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Protect plants from cold
Updated 2:55 pm, Friday, December 21, 2012
Hard freezes are not uncommon in December and January. The best plan is to prepare for cold weather by moving the most cold-sensitive plant into freeze-proof shelter and by assembling appropriate materials to protect other cold sensitive plants.
Among the most cold-sensitive plants are bougainvillea, plumeria, Oriental hibiscus and mandevilla.
Bougainvilleas quit blooming when the temperature drops near 40 degrees for a few days, and the plants are damaged with temperatures at 32 degrees. They need to be protected from freezing temperatures, but they do not need to have light all winter. They do perfectly well in the corner of a garage or shed as long as it the temperature in the building never falls below 32 degrees.
Bougainvilleas are easier to store if you cut them back to a relatively compact crown because the thorny branches seem to reach out and grab anybody who walks close to them.
Plumeria can be stored in the same conditions as bougainvillea - in a dark environment - but mandevilla, Oriental hibiscus, geraniums and other cold-sensitive container plants require cold protection and light. A greenhouse is ideal. A glassed-in sun porch also works. Some gardeners place them in a sheltered location on the south or east side of the house and then cover with cloth or canvas when cold temperatures are forecast.
In the landscape, citrus needs cold protection depending on how cold it gets and for how long. Kumquats, calomondin, changsha tangerine and satsumas have more cold tolerance than oranges, grapefruit, lemons and limes. I don't cover my calomondin in the ground, but I cover the rest of the citrus whenever the forecast is for temperatures below 26 degrees.
If the temperature falls below 24 degrees or is expected to be below 28 degrees for more than two or three hours, it is advisable to put a heat source under the cloth covering. That means extending an outdoor-rated extension cord from the power source and attaching a poultry heat lamp, mechanic's light or even a string of holiday lights to keep so the temperature under the fabric stays close to freezing.
The easiest thing to do to winter flowers is to leave them unprotected. You may sacrifice blooms for a time, but the foliage will survive. We have learned to expect the bloomless period in January and early February for snapdragons, petunias, stocks, dianthus and calendula. They will recover in time to produce a spectacular rebloom in March and April. Plan on covering cyclamen when temperatures below 30 degrees are forecast. | <urn:uuid:d01e85af-090f-4906-a2d6-45675dd4d65f> | {
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Weight discrimination in the workplace is more common than American workers might think. In fact, Yale University researchers determined as early as 2008 that the instances of discrimination against the overweight are on par with racial discrimination. Find out how to fight back.
Women at Higher Risk
The Yale study outlined that women -- more frequently than men -- were in the crosshairs of discriminatory attitudes related to their weight. Yet even men will suffer from obesity prejudice once the body mass index (BMI) exceeds 35. For women, the critical BMI number is 27.
It is tempting to explain away this new level of discrimination by pointing out that the Yale study relied on self-reporting. Yet MSNBC quoted an independent Tennessee State University study, which showed that overweight workers make less money than their normal-weight counterparts. The gap in pay was between one and six percent. Adding insult to injury, women were more frequently fiscally discriminated against than men.
What Does Weight Discrimination Look Like?
Derogatory comments or “fat jokes" are some of the more benign but overt expressions of a weight bias. Covert discrimination includes the marginalizing of the overweight worker during business functions; for example, she may be seated at an out-of-the-way table during a dinner -- rather than close to the stage or in the line of sight of a scheduled speaker. Meet-and-greet opportunities with company executives may exclude obese supervisors or managers; occasionally, these meetings take place outside of the office at gatherings to which the obese worker is not invited.
Attitudes Behind the Prejudice
Co-workers, hiring managers and supervisors may subconsciously equate obesity with negative stereotypes, such as laziness, sloppiness and lax self-discipline. A study of more than 620 primary care physicians showed that more than half regarded very overweight patients as “awkward, unattractive, ugly and noncompliant." It stands to reason that this attitude would translate into the workplace and the minds of the managers and supervisors. Employers may also hold fear about their portion of the cost of weight-related healthcare expenses, such as diabetes and hypertension or even weight loss surgeries.
Contrary to popular belief, there is no federal law that assists workers who suffer employment discrimination based on their sizes. The Obesity Action Coalition reveals that -- thus far -- only the State of Michigan and assorted local jurisdictions (e.g., San Francisco) have drafted legislation that protects employees against weight discrimination in the workplace.
Lawsuits under the auspices of the Americans with Disabilities Act are generally not successful. Attacking workplace bias, if an employee is a member of an otherwise protected class, offers a modicum of success, as may be the case in age discrimination suits, but it is still not guaranteed.
While attitudes are not quickly changing, the overweight worker does have some power. Dispel the myth of sloppiness by appearing to work consistently well-groomed; overcome the notion of obesity-related laziness by consistently turning in excellent and praiseworthy work. Be on the forefront of causing the mind change!
- Yale Rudd Center: “The Stigma of Obesity - A Review and Update" at http://www.yaleruddcenter.org/resources/upload/docs/what/bias/WeightBiasStudy.pdf (accessed May 13, 2011)
- MSNBC: “Fat chance: It's not easy for obese workers" at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16755130/ns/business-careers/t/fat-chance-its-not-easy-obese-workers/ (accessed May 13, 2011)
- Obesity Action Coalition: Weight Discrimination - A Socially Acceptable Injustice" at http://www.obesityaction.org/magazine/oacnews12/obesityanddiscrimination.php (accessed May 13, 2011)
Photo Credit: “Obesity and waist circumference" by FDA/Renée Gordon/Wikimedia Commons at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Obesity-waist_circumference.PNG
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons, U.S. Federal Govt. | <urn:uuid:2fcb0a56-b77e-498e-92e3-2c85be04c123> | {
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Understanding Eating Disorders in Teens
What Are Eating Disorders? continued...
Anorexia nervosa affects as many as one in every 100 females. Teens with anorexia fear gaining weight and are at least 15% below their ideal body weights. They believe the main gauge of self-worth is their body image.
Experts believe many American girls are bulimic and have kept the problem a secret. Bulimia often starts in the late teens and early adulthood. People with bulimia go through cycles of eating enormous amounts of foods followed by purging by vomiting, using laxatives, or diuretics or hours of aerobic exercise.
Warning signs of bulimia include:
- Extreme preoccupation about being overweight
- Strict dieting followed by high-calorie eating binges
- Overeating when distressed
- Feeling out of control
- Disappearing after a meal
- Depressed moods
- Alcohol or drug abuse
- Frequent use of laxatives or diuretics
- Excessive exercising
- Irregular menstrual cycles
What Causes Eating Disorders in Teens?
There is no one cause of an eating disorder. Experts link eating disorders to a combination of factors, such as family relationships, psychological problems, and genetics. The teen may have low self-esteem and be preoccupied with having a thin body.
Sometimes, being part of a sport such as ballet, gymnastics, or running, where being lean is encouraged, is associated with eating disorders in teens. In one study, researchers linked anorexia with an obsession with perfectionism -- concern over mistakes, high personal standards, and parental expectations and criticism.
What Are Symptoms of Eating Disorders in Teens?
Symptoms of eating disorders may include the following:
- A distorted body image
- Skipping most meals
- Unusual eating habits (such as eating thousands of calories at one meal or skipping meals)
- Frequent weighing
- Extreme weight change
Skin rash or dry skin
- Dental cavities
- Erosion of tooth enamel
- Loss of hair or nail quality
- Hyperactivity and high interest in exercise
Teens with eating disorders are often in denial that anything is wrong. They may be moody, anxious, depressed. They may withdraw from friends, and become overly sensitive to criticism. The problem arises when parents are not aware of these symptoms because the teen keeps them hidden -- just like the trauma, insecurities, depression, or low self-esteem that may help trigger the disorder. | <urn:uuid:f9ce1274-5902-4bbd-a51c-aa490a89cd5d> | {
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Environment / Climate / Range
Marine; brackish; pelagic-neritic; depth range 0 - 50 m (Ref. 188). Tropical; 14°N - 4°S, 92°W - 77°W (Ref. 188)
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 33.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 55763); common length : 20.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 9336)
soft rays: 46 - 50. Body moderately slender, belly with 23 to 25 + 11 to 14 scutes. Eye large, lower jaw projecting; gap between hind tip of premaxilla a ligament, not a toothed bone. Dorsal fin origin a little before midpoint of body; anal fin long, its origin below about last dorsal fin rays.
Eastern Central Pacific: El Salvador to the northern tip of Peru.
Occurs in coastal waters, entering estuaries, perhaps to spawn there (Ref. 9336). Feeds on planktonic crustaceans; larger individuals feed on shrimps (Ref. 9336). Flesh of low quality (Ref. 9336).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Whitehead, P.J.P., 1985. FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 7. Clupeoid fishes of the world (suborder Clupeioidei). An annotated and illustrated catalogue of the herrings, sardines, pilchards, sprats, shads, anchovies and wolf-herrings. FAO Fish. Synop. 125(7/1):1-303. Rome: FAO. (Ref. 188)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 96402)
CITES (Ref. 94142)
Threat to humans
Fisheries: minor commercial
Common namesSynonymsMetabolismPredatorsEcotoxicologyReproductionMaturitySpawningFecundityEggsEgg development
ReferencesAquacultureAquaculture profileStrainsGeneticsAllele frequenciesHeritabilityDiseasesProcessingMass conversion
Estimates of some properties based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82805
= 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00891 (0.00396 - 0.02008), b=3.04 (2.85 - 3.23), based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)Family-body shape (Ref. 93245
Trophic Level (Ref. 69278
): 3.5 ±0.52 se; Based on food items.
Resilience (Ref. 69278
): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Vulnerability (Ref. 59153
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This story was originally reported by PRI's The World. For more, listen to the audio above.
Thirty years ago, international medical researchers descended on the shores of Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela to perform a landmark study on Huntington's disease. They took biological samples from the town's residents including blood and semen. Using that research, scientists were able to pinpoint the gene that causes Huntington's disease and develop a test for it. That test, and any benefit from the research, is still unavailable for the residents of Maracaibo.
Huntington's disease is a hereditary brain disorder that causes muscles to jerk and spasm uncontrollably. It usually sets in around age 30 or 40, and there is no cure. Researchers chose Maracaibo—a poor and remote fishing village -- because it has the world's largest concentration of people with Huntington's disease.
A test for the disease is now widely available in the United States, Europe and even as close as Caracas. But it can cost more than $1,000, far too much for most Maracaibo residents, who rarely know that a test exists. One woman named Mariella asked PRI's The World, "Test? Test for what?"
"In the US or in Europe, whomever has the disease in their family has the option to decide, 'I want to get the test,' or 'I don't want to know.' They don't even have that option, even after they collaborated in the research," Ernersto Solis, a doctor and geneticist in Maracaibo, told The World. Solis criticizes the Venezuelan health care system for not providing the test, but believes that in their absence, the medical researchers should provide it.
In fact, international ethics regulations place a responsibility on the researchers to provide the test to the residents of Maracaibo, according to Ruth Macklin, a professor of bioethics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the New York.
The lead researcher on the study, Nancy Wexler, doesn't believe the test could help Maracaibo. She's focused on finding a cure, not just a test. In fact, Wexler believes that the test could cause harm to Maracaibo residents, especially for people who are diagnosed with the disease, and have no hope of a cure. There's even a chance that some of them could commit suicide.
Until there is a cure, Wexler points out that she has raised some $6 million to establish a Huntington's Disease clinic for the people in Maracaibo. "We provide very expensive medicines for psychiatric problems, a lot of people have hallucinations, delusions, violent outbursts, antidepressants," says Wexler. But the test is not available.
That's not enough, according to Ruth Macklin. "It is unacceptably paternalistic for researchers to claim this is bad news we should not visit on people," Macklin told "The World. "That is really a form of intellectual colonialism that we know what's better for those people, and it's better for them not to have a test."
To discuss the issue of genetic testing, geneticist and genetic counselor Mayana Zatz is taking questions in the World Science Forum all this week.
PRI's "The World" is a one-hour, weekday radio news magazine offering a mix of news, features, interviews, and music from around the globe. "The World" is a co-production of the BBC World Service, PRI and WGBH Boston. More "The World." | <urn:uuid:8a8ae5e1-0668-4848-9f1d-cf0cbb8a387c> | {
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Don Marti has written an amusing and informative little post about the way that ill-educated people use phrases in print . The one example that didn’t fit with the tone of his post was the use of “half mast” to refer to a flag on land, that one is used often enough (both in print and verbally) that intelligent people will make that mistake.
Here are some that he missed:
- The expression “bailing them out” can be used to refer to someone who helps someone escape from a difficult situation. That might refer to bailing water from a leaky boat or might refer to posting bail to secure someone’s release from prison while awaiting trial. It certainly doesn’t refer to baling which is the creation of a bundle (such as a bale of hay). I’m sure that a farmer would appreciate some help at baling time, but such help would hardly qualify as rescue from a difficult situation.
- The expression “woe is me” is used (usually in a sarcastic manner) to refer to someone who feels that their situation is sorrowful. It is not “whoah is me“, I suspect that the word whoah was invented long after the expression “woe is me” became commonly used.
- Made up words such as worserer and worstest. I can understand that people such as Keith Olbermann may find it a challenge to describe some of the bad people in the world, but he is articulate enough to rise to that challenge while using real words.
Can anyone add any more to this list? | <urn:uuid:d098157d-a468-4516-bb98-5d769b2291e6> | {
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In 1945, the devastating reality that was World War II left its indelible mark on the city of Hiroshima. The dropping of the very first atomic weapon in war destroyed the city, shattered its citizens' lives and forever altered the hearts of those who suffered.
Dedicated to that terrible memory, the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum is a sombre and heart-moving reminder of the costs of war. Since its establishment in 1955, the Museum has seen an average of 1 million visitors per year. What each one of those visitors comes away with is, of course, up to them but nobody walks away without being affected.
In 1994, the Museum was made up of two sections, the East and West Wings with the former focused on the Hiroshima's history before the bomb and subsequent destruction while the latter wing focused on the bomb's damage. Renovations to the Museum began in 2014 and ended in in 2017. Further upgrades to the Museum, including earthquake safety measures, then continued on until April of 2019.
Courtesy of these upgrades, the Museum now has a greater focus on the memories of the victims of the disaster. Museum routes have been updated to allow visitors more time to reflect on these memories through the use personal mementos. About 20,000 such mementos are housed by the Museum and, along with owner portraits, add a solemn touch to this human tragedy.
With these changes, the Museum and the last remaining survivors of the bombing are hoping to be able to pass on the memories of that time in the hopes that it will never be repeated again.
Please check the official website for opening and closing times.
Take Tram Line 2, 3 or 6 from JR Hiroshima Station to Genbaku Dome Mae. The ride is about 15 minutes followed by a 10-minute walk. Bus options are also available. For further details please check the official website.
Was this article helpful?
A Japanese Permanent Resident, I drool over proper soba and sushi while Japanese aesthetics ticks all the right boxes for me.With over 100 published articles on Japan as well as 5 English language books written in a traditional Japanese style, I also happen enjoy writing. Funny that...I'm also the Regional Partner for Tokyo, Japan's never ending capital, so if you've anything to say about Tokyo - or Japan in general - don't be shy and contact with me via [email protected] | <urn:uuid:061c157b-038a-41de-af22-4863910f0882> | {
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The recommended amount of time that one should generally spend while sleeping is 6-8 hours. The medical experts argue that the quality of mental performance is closely related to the quality of sleep that one gets. The quality of the sleeping surface, in this case being the mattress, has a greater percentage of contribution on this quality. Despite this being the case, the mattress can also act as an antenna for elements such as the radiations which may cause complications such as the cancer. The mattresses may on the other hand carry things such as the chemicals and other elements which are harmful and those which are likely to cause poor sleep to a person. Some mattresses, in a more advanced effect, may also affects the muscles and the joints of a person such that they will not be in a position of getting enough and quality sleep as it is recommended by the experts.
This is what has then made most of the individuals especially those who are concerned with the quality of their sleep to look for the organic mattress type. In most of the cases, the materials such as the cottons and the organic wools are the ones which are used to make the organic mattresses. Other organic materials are also used to make the organic mattresses. This means that, the making of the organic mattresses will generally involve zero use of chemicals or the pesticides. This is not the case with the traditional mattresses as their making involves the use of more chemicals. Some of the examples of such types of chemicals used to make the traditional mattresses may be the silicon, boric acid, phosphates and many others.
The people of all ages are greatly recommended to use the organic mattresses. There are those individuals in the society who may be required to have a full utilization of the organic mattresses. A good examples of such individuals in the society may be those who have the various health complications such as the asthma, allergies and also other complications which are related to the respiratory systems. The organic mattresses may also be recommended to the babies and the children as they spend most of their time sleeping. The chemicals from the traditional mattresses may sometime affect the mental growth of the child since it continues even when they are sleeping.
There are numerous benefits that comes with the use of the organic mattresses. The first benefits is that the organic mattresses are eco-friendly. The organic mattresses are made of materials which are bis degradable. On the other hand, the organic mattresses are also fire retardant. As compared to the traditional mattresses, this means that organic mattresses are not highly flammable. | <urn:uuid:0f325f41-f1ab-4005-bd7e-68342153e4fe> | {
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ILT = Live, instructor-led training in classroomVLT = Live, instructor-led training delivered virtually
Print Course Outline
About this Course
This SharePoint 2013 End User class is for end users working in a SharePoint 2013 environment. The course teaches SharePoint basics such as working with lists and libraries as well as basic page customizations.
This course is intended for new and existing users of SharePoint.
At Course Completion
After completing this course, students will be able to:
Module 1: SharePoint 2013 Introduction
This module explains how to become familiar with SharePoint 2013.
Lab : Team Site Navigation
After completing this module, students will understand:
Module 2: SharePoint List Basics
This module explains how to work with SharePoint list basics.
Lab : SharePoint List Basics
Lab : Installing and Configuring Windows 7
After completing this module, students will be able to:
Module 3: Library Basics
SharePoint Libraries share the same characteristics as SharePoint lists such as columns, views, and validation to name a few. What distinguishes SharePoint libraries is that each item in a library has a underlying document. So in addition to the data stored in library columns, the document stores its own data based on the type of document. Because of the extra data that can be stored in columns that can be used to filter and search by and features such as versioning, libraries are considered a great replacement for the more traditional file server system. Libraries are, like lists, a fundamental building block in a SharePoint site.
Lab : Library Basics
Module 4: Working with Lists and Library Views
Views provide a flexible system to display SharePoint list and library data in an easy-to-read and easy-to-use manner. Every SharePoint list and library can have multiple views created and configured, and some list and library templates come with special views preconfigured. Views can be defined for personal use or shared use.
Lab : Working with Lists and Library Views
Module 5: Working with Sites
All SharePoint content is accessed through a site. A SharePoint site is the container for lists and libraries and provides a starting point for basic administration. The content, lists, libraries, and basic look and feel of a site is initially determined by the Site Template used to create the site.
Lab : Working with Sites
Module 6: Page Content
SharePoint offers a couple of ways to add content to the pages in a site. The latest technique and the one implemented by the Team Site template is through wiki style pages. Another method that has been part of SharePoint since the beginning is the use of Web Parts and Web Part pages. Both techniques are similar in the output that
can be created, and both Web Part pages and wiki pages share the ability to add Web Parts to them. Web Part pages still have one advantage in that you can connect Web Parts so information can pass between them; that option is not available on a wiki page.
Lab : Page Content
Module 7: Forms Library
SharePoint Forms library is a special library designed to store Microsoft InfoPath form documents. Microsoft InfoPath comes with a designer tool for graphically creating forms with a wide assortment of fields and controls. The InfoPath Designer can then be used to publish the forms you design to SharePoint rendering them as Web page templates for Forms libraries.
Lab : Forms Library
Creating and Publishing InfoPath Forms
Module 8: Site Columns and Content Types
One method of customizing SharePoint, in a way that can be reused throughout the site or site collection or even the whole farm, is to create Site Columns and Content Types. Site columns are the simplest element; they are essentially the same as list and library columns except that you create them at the site level and then they can be used throughout that site and any child site. Content Types are a combination of Site Columns as well as additional settings and information such as document templates and workflows. Content Types, once created, can then be linked to lists and libraries.
Lab : Site Columns and Content Types
Module 9: Office Integration
One of the nice features of SharePoint is its ability to integrate with Microsoft Office applications. Just about every Office application offers some level of integration with SharePoint whether it be simple, such as using an Excel spreadsheet to create a new list, or more full featured, such as Outlook integration. Some integration features enhance what is available online through a browser while others allow access to SharePoint content offline such as a mobile computer environment. This lesson will use a series of walk-throughs and exercises to show how each Office application can integrate with SharePoint.
Lab : Office Integration
Module 10: Managing SharePoint Site Permissions
Permissions on a SharePoint site are assigned when a site is created. The default is that permissions assigned to the root of a site collection are inherited by child sites. At any time, permissions inheritance can be turned off at a site, list, library, or even at the item level in a list or library. The permissions themselves can be assigned to either SharePoint groups, individual users or groups created outside of SharePoint such as Windows groups.
Lab : Managing SharePoint Site Permissions
Module 11: Participating in User Communities
SharePoint offers users a place for social collaboration in the form of personal sites. The experience and functionality is very similar to popular social media sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn. The main difference being that it is controlled by the SharePoint Farm and exposure is typically limited to internal networks.
Lab : Participating in User Communities
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FAMOUS FEMALE INVENTORS
1. HEDY LAMARRE
born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler, 9 November 1914 – 19 January 2000)[a] was an Austrian and American inventor and film actress. During her film career, Lamarr co-invented the technology for spread spectrum and frequency hopping communications with composer George Antheil. This new technology became important to America's military during World War II because it was used in controlling torpedoes. Those inventions have more recently been incorporated into Wi-Fi, CDMA and Bluetooth technology, and led to her being inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2014.
2. ADA LOVELACE
Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace (10 December 1815 – 27 November 1852), born Augusta Ada Byron and now commonly known as Ada Lovelace, was an English mathematician and writer chiefly known for her work on Charles Babbage's early mechanical general-purpose computer, the Analytical Engine. Her notes on the engine include what is recognised as the first algorithm intended to be carried out by a machine. Because of this, she is regarded as the first computer programmer.
3. GRACE HOPPER
Grace Murray Hopper (December 9, 1906 – January 1, 1992) was an American computer scientist and United States Navy rear admiral. She was one of the first programmers of the Harvard Mark I computer in 1944, and invented the first compiler for a computer programming language,and the one of those who popularized the idea of machine-independent programming languages, which led to the development of COBOL, one of the first high-level programming languages. She is credited with popularizing the term "debugging" for fixing computer glitches (inspired by an actual moth removed from the computer). Owing to the breadth of her accomplishments and her naval rank, she is sometimes referred to as "Amazing Grace". The U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke class guided-missile destroyer USS Hopper (DDG-70) is named for her, as was the Cray XE6 "Hopper" supercomputer at NERSC.
4. ANNIE EASLEY
Annie J. Easley (April 23, 1933 – June 25, 2011) was an African-American computer scientist, mathematician, and rocket scientist. She worked for the Lewis Research Center of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and its predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). She was a leading member of the team which developed software for the Centaur rocket stage and one of the first African-Americans in her field. Her 34-year career included developing and implementing computer code that analyzed alternative power technologies, supported the Centaur high-energy upper rocket stage, determined solar, wind and energy projects, identified energy conversion systems and alternative systems to solve energy problems. Her energy assignments included studies to determine the life use of storage batteries, such as those used in electric utility vehicles. Her computer applications have been used to identify energy conversion systems that offer the improvement over commercially available technologies. She retired in 1989 (some sources say 1991).
5. MARIE CURIE
Marie Skłodowska-Curie ( 7 November 1867 – 4 July 1934) was a Polish and naturalized-French physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, the first person and only woman to win twice, the only person to win twice in multiple sciences, and was part of the Curie family legacy of five Nobel Prizes. She was also the first woman to become a professor at the University of Paris, and in 1995 became the first woman to be entombed on her own merits in the Panthéon in Paris.
She was born Maria Salomea Skłodowska. Her achievements included a theory of radioactivity (a term that she coined), techniques for isolating radioactive isotopes, and the discovery of two elements, polonium and radium. Under her direction, the world's first studies were conducted into the treatment of neoplasms, using radioactive isotopes. She founded the Curie Institutes in Paris and in Warsaw, which remain major centres of medical research today. During World War I, she established the first military field radiological centres.
6. MÁRIA TELKES
Mária Telkes (December 12, 1900 – December 2, 1995) was a pioneering Hungarian-American scientist and inventor who worked on solar energy technologies.
Telkes worked as a biophysicist in the United States; and, from 1939 to 1953, she was involved in solar energy research at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Telkes is known for creating the first thermoelectric power generator in 1947, designing the first solar heating system for the Dover Sun House in Dover, Massachusetts, and the first thermoelectric refrigerator in 1953 using the principles of semiconductor thermoelectricity.
She was a prolific inventor of practical thermal devices, including a miniature desalination unit for use on lifeboats, which used solar power and condensation to collect potable solar still.
One of her specialties were phase-change materials, including molten salts to store thermal energy. She lectured widely in a rather pronounced Hungarian accent that sounded like one of the Gabor sisters. Fortunately, she had a ready sense of humor. One of her materials of choice was sodium sulfate Glauber's salt. After a lecture in Texas, a student came up to her, intrigued and asked, "Where can I get some of your 'global' salts ?"
Telkes is considered one of the founders of solar thermal storage systems, earning her the nickname, "sun queen". She moved to Texas in the 1970s and consulted with a variety of start-up solar companies, including Northrup Solar, which subsequently became ARCO Solar, and eventually BP Solar.
7. MARYAM MIRZAKHANI
Stanford's Maryam Mirzakhani wins Fields Medal
Maryam Mirzakhani is the first woman to ever win the Fields Medal – known as the "Nobel Prize of mathematics" – in recognition of her contributions to the understanding of the symmetry of curved surfaces.
Maryam Mirzakhani is an Iranian mathematician working in the United States. Since 1 September 2008, she has served as a professor of mathematics at Stanford University. | <urn:uuid:a9d3b55e-0c10-438b-a6dc-15a4dbbd8101> | {
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Laws, Regulations & Annotations
Business Taxes Law Guide – Revision 2012
Hazardous Waste Fee Health and Safety Code
CHAPTER 6.5 HAZARDOUS WASTE CONTROL
Article 1. Findings and Declarations
(a) Increasing quantities of hazardous wastes are being generated in the state, for which the generators of the hazardous waste must provide safe disposal.
(b) Long-term threats to public health and to air and water quality are posed by the landfill disposal of many types of untreated hazardous wastes and by the inappropriate handling, storage, use, and disposal of hazardous wastes.
(c) Extensive technology exists for the safe treatment, neutralization, and destruction of many types of hazardous wastes prior to disposal.
(d) Numerous opportunities exist to reduce the amount of hazardous waste generated in the state and to conserve resources through the application of existing source reduction and recycling technology.
(e) The people of the state face immense costs as a result of improper hazardous waste handling and disposal practices. | <urn:uuid:86bad990-c103-46e8-9574-0af823673fd8> | {
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IS breakfast really the most important meal of the day? Is eating after 9pm bad for you? Victoria Brown gets to the truth behind these healthy eating mantras from dietary expert Janeane Dart.
In this second instalment of Food Myths Debunked, we explore what healthy eating means. Once again, we’re helped by Monash University’s Department of Nutrition and Dietetics senior lecturer Janeane Dart, who says eating healthy is not just about what you eat – but how and when you eat it.
Myth 1: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day
Our verdict: True!
Yes, it’s true – missing out on breakfast is bad for you, and will influence your performance at university.
Ms Dart explains if you don’t have breakfast, your brain and body won’t get the glucose it needs to function. Without that, we won’t have the fuel to perform at our best or brightest.
“Whether that performance is around thinking or walking or whatever, we really need to give our body adequate fuel to begin the day with,” she says.
It’s a good idea to begin the day with something that’s high in fibre and low GI, like cereal. That way you have enough energy to keep you going all the way to lunch time.
Myth 2: Eating after 9pm is bad for you
Our verdict: Half busted!
We’ve all heard this myth before, but in reality, it has nothing to do with what time you eat, and more to do with what you’re eating.
“If your day starts later or if you like to sleep in and begin your day at 11am, you might be having dinner at around 9pm, and that’s absolutely fine,” Ms Dart says.
“But if you’re eating at 6pm, 9pm, 10pm and midnight, it’s likely that you’re packing in way too much food.”
Our bodies don’t have an on/off switch when it comes to hunger. Some people, especially shift workers, consume all their meals when the rest of us are fast asleep. The key is make sure you’re eating because you’re hungry and not because you’re bored or need a distraction from studying.
It is also important to make sure the snacks you’re choosing are healthy snacks. Ms Dart suggests dried fruit and nuts, yoghurt or even a nice, plain milk drink.
Myth 3: Eating 5 small meals a day is better than eating 3 big ones
Our verdict: Busted!
Experiments have shown there’s validity to both arguments, but Ms Dart says neither is better than the other.
It all depends on the individual. No two bodies are the same and no two dietary requirements are the same. Some people may find having three big meals suits them better than having five small meals.
And for those people who are more active, they may find they need regular snacks to help support their performance, so they eat more often.
But overall, it comes back to making sure you’re only eating when you’re hungry. Ms Dart also reminds us to make sure we have a range of nutrients throughout the day by eating plenty of fruits, vegetables and cereals.
Myth 4: Fasting or skipping meals isn’t bad for your health
Our verdict: Busted!
Fasting is bad for your health, and while it’s fine on the rare occasion, like during religious events, it’s not something you should be doing on a regular basis.
Ms Dart says fasting is what messes up our metabolism. So every time you skip a meal or fast, your body will try to reduce your metabolism to conserve energy. Then when you start to eat regularly again, your body will try to speed up your metabolism. In the end, your body will become terribly confused and that’s when you start gaining weight.
If you are trying to lose weight, it’s better to have regular meals that are nutritious and healthy, whether that be three meals a day or even up to five or six smaller meals a day, whatever suits you.
Myth 5: It’s better to eat slow than fast
Our verdict: True!
Ms Dart says in the dietary world, eating slowly compared to quickly is called unmindful versus mindful eating.
“How often have you been sitting in front of the television, eating quickly, and you go ‘Oh my gosh, that was dinner, and I hardly remember what it tasted like?’”
“This is called unmindful eating because we tend to eat very quickly, not chew very well and end up with indigestion,” she says,
Ms Dart says it’s better to be more mindful of your food, and take your time eating. As a guide, some people chew each mouthful around 10 times – conscious way of slowing themselves down.
Another good idea is to enjoy your meals with other people, and switch off any distractions like the television or computer.Really concentrate on the flavours you’re experiencing and give your brain more time to signal that it’s full.
Ms Dart explains it takes around 15 minutes for our brain and our stomach to match up their signals and realise we’re full and satisfied – so it’s far easier to overeat if you’re scarfing everything down in record time.
Check out Part 1 of our Food Myths Debunked series here on the relevance of the food pyramid and the importance of having a balanced diet. And look out for next week’s instalment, where we find out if foods high in carbohydrates cause weight gain. | <urn:uuid:824184ae-5e7d-4273-92f5-a31816184d5a> | {
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Reading Group Holiday Parties
Bonnie asked for suggestions for her book club holiday party. One idea is to read A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote. A children's book, Capote's largely autobiographical story is a look back at his Depression-era Alabama Christmases and his best friend and older cousin, Miss Sook.
The narrator, Capote (nicknamed Buddy) and Miss Sook, a sixty-ish gentle soul, celebrate Christmas by baking fruitcake and distributing them to people known and unknown to them including President Roosevelt. This short story shows Capote's masterful ability to express and reveal the enduring friendship and love of two slightly awkard people.
No spoilers here! It's a lovely Christmas tale and will pull on your heart strings! A Christmas Memory was made into a movie twice. The original film won an Emmy for Geraldine Page, who starred as Miss Sook. Read the book, see the movie, and have everyone bring their favorite fruitcake to share!
How does the setting and time period affect the story?
What brings Buddy and Miss Sook together?
What is memory? Do we remember things as they actually were?
Does the fruitcake imply other ideas beside food?
What about the kites? Any symbolism there? | <urn:uuid:973c17e9-b179-4266-8152-6906bae4a7aa> | {
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Definition - What does Blasting Pressure mean?
A blasting pressure is the rate of a continuous force of exertion of an abrasive mixture as it passes through the nozzle of a dry air or wet/vapor abrasive blasting system. Blasting pressure is important to note and regulate in order to enhance safety standards and prevent explosions.
Corrosionpedia explains Blasting Pressure
The blasting pressure is a key parameter used in relation to abrasive blasting systems. It is measured in pounds per square inch (psi), pascals (Pa), kilopascals (kPa) or bars (1 bar equals 100,000 Pa). | <urn:uuid:455dcaa2-7626-4b34-bb51-8aeb4012d9a5> | {
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When people think about credit, they generally only think about loans. However there are four basic types of credit you should know about. These include service credit, loans, installment credit and credit cards.
Service loans are those associated with services like electric, cable, water, gas, telephone and the like. For some of these you have to pay a deposit, especially if you have bad credit. Having good credit can sometimes eliminate the deposit completely because the companies lending the service have confidence in your ability to pay.
Loans are types of credit that lend us cash. The loans can be for small things or little things. Loans can be secured or unsecured. Secured means you put up some collateral to support the loan if you default. Most times these types of loans are given through banks.
Installment loans are types of credit that means you pay for something over time. You usually agree to make a down payment and sign a contract as to the amount you will pay each month. Payments are usually equal for the months during the term of the loan, which can vary. The item that you purchase is the security behind the loan. If you default, the item that you purchase is by default the lenders.
Credit cards are on of the most popular and most convenient types of credit. They are given by various types of businesses and are usually backed by a bank. You may have credit cards from retail stores, banks, or other businesses such as a gasoline company.
Whichever type of credit you use, the main thing to remember is that each has its drawbacks and benefits. You should use all of them wisely and make your payments on time to avoid any negative consequences. | <urn:uuid:aff2d0ec-1b3f-42b6-83f4-461fb48fe1d8> | {
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The following is an interview with Will Fyson, PhD researcher at the University of Southampton, and creator of the Redactor, a tool which helps researchers share their work more easily using Creative Commons licensed content.
What is the Redact-O-Matic?
To “redact” is the process of censoring or obscuring a document so that it may be published. The Redactor tool is an online service (http://users.ecs.soton.ac.uk/rwf1v07/redactor/) which facilitates such a process, but offers an alternative to merely censoring, by helping users find a Creative Commons licensed works that may act as a suitable replacement for any copyright infringing or sensitive materials, the presence of which may be preventing a document from being published in its entirety.
The redactor tool offers users the ability to either redact sections of text from a document or choose from a number of different options to redact images. Approaches to redacting images include:
Replace the image in the document with a Creative Commons licensed alternative (sourced from either Google Images or Flickr). This option is useful when the author does not possess the right to distribute the image, but should be able to find a suitable alternative online. The user can specify if they need to create derivatives of the replacement or use it commercially, and when a suitable replacement has been found this new image is embedded within the document, along with an attribution including the title of the image, the original owner and the licence under which it has been made available.
Add a Creative Commons licence to the image. If the author is in a position where they are free to distribute the image, then they can add a CC licence of their choosing to the image’s metadata along with an attribute within the document.
Figure – CC Licences can be added to image metadata
Obfuscate the image, making the original content unavailable to the reader. This option may be ideal if a suitable replacement for the image cannot be found (for example there may not be a useful substitute for a detailed diagram), and the author does not have the right to redistribute the image.
Paragraphs within documents can be redacted too; an option that may be especially useful if the document contains some content which may be commercially sensitive for example, alongside other content which would otherwise be available to distribute without consequence.
Who are the primary users?
The redactor tool has been designed to be used within a scholarly context, allowing researchers to publish some of their work whilst not jeopardising their claims to future publications and research areas. I suspect the redactor may also find use in a wider educational context, helping to make teaching materials available online. However the redactor is of course open for anyone to use who is aware of CC licences and wishes to ensure their works can be made available in an open fashion.
What motivated you to create it?
The original idea behind the redactor was to create a tool that eliminates some of the barriers that may dissuade researchers from making some of their work available to the rest of the academic community. At present a lot of scholarly output remains in desk drawers or on computer hard drives, often as a result of concerns held by researchers that they may be gazumped (that is to say another researcher may use a researcher’s results to make a discovery before the original author is able to) or because of confusion over the legal issues of disseminating their work.
