowledge for at least the most common injuries.
First Aid 101
I can almost
- A bloody nose
- An object in the eye
- A sprain
- A burn
- A hit to the head
- An open wound
Thou shalt not…
Kricfalusi’s article is a real eye-opener, in which she dispels some myths and misconceptions with regard to first aid. Did you know, for instance, that you should not:
- tilt your head back when your nose is bleeding;
- work through the pain when you have a sprain;
- place an ice pack on a burn;
- give water to someone who’s choking;
- induce vomiting for poisoning victims;
- apply ointment to an open wound.
One thing is for sure: whatever the injury, always seek medical attention after the first-aid treatment. This will ensure you receive proper follow-up care.
SOURCE: Travel+ Leisure |
There are countless ways to communicate, yet not all forms require verbal interaction. Body language is an admittedly subjective way to judge what a person is feeling or thinking. Whether you want others to know what you’re thinking or not, we all give signals as to what is going on in our mind with simple gestures throughout the day. Learning to master this unspoken language will improve your communication skills and possibly your relationship with employers and co-workers as well.
Watch Your Arms.
When you fold your arms during a meeting or when talking to a co-worker, you could be demonstrating disinterest or disagreement. While folding your arms may be out of habit rather than disinterest, it could give the wrong impression to whomever you are speaking with. If you fold your arms out of habit, focus on clasping your hands in your lap instead. This small adjustment can improve your poor body language and help you display the right message to your audience.
Watch Your Audience.
Eye contact demonstrates attentiveness and confidence. Holding eye contact during an important discussion will reassure him or her that you are indeed listening and confident in your responses. When focusing on maintaining eye contact, make it as natural as possible. Rather than staring at one member of your audience, allow your eyes to occasionally shift from person to person so everyone feels included and a part of the conversation. Good eye contact is perhaps one of the most difficult traits to practice, but one of the most noticed.
Watch Your Mouth.
Smiling is the simplest nonverbal signal of all. Smiles come in grades from ecstatic to content. Know the importance of smiling, and when to use which smile. Interacting with co-workers is an important time to smile in a friendly, joyful manner. However, during a meeting, displaying a calm, interested smile will confirm your interest in your job and its requirements. Often we become so caught up in our work that we forgot to smile, forcing others to question if we are truly happy while working. Smiling is an easy yet effective way to improve your body language immediately.
Understanding your body language is something that is learned over time. The key is self-awareness and a willingness to change. Understand that despite our mother’s advice, the majority of us initially judge a book by its cover and you are certainly no exception. Choose wisely when making your next nonverbal statement, and your career will thank you. |
Pensacola (Photo: )
Located on the border between the Florida and Alabama Gulf of Mexico coasts, Pensacola is known for beautiful white-sand beaches, plentiful fishing and a rich history dating back 450 years to exploration of Pensacola Bay by Ponce de Leon and Hernando de Soto. The city's prime location on the shores of the upper Gulf of Mexico has drawn many potential mariners and settlers but also led to hundreds of shipwrecks over the centuries. To help combat these disasters, several lighthouses were installed and spread out all along the Gulf, many of which you can still visit today.
The only lighthouse directly in the city of Pensacola is the Pensacola Lighthouse (pensacolalighthouse.org). The current building was built in 1859, replacing an earlier version from 1825. The light beacon still operates atop the 150-foot structure, although it has been automated since 1965. Visitors today can enjoy a museum in the former keeper's quarters and take climbing tours for a small admission charge. The Pensacola Lighthouse was proclaimed "One of America's Most Haunted Lighthouses" in programs on the Travel Channel and Syfy Network, and if you're brave of heart, you can take one of the monthly "Light of the Moon" tours. In order to climb the 177 steps to the top, you must be 44 inches or taller, and flip-flops and spike heeled shoes are prohibited.
A little over an hour west of Pensacola in Gulf Shores, Alabama, lies the Mobile Point Lighthouse, which is currently in its third incarnation (no website; Fort Morgan State Historic Site, 51 Highway 180 West, Gulf Shores; 800-210-7914). The original lighthouse, built in 1822, was deactivated and heavily damaged during the Civil War and had to be torn down. A later iron tower built in 1873 was also replaced with a more modern lighthouse in 1963 (not open to the public), although the 1873 building was eventually moved to the grounds of Fort Morgan and restored. Visitors to the fort can view pieces associated with the various Mobile Point Lighthouses and walk around the fort and modern skeletal tower, as well as the site of the earlier lighthouses and the 1872 keeper’s dwelling.
Two hours west of Pensacola, along Interstate 10 in Mississippi, stands the Biloxi Lighthouse (no website; U.S. 90 at Porter Avenue, Biloxi; 228-374-3105). This lighthouse was built in 1848 and was one of the first cast-iron lighthouses in the South. It's also noted for having several female lightkeepers such as Maria Younghans, who held the job for 53 years. In 1968, the lighthouse became the property of the City of Biloxi and opened to public tours until damage from Hurricane Katrina closed it temporarily. Newly refurbished, the 60-foot tower is open again for guided tours Monday through Saturday for a small admission fee.
Not quite as near to Pensacola, but within a three-hour drive, are several lighthouses in and around Gulf County, Florida, along US-98W (visitgulf.com). The Cape San Blas Lighthouse is an iron skeleton tower structure from 1883 currently owned by the Air Force. Although you can't climb the tower, the grounds are open, and there's a small gift shop and museum. The Cape St. George Lighthouse structure was erected in 1852 and has a park with picnic pavilions, showers, a boardwalk to the beach and a visitor center with a small exhibit of lighthouse artifacts. The Crooked River Lighthouse from 1895 has a picnic area with playground equipment that includes a 70-foot replica of a pirate ship, as well as a replica keeper's home that houses the museum and gift shop.
