text
stringlengths 198
630k
| id
stringlengths 47
47
| metadata
dict |
|---|---|---|
Written by Kara Fleck, Simple Kids editor and Rockin’ Granola mama.
As we wind down Summer and prepare to say “hello” to Fall days, here are a few ways to play, learn, and explore during the month of September.
Ways to play, learn, and explore in September
September’s flower is the Aster. The word “aster” comes from the ancient Greek for “star.” Sometimes the aster is called the Michaelmas Daisy. There are some activities and a poem for the Michaelmas Daisy at The Flower Fairies Official website.
While you and your kids are learning about Autumn flowers, why not try your hand at a few of these felt sunflowers from Living Crafts?
The wonderful Se7en has a free printable September calendar for you.
Although September is the ninth month, the word September comes from the Latin “septi” for seven because in the Roman calendar it was the seventh month.
Talk Like a Pirate Day is September 19th (which also happens to be the day after my husband Christopher’s birthday, what fun!). Right now you can pick up a copy of Captain No Beard for your kindle for 99 cents from Amazon (you can pick up the printed version, too) – and if you are an Amazon Prime member you can borrow it for free! Love that!
The Autumnal Equinox occurs on September 22nd. The leaves will begin to change colors, the air will become cooler, and the hours of daylight a little shorter.
Here are a few fun leaf-related activities:
Why not try out an Autumn recipe or two with your kids this month?
- Maple Pecan Baked Apples ::: Simple Bites
- Pumpkin Butterscotch Cookies ::: Joy the Baker
- Healthy After-School Snacks: Popsicles ::: Playful Learning
How will you and your kids be playing, learning, and exploring this September? | <urn:uuid:33811539-169f-424d-a988-d4f32e0b94d8> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:16:45",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9414612650871277,
"score": 2.921875,
"token_count": 415,
"url": "http://simplekids.net/play-learn-and-explore-september-2012/comment-page-1/"
} |
The cerebral cortex, a layer of neural tissue surrounding the cerebrum of the mammalian brain, has been known to play various roles in memory, language, thought, attention, and consciousness. Up until now, no invertebrate equivalent
to the cerebral cortex has been encountered, but Detlev Arendt, Raju Tomer, and colleagues may have found an evolutionary counterpart. The obvious answer is hidden in one simple creature– the worm. Wait, what? Yeah, you heard me. The marine ragworm, found at all water depths, has been shown to possess a tissue resembling that of our mysterious cerebral cortex.
Arendt and his colleagues used a technique called cellular profiling to determine a molecular footprint for each kind of cell in this particular type of ragworm. By utilizing this technique, they were able to uncover which genes were turned on and off in each cell, providing a means for cellular categorization. Surprisingly, mushroom bodies, regions of the ragworm’s brain that are thought to control olfactory senses, show a striking similarity to tissue found in our cerebral cortex. This intriguing discovery may provide remarkable insight into the evolutionary basis of what has developed into an incredibly important cerebral structure.
Read more about this review here, or see the original article in Cell. | <urn:uuid:1a0e3f67-9ec4-493a-8b64-388a43f16bf0> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:08:58",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9534074068069458,
"score": 3.484375,
"token_count": 260,
"url": "http://sites.bu.edu/ombs/tag/cellular-profiling/"
} |
Note on ω: You may also hear omega pronounced like long o in English go.
Note on ῳ: This is a so-called long diphthong, because it is a combination of long vowel ω and ι. The recommended pronunciation reflects postclassical practice. In the fifth century this was a true diphthong, but the iota part of the sound weakened during the fourth century to a glide and then disappeared. Click on the image of inscription ΟΙ to hear an approximation of the original diphthong and the weakened diphthong.
The iota in the three long diphthongs is presented in most texts as a subscript under the long vowel (iota subscript: ᾳ, ῃ, ῳ), a convention developed in medieval Greek manuscripts and imitated in the typographic conventions of Greek since the Renaissance. The earlier practice was to write iota in normal position at normal size after the vowel (iota adscript: αι, ηι, ωι). (For a short time around the 12th century some scribes wrote a slightly smaller iota just to the right of the vowel and slightly lowered.) In some modern editions you will see iota adscript. | <urn:uuid:6b8dbb66-9108-4179-b8f3-93094fc869bf> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:22:58",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.937096893787384,
"score": 3.375,
"token_count": 260,
"url": "http://socrates.berkeley.edu/~ancgreek/pronunchtml/omegaU.html"
} |
Beat the Heat: Heat Illness in Children
It has been an extremely hot summer so far in all parts of the United States. Record highs are being set all over the country. Today we will discuss exertional heat illness in children so you can be better prepared to identify and prevent this in our children as they continue to be active throughout the summer months.
Why is temperature regulation important?
Our bodies are made to function at an optimal core temperature of 98.6°F (37°C). The “thermal neutral” zone in which we operate is 36.5 – 37.5°C . When the temperature deviates too much from that, temperature sensitive structures such as body enzymes and other proteins begin to denature, and essential processes start to fail. Extreme cold slows down metabolic processes and at temperatures below 33°C we lose consciousness. In extreme heat, temperatures above 42°C are not compatible with life.
How do we temperature regulate?
Even without activity, our body is generating heat at a rate that would increase our core temperatures by over 1°C per hour. When we are exercising hard, that heat generation can increase 10-fold. Therefore our bodies are equipped under normal circumstances to dissipate the heat. The main methods of heat dissipation are: radiation, convection, conduction, and evaporation. Radiation is the primary way in which heat is dissipated when the skin temperature is greater than air, but when air temperature exceeds the skin temperature, evaporation becomes the primary method of cooling. This happens in the form of sweating (humans), and panting (dogs). When normal functions of heat dissipation are not working correctly, or when heat generation exceed heat loss, the body is in danger of a spectrum of heat-related illnesses from heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke.
Why are children at greater risk than adults?
Children are more susceptible to heat illness because they have:
1. Greater surface area to body mass ratio
2. Lower rate of sweating
3. Higher temperature at initiation of sweating
4. Slower rate of acclimatization to heat
Tips on beating the heat?
1. Stay indoors or in a shaded area during the hottest part of the day. Schedule practices or events before 11am and after 6pm.
2. Pre-hydrate! Dehydration increases the risk of EHI.
3. Hydrate on a regular schedule during and after exercise. Thirst is a poor indication of hydration status, especially in children. A good starting point is 4 to 6 ounces of fluid every 15 minutes for a 90-lb child.
4. Check the weight! Checking your child’s weight before and after exercise will give you an idea if hydration was adequate. Weight loss of greater than 2.5% indicates dehydration.
5. Get acclimatized. The body can take 1-2 weeks to get adjusted to the heat, so avoid strenuous practices in the beginning. Start light and gradually increase.
6. Wear appropriate clothing. Keep it light on the hottest days.
7. Know the symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke:
Heat exhaustion: Athletes can be sweaty, ashen in color and complaining of weakness, headache, dizziness, irritable, nauseous or vomiting.
Heat stroke: Athletes can have similar symptoms as heat exhaustion, but can also be dry, hot, and flushed, and will also have confusion, delayed response or other change in mental status. Rectal temperature if taken will be >104°F.
8.If your child has any medical problems that may affect their ability to temperature regulate, discuss with your pediatrician.
What should you do if you suspect heat exhaustion or heat stroke?
1. Get the athlete out of the sun, and indoors or into a shaded area.
2. Oral hydration and cooling with active cooling techniques such as removing excess clothing, drinking cool water, sponging the body with cool water, placing ice pack in the armpits, and groin.
3. Have the athlete evaluated by a medical professional as soon as possible.
4. If there is any change in responsiveness or other mental status change, be concerned about heat stroke. Call 911 and initiate rapid cooling if possible.
Wishing everyone a safe, happy, and fun summer! | <urn:uuid:af047c13-4d09-42a0-bd91-3b3c0fa70801> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:23:47",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9266397356987,
"score": 3.4375,
"token_count": 896,
"url": "http://sportsmedicineforchildren.com/2011/07/24/beat-the-heat-heat-illness-in-children/"
} |
STATS ARTICLES 2010
Why any ol' diet will work (if your BMI is high enough): A case study in regression toward the mean
Rebecca Goldin, PhD, February 10, 2010
Understanding regression toward the mean
Imagine a city where, from year to year, the overall height of the population is stable. There are no sudden growth spurts or frantic attempts by parents to give their children growth hormones, or movements of very short people in or very tall people out of the city limits. Now consider the following statistical conundrum: if you measure the tall people in the city, they will tend to have children who are shorter and, similarly, the short people will tend to have children who are taller. Other strange things are happening too. Though the city's school test scores are not improving overall, the children with the worst test scores last year, appear to be doing better this year.
What you are witnessing is called "regression toward the mean," and it means that whenever you measure something more than once in a population, the extremes tend to move more toward the average. Consider height: Suppose the range of adult heights (the minimum to maximum heights) is four feet to seven feet, and stays the same over several generations. If we look at just those who are 7 feet tall, we will find that they have children who are shorter, since if these children grow to be taller than 7 feet, the height range of the population would change. If the range stays the same, the 7-feet people cannot have children who are taller than themselves!
You might ask: but where do we get the new 7-feet tall people if the tallest people have shorter kids? First, a maximum height individual might have a same-heigh child. Second, invariably, some tall people who are not quite at the maximum will have taller children - for example, someone 6 feet 6 inches could have a child who grows to be 7 feet tall. These kids will become the next generation of “tallest.”
“Height of children” is an example of a measurement that has some random fluctuation, that has nothing to do with genetics at all. Regression toward the mean describes the behavior of such randomness. Unfortunately, it can lead to some bias in observational studies, and understanding its effects is an important defense against false conclusions. Just as we may be misled about what is happening to our society’s height if we only observe the heights of the children of very tall people (thinking that they are shrinking) we may be misled about social progress and medical success if we do not recognize the phenomenon.
How bias sneaks in: an experiment in regressing
We can set up an experiment that illustrates the phenomenon without having to wait generations to see the result. Take a random group of people and ask them each to flip a coin 100 times and record the result. We would expect to find that many people got close to 50 heads and 50 tails. But we would also find that a few people got many more heads than tails and vice versa.
Suppose we did the experiment again with just those who got the outlying results. Let’s call someone a “head-flipper” if he/she got at least 60 heads, and we only include head-flippers in our second experiment. We would still expect these people to have, on average, 50 heads and 50 tails in second set of flips. The head-flippers would generally not be head-flippers any longer. As these experiments are independent of each other, we do not expect head-flippers to be particularly likely to flip heads the second time they participate in the experiment.
Now imagine I have noted the first set of results and decided that what the world needed was a medication that improved one's ability to flip tails (imagine I'm crazy). Of course, I am only interested in what this medicine does to head-flippers, since they are the ones with the very serious problem of over-flipping heads. What will I find if I give all the head-flippers the medicine and run my test again? Amazingly, most of them will no-longer flip at least 60 heads - I will have proven success! Of course, the medication is illusory, as this purported increase in tail-flipping is only in comparison to those people who were chosen because they had flipped a lot of heads. We have simply observed regression toward the mean.
Regression toward the mean is a fundamental notion in statistics, and important to account for in experiments. It can create bias in poorly done observational studies. If the score on the coin flips were replaced by blood pressure measurements, for example, we should expect that people with the highest blood pressure readings are also those whose pressure will go down at the next measurement, whether they are given a medication or not. This is why it is so important to compare the medicine with a placebo, so that random errors are not confused with true benefit.
But when the test results are correlated, does regression toward the mean still occur?
The skeptical reader will note that blood pressure is very different from flipping a coin. In fact, blood pressure readings are highly correlated with one another. In the absence of medicinal or lifestyle intervention, a person with high blood pressure now will almost certainly have high blood pressure in a year.
However, regression toward the mean is still occurring, just in a less spectacular way. Consider, the following examples blood pressure readings, adapted from Dicing with Death by Stephen Senn.
Each dot represents a person with two measurements: a first blood pressure measurement (along the vertical axis), and a second blood pressure measurement (along the horizontal axis). Dots above the red line indicate that the first measurement was high. In general, it is clear that people with elevated blood pressure on first reading will also have elevated levels on second reading, as we would expect. The average measurement is also the same in both the first and second measurement. However, those with the highest readings the first time are not necessarily those with the highest readings the second time.
In particular, if scientists study only those people with blood pressure above a critical level in the first measurement (represented by the red line), they will find that many of them have a level of blood pressure below the critical level on the second measurement (represented by being left of the vertical blue line).
Pictured above, there are ten people whose blood pressure is above critical on the first reading. Of these, six people improved on second reading, and are below critical level, left of the blue line! If we only look at people above the red line, we would think that serious progress had been made.
The trick is that by only considering those people who had high blood pressure the first time around, we did not register the people who were below critical on the first reading, and measured above critical the second reading. The situation becomes much clearer when we look at the whole picture.
By looking at the whole graph, we see there were five people below the red line, but to the right of the blue line, who had non-critically high blood pressure on the first reading, but above critical on the second. These people whose condition “worsened” from one reading to the next will compensate for those who “improved,” so that we see an average of no change.
The point of a clinical trial is to get rid of the (random) bias introduced by regression toward the mean. A randomized clinical trial would compare groups of people with high blood pressure readings, by giving one group the medicine and the other not. It would then observe whether there is more benefit for the group that takes the medicine. Alternatively, one could introduce a regimen for everyone without regard to blood pressure levels (such as an exercise routine) and see whether the average changes.
Weight Loss and Regression toward the Mean
By the same principle, the heaviest people are in a good position not to be heaviest at the next weigh-in. Suppose that in February, 2010, we observe the weight of a population of people whose overall average weight and distribution of weights does not change. At the end of the year, the people with the highest BMI are likely to have decreased their weight while those with the smallest are likely to increase. These changes which are attributed to "regression toward the mean" should be understood to be the changes due to random fluctuations of the weight measurement -- it could be because our weights do fluctuate some without any intervention on our part, or because the scales we use have some random error. If the population as a whole does not have an increased average or change its weight distribution, then as people below the average will tend to put on weight, while those who have a very high BMI will be likely to go down in weight. [Keep in mind that the average BMI may well be over 25, classifying the average person as overweight - regression toward the mean doesn't do anything for the average!]
Now throw "going on a diet to lose weight" into the picture, something that typically only overweight people do, and this effect should be exaggerated. On average, attempting to lose weight has a positive impact on losing weight.
Of course there are many aspects of changing BMI levels that are more complicated than we have presented here. In particular, American BMI is not standing still; it is increasing. And factors such as aging can increase the BMI among people in a fixed group. However, regression to the mean is a powerful force that can skew the results.
In the context of claims made by diets (from Atkins to pills that target the Cocaine Amphetamine Regulatory Track), it is important to note that some success is to be expected because of regression to the mean. What diets do not advertise is that people with the highest BMI people are (on average) losing weight even without a diet - though they may well hover at a very high BMI. For full disclosure: the random variance of weight measurements may in fact be very small.
For people with higher-than-average BMI trying to shed some pounds, regression to the mean is an encouraging thought -- but of course, it's only reduced calorie consumption and exercise that will shed pounds instead of ounces | <urn:uuid:afb4aadf-971b-4748-bc3d-995e5115be2f> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:02:15",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9652840495109558,
"score": 2.875,
"token_count": 2095,
"url": "http://stats.org/stories/2010/regression_mean_feb9_10.html"
} |
How CyberKnife Works
CyberKnife uses image guidance technology and computer controlled robotics to continuously track, detect and correct for tumor and patient movement throughout the treatment. Because of its extreme precision, CyberKnife does not require invasive head or body frames to stabilize patient movement, vastly increasing the system's flexibility.
Unlike traditional radiosurgery systems that can only treat tumors in the head and neck, CyberKnife can treat tumors both intracranial (inside the brain) and extracranial (outside the brain). In fact, extracranial treatments currently represent more than 50 percent of CyberKnife procedures in the United States, including those of the spine, lung, prostate, liver and pancreas.
CyberKnife provides an additional option to many patients diagnosed with previously inoperable or surgically complex tumors. | <urn:uuid:583e2ee1-ae12-4ebd-91a7-28eff1dec6cc> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:07:52",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9278567433357239,
"score": 2.828125,
"token_count": 171,
"url": "http://stmarysofmichigan.org/services/featured_services/cyberknife/cyberknife_how_it_works.php"
} |
Heel Bursitis is another type of heel pain. The sufferer of this kind of heel pain experiences pain at the back of the heel when the patient moves his joint of the ankle. In the heel bursitis type of heel pain there is swelling on the sides of the Achilles’ tendon. In this condition the sufferer may experience pain in the heel when his feet hit the ground. Heel bruises are also referred as heel bumps they are usually caused by improper shoes. The constant rubbing of the shoes against the heel.
What is bursitis?
Bursitis is the inflammation of a bursa. Normally, the bursa provides a slippery surface that has almost no friction. A problem arises when a bursa becomes inflamed. The bursa loses its gliding capabilities, and becomes more and more irritated when it is moved.
When the condition called bursitis occurs, the normally slippery bursa becomes swollen and inflamed. The added bulk of the swollen bursa causes more friction within an already confined space. Also, the smooth gliding bursa becomes gritty and rough. Movement of an inflamed bursa is painful and irritating.
“Itis” usually refers to the inflammation of a certain part of the body, therefore Bursitis refers to the constant irritation of the natural cushion that supports the heel of the foot (the bursa). Bursitis is often associated with Plantar Fasciitis, which affects the arch and heel of the foot.
What causes bursitis?
- Bursitis and Plantar Fasciitis can occur when a person increases their levels of physical activity or when the heel’s fat pad becomes thinner, providing less protection to the foot.
- Ill fitting shoes.
- Biomechanical problems (e.g. mal-alignment of the foot, including over-pronation).
- Rheumatoid arthritis.
Bursitis usually results from a repetitive movement or due to prolonged and excessive pressure. Patients who rest on their elbows for long periods or those who bend their elbows frequently and repetitively (for example, a custodian using a vacuum for hours at a time) can develop elbow bursitis, also called olecranon bursitis. Similarly in other parts of the body, repetitive use or frequent pressure can irritate a bursa and cause inflammation.
Another cause of bursitis is a traumatic injury. Following trauma, such as a car accident or fall, a patient may develop bursitis. Usually a contusion causes swelling within the bursa. The bursa, which had functioned normally up until that point, now begins to develop inflammation, and bursitis results. Once the bursa is inflamed, normal movements and activities can become painful.
Systemic inflammatory conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis, may also lead to bursitis. These types of conditions can make patients susceptible to developing bursitis.
- Cold presses or ice packs.
- Anti-inflammatory tablets.
- Cushioning products.
- Massaging the foot / muscle stimulation.
- Stretching exercises.
- Insoles or orthotics. | <urn:uuid:76a4c6bc-e63f-4d77-8492-c24be187795c> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:16:30",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9026477932929993,
"score": 3.171875,
"token_count": 667,
"url": "http://sugarlandheelpain.com/?page_id=78"
} |
Select the product you need help with
- Internet Explorer
- Windows Phone
- More products
Description of the way that Excel saves files
Article ID: 814068 - View products that this article applies to.
When you save an existing file in Excel, Excel creates a temporary file in the destination folder that you specify in the Save As dialog box. The temporary file contains the whole contents of your workbook. If Excel successfully saves the temporary file, the temporary file is renamed with the file name you specify in the Save As dialog box.
This process of saving files makes sure that the original file is not damaged. The original file is useful if the save operation is not successful.
When Excel saves a file, Excel follow these steps:
Important Points About Saving
Additional InformationFor additional information, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/214073/ )You receive an error message when you try to save a file in Excel
(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/289273/ )Description of the AutoRecover functions in Excel 2002
(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/324521/ )XL2002: How to Recover a Lost Worksheet or Lost Version of a Worksheet
Article ID: 814068 - Last Review: September 19, 2011 - Revision: 6.0 | <urn:uuid:4e461182-180f-4b89-b6f8-13035e374e3a> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:39:17",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.779640793800354,
"score": 2.546875,
"token_count": 291,
"url": "http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;814068"
} |
Green building facts
- Buildings consume 32% of the world’s resources including 12% of fresh water and 40% of the world’s energy (7).
- In Australia commercial buildings produce almost 9% of our national Greenhouse gas emissions (8).
- To make way for the new Law School the Edgeworth David building and the Stephen Roberts lecture theatre were demolished in 2006. Over 80% of the materials from these buildings were recycled including the valuable copper from the roof of the lecture theatre
The new Law School Building
7. “Environmentally Sustainable Buildings: Challenges and Policies” OECD (2003)
8. “Australia State of the Environment Report” Department of Environment & Heritage (2001) | <urn:uuid:354e6914-456e-4541-8c57-6410f91b48cd> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:17:49",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9172208905220032,
"score": 2.96875,
"token_count": 150,
"url": "http://sydney.edu.au/facilities/sustainable_campus/buildings/index.shtml"
} |
The re-introduction of wolves in a US National Park in the mid-1990s is not helping quaking aspens (Populus tremuloides) to become re-established, as many researchers hoped.
In a study published in the journal Ecology showed that the population of wolves in Yellowstone Park was not deterring elks from eating young trees and saplings.
It was assumed that the presence of wolves would create a “landscape of fear”, resulting in no-go areas for elks.
Researchers writing in the Ecological Society of America’s (ESA) journal said that the aspens were not regenerating well in the park as a result of the elk eating the young trees.
However, they added that the conventional wisdom suggested that as the wolves were predators of the elk, it was thought that the elk would eventually learn to avoid high-risk areas in which the wolves were found.
This would then allow plants in those areas – such as aspen – to grow big enough without being eaten and killed by the elk. And in the long-term, the thinking went, the habitat would be restored.
In this latest study, lead author Matthew Kauffman – a US Geological Survey scientist – suggested the findings showed that claims of an ecosystem-wide recovery of aspen were premature.
“This study not only confirms that elk are responsible for the decline of aspen in Yellowstone beginning in the 1890s, but also that none of the aspen groves studied after wolf restoration appear to be regenerating, even in areas risky to elk,” Dr Kauffman explained.
Because the “landscape of fear” idea did not appear to be benefiting aspen, the team concluded that if the Northern Range elk population did not continue to decline (their numbers are 40% of what they were before wolves), many of Yellowstone’s aspen stands were unlikely to recover.
“A landscape-level aspen recovery is likely only to occur if wolves, in combination with other predators and climate factors, further reduce the elk population,” observed Dr Kauffman.
The paper, Are wolves saving Yellowstone’s aspen? A landscape-level test of a behaviorally mediated trophic cascade, has been published online in Ecology. The authors of the paper are: Matthew Kauffman (USGS), Jedediah Brodie (University of Montana) and Erik Jules (Humboldt State University).
Source: ESA press release
Filed under: animals, biodiversity, conservation, research | Tagged: aspen, ecological society of america, ecology, ecosystem, elk, environment, esa, habitat, landscape of fear, national park, poplar tremuloide, predation, quaking aspen, research, science, trees, US, us geological survey, wolf re-introduction, wolves, yellowstone, yellowstone park | Leave a Comment » | <urn:uuid:3dbcd303-6bf8-4ee3-b99b-8d939aff08b0> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:22:45",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9548214077949524,
"score": 2.9375,
"token_count": 616,
"url": "http://takecover08.wordpress.com/tag/quaking-aspen/"
} |
Both Texas A&M and the University of Missouri have acclaimed veterinary colleges, and the two schools have frequently collaborated on work involving animals. A current project could have a huge impact on the beef industry.
James Womack, the W.P. Luse Endowed and Distinguished Professor in Texas A&M’s College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, has partnered with Missouri colleague Jerry Taylor to work on a five-year grant to study bovine respiratory disease, commonly called BRD. It is a $9.2 million project to find ways to prevent the disease and funding comes from the Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
For cattle owners, BRD is major threat – it is the leading cause of disease in beef and dairy cattle and it annually causes losses approaching $1 billion in the cattle industry.
“It’s a disease that can really be devastating for ranchers,” Womack says of the project. “It can sometimes be fatal, but the overall lack of production from cattle that have the disease is often the biggest concern.
“It is the No.1 health problem in the cattle industry. It affects about 10 percent of the cattle in the country, so when you consider all of the millions of cattle in the United States, it results in numbers that are staggering.”
Womack says he and Missouri’s Taylor will look at the disease from a genetic viewpoint and examine the causes of BRD, and will do DNA testing on at least 6,000 cattle.
“We’ll take DNA samples from cattle that have the disease, and also from those that don’t,” Womack explains. “Then we’ll look at variations on over 700,000 genomes and do a comparative study. We have known for years that individual cattle vary in their response to the pathogens that cause BRD and that much of that variation is genetic.
“We hope this project will be a model for the power of cooperation of research and educational institutions and animal industries to make basic discoveries, train professionals in the application of these discoveries, and to translate this new knowledge into economic gain along with improved animal health and welfare.”
Texas A&M and Missouri are key partners in the project, but other schools, such as Washington State, UC-Davis, New Mexico State, Colorado State and Wisconsin are also involved in the work.
“Partnering with Missouri and these schools has been excellent for all concerned,” Womack adds. “We are proud to be associated with the Missouri team and Jerry Taylor and their outstanding work.”
Taylor holds the Wurdack Chair in Animal Genomics at the University of Missouri.
Womack adds that Texas and Missouri are also collaborating on another cattle grant, this one also from the Department of Agriculture, totaling $5 million to study feed efficiency in cattle. The study will focus on specific bacteria that reside in the stomach of cattle and how these aid in food digestion.
Contact: Keith Randall, News & Information Services, at (979) 845-4644 | <urn:uuid:9c4c9645-fcf9-4628-bb71-9f0ac49e042b> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:38:29",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9596440196037292,
"score": 2.984375,
"token_count": 652,
"url": "http://tamutimes.tamu.edu/2012/11/19/texas-am-mizzou-vet-schools-seeking-ways-to-stop-brd-and-do-it-asap/"
} |
Posted on February 27, 2012 by Ollie Dreon
Recently, I attended a workshop where the presenter talked about the importance of conducting course and program level assessment. “We need to better assess what students are doing and to what extent they’re doing it,” she explained. “But the students aren’t the only ones we should be assessing. As educators, we need to reflect on our instructional techniques and learn from our work. We’re all students by nature. This should be part of our DNA.”
The idea that “we’re all students by nature” really resonates with me, not only for what it says about us as a profession but also for what it says about our ability as educators to succeed in the future. More than one report has identified some challenging years ahead for educational institutions. For instance, Educause recently published its 2012 Horizon report which examines several emerging technologies that will play a role in our educational future. From tablet computers to learning analytics to gesture-based computing, there are some exciting technologies on the horizon. What effect will these technologies have on how we teach and how students learn? It really depends on us. “The abundance of resources and relationships made easily accessible via the Internet,” the Horizon report states “is increasingly challenging us to revisit our roles as educators.”
But revisiting our roles as educators means that we have to assess what we’re doing, embrace our natural tendencies as students and learn. I know this isn’t a foreign concept to many of my colleagues. I’m blessed to work with so many creative people who are willing to take risks and try out new pedagogical techniques. Like the many outstanding students I’ve had the pleasure to work with, they are true inspirations.
But the Horizon report also identifies significant obstacles for educators “who are students by nature.” “Institutional barriers,” the authors write, “present formidable challenges to moving forward in a constructive way…. Much resistance to change is simply comfort with the status quo, but in other cases, such as in promotion and tenure reviews, experimentation with or adoptions of clearly innovative applications… is often seen as outside the role of researcher or scientist.”
While challenges exist in almost an institution, especially institutions of higher education, I see real promise in the making. People are starting to embrace the scholarship of teaching and learning as a critical aspect of our work. While the philosophy may be new to some, it’s really just about cultivating a culture where educators and “students by nature” can thrive.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
Posted on February 20, 2012 by Ollie Dreon
Innovation is another buzz word you’ll hear around the water cooler these days. Everyone is promoting innovative teaching practices or trying to promote innovative solutions to the big problems facing schools, education and society. Lost in the discussion of innovation, however, is the fact that being innovative requires a great deal of risk taking and possibly some failure. As a culture, we struggle with the idea of failure which limits our desire to take risks and innovate. But perspective is everything. Take Thomas Edison. Arguably one of the greatest American innovators of the 19th Century, Edison tried almost a thousand times to build the incandescent light bulb before eventually getting it right. When asked about failing so many times, Edison reportedly replied “I have not failed 1,000 times. I have successfully discovered 1,000 ways to NOT make a light bulb.” It’s all about perspective.
Or look at Michael Wesch. Wesch is an associate professor of cultural anthropology at Kansas State University and has been an advocate for using technology instructionally to engage students actively in classroom content. Wesch has given TED talks and created several technology-based videos that have gone viral. For instance, Wesch’s Vision of Students Today which describes the digital lives of collegiate students has been watched over 4 million times. He’s a world renowned technology leader and educator.
Last week, the Chronicle of Higher Education featured Wesch in an article titled “A Tech-Happy Professor Reboots After Hearing His Teaching Advice Isn’t Working.” While Wesch has been advising colleagues to use Twitter and blogs in their teaching, his colleagues have not reported the same level of success as Wesch has had. “It was chaos,” one of Wesch’s colleagues said after implementing Wesch’s strategies.”It just didn’t work.”
But it’s all about perspective. Innovation requires risk taking and involves educators learning from their efforts. Rather than focusing on his colleagues’ failures and dismissing technology outright, Wesch chose to re-examine its use and learn from their mistakes. Educators need to have a purpose for integrating technology and focus on establishing relationships with students, Wesch now recommends.
Wesch’s story teaches us a lot about teaching, learning and instructional technology. But it also offers us so much more. Innovation is about trying new things and promoting positive change. But we don’t always hit the mark. We learn from our mistakes.
Filed under: Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
Posted on February 14, 2012 by Ollie Dreon
Regular readers of the 8 Blog know that I talk about collaboration a lot. Over the last few years, I’ve written about wikis, Google Docs, Crocodocs, and Stixy (and many other applications) and discussed how different tools can be used to foster collaboration in classroom environments. But why is collaboration so important? In their book on 21st Century Skills, Bernie Trilling and Charles Fadel identify collaboration as a critical skill for individuals to “survive and thrive in a complex and connected world.” In a recent New York Times article, Lawrence Summers, a former Harvard president, writes that collaboration is the “inevitable consequence of the knowledge explosion.” The world is becoming a more open place, Summers writes, and businesses are placing a greater value on the ability to work together.
With the world becoming increasingly connected and people working and learning from a distance, collaboration needs to be a curricular focus in our courses and cultivated in our classrooms, schools and institutions. We just can’t expect students to know how to collaborate. It’s a skill that needs to be developed. But cultivating collaboration isn’t easy, especially in educational settings. Like so many concepts, collaboration skills are best learned socially. Students learn to collaborate by directly communicating and working with their classmates, either physically, face-to-face or virtually through technology. We as educators must support their collaboration and help them learn from their collaborative experiences. But is this happening in our schools? Summers doesn’t seem to think so. Examining the current state of America’s institutions of learning, Summers writes, “the great preponderance of work a student does is done alone at every level in the educational system… For most people, school is the last time (students) will be evaluated on individual effort.”
But cultivating collaboration isn’t just a curricular challenge. We as educators must be models of collaboration ourselves. We can’t just talk the talk. We must walk the walk. We must break free of our respective silos and learn to collaborate with one another. In his book called Collaboration, Morten Hansen identified four barriers to collaboration that institutions may face. These barrier include:
- The not invented-here barrier: people are unwilling to reach out to others and reject the ideas from the outisde
- The hoarding barrier: people are unwilling to provide help or keep information close at hand because they are competing with one another
- The search barrier: people are not able to find what they are looking for because information is spread across the institution
- The transfer barrier: people are not able to work with people, especially ones they don’t know well.
I’m sure Hansen’s barriers will resonate with many readers but they can be overcome. And they need to be overcome. Not only to be better educational models for our students, but also so we can be more productive, more creative and more innovative. Collaboration is more than a bridge between two ideas. It is the catalyst that spawns a multitude of new ideas. And that needs to be valued, cultivated and celebrated.
Filed under: Collaboration | Leave a Comment »
Posted on February 8, 2012 by Ollie Dreon
A few weeks ago, I discussed the new iBooks Author app and also outlined some of my concerns with the End User Licensing Agreement for the application. If you recall, some people were interpreting the EULA as Apple claiming some ownership of any content that is authored using the iBooks Author app, whether it is uploaded onto the iBookstore or not. They compared it to Microsoft claiming some ownership of every document written with MS Word or any presentation created with PowerPoint.
Enough people expressed their concerns that Apple recently modified its EULA to clarify their intentions. Looking at the revised EULA, authors will retain all of their rights for the content of their work but are not able to sell the specific iBooks files anywhere but through the iBookstore. To check out the EULA for yourself, visit the App Store Preview. For an in-depth analysis of the EULA language, check out this post from AppAdvice.
Filed under: eTexts, iPads | Leave a Comment »
Posted on February 7, 2012 by Ollie Dreon
After featuring Apple-related topics in the last two posts on the 8 Blog, many readers may be ready for something different. Before moving on, however, there is one more important feature of the Apple Education event that I feel needs to be discussed. Besides the release of the iBooks Author app and the dedicated iTunesU portal, Apple also showcased the course management tools that are now available through iTunesU. While I’m really excited that iTunesU is giving educators the ability to build online courses for free, I’m a little concerned about the message Apple is sending with their online tools.
Recent studies show that online learning is becoming a prevalent option for collegiate and K-12 students. For instance, in its recent study on technology use by American collegiate students, Educause reported that over 30% of students have enrolled in at least one online course during the collegiate career. The National Council of Education Statistics released a report last fall which examined online education in public secondary schools. With over 2300 school districts across the country participating, the NCES reported that 55% of schools offered some distance learning options for students and over 1.8 million students were enrolled in some sort of online course. As the tools become easier to use, these numbers will continue to grow. And that’s where Apple steps in.
With the iTunesU course management tools, an educator has the ability to create entire courses by wrapping posts, assignments and materials around recorded lectures. While these options are intended to help educators provide “content and context” to their course, the message that Apple is clearly sending is that online learning is an endeavor that students should undergo independently. None of the course management tools allow students to communicate with one another or directly to educators. There is also no way for educators to provide feedback to their students or to assess their students’ learning. Since Apple is not a degree granting institution (at least not yet…), I understand why it may have avoided including these features. But then again, maybe Apple didn’t feel communication and assessment tools were necessary. Looking at Apple’s Course Creation Guidelines, they offer several “Best Practices” for course construction. The list includes displaying content with “short titles for posts and assignments so students see the most important information at a glance.” The focus is clearly on the presentation and organization of content. While this is important stuff, online education should be more than this. As an online educator, I take great pride in interacting with my students and creating online learning communities for students to engage with and learn from their peers. Learning is social process. As a company that has tried so hard to build social opportunities into their tools, Apple should know better.
Filed under: eTexts, iPads | 1 Comment » | <urn:uuid:8076427c-d8d3-41a5-90c3-181e0e1825a5> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:07:29",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9590570330619812,
"score": 2.640625,
"token_count": 2579,
"url": "http://the8blog.wordpress.com/2012/02/"
} |
When I was 15 I had a burning ambition to learn BSL (British Sign Language) I went to classes for the next two years, whilst attending school and sixth form. I had no relatives or friends who were deaf at that point, I just felt the need to be able to communicate with the deaf community. It is a beautiful language and both of my daughters know key words in Makaton, and attended Tiny Talk classes. I now have friends and relatives who have hearing difficulties and have (though small) an understanding of the extremely important need to communicate effectively, and the effects of not being able to communicate can have.
So fast forward to last month and being asked, as a blogger to be involved in the Time To share campaign for the Tots 100. I received an email that my charity would be The Ear Foundation, (Nottingham) I could not be more delighted to work with such an amazing charity.
The Ear Foundations Vision :
All deaf children, young people and adults have the opportunity to hear, communicate and develop spoken language using the latest technological interventions.
The Ear Foundation – bridging the gap between clinic-based services, where today’s exciting hearing technologies, such as cochlear implants are fitted, and home, school and work where they are used in daily life.
The Ear Foundation was first set up in 1989, the first person to receive an implant Michael Blatt, who still an advocate to other people thinking of having the operation. At first the Ear Foundation was set up to bring the new technique of cochlear implantation to the UK, making it possible for profoundly deaf children to hear.
Now the Ear Foundation is a unique charity providing support for children across the UK with cochlear implants and hearing aids, and they do this through information, community education, resources, and research & development.
So what is a Cochlear implant?
A cochlear implant is an electronic medical device that replaces the function of the damaged inner ear. Unlike hearing aids, which make sounds louder, cochlear implants do the work of damaged parts of the inner ear (cochlea) to send sound signals to the brain.
So through the charities hard work, they are able to help children, young adults and adults.
Here is a summary of the work that they do:
- Family Programme: Connect & Communicate in Marjorie Sherman House
- Continuing Education Programme in Nottingham, throughout the UK, internationally and on the web
- Sound Advice Programme helping to make the most of the technology
- Advocacy and Lobbying Programme supporting access to the use of appropriate hearing technologies for all who need them
- Family and User-led Research Programme providing evidence-base from our activities
So how can I help as a blogger?