It is hoped that the redactor can help alleviate researchers’ concerns by letting them address the problem. Whilst an author (or perhaps their supervisor) may not wish for the entirety of the work to be made available to the wider community, through the redactor aspects of it which may still be publishable can ultimately see the light of the day and thus be of benefit to the wider academic community.
Doing this kind of thing manually could be very time-consuming – do you think this is a major factor preventing the use of appropriately licensed material?
I agree that the time-consuming nature is likely to result in authors not always using appropriately licensed material. It really is very convenient to just grab any image from the Web and not worry about rights issues (and many will likely think that there are few, if any implications for doing so). Ultimately researchers tend to want to spend their time actually doing research and generating new findings rather than worrying about how they are going to present them.
I suspect also that there many may be unsure as to how Creative Commons licences could be applied to their work or that such a wealth of CC licensed material is already available online to be taken advantage of.
Do you have plans to extend the functionality?
I’m currently working on incorporating a version of the redactor into the popular institutional repository software EPrints. The plan is for users to be able to simply click a button for their deposit in EPrints which takes the user to the redactor, in which they can commit some redactions and deposit a new, ready to publish edition of the document back into the EPrints repository.
Another interesting area for development is the notion of transforming the redactor into a “Disaggregator” – a tool that takes a large body of work and assists the user in pulling out smaller, self-contained items of work within that original collection so they can go on to be published elsewhere on their own merit. This notion of disaggregation, taking a large aggregated body of work and from it producing lots of smaller chunks with which the original author could expand their portfolio and demonstrate their skills and experiences, is a running theme of my PhD research and thus an interesting direction to take the redactor.
I do also think that the redactor tool could be of great use to those working in education and I’d be intrigued to see if it could be set up as not only a place for redacting educational materials, but also sharing them. For example any images which the uploading author has the rights to and so can apply a CC licence could perhaps then be indexed so that future users may use them too, resulting in a new CC image library building over time.
And naturally it would be nice in future to allow the Redactor to handle a wider range of file types and use more CC search engines!
The online Redactor tool can be found here: http://users.ecs.soton.ac.uk/rwf1v07/redactor/No Comments »
The Why Open Education Matters video competition was launched in March 2012 calling for creative videos that clearly explain the use and potential of free Open Educational Resources (“OER”). The winners were announced this week. Many congratulations to the the winners: @blinktower
Lawrence @Lessig spoke recently at the UNESCO 2012 World Open Educational Resources Congress in Paris.
The talk emphasised the importance of copyright. Some key quotes from the talk include:
Copyright is essential for its purpose.I am against abolitionism… I think copyright is essential.
A few memorable quotes from the video include: Read More…
This is a great talk by Director of @medialab and @creativecommons Chair @Joi Ito, given recently at the @NMCorg summer conference. Many subjects are covered in the talk including the decreasing cost of innovation, education and learning, harnessing networks, open data and open hardware. Read More…
This is a guest post by @mhawksey. Martin Hawksey is a Learning Technology Advisor for the JISC funded Centre for Educational Technology and Interoperability Standards (JISC CETIS). The majority of his work is focused on supporting the UK’s Open Educational Resources Programme.
No Comments »
Creative Commons licensed content is awesome, and everywhere—from Flickr, to Wikipedia, to your favourite library. Attributing it properly, and telling people how to attribute it properly can be difficult and confusing. The first rule for re-using openly licensed content is that you have to properly attribute the creator. Read More…
This is a guest post by James Burke
This Guide comprises three sections: Read More…
One of the learners talks about how her school doesn’t approve of Wikipedia but she uses it as a starting point and uses the references from the Wikiepedia article to carry out further research and study. Read More… | <urn:uuid:331cec8e-c844-4df5-93f2-4cff78aff951> | {
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For more information, please visit our Traumatic Brain Injury Treatment Program site
What is it?
Craniectomy is neurosurgical procedure that involves removing a portion of the skull in order to relieve pressure on the underlying brain. This procedure is typically done in cases where a patient has experienced a very severe brain injury that involves significant amounts of bleeding around the brain or excessive swelling of the brain.
What is its goal?
Craniectomy is typically performed as a life saving measure. Patients who have experienced a severe brain injury that is life threatening may have bleeding around their brain or swelling of their brain so severe that it can lead to brain compression and brain death. In this type of dire situation, neurosurgeons can remove a portion of the skull, evacuate any underlying clot that is compressing the brain, and relieve pressure on the brain. Furthermore, because the brain typically experiences a great deal of swelling after a severe injury, removing the bone frees the brain to swell upward rather than downward where it will compress the brainstem, which is critical for all of the basic vital functions, leading to brain death. Over time the brain swelling will subside and the bone that was removed can be replaced.
How is it done?
Patients with brain injury severe enough to warrant craniectomy are usually already in the hospital and are being monitored very closely. Patients are brought to the operating room, where the anesthesia personnel will continue to closely monitor their vital signs. Meanwhile the neurosurgeons will make an incision in the scalp, typically on the side of the head where the most compression is taking place (especially in cases where the compression is caused by a blood clot). Once the skin and underlying tissues have been cut and moved out of the way, a drill is used to make holes in the skull. The holes are connected with a saw and the bone is removed. Typically the bone is stored in a freezer in hopes that, once the patients’ brain swelling has subsided and their condition is more stable, the bone may be put back in place. While the bone is removed, patients are provided with a custom fit helmet that they wear to prevent further brain injury. Once the bone is removed, and any bleeding around the brain has been controlled, the skin and connective tissue overlying the brain are closed with sutures.
What are the risks?
The major risks of the operation are bleeding and infection and further damage to the brain. As previously stated, patients who require craniectomy as a life saving measure are usually in very critical condition and have in all likelihood already experienced some amount of brain damage. Nevertheless, the surgical team makes every effort to limit the risks of the operation to the patient by administering antibiotics before beginning, controlling all bleed encountered during the surgery, and limiting the amount of manipulation of the brain.
How long will I stay in the hospital?
Because patients who undergo craniectomy are in critical condition to begin with, their stay in the hospital is determined by the extent of their other injuries as well as damage to their nervous system. Typically patients who have a severe brain injury will require months to years to recover from their injury, depending on the extent of injury. These patients usually benefit from intensive rehabilitation to regain as much brain function as possible. Replacement of the bone removed at the time of craniectomy is usually performed several months after the original injury. The bone is tested for the presence of bacteria. If there is no bacterial growth, the bone can be used. Otherwise, a synthetic skull replacement must be used instead. Please see the Cranioplasty section for more information regarding this procedure. | <urn:uuid:4496a880-2486-4ead-b979-44f9b03d3f7e> | {
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Use Excel NA Function to generate a #N/A error value. Best use of NA function in excel to get an error when you have empty and missing information in a cell.
- There is no argument in NA Function but you have to enter empty parentheses.
More Information on Excel NA Function
- You can also type #N/A directly into a cell.
- NA Function is mainly provided for compatibility with other spreadsheet programs.
To learn more about Excel NA Function you can check Microsoft’s Help Section. And, if you have a unique idea to use it, I would love to hear from you.
There is also you have IFNA function which is highly useful. Apart from this, I have a list of excel functions and some real life formulas examples. | <urn:uuid:40cb0257-c646-4f35-b017-c6f1cf9d776d> | {
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Although many homes have at least one variety of it, mold isn't a characteristic of a healthy home to live in. That's why it's important for you to be able to know how to identify it. Among the most notorious and toxic varieties of is "Strachybotrys atra", more generally referred to as "black mold". This slimy, greenish-black fungus can cause serious, and occasionally deadly, health risks.
Black mold is recognized to be a major cause of sicknesses like bronchitis and bronchial asthma, and has also been accountable for numerous infant deaths due to respiratory hemorrhaging. It likes to live to in water-damaged buildings where fungal development is present and the inside air quality is inferior.
>>>> Mold Prevention...Once You've learned how to identify mold. The next step is mold prevention. Mold can be prevented from forming and growing if the suitable steps are taken. The 1st step is getting control of your home's humidity. You should also have adequate ventilation in the house, particularly in the kitchen and bathroom(s).
Always make a habit of turning on your bathroom fan when showering and using your stove range hood when cooking. It can as well be prevented by applying mold-killing products. Lastly, carpeting should not be used in any bathroom as it prefers damp areas to grow and carpet is hard to keep dry in bathing areas.
>>>> Mold Removal...As well as knowing how to identify mold and prevent it, removal of it is the next step. Prior to removing the toxic mold, the root cause needs to be determined and dealt with or the problem will persist. The area should be disinfected with an bleach water solution unless the problem is more absorbed and cannot be cleaned, such as carpeting.
If this is the case, the contaminated caret must be replaced. Never try to scrape black mold and make certain you wear an approved respiratory mask, and protective clothing to cover exposed skin and safety glasses to protect your eyes.
>>>> Mold Cleanup...One tip that will help you is to only clean one affected area at once, begin by sealing off the affected room. Next, dampen the affected area with water. By keeping the area wet it is less likely to produce airborne spores during cleaning.
Clean the moist affected area first and then the other dry areas with a disinfectant such as a bleach and water solution, and then totally dry everything. Don't reuse anything that have been visibly destroyed, bag it and throw it away. This is a vital step for Killing Basement Mold.
Knowing the symptoms will be helpful for knowing how to identify mold. Those symptoms of black mold are like the ones you get with the common cold and flu. They could include, coughing, sneezing, a sore throat, itchy or scratchy eyes, hives, skin rash, sluggishness, and natural depression. If your having these symptoms you may have come into contact with toxic black mold, a doctor should be consulted right away as serious health issues can often take place with regular exposure to toxic mold.
Black fungus can cause a lot of awful health issues for those who have been submitted for long periods of time. Some issues to watch for are...Chronic sinus infections, complications with asthma, cancer, stillbirth in pregnant women, regular nosebleeds, open sores, spleen pain, fevers, and a lot of muscle pain. If you seem to be always suffering with these effects you should visit your doctor and then get help in identifying it in your home. Even if the symptoms are cared for, they will keep coming back unless the problem is removed. | <urn:uuid:1d685478-f78e-491b-a091-807c99293151> | {
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You take a bite, chew and swallow. What happens with your food after that is pretty much out of your control?
In order to move the food into your stomach, your esophagus contracts at regular intervals, pushing it downward. At least, that’s what’s supposed to happen.
Esophageal spasms occur when the esophagus either begins to contract irregularly or simply contracts with too much power.
One type of spasm causes the esophagus to contract irregularly, which will not allow food or liquid to pass down to the stomach, which can lead to choking.
Another type continues in a regular pattern, but the contractions are much stronger than necessary.
Aside from affecting your life and health by making eating, drinking and even sleeping difficult, both of these conditions can be extremely painful, and their underlying causes are not well-understood.
There are measures you can take to manage and even eradicate these uncomfortable and even dangerous spasms.
Esophageal spasms seem to be caused by the nerves that control swallowing functioning abnormally.
The esophageal muscles begin to contract strongly and sometimes without the natural rhythm that moves food downward toward the stomach.
This may make swallowing food and water difficult and can even cause food to get stuck in your throat.
In addition, the powerful contractions of the esophagus are very painful, and may last from a few minutes to several hours.
The pain caused by esophageal spasms may actually be mistaken for a heart attack, as it is generally felt as an extreme tightness and sharp pain in the chest and is sometimes accompanied by shortness of breath.
It is important that you take your symptoms seriously, visit your physician, and be sure you are not experiencing heart problems before addressing the condition.
You may also experience difficulty breathing when you are suffering from esophageal spasms.
This seems to originate from the connection seen between stress, chronic acid reflux or heartburn, and esophageal spasms.
In some cases, acid reflux is found to be a trigger for esophageal spasms. Stomach acid creeping into the esophagus causes the esophagus to narrow, which can lead to spasming.
If it reaches the vocal folds and airways, acid may cause them to swell, creating asthma-like symptoms, including wheezing and shortness of breath.
It is also possible that the airways begin to close off to keep acid from entering the lungs.
One of the triggers for both esophageal spasms and acid reflux is anxiety or panic attacks.
These on their own can cause difficulty breathing, and combined with the painful spasms and acid can effectively close off a large percentage of your throat.
Although you cannot directly control the contractions of the esophagus, relax as much as possible when you are struggling with spasms.
Refuse to panic and take steps you have learned will ease the spasm and reopen the passageways.
If this becomes a dangerous symptom for you, your physician should be able to prescribe medication to carry with you for emergencies.
Finger off the Trigger
Esophageal spasms are generally set off by specific triggers. They appear to be more frequent and severe when a person is suffering from stress or anxiety. Sometimes very hot or very cold food or liquid can cause them to begin.
Foods that cause acid reflux should be considered if you suspect this to be one of the causes of your esophageal spasms.
Even if you have not noticed a direct connection, continued struggle with acid reflux can cause permanent narrowing or scarring of the esophagus, which definitely compounds the problem.
Prevention is always better than pain when it comes to spasms, so begin at once to make a list of foods, situations, etc. that you know have caused esophageal spasms for you in the past. Keep alert to other possible triggers and do what you can to avoid them.
Relax to Reflex
Dealing with esophageal spasms long term is likely to call for some changes to your lifestyle. Once you have identified triggers, take care to deal with them appropriately.
Let foods or drinks with extreme temperatures cool or warm slightly before swallowing them. Take note of and avoid those that regularly cause problems for you.
Search for ways to control stress and avoid eating when you are anxious or uptight.
Some people have found that sucking peppermint lozenges helps to relax the muscles in their throat, relieving the pain of spasms. A small amount of peppermint oil mixed with water will have the same affect.
Eating quickly and not taking the time to chew your food well can lead to esophageal spasms. So slow down and get that first step of digestion done right.
Naturally, you will need to consult your doctor for help in identifying the probable cause of your esophageal spasms and deciding on a course of action to treat them.
Right in The Gut
Overall gut health may help you to address your esophageal difficulties at the root level, and should be one of the first lifestyle changes you make.
Esophageal spasms are often connected to other health problems, specifically digestive ones.
Learn what types of food irritate or inflame the digestive system and what types help it do its job without hang-ups.
Bread, spicy foods, and acidic foods like tomatoes and chocolate can cause esophageal problems.
Plenty of fiber, minerals and water, on the other hand should keep things running more smoothly.
Getting the right amount of nutrients—vitamins and minerals—is extremely important for your muscles, including those of your esophagus, to work correctly.
Make sure you are getting enough magnesium along with other vital nutrients.
Eating slowly and swallowing small amounts at a time will help you to avoid some of the triggers of esophageal spasms.
Again, remember that tension or anxiety can trigger an attack and if you can, put off eating until you are feeling more relaxed.
Apple cider vinegar aids digestion, cutting down on acid reflux issues. Simply add one tablespoon of raw vinegar with the mother to twelve ounces of water and sip it slowly once a day or when you are struggling with spasm attacks.
Shaking Spasms for Good
Hopefully this article has made it clear that the first step to dealing with esophageal spasms is consulting a medical professional.
Be sure of what you are dealing with and get as much of an idea as possible as to the root cause of the painful condition.
If you are over your optimal weight, it might be a good idea to lose a few pounds. This can help reduce esophageal spasms.
Be sure to eat plenty of nutrient and fiber rich food to give your digestive system a head start to healthy.
Some people have found that regularly taking Aloe Vera (as juice or in capsule form) reduces and even eradicates the problem of esophageal spasms. Caffeine and alcohol, on the other hand, are often triggers for attacks.
Esophageal spasms are also another reason to stop smoking. The nicotine and hot smoke irritate the esophagus and can trigger spasms as well as causing ongoing degeneration of the esophagus.
Avoid foods that give you acid reflux or heartburn. You may wish to start keeping a food journal so that you are able to track meals, snacks or situations that trigger acid reflux or esophageal spasms.
Other preventative measures include eating smaller more frequent meals in place of large ones and resisting the urge to binge on junk food.
Try not to eat anything for three or four hours before lying down to sleep. This can help prevent acid reflux and the resulting damage to your esophagus and spasms.
If this nighttime acid refluxes a continuing problem for you, you may try raising the head of your bed four to eight inches.
Be aware that placing your head on a pile of pillows does not have the same affect and can actually compound the problem as it forces your body into an unnatural position.
Avoid wearing tight belts or clothing that puts pressure on the muscles and organs connected to digestion and breathing.
When you are suffering from an esophageal spasm, don’t panic. Slow up and try taking small sips of water.
If you often suffer attacks, you may want to carry a small bottle of water with you for this purpose.
With practiced awareness and careful lifestyle choices, you should be able to control and manage your esophageal spasms and cut some of the pain out of your life.
Medications and even surgeries are available to relieve extreme cases and should be something you discuss with your physician.
This article is intended to help educate you as to the condition and has hopefully answered a few questions for you.
Again, be aware that painful esophageal spasms are simply a symptom. Along with managing it, you will be doing your best to address the root cause, whether it is unhealthy lifestyle or eating habits, digestive problems, etc. | <urn:uuid:7f67e4ba-5020-42d7-8d82-5dd4725689c5> | {
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American students grow up in a free society; it is the only kind of society they really know. To appreciate and comprehend the benefits of freedom, students need to know what it’s like to live without freedom – or worse, in conditions of harsh repression, even genocide. To help teachers teach students about life without freedom, FPRI’s Marvin Wachman Fund for International Education, in cooperation with the National Constitution Center and the National Liberty Museum, is assembling some of the world’s leading analysts — and witnesses — of countries without freedom. The conference will help teachers define totalitarianism while examining the history of the idea of freedom.
(Most of the conference sessions will be held at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia; the Saturday evening program will be held at the National Liberty Museum, a few blocks away.) | <urn:uuid:dd2b12ef-5e06-4f81-aeba-0925cfc9c2b6> | {
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Self-organizing Maps (SOM), also known as Kohonen maps, are a type of Artificial Neural Network able to convert complex, nonlinear statistical relationships between high-dimensional data items into simple geometric relationships on a low-dimensional display. In a SOM, the neurons are organized in a bidimensional lattice, and each neuron is fully connected to all the source nodes in the input layer. An illustration of the SOM by Haykin (1999) is the following:
Each neuron n has a vector w n of weights associated. The process for training a SOM involves stepping through several training iterations until the items in your dataset are learned by the SOM. For each pattern x, one neuron n will "win" (which means that w n is the weights vector more similar to x) and this winning neuron will have its weights adjusted so that it will have a stronger response to the input the next time it sees it (which means that the distance between x and w n will be smaller). As different neurons win for different patterns, their ability to recognize that particular pattern will increase. The training algorithm can be summarized as follows:
- Initialize the weights of each neuron
- Initialize t = 0
- Randomly pick an input x from the dataset
- Determine the winning neuron i as the neuron such that:
- Adapt the weights of each neuron n according to the following rule:
- Increment t by 1
- if t < tmax go to step 3
MiniSom is a minimalistic and NumPy based implementation of the SOM. I made it during the experiments for my thesis in order to have fully hackable SOM algorithm, and lately I decided to release it on GitHub. The next part of this post will show how to train MiniSom on the Iris Dataset and how to visualize the result. The first step is to import and normalize the data:
from numpy import genfromtxt,array,linalg,zeros,apply_along_axis # reading the iris dataset in the csv format # (downloaded from http://aima.cs.berkeley.edu/data/iris.csv) data = genfromtxt('iris.csv', delimiter=',',usecols=(0,1,2,3)) # normalization to unity of each pattern in the data data = apply_along_axis(lambda x: x/linalg.norm(x),1,data)The snippet above reads the dataset from a CSV and creates a matrix where each row corresponds to a pattern. In this case, we have that each pattern has four dimensions. (Note that only the first 4 columns of the file are used, because the fifth column contains the labels). The training process can be started as follows:
from minisom import MiniSom ### Initialization and training ### som = MiniSom(7,7,4,sigma=1.0,learning_rate=0.5) som.random_weights_init(data) print("Training...") som.train_random(data,100) # training with 100 iterations print("\n...ready!")Now we have a 7-by-7 SOM trained on our dataset. MiniSom uses a Gaussian as neighborhood function and its initial spread is specified with the parameter sigma. With the parameter learning_rate we can specify the initial learning rate. The training algorithm implemented decreases both parameters as training progresses. This allows rapid initial training of the neural network, which is then "fine tuned" as training progresses. To visualize the result of the training, we can plot the average distance map of the weights on the map and the coordinates of the associated winning neuron for each pattern:
from pylab import plot,axis,show,pcolor,colorbar,bone bone() pcolor(som.distance_map().T) # distance map as background colorbar() # loading the labels target = genfromtxt('iris.csv', delimiter=',',usecols=(4),dtype=str) t = zeros(len(target),dtype=int) t[target == 'setosa'] = 0 t[target == 'versicolor'] = 1 t[target == 'virginica'] = 2 # use different colors and markers for each label markers = ['o','s','D'] colors = ['r','g','b'] for cnt,xx in enumerate(data): w = som.winner(xx) # getting the winner # palce a marker on the winning position for the sample xx plot(w+.5,w+.5,markers[t[cnt]],markerfacecolor='None', markeredgecolor=colors[t[cnt]],markersize=12,markeredgewidth=2) axis([0,som.weights.shape,0,som.weights.shape]) show() # show the figureThe result should be like the following:
For each pattern in the dataset, the corresponding winning neuron has been marked. Each type of marker represents a class of the iris data (the classes are setosa, versicolor and virginica and they are respectively represented with red, green and blue colors). The average distance map of the weights is used as background (the values are showed in the color bar on the right). As expected from previous studies on this dataset, the patterns are grouped according to the class they belong to, and a small fraction of Iris virginica is mixed with Iris versicolor.
For a more detailed explanation of the SOM algorithm you can look at its inventor's paper. | <urn:uuid:a0dd2ccb-2f5b-47d2-92ca-c5729150b652> | {
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The Nyiragongo volcano in the Congo erupted on January 17, 2002, and subsequently sent streams of lava into the city of Goma on the north shore of Lake Kivu. More than 100 people were killed, more than 12,000 homes were destroyed, and hundreds of thousands were forced to flee the broader community of nearly half a million people. This stereoscopic (anaglyph) visualization combines a Landsat satellite image and an elevation model from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) to provide a view of the volcano, the city of Goma, and surrounding terrain.
Nyiragongo is the steep volcano to the lower right of center, Lake Kivu is at the bottom, and the city of Goma is located along the northeast shore (bottom center). Nyiragongo peaks at about 3,470 meters (11,380 feet) elevation and reaches almost exactly 2,000 meters (6,560 feet) above Lake Kivu. The shorter but broader Nyamuragira volcano appears to the upper left of Nyiragongo.
Goma, Lake Kivu, Nyiragongo, Nyamuragira and other nearby volcanoes sit within the East African Rift Valley, a zone where tectonic processes are cracking, stretching, and lowering the Earth's crust. The cliff at the top center of the image is the western edge of the rift. Volcanic activity is common in the rift, and older but geologically recent lava flows (dark in this depiction) are particularly apparent on the flanks of the Nyamuragira volcano.
This anaglyph was produced by first shading an elevation model from data acquired by the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission and blending it with a single band of a Landsat scene. The stereoscopic effect was then created by generating two differing perspectives, one for each eye. When viewed through special glasses, the result is a vertically exaggerated view of the Earth's surface in its full three dimensions. Anaglyph glasses cover the left eye with a red filter and the right eye with a blue filter.
The Landsat image used here was acquired on December 11, 2001, about a month before the eruption, and shows an unusually cloud-free view of this tropical terrain. Landsat has been providing visible and infrared views of the Earth since 1972. SRTM elevation data matches the 30-meter (98-foot) resolution of most Landsat images and substantially helps in analyzing the large and growing Landsat image archive. This Landsat 7 Thematic Mapper image was provided to the SRTM project by the United States Geological Survey, Earth Resources Observation Systems (EROS) DataCenter, Sioux Falls, S.D.
Elevation data used in this image was acquired by the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour, launched on February 11, 2000. SRTM used the same radar instrument that comprised the Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C/X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR-C/X-SAR) that flew twice on the Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1994. SRTM was designed to collect 3-D measurements of the Earth's surface. To collect the 3-D data, engineers added a 60-meter (approximately 200-foot) mast, installed additional C-band and X-band antennas, and improved tracking and navigation devices. The mission is a cooperative project between NASA, the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) of the U.S. Department of Defense and the German and Italian space agencies. It is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., for NASA's Earth Science Enterprise,Washington, D.C.
Size: 43 by 62 kilometers (27 by 39 miles)
Location: 1.5 degrees South latitude, 29.3 degrees East longitude
Orientation: East-northeast at top
Image Data: Landsat Band 4 (near infrared) combined with SRTM shaded relief
Original Data Resolution: SRTM 1 arcsecond (30 meters or 98 feet), Landsat 30 meters (98 feet).
Date Acquired: February 2000 (SRTM), December 11, 2001 (Landsat) | <urn:uuid:b249d9ea-25e3-4a90-8323-c6677fc11bfb> | {
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Don't Know What To Do?
Amphetamine, dextroamphetamine, methamphetamine, and their various salts, are collectively referred to as amphetamines. In fact, their chemical properties and actions are so similar that even experienced users have difficulty knowing which drug they have taken.
Amphetamine was first marketed in the 1930s as Benzedrine? in an over-the-counter inhaler to treat nasal congestion. By 1937, amphetamine was available by prescription in tablet form and was used in the treatment of the sleeping disorder, narcolepsy, and the behavioral syndrome called minimal brain dysfunction, which today is called attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). During World War II, amphetamine was widely used to keep the fighting men going and both dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine?) and methamphetamine (Methedrine?) were readily available.
As use of amphetamines spread, so did their abuse. In the 1960s, amphetamines became a perceived remedy for helping truckers to complete their long routes without falling asleep, for weight control, for helping athletes to perform better and train longer, and for treating mild depression. Intravenous amphetamines, primarily methamphetamine, were abused by a subculture known as "speed freaks." With experience, it became evident that the dangers of abuse of these drugs outweighed most of their therapeutic uses.
Increased control measures were initiated in 1965 with amendments to the federal food and drug laws to curb the black market in amphetamines. Many pharmaceutical amphetamine products were removed from the market including all injectable formulations, and doctors prescribed those that remained less freely. Recent increases in medical use of these drugs can be attributed to their use in the treatment of ADHD. Amphetamine products presently marketed include generic and brand name amphetamine (Adderall?, Dexedrine?, Dextrostat?) and brand name methamphetamine (Desoxyn?). Amphetamines are all controlled in Schedule II of the CSA.
To meet the ever-increasing black market demand for amphetamines, clandestine laboratory production has mushroomed. Today, most amphetamines distributed to the black market are produced in clandestine laboratories. Methamphetamine laboratories are, by far, the most frequently encountered clandestine laboratories in the United States. The ease of clandestine synthesis, combined with tremendous profits, has resulted in significant availability of illicit methamphetamine, especially on the West Coast, where abuse of this drug has increased dramatically in recent years. Large amounts of methamphetamine are also illicitly smuggled into the United States from Mexico.
Amphetamines are generally taken orally or injected. However, the addition of "ice," the slang name for crystallized methamphetamine hydrochloride, has promoted smoking as another mode of administration. Just as "crack" is smokable cocaine, "ice" is smokable methamphetamine. Methamphetamine, in all its forms, is highly addictive and toxic.
Effects of Amphetamines
The effects of amphetamines, especially methamphetamine, are similar to cocaine, but their onset is slower and their duration is longer. In contrast to cocaine, which is quickly removed from the brain and is almost completely metabolized, methamphetamine remains in the central nervous system longer, and a larger percentage of the drug remains unchanged in the body, producing prolonged stimulant effects. Chronic abuse produces a psychosis that resembles schizophrenia and is characterized by paranoia, picking at the skin, preoccupation with one's own thoughts, and auditory and visual hallucinations. These psychotic symptoms can persist for months and even years after use of these drugs has ceased and may be related to their neurotoxic effects. Violent and erratic behavior is frequently seen among chronic abusers of amphetamines, especially methamphetamine.
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Call Us Today! | <urn:uuid:ad81a526-e9d0-41ec-a165-656ae19aa843> | {
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3D Photorealistic Modeling Using Geobrowsers (Spatial Tech Column)1 May, 2007 By: James L. Sipes
Design for the world while sitting at your computer.
When geobrowsers such as Google Earth, Microsoft Virtual Earth and NASA's WorldWind were introduced, they provided a new, exciting way to view our world. They gave us a quick, efficient and easy-to-use interface for linking satellite imagery, maps, terrain, 3D buildings and other geospatial information. Many professionals who work with geospatial data realized that these geobrowsers could be effective visualization tools for sharing information because anyone with an Internet connection could use them.
As the next generation of geobrowsers develops, expectations have increased, and users are demanding access to more information, greater accuracy and realism and interactivity.
Resolution and Detail
The current geobrowsers have updated information all over the globe, and image resolution and terrain detail have improved significantly in many areas. Google Earth, which uses Digital Globe imagery, now has a resolution of at least 15 meters for most regions, with many areas being much better. Most populated sections of this country have a resolution of 0.3–1 meter, and areas such as Las Vegas, Nevada, have a resolution of 15 cm (6 inches).
Some areas are still available only in low-resolution imagery. Oceans, areas around the Arctic and Antarctic and other fairly desolate areas have much lower resolution. Some areas in South America and a number of islands, for example, have a resolution of approximately 500 meters.
Google has worked very hard during the past year or so to resolve some of the inaccuracies in Google Earth. Vector-based data such as boundaries, roads and bodies of water produced several problems.
Another issue is that the images are not all taken at the same time. If you look up the area near New Orleans, you can still see images that were taken before Hurricane Katrina. The Google images of Atlanta, where I live, are at least three years old, and my home still isn't on the map.
As the level of detail increases, so does the concern about security issues. In some locations, such as the U.S. vice president's home, Google has intentionally blurred the images. This issue will continue to become more important as image quality increases in tandem with the concerns about terrorism.
Virtually all geobrowsers can display 3D buildings, but earlier versions had a major constraint in that these buildings were simply geometric shapes that looked like wooden blocks. Many geobrowsers now allow a much greater level of detail in building geometry and display textures. Microsoft Virtual Earth 3D (VE3D) includes textured 3D buildings for several major cities, and although this falls far short of being photorealistic, it's a huge step in the right direction (figure 1).
Figure 1. A view of downtown Atlanta generated by Microsoft Virtual Earth 3D.
One significant improvement in Google Earth is that it now supports COLLADA (collaborative design activity) 3D objects. COLLADA defines an XML-based schema to make it easy to transport 3D designs between applications. With this capability, users can create highly detailed 3D models with textures using popular 3D modeling programs such as SketchUp, 3D Max and Maya; save them in a COLLADA format; and then import them into Google Earth. Users even can use a drag-and-drop approach, so it's an amazingly simple process.
Creating 3D Buildings
Last year Google purchased the SketchUp suite to provide tools for creating more detailed 3D objects. Google SketchUp and SketchUp Pro are powerful, easy-to-use 3D modeling software tools for designing buildings and other site features.
A Google plug-in gives SketchUp the ability to interact with Google Earth. This plug-in allows users to read and write Google Earth model files in the KMZ format and to take 2D and 3D snapshots from Google Earth. The plug-in also lets users share SketchUp models with the SketchUp community using the new 3D Warehouse library (figure 2). 3D Warehouse is a collection of 3D buildings and other 3D content created and shared by Google Sketch-Up users. Using 3D Warehouse, designers can search, download or share 3D models that they have created.
Figure 2. Las Vegas' Venetian Hotel-Resort-Casino, as it exists in Google Earth's 3D Warehouse.
Several plug-ins for SketchUp help improve graphic quality. The RPS Ray Trace Exporter creates photorealistic renderings from SketchUp models using the AccuRender ray-tracing engine. SU Podium can create photorealistic renderings within SketchUp by using features such as textures, background colors, groups and shadows. The SPIRIT plug-in allows materials and textures assigned to a model in SketchUp to be rendered in Fresco II, in which light sources and high-quality procedural textures can be added to enhance realism.
SketchUp also includes component libraries of 3D models for architecture, construction, landscape architecture, mechanical design, transportation and other features. Users can add textures to 3D models from a materials library.
Google Earth's terrain model was created from NASA's SRTM (Shuttle Radar Topography Mission) and augmented with digital elevation model data to fill in the gaps. Google has been working to increase the detail of terrain in selected areas. For example, the terrain for Mt. St. Helens, Washington, has been updated to a high-resolution terrain with 3-meter resolution (figure 3).
Figure 3. The terrain models have been improved considerably from earlier versions of Google Earth. For example, this image of Mt. St. Helens, Washington, now features high-resolution terrain with 3-meter resolution.
It's also possible to integrate LIDAR (light detection and ranging) data into Google Earth. 3D Nature has an example on its Web site in which it created an enhanced version of the Red Rock Amphitheater in Morrison, Colorado, using high-resolution LIDAR data draped with imagery using Scene Express.
Another tool that can create 3D imagery for inclusion in Google Earth, Scene Express provides KML authoring tools for 3D Nature's Visual Nature Studio and World Construction Set (figure 4). Scene Express includes an exporter for creating landscapes in KML/KMZ format for use in Google Earth and other KML-compliant applications such as ArcGIS Explorer and NASA's WorldWind. Scene Express simplifies the process of creating detailed, photorealistic landscape models and then linking the models to geospatial data.
Figure 4. A 3D model of a golf course created using 3D Nature's Visual Nature Studio and World Construction Set.
Google Earth still doesn't support animation, shaders or physics, but most experts predict it's only a matter of time before these features are included. When that happens, the level of realism and interactivity will go up another notch. This capability also will create new opportunities for game developers, who seem to be the most innovative when it comes to producing interactive graphics that tie into Google Earth.
In this article
James L. Sipes is a senior associate with EDAW in Atlanta, Georgia, and the founding principal of Sand County Studios in Seattle, Washington. Reach him at [email protected].
About the Author: James L. Sipes
In her easy-to-follow, friendly style, long-time Cadalyst contributing editor Lynn Allen guides you through a new feature or time-saving trick in every episode of her popular AutoCAD Video Tips. Subscribe to the free Cadalyst Video Picks newsletter, and we'll notify you every time a new video tip is published. All exclusively from Cadalyst! | <urn:uuid:37f1aa3f-2161-44db-ac2a-32f7c9dc7b34> | {
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When it comes to constipation in children, it is not how often they go that is important, read on to find out what is.
(Date published: 18/06/2012)
How do we make sure our kids are getting enough of the important 5 food groups daily? Make snack time worth it. Read on for some great after school snack info and ideas.
(Date published: 2/04/2012)
More and more children are becoming body conscious at a much earlier age, which can lead to the development of long term eating disorders.
(Date published: 10/01/2011)
It is important to encourage kids in the kitchen. This can help ensure that they will grow up as capable adults understanding the importance of nutrition and knowing how to prepare quick healthy meals.
(Date published: 13/12/2010)
Bariatric surgery or lap-banding is now a fairly common procedure undertaken by obese adults. Whether or not this surgery is a good idea for children and adolescents is a topic of much interest, and one with very little evidence to support it. Should we condone such surgery in our Australian children, or should parents and the health system be looking at other alternatives?
(Date published: 29/03/2010)
Over the last couple of generations activity levels among our young people have been declining leading to increases in obesity, diabetes, heart disease and arthritis to name just a few.
(Date published: 3/02/2005 3:46:00 PM)
It seems that everyone is talking about Australia's overweight children. Where did this epidemic come from and what can parents do about it?
(Date published: 27/08/2004)
Childhood obesity is a growing problem. This article looks at ways to get children to eat healthier foods and make lifestyle changes which will help to reduce the obesity problem without dieting.
(Date published: 4/03/2003)
There are no good foods or bad foods, just poor eating habits.
Parents are concern about teaching children to eat properly, avoid “junk food” and not be obese. Obesity is a growing problem and now up to 20% of our Australian children is overweight. This is even higher in North America and we do seem to follow their trends.
Parents may think they are helping but may be leading to further problems.
(Date published: 4/12/2001)
Do you feel your toddler never eats a proper meal? Between the ages of 1 to 2 years, growth slows and requirements are relatively less. You may find that your toddler is tossing food on the floor, refusing food and not appearing to get a well balanced diet. Prior to this the 0 to 12 month old baby seemed to drinking and eating non-stop. Food requirements change and you may be worrying unduly.