Leaf Group is a USA TODAY content partner providing general travel information. Its content is produced independently of USA TODAY. |
Natural photosynthesis, which generates around 156TW net primary production (NPP),1 powers most of the biosphere and has historically been the major driver of the ‘fast’ carbon cycle (primarily the movement of carbon through Earth's organisms). Today, fossil fuel combustion is transferring carbon from the ‘slow’ cycle—represented here by fossil fuel reserves—to the fast, which has overwhelmed the capacity of photosynthesis to control the cycle.2, 3 As a consequence, carbon dioxide (CO2) levels are rising in the atmosphere and oceans4, 5 and are now higher than much of the contemporary biosphere has ever experienced. Before recent human activity, global photosynthetic energy flow was fully used for biosphere support. Now, even though there is no reserve capacity to provide biofuel for our industries or to grow food for the increasing human population, humans appropriate 25+% of terrestrial NPP. The capacity to meet these demands comes at the further peril of the ecosystems that make up the biosphere, and upon which all life on Earth depends.1
One approach to a sustainable trajectory for biomass production would be to improve the efficiency of NPP using the lessons from physics in high-efficiency solar energy conversion and the techniques of synthetic biology to re-engineer certain photosynthetic organisms for dramatically increased NPP.6 Another approach is to use artificial primary production systems for synthetic photosynthesis.1 Both techniques, and hybrids of them, could eventually play a role in reversing the flow of carbon into the atmosphere,7 freeing natural photosynthesis to continue supporting the biosphere. Importantly, applying technology with biology would restore control of the carbon cycle to a solar-driven process, which is essential for sustainability.
Achieving solar energy conversion efficiencies above those found in natural photosynthesis may be possible in artificial, bioinspired systems, by using complementary dye molecules that absorb light at IR and visible wavelengths to construct artificial Z-schemes (electron transport chains found in photosynthesis) to split water with greater than 10% energy conversion efficiency.8 Here, we describe our progress in the design of components that could make this a reality. These include high-potential artifical reaction center/antenna systems that use bio-inspired electron transfer relays to efficiently couple artificial reaction centers (which enable the photosynthetic energy conversion reprocesses) with water-oxidizing catalysts.
We prepared several models for the donor side of Photosystem II, or PSII (the electron transport chain that connects the primary oxidant, a photogenerated chlorophyll radical cation known as the primary donor, to the catalyst for water oxidation), and studied them using cyclic voltammetry and nuclear magnetic resonance, Fourier transform IR, electron paramagnetic resonance, time-resolved absorption, and fluorescence spectroscopies.9–15 The models mimic the TyrZ-His190 mediator that couples the primary donor to the manganese-containing oxygen-evolving complex in the reaction center of PSII, shown in Figure 1(a). They provide a built-in high-potential mediator thermodynamically capable of coupling the dye-sensitized anode of a photoelectrochemical cell to an appropriate water-oxidation catalyst.
Figure 1. (a) Part of the electron transport chain in the protein complex Photosystem II, enabling oxygenic photosynthesis. (b) An artificially constructed triad consisting of a high-potential organic compound (porphyrin) bearing two pentafluorophenyl (PF10) groups, a tetracyanoporphyrin electron acceptor, and a benzimidazole-phenol (Bi-PhOH) secondary electron donor. (c) Triads consisting of a high-potential porphyrin bearing two PF10 groups, a metal oxide (titanium dioxide or tin dioxide) electron acceptor, and a Bi-PhOH secondary electron donor. QA: Quinone A. PheoD1: Pheophytin D1. P680: Photosystem II primary donor. TyrZ: Tyrosine Z. His190D1: Histidine 190. OEC: Oxygen evolving complex.
We synthesized a completely organic triad consisting of a high-potential porphyrin (which models the primary donor, the photogenerated chlorophyll radical cation in photosynthesis, as in Figure 1) bearing two pentafluorophenyl groups (PF10), a tetracyanoporphyrin electron acceptor (TCNP), and a benzimidazole-phenol (Bi-PhOH): see Figure 1(b, C1). This triad formed a charge-separated state BiH+–PhO•–PF10–TCNP•− with a quantum yield of ∼0.5 and 4μs lifetime.11 The long-lived, charge-separated state and high potential of the oxidized BiH+–PhO• (1.04V vs. SCE), made this reaction center suitable for incorporation into the photoanode of a photoelectrochemical device for light-driven water splitting.
In addition, we designed two PF10 constructs with a Bi-PhOH moiety attached to PF10 through either the imidazole moiety—see Figure 1 (C2)—or the phenol moiety (C3): see Figure 1(c). In both constructs, the phenolic hydrogen can form a hydrogen bond with the lone pair of electrons of the imidazole nitrogen.9,10,14 Electron paramagnetic resonance studies of these complexes revealed phenoxyl radical formation when we excited the porphyrin. Light-induced electron transfer to the titanium dioxide (TiO2) and subsequent proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) forms a BiH+–PhO•–PF10–TiO2(e−) state that is thermodynamically capable of water oxidation. System C3 in Figure 1(b) shows solvation and conformational reorganization of the phenoxyl radical (PhO•) formed during PCET, while C2—see Figure 1(b)—with a weaker intramolecular hydrogen bond, did not demonstrate such relaxation. Thus, we tentatively identified the strength of the intramolecular hydrogen bond as an important structural parameter responsible for the bio-mimetic behavior.14 After attaching C3 to tin dioxide (SnO2) nanoparticles, transient absorption revealed that the resulting complex has a lifetime of 93μs for the BiH+–PhO•–PF10–SnO2(e−) state, which is even longer than the lifetime of charge separation in C1: see Figure 1(b).13
Figure 2. Electron transfer reactions in the mediator-based, dye-sensitized titanium dioxide (TiO2) photoanode showing molecular structures of the Bi-PhOH mediator, Ru(bpy)32+, and the linking groups. hν: Visible light. e-: Electron. IrOx: Iridium oxide.
In a different approach, shown in Figure 2, a photoelectrochemical water-splitting cell that caps iridium oxide (IrOx·nH2O) nanoparticles with Bi-PhOH and uses a fluorine-doped tin oxide–TiO2 photoanode bearing co-immobilized Ru(bpy)32+ and Bi-PhOH/IrOx·nH2O, revealed that the Bi-PhOH mediator improves the performance of this system by a factor of approximately three compared to the same system without a mediator.15
In conclusion, we have developed several bioinspired systems that mimic important parts of the PSII system present in the leaves of green plants and in water-oxidizing micro-organisms. Our future work is focused on developing additional components and integrating them into an artificial leaf that uses solar energy with chromophores (the dye molecules that absorb sunlight) and catalysts inspired by natural photosynthesis to split water into oxygen and hydrogen. With this construct we are developing the fundamental science required to design and assemble high-efficiency artificial solar-to-fuel photocells and to re-engineer photosynthesis to better meet human needs for biomass, including food, fuel, and fiber.