Through the Connect and Communicate Family Programme at Marjorie Sherman House (Nottingham) at the programme there are a wide range of activities/opportunities to learn together with other families about hearing technologies.
- Small Talk – Babies
- Ready Steady Go – Pre-school children
- Leaping! – Primary aged children
- Special Branch – for children with additional and complex needs and cochlear implants
- Xtra Connections – for children with additional and complex needs – in London
- To Infinity – 11-18 year olds
- Sound Advice – Adults
I will be attending the Small Talk, Babies morning on the 18th June 2012. Following that I shall be writing a post to try to explain a little further some of the amazing work that the Ear Foundation carries out in the community. Hopefully this will raise awareness of the charity in the Nottingham community.
I want to leave you with a link to the donation page, and fundraising page on the site, and the thought that a donation to the foundation can help support a child, young person or adult on their journey of communication.
Thank you for reading
Time to Share invites parent bloggers to share an hour or more of their time with a good cause, and write about it. The aim is to help raise the profile of charities across the UK, while giving much-needed practical support to those charities, and highlighting the amazing work being done across the UK by charity volunteers. June is National Volunteering Month, and we’re asking as many bloggers as possible to support the Time to Share campaign by giving some of their time, and helping to share the word about volunteering.
Incoming search terms:
- charity quotes
- charity catchphrases
- quotes on charity
- the ear foundation nottingham
- the Hear Foundation nottingham
Category: The Blog | <urn:uuid:7b66673a-dda7-4eb4-94b9-1e8e1edb7e1d> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:15:59",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.950811505317688,
"score": 2.78125,
"token_count": 952,
"url": "http://theanamumdiary.co.uk/2012/05/29/ear-foundation-nottingham/"
} |
Friends on the Brain
Posted by Adam Benforado on October 27, 2011
Have a lot of friends on Facebook?
Think that makes you special?
Well, researchers at University College London suggest that you might just be right.
According to a new study published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, Facebook users with the largest number of pals had greater brain density in areas of the brain associated with social perception and associative memory.
For anyone who has been following the debate over whether technology has been changing our brains, it’s worth a read, although the research doesn’t answer the question of whether the brain differences in the sample were an effect or a cause of individuals having more online friends.
An abstract of the paper appears below:
The increasing ubiquity of web-based social networking services is a striking feature of modern human society. The degree to which individuals participate in these networks varies substantially for reasons that are unclear. Here, we show a biological basis for such variability by demonstrating that quantitative variation in the number of friends an individual declares on a web-based social networking service reliably predicted grey matter density in the right superior temporal sulcus, left middle temporal gyrus and entorhinal cortex. Such regions have been previously implicated in social perception and associative memory, respectively. We further show that variability in the size of such online friendship networks was significantly correlated with the size of more intimate real-world social groups. However, the brain regions we identified were specifically associated with online social network size, whereas the grey matter density of the amygdala was correlated both with online and real-world social network sizes. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that the size of an individual’s online social network is closely linked to focal brain structure implicated in social cognition.
Related Situationist posts: | <urn:uuid:f20b6033-0b1d-4eff-bc76-060dff381575> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:38:22",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9446331262588501,
"score": 2.53125,
"token_count": 366,
"url": "http://thesituationist.wordpress.com/2011/10/27/friends-on-the-brain/?like=1&source=post_flair&_wpnonce=104f7cb3e5"
} |
America’s housing crisis is one of the biggest problems plaguing the economy, as the country’s homes have lost $7 trillion in cumulative value over the last five years. Four million Americans are either behind on their payments or in foreclosure, and a quarter of the nation’s homeowners are underwater on their mortgage. Those foreclosures have driven down home values in communities across the country.
According to a new report by the Center on Responsible Lending, however, the foreclosure crisis isn’t finished yet. In fact, with 3.6 million households at immediate risk of losing homes, we’re not even halfway through it. Even more damning from the report, though, is the fact that the housing crisis has disproportionately affected minority voters. Though more whites — who make up a larger share of homeowners — have been plagued by foreclosure, the percentage of blacks and Latinos affected is nearly twice as high:
Although the majority of affected borrowers have been white, African-American and Latino borrowers are almost twice as likely to have been impacted by the crisis. Approximately one quarter of all Latino and African-American borrowers have lost their home to foreclosure or are seriously delinquent, compared to just under 12 percent for white borrowers. Asian borrowers have fared better as a whole than Latino and African-American borrowers, but they, too, have been disproportionately affected, especially in some metropolitan areas.
Wall Street banks and lenders took advantage of consumers throughout the lead-up to the housing crisis, and this report shows that the lending, at times, was even more predatory when targeting blacks and Latinos. ThinkProgress reported on this disparity in 2009, when bailed-out banks were found to have pushed many minorities who qualified for prime loans into higher-priced subprime loans, which can add more than $100,000 in interest payments over the life of a loan. In fact, 30.9 percent of Latinos and a whopping 41.5 percent of blacks were given higher-priced loans by large banks, compared to just 17.8 percent of white borrowers.
As with almost everything coming out of the banking industry regarding the financial crisis, the report only makes the case stronger for the newly-created Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the agency tasked with targeting and ending predatory lending and banking excess. Discriminatory lending is illegal, and yet for years, the banks have largely been able to get away with it. If the CFPB is allowed to operate as it was envisioned, perhaps those days can finally come to an end. | <urn:uuid:1bf1e4c7-70b2-4eca-9846-5b8dd6337580> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:39:25",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9750761985778809,
"score": 2.53125,
"token_count": 510,
"url": "http://thinkprogress.org/economy/issue/?m=20111118&mobile=nc"
} |
Distance Calculator – How far is it?
The Distance Calculator can find distance between any two cities or locations available in The World Clock
The distance is calculated in kilometers, miles and nautical miles, and the initial compass bearing/heading from the origin to the destination. It will also display local time in each of the locations.
Help and example use
- See cities close to a location
- Day and Night World Map – See which parts of the Earth are currently illuminated by the Sun
- About the Distance Graph | <urn:uuid:28fca882-e7bd-4ff6-aa75-4dc86129717c> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:31:05",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9071056246757507,
"score": 2.8125,
"token_count": 105,
"url": "http://timeanddate.com/worldclock/distance.html?p1=1192"
} |
This tree diagram shows the relationships between several groups of organisms.
The root of the current tree connects the organisms featured in this tree to their containing group and the rest of the Tree of Life. The basal branching point in the tree represents the ancestor of the other groups in the tree. This ancestor diversified over time into several descendent subgroups, which are represented as internal nodes and terminal taxa to the right.
You can click on the root to travel down the Tree of Life all the way to the root of all Life, and you can click on the names of descendent subgroups to travel up the Tree of Life all the way to individual species.close box
Insects have a large number of unique, derived characteristics, although none of these are externally obvious in most species. These include (Kristensen, 1991):
- lack of musculature beyond the first segment of antenna.
- Johnston's organ in pedicel (second segment) of antenna. This organ is a collection of sensory cells that detect movement of the flagellum.
- a transverse bar forming the posterior tentorium inside the head
- tarsi subsegmented
- females with ovipositor formed by gonapophyses from segments 8 and 9
- annulated, terminal filament extending out from end of segment 11 of abdomen (subsequently lost in most groups of insects)
One notable feature linking Thysanura + Pterygota is the presence of two articulations on each mandible. Archaeognathans have only one mandibular condyle or articulation point; they are "monocondylic". Thysanura + Pterygota, with their two mandibular condyles, are sometimes called Dicondylia. The many other apomorphies linking Dicondylia are described in Kristensen (1991).
It is possible that the thysanurans are not themselves monophyletic; Thysanura (exclusive of the family Lepidothricidae) plus pterygotes may be monophyletic, with lepidothricids sister to this complex (Kristensen, 1991).
Beutel, R. G. and S. N. Gorb. 2001. Ultrastructure of attachment specializations of hexapods, (Arthropoda): evolutionary patterns inferred from a revised ordinal phylogeny. Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research 39:177-207.
Bitsch, J. and A. Nel. 1999. Morphology and classification of the extinct Archaeognatha and related taxa (Hexapoda). Annales de la Société entomologique de France 35:17-29.
Boudreaux, H. B. 1979. Arthropod Phylogeny with Special Reference to Insects. New York, J. Wiley.
Carpenter, F. M. 1992. Superclass Hexapoda. Volumes 3 and 4 of Part R, Arthropoda 4 of Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology. Boulder, Colorado, Geological Society of America.
Carpenter, F. M. and L. Burnham. 1985. The geological record of insects. Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences 13:297-314.
Caterino, M. S., S. Cho, and F. A. H. Sperling. 1999. The current state of insect molecular systematics: a thriving tower of Babel. Annual Review of Entomology 45:1–54.
Chapman, R. F. 1998. The Insects: Structure and Function. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, U.K., New York.
Daly, H. V., J. T. Doyen, and A. H. Purcell III. 1998. Introduction to Insect Biology and Diversity, 2nd edn. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Dindall, D. L. 1990. Soil Biology Guide. New York, John Wiley & Sons.
Engel, M. S. and D. A. Grimaldi. 2004. New light shed on the oldest insect. Nature 427:627-630.
Evans, H. E. 1993. Life on a Little-Known Planet. New York, Lyons & Burford.
Gereben-Krenn, B. A. and G. Pass. 2000. Circulatory organs of abdominal appendages in primitive insects (Hexapoda : Archaeognatha, Zygentoma and Ephemeroptera). Acta Zoologica 81:285-292.
Grimaldi, D. 2001. Insect evolutionary history from Handlirsch to Hennig, and beyond. Journal of Paleontology 75:1152-1160.
Grimaldi, D. and M. S. Engel. 2005. Evolution of the Insects. Cambridge University Press.
Hennig, W. 1981. Insect Phylogeny. New York, J. Wiley.
Kjer, K. M. 2004. Aligned 18S and insect phylogeny. Systematic Biology 53(3):506-514.
Klass, K. D. 1998. The proventriculus of the Dicondylia, with comments on evolution and phylogeny in Dictyoptera and Odonata (Insecta). Zoologischer Anzeiger 237:15-42.
Kristensen, N. P. 1975. The phylogeny of hexapod "orders". A critical review of recent accounts. Zeitschrift für zoologische Systematik und Evolutionsforschung 13:1–44.
Kristensen, N. P. 1981. Phylogeny of insect orders. Annual Review of Entomology 26:135-157.
Kristensen, N. P. 1995. Forty years' insect phylogenetic systematics. Zoologische Beiträge NF 36(1):83-124.
Kukalová-Peck, J. 1987. New Carboniferous Diplura, Monura, and Thysanura, the hexapod ground plan, and the role of thoracic lobes in the origin of wings (Insecta). Canadian Journal of Zoology 65:2327-2345.
Labandeira, C. C., and J. J. Sepkoski, jr. 1993. Insect diversity in the fossil record. Science 261:310–315.
Larink, O. 1997. Apomorphic and plesiomorphic characteristics in Archaeognatha, Monura, and Zygentoma. Pedobiologia 41:3-8.
Merritt, R. W. and K. W.Cummins, eds. 1984. An Introduction to the Aquatic Insects of North America, Second Edition. Kendall-Hunt.
Naumann, I. D., P. B. Carne, J. F. Lawrence, E. S. Nielsen, J. P. Spradberry, R. W. Taylor, M. J. Whitten and M. J. Littlejohn, eds. 1991. The Insects of Australia: A Textbook for Students and Research Workers. Volume I and II. Second Edition. Carlton, Victoria, Melbourne University Press.
Pass, G. 2000. Accessory pulsatile organs: Evolutionary innovations in insects. Annual Review of Entomology 45:495-518.
Snodgrass, R. E. 1935. Principles of Insect Morphology. McGraw-Hill, New York. 667 pp.
Snodgrass, R. E. 1952. A Textbook of Arthropod Anatomy. Comstock Publishing Associates, Ithaca, N.Y. 363 pp.
Stehr, F. W. 1987. Immature Insects, vol. 1. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendal/Hunt. 754 pp.
Stehr, F. W. 1991. Immature Insects, vol. 2. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendal/Hunt. 974 pp.
Wooton, R. J. 1981. Paleozoic insects. Annual Review of Entomology 26:319-344.
- Smithsonian Institution Department of Entomology.
- Entomology Department of Harvard's Museum of Comparative Zoology
- Entomology Department. California Academy of Sciences.
- The Essig Museum of Entomology. Berkeley, California.
- Insect Division. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.
- Bishop Museum Hawaii Entomology Home
- Introduction to Insect Biology & Classification. The University of Queensland.
- Virtual Exhibit on Canada's Biodiversity: Insects.
- Entomological Data Information System (EDIS). Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Stuttgart, Germany.
- Compendium of Hexapod Classes and Orders. North Carolina State University.
- Nomina Insecta Nearctica. A Checklist of the Insects of North America.
- Common Names of Insects in Canada. Entomological Society of Canada.
- The Canadian National Collection (CNC) of Insects, Arachnids and Nematodes.
- Singing Insects of North America. By Thomas J. Walker (crickets and katydids) and Thomas E. Moore (cicadas).
- Entomology Database KONCHU. Species Information Database on Japanese, East Asian and Pacific Insects, Spiders and Mites.
- A Catalogue of the Insects of South Africa.
- CSIRO Entomology Home Page.
- General Entomology Resources from Scientific Reference Resources:
- Entomological Society of America.
- Chemical Ecology of Insects. John A. Byers, USDA-ARS.
- elin. Entomology Libraries and Information Networks.
- Entomological Glossary.
- Popular Classics in Entomology. Colorado State University.
- Forensic Entomology Pages, International.
- Book of Insect Records. University of Florida.
- Alien Empire. Companion piece to a PBS Nature program.
- Entomology Index of Internet Resources. Iowa State University.
- Entomology on the WWW. Colorado State University.
- Entomology on the WWW. Michigan State University.
- BIOSIS BiologyBrowser: Insecta.
Images and Other Media:
- BugGuide.Net. An online community of naturalists who enjoy learning about and sharing observations of insects, spiders, and other related creatures.
- Hawaiian Insect Image Galleries. Bishop Museum.
- Entomology Image Gallery. Iowa State University.
- Very Cool Bugs.
- Dennis Kunkel's Microscopy.
- The Virtual Insectary.
- Thais in 2000: Entomology.
- Reference Library of Digitized Insect Sounds. Richard Mankin, Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology, Gainesville, Florida.
- Meganeura. Palaeoentomological Newsletter.
- Eocene Fossils.
- Fossil insects from Florissant (Colorado). Peabody Museum of Natural History.
- Stewart Valley Fossil Insects. California Academy of Sciences.
- Amber and Copal: Their Significance in the Fossil Record. Hooper Virtual Natural History Museum.
- The Natural History of Amber. 3 Dot Studio.
- Frozen Dramas. Swedish Amber Museum.
- Nature's Preservative--Organic Flypaper: Amber Gives a Green Light to Study of Ancient Life. The Why files. University of Wisconsin.
- Amber Home. Gary Platt.
- Baltic Amber Inclusions. Wolfgang Wiggers.
- Dominican Amber Fossils. ESP Designs.
- The Amber Room. Steve Kurth.
- Thomas Say (1787-1834), father of American entomology.
- Charles Darwin (1809-1882), AboutDarwin.com.
- Jean-Henri Fabre (1823-1915) e-museum.
- Famous Entomologists on Postage Stamps.
For young entomologists:
- bugbios. Shameless promotion of insect appreciation by Dexter Sear.
- O. Orkin Insect Zoo. National Museum of Natural History. Smithsonian Institution.
- Bug Camp. Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago.
- Insectclopedia. Links to websites about insects.
- Bugscope. Educational outreach project of the World Wide Laboratory.
- The Bug Club for Young Entomologists. UK Amateur Entomologists' Society.
- The Wonderful World of Insects.
- Class: Insecta. Spencer Entomological Museum at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
Page copyright © 2002
All Rights Reserved.
Citing this page:
Tree of Life Web Project. 2002. Insecta. Insects. Version 01 January 2002 (under construction). http://tolweb.org/Insecta/8205/2002.01.01 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/ | <urn:uuid:1175fce3-6e6f-4cc3-a81c-14516c744153> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:16:48",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.6731105446815491,
"score": 3.4375,
"token_count": 2746,
"url": "http://tolweb.org/Insecta"
} |
5th Grade Oral Language Resources
Students will:• Learn about the concept of whales.
• Access prior knowledge and build background about whales.
• Explore and apply the concept of whales.
Students will:• Demonstrate an understanding of the concept of whales.
• Orally use words that describe different types of whales and where they live.
• Extend oral vocabulary by speaking about terms that describe whales and whale body parts.
• Use key concept words [inlet, humpback, ocean, fins, underwater; submerge, ascend, Baleen, mammal].
Explain• Use the slideshow to review the key concept words.
• Explain that students are going to learn about:
• Where whales live.
• Parts of a whale's body.
Model• After the host introduces the slideshow, point to the photo on screen. Ask students: What kind of animal do you see in this picture? (whale). What do you know about these animals? (answers will vary).
• Ask students: What are the dangers facing whales? (too much hunting, polluted environment).
• Say: In this activity, we're going to learn about whales. How can we protect whales? (not pollute the environment, join groups that are concerned with their safety).
Guided Practice• Guide students through the next two slides, showing them examples of whales and the way whales live. Always have the students describe how people are different from whales.
Apply• Play the games that follow. Have them discuss with their partner the different topics that appear during the Talk About It feature.
• After the first game, ask students to talk about what they think a whale's living environment is like. After the second game, have them discuss what they would like and dislike about having the body of a whale.
Close• Ask students: How do you move in the water?
• Summarize for students that since whales are mammals, they have to come above water to breathe. Encourage them to think about how they breathe underwater. | <urn:uuid:a16eb0ef-5e43-45e5-b0fb-052d92b4dd25> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:31:37",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 5,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9201802015304565,
"score": 4.65625,
"token_count": 420,
"url": "http://treasures.macmillanmh.com/georgia/teachers/resources/grade5/oral-language-resources/resource/whales-0"
} |
This page is based on the 1993 Jepson Manual.
Please see the Jepson eFlora for up-to-date information about California vascular plants.
|Jepson Flora Project: Jepson Interchange|
|TREATMENT FROM THE JEPSON MANUAL||
previous taxon |
Jepson Interchange (more information)
©Copyright 1993 by the Regents of the University of California
Print edition is available from the University of California Press
|The second edition of The Jepson Manual (2012) is available from the University of California Press|
|See also the Jepson eFlora, which parallels the Second Edition|
Perennial, shrub, tree
Stem: bark often peeling distinctively
Leaves simple, generally cauline, alternate, opposite, rarely whorled, evergreen or deciduous, often leathery, petioled or not; stipules 0
Inflorescence: raceme, panicle, cyme, or flowers solitary, generally bracted; pedicels often with 2 bractlets
Flower generally bisexual, generally radial; sepals generally 45, generally free; petals generally 45, free or fused; stamens 810, free, filaments rarely appendaged, anthers awned or not, dehiscent by pores or slits; nectary generally at ovary base, disk-like; ovary superior or inferior, chambers generally 15, placentas axile or parietal, ovules 1many per chamber, style 1, stigma head- to funnel-like or lobed
Fruit: capsule, drupe, berry
Seeds generally many, sometimes winged
Genera in family: ± 100 genera, 3000 species: generally worldwide except deserts; some cultivated, especially Arbutus, Arctostaphylos, Rhododendron, Vaccinium
Reference: [Wallace 1975 Wasmann J Biol 33:188; 1975 Bot Not 128:286298]
Subfamilies Monotropoideae, Pyroloideae, Vaccinioideae sometimes treated as families. Nongreen plants obtain nutrition from green plants through fungal intermediates.
Shrub, small, glabrous to hairy
Stem decumbent or prostrate, often rooting
Leaves opposite, appressed, evergreen, leathery or thin
Inflorescence: flowers solitary in upper leaf axils; bracts 0; bractlets 46; pedicels jointed to flower
Flower: sepals 45, free; petals 45, ± 2/3 fused, generally white; stamens 10, anthers dehiscent by gaping pores, awns elongate; ovary superior, chambers 5, placentas near top
Fruit: capsule, loculicidal
Seeds several per chamber
Species in genus: ± 14 species: s&e Asia, North America
Etymology: (Greek: mother of Andromeda)
Plant low, densely branched
Stem < 3 dm, glabrous or finely hairy
Leaf ± peltate, 25 mm, boat-shaped, elliptic, concave, leathery, glabrous; lower surface not grooved; margin entire, ciliate or minutely glandular, not rolled under
Inflorescence: pedicels glabrous or hairy
Flower: corolla widely bell-shaped, white, lobes 5; filaments glabrous
Ecology: Moist, subalpine slopes, around rocks and areas of late snow
Elevation: 18003505 m.
Bioregional distribution: Klamath Ranges, High Cascade Range, High Sierra Nevada
Distribution outside California: to Alaska, w Canada, Montana
Plants have been assigned to subsp. californica Piper [leaf 35 mm, margin minutely glandular-ciliate; s CaRH (Lassen Peak), SNH] or subsp. ciliolata Piper [leaf 23 mm, margin with white, ephemeral hairs; KR], but study needed
Horticultural information: IRR: 1, 2 &SHD: 6, 7, 14, 15, 16, 17; SUN: 4, 5; DFCLT.
|YOU CAN HELP US make sure that our distributional information is correct and current. If you know that a plant occurs in a wild, reproducing state in a Jepson bioregion NOT highlighted on the map, please contact us with that information. Please realize that we cannot incorporate range extensions without access to a voucher specimen, which should (ultimately) be deposited in an herbarium. You can send the pressed, dried collection (with complete locality information indicated) to us (e-mail us for details) or refer us to an accessioned herbarium specimen. Non-occurrence of a plant in an indicated area is difficult to document, but we will especially value your input on those types of possible errors (see automatic conversion of distribution data to maps).| | <urn:uuid:ef229bb5-06d1-47b1-b8c1-f7104d7d7521> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:08:17",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.8017364144325256,
"score": 2.5625,
"token_count": 1071,
"url": "http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?3449,3550,3551"
} |
UFOs and Natural Selection
If there is anything that is true about the UFO phenomenon it is the observation that the hallucinated or real crafts seen over the years (from ancient history to today) have, like animated species of the Earth, have evolved, albeit at a faster pace than the biologic entities that make up life here.
Flying anomalies of the past, the airships of the 1890s, the flying saucers of the 50s, and UFOs, right up to now, have all assumed a physical shape just one step ahead of what mankind created to fly.
Some suggest that the progenitors of UFOs (aliens or “divinities’) have been using the phenomenon to enlighten humans about the possibilities of flight; namely airfoil designs that enhance lighter-than-air craft.
We pose the possibility that UFOs, whether a figment of the imagination, actual aircraft (from sources yet unknown), or mental stimulations from the creators and/or manipulators of human beings, have evolved according to the theory of Darwin: natural selection (or survival of the fittest).
Early UFOs were depicted or written about as if they were chariots, sometimes astronomical phenomena (suns, comets, meteors, et cetera).
While there was a dearth of UFO sightings during the Enlightenment period [1700s], the resurgence in sightings or visions picked up in the late 1800s.
(That dearth during a period of intellectual stimuli is grist for investigation.)
With the airship mystery at the turn of the century – 1890-1899 – UFOs presented an evolutionary set-back however, since earlier UFOs were more aerodynamic (sleek and futuristic).
(This may be likened to the throwback in the evolution of man, when Neanderthals appeared but couldn’t compete, evolutionarily, with Cro-Magnon man, the first real homo sapiens.)
The lacunae of dynamic UFO sightings, from 1900 to 1947 – there were some but not many – indicates, to us, a re-evaluation of, an adaptation by, the phenomenon.
For what reason or by what instigation is anyone’s guess.
Nonetheless, the UFO phenomenon then progressed through the flying disk stage to the cigar shape and back to the saucer shape before settling on an egg-like configuration in the 1960s.
After that the phenomenon evolved into delta or triangular shapes, some transfiguring into blobs of transient light.
Today the phenomenon has regressed, in the mind of man or actually, to the 1950/1960 configurations, only a bit less hardware bound or mechanical in appearance.
The natural selection of UFOs became blunted by something in the late 1980s and 1990s. What stymied the evolution is yet to be determined, but it is palpable, if witness reports and authentic video/film are authentic.
We’ll pose an hypothesis, however, upcoming…. | <urn:uuid:eab6162e-597f-4928-bd43-b14a5c47e04d> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:24:11",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.937451958656311,
"score": 2.6875,
"token_count": 611,
"url": "http://ufocon.blogspot.com/2007/05/ufos-and-natural-selection.html"
} |
Fri 23 Sep, 2011
Tags: 1920s, 1930s, Agness "Aggie" Underwood, gold diggers, Hazel Glab, Herald-Examiner, Los Angeles Record, murder, Robert J. James, snake handlers, William Randolph Hearst
Los Angeles has always had more than its share of creative felons, so it stands to reason that it would take an equally creative, gutsy, and dedicated reporter to cover them. One of the most revered reporters who ever worked in Los Angeles was Agness “Aggie” Underwood.
Underwood began her career at the LOS ANGELES RECORD in the 1920s. She was sharp, but there were lots of sharp people in the news business at that time. What made Aggie great were her instincts. She seemed to know just how to approach a story to get the most from it. By relying on her gut feelings she managed to keep several paces ahead of her competition, and to earn a reputation for solving crimes.
When the Los Angeles Record folded in the mid-1930s Aggie, who by this time loved the newspaper business (and needed the money), agreed to work for William Randolph Hearst’s Los Angeles daily, THE HERALD-EXAMINER.
Her decision to join Hearst’s paper was the making of her career. Twelve years after joining the paper she was promoted to editor. Agness Underwood was the first woman in the U.S. to become the editor of a major metropolitan newspaper.
Aggie Underwood’s work as a reporter inspired the lecture that I’m going to give on October 8, 2011, 2 p.m., in the Taper Auditorium at the Central Library in downtown Los Angeles.
The lecture is entitled “GOLD DIGGERS & SNAKE HANDLERS: Deranged L.A. Crimes from the Notebook of Aggie Underwood” and it is sponsored by Photo Friends. Photo Friends is a non-profit whose mission is to promote and to preserve the photographs in the collection of the Los Angeles Public Library.
I hope that you’ll join me as I examine two murder cases from 1936, both of which were covered by Aggie Underwood. | <urn:uuid:03a016e8-4b46-4f4c-ac69-af5dba4f2e5b> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:01:25",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.98014235496521,
"score": 2.828125,
"token_count": 470,
"url": "http://vintagepowderroom.com/?tag=agness-aggie-underwood"
} |
Authors: Glen Gilchrist
Comments: 6 Pages.
The impact of video games on adolescent behaviour is well studied, with literature reporting both negative and positive relationships. This paper demonstrates a link between video game playing and time to complete a manual task. We conclude that the playing of 1 hour of video games has a dramatic effect on assembly time, more than halving the time to assemble the equipment, from 8 seconds to 4 seconds.
Category: General Science and Philosophy | <urn:uuid:49173671-3cb0-4e12-bbdd-138327f5e7df> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:08:42",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9417418837547302,
"score": 3.203125,
"token_count": 95,
"url": "http://vixra.org/sci/1203"
} |
The Conflicted Economics of 'Star Trek'
In honor of today's long-awaited (by The Ticker) premiere of "Star Trek," the 11th film in the canon and a prequel to the original series, it seemed a good time to examine the economics of Star Trek.
As envisioned by creator Gene Roddenberry and first aired in 1966, "Star Trek" depicted a humanistic utopia set in the 23rd century, a time when technology had eradicated poverty and hunger and, largely, crime.
Because of this, Roddenberry's universe had little need for ownership of private property or even money, and accumulation of wealth was depicted as anti-social. Those who attempted it were portrayed as vulgar at best and dangerous at worst. (Think Harry Mudd.)
This sentiment carried forward through the following four live-action television series and the so-far 10 films.
Just in case Roddenberry was unsure that fans were getting his point, he gave avarice its own non-human species in the second TV series, "Star Trek: The Next Generation," which aired during Wall Street's (first) "greed is good" era of the late '80s and early '90s.
The Ferengi were savvy, snarling, sharp-toothed, big-eared short aliens who coveted nothing more than profit. (It has been observed, and not without some justification, that the Ferengi embodied disturbingly stereotypical Semitic traits.)
The Ferengi currency was based on something called "gold-pressed latinum" and their Bible was the Rules of Acquisition, an ever-growing list of merciless rules of business, such as: "Never place friendship above profit."
And even though Star Trek's enlightened characters competed for currency in various games -- including five-card stud -- it remains unclear, in Roddenberry's universe, where the money came from to build those fleets of glorious star ships.
As with many visionaries, from Rosseau to Hemingway to Mailer, Roddenberry was unable or unwilling to live by his principles.
Though he used his creation to denigrate the accumulation of personal wealth -- lecturing that the religion of technology would unshackle enlightened future humans from greed -- Roddenberry was not above using a Ferengi-like tactic to line his own pockets.
Many people know the instrumental theme song to the original Star Trek, the music that underlies William Shatner's monologue that begins, "Space: the final frontier..."
What most people don't know is that the song has lyrics written by Roddenberry -- purely as a device to secure performance royalties into perpetuity.
The lyrics, which you can see here, are dreadful and were never meant to be recorded or performed. Worse, they are unnecessary. And Roddenberry wrote them and laid claim to the royalties after the show's first season.
So outraged by Roddenberry's tactic that Alexander Courage, the composer of the memorable theme, scored some first-season episodes of Star Trek and then refused to pen another note for the franchise.
So even though the father of Star Trek created a hopeful future largely devoid of suffering and war, as a man, he turned out to be more Gorden Gekko than Jean-Luc Picard.
May 8, 2009; 4:58 PM ET
Categories: The Ticker | Tags: Ferengi, Gene Roddenberry, Jean Luc Picard, Star Trek
Save & Share: Previous: Actual U.S. Unemployment: 15.8%
Next: This Week: Bernanke on Stress Tests, Economic Data
Posted by: dude11 | May 8, 2009 7:57 PM | Report abuse
Posted by: enigfv | May 8, 2009 8:56 PM | Report abuse
Posted by: Alan_A | May 12, 2009 11:45 AM | Report abuse
Posted by: DrHockey | May 12, 2009 4:44 PM | Report abuse
The comments to this entry are closed. | <urn:uuid:724208ab-a30d-4691-b8b2-bd97793b395b> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:23:45",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9669941067695618,
"score": 2.53125,
"token_count": 849,
"url": "http://voices.washingtonpost.com/economy-watch/2009/05/the_conflicted_economics_of_st.html"
} |
There are two types
of logical argument, inductive and deductive.
In an inductive argument, the reader holds up a specific
example, and then claims that what is true for it
is also true for a general category. For instance,
"I have just tasted this lemon. It is sour.
Therefore, all lemons are probably sour." Deductive
reasoning works in the opposite manner; it begins
with a general or universal rule accepted by most
people ("all lemons are sour") and then applies that
claim to a specific example. ("That is a lemon. Therefore,
it too must be sour.") A third type of logic is reductive or eliminatory logic, in which a conclusion is reached by a process of elimination. For example, "The only ways out of the building are the front door, the window, and the fire escape. Since the burglar did not take the front door or the window, he must have used the fire escape."
The other types of
persuasive appeal are pathos
Click here to return | <urn:uuid:9794e415-9668-4877-92df-f2b1575f1065> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:31:10",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 4,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9233418107032776,
"score": 3.890625,
"token_count": 222,
"url": "http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/logic.html"
} |
Injectable nanogel can monitor blood-sugar levels and secrete insulin when needed.
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.-In work that recasts archaeologists' thinking aboutpeoples living in the western region of ancient Mexico, MIT researchershave shown that these people had a significant impact on other culturalgroups by producing large numbers of metal artifacts and distributing themto centers as far south as Belize.
Because the majority of these artifacts, such as bells andtweezers, were symbols of sacred and political power, by exporting them theWest Mexican peoples not only affected economic systems but also influencedreligious and ritual behavior.
"They were exporting a religious ideology," said Dorothy Hosler,Associate Professor of Archaeology and Ancient Technology in the Departmentof Materials Science and Engineering. Professor Hosler and Andrew W.Macfarlane, a research affiliate in the department and an associateprofessor at Florida International University, are authors of an article onthe work in the September 27 issue of Science.
West Mexican peoples were one of many cultural groups, includingthe Aztec and Maya, who lived in a region archaeologists call Mesoamerica.This region encompassed central and southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize,western Honduras, and El Salvador. Until now, archaeologists had thoughtthat the West Mexicans were relatively isolated and had little impact onother Mesoamerican peoples.
The new work, which links copper and bronze artifacts excavated atmany sites in Mesoamerica to West Mexican ore deposits, "is the firstevidence we have that West Mexican peoples were interacting intensivelywith other Mesoamerican groups," Professor Hosler said. "So it alters ourthinking about the economic and social networks in this period [~A.D.1200-1521]."
In the summer of 1995 Professor Hosler spent two months in Mexicocollecting ore samples from 15 deposits in West Mexico, Oaxaca, and EasternMexico (Veracruz). With a permit granted by Mexico's National Institute ofAnthropology and History, she also took samples of 171 copper artifactsfrom a variety of Mesoamerican archaeological sites. "I came back to MITwith boxes and boxes of artifact and ore samples," said Professor Hosler,who is also a member of the MIT Center for Archaeological Materials.
The researchers then determined the ratios of lead isotopes in eachsample (isotopes of an element have different atomic weights). Lead isotopeanalysis, a standard technique, "can be used to identify ore sources forartifacts made from copper and copper alloys by matching the isotopicsignatures of ore lead to those of the artifacts," the researchers write inScience.
Professor Hosler notes that MIT undergraduate Jennifer Pinson, nowa junior in materials science, played a key role in the analysis. "Sheworked all last year on the project; at one point she went to Florida tohand-deliver ore samples to Professor Macfarlane because we were afraid wemight lose them if we shipped them." (The samples were analyzed atProfessor Macfarlane's lab.)
The lead-isotope results showed that most of the Mesoamericanartifacts sampled were indeed made of metal smelted from West Mexican ores.These analytical data combined with historical and archaeological evidencetherefore show that the West Mexicans were exporting artifacts throughoutthe Mesoamerican region.
Among the archaeological evidence that supports this conclusion isthat "as far as we know, other Mesoamerican peoples did not develop thetechnical expertise to make these artifacts," Professor Hosler said. Shenoted that West Mexican bells, for example, are difficult to cast. "Last January, MIT Professors Sam Allen, Linn Hobbs, and I led a class in ancientMexican bell casting. The students spent two weeks trying to cast copies ofthese bells, and we don't have it exactly right yet."
Professor Hosler concluded that although she had suspected that theWest Mexicans played a major role in the production and distribution ofmetal artifacts, "until the lead isotope analysis we had no way ofsubstantiating what we thought might be true."
For more information about MIT research on the history ofmaterials, go to:<http://tantalum.mit.edu/dmse_research/CRAbrochure/History_of_Materials.html>.
The work reported in Science was supported by a grant from GrupoMexico (Industrial Minera Mexico), American Smelting and Refining Company,and Southern Peru Copper. | <urn:uuid:a0110e54-d4da-4f25-afc0-1a7636ce8050> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:00:43",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9531147480010986,
"score": 3.28125,
"token_count": 929,
"url": "http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/1996/artifacts.html"
} |
Influenza pandemics are natural phenomenon that have occurred from time to time for centuries – including three times during the last century. They present a real and daunting challenge to the economic and social wellbeing of any country, as well as a serious risk to the health of its population.
There are important differences between 'ordinary' winter flu and pandemic flu. These differences explain why we regard pandemic flu as such a serious threat.
Pandemic influenza is one of the most severe natural challenges likely to affect the UK, but sensible and proportionate preparation and collective action by the Government, essential services, businesses, the media, other public, private and voluntary organisations and communities can help to mitigate its effects.
These inter-pandemic years provide a very important opportunity to develop and strengthen our preparations for the potentially devastating impact of an influenza pandemic, and the Government will continue to take every practical step to prepare for and mitigate its health and wider socio-economic effects.
The Department of Health (DH) [External website] is the lead department for planning for a human influenza pandemic. However, given the wide impacts of a pandemic all government departments are involved in planning to mitigate its impacts.
This website brings together available information on a possible influenza pandemic in order to support planning at all levels of society.
However well developed, plans are unlikely to be successful without the active support of individuals and communities. Therefore, a key part of the response will be to encourage the public to follow government advice and adopt basic hygiene measures to manage or reduce their own risk of catching or spreading the virus. Ensuring that all of us are fully aware of the necessary precautionary and response measures, are prepared to cooperate actively with them and accept responsibility for helping themselves and others must therefore be an integral part of our overall preparedness strategy. | <urn:uuid:986e0719-5a91-40a6-8c0a-43c671db9ade> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:26:24",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 4,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9509687423706055,
"score": 3.65625,
"token_count": 371,
"url": "http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http:/www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/ukresilience/pandemicflu.aspx"
} |
Older patients can donate kidneys, study finds
The thousands of people waiting for a new kidney may find hope in a new study that finds older people can safely donate the organs.