(Date published: 22/03/2000)
A healthy school lunch can help your child do better at school. Here we look at ways to provide children with interesting and healthy lunches that will give them a boost in the middle of the day.
(Date published: 1/09/1999) | <urn:uuid:f14ad03c-0003-4808-b0a9-b7963a50efbb> | {
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While many basmati farmers successfully participate in the export market, there are great numbers of small-scale basmati rice growers in India who make a very poor living from it. Usually these farmers sell to agents at the local market, getting low rates which don’t always even cover their costs of production. They are often extremely in debt to the local agents as a result of taking out high interest rate loans from them to pay for supplies. Company buyers therefore don’t deal in person with exacting farmers and develop relationships because they buy incognito via agents or through the auction.
Fair-trade has the potential to bring unique benefits to these farmers:
•The chance to organize and to develop a direct relationship with the exporter.
•To deepen their knowledge of rice agriculture and trade.
•To receive a fair price to cover their costs of production with a premium to advance in improving their agricultural practices as well as in meeting social needs of the community - such as improved educational opportunity,establishment of financing facilities and improved sanitation in the villages.
•To improve the position of recurring harvest workers. At harvest time, farmers often use day laborers and the farmers groups are bearing in mind how to extend the benefits of Fair-trade to those groups too.
In history rice is milled in India by exporters and stored it until it is needed. The rice is then exported as unpolished brown rice and processed in European mills because increasing tariffs made it uneconomic to export processed rice. Now that the EU has reduced the tariff for polished basmati to €175 it is feasible to export processed white rice to the UK.
However, the problems of rice farmers international have been compounded by the USA heavily subsidize its farmers and then dumping their surplus rice on developing country markets, so driving local farmers out of business. In this context, rice is often quote as a classic example of double standards – with the EU and USA protecting their domestic rice farmers while forcing developing country governments to stop subsidizing their farmers and to lift any protective barriers – with disastrous penalty. Major NGOs such as Oxfam and Christian Aid are running campaigns highlighting these problems in the rice industry. | <urn:uuid:324a6354-9796-470c-987f-20c7adc8926a> | {
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Protein is essential for many bodily processes, including building and repairing tissue.
Protein is essential for many bodily processes, including building and repairing tissue. You use protein to make enzymes, hormones, and other body chemicals. Plus, your hair and nails are mostly made up of protein. It is an important building block of bones, muscles, cartilage, skin, and blood.
Protein is made of smaller components called amino acids, 12 of which are manufactured by the human body. Another 9, called essential amino acids, must be obtained from food.
A complete protein or whole protein is a protein that contains all of the essential amino acids.
All animal proteins are complete, including red meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, and dairy. Vegetarians will be happy to know that complete proteins can also be obtained through certain plants, such as soy, spirulina, hemp seed, amaranth, buckwheat, and my fave quinoa.
Foods can be combined to make complete proteins like pairing beans with rice or corn. There are other combinations as well. Beans and seeds, beans and nuts, and beans and grains will form a complete protein. When you eat hummus and pita bread, nut butter on whole grain bread, pasta with beans, veggie burgers on bread, split pea soup with whole grain bread, and tortillas with refried beans, you are eating complete proteins.
Fit's Tips: Recent studies show that the beans and the grains don't even need to be eaten at the same meal, so if you eat beans for lunch and rice with dinner, you've got yourself a complete protein. You may spread your food combination over a 2-day period. | <urn:uuid:615923f5-3363-4ea2-a6e9-eb9a90b47911> | {
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Sometimes I don’t always remember to do something that I should do, but I always try and remember to workout. Why? Because according to several studies even 20 minutes of exercise can improve memory function and cognitive abilities.
Exercise in particular aerobic exercise increases growth factors in the brain and stimulates new connections between cells. It’s fascinating to know, that just by exercising, you will remember more, think faster and be able to concentrate longer. These studies also show exercise prevents age-related shrinkage of the brain, this prevents cognitive decline.
Exercise is possibly the most effective way to ensure your brain’s continued health, growth and rejuvenation. So remember to get that workout done. | <urn:uuid:4079b4fa-4ed6-4d83-93c2-e3a33623aa46> | {
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Shortcuts in safety and incorrect wiring lead to severe injury in manufacturing plant. How did this happen, and who is at fault?
An accident was bound to happen. For some time, both production lines at a manufacturing/packing facility were operating at full capacity. And as business grew, overtime became a necessity. Due to extended hours of operation, a piece of equipment, associated with the conveyor system of Line B, developed problems. The entire production line backed up, causing products to cascade off the conveyor.
Called in to fix the problem, a maintenance worker positioned the system's motor controller in the OFF position, to adjust a particular gearbox. With his hand inside the gearbox, he asked a fellow worker (standing on the other side of the conveyor) to hand him a screwdriver. Leaning forward, the fellow worker's body hit the ON button, energizing the machinery.
As the worker's hand became entangled in the machinery, others rushed to shut off the power. One tried turning off the same motor controller that was accidentally turned on, but he wasn't fast enough. The small OFF button was inside a recessed guard!
During this delay, other workers ran to what they thought was the "main switch," which was more than 12 ft away. When they tried to shut off the so-called "main switch," which served both production lines (A and B), they discovered conveyer Line B would not shut off. (Later, our forensic engineers learned the power to feed all of the equipment on Line B was from the line side of the "main switch," feeding the original production Line A.)
As the workers realized what was happening, one used a screwdriver to depress the small OFF button on the motor controller. By this time, the maintenance worker was in horrible pain. He suffered a crushed hand and severed appendages.
Correspondingly, a national insurer retained our firm to conduct an investigation of the circumstances leading up to the injury of the factory worker.
In the course of our investigation, we discovered the vendor who sold the manufacturer the equipment contained in Line B had also wired the equipment. Because the "main switch" was not readily accessible, and more importantly, it waswired incorrectly, the maintenance worker had the legal right to look beyond the workman's compensation laws that protected his employer and seek remedy from the third party who was responsible.
After some time, we conducted a follow-up analysis/report on behalf of the injured workman. Our original client authorized and encouraged us to provide that service. (In case of a recovery from a third party, the workman's compensation insurer frequently recovers some costs.)
In our report, we note the ON switch should be the small button housed in the recessed protector, to require a deliberate effort to energize the machine. The OFF switch is more appropriately a large "mushroom" red push button, to shut the machine off with a minimum time delay.
Our report reveals that due to faulty wiring, a poorly placed main switch, and unacceptable ON/OFF switches, workers could not turn off the affected machinery in the shortest time possible.
NEC Sec. 430-107 requires that one of the disconnecting means "shall be readily accessible." The term "should" in the NEC is an advisory word. However, the term "shall" is mandatory. Article 100 defines "Readily accessible" as "Capable of being reached quickly for operation, renewal, or inspections, without requiring those to whom ready access is requisite to climb over or remove obstacles or to resort to portable ladders, chairs, etc."
Continuing with the report, we analyzed the recommended use of lockout/tagout procedures. Workers frequently use this procedure when working on equipment that, if operated, could cause physical injury or damage to equipment. In this case, the maintenance worker needed power to the gearbox to complete his adjustments. Although this case is still active, everyone involved can learn from it. Inspect any equipment you or outside vendors install or repair in your facility. Take time to make sure installations comply with all codes and standards. And, never forget safety when working with machinery.
From time to time, it's wise to refocus on the intention of the National Electrical Code, as articulated in Sec. 90-1(a) "Practical Safeguarding. The purpose of this Code is the practical safeguarding of persons and property from hazards arising from the use of electricity."
As the industry engineer and later the maintenance crews who modify the production operation blend the diversity of energy in use and manufacturing equipment, important safety features are often omitted. OSHA works to prevent the lack of safety procedures. Even with this agency in operation, people tend to overlook essential safety precautions. You must review all aspects of your operations to prevent accidents. Do this now, not tomorrow! Recognize the wisdom inherent when complying with safety codes and standards. | <urn:uuid:f2f581b8-8864-423b-a736-d785f60306bd> | {
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This past fall and winter the students at NU Vision School in Boston used The Habitable Planet series from Annenberg Learner as one of the major resources for their environmental science class project, explained in this post.
NU Vision School is a partnership between Northeastern University and the Boston Ballet for students of the Boston Ballet’s pre-professional program. Not only do we help the students balance their rigorous dance schedules with a strong academic program, but we challenge the students to think about their learning in new ways. Our curriculum is project based and driven by the interests of the students.
As part of the environmental science class, students chose a country that interested them and then developed a meaningful project around their exploration. Five of the students decided to make a website as a way to demonstrate their learning and share their knowledge. Below are the links to the five websites.
As part of their research, all the students began by learning basic geography and population factors about their country; these are included in the websites. They also picked one to three environmental factors that were of interest and of particular concern in their chosen country. These factors and how they are impacting society, the natural environment, personal well-being, and the economy are then explained.
We adapted a rubric from the BUCK Institute to inform and assess this project.
These websites are not meant to be finished products. With feedback and additional knowledge the students will continue to edit and add to them. They will appreciate all thoughts you have.
Please share feedback either about the students’ sites (make sure to reference a specific site by country) or the project itself in the comments section of this blog post.
Aleena (9th grade) – Nicaragua
Allison (9th grade) – Pakistan
Noa (9th grade) – France
Skye (9th grade) – USA
Tessa (10th grade) – Russia | <urn:uuid:24bf764e-b908-4187-a3c8-b6282791500c> | {
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Basic information about the skeleton:
The overall structure of the skeleton is strong, lightweight and flexible. There are 2 major divisions of the skeleton:
- Axiel – skull, vertebral (spinal) columns, ribs, and sternum. Consists of 80 bones
- Appendicular – shoulder bones, arm, wrist and hand hips legs ankles feet 64 upper append and 62 lower append skeleton
The skeleton makes up almost one fifth of a normal healthy body’s weight. It is a highly flexible framework and gives the body the external shape we see. Overall, it supports all parts of the body. As a framework, it is used for muscle to grow around. In fact our body would simply collapse without the framework the skeleton gives us.
Another important role the skeleton plays is to support the vital internal organs, such as the heart, kidneys and lungs. It does this by building a protective framework around them better known as the ribcage. The delicate brain is also protected by the part known as the skull.
There are 206 bones in the average adult human skeleton. Babies are born with 300 bones, some of which merge together and the total becomes 206 by the time they become adults.
Bones are also full of holes much like a honeycomb structure which allows them to be strong yet lightweight. Bone is a tissue that is strong as steel but light as aluminium. The skeleton has a structure which is constantly breaking down and rebuilding it-self.
Bone is an active tissue. The bones themselves are reservoirs of important minerals, especially calcium. Another vital role the bones play is to manufacture new blood cells, which are produced in the bone marrow.
Other parts of the skeletal system such as the cartilage, ligaments and tendons are intertwined with the bones to allow them the elasticity needed to constantly be able to remain strong and supportive yet mouldable.
Additionally, the bones of the ear (which are the smallest in the body) not only aid in our hearing but also help the general balance of our body.
The skeleton is able to repair itself when damaged by thickening and strengthening bones where necessary i.e where there is extra stress levels caused by certain physical activities. Thus the growth, injury and stress response of bone allows for adjustment of size and shape. However it is important to take precautions in order to protect the bones. This is generally advised that protective headgear and suitable clothing be worn when engaging in dangerous activity.
Keeping the skeleton healthy requires a proper diet of nutrients. The chart below shows foods suitable to building and repairing and general upkeep of strong bones.
Bone is most repairable in children and becomes difficult to replace as quickly when we get older. This is why it is important to look after our bones because when problems arise it is difficult to repair as age progresses.
|Dairy products such as low-fat and non-fat milk, yogurt and cheese||Calcium. Some dairy products are fortified with Vitamin D.|
|Canned sardines and salmon (with bones)||Calcium|
|Fatty varieties such as salmon, mackerel, tuna and sardines||Vitamin D|
|Fruits and vegetables|
|Collard greens, turnip greens, kale, okra, Chinese cabbage, dandelion greens, mustard greens and broccoli.||Calcium|
|Spinach, beet greens, okra, tomato products, artichokes, plantains, potatoes, sweet potatoes, collard greens and raisins.||Magnesium|
|Tomato products, raisins, potatoes, spinach, sweet potatoes, papaya, oranges, orange juice, bananas, plantains and prunes.||Potassium|
|Red peppers, green peppers, oranges, grapefruits, broccoli, strawberries, brussels sprouts, papaya and pineapples.||Vitamin C|
|Dark green leafy vegetables such as kale, collard greens, spinach, mustard greens, turnip greens and brussel sprouts.||Vitamin K|
|Calcium and vitamin D are sometimes added to certain brands of juices, breakfast foods, soy milk, rice milk, cereals, snacks and breads.||Calcium, Vitamin D|
Chart from: www.nof.org/foods | <urn:uuid:faf898f2-8040-4172-ac06-a9afdc8c9408> | {
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The Global Water Cycle and NEWS
The cycling of energy and water has obvious and significant implications for the health and prosperity of society. The availability and quantity of water is vital to life on earth and helps to tie together the Earth's lands, oceans and atmosphere into an integrated physical system. The global water cycle is driven by a multiplicity of complex processes and interactions at all time and space scales, many of which are inadequately understood and poorly represented in model predictions.
NASA is capable of and uniquely positioned to investigate the global climatic processes that govern precipitation and the replenishment of water resources. In 2003 NASA established the NASA Energy and Water cycle Study (NEWS), whose ultimate goal is a breakthrough improvement in the nation's energy and water cycle prediction capability. NEWS is expected to demonstrate advanced global observation, data assimilation, and improved representation of physical processes in climate models, better prediction systems that can be used to quantify the hydrologic consequences of climate change and produce useful seasonal and longer-range hydrologic predictions based on observed initial values and changing boundary conditions.
NEWS is therefore envisioned to be part of the broader NASA end-to-end Earth science program and thus includes the transition of research findings and new capabilities to academic/public education and to practical applications, through partnerships with the academic community-at-large, federal agencies.
Consistent with the ambitious NEWS challenge and ESE objectives, the timetable for the implementation of NEWS extends over a 15 year period. During this period, NEWS participants are expected to collect, analyze and interpret observational data from archived records and on-going observing systems, contribute to the preparation of new space-flight missions, advance predictive models of the global energy and water cycle, and lay the foundation for future developments (including potential new observing techniques). NEWS participants are also expected to examine and test new application practices in partnership with relevant operational agencies and industry. | <urn:uuid:01ece3ed-8076-4b48-bb11-39030e7931f6> | {
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Question- Evaluate any 2 poems with close analysis.
Both Rupert Brooke’s poems ‘The Soldier’ and ‘Peace’ explore the idea of war being a very glorified progression. Both poems validate the values of people that have sacrificed in the war. In his poem ‘The Soldier’, Brooke demonstrates his belief that sacrificing for his homeland is the best way to repay for all the beautiful and glorious things that have been given to him. The concept of a war being blessed by god is clearly explored in the poem ‘Peace’.
In the poem ‘The Soldier’, Brooke shows his love for England significantly in which he is willing to sacrifice his life to repay England. Personification is used in “Her sights and sounds; dreams happy as her day…” as a comparison of England and war conditions, as England is thought to be ‘gentle’ which is contradictory to the horrific condition of war. The metaphor “In that rich earth a richer dust concealed;” is a symbolism to the soldier’s hearts, evident in the word “rich”. Thus, the consequences of war creates a significant destruction to the soldier’s physical and emotional being
‘Peace’ is a poem that was written to explain the gloriousness of war. Although war is a blessing from god, Brooke continues to convey the tragic consequences of war. In the line “Naught broken save this body, lost but breath;” alliteration is used to express the physical damage war can do to your body. The use of personification in the line “And the worst friend… | <urn:uuid:05d5d44a-aa8e-467a-bc8a-6da2f14bb47d> | {
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Pages in category "2005 operas"
The following 16 pages are in this category, out of 16 total, this list may not reflect recent changes (learn more).
The following 16 pages are in this category, out of 16 total, this list may not reflect recent changes (learn more).
1. Opera – Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. In traditional opera, singers do two types of singing, recitative, a style and arias, a more melodic style. Opera incorporates many of the elements of theatre, such as acting, scenery. The performance is given in an opera house, accompanied by an orchestra or smaller musical ensemble. Opera is a key part of the Western classical music tradition, in the 18th century, Italian opera continued to dominate most of Europe, attracting foreign composers such as George Frideric Handel. Opera seria was the most prestigious form of Italian opera, until Christoph Willibald Gluck reacted against its artificiality with his operas in the 1760s. The first third of the 19th century saw the point of the bel canto style, with Gioachino Rossini, Gaetano Donizetti. It also saw the advent of Grand Opera typified by the works of Auber and Meyerbeer, the mid-to-late 19th century was a golden age of opera, led and dominated by Richard Wagner in Germany and Giuseppe Verdi in Italy. The popularity of opera continued through the era in Italy and contemporary French opera through to Giacomo Puccini. During the 19th century, parallel operatic traditions emerged in central and eastern Europe, the 20th century saw many experiments with modern styles, such as atonality and serialism, Neoclassicism, and Minimalism. With the rise of recording technology, singers such as Enrico Caruso, since the invention of radio and television, operas were also performed on these mediums. Beginning in 2006, a number of opera houses began to present live high-definition video transmissions of their performances in cinemas all over the world. In 2009, an opera company offered a download of a complete performance. The words of an opera are known as the libretto, some composers, notably Wagner, have written their own libretti, others have worked in close collaboration with their librettists, e. g. Mozart with Lorenzo Da Ponte. Vocal duets, trios and other ensembles often occur, and choruses are used to comment on the action, in some forms of opera, such as singspiel, opéra comique, operetta, and semi-opera, the recitative is mostly replaced by spoken dialogue. Melodic or semi-melodic passages occurring in the midst of, or instead of, the terminology of the various kinds of operatic voices is described in detail below. Over the 18th century, arias were accompanied by the orchestra. Subsequent composers have tended to follow Wagners example, though some, the changing role of the orchestra in opera is described in more detail below
2. 2005 – 2005 was designated as, International Year for Sport and Physical Education International Year of Microcredit The year 2005 was the end of the International Decade of the Worlds Indigenous People. January 12 – Deep Impact is launched from Cape Canaveral with the purpose of studying the comet Tempel 1, january 14 – The Huygens spacecraft lands on Titan, the largest moon of Saturn. February 10 – North Korea announces that it possesses nuclear weapons as a protection against the hostility it feels from the United States, february 14 – Former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri is assassinated, along with 21 others, by a suicide bomber in Beirut. February 16 – The Kyoto Protocol officially goes into effect, march 14 – The Peoples Republic of China ratifies an anti-secession law, aimed at preventing Taiwan from declaring independence. March 24 – The President of Kyrgyzstan Askar Akayev is overthrown following mass anti-government demonstrations, march 28 – The 8.6 Mw Nias–Simeulue earthquake shakes northern Sumatra with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VI, leaving 915–1,314 people dead and 340–1,146 injured. April 2 – Pope John Paul II dies, over 4 million people travel to the Vatican to mourn him, Pope Benedict XVI succeeds him on April 19, becoming the 265th pope. April 9 – Charles, Prince of Wales marries Camilla Parker Bowles in a ceremony at Windsors Guildhall. Camilla acquires the title Duchess of Cornwall, April 26 – Syria withdraws the last of its military garrison from Lebanon, ending its 29-year military occupation of the country. April 27 – The Superjumbo jet aircraft Airbus A380 makes its first flight from Toulouse, may 13 – Uzbek Interior Ministry and National Security Service troops massacre at least 200 protesters in the city of Andijan. May 15 – A passenger ferry capsizes and sinks in strong winds in the Bura Gauranga River in Bangladesh, june 21 – A Volna booster rocket carrying the first light sail spacecraft fails 83 seconds after its launch, destroying the spacecraft. June 28 – Three U. S. Navy SEALs and 16 American Special Operations Forces soldiers are killed in a firefight in Afghanistan. Only one SEAL survives the battle, july 2 – Live 8, a set of 10 simultaneous concerts, takes place throughout the world, raising interest in the Make Poverty History campaign. July 6 – The European Parliament rejects the Proposed directive on the patentability of computer-implemented inventions in its second reading, july 7 – Four coordinated suicide bombings rock central London, killing 52 people and injuring over 700. July 23 – A series of hit the resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. July 28 – The Provisional Irish Republican Army announces an end to the campaign it has pursued since 1969. August 12 – The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is launched from Cape Canaveral, august 16 – West Caribbean Airways Flight 708 crashes into a mountain in Venezuela, killing 160 passengers. August 18 – Peace Mission 2005, the first joint China–Russia military exercise, august 29 – Hurricane Katrina makes landfall along the U. S. Gulf Coast, causing severe damage and killing over a thousand people and dealing an estimated $108 billion in damage. August 31 – A stampede at the Al-Aaimmah bridge in Baghdad, Iraq, september 7 – Egypt holds its first ever multi-party presidential election, which is marred with allegations of fraud
3. An American Tragedy (opera) – An American Tragedy is an opera in two acts composed by Tobias Picker to a libretto by Gene Scheer. This was Pickers fourth opera, written four years after the debut of Thérèse Raquin, based on the Theodore Dreiser novel, An American Tragedy, the opera was commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera and premiered in New York City on December 2,2005. A progressive drama of temptation, responsibility, and faith, Clyde Griffiths, Midwestern missionary’s son, is a young man working as a flirtatious bellhop in Chicago. He relocates to New York upon being offered a position in his Uncle Samuel’s shirt factory, wasting no time he pursues one of the workers there, Roberta Alden, after being warned not to by fellow workers. Clyde quickly moves on to a new love interest in Sondra Finchley, before long, Clyde is juggling Roberta and Sondra, only to soon discover that Roberta is pregnant. It becomes clear that Sondra is Clyde’s true love and Roberta is nothing more than a burden, Clyde schemes to rid himself of the burden of an unwanted lover with a child on the way. Based on a story, Theodore Dreisers novel An American Tragedy is one literatures great. The central character Clyde Griffiths is Everyman, and his dilemma is at the heart of the American experience, the people upon whom Dreisers characters were based also echo throughout the pages of the entire opera. They are the spirits that made the story and the writing of the music real for me. Schott Music, An American Tragedy Excerpt with Patricia Racette on Youtube Photos from the opera
4. La Conquista (opera) – La Conquista is an opera in two acts by Lorenzo Ferrero set to a trilingual libretto by the composer and Frances Karttunen, based on a concept by Alessandro Baricco. It depicts the major episodes of the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire in 1521, the libretto is a blend of historical and literary sources drawn from transcriptions of indigenous and European literature, both kept, with some exceptions, in their original languages. The premiere directed by Nicholas Muni and conducted by Zbyněk Müller took place at the Prague National Theatre on 12 March 2005. Place, Cortés camp at Villa Rica de la Vera Cruz and Tenochtitlan Time, one day, the prayer of Emperor Moctezuma in the temple is interrupted by the entrance of a group of messengers who bring him the news of the Spanish landing on the Gulf coast. Moctezuma is visibly worried and asks the men to keep their knowledge secret, the Emperor makes an offering to the gods and a priest sprinkles the messengers with the blood of the victim, then they are sent back carrying a message and laden with gifts for the newcomers. Left alone, Moctezuma is scrutinizing the uncertain future, in contemporary Mexico City a woman called Marina has strange dreams of a distant past. She decides to confront these recurring nightmares, moctezumas emissaries arrive at the camp and lay out their presents before Cortés and his companions. The soldiers tie them up and frighten them by firing their guns in the air, Alvarado and Cortés argue about the priorities of the conquest, whether it should be a search for gold or the evangelization of indigenous peoples. When Cortés tries to force an Aztec to worship the cross, Father Olmedo advises against such violence, Cortés orders Alvarado to sink the ships, as a precaution against mutiny. While watching the ships burn Cortés laments that stepmother Spain ignores her true sons, during the fire Marina passes by and she and Cortés notice each other. She expresses conflicting thoughts and feelings about meeting this strange man, Cortés leads his troops inland towards Tenochtitlan. Act 2 The long-standing attempts to dissuade Cortés from coming to Tenochtitlan had failed, Moctezuma and Cortés meet on the Great Causeway leading into the capital. Coming from opposite sides in a long and complex ceremony the cortège of Moctezuma, the Emperor dresses Cortés with flowers from his own gardens, the highest honour he could give. In turn, Cortés attempts to him but is restrained by a courtier. Marina is at the time inside and outside the picture. She pantomimes the translating of the conversation while her offstage voice describes the scene, finally Moctezuma invites the Spaniards into the city. In the absence of Cortés, taking advantage of the ceremonies of the Aztecs in the Great Temple, Alvarado. Cortés, away, thinks, writes, prays, but cannot decide upon the final act, news about the massacre reaches him and he returns to Tenochtitlan
5. Doctor Atomic – Doctor Atomic is an opera by the contemporary American composer John Adams, with libretto by Peter Sellars. It premiered at the San Francisco Opera on October 1,2005, the work focuses on the great stress and anxiety experienced by those at Los Alamos while the test of the first atomic bomb was being prepared. In 2007, a documentary was made about the creation of the opera, the first act takes place about a month before the bomb is to be tested, and the second act is set in the early morning of July 16,1945. During the second act, time slows down for the characters. The opera ends in the final, prolonged moment before the bomb is detonated, alice Goodman worked for two years with Adams on the project before leaving, objecting to the characterization of Edward Teller, as dictated by the original commission. Sellars adapted the libretto from primary historical sources, other borrowed texts include poetry by Charles Baudelaire and Muriel Rukeyser, the Holy Sonnets of John Donne, quotes from the Bhagavad Gita, and a traditional Tewa Indian song. Energy can be created nor destroyed but only altered in form. It then opened in December 2007 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, again directed by Sellars, with Finley, Adams and Sellars made some significant changes to the opera and production in response to feedback from the San Francisco, Amsterdam, and Chicago productions. The assistant conductor for this production was also Donato Cabrera, the HD video of the production was later televised nationally on PBS as well, in the Great Performances at the Met series. On January 17,2009, the Met production of the opera was heard on NPR as part of the Saturday afternoon Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts. Penny Woolcocks production was restaged by the English National Opera in London, Adams had written the role of Kitty Oppenheimer for the mezzo-soprano Lorraine Hunt Lieberson. However, she was unable to commit to the due to her health. The work was sung in the premiere by mezzo Kristine Jepson. For the second production, at De Nederlandse Opera, Adams reworked the role for a soprano. For the Metropolitan Opera Premiere, the role was sung by a mezzo. In 2007, Adams adapted the opera into the Doctor Atomic Symphony, music was taken from the overture, various interludes and orchestral settings were made of arias like Oppenheimers signature Batter My Heart. The work was first premiered by the BBC Symphony Orchestra and conducted by the composer on August 21,2007, the work was later performed at Carnegie Hall in Spring 2008. Originally composed in four movements and lasting 45 minutes, the symphony was revised by Adams to just three movements and 25 minutes length
6. Love Counts – Love Counts is a 2005 opera in two acts by Michael Nyman to a libretto by Michael Hastings. The opera premiered 12 March 2005 at the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe, Germany and it was performed in London at the Almeida Theatre on 14 July 2006, directed by Lindsay Posner, designed by Peter McKintosh, and conducted by Paul McGrath. The opera begins with Patsy Bear, a boxer, punching leaves on a tree. Avril Ainger, a lecturer, encounters him while riding her bicycle. The next day, Avril passes by the gym where Patsy fights and he is waiting for the bus, but when the driver arrives, he will not tell Patsy the number, for Patsy is illiterate and has difficulty even recognizing numbers. She accompanies him back to his hut and they learn more about other, Patsys limitations. They go to a restaurant, and Avril tries to help Patsy will the bill and she begins teaching him basic mathematics, starting with familiarizing him with all the digits, but he only wants to make love. The second act is set mostly in Avrils bedroom, jumping backward and forward in time, Avril asks Patsy about the nature of his erections because her previous husband could get them only if he hit her. After they make love for the first time, Patsys manager calls and tells him that a new lad wants him to be his trainer and he compares this to Dr. Ps use of Robert Schumann in The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat. Avril wants Patsy to promise he will not get back in the ring and she takes off her top and hits him, saying she does not want to be hurt again. Patsy asks her to be more ladylike and make love, later, she gets a phone call, and collapses at what she hears. Patsy has fallen into a coma, the doctor says he will regain his memory if she keeps talking to him. In the final scene, Avril pushes Patsy, now in a wheelchair, down the street where they first met, express their desire to make love, and go through their counting routine. A recording based on the Almeida production was released in 2007 featuring Andrew Slater as Patsy Bear and it is the 57th Michael Nyman album
7. Margaret Garner (opera) – Margaret Garner is an opera in two acts composed by Richard Danielpour to an English-language libretto by Toni Morrison. The opera is based on actual events in the life of runaway slave Margaret Garner. Morrison previously used the historic Margaret Garner as the inspiration for her novel Beloved and this is one of a few operas written about the African-American experience, other notable examples are George Gershwins Porgy and Bess and Scott Joplins Treemonisha. The opera explores themes of freedom and personal and community relationships and it was the first libretto for the author and the first opera for the composer. Danielpour began work on the opera in 1998, the opera premièred on May 7,2005 in Detroit, it was performed in Cincinnati in July 2005, and Philadelphia in February 2006. The three companies spent more than $2 million on the opera, denyce Graves sang the title role in the premiere run, which featured a cast of nearly one hundred, flaming torches, a hanging on stage, and black-powder pistols. The opera requires a large cast because of the requirement for separate African and Caucasian choruses to portray the slaves and slave-owners. Other members of the initial cast were Angela M. Brown as Cilla, Gregg Baker as Robert Garner, Rod Gilfry as Edward Gaines, Roger Honeywell as the Auctioneer, jessye Norman was originally cast as Cilla but withdrew and was replaced by Brown. The opera has also staged by Opera Carolina in Charlotte, North Carolina in 2006. National Public Radio broadcast the Opera Carolina production, the plot follows the slave Margaret Garner as a new master comes to Maplewood, the Kentucky plantation where she is held. Margaret catches her new owners eye and is brought in to work in the big house, while the widowed plantation owner, Edward Gaines, sees Margaret as a sexual object, his daughter Caroline comes to see Margaret as a sort of foster mother. At Carolines engagement party, a rift develops between Gaines and his daughter over her respect for Margaret, Robert returns to escape with Margaret and his children, his mother Cilla refuses to go, claiming to be too old to learn the new habits of freedom. While they prepare to escape, the overseer Casey finds them and, after a struggle, the couple and their two children flee, but are later found by Gaines and a posse. After a gun fight, Robert is captured and lynched, Margaret kills her two children to prevent them being returned to slavery, but she is taken alive. Gaines forces a criminal trial where Margaret is charged with destruction of property for the killing of his slaves, Caroline appeals to Gaines to advance the abolitionist agenda by having Margaret tried for murder instead, acknowledging the slaves humanity. After the guilty verdict and sentence of execution, Gaines fears losing Caroline, believing he acted as a proper gentleman, he obtains a commutation for Margaret if she admits her guilt. Ignoring him, Margaret steps voluntarily off the gallows, the opera does not intend to be accurate history. Some of the differences between the story of the opera and historical events follow, Robert Garner did not kill anyone, in a shootout, he wounded two of the slave-hunters sent to recapture his family
8. Violet (opera) – Violet is a 2005 opera by Roger Scruton to a libretto by the composer, based on the biography of Violet Gordon-Woodhouse by her great-niece, Jessica Douglas-Home. The two-act opera was given the first of two performances on 30 November 2005 at Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, directed by Tess Gibbs, Scruton is better known as a writer and philosopher, and is largely self-taught as a composer. Violet is the second of Scrutons two operas – it was preceded by the one-act The Minister, the composer has written In Violet’s world high culture, eccentric life-style, and aristocratic manners achieved a never-to-be-repeated synthesis. And when that world was swept away by the First World War, according to the programme note of the premiere performance, Violet epitomises the sad magnificence of human folly. The cast of the opera includes Violet, her husband Gordon, the score includes a number of references to music of other composers, including Mozart, Wagner and JS Bach, as well as to folksong. The opera is set at the Woodhouses home, Lypiatt Manor at Nether Lypiatt, the characters extol Violet and dine together. In the second act we learn that Max has died in the trenches in World War I, Jessica, mourning what she sees as the loss of an innocent world, decides to sell the house. Violetta for Me – Roger Scrutons Violet at the Guildhall School of Music in Social Affairs Unit website, World of Roger Scruton, writer and philosopher, Daily Telegraph 27 January 2012, accessed 26 January 2015. Gordon Woodhouse, Violet in Grove Music Online, accessed 25 January 2015, Violet – an opera by Roger Scruton in Clarion Review 23 March 2013, accessed 25 January 2015. With the libretto, a recording of the debut, and an essay by the composer. Music on Roger Scruton website, accessed 25 January 2015
9. Waiting for the Barbarians (opera) – Waiting for the Barbarians is an opera in two acts composed by Philip Glass, with libretto by Christopher Hampton based on the 1980 novel of the same name by South African-born author John M. Coetzee. The opera was commissioned by the Theater Erfurt in Erfurt, Germany, Waiting for the Barbarians premiered on September 10,2005 at Erfurt Theater, directed by Guy Montavon and conducted by Dennis Russell Davies. There was one other European performance in Amsterdam in 2006 and its American premiere was performed on January 19,2007 by the Austin Lyric Opera in Austin, Texas. The opera was performed on June 12,2008 at the Barbican Centre in London. As Joll says, We are forced to begin a war in order to safeguard the peace. Joll and his men set out to attack a group of the barbarians, and bring back to town a number of prisoners, whom they interrogate, torture, and, in the case of one old man, kill. The Magistrate protests, at first weakly, Joll then returns to the city of the Empire to report. The Magistrate discovers a girl, crippled and partially blinded. He feels a mixture of pity and, increasingly, attraction to her and he spends time with the girl, questioning her about the interrogation and torture by Jolls men which has left her disabled. Confused by his feelings of sexual attraction, pity, and anger, the Magistrate takes the girl on a journey through the wilderness in order to return her to her people. The Magistrate himself is now imprisoned in solitary confinement for some months and he goes to visit his old friend the Cook, who rebukes him for having used the Barbarian girl and for not having been able to understand her at all. He is left alone, wondering even more about who the true barbarians are. ACT I Prelude Scene 1, In Fact, We Never Had a Prison Scene 2, Dreamscape No.1 Scene 3, You Sent for Me Scene 4, Youre Working Late Scene 5, Normally Speaking, We Would Never Approve of Torture. Scene 6, Take off Your Cap Scene 7, Dreamscape No.2 Scene 8, Scene 9. To Demonstrate Our Strength to the Barbarians Scene 10, Did you have a good evening. Scene 11, Dreamscape No.3 Scene 12, What is it, Scene 13, Can you see them. Scene 14, Who Gave You Permission to Desert Your Post, ACT II Scene 1, Here, In the Dark Scene 2, Dreamscape No.4 Scene 3, What is Going On. Prologue to Scene 4 Scene 4, Perhaps You Would Be So Kind Scene 5, Enemy, Scene 6, So Were Still Feeding You Well. Notes Sources PhilipGlass. com, Waiting for the Barbarians The Austin Chronicle Playbill Arts Barbican Theater Smith, Opera Review, Waiting for the Barbarians | <urn:uuid:ff60c01a-faae-4d5e-8eaf-8622d930276c> | {
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Wikipedia: Ma'loula or Maaloula (Arabic: معلولا), is a village in the Rif Dimashq Governorate in Syria. The town is located 56 km to the northeast of Damascus, and built into the rugged mountainside, at an altitude of more than 1500 meters. It is known as the last surviving place where Western Aramaic (Aramaic of Jesus) is still spoken. As of 2005, the town has a population of 2,000. However, during summer, it increases to about 6000, due to people coming from Damascus for vacations. Half a century ago, 15,000 people lived in Maalula. Religiously, the population consists of both Christians (mainly Melkite Greek Catholic) and Muslims. For the Muslim inhabitants, the legacy is all the more remarkable given that they were not Arabized, unlike most other Syrians who like them were Islamized over the centuries but also adopted Arabic and shifted to an "Arab" ethnic identity.