Manuel Llansola-Portoles, Gerdenis Kodis, Ana L. Moore, Devens Gust, Thomas A. Moore
Arizona State University
1. B. D. Sherman, M. D. Vaughn, J. J. Bergkamp, D. Gust, A. L. Moore, T. A. Moore, Evolution of reaction center mimics to systems capable of generating solar fuel, Photosynth. Res. 120, p. 59, 2014.
3. G. A. Olah, G. K. S. Prakash, A. Goeppert, Anthropogenic chemical carbon cycle for a sustainable future, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 133, p. 12881-12898, 2011.
4. C. L. Sabine, R. A. Feely, N. Gruber, R. M. Key, K. Lee, J. L. Bullister, R. Wanninkhof, et al., The ocean sink for anthropogenic CO2, Science 305, p. 367, 2004.
6. T. A. Moore, A. L. Moore, D. Gust, Artificial photosynthesis combines biology with technology for sustainable energy transformation, Proc. Am. Inst. Phys. Conf. 1519, p. 68, 2013.
7. T. A. Faunce, W. Lubitz, A. W. Rutherford, D. Macfarlane, G. F. Moore, P. Yang, D. G. Nocera, et al., Energy and environment policy case for a global project on artificial photosynthesis, Energy Environ. Sci. 6, p. 695-698, 2013.
8. R. E. Blankenship, D. M. Tiede, J. Barber, G. W. Brudvig, G. Fleming, M. Ghirardi, M. R. Gunner, Comparing photosynthetic and photovoltaic efficiencies and recognizing the potential for improvement, et al., Science 332, p. 805, 2011.
9. G. F. Moore, M. Hambourger, M. Gervaldo, O. G. Poluektov, T. Rajh, D. Gust, T. A. Moore, A. L. Moore, A bioinspired construct that mimics the proton coupled electron transfer between P680 and the TyrZ-His190 pair of Photosystem II, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 130, p. 10466-10467, 2008.
10. G. F. Moore, M. Hambourger, G. Kodis, W. Michl, D. Gust, T. A. Moore, A. L. Moore, Effects of protonation state on a tyrosine-histidine bioinspired mediator, J. Phys. Chem. B 114, p. 14450-14457, 2010.
11. J. D. Megiatto, A. Antoniuk-Pablant, B. D. Sherman, G. Kodis, M. Gervaldo, T. A. Moore, A. L. Moore, D. Gust, Mimicking the electron transfer chain in photosystem II with a molecular triad thermodynamically capable of water oxidation, Proc. Nat'l Acad. Sci. USA 109, p. 15578, 2012.
12. P. Faller, C. Goussias, A. W. Rutherford, S. Un, Resolving intermediates in biological proton-coupled electron transfer: a tyrosyl radical prior to proton movement, Proc. Nat'l Acad. Sci. USA 100, p. 8732-8735, 2003.
13. M. J. Llansola-Portoles, R. E. Palacios, G. Kodis, J. Jackson D. Megiatto, A. L. Moore, T. A. Moore, D. Gust, One approach to artificial photosynthesis, Eur. Photochem. Assoc. Newslett. 84, p. 98, 2013.
14. J. D. Megiatto, D. D. Méndez-Hernández, M. E. Tejeda-Ferrari, A.-L. Teillout, M. J. Llansola-Portoles, G. Kodis, O. G. Poluektov, et al., A bioinspired redox relay that mimics radical interactions of the Tyr–His pairs of photosystem II, Nat. Chem. 6, p. 423-428, 2014.
15. Y. Zhao, J. R. Swierk, J. D. Megiatto, B. Sherman, W. J. Youngblood, D. Qin, D. M. Lentz, A. L. Moore, T. A. Moore, D. Gust, T. E. Mallouk, Improving the efficiency of water splitting in dye-sensitized solar cells by using a biomimetic electron transfer mediator, Proc. Nat'l Acad. Sci. USA 109, p. 15612-15616, 2012. |
CHICAGO, March 25 Researchers worldwide are discovering a cornucopia of compounds in foods and dietary supplements that show promise for preventing cancer. More than a dozen research papers on this topic will be presented during a one-day symposium, Natural Products, Diets and Cancer Prevention, on Sunday, March 25, at the 233rd national meeting of the American Chemical Society.
All papers in this symposium are embargoed for 8:00 a.m. (Central Time), March 25. The symposium will be held at McCormick Place Lakeside, Room E264, Level 2.
Selected highlights are shown below:
Black raspberries show promise for preventing cancer of the esophagus, colon Using animal models (rodents) of cancer development, researchers at Ohio State University showed that animals whose diets were supplemented with black raspberries had a 60 percent reduction in tumors of the esophagus and up to an 80 percent reduction in colon tumors. Clinical trials are now underway to determine whether the berries will prevent the development of esophageal and colon cancer in humans, says study leader Gary D. Stoner, Ph.D., a researcher and professor of internal medicine at the university. (AGFD 008, Sunday, March 25, 8:45 a.m.)
Blueberries contain chemical that may help prevent colon cancer A compound found in blueberries shows promise in animal studies of preventing colon cancer, according to a joint study by scientists at Rutgers University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The compound, pterostilbene, is a potent antioxidant that could be developed into a pill with the potential for fewer side effects than some commercial drugs that are currently used to prevent the disease, according to study leader Bandaru Reddy, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Chemical Biology at the university. (AGFD 009, Sunday, March 25, 9:15 a.m.) FULL NEWS RELEASE AVAILABLE.
Grape seed compounds may pr |
In 1856, stonemasons in Melbourne stopped work to march in support of an eight hour day. At the time many people worked up to 14 hours each day, six-days a week.
Image credit: Independentaustralia.net
Their rallying cry was eight hours work, eight hours recreation and eight hours rest.
The stonemasons, mostly from England, were highly skilled and much in demand as Melbourne grew rapidly.
They argued that the harsh Australian climate required shorter working hours. It was also a time of increased education, and the stonemasons thought that working men needed time to develop their minds. Last, but not least, they wanted time for recreation and games.
In 1856, the stonemasons won the right to an eight hour work day and 48-hour working week – this entitled them to Saturday afternoons off.
As this spread throughout the workforce, it enabled sporting codes to set up Saturday afternoon matches and contributed to the development of sports like Australian Rules Football and rugby.
The 48-hour week was common until the 40 hour week became standard in 1947. By 1983, the 38 hour week had become the standard.