Johns Hopkins doctors found that kidney transplants performed using organs from live donors over the age of 70 are safe for the donors and help save lives of those who recieve them.
Although the study found that kidneys from older donors were more likely to fail within ten years of transplant when compared with kidneys from donors ages 50 to 59, patients who received older donated kidneys were no more likely to die within a decade of transplantation than those whose kidney donors were between 50 and 59.
“A lot of people come up to me and say, ‘I wish I could donate a kidney, but I’m too old’,” Dr. Dorry Segev, an associate professor of surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “What our study says is that if you’re in good health and you’re over 70, you’re not too old to donate a kidney to your child, your spouse, your friend, anybody.”
Segev acknowledged that “it’s better if you have a younger donor. But not everyone has a younger donor. And an older live donor is better than no live donor at all.”
The research looked at records from 219 living people over age 70 who donated a kidney in the United States between 1990 and 2010. The team matched those donors with healthy people in the same age group and found that the donors actually lived longer than those who had both of their kidneys.
More than 90,000 patients are on the waiting list for kidneys from deceased donors in the United States, and many die waiting for an organ to become available. In some parts of the country, the wait for a kidney can be as long as 10 years, and those who can often turn to living donors, both relatives and friends, to ask for organs.
People can function normally with one working kidney. | <urn:uuid:3d4ac3c9-d0ce-42d1-9af1-da0637631a6a> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:24:03",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9745428562164307,
"score": 2.671875,
"token_count": 423,
"url": "http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/health/2011/11/older_patients_can_donate_kidn.html"
} |
Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read. Typically held during the last week of September, it highlights the value of free and open access to information. Banned Books Week brings together the entire book community –- librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all types –- in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular.
The books featured during Banned Books Week have all been targeted with removal or restrictions in libraries and schools. While books have been and continue to be banned, part of the Banned Books Week celebration is the fact that, in a majority of cases, the books have remained available. This happens only thanks to the efforts of librarians, teachers, students, and community members who stand up and speak out for the freedom to read.
In honor of Banned Books Weeks, the Public Libraries of Suffolk County are holding a contest featuring six different books over six days via Live-brary social media, including Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. Today's book is "The Jungle" by Upton Sinclair. Here’s how the contest works: http://bit.ly/QnAl0B
Facebook contestants should “Like” the post to be entered into a random drawing that day for the chance to win a book by that featured banned book author.
Twitter contestants should “re-Tweet” the post to be entered into a random drawing that day for the chance to win a book by that featured banned book author.
Pinterest contestants should “re-pin” the post to be entered into a random drawing that day for the chance to win a book by that featured banned book author.
Finally, all users that Like, re-Tweet and/or re-pin will be entered into a random drawing to win a SONY e-Reader at the end of the week. | <urn:uuid:404d7a93-61fc-4707-b2d2-b8de9ac2e593> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:07:36",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9511692523956299,
"score": 2.9375,
"token_count": 395,
"url": "http://westhampton-hamptonbays.patch.com/groups/suffolk-cooperative-library-systems-blog/p/bp--banned-books-week-todays-book-is-the-jungle-by-up2a2d6de069"
} |
Aggersborg N56 59 43 E9 15 17
Fyrkat N56 37 23 E9 46 13
Trelleborg N55 23 39 E11 15 55
The Trelleborg fortresses include Trelleborg near Slagelse, Fyrkat near Hobro, Aggersborg near Løgstør and Nonnebakken in Odense, of which only the former three have been preserved for posterity. The Trelleborg fortresses are characterised by having a circular rampart with a moat and four roofed gates. The fortresses have a severely geometrical street system, the inner area being divided into squares, each with four longhouses arranged in a quadrangle. The architecture of all four fortresses is uniform and strictly symmetrical, as clearly illustrated by the circular shape of the fortifications and the location of the gates at the four points of the compass - apparently without regard to the terrain.
Dendrochronological tests and C14 tests have shown that the Trelleborg fortresses were built around 980. But the fortresses probably did not last very long, perhaps only 10 to 20 years. For example, Fyrkat was destroyed by fire and was not rebuilt. As the Trelleborg fortresses were all built around 980, they have traditionally been linked to Harald Bluetooth's efforts to unify Denmark and Norway and make the Danes Christian in accordance with his runic stone proclamation. Another interpretation links the fortresses to the conquest of England and therefore to Harald Bluetooth's son, Sweyn Forkbeard. Whatever the case, the fortresses must be viewed as a monumental and military manifestation of the central power of the late Viking era.
Research and dissemination in outline.
Following the recognition in the 1930s of Trelleborg near Slagelse as a fortress complex of the past, an archaeological excavation of this discovery and the three other fortresses was subsequently carried out and completed by the mid-1960s. The archaeological excavations are documented in several monographs and articles of a high professional standard. Apart from minor exploratory digging, no further archaeological investigations of the fortresses themselves have been conducted after the completion of the extensive archaeological excavations. However, since 2007 the Royal Fortresses project has focused on excavations in the wetlands near the fortresses in order to possibly relate the fortresses to the naval power of their time.
The three fortresses are all listed, and they are owned by the National Museum of Denmark (Trelleborg and Fyrkat) and the Danish Forest and Nature Agency (Aggersborg), respectively. Together with the local authorities, these institutions are in charge of the necessary management of the fortresses and adjoining areas.
On completion of the excavations, work was carried out at Trelleborg and Fyrkat to mark the ramparts, moats and holes for posts from the fortress longhouses. At Aggersborg this work was restricted to the ramparts and the moat. In addition, a reconstruction of a longhouse was built outside the Trelleborg fortress complex in the early 1950s and at Fyrkat from 1980. Besides, a museum was built at Trelleborg in 1995, presenting the finds from the fortress and finds from the Viking era in general. A small complex of reconstructed Viking era houses was built next to the museum. About one kilometre from Fyrkat a reconstruction of a Viking era farm from the time of the fortress was built from 1992 to 2002. Information about both the farm and the fortress is presented here. A small museum was erected at Aggersborg to accommodate an exhibition about the fortress and its age, as well as welfare facilities.
The three preserved fortresses all form part of the recreational areas of their respective regions. Signposts have been put up, and other material to guide visitors is available. Good access, parking and welfare facilities are provided at the fortresses, although the quality of the facilities varies from fortress to fortress.
Individual elements of the property and their mutual relationship, including to the landscape.
Today, the visible elements are the fortifications, which include the ring fortress and the related defences and, at Trelleborg, a perimeter fort and moat. The original ramparts consisted of a complex oak-wood structure with an inner skeleton and outer lathing. As any buildings on the parapet and above the gates can only be reconstructed on a hypothetical basis, the fortresses are only visible in the landscape today in the form of reconstructed embankments without woodwork or moats. In addition, reconstructions of the longhouses traceable in the fortresses have been built at Fyrkat and Trelleborg, respectively.
The fortresses are all located in landscapes typical of their respective regions, in river valleys and relatively close to the coast. At both Trelleborg and Fyrkat extensive nature restoration projects have been conducted over the last decade in order to recreate the natural conditions prevailing at the time of the fortresses. The landscapes surrounding the fortresses thus clearly demonstrate the strategic location of the fortresses and the military reasons for building them at what must be described as Viking era junctions.
Justification de la Valeur Universelle Exceptionelle
Justification of the significance (in terms of cultural history) of the property in a North-European or global perspective.
The ring fortresses, Trelleborg, Aggersborg and Fyrkat, represent the most prominent archaeological evidence of the monumental defences of the Viking era in present-day Denmark. No contemporary counterparts exist in either the Nordic countries or Europe. The fortresses should probably be viewed in relation to the unification of Denmark and Norway referred to on the large runic stone in Jelling and therefore as part of the lengthy process that resulted in the integration of the Nordic countries into the European community of culture and the establishment of the Scandinavian states. Furthermore, having been built around 980, the fortresses should be viewed in relation to the contemporary expansion of Dannevirke, which forms part of the transnational application for inscription on the World Heritage List.
Satements of authenticity and/or integrity
Archaeological investigations of large parts of the fortresses have been conducted and presented in several scientific publications of a high standard. The archaeological investigations documented that the fortresses were largely unaffected by later use, apart from cultivation. Following the archaeological investigations, the collapsed ramparts at Trelleborg and Fyrkat were marked in the terrain, and the moats were cleared. At Aggersborg, where the original embankments had to a wide extent been levelled by ploughing, the rampart and the moat were re-established. All these works and the marking of other structures inside or near the fortresses were conducted on the basis of the complete and detailed documentation provided as a result of the excavations.
In connection with the final submission of an application for inscription on the World Heritage List, efforts are being made to provide a general overview of the management and dissemination plans, establishing whether the fortresses are affected by development-related conditions and their status in terms of management.
Comparison with other similar properties
No similar fortresses from the Viking era exist. Therefore, it is hardly possible to tell what inspired the construction of the Trelleborg fortresses.
The Trelleborg fortresses cannot be viewed in isolation; they must be considered in a historical context that includes the Jelling burial mounds and the Kovirke defences at Dannevirke. Jelling should be considered because the construction of the Trelleborg fortresses is traditionally ascribed to Harald Bluetooth, who buried his parents in Jelling and erected a runic stone for them describing his own achievement of consolidating the realm. It is believed that the Trelleborg fortresses were of great significance in this respect.
Based on the straight line of Kovirke and its C14 dating to the time around 980, this defence embankment located a few kilometres south of Dannevirke is considered to have been constructed at the same time and possibly by the same builder as the Trelleborg fortresses. | <urn:uuid:dbcf849c-7366-4f8a-9044-583a7b4cb8f8> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:00:39",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9593789577484131,
"score": 2.75,
"token_count": 1676,
"url": "http://whc.unesco.org/fr/listesindicatives/5475/www.unesco.org/fr/prospective"
} |
Embrace mistakes in your artwork.
Wade Guyton created Untitled with the help of an Epson inkjet printer, similar to but larger than printers you may have in your classroom or home. Guyton used black ink to print the large rectangles onto linen, and although the large black and white spaces dominate the painting, there are also faint lines that are a result of Guyton folding or feeding the fabric through the printer. Guyton embraces these mistakes, considering them to be integral parts of his work.
In preparation for this project, have your students save all the artwork they make in your class, including the ones upon which they feel that they’ve made mistakes. After discussing Guyton’s work as a class, ask your students to pull out their collection of work. What kind of mistakes did they think they made? Thinking about Guyton’s strategy of embracing mistakes, have your students embrace a mistake in one of their works. How can that mistake become an important part of the work? How does it change the work? | <urn:uuid:86aa844c-13ae-4ccb-ba90-8c7018d0b13e> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:01:33",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 4,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9686413407325745,
"score": 3.890625,
"token_count": 215,
"url": "http://whitney.org/Education/ForTeachers/Collection/WadeGuyton/201122ah/Activities"
} |
By Chris Wickham
LONDON (Reuters) - Large-scale engineering projects aimed at fighting global warming could radically reduce rainfall in Europe and North America, a team of scientists from four European countries have warned.
Geoengineering projects are controversial, even though they are largely theoretical at this point. They range from mimicking the effects of large volcanic eruptions by releasing sulphur dioxide into the atmosphere, to deploying giant mirrors in space to deflect the sun's rays.
Proponents say they could be a rapid response to rising global temperatures but environmentalists argue they are a distraction from the need to reduce man-made carbon emissions.
Critics also point to a lack of solid research into unintended consequences and the absence of any international governance structure for such projects, whose effects could transcend national borders.
A small geoengineering experiment in the UK was recently abandoned due to a dispute over attempts by some of the team involved to patent the technology.
In this new study scientists from Germany, Norway, France and the UK used four different computer models that mimic the earth's climate to see how they responded to increased levels of carbon dioxide coupled with reduced radiation from the sun.
Their scenario assumed a world with four times the carbon dioxide concentration of the preindustrial world, which lead author Hauke Schmidt says is at the upper end, but in the range of what is considered possible at the end of this century.
They found that global rainfall was reduced by about 5 percent on average using all four models.
"Climate engineering cannot be seen as a substitute for a policy pathway of mitigating climate change through the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions," they said in the study, published in Earth System Dynamics, an open access journal of the European Geosciences Union.
Under the scenario studied, rainfall diminished by about 15 percent, or about 100 millimeters per year, compared to pre-industrial levels, in large areas of North America and northern Eurasia.
Over central South America, all the models showed a decrease in rainfall that reached more than 20 percent in parts of the Amazon region.
(Editing by Mark Heinrich) | <urn:uuid:2d6ed62d-530d-4e14-9b7c-e71629d6b1a1> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:08:00",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9492855668067932,
"score": 3.203125,
"token_count": 425,
"url": "http://whtc.com/news/articles/2012/jun/06/scientists-warn-geoengineering-may-disrupt-rainfall/"
} |
ExplorationCounting Consonants!Think about some of the words you know how to read or write. Look at them in a book or write them down on a piece of paper.Count the number of vowels and the number of consonants in each word you examine. What do you notice about the number of consonants versus the number of vowels? Do some words have lots of consonants, while others have lots of vowels? Do most words seem to have at least a few of each?? What do you think would be different if there were more or fewer consonants in each word?
Sources & links
Bickford, J. Albert and David Tuggy. “The principle organs of articulation.” The Summer Institute of Linguistics in Mexico. 05 Sep. 2009 <http://www.sil.org/mexico/ling/glosario/E005bi-OrgansArt.htm> "vocal tract." The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. 05 Sep. 2009. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/vocal tract>. "consonant." Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2009. ”¨<http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/consonant> "consonant." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2009. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 05 Sep. 2009 <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/133627/consonant> | <urn:uuid:ec475203-aff8-4f48-a0ad-764c72323c55> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:30:33",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 4,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.754125714302063,
"score": 3.984375,
"token_count": 341,
"url": "http://whyzz.com/what-is-a-consonant"
} |
The Da Vinci Code
The Da Vinci Code is a novel by Dan Brown published in 2003. It has sold over 60 million copies to date and a film version was released in 2006. The book's popularity in part derived from its sensationalistic claims about the history of Christianity, which are in large part based on an earlier non-fiction work, Holy Blood, Holy Grail, by Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh, and Henry Lincoln. The text of the novel is prefaced with a claim that all documents and artwork referenced in the novel really exist, and within the context of the story many of the book's claims are presented as being common knowledge among historians. However, The Da Vinci Code does not represent the views of mainstream Biblical scholarship, the liberal wing thereof, or informed skeptics of Christianity.
Claims About the Bible
The Da Vinci Code alleges that Constantine commissioned a massive re-write of the New Testament for political reasons. Jesus, supposedly, really was an important historical figure, but Constantine's rewrite made him much less human by, among other things, removing all reference to his marriage to Mary Magdalene and the child he had by her. It is suggested that the various non-canonical gospels could provide important insights into the life of Jesus.
There are a large number of New Testament manuscripts dating from 200 A.D. onwards. While comparison of these various manuscripts reveals isolated instances of tampering, there is no evidence of a massive re-write in Constantine's era or any other. Also, the canonicity of the various books had been largely decided by Constantine's era, though the status of Revelation was still hotly disputed.
The surviving non-canonical gospels appear to have been written after the canonical ones, and portray Jesus in a much more exalted light. While the historical content of the canonical gospels is debatable, scholars agree that they are much more likely to contain historical information than the later books.
The Da Vinci Code also refers to a book called Q, which it suggests may have been written by Jesus himself and is currently being kept hidden away in a vault somewhere. Scholars have indeed concluded that Matthew and Luke did indeed copy some of their works from a now-lost collection of sayings, and this is referred to in the literature as Q. However, there is no reason to believe that Q was written by Jesus himself, nor is there any reason to think that a secret copy has survived somewhere.
The Priory of Sion
The Da Vinci Code claims that there is a secret society called the Priory of Sion, whose mission is to protect the bloodline of Jesus, and that the existence of this society is documented by papers found in the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris. These papers do exist, and claim among the Priory's members Leonardo Da Vinci. Dan Brown spins this into the idea that gave his book its title, that Da Vinci put clues about the conspiracy in his paintings. However, the papers have been proven to be forgeries, created by a right-wing French organization in an attempt to give itself a more impressive history than it actually has.
- Baigent, Michael; Richard Leigh; and Henry Lincoln. Holy Blood, Holy Grail. New York: Dell Publishing, 1983
- Brown, Dan. The Da Vinci Code. Doubleday, 2003
- Ehrman, Bart. Truth and Fiction in The Da Vinci Code: A Historian Reveals What We Really Know about Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and Constantine. Oxford University Press, 2004 | <urn:uuid:9b47ac4f-eac8-4957-bbf7-4515d4d79d21> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:08:42",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9725029468536377,
"score": 2.65625,
"token_count": 726,
"url": "http://wiki.ironchariots.org/index.php?title=The_Da_Vinci_Code&direction=prev&oldid=20813"
} |
From LawGuru Wiki
Template:CrimPro In United States constitutional law, the exclusionary rule is a legal principle holding that evidence collected or analyzed in violation of the U.S. Constitution is inadmissible for a criminal prosecution in a court of law (that is, it cannot be used in a criminal trial). The exclusionary rule does not apply to all violations of the Fourth, Fifth, or Sixth Amendments. An example of this is the 2006 Supreme Court ruling Hudson v. Michigan,
The Exclusionary Rule is designed to provide a remedy and disincentive, short of criminal prosecution, for prosecutors and police who illegally gather evidence in violation of the Fourth and Fifth Amendments in the Bill of Rights, which provide for protection from unreasonable searches and seizure and compelled self-incrimination.
The Exclusionary Rule applies to all citizens or aliens (illegal or documented) that reside within the United States. It is not applicable to aliens residing outside of U.S. borders. United States v. Alvarez decided that property owned by aliens in a foreign country is admissible in court. Certain persons in the U.S. receive limited protections, such as prisoners, probationers, parolees, and persons crossing U.S. borders. Corporations, by virtue of being, also have limited rights under the Fourth Amendment (see corporate personhood).
The fruit of the poisonous tree doctrine holds that any evidence discovered indirectly through an illegal search or seizure is inadmissible in court. The rationale is that the evidence would not have been found were it not for the violation of the Fourth Amendment and therefore must be suppressed because it is the "fruit of the poisonous tree." If the prosecution can prove that the evidence in question would have been discovered even without the illegal search, then this evidence is admissible. This principle is known as inevitable discovery.
History of the Rule
The exclusionary rule was created in 1914 in the case of Weeks v. United States. This decision, however, created the rule only on the federal level. It was not until Mapp v. Ohio, 367 U.S. 643 (1961) that the exclusionary rule was also held to be binding on the states through the Fourteenth Amendment, which guarantees due process. This landmark decision was considered by former Justice Potter Stewart as "the most important search and seizure decision in [American] history."
The Court's rationale for its holding in Hudson is that a search whose only illegality is the failure to announce cannot uncover any evidence that would not have been uncovered if the announcement had been properly made, and therefore the suppression of evidence is not an appropriate remedy.
Exceptions to the Rule
The exclusionary rule does not apply in a civil case, in a grand jury proceeding, or in a parole revocation hearing. In any of these circumstances, illegally obtained evidence will not be barred by the rule. Furthermore, such evidence can be admitted to impeach the credibility of the defendant's trial testimony; however, this exception applies only if the defendant testifies, and the evidence is relevant to call into question the truthfulness of the defendant's testimony.
The inevitable discovery doctrine was adopted first by the United States Supreme Court in Nix v Williams in 1984. It holds that evidence obtained through an unlawful search or seizure is admissible in court if it can be established, to a very high degree of probability, that normal police investigation would have inevitably led to the discovery of the evidence. This decision was upheld because given the fact that the exclusionary rule was created specifically to deter police and state misconduct, excluding evidence that would inevitably (hypothetically) have been discovered otherwise would not serve to deter police misconduct. In People v. Stith, the Court stated that this doctrine may not be used to admit primary evidence but only secondary evidence, i.e. evidence found as a result of the primary evidence.
The attenuation exception to the exclusionary rule is that evidence may be suppressed only if there is a clear causal connection between the illegal police action and the evidence. The evidence must result from the unlawful conduct. A three-pronged test was created in People v. Martinez to determine whether there was sufficient attenuation of this connection (i.e. the lack of connection between the disputed evidence and the unlawful conduct): (1) the time period between the illegal arrest and the ensuing confession or consensual search; (2) the presence of intervening factors or event; and (3) the purpose and flagrancy of the official misconduct.
The independent source exception allows evidence to be admitted in court if knowledge of the evidence is gained from a separate, or independent, source that is completely unrelated to the illegality at hand. This rule was formally accepted in People v. Arnau.
The good-faith exception may allow some evidence gathered in violation of the Constitution if the violation results in only a minor or technical error. If a magistrate is erroneous in granting a police officer a warrant, and the officer acts on the warrant in good faith, then the evidence resulting in the execution of the warrant is not suppressible. However, there are a number of situations in which the good faith exception will not apply:
- No reasonable officer would have relied on the affidavit underlying the warrant.
- The warrant is defective on its face for failing to state the place to be searched or things to be seized.
- The warrant was obtained by fraud on the part of a government official.
- The magistrate has "wholly abandoned his judicial role."zh:證據排除法則 | <urn:uuid:eac05fd2-9274-4cd0-9afd-5b9d860d5778> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:31:24",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9617885947227478,
"score": 3.46875,
"token_count": 1135,
"url": "http://wiki.lawguru.com/index.php/Exclusionary_rule"
} |
The atoll is closed to the public and travel to the island is not allowed.
Both the US and the Kingdom of Hawaii annexed Johnston Atoll in 1858, but it was the US that mined the guano deposits until the late 1880s. Johnston and Sand Islands were designated wildlife refuges in 1926. The US Navy took over the atoll in 1934, and subsequently the US Air Force assumed control in 1948. The site was used for high-altitude nuclear tests in the 1950s and 1960s, and until late in 2000 the atoll was maintained as a storage and disposal site for chemical weapons. Munitions destruction is now complete. Cleanup and closure of the facility was completed by May 2005. Toxic waste from both operations is buried on the island.
The Fish and Wildlife Service and the US Air Force are currently discussing future management options, in the interim Johnston Atoll and the three-mile Naval Defensive Sea around it remain under the jurisdiction and administrative control of the US Air Force.
Tropical, but generally dry; consistent northeast trade winds with little seasonal temperature variation.
Strategic location in the North Pacific Ocean; Johnston Island and Sand Island are natural islands, which have been expanded by coral dredging; North Island (Akau) and East Island (Hikina) are manmade islands formed from coral dredging; egg-shaped reef is 34 km in circumference some low-growing vegetation. Highest point: Summit Peak, at 5 meters
Get in
By plane
There is an abandoned airstrip on Johnston Island.
By boat
[add listing] Buy
There is currently no economic activity on Johnston Atoll.
[add listing] Sleep
There are no public accommodations on Johnston Atoll. | <urn:uuid:732a6862-a11e-474a-91a6-91be7fc0a495> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:01:39",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9453921914100647,
"score": 3.40625,
"token_count": 353,
"url": "http://wikitravel.org/en/Johnston_Atoll"
} |
Troubleshooting problems while in safe mode
Safe mode is a troubleshooting option for Windows that starts your computer with only basic services and functionality. If an existing problem does not reappear when you start Windows in safe mode, you can eliminate the default settings and basic device drivers as possible causes.
If you haven't installed any new programs or hardware recently, you can use the process of elimination to help you find the problem. Try starting all of the programs you commonly use, including the programs in your Startup folder, one by one to see if a program might be the cause of the problem.
The program might be incompatible with this version of Windows. Try using System Restore to restore your system to a point in time when it worked correctly. For more information, see What is System Restore?
The driver for the device might be incompatible with this version of Windows. For information about uninstalling a device driver, see Tips for fixing common driver problems.
If uninstalling or restoring the driver back to a previous version does not fix the problem, try uninstalling or removing the hardware, and then restarting your computer.
Try restarting your computer using Safe Mode with Networking, the only safe mode option that allows networking and Internet capabilities. If you can't connect using this option, be sure to rule out hardware issues by restarting your computer and also any network hardware you are using, such as a modem or router. For more information, see Troubleshoot Internet connection problems.
System Restore can return your system files to a previous point in time before you noticed a problem. For more information, see What is System Restore?
If System Restore does not fix the problem, try running Startup Repair from your Windows installation disc. For more information, see Startup Repair: frequently asked questions. | <urn:uuid:497030fc-99a7-4872-b93c-a37a7ab2520e> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:25:23",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9037619829177856,
"score": 2.75,
"token_count": 367,
"url": "http://windows.microsoft.com/en-SG/windows-vista/Troubleshooting-problems-while-in-safe-mode"
} |
Wed June 6, 2012
Children Getting CT Scans At Higher Risk For Cancer
Originally published on Wed June 6, 2012 7:29 pm
AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:
New research out today indicates that a popular medical test may increase the risk for some forms of cancer. A large international study found that CAT scans, which are also known as CT scans, can increase the risk for leukemia and brain cancer in children.
NPR's Rob Stein joins us now to talk about the new findings. And, Rob, I understand the concerns about these scans have been building for a long time. So what's the specific source of worry here?
ROB STEIN, BYLINE: Well, the concern, really, is about radiation. X-rays emit very low levels of radiation, but CT scans use a lot of X-rays. And so that can build up and accumulate over time and expose people to fairly significant amount of radiation. And if you get enough CT scans, you get exposed to a significant amount of radiation and can potentially boost your risk for cancer.
CORNISH: So this is the first study really, directly, to look at the safety of CT scans. And tell us exactly how they did this.
STEIN: That's right. Previous studies that have tried to take a look at it are really based on extrapolations of data collected for other reasons. It really was based mostly on data collected from the survivors of the bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in World War II. And they would extrapolate from that data to try to determine what their radiation risk was.
In this study, for the first time, they looked directly at patients who are getting CT scans and then followed up to see if they developed any kinds of cancers, in this case, the - it was based on 180,000 patients in Britain who got CT scans.
CORNISH: And these findings are pretty alarming. I mean, what exactly did they find out?
STEIN: Right. What they found was that for kids, it seemed to increase the risk for two types of cancer: leukemia and brain cancers. And based on the findings, they calculated that kids who got two or three CT scans of the head would have three times the risk of brain cancer than people got exposed to less radiation than that. And if you got five to 10 CT scans of the head, your increased risk for leukemia would be tripled.
CORNISH: Now, the takeaway from this hasn't been that people shouldn't do CT scans, but why is that?
STEIN: Well, there are really two reasons. One is that the risk, even though it is - seems to be elevated, is still very low. Leukemia and brain tumors are fairly rare cancers. So even if you increased the risk by a factor of three, the risk is still very, very low. And on the other side of the ledger sheet is the fact that CT scans are very valuable medical tools, and they can save a lot of lives by being - enabling doctors to diagnose and treat patients very quickly.
CORNISH: So, Rob, in the end, what should we understand about the study?
STEIN: Well, really, the take-home message is that doctors should be much more selective in how to use CT scans. Like everything else, CT scans can have a lot of benefits, but they can have a potential downside. And so doctors should just think twice about CT scans when they order one. There's an estimate that maybe 80 million CT scans are done each year in the United States, and maybe half of those may be unnecessary.
So their thinking is that doctors could just pick and choose a little bit more carefully and think, do I really need to do this test? Or is there another test that I could use that has less radiation? And that way, everybody will be safer.
CORNISH: NPR's Rob Stein, thank you.
STEIN: Oh, thank you, Audie. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright National Public Radio. | <urn:uuid:3c1b3928-a24b-4b11-8782-bd9819823e36> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:01:09",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9749270081520081,
"score": 2.8125,
"token_count": 831,
"url": "http://wmra.org/post/children-getting-ct-scans-higher-risk-cancer"
} |
From Socialist Worker UK: http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/art.php?id=25015
Tue 7 Jun 2011
Women’s oppression and violence against women are features of our society. But can we get rid of them? Sadie Robinson looks at the roots of sexism and offers some answers
The world can be a bad place to be a woman. Women make up a staggering 70 percent of the world’s poor. Being female shapes every aspect of women’s lives—from things like work, housing, health and education to our most intimate relationships.
In Britain, the most obvious evidence of women’s oppression is the 17 percent pay gap between men and women. But the most sickening signs are acts of rape and violence—and the widespread tendency to blame the victims.
The shocking nature of sexual violence can make many people think that humans are inherently brutal. They despair of ever creating a world without sexual violence and systematic oppression.
The level of violence against women is appalling. It’s estimated that at least 47,000 women are raped in Britain every year—while the conviction rate for reported rapes is just 6.5 percent.
But the vast majority of men do not rape women. And most men are not violent towards women.
Rape doesn’t happen because of men’s “natural” instincts. It results from the way that class society distorts sexuality and alienates people from each other and themselves.
Women’s oppression benefits capitalism—it plays an ideological and an economic function.
People create the environments and the societies we live in—but because we feel we have no control over it, the world appears as an alien entity.
We become alienated from ourselves and from each other. Rape and sexual violence are some of the most extreme forms that this alienation takes.
This combines with a view of sexuality that sees sex as a commodity like any other, which can be bought and sold—or taken.
Nearly a third of people in Britain think that a woman was at least partly to blame if she was raped while she was drunk.
Dominant ideas about sexuality blame women for “encouraging” rape and treat men as little more than animals unable to control themselves.
So justice secretary Kenneth Clarke’s recent comments, which seemed to dismiss some rapes, such as date rape, as barely rapes at all, unfortunately came as no surprise.
Clarke’s comments did cause an enormous outcry, and his views are heavily contested.
But those at the top of society—politicians, judges, those who own the media, and so on—promote sexist ideas. Those who own newspapers and TV stations fill them with images depicting women as sex objects, not people in their own right.
And it’s normal for rape trials to raise what a victim was wearing, if she was out late, if she had been drinking and if she’d had sex with the rapist before.
Of course, lots of women, and men, do challenge sexist ideas and fight for reforms to improve women’s lives.
But sexist ideas are widespread because of women’s position in society and how our society distorts sexuality.
The revolutionary Karl Marx described how the dominant ideas in any society are the ideas of the ruling class. This doesn’t mean they are the only ideas—but it means they are the strongest.
But why would the ruling class want to encourage this view of women? What do they get out of it?
Women’s oppression hasn’t always existed. It emerged when human societies began to form into classes.
Marx and his collaborator Frederick Engels identified the family under class society as the key to women’s oppression. Engels described the emergence of the family as “the world historical defeat of the female sex”.
They saw that how people secure their basic existence shapes human behaviour and ideas.
The family emerged alongside private property and the state. Before that, women and men lived in hunter-gatherer societies where they did different but equal work and had an equal say in decision-making. Marx and Engels called this “primitive communism”.
As societies developed, they began to produce a surplus in excess of what they needed to meet their basic needs—something that could be stored and controlled.
And the production techniques that created it tended to prioritise men’s labour over women’s for the first time.
Once a ruling class developed the men who came to dominate wanted “legitimate” heirs to pass the surplus on to. Control of women and sexual relationships became key to owning it.
The family unit developed with an ideology that treats women as second-class citizens and as a form of property to be controlled by men.
These ideas help legitimate and encourage violence against women.
That doesn’t mean that nothing ever changes in class societies. A woman’s position in a family under capitalism is very different from how it was under feudalism.
And even under capitalism women have fought to transform their lives over the past century.
Most women in Britain today work outside the home. People have more sexual freedom than they did in the past.
And changes in women’s lives and ideas have had an impact on men too. So it’s much more common for men to do jobs that would have previously been seen as women’s work such as nursing.
Men spend more time caring for their children today than they did in the past. Housework is no longer the sole responsibility of women in many homes.
Huge changes have occurred within capitalism, partly due to the changing needs of the system and partly because of mass pressure and struggle from ordinary people.
These changes show that the idea that men and women have fixed, unchanging roles is wrong.
But important as the changes are, women’s oppression remains. And our rulers are constantly trying to roll back the gains we have made.
So being a wife and mother is still seen as key to a women’s identity.
Society overemphasises sexual relationships—and tells women that unless they nab themselves a man they’re a failure.
And women who don’t want children are still often seen as inexplicably strange.
Women’s oppression, like other oppressions, serves to divide the working class. Instead of ordinary people seeing themselves as having a common interest against the rich, women and men can be sucked into seeing each other as the main enemy. This is highly useful for our rulers—and they know it.
The family also plays a key economic function for capitalism. Women are expected to maintain the current workforce and nurture the future one—while often being part of that workforce at the same time.
They raise children, care for sick or elderly relatives, and maintain a household. They save capitalism a fortune by providing all of these services for free.
This isn’t to say that every home and every relationship is simply a weight around women’s necks.
Often people value their personal relationships and home life above all else, because they seem to offer a haven from the stresses of the outside world.
But that doesn’t change the role the family plays under capitalism. And for a lot of the time, people looking for comfort and sanctuary in the family are disappointed.
The haven they hoped to find ends up being a pressure cooker where built-up tensions are unleashed—and women often bear the brunt of them.
The key role that the family plays explains why our rulers hate criticism of it and attack anyone who falls outside it. That’s why there is homophobia, panic over single parents and pressure on single people to get married.
This also shapes the way people think about rape. Most women who are raped know their attacker, and violence is more likely to happen within families—yet the most common view of rape is of a shadowy stranger leaping out of a bush late at night.
Sexist ideas are so ingrained because women’s oppression has existed for thousands of years, since the rise of class societies. This is why it seems so natural and permanent.
But some of those who argue that we can’t challenge oppression do so because they have an interest in maintaining it. And it helps them to focus on individual acts of violence, because that distracts from the systemic oppression at the heart of capitalism.
We can end women’s oppression—but to do it we need to get rid of the system that props it up.
Oppression affects all women, but the impact is vastly different depending on class.
It is key to a system that ruling class women do very well out of—which is why we can’t rely on alliances with rich women to win change.
Ordinary people have a common interest in getting rid of capitalism. It wrecks the lives of working class women and men.
It relies on oppression to divide and weaken the working class. And it atomises us and distorts even our most intimate relationships.
In the process of creating a new world, people transform themselves. They throw off what Marx called the “muck of ages” and ideas that have survived for centuries start to fall away.
And in every revolutionary movement, women come to the forefront to lead the struggle.
Revolution isn’t a fairytale. Already this year we’ve seen revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia that have thrown out dictators and raised the prospect of workers’ control of society.
Collectively, we have the power to smash the system and create real equality and freedom for everybody.
© Socialist Worker (unless otherwise stated). You may republish if you include an active link to the original. | <urn:uuid:c297ad3d-1642-43bf-a329-34a9b68dbf9b> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:07:30",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.968669593334198,
"score": 2.640625,
"token_count": 2023,
"url": "http://womanrebel.blogspot.com/2011/06/what-causes-rape.html"
} |
Supersonic without the Boom
Sonic booms usually mean something cool. The space shuttle is coming in for a landing or a jet fighter is flying overhead. We don’t hear them very often, so when we do it’s an event.
But imagine if aircraft manufacturers designed and built a vehicle that carried passengers or cargo at supersonic speeds over land. Sonic booms would be happening all the time; and they’re loud and annoying. That’s why the Concorde flew over the ocean. Noise regulations in most countries wouldn’t allow it to fly over land because of the sonic booms it generated.
Sonic booms are keeping a new era of supersonic cruise flight from happening.
For us to ever be able to enjoy the benefits of flying people or cargo over land at super-fast speeds, we have to figure out how to turn down the volume on sonic booms.
NASA has been doing flight tests and simulations and ground experiments — with cool names like “Quiet Spike,” “SonicBOBS,” “SonicBREW,” “LaNCETS,” “House VIBES,” “Low Boom/No Boom” – to help find answers.
continue reading: nasa
- See also:
Dear reader we hope you enjoyed wordlessTech!
Don't forget to join our community on Facebook | <urn:uuid:19e4dee9-4468-4375-84ff-8160a0d59b3b> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:07:58",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.924120306968689,
"score": 2.984375,
"token_count": 300,
"url": "http://wordlesstech.com/2011/02/08/supersonic-without-the-boom/"
} |
This brightly colored salamander can be locally abundant where forested habitat remains intact, but quickly declines or disappears when woodlands are cleared or disturbed by cutting or invasive species. Moist, closed canopy woodlands are preferred habitat. They tend to avoid swamp forests subject to flooding, and are absent in disturbed forests that have been recently grazed, burned, or harvested for timber. Temporary or semi-permanent ponds either within or adjacent to the woods are critical habitat elements. Spotted Salamanders spend most of their time in burrows underground – up to four feet below the surface. They are occasionally found under or within rotting logs, leaf litter, and other moist places. Hibernation occurs on land, usually near breeding ponds. They have granular glands that produce secretions which can repel some predators. Most glands are located behind the eyes and on the tail.