Modern civilization began right here in the Tigris-Euphrates river valley. Also known as the Fertile Crescent or Mesopotamia, this is the place where, six thousand years ago, agriculture, writing and mathematics were brought into widespread use.The term "Middle East" comes from the British navy, which used it to describe the countries on the trade route from Europe to India and China. Everything from Afghanistan to Morocco may possibly be classified as "middle eastern", depending on whom you ask -- and when.Only a partial list of past Empires in the middle eastern territory includes Sumeria, Babylonia, Persia, the Ottoman Empire and the Roman Empire!When northern Europe was still lurking about in slimy cold stone castles playing chess, the Middle East was enjoying the flowers of poetry, luxurious craftsmanship, music and literature. In fact, the Renaissance in Europe was partly inspired by stories brought back from the middle east by travelers along the trade route.Strategic location, religious history and the world's largest supply of crude oil have kept the Middle East at the center of world activity for centuries. The saga continues.Text by Steve Smith. | <urn:uuid:54f8553f-d799-41d2-950d-a93d1e326651> | {
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1.0 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND
In Zimbabwe music has always held a special place among the people. Zimbabwean music is always intertwined with the country’s political history. During the war of liberation, Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) launched its own private radio station called Voice of Zimbabwe, which broadcasted from Maputo, Mozambique. The party’s choirs used to sing militant songs, which were, broadcasted on the station as a moral-booster for the guerilla fighters and their peasant supporters. Music became part of the liberation war strategy2. Even after independence in 1980 many of the choirs continued to sing and record many political songs like Zvinozibwa ne Zanu and Taireva by the ZANU Choir.
Other musicians of the liberation struggle era include the likes of Thomas Mapfumo whose fame rose around 1967. Mapfumo blended traditional Shona mbira music with Western instruments and a political message with traditional metaphors. During the 1960s he used to sing very militant political songs, which were very popular among the people fighting for independence. According to Turino (2000:174), -..Some of the music was used to generate an emotional force which nationalism required-. This formed the basis for nationalist discourse.
When a musical fad called urban grooves hit the Zimbabwean market following the introduction of the 75 percent local policy on broadcasting in 2001, a number of critics whined and sentenced them to death. They were accused of being copycats of American musicians especially hip hop musicians. Though they use indigenous languages in their music, they are still branded as being unoriginal. Many urban grooves musicians have produced soul-lifting and enjoyable music which is popular among the youth . The youth of today have a burning passion for a career in music, especially when they see musicians of their age gracing important occasions and childhood friends making headlines for their stage perfomances and celebrity lifestyles. This has led many to try their luck in the music business when they realize the attention their peers attract in the streets and wish they could be the toast of their fans3. However in some cases passion has taken precedence over talent because some of them are pushed by the desire to be heard and seen when they lack talent and seriousness. In the end, they end up imitating American musicians in order to gain recognition. (The Herald: 15 feb 2004)
However urban grooves is not a Zimbabwean phenomenon. From Zimbabwe to Zambia, Malawi and Tanzania, the urban contemporary music is now the in-thing and the most talked about genre with most of it being played on African radio stations. One can now enjoy music sung in isiNdebele, KiSwahili or Bemba even if these are foreign languages.(The Herald :7 feb 2004) .In urban grooves music, local beats are fused with R&B, soul, soul, reggae and hip-hop to come out with a different blend. This new wave seems to have a contagious effect and is still spreading all over Africa. In Tanzania it is known as Bongo Flavour. (The Herald 7 Feb 2004). When the government of Zimbabwe introduced the seventy-five percent local content, the aim was to produce something which is African and home-grown. While urban grooves music is home-grown, yet effects of globalization on their music take center stage with some claiming that they lack Zimbabwean identity. With the rise of the urban grooves music genre, some traditional recording companies were not keen to sign them because they lacked experience in music production, hence the poor quality of their music. (The Sunday Mail:8 May 2004) In 2001 Elliot Manyika, the then Minister of Youth, Development and Employment Creation recorded an album Mwana wevhu (Son of the Soil) with the praise song Nora that praised President Robert Mugabe. The government started releasing a series of campaign jingles like, -Chave Chimurenga, Ramba Wakashinga, and Sendekera mwana wevhu- among others, but all meant to promote government policies.
In replacing the -banned’ songs with its own commissioned music, the government wanted to kill two birds with one stone, that is killing protest music and making sure the rebellious musicians’ music is not bought thereby forcing them into submission.This caused many ordinary people to shun national radio and television with attention swayed to international music using satellites especially in urban areas. Some people felt there was too much propaganda in national broadcasting content5. In 2005, an international website promoting the rights of musicians had this to say on the broadcasting content policy of the government:
-Zimbabwe, suffering under sanctions, shut out from the international community, responding to its own deep resonance of its own sounds, seeing plots and conspiracies all around it-.hence the need of -feel good art’ in which state radio and television are replete with propaganda jingles- ( “>http://www.freemuse.org:sep> 2005)
What was emphasized during this period was liberation struggle nationalist culture.
In 2001, the Minister of Information and Publicity had announced that it was now compulsory for all radio and television stations to allocate a staggering seventy-five percent of all programming to local productions 6.The government banned international songs on Power FM, as it introduced the one hundred percent local content on the radio station. The government hid under the banner of -reAfricanisation’ and -culture’. The Chronicle (15 Sep 2005) reported that the one hundred percent local content was later reduced to seventy-five percent on Power FM in September 2005. Zimbabwe Broadcasting Holdings Corporate Secretary, Jennifer Tanyanyiwa confirmed the changes and said :
– Ever since its launch in January 2004, Power FM has successfully promoted the growth of the local music industry by supporting local urban grooves produced by Zimbabwean youths and the time has now come to encourage the cross-fertilization of various types of music- (The Chronicle:15 sep 2005) However this had seen the emergence of a new genre of music called the urban grooves. It was the one hundred percent local content policy, which saw the emergency of urban grooves musicians like Rocqui (now Roki), Decibel and Leonard Mapfumo.
The local content policy was received with mixed feelings by different sections of the media and varied reactions. Zimbabwean journalist Luke Tamborinyoka in Masara (2005:5) said: -While it is true that localizing the content of our media comes witH great challenges, it enables us to realize our potential, unleashing spin-offs in the creation of locally produced films and music production houses..- (Masara2005:5)
However others like this anonymous listener criticized the poor quality of the music and said this in Independent Xtra :
-One can not impose music filled with mediocrity such as the so-called urban grooves on our radios, though some artists in this genre seem to have direction..- (The independent Xtra:6 Jan 2006)
As the pop teen station Power FM was tasked with catering for the youngsters’ music, the genre grew. These were youngsters who were used to listening to gangster and sexually explicit songs coming in various genres such as hip -hop, reggae, and Rhythm and Blues (R’n'B). The songs of urban grooves musicians is mainly sung in vernacular languages like Shona and Ndebele which gives it a local feel though there are traces of popular international songs. Traditional record companies like Gramma had originally rejected the songs as not original and commercially viable.7
The music continued to be a hit among the youth in urban areas though adult listeners received it with a punch of salt. Thus how urban grooves music was born.
There are other genres of music in Zimbabwe like sungura / museve, traditional mbira music,jiti , and jazz among others. Most of the sungura artists like Alick Macheso deal with social issues like infidelity in marriage, love and working hard in life in order to achieve the cravings of your heart. In Zimbabwe, generally there is this policy of trying to de-westernize the mainstream media and communication systems through various measures, including restrictions on international content in the broadcasting media, monopolization of the airwaves and a general reorientation of the country’s cultural policies.8
I.2 SEVENTY-FIVE PERCENT LOCAL CONTENT POLICY
The government of Zimbabwe has tried to minimize the effects of globalization by through enacting a number of legislations like the Broadcasting Services Act (2001) and the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA). The legislation on local content policy was passed on April 4, 2001. In the same year outside global interference was evident in Zimbabwe. It was the same time, that the West especially Britain and the United States of America began a demonizing campaign against the government of Zimbabwe due to the land reform programme calling for regime change. The Broadcasting Services Act (2001) stated that:
Every week during the performance period a radio broadcasting licensee shall ensure that within six months of this Act coming into effect, (in the case of a person lawfully providing a radio broadcasting service immediately before that date) or immediately upon the issue of a licence or within such longer period as the Authority may determine, at least- (a) 75 per centum of the music broadcast consists of Zimbabwean music (b) 10 per centum of the music broadcast consists of music from Africa. Subscription radio broadcasting licensees A subscription radio-broadcasting licensee shall ensure that, in every week of the year- (a) at least 30 per centum of the music broadcast during the performance period consists of Zimbabwean music; and (b) at least 10 per centum of the music broadcast consists of music from Africa; and (c) where a portion of a subscription radio broadcasting service is unencoded, then for the duration of that unencoded portion, at least 75 per cent of the um music broadcast is Zimbabwean music and at least 10 per centum of the music broadcast is music from Africa. Minister may prescribe other content conditions (a) after notice to the licensee concerned, prescribe other local content conditions; (b) prescribe any longer period for the purposes of subparagraph (1) of paragraph 2 or paragraph 5. (www.kubatana.org)
According to The Standard ( 28 march 2004), -the Minister of Information and Publicity, Jonathan Moyo declared that only musicians with 500 of their copies recorded should be accorded airplay, but on Power FM, the numerous artists who made it into the Top-40 chart, only nine have recorded full length albums that are on the market- These are the acrimonious circumstances which urban grooves musicians grew. The seventy-five percent local content saw the emergence of young music stars. The policy saw the greatest crop of varied and diverse music and gave the youths the opportunity to showcase their music. The policy introduced the likes of Decibel (Daniel Mazhindu) with his reggae-flavoured lyrics, Stach of the Amasiko fame with his disactic lyrics and kwaito-type grooves, Tia with a Western beat and even Fungisai Zvakavapano with gospel music. (The Sunday Mail: 2 May 2004) The legislation also saw the rise of recording studios like Tonderai Music Corporation, Katlas Records, Corner Studios and Country Boy Records.
The policy gave the artists many avenues of improvement, however some artists went to the extent of -borrowing’ lyrical rhymes from Western musicians. Regarding the direction their music was taking Dino Mudondo said:
-The Department has given us reason to survive-.it’s true that we got a breakthrough, thanks to the local content programming policy and we have striven to live up to our standards despite criticism that our music lack cultural identity and that we are not being original..- (The Herald :3 may 2002)
Some critics argue that urban grooves musicians should produce music which is truly and proudly Zimbabwean because part of the music they produce was a bit on the -bubblegum’ side as it was almost a total import of Western musical styles10.
To help seal the initiative, the government started Kingstons Music, a recording and marketing company (The Herald: 7 May 2004) However some of the music which was being played on radio stations like Power FM was not found on the market prejudicing the artists of a lot of money. This prompted one music fan to complain, that: -..more people are getting exposure, thanks to the policy yet some things have to be corrected to ensure the initiative does not end up a fluke-most of the music being produced is not available on the market and quality is being compromised here and there a most of the music is produced in people’s bedrooms, where it is coming from private PCs-
1.3 ISSUES AND PROBLEMS
There have been many discerning voices as to how the urban grooves musicians present themselves to the listening public. They have been accused of lacking cultural identity as Zimbabweans. In terms of content, the thrust of broadcasting institutions has been to counter what the government calls imperialist interests and their quest for regime change in Zimbabwe. Urban grooves music emerged during a well-defined era where the government of Zimbabwe argued that the content broadcasted should reflect Zimbabwean identity, history and cultural diversity. However, it seems the urban grooves artists have been doing the opposite since the formation of the genre in Zimbabwe. This brings out many questions as to whether the youth really understand culture or even identity. Maybe cultural identity means a totally different phenomenon to them. In the Zimbabwean contemporary context, culture has got so many symbols that it is difficult to pinpoint the true culture of the Zimbabwean people in an urban context. It seems people have got different conceptions and opinions of what cultural identity is. People in the country side, those in the city and those who fought in the liberation struggle who form the nucleus of the government today have got points of departure in their description of culture. The youth may have a totally different opinion of culture shaped by the times we are living since some claim that -culture is dynamic’.11
In reference to the post-colonial Africa, Gecau (1993:46) notes that: – the leaders who emerged after independence presented themselves as -enlighteners’, and were soon suspicious of the expressions of culture which were proof of the independent-.gradually -culture’ came to be presented as past forms, national symbols and emblems associated with the struggle for independence, the achievements of ndividual leaders and so on-.
In trying to define what is culture and their identity, the youth hit a brick wall. In Zimbabwe there seems to be a misrepresentation of culture with the ruling elites trying to define culture in terms of past liberation war struggle and the culture being brought out through globalization. This is through movies, international music and satellite dishes. This is what the youth of today is exposed to. The youth have a restricted cultural mediation role.
The government was keen to establish control over communication processes and distribution networks for cultural commodities but this has failed mainly because the world has become too small a global village. The older generation has too many difficulties on their shoulders to understand the youth mainly because of generational gaps. It is now difficult to understand the true cultural identity of the youth mainly because of the emergence of sophisticated and technologically advanced gadgets. Therefore the youths’ consumption reference tends to be outside Zimbabwe, from global media images in other parts of the world. 12
What urban grooves music stands for in our social hierarchy is the question at stake. Music actually develops within certain political, social and cultural parameters. The older generations’ concerns have been, what are the youths of tomorrow going to be like considering what the youths of today values, but however no single urban grooves musician is a true the representative of the genre as a whole. Personal experiences can affect one’s music in a completely different way from the other13. Though the researcher chose to study the music of Maskiri, he is hardly a complete representative of urban grooves music. Each urban grooves musician has got his own style of expression. One has to look at music without imposing individual ideas inappropriately.
It is difficult to classify them because; some like Portia Njazi (Tia) do not consider themselves urban grooves musicians. Decibel and Christy-B’s music is too reggae-flavoured. This begs the question; What is urban grooves music? Decibel was recently quoted as saying that he actually hates urban grooves music. 14These are some of the controversies of urban grooves music. Some question the genre’s originality.
1.3.1 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The following research questions will guide this study: 1. What themes do urban grooves musicians dwell on , vis–vis hip-hop musicians in America and Europe? 2. To what extent does urban grooves music reflect the influence of foreign cultures?
3. To what extent is urban grooves music local?
1.4 AIMS / OBJECTIVES
Since its inception, urban grooves music has generated a lot of controversy. Among the defects of the genre which the listening public pointed out are that, the music is divorced from our cultural identity as Zimbabweans, and that the music is meaningless among other things. This is an inquiry into the differences between urban grooves music and mainly hip-hop music in America focusing on similarities and differences in terms of themes in order to ascertain urban grooves loyalty to our culture and identity or whether they are just another cultural transplant of American hip-hop music. The study will also show the aspects of American culture inherent in urban grooves music. The researcher will also highlight the relevance of urban grooves music to our society, whether they sing about sensible or senseless issues divorced from social reality in Zimbabwe. Aspects of urban grooves music that are -borrowed’ from Western musicians will be discussed.
However, after looking at all this, the researcher felt the main burning issue against urban grooves music was whether they are being innovative or imitative in their approach to music. The researcher felt a thorough analysis of the genre was needed as whether to dispel or validate these accusations, hence the study of the music of Maskiri and the group Xtra Large. This is a close analytical insight into the factors, which influenced urban grooves music through the textual analysis of their music’s lyrics.
The researcher will look at various aspects of urban grooves music, including their similarities and differences with international artists like Eminem and Mariah Carey whom the listening public says they copycat. Urban grooves music has got something positive which it is contributing to society, but it seems people are just keeping a blind eye and a deaf ear to that. It is a product of society and this means there are many aspects of society reflected in their music. This means aspects of our culture, history and social life are reflected. However this is not to say urban grooves music is wholly Zimbabwean or not, aspects of globalization and cultural imperialism will be analyzed vis–vis our cultural identity.
Though music is universal, its meaning is not, in the Zimbabwean context one has to look at whether urban grooves music is useful or is potentially harmful, and what differentiates good from bad music.
1.5 JUSTIFICATION OF STUDY
While traveling from Harare to Zvishavane by bus, on 23 January 2006, there was a heated debate as to whether urban grooves music in particular is senseless or sensible. Many seemed to have listened to the songs of Decibel (Daniel Mazhindu), Betty Makaya, Maskiri (Alishias Musimbe), Xtra Large and Nasty Trix among others. Some thought it was a waste of time listening to their type of music since it is just a copycat of Western music. These were mainly the older generation, but there was general appreciation from the younger generation.
What I found out is that many people do not understand music and urban grooves music in general. Urban grooves musicians were disparaged as hopeless, and there were suggestions that they should do what they called the -African sound’ or -Zimbabwean music’. It was clear most of them had never listened to urban grooves music but were basing their arguments on hearsay. This concept of what can be termed Zimbabwean music is very problematic, because there is nothing in Zimbabwean music today which is not affected by something exotic. The youths who sing this type of music are actually a product of society, so why it is then that society is refusing to recognize what is part of it?
Though the older generation has a point it seems they do not realize the social context, situation, influence and the environment in which these musicians are operating. Sometimes what the public see and hear are just lyrics and the singers but refuse to see the force behind all this. In this case, urban grooves music will be studied in the context of globalization and cultural imperialism. The researcher will take a neutral view in order to have a fair analysis of the whole issue.
There is very little literature on the analysis of urban grooves music, except from newspapers but this research will be a detailed, close analysis of the music of Maskiri and Xtra Large of which they will be given a chance to defend their views also.
The above incident prompted me to embark on a scholarly study of urban grooves music.
1.6 DEFINITION OF KEY CONCEPTS
This section briefly discusses the key terms that are central to this study. These are culture, cultural imperialism, globalization and identity.
This year the culture week ran from 19 to 26 May 2007. At the official opening of the culture week in Kadoma, the Minister for Policy Implementation in the Office of the President and Cabinet, Mr. Webster Shamu, described culture as; -Culture is the sum total of the way of life of a society from traditions, customs, value systems, life styles, arts, social institutions, and spiritual , intellectual and economic features that characterize society or nation. This defines us as a people. It is these values, symbols, interpretations and perspectives that distinguishes us from other peoples- (The Herald: 24 May 2007)
The culture week in Zimbabwe is a reminder of the need for communities to preserve their traditions and values that define us as a people. According to Gwanjera (1984:13, culture can be defined as -the totality of socially transmitted behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and all other products of human work and thought, religious culture, musical culture, oral culture and so on-. Culture can include the predominating attitudes and behavior that characterize the functioning of a group or organization15. To some culture is a way of life, which means culture must stimulate creativity, enhancement of cultural identity and contribute to national consciousness and identity to promote different cultural activities people are engaged in16. Zimbabwean cultural values include positive morals, values and ethics. However, it should be noted that blending cultures is not the same as giving way to cultural imperialism.
Even though, these definitions of culture are sometimes too broad to be understandable, such that the definition of culture becomes very relative. However in Zimbabwe, the locus point of our culture is wholly defined in the concept of -unhu’.
Many scholars give different and sometimes contradictory definitions of culture. According to Titon (2005:25), -culture is a way of life, learned and transmitted through centuries of adapting to the natural and human world. Porter (1999:19), argues that, -the social environment is culture and the characteristics of culture are that, culture is learned, culture is selective, facets of culture are interrelated and that culture is ethnocentric. Therefore culture represents a limited choice of behaviour. Every society has its own way of viewing the universe with coherent set of values and behaviour. But there comes the erosion of cultural values through technology and globalization. Its debatable, whether people should redefine their culture or not. In my research I will use -unhu’ or -ubuntu’ as the locus definition of culture in our society.
1.6.2 Cultural Imperialism
According to Tomlison (1991:8),this refers to a kind of cultural domination by powerful nations over weaker nations. It is viewed as purposeful and intentional because it corresponds to the political interests of the United States of America and other capitalist societies. The effects of cultural domination is reflected in attitudes and values of Western, particularly American capitalist societies. According to Sollonzo (2007:78), the transmission and diffusion across national boundaries, of various forms of information in the form of cultural products of other nations has led to the displacement and marginalization of the original cultures of the local people such that the dominant ideologies becomes those of the foreign cultures. In the end the local culture loses its independence to grow and sustain itself in an autonomous way.
Assuming that all forms of culture construct and deconstruct social identities cultural imperialism raises many important questions about the loss of cultural identity, especially in the music of urban youth in Zimbabwe17. Though to learn about other cultures is not bad, the main problem comes when foreign values are internalized by many in our society.
Globalization can be simply described as something which started somewhere and has spread all over the world. It has also been described as an aggregation of cultural flows or networks in a less coherent and unitary process than cultural imperialism and one in which cultural influences move in many different directions. The effects consist of media, technology, ideologies and ethnicities on recipient nations and the likely result is cultural hybridization. Tomlinson (1999:35) refers to globalization as the rapidly developing network of interconnectedness and the interdependencies that characterize modern social life. This already exist in telecommunication systems that link the world through satellite dishes, aircrafts which move people faster and computers which disgorge information at any time.
Tomlinson (1997:34), describes globalization in the social context as, the transmission or diffusion across national boundaries of various media and the arts. Generally the circulations of cultural products or artifacts originate from many different nations and regions. Globalization raises more important and controversial issues concerning its effects on local and national cultures and their responses to it.
The spread of the English language generates a preferential market for commercial and cultural products which operate in English. (Hertz 1999:45). An obvious example would be in popular music where English is used as a medium of expression and communication in advertising and marketing in many parts of the world. According to Sollonzo (2007:39), globalization mutually reinforces and embodies a set of cultural and political assumptions about, for instance, the inculcation of the uniqueness of individual identity, superiority of the historical role, political systems and cultural products of the United States of America and Britain.
In the context of culture and society, globalization influences the way people view their world, such that they see it through the European eyes.
The issue of identity is always centered on Zimbabweans who adopt -Western culture’ and those who are of the -indigenous culture’. Indigenous beliefs remain powerful in rural areas and working-class townships. However there is a sharp distinction especially with those who are of a black middle class background who usually have a say in the country’s media policies. According toTurino (2000:32), regardless of class, when Shona people in Zimbabwe speak of -our culture’ or -our customs’, the vast majority point to the rural village. This shows that they owe their identity to Shona cultural practices and ethics of living. However shifts in church and state education policy and media policies ?have produced a diluted identity18. So, identity is a controversial subject in its description, people develops their identity through interaction with their culture and others in it, if that culture changes so is the identity it fosters. (Zimmerman 1965:67)
Chezet (2007:31), refers to identity as people as they are, as cultural beings, finding space, free opportunity to make their own schemes using their own experts and resources whose knowledge they can interpret or reject as befits their reality, both technical and perceptual, and such space is the venue for positive undisruptive change.
Even though, identity is rooted in having a name, a place and a setting. To have a name means having a history that has got its values, customs, regulated and accepted social behaviuor and a future based on those values. In other words identity does not change with situations.
In trying to define culture, cultural imperialism, globalization, and identity, it has got its limitations and generalizations since there are no universally accepted definitions of these terms. Sometimes the difference between globalization and cultural imperialism is not understandable but the researcher has tried to give objective discussion of the terms. Culture is also linked very much to identity.
1.7 CONCLUSION AND SUMMARY
This chapter outlined how the urban grooves genre of music started, and the environment in which the genre started. The long background of music in Zimbabwe points out the socio-political situation behind the emergence of the genre including the situational context.
The chapter also highlights the transition from militant music of the liberation struggle, the celebratory music after independence in 1980, protest music of the middle and late 1990s. Mainly the music of Thomas Mapfumo represents this period. The new millennium brought with it new genres of music, this was the phase of the urban grooves musicians. This was also coupled with the change in legislation of Zimbabwe with the promulgation of the Broadcasting Services Act in 2001.
Urban grooves music has given a whole new face to music in Zimbabwe and great strides have been made in a very short time amid verbal attacks from the public due to some controversial issues which will be dealt with fully in the next chapters. The chapter also highlighted the issues and problems in the study of urban grooves music in the context of globalization and cultural imperialism.
In the next chapter I will look at the theoretical assumptions of the study.
LITERATURE REVIEW AND THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
2.1 LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1.1 WHY LITERATURE REVIEW
Literature Review mainly assists in attacking the problem for research because the research problem is always central. In knowing what the others have done, one is prepared to attack with deeper insight and more complete knowledge the problem one has chosen to investigate.
According to Paton (1986:28) Literature Review provides the following benefits:
1)It can reveal investigations that are similar to mine, and how those collateral researchers handled those situations.
2)It can suggest a method or technique of dealing with a problematic situation which may also suggest avenues of approach to the solution of similar difficulties I may face.
3)It can reveal sources of data, which one may have never known they existed.
4)It can introduce one to significant research personalities of whose research efforts and collateral writings one may have had no knowledge.
5)It helps one to see the study in historical and associational perspective and in relation to earlier and more primitive attacks on the same problem.
6)It also provides new ideas and approaches, which may have never occurred to me. 7)Literature review helps in evaluating my own research efforts by comparing them with related efforts by others.
The exploration of other researchers cannot be a haphazard undertaking because around every researcher there is a vast sea of literature and countless reports of what others have done. A careful consideration of the research problem should suggest relevant areas of discussion and indicate the direction that the discussion of the related literature should take. According to Paton (1986), a discussion of related literature should begin with a comprehensive perspective, like a pyramid: broad end first, then one can deal with more specific and more localized studies which focus closer and closer to the specific problem.
In the literature review relatedness should be emphasized and the reader must be constantly aware of the manner in which the discussed literature is related to the research problem. Points of departure should also be emphasized to show differences. In my research I used approaches used before by other scholars.
2.1.2 DISCUSSION OF LITERATURE USED
There has been no scholarly study of urban grooves in Zimbabwe. This study, therefore is a groundbreaking one on this subject, however there are several studies that have inspired my research, and this include Alice Dadirai Kwaramba (1997) and Thomas Turino (2000) and Gray (2001)
Kwaramba’s analysis of songs is similar to what the researcher would be doing since it involves the analysis of linguistic selections of musicians’ lyrics vis–vis corresponding social influences and relation analysis and the study of meaning in texts. Therefore Kwaramba uses critical linguistic approaches, which are very necessary in the study of song texts by urban grooves musicians. Kwaramba studies the music of Thomas Mapfumo, and this serves as a reference point in issues of comparative analysis of music and social identity in Zimbabwe. The publication is also a critical examination of music in Zimbabwe, before and after independence.
One of the literature sources which inspired this study is the study on Zimbabwean music done by Thomas Turino (2000).Reviewing the book Veit Erlman notes that the -focus on Turino’s study is the development of revolutionary music sung by Thomas Mapfumo and other Zimbabwean artists, the development of this music from its roots in early Rhodesian era to the emergence of the cosmopolitan culture among the black middle-class in independent Zimbabwe and how this gave rise to urban popular styles modeled on influences from the Mills Brothers to Elvis Presley-. Turino explains the combination of -foreign’ and indigenous elements that so-often define nationalist and cultural projects. It is in this contextual view that urban grooves music should be studied especially if people say they must be loyal to our culture and identity in their music. It is worth to comparatively analyze other aspects of Zimbabwean music and find out if it does not have traces of global cultural influence. No type of music in Zimbabwe can then be said to be original.
Turino explains the focus of his publication as, -..from the point of view of people in Zimbabwe, or people like myself who view Capitalism as a negative force in relation to ecological and social health it is important to see how globalization progresses at the level of values and life ways-. Turino clarifies the continuities and cultural effects of colonialism, nationalism and cosmopolitanism. Directly paralleled to my study of urban grooves music is the medium of value, this is our values as Africans, identity and social relations in music making which actually provides a useful window in conceptualizing the historical background and some other issues concerning music in Zimbabwe.
However his research is different from mine because he does not go deeper into analyzing the lyrics of the artists he writes on while mine is a textual analysis of urban grooves music centering on selected artists. Turino only deals with influences which changed the face of music in Zimbabwe before and after independence, but does not analyze the effects, probably because there was no computer-generated music during his time.
According to Gray (2001), one challenge that is confronting Africa today, is that of mental enslavement, psychological incarceration and the imprisonment of the African mind. In this publication, Gray (2001), clarifies and defines the history of African-centered thoughts and evaluating them to create a creative tool towards codifying them, to fit present and future directions. Reviewing the publication, J B. Stewart writes, -it assists African people in their historical-intellectual and practical-transformational journey from where they are to where they need to be’. The publication examines African movements and ideas from antiquity to the present. Urban grooves music can also be studied in relation to these views, especially on analyzing whether they give a eurocentric or afrocentric world -view in their music.
2.1.3 ARCHIVAL RESEARCH
There is little literature on urban grooves music, most issues that deal about urban grooves music can be found in newspapers and on the Internet. A number of articles have appeared in newspapers analyzing urban grooves music. I used many articles from newspapers and on the Internet. This means analyzing the different views of many journalists in the print media from 2001 to the present. Some of the newspapers which were used in this study, include, The Herald, Chronicle, The Standard, The Daily and Sunday Mirror and The Independent. Some daily newspapers, especially The Herald, wrote many articles which promoted urban grooves music as a genre. Interviews were also carried out with urban grooves musicians, it is those kinds of interviews which will be used by the researcher. The Sunday Mail (8 May 2004), has an interview by Robert Mukondiwa, where he interviewed Maskiri, and this is the same interview in which Maskiri claimed to have dated a mermaid. Biographical data about the emergence of urban grooves music as a genre of music can be found in the entertainment sections of these newspapers, together with views from the public. The Herald and The Sunday Mail are state-owned newspapers.
However, there are some newspapers like, The Standard and The Independent, which saw the emergence of urban grooves music as a government-created propaganda tool. These are newspapers which are independently-owned and they usually have negative perceptions of media policies done by the government. Their views will be also taken into consideration without any bias. The Standard (7 June 2004), disparages the poor quality and imitations done by many urban grooves musicians who do not have any album to their credit, yet their music was played daily on Power FM. There are many other articles, some are on the seventy-five percent local content, and some on the use of vulgar language by many urban grooves musicians.
2.2 THEORETICAL AND CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
A number of theories and concepts inspired this study. These include globalization, cultural imperialism and identity. These theoretical concepts contextualize my study to these three concepts.
Harvey (1989) describes globalization .as -the rapidly developing process of complex interconnections between societies, cultures, institutions, and individuals worldwide.- Even though globalization simply means something, which started somewhere and has spread all over the world. Capitalism is even globalized.
With the liberalization of telecommunications corporate culture seems to rule the world mainly because the whole world is wired and plugged into television programmes, music, lifestyles and entertainment among other things, which come from Western countries. This has made the youths’ especially in Third World countries to find their role models from Western countries. Now most youths want to wear trendy clothes, designer boots and shoes, with a chain stretching from one belt loop to a front pocket of the jeans, a style similar to that adopted by international artists like Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears or Eminem. Music has a role to play in the creation of such identities.
Satellite cables, phones, Video Compact discs (VCDs) and other marvels and wonders of entertainment technology are creating the mass marketing of culture since US corporate culture is available everywhere, it has now commodified. Young people are now exposed to the same music and glamorous lifestyle, which they aspire to achieve. According to Tomlinson in Mohammadi (1997):
-Young people in third world countries are the largest consumers of global culture. Sony has developed its range of toy-like toys kids music labels and videos for this age-group-
Urban grooves musicians grew up in this kind of society and exposed to global culture. This means that foreign pop brands are changed into local versions and renditions synthesized with a local language. This has led many to ask that, apart from language what is so local about urban grooves music. Local artists especially urban grooves musicians belt out -localized’ songs popularized by the likes of Mariah Carey, Eminem and Westlife with similar costumes, rhythm, dances and maneuvers but with a touch of a local language.
Penetration of global music has resulted in the marginalisation of local cultures and traditional music in Zimbabwe. Young people have lost touch with traditional harmonies, tunes and dances, which are culturally specific to Zimbabwe. Global entertainment has become so addictive to the youths such that that it seems even to affect the psyche. For the young musicians it is a selling an experience and an image.
It seems global entertainment fills the vacuum emptied by the collapse of traditional institutions, communities, clans, family, life and authority. Through Hollywood movies, films, global advertising and some programmes, values and lifestyles are internalized by the youths. Through globalization, the meaning of community and the notion of self is distorted as television creates artificial needs.
In urban grooves music there are many -footprints’ of systematic ideas articulated mainly by Western musicians. Certain ideologies indicate how reality is distorted, especially in the music of Maskiri under the imitation of international superstars like Eminem. Maskiri provides a partial and selective view of reality.
Likewise computers have become substitutes for human interactions, community and civic life. Marneweck in Alexander et al (2006:243), argues that cyberspace has created virtual communities where mass messages are personalized for greater impact. The anonymity of participants and freedom of expression found in Internet chat rooms is taken too far such that, though urban grooves music becomes a multiple representation of identities. Sometimes what urban grooves musicians sing is not what they actually do in their real life. However computers and the Internet provides an -idealized’ world, anonymity, fantasy and dreaming. (Reid 1991)
It is in this context that Urban grooves music should be studied, the influence of globalization in their music in terms of themes of their music, rhythm and instrumentation, dances and attire. This has made many to say they look American instead of Zimbabwean. This actually begs more answers because some of them have never been to America, they are Zimbabweans and they are a product of this contemporary society. This research will look at differences between urban grooves artists and Western musicians, that is points of departure and similarity in a globalized world, and also the reasons why people say they lack our African or Zimbabwean identity.
2.2.2 Cultural Imperialism
Tomlinson in Mohammadi (1997:175), cultural Imperialism refers to the process of domination in which the West (America or transnational capitalism) draws all cultures into its ambit. This involves the diffusion of American values, consumer goods and lifestyle to third world countries. In simpler terms, cultural imperialism refers to the adoption of American or Western cultural values by other people in other countries. This study examines the aspects of American culture, which are reflected in urban grooves music especially the music of Maskiri and Xtra Large. Cultural Imperialism is also linked to globalization.
According to Sollonzo (2007:45) :
-People sit in their homes watching a bunch of White people in Dallas, standing around their swimming pools, drinking martinis, and plotting to destroy each other or steal from each other or get their partners’ wives into bed..-
The effect is that when the youths see these kind of images on their television, they try to imitate and sometimes this through music. Behaviors and values that are poisonous to life are glamorized. Community cooperation, sharing, and non-materialism are subverted and substituted with individualism. Material values rather than moral or spiritual values are made important. Consumerism of American cultural values through music has caused many youths to -live’ the life of superstars in their music whereby they run away from the reality of their own situations.
It is so sad that nowadays some parents do not even speak with their children in indigenous languages like Shona and Ndebele. They themselves cannot speak English fluently, but to the children now it means they become -cultural amputees’, neither able to speak English fluently, or fluent Shona or Ndebele. In the end there is juxtaposition of both local and exotic way of speaking, which is also exacerbated by what they see on computers and Internet chat rooms. This results in juxtaposition of foreign types of rhythm, which is transformed and reinterpreted in their own terms. This interconnectedness of the local and the global is evident in the rising phenomenon of urban grooves music. Can this be talked of as cultural hybridity or hybridization of identities through globalization, this is very problematic. It is difficult to pinpoint what is Zimbabwean culture since culture is dynamic. Culture is sometimes shaped by individual actions. In the world today there are many forces regulating behavior since social and cultural spaces are now shaped by modernity and capitalism.
However when one fails to articulate the difference between self and other that becomes the problem of identity. In urban grooves music our difference from the Western culture must be emphasized. Each genre of music has got its background influences but if other musicians take out something wholesale from another genre of music there becomes a problem of identity. Genres of music like hip-hop are intrinsic to American culture, but if somebody who is not American starts singing the same things that becomes a problem of cultural identity. This notion of -want-to-be-noticed’ has compromised urban grooves music’s credibility and quality. According to Tomlinson (1997), hip-hop culture has brought out new forms of collective identity, whereby the youths redefine their lifestyle and identity through parallel media spaces.
Identity itself is a contested term because it is shaped by social, cultural and economic conditions in which people live in. It seems identities can actually change, though there are some aspects of identity which may not change. It is difficult to say, whether identity means being rooted in our village customs or identity in an urban context. It is also difficult to delineate the yardstick which people use when they speak of cultural alienation, since culture means different things to different people.
Cultural Imperialism can be an issue of generational differences. Blending cultures is different from cultural imperia;ism. According to Tomlinson (1997:167-168) : -..what the cultural argument does is to bring the globalization process into immediate critical focus-it is a general and elastic concept, gathering notions of domination in terms of hegemonic cultural formations (the West, Western modernity, consumer culture) and third world countries absorbing peripheral cultures into a homogenized, commodified -globalized future’
So, cultural imperialism is very contradictory term, whether it is actually cultural globalization or cultural imperialism, since cultural imperialism is too historical. -Americanization’ or -Westernization’ of music can be a just term.