Melbourne stonemasons winning the 48 hour week by is considered to be the start of the eight hour day in Australia. Read some original sources at the State Library of Victoria.
FAST FORWARD: Even though most full-time employees are paid for 38 hours, the number of hours worked is slightly higher. Some are paid overtime for this time, others report being expected to work longer hours for no extra pay.
The average hours worked per week by those employed full time were higher across the 2000s (40 hours) than they were during the 1980s (39 hours) Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics.
History of Australia’s Minimum Wage worksheet
Check your knowledge, download our History of Australia’s Minimum Wage worksheet here.
Australian Curriculum Links:
History/Year 9/Historical Knowledge and Understanding/Making a Better World?: The Industrial Revolution/Australia and Asia/Making a Nation
The population movements and changing settlement patterns during this period
Living and working conditions in Australia around the turn of the twentieth century (that is 1900) |
This beautiful image is the most detailed observation yet of the center of our galaxy, collected by the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope. To see all the spectacular details of the heart of the Milky Way, have a look at the full-size high definition image.
The image isn’t only pretty though. It has also taught astronomers more about the history of star formation in our galaxy. The majority of stars in the Milky Way formed when the galaxy was young, between 8 and 13.5 billion years ago. Around 80% of the stars we see in the central region were formed in this time, in a dramatic burst of star creation. Following this, there was a period of around six billion years in which star formation dropped to very low levels. Then another burst of star formation occurred around one billion years ago, including the formation of massive stars with a combined mass of as much of tens of millions of our sun.
This information surprised astronomers, who had not realized the extent to which star formation varied over different periods in the Milky Way’s history. “Our unprecedented survey of a large part of the Galactic center has given us detailed insights into the formation process of stars in this region of the Milky Way,” lead researcher Rainer Schödel from the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia in Granada, Spain, said in a statement. “Contrary to what had been accepted up to now, we found that the formation of stars has not been continuous,” added Francisco Nogueras-Lara, also of the Institute of Astrophysics.
During periods of intense star formation, the galaxy would have looked strikingly different from how it does today. It would be similar to a starburst galaxy, which displays exceptionally high rates of star formation. And as the massive stars form quickly, they also die quickly in epic supernova events. “This burst of activity, which must have resulted in the explosion of more than a hundred thousand supernovae, was probably one of the most energetic events in the whole history of the Milky Way,” Nogueras-Lara said.
The research is published in the journal Nature Astronomy.
- Hubble captures an image of a busy star factory, galaxy NGC 1792
- Super magnetic neutron star spins faster than any discovered before
- Hubble spots beautiful planetary nebula interacting with the interstellar medium
- Could supermassive black holes be formed from dark matter?
- This is the remnant of a star that exploded 1,700 years ago |
Theorem: Technology is not always the answer.
Proof #4,825: In 1930, the French military began constructing a great barricade across the entire French-German border to prevent a repeat of the German invasion two decades earlier. The brainchild of French defense minister André Maginot, the interlocking series of forts and blockhouses that made up Maginot’s line was hailed as an engineering masterpiece. It was thought to be impregnable.
It probably was. Unfortunately, in 1940, the German army simply flanked the line, getting into France through neighboring Belgium. French military leaders were taken completely by surprise. They had reasoned that neutral Belgium would never ever attack them–thus, they hadn’t extended the Maginot line to cover France’s northwest border. In six short weeks, Paris fell.
Corporate risk managers could learn a lot from this small bit of history. Spooked by daily news reports of network break- ins and denial-of-service attacks, US companies have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in security for their ecommerce systems. Despite the massive outlay, businesses remain wide open to all sorts of threats in the virtual universe. In fact, in a canvass of US businesses conducted by the Computer Security Institute (www.gocsi.com), companies reported losing a total of $378 million to cybercrimes last year, up from $266 million the previous year.
Expect the bleeding to continue. A recent survey by insurer The St. Paul Cos. revealed that most companies rely almost exclusively on antivirus software, computer firewalls, and other technologies to prevent losses in cyberspace. Remarkably, only 64 percent of the respondents said their companies had even considered adding new types of insurance policies to cover technology risks. ”There is the perception that you need a technological solution to a technology problem,” notes Bruce Schneier, chief technology officer at Counterpane Internet Security. ”The security industry has sold firewalls and encryption as magic prophylactics. But they aren’t.”
Like safes for valuables, firewalls are an important first line of defense — but they certainly shouldn’t be the only defense. ”If you don’t also have an alarm that rings and guards that come running, you’re not fully protected,” insists Schneier. ”Security involves prevention, detection, and response.”
Edith Bunker Mentality
It also involves figuring out what you can’t prevent, detect, or respond to. As security experts point out, building a fortress around an ecommerce operation — and blithely expecting no breaches — is a dingy idea. Crime can’t be stopped in the real world. That’s true in the virtual world as well.
Risk managers can try to minimize the damage, however. Matthew Kovar, director of the security solutions and services planning group at consultancy The Yankee Group, believes companies should conduct an annual e-risk analysis. The process, Kovar says, must go beyond identifying which assets are most valuable. It also needs to include a review of a company’s policies and procedures, along with an assessment of the vulnerability of existing systems. Such an analysis gives executives a better sense of what’s safe–and what needs insuring.
A number of companies currently offer this sort of network checkup. Unisys, for one, conducts security-risk evaluations on behalf of insurance industry giant AIG. Other well- known insurers and insurance underwriters, including ACE USA, JS Wurzler, Lloyd’s of London, and Marsh & McLennan, have established similar partnerships with IT security specialists. ”Insurance companies have geologists and epidemiologists and all kinds of experts on staff,” says Robert P. Hartwig, chief economist at the Insurance Information Institute. ”It will be no different in the cyber world.” Ultimately, he believes, cyberinsurance will be rolled into standard liability and property policies.
As of now, the two are very separate products. In fact, in The St. Paul Cos. survey, a number of risk managers acknowledged that their companies’ current property-liability insurance policies don’t cover many of the technology risks their businesses face. ”The problem with general liability insurance,” explains John Moccia, director of the technology division of Rollins Insurance, ”is that the policies are triggered by bodily injury or property damage to tangible property. That’s why traditional insurance creates gaps in coverage.”