Reproduction and Growth
Migration to breeding ponds occurs in late May to mid-April, and is triggered by thawing of the ground and higher humidity. This species returns to the same breeding ponds each year, and uses established routes when traveling to and from breeding ponds – even entering and leaving ponds at same point each time. Eggs are laid one to several days after sperm transfer. The female can lay 50-300 eggs in one large mass or several smaller clusters attached to sticks or vegetation, egg masses form a symbiotic relationship with some types of algae – algae provide larvae with additional oxygen, while benefiting from carbon dioxide released by embryos.
Eggs hatch in 20-60 days and metamorphose in 60-90 days, although some larvae may over-winter. Females reach sexual maturity at 3-5 years old, while males reach maturity at 2-3 years old. They may live more than 20 years.
Their future depends on presence of undisturbed woodlands and associated temporary and semi-permanent ponds Any human activity that opens forest canopies (i.e. elective logging) can lower humidity creating unsuitable conditions Construction of roads running between wooded uplands and lowland breeding sites can lead to mass mortality of migratory salamanders. Sometimes collected for biological supply and the pet trade, persistent exploitation could threaten local populations. Acidic precipitation is another concern as eggs and larvae may be sensitive to pond acidification.
- Ephemeral wetlands.
- Permanent wetlands. | <urn:uuid:81a2d200-c125-4daf-befb-e81942061c2e> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:17:50",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 4,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9344539046287537,
"score": 3.6875,
"token_count": 483,
"url": "http://www.a2gov.org/government/communityservices/ParksandRecreation/NAP/Herps/salamanders/Pages/SpottedSalamander.aspx"
} |
Scientists are issuing a stark new warning for people who have had a heart attack and continue to use popular painkillers like Advil (ibuprofen) or Celebrex (celecoxib): Don't take them unless you absolutely have to.
Danish researchers report that taking these nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs — or NSAIDs — after a heart attack greatly increases the risk of death or a second heart attack, and the risk persists for years.
"It's very frightening. There seems to be no safe treatment window" for NSAIDs once you've had a heart attack, said Anne-Marie Schjerning Olsen, a cardiologist at Copenhagen University Hospital Gentofte who, along with colleagues, reviewed the records of nearly 100,000 patients who had suffered a heart attack between 1997 and 2009. About 44 percent of them received at least one prescription for an NSAID. Among people who didn't take NSAIDs, Olsen says, the cardiovascular risk after a first heart attack declines rapidly during the first year. "After five to 10 years it's almost the same" as the general population, she says. But heart attack survivors who took any NSAID other than low-dose aspirin had a higher risk of having a second heart attack or dying. The overall death risk rose 59 percent one year after the heart attack and 63 percent five years after, she said. Similarly, the risk of coronary death or a second heart attack rose 30 percent one year after the initial heart attack and 41 percent five years after.
What this means in absolute terms is that during the first year there were 20 deaths per 100 people among the NSAID users, compared with only 12 deaths per 100 people among non-NSAID users.
In their analysis, published in Circulation, a journal of the American Heart Association, the Danish researchers accounted for other medical conditions and medications that patients might have been taking, Olsen said. They could only estimate the dosages people took, but on the average they seemed to be taking standard doses as prescribed on the label, she added.
In addition to ibuprofen and celecoxib, they studied rofecoxib (Vioxx), diclofenac (Voltaren) and naproxen (Aleve), of which naproxen was found to pose the least cardiovascular risk. But as Olson points out, it can cause stomach bleeding. "It's not easy," she says. "You have to look at each individual patient and find out what kind of pain treatment they need."
Wayne Ray, a professor of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University who also has studied NSAIDs and heart health, said the Danish study provides further evidence of the risks involved in taking these drugs after a heart attack.
The Danish researchers found that, compared with earlier studies, the risks are even "a bit higher than others have found," he said. Celecoxib and diclofenac clearly carry the highest risk (rofecoxib was pulled from the shelves in 2004). "These generally should be the last alternatives for this patient population," Ray said.
For older patients with muscle or skeletal pain, doctors should first try nondrug remedies, such as physical therapy or exercise, he said. Topical medications, such as analgesic heat rubs, can also reduce pain. Acetaminophen (Tylenol) can be a good option, if taken in the proper dose, although it is risky for people with liver disease and those who drink heavily.
Finally, Ray says, "If NSAIDs are necessary, use the safest NSAID, in the lowest effective dose for the shortest time period."
Olsen, meanwhile, says that even as NSAID risks have become clear, many doctors and patients have not gotten the word. "Somehow, more education is needed," she says. "We have to find how to get the message out."
Go to the AARP home page for tips on keeping healthy and sharp, and great deals. | <urn:uuid:599792a7-8d67-487e-b2f6-07ca02a56326> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:08:09",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9671017527580261,
"score": 2.75,
"token_count": 815,
"url": "http://www.aarp.org/health/conditions-treatments/info-09-2012/painkillers-second-heart-attack.html"
} |
Listen to this week's lesson about the origins of the ukulele and then take the online quiz.
Your lesson this week: Origins of the ukulele - from Madeiran guitar to Hawaiian icon.
Your teacher is Steve Roberts from the Blue Mountains Ukulele Club.
Listen to the podcast and then take this week's Self Improvement Quiz.
You can also subscribe to Self Improvement Wednesday by copying this address into your podcast application:
1.In 1879, immigrants from which archipelago reportedly entertained Honoluluans with nightly street concerts?
c) Tierra del Fuego
2. Santo, Nunes and Dias were primarily what type of tradesmen?
d) Cabinet makers
3.What was an early name for a four-stringed Madeiran guitar?
4.Which is a common translation for the word ukulele?
a) Flying fox
b) Angry ant
c) Jumping flea
d) Busy bee
5.Which author's step-daughter wrote the only known first-hand account of the Hawaiian king playing the ukulele?
a) Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
b) Mark Twain
c) Thomas Hardy
d) Robert Louis Stevenson
6. Who along with his sons Leonardo and Julius started a production company claiming to have invented the ukulele?
a) Jose do Espirito Santo
b) Manuel Nunes
c) Augusto Dias
d) King David Kalakaua
7. Which expo is historically credited with popularising the ukulele and Hawaiian music on the mainland?
a) The Great Exhibition of 1851
b) Columbian Exposition of 1893
c) Exposition Universelle of 1900
d) Panama Pacific International Exposition of 1915
8.In the early 20th century, ukuleles began to be manufactured en masse with which affordable material?
c) Koa wood
Answers: 1.b) 2.d) 3.a) 4.c) 5.d) 6.b) 7.d) 8.a)
Next week: Time in the ancient world with Dr Anne Rogerson from the University of Sydney. | <urn:uuid:90d84f00-c51c-40d1-811a-42519953c1d5> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:18:10",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.7794291377067566,
"score": 2.90625,
"token_count": 463,
"url": "http://www.abc.net.au/local/audio/2012/02/08/3425925.htm"
} |
Australian Bureau of Statistics
1384.6 - Statistics - Tasmania, 2005
Previous ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 22/04/2004
|Page tools: Print Page Print All RSS Search this Product|
The mean relative humidity exceeds 50% throughout the year at most Tasmanian stations, the exceptions being inland stations in summer. Relative humidity is generally higher in the morning than the afternoon, and higher in coastal areas than inland. Days of high temperature combined with uncomfortably high humidity are rare, and usually associated with a north-easterly airstream. In the east, south-east and the Fingal Valley, warm dry winds from a west or north-west direction may occasionally have a relative humidity as low as 10%. This is a result of air descending from just above mountainous terrain into lowlands.
This page last updated 21 November 2006
Unless otherwise noted, content on this website is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Australia Licence together with any terms, conditions and exclusions as set out in the website Copyright notice. For permission to do anything beyond the scope of this licence and copyright terms contact us. | <urn:uuid:9d7b5768-fb7f-47de-ab60-96e8987b048e> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:40:33",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.915826141834259,
"score": 2.546875,
"token_count": 239,
"url": "http://www.abs.gov.au/Ausstats/[email protected]/94713ad445ff1425ca25682000192af2/71E22808BD4FBCB1CA256C320024150E?opendocument"
} |
In 2009-10 the gross value of total Victorian agricultural production was $10,347.3 million, an increase of 1.4% (or $146.8 million) from 2008-09. At the same time, the local value of Victorian agricultural production increased by 0.7%.
In 2009-10 livestock disposals contributed 29.0% to the total gross value of Victorian agricultural production, followed by livestock products with 24.2% and fruit with 11.7% respectively.
Do you know how the value of your state or territory's agricultural output is determined?
The gross value of agricultural commodities produced (VACP) is the value placed on recorded agricultural production at the wholesale prices realised in the market place.
The local value is the value placed on commodities at the point of production (i.e. farm gate). It is calculated by deducting marketing costs from the gross value of commodities produced. Marketing costs may include freight, cost of containers, commission and other marketing charges.
Quantity data for most agricultural commodities are collected from ABSagricultural surveys or the Agricultural Census. Remaining commodity data are obtained from non-ABS sources, and are comparable across time.
These documents will be presented in a new window.
Unless otherwise noted, content on this website is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Australia Licence together with any terms, conditions and exclusions as set out in the website Copyright notice. For permission to do anything beyond the scope of this licence and copyright terms contact us. | <urn:uuid:0c27d3d5-692c-48f7-9835-00b93a7bfebd> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:24:56",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9100987315177917,
"score": 2.8125,
"token_count": 310,
"url": "http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/[email protected]/Lookup/by%20Subject/1367.0~2012~Main%20Features~Value%20of%20Agricultural%20Production~3.29"
} |
Fairness for All - The Work of the Immigrants' Rights Project
Make a Difference
Your support helps the ACLU defend immigrants’ rights and other civil liberties.
Why WE DEFEND
The constitutional protections of due process and equal protection apply to everyone in the United States, including non-citizens – even those not here lawfully. However, politically disenfranchised immigrants are an especially vulnerable group and are routinely denied these basic rights embodied in our Constitution and Bill of Rights. Eroding the fundamental rights of immigrants is dangerous for us all. When the government has the power to deny legal rights and due process to one group, all Americans’ rights are severely threatened.
DUE PROCESS AND EQUAL PROTECTION IN THE IMMIGRATION PROCESS
Our nation has the authority to control its borders and to regulate immigration but not in a way that denies immigrants their fundamental rights. The United States must exercise the awesome power to exclude or deport immigrants in a manner consistent with the rule of law, the fundamental norms of humanity and the requirements of the Constitution. Unfortunately, immigrants are routinely denied their constitutional right to a day in court. Moreover, immigration laws require the automatic deportation of even longtime lawful residents for many minor offenses, regardless of how long they have lived here or whether they have a citizen spouse or children.
Detention is increasingly being used as an immigration enforcement strategy, and immigrants, including those with legal status, are detained for prolonged periods – sometimes several years – without any legal determination that they pose a danger to society or a flight risk that would justify their detention. In addition to being cruel and unnecessary, prolonged detention makes it nearly impossible for individuals to fight their immigration cases, including those with strong claims to remain in the U.S.
Most immigrants held in detention have never been convicted of a crime, and those who have committed crimes have already served their sentences been released.
Nonetheless, immigrants in deportation proceedings, including those seeking asylum, are held in conditions almost identical and in many cases worse than the conditions imposed on prisoners serving sentences for violent criminal offenses. Dozens of immigrants have died in immigration detention because of inadequate medical care and a lack of minimal standards and oversight.
In states, towns, cities and counties across the U.S., there is a growing movement to introduce anti-immigrant laws that attempt to drive out undocumented immigrants and their families and punish those who employ or rent to them. In addition to violating the Constitution and federal civil rights laws, these laws promote distrust of immigrants, including those here legally, and fuel xenophobia and discrimination.
Business owners, local law enforcement, landlords, city employees and hospital staff are forced to take on the unfair burden of acting as immigration agents, though they lack the skills and training to determine an individual’s immigration status or the authenticity of immigration-related documentation. As a result, people who are perceived as looking or sounding foreign – whether or not they are here legally or are U.S. citizens – are refused employment, medical treatment and housing and are harassed by the police.
Immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility and local anti-immigrant ordinances only hurt city economies and community relations. Rather than waste resources on unlawful and mean-spirited laws, responsible officials should seek to fight discrimination and ensure that their laws are fair for all of their residents.
Immigrant workers, who often lack knowledge of U.S. labor laws and afraid to assert their legal rights as employees, are commonly exploited by employers who refuse to pay them minimum wage or over-time.
Laws meant to curtail the hiring of undocumented workers often end up as major roadblocks to gainful employment for U.S. citizens and other legal residents. Federal contractors and businesses in several states must check the eligibility of all potential workers – U.S. citizens and immigrants alike – against E-Verify, a flawed federal database program with a high error rate. Using such an error-ridden database leads to problems for lawful workers who must persuade multiple bureaucracies to fix their records if they want to keep their jobs.
Rather than run the risk of suffering the laws’ penalties, many employers would simply rather not hire individuals they perceive as foreign-born resulting in widespread employment discrimination.
Looking Latino and speaking Spanish is far from the probable cause the police must have to question and arrest a person. Yet that’s exactly what happens to many Latinos in this country, whether they are U.S. citizens or non-citizens who are legal residents. These types of stops are rampant and violate the Fourth Amendment’s prohibition of warrantless searches and seizures, which applies to everyone regardless of immigration status.
Recently, the Department of Homeland Security has expanded programs that allow certain state and local law enforcement agencies to engage in federal immigration enforcement activities. The programs have led to illegal racial profiling and civil rights abuses, including the unlawful detention and deportation of U.S. citizens and permanent residents. At the same time, they divert scarce resources from traditional local law enforcement functions and distort immigration enforcement priorities.
The programs have drawn sharp criticism from police chiefs, federal lawmakers, and community groups who point out that such efforts not only fuel discrimination against people based on the color of their skin, their appearance or their accent, but also undermine everyone’s safety by making immigrant communities afraid to report crimes as victims and witnesses. | <urn:uuid:baed3acb-953f-41ed-8f77-11d48ae4be09> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:23:44",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9636828899383545,
"score": 2.734375,
"token_count": 1082,
"url": "http://www.aclu.org/immigrants-rights/fairness-all-work-immigrants-rights-project?quicktabs_content_video_podcasts=0"
} |
In Writing Secure PHP, I covered a few of the most common security holes in websites. It's time to move on, though, to a few more advanced techniques for securing a website. As techniques for 'breaking into' a site or crashing a site become more advanced, so must the methods used to stop those attacks.
Most hosting environments are very similar, and rather predictable. Many web developers are also very predictable. It doesn't take a genius to guess that a site's includes (and most dynamic sites use an includes directory for common files) is an www.website.com/includes/. If the site owner has allowed directory listing on the server, anyone can navigate to that folder and browse files.
Imagine for a second that you have a database connection script, and you want to connect to the database from every page on your site. You might well place that in your includes folder, and call it something like connect.inc. However, this is very predictable - many people do exactly this. Worst of all, a file with the extension ".inc" is usually rendered as text and output to the browser, rather than processed as a PHP script - meaning if someone were to visit that file in a browser, they'll be given your database login information.
Placing important files in predictable places with predictable names is a recipe for disaster. Placing them outside the web root can help to lessen the risk, but is not a foolproof solution. The best way to protect your important files from vulnerabilities is to place them outside the web root, in an unusually-named folder, and to make sure that error reporting is set to off (which should make life difficult for anyone hoping to find out where your important files are kept). You should also make sure directory listing is not allowed, and that all folders have a file named "index.html" in (at least), so that nobody can ever see the contents of a folder.
Never, ever, give a file the extension ".inc". If you must have ".inc" in the extension, use the extension ".inc.php", as that will ensure the file is processed by the PHP engine (meaning that anything like a username and password is not sent to the user). Always make sure your includes folder is outside your web root, and not named something obvious. Always make sure you add a blank file named "index.html" to all folders like include or image folders - even if you deny directory listing yourself, you may one day change hosts, or someone else may alter your server configuration - if directory listing is allowed, then your index.html file will make sure the user always receives a blank page rather than the directory listing. As well, always make sure directory listing is denied on your web server (easily done with .htaccess or httpd.conf).
Out of sheer curiosity, shortly after writing this section of this tutorial, I decided to see how many sites I could find in a few minutes vulnerable to this type of attack. Using Google and a few obvious search phrases, I found about 30 database connection scripts, complete with usernames and passwords. A little more hunting turned up plenty more open include directories, with plenty more database connections and even FTP details. All in, it took about ten minutes to find enough information to cause serious damage to around 50 sites, without even using these vulnerabilities to see if it were possible to cause problems for other sites sharing the same server.
Most site owners now require an online administration area or CMS (content management system), so that they can make changes to their site without needing to know how to use an FTP client. Often, these are placed in predictable locations (as covered in the last article), however placing an administration area in a hard-to-find location isn't enough to protect it.
Most CMSes allow users to change their password to anything they choose. Many users will pick an easy-to-remember word, often the name of a loved one or something similar with special significance to them. Attackers will use something called a "dictionary attack" (or "brute force attack") to break this kind of protection. A dictionary attack involves entering each word from the dictionary in turn as the password until the correct one is found.
The best way to protect against this is threefold. First, you should add a turing test to a login page. Have a randomly generated series of letters and numbers on the page that the user must enter to login. Make sure this series changes each time the user tries to login, that it is an image (rather than simple text), and that it cannot be identified by an optical character recognition script.
Second, add in a simple counter. If you detect a certain number of failed logins in a row, disable logging in to the administration area until it is reactivated by someone responsible. If you only allow each potential attacker a small number of attempts to guess a password, they will have to be very lucky indeed to gain access to the protected area. This might be inconvenient for authentic users, however is usually a price worth paying.
Finally, make sure you track IP addresses of both those users who successfully login and those who don't. If you spot repeated attempts from a single IP address to access the site, you may consider blocking access from that IP address altogether.
One excellent way to make sure that even if you have a problem with someone accessing your database who shouldn't be able to, you can limit the damage they can cause. Modern databases like MySQL and SQL Server allow you to control what a user can and cannot do. You can give users (or not) permission to create data, edit, delete, and more using these permissions. Usually, I try and ensure that I only allow users to add and edit data.
If a site requires an item be deleted, I will usually set the front end of the site to only appear to delete the item. For example, you could have a numeric field called "item_deleted", and set it to 1 when an item is deleted. You can then use that to prevent users seeing these items. You can then purge these later if required, yourself, while not giving your users "delete" permissions for the database. If a user cannot delete or drop tables, neither can someone who finds out the user login to the database (though obviously they can still do damage).
PHP contains a variety of commands with access to the operating system of the server, and that can interact with other programs. Unless you need access to these specific commands, it is highly recommended that you disable them entirely.
For example, the eval() function allows you to treat a string as PHP code and execute it. This can be a useful tool on occasion. However, if using the eval() function on any input from the user, the user could cause all sorts of problems. You could be, without careful input validation, giving the user free reign to execute whatever commands he or she wants.
There are ways to get around this. Not using eval() is a good start. However, the php.ini file gives you a way to completely disable certain functions in PHP - "disable_functions". This directive of the php.ini file takes a comma-separated list of function names, and will completely disable these in PHP. Commonly disabled functions include ini_set(), exec(), fopen(), popen(), passthru(), readfile(), file(), shell_exec() and system().
It may be (it usually is) worth enabling safe_mode on your server. This instructs PHP to limit the use of functions and operators that can be used to cause problems. If it is possible to enable safe_mode and still have your scripts function, it is usually best to do so.
Finally, Be Completely and Utterly Paranoid
Much as I hate to bring this point up again, it still holds true (and always will). Most of the above problems can be avoided through careful input validation. Some become obvious points to address when you assume everyone is out to destroy your site. If you are prepared for the worst, you should be able to deal with anything.
Ready for more? Try Writing Secure PHP, Part 3. | <urn:uuid:88a3943e-6d77-4211-8079-34a232f009fd> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:24:20",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9434037208557129,
"score": 2.546875,
"token_count": 1679,
"url": "http://www.addedbytes.com/articles/writing-secure-php/writing-secure-php-2/"
} |
Electrical workers by Shutterstock
- It is undeniable that the unemployment rate would be lower if fewer government jobs had been cut.
- Private sector employment is important for the simple fact that state & local tax revenues fund public sector salaries.
- The private sector, despite turbulent economic times and uncertainty, continues to be the engine of economic growth.
Editor's note: This article originally appeared in The New York Times' Room for Debate in response to the question: Are government layoffs the problem? What effect have public-sector job cuts had on the economy? Could governments have responded to the recession in any other way?
It is undeniable that the unemployment rate would be lower, and the recovery more pronounced, if fewer government jobs had been cut. But if the private sector is "doing fine," as President Obama famously said, could one reason be those losses in state and local jobs? The answer is yes.
During 2009 and 2010, President Obama and Congress spent 2.6 percent of gross domestic product at the state and local level primarily through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. But despite this huge stimulus spending, the share of G.D.P. contributed by state and local governments has collapsed since 2007.
While state and local spending accounted for nearly 13 percent of G.D.P. in 2008, barely 11 percent of G.D.P. comes from state and local spending today.
Meanwhile, the private sector, despite the turbulent economic times and the recent uncertainty surrounding the fiscal cliff talks, has continued to be the engine of economic growth. Despite shedding a large number of workers at the start of the recession, the private sector has added 5.0 million new employees since June 2009 as state and local governments have dropped 682,000 jobs. Private sector G.D.P. has continued to grow as businesses innovate and become more productive, finding ways to survive and grow in a challenging business environment.
Public sector workers, particularly those involved in education, have an important role to play in the economy. In most states, they account for about 14 percent of all jobs. But real economic growth has to start in the other 86 percent of the economy, where most workers earn their living. Indeed, private sector employment is important if even for the simple fact that state and local tax revenues fund public sector salaries.
As of January, the unemployment rate for those classified as government workers by the Bureau of Labor Statistics is only 4.2 percent, compared to 8.6 percent unemployment in the private sector. Clearly, if we care about economic recovery, we should focus our efforts at combating the specter of private sector unemployment. In a study of data from 1939 to 2008 the economist Valerie Ramey concluded that an increase in government spending typically causes private spending to fall significantly.
That should mean that the current recession-driven cuts in public expenditures may be exactly the stimulus needed to get the private sector on the road to recovery. | <urn:uuid:375ec272-00af-488a-80a7-a6c04ea5c393> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:16:31",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9597073793411255,
"score": 2.765625,
"token_count": 596,
"url": "http://www.aei.org/article/economics/public-cuts-lead-to-more-private-employment/"
} |
Teaching toward a world without war
Elizabeth Gray Vining, 1902–1999
A Philadelphia native and member of Germantown Monthly Meeting, Elizabeth Gray Vining published her first book for young adults at the age of 22, and went on to publish over 60 more in her lifetime. At the age of 42, Elizabeth wrote weekly releases on the activities of AFSC for Quaker papers and other religious publications, when she was selected to be the first woman to tutor the crown prince of Japan.
Her name had been suggested to the education commission by then Executive Secretary Clarence E. Pickett, who had visited Emperor Hirohito and heeded his request for help in finding an American tutor for the crown prince. After listing Elizabeth’s many accomplishments in a letter of recommendation, Clarence Pickett added that she was “one of the most lovely and cultured women that I have ever known,” but “she would not lift a finger to seek the appointment.”
Once chosen, the American press expressed Elizabeth’s position as an opportunity to spread the values of American democracy. But she was clear that this was an opportunity to build bridges: “I am not here in Japan as a missionary,” she declared. “I will present my views and let my pupil go on from there… I hope I can contribute to the peace and understanding of the world. The emphasis will be on a world without war, and on nations working together for peace.” | <urn:uuid:37593b1f-4c0f-43d0-ab90-dbda4c23f4c2> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:31:03",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9736131429672241,
"score": 2.875,
"token_count": 303,
"url": "http://www.afsc.org/story/teaching-toward-world-without-war"
} |
Can a Ray of Sunshine Help the Critically Ill? Tuesday, April 3, 2012
TAU researcher finds that vitamin D deficiency is associated with increased mortality in intensive care patients
Scientists have long believed that vitamin D, which is naturally absorbed from sunlight, has an important role in the functioning of the body's autoimmune system. Now Prof. Howard Amital of Tel Aviv University's Sackler Faculty of Medicine and Sheba Medical Center has discovered that the vitamin may also affect the outcomes of patients in intensive care.
In a six-month study, Prof. Amital and his colleagues found that patients who had a vitamin D deficiency lived an average of 8.9 days less than those who were found to have sufficient vitamin D. Vitamin D levels also correlated with the level of white blood cells which fight disease.
The study, which was published in the journal QJM: An International Journal of Medicine, demonstrates further research into giving patients vitamin D could confirm that it will improve their survival outcomes.
Adding days of life
To measure the impact of vitamin D levels on the survival of critically ill patients, the researchers designed an observational study. Over the course of six months, 130 patients over the age of 18 admitted to an intensive care unit of a TAU-affiliated hospital and requiring mechanical ventilation were admitted to the study. Patients who had taken vitamin D supplements prior to admittance were excluded from the study population.
Upon admittance, patients were divided into two groups based on vitamin D concentration: those who had 20 nanograms or more of the vitamin — the amount defined as the National Institute of Health as sufficient — and those who were vitamin D deficient based on the same criteria. In total, 107 patients suffered from vitamin D deficiency.
Survival curves indicate that while patients with sufficient vitamin D survived an average of 24.2 days, those who were deemed to be deficient in vitamin D survived an average of only 15.3 days — patients with sufficient vitamin D levels survived an average of 8.9 days longer. They were also found to have a better WBC count.
Seek out sun — or supplements
These findings merit further investigation, Prof. Amital says. He suggests that the effects of vitamin D supplementation in critically ill patients be further assessed in future studies. The initial results indicate only that vitamin D concentration may be an indicator of survival, he says.
But don't wait until you're in poor health to start taking vitamin D, suggests Prof. Amital. Vitamin D appears to enhance the function of the immune system in numerous ways, and it’s becoming clear that it does have an impact on overall health and well-being.
According to research, including an article in the New England Journal of Medicine, the majority of those who live in North America and other Western countries are known to be vitamin D deficient due to limited exposure to the sun. But even if the springtime skies are gray, supplements from the pharmacy shelf will have the same benefits, Prof. Amital says.
For more diet and nutrition health news from Tel Aviv University, click here. | <urn:uuid:3d068e65-382d-4fe4-97b3-08b879598e63> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:24:36",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9597499370574951,
"score": 2.65625,
"token_count": 623,
"url": "http://www.aftau.org/site/News2/1787477971?page=NewsArticle&id=16401&news_iv_ctrl=-1"
} |
BACKGROUND: A new type of stethoscope relies on ultrasound to enable doctors to hear the sounds of the body in extremely loud situations, such as during the transportation of patients in MedEVAC helicopters, or wounded soldiers in Blackhawk helicopters.
HOW IT WORKS: These new ultrasound models transmit a sound signal into the patientıs body. This sound is reflected back to the stethoscope at a slightly different frequency because it bounces off the internal organs, changing the sound wave patternı essentially, the Doppler effect. The difference in frequencies between the transmitted sound wave and the returning sound wave received by the instrument can be computed to determine the motion of the internal organs. This difference in frequency is then converted into audible sound. Ultrasound stethoscopes produce a markedly different sound than conventional ones. An acoustic stethoscope yields a ılub-dubı sound from a heartbeat with the first beat being the strongest. An ultrasound stethoscope yields a ıta-da-taı pattern with the second beat being the strongest.
THE PROBLEM: Traditional stethoscopes transmit and amplify sound within the range of human hearing: from 20 hertz to 20,000 hertz. Most body sound, such as that of the heart and lungs, fall into the 100 to 200 hertz range. Current acoustic stethoscopes detect and amplify vibrations that allow doctors to hear the heart and lungs better. However, they become difficult to use around 80 decibels ı a noise level comparable to an alarm clock or a busy street, -- and are useless above 90 decibels. Modern electronic stethoscopes improved that threshold to 95 decibels by replacing the earpieces with loudspeaker inserts, which provide a better seal over the ear canal. They also have electrical cables instead of the conventional tubing, decreasing acoustic noise. But this is still not sufficient to make the instruments useful in very noisy environments. The ultrasound stethoscope is nearly impervious to loud noise and can make accurate readings at noise levels up to 120 decibels, similar to the volume experienced in the front row at a rock concert.
THE DOPPLER EFFECT: Both sound waves and light waves exhibit the Doppler Effect. Just as a train whistle will sound higher as it approaches a platform and then become lower in pitch as it moves away, light emitted by a moving object is perceived to increase in frequency (a blue shift) if it is moving toward the observer; if the object is moving away from us, it will be shifted toward the red end of the spectrum.
The Acoustical Society of America contributed to the information contained in the TV portion of this report. | <urn:uuid:02a0c66a-8a2e-4550-bf96-abaa1418098e> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:01:36",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 4,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9110009074211121,
"score": 3.609375,
"token_count": 549,
"url": "http://www.aip.org/dbis/stories/2007/17043.html"
} |
Why the Jews?: The Reason for Antisemitism
From the bestselling authors of "The Nine Questions People Ask About Judaism" comes a completely revised and updated edition of a modern classic that ... Show synopsis From the bestselling authors of "The Nine Questions People Ask About Judaism" comes a completely revised and updated edition of a modern classic that reflects the dangerous rise in antisemitism during the twenty-first century. The very word "Jew" continues to arouse passions as does no other religious, national, or political name. Why have Jews been the object of the most enduring and universal hatred in history? Why did Hitler consider murdering Jews more important than winning World War II? Why has the United Nations devoted more time to tiny Israel than to any other nation on earth? In this seminal study, Dennis Prager and Joseph Telushkin attempt to uncover and understand the roots of antisemitism -- from the ancient world to the Holocaust to the current crisis in the Middle East. This postmillennial edition of "Why the Jews?" offers new insights and unparalleled perspectives on some of the most recent, pressing developments in the contemporary world, including: - The replicating of Nazi antisemitism in the Arab world - The pervasive anti-Zionism/antisemitism on university campuses - The rise of antisemitism in Europe - Why the United States and Israel are linked in the minds of antisemites Clear, persuasive, and thought provoking, "Why the Jews?" is must reading for anyone who seeks to understand the unique role of the Jews in human history. | <urn:uuid:ab8c8027-561d-43f4-a618-7ece3433208b> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:32:52",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9133015275001526,
"score": 2.53125,
"token_count": 313,
"url": "http://www.alibris.com/booksearch?qwork=7216940&qcond=6&matches=26&qsort=p&cm_sp=2rec-_-RHS-_-p1-0"
} |
Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
William Bligh (September 9, 1754 - December 7, 1817) was an officer of the British Royal Navy and colonial administrator. He is best known for the famous mutiny that occurred against his command aboard HMAV Bounty. After the Bounty mutiny he became Governor of New South Wales, where his stern administration engendered another insurrection, the Rum Rebellion led by John Macarthur.
Bligh was born in Plymouth, a seaport in south-west England, and went to sea at the age of eight. In 1776, he was selected by Captain James Cook for the crew of the Resolution and, in 1787, selected as commander of the HMAV Bounty. He would eventually rise to the rank of Vice Admiral in the British Navy.
William Bligh's naval career consisted of a variety of appointments and assignments. A summary is as follows:
- July 1, 1762: Ship's Boy and Captain's Servant, HMS Monmouth
- July 27, 1770: Able Seaman, HMS Hunter
- February 5 1771: Midshipman, HMS Hunter
- September 22, 1771: Midshipman, HMS Crescent
- September 2, 1774: Able Seaman, HMS Ranger
- September 30, 1775: Master's Mate, HMS Ranger
- March 20, 1776: Master, HMS Resolution
- February 14, 1781: Master, HMS Belle Poule
- October 5, 1781: Lieutenant, HMS Berwick
- January 1, 1782: Lieutenant, HMS Princess Amelia
- March 20, 1782: Lieutenant, HMS Cambridge
- January 14, 1783: Joined Merchant Service as Lieutenant
- 1785: Commanding Lieutenant, Merchant Vessel Lynx
- 1786: Lieutenant, Merchant Vessel Brittania
- 1787: Returns to Royal Navy active service
- August 16, 1787: Commanding Lieutenant, HMAV Bounty
- November 14, 1790: Captain, HMS Falcon
- December 15, 1790: Captain, HMS Medea
- April 16, 1791: Captain, HMS Providence
- April 30, 1795: Captain, HMS Calcutta
- January 7, 1796: Captain, HMS Director
- March 18, 1801: Post Captain, HMS Glatton
- April 12, 1801: Post Captain, HMS Monarch
- May 8, 1801: Post Captain, HMS Irresistible
- May 2, 1804: Post Captain, HMS Warrior
- May 14, 1805: Governor of New South Wales
- September 27, 1805: Post Captain, HMS Porpoise
- July 31, 1808: Commodore, HMS Porpoise
- April 3, 1810: Commodore, HMS Hindostan
- July 31, 1810: Appointed Rear Admiral of the Blue
- June 4, 1814: Appointed Vice Admiral of the Blue
The voyage of the Bounty
In 1787, Bligh took command of the Bounty. He first sailed to Tahiti to obtain breadfruit trees, then set course for the Caribbean, where the breadfruit were wanted for experiments to see if breadfruit would be a successful food crop there. The Bounty never reached the Caribbean, as mutiny broke out onboard shortly after leaving Tahiti. In later years, Bligh would repeat the same voyage that the Bounty had undertaken and would eventually succeed in delivering the breadfruit to the West Indies. Bligh's mission may have introduced the akee to the Caribbean as well, though this is uncertain. (Akee is now called Blighia sapida in binomial nomenclature after Bligh).
The mutiny, which broke out during the return voyage, was led by Master's Mate Fletcher Christian and supported by a quarter of the crew. The mutineers provided Bligh and the eighteen of his crew who remained loyal with a 23 foot (7 m) launch, provisions sufficient to reach the most accessible ports, a sextant and a pocket watch, but no charts or compass. Bligh disdained the obvious course of action, which would have been sailing for nearer Spanish ports where they would be repatriated to Britain after delays. Bligh was confident in his navigational skills and considering his first responsibility to be getting word of the mutiny as soon as possible to British vessels that could pursue the mutineers, so he embarked instead on a 3618 nautical mile (6701 km) voyage to Timor. In the successful 41 day voyage, the only casualty was one crewman killed by hostile natives.
To this day, the reasons for the mutiny are a subject of considerable debate. Some feel that Bligh was a cruel tyrant whose abuse of the crew led members of the crew to feel that they had no choice but to take the ship from Bligh. Others feel that the crew, after having been exposed to freedom and sexual excess on the island of Tahiti refused to return to the "Jack Tars" existence of a seaman. They hold that the crew took the ship from Bligh so that they could return to a life of comfort and pleasure on Tahiti.
After the Bounty
Bligh was buried in a family plot at Lambeth. This church is now the Museum of Garden History. His gravestone is topped by a breadfruit. Bligh's house is marked by a plaque a block east of the Museum.
- Caroline Alexander, The Bounty: The True Story of the Mutiny on the Bounty, Viking Penguin, 2003, hardcover, 512 pages, ISBN 067003133X
- A Voyage to the South Sea by William Bligh, 1792, from Project Gutenberg. The full title of Bligh's own account of the famous mutiny is: A Voyage to the South Sea, undertaken by command of His Majesty, for the purpose of conveying the bread-fruit tree to the West Indies, in his majesty's ship the Bounty, commanded by Lieutenant William Bligh. Including an account of the Mutiny on board the said ship, and the subsequent voyage of part of the crew, in the ship's boat, from Tofoa, one of the friendly islands, to Timor, a Dutch settlement in the East Indies. The whole illustrated with charts, etc.
- Portraits of Bligh in the National Portrait Gallery, London.
- There is a display devoted to Bligh at the Museum of Garden History.
The contents of this article is licensed from www.wikipedia.org under the GNU Free Documentation License. Click here to see the transparent copy and copyright details | <urn:uuid:9ada3021-68c4-4388-a57d-94700ea4628c> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:00:30",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 4,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9537017941474915,
"score": 3.546875,
"token_count": 1359,
"url": "http://www.all-science-fair-projects.com/science_fair_projects_encyclopedia/William_Bligh"
} |
• excruciate •
Part of Speech: Verb, transitive
Meaning: To torment, to torture, to inflict severe physical or mental on someone.
Notes: Today's Good Word is probably most often heard in the redundant phrase excruciating pain, in other words, extremely painful pain. The participle, excruciating, is used freely as an adjective, but there is an independent noun, excruciation. The agent noun, excruciator, is very rarely used but stands ready if needed.
In Play: While torture applies to systematic physical maltreatment, today's word refers to more casual torment: "Mallory seemed to enjoy excruciating his guests with his accordion." The torment may be mental or physical: "Although Pamela felt quite fashionable at the cotillion, her new shoes excruciated her toes all night."
Word History: Today's word comes from the past participle of Latin excruciare "to torture out, crucify". It is based on ex "out" + cruciare "to crucify", a verb based on crux (cruc-s) "cross", also used by English as the crux of a problem. Since the original root behind crux meant "bent, crooked", we might think crux related to English crook. However, the [k] sounds would have been reduced to [h] or have vanished entirely in English, so no connection can be drawn. (We must be straight with Luis Alejandro Apiolaza, however, and thank him for suggesting today's Good Word, lest our oversight in any way excruciate him.)