This chapter touched on the broader framework on which I will base my study on. The study leans mainly on the theoretical concepts of globalization and cultural imperialism. However there are also some local influences to the genre of music that will be analyzed in the next chapters. External influences also include also many ideological movements. The Literature Review shows the literature that has helped the researcher in his study.
The next chapter will focus on the methods of data collection, inquiry and textual analysis.
3.1 INTRODUCTION This chapter identifies methods used, and justifies their use. Methods of data collection and analysis will be discussed. These include the qualitative research method, interviews, archival research, textual analysis of songs, critical language analysis, spoken and written texts and meaning in texts and language use.
3.1.1 QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHOD
Textual analysis involves many things, collecting data, organizing it and analyzing the data. The emphasis on qualitative document analysis is on capturing definitions, meaning, process and types. Paton (1980:45), defines qualitative research as:
-grounded in a philosophical position which is broadly -interpretive’ in the sense that it is concerned with how the social world is interpreted, understood and experienced-it is based on detail, context, discourses or constructions in a multi-layered social world-
This means reliance on text, narrative and descriptions. The goal of qualitative research is to understand the process and character of social life and to arrive at meaning and process as we seek to understand types, characteristics and organizational aspects of the documents as social products in their own right as well as what they claim to represent (Altheide 1996:42)
Qualitative research involves an in-depth understanding of human behaviour and the reasons that govern human behaviour. Unlike quantitative research, qualitative research relies on reasons behind various aspects of behaviour. Simply put, it investigates the why and how of decision making, as compared to what, where, and when of quantitative research. Hence, the need is for smaller but focused samples rather than large random samples, which qualitative research categorizes data into patterns as the primary basis for organizing and reporting results. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qualitative_method)
This study mainly emphasizes on textual analysis of the lyrics by Maskiri and Xtra Large. Media materials like newspapers, magazines, and electronic documents will be used.
The researcher will use the standard-open-ended type of interview. The standard-open-ended interview consists of a set of questions carefully worded and arranged with the intention of taking each respondent through the same sequence and asking the respondent the same questions with especially the same words to find out different views on the same matter. This reduces the possibility of bias that comes from having different set of questions for different respondents including the problem of getting more comprehensive data from certain musicians and producers while getting less systematic information from others.
However questions can be altered and individualized a bit, in order to establish in-depth communication with the person being interviewed. This allows the interviewer to be highly responsive to individual differences and situational changes.
An interview guide (a list of questions or issues that are to be explored in the course of the interview) will be used to make sure the interview the interview is highly focused and interviewee time is carefully used.
3.1.3 ARCHIVAL RESEARCH
Archival research consists of using -already existing information’ to answer research questions analyse existing data such as statistics that are part of public records reports of anthropologists, letters to the editor, computer data bases. There are many newspapers in Zimbabwe with many articles which focus on urban grooves music since the year 2001. Many other interviews were done with musicians like Maskiri and Xtra Large in newspaper articles. This is dealt with in newspapers like The Herald, Chronicle, The Sunday Mail, The Standard, The Independent, The Daily and Sunday Mirror. Lifestyles of certain musicians are commented about in these newspapers and this can be ideal for comparative analysis with Western musicians in terms of lifestyle, behaviour, and attire.
Comments from the public can also be found in newspapers, especially the ordinary people’s views towards the music.
The internet is also an important source of information. Internet forums are important because views from the youths mainly, are easily accessible.
3.2 TEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF SONGS
Language often reflects society as Cameroon (1990) claims. Therefore if one has to look at language used by urban grooves singers it must reflect society. However it is society which exists first before language, but language reproduces and transforms society such that language use changes. (Stubbs 1996:90) According to Fairclough (1990,1992), shifts in the meaning of individual words are part of a more general extension of the discourses of consumerism, marketing, management, counseling into educational discourses in which students are represented as clients or customers. Therefore language and what it contains has a role to play as a child grows up till he or she becomes a teenager. This forms the basis of social stereotypes whom we call urban grooves today.
In this case textual analysis involves the analysis of the lyrics used by urban grooves artists like Maskiri and Xtra Large vis–vis globalization and cultural imperialism.
3.2.2 CRITICAL LANGUAGE ANALYSIS
-For every writer, speaker or musician there is a finite set of possibilities that are available linguistically to express and talk about a subject or topic in a given social context- (Kwaramba 1997:12)
The language used by an artist denotes a lot, as in relation to the artist’s background, social concerns and his or her position in the social structure. There is no such thing as neutral data, therefore ultimately all musical text is related to life experiences and situations. Music is the prime instance of the traffic of ideas up and down modes of representation. Discourse is actually shaped by power relations in society and therefore contributes to social continuity and change. Musical discourse is mainly configured in the domain of sound, language and metaphors of expressive gestures with the capacity to engage us in exploring structural change and new ways of construing the world.
Musical lyrics can be transcribed and be read as poetry. When sounds powerful enough to threaten existing situations emerge, interpretations, choices, tastes are made. However, going back to language, when an artist uses certain aspects of language, it is for a purpose.
Language use also brings out a world view, and in this case it can be a European or African world view. In urban grooves music, there is a way in which they use language which is different from other genres of music. According to Kwaramba (1997:9), words do not carry the same meanings outside of the cultural and social contexts in which the texts are produced. Musicians use carefully chosen modes of expression which excludes other possibilities.
Choice of phrases, repetition of same words, mixture of both English and Shona or Ndebele languages, choice of titles of songs and albums gives interpretation of the musician’s intended message and ideology. This includes selection of certain linguistic expressions, keywords, social context, thematic concerns, symbolism and lexicalization. As social relations change, music also changes and this is reflected in urban grooves music. English is used as a medium of communication in schools and the media, and this also has got consequences in expressions used in music by the youths. Urban grooves musicians’ medium of expression will be examined.
3.2.3 SPOKEN AND WRITTEN TEXT ANALYSIS
-A spoken text is simply what is said in a piece of spoken discourse and the written text can be used to refer to a written transcription of what is said- (Fairclough 2001:20)
Discourse refers to the whole process of social interaction of which a text is part and a text is product of the process of text production. Songs can be transcribed from spoken texts to written texts and therefore the text becomes a resource for text interpretation. People interpret texts through their knowledge of the language, representations of the natural and social worlds they inhabit, values, beliefs and assumptions.
Texts produced have -footprints’ of social relations and the struggles generated. Different strategies are used by artists to put their ideas across. This includes the social conditions of production and social conditions of interpretation. (Fairclough 2001:21)
However texts are interwoven with facial expressions and gestures. In this case the researcher will use videos of some songs by urban grooves musicians to analyze gestures and facial expressions. These are the extra-linguistic features.
After the transcription of songs into written texts, Fairclough (2001) distinguishes three stages of critical discourse analysis which are:
i) Description of the formal properties of a text ii) Interpretation which is categorized into six levels which include situational context, intertextual context, surface of utterance, meaning of utterance, local coherence and text structure. iii) Explanation concerns itself with the social determination of the process of production and interpretation and the social effects. Intertextual context can also refer to the historical series of society, and deciding which series a text belongs to. Explanations can also be drawn into three levels, that is explanation at society level, explanation at institutional level and at situational level mainly because people see or look at the same thing with different perspectives.
3.2.4 MEANING IN TEXTS AND LANGUAGE USE
Language use reproduces culture from generation to generation, and the language used by urban grooves artists makes assumptions of their listeners or customers. All language is intertextual, it is shaped by prior texts, oriented to conventions and interpreted against the background of a very large corpus of linguistic experience (Stubbs 1996:92) It is against this background that the researcher will analyze word meaning and context used since all words are open to new uses and are flexible in their meanings to some extent. For a word to be branded obscene, there are reasons for that in our cultural context. There are therefore changing relations between occurrences in a text and the underlying language system. (Stubbs 1996). It is therefore necessary to identify linguistic mechanisms which convey ideologies and other things. Such analysis will show how grammar can help to explain the discourse of society, how different points can be explained by stylistic choices and how they can embody different ideologies.
The thematic concerns of the music of Maskiri and Xtra Large will therefore be analyzed vis–vis those of Western musicians, especially hip-hop music. They may use similar grammar to convey their ideas about women, life and many ethics about morality and society in general in the context of our Zimbabwean culture. Aspects of American culture, like rebelliousness, use of vulgarities and obscene language, will be analysed and examined in comparison with the thematic concerns of urban grooves music. Similarities in attire, types of dances, rhythm and lifestyle will also be analysed. These are the extra-linguistic features. (LOOK IN MY NEXT ARTICLE, FOR IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS) | <urn:uuid:c1f3e46c-ca0f-476a-9f75-b35eb590aedb> | {
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Fetal macrosomia poses health risks for you and your baby — both during pregnancy and after childbirth.
Possible maternal complications of fetal macrosomia might include:
- Labor problems. Fetal macrosomia can cause a baby to become wedged in the birth canal, sustain birth injuries, or require the use of forceps or a vacuum device during delivery (operative vaginal delivery). Sometimes a C-section is needed.
- Genital tract lacerations. During childbirth, fetal macrosomia can cause a baby to injure the birth canal — such as by tearing vaginal tissues and the muscles between the vagina and the anus (perineal muscles).
- Bleeding after delivery. Fetal macrosomia increases the risk that your uterine muscles won't properly contract after you give birth (uterine atony). This can lead to potentially serious bleeding after delivery.
- Uterine rupture. If you've had a prior C-section or major uterine surgery, fetal macrosomia increases the risk of uterine rupture — a rare but serious complication in which the uterus tears open along the scar line from the C-section or other uterine surgery. An emergency C-section is needed to prevent life-threatening complications.
Newborn and childhood risks
Possible complications of fetal macrosomia for your baby might include:
- Lower than normal blood sugar level. A baby diagnosed with fetal macrosomia is more likely to be born with a blood sugar level that's lower than normal.
- Childhood obesity. Research suggests that the risk of childhood obesity increases as birth weight increases.
Metabolic syndrome. If your baby is diagnosed with fetal macrosomia, he or she is at risk of developing metabolic syndrome during childhood.
Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions — increased blood pressure, a high blood sugar level, excess body fat around the waist or abnormal cholesterol levels — that occur together, increasing the risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes.
Further research is needed to determine whether these effects might increase the risk of adult diabetes, obesity and heart disease.
April 16, 2015
- Copel JA, et al. Fetal macrosomia. In: Obstetric Imaging. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2012. http://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed Feb. 8, 2015.
- Allen K, et al. Fetal macrosomia. Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Reproductive Medicine. 2013;23:6.
- Chatfield J. ACOG issues guidelines on fetal macrosomia. American Family Physician. 2001;64:169.
- Abramocwicz JS, et al. Fetal macrosomia. http://www.uptodate.com/home. Accessed Feb. 8, 2015.
- Vendittelli F, et al. Is prenatal identification of fetal macrosomia useful? European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology. 2012;161:170.
- Negrato CA, et al. Adverse pregnancy outcomes in women with diabetes. 2012;4:41.
- Frequently asked questions. Pregnancy FAQ098. Special tests for monitoring fetal health. American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. http://www.acog.org/Patients/FAQs/Special-Tests-for-Monitoring-Fetal-Health . Accessed Feb. 10, 2015.
- Koyanagi A, et al. Macrosomia in 23 developing countries: An analysis of a multicountry, facility-based, cross-sectional survey. The Lancet. 2013:381:476.
- Lim CC, et al. Obesity in pregnancy. Best Practice & Research Clinical Obstetrics and Gynaecology. In press. Accessed Feb. 8, 2015.
- Routine prenatal care. Bloomington, Minn.: Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement. https://www.icsi.org/guidelines__more/. Accessed Feb. 8, 2015.
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) Committee on Practice Bulletins — Obstetrics. ACOG Practice Bulletin No. 22: Fetal macrosomia. Obstetrics & Gynecology. 2000;96:1.
- Wick MJ (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Feb. 12, 2015.
- Manning FA. The fetal biophysical profile. http://www.uptodate.com/home. Accessed Feb. 12, 2015. | <urn:uuid:d69afc69-14d3-4f72-ac17-445a37d4459b> | {
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The government says it wants to enshrine a law on human research in the constitution to improve current regulations it considers incomplete and inconsistent.
On Wednesday, Interior Minister Pascal Couchepin said the law would among other things ensure that preserving human dignity always came before research.
Scientific advances in recent years into ethically complex areas including the creation of biobanks – to store people's DNA – have made the introduction of a uniform, federal law in Switzerland an urgent matter.
There are federal regulations governing some areas of human research, such as that on reproductive medicine and genetics but the 26 cantons are the ultimate authority in most cases.
"The laws differ between the cantons, so doing research in Bern for instance could be different than in Ticino," Margreet Duetz, head of human research at the Federal Health Office, told swissinfo.
"And there are a lot of areas within the field of human research which are not regulated at all in most cantons." This is the case with biological material. There are few binding rules stipulating how blood samples, taken for diagnostic reasons, can be used for research, she says.
Switzerland signed the 1997 Council of Europe Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine but has yet to ratify the treaty.
According to the human rights body, "the convention is the first legally-binding international text designed to preserve human dignity, rights and freedoms, through a series of principles and prohibitions against the misuse of biological and medical advances."
Duetz, whose office has taken the lead in writing the Swiss draft law, says it will be compatible with the convention.
The concern is that Swiss scientists - unlike their counterparts in many other western European nations with clearly formulated laws - must often base their decisions on regulations that are legally non-binding.
The Federal Health Office says protecting human dignity is a priority since people are vulnerable in research situations where they divulge personal information for reasons other than their own benefit.
The new law will insist that assent is given before scientists get their hands on the data or put any samples under the microscope for purely scientific purposes.
Duetz says one of the most controversial subjects the new law will have to tackle is research on children whose cognitive powers are not fully developed, or anyone unable to act or judge for themselves.
"The new law does not forbid research on children but recognises that more strict regulations are needed for those who cannot take decisions alone."
Parliament is expected to debate the draft article next year. If approved by both houses, the law would be put to a nationwide vote in 2009 as required by any change to the constitution.
swissinfo, Dale Bechtel with agencies
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Formulary (Drug Formulary)
What Is a Formulary?
A formulary, or drug formulary, is a list of prescription medications approved for coverage under a health insurance policy or other means of coverage. A formulary is used by practitioners to identify drugs that offer the greatest overall value.
Who Decides What Drugs Are in the Formulary?
In most cases, there is a committee that decides this. The committee typically includes both physicians and pharmacists, and sometimes specialists and nurse practitioners. They meet periodically to update the drug list in order to keep it current and relevant.
These healthcare professionals usually make decisions based on a few different factors such as clinical evidence and opinions and findings from experts among others. These decisions may vary from state to state, because some companies determine what drugs are approved at the state level.
Drug Formulary Tiers
Most drug formularies have at least three or four tiers of drugs. The tier determines what portion of the cost must be covered by the consumer. Typical tiers include:
- Preferred brand name drugs
- Non-preferred brand name drugs
- Specialty drugs
Formulary Drug vs. Non-Formulary Drug
As you can probably guess, formulary drugs which have been pre-approved will be covered by your health insurance plan. Non-formulary drugs, or drugs that were not pre-approved may require you to pay out-of-pocket. For the purpose of saving money, it is going to be in your best interest to stick to formulary drugs when possible.
How to Find Out If a Drug Is Formulary
You can get a copy of the approved drug list from your insurance company. Start by searching for it online. For example, here is one for Aetna. If you cannot find a formulary, call your provider to ask for one. If you are part of an HMO, you may be able to get the list from your provider.
Prior authorization is a statement of approval for a non-listed drug that indicates your insurance will pay for the medication. This approval must be received prior to filling the prescription.
In order to ensure that your non-listed medication is covered, you should seek prior authorization. This means making sure it will be covered before getting the prescription filled.
Steps for Prior Authorization
This should be handled by your provider. You need to prove that a non-listed drug is medically necessary. You should have an appropriate diagnosis, and you will need to have failed to achieve the desired results from listed drugs or have had an allergic to them. | <urn:uuid:aedcaddd-90e3-4781-b032-7ef10c32e8f2> | {
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d'Urville and the crew of ASTROLABE: 1840
is nearly impossible to exhibit a detailed chronology of exploration
in the Antarctic region simply due to the fact that there have been
over 300 expeditions to the Antarctic mainland, not to mention the
subantarctic islands. Only historical events of major importance
are listed here.
In September, Ferdinand Magellan sails from Spain in search of a
westerly route to the Indies. Sailing down the coast of South America
he discovered the narrow straight passing through to the Pacific
Ocean which today bears his name. To the south lies Tierra del Fuego
which the early geographers assumed to be the edge of the southern
In September, Francis Drake passes through the Straights of Megellan
only to find himself blown significantly
southward due to a tremendous storm in the Pacific. This event proved
that Tierra del Fuego was separated from any southern continent
and the passageway came to be known as the "Drake Passage".
In August, the Englishman John Davis, in the DESIRE,
discovered the Falkland Islands. This was a tragic expedition as
the crew were forced to eat some 14,000 penguins which they were
forced to kill for food. Stored as properly as possible, once they
reached the tropics the penguin meat spoiled and subsequently only
16 members of the original crew of 76 ever reached home shores.
In April, Antonio de la Roché is blown south of Cape Horn
and experiences the first sighting of South Georgia.
Frenchman Jean-Baptiste Bouvet
de Lozier discovers Bouvet. The island is not sighted again
until 1808. Due to significant ice packs, the first landing did
not take place until the American Morrell landed in 1822.
In February, Frenchman Yves Joseph de Kerguélen-Trémarec
discovers the Îles Kerguélen.
In January, Captain James
Cook and his crew become the first men to cross the Antarctic
In January, Captain Cook, on his third voyage, sails past South
Georgia and discovers the South Sandwich Islands two weeks later.
This year marks the start of the sealing industry on South Georgia.
The sealers are primarily American from New England as the Europeans
are involved in war.
In July, Australian Frederick Hasselborough discovers Macquarie
Island while searching for new sealing grounds.
In February, Englishman William Smith is blown to the south while
rounding Cape Horn and discovers the South Shetland Islands, claiming
them for Great Britain in October.
In January, the Royal Navy sends Edward Bransfield, with Smith as
pilot, to search the waters southeast of the newly claimed South
Shetlands. As a result, it is claimed that he is the first to see
the Antarctic Peninsula.
In November, American Nathaniel Palmer, on the HERO,
claims to see the Antarctic Peninsula. Palmer was a member of a
sealing fleet from New England. Only 19 years old, he was dispatched
from the sealing grounds in the South Shetlands by his commanding
officer to search for land to the south.
In January, Bellingshausen returns to the Antarctic waters and discovers
Peter I Island and the Alexander Islands. He completes a circumnavigation
of Antarctica being only the second explorer, after Cook, to do
In February, American sealer John Davis arguably becomes the first
person to land on the continent. From Connecticut, Davis had been
searching the South Shetlands for seals.
In December, Nathaniel Palmer discovers the South Orkney Islands
along with British sealer George Powell.
In February, Englishman James
Weddell sails to 74 degrees south. This is the farthest south
yet reached and the penetrated sea bears his name today. Except
for possibly Morrell, no one is able to penetrate this sea again
for eighty years.
In February, Englishman John Biscoe, an employee of the British
sealing business "Enderby Brothers", discovers Enderby Land, the
first sighting of Antarctica from the Indian Ocean zone.
In February, Englishman John Balleny, another Enderby Brothers employee,
sails from New Zealand and discovers the Balleny Islands.
In January, Lt. Charles Wilkes,
American leader of the United States Exploring Expedition, sights
an area now known as Wilkes Land.
In January, under Sir James
Clark Ross in EREBUS and TERROR,
search for the South Magnetic Pole has been ordered by the British
Royal Navy. He discovers Victoria Land and enters the sea which
is known famously now as the Ross Sea. He discovers Ross Island,
Mt. Erebus and the Ross Ice Shelf.
In November, Captain Carl Larsen of the JASON lands
near the Antarctic Peninsula on Seymour Island. Discovering a number
of fossils, this becomes the first evidence of a prior warmer climate.
In January, Henryk Bull lands in the Antarctic at Cape Adare. A
member of the party, Carsten Borchgrevink, finds lichen on an offshore
island becoming the first signs of plant life.
In March, Adrien de Gerlache
and crew in the BELGICA become trapped in the pack
ice off the Antarctic Pensinsula. They drift helplessly for a year
becoming the first to survive an Antarctic winter.
In February, Carsten Borchgrevink
and crew of the SOUTHERN CROSS land at Cape Adare.
They build huts and become the first to winter over on the continent.
In February, a Swedish geologist, Otto
Nordenskjöld, and five crew members are left on Snow Hill
Island where they spend two winters. It was during this expedition
that the first major sledge journey in Antarctica took place; some
400 miles. Unfortunately, their ship Antarctic was crushed in the
ice pack after leaving the crew on the island thereby creating two
separate groups of explorers. Miraculously, the second crew was
able to survive the winter and find their way back to Snow Hill
Island where the whole party was rescued in 1903 by an Argentinean
In February, German Erich
von Drygalski and the crew of the GAUSS discover
Wilhelm II Land. Stuck in the ice for a year, the party does extensive
scientific research filling 20 volumes of reports.
In November Robert F. Scott,
Edward Wilson and Ernest Shackleton strike out for the South Pole.
Leaving McMurdo Sound heading south across the Ross Ice Shelf, two
months later they find themselves at 82 degrees south suffering
from snow blindness and scurvy. Forced to return home, they nonetheless
cover 3100 miles.
In February, Jean-Baptiste
Charcot, in the Français, begins his survey of the western
side of the Antarctic Peninsula. The small expedition winters in
the ship in an inlet on Booth Island. Over two summers they discover
the Loubet Coast, Doumer Island and Port Lockroy. They chart the
Biscoe Islands and generally extend Gerlache's survey of the western
side of the Antarctic Peninsula.
In March, William S. Bruce
and members of the Scottish National Antarctic Expedition aboard
the SCOTIA discover Coats Land. This is the first
sighting of land to the south of the Weddell Sea.
Carl Larsen builds the first whaling station at Grytviken on South
Georgia. Before ten years elapse, over 20 stations and factory ships
are operating in this region.
In October, explorers Ernest
Shackleton, Frank Wild, Eric Marshall and Jameson Adams attempt
to reach the South Pole. Within 30 days they have surpassed Scotts
effort in 1903. Reaching within 97 nautical miles, the group is
severely ill and undernourished requiring them to abandon their
attempt on the pole.
In January, Edgeworth David, Douglas
Mawson and Alistair McKay reach the South Magnetic Pole.
In November, the first Japanese Antarctic Expedition sails south
led by Lt. Nobu Shirase
and lands at the Bay of Whales.
On December 14, Norwegian Roald
Amundsen and four team members reach the South Pole. Amundsen
discovered a new route which took only 57 days. Letters are left
for Scott, a Norwegian flag planted and then they return to the
Bay of Whales.
On January 18, Robert F.
Scott, Edward Wilson, Edgar Evans and Lawrence Oates reach the
South Pole. Unfortunately, Amundsen had already been there and left
a flag marking the spot. Terribly discouraged after a tortuous journey,
all members perish on the return trip. Scott, Wilson and Bowers
die in their tent after using up all fuel and food. The three are
not discovered until November.
In January, Wilhelm Filchner
in the DEUTSCHLAND discovers the Luitpold Coast.
In April, Scott's Northern Party give up hope of the TERRA
NOVA arriving to pick them up before winter sets in.
The six men must dig a cave out of a snow bank where they live for
six months on penguin and seal meat.
In December, Douglas Mawson
must begin his lone trek across George V Land back to his base at
Commonwealth Bay. Mawson's two companions had died and despite the
tragedy, he makes it home. A new section of coast is discovered
and radio is used for the first time in Antarctica.
In October, Ernest Shackleton
has a plan to cross the continent but is forced to abandon this
idea as his ship, the ENDURANCE,
is crushed in the ice of the Weddell Sea after drifting for nine
months. The 28 men must camp on the floating ice for five more months
before an opening in the ice allows them to take to the boats for
Elephant Island in the South Shetlands. Meanwhile, members of Shackleton's
Ross shore party lay depots for the ill-fated group, depots expected
to be used by Shackleton and his party on their trek across the
continent. Three members die but the rest were eventually rescued
In April, Shackleton and five of his men leave Elephant Island in
the lifeboat JAMES CAIRD. In 15 days they arrive at
South Georgia. Unfortunately, they made land on the wrong side of
the island and Shackleton, Tom Crean and Frank Worsley had to cross
the island through difficult terrain to reach the whaling station
On his fourth try, Shackleton reaches Elephant Island in the Chilean
ship YELCHO and rescues the 22 survivors from the
ENDURANCE. They survived by turning the remaining
life boats upside down and setting up living quarters beneath.
In January, at the age of 48, Ernest Shackleton dies of a heart
attack. On board the QUEST
at the time, Shackleton is buried at South Georgia.
In November, Hubert Wilkins
makes the first flight in the Antarctic region, flying from Deception
Island in the South Shetlands in a Lockheed Vega monoplane.
In October, The British, Australian and New Zealand Antarctic Research
Expedition establishes itself under Douglas Mawson over two summer
seasons discovering MacRobertson Land and charting much of the adjacent
On November 28, after a ten hour flight from their base at the Bay
of Whales, Richard E. Byrd
and three others become the first to fly over the South Pole.
On December 1, Norwegian expedition leader Lars Christensen lands
on and claims Bouvetøya Island.
In November, American Lincoln Ellsworth is the first to successfully
fly across the continent.
In January, OPERATION
HIGHJUMP is organized by the US Navy. A total of 4700
men, 13 ships and 23 aircraft are involved. A base is set up at
Little America. Extensive mapping of the coast and interior is accomplished.
Over 70,000 aerial photographs are taken.
In December, Finn Ronne, leader of a private American Expedition,
is based on Stonington Island. Flying over the southern shores,
he is the first to see the mountains of the western edge of the
Filchner Ice Shelf.
In February, a multinational expedition is set up in Dronning Maud
Land, by Sweden, Great Britain and Norway.
In July, the International Geophysical Year begins with Antarctica
the main effort of scientists from 67 countries over the next 18
months. Twelve new bases are constructed with the Amundsen-Scott
base at the South Pole (American) constructed for the OPERATION
In December, the twelve leading nations participating in the IGY
sign the "Antarctic Treaty" in Washington, DC. The treaty was framed
as an agreement so the continent "shall continue forever to be used
exclusively for peaceful purposes". The treaty came into effect
in 1961 and guarantees access and scientific research in all territory
south of 60° latitude. | <urn:uuid:61293e0e-25e4-43e6-a2fa-40bcb3301e5f> | {
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The region's islands are also known for their coral reefs, coastal mangrove forests and vast stretches of open water.
Protecting the PacificBut not all is perfect in paradise. The region is threatened by unsustainable tourism, overfishing and climate change.
Many islanders rely on fisheries as a source of food and income from coral reef and mangrove habitats that are threatened by warming ocean temperatures and sea level rise.
Through its Pacific programme, WWF works to raise awareness and increase resilience to the adverse impacts of climate changes as well as focus its efforts on natural resource management and marine conservation throughout the region.
Fiji's marine protected areas
Prohibited fishing zones have been set aside within Fiji’s Great Sea Reef, the third largest barrier reef in the world, to conserve the most diverse amount of species and habitats as possible. | <urn:uuid:d7d7de7c-6f88-47f0-b745-6c5981fe5611> | {
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Most Jordans whose families have resided in the Mountain region of North Carolina look toward the Coastal Plains region or Western or Central Virginia and a few look to Georgia as they search for their earliest Jordan ancestor. Did you know the NEW RIVER was a tributary of the OHIO RIVER and the OHIO RIVER was proclaimed in the early 1700s by the British Parliment to be the natural Southern border of Canada? The region north of the OHIO RIVER was governed by the Province of Quebec and during this time the actual governmental seat was in New Orleans! Can you see the difficulty in records being accurate or easy to track?
As I have read histories of North Carolina, Virginia and Ohio I discovered two repeated stories which could actually be opposite sides of the same coin. For the folks in the Coastal Plains near the Cape Fear there were stories from England where the landowners and the Crown were concerned about the large growing population of French Settlers in the region! It was not clear if these settlers were actually French or arrived via efforts of the French. Some historians speculate the effort to plant the Scots in the early 17oos and Governor Johnston’s decision to move his English Colonial Government seat from Edenton to Fayetteville and his efforts to encourage English and Scots to move to the southern portion of the Carolina coastal plains and possibly the western portion of North Carolina may have been in response to these French settlers. Governor Dobbs by some accounts was very interested in Canadian exploration. WHY? Could he have wanted to set in motion a means to be free of some Frenchmen? Or maybe he was working in concert with some North Carolina French settlers who wanted the Hudson Valley monopoly broken to allow for their own exploits?
In the Ohio/Western Virginia region there was another definite French connection. Canadian authorities and the wealthy men residing in France and the French Crown who paid to bring Frenchmen to the North American Continent were grumbling because the men made the voyage only to disappear! Some historians claim these men were largely trappers who were unhappy with the costs of pelt permits so they simply traveled south, crossed the Ohio traveled along the New River and lived in the wilderness on their own terms! Surely it is possible some of these men made their way to the Western portion of North Carolina. The New River actually extends into our western region.
Maps show the colonial highways of the 1700s but the reality was the coastal plains region especially close to the waterways were well populated by the early 1700s. Quebec was settled in 1608 by Samuel de Champlain. By the 1700s there were JORDANS in every colony with high concentration of JORDANS in and around the Carolinas. As one works their family history it is important to understand the various roads and the waterways even in the western region. These transportation systems made it possible for folks to travel more readily than some researchers today consider.
There are many stymied JORDAN family branches in our state. And it is easily solved. Submit a Y-37 or greater kit from Familytreedna.com for your eldest living male JORDAN. This is the first essential step to working a COLONIAL CAROLINA JORDAN branch. | <urn:uuid:58dfddd0-59d5-4787-87b4-087d05385c2c> | {
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Today PLOS Computational Biology launched a collection of seven existing Software articles which present novel biological insights on an open access platform and break new ground by sharing the open source software that enabled the featured discoveries. This combination of Open Access and Open Source can only help push the development of computational biology’s many diverse fields – and create a model for other scientific disciplines.
According to the criteria for publication, all articles in the PLOS Computational Biology Software collection must use a license approved by the Open Source Initiative (OSI), thus enabling the modification of source codes for follow on innovations by subsequent researchers. Source code provides a human readable language for programmers to use when working with the machine code that drives a computer program. The early adoption of free and open source software by biologists was a direct result of the Herculean task they’ve faced over two decades of unprecedented progress in genomics and biomedical research – progress which has often depended on processing massive amounts of data about how cells, genes and proteain interact under various conditions. “Existing methods are often challenged by new types and amounts of data, so computational biologists create new pieces of software to analyze and interpret the data deluge.
The availability of open source software is of increased importance in the context of research where peer review, reproducibility, and building upon prior work are integral to the advancement of the science. Source code access also helps researchers quickly identify and remedy bugs that might lead to spurious results and adapt programs or pieces of code to suit individual needs, and allows expert users to contribute to code development on an informal basis.
The seven articles released today describe approaches to a wide range of biological problems that could enable advances in fields such as drug development and environmental cleanup. In an editorial introducing the collection, Software editors Andreas Prlić and Hilmar Lapp cite their objective to provide recognition to software developers who they propose are generally under appreciated by the current academic system. This Software Collection, part of The PLOS Computational Biology community journal, remains open for submissions.
PLOS Computational Biology is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal featuring works of exceptional significance that further our understanding of living systems at all scales through the application of computational methods. It is an official journal of the International Society for Computational Biology. The International Society for Computational Biology (ISCB) is a scholarly society dedicated to advancing the scientific understanding of living systems through computation. The Society serves over 3,000 members from more than 70 countries.
You can visit the collection at www.ploscollections.org/software. | <urn:uuid:99bd54a2-0155-4fe2-87db-26cc37acc0a3> | {
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The Origin of Names, and of the Vogelzang Name.
If to day, one visited a small town and were looking for someone whose name one did not necessarily knew, but knew some circumstantial information about him, in referring to that person one would say something like: ”Do you know John the baker?”; or “Do you know John who lives in the house with the sailboat sign in front of it?”; or, Do you know John the son of Peter?”.
When names were not formally assigned, people used the same system. They gave names to person on the basis of:
- 1. Occupation; e.g. Smith, Baker, Mason, Cooper, Barber, Dean, Presser, Miller, Adelman (nobleman), Fisher, Stewart, etc.
- 2. Being the offspring of a certain person; e.g. the son of John, Johnson, Peterson, Adamson, Anderson, Thomson, Simonson, etc.
- 3. Another way of referring to a person’s relationship was to add “ ‘s “ to the name indicating the possessive tense; e.g. Reynolds- belonging to Reynold, Rodgers- belonging to Rodger’ ’, Adams, etc.
- 4. To mark a specific house of place of business it was common to have a sign hung from one’s place, or a gable stone. It thus became a means of identifying the place and set it apart from the other buildings. E.g. the house where the butcher lived may have had a sign with a lamb hanging over the door. Hence the butcher could have been called “John of the lamb”, shortened as “John Lamb”; if the sign was that of a bird, he would be John Bird, etc.
- 5. One’s place of origin could have been the identifier of a person. E.g. if the chap came from Holland, he may have been referred to as “John the Hollander” shortened to “John Holland” or if he was from England to “John England”; or if he came from Kingston he was “John Kingston”
- 6. Another way was if a person lived near a landmark he be named after it E.g. if he lived near the church he could be called “John Kirk”, or Kirkham- “ham” being a derivative of the French “home”-man.
- 7. He could be named after a character quality. E.g. Bonham-Bonhomme in French- “bon” being “good”, “ham” being “man”- a good man.; or Goodfriend’, etc.
The possibilities are endless and essentially were based on what set that person apart from others. In the old days no formal registry of births, marriages or deaths existed, unless one belonged to an important family, such as nobility or royalty. As the churches became more established, they would keep record of this information – usually baptisms rather then births as baptism was more closely identified with the church. The information they would record would be that on a given day an e.g. male child having so and so as father and so and so as mother was baptized in the presence of certain witnessed and he was given the name of whatever. Sometimes it may also state where the parents lived and what their status in life was. Similar type of information was recorded in the death registers and marriage registers.
However, the exact spelling of the person’s name could vary. Formal dictionaries often did not exist and much depended on how well the priest and minister, or the parents, were educated. Most common people could not read or write. Hence when they presented themselves before the authority the stated their name and he would write the information down based on how it sounded rather than any exact spelling.
The system of using names in Holland and Friesland was no different. In addition Friesland had some peculiarities in name giving based on name endings. The most common endings are:
“ ‘s” being the possessive ending. Girls were often endearingly called “Popke”- little doll. Hence the surname “Popkes” It was also often based on one’s first name e.g “Foppe”- hence “Foppes”
“n”, or “ns” again indicating the possessive or using the name Popke again it could become “Popken” or “Popkens”
“ma” which indicated where one was from or whose offspring one was. E.g. if one came from the town of “Dokkum” one could be called “Dokkema”, or if one’s father was Adam, his son could be called “Adama” In the case of the Vogelzangs the name “Wierdsma” is common as being married in the family. It means the son of Weird- the latter being a first name.
So one sees name like Boukema, Jelsma etc. – Bouke and Jelle being common first names.
“ga” or “inga” People with the latter ending are of oldest Frisian descent. It means “belonging to” or “related to” the person named in the name before. Similar ending appear in Old English or Frankish. E.g Witting in Old English is “the son of Witt”; or Carolingi (Charlemagne and descendents) Frisian names are Abbinga, Dekkinga. Elsinga, Tamminga,Huizinga, etc.
“stra” This ending means “originating from somewhere” e.g. Dykstra- from the dike; Beekstra- from the stream; Boonstra; Balkstra; Westra; etc.
In the case of the Vogelzangs, the common practice of naming boys after the fathers and grandfathers or uncles, and girls after the grandmothers, mothers and aunts, was often followed. There was a system in this, in that the oldest son was normally named after the grandfather, or the oldest daughter after the grandmother on father’s side; the second son/daughter after the grandfather/grandmother on mother’s side; the other children usually after the aunts and uncles who acted as witnesses at the baptisms of the baby. This system is called “patrimony” and in studying genealogy is a useful tool in tracking relationships, in particular if no formal last name exists.