Assessment fees can create a few gaps of their own. Until recently, many insurers charged sizable fees for IT security appraisals. The fees — and the resulting sticker shock — discouraged some corporate managers from considering technology insurance. At consultancy Milliman USA (www.milliman.com), managers were told they’d have to pay $25,000 for a technology risk appraisal. Put off by the price, the managers eventually decided to take their chances — passing on cyberinsurance entirely.
Lately, however, insurers have begun lowering their fees for IT evaluations. ”I haven’t seen anything like $25,000,” reports Lawrence P. Begley, CFO at online investor-relations specialist CCBN. ”That’s a lot of money, and I’d be disappointed if I had to pay it.” In fact, AIG does not charge an upfront fee for the Unisys assessment. Sunil Misra, managing principal at Unisys’s worldwide security practice, says the group uses the Factory Mutual model from FM Global in appraising security risk. The model, based on BS 7799 from the British Standards Institute, is currently being reviewed by the International Standards Organization. A few other corporates contacted by eCFO said they also rely on the Factory Mutual model in assessing e-risk.
Cover Your ASP
It’s unclear whether the imprimatur of FM Global — a company with vast experience in testing drip valves — will deter shareholder lawsuits over faulty source code. For his part, The Yankee Group’s Kovar believes the Big Five accounting firms should be held liable if they certify a company’s risks and financial position without first making sure that proper e-risk procedures are in place. In fact, Kovar goes one step further. ”If corporations do not go through this process,” he argues, ”CIOs and CFOs should be held personally liable for lack of corporate due diligence in protecting their information technology assets.”
That’s a scary thought. Although risk management is traditionally part of the finance function, insurance is not generally a finance executive’s top talent. Throw complex computer technology into the mix, and you’ve got the makings of a major CFO worry.
You don’t have to tell that to CCBN’s Begley. Located in Boston, CCBN hosts the investor relations Web pages for more than 2,500 publicly traded corporations. The company also carries Webcasts of quarterly earnings calls. Given those virtual tasks — and the very real risks arising from them — Begley has made sure that CCBN carries a number of tech- focused insurance policies.
At the top of the list: business interruption insurance. ”We have to cover CCBN, our clients, and all of our locations,” says Begley. Since CCBN outsources its Web hosting, the business interruption policy extends to application service provider Genuity. ”If something happened at the ASP site to one of our boxes,” Begley points out, ”our insurance would cover it.”
In addition, CCBN carries errors and omissions (E&O) insurance. Designed to defend companies against claims arising from faulty products, E&O policies can be easily tailored for the electronic world. ”Any financial loss that we might sustain from system failures, loss of data, a virus, or not having hot-links work is covered by E&O,” says Begley. ”It is like medical malpractice insurance for the world of cyberspace.”
The lion’s share of CCBN’s policies are written by Chubb. But like many CFOs, Begley relies on an independent insurance broker to help him evaluate his company’s needs. The evaluation takes place annually, or whenever CCBN goes through a major business change. ”You have to find somebody you can trust,” cautions Begley. ”It’s very easy to be fleeced in this area.”
The fleecing may lessen as e-risk coverage become more commonplace. The Insurance Information Institute’s Hartwig predicts that in three to five years, US businesses will be laying out about $2.5 billion for ecommerce insurance. Such a prediction implies an annual increase of 25-30 percent in the price of technology insurance coverage. ”That’s fast,” says Hartwig.
It’s also not hard to figure. The fallout from the dot-bomb implosion is definitely driving up e-insurance premiums. One broker notes that many California etailers used patent infringement coverage as a sword, not a shield. Emboldened by protection against possible countersuits, they filed thousands of lawsuits against competitors. Not surprisingly, patent infringement coverage is now ungodly expensive–if you can get it at all.
The Sue Nation
While premiums for ecommerce insurance are definitely on the rise, the increases cannot be blamed solely on litigious dotcommers. The fact is, American consumers tend to sue first, ask questions later. This penchant for torts has driven the price of traditional corporate liability coverage sky-high. Things are not likely to be different in cyberspace. Says Hartwig: ”I find it difficult to believe that attorneys who were so successful at suing US corporations in the physical world are suddenly going to leave them alone in the digital world.”
When discussing recent price hikes, insurers and brokers often cite the verdict in the lawsuit between the Mississippi State Tax Commission and IT consultancy American Management Systems, or AMS. Finding that the Fairfax, Virginia- based AMS had failed to deliver on its $12 million contract to provide Mississippi with a new tax-processing software system, a jury awarded the state a whopping $474.5 million in damages last August. ”It was a very substantial verdict — the second-largest verdict, to our knowledge, in the state,” says Armin Moeller, Mississippi’s lead counsel on the case.
Eventually, management at the $1.2 billion-in-revenues AMS agreed to a $184 million settlement. AMS paid $20.8 million after taxes, with its two lead insurers (Chubb Federal Insurance and AIG’s National Union) kicking in the remainder. According to Moeller, AMS carried a comprehensive general liability policy with an E&O rider designed to handle claims related to the development of defective software. The policy included $2 million in primary insurance from Chubb Federal, $50 million in excess coverage from National Union, and a second $50 million in excess coverage from Chubb Federal.
Ironically, some observers think the AMS decision may turn out to be a boon for insurers. One industry insider claims that brokers are already getting mileage out of the case, along with other new economy scares. ”AMS, the ‘I Love You’ bug — all these things have led insurance companies to claim the apocalypse is coming,” the source says. ”Everybody should be paying more [for technology insurance]. But now they’re going to pay an inordinate amount.”
Still, not everyone thinks that the price is too high. David Manaster, president of the Electronic Recruiting Exchange, a Web-based provider of conferences and reports for HR professionals, says his company has been covered under E&O insurance for about a year. Despite the cost, Manaster considers it money well spent. ”In this country, it is very easy to sue,” he notes. ”Insurance really is a must-have for the peace of mind it provides.” |
Basic Embroidery Patterns
If you are a beginner in the field of embroidery then you should start your projects by the aid of beginner embroidery patterns. At many shops for arts and crafts as well as on the internet, a lot of printable embroidery designs are available for the beginners as well as for the experts according to their need. After all, practice is the best key which can lead you to open the doors of success. The question ‘how to stitch embroidery designs’ can easily be answered now. You can learn Basic embroidery patterns from the books as well as you may take the guidance from your elders. Special classes are arranged by the embroidery vendors. Tutorials regarding Basic embroidery patterns for beginners are accessible on the internet. Printable embroidery patterns are considered among the best lessons of embroidery for the beginners to learn the basic chapters regarding embroidery and it’s further digitizing etc.