Come visit our website at <http://www.alphadictionary.com> for more Good Words and other language resources! | <urn:uuid:09d6b6cb-0974-4f22-91fc-bd4dbff9f5c9> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:07:59",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9438322186470032,
"score": 3.234375,
"token_count": 360,
"url": "http://www.alphadictionary.com/goodword/word/print/excruciate"
} |
Restrictions of freedom
The Act on Protection against Family Violence of 2003 covers the issue of violence perpetrated within families and therefore covers the case of violence towards a relative with dementia. The definition of violence is very comprehensive and includes restriction of freedom of movement and presumably various coercive measures.
“Family violence is any use of physical force or psychological pressure against the integrity of a person; any other behaviour of a family member which can cause or potentially cause physical or psychological pain; causing feelings of fear or being personally endangered or feeling of offended dignity; physical attack regardless of whether or not it results in physical injury, verbal assaults, insults, cursing, name-calling and other forms of severe disturbance; sexual harassment; stalking and other forms of disturbance; illegal isolation or restriction of the freedom of movement or communication with third persons; damage or destruction of property or attempts to do so.” (Cited by the United Nations Division for the Advancement of Women, 2009).
United Nations Division for the Advancement of Women (2009), The UN Secretary-General’s database on violence against women: extract on Croatia. Accessed online on 20 October 2011 at: http://webapps01.un.org/vawdatabase/searchDetail.action?measureId=6015&baseHREF=country&baseHREFId=388
Last Updated: mercredi 14 mars 2012 | <urn:uuid:e99a9177-7071-4cc4-9436-91ad85a08f52> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:23:39",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.8836036324501038,
"score": 3.046875,
"token_count": 282,
"url": "http://www.alzheimer-europe.org/index.php/FR/Policy-in-Practice2/Country-comparisons/Restrictions-of-freedom/Croatia"
} |
Spiders: True or False?
Spiders evolved more than 300 million years ago, long before dinosaurs walked the Earth.
- True. Those ancient spiders didn't build webs but sought the safety of burrows dug underground. There, they were shaded from the Sun and protected from predators.
There are as many species of mammals as there are spiders.
- False. While there are about 6,000 mammal species, scientists have identified over 43,000 spider species so far. There may be at least as many still out there to be discovered.
Every spider sheds its exoskeleton, the inflexible outer shell, several times during its life.
- True. Most stop molting once they reach maturity, though females from some relatively primitive families of spiders continue to do so throughout their lives.
Spiders have poor eyesight.
- True. Nearly all have eight simple eyes--consisting of one lens and a retina--arranged in different ways but, for the most part, don't see very well. In most cases, spiders use other senses, like touch and smell, to help capture prey.
All spiders make webs.
- False. Only about 50 percent of known spider species do. Others hunt their prey or burrow underground. One species, Argyroneta aquatica, lives underwater.
All spider silk is the same.
- False. Spiders make many different kinds of silk, each with a property--toughness, flexibility, stickiness--specific to the task it performs.
Spiders are important predators.
- True. By one estimate, the spiders on one acre of woodland alone consume more than 80 pounds (36 kg) of insects a year! Those insect populations would explode without predators.
Not all spiders have venom.
- True. Those in the group Uloboridae don't. Instead of subduing their prey with venom, they wrap it tightly with silk.
I'm very likely to be bitten by a spider.
- False. With a few exceptions, spiders are very shy. They almost always run away rather than bite. In addition, misdiagnosis of insect bites as spider bites is very common.
Spiders don't care for their offspring.
- False. Many spiders do. For instance, a female wolf spider may carry an egg sac containing her young for weeks. Once the spiderlings hatch, she hauls as many as 100 or more of them on her back for another week or so.
Like many animals, spiders are threatened by habitat destruction and introduced species.
- True. Despite these threats, spiders and other non-vertebrates can be overlooked in conservation planning, in part because they're so small. | <urn:uuid:355f91bc-3817-4af4-8f64-cd94b2bfbe6d> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:24:15",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9397512674331665,
"score": 3.390625,
"token_count": 556,
"url": "http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/past-exhibitions/spiders-alive/spiders-true-or-false"
} |
by AMNH on
Don’t miss this rare view of aspects of traditional Tibetan medicine in exquisite paintings from a set in the Museum’s collections, based on illustrations from the late 17th century. On view in the Audubon Gallery on the fourth floor, these hand-painted reproductions provide a unique and rich illustrated history of early medical knowledge and procedures in Tibet, as Laila Williamson, curator of Body and Spirit, explains in this video:
The 64 paintings on display are believed to be among only a handful of such sets in existence. Each of them was painstakingly reproduced by hand in the late 1990s by Romio Shrestha, a Nepalese artist, and his students, who followed the Tibetan tradition of copying older paintings, basing their work on two published sets of medical tangkas likely painted in the early 1900s that were copies of the original set. The originals were created in the late 1600s to illustrate the Blue Beryl, an important commentary on the classic Tibetan medical text, The Four Tantras.
The Blue Beryl was written by Sangye Gyatso, regent to the Fifth Dalai Lama, who commissioned the original paintings for use as teaching aids in the medical school he founded in Lhasa, Tibet. The causes, diagnostic techniques, and treatments of illness, as well as human anatomy, are represented in nearly 8,000 extraordinarily detailed images painted on canvas using vegetable and mineral dyes. The fate of the original paintings is unknown; Shrestha based his work on published sources.
by AMNH on
Each of the Museum’s treasured habitat dioramas depicts a scene from a real place, cast in the light of a particular time of day. These re-creations are based on meticulous observations of scientists in the field and the on-site sketches of the artists who accompanied them. Last fall, Stephen C. Quinn of the Museum’s Exhibition Department took a remarkable trip to locate the exact site of the Museum’s mountain gorilla diorama and record the changes that have taken place in the 80-plus years since Carl Akeley’s final visit. Below is Quinn’s article about his journey, which originally appeared in the Summer issue of Rotunda, the Members’ magazine.
When Carl Akeley—explorer, naturalist, artist, and taxidermist who created the Museum’s Akeley Hall of African Mammals—first encountered the mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei) in 1921, it was a creature steeped in myth and folklore. Akeley, who was researching and collecting specimens to create the now-famous mountain gorilla diorama, was among the first to accurately document mountain gorillas as intelligent and social animals that, even then, were under grave threat from overhunting. His research inspired him to dedicate the last few years of his life to the conservation and protection of the mountain gorilla. Akeley convinced King Albert of Belgium to set aside 200 square miles that would be their sanctuary, creating Africa’s first national park, which today lies in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the border with Uganda and Rwanda, and which has been classified a World Heritage site by UNESCO since 1979.
by AMNH on
You can now explore some of the objects identified at this year’s ID Day—including a 100-million-year-old fossilized fish and a French Navaja knife—online in the AMNH ID Day group on Flickr. You are also invited to add your own specimen photos, comments, and stories to the group. Sharing your photos is easy: just join the AMNH ID Day group and add your photos to the pool. Unidentified objects are welcome—your photo might be selected for identification by a Museum scientist in the coming months!
Click here to join the group.
by AMNH on
Blogging from west Kenya, William Harcourt-Smith, a research associate in the Division of Paleontology, is directing a 20-million-year-old paleontological site on two islands in Lake Victoria. One of these islands, Rusinga, is best known as the site of the discovery of the first fossils of Proconsul, an early ape. Harcourt-Smith’s multidisciplinary team includes physical anthropologists and geologists, and in addition to collecting fossils, researchers are trying to learn more about the evolutionary events and environmental conditions that may have influenced the emergence of Proconsul and other early ape lineages.
by AMNH on
The United States leads the world in frequency of tornadoes, with over 1,000 twisters expected to hit each year, according to the NationalClimatic Data Center. Nowhere are they more likely to occur than in Florida and a large area of the south-central U.S. known as Tornado Alley—the eponymous subject of the heart-pounding new IMAX film now showing on the big screen at the Museum’s Samuel J. and Ethel LeFrak Theater. | <urn:uuid:f9a2ab25-54c0-4472-81f4-a64805c3606f> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:38:45",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9573226571083069,
"score": 3,
"token_count": 1033,
"url": "http://www.amnh.org/explore/news-blogs/(offset)/405/(tag)/2866"
} |
Search through the catalogue of ancient history books:
Buy this book
Thank you for supporting us by purchasing your books through Ancient History Encyclopedia!
The Hittites were an ancient Anatolian people who spoke a language of the Anatolian branch of the Indo-European language family and established a kingdom centered at Hattusa in on the central Anatolian plateau in the 18th century BC. The Hittite empire reached its height around 1285 BC, encompassing a large part of Anatolia, north-western Syria about as far... [continue reading]
The word civilization is related to the Latin word, civitas ”city”. The term is used in several ways, generally denoting complex human cultural development. Some scholars restrict the use of the term to urbanized societies, in other words, cultures that have achieved a development that has allowed them to create large and permanent settlements... [continue reading]
Babylon was probably the most famous city of ancient Mesopotamia. Until today the city is a symbol for wealth, power, and sin (largely due to its treatment in the Bible). The name Babylon is the Greek form of Babel of Babili, which means "the gate of the god" in Semitic, which again is the translation of the original Sumerian name Ka-dimirra... [continue reading]
Sumer (Sumerian: ki-en-ĝir "Land of the Lords of Brightness", Akkadian: Šumeru; possibly Biblical Shinar) was a civilization and historical region in southern Mesopotamia, Iraq. It is the earliest known civilization in the world and is known as the Cradle of Civilization. The Sumerian civilization spanned over 3000 years and began with... [continue reading]
The term “Aryan” has had a complicated history. The Sanskrit word ārya, the source of the English word, was mainly the self designation of the Vedic Indic people although during time it developed some secondary meanings. It has a cognate in Iranian arya, where it is also a self designation. Both the Indic and Iranian terms descend from a form ārya... [continue reading] | <urn:uuid:07182106-73e8-47d7-b6d2-de61934ff930> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:38:48",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9391722083091736,
"score": 3.484375,
"token_count": 455,
"url": "http://www.ancient.eu.com/books/B007T2OXQE/"
} |
Created on Day 5
April 5, 2012
Part of this creature’s defense mechanism is its bright coloring. Also, when laying its eggs, the female Spanish dancer deposits a toxin with them, which keeps predators from eating the undeveloped Spanish dancers. The information for these habits was given to this creature by its Creator.
- The Spanish dancer’s flattened body is brightly colored in shades of red, pink, or orange.
- Some are a solid color and some are patterned, depending on the location.
- This is the only nudibranch family that has six gills.
- This creature gets its name from the appearance of its swimming motion. It resembles the flaring skirt of a Spanish dancer.
- The male Spanish dancer enters dance competitions to win its mate.
- This creature is one of the most colorful in the world.
- This species was first described in the Red Sea, where its solid red form is found.
GENUS/SPECIES: Hexabranchus sanguineus
Size: Up to 1.5 ft (0.45 m)
Habitat: Shallow waters of tropical Indian Ocean and western Pacific, on coasts and reefs | <urn:uuid:f5d05da3-1ef0-48ff-8ae4-1b495f1abe1a> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:07:33",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9375428557395935,
"score": 3.21875,
"token_count": 248,
"url": "http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/aqua/spanish-dancer"
} |
So I've been reading a LOT of Carl jung's works recently. In 'Dreams, Memories and reflections' as well as 'the archetypes and the collective unconscious', he describes in great detail various communications he has made with his unconscious mind, which manifest themselves in all sorts of figures and scenes. Many of the experiences he describes were prophetic in nature and in my opinion, his description of the archetypes is incredibly fascinating and links in with Tony's idea of the Daemon.
In 'On the Relation of Analytical Psychology to Poetry' Jung writes :-
'The primordial image, or archetype, is a figure--be it a daemon, a human being, or a process--that constantly recurs in the course of history and appears wherever creative fantasy is freely expressed. Essentially, therefore, it is a mythological figure. . . . In each of these images there is a little piece of human psychology and human fate, a remnant of the joys and sorrows that have been repeated countless times in our ancestral history.. '
Concerning direct communication with this 'Daemon' archetype Jung came up with a method called 'active imagination', which he said he had used on himself and his patients to communicate with their subconscious (their daemon).
Copied from wikipedia:-
Active Imagination is a concept developed by Carl Jung between 1913 and 1916. It is a meditation technique wherein the contents of one's unconscious are translated into images, narrative or personified as separate entities. It can serve as a bridge between the conscious 'ego' and the unconscious and includes working with dreams and the creative self via imagination or fantasy. Jung linked Active Imagination with the processes of alchemy in that both strive for oneness and inter-relatedness from a set of fragmented and dissociated parts.
Key to the process of active imagination is the goal of exerting as little influence as possible on mental images as they unfold. For example, if a person were recording a spoken visualization of a scene or object from a dream, Jung's approach would ask the practitioner to observe the scene, watch for changes, and report them, rather than to consciously fill the scene with one's desired changes. One would then respond genuinely to these changes, and report any further changes in the scene. This approach is meant to ensure that the unconscious contents express themselves without overbearing influence from the conscious mind. At the same time, however, Jung was insistent that some form of participation in active imagination was essential: 'You yourself must enter into the process with your personal reactions...as if the drama being enacted before your eyes were real'.
Of the origination of active imagination, Jung wrote:
“It was during Advent of the year 1913 – December 12, to be exact – that I resolved upon the decisive step. I was sitting at my desk once more, thinking over my fears. Then I let myself drop. Suddenly it was as though the ground literally gave way beneath my feet, and I plunged into the dark depths.”
Carl Jung developed this technique as one of several that would define his distinctive contribution to the practice of psychotherapy. Active imagination is a method for visualizing unconscious issues by letting them act themselves out. Active imagination can be done by visualization (which is how Jung himself did it), which can be considered similar in technique at least to shamanic journeying. Active imagination can also be done by automatic writing, or by artistic activities such as dance, music, painting, sculpting, ceramics, crafts, etc. Jung considered indeed that 'The patient can make himself creatively independent through this method...by painting himself he gives shape to himself'. Doing active imagination permits the thoughtforms of the unconscious, or inner 'self', and of the totality of the psyche, to act out whatever messages they are trying to communicate to the conscious mind.
For Jung however, this technique had the potential not only to allow communication between the conscious and unconscious aspects of the personal psyche with its various components and inter-dynamics, but also between the personal and 'collective' unconscious; and therefore was to be embarked upon with due care and attentiveness. Indeed, he warned with respect to '"active imagination"...The method is not entirely without danger, because it may carry the patient too far away from reality'. The post-Jungian Michael Fordham was to go further, suggesting that 'active imagination, as a transitional phenomenon ...can be, and often is, both in adults and children put to nefarious purposes and promotes psychopathology'.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_imagination
Has anybody tried this method or done any further research into it? | <urn:uuid:3e9d77a7-4e98-4651-92d9-2d11a816fb7f> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:07:36",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.970366358757019,
"score": 2.515625,
"token_count": 953,
"url": "http://www.anthonypeake.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=2039"
} |
One half of optics was missing
At optical frequencies, electromagnetic waves interact with an ordinary optical material (e.g., glass) via the electronic polarizability of the material. In contrast, the corresponding magnetizability is negligible for frequencies above a few THz, or in other words, its magnetic permeability is identical to unity (μ(ω)=1). Consequently, the optical properties of an ordinary optical material are completely characterized by its electric permittivity ε(ω) (or dielectric function). As a result, we can only directly manipulate the electric component of light with an appropriate optical device while we have no immediate handle on the corresponding magnetic component. One half of optics has been missing.
Artificial magnetism at optical frequencies
Photonic metamaterials open up a way to overcome this constraint. The basic idea is to create an artificial crystal with significantly sub-wavelength periods. Analogous to an ordinary optical material, such a photonic metamaterial can approximately be treated as an effective medium characterized by effective material parameters ε(ω) and μ(ω). However, the proper design of the elementary building blocks (or "artificial atoms" or "meta-atoms") of the photonic metamaterial allows for a non-vanishing magnetic response and even for μ<0 at optical frequencies – despite the fact that the constituent materials of the photonic metamaterial are completely non-magnetic.
Negative refractive index …
Much of the early excitement in the field has been about achieving a negative index of refraction n<0 by simultaneous ε<0 and µ<0 at near-infrared or even at visible frequencies. A negative refractive index means that the phase velocity of light is opposite to the electromagnetic energy flow (the Poynting vector). This unusual situation has inspired fascinating ideas like the so-called "perfect lens", which employs the fact that the optical path length between two spatially separate points can be made equal to zero, rendering the two points equivalent for the purpose of optics.
… and beyond
Artificial magnetism is also a necessary prerequisite for obtaining strong optical activity and circular dichroism. These phenomena are based on magnetic dipoles excited by the electric component of the light field and vice versa. Three-dimensional metal helices have been a corresponding paradigm building block in optical textbooks, but their nanofabrication has not been possible until quite recently. Such gold-helix metamaterials can be applied as compact and broadband (more than one octave) circular polarizers - the circular analogue of the good old wire-grid linear polarizer (already used by Heinrich Hertz in his pioneering experiments on electromagnetic waves in Karlsruhe in 1887) and possibly a first down-to-earth application of the deceptively simple but far-reaching ideas of photonic metamaterials.
Transforming optical space
Further flexibility for achieving certain functions arises from intentionally spatially inhomogeneous optical metamaterials. Such structures can be designed using the concepts of transformation optics, which is inspired by Albert Einstein’s theory of General Relativity. In essence, distortions of actual space (e.g., due to heavy masses) can equivalently be mimicked by distortions of optical space, i.e., by tailoring the local index of refraction. Invisibility cloaking structures have been a demanding benchmark example for the strength of transformation optics because invisibility cloaks would have been considered "impossible" just five years ago. Today, direct laser writing has allowed for the first three-dimensional invisibility cloaking structures. Lately, even visible operation frequencies have become accessible.
A complete list of publications can be found here. | <urn:uuid:daebb916-fc77-4989-a71e-ab10d0c822cd> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:29:54",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9100074768066406,
"score": 3.46875,
"token_count": 765,
"url": "http://www.aph.kit.edu/wegener/264.php"
} |
I have long thought that drawing should and would just evolve naturally in kids, and that teaching specific skills might stunt their growth and creativity. But I've been changing my mind about this more and more over the last couple of years.
Maia has been asking for specific drawing guidance for over a year now and I've debated and struggled with this in my head during this time. However, I've finally made the plunge, partly because I worry that she might lose interest in art and drawing altogether if she becomes too frustrated with her ability to draw what she wants, and partly because of this passage from Drawing with Children:
"We don't expect children to play the piano, study dance, or learn a sport without showing them the basic components of these subjects. Why do we expect them to understand the complexities of drawing on their own?"
And, regarding the Monart method, Brookes says:
"Everyone loves to draw if they are given a nonthreatening environment with enough structure for success and enough freedom for creativity. That is what Monart provides. The particular sequence of lessons in this book builds a safe environment as it teaches students to use an alphabet of shape to analyze and break down what they see. Development of perceptual and analytical skills increases critical thinking and problem solving. Easy and quick artistic success also builds self-esteem, and this confidence is transferable to other educational areas."
Sounds good, doesn't it?
So we are beginning to work through the lessons in the Drawing with Children book, spreading the material and exercises from each lesson/chapter out over a week or two. My aim is to keep it fun and go with the flow, but with a specific focus on improving drawing skills. I'll be posting about our progress, if you'd like to follow along.
Daphne will probably draw as well during this time in her own way or play quietly (one can always hope, anyway), but I don't think that she is ready or interested in this kind of instruction yet.
So all that's by way of introduction to today's post...
Maia's drawing, before starting lessons in the book (age 7.5)
Earlier this week, Maia and I each did a drawing to determine our starting level, as outlined by Mona Brookes. I had paper and pens set out after school on Monday afternoon and we each drew a scene with a house, a tree, a person, flowers, shrubs, as well as a few other things. Brookes suggests taking at least 30 minutes for the drawing, and I think we did about that, although I didn't set a timer.
My drawing, before starting lessons in the book (age 35.9)
I'm hoping to improve my own drawing skills as well and so Maia and I are doing this together. Drawing with Children is subtitled "A Creative Method for Adult Beginners, Too." and while I don't consider myself a beginner, it's been years since I've done any drawing and I could definitely use some skill development and practice.
Mona Brookes suggests that to draw well, we need to be more observant of the 5 kinds of lines that things are composed of: dots, circles, straight lines, curved lines, and angles. To determine a starting level in the Monart method, she includes a shape replication exercise that Maia and I both completed.
Maia enjoyed the exercise and was easily able to complete the drawings in all three of the stages, minus the most detailed one from the final 3rd (probably due to a combination of difficulty and losing her interest and focus by that time).
Daphne had no interest in doing the exercise. I had copied one of the stage 1 exercises for her to try if she wanted to join us, but she wasn't able to do it and/or had no interest in trying. I didn't force it, but let her draw with her rock crayons instead (and arrange them on an upturned basket...). With her, I will follow Mona Brooks' suggestion of identifying shapes and lines in our environment for now.
We still have some more to do from lesson 1, including some warm up games and exercises and then a drawing where we pull together all the shape drawing practice we've been doing.
It'll be interesting to see how both of our drawings progress in the weeks and months to come. I'd also like to explore Betty Edwards' Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, especially for myself, but am going to focus on this book to begin with.
What do you think? Should drawing skills be taught systematically like this when the child is requesting help learning "how to draw" or should the child be left to develop her own skills naturally?
Follow along on the Drawing with Kids series:
- Drawing with Kids using the Monart Method
- Drawing with Kids with the Monart Method :: Lesson 1
- Drawing with Kids :: Lions! (Monart Method Lesson 2) | <urn:uuid:07e72ccd-9f20-45fb-8018-39cda5feff81> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:37:27",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9774684906005859,
"score": 2.9375,
"token_count": 1017,
"url": "http://www.artfulparent.com/2013/03/drawing-with-kids-using-the-monart-method.html"
} |
The tiger lily is easy to grow and care for, requiring little attention. They thrive in wet soil, and are commonly found near ditches. The bulbs should be planted in early fall, and in warmer climates they can be planted in the late fall.
Because the tiger lily does not produce any seed, it needs to be propagated with the bulbous. These are the small bulbs that grow between the leaf stalk and stem. They can be planted and grown in a nursery and then later transplanted outdoors.
1) Plant the tiger lilies in an area outside with partial to full shade and in an area of soil that will not get overly wet. Plant the lilies in soil far from other flowers of the lily family because they are susceptible to disease and can quickly spread it to other lily members.
2) When the soil starts to get a bit dry, water the tiger lillies. This should be about once a week, unless it’s exceptionally dry or hot. You may need to water them twice a week.
3) A 5-10-10 fertilizer is best for tiger lilies and should be given to them monthly (you can similarly give them lily feed). You should not fertilize the lilies in the winter, but rather when they are growing and in bloom in the rest of the year.
4) When a flower dies, cut it off.
Tip: Sterilize the shears before trimming anything off the lily, because they are so prone to disease and viruses.
5) In the late autumn, when the plant starts to yellow and die, you should cut the whole plant back.
Tip: Be careful not to snip anything while the tiger lily plant is still green because this can harm its ability to grow back next season. | <urn:uuid:e17bf839-716d-4647-8e1c-fbcfc7267e53> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:00:55",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9558818340301514,
"score": 2.890625,
"token_count": 372,
"url": "http://www.ask.com/explore/how-grow-and-care-tiger-lillies"
} |
|born on||7 March 1782 at 05:00 (= 05:00 AM )|
|Place||Schilpario, Italy, 46n01, 10e09|
|Timezone||LMT m10e09 (is local mean time)|
|Astrology data||16°46' 24°05 Asc. 07°21'|
Italian ecclesiastic, a Roman Catholic priest, cardinal and classical scholar. He discovered and published many valuable manuscripts, and one of his most acclaimed finds was Cicero’s "De republica," 1822.
At an early age, Mai entered the Society of Jesus. In 1799, he was a novice, and in 1804, he was sent to Naples. Due to his proficiency in deciphering and identifying the origin of ancient writings, he was sent to work in the Ambrosian Library in Milan in 1811 where he made his initial discoveries. The unveiling of these texts drew worldwide attention to Mai, and in 1819, he left the Society at the request of the Pope to continue his work at the Vatican Library.
Mai was criticized for being unwilling to share his literary finds as he much preferred to enjoy them alone; however, his passion for learning and literature gifted the world with unpublished writings from more than 350 authors. In 1838, the pope made him a cardinal, but he continued his work, searching for more treasures from the past.
Cardinal Mai died on 9/08/1854, Albano, Italy.
- Misc. : Find something 1822 (Cicero's "De republica")
- Work : New Career 1799 (Novice)
- Family : Change residence 1804 (Sent to Naples)
- Work : New Job 1811 at 12:00 midnight in Milan, Italy (Ambrosian Library)
- Social : Left group 1819 (Left Society of Jesus)
- Work : Gain social status 1838 (Became cardinal)
- Death, Cause unspecified 8 September 1854 at 12:00 noon in Albano, Italy (Age 72)
chart Placidus Equal_H.
Steinbrecher quotes B.C.
- Vocation : Religion : Ecclesiastics/ western (R. C. priest and cardinal)
- Vocation : Education : Teacher (Classical scholar)
- Vocation : Writers : Publisher/ Editor (Manuscripts)
- Passions : Sexuality : Celibacy/ Minimal | <urn:uuid:ca54ec6b-c5a1-4601-9209-36c652236a33> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:02:18",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9293250441551208,
"score": 2.578125,
"token_count": 512,
"url": "http://www.astro.com/astro-databank/Mai,_Angelo"
} |
When recycling automobiles, the focus to date has been on metals. However, current practice increasingly uses as much of the non-metallic content of the vehicle as possible. Suitability for recycling is a characteristic that is already being taken into account during design.
Even before recycling scrap, Audi tries to avoid producing it. For that reason, most of the components and raw materials are delivered by suppliers in re-usable packaging. 95 percent of all the scrap created during production is recycled. Furthermore, materials used in the car are marked so that clear identification at the beginning of the recycling process is made easier. | <urn:uuid:31f1ac52-6a1a-4d34-999b-aa6fccded3fd> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:00:09",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9779125452041626,
"score": 2.84375,
"token_count": 121,
"url": "http://www.audiusa.com/us/brand/en/tools/advice/glossary/recycling_at_audi.browser.filter_list_g.filter_c_drivetrain.html"
} |
Animal Species:Striped Dolphin
The Striped Dolphin is a small sleek compact dolphin with a striking body pattern that gives it its name.
The Striped Dolphin is a small sleek compact dolphin with a long well defined beak, prominent dorsal fin and short tapering flippers. It is the striking body pattern that gives it its name. A bold black stripe runs the full length of the body from behind the eye to the anus. This separates the bluish grey flank from the white ventral surface. A second smaller stripe runs from the front of the eye to the behind the flipper. A third section of dark grey covers the top of the head, the dorsal fin and on towards the back of the body.
The distribution of the Striped Dolphin is confined to warm tropical and temperate waters, where it occurs in schools of many hundreds of animals. These groups are highly visible as they stir the surface with displays of high speed swimming and aerial acrobatics.
Feeding and Diet
A widely distributed species such as this tends to include a high diversity of organisms in its diet. These include a variety of shoaling fish and cephalopods (squid and octopus) concentrating on those species occurring in large dense schools.
These animals form very socially cohesive groups of between 100 and 500 individuals however the age structure varies. Some are composed of adults only, others consist of adults and juveniles. Calving occurs in late summer in smaller mixed aged schools numbering about 30 animals. The gestation period lasts about one year with the interval between such events around of four years.
The Striped Dolphin is an abundant species. It has had some regional population losses such as those stemming from the drive fisheries practiced in Japan, and the mysterious die off of more than 1000 individuals in the Mediterranean. Fishing industry practices still cause some deaths through entanglement and indirectly impact on some populations by depletion of their food resource.
- Baker, A. N. 1999. Whales and Dolphins of Australia and New Zealand: an identification guide. Allen & Unwin, St Leonards, Australia.
- Bryden, M., Marsh, H. and Shaughnessy, P. 1998. Dugongs, Whales, Dolphins and Seals. A guide to the sea mammals of Australasia. Allen & Unwin, St Leonards, Australia.
- Menkhorst, P. 2001. A Field Guide to Mammals of Australia. Oxford University Press, Melbourne, Australia.
- Reeves, R. R., Stewart, B. S., Clapham, P. J. and Powell, J. A. 2002. National Audubon Society Guide to Marine Mammals of the World. Chanticleer Press, Inc New York, USA. | <urn:uuid:aafa8009-727c-4bcd-bc6b-ca2e7916c893> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:33:35",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 4,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.8807941675186157,
"score": 3.640625,
"token_count": 560,
"url": "http://www.australianmuseum.net.au/Striped-Dolphin"
} |
Please note that this section reports on claims that have NOT yet been substantiated through scientific studies.
Arginine is claimed to improve fertility in men by increasing sperm count. It may also help stimulate the output of human growth hormone (HGH) and increase collagen in connective tissue.
Arginine may be helpful in reducing fatigue, improving wound healing, increasing muscle mass, and treating diabetes and liver disease.
There are some indications that arginine may be useful in the fight against cancer and play a role in the treatment of HIV/AIDS.
Amino acids (AAs) are available as individual AAs or in proprietary AA combinations, as well as part of multi-vitamin formulas, proteins, and food supplements. The forms include tablets, fluids, and powders. However, adequate protein in the diet should provide a sufficient source of all amino acids.
There are no conditions that increase the requirements for arginine. However, newborns do have higher requirements than adults.
The use of a single amino acid supplement may lead to negative nitrogen balance, decreasing the metabolic efficiency, and increasing the workload of the kidneys. In children, taking single amino acid supplements may also harmfully affect growth parameters.
Always avoid taking individual amino acids in high dosage for prolonged periods.
Use with caution in patients with diabetes, hepatic or renal impairment, or electrolyte imbalance, as arginine may cause life-threatening hyperkalemia (elevated potassium in the blood).
Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should not use arginine supplements.
Children and adolescents should not use arginine supplements. Individuals with an active herpes infection also should avoid using arginine.
Click here for a list of reputable websites with general information on nutrition. | <urn:uuid:72d1e33e-094f-4d15-8079-a9da0f0008fc> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:17:05",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9160398244857788,
"score": 2.53125,
"token_count": 361,
"url": "http://www.bayhealth.org/BayhealthContentPage.aspx?nd=839&parm1=Arginine&parm2=19&doc=true"
} |
Guest Author - Preena Deepak
Music and dance rituals were an important aspect of temple worship in ancient India. In this pretext it was also a common Hindu tradition to dedicate or commission young girls to gods. These girls called ‘Devadasis’ were then separated from their families and trained in music, dance and a unique lifestyle within temple gates unlike their counterparts outside. Their life was from then on, one of service to the gods.
When a Devadasi attained puberty, she was married to the deity in a religious ceremony. From then on she would become a temple prostitute. Indian temples always had the patronage of Kings who ruled the country and in many instances devadasis became the concubines of the kings. In other cases, devadasis lived with their patron who provided them with property and wealth.
Marriage was forbidden for Devadasis who were eternally bound to the deity. However Devadasis became available to anyone who was able to ‘afford’ their keep.
The word ‘Devadasi’ means ‘Servant of God’. The girls dedicated to become Devadasis were mostly from poor, lower caste families for whom devoting one child to the god only meant less pressure on the family’s meager finances. Devadasis were considered blessed as entering into wedlock with the god protected them from widowhood. As a result of these reasons several young girls were pushed into prostitution, under the safe banner of religion.
Traces of the Devadasi system can be seen in many parts of India, particularly in South Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. It is believed that the Devadasis of Orissa, called ‘Mahari’ did not practice prostitution but devoted themselves to temple service and had special duties assigned to them.
With the decline of monarchy in India and with the invasion of Moghul and British rulers, the Devadasi system began to deteriorate. Christian Missionaries who worked in India, Social Activists and Reformers also had a share in putting an end to this grotesque Indian custom. The Indian Government banned the Devadasi system in 1988. However in spite of this, the Devadasi system continues under cover in India.
Under the burden of poverty, many young girls are still commissioned as Devadasis though Indian temples no longer have music and dance rituals or dedication ceremonies. These girls are married to the god and then sent for prostitution in red light areas. Unlike olden days, most of these girls do not have regular patrons and suffer under many men before succumbing to AIDS and other venereal diseases.
The children born to Devadasis are forced to follow along the footsteps of their mothers, since they live alienated from main stream life and are rejected from social institutions. This creates a vicious circle in which many young girls in India get trapped even today. | <urn:uuid:9aa79f17-0445-4d02-8425-01d19cb43d0a> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:00:29",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 4,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9799504280090332,
"score": 3.640625,
"token_count": 594,
"url": "http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art176785.asp"
} |
| Risk Factors
is a chronic, severe, disabling brain disorder. It interferes with the way a person interprets reality. People with schizophrenia may:
- Hear voices or see things that others do not
- Become paranoid that people are plotting against them
- Experience cognitive deficits
- Withdraw socially
These and other symptoms make it difficult for people with schizophrenia to have positive relationships with others.
Regions of the Brain
Copyright © Nucleus Medical Media, Inc.
The cause of schizophrenia is unknown but it is associated with problems in brain structure and chemistry. There may be some genetic role.
Schizophrenia does not develop because of one factor. You may have a gene that increases your chance of schizophrenia, but you may not develop the disease based on your environment. Environment means any outside factor like stress or infection.
Factors that increase your risk of schizophrenia include:
- Having a parent or sibling with schizophrenia
- Marijuana use or other drug use
- Father being of older age
- Other factors, like problems during pregnancy or birth such as infection
Men typically develop symptoms in their late teens or early twenties. Schizophrenia in women tends to occur in their twenties or thirties. In rare cases, it is seen in childhood.
Symptoms often appear slowly. They may become more disturbing and bizarre over time or occur in a matter of weeks or months.
Symptoms may include:
- Hallucinations—seeing or hearing things/voices that are not there
- Delusions—strong but false personal beliefs that are not based in reality
- Disorganized thinking
- Disorganized speech—lack of ability to speak in a way that makes sense
- Catatonic behavior—slow movement, repeating rhythmic gestures, pacing, walking in circles, refusal to do things, repetitive speech
- Emotional flatness—flat speech, lack of facial expression, and general disinterest and withdrawal
- Inappropriate laughter
- Poor hygiene and self-care
Your doctor will ask you about your symptoms and medical history. A physical exam will be done.
Schizophrenia is diagnosed by certain symptoms that:
- Exist most of the time during a period of one month
- Cause a decreased level of functioning
- Continue for at least six months (certain symptoms)
The doctor will rule out other causes, such as drug use, physical illness, or other mental health conditions.
Schizophrenia is not curable, but it is highly treatable. Hospitalization may be required during acute episodes. Symptoms are usually controlled with antipsychotic medicine.
Talk to your doctor about the best treatment plan for you. Options may include one or more of the following:
Antipsychotic medicines work by blocking certain chemicals in the brain. This helps control the abnormal thinking that occurs in people with schizophrenia. Determining a medicine plan can be a complicated process. Often medicines or dosages need to be changed until the right balance is found. This can take months or even years. The right balance of medication will have the least amount of side effects possible with the greatest benefit.
It is important to continue taking the medication even if you are feeling better. Symptoms will return once the medication has been stopped. A long-acting injection instead of daily pills may be used if you have difficulty taking regular medication.
Antipsychotic medication also have side effects that may make it difficult to stick to a medication routine. Common side effects include:
- Slow and stiff movements
- Facial tics
- Protruding tongue
atypical antipsychotics have fewer side effects and are better tolerated over long periods of time. However, these medication may cause weight gain, high blood sugar levels, and
Medications for Coexisting Conditions
anxiety can often occur with schizophrenia. They may be treated with:
- Anti-anxiety medicine
- Mood stabilizers
Schizophrenia is a lifelong condition. It can be confusing and frightening for the person with the disease and for family members. Individual and family therapy can address:
- Social skills
- Vocational guidance
- Community resources
- Family issues
- Living arrangements
- Emotional support
If you are diagnosed with schizophrenia, follow your doctor's
There are no guidelines for preventing schizophrenia because the cause is unknown. But studies show that early, aggressive treatment leads to better outcomes. | <urn:uuid:4d77d96e-83ef-417e-b94d-d9b9cdc397d1> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:09:38",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 4,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9299747943878174,
"score": 3.625,
"token_count": 897,
"url": "http://www.bidmc.org/YourHealth/ConditionsAZ.aspx?ChunkID=11579"
} |
Cyberattacks on IT systems are increasing at an exponential rate. From 2006 to 2009, organizations reported that the number of security incidents grew more than 400 percent. According to reports, many of these security breaches were introduced at the user level.
Along with an increase in attacks, there has also been an increase in the quantity and type of data stored on networks. Given the number of staff members with varying security levels who require access to networks, organizations have had to redouble efforts to protect data and systems. Yet securing the desktop, a major access point to the network, is often overlooked.
Following are some simple and effective ways to protect desktops — ensuring that they do not become gateways for unauthorized access to the agency network.