As a result of this system, Jan who was the oldest son of Harmen, who in turn was the oldest son of Jan, would be referred to as “Jan Harmen of Harmen Jans” The latter son John being “Harmen’s John”. It could get quite a mouthful, but the system worked. It is obvious, however, that in a village several “Jans” of different families could live. Hence unless one could clarify the name a bit more, confusion would reign. In the Vogelzang family were at one time two “Jans”. One was a fisherman and of great strength and stature. Hence when referring to him they would call him “greate Jehonnus”, or “big Jan”
Following the French revolution, Napoleon became Emperor of France. He put an end to the chaos the French revolution had created. He also conquered most of Western Europe, including the Netherlands. Like Charlemagne in his days, Napoleon was a man of order. In 1799 a law was passed by him to complete the work begun by the French king Louis XVI to standardize measurements, temperatures and weights. He also codified laws, and formalized civil registration of births, deaths and marriages- getting away from the haphazard and somewhat informal church system.
Prior to Napoleon, a foot could be anything, based on one’s shoe size; a length of cloth was an “ell”- the measurement of an outstretched arm. Obviously depending on one’s size, or how far one stretched out one’s arm when measuring, the “ell” could be any length. It thus was open to all kind of abuse. Miles would vary between nautical miles, German miles, Roman miles etc. Some systems were based on multiples of 12, others on multiples of 20, etc. To end the mess, he introduced the metric system or decimal system. A “meter” was the common starting point of measurement. It consisted of 1/40,000,000th of the polar circumference of the Earth. A liter was the volume of one cubic decimeter. A liter of water was also deemed to be the weight of one kilo. Zero degree was the freezing point of water. It was a simple system where fractions of these measurements merely meant adjusting the decimal point and it was not open to manipulation, but provided standardization, as illustrated by the following table:
In August, 1811 a law was passed throughout the Napoleonic Empire whereby everyone had to pick a surname, and register it at the nearest administrative office, by the end of the year. Some people thought that to pick a name was a big joke. They did not expect that the French would stay too long as occupiers, and once they left everything would be back to where it was prior to the French occupation. Hence they picked silly names like “Naaktgeboren”- meaning “born naked”; or “Komtebedde”- meaning “come to bed”. Guess what happened though. Once the French left, things did not revert to the state prior to the French occupation and the silly names stick to this day. Another fairly common name is “Posthumus”.
It indicates that the child was born after the death of the father; i.e. it was conceived while the father was alive. However, while the mother was carrying the baby the father died and thus he was not alive when the baby was born.
Friesland at that time was divided in “departments”, which in turn were divided into “kantons”. The Vogelzang family lived in the department of Sneek which was made up of the kantons of Bolsward, Hindelopen, Lemmer, Rauwerd and Sneek. As we will see from the genealogy, the ancestor at the time was “Melchert” No surname existed for his family. He had six sons. Five of them chose the name “Vogelzang” and one, the oldest,. the name “Melchers”. The latter was understandable as the name merely meant “the son of Melchert”.
Document registering Kornelis Jans chosen name as “Melcherts”
Voor ons Adjunct Maire der Gemeente van Koudum Canton Hindelopen Arrondissement Sneek Department Vriesland compareered zijnde Kornelis Jans wonende te Hemelum heeft de zelve verklaard dat aanneemt de naam van Melcher voor famillie naam. Dat hij heeft het volgende getac zonen en Dochters te weten Jan oud 16 jaren, Klaas oud 13 jaren, Janke oud 10 jaren Durk oud 8 jaren Witze oud 20 jaren Grietje oud 14 jaren all wonened te Hemelum and heeft dezende …. Getekend den 16 Januarij 1812
C J Melchert Folke Wouters
Before us deputy Mayor of the municipality of Koudum, canton Hindelopen. district Sneek Department Vriesland have appeared Kornelis Jans living in Hemelum. He himself declared to adopt the name of Melcher as family name.That he had the following sons and daughters namely Jan old 16 years, Klaas old 13 years, Janke old 10 yers, Durk old 8 years, Witze old 20 years Greitje old 14 year all living at Hemelum and has signed this …
The 16th of January 1812.
Signed C J Melchert and Folke Wouters
Most of the Vogelzangs were fishermen on the Zuiderzee, and small farmers. They usually combined both activities, i.e. they fished as well as farmed at the same time. They tend to be strong bodied people as well as people of strong character; tough on themselves yet kind hearted; people of integrity; respecting authority but not necessarily intimidated by it; fiercely independent; loyal.(see Introduction)
The area in which the Vogelzang family lived is “Gaasterland”. The ground there is somewhat higher than the surrounding land and is made up of small hills, deposited during the ice age. It has rustling forests. The area is situated on the migration routes of many birds. Because the land was higher, it is some of the oldest inhabited land in Friesland. “Gaesten” were hilly sandy deposits dating back from the ice-age. Hence the meaning is “Land of the Gaesten” – land of the hills-and reflects the nature of the region.
Gaest at Oude Wirdum around 1910 prior to its “landscaping”/grading.
The area was heavily wooded. and its forests had many song birds. Hence, our ancestors when having to choose a name picked “Vogelzang”- bird song- reflecting the characteristic of their neighbourhood. Many of the Vogelzangs have good singing voices. This also may have influenced the selection of the name. The name “Vogelzang” is relatively rare in the Netherlands. To the best of the author’s knowledge three unrelated family groups by this name exist: The Frisian family- ours; one family originating in The Hague, and one from Groningen.
There is every indication that the Frisian Vogelzang family, are just that- Frisian. As far as it can be traced, they always lived in Friesland and thus were more than likely exposed to the history of Friesland described in the previous chapters.
Gaest being graded.
Gaest near Oude Mirdum as it looks to day with its “improvements” | <urn:uuid:1333c9aa-2b4a-442b-b523-d714c0f3e064> | {
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There seems to be a lot of confusion out there as to the best sources of
omega-3 fatty acids. This article will break down the major sources of omega-3’s
and give you the information you need to make educated choices.
First, there are three main types of omega-3 fatty acids: DHA, EPA and ALA.
DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (Eicosapentaenoic acid) are found in fish and
ALA (alpha-linolenic acid ) is found in plants like flaxseed. When you choose an
omega-3 source, we suggest that you select a healthy balance of all fatty acids,
but make sure you are getting enough EPA and DHA, as these fatty acids are
responsible for the majority of the health benefits of omega-3’s.
This is important to remember: if a food or supplement states it is high in
omega-3, it does not necessarily mean it is high in EPA and DHA. For example,
although flaxseed oil is six times richer than most fish oils in omega-3’s,
flaxseed oil contains mainly ALA, not DHA and EPA. Unfortunately, our bodies can
only convert ALA into DHA and EPA in very small amounts. Scientific studies have
revealed that fatty acids from fish or fish oil, but not flaxseed oil, benefited
patients with cardiovascular disease and ADHD. More... | <urn:uuid:82b38e36-bd38-498b-91e2-62814b756eda> | {
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Category: biography title: the life and works of walt whitman my account the life in his early life, whitman received a formal education until age of 11. Walt whitman was born on may 31, 1819, in west hills, near huntington, long island, new york, the second child of louisa and walter whitman his father was a carpenter who later speculated unsuccessfully in real estate.
Walter walt whitman (/ˈhwɪtmən/ may 31, 1819 – march 26, 1892) was an american poet, essayist, and journalist a humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Walt whitman was born in west hills, long island, new york on may 31, 1819 his father, walter, was a laborer, carpenter, and house builder his mother, louisa, was a devout quaker in 1823, the family moved to brooklyn, where walt had his schooling (1825-30) from 1830 to 1836 he held various jobs, some of them on newspapers in brooklyn and manhattan. Biography of walt whitman walter walt was an american poet, essayist and journalist a humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works whitman is among the most influential poets in the american canon, often called the father of free verse. Walt whitman [zweig] on amazoncom free shipping on qualifying offers traces the development of the literary style of the distinguished american poet, walt whitman, and discusses his early life.
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This is a good basic biography of walt whitman kaplan spends more time on whitman's early adult life which helps the reader understand how the first publication of leaves of grass came about and how different it was from his earlier published prose works. Walt whitman is now considered one of the greatest american poets of all biography, works walt whitman: transcendental and realist poet related study materials.
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American poet walt whitman biography walt whitman is an american popular walt whitman early life: for they not only give whitman’s evaluation of his work. Walt whitman another prominent transcendentalist was the poet walt whitman whitman was born on may 31, 1819, and spent the first few years of his life on a farm his family then moved to new york city, where whitman dropped out of school and went to work at age 11 to help support his family. Song of myself, x - alone far in the walt whitman was born on may 31 people i meet the effect upon me of my early life of the ward and city. Walt whitman biography early life whitman left school in 1830 later life and works from 1862 to 1865 whitman worked as a volunteer hospital nurse in.Download | <urn:uuid:04687d09-3e43-4e69-ae79-67a12df60ef8> | {
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December 18, 1787
The Address and Reasons of Dissent of the Minority
of the Convention of the State of Pennsylvania
to their Constituents.
It was not until after the termination of the late glorious contest, which made the people of the United States an independent nation, that any defect was discovered in the present confederation. It was formed by some of the ablest patriots in America. It carried us successfully through the war; and the virtue and patriotism of the people, with their disposition to promote the common cause, supplied the want of power in Congress.
The requisition of Congress for the five percent impost was made before the peace, so early as the first of February 1781, but was prevented taking effect by the refusal of one state; yet it is probable every state in the union would have agreed to this measure at that period had it not been for the extravagant terms in which it was demanded. The requisition was new molded in the year 1783, and accompanied with an additional demand of certain supplementary funds for 25 years. Peace had now taken place, and the United States found themselves laboring under a considerable foreign and domestic debt, incurred during the war. The requisition of 1783 was commensurate with the interest of the debt, as it was then calculated; but it has been more accurately ascertained since that time. The domestic debt has been found to fall several millions of dollars short of the calculation, and it has lately been considerably diminished by large sales of the western lands. The states have been called on by Congress annually for supplies until the general system of finance proposed in 1783 should take place.
It was at this time that the want of an efficient federal government was first complained of, and that the powers vested in Congress were found to be inadequate to the procuring of the benefits that should result from the union. The impost was granted by most of the states, but many refused the supplementary funds; the annual requisitions were set at naught by some of the states, while others complied with them by legislative acts, but were tardy in their payments, and Congress found themselves incapable of complying with their engagements, and supporting the federal government. It was found that our national character was sinking in the opinion of foreign nations. The Congress could make treaties of commerce, but could not enforce the observance of them. We were suffering from the restrictions of foreign nations, who had shackled our commerce, while we were unable to retaliate; and all now agreed that it would be advantageous to the union to enlarge the powers of Congress; that they should be enabled in the amplest manner to regulate commerce, and to lay and collect duties on the imports throughout the United States. With this view a convention was first proposed by Virginia, and finally recommended by Congress for the different states to appoint deputies to meet in convention, “for the purposes of revising and amending the present articles of confederation, so as to make them adequate to the exigencies of the union.” This recommendation the legislatures of twelve states complied with so hastily as not to consult their constituents on the subject; and though the different legislatures had no authority from their constituents for the purpose, they probably apprehended the necessity would justify the measure; and none of them extended their ideas at that time further than “revising and amending the present articles of confederation.” Pennsylvania by the act appointing deputies expressly confined their powers to this object; and though it is probable that some of the members of the assembly of this state had at that time in contemplation to annihilate the present confederation, as well as the constitution of Pennsylvania, yet the plan was not sufficiently matured to communicate it to the public.
The majority of the legislature of this commonwealth were at that time under the influence of the members from the city of Philadelphia. They agreed that the deputies sent by them to convention should have no compensation for their services, which determination was calculated to prevent the election of any member who resided at a distance from the city. It was in vain for the minority to attempt electing delegates to the convention, who understood the circumstances, and the feelings of the people, and had a common interest with them. They found a disposition in the leaders of the majority of the house to choose themselves and some of their dependents. The minority attempted to prevent this by agreeing to vote for some of the leading members, who they knew had influence enough to be appointed at any rate, in hopes of carrying with them some respectable citizens of Philadelphia, in whose principles and integrity they could have more confidence; but even in this they were disappointed, except in one member [ Jared Ingersoll] : the eighth member [Benjamin Franklin] was added at a subsequent session of the assembly.
The Continental convention met in the city of Philadelphia at the time appointed. It was composed of some men of excellent characters; of others who were more remarkable for their ambition and cunning, than their patriotism; and of some who had been opponents to the independence of the United States. The delegates from Pennsylvania were, six of them, uniform and decided opponents to the constitution of this commonwealth. The convention sat upwards of four months. The doors were kept shut, and the members brought under the most solemn engagements of secrecy. Some of those who opposed their going so far beyond their powers retired, hopeless, from the convention, others had the firmness to refuse signing the plan altogether; and many who did sign it, did it not as a system they wholly approved, but as the best that could be then obtained, and notwithstanding the time spent on this subject, it is agreed on all hands to be a work of haste and accommodation.
Whilst the gilded chains were forging in the secret conclave, the meaner instruments of despotism without were busily employed in alarming the fears of the people with dangers which did not exist, and exciting their hopes of greater advantages from the expected plan than even the best government on earth could produce.
The proposed plan had not many hours issued forth from the womb of suspicious secrecy, until such as were prepared for the purpose were carrying about petitions for people to sign, signifying their approbation of the system, and requesting the legislature to call a convention. While every measure was taken to intimidate the people against opposing it, the public papers teemed with the most violent threats against those who should dare to think for themselves, and tar and feathers were liberally promised to all those who would not immediately join in supporting the proposed government be it what it would. Under such circumstances petitions in favor of calling a convention were signed by great numbers in and about the city, before they had leisure to read and examine the system, many of whom, now they are better acquainted with it, and have had time to investigate its principles, are heartily opposed to it. The petitions were speedily handed into the legislature.
Affairs were in this situation when on the 28th of September last, a resolution was proposed to the assembly by a member [George Clymer] of the house who had been also a member of the federal convention, for calling a state convention, to be elected within ten days for the purpose of examining and adopting the proposed constitution of the United States, though at this time the house had not received it from Congress. This attempt was opposed by a minority, who after offering every argument in their power to prevent the precipitate measure, without effect, absented themselves from the house as the only alternative left them, to prevent the measure taking place previous to their constituents being acquainted with the business. That violence and outrage which had been so often threatened was now practiced; some of the members were seized the next day by a mob collected for the purpose, and forcibly dragged to the house, and there detained by force whilst the quorum of the legislature, so formed, completed their resolution. We shall dwell no longer on this subject, the people of Pennsylvania have been already acquainted therewith. We would only further observe that every member of the legislature, previously to taking his seat, by solemn oath or affirmation, declares, “that he will not do or consent to any act or thing whatever that shall have a tendency to lessen or abridge their rights and privileges, as declared in the constitution of this state.” And that constitution which they are so solemnly sworn to support cannot legally be altered but by a recommendation of the council of censors, who alone are authorized to propose alterations and amendments, and even these must be published at least six months, for the consideration of the people. The proposed system of government for the United States, if adopted, will alter and may annihilate the constitution of Pennsylvania; and therefore the legislature had no authority whatever to recommend the calling a convention for that purpose. This proceeding could not be considered as binding on the people of this commonwealth. The house was formed by violence, some of the members composing it were de-tained there by force, which alone would have vitiated any proceedings, to which they were otherwise competent; but had the legislature been legally formed, this business was absolutely without their power.
In this situation of affairs were the subscribers elected members of the convention of Pennsylvania. A convention called by a legislature in direct violation of their duty, and composed in part of members, who were compelled to attend for that purpose, to consider of a constitution proposed by a convention of the United States, who were not appointed for the purpose of framing a new form of government, but whose powers were expressly confined to altering and amending the present articles of confederation. Therefore the members of the continental convention in proposing the plan acted as individuals, and not as deputies from Pennsylvania. The assembly who called the state convention acted as individuals, and not as the legislature of Pennsylvania; nor could they or the convention chosen on their recommendation have authority to do any act or thing, that can alter or annihilate the constitution of Pennsylvania (both of which will be done by the new constitution) nor are their proceedings in our opinion, at all binding on the people.
The election for members of the convention was held at so early a period and the want of information was so great, that some of us did not know of it until after it was over, and we have reason to believe that great numbers of the people of Pennsylvania have not yet had an opportunity of sufficiently examining the proposed constitution. We apprehend that no change can take place that will affect the internal government or constitution of this commonwealth, unless a majority of the people should evidence a wish for such a change; but on examining the number of votes given for members of the present state convention, we find that of upwards of seventy thousand free-men who are entitled to vote in Pennsylvania, the whole convention has been elected by about thirteen thousand voters, and though two-thirds of the members of the convention have thought proper to ratify the proposed constitution, yet those two-thirds were elected by the votes of only six thousand and eight hundred freemen.
In the city of Philadelphia and some of the eastern counties, the junto that took the lead in the business agreed to vote for none but such as would solemnly promise to adopt the system in toto, without exercising their judgment. In many of the counties the people did not attend the elections as they had not an opportunity of judging of the plan. Others did not consider themselves bound by the call of a set of men who assembled at the state house in Philadelphia, and assumed the name of the legislature of Pennsylvania; and some were prevented from voting by the violence of the party who were determined at all events to force down the measure. To such lengths did the tools of despotism carry their outrage, that in the night of the election for members of convention, in the city of Philadelphia, several of the subscribers (being then in the city to transact your business) were grossly abused, ill-treated and insulted while they were quiet in their lodgings, though they did not interfere, nor had anything to do with the said election, but, as they apprehend, because they were supposed to be adverse to the proposed constitution, and would not tamely surrender those sacred rights, which you had committed to their charge.
The convention met, and the same disposition was soon manifested in considering the proposed constitution, that had been exhibited in every other stage of the business. We were prohibited by an express vote of the convention, from taking any question on the separate articles of the plan, and reduced to the necessity of adopting or rejecting in toto. Tis true the majority permitted us to debate on each article, but restrained us from proposing amendments. They also determined not to permit us to enter on the minutes our reasons, of dissent against any of the articles, nor even on the final question our reasons of dissent against the whole. Thus situated we entered on the examination of the proposed system of government, and found it to be such as we could not adopt, without, as we conceived, surrendering up your dearest rights. We offered our objections to the convention, and opposed those parts of the plan, which, in our opinion, would be injurious to you, in the best manner we were able; and closed our arguments by offering the following propositions to the convention.
1. The right of conscience shall be held inviolable; and neither the legislative, executive, nor judicial powers of the United States shall have authority to alter, abrogate, or infringe any part of the constitution of the several states, which provide for the preservation of liberty in matters of religion.
2. That in controversies respecting property, and in suits between man and man, trial by jury shall remain as heretofore, as well in the federal courts, as in those of the several states.
3. That in all capital and criminal prosecutions, a man has a right to demand the cause and nature of his accusation, as well in the federal courts, as in those of the several states; to be heard by himself and his counsel; to be confronted with the accusers and witnesses; to call for evidence in his favor, and a speedy trial by an impartial jury of his vicinage, without whose unanimous consent, he cannot be found guilty, nor can he be compelled to give evidence against himself; and that no man be deprived of his liberty, except by the law of the land or the judgment of his peers.
4. That excessive bail ought not to be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel nor unusual punishments inflicted.
5. That warrants unsupported by evidence, whereby any officer or messenger may be commanded or required to search suspected places, or to seize any person or persons, his or their property, not particularly described, are grievous and oppressive, and shall not be granted either by the magistrates of the federal government or others.
6. That the people have a right to the freedom of speech, of writing and publishing their sentiments, therefore, the freedom of the press shall not be restrained by any law of the United States.
7. That the people have a right to bear arms for the defense of themselves and their own state, or the United States, or for the purpose of killing game; and no law shall be passed for disarming the people or any of them, unless for crimes committed, or real danger of public injury from individuals; and as standing armies in the time of peace are dangerous to liberty, they ought not to be kept up; and that the military shall be kept under strict subordination to and be governed by the civil powers.
8. The inhabitants of the several states shall have liberty to fowl and hunt in seasonable times, on the lands they hold, and on all other lands in the United States not enclosed, and in like manner to fish in all navigable waters, and others not private property, without being restrained therein by any laws to be passed by the legislature of the United States.
9. That no law shall be passed to restrain the legislatures of the several states from enacting laws for imposing taxes, except imposts and duties on goods imported or exported, and that no taxes, except imposts and duties upon goods imported and exported, and postage on letters shall be levied by the authority of Congress.
10. That the house of representatives be properly increased in number; that elections shall remain free; that the several states shall have power to regulate the elections for senators and representatives, without being controlled either directly or indirectly by an interference on the part of the Congress; and that elections of representatives be annual.
11. That the power of organizing, arming, and disciplining the militia (the manner of disciplining the militia to be prescribed by Congress) remain with the individual states, and that Congress shall not have authority to call or march any of the militia out of their own state, without the consent of such state, and for such length of time only as such state shall agree.
That the sovereignty, freedom, and independency of the several states shall be retained, and every power, jurisdiction, and right which is not by this constitution expressly delegated to the United States in Congress assembled.
That the legislative, executive, and judicial powers be kept separate; and to this end that a constitutional council be appointed, to advise and assist the president, who shall be responsible for the advice they give, hereby the senators would be relieved from almost constant attendance; and also that the judges be made completely independent.
13. That no treaty which shall be directly opposed to the existing laws of the United States in Congress assembled shall be valid until such laws shall be repealed, or made conformable to such treaty; neither shall any treaties be valid which are in contradiction to the constitution of the United States, or the constitutions of the several states.
14. That the judiciary power of the United States shall be confined to cases affecting ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls; to cases of admiralty and maritime jurisdiction; to controversies to which the United States shall be a party; to controversies between two or more states—between a state and citizens of different states—between citizens claiming lands under grants of different states; and between a state or the citizens thereof and foreign states, and in criminal cases, to such only as are expressly enumerated in the constitution, and that the United States in Congress assembled shall not have power to enact laws, which shall alter the laws of descents and distribution of the effects of deceased persons, the titles of lands or goods, or the regulation of contracts in the individual states.
After reading these propositions, we declared our willingness to agree to the plan, provided it was so amended as to meet those propositions, or something similar to them; and finally moved the convention to adjourn, to give the people of Pennsylvania time to consider the subject, and determine for themselves; but these were all rejected, and the final vote was taken, when our duty to you induced us to vote against the proposed plan, and to decline signing the ratification of the same.
During the discussion we met with many insults, and some personal abuse; we were not even treated with decency, during the sitting of the convention, by the persons in the gallery of the house; however, we flatter ourselves that in contending for the preservation of those invaluable rights you have thought proper to commit to our charge, we acted with a spirit becoming freemen, and being desirous that you might know the principles which actuated our conduct, and being prohibited from inserting our reasons of dissent on the minutes of the convention, we have subjoined them for your consideration, as to you alone we are accountable. It remains with you whether you will think those inestimable privileges, which you have so ably contended for, should be sacrificed at the shrine of despotism, or whether you mean to contend for them with the same spirit that has so often baffled the attempts of an aristocratic faction, to rivet the shackles of slavery on you and your unborn posterity.
Our objections are comprised under three general heads of dissent, viz.:
We dissent, first, because it is the opinion of the most celebrated writers on government, and confirmed by uniform experience, that a very extensive territory cannot be governed on the principles of freedom, otherwise than by a confederation of republics, possessing all the powers of internal government; but united in the management of their general, and foreign concerns.
If any doubt could have been entertained of the truth of the foregoing principle, it has been fully removed by the concession of Mr. [James] Wilson, one of majority on this question; and who was one of the deputies in the late general convention. In justice to him, we will give his own words; they are as follows, viz.: “The extent of country for which the new constitution was required produced another difficulty in the business of the federal convention. It is the opinion of some celebrated writers that to a small territory, the democratical; to a middling territory (as Montesquieu has termed it) the monarchical; and to an extensive territory, the despotic form of government is best adapted. Regarding then the wide and almost unbounded jurisdiction of the United States, at first view, the hand of despotism seemed necessary to control, connect, and protect it; and hence the chief embarrassment rose. For, we know that, altho our constituents would cheerfully submit to the legislative restraints of a free government, they would spurn at every attempt to shackle them with despotic power.” And again in another part of his speech he continues. “Is it probable that the dissolution of the state governments and the establishment of one consolidated empire would be eligible in its nature and satisfactory to the people in its administration? I think not, as I have given reasons to show that so extensive a territory could not be governed, connected, and preserved, but by the supremacy of despotic power. All the exertions of the most potent emperors of Rome were not capable to keeping that empire together, which in extent was far inferior to the dominion of America.”
We dissent, secondly, because the powers vested in Congress by this constitution must necessarily annihilate and absorb the legislative, executive, and judicial powers of the several states, and produce from their ruins one consolidated government, which from the nature of things will be an iron-handed despotism, as nothing short of the supremacy of despotic sway could connect and govern these United States under one government.
As the truth of this position is of such decisive importance, it ought to be fully investigated, and if it is founded to be clearly ascertained; for, should it be demonstrated, that the powers vested by this constitution in Congress will have such an effect as necessarily to produce one consolidated government, the question then will be reduced to this short issue, viz.: whether satiated with the blessings of liberty; whether repenting of the folly of so recently asserting their unalienable rights, against foreign despots at the expense of so much blood and treasure, and such painful and arduous struggles, the people of America are now willing to resign every privilege of freemen, and submit to the dominion of an absolute government, that will embrace all America in one chain of despotism; or whether they will with virtuous indignation spurn at the shackles prepared for them, and confirm their liberties by a conduct becoming freemen.
That the new government will not be a confederacy of states, as it ought, but one consolidated government founded upon the destruction of the several governments of the states, we shall now show.
The powers of Congress under the new constitution are complete and unlimited over the purse and the sword, and are perfectly independent of, and supreme over, the state governments; whose intervention in these great points is entirely destroyed. By virtue of their power of taxation, Congress may command the whole, or any part of the property of the people. They may impose what imposts upon commerce; they may impose what land taxes, poll taxes, excises, duties on all written instruments, and duties on every other article that they may judge proper; in short, every species of taxation, whether of an external or internal nature is comprised in section the 8th, of Article the 1st, viz.: “The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts, and excises, to pay the debts, and provide for the common defence and general welfare of the United States.”
As there is no one article of taxation reserved to the state governments, the Congress may monopolize every source of revenue, and thus indirectly demolish the state governments, for without funds they could not exist. The taxes, duties, and excises imposed by Congress may be so high as to render it impracticable to levy further sums on the same articles; but whether this should be the case or not, if the state governments should presume to impose taxes, duties, or excises, on the same articles with Congress, the latter may abrogate and repeal the laws whereby they are imposed, upon the allegation that they interfere with the due collection of their taxes, duties, or excises, by virtue of the following clause, part of section 8th, Article 1st, viz.: “To make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers, and all other powers vested by this constitution in the government of the United States, or in any department or officer thereof.”
The Congress might gloss over this conduct by construing every purpose for which the state legislatures now lay taxes, to be for the “general welfare,”; and therefore as of their jurisdiction.
And the supremacy of the laws of the United States is established by Article 6th, viz.: “That this constitution and the laws of the United States, which shall be made in pursuance thereof, and all treaties made, or which shall be made, under the authority of the United States, shall be the supreme law of the land; and the judges in every state shall be bound thereby; any thing in the constitution or laws of any state to the contrary notwithstanding.”; It has been alleged that the words “pursuant to the constitution” are a restriction upon the authority of Congress; but when it is considered that by other sections they are invested with every efficient power of government, and which may be exercised to the absolute destruction of the state governments, without any violation of even the forms of the constitution, this seeming restriction, as well as every other restriction in it, appears to us to be nugatory and delusive; and only introduced as a blind upon the real nature of the government. In our opinion, “pursuant to the constitution” will be coextensive with the will and pleasure of Congress, which, indeed, will be the only limitation of their powers.
We apprehend that two coordinate sovereignties would be a solecism in politics. That therefore as there is no line of distinction drawn between the general and state governments; as the sphere of their jurisdiction is undefined, it would be contrary to the nature of things, that both should exist together, one or the other would necessarily triumph in the fullness of dominion. However the contest could not be of long continuance, as the state governments are divested of every means of defense, and will be obliged by “the supreme law of the land” to yield at discretion.
It has been objected to this total destruction of the state governments, that the existence of their legislatures is made essential to the organization of Congress; that they must assemble for the appointment of the senators and president general of the United States. True, the state legislatures may be continued for some years, as boards of appointment, merely, after they are divested of every other function, but the framers of the constitution foreseeing that the people will soon be disgusted with this solemn mockery of a government without power and usefulness have made a provision for relieving them from the imposition, in section 4th, of Article 1st, viz.: “The times, places, and manner of holding elections for senators and representatives shall be prescribed in each state by the legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time, by law make or alter such regulations; except as to the place of chusing senators.”
As Congress have the control over the time of the appointment of the president general, of the senators and of the representatives of the United States, they may prolong their existence in office, for life, by postponing the time of their election and appointment, from period to period, under various pretenses, such as an apprehension of invasion, the factious disposition of the people, or any other plausible pretense that the occasion may suggest; and having thus obtained life estates in the government, they may fill up the vacancies themselves, by their control over the mode of appointment; with this exception in regard to the senators, that as the place of appointment for them must, by the constitution, be in the particular state, they may depute somebody in the respective states, to fill up the vacancies in the senate occasioned by death, until they can venture to assume it themselves. In this manner may the only restriction in this clause be evaded. By virtue of the foregoing section, when the spirit of the people shall be gradually broken; when the general government shall be firmly established, and when a numerous standing army shall render opposition vain, the Congress may complete the system of despotism, in renouncing all dependence on the people, by continuing themselves, and [their] children in the government.
The celebrated Montesquieu, in his Spirit of Laws, vol. 1, page 12th, says, “That in a democracy there can be no exercise of sovereignty, but by the suffrages of the people, which are their will; now the sovereign’s will is the sovereign himself; the laws therefore, which establish the right of suffrage, are fundamental to this government. In fact, it is as important to regulate in a republic in what manner, by whom, and concerning what suffrages are to be given, as it is in a monarchy to know who is the prince, and after what manner he ought to govern.” The time, mode, and place of the election of representatives, senators and president general of the United States ought not to be under the control of Congress, but fundamentally ascertained and established.
The new constitution, consistently with the plan of consolidation, contains no reservation of the rights and privileges of the state governments, which was made in the confederation of the year 1778, by Article the 2d, viz.: “That each state retains its sovereignty, freedom and independence, and every power, jurisdiction and right, which is not by this confederation expressly delegated to the United States in Congress assembled.”
The legislative power vested in Congress by the foregoing recited sections is so unlimited in its nature; may be so comprehensive, and boundless its exercise, that this alone would be amply sufficient to annihilate the state governments, and swallow them up in the grand vortex of general empire.
The judicial powers vested in Congress are also so various and extensive, that by legal ingenuity they may be extended to every case, and thus absorb the state judiciaries, and when we consider the decisive influence that a general judiciary would have over the civil polity of the several states, we do not hesitate to pronounce that this power, unaided by the legislative, would effect a consolidation of the states under one government.
The powers of a court of equity, vested by this constitution in the tribunals of Congress; powers which do not exist in Pennsylvania unless so far as they can be incorporated with jury trial, would, in this state, greatly contribute to this event. The rich and wealthy suitors would eagerly lay hold of the infinite mazes, perplexities, and delays, which a court of chancery, with the appellate powers of the supreme court in fact as well as law would furnish him with, and thus the poor man being plunged in the bottomless pit of legal discussion would drop his demand in despair.
In short, consolidation pervades the whole constitution. It begins with an annunciation that such was the intention. The main pillars of the fabric correspond with it, and the concluding paragraph is a confirmation of it. The preamble begins with the words, “We the people of the United States,” which is the style of a compact between individuals entering into a state of society, and not that of a confederation of states. The other features of consolidation, we have before noticed.
Thus we have fully established the position, that the powers vested by this constitution in Congress will effect a consolidation of the states under one government, which even the advocates of this constitution admit could not be done without the sacrifice of all liberty.
3. We dissent, thirdly, because if it were practicable to govern so extensive a territory as these United States includes, on the plan of a consolidated government, consistent with the principles of liberty and the happiness of the people, yet the construction of this constitution is not calculated to attain the object, for independent of the nature of the case, it would of itself, necessarily produce a despotism, and that not by the usual gradations, but with the celerity that has hitherto only attended revolutions effected by the sword.
To establish the truth of this position, a cursory investigation of the principles and form of this constitution will suffice.
The first consideration that this review suggests is the emission of a BILL OF RIGHTS ascertaining and fundamentally establishing those unalienable and personal rights of men, without the full, free, and secure enjoyment of which there can be no liberty, and over which it is not necessary for a good government to have the control. The principal of which are the rights of conscience, personal liberty by the clear and unequivocal establishment of the writ of habeas corpus, jury trial in criminal and civil cases, by an impartial jury of the vicinage or county; with the common law proceedings, for the safety of the accused in criminal prosecutions; and the liberty of the press, that scourge of tyrants, and the grand bulwark of every other liberty and privilege; the stipulation heretofore made in favor of them in the state constitutions are entirely superseded by this constitution.
The legislature of a free country should be so formed as to have a competent knowledge of its constituents, and enjoy their confidence. To produce these essential requisites, the representation ought to be fair, equal, and sufficiently numerous, to possess the same interests, feelings, opinions, and views, which the people themselves would possess were they all assembled; and so numerous as to prevent bribery and undue influence, and so responsible to the people, by frequent and fair elections, as to prevent their neglecting or sacrificing the views and interests of their constituents, to their own pursuits.
We will now bring the legislature under this constitution to the test of the foregoing principles, which will demonstrate, that it is deficient in every essential quality of a just and safe representation.
The house of representatives is to consist of 65 members; that is one for about every 50,000 inhabitants, to be chosen every two years. Thirty-three members will form a quorum for doing business, and 17 of these, being the majority, determine the sense of the house.
The senate, the other constituent branch of the legislature, consists of 26 members, being two from each state, appointed by their legislatures every six years—fourteen senators make a quorum; the majority of whom, eight, determines the sense of that body; except in judging on impeachments, or in making treaties, or in expelling a member, when two-thirds of the senators present must concur.
The president is to have the control over the enacting of laws, so far as to make the concurrence of two-thirds of the representatives and senators present necessary, if he should object to the laws.
Thus it appears that the liberties, happiness, interests, and great concerns of the whole United States may be dependent upon the integrity, virtue, wisdom, and knowledge of 25 or 26 men. How inadequate and unsafe a representation! Inadequate, because the sense and views of 3 or 4 millions of people diffused over so extensive a territory comprising such various climates, products, habits, interests, and opinions cannot be collected in so small a body; and besides, it is not a fair and equal representation of the people even in proportion to its number, for the smallest state has as much weight in the senate as the largest, and from the smallness of the number to be chosen for both branches of the legislature; and from the mode of election and appointment, which is under the control of Congress; and from the nature of the thing, men of the most elevated rank in life will alone be chosen. The other orders in the society, such as farmers, traders, and mechanics, who all ought to have a competent number of their best-informed men in the legislature, will be totally unrepresented.
The representation is unsafe because in the exercise of such great powers and trusts, it is so exposed to corruption and undue influence, by the gift of the numerous places of honor and emolument, at the disposal of the executive; by the arts and address of the great and designing; and by direct bribery.
The representation is moreover inadequate and unsafe, because of the long terms for which it is appointed, and the mode of its appointment, by which Congress may not only control the choice of the people, but may so manage as to divest the people of this fundamental right, and become self-elected.
The number of members in the house of representatives may be increased to one for every 30,000 inhabitants. But when we consider, that this cannot be done without the consent of the senate, who from their, share in the legislative, in the executive, and judicial departments, and permanency of appointment, will be the great efficient body in this government, and whose weight and predominancy would be abridged by an increase of the representatives, we are persuaded that this is a circumstance that cannot be expected. On the contrary, the number of representatives will probably be continued at 65, although the population of the country may swell to treble what it now is; unless a revolution should effect a change.
We have before noticed the judicial power as it would effect a consolidation of the states into one government; we will now examine it, as it would affect the liberties and welfare of the people, supposing such a government were practicable and proper.
The judicial power, under the proposed constitution, is founded on the well-known principles of the civil law, by which the judge de-termines both on law and fact, and appeals are allowed from the inferior tribunals to the superior, upon the whole question; so that facts as well as law, would be reexamined, and even new facts brought forward in the court of appeals; and to use the words of a very eminent civilian, “The cause is many times another thing before the court of appeals, than what it was at the time of the first sentence.”