To learn Basic embroidery patterns, you simply need the fabric materials for e.g. cotton, linen, damask etc. there are various size as well as the shape of hoops of embroidery machines are available. You will select the appropriate hoop from the bunch. Various size of needles are also available that are specifically meant for embroidery, you will select the suitable needle.
Certain guidelines may be followed for the creation of Basic embroidery patterns. These include: A general outline or a simple stem stitching can be worked out. It can be done by carrying the needle on the upper side of the fabric towards the right face of the outline of the design and then carrying the needle on the down side of the fabric towards the left face of the outline of the design. These basic stitches are used for making the outlines of the embroidery designs and for the creation of stem of flower and leaf etc.
A running stitch can be used for the embroidery of a piece of the pad for e.g. blankets or quilts etc. small smooth stitches are made by moving the needle inward and outward of the fabric. a number of stitches will be made and then the needle will be brought out of the fabric completely. The thread is also pulled from side to side.
Chain stitches can also be embroidered on the surface of your fabric. For the creation of chain stitch, the thread is brought on the upper side of the fabric by the help of a needle. A loop of the thread is made which is held by the help of thumb. The needle is brought on the lower side by its crossing from the similar hole through which the needle was brought on the upper side of the fabric. The subsequent stitch in the chain will be made by the same process. For this purpose, linking is created by bringing the needle back on the upper side of the fabric from the inner side of the peak of the initial loop of thread. |
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In its early years, the Geschichtswerkstatt was mainly concerned with the immediate post-World War II era in Tübingen. Then, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Reichspogromnacht (“Crystal Night”) in 1988, the Geschichtswerkstatt started research for the book “Zerstörte Hoffnungen. Wege der Tübinger Juden” (Destroyed Hopes. Paths of Tübingen's Jews), published in 1995. Since then, the Geschichtswerkstatt has dealt with various topics from the fields of Jewish history, anti-semitism, and National Socialism. Over the course of the years, two large cultural memory projects have been carried out: the Denkmal Synagogenplatz (Synagogue Square Memorial) in 2001 and the movie “Wege der Tübinger Juden. Eine Spurensuche” (Paths of Tübingen's Jews. A Search for Traces) in 2004. From 2009 to 2010, the lecture series “Vom brauen Hemd zur weißen Weste” (From Brownshirts to Clean Records) addressed continuities in Tübingen biographies from the Nazi into the post-war era; the accompanying book of the same name was published in 2011.
Current projects are the Geschichtspfad (History Path), the book Tübinger Täterbuch on Tübingen Nazi perpetrator biographies, and an oral history project on the aftermath of National Socialism. Since late 2012, the Youth Guides are connected to the Geschichtswerkstatt as a working group.
Geschichtswerkstätten and the Search for Historical Traces
In the 1980s, the grassroots history-from-below movement in West Germany—which had formed as a response to dusty views on history, professional academic historians at universities, and traditional historical societies—received a fresh impetus. This Geschichtsbewegung applied new approaches to Alltagsgeschichte (everyday history) and local history.
Geschichtswerkstätten (history workshops) started to emerge in many cities. They collect oral histories from witnesses of everyday life in Nazi and post-war Germany, search for traces of Jewish victims, lay open the suppressed history of women in families and the workplace, and research democratic traditions in German history.
Geschichtswerkstätten vividly present the historic experiences of people: through exhibitions, city tours, movies, discussion groups, and books. History from below has become so popular that even academic history is now receptive to topics addressed by Geschichtswerkstätten. |
Article VII of the Augsburg Confession defines the church liturgically, to borrow a phrase from the Australian Lutheran theologian, John Kleinig. Article VII confesses that “it is sufficient for the true unity of the Christian church that the Gospel be preached in conformity with a pure understanding of it and that the sacraments be administered in accordance with the divine Word” ( AC VII: 2). Notice that the Augustana does not define the church on the basis of the mere presence of Word and Sacrament, but by the fact that the Gospel is purely preached and the sacraments are rightly administered in accordance with the divine Word. Preaching of the Word and administration of the sacraments require liturgy. Word and Sacrament are not static commodities but means through which the Lord Himself is working to constitute and sustain His church. To be sure, Augustana VII holds that the true unity of the church is not grounded in the uniformity of ceremonies instituted by men. But these humanly devised ceremonies are not the liturgy.
– John T. Pless, DIVINE SERVICE: DELIVERING FORGIVENESS OF SINS – HT: Donavan Riley – The First Premise – published 8/18/2013 |
The most common genital abnormality present at birth in male babies is cryptorchidism, or an undescended testicle.
About four percent of all boys are born with this condition, although the rate is much higher if the baby is born prematurely. Approximately thirty percent of premature boys will be born with cryptorchidism.
- Most of the time, the testicle will descend on its own by the boy’s first birthday.
- If not, surgical intervention is recommended.
What Causes an Undescended Testicle?
The testicles are formed in the abdomen of a developing fetus. They do not usually descend into their correct position until shortly before birth, which is the reason premature babies are more at risk for the condition. Placement of the testicles is checked by the physician shortly after birth. If both testicles are not found, the baby is diagnosed with cryptorchidism. Further examination can determine if the testicle never formed, or if it has become shriveled from a blockage in the testicular vessels. These causes are rarer, however.
Normally, it is just a matter of the testicle not descending properly. It may be just above the scrotum or still in the abdomen. A retractile testicle will move back and forth from the scrotum to the groin and will usually resolve itself by puberty. If the testicle is brought down during the exam but then retracts again, the physician may diagnose it as retractile.
What Are the Risks of Not Fixing the Testicle?
In males, the scrotum keeps the testicles at a cooler temperature than the rest of the body. Higher temperatures in the abdomen can reduce the normal production of sperm, leading to fertility issues in the future. A testicle that is out of place is also more prone to twisting and injury. This can lead to embarrassment for the child. The risk of testicular cancer is higher in boys born with an undescended testicle. When the testicle is in the proper position, it is easier to monitor for changes relating to malignancy.
How Can a Physician Fix an Undescended Testicle?
In most cases, especially if there are no underlying causes that are initially seen, a physician will opt to observe the testicle for the first year of life. More than half of boys born with an undescended testicle will need no further intervention and the testicle will descend by the first birthday. If this hasn’t occurred by the age of one, the testicle will need to be surgically brought down and affixed into place.