Although it's common practice in many organizations to limit the use of flash drives and other devices that utilize USB ports, many others do not do this. Flash drives open organizations to data theft, and an infected USB device can introduce viruses. If it's necessary to use flash drives, it's best to select a secure drive with on-board antivirus software.
Typically, antivirus software is already installed on PCs when they arrive from the factory. This is often the first line of defense against viruses attempting to gain access via individual client devices. Whether scanning e-mail attachments or preventing intrusions from infected websites, antivirus software should not be ignored. Many users, however, disable their antivirus software or do not update it. These actions render the software ineffective or obsolete.
Scheduling automatic updates and maintaining the software are both necessary for it to remain effective and serve as a defense against the barrage of viruses that attack networks every day.
Most malware that enters a desktop, and ultimately the network, comes from users who have downloaded infected software or applications. Restricting the ability of staff to automatically download software or applications reduces vulnerabilities at the desktop and limits the ways in which malware can access an organization's systems.
Secure KVM (keyboard, video, mouse) switches let users access both secure and nonsecure networks through a single set of peripherals. By keeping various networks isolated from one another, secure KVM switching devices eliminate potential data breaches.
Authorized workers can then access secure data with neither the threat of introducing harmful data to the secure network nor any risk of accidentally copying or transferring classified data to systems outside the secure network. Additionally, many secure KVM switches can lock down USB devices, allowing only authorized devices — such as keyboards, mice and Common Access Card readers — to connect to the network.
Threats are on the rise, with company data and systems as prime targets for hostile foreign governments, terrorists and cybercriminals. The threat posed to federal systems must be addressed using a variety of security solutions; but don't overlook the desktop, which represents one of the most vulnerable access points in any organization's infrastructure. | <urn:uuid:d06c5048-1e9f-4eb0-ae1b-e87fabe21fa2> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:37:44",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9474717378616333,
"score": 3.125,
"token_count": 582,
"url": "http://www.biztechmagazine.com/print/5510"
} |
The predicted shortage arises from a number of forces:
According to a recent New York Times article, "The number of training positions for medical school graduates is lagging. Younger doctors are on average working fewer hours than their predecessors. And about a third of the country's doctors are 55 or older, and nearing retirement."
An aging baby boom generation will need more care.
Our increasingly unhealthy population, with half of US adults having some kind of chronic condition, needs more care.
The supply chain for producing US-trained physicians is expensive and restricted.
Federal health care reform will make prevention and early treatment available to more people, adding up to 300,000 more patients into the primary care funnel.
The size of the problem is significant. The Association of American Medical Colleges estimates the shortage will total 62,900 fewer doctors than needed by 2015, rising to over 150,000 by 2025, and this excludes the impact of the new federal healthcare law. There are about 950,000 US physicians today, with shortages existing already in some locations (e.g. rural areas and even Riverside County, Calif.
Under the current way of thinking, the solution to this problem has been framed as "how do we create more physicians?" Let me play contrarian and argue that we could find better, quicker solutions by asking two alternative questions: (1) "How do we design our health care system to be less physician-dependent?" (2) "How can we use whatever physician resources we have more effectively?"
Here are 10 ideas for fixing – or at least shrinking – the physician shortage, borrowed from what businesses have been doing for generations to reduce use of scarce resources. One test of health care reform is whether you see strategies like these being deployed.
Deploy nurses and physician assistants, who are less expensive to train, to manage more care. Physician assistants can do 85 percent of the work of general physician practitioners.
Shift our physician payment system from a pay-per-procedure model to a pay-per-episode of care model, creating incentives for providers to reduce unnecessary procedures.
Hold a national conversation on end-of-life care plans. As a nation we spend too much money extending life by weeks while hurting quality of life among the very elderly and burdening resources that could be used elsewhere.
Reform malpractice laws to reduce defensive medical procedures while, at the same time, intensify US government efforts to reduce Medicare and Medicaid fraud.
Create financial incentives for people to stay healthy and better manage chronic health care conditions. While women should not be charged more for health insurance than men, shouldn't smokers and obese people able but unwilling to exercise have to pay more for insurance?
Expand "care co-ordination" services to better manage chronic care, reducing episodes that demand costly interventions. This is especially important for those with multiple chronic diseases.
Use tele-medicine to create early alerts for patients and caregivers, when problems can be solved using fewer resources. Medical monitoring company Phillips completed a randomized trail of tele-medicine solutions in the UK, reducing Emergency Room admissions 20% and mortality 45% among 6000 patients with chronic conditions. Fortunately digital healthcare is a rapidly growing US industry.
Combine process efficiency with technology capabilities to increase physician efficiency, allowing for lower cost, higher quality care. IBM's Watson is being programmed to more rapidly identify differential diagnoses. Extended reliance on imaging software, networked computers and robotic surgery instruments could lower costs while also helping address rural healthcare shortages. (Disclosure: I work for IBM and the views on this blog are my own do not necessarily represent this company's positions, strategies or views.)
Dramatically alter physician payment systems and medical school tuition models to increase the supply of primary, pediatric, and internal care physicians relative to specialists. One of the inherent problems in healthcare is that supply creates it own demand. Is it any wonder that the US, with far more specialists relative to primary care physicians than other nations, spends more on healthcare and has poorer population health?
Empower consumers to be smarter buyers of healthcare by making cost and outcome information broadly available.
All of these changes demand culture change within healthcare systems and a willingness of physicians to lose some power in return for creating a far more powerful health care system that advances US population health and best deploys physician skills. It also requires an interconnected, data-intelligent and aligned ecosystem of providers, medical products companies, payers and other service providers focused on patients – advancing their health effectively and efficiently. Leading healthcare systems, physicians, payers and policymakers understand this and are leading the change.
Kay Plantes is an MIT-trained economist, business strategy consultant, columnist and author. Business model innovation, strategic leadership and smart economic policies are her professional passions. She was an economic advisor for former Wisconsin Gov. Lee Dreyfus. | <urn:uuid:fb25e178-1f98-4223-9927-02cee01311b4> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:16:49",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9439718723297119,
"score": 2.53125,
"token_count": 985,
"url": "http://www.biztimes.com/article/20120813/BLOGS/120819968/0/Retail_Restaurants"
} |
Log Boat is an uncommon type of boat that is made with a unique part of hollowed wood, Called “Monoxylon” is the oldest type of boat than have been found by the archeologist, these boats are similar in many countries, but the denomination is very different for example in Germany is called “einbaum” and in South America are called Canoas.
Its construction considers several basic steps:
The uses that people gave to this boat were very diverse, for example:
In South Africa: In Africa was there was many types of fishing boats, Log-Boat were very common in Limpopo River, and many rivers. Log Boat in South Africa used to be used for transport, fishing and hunting.
In Europe: If we talk about Log Boat in Europe we will find a big history around these boats. For example Byzantine Empire has used this boat to attack Constantinople, and many people gave different uses such as transport, fishing and hunting.
In North America: In North America these boats were famous, with different uses. These boats were used for ceremonial purposes. | <urn:uuid:621897f8-404f-4d14-b64a-2f4bfd4ec9fb> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:31:33",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9899735450744629,
"score": 3.1875,
"token_count": 226,
"url": "http://www.boatsdepot.org/types-of-boats/log-boat/"
} |
In the realm of spirituality, Sri Aurobindo remains an enigmatic Indian personality and philosopher. He is one of the giants of modern Indian spirituality, who along with Vivekananda, Tagore, Gandhi and Radhakrishnan, was responsible for putting forth Indian philosophy in a comprehensive modern context, which then could be understood by the Western world at large. Sri Aurobindo's work is the least known of these five, but his teachings of philosophy and spirituality have the wisdom and appeal for a longer survival, similar to those of Vivekananda. Sri Aurobindo's evolution of consciousness was his life's experience that he documented in series of writings, in the process offering the world a critical and original philosophical system.
In his formative years, Aurobindo surmised that the oppression of Indian thought by the ruling British had deleterious effects on it. He thus became a revolutionary inCalcutta, working against the British rulers. Four years before Gandhi started political revolution in India, Sri Aurobindo had spent time in Alipore jail in the year 1910, charged with sedition and conspiracy. In the prison, Sri Aurobindo experienced the strength of his inner consciousness and emerged as a spiritual Yogi. His Ashram in Pondicherry has survived until today under the guidance of the spiritual Mother.
It is intriguing as to how a boy, who was being groomed to become an 'English Gentleman' by his father (who seemed to loathe anything 'Indian') could transform into a revolutionary freedom fighter first, and then a premier world renowned Yogi, with his own brand of spirituality and philosophy. His life-changing experience, according to him, was a result of an inner consciousness that took shape long before it could be expressed to the outer world. This perhaps explains his intuitive affinity towards his motherland, the culture of which was foreign to him during his childhood.
Sri Aurobindo was the fourth child of Dr. Krishnadhan Ghose, a surgeon, who was a District Medical Officer at Khulna, East Bengal, and Swarnalatha Devi Ghose. He was originally named Aravinda Ackroyd. He was born on August 15, 1872 (that date was to become very significant in Indian history, seventy-five years later). At age five he was sent to Loretto Convent School in Darjeeling for two years. He then was sent to Manchester, England, to be home-schooled by the Dewett family until he was twelve years old. High school was finished in St. Paul's School in Cambridge followed by two years of college at King's College, Cambridge (1890-92).
While at college he addressed the Indian student group called Indian Majlis and advocated freedom for India from the British. His formative years had been spent with a culture alien to India, educated by the Irish nuns of Darjeeling first, and then by the ministers and dons of the Church of England. By the time he finished college he could speak English and French fluently and also could read Greek, Latin and Italian. He could manage to speak Bengali, his mother tongue, only a bit.
His affinity for his motherland had been kept alive by a radical newspaper, The Bengalee, which published articles about maltreatment of Indians in the hands of Englishmen. The paper was committed to Indian independence from the British and this fanned the affinity Aravinda Ackroyd had for his motherland, and gave him a patriotic sense of belonging. He returned to India in 1893 with great anticipation. Upon reaching the shores of Bombay, he had an intense and profound spiritual experience, 'a calm that lasted for several months' - as he would later recount.
Parallel Course of Politics and Spirituality
Aurobindo had already dropped the name Ackroyd and joined the service of Maharaja of Baroda. He taught English and French at Baroda College and later became Vice-President of the College. During his twelve year tenure in Baroda, Aurobindo learnt many Indian languages. He became fluent in Sanskrit, Marathi, Gujarati and Bengali. In April 1901 he married Mrinalini Bose, a pious Hindu, barely half his age. While at Baroda he wrote a series of literary works, translations and political commentaries which gave him the ability of raising the consciousness of Indians, both in the political and social circles. His own mental development seemed to have progressed along two prongs. He was having unexplained spiritual experiences, seemingly accidental that pushed him more and more towards spiritual quests of higher levels. These experiences were enhanced by his meetings with Sister Nivedita in 1902 and an experience of 'the vacant Infinite' at the Sankarachaya hill in Kashmir in 1903.
Mrinalini Bose, the young wife of Aurobindo had not been able to join in her husband's spiritual journey, and their differences became more than just the differences in their ages, as he became more involved in politics and yoga. Five years after his marriage to her, he wrote to her saying that he was suffering from madness. He categorized his madness at three levels. First, was that he realized his talents and resources had to be used for one purpose only i.e. for God's work. His second madness he describes as his quest to have a direct 'Realization with God'. Thirdly, to him India was the Mother, the divine embodiment of sakti that propelled him towards politics.
Politically Aurobindo was becoming more and more determined to help the cause of independence for Indians from the British. He was convinced that the Western influence on the Indian mind was an impediment for the Indian spiritual maturity. He moved to Bengal in 1906 to become the principal of Bengal National College. Here he joined secret political societies, and orchestrated an underground organization with printing of anti-British pamphlets. The same year he assisted Bipin Chandra Pal in founding the radical newspaper, Bande Mataram. Later, he took over the editorship of the newspaper and succeeded Bipin Chandra Pal as the leader of National Party in Bengal. He wrote several articles including the one called 'The Doctrine of Passive Resistance,' that later became the main instrument of Gandhi in his freedom struggle to oust the British from India. For his article in Bande Mataram, he was arrested in 1907, on charges of sedition and then released on bail.
Even in his development as a political revolutionary, Aurobindo went through several evolutions as well. First he was the secret revolutionary, advocating and preparing for an armed insurrection. Secondly, he undertook the task of convincing the nation that its citizens deserved and could attain independence. The country was in a state of forced subjugation, and thought that the British were too powerful and Indians too impotent to dream of independence. Moreover, Indians were under the impression that the lofty idea about independence was impractical, unattainable and almost an insane chimera. Lastly, Aurobindo had come a full circle when he wrote articles and assisted in organizing people to passively resist and practice non-cooperation.
Aurobindo resigned from Bengal National College and became a leader of the nationalist movement, giving several speeches both in Bengal and Western India. In January of 1908 he met Vishnu Bhaskar Lele, a yogi in Baroda, who taught him the technique of silencing the mind and experiencing the timeless Brahman, a form of spiritual Realization.
He was again arrested in 1908 in connection with Alipore conspiracy case and spent a year in jail, including in solitary confinement. He utilized his time in jail studying the Geeta, meditation and practice of yoga. After his acquittal, he started publications of two weeklies - Karmayoga in English and Dharma in Bengali. During his stay in Calcutta for a period of five years as a revolutionary leader, Aravinda Ghose tried to prove to the Indians that a politically oppressed population could not express its distinctive spiritual and cultural genius. Move to Pondicherry
Aurobindo had concluded that independence for India was inevitable, and he then embraced the spiritual evolution of the soul with the same fervor as he had in raising the consciousness of Indians.
In the year 1910, when Aurobindo was 37 years old, he abruptly withdrew from active politics and moved to Pondicherry to continue his spiritual work. There he met Paul Richard, a French diplomat who became an ardent fan of Aurobindo. Mira Richard, ** his wife was a spiritual personality (born Mira Alfassa on February 21, 1878 in Paris), who had mystic and psychic experiences during her adolescence. After hearing about Aurobindo she met him in 1914, an encounter instantly and profoundly spiritual for both. Mira Richard was to become “Mother” later, a symbol of sakti who was to play a central role in the creation of the Aurobindo Ashram and Auroville in Pondicherry. Mira Richard saw Aurobindo as the divine hero of tomorrow and hope for all humanity. The day after her meeting with him she wrote in her diary:
“Little by little the horizon becomes precise, the path becomes clear. And we advance to an even greater certitude. It matters not if there are hundreds of beings plunged in densest ignorance. He whom we saw yesterday is on earth: His presence is enough to prove that a day will come when darkness shall be transformed into light, when Thy reign shall be indeed established upon earth.”
In 1915 Paul and Mira Richard returned to France and later went to live in Japan until 1920. Then Mira sailed to Pondicherry to begin her spiritual mission with the man she saw as an avatar of the Divine. She stayed in Pondicherry in a journey with Aurobindo, where each became integral part of their quest – he as the Divine Yogi and she as the Mother sakti.
After being estranged from him for more than ten years, in 1918, the ill-fated Mrinalini, Aurobindo’s wife, finally decided to go to Pondicherry to join her husband. As fate would have it, they were never meant to see each other again. She was about to embark on her journey to Pondicherry, when she contracted influenza and died.
Sri Aurobindo lived in Pondicherry until his death on December 5, 1950 at the age of seventy-eight. India attained independence that he had dreamed of, on August 15, 1947, coincidentally on his seventy-fifth birthday. The date did not go unnoticed by Sri Aurobindo. He mentioned it in his speech to the nation after attaining independence. He was a satisfied man, to find India finally rid itself of foreign occupation, a task he had worked so ardently during his younger years.
A Personal Journey
While Indian philosophers like Radhakrishnan, Bhattacharya and Dutta have put forward comprehensive systems of Indian philosophy, they pale in comparison to Aurobindo’s richness in detail and range of topics, as evident in his vast array of writings. Moreover, Aurobindo’s system of philosophy is autobiographical, an account of his personal experience and experiment. As he became more and more knowledgeable during his personal journey of his spiritual quest, he did not hesitate to continually revise his earlier writings and teachings. Savitri: A Legend and a Symbol, Sri Aurobindo’s 24000 line epic poem about spiritual ascent and transformation of the physical world, was revised and added on to until the last days before his death. He also revised his other writings, notably The Life Divineand The Synthesis of Yoga, in order to express his more advanced experiences of his later years. All of his works except Savitri (namely The Essays on the Gita, The Human Cycle, The Ideal of Human Unity, The Secret of the Veda, and The Life Divine as well as The Synthesis of Yoga) were serialized in his philosophical publication Arya. Here he put forward comprehensive and systematic philosophical compilations based on his own personal experiences. Unlike Ramakrishna, Ramana Maharshi, Sivananda and J. Krishnamurti, who also expressed their experiences in philosophical terms, Sri Aurobindo was successful in developing an original critical and practical philosophical system, including theories of knowledge, existence, the self, natural order and the aim of life.
Integral Yoga and Religion
At least since 1926 his spiritual eminence was well recognized and the suffix ‘Sri’ had been added to his name. It was the same year when he withdrew completely, claiming day of siddhi (day of victory), and left the chores of establishing the Ashram and the management of the disciples to Mother. Through his four decades of practice of yoga (sadhana), Sri Aurobindo had published thirty volumes of systematic writings and correspondence. He consistently distinguished his spiritual discipline from traditional religion. He was worried that his work could some day be mistaken for a new religion and repeatedly asserted that he did not want it to be so. Perhaps he did not want his teachings to be construed in a religious sense akin to what developed from profound spiritual experiences of Gautama (Buddhism) and Jesus (Christianity), much after their passing.
“Our goal is not…. to found a religion or a school of philosophy or a school of yoga, but to create a ground and a way which will bring down a greater truth beyond the mind but not inaccessible to the human soul and consciousness….”
Sri Aurobindo believed in the creation of Divine life, in the existing human life, in its current form. He believed that it was not inaccessible for an ignorant mind, through discipline, to bring down a greater Truth from beyond, to the human consciousness. It is not only possible to rise out of the ignorant world-consciousness, but it is also possible to bring the supramental powers down (a descent) to the ignorant mind. This can only help in the transformation of ignorance of the mind, body and life, in order to manifest the Divine here, while on earth.
Religion to him was an anathema. He however conceded that religion could be used as the first step toward achieving the supramental enlightenment. He made a clear distinction between religion and the spiritual. To Sri Aurobindo it was clear that there were three paths a human could take in his journey through life; A spiritual journey (adhyatma-jivana), a religious journey (dharma-jivana), or a journey of ordinary human life (of which mortality is a part). The laws of ignorance guide the ordinary life of average human consciousness. It is separated from its own true self and from the Divine. The religious life is led by some sect or creed that claims to have found the way out of the bounds of earth-consciousness into some beatific Beyond. The religious life is as ignorant because it often is only mired in rites and rituals, ceremonies and practices or set ideas and forms, without any attempt at dispelling ignorance. The spiritual life, in contrast, proceeds directly by a change of consciousness, wherein one finds one’s true self and comes into direct and living contact and into union with the Divine. For the spiritual seeker this change of consciousness is the one thing he seeks and nothing else matters.
Aurobindo taught us the possibility of transformation of the world-consciousness through a spiritual journey of discipline and yoga. Though the potential is inherent in all, it is a receptive mind that through discipline can grasp the profound and succeed in attaining Realization. In his series of articles that became increasingly more informative as his consciousness matured, he showed us his way of self discipline through integral yoga. He never discounted the fact that this realization is possible for the ignorant during one’s lifetime. He used Mother to achieve his own personal spiritual journey (and vice versa), and considered Mother as an expression of his own consciousness. But it was the Mother who was truly the chief organizer of the Ashram in Pondicherry.
The Mother: Architect of the Future
In 1951 Mother founded the Sri Aurobindo International University to modernize and expand the scope of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry. In this endeavor she also established the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Delhi Branch together with Surendranath Jauhar in 1956. The Mother's International School, which is also located in the Sri Aurobindo Ashram (Delhi Branch), has since grown into one of the biggest and most important schools of its kind in India.
There was a danger that after his death, his teachings might not have the same appeal. However, Mother and his other disciples successfully ran the Ashram in Pondicherry and then in 1968, at the age of ninety, Mother began the Auroville project (with the architect Roger Anger), in expectation of a new species of enlightened humans, and to accommodate such species. “A new species of higher consciousness will be revealed to us, little by little and Auroville wants to consciously hasten that advent. Auroville wants to be the bridge between the past and the future. Auroville belongs to no one and belongs to humanity as a whole. To live in Auroville, one must be a willing servitor of Divine Consciousness.”
It is here where Aurobindo’s vision of spiritual discipline and selfless action (Karmayoga) are implemented. In addition, on Mother’s commission, cyber-artist, musician and futurist Michel Montecrossa established Mirapuri center in Italy, which is actively spreading the ideals of Sri Aurobindo in the international scene. A Miravillage, a satellite of Mirapuri is also attracting disciples in Germany.
Then in 1973, the year she died, she also gave her blessings to Michel Montecrossa to establish a cultural center and guest house for the Friends of Mirapuri in Auroville. It is named 'New Community' and is located in the Auroville settlement 'Certitude,' opposite the building called 'Auroson's Home'.
Throughout her life she wanted to create a new type of city for all those who wanted to develop their consciousness for a spiritually inspired evolution. In 1957 ideas for such a township again were in the air but did not materialize. In 1967 plans were made and some land acquired to found a city in the Indian state Gujarat, which she named Ompuri. This project also did not move further. There have been other disappointments. In 1982, an organized attack on Auroville by violent and sectarian movement that halted all progress at Auroville and its promise of becoming a place of peace for world unity as envisaged by the Mother came to an abrupt halt. This led to the creation of Mirapuri, that later opened its branches in Italy and the Miravillage in Germany.
The Mother continued the work of Consciousness Evolution, leaving a stunning legacy of wisdom, knowledge, realization and impulses for making the Integral Yoga physically effective, in a life where Spirit and Matter are one. Mother died in 1973 at the ripe age of ninety-five, twenty three years after the Master had passed on. Sri Aurobindo’s legacy and teachings have survived and are thriving internationally today, thanks to the brilliant planning and forethought of the Mother.
** Mira Alfassa (Richard) studied art and became an accomplished artist and musician. 1897 she married Henri Morisset and gave birth to her son André. In 1905 she began to study parapsychology and occult sciences in Algeria together with Max Theon and his wife. After her divorce from Henri Morisset she founded a group of spiritual seekers, which was named l'Idée Nouvelle.
In 1911 she married Paul Richard and traveled to India with him, where she met Sri Aurobindo for the first time in 1914, and started together with Sri Aurobindo and Paul Richard the journal 'Arya', which became the birth place for most of the writings of Sri Aurobindo, which later appeared in book-form.
Till 1920 Mira Alfassa stayed in Japan and then came back to India to live with Sri Aurobindo. They both collaborated to further develop the Integral Yoga. Sri Aurobindo and Mira Alfassa founded the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in 1926 to accommodate the growing number of people who became interested in the Integral Yoga. After 1926 Mira Alfassa became known as The Mother, the individual expression of the power of spiritual consciousness. | <urn:uuid:d75780fb-80df-4b1b-a592-2f28ec9f07f8> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:16:53",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9811670184135437,
"score": 2.796875,
"token_count": 4283,
"url": "http://www.boloji.com/index.cfm?md=Content&sd=Articles&ArticleID=927"
} |
Actually published in 1908, Dowling asserted that he had transcribed this work from Akashic records, which gave a detailed account of the life of Jesus. The title was derived from an age determined by constellations, adding an astrological meaning with an appellation that indicated the Age of Aquarius. "The Aquarian Gospel" has been deemed an apocryphal work, despite the fact that it was written and published recently, noticeably later than most other works of the same nature. It does have in common with such writings an account of the entire life of Jesus in 182 chapters, beginning with the early life of his mother Mary and going through his death and Resurrection, concluding with Pentecost and the foundation of the Christian Church. Though controversial and considered to contain inaccuracies, Dowling's work does make claims of a comforting nature, such as the assertion that 'No soul is ever abandoned by God.' With that and other reassuring claims, "The Aquarian Gospel" has tentatively taken its place amid other works of religious literature. | <urn:uuid:16221f2c-4494-4402-977a-92a5bf9a7b33> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:39:52",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9810793399810791,
"score": 2.59375,
"token_count": 211,
"url": "http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Aquarian-Gospel-Jesus-Christ/Levi-H-Dowling/9781420933826"
} |
|© 1999-2013 BrainPOP. All rights reserved.|
In this movie, children will learn about different seasons and different types of weather. They'll learn how Earth is tilted on its axis, and how as our planet orbits the Sun, seasons change in different parts of the world!
Review with children that we divide the year into seasons, or sets of consecutive months that have similar weather patterns and length of days. There are four seasons in many parts of the world: winter, spring, summer, and fall (also called autumn). Other parts of the world have two seasons: wet and dry. Children should observe that seasons happen in the same cycles year after year and that different types of weather occur during different seasons.
Which is the coldest season? Which is the hottest? Children should know that temperature is how hot or cold something is, and this can be measured with a thermometer. Though temperatures and amount of precipitation varies across different areas, winter typically has lower temperatures than the rest of the year. Snow, sleet, hail, and rain are common forms of precipitation in the winter. In snowy areas, many animals have difficulties finding food and some will even hibernate to conserve energy. Children can learn more about hibernation by watching the Hibernation movie. December, January, and February are considered winter months in the northern hemisphere, though some countries acknowledge November to be a part of winter. Children should understand that during winter they may wear heavier clothing like coats, hats, and scarves and participate in cold-weather activities such as sledding or skiing.
As the winter ends, spring begins and temperatures slowly rise as the days get longer. Snow and ice melt and more rain tends to fall during this season. Flowers and plants grow and bloom, and animals become active again. Many animals will have their young in the spring when food is plentiful. Furthermore, their young will have time to grow before experiencing a cold winter themselves. The United States marks the beginning of spring with the vernal equinox in March and the end of spring with the summer solstice in June. Children should understand that in spring they may wear lighter coats and rain gear, and also begin outdoor activities like baseball, softball, or gardening.
After spring is summer, which begins in June and ends around September in the United States. Summer is the warmest season and has the longest days, because our part of Earth is tilted toward the Sun throughout the season. Most areas receive the least amount of precipitation during this season. Children should understand that in summer they may wear shorts, skirts, shirts, hats, and sunglasses and go swimming or take a vacation. The Sun stays high in the sky during the summer and children should understand the importance of using sunscreen and staying covered and cool.
As the summer ends, the weather gets cooler again and the days get shorter. In the northern hemisphere, fall (or autumn) begins in September and ends in December with the Winter Solstice. During fall, leaves of some trees will turn colors and fall off. Some plants bear fruit, such as apple and pear trees. Autumn squash or gourds ripen, too, which is why pumpkins are abundant at Halloween. Some animals will begin to migrate, or move to warmer areas for the coming winter. You may want to watch the Migration movie for further exploration and extension of the topic. Other animals will store and eat food to prepare for hibernation or dormancy. Football is a common fall sport in many schools and community programs, and other fall activities include apple-picking or collecting autumn leaves. Children should understand that in fall they may wear coats and sweaters.
Seasons change because as the Earth orbits, its hemispheres are titled towards or away from the Sun. It takes Earth 365 days, or one year, to go around the Sun. When the northern hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun, the southern hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun. During this time, the northern hemisphere experiences summer, while the southern hemisphere experiences winter. The areas near the Equator, the imaginary line around the middle of the Earth that separates the two hemispheres, do not tilt much toward or away from the Sun. This means their weather is more consistent throughout the year, and usually is quite warm. Tropical countries in South America such as Ecuador, Colombia, and Brazil, are good examples of areas that do not vary much in temperature during the year.
Because of the Earth’s tilt and orbit around the Sun, different constellations can be seen during different seasons. While people living in the northern hemisphere might see a particular constellation in the summer, people living in the southern hemisphere might see the same constellation in the winter.
For children who want to learn more information about the seasons, we recommend watching other movies in the Weather unit.
|© 1999-2013 BrainPOP. All rights reserved.|
Season to Season
As a long-term project, have your students observe and record the weather each week of the school term or year. Students can take the temperature outdoors and measure the amount of precipitation with a rain or snow gauge. (Simply take a waterproof ruler and place it in a clear plastic container to create a homemade gauge.) If possible, students can use a wind sock or anemometer to measure the amount of wind. You can have students record their observations in their notebooks or use a large class calendar or datebook. Different small groups could also be responsible for recording the weather conditions each week, and reporting their findings to the class. As the seasons change, have students look at the data and make inferences about the weather. How does the weather change throughout the year? What patterns do they see?
Bring in examples of travel guides and brochures to your students. Explain that many guides have descriptions of the weather and activities available each season. Have your students pick a city or country from around the world and create a travel guide or poster. You may wish to break up the students into small groups so they can research together. Students should find out about average temperatures for each season, kinds of precipitation, historical landmarks, as well as fun activities or festivals that occur during each season. If possible, hold a “travel fair” where students can share their work and make recommendations about which season is preferable to visit their chosen country. For example, students might like to recommend Mexico in the fall to see the migrating monarch butterflies arrive or Holland in the spring to view the tulips. Students will learn how people have always celebrated the seasons' annual cycle.
Seasonal Fashion Show
Hold a seasonal fashion show with your students. Students can bring in outfits that they wear during the winter, spring, summer, and fall and model them with the class. Teach students the correlation between temperature and proper attire: At 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius), students might wear an autumn jacket over their clothes. At 80 degrees (27 Celsius), they might be dressed in shorts and a shirt. You can encourage students to bring in athletic jerseys and equipment that they use during each season. Have student volunteers describe their outfits and discuss why they are appropriate for each season. (Make sure children understand dress codes and wear appropriate cover-ups for any beachwear.)
As the World Turns
Have small groups of students make models of Earth and the Sun and show how Earth orbits around the Sun. Remind students that Earth tilts at an angle as it orbits the Sun. Students can paint Styrofoam balls to model the Earth and Sun (take care to use relative sizes of balls) or use different colors of clay. Students can put in a paper clip or pencil at the poles of the Earth to show the tilt, and draw a horizontal line to show the Equator. Modeling the Earth and Sun will help students visualize how the tilt and orbit cause the seasons to change.
|© 1999-2013 BrainPOP. All rights reserved.|
Remind your child that different plants grow in different seasons. For example, apple trees bear fruit in the fall while orange trees bear fruit in the winter. Despite this, your child may notice that apples and oranges are available in the grocery store all year round. Why do they think that is? Research the fruits and vegetables to find out the season those plants bear fruit. Look for stickers and labels on the fruits and vegetables that identify the country or place of origin. How do we get apples in early summer if trees bear fruit in the fall? Explain that because of Earth’s tilt and orbit around the Sun, different parts of the world have different seasons. Explain to students that these fruits and vegetables are flown around the world. If possible, visit a local farmer’s market to explore seasonal produce together, and see if you can create a seasonal meal made from locally-grown produce.
‘Tis the Season For…
Together with your child, set goals that are appropriate for each season. For example, the goal for the summer might be to go camping for a weekend, remember to wear sunscreen, or learn how to dive. A goal for the spring might be to spot a nest of eggs or hatchlings, plant flowers, spring clean, or go see a baseball game. Find goals that you and your family can do together and are realistic and able to be fulfilled. Have your child write them down in his or her notebook or create a list to post in your home. Then as each goal is accomplished, she or he can cross it off the list.
See all Topics and Lesson Plan Ideas
BrainPOP UK | BrainPOP Latinoamérica | <urn:uuid:35298b44-a7a1-4b94-98e6-74ba6b168b22> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:08:33",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 4,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9546021819114685,
"score": 3.515625,
"token_count": 1953,
"url": "http://www.brainpopjr.com/science/weather/seasons/grownups.weml"
} |
Simply begin typing or use the editing tools above to add to this article.
Once you are finished and click submit, your modifications will be sent to our editors for review.
development of Big Science
...a centre for radar research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Weinberg was not only describing a new form of scientific research; his concept was an expression of nostalgia for “ Little Science,” a world of independent, individual researchers free to work alone or with graduate students on problems of their own choosing. Whether or not the world of Little Science...
What made you want to look up "Little Science"? Please share what surprised you most... | <urn:uuid:25d25670-9892-4ad0-83fe-6077b874e79e> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:09:09",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9144858717918396,
"score": 2.53125,
"token_count": 134,
"url": "http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/344205/Little-Science"
} |
augmented sixth chord
Simply begin typing or use the editing tools above to add to this article.
Once you are finished and click submit, your modifications will be sent to our editors for review.
dissonance and harmonic colour
...and a functionally ambiguous quality; for example, a chord that became of prime importance as a means of thickening the harmonic sound and of blurring the exact tonality of a musical passage was the augmented sixth chord. This is an altered chord, or one built by taking a chord normally occurring in its key and chromatically altering it. In this case, two of its notes are changed by a half step....
What made you want to look up "augmented sixth chord"? Please share what surprised you most... | <urn:uuid:72f2631c-2e0b-4d47-89ce-c4a09f42aa22> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:25:06",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9574292302131653,
"score": 3.21875,
"token_count": 154,
"url": "http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/42728/augmented-sixth-chord"
} |
San AntonioArticle Free Pass
San Antonio, city, seat (1837) of Bexar county, south-central Texas, U.S. It is situated at the headwaters of the San Antonio River on the Balcones Escarpment, about 80 miles (130 km) southwest of Austin. The second most populous city in Texas, it is the focus of a metropolitan area that includes Alamo Heights, Castle Hills, Converse, Kirby, Leon Valley, Live Oak, Schertz, Terrell Hills, Universal City, and Windcrest. Inc. 1809. Area city, 412 square miles (1,067 square km). Pop. (2000) 1,144,646; San Antonio Metro Area, 1,711,703; (2010) 1,327,407; San Antonio Metro Area, 2,142,508.
Spanish explorers first visited the site, then a camp of the Payaya Indians, in 1691. San Antonio was founded May 1, 1718, when a Spanish expedition from Mexico established the Mission San Antonio de Valero. The mission, later called the Alamo (Spanish: “Cottonwood”), was one of five founded in the area and was named for St. Anthony of Padua. On May 5 a presidio (military garrison) known as San Antonio de Béxar was established nearby. The site, on the river’s west bank, was a stopping place on the trail through the Texas wilderness between missions on the Rio Grande and those in East Texas.
In 1731 settlers from the Canary Islands laid out the town of San Fernando de Béxar near the presidio, where a civilian community had been planned when the presidio and mission were established. During its early years the settlement suffered from raids by Apache and Comanche tribes. The mission was secularized in 1793 and became a military post. San Fernando de Béxar functioned as provincial capital from 1773 to 1824, but in subsequent years its political authority waned. By 1837, when it became a county seat of the Republic of Texas, it had been renamed San Antonio.
At the time of Mexican independence in 1821, San Antonio was, along with Goliad and Nacogdoches, one of three established Spanish communities in Texas. In the summer of that year, Stephen Austin arrived in the city (then seat of the Spanish government in Texas) to follow through on a permit obtained by his father for the admission of 300 U.S. families into the territory. In December 1835, at the outset of the Texas revolution, Texan forces occupied the Alamo. They remained there until March 1836, when they were massacred by Mexican troops under General Antonio López de Santa Anna following a 13-day siege. The presidio ceased to exist with the independence of Texas in April.
In 1836 San Antonio was still the foremost city of Texas, with some 2,500 inhabitants. It grew rapidly after independence, led by large numbers of German immigrants. During the last decades of the 19th century, San Antonio, as the starting point for the Chisholm Trail, became a major cattle centre, where herds were assembled for the overland drives to the railheads in Kansas.
The city quickly became the commercial hub of the Southwest. The arrival of the first railroad in 1877 brought migrants from the American South, and Mexican immigrants settled there after the start of the Mexican Revolution in 1910. San Antonio was a major military centre during World Wars I and II, a factor that continued to dominate its economy in subsequent decades. In 1968 a world’s exposition, known as HemisFair, was held there to commemorate the city’s 250th anniversary and to celebrate its cultural ties with Latin America. In 1981 Henry Cisneros was elected the city’s first Hispanic mayor since the mid-19th century; Cisneros served until 1989, and in 2001 Ed Garza was elected the city’s second modern-era Hispanic mayor.
What made you want to look up "San Antonio"? Please share what surprised you most... | <urn:uuid:093f3afb-fb93-4420-8df1-c04f039018b3> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:24:45",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9701238870620728,
"score": 3.265625,
"token_count": 855,
"url": "http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/520953/San-Antonio"
} |
Alliance Party of Northern Ireland (APNI)Article Free Pass
Alliance Party of Northern Ireland (APNI), Northern Ireland’s oldest interdenominational party, a small, moderate party that represents middle-class interests primarily in the eastern areas of the province.