That this mode of proceeding is the one which must be adopted under this constitution is evident from the following circumstances: 1st. That the trial by jury, which is the grand characteristic of the common law, is secured by the constitution, only in criminal cases. 2d. That the appeal from both law and fact is expressly established, which is utterly inconsistent with the principles of the common law, and trials by jury. The only mode in which an appeal from law and fact can be established is by adopting the principles and practice of the civil law; unless the United States should be drawn into the absurdity of calling and swearing juries, merely for the purpose of contradicting their verdicts, which would render juries contemptible and worse than useless. 3d. That the courts to be established would decide on all cases of law and equity, which is a well-known characteristic of the civil law, and these courts would have conusance [cognizance] not only of the laws of the United States and of treaties, and of cases affecting ambassadors, but of all cases of admiralty and maritime jurisdiction, which last are matters belonging exclusively to the civil law, in every nation in Christendom.
Not to enlarge upon the loss of the invaluable right of trial by an unbiased jury, so dear to every friend of liberty, the monstrous expense and inconveniences of the mode of proceeding to be adopted are such as will prove intolerable to the people of this country. The lengthy proceedings of the civil law courts in the chancery of England, and in the courts of Scotland and France, are such that few men of moderate fortune can endure the expense of; the poor man must therefore submit to the wealthy. Length of purse will too often prevail against right and justice. For instance, we are told by the learned Judge Blackstone, that a question only on the property of an ox, of the value of three guineas, originating under the civil law proceedings in Scotland, after many interlocutory orders and sentences below, was carried at length from the court of sessions, the highest court in that part of Great Britain, by way of appeal to the House of Lords, where the question of law and fact was finally determined. He adds, that no pique of spirit could in the court of king’s bench or common pleas at Westminster have given continuance to such a cause for a tenth-part of the time, nor have cost a twentieth-part of the expense. Yet the costs in the courts of king’s bench and common pleas in England are infinitely greater than those which the people of this country have ever experienced. We abhor the idea of losing the transcendent privilege of trial by jury, with the loss of which, it is remarked by the same learned author, that in Sweden, the liberties of the commons were extinguished by an aristocratic senate; and trial by jury and the liberty of the people went out together. At the same time we regret the intolerable delay, the enormous expenses and infinite vexation to which the people of this country will be exposed from the voluminous proceedings of the courts of civil law, and especially from the appellate jurisdiction, by means of which a man may be drawn from the utmost boundaries of this extensive country to the seat of the supreme court of the nation to contend, perhaps with a wealthy and powerful adversary. The consequence of this establishment will be an absolute confirmation of the power of aristocratical influence in the courts of justice; for the common people will not be able to contend or struggle against it.
Trial by jury in criminal cases may also be excluded by declaring that the libeler, for instance, shall be liable to an action of debt for a specified sum, thus evading the common law prosecution by indictment and trial by jury. And the common course of proceeding against a ship for breach of revenue laws by information (which will be classed among civil causes) will at the civil law be within the resort of a court, where no jury intervenes. Besides, the benefit of jury trial, in cases of a criminal nature, which cannot be evaded, will be rendered of little value, by calling the accused to answer far from home; there being no provision that the trial be by a jury of the neighborhood or country. Thus an inhabitant of Pittsburgh, on a charge of crime committed on the banks of the Ohio, may be obliged to defend himself at the side of the Delaware, and so vice versa. To conclude this head, we observe that the judges of the courts of Congress would not be independent, as they are not debarred from holding other offices during the pleasure of the president and senate, and as they may derive their support in part from fees alterable by the legislature.
The next consideration that the constitution presents is the undue and dangerous mixture of the powers of government: the same body possessing legislative, executive, and judicial powers. The senate is a constituent branch of the legislature, it has judicial power in judging on impeachments, and in this case unites in some measure the characters of judge and party, as all of the principal officers are appointed by the president general, with the concurrence of the senate and therefore they derive their offices in part from the senate. This may bias the judgments of the senators, and tend to screen great delinquents from punishment. And the senate has, moreover, various and great executive powers, viz.; in concurrence with the president general, they form treaties with foreign nations, that may control and abrogate the constitutions and laws of the several states. Indeed, there is no power, privilege, or liberty of the state governments, or of the people, but what may be affected by virtue of this power. For all treaties, made by them, are to be the “supreme law of the land; any thing in the constitution or laws of any state, to the contrary notwithstanding.”
And this great power may be exercised by the president and 10 senators (being two-thirds of 14 which is a quorum of that body). What an inducement would this offer to the ministers of foreign powers to compass by bribery such concessions as could not otherwise be obtained. It is the unvaried usage of all free states, whenever treaties interfere with the positive laws of the land, to make the intervention of the legislature necessary to give them operation. This became necessary, and was afforded by the parliament of Great Britain in consequence of the late commercial treaty between that kingdom and France. As the senate judges on impeachments, who is to try the members of the senate for the abuse of this power! And none of the great appointments of office can be made without the consent of the senate.
Such various, extensive, and important powers combined in one body of men are inconsistent with all freedom; the celebrated Montesquieu tells us, that “when the legislative and executive powers are united in the same person, or in the same body of magistrates, there can be no liberty, because apprehensions may arise, lest the same monarch or senate should enact tyrannical laws, to execute them in a tyrannical manner.”
“Again, there is no liberty, if the power of judging be not separated from the legislative and executive powers. Were it joined with the legislative, the life and liberty of the subject would be exposed to arbitrary control: for the judge would then be legislator. Were it joined to the executive power, the judge might behave with all the violence of an oppressor. There would be an end of everything, were the same man, or the same body of the nobles, or of the people, to exercise those three powers; that of enacting laws; that of executing the public resolutions; and that of judging the crimes or differences of individuals.”
The president general is dangerously connected with the senate; his coincidence with the views of the ruling junto in that body is made essential to his weight and importance in the government, which will destroy all independency and purity in the executive department, and having the power of pardoning without the concurrence of a council, he may screen from punishment the most treasonable attempts that may be made on the liberties of the people, when instigated by his coadjutors in the senate. Instead of this dangerous and improper mixture of the executive with the legislative and judicial, the supreme executive powers ought to have been placed in the president, with a small independent council made personally responsible for every appointment to office or other act, by having their opinions recorded; and that without the concurrence of the majority of the quorum of this council, the president should not be capable of taking any step.
We have before considered internal taxation, as it would effect the destruction of the state governments, and produce one consolidated government. We will now consider that subject as it affects the personal concerns of the people.
The power of direct taxation applies to every individual, as Congress, under this government, is expressly vested with the authority of laying a capitation or poll tax upon every person to any amount. This is a tax that, however oppressive in its nature, and unequal in its operation, is certain as to its produce and simple in its collection; it cannot be evaded like the objects of imposts or excise, and will be paid, because all that a man hath will he give for his head. This tax is so congenial to the nature of despotism, that it has ever been a favorite under such governments. Some of those who were in the late general convention from this state have long labored to introduce a poll tax among us.
The power of direct taxation will further apply to every individual, as Congress may tax land, cattle, trades, occupations, etc. to any amount, and every object of internal taxation is of that nature, that however oppressive, the people will have but this alternative, either to pay the tax, or let their property be taken, for all resistance will be vain. The standing army and select militia would enforce the collection.
For the moderate exercise of this power, there is no control left in the state governments, whose intervention is destroyed. No relief, or redress of grievances can be extended, as heretofore, by them. There is not even a declaration of RIGHTS to which the people may appeal for the vindication of their wrongs in the court of justice. They must therefore, implicitly, obey the most arbitrary laws, as the worst of them will be pursuant to the principles and form of the constitution, and that strongest of all checks upon the conduct of administration, responsibility to the people, will not exist in this government. The permanency of the appointments of senators and representatives, and the control the Congress have over their election, will place them independent of the sentiments and resentment of the people, and the administration having a greater interest in the government than in the community, there will be no consideration to restrain them from oppression and tyranny. In the government of this state, under the old confederation, the members of the legislature are taken from among the people, and their interests and welfare are so inseparably connected with those of their constituents, that they can derive no advantage from oppressive laws and taxes, for they would suffer in common with their fellow citizens; would participate in the burthens they impose on the community, as they must return to the common level, after a short period; and notwithstanding every exertion of influence, every means of corruption, a necessary rotation excludes them from permanency in the legislature.
This large state is to have but ten members in that Congress which is to have the liberty, property, and dearest concerns of every individual in this vast country at absolute command, and even these ten persons, who are to be our only guardians, who are to supersede the legislature of Pennsylvania, will not be of the choice of the people, nor amenable to them. From the mode of their election and appointment they will consist of the lordly and high-minded; of men who will have no congenial feelings with the people, but a perfect indifference for, and contempt of them; they will consist of those harpies of power, that prey upon the very vitals; that riot on the miseries of the community. But we will suppose, although in all probability it may never be realized in fact, that our deputies in Congress have the welfare of their constituents at heart, and will exert themselves in their behalf. What security could even this afford; what relief could they extend to their oppressed constituents? To attain this, the majority of the deputies of the twelve other states in Congress must be alike well disposed; must alike forego the sweets of power, and relinquish the pursuits of ambition, which from the nature of things is not to be expected. If the people part with a responsible representation in the legislature, founded upon fair, certain, and frequent elections, they have nothing left they can call their own. Miserable is the lot of that people whose every concern depends on the WILL and PLEASURE of their rulers. Our soldiers will become Janissaries, and our officers of government bashaws; in short, the system of despotism will soon be completed.
From the foregoing investigation, it appears that the Congress under this constitution will not possess the confidence of the people, which is an essential requisite in a good government; for unless the laws command the confidence and respect of the great body of the people, so as to induce them to support them, when called on by the civil magistrate, they must be executed by the aid of a numerous standing army, which would be inconsistent with every idea of liberty; for the same force that may be employed to compel obedience to good laws, might and probably would be used to wrest from the people their constitutional liberties. The framers of this constitution appear to have been aware of this great deficiency; to have been sensible that no dependence could be placed on the people for their support; but on the contrary, that the government must be executed by force. They have therefore made a provision for this purpose in a permanent STANDING ARMY, and a MILITIA that may be subjected to as strict discipline and government.
A standing army in the hands of a government placed so independent of the people may be made a fatal instrument to overturn the public liberties; it may be employed to enforce the collection of the most oppressive taxes, and to carry into execution the most arbitrary measures. An ambitious man who may have the army at his devotion may step up into the throne, and seize upon absolute power.
The absolute unqualified command that Congress have over the militia may be made instrumental to the destruction of all liberty, both public and private; whether of a personal, civil, or religious nature.
First, the personal liberty of every man probably from sixteen to sixty years of age may be destroyed by the power Congress have in organizing and governing of the militia. As militia they may be subjected to fines to any amount, levied in a military manner; they may be subjected to corporal punishments of the most disgraceful and humiliating kind, and to death itself, by the sentence of a court martial. To this our young men will be more immediately subjected, as a select militia, composed of them, will best answer the purposes of government.
Secondly, the rights of conscience may be violated, as there is no exemption of those persons who are conscientiously scrupulous of bearing arms. These compose a respectable proportion of the community in the state. This is the more remarkable, because even when the distresses of the late war, and the evident disaffection of many citizens of that description, inflamed our passions, and when every person, who was obliged to risk his own life, must have been exasperated against such as on any account kept back from the common danger, yet even then, when outrage and violence might have been expected, the rights of conscience were held sacred.
At this momentous crisis, the framers of our state constitution made the most express and decided declaration and stipulations in favor of the rights of conscience; but now when no necessity exists, those dearest rights of men are left insecure.
Thirdly, the absolute command of Congress over the militia may be destructive of public liberty; for under the guidance of an arbitrary government, they may be made the unwilling instruments of tyranny. The militia of Pennsylvania may be marched to New England or Virginia to quell an insurrection occasioned by the most galling oppression, and aided by the standing army, they will no doubt be successful in subduing their liberty and independency; but in so doing, although the magnanimity of their minds will be extinguished, yet the meaner passions of resentment and revenge will be increased, and these in turn will be the ready and obedient instruments of despotism to enslave the others; and that with an irritated vengeance. Thus may the militia be made the instruments of crushing the last efforts of expiring liberty, of riveting the chains of despotism on their fellow citizens, and on one another. This power can be exercised not only without violating the constitution, but in strict conformity with it; it is calculated for this express purpose, and will doubtless be executed accordingly.
As this government will not enjoy the confidence of the people, but be executed by force, it will be a very expensive and burthensome government. The standing army must be numerous, and as a further support, it will be the policy of this government to multiply officers in every department: judges, collectors, tax gatherers, excisemen, and the whole host of revenue officers will swarm over the land, devouring the hard earnings of the industrious, like the locusts of old, impoverishing and desolating all before them.
We have not noticed the smaller, nor many of the considerable blemishes, but have confined our objections to the great and essential defects; the main pillars of the constitution, which we have shown to be inconsistent with the liberty and happiness of the people, as its establishment will annihilate the state governments, and produce one consolidated government, that will eventually and speedily issue in the supremacy of despotism.
In this investigation, we have not confined our views to the interests or welfare of this state, in preference to the others. We have over-looked all local circumstances; we have considered this subject on the broad scale of the general good; we have asserted the cause of the present and future ages, the cause of liberty and mankind.
John A. Hanna | <urn:uuid:5ae15085-573f-4c12-9496-0f32444e119f> | {
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|Socialist Party of the United States|
|Fictional Political Party|
|Political Ideology:||Democratic Socialism|
The Socialist Party was a left-wing party that became a major political force in the United States after the Second Mexican War. Abraham Lincoln and a group of left-wing Republicans formed the Socialist Party in 1882 from a variety of leftist organizations. The Socialists were known for their mostly lenient foreign policy and their progressive views on labor. The Socialists had some success in regional elections the years following the Second Mexican War, but were never considered a threat to win a presidential election until after the Great War, when the widespread post-war labor strife catapulted them to victory, first as a senior partner in a governing coalition with the Republicans in the House of Representatives in 1918, and then to the Powel House in 1920, when Upton Sinclair and his running mate Hosea Blackford defeated Democratic incumbent Theodore Roosevelt.
The inauguration of Sinclair was attended by numerous party militants waving red flags. However, once in power the party did not institute any radical changes and certainly did not abolish the capitalist economy. It did institute numerous reforms, although not as many as it would have liked; even as a minority party, the Democrats were sufficiently unified to block many of the Socialists' plans.
The Socialists in power also made no change in the policy of open-ended military occupation of Canada which they inherited from the Roosevelt Administration. They offered the Canadians neither an option of renewed independence nor of incorporation in the United States and gaining of full civil rights, and President Sinclair authorized brutal repression of an uprising early in the 1920s.
Moreover, Socialist administrations, like Democrat ones, left the running of captured Confederate territories in the hands of ex-Confederate officials like Luther Bliss in Kentucky - willing to collaborate with US rule, but just as racist as most other Confederates - with the result that Blacks in these states remained disenfranchised, second-class citizens.
The Socialist anti-military stance led to decrease of the Army's upkeep. Military projects like Colonel Irving Morrell's Barrel Works were stopped and the money sent to other areas. Equipment and tactical upgrade was not given much attention, unlike in other countries. This left the US very unprepared when the CSA invaded and caught the country by surprise in June 1941, which began the Second Great War.
Unlike in the Great War, the Socialists supported the war effort with enthusiasm as great as that of the Democrats, and would ultimately lead the country to victory. Despite this, the Democrats were able to regain power after the war, winning on the platform that the Socialists allowed the Confederates to regain their strength under Jake Featherston. In 1944, the Democrats gained a majority in Congress, and saw the election of Thomas Dewey to the office of the President. | <urn:uuid:c1eaba3a-5bbf-4e80-8e4b-2afb63fc3c58> | {
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This action might not be possible to undo. Are you sure you want to continue?
SUBMITTED BY:DILLIP KU. DAS (10507017) SANDEEP SHEETAL (10507016)
UNDER GUIDANCE OF:Prof. U.C.PATI
DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRONICS AND COMMUNICATION ENGG.
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY ROURKELA-769008
A typical data acquisition system consists of individual sensors with necessary signal conditioning, data conversion, data processing, multiplexing, data handling and associated transmission, storage and display system. In order to optimize the characteristics of a system in terms of performance, handling capacity and cost, the relevant subsystem can be combined together. Analog data is generally acquired and converted into the digital form for the purpose of processing, transmission and display. Rapid advances in Personal Computer (PC) hardware and software technologies have resulted in easy and efficient adoption of PCs in various precise measurement and complex control applications. A PC based measurement or control application requires conversion of real world analog signal into digital format and transfer of digitized data into the PC. A data acquisition system that performs conversion of analog signal to digital data and the digital data to analog signal is interfaced to a pc to implement the functions of a measurement and control instrumentation applications. In this project we have used the electromagnetic sensor to acquire the data of a magnetic disk angular velocity, which we have got in mili volts range. This has been further converted approximately into the range of 5 volt by using an instrumentation amplifier of suitable gain (~20).We then converted the analog voltage into digital by using ADC 0808 and the processing part is done by using ATMEL89c51.In the second case we have used the data acquisition card PCL-207 to interface the amplified output to PC.
2.Sensing elements :
• Photo reflective sensor • Magnetic pickup
4.Data acquisition using AT89c51
5. Adc interfacing with 8051 and 555 timer
6. Data acquisition card pcl-207 7.Conclusion and reference
CHAPTER 1 Introduction Page | 1 .
The GPIB. RS-232.1. USB and IEEE 1394 are the standard interfaces provided in high performance standalone instruments for exchange of data. Traditionally. measurement and control are done using standalone instruments. INTRODUCTION 1. The measurement and control are automated by exchanging data between the instruments and computers. Design of a PC-based measuring system involves: (i) Design of a data acquisition hardware. Figure1 (Block Diagram of DAQ System) A PC-based measurement system is achieved on a PC platform with the aid of a DAQ (Data Acquisition) system.1 PC based Instrumentation System The instrumentation systems have evolved over a period of time. Page | 2 . Instrumentation systems are in standalone or modular types. There are several ways of exchange of measurement and control data between computer and instruments. and (ii) Design of appropriate application software. The general form of PC based measurement system is shown below.
For a measurement application. Page | 3 . The most common type is plug in type which is inserted into one of the empty expansion bus slots on the motherboard.2. In general a DAQ system performs following four important functions: (i) Analog to digital conversion (ii) Digital to analog conversion (iii) Digital input/output (iv) Timing I/O. The data acquisition system (DAQ) performs the conversion of analog to digital and subsequently to transfer the digital data to PC.1 PC Interfaces The DAQ hardware is available in different forms. A PC being a digital system cannot directly accept the analog signal from the sensor. the DAQ system converts the analog signal form signal conditioning circuit to a digital data and transfers it to the computer. The DAQ system support one of these interfaces for communication with the PC.1. 1. The hardware uses the PC expansion bus for communication with the PC. The DAQ devices which are compatible with PC serial port (RS232 compatible) and USB port are also more common.2 Data Acquisition Systems Data acquisition refers to getting real world signals into computer. For a control application it converts digital data from the computer to analog signals for controlling external devices.
It receives converted data from the DAQ system through the interface bus and stores the data in an array in the memory. The PC executes software routines for (i) acquiring the data from DAQ system (ii) analyzing the acquired data for retrieving relevant information (iii) displaying the information in required format. Data processing routine in the software extracts the relevant information regarding the measurement from the acquired data. The software in general includes data acquisition. driver level programming and package level programming.2 Software The driving force behind the PC based data acquisition and control is the software.2. It can perform certain functions of signal conditioning by means of data processing. Page | 4 .1. The data acquisition routine in software generates the required signals on the require control signals on the interface bus. Programming a data acquisition and control system can be accomplished via either of three ways: hardware programming. data processing and display routines.
CHAPTER 2 Sensing elements Page | 5 .
SENSING ELEMENT 2.2. the pulses are produced as the windows in a slotted disc pass in sequence between a light source and a detector. using the scheme shown in Figure . inductive and magnetic ones. The alternative form has both light source and detector mounted on the same side of a Page | 6 .1 Digital tachometers Digital tachometers (digital tachometric generators) are usually non-contact instruments that sense the passage of equally spaced marks on the surface of a rotating disc or shaft. the pulses from the transducer gate the train of pulses from a 1MHz clock into a counter.In this circuit.1 Optical sensing Digital tachometers with optical sensors are often known as optical tachometers. Usually. a pulse is generated and input to an electronic pulse counter. such as optical. Control logic resets the counter and updates the digital output value after receipt of each pulse from the transducer. Various types of sensor are used. Optical pulses can be generated by one of the two alternatives photoelectric techniques illustrated in Figure. which of course only yields information about the mean velocity.1. If the velocity is changing. Measurement resolution is governed by the number of marks around the circumference. 2. velocity is calculated in terms of the pulse count in unit time. As each mark is sensed. instantaneous velocity can be calculated at each instant of time that an output pulse occurs. The measurement accuracy of this system is highest when the speed of rotation is low.
also known as induction tachometers.1. are a form of digital tachometer that uses inductive sensing. anti-lock braking systems (ABS) and traction control. with photodiodes and phototransistors being used as detectors. Optical tachometers yield better accuracy than other forms of digital tachometer but are not as reliable because dust and dirt can block light paths. They are widely used in automotive industry within anti-skid devices. Figure 2 (Optical Sensor’s Block Diagram) 2.2 Inductive sensing Variable reluctance velocity transducers. A more Page | 7 .reflective disc which has black sectors painted onto it at regular angular intervals. Light sources are normally either lasers or LEDs.
The pulses produced by these means are less sharp. which carries a wound coil. The changing magnetic flux inside the pick-up coil causes a voltage to be induced in the coil whose magnitude is proportional to the rate of change of flux. At this point.sophisticated version shown in Figure. The maximum angular velocity that the instrument can measure is limited to about 10000 rpm because of the finite width of the induced pulses. As the disc rotates. The distance between the pick-up and the outer perimeter of the disc is around 0. Page | 8 . and consequently the maximum angular velocity measurable is lower. Thus. The optical tachometer has significant advantages in this respect. the output is a sequence of positive and negative pulses whose frequency is proportional to the rotational velocity of the disc. the reluctance of the magnetic circuit increases and hence the flux in the pole piece also increases. allowing measurement of higher velocities. the soft iron inserts on the disc move in turn past the pick-up unit. As each iron insert moves towards the pole piece. A simpler and cheaper form of variable reluctance transducer also exists that uses a ferromagnetic gear wheel in place of a fiber disc. This voltage is positive while the flux is increasing and negative while it is decreasing. Similarly. since the pulse width is much narrower. however.5 mm. the distance between the pulses is reduced. the pulse counter ceases to be able to distinguish the separate pulses. As the velocity increases. The sensor consists of a permanent magnet with a shaped pole piece. the pulses start to overlap. the flux in the pole piece decreases as each iron inserts moves away from the sensor. The motion of the tip of each gear tooth towards and away from the pick-up unit causes a similar variation in the flux pattern to that produced by the iron inserts in the fiber disc. It has a rotating disc that is constructed from a bondedfiber material into which soft iron poles are inserted at regular intervals around its periphery. and at a certain velocity.
Figure 3(Optical Sensor) Figure 4(Electromagnetic sensor) Page | 9 .
Page | 10 . But the requirement of Data acquisition card is that input should be in the range of +/. However this output voltage comes in the range of mili volt . So it need to be amplified prior to inputting it into Data acquisition card.5 volt.Output of the tachometer (magnetic pickup) is given by E=bmwr sin (mwrt) b.number of teeth in the rotating wheel wr -angular velocity of the rotating wheel Thus sinusoidal signal amplitude E= bmwr and frequency f=mwr/2π are proportional to angular velocity of wheel.amplitude of flux variation m.
CHAPTER 3 Amplifier Page | 11 .
rather than being connected directly to ground. we can construct an op-amp circuit maintaining both voltages inputs. AMPLIFIER 3. however. and it is generally too high to be of any practical use. As would stand to reason. amplifying the voltage difference between the two inputs. However. our application of negative feedback to op-amps has resulting in the practical loss of one of the inputs. its gain cannot be controlled. yet with a controlled gain set by external resistors. the resulting amplifier is only good for amplifying a single voltage signal input. V2 functions as the noninverting input Page | 12 . except that the noninverting input (+) of the op-amp is at a voltage equal to a fraction of V2.3. So far. this amplifier will have a differential voltage gain of 1. Figure 5 The analysis of this circuit is essentially the same as that of an inverting amplifier. With a little ingenuity. If all the resistor values are equal.1 The instrumentation amplifier An op-amp with no feedback is already a differential amplifier.
the voltage at point 2 (bottom of Rgain) is held to a value equal to V2.and V1 functions as the inverting input of the operational amplifier circuit. as is necessary with the previous design of differential amplifier. and adjustable gain that can be set by a single resistor. This produces a voltage drop between points 3 and 4 equal to: V3-4 = (V2 . This intimidating circuit is constructed from a buffered differential amplifier stage with three new resistors linking the two buffer circuits together. That voltage drop causes a current through Rgain. resistors above and below it. Though this looks like a cumbersome way to build a differential amplifier. It is beneficial to be able to adjust the gain of the amplifier circuit without having to change more than one resistor value. that same amount of current through Rgain must be going through the two . it has the distinct advantages of possessing extremely high input impedances on the V1 and V2 inputs (because they connect straight into the noninverting inputs of their respective op-amps). Likewise. and since the feedback loops of the two input op-amps draw no current. we have a general expression for overall voltage gain in the instrumentation amplifier: AV = (1 +2R/Rgain ) Page | 13 .V1) (1 + 2R/Rgain) The regular differential amplifier on the right-hand side of the circuit then takes this voltage drop between points 3 and 4 and it and amplifies it by a gain of 1 (assuming again that all . The so-called instrumentation builds on the last version of differential amplifier to give us that capability. The negative feedback of the upper-left op-amp causes the voltage at point 1 (top of Rgain) to be equal to V1. Consider all resistors to be of equal value except for Rgain. This establishes a voltage drop across Rgain equal to the voltage difference between V1 and V2.R. Manipulating the above formula a bit.R resistors are of equal value).
we can change the differential gain of the instrumentation amplifier simply by changing the value of one resistor: Rgain. We have used the ORCAD 10. we could still change the overall gain by changing the values of some of the other resistors. or create models for new devices.0 for circuit simulation. Draw on the expansive library of models to create off-the-shelf parts. The lowest gain possible with the above circuit is obtained with Rgain completely open (infinite resistance). the gain required. and that gain value is 1.e.Though it may not be obvious by looking at the schematic. Page | 14 . Yes. Sophisticated. 3. but this would necessitate balanced resistor value changes for the circuit to remain symmetrical. internal models allow you to simulate everything from high-frequency systems to low-power IC designs. Fully explore the relationships in your design with “what if” scenarios before committing to final implementation.2 PSPICE: PSPICE is a full-featured simulator for serious analog designers. We have used PSPICE software for simulation of the operational amplifier to achieve a gain which is suitable for our required purpose of amplification i.
SIMULATED CIRCUIT Figure 6 Page | 15 .
OUTPUT: Figure 7 Page | 16 .
) 55 72 76 84 110 124 137 146 159 167 175 187 194 199 206 212 219 224 230 235 238 244 254 256 Amplified O/P (in mv.) 825 986 1139 1257 1643 1858 2051 2185 2188 2471 2537 2692 2754 2801 2850 2880 2912 2931 2983 2993 2998 3074 3149 3150 Page | 17 .OBSERVAION TABLE RPM (Photo reflective) Pick up 250 330 350 400 530 624 705 751 845 910 960 1052 1106 1140 1215 1270 1325 1378 1440 1495 1530 1600 1675 1755 O/P voltage (Magnetic pick up) (in mv.
CHAPTER 4 Data acquisition using AT89c51 Page | 18 .
most personal computers contain a keyboard and monitor as standard input and output devices. Most of the processing is done in the Arithmetic-Logic Unit (ALU) within the CPU. 128 bytes internal data memory. Page | 19 . suitable for many applications. A microcontroller is an entire computer manufactured on a single chip. A computer built around a microprocessor is called a microcomputer. program and data memory. 4kB masked ROM. A microprocessor is a CPU that is compacted into a single-chip semiconductor device. It also processes the data by performing digital operations. When the CPU of a computer is built on a single printed circuit board. 32 I/O lines Internal UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter) 5 Interrupts including 2 external interrupts Supports additional 60kB external program memory & 64kB external data memory 4. For example. and an Input/output (I/O) system. ACQUISTION SYSTEM USING AT89c51 AT89c51 the following important features: This is an 8-bit microcontroller.1) Microprocessors and Microcontrollers:-A digital computer typically consists of three major components: the Central Processing Unit (CPU).1 DESCRIPTION ABOUT 8051 1) ARCHITECTURE:1. The choice of I/O and memory devices of a microcomputer depends on the specific application.4. the computer is called a minicomputer. The CPU controls the flow of information among the components of the computer. Microprocessors are general-purpose devices.
interrupt control. etc. timers. counters.PIN LAYOUT DIAGRAM OF 8051 Figure 8(Pin Diagram of 8051) Microcontrollers are usually dedicated devices embedded within an application. In order to serve these applications. parallel input/output ports. microcontrollers are used as engine controllers in automobiles and as exposure and focus controllers in cameras. they have a high concentration of onchip facilities such as serial ports. and on-chip peripherals of a microcontroller are selected depending on the specifics of the target Page | 20 . read only memory. analog-to-digital converters. The I/O. random access memory. For example. memory.
The 8031 is similar to the 8051. In addition. Both of these signals are so-called active low signals. They are capable of addressing 64K of program memory and a separate 64K of data memory. Besides internal RAM. First.application. Programming the various internal hardware facilities of the 8051 is achieved by placing the appropriate control words into the corresponding SFRs. which are the control and data registers for on-chip facilities. The architecture of the 8051 family of the microcontrollers is presented in this chapter. among the various microcontroller architectures. The first is activated when a byte is to be read from external data memory. bytes from external program memory may be read Page | 21 . the 8051 has various Special Function Registers (SFR).7) and PSEN#. or sometimes simply as MCS-51. 4 general purpose parallel input/output ports. estimated to be about 40%. and the Program Status Word (PSW). followed by the enhanced features of the 8032. The 8051 Microcontroller Family Architecture The architecture of the 8051 family of microcontrollers is referred to as the MCS-51 architecture. The 8051 is the first microcontroller of the MCS-51 family introduced by Intel Corporation at the end of the 1970s. The 8051 has 4K of code memory implemented as on-chip Read Only Memory (ROM). That is. and the 80C515. the original 8051 microcontroller is discussed. the degree of control and programmability they provide significantly enhances the effectiveness of the application. As stated. and interrupt control logic with five sources of interrupts. the 8051 can address 64K of external data memory and 64K of external program memory.2. All external code is fetched from external program memory. except it lacks the on-chip ROM. The 8051 has two timer/counters. the B register. The SFRs also include the accumulator. The microcontrollers have an 8-bit data bus. a serial port. they are cleared to logic level 0 when activated. Separate blocks of code and data memory are referred to as the Harvard architecture. from external program memory. which contains the CPU flags. These may be separate blocks of memory. Since microcontrollers are powerful digital processors. The 8051 has 128 bytes of internal Random Access Memory (RAM). The 8051 has two separate read signals. 1. so that up to 128K of memory can be attached to the microcontroller. The 8051 family with its many enhanced members enjoys the largest market share. RD# (P3. the other.
more interrupt sources. and then executed as program instructions. higher precision multiply and divide units. where code needs to be loaded into program memory. watchdog timers. The advantage of the Harvard architecture is not simply doubling the memory capacity of the microcontroller. By adopting the Von Neumann architecture. either RD# or PSEN# is activated during the memory read cycle. Page | 22 . more ports. the two signals are combined with a logic AND operation. reload and capture facilities. In order to read from the same block using either the RD# signal or the PSEN# signal. the MCS-51. There are separate instructions to read from external data memory. such as the MOVX instruction. more timers with compare. and network communication subsystems. This way. Separating program and data increases the reliability of the microcontroller. A ROM device is ideally suited to serve as program memory. That is. the output of the AND gate is low when either input is low. idle and power down mode support. The Harvard architecture is somewhat awkward in evaluation systems.by special read instructions such as the MOVC instruction. code may be written to memory as data bytes. A single block of memory may be mapped to act as both data and program memory. During the past decade. The enhancements include more memory. the instructions determine which block of memory is addressed. since there are no instructions to write to the program memory. This is referred to as the Von Neumann1 architecture. analog to-digital converters. and the corresponding control signal. All microcontroller of the family use the same set of machine instructions. many manufacturers introduced enhanced members of the 8051 microcontroller.
For controllers that don’t have internal ADC external ADC is used.2 ADC 0808CCN In lot of embedded systems micro controllers needs to take analog input. it can directly access 8 single ended analog signals Figure 9(Pin Diagram of ADC0808) Page | 23 . Some micro controllers have built in Analog to Digital Converter (ADC) so there is no need of external ADC. One of the most commonly used ADC is ADC0808. pressure. For interfacing these sensors to micro controllers we require to convert the analog output of these sensors to digital so that the controller can read it. humidity. are analog.e. ADC 0808 is a Successive approximation type with 8 channels i. Most of the sensors and transducers such as temperature.4.
e.e. The TABLE 1 shows the input states for address lines to select any channel. High – Low of the pulse. • Output Enable Whenever data has to be read from the ADC. Whereas the conversion is begun on the falling edge i.I/O Pins • ADDRESS LINE A. • START The ADC’s Successive Approximation Register (SAR) is reset on the positive edge i. Page | 24 . A particular channel is selected by using the address decoder line. Output Enable pin has to be pulled high thus enabling the TRI-STATE outputs. C The device contains 8-channels. • Address Latch Enable ALE The address is latched on the Low – High transition of ALE. LowHigh of the Start Conversion pulse. allowing data to be read from the data pins D0-D7. B.
28 volts) and step size of 10mv Dout =2560/10 =256 or FF that is full scale output. so the controller comes to know that the data can now be read from the data pins. this can be given either from LM 555 in Astable mode or the controller can also be used to give the pulses.56 volts (Vref=1.53 5. Vref/2 (Volts) Vin (Volts) Step size (mV) Open (2.56 1. • Clock External clock pulses are to be given to the ADC.90 Data Out Dout = Vin / Step Size For input vtg.12 0 to 2.5) 2.56 0 to 1 5/256 = 19. Resolution 8 bits for ADC0808 Page | 25 .12/256 =20 2.28 0.56/256 = 10 1/256=3.• End of Conversion (EOC) This Pin becomes High when the conversion has ended. of 2.5 0 to 5 0 to 5.
6. A High – Low transition on ALE. You can directly connect the OE pin to Vcc. 11. A Low – High transition on ALE to latch in the address. A High – Low transition on start to start the conversion. Make Output Enable pin Low. 4. Select the channel. Stop The total numbers of lines required are: • • • • • data lines: 8 ALE: 1 START: 1 EOC:1 Output Enable:1 I.e.Algorithm 1. 9. total 12 lines. Take Data from the ADC’s output 10. 8. Start. 7. Moreover instead of polling for EOC just put some delay so instead of 12 lines you will require 10 lines. 3. A Low – High transition on Start to reset the ADC’s SAR. Page | 26 . 5. 2. Wait for End of cycle (EOC) pin to become high. Make Output Enable pin High.
Figure 10 Page | 27 .You can also provide the clock through the controller thus eliminating the need of external circuit for clock.
ADC OUTPUT : SL NO VOLTAGE(V1=V*20) IN VOLTS.850 2.051 1.188 2.692 2.912 2.800 2.074 2.825 157 149 146 143 138 112 105 65 42 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Where V = analog output of Electromagnetic Sensor Page | 28 . Digital OUTPUT(8BITRESO) FROM ADC0808(DECIMAL) 1 3.257 0.