An orchiopexy is the surgical treatment of choice. A small cut is made into the groin, allowing the surgeon to pull the testicle down and into place. It is then fixed into place in the scrotum, or pexed. A surgical fix of cryptorchidism should not need to be repeated later in life. |
"Beat The Tape Math Challenge" is a multi-level high
interest scheme suited to the age range 6 years to adult. The program
is built on "Beat The Tape's" thirty years of proven success in
schools throughout Australia as
a valuable teaching resource for the learning of basic facts in mathematics,
first as a 28 tape audio cassette tape program, from which it gained its
name "Beat The Tape", and then as an interactive computer based
version titled "Beat The Tape on CD ROM".
To order through our website please click on the Order tab at the top of page
To order by PayPal, please use the checkout below, If you have any special requirements or any delivery instructions please enter them into the "Special Instructions" box.
"Math Challenge" improves and refines "Beat The
Tape on CD ROM", while retaining the program's original objective
of providing a flexible teaching resource to augment classroom organisation
in the learning of basic facts in mathematics designed to stimulate and
develop listening skills and facile response to spoken language.
The Tape Math Challenge" introduces new networking features which allows teachers to easily set up programs of work for individuals,
groups or classes, and allows them to monitor the students progress through
the lessons and permits teacher diagnosis of areas of weakness or specific
errors and assign the appropriate recordings for remedial work.
The networking feature also permits the students to monitor and record
their progress through the lessons and allows them to retain their place
in a lesson from session to session. "Beat the Tape" is designed
as a flexible aid to augment school or classroom organisation in the learning
of basic facts in mathematics.
The program's 28 lessons promote programs of work that include remediation and enrichment together with lessons for
the average student.
The graduation of
difficulty through the lessons poses short-range attainable goals.
The lessons help in developing listening skills and facilitate
the automatic response to auditory stimulation.
The variations in presentation of the lessons ensure student interest, practice in discrimination and the use of basic facts in a language
Beat the Tape is self-administrative, self-checking and develops student independence and self-satisfaction
The examples are ranged in progressive sets of twenty. The students enter
their answers using either the interface buttons or the keyboard.
The introduction in each lesson explains and demonstrates the processes
and any new terms that will be used in the lesson.
At the end of each set, the number of correct answers is shown and any
incorrect examples are re-presented. Students must have all examples correct
before they can advance to the next set.
Each lesson concludes with a compliment for those who are successful,
encouragement for the unsuccessful and a direction to learning material
to improve performance.
The graphics and animations used in the program reinforce important words
such as add, subtract, multiply and divide, and help give a conceptual
understanding of numbers and number relationships.
lesson concludes with a compliment for those who are successful, encouragement
for the unsuccessful and a direction to learning material to improve performance.
completing a lesson, a certificate of completion can be printed.
The Tape Math Challenge" can
be played directly from the CD-ROM, or it can be installed on
a server network.
program is easy to install on a network, and is simple for
students and teachers to learn to operate.
The program has comprehensive help files, which fully explain the
simple procedures for setting up and playing the lessons. |
The Public Health Agency of Canada (CIPARS) is warning British Columbia poultry farmers and veterinarians to stop using a bovine antibiotic on chickens.
The agency believes the practice is behind a significant spike in a strain of Campylobacter in chicken that is resistant to an antibiotic commonly used to treat respiratory infections in human beings and cattle.
Routine testing of chicken from grocery stores detected a dramatic spike in drug-resistant Campylobacter bacteria in retail samples of B.C. chicken in 2009 and levels have remained stubbornly above normal in the province ever since.
Positive tests for the resistant strain of Campylobacter in retail chicken have ranged as high as 40% in B.C. and 28% in Saskatchewan compared with an average of less than 4% in the other provinces monitored by the Canadian Integrated Program for Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance.
Campylobacter is the most common food-borne pathogen in Canada. It is usually associated with substandard food handling and consumption of undercooked chicken.
The rate of human Campylobacter poisoning in B.C. has been about 30% above the national average during the past 10 years, according to the BC Centre for Disease Control.
CIPARS is comparing Campylobacter from human cases in B.C. and Saskatchewan to the bacteria from retail poultry to determine whether the same pathogen is infecting people who eat poultry.
A bulletin to be released this week by CIPARS attributes the increase in drug-resistant Campylobacter in B.C. chicken to use of the antimicrobial drug fluoroquinolone.
The agency says veterinary fluoroquinolones labelled for cattle are being used "off-label" to prevent salmonella in chicken in breeder flocks.
Health Canada requires fluoroquinolone-based veterinary drugs for cattle to carry a warning not to use them in any other species.
Public health authorities want to curb the use of fluoroquinolone in chickens because the risk of spreading drug resistance could render those medications ineffective.
It is not unusual for veterinarians to use antibiotics labelled for one species on another species, but steps are being taken within the poultry industry to stamp out the practice.
B.C.'s poultry farming association has issued a warning written by Ministry of Agriculture veterinarian Bill Cox in a July bulletin instructing producers not to use prescription drugs on their flocks except under veterinary supervision and not to use any drug without a veterinary diagnosis.
Chicken Farmers of Canada executive director Mike Dungate said antimicrobial resistance is one of the industry's "critical" concerns.
Chicken producers are required to report all medications given to their flocks to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency before they are sent for processing. That information is verified by government veterinarians, according to CFC safety program manager Steve Leech.
The CFC and CIPARS are developing a national on-farm surveillance program designed to record antimicrobial use and pinpoint the sources of antimicrobial-resistant pathogens.
"The CFC hopes the program will explain B.C.'s persistently higher incidence of antimicrobial-resistant Campylobacter and correlate that with on-farm practices," Leech said.
The CFC maintains there is no conclusive use of veterinary drugs on farms with the drug-resistant bacteria detected in samples taken from chicken in B.C. grocery stores. |
Information Possibly Outdated
The information presented on this page was originally released on March 17, 2014. It may not be outdated, but please search our site for more current information. If you plan to quote or reference this information in a publication, please check with the Extension specialist or author before proceeding.
Oakleaf hydrangeas bring early spring flowers, color
The signs are all around us.
Red maples and redbuds are flowering, and yellow jessamine is scrambling and blooming along fences and way up in trees. This winter’s low temperatures have the ornamental pears really putting on a show.