The Alliance Party was launched in April 1970 in an attempt to break the sectarian mold of politics in Northern Ireland through the pursuit of moderate policies. It was self-consciously biconfessional, attracting members from the Roman Catholic and Protestant communities in proportion to their numbers. Although there was no official leader between 1970 and 1972, Oliver Napier acted as de facto leader during that period. Since then the party has been led by Phelim O’Neill (1972–73), Napier (1973–84), John Cushnahan (1984–87), Lord John Alderdice (1989–98), Sean Neeson (1998–2001), and David Ford (2001– ), the last of whom entered the Northern Ireland Executive in 2010 as justice minister.
APNI drew members from the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) who were concerned that the UUP was becoming too extreme. Most of its founding members had not been actively involved in politics, and the party was perceived to be a middle-class phenomenon seeking the “middle ground.”
The APNI achieved its greatest electoral success in the first decade of its existence. In 1972 three sitting members of the British Parliament—two Protestants and one Catholic—“crossed the floor” and joined the Alliance. The party was represented by two members in the first biconfessional government of Northern Ireland, the power-sharing executive body of 1973–74. In 1977 APNI reached its highest electoral standing when it won 14.3 percent of the vote. By the end of the 20th century it had not yet elected a member of the British or European parliaments, though Alderdice was ennobled in 1996.
In June 1998 the party won approximately 6 percent of the vote and 6 seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly, the power-sharing legislative body created in the Good Friday Agreement of April 1998. The APNI’s support was drawn from the more affluent areas of Greater Belfast, and it was virtually unrepresented in the western areas of Northern Ireland. In the Assembly elections of 2003, its overall vote share dropped, but it maintained its 6 seats; in 2007 it rebounded slightly and captured an additional seat in the Assembly. In the British general election of 2010 it won its first seat in the British House of Commons, with Naomi Long winning the Belfast East seat that was held by Democratic Unionist Party leader Peter Robinson. In elections for the Assembly in 2011, the Alliance increased its representation to eight seats.
By the end of the 20th century the APNI had not achieved its goal of eliminating sectarianism in Northern Irish politics. As a party that worked within unionist-dominated political institutions in Northern Ireland, it did not attract sufficient support from Catholics who aspired to a united Ireland. Because it was not a unionist party, however, it did not appeal to Protestants who considered it essential to maintain Northern Ireland’s link to the United Kingdom. As a party of moderation, it suffered from the tensions created in a climate of political violence. Finally, its lack of elected representation in the British and European Parliaments limited its political visibility.
Policy and structure
The APNI advocates improving cross-community relations through integrated education, a bill of rights, and reform of the security forces. Its politics, apart from issues related to Northern Ireland, are slightly left of centre. Alderdice sat on the Liberal Democratic benches in the House of Lords after his appointment in 1996, and the party has established links with the Progressive Democrats in the republic of Ireland; the European Liberal, Democrat and Reform Party at the European Parliament; and the Liberal International, a worldwide organization of liberal parties.
The APNI’s main organizational body is its Party Council, which consists of eight delegates from each local branch, all the party’s councillors, and the party officers. Meeting annually, the Party Council elects the party leader, chair, and vice-chair; selects delegates to the Party Executive; and approves or amends policy documents. Party manifestos are drafted by the Executive Committee, which deals with issues of day-to-day party policy and responds to current events in its strategy committees. The Alliance Party leader holds a relatively powerful position, as he or she appoints the party officers and the members of the strategy committees.
What made you want to look up "Alliance Party of Northern Ireland (APNI)"? Please share what surprised you most... | <urn:uuid:8cd0142f-0482-41ea-bb62-ef43b5b29378> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:24:44",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9716103672981262,
"score": 2.609375,
"token_count": 965,
"url": "http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/709890/Alliance-Party-of-Northern-Ireland-APNI"
} |
Height: 26.500 cm
Length: 26.500 cm
Room 72: Ancient Cyprus
Bronze bowl handles
From Cyprus, about 850-750 BC
Decorated with lotus flowers
These handles would have been riveted onto the upper sides of one or more roughly hemispherical bowls. The lotus flowers would have appeared above the rim. Bronze bowls of this variety are typically Cypriot and occur in Cyprus between about 1050 and 750 BC. However, none of the surviving examples is as large as the bowls to which these handles must have belonged. From Cyprus they were introduced to the Near East, the Greek world and Italy.
The bronze bowls perhaps derive from earlier Cypriot bowls of pottery that have a single handle that is visible over the rim. A roughly hemispherical bronze bowl has a single riveted handle and a knob, in place of a lotus flower, appearing above the rim. It comes from a Cypriot tomb of the mid-eleventh century BC, and may form a link between the pottery and the bronze series.
V. Tatton-Brown, Ancient Cyprus, 2nd ed. (London, The British Museum Press, 1997)
M-J. Chavane, 'Vases de bronze du Musée du Chypre', Collection de la Mason de lOri (1982) | <urn:uuid:1caeda1c-77d3-4d2f-a75e-0fde8fdffe97> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:07:40",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9500182867050171,
"score": 2.59375,
"token_count": 278,
"url": "http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/gr/b/bronze_bowl_handles.aspx"
} |
Pop-up book of Ancient Egypt, £14.99
Explore / Online Tours
Word into art
Word into Art
This tour brings together the work of contemporary artists from the Middle East and North Africa. The use of writing - quotations, words and even single letters - has emerged as a common theme in this vibrant and original art. Each object presented here is inscribed in or draws its inspiration from Arabic, the main script of the region used to write a variety of languages including Persian.
A Sacred Script looks at artworks which are based around the holy texts of the Qu'ran and the Bible. Literature and Art shows how poetry and the rich literary traditions of the Middle East have inspired artists in different ways. The works in Deconstructing the Word have been created using single words or letters. History, Politics and Identity examines how art has responded to crises and wars that have affected the Middle East. In the entry for each work, the artist's country of origin is cited first after their name, and their current place of residence second.
The tour includes highlights from Word into Art: Artists of the Modern Middle East, a free exhibition at the British Museum (Room 35) from 18 May to 3 September 2006. The exhibition draws mainly on works collected by the British Museum, with some loaned objects. It includes pieces by about eighty different artists, some of whom are represented here. This tour shows how writing, so important as both a method of communication and an art form in the ancient and Islamic cultures, continues as a powerful thread running through the art of the region today.
The exhibition was part of Middle East Now, a season of special events which includes lectures, films, poetry readings and music. The exhibition and the season were produced in partnership with Dubai Holding. | <urn:uuid:a6b46965-51d3-4c0f-909c-c9d8f29f8393> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:07:55",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9738302826881409,
"score": 2.609375,
"token_count": 360,
"url": "http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/online_tours/museum_and_exhibition/word_into_art/word_into_art.aspx"
} |
Ah, the dreaded computer viruses! We’ve all heard about their evil powers: they range from simple pranks like pop-up messages on your screen to complete destruction of programs or data. And they’re getting slicker by the hour, trying to trick you, outsmart your antivirus program and take advantage of the security holes caused by software vulnerabilities. You definitely don’t want one getting into your precious computer!
So how can you tell if you've got a virus infection?
If your antivirus software is effective and up to date, you’ll probably receive a message saying that the application has found a virus on your PC and has, hopefully, got rid of it. But what if your antivirus is not that efficient, hasn’t been updated in a while or is simply something you never thought you actually needed?
There are some signs of infection you can watch out for:
Your computer stops responding or locks up frequently.
You get strange error messages saying that, for example, you cannot access certain drives.
Your PC runs much slower than it used to.
Your computer crashes and then restarts every couple of minutes.
Some applications won’t run, some files won’t open.
Hardware devices (like your printer) no longer respond to your commands or start acting out.
Some menus and/or dialogue boxes look odd or distorted.
There are fluctuations in the size of some files, although you haven’t accessed them in a while.
Your firewall warns you that unknown applications are trying to connect to the internet.
Your internet connection stops working or becomes very slow without there being a problem with your service provider or router.
You notice files that have been deleted, encrypted or moved to a different location.
The language in certain applications suddenly changes.
New icons appear on your desktop out of the blue.
Strange sounds or music start playing from your speakers unexpectedly.
Your CD-ROM drive tray opens and closes by itself.
The unused space on your hard drive disappears.
Your computer opens internet sessions or applications on its own.
Your web browser displays pages you haven’t requested.
Library files for running games or programs go missing.
What to do if you suspect a virus is running loose in your system:
The first thing to do is turn to your line of defence: the antivirus program. If you’re using a traditional, signature-based antivirus, make sure it’s active and properly updated and scan your computer. If your antivirus program doesn’t find a virus, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve got none. But there’s no need to go searching for it yourself. Just look for another antivirus solution to run on your computer and spot the problem. You can find a free BullGuard Internet Security trial here.
If it turns out a virus did get by your antivirus, chances are it hit exactly between the updates or it’s so new, its signature hasn’t been detected yet. This is where state-of-the-art virus detection technology comes in handy and that’s what you get by using BullGuard Internet Security – the best in behavioural detection, the latest technology in the fight against new and unknown viruses. Behaviour-based detection is what makes BullGuard catch 65% more malware than traditional antivirus programs.
How to avoid virus infections in the first place
You can prevent most viruses from entering your system by practicing a few computer and internet safe habits:
Make a habit out of playing it safe. Pay attention to what you download and where you download it from. Never open attachments from sources you don’t know or trust. Don’t connect other people’s USB drives to your computer, even if they’re your friends, as they could have a virus infection without realizing it.
Always have an active and updated antivirus program installed on your computer. The more effective and modern it is, the better it will protect you against the waves of malware hitting the web every day.
Make sure all your other software is up to date. Vulnerabilities in the programs you use, like your operating system, are like unlocked backdoors for viruses, so it’s crucial to have them solved by getting constant patches and updates from the software vendor. Some of them are downloaded automatically, but others need your attention and that could turn into an annoying task. So give yourself a break and use a vulnerability scanner – like the one included in BullGuard Internet Security – to take care of your programs for you. | <urn:uuid:2817f990-38ad-49c5-b498-a5b30920f03d> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:16:10",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9241026043891907,
"score": 2.75,
"token_count": 954,
"url": "http://www.bullguard.com/pt-br/bullguard-security-center/internet-security/security-tips/how-to-spot-viruses.aspx"
} |
As weather gets warmer, many people take their activities outdoors to enjoy the beauty of Western North Carolina. Health risks from biting bugs make that harder to enjoy. A few easy steps can protect us from disease-carrying mosquitoes and ticks:
Guarding against Mosquito Bites
The best thing to do is stop the mosquito cycle before they can lay eggs. Eliminate any standing water around your home. Even very small amounts of standing water can be a breeding ground. If you have tires, flowerpots, pet bowls, toys, bird baths, tarps, containers, etc., make sure water doesn't sit in them longer than three days.
Once mosquitoes are already buzzing around, avoid bites to reduce your risk. Install or repair window and door screens to keep them from coming into your home. Mosquitoes are most active during the early morning or evening hours. If you plan to be outdoors, wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants. And don’t forget the mosquito repellent. Those that contain DEET, Picaridin, or Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus are effective in fighting off bites.
La Cross Encephalitis is the most commonly diagnosed mosquito disease in North Carolina. In fact, 75% of cases reported in North Carolina during the past decade were from people living right here in Western North Carolina! They also carry West Nile virus. Symptoms include fever, headache, tiredness, body aches; skin rash and swollen lymph glands – although many people infected have no symptoms at all.
Protection from Tick Bites
Ticks are around all year long, but are more active in warm, summer months. Avoiding ticks can be tricky since they are very small and often hard to spot in wooded areas and fields, which are places they are typically found. Follow some easy guidelines to prevent bites:
- When possible, avoid wooded and bushy areas with high grass and leaf litter.
- If those areas cannot be avoided, wear a long-sleeved shirt, long pants and socks. Tuck your shirt in, pull your socks over your pants, and walk in open areas, away from brush.
- Use an insect repellent that contains DEET.
Finally, check yourself and children at least twice a day. The sooner you find a tick on you, the less chance it will have to bite. Check for ticks under the arms, in and around the ears, inside the belly button, behind the knees, between the legs, around the waist, and especially in their hair.
When you find a tick, remove it as soon as possible. Use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin's surface as possible. Pull slowly and steadily until the tick releases. Do not twist or jerk the tick. Wash the bite and your hands with rubbing alcohol, or soap and water once the tick has been disposed of.
Ticks carry many different diseases including Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Lyme Disease. Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever is the most common tick borne disease reported in North Carolina. It can be a severe or even life threatening illness if not treated in the first few days of symptoms. Common symptoms from a tick bite include fever, chills, headache, body aches, pains in the joints or muscles, and a red rash.
If you have questions or concerns about mosquitoes or ticks, contact the Environmental Health Division at Buncombe County Department of Health at 250-5016. | <urn:uuid:be3ec386-a1e1-43c2-aa82-8a9967f73727> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:09:19",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9487701058387756,
"score": 2.984375,
"token_count": 714,
"url": "http://www.buncombecounty.org/News_Detail.aspx?newsID=12329"
} |
When it comes to weight loss success, portion control is one of the key determinants . It can be difficult to accurately determine how much you eat over the course of a day. One way to track the amount of calories that you consume is to keep a food diary.
Keeping a food journal can be helpful even if you only record your eating habits for a few days. This is still enough time to begin to identify patterns of behavior and find out when you miscalculate your food consumption. This can be another good way to identify triggers in your life that can lead to overeating. If you decide to make a habit of keeping a food diary, you can continue to hold yourself accountable whenever you sit down for a meal or grab a snack on the go.
After recording what you eat for a few days, you can decide for yourself whether this is a helpful practice or not. Chances are, it will be an eye-opener as to how and what you eat, and this can be a way to create a more mindful and conscious attitude towards your healthy diet.
Written by Cara Harbstreet, Nutritionist at Camp Shane weight loss camp for children and teens. | <urn:uuid:ce13620d-df9f-47a1-a74e-77aae1bd1079> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:00:41",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9518015384674072,
"score": 2.546875,
"token_count": 240,
"url": "http://www.campshane.com/blog/index.php/weight-loss-camps-weight-loss-success-keep-a-food-journal/"
} |
Innovation in Education
The existence of schools such as Carroll represents, in and of itself, a significant educational innovation. Schools that are dedicated to an atypical learning profile, in Carroll’s case dyslexia, are relatively rare. A program that is designed specifically for one type of learner is also innovative in a landscape of schools that are required to serve all children in their city or town.
Carroll balances curriculum, instructional practices, and programs that have helped children for over 45 years at Carroll with compelling new interventions resulting from both research and implementation evidence. Carroll is so fortunate to be located in the Greater Boston Area, where an incredible amount of revolutionary research is underway about how the human brain learns. Carroll constantly seeks to combine the proven with the promising. The combination of interventions that Carroll uses reveals this balance with a set of innovative, evidence-based programs, such as Orton-Gillingham, RAVE-O, Visualizing and Verbalizing, Lexia Learning, Kurzweil, Thinking Reader, Singapore Math, Thinking Through Math, Symphony Math, Stern Structured Materials, The Number Race, ReflexMath, Cognitive Development, Inspiration, and scores of web-based software applications.
Much of our decision making about educational innovation results from our associations with some of the most accomplished researchers in the fields of education, neuroscience, and technology. The Research Updates section of the Carroll website will keep viewers apprised of some of the research that we are following. | <urn:uuid:f4117a36-9cc2-459e-81a3-a6c79a360472> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:38:23",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9465084671974182,
"score": 2.984375,
"token_count": 303,
"url": "http://www.carrollschool.org/dyslexia-research/innovation-education"
} |
& Entertainment > The
1956 Melbourne, Australia
It was the first time that blood was drawn in the Olympic Games. During the water polo game between the USSR and Hungary, the Russian athlete Valentin Propokov cried out Fascist Hungarians and then punched the Hungarian Ervin Zantor. This action was followed by a massive brawl between the two teams. The referee stopped the game in favor of Hungary.
On the other hand a romantic story was created between the American athlete Harold Connely and the Chechoslovakian athlete Olga Figotova which ended in marriage. Later on Figotova completed in four more Olympiads as an American and in 1972 she was the standard bearer for the US team.
In these Olympics
we see for the first time the signs of boycott since several nations did
not participate, mainly for political reasons. The Suez war resulted in
the withdrawal of Egypt, Iraq and Lebanon. The Russian invasion in Hungary
caused many countries to demonstrate their opposition to this action.
These were Switzerland, Holland and Spain. 112 athletes made up the Hungarian
team but only 44 returned to Hungary after the Games. Finally the Chinese
withdrew from the Games one day before they started because of the recognition | <urn:uuid:74b82bec-8cd1-4c55-ae5d-101ec2e602ff> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:01:51",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9636405110359192,
"score": 3.1875,
"token_count": 257,
"url": "http://www.cartage.org.lb/en/themes/Sports/olympicgames/1956/melbourne.htm"
} |
How can we "green" our schools to make them more environmentally sustainable? What kinds of choices should we make, and which choices will actually have an impact? How do we know that our choices are making a difference?
These are the questions that frame a unique collaboration between the Rhinebeck school district and educators from the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies. Through a grant from the Rhinebeck Science Foundation, we designed and implemented the Eco-Initiative, a three-year program that builds scientific and environmental literacy through all grades by mapping the ecological footprint of elementary, middle and high schools.
Our guiding principle was to think of the school as an ecosystem, which allows students to chart the inputs and outputs of energy and materials in a familiar system. Students know they use energy, water, food and other raw materials every day, and they can see how those are transformed to wastes, such as trash and heat. But the students are less aware of where the food, water and energy come from and where their waste goes, as well as what lives in and around the grounds of their schools.
Through a series of meetings and workshops with Rhinebeck teachers, we identified key topics for each grade level or class and developed age-appropriate investigations that would help everyone understand their impact on the environment. For example, students in fifth grade and in high school biology classes are conducting schoolyard "Eco-Blitzes," where they catalog all the living things they find outside. The younger students excel at finding and identifying the insects, while the older students can work with math teachers to analyze the data.
Because the Eco-Initiative is a multiyear program, we can develop a database of organisms that live in the Rhinebeck schools' lawns, playgrounds and athletic fields, and we can start to ask questions about enhancing biodiversity and supporting ecosystem function. And as students advance through each grade, they can build on knowledge or investigations from previous years.
At the end of each year, we publish an Environmental Scorecard, which will include all the collected student data and work. See last year's scorecard by going to www.rhinebeckcsd.org. As classes and teachers begin to make changes to their daily habits at school, we hope to see a response in our data. We are looking forward to seeing the benefits of a composting program to reduce waste output, and the impact of weekly "Power Down" days started by the Environmental Clubs to reduce energy usage.
An easier path might have been to ask for the energy and water bills and call it a day, or to plant a few trees and declare our "greening" mission complete. But we wanted the students, teachers, and administrators to take ownership of the process, to figure out what their impact is, and decide what kind of sustainability initiatives made sense.
By modeling an iterative process, we are showing students how science can inform their actions and lead to lasting change. We are also helping them think through some of the really difficult questions that relate to any greening initiative, such as whether it really is more "green" to purchase compostable lunch trays made from corn if we're unable to compost them on site, or whether we should install energy-efficient lightbulbs when most of the energy in the school is being used for heating and cooling.
Engaging in this process is complex, but we believe such engagement develops a citizenry that is thoughtfully dedicated to understanding their local environment. We are thrilled that we have been able to undertake this long-term project with the Rhinebeck school district and look forward to expanding this effort to other districts. | <urn:uuid:2d0aebed-b266-4459-b54d-8f47b27347ec> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:35:14",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 4,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9658102989196777,
"score": 3.90625,
"token_count": 743,
"url": "http://www.caryinstitute.org/newsroom/kids-id-schools-ecosystems?page=0%2525252C1%25252C3%252C2"
} |
With forage supplies tight in many areas, treating wheat straw with ammonia could provide a cost-effective option, according to Kansas State University Extension beef specialist Dale Blasi, PhD.
Ammonia improves the nutritional value of low-quality forage by swelling the plant tissue to allow greater rumen microbial activity, resulting in 8 to 15 percent improvement in digestibility, 15 to 20 percent improvement in palatability and increased rate of passage through the digestive tract. Also, ammonia serves as a non-protein nitrogen source, roughly doubling the crude protein value of the straw.
The process typically involves covering bales with a black plastic tarp and injecting anhydrous ammonia.
Historically, Blasi says, the recommended application rate was 3 percent anhydrous or 60 pounds per ton. But looking to reduce costs, K-State researchers have tested an application rate of 1.5 percent or 30 pounds of ammonia per ton of straw and found little difference compared with the heavier rate. Temperature and moisture content of the straw affect absorption of the ammonia. The process will take just three to five days in hot weather but up to 30 to 45 days in cold weather. Anhydrous ammonia will seek out all the moisture in the stacked straw, a chemical process that aids in uniform spread of the material. Eight to 10 percent moisture content in the straw is adequate, and 15 to 30 percent is better.
Keep the stack covered until two weeks before feeding, then remove the cover to reduce the concentration of residual ammonia. Blasi recommends against ammoniation of higherquality grass hays such as brome, fescue, small grains, forage sorghums or sudan grasses, as compounds dangerous to cattle can form in these types of hay exposed to ammonia. Blasi also stresses the importance of safety measures when handling anhydrous ammonia, including these tips:
• Wear goggles, rubber gloves and protective clothing. • Work upwind when releasing anhydrous ammonia into the stack. Ideally, use a de-coupler to disconnect the nurse tank away from the stack when application is complete.
• Have fresh water available to wash off any anhydrous ammonia that comes into contact with the skin.
• Check valves, hoses and tanks for leaks.
• Check the plastic cover on the stack for any tears in the plastic before initiating application. Seal any holes afterward with duct tape.
• Do not smoke near anhydrous ammonia.
• Keep children away from the treatment area. | <urn:uuid:7f5c8962-0082-46d1-9b81-eb8e632a84cc> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:24:35",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.915199875831604,
"score": 2.59375,
"token_count": 506,
"url": "http://www.cattlenetwork.com/drovers/departments/Enhance-forage-supply-with-ammoniated-wheat-straw-165772096.html?ref=096"
} |
Central Morning | Oct 4, 2012 | 6:42
The Risks of E. Coli
This week, the largest recall of beef in Canadian history expanded to include many stores in this province. More than 1500 different products from a slaughterhouse in Brooks, Alberta are at risk of e-coli contamination. The recall is shaking consumer confidence and raising questions about how unsafe the beef might be. Herb Schellhorn is a biologist specializing in e-coli research at McMaster University in Hamilton. | <urn:uuid:123525e3-5c39-45b7-87c0-755ad1b3dbd1> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:10:58",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9163303375244141,
"score": 2.515625,
"token_count": 101,
"url": "http://www.cbc.ca/player/Radio/Local+Shows/ID/2286868465/"
} |
- Medical Directors
- Board of Directors
- Contact Us
- Meet Your Sponsors
- Social Work Support Services
- Jenna's Corner Online Community
- Family 2 Family
- Loss, Grief and Bereavement Program
What Brain Tumors Are Common in Children?
Most recently updated on April 10, 2013
Most childhood tumors (more than 60%) are located in the posterior fossa (the back compartment of the brain). This area is separated from the cerebral hemispheres by a tough membrane called the tentorium. The posterior fossa includes the cerebellum, the brainstem, and the fourth ventricle. Tumors in this area include medulloblastomas (also called primitive neuroectodermal tumors, or PNETs), cerebellar astrocytomas, brainstem gliomas, and ependymomas. Although less common, other rare types of tumors have also been observed in this area, such as rhabdoid tumors and ganglioglioma; these are not discussed in detail below.
The remaining 30% to 40% of brain tumors occur within one of the two cerebral hemispheres or in the spinal cord. Tumors of the hemispheres include astrocytomas, oligodendrogliomas, craniopharyngiomas, choroid plexus carcinomas, ependymomas, supratentorial PNETs, pineoblastomas, and germ cell tumors. The most common tumors of the spinal cord are astrocytomas and ependymomas.
Names of tumors can be confusing. One large family of tumors—comprising half of all pediatric tumors—are gliomas, meaning they arise from glial cells or the supporting cells of the nervous system. Glial cells consist of astrocytes, ependymal cells, and oligodendrocytes (myelin-forming cells). Some tumors take their names from these cells. For example, an astrocyte is a type of glial cell from which astrocytomas arise, so doctors may refer to the tumor as a glioma or as an astrocytoma. One term is simply more specific than the other. Tumors may also take their names from their location, such as the brainstem glioma.
The sudden influx of medical terminology into your life can be intimidating. Health care professionals are familiar with such terminology through years of training and experience. But these terms are new to you, so ask your child’s doctor to explain them. There are many types of brain tumors and many names for them—often even more than one name for the same tumor. The descriptions that follow include only the most common types of brain tumors found in children, divided into two broad groups according to their location.
Tumors of the Posterior Fossa
Medulloblastomas: Medulloblastomas (PNETs) are the most common malignant brain tumor in children (20% of all pediatric tumors) and usually occur in children between the ages of 4 and 10 years. Medulloblastomas occur more often in boys than in girls. These tumors typically arise in the middle of the cerebellum, interfering with the flow of CSF and causing hydrocephalus. A child may have headaches, vomit, or walk unsteadily. Sometimes there is pain at the back of the head. Medulloblastomas can spread to other parts of the brain through the CSF. Treatment is usually surgical removal, followed by radiation therapy of the entire head and spinal cord and/or chemotherapy.
Cerebellar Astrocytomas: Cerebellar astrocytomas are benign glial tumors of the cerebellum. They are the second most common childhood tumor (15% to 20% of all pediatric tumors). They can occur at any time in childhood or adolescence and have the same symptoms as medulloblastomas. Treatment is surgical removal, which is the cure in most cases if the tumor is totally removed. If the tumor has grown into the brainstem, radiation therapy or chemotherapy (depending on the child’s age) is sometimes needed.
Brainstem Gliomas: Approximately 10% to 15% of childhood brain tumors are brainstem gliomas, which most commonly affect children between the ages of 5 and 10 years. Because of their location, brainstem gliomas may cause sudden dramatic symptoms, such as double vision, clumsiness, difficulty swallowing, and weakness. These are often referred to as diffuse pontine gliomas. In these cases, surgery is not usually an option. Radiation therapy, with or without chemotherapy, is the preferred option. A small percentage of slow-growing tumors that cause slowly progressive symptoms can be treated surgically or with chemotherapy.
Ependymomas: Ependymomas make up 8% to 10% of pediatric tumors and occur at any time during childhood. They are a type of glioma involving cells lining the cerebral ventricles. Seventy percent of ependymomas develop in the posterior fossa. These tumors are not always distinguishable, on scans, from medulloblastomas. They cause similar symptoms, and hydrocephalus is often involved. Surgical removal of the tumor is the usual treatment of choice, followed by radiation therapy to the site of the resection.
Tumors of the Cerebral Hemispheres
Supratentorial Gliomas: About 30% of pediatric brain tumors are gliomas that grow in regions of the cerebral hemispheres. Treatment and prognosis depend on their exact location and how quickly they are growing. Some of the names for tumors in these areas are juvenile pilocytic astrocytoma, optic glioma or hypothalamic glioma (see below), oligodendroglioma, hemispheric astrocytoma, and ganglioglioma. Many of these tumors cause seizures. Surgical removal is the treatment of choice, unless the tumor is in an area that controls speech, movement, vision, or cognition. The tumor may be partially removed, with radiation therapy and/or chemotherapy as additional therapy.
Optic Pathway Gliomas: A small percentage (5%) of pediatric tumors are gliomas involving the optic nerves and the hypothalamus. These are usually slow-growing and can be treated successfully with surgery, radiation therapy, or chemotherapy. Because visual pathways and/or the hypothalamus are affected, children with these tumors often have vision and hormone problems.
Craniopharyngiomas: Craniopharyngiomas, which are nonglial growths, account for 5% of childhood brain tumors, usually causing growth failure because of their location near the pituitary gland. They often affect vision. Treatment is often controversial because complete surgical removal may be curative but can also cause memory, vision, behavioral, and hormonal problems. Partial surgical removal plus radiation therapy is an alternative. Children treated for these tumors usually need long-term follow-up care for visual and/or hormonal problems.
Germ Cell Tumors: A small percentage of childhood brain tumors arise in the pineal or suprasellar regions, above the pituitary gland. They are most often diagnosed around the time of puberty and are more likely to affect boys than girls. These tumors often respond favorably to chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy, following surgery.
Choroid Plexus Papillomas: The choroid plexus is located within the ventricles in the brain and produces CSF. Choroid plexus papillomas (benign) and choroid plexus carcinomas (malignant) account for 1% to 3% of pediatric brain tumors. These types of tumors usually arise in infants and often cause hydrocephalus. The treatment of choice is surgery and, if the tumor is malignant, chemotherapy, and/or radiation therapy.
Supratentorial PNETs/Pineoblastomas:Supratentorial PNETs and pineoblastomas account for approximately 5% of pediatric brain tumors. Their symptoms depend on location and proximity to the CSF spaces. Treatment involves maximal surgical resection, radiation therapy to the brain and spine, and chemotherapy.
- Related Topics
- Brain Tumor Facts and Glossary
- Research News and Reports
- CBTF Publications | <urn:uuid:2d061f8d-d63f-459c-93f3-8e9ba2f9ee1b> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:39:07",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 4,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9192304611206055,
"score": 3.5625,
"token_count": 1738,
"url": "http://www.cbtf.org/learn/what-brain-tumors-are-common-i"
} |
October 13, 2010
SCOPE OF LAW BARRING CELLS PHONE USE WHILE DRIVING
By: Kevin E. McCarthy, Principal Analyst
You asked whether CGS § 14-296aa as amended by PA 10-109, which generally prohibits use of cell phones and related equipment while driving (1) applies to the equipment used for Family Radio Service (FRS) and General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) or (2) permits a driver to drive while using the speaker function of a cell phone. FRS is a type of Citizen's Band radio service while GMRS uses a type of walkie-talkie equipment.
The Office of Legislative Research is not authorized to provide legal opinions and this report should not be considered one.
It appears that CGS § 14-296aa (1) does not prohibit using FRS or GMRS equipment to make a call but does apply to using this equipment for other purposes, such as texting or sending data and (2) permits a driver to dial a number on his or her cell phone and then use the speakerphone function to hold a conversation, so long as the driver is not holding the cell phone during the conversation.
APPLICABILITY OF LAW TO FRS AND GMRS
CGS § 14-296aa generally bars the use of two types of equipment while driving. These are (1) a hand-held mobile telephone, if used to engage in a call and (2) a mobile electronic device. A hand-held mobile telephone is a cellular, analog, wireless, or digital telephone a person uses to engage in a call while using at least one hand. “Engage in a call” means talking into or listening on a hand-held mobile telephone, but does not include holding the telephone to turn it on or off or to initiate a function of the telephone. A mobile electronic device is any hand-held or other portable electronic equipment that can provide data communication between two or more persons. These include a text messaging device, a paging device, a personal digital assistant, a laptop computer, equipment that is capable of playing a video game or a digital video disk, or equipment on which digital photographs are taken or transmitted. They do not include any audio equipment or any equipment installed in a vehicle to provide navigation, emergency assistance to the driver, or video entertainment to the passengers in the rear seats of a vehicle. The legislative history of CGS 14-296aa does not address the issue of whether it applies to FRS and GMRS equipment.
According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), FRS is a type of Citizens Band radio service. Family, friends, and associates can use it to communicate within a neighborhood and while on group outings. FRS has a communications range of less than one mile and the radio has a maximum power of no more than one-half watt. It cannot be used to make a telephone call but can be used for business-related communications. GMRS is a land-mobile radio service available for short-distance two-way communications to facilitate the activities of an adult and his or her immediate family members. In most cases it has a power capacity of no more than 50 watts. Family members typically use the equipment to communicate among themselves near their residence or during recreational outings. Some equipment can be used for both FRS and GMRS. The FCC rules consistently refer to the equipment used by both services as “radios” rather than “telephones.”
Since FRS cannot be connected to the public switched telephone network under 47 CFR 95.193(e), it appears that such devices do not fall within the definition of mobile telephones. However, they may fall within the definition of mobile electronic devices. FCC rules permit transmissions of data regarding the location of the FRS station. The rules also permit the transmission of brief text messages. The maximum transmission time may not exceed one second, and the minimum time before the next data transmission must be not less than 30 seconds. Only those FRS radios that the FCC has specifically certified for such data operation may actually transmit data. So it appears that using FRS equipment can be used to make calls while driving, but using it to transmit text messages or data would violate CGS § 14-296aa.
GMRS equipment can only be connected with the public switched telephone network under very limited circumstances under 47 CFR 95.141. It generally can only be used for voice communications, but 47 CFR 95.181 also permits a GMRS station operator to communicate a one-way voice page to a paging receiver. It appears that GMRS equipment can be used to make calls while driving, but using it to send pages would violate CGS § 14-296aa.
USING A SPEAKERPHONE
It appears that CGS § 14-296aa does not prohibit a driver from dialing a number and then using the speakerphone function to hold a conversation, so long as the driver is not holding the cell phone during the conversation. As noted above, the law does not prohibit a driver from holding a cell phone in his or her hand to turn it on or to initiate a function, which presumably would include dialing a number.
The issue was addressed at several points in the 2005 debate on the initial bill that was codified as CGS § 14-296aa (sHB 6722). In the House, then-Representative Witkos asked whether it would be a violation under the bill to drive while using a cell phone that has a built-in or attached speakerphone with the phone resting on his lap. Representative Roy, the bill's primary sponsor, responded that it would not be a violation because that would be hands-free operation.
Similarly, Representative DelGobbo asked for a clarification of the bill's scope. Representative Roy stated that the phrase “engage in a call” “means talking into or listening on a hand-held mobile telephone, but does not include holding a hand-held mobile telephone to activate, deactivate, or initiate a function of such telephone.” Rep. DelGobbo then asked whether the bill permitted a driver to dial a number from a phone that had an ear bud and then place the phone on the passenger seat. Representative Roy stated that this would be permissible, although if this caused the driver to have an accident, other provisions of the bill would apply.
Similar points were made in the Senate debate. Senator Ciotto, Senate chair of the Transportation Committee, agreed with Senator Freedman's characterization of the bill as “just saying that you cannot hold the cell phone in your hand.” Senator Nickerson stated that “using a cell phone means holding it to the user's ear.” | <urn:uuid:e24453d4-bdf0-4bff-adb9-3b2ba8b7e8d6> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:39:25",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9485337734222412,
"score": 2.546875,
"token_count": 1380,
"url": "http://www.cga.ct.gov/2010/rpt/2010-R-0422.htm"
} |
The UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (IGME) was formed in 2004 to share data on child mortality, harmonize estimates within the UN system, improve methods for child mortality estimation, report on progress towards the Millennium Development Goals and enhance country capacity to produce timely and properly assessed estimates of child mortality. The IGME, led by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO), also includes the World Bank and the United Nations Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs as full members.
The IGME's independent Technical Advisory Group (TAG), comprising leading academic scholars and independent experts in demography and biostatistics, provides guidance on estimation methods, technical issues and strategies for data analysis and data quality assessment.
The IGME updates its child mortality estimates annually after reviewing newly available data and assessing data quality.
The Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (IGME) is constituted by representatives of UNICEF, WHO, The World Bank and the United Nations Population Division. The child mortality estimates presented in this database have been reviewed by IGME members. As new information becomes available, estimates in the database will be updated more frequently than those appearing in official publications and reports produced by IGME members. Differences between the estimates presented in the database and those in particular publications may also arise because of differences in reporting periods or in the availability of data during the production process of each publication and other evidence.
Levels and Trends in Child Mortality: Reports
Levels and Trends in Child Mortality Report 2012
Levels and Trends in Child Mortality Report 2012 Annex - Technical Notes
Levels and Trends in Child Mortality Report 2011 Levels and Trends in Child Mortality Report 2010
PLoS Medicine Collection: Child Mortality Estimation Methods
(Also available on http://www.ploscollections.org/childmortalityestimation.)
Child Mortality Estimation: Accelerated Progress in Reducing Global Child Mortality, 1990-2010
Kenneth Hill, Danzhen You, Mie Inoue, Mikkel Z. Oestergaard, Technical Advisory Group of the United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation
Child Mortality Estimation: Methods Used to Adjust for Bias due to AIDS in Estimating Trends in Under-Five Mortality
Neff Walker, Kenneth Hill, Fengmin Zhao
Child Mortality Estimation: A Global Overview of Infant and Child Mortality Age Patterns in Light of New Empirical Data
Michel Guillot, Patrick Gerland, Français Pelletier, Ameed Saabneh
Levels and Trends of Child Mortality in 2006: Estimates developed by the Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (Working Paper)
UNICEF, WHO, The World Bank and UN Population Division | <urn:uuid:9acb0fdf-f998-4fb6-bce1-c63207e370bf> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:08:44",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.8584306836128235,
"score": 3.03125,
"token_count": 584,
"url": "http://www.childmortality.org/index.php?r=site/graph&ID=ITA_Italy"
} |
How the Earth Was Made: Everest
Explores the tallest and biggest mountain on Earth. Even though Everest is as far removed from sea level as possible, it's sedementary layers contain fossils that were once sea creatures. This episode explores how the Himalayas were formed when India smashed into Asia propelled by plate tectonics.