Daylight Savings Time has kicked in, and we’re almost to the Spring Equinox. This can only mean one thing: Warmer weather has to show up sometime in the near future.
Flowering shrubs will soon take their turn brightening our gardens and landscape. Nothing can beat the show the Southern Indica azaleas put on. But there is one flowering shrub I look forward to more than others each year, and that is the oakleaf hydrangea. This shrub is a tough native plant that gets its common name from leaves shaped like oak leaves.
In Mississippi, oakleaf hydrangeas start blooming in early May and continue through the middle of June. If you’ve travelled along Interstate 20 between Jackson and Vicksburg, you’ve probably seen the white flowers blooming along the woodland hillsides.
The flowers are actually clusters made up of many smaller, individual flowers growing in cone-shaped clusters that can be up to a foot long. The showy, four-petal flowers are infertile and act as attractors to pollinators (and gardeners). The petals open snow white and transition to pink shades. The fertile flowers are inconspicuous in the flower clusters.
In 2000, Snowflake was selected as a Mississippi Medallion winner. The double flowers of this plant are excellent as cut flowers and can be dried for use in dry arrangements.
The coarse-textured foliage provides an excellent background for other plants that flower later in the summer gardening season. The foliage is a dark gray-green and has fall colors ranging from bronzy reds to oranges and browns. This is a deciduous shrub, and after the leaves drop in the fall, the upright branches expose exfoliating outer bark and cinnamon-tinged inner bark.
Oakleaf hydrangeas can be used as mass plantings. Plant them 7 to 8 feet apart to allow their natural shape and form to develop. Oakleaf hydrangeas are also fantastic specimens in the landscape, and they grow well in containers on the patio or porch.
Oakleaf hydrangeas grow best in well-drained, highly organic soils. Dig the planting hole twice as wide as the root ball, and mix good, aged compost with the soil from the hole. Set the plant only as deep as it was in the container. Current research shows that planting the crown a little higher than the surrounding soil improves drainage. Fill in the hole with amended soil and mulch with 2 to 3 inches of good organic mulch.
These hydrangeas perform best when planted in at least partial shade or filtered light from overhead trees. Consistent moisture is a must, but avoid overwatering at all costs. Oakleaf hydrangea tolerates pruning. Remove the tallest and any wayward branches by pruning at the base.
Use a good, slow-release fertilizer such as 14-14-14 for best results. Depending on plant size, spread 1/2 to 1 cup of the fertilizer around the plants in late March or the beginning of April to keep your oakleaf hydrangeas thriving. |
African forest collapse, recovery and chimpanzees?
6th July 2020
D. Mwacha, A. Collins, Jane Goodall Institute
Most people think of the mythical tropical forests of Central and West Africa as having been there from the dawn of time, even if global climate fluctuations such as the waxing and waning of glaciers may have influenced them to some extent. On the other hand, and on a much more recent scale, one might also think humans have directly impacted them for millennia, but it appears this is not the case.
A major study just published in the journal Global Planetary Change by researchers at the Universities of Perpignan, Montpellier and Sussex, which combines numerous pollen records to reconstruct the vegetation, shows that 2500 years ago, a large part of the rainforest canopy was broken up, and the forests became fragmented, allowing a much more open vegetation, such as savannas, to colonize.
“However, the massive geographic scale of this forest collapse at the same time was nothing to do with human impact as there were too few people in this area as revealed by the very limited archaeological record”, says Pierre Giresse, the lead author, “and in fact for approximately 500 years, it was due to the length of the dry season increasing. Indeed, the forests as we know them in their present form began only from 2000 years ago.”
“Nevertheless, most of the rainforest expanded again over the following centuries, aided by the early colonization of light-demanding species, such as the oil palm”, notes Jean Maley. “This species may be causing destruction due to its commercial importance in other tropical areas of the world today, but its origin is in Africa, where due to its nutritional and calorific content it helped the migration of Bantu people through the forest to eventually reach East and Southern Africa. But they were not planting it or destroying the forests, as it grew up spontaneously and its fruits were easily collected”
“It is less appreciated that a major factor in the resilience of the rainforests to bounce back were due to natural processes, particularly the many animals, such as chimpanzees, which dispersed fruits, for example, the oil palm in their nutrient-rich poo”, says Alex Chepstow-Lusty. Curiously much of the regeneration occurred against the backdrop of increasing human populations.”
“But compared to 2500 years ago, the situation is now very different, with both climate change and human pressures being experienced.”
“Sadly”, says Jane Goodall, the well-known conservationist, who was not involved in this study, “the demand for bushmeat, including many of the vital fruit dispersers like chimpanzees, is not only likely to make forest regeneration less possible, but facilitating the transmission of diseases to humans. We have many reasons to conserve our closest relatives, but they are also helping us conserve the rainforests and maybe even shaping it for their own nutritional needs.” |
Group Mentoring & Individual mentoring
Mentoring Best Practices From the start these principles have formed our philosophy to provide a trusting environment in which a student feels safe to look at the choices and actions they have made that have kept them from being successful in their life, face what they have to do to correct the situation and make different choices.
Mentoring & Roundtable Discussions
•Expose youth new horizons while challenging them to think, choose and
act outside their normal limits
•Provide youth and young adults with positive & engaged role models
•Teach positive values such as:
* Self confidence
* Forgiving family and others
* Dependability, reliability & responsibility
* Caring for others
* Positive and appropriate communication
* Nonviolent actions
* Decision making
•Promote dynamic team building, leadership skills, self-esteem, and positive leaders
•Support youth in their academic success and thereby improve their life potentials
•Self-evaluation process and understanding of how they make choices, what the consequences are, and what good decision making is
•Teach the true value of family and friends
•Encourage and support positive engagement in the larger community
•Promote positive involvement by parents, guardians and families
Group Mentoring provides young people a structured yet informal opportunity to evaluate their situation, see alternatives, experience other realities and perspectives, and re-evaluate their choices and decisions. It also can inspire youth to deeply understand the meaning of trust and structure that strengthens their motivation to begin to change the direction of their lives.
DSY does not stop there, we maintain a relationship with the student as they make new choices, return to their lives and make their way forward. DSY keeps an Open Door and invitation to students to come back and receive the support they need to sustain their commitment to new choices and new successes. |
Subsets and Splits