For a study guide from History Classroom, click here.
60-minute runtime; two-year copyright clearance.
Dec 12 at 6:00am ET/PT
Related Tools & Resources
This program explores the natural wonder that is nearly 300 miles long and over a mile deep.
Companion website to the History series that showed how the continents were formed, canyons were carved, and why the world's animals live where they do. Includes streaming video of full episodes.
This documentary unearths new evidence that the largest desert in the world may have once been underwater and the site of ancient human settlements.
The Atacama desert is considered the driest place on Earth, this documentary uncovers how this extraordinary dry landscape was created.
This companion website to the Science Channel television series has video clips showing how things are made, from speed skates to bacon to globes. | <urn:uuid:540b2b3c-dba1-46a9-9471-1ac87e851dd9> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:01:21",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 4,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9518522620201111,
"score": 3.90625,
"token_count": 252,
"url": "http://www.ciconline.org/Resource/how-the-earth-was-made-everest"
} |
Without sensors, a robot is just a machine. Robots need sensors to deduce what is happening in their world and to be able to react to changing situations. This chapter introduces a variety of robotic sensors and explains their electrical use and practical application. The sensor applications presented here are not meant to be exhaustive, but merely to suggest some of the possibilities. Please do not be limited by the ideas contained in this chapter! Assembly instructions for the kit sensors are given in Section 2.6.
The basic function of an electronic sensor is to measure some feature of the world, such as light, sound, or pressure and convert that measurement into an electrical signal, usually a voltage or current. Typical sensors respond to stimuli by changing their resistance (photocells), changing their current flow (phototransistors), or changing their voltage output (the Sharp IR sensor). The electrical output of a given sensor can easily be converted into other electrical representations.
There are two basic types of sensors: analog and digital. The two are quite different in function, in application, and in how they are used with the RoboBoard. An analog sensor produces a continuously varying output value over its range of measurement. For example, a particular photocell might have a resistance of 1kin bright light and a resistance of 300k in complete darkness. Any value between these two is possible depending on the particular light level present. Digital sensors, on the other hand, have only two states, often called "on" and "off." Perhaps the simplest example of a digital sensor is the touch switch. A typical touch switch is an open circuit (infinite resistance) when it is not pressed, and a short circuit (zero resistance) when it is depressed.
Some sensors that produce a digital output are more complicated. These sensors produce pulse trains of transitions between the 0 volt state and the 5 volt state. With these types of sensors, the frequency characteristics or shape of this pulse train convey the sensor's measurement. An example of this type of sensor is the Sharp modulated infrared light detector. With this sensor, the actual element measuring light is an analog device, but signal-processing circuitry is integral to the sensor produces a digital output.
The RoboBoard contains input ports for both analog and digital sensors. While both types of ports are sensitive to voltage, each type interprets the input voltage differently and provides different data to the microprocessor. The analog ports measure the voltage and convert it to a number between 0 and 255, corresponding to input voltage levels between 0 and 5 Volts. The conversion scale is linear, so a voltage of 2.5 volts would generate an output value of 127 or 128. The digital ports, however, convert an input voltage to just two output values, Zero and One. If the voltage on a digital port is less than 2.5 Volts, the output will be 0, while if the input is greater than 2.5 Volts, the output will be 1. Thus, the conversion is very nonlinear.
The C library function analog(port-#) is used to return the value of a particular analog sensor port. For example, the IC statement
sets the value of the variable val equal to the output of port #27.
Many devices used as digital sensors are wired to be active low, meaning that they generate 0 Volts when they are active (or true). The digital inputs on the RoboBoard have a pull-up resistor that makes the voltage input equal to 5 Volts when nothing is connected. A closed or depressed touch switch connected to a digital port would change that voltage to 0 Volts by shorting the input to ground. The resulting outputs: open switch , and closed switch , are the logical opposite of what we usually want. That is, we would prefer the output of the digital port to have value 0 or False normally, and change to 1 or True only when the switch hit something (like a wall or another robot) and was depressed. The IC library function digital(port-#), used to read a True-or-False value associated with a particular sensor port, performs this logical inversion of the signal measured on a digital port. Hence, the depressed touch switch (measuring 0 Volts on the hardware) causes the digital() function to return a 1 (logic true) or logical True value.
For example, the C statement
returns a True value (the number 1) and calls the function do_it() if the value at port #2 was zero volts (indicating a depressed switch).
The standard plug configuration used to connect sensors to the RoboBoard is shown in Figure 9.1. Notice that the plug is asymmetric (made by removing one pin from a four-pin section of male header), and is therefore polarized. The plug can only be inserted in the RoboBoard port in one orientation, so once the plug is wired correctly, it cannot be inserted into a sensor port backwards. This makes the plug much easier to use correctly, but, of course, if you wire it incorrectly, you must re-wire it since you cannot turn the plug around.
Generally the sensor is connected to the plug with three wires. Two of the wires supply 5 Volt power from the RoboBoard, labeled "+5v" and "Gnd." The third wire, labeled "Signal" is the voltage output of the sensor. It is the job of the sensor to use the power and ground connections (if necessary) and return its "answer", as a voltage, on the Signal wire.
Figure 9.2 shows a diagram of circuitry associated with each sensor. This circuitry, residing on the RoboBoard, is replicated for each sensor input channel. The key thing to notice is the pull-up resistor wired from the sensor input signal lead to the 5 Volt power supply.
There are two reasons why this resistor is used. First, it provides a default value for the sensor input -- a value when no sensor is plugged in. Many ICs, such as those on the board that read and interpret the sensor voltage, do not perform well when their inputs are left unconnected. With this circuit, when nothing is plugged into the sensor port the pull-up resistor provides a 5 Volt bias voltage on the sensor input line. Thus, the default output value of an analog port is 255, while the default output value of a digital port is 0 or logic False. (Remember that the 5 Volt default input value would lead to a digital value of 1 except that this value is inverted by the digital() library function, as explained earlier.)
Second, the pull-up resistor is also used as part of the voltage divider circuit required for some of the analog sensors, as explained in Section 9.2.4. The resistors on the RoboBoard eliminate the need for an additional resistor on each of the sensors.
Most of the sensors used in the RoboBoard kit make use of the voltage divider circuit shown in Figure 9.3. In the voltage divider, the voltage measured at the common point of the two resistors,
In ELEC 201 applications, has a fixed or constant value (as shown in Figure 9.2), while is the variable resistance produced by the sensor. is the positive voltage supply, fixed at 5 volts. Thus the signal can be directly computed from , the resistive sensor. From looking at the equation, it is easy to see that if is large with respect to , the output voltage will be large, and if is small with respect to , the output voltage will be small. The minimum and maximum possible voltage values are 0 and 5 Volts, matching the RoboBoard input circuitry range.
The primary sensors in the ELEC 201 kit used to detect tactile contact are simple push-button or lever-actuated switches. Microswitch is the brand name of a variety of switch that is so widely used that the brand name has become the generic term for this type of switch, which now manufactured by many companies. A microswitch is housed in a rectangular body and has a very small button (the "switch nub") which is the external switching point. A lever arm on the switch reduces the force needed to actuate the switch (see Figure 9.4). Microswitches are an especially good type of switch to use for making touch sensors.
Often, the switch is simply mounted on a robot so that when the robot runs into something, the switch is depressed, and the microprocessor can detect that the robot has made contact with some object and take appropriate action. However, creative mechanical design of the bumper-switch mechanism is required so that contact with various objects (a wall, a robot, etc.) over a range of angles will be consistently detected. A very sensitive touch bumper can be made by connecting a mechanism as an extension of the microswitch's lever arm, as illustrated in Figure 9.5.
Touch sensors can also serve as limit switches to determine when some movable part of the robot has reached the desired position. For example, if a robot arm is driven by a motor, perhaps using a gear rack, touch switches could detect when the arm reached the limit of travel on the rack in each direction.
Figure 9.6 shows how a switch is wired to a sensor input port. When the switch is open (as it is shown in the diagram), the sensor input is connected to the 5 Volt supply by the pull-up resistor. When the switch is closed, the input is connected directly to ground, generating a 0 Volt signal (and causing current to flow through the resistor and switch).
Most push-button-style switches are "normally open," meaning that the switch contacts are in the open-circuit position when the switch has not been pressed. Microswitches often have both normally open and normally closed contacts along with a common contact. When wiring a microswitch, it is customary to use the normally open contacts. Also, this configuration is the active-low mode expected by the standard library software used to read the output values from digital sensor ports. However, you can wire the switch differently to perform some special function. In particular, several switches can be wired in series or parallel and connected to a single digital input port. For example, a touch bumper might have two switches, and the robot only needs to know if either of them (#1 OR #2) are closed. It takes less code and less time to check just one digital port and to use parallel switch wiring to implement the logic OR function in hardware.
As the name suggests, a mercury tilt switch contains a small amount of mercury inside a glass bulb. The operation of the switch is based on the unique properties of mercury: it is both a conductor and a liquid. When the switch tilts mercury flows to the bottom of the bulb closing the circuit between two metal pins.
The mercury tilt switch can be used in any application to sense inclination. For example, the tilt switch could be used to adjust the position of an arm or ramp. Most thermostats contain a mercury tilt switch mounted on a temperature sensitive spring. Changes in temperature tilt the switch, turning the furnace or air conditioner on or off.
A potentiometer (or "pot," for short) is a manually-adjustable, variable resistor. It is commonly used for volume and tone controls in stereo equipment. On the RoboBoard a 10k pot is used as a contrast dial for the LCD screen, and the RoboKnob of the board is also a potentiometer.
In robotics, a potentiometer can be used as a position sensor. A rotary potentiometer (the most common type) can be used to measure the rotation of a shaft. Gears can be used to connect the rotation of the shaft being measured to the potentiometer shaft. It is easiest to use if the shaft being measured does not need to rotate continuously (like the second hand on a clock), but rather rotates back and forth (like the pendulum on a grandfather clock). Most potentiometers rotate only about 270 degrees; some can be rotated continuously, but the values are the same on each rotation. By using a gear ratio other than 1:1, the position of a shaft that rotates more than 270 degrees can be measured.
A potentiometer connected to a shaft and a lever can also be used to determine the distance to a wall and to make the robot follow a path parallel to the wall. The lever, perhaps with a small wheel on the end, would extend from the side of the robot and contact the wall; a rubber band would provide a restoring force. If the robot moved closer to the wall, the lever would pivot, turning the shaft and the potentiometer. The control program would read the resulting voltage and adjust the robot steering to keep the voltage constant.
Potentiometers have three terminals. The outer two terminals are connected to a resistor and the resistance between them is constant (the value of the potentiometer). The center terminal is connected to a contact that slides along the resistance element as the shaft is turned, so the resistance between it and either of the other terminals varies (one increases while the other decreases).
The assembly instructions suggest wiring the potentiometer in the voltage divider configuration, with the on-board pull-up resistor in parallel with one of the potentiometer's two effective resistances (Figure 9.7). This will yield readings of greater precision (although they will not be linear) than if the pot were used as a two-terminal variable resistor. You may want to try different circuits to determine which works best for your application.
Measurement of light provides very valuable information about the environment. Often, particular features of the game board (such as goals) are marked by a strong light beacon. The board surface has contrasting lines that can be detected by the difference in the amount of light they reflect. A variety of light sensors are provided in the ELEC 201 kit:
Photocells are made from a compound called cadmium sulfide (CdS) that changes in resistance when exposed to varying degrees of light. Cadmium sulfide photocells are most sensitive to visible red light, with some sensitivity to other wavelengths.
Photocells have a relatively slow response to changes in light. The characteristic blinking of overhead fluorescent lamps, which turn on and off at the 60 Hertz line frequency, is not detected by photocells. This is in contrast to phototransistors, which have frequency responses easily reaching above 10,000 Hertz and more. Therefore, if both sensors were used to measure the same fluorescent lamp, the photocell would show the light to be always on and the photo-transistor would show the light to be blinking on and off.
Photocells are commonly used to detect the incandescent lamp that acts as a contest start indicator. They are also used to find the light beacons marking certain parts of the board, such as the goals. While they can be used to measure the reflectivity of the game board surface if coupled with a light source such as a red LED or an incandescent lamp, the IR reflectance sensors are usually better at this function. Photocells are sensitive to ambient lighting and usually need to be shielded. Certain parts of the game board might be marked with polarized light sources. An array of photocells with polarizing filters at different orientations could be used to detect the polarization angle of polarized light and locate those board features.
The photocell acts as resistor in the voltage divider configuration discussed in Section 9.2.4. The resistance of a photocell decreases with an increase in illumination (an inverse relationship). Because of the wiring of the voltage divider (the photocell is on the lower side of the voltage divider), an increase in light will correspond to a decrease in sensor voltage and a lower analog value.
The infrared reflectance sensor is a small rectangular device that contains a phototransistor (sensitive to infrared light) and an infrared emitter. The amount of light reflected from the emitter into the phototransistor yields a measurement of a surface's reflectance, for example, to determine whether the surface is black or white. The phototransistor has peak sensitivity at the wavelength of the emitter (a near-visible infrared), but is also sensitive to visible light and infrared light emitted by visible light sources. For this reason, the device should be shielded from ambient lighting as much as possible in order to obtain reliable results.
The amount of light reflected from the emitter into the phototransistor yields a measurement of a surface's reflectance (when other factors, such as the distance from the sensor to the surface, are held constant). The reflectance sensor can also be used to measure distance, provided that the surface reflectance is constant. A reflectance sensor can be used to detect features drawn on a surface or segments on a wheel used to encode rotations of a shaft. It is important to remember that the reflectivity measurement indicates the surface's reflectivity at a particular wavelength of light (the near-visible infrared). A surface's properties with respect to visible light may or may not be indicators of infrared light reflectance. In general, though, surfaces that absorb visible light (making them appear dark to the eye) will absorb infrared light as well.
The sensor part (the phototransistor) can be used alone as a light sensor, for example to detect the starting light, and it is usually much more sensitive than the photocell.
The light falling on a phototransistor creates charge carriers in the base region of a transistor, effectively providing base current. The intensity of the light determines the effective base drive and thus the conductivity of the transistor. Greater amounts of light cause greater currents to flow through the collector-emitter leads. Because a transistor is an active element having current gain, the phototransistor is more sensitive than a simple photoresistor. However, the increased sensitivity comes at the price of reduced dynamic range. Dynamic range is the difference between the lowest and highest levels that can be measured. The RoboBoard analog sensor inputs have a range of 0-5 Volts, and relatively small variations in light can cause the phototransistor output to change through this range. The exact range depends on the circuit used.
As shown in Figure 9.8, the phototransistor is wired in a configuration similar to the voltage divider. The variable current traveling through the resistor causes a voltage drop in the pull-up resistor. This voltage is measured as the output of the device.
The light emitting element (an LED) uses a resistor to limit the current that can flow through the device to the proper value of about 10 milliamps. Normally the emitter is always on, but it could be wired to one of the LED output ports if you wanted to control it separately. In this way you could use the same sensor to detect the starting light (using the phototransistor with the emitter off) and then to follow a line on the board (normal operation with the emitter on).
The infrared slotted optical switch is similar to the infrared reflectance sensor except that the emitter is pointed directly at the phototransistor across a small gap. As the name implies, the slotted optical switch is a digital sensor, designed to provide only two output states. The output of the switch changes if something opaque enters the gap and blocks the light path. The slotted optical switch is commonly used to build shaft encoders, which count the revolution of a shaft. A gear or other type of wheel with with holes or slots is placed in the gap between the emitter and detector. The light pulses created by the turning wheel can be detected and counted with special software to yield rotation or distance data. This detector also might be used to detect when an arm or other part of the robot has reached a particular position by attaching a piece of cardboard to the arm so that it entered the gap at the desired arm position.
The slotted optical switch operates in the same fashion as the infrared reflectance sensor, with the exception that a different value of pull-up resistor must be added externally for the particular model of optical switch we use.
The modulated infrared light detector is a device that combines an infrared phototransistor with specialized signal processing circuitry to detect only light that is pulsing at a particular rate. The ELEC 201 kit includes the Sharp GP1U52 sensor, which detects the presence of infrared light modulated (pulsed) at 40,000 Hz. Normal room light, which is not modulated, does not effect the sensor, a big advantage. This type of sensor is used for the remote control function on televisions, VCRs, etc. In ELEC 201 this sensor is used to detect the specially modulated infrared light emitted by the beacon on the opponent robot. The software can distinguish different pulse patterns in order to distinguish between the beacons on the two robots. (In a television remote, different pulse patterns would correspond to different functions, such a changing the channel up or down.)
The principles of operation and use are explained further in Section 5.8, which also discusses the circuit used to create the modulated infrared light for the beacon. An explanation of the software interface to the Sharp sensors is given in Section 10.11.2.
The ELEC 201 kit contains both an analog sensor that provides information about the strength of the magnetic field and a digital sensor, a magnetic switch.
A device called a Hall effect sensor can be used to detect the presence and strength of magnetic fields. The Hall effect sensors have an output voltage even when no magnetic field is present, and the output changes when a magnetic field is present, the direction of change depending on the polarity of the field.
The digital magnetic sensors are simple switches that are open or closed. Internally the switches have an arm made of magnetic material that is attracted to a magnet and moves to short out the switch contacts. These switches are commonly used as door and window position sensors in home security systems. The switch will close when it comes within 1'' of its companion magnet.
Either sensor can be used to detect magnets or magnetic strips that may be present on the ELEC 201 game board table. With the magnets typically used on the game board, the Hall effect sensor output voltage changes only a small amount when a field is present. The no-field voltage varies between sensors, but it is very stable for a particular sensor, so the small changes can be detected reliably to determine the presence of a magnet. Hall effect sensors can be used to make magnetic shaft encoders, by mounting a small piece of magnet on a wheel that rotates past the sensor element. Hall effect sensors can also be used to build a proximity sensor or bounce-free switch, which detects a magnet mounted on a moving component when it is near the sensor element.
Magnetic switches are used in much the same way as a touch switch, except the switch closes when it is near a magnetic, instead of when it contacts something. The digital nature of the switch makes it easier to use than the Hall effect sensors, but it may be less sensitive. You should try both.
They can also be used to make an inclination sensor by dangling a magnet above the sensor.
The Hall effect sensor included in the ELEC 201 kit is a digital device that operates from a 5 volts power supply. It uses about 6 mA of current for standard operation. It can sink 250 mA of current into its output, creating a logic low. The sensor cannot drive a logic high and therefore requires a pullup resistor for proper operation.
The motor output drivers of the ELEC 201 RoboBoard contains circuitry that produces an output voltage related to the amount of current being used by a motor. Since the motor current corresponds to the load on the motor, this signal can be used to determine if the motor is stalled and the robot is stuck. The voltage signal depends on a number of factors, including battery voltage, and must be calibrated for each application. This application is explained further in Section 5.4.1. | <urn:uuid:79033af1-f427-4ee1-ac1a-e14acac573c9> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:17:05",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 4,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9191590547561646,
"score": 3.546875,
"token_count": 4920,
"url": "http://www.clear.rice.edu/elec201/Book/sensors.html"
} |
(CNN) -- Modern football is a melting pot of cultures, as players from a variety of ethnic backgrounds share top billing as superstars.
It is not always a comfortable mix, as can be seen by the recent racism rows involving John Terry and Luis Suarez.
But football's pantheon of stars has not always been such a rich multicultural tapestry. Far from it.
Back in the sport's infancy in the late 1800s, in its homeland of white-dominated Britain, there were no official leagues and only a handful of domestic cup competitions.
International matches were the pinnacle of competition, with England and Scotland contesting the first in 1872 -- and few were played outside the UK and Ireland until the formation of FIFA in 1904 .
And it was Scotland which, in 1881, provided football with its first black international player -- British Guiana-born Andrew Watson.
"He was the son of a Glasgow merchant who traded out in the West Indies and parts of South America as well," curator of the Scottish Football Museum Richard McBrearty told CNN.
"It's a story of the time, I suppose. Andrew would've been born out of wedlock to a wealthy white merchant and his mother who was native to British Guiana."
Social attitudes of the time meant that Watson, while enjoying financial support and a good education, was never truly recognized and acknowledged by his father.
"Anything that had to be signed, due to school or education, was usually done through an intermediary," McBrearty explained. "So he was recognized as being of the blood, but there was a distance."
Early records of Watson show him joining Glasgow team Parkgrove -- which at the time enjoyed a higher profile than now-famous neighbors Glasgow Rangers -- in both a playing and off-pitch capacity.
In his role as match secretary, Watson created history by becoming the first black football administrator. In 1880 he joined Queen's Park, the biggest of the Glasgow clubs and Scotland's preeminent football power.
The following year he represented Scotland in his first of three international outings, captaining the country in a landmark 6-1 victory over England at London's Oval ground -- now an international cricket venue.
"Even to this day with some of the fantastic teams England have played over the years, such as the Hungarians of 1953 and Pele's Brazil, that victory for Scotland remains England's heaviest defeat on home soil," said McBrearty.
The Scotland team led by Watson pioneered a revolutionary passing game at a time when football was played in a very individual manner.
"He is a hugely important figure within football. He captained Scotland against England, which was absolutely the highest accolade you could have at the time. It was also at a time when Scotland were very successful in international football," McBrearty said.
"The way the game was played at that time, Scotland were devising a short passing game. The margin of victory was because Scotland were the first to promote a real team-based passing ethos. Watson was right at the forefront of that."
Despite his prominent role in the national team, Watson still occasionally encountered abuse which was symbolic of a less enlightened age.
"What we come across in a very polite article about Watson is that he encountered 'splenetic players' on the field. Now that suggests to me that the color of his skin was a subject of attack," McBrearty said.
"That's an insight into the fact that, even in that time, this was clearly happening and Watson had to rise above that as a footballer and more widely as a human being."
Watson's demeanor off the pitch is something McBrearty believes is also of note, saying he had a reputation as a gentleman.
"Certainly there is widespread praise that he wins. The adoration that he has is clearly because he manages to rise above the difficulties that he encounters on the field of play."
After leaving Queen's Park, Watson headed to England to play for the now-defunct Swifts club in London.
McBrearty believes Watson became the first black player to play in the English FA Cup during the 1882-83 season.
Watson passed away in Sydney, Australia in 1902 aged 44, but McBrearty thinks the contribution he made to football has paved the way for the big-name black players we see in the game today.
"He's massively important to global football, not just Scottish football, not just British football. He's one of the first few pioneers. He played international football, he captained the international team and they happened to be the best there was at that time.
"As football spreads across the globe with black players who are now among the best in the world, and you look at the legacy of fantastic Brazilian players like Pele and Garrincha, it really stems back to guys like Watson." | <urn:uuid:da83964e-4590-424c-9043-521578341991> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:24:16",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9885280728340149,
"score": 2.671875,
"token_count": 998,
"url": "http://www.cnn.com/2011/12/22/sport/football/football-watson-black-players/index.html?iid=article_sidebar"
} |
Using the code
The object is called
XMLWriter. It automatically replaces invalid characters such as quotation marks or greater than signs with the appropriate XML values. However, it does not throw exceptions on invalid tag names, because the application I’m writing won’t have the possibility of producing invalid tag names. If you want to add tag-name validation to the object, it should not be a difficult task.
new command like so:
var XML = new XMLWriter();
XMLWriter object has the following public methods:
Attrib (Name, Value)
Node (Name, Value)
BeginNode writes out an opening tag, giving it the name that you pass the method. Below is an example, followed by the XML it would produce:
EndNode ends the current node (if any are still open). So following from the
BeginNode example, if we were to write
XML.EndNode(), the writer would write “/>”. The object is smart enough to know if you have written any text or inner nodes out and will write “</Foo>” if necessary.
Attrib writes out an attribute and value on the currently open node. Below is an example, followed by the XML it would produce:
XML.Attrib(“Bar”, “Some Value”);
WriteString writes out a string value to the XML document as illustrated below:
Node method writes out a named tag and value as illustrated below:
XML.Node(“MyNode”, “My Value”);
Close method does not necessarily need to be called, but it’s a good idea to do so. What it does is end any nodes that have not been ended.
ToString method returns the entire XML document as a single string (duh).
I’ve provided some sample code. The XMLWriter.js file contains all the code you will need to write XML. It is clean code, but uncommented. I’ve tested this code in IE 6.0 and FireFox 1.5. | <urn:uuid:dc06ca57-286f-4242-94bc-3cc2724496d8> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:11:47",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.8642423748970032,
"score": 2.5625,
"token_count": 440,
"url": "http://www.codeproject.com/Articles/12504/Writing-XML-using-JavaScript?msg=3934752"
} |
Cascading Style Sheets and themes development
Cascading Style Sheets, commonly referred to as CSS, is commonly used to style web pages written in HTML and XHTML, but can be used together with any kind of XML document. It is a style sheet language used to describe the look and formatting (presentation semantics) of a document written in a markup language.
The primary use of CSS is to separate document content from document presentation, such as layout, fonts and colors. This allows for tableless web design, gives the web designer more flexibility and control, and makes it possible for multiple pages to share the same formatting.
The CSS specifications are maintained by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).
CSS History – the beginning
Before CSS was developed, the presentational attributes of HTML documents were almost always contained within the HTML markup. The web designer had to explicitly describe all backgrounds, font colors, borders, element alignments, etcetera. The aim of CSS was to allow web designers to move most of this information to a separate style sheet.
Style sheets have been round since the early days of SGML (Standard Generalized Markup Language), i.e. since the 1970s. As HTML became more and more widely used, HTML came to encompass a wide variety of stylistic possibilities to meet the demands of increasingly complex web page designs. The designers' gained more and more control, but in the process, HTML became more and more complicated to write and maintain.
Robert Cailliau, the Belgian informatics engineer who together with Tim Berners-Lee developed the World Wide Web, wanted to find a way to separate the structure from the presentation. He also wanted to give the user the option of choosing between three different kinds of style sheets: one for screen presentation, one suitable for printing and one for the editor.
Eventually, nine different style sheet languages was presented to the World Wide Web Consortium. Two of them was chosen: Cascading HTML Style Sheets (CHSS) and Stream-based Style Sheet Proposal (SSP). CHSS had been suggested by Norweigan web pioneer Håkon Wium Lie, while SSP was the brainchild of Dutch computer scientist Ber Bos. Lie teamed up with computer scientists Yves Lafon and Dave Raggett to make Raggett's Arena browser support CSS, while Lie and Bos worked together to turn CHSS into the CSS standard. (The letter H was removed since their style sheets was to be applied to more than just HTML).
CSS History – CSS level 1 and level 2 Recommendations
In 1994, CSS was presented at the Mosaic and the Web conferenece in Chicago. Unlike existing style language such as DSSSL and FOSI, CSS made it possible to use multiple style sheets for the same document and allow the design to be controlled by both designer and user.
In December 1996, CSS became official through the publishing of the CSS level 1 Recommendation. In May 1998, the World Wide Web Consortium published the CSS level 2 Recommendation. The CSS level 3 Recommendation has not yet been published, even though it has been in the works since 1998. | <urn:uuid:eaa36fc8-ecca-48d1-8983-07e89d8ceb11> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:24:22",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 4,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9411880970001221,
"score": 3.921875,
"token_count": 649,
"url": "http://www.collylogic.com/index.php?/weblog/comments/ticked_off_links_reloaded"
} |
[ back ]
Ohio snakes slither into summer sun
Photo courtesy of Metro Parks
The Eastern garter snake is one of three garter snakes in the state. The cold-blooded reptile can be found all around central Ohio, even in backyard gardens. It is one of five snakes that can be found in the area.
The weather is warming up and humans are not the only ones basking in the sun. The snakes have slithered out too.
The cold-blooded reptile has always been feared or revered. Now is the time of year when encounters with them are common but is there really a reason to fear them?
Peg Hanley, spokeswoman for Metro Parks, said none of the snakes in this part of the state are poisonous.
“Many people think all snakes are poisonous,” said Hanley. “They just don’t know how great they really are.”
Hanley said another myth about snakes is that they are slimy and scaly.
“They are actually completely dry,” she remarked.
Contrary to what movie makers will have you believe, snakes will not chase you. In fact, Hanley said they will do their best to avoid you. They can feel the vibrations from an approaching animal and will likely hide until the perceived threat is gone.
“If you don’t bug them, they won’t bug you,” said Hanley. “Not all snakes have fangs either.”
For some snakes, it’s mating season. For others, they just want to warm up in the sun. Hanley said soaking up the rays helps digestion in the reptile.
The following are facts on the five snakes people most commonly encounter in central Ohio.
Northern water snake
According to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), this is one of the most widely distributed and abundant snakes in Ohio. They can live in just about any permanent body of water.
The Northern water snake is usually 24 to 42 inches in size and has extreme variation in color. It is sometimes confused with the poisonous water moccasin or the cottonmouth.
This species will try to steer clear of humans but can be aggressive if aggravated. It will bite and its bite can be painful and leave deep lacerations.
Eastern garter snake
This snake is one of three garters in the state but is the most common. It is recognized by its color pattern of three yellow stripes on a black or brown body.
It is usually about four inches long and can be found in nearly every habitat, including backyard gardens. The garter gets its name from its resemblance to stripes on old fashioned sock garters.
If the snake bites, some people experience swelling or a rash.
Black rat snake
The black rat is Ohio’s largest snake, ranging between 47 to 72 inches in length. It is the most commonly killed snake due to human fear. It is all black, except for a small light patch under its chin.
This kind of snake prefers the forest. It is an accomplished climber and can be found high in trees or in woodpecker holes.
Hanley said the black rat is sometimes mistaken for a rattlesnake because it can vibrate its tail.
“Normally, it is a pretty shy creature,” said Hanley. “It even plays possum when threatened.”
If cornered or captured, the snake will likely vibrate its tail and strike repeatedly. It can also coil around something tightly and discharge a foul-smelling substance.
According to the ODNR, the black rat snake is one of the state’s most beneficial reptiles. It plays an essential role in controlling destructive rodents.
The queen snake sounds like a big one but it actually measures just 15 to 24 inches in length.
This snake is normally encountered when flat stones or boards are overturned. It is found along waterways and feeds on soft-shelled crayfish instead of rodents.
The queen snake is dark brown with a yellow stripe on the lower side of its body. The belly is yellow with brown stripes.
The queen snake has such small teeth, it barely pierces the skin if it bites.
Black racer snake
The black racer is the state snake of Ohio. It is normally 36 to 60 inches long and can reach speeds of up to 10 miles per hour.
Hanley said this snake is very shiny and prevalent in the area.
“The racer is great to Ohio farmers,” she noted because of its speedy hunting of rodents.
The black racer snake becomes nervous around humans and can be aggressive if captured. With small but numerous teeth, its bite can be painful.
Snakes around you
“Snakes are good at what they do,” said Hanley, “and that’s finding and hunting rodents.”
The reptiles also have natural predators including hawks, eagles and humans.
Hanley said the snake has always had a myth imprinted on it but said the snakes in central Ohio are not dangerous to humans.
To learn more about snakes, attend Battelle Darby Creek’s “Cold Blooded Critters” event on May 25 from 1 to 4 p.m. Interested persons are asked to meet at Indian Ridge Lodge.
For more information about reptiles or additional events, call Metro Parks at 895-6365 or log onto metroparks.net.
[ back ] | <urn:uuid:a3d123df-57d0-45ac-b575-52b9e65053d9> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:24:04",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9565257430076599,
"score": 3.28125,
"token_count": 1140,
"url": "http://www.columbusmessenger.com/NC/0/2975.html"
} |
This paper, submitted to Astronomy Education Review, describes a series of activities in which students investigate and use the models of planetary motion introduced by the Hellenistic astronomer Claudius Ptolemy in the 2nd Century, by the Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus in the mid-16th Century, and by the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe in the late16th Century. The activities involve the use of open source software to help students discover important observational facts, learn the necessary vocabulary, understand the fundamental properties of different theoretical models, and relate the theoretical models to observational data. Once they understand the observations and models, students complete a series of projects in which they observe a fictitious solar system with four planets orbiting in circles around a central star and construct both Ptolemaic and Copernican models for that system.
Activities on Using Stellarium to Observe Solar and Planetary Motions
This zip archive contains two activity handouts that guide students through using open source planetarium software (Stellarium, available at… more... download 211kb .zip
Published: January 4, 2013
Modeling the History of Astronomy Poster
A poster describing the same material, presented at the Winter Meeting of the American Association of Physics Teachers, January 2013, New Orleans, LA. download 370kb .pdf
Published: January 11, 2013
%A Todd Timberlake %T Modeling the History of Astronomy: Ptolemy, Copernicus and Tycho %D January 10, 2013 %U http://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=12579&DocID=3173 %O application/pdf
%0 Report %A Timberlake, Todd %D January 10, 2013 %T Modeling the History of Astronomy: Ptolemy, Copernicus and Tycho %8 January 10, 2013 %U http://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=12579&DocID=3173
Disclaimer: ComPADRE offers citation styles as a guide only. We cannot offer interpretations about citations as this is an automated procedure. Please refer to the style manuals in the Citation Source Information area for clarifications. | <urn:uuid:102a5db2-f481-46cf-afab-1db694198613> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:16:43",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.8737872838973999,
"score": 3.390625,
"token_count": 466,
"url": "http://www.compadre.org/OSP/items/detail.cfm?ID=12579"
} |
Refuel with energy-rich foods
Everyone needs carbohydrates, the body’s preferred energy source. If you get regular cardiovascular exercise or train for an endurance sport, you need more daily carbs to fuel your workouts and replenish your energy stores. Remember: all carbs are not created equal. Grains, fruit, vegetables (nutrient-rich choices) as well as candy and sweets (empty calories) are all sources of carbohydrate. Some foods, like dairy and legumes, combine carbohydrate and protein, which helps restore muscles. The best carbs to choose are ones that contribute plenty of other nutrients such as protein, vitamins, fiber, and antioxidants. | <urn:uuid:d979100f-6fd0-461b-992e-0294736c30f4> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:39:03",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9064951539039612,
"score": 2.546875,
"token_count": 131,
"url": "http://www.cookinglight.com/healthy-living/fitness/cardio-friendly-foods-00400000046292/?xid=yshi-ckl-olympic-athlete-diet-073012"
} |
A teacher's point of view: Mutual respect and healthy discourse
The recent controversy over the banning of the Confederate flag and purported hate speech and conduct within the Dolores Schools has prompted the kind of discourse that characterizes a society that values free speech and diversity. Nowhere is this more evident than in the arguments of William Nelligan in recent letters to The Dolores Star and editorial columns for the Cortez Journal. It seems, however, that the majority of published opinion, including Mr. Nelligan's, weighs in against the Administration's decision to ban controversial symbols that could be construed as politically/culturally insensitive. Though, in truth, I agree with much of what Mr. Nelligan says, it is simplistic and erroneous to judge the district's actions in light of a strict interpretation of the First Amendment.
The responsibility of the public school system to educate our children and to prepare them to assume their roles as citizens of the United States, contributors to local and global communities, is daunting. Educators not only make decisions about what to teach and how to teach it but must nurture and protect the children whose education is entrusted to us. In writing their opinions, both for the majority and in dissent, justices of the Supreme Court have recognized this responsibility and noted that "the rights of students must be applied in light of the special characteristics of the school environment (Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeir, 1988)." Since the 1969 decision of Tinker v. Des Moines, the case to which Mr. Nelligan often referred, the Court has repeatedly sided with school administrators in restricting students' free speech, observing that "the constitutional rights of students are not automatically co-extensive with the rights of adults in other settings (Bethal School District No. 403 v. Fraser, 1986)." The most recent case, Frederick v. Morse (2007), further restricted students' rights to free speech, supporting an administrative decision even when there was not evidence of disruption of school activities, a condition that was imposed on schools with the development of the "Tinker Test." The decision of Dolores Re-4a administrators to ban the Confederate flag and other controversial political symbols is not unconstitutional. It is a choice they have the right to make.
Balancing "legitimate educational objectives and the need for school discipline against First Amendment values" requires careful consideration. Perhaps the most important civics lesson that can come from this act of censorship is not what students gained or lost but how they see us - their teachers, parents and community members - dealing with this and other important issues currently facing the Dolores School Board and Administration. Analyzing a situation, stating one's opinion and backing it with evidence, listening respectfully, reflecting thoughtfully on another's point of view, and working together to find solutions are critical to the well being of our District and, incidentally, are the same 21st Century skills we seek to develop in our students. I am grateful for Mr. Nelligan's thoughtful challenge and his model of the First Amendment in action. It is through mutual respect and healthy discourse that we will be able to create a better school.
Melanie Cook, teacher
Dolores Middle School | <urn:uuid:526c1bc8-1537-41d8-a6ef-a342272a553b> | {
"date": "2013-05-19T02:32:19",
"dump": "CC-MAIN-2013-20",
"file_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz",
"int_score": 3,
"language": "en",
"language_score": 0.9614013433456421,
"score": 2.921875,
"token_count": 646,
"url": "http://www.cortezjournal.com/article/20130213/OPINION02/130219933/0/20121108/A-teacher's-point-of-view:--Mutual-respect-and-healthy-discourse"
} |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.