The circuit may be triggered and reset on falling waveforms. For a stable operation as an oscillator. and the output structure can source or sink up to 200 mA. Pin 2 (Trigger): This pin is the input to the lower comparator and is used to set the latch.3 555 TIMER The 555 monolithic timing circuits is a highly stable controller capable of producing accurate time delays. or oscillation. the free running frequency and the duty cycle are both accurately controlled with two external resistors and one capacitor. the time is precisely controlled by one external resistor and capacitor. which is normally connected to circuit common (ground) when operated from positive supply voltages.4. In the time delay mode of operation. This is the beginning of the timing sequence in Page | 29 . PIN DETAILS OF 555 TIMER: Figure 11 Pin 1 (Ground): The ground (or common) pin is the most-negative supply potential of the device. which in turn causes the output to go high.
one-half the voltage appearing at pin 5). A second precaution with respect to the trigger input concerns storage time in the lower comparator. must also flow from this terminal into the external circuit. the timer will re-trigger itself upon termination of the first output pulse. however. The voltage range that can safely be applied to the trigger pin is between V+ and ground. termed the trigger current. Transistor Q24 provides current-sinking capability for low-state loads referred to V+ (such as typical TTL inputs). it can be greater for higher V+ levels. as well as pulses. The trigger pulse must be of shorter duration than the time interval determined by the external R and C. with good noise margin.monostable operation. in general. to be used as trigger sources. Transistors Q21 and Q22 provide drive for source-type loads. This current is typically 500nA (nano-amp) and will define the upper limit of resistance allowable from pin 2 to ground. but in general if it is greater than the 1uS (micro-Second). At a Page | 30 . Exact output saturation levels vary markedly with supply voltage. the input trigger should effectively be shortened by differentiation. Transistor Q24 has a low saturation voltage. the output will remain high until the trigger input is driven high again. The action of the trigger input is level-sensitive. the latch can still have a trigger input for this period of time after the trigger pulse. A dc current. Triggering is accomplished by taking the pin from above to below a voltage level of 1/3 V+ (or. this means the minimum monostable output pulse width should be in the order of 10uS to prevent possible double triggering due to this effect. In practice. Thus. and their Darlington connection provides a high-state output voltage about 1. allowing slow rate-of-change waveforms. that is. when the timer is driven in the monostable mode with input pulses longer than the desired output pulse width. If this is allowed to happen. This portion of the circuit can exhibit normal turn-off delays of several microseconds after triggering.Q24. One precaution that should be observed with the trigger input signal is that it must not remain lower than 1/3 V+ for a period of time longer than the timing cycle. The minimum-allowable pulse width for triggering is somewhat dependent upon pulse level. this resistance is 3 Mega-ohm. For an astable configuration operating at V+ = 5 volts. Pin 3 (Output): The output of the 555 comes from a high-current totem-pole stage made up of transistors Q20 .7 volts less than the V+ supply level used. which allows it to interface directly. If this pin is held low longer than that. for both high and low states. triggering will be reliable. when driving current-sinking logic.
Delay time from reset to output is typically on the order of 0. it can sink 200mA if an output-low voltage level of 2 volts is allowable (power dissipation should be considered in such a case. for instance. To trigger the output to a high condition. Both the rise and fall times of the output waveform are quite fast. the trigger input is momentarily taken from a higher to a lower level. thus the reset input is TTL compatible for any supply voltage. The reset input is an overriding function. 3.25 volts at 5 mA.3 volts at V+ = 5 volts.Trigger"]. and a sink current of 0. Pin 4 (Reset): This pin is also used to reset the latch and return the output to a low state. however. This causes the latch to be set and the output to go high. and the minimum reset pulse width is 0. to gate oscillations from "on" to "off". and may vary from one manufacturer to another. Actuation of the lower comparator is the only manner in which the output can be placed in the high state. The reset pin will force the output to go low no matter what state the other inputs to the flip-flop are in. [see "Pin 2 . Neither of these figures is guaranteed. however. Since the latch itself is not directly accessible.Threshold"]. which resets the latch.7 volt. the reset pin is used to reset the flip-flop that controls the state of output pin 3. of course).5 µS. it will force the output to a low state regardless of the state of either of the other inputs. etc. the low state Vce(sat) is typically 0.V+ of 5 volts. When not used. this relationship may be best explained in terms of latchinput trigger conditions.5 µS.4 volt is applied to the pin. The reset voltage threshold level is 0.3 volts at V+ = 15 volts. The output can be returned to a low state by causing the threshold to go from a lower to a higher level [see "Pin 6 .1mA from this pin is required to reset the device. it is recommended that the reset input be tied to V+ to avoid any possibility of false resetting. The output voltage available at this pin is approximately equal to the Vcc applied to pin 8 minus 1. that is. The pin is activated when a voltage level anywhere between 0 and 0. 13. The state of the output pin will always reflect the inverse of the logic state of the latch. Page | 31 . typical switching times being 100nS. In short. These levels are relatively independent of operating V+ level.7V. and this fact may be seen by examining Fig. High-state level is typically 3. It may thus be used to terminate an output pulse prematurely. Operating at 15 volts. The output can also be made to go low by taking the reset to a low state near ground [see "Pin 4 .Reset"].
its voltage-controlled operation ranges from about 1 volt less than V+ down to within 2 volts of ground (although this is not guaranteed). as there is a 2:1 divider (R8 .R9) from this point to the lower-comparator reference input. Page | 32 . The action of the threshold pin is level sensitive. A dc current. For either timing configuration operating at V+ = 5 volts.7V to the full Vcc.1µA. Resetting via this terminal is accomplished by taking the terminal from below to above a voltage level of 2/3 V+ (the normal voltage on pin 5). When it is used in the astable mode.Pin 5 (Control Voltage) :This pin allows direct access to the 2/3 V+ voltage-divider point. since it is a comparator input. the maximum value of resistance is 20 MegaOhms. This fact is not obvious in many 555 circuits since I have seen many circuits with 'no-pin-5' connected to anything. and will define the upper limit of total resistance allowable from pin 6 to V+. the reference level for the upper comparator. but this is the proper procedure. Use of this terminal is the option of the user. must also flow into this terminal from the external circuit. By applying a voltage to this pin. etc. the control voltage can be varied from 1. Varying the voltage in the astable mode will produce a frequency modulated (FM) output. It also allows indirect access to the lower comparator. which causes the output to go low. The small ceramic cap may eliminate false triggering. This current is typically 0. The voltage range that can safely be applied to the threshold pin is between V+ and ground. but it does allow extreme flexibility by permitting modification of the timing period. it is recommended that it be bypassed. but they should be confined within the limits of V+ and ground for reliability. Q13. Pin 6 (Threshold): Pin 6 is one input to the upper comparator (the other being pin 5) and is used to reset the latch. allowing slow rate-of-change waveforms. termed the threshold current. making it possible to control the width of the output pulse independently of RC. to ground. The control voltage may be varied from 45 to 90% of the Vcc in the monostable mode. this resistance is 16 Mega-ohm. with a capacitor of about 0. resetting of the comparator. it is possible to vary the timing of the device independently of the RC network. In the event the control-voltage pin is not used.01uF (10nF) for immunity to noise. Voltages can be safely applied outside these limits. For 15 volt operation. When the 555 timer is used in a voltage-controlled mode.
so that when the transistor is turned "on". It is also used to generate delays. The conduction state of this transistor is identical in timing to that of the output stage. the most significant operational difference is the output drive capability. however). There are special and military devices available that operate at voltages as high as 18 volts. Operating Modes: The 555 timer has two basic operational modes: one shot and astable. Pin 8 (V +): The V+ pin (also referred to as Vcc) is the positive supply voltage terminal of the 555 timer IC. pin 7 is effectively shorted to ground. Usually the timing capacitor is connected between pin 7 and ground and is discharged when the transistor turns "on". In certain applications. typically 0. which increases for both current and voltage range as the supply voltage is increased. The other basic operational mode of the 555 is as and astable multivibrator. this open collector output can be used as an auxiliary output terminal.1% per volt. this transistor switch is used to clamp the appropriate nodes of the timing network to ground. and it is specified for operation between +5 volts and +15 volts. The astable multivibrator Page | 33 . thereby removing restrictions on capacitor size due to peak pulse-current discharge. the emitter of which goes to ground. and off-state leakage is about 20nA (these parameters are not specified by all manufacturers. Actually. Supply-voltage operating range for the 555 is +4. The device will operate essentially the same over this range of voltages without change in timing period. with currentsinking capability similar to the output (pin 3). a variety of sequential timing pulses can be generated. Sensitivity of time interval to supply voltage change is low.Pin 7 (Discharge): This pin is connected to the open collector of a npn transistor (Q14). When multiple one-shots are cascaded. In both the monostable and astable time modes. Saturation voltage is typically below 100mV (milli-Volt) for currents of 5mA or less. An astable multivibrator is simply and oscillator.5 volts (minimum) to +16 volts (maximum). Those pulses will allow you to time and sequence a number of related operations. Maximum collector current is internally limited by design. One-shot multivibrators are used for turning some circuit or external component on or off for a specific length of time. It is "on" (low resistance to ground) when the output is low and "off" (high resistance to ground) when the output is high.
That is because the output is only triggered by the input pulse. For that reason. The junction of the resistor and capacitor is connected to the threshold input which is the input to the upper comparator. the timers will always time-out once triggered. An input trigger pulse is applied to the trigger input. the control flip-flop is initially reset. Due to the internal latching mechanism of the 555. The signal from the control flip-flop causes T1 to conduct and act as a short circuit across the external capacitor. the input to the upper comparator is near zero volts causing the comparator output to keep the control flip-flop reset. An external RC network is connected between the supply voltage and ground. The frequency of the pulses and their duty cycle are dependent upon the RC network values. which is the input to the lower comparator. the output actually depends on the capacitor charge. Therefore. During that time. And for noise immunity maybe a capacitor on pin 5. the output voltage is near zero volts. Monostable Mode: The 555 in fig. regardless of any subsequent noise (such as bounce) on the input trigger Page | 34 .generates a continuous stream of rectangular off-on pulses that switch between two voltage levels. 9a is shown here in it's utmost basic mode of operation. 4 shows the basic circuit of the 555 connected as a monostable multivibrator.With that circuit configuration. One-Shot Operation: Fig. the capacitor cannot charge. The internal discharge transistor is also connected to the junction of the resistor and the capacitor. Figure 12 Notice how the monostable continues to output its pulse regardless of the inputs swing back up. a capacitor and a resistor. Only two components to make up a timer. One immediate observation is the extreme simplicity of this circuit. as a triggered monostable.
That causes T1 to cut off. IC timers are normally used where long output pulses are required. The capacitor now begins to charge through the external resistor. The output pulse width is defined by the above formula and with relatively few restrictions. The setting of the flip-flop also causes a positive-going output level which is the beginning of the output timing pulse. limiting accuracy and predictability. Depending upon the values of external resistance and capacitance used. Special R(t) and C(t) techniques allow for timing periods of days. and even months if so desired. bounded only by R and C limits. a reasonable lower limit for R(t) is in the order of about 10Kilo ohm. it is recommended that standard logic one-shots designed for narrow pulses be used instead of a 555 timer. sets the flip-flop. weeks. acting as an open circuit. therefore. the upper comparator triggers and resets the control flip-flop. only practical ones. Whenever a trigger pulse is applied to the input. For time intervals less than approximately 1-millisecond. As soon as the charge on the capacitor equal 2/3 of the supply voltage. the threshold on the lower comparator is exceeded. timing components R(t) and C(t) can have a wide range of values. In this application. There is actually no theoretical upper limit on T (output pulse width). That terminates the output pulse which switches back to zero. relay. there is no need for this from the standpoint of achieving a short pulse width. short term noise caused by a switch.1 x R x C (in seconds). At this time.) A practical minimum for C(t) is about 95pF. the 555 will generate its single-duration output pulse.(pin 2). the duration of the output pulse in seconds is approximately equal to: T = 1. it will be terminated immediately as that pulse will reset the flip-flop. This is a great asset in interfacing the 555 with noisy sources. However. If a negative-going pulse is applied to the reset input while the output pulse is high. You may consider the range of T to be 10uS to infinity. mainly from the standpoint of power economy. the output timing pulse may be adjusted from approximately one millisecond to as high as on hundred seconds. The lower comparator. below this the stray effects of capacitance become noticeable. and then picked up by the input pin. T1 again conducts thereby discharging the capacitor. The lower limit is 10uS. Just in case you don't know what 'bounce' is: bounce is a type of fast. The trigger input is initially high (about 1/3 of +V). etc. (Although R(t) can be lower that 10K without harm. When a negative-going trigger pulse is applied to the trigger input (see fig. Since it is obvious that the product of these two minimums yields a T that is Page | 35 . 9a).
less the 10uS, there is much flexibility in the selection of R(t) and C(t). Usually C(t) is selected first to minimize size (and expense); then R(t) is chosen. The upper limit for R(t) is in the order of about 15 Mega ohm but should be less than this if all the accuracy of which the 555 is capable is to be achieved. The absolute upper limit of R(t) is determined by the threshold current plus the discharge leakage when the operating voltage is +5 volt. For example, with a threshold plus leakage current of 120nA, this gives a maximum value of 14M for R(t) (very optimistic value). Also, if the C(t) leakage current is such that the sum of the threshold current and the leakage current is in excess of 120 nA the circuit will never time-out because the upper threshold voltage will not be reached. Therefore, it is good practice to select a value for R(t) so that, with a voltage drop of 1/3 V+ across it, the value should be 100 times more, if practical. So, it should be obvious that the real limit to be placed on C (t) is its leakage, not it's capacitance value, since larger-value capacitors have higher leakages as a fact of life. Low-leakage types, like tantalum or NPO, are available and preferred for long timing periods. Sometimes input trigger source conditions can exist that will necessitate some type of signal conditioning to ensure compatibility with the triggering requirements of the 555. This can be achieved by adding another capacitor, one or two resistors and a small signal diode to the input to form a pulse differentiator to shorten the input trigger pulse to a width less than 10uS (in general, less than T). Their values and criterion are not critical; the main one is that the width of the resulting differentiated pulse (after C) should be less than the desired output pulse for the period of time it is below the 1/3 V+ trigger level. There are several different types of 555 timers. The LM555 from National is the most common one these days, in my opinion. The Exar XR-L555 timer is a micro power version of the standard 555 offering a direct, pin-for-pin (also called plug-compatible) substitute device with an advantage of a lower power operation. It is capable of operation of a wider range of positive supply voltage from as low as 2.7volt minimum up to 18 volts maximum. At a supply voltage of +5V, the L555 will typically dissipate of about 900 microwatts, making it ideally suitable for battery operated circuits. The internal schematic of the L555 is very much similar to the standard 555 but with additional features like 'current spiking' filtering, lower output drive capability, higher nodal impedances, and better noise reduction system.
Page | 36
Maxim's ICM7555, and Sanyo's LC7555 models are a low-power, general purpose CMOS design version of the standard 555, also with a direct pin-for-pin compatibility with the regular 555. It's advantages are very low timing/bias currents, low power-dissipation operation and an even wider voltage supply range of as low as 2.0 volts to 18 volts. At 5 volts the 7555 will dissipate about 400 microwatts, making it also very suitable for battery operation. The internal schematic of the 7555 (not shown) is however totally different from the normal 555 version because of the different design process with cmos technology. It has much higher input impedances than the standard bipolar transistors used. The cmos version removes essentially any timing component restraints related to timer bias currents, allowing resistances as high as practical to be used. This very versatile version should be considered where a wide range of timing is desired, as well as low power operation and low current synching appears to be important in the particular design.
Some of the less desirable properties of the regular 555 are high supply current, high trigger current, double output transitions, and inability to run with very low supply voltages. These problems have been remedied in a collection of CMOS successors. A caution about the regular 555 timer chips; the 555, along with some other timer ic's, generates a big (about 150mA) supply current glitch during each output transition. Be sure to use a hefty bypass capacitor over the power connections near the timer chip. And even so, the 555 may have a tendency to generate double output transitions.
Page | 37
Astable operation: Figure 9b shows the 555 connected as an astable multivibrator. Both the trigger and threshold inputs (pins 2 and 6) to the two comparators are connected together and to the external capacitor. The capacitor charges toward the supply voltage through the two resistors, R1 and R2. The discharge pin (7) connected to the internal transistor is connected to the junction of those two resistors. When power is first applied to the circuit, the capacitor will be uncharged; therefore, both the trigger and threshold inputs will be near zero volts (see Fig. 10). The lower comparator sets the control flip-flop causing the output to switch high. That also turns off transistor T1. That allows the capacitor to begin charging through R1 and R2. As soon as the charge on the capacitor reaches 2/3 of the supply voltage, the upper comparator will trigger causing the flip-flop to reset. That causes the output to switch low. Transistor T1 also conducts. The effect of T1 conducting causes resistor R2 to be connected across the external capacitor. Resistor R2 is effectively connected to ground through internal transistor T1. The result of that is that the capacitor now begins to discharge through R2. The only difference between the single 555, dual 556, and quad 558 (both 14-pin types), is the common power rail. For the rest everything remains the same as the single version, 8-pin 555. As soon as the voltage across the capacitor reaches 1/3 of the supply voltage, the lower comparator is triggered. That again causes the control flip-flop to set and the output to go high. Transistor T1 cuts off and again the capacitor begins to charge. That cycle continues to repeat with the capacitor alternately charging and discharging, as the comparators cause the flip-flop to be repeatedly set and reset. The resulting output is a continuous stream of rectangular pulses. The frequency of operation of the astable circuit is dependent upon the values of R1, R2, and C. The frequency can be calculated with the formula: f = 1/(.693 x C x (R1 + 2 x R2)) The Frequency f is in Hz, R1 and R2 are in ohms, and C is in farads. The time duration between pulses is known as the 'period', and usually designated with a 't'. The pulse is on for t1 seconds, then off for t2 seconds. The total period (t) is t1 + t2 (see fig. 10). That time interval is related to the frequency by the familiar relationship: f = 1/t or t = 1/f
Page | 38
when connected as shown in Fig. The ratio of the time duration when the output pulse is high to the total period is known as the duty-cycle. A duty-cycle of 80% means that the output pulse is on or high for 80% of the total period. 9b.693(R1+R2)C t2 = . Page | 39 .693 x R2 x C The 555.The time intervals for the on and off portions of the output depend upon the values of R1 and R2. can produce duty-cycles in the range of approximately 55 to 95%. The duty-cycle can be adjusted by varying the values of R1 and R2. The duty-cycle can be calculated with the formula: D = t1/t = (R1 + R2) / (R1 + 2R2) You can calculate t1 and t2 times with the formulas below: t1 = .
CHAPTER 5 Adc interfacing with 8051 and 555 timer Page | 40 .
5. ADC INTERFACING WITH 8051 MICROCONTROLLER AND 555 TIMER INTERFACING OF ADC AND 8051 MICROCONTROLLER USING 555 TIMER: General Circuit Diagram of Final Working Model Diagram Figure 14 WORKING: 1. As the output obtained from Electromagnetic sensor is in the range of mV range so an amplifier of gain 20 is used to convert the analog voltage obtained from sensor into 5V Page | 41 .
range. 4. Now the Voltage obtained is applied to input terminal of ADC.4 P2.3 P2. Port of 8051 microcontroller was programmed in Assembly language (as shown in the program): PROGRAM: ADC_A ADC_B ADC_C ALE OE EOC P2. 2.6 ORG 0000H MOV P1.#00H CLR ALE CLR START CLR OE SETB EOC INIT: CLR ADC_A CLR ADC_B CLR ADC_C CALL DELAY_SMALL SETB ALE CALL DELAY_SMALL SETB START CALL DELAY_SMALL CLR ALE CLR START CALL DELAY_LONG Page | 42 .1 P2.#0FFH MOV P.0 P2.2 P2. The working of ADC is tested . 3.
A SJMP INIT DELAY_SMALL: MOV R0. The above program is a test program for single analog input 6.WAIT SETB OE CALL DELAY_SMALL MOV A. The above program was running successfully and as we are not controlling any output of ADC so the output of Port 0 of microcontroller was the same that of ADC output channels 7.#10 NOP NOP DJNZ R0. Page | 43 .DELAY_LONG RET 5. The above program was tested for 5 Volt and 0 Volt analog inputs.#40H NOP NOP DJNZ R1.WAIT : JNB EOC. P1 MOV P0.DELAY SMALL RET DELAY_LONG: MOV R1.
244 0.Table for data acquired from electromagnetic sensor and the corresponding digital output: Sr.912 2.187 0.074 2.051 1. Angular Speed (RPM) 1600 1325 1215 1140 1052 845 705 400 250 Voltage O/P of electromagnetic sensor(V) 0.159 0.800 2.188 2.137 0.206 0.850 2.219 0.055 Amplifier O/P V1 3.199 0.257 0.825 Digital output 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 157 149 146 143 138 122 105 65 42 Page | 44 .084 0.692 2. No.
CHAPTER 6 Data acquisition card pcl-207 Page | 45 .
A high quality MUX in the input stage provides 8 single ended analog inputs.015% reading +/-1 bit. Page | 46 .1 SCOPE OF PCL-207 CARD The PCL-207 is a low cost high performance analog interface card for IBM/PC/XT/AT and compatible computers. It uses the hardware based successive approximation method. automatic testing and factory automation. 1. These applications include data acquisition.6. cost effective multifunction data acquisition card for IBM PC/XT/AT and compatible computers. Industrial Measurements/Automation The PCL-207 has great scope in this field. The specifications of this half sized card and software support makes it ideal for a wide range of applications in industrial and laboratory environments. Data Acquisition Using PCL-207 PCL 207 The PCL-207 low cost AD/DA card is an easy to use. The output channel provides fast settling time with accuracy. independent of each other. The true 12 bit conversion gives an overall accuracy of 0.2 APPLICATION AREAS Features of the PCL-207 card makes it suitable for various applications . providing 25 thousand samples per second acquisition rate. Standard input and output voltage ranges are user selectable. process control. 6. This card can be used to develop a continuous monitoring system for industrial automation. Some applications are discussed below. 6.
Further action can be taken on the DAC channel depending on the software design.30v max. The PCL card is provided with application software package. The PCL-207 can also be widely used in laboratory measurements.5v continuous +/. This makes the PCL-207 card highly versatile in the field of process control.1bit Software trigger Program control Page | 47 Conversion type : Converter : Conversion speed: Accuracy Linearity Trigger mode Data transfer : : : : . 6. Process control A continuous process can be made to receive feedback from a monitored system and any variation can be detected by the ADC. 0.3 SPECIFICATIONS The data acquisition card has the following specification: 1. This will inform the ibm pc.1 bit +/.2.015% of reading +/. The PCL-207 provides powerful and easy to use software driver routines which can be accessed by the basic call statement. Successive approximation AD574 or equivalent 25 microsecond max. Analog Input (A/D converter) Channels Resolution Input Range Overvoltage : : : : 8 single ended 12 bits Bipolar +/. Signal analysis etc.
05v) 12 bit monolithic multityping Reference voltage: Conversion type : Analog devices Linearity Output drive Settling time : : : : AD7541 AKN or equivalent +/. max100 ma -12V:typ 20 ma.½ bit +/.2.5 ma max 30 micro seconds 3. Analog Output (D/A converter) Channels Resolution Output range : : : 1 channel 12 bits 0 to +5 v or 0 to +10v Internal -5v and -10v(+/-0. General Specifications Power consumption: +5V: typ 100 ma. max 500ma +12V:typ 40 ma. max 50ma I/O connector : 20 pin post headers for analog I/O ports Page | 48 .
An 8 way DIP switch is present on board out of which SW1-SW6 is used for base address selection and SW7 and SW8 are used for software trigger selection.6. OFF-1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 A4-A9 corresponds to PC bus address lines. Valid addresses are from hex 000 to hex 3F0.4 Hardware Details Base Address Selection: Some of the PC peripheral devices and interface cards are controlled through input/output ports. The factory setting is hex 220. The PCL-207 requires 16 consecutive address location in the I/O space. I/O Address Switch selection Range(Hex) 1 A9 2 A8 3 A7 4 5 6 A4 A6 A5 000-00F 100-10F 200-20F 210-21F 220-22F 300-30F 3F0-3FF NOTE: ON-0 .If the user wants to change the default value to another value then before installing the card in the computer he must change the switch setting to any one of the following addresses. Page | 49 . These ports are addressed using the I/O port address space.
GND A. accessible through the rear of the PC.GND A.GND A. Two reference voltage are present on the board. It is used to select the D/A reference voltage.GND A.GND A.GND PIN NO.GND A.GND A.GND JUMPER SELECTION Only one jumper JP1 is provided on the PCL-207 card. SIGNAL NAME A/D 0 A/D 1 A/D 2 A/D 3 A/D 4 A/D 5 A/D 6 A/D 7 D/A A. 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 SIGNAL NAME A.GND A.GND A. The pin assignment of this connector is as given below. Page | 50 . 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 PIN NO.CONNECTOR PIN ASSIGNMENT PCL-207 I provided with a single 20 pin FRC connector CN1.
The latched digital value is fed to the DAC logic for D/A conversion.Figure 14 6. The analog output is fed to a buffer and finally to the 20 pin FRC connector. When the software routine addresses the DIP switch address.5 BLOCK DIAGRAM DESCRIPTION The base address is selected by the DIP switch. In the D/A operation the digital input from the PC is fed to a latch through the data buffer. the card is enabled. The reference voltage generator produces the desired reference voltage which are jumper selectable. Page | 51 .
one containing the higher byte and the other lower byte. The data is fed to the IBM PC bus through the data buffer.In the A/D operation any one of the 8 channels present on the 20 pin FRC can be selected by the MUX. The ADC can be software triggered by outputting the required through the specific address register. I/O PORT ADDRESS MAP The following table shows the location of each register and driver relative to the base address. REGISTER STRUCTURE AND FORMAT: The PCL-207 requires 16 consecutive addresses in the input output space. A summary of the functions of each address and the data format of each register is given below. In order to program the PCL-207 a good understanding of the 16 registers addressable from the selected I/O port base address is necessary. For impedance matching the input signal is buffered and then fed to the ADC. The converted data can be read through two latches. LOCATION Base+0 +1 +2 +3 +4 +5 +6 +7 +8 +9 +10 +11 +12 +13 READ N/U N/U N/U N/U A/D low byte A/D high byte N/U N/U N/U N/U N/U N/U N/U N/U WRITE N/U N/U N/U N/U D/A low byte D/A high byte N/U N/U N/U N/U MUX scan channel Software A/D trigger Software A/D trigger N/U Page | 52 .
an 8 bit register is not big enough to accommodate all 12 bits of data. Therefore A/D data is stored in two registers located at address BASE+4 and BASE+5. A/D HIGH BYTE BASE+5 D7 0 D6 0 D5 0 D4 D3 D2 D1 D0 AD8 DRDY AD11 AD10 AD9 Page | 53 .+14 +15 NOTE: N/U-Not Used N/U N/U N/U N/U BASE+11 and BASE+12 can be selected through SW7 and SW8 of the DIP switch. A/D LOW BYTE BASE+4 D7 AD7 D6 AD6 D5 AD5 D4 AD4 D3 AD3 D2 AD2 D1 D0 AD1 AD0 2. Their combinations are as given below: SW7 ON OFF SW8 OFF ON LOCATION BASE+11 BASE+12 A/D DATA REGISTERS: The PCL-207 performs 12 bit A/D conversions. DATA FORMAT: 1.
DATA FORMAT: BASE+10 Scan channel D7 x D6 x D5 x D4 x D3 x D2 CL2 D1 CL1 D0 CL0 Channel 0 Channel 1 Channel 2 Channel 3 Channel 4 Channel 5 Channel 6 Channel 7 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 The PCL-207 A/D conversion is triggered by software. The MUX switches to a new channel when written to this register. digital calibrator or a stable and noise free DC voltage source to perform the calibration. The low nibble provides the scan channel number.6 CALIBERATION In data acquisition and control.MUX SCAN REGISTR: The MUX scan register is a write only register using address BASE+10. 6. It is necessary to have a digital voltmeter. Page | 54 . The software trigger is controlled by the application program issued software command. it is important to constantly calibrate the measurement device to maintain its accuracy.
D/A Calibration The demo program DEMO04. Other voltages can be applied to the input to check the linearity. Set the D/A data to 4095 to get full scale output. 2.BAS can be run to read the A/D data when standard voltages are applied to the input channel.PCL-207 VR ASSIGNMENT: There are 3 variables (VR) on the PCL-207 to assist in making accurate adjustment on the A/D and D/A channels. Measure the output voltage with a precision voltmeter. Page | 55 . Apply +4. The function of each VR is listed below: VR1: D/A gain adjustment VR2: A/D offset adjustment VR3: A/D gain adjustment A/D Calibration The demo program DEMO02. Adjust VR1 (D/A gain) to get the correct full scale voltage.BAS is run in order to make D/A calibration. Apply a short to the input channel and adjust VR2 (offset) to obtain zero data. 1. The users should choose the D/A range to be calibrated by setting the jumper JP.9963V to the input channel and adjust VR3 (gain) so that the data lies between 2046 and 2047.
CHAPTER 7 Conclusion and reference Page | 56 .
Page | 57 . using 555 timer. Owing to shifting of most instrumentation system towards PC compatibility it offer more advantage compared to 89c51 based data acquisition system.g. For e. Future work: We have used both model for acquiring and processing analog input but with slight modification it can be used in control application. The designed model was programmed in assembly level language for single analog input and was tested under proper condition. Also we have used PCL-207 as an interface to realize PC based data acquisition in partial fulfillment. on the basis of data acquired from tachogenerator voltage driving can be varied to maintain the speed at desired value.CONCLUSION Here in our project we have designed an 8 single ended input channel data acquisition system using ATMEL89c51 microcontroller and ADC0808CCN analog to digital converter. Also it is more flexible as program can be changed according to requirement repeatedly.
Data acquisition technique using personal computers by Howard Austurlitz. Phi Private Limited. 5.2005 Princople of Measurement system 3rd ed. Bentley John P. Pearson education 6.2007 Modern electronics Instrumentation and measurement system 2nd ed. PHI Publication. Page | 58 . PHI Publication. 7. ADC0808ccn Datasheet 1. Newnes Publication. PC-Based Instrumentation and control by Mike Tooley. and Cooper William D. 2. Gayakward . Helfrick Albet D.by N. 4.A.REFERENCES PC-Based Instrumentation. ATMEL89c51 Datasheet 8. Opamps & Linear Integrated Circuits by R. 3.Mathivanan.
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“I think it was a part, something for all of us. I can’t speak for anyone except myself, but I think it’s something that affects us all, in terms of our own personal maturity...
Catawba Pottery Tradition Withstands the Test of Time
“Catawba Pottery is the oldest Native pottery tradition east of the Mississippi River that’s been produced continuously throughout time,” Catawba Potter Keith “Little Bear” Brown explains.
Catawba Pottery used to have solely utilitarian uses but is now modernly created as artwork. Catawba Potters have been collecting their clay from along the Catawba River banks in South Carolina for several generations. Brown says, “We still go to a location that I know that my great, great grandmothers went to, in that same area. We still gather the clay and mix the clay and build it by hand.”
Christopher Judge, the Assistant Director at the Native American Studies Center in Lancaster, South Carolina, weighs in, “I think the unique thing about Catawba Pottery is they are locked into one clay hole, one small spot on the landscape that they feel is the best to do their pottery. If they do use another clay, they will not sign it ‘Catawba’ on the bottom; they will just put their name.”
Brown hopes that “others will see the importance of the tradition…its connection to our past and our future.” Judge adds that “it’s important because it’s one of those unique things about Lancaster…it’s just one of those things, but it’s from a different culture, the culture that was dominant here 300 years ago, so I think that’s the important part.” | <urn:uuid:3cd50930-0c44-49f8-8be2-335a54375708> | {
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The state Department of Public Health on Monday announced it is recommending that private well owners test their wells for arsenic and uranium.
These naturally occurring metals are found in groundwater in sporadic locations across the state and can lead to adverse health effects, the health department said in a news release.
“Recent well testing in various towns around Connecticut has found arsenic and uranium,” said DPH Epidemiologist Brian Toal. “While the distribution of contaminated wells has been sporadic, there have been enough findings statewide to prompt recommended testing for both metals in all Connecticut towns.”
Wells should be tested at the time of sale of the home and also when a new well is drilled. Wells should be tested again every five years. If levels are found to be higher than state or federal criteria, homeowners have a number of effective treatment options to lower levels of the metals to less concerning levels. The cost for testing for both metals can range between $65 and $100, the health department said.
“The only way to know if these metals are present in your private well is to have your well tested,” Toal said. “Since tests for arsenic and uranium are not usually part of a standard well analysis, homeowners will need to specifically ask labs to analyze for these metals.”
Arsenic and uranium are metals that occur naturally in bedrock all over the world. When groundwater comes in contact with the bedrock, the metals may leach out and contaminate private wells. Both metals are considered toxic and can have a variety of adverse health effects if people are exposed at high enough levels and for a long period of time.
Arsenic is classified as a human cancer-causing agent, which has been associated with increased risk of lung, bladder and skin cancers. The type of uranium found in groundwater is not considered a radioactive risk and is therefore not a major cancer concern. However, the toxicity of the uranium metal has been associated with adverse effects on kidney function.
For information, visit: http://www.ct.gov/dph/lib/dph/environmental_health/eoha/pdf/03_arsenic_in_drinking_water.pdf; and: http://www.ct.gov/dph/lib/dph/environmental_health/eoha/pdf/uranium_in_well_water.pdf. | <urn:uuid:5d4fe968-ad59-425f-a229-bce8fb56f587> | {
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Thursday, September 21, I went to a Nurse Practitioner Network dinner that was sponsored by Sanofi, the drug company responsible for Praluent (alirocumab). Praluent in an injectable drug that lowers LDL, a specific type of cholesterol. The lecture was given by Dr. Allen Taylor, who is a cardiologist that works to treat and prevent cardiology patients from adverse events.
First, let’s start from the beginning. What is cholesterol? Cholesterol is a waxy substance located in the bloodstream. There are three types of cholesterol- LDL, HDL, and triglycerides. LDL is short for low density lipids. LDL is also known as “bad cholesterol” because it is associated with strokes, heart attack, plaque buildup in the arteries, and heart disease. HDL is short for high density lipids. HDL is also known as “good cholesterol” because it lowers the risk for plaque buildup, stroke, heart attack, and heart disease. Triglycerides are a type of cholesterol linked to sugar intake and fat storage. The total of these three numbers is what most patients know as their cholesterol level. Cholesterol can come from diet (example: animal fats) but it is also produced in the liver. We always hear of cholesterol in negative terms, however, it is important to know that the body uses a certain amount of cholesterol to function. But, as the saying goes, too much of a good thing isn’t good, and cholesterol is no exception. Once the cholesterol levels reach a certain point, it can lead to diseases.
The point that Dr. Taylor stressed during his lecture was that our patients should strive for an LDL under 70. While some patients can achieve this with diet and exercise, others may need a medication. Rarely, patients may have what is known as heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia, which means it is an inherited condition. When diet and exercise are not sufficient, patients may need to be placed on a statin drug. Currently, Crestor is the most potent statin drug, showing a 46.3% reduction in LDL.
Sanofi developed a drug called Praluent that is a once or twice monthly injectable medication that specifically reduces LDL, the type of cholesterol most associated with cardiovascular diseases. Praluent works by targeting a naturally occurring protein in the blood called PCSK9. PCSK9 is responsible for destroying the LDL receptors (the things that take the LDL out of the bloodstream). Praluent is an antibody, meaning the body recognizes it as a natural chemical. The medication, during their 24 week trial, was able to get 83% of patients to their targeted LDL (<70).
Although Praluent works effectively, not everyone is eligible at this time. Currently, the drug is being approved for patients who are already on the highest amount of a statin drug with established heart and vascular disease or an increased familial history with very high LDL. It also may be indicated for patients who have these conditions and are unable to tolerate a statin medication. A prior authorization may also be indicated.
I enjoyed hearing Dr. Taylor speak on Thursday and I was able to learn, not only about a new drug, but also about the goals for cholesterol therapy. It is helpful to be able to interact with a specialist and ask specific questions that enable me to treat my patients more effectively. I look forward to attending more lectures in the future and sharing my experiences in the PCPG blog. | <urn:uuid:57290416-3d70-4f29-a676-62eb16cb5f74> | {
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The predetermination of the performance of a polyphase a-c. machine is greatly facilitated by the fact that at constant voltage and frequency its magnetic field is of constant intensity and rotating with uniform velocity. It is easy to form a mental picture of lines of ferce moving in space and being cut by conductors, which may be moving or stationary. Furthermore, the rate of cutting, and therefore the generated voltages, which form the basis for quantitative analysis, are readily determined by the relative motion of the flux and the conductors. Because of the ease with which a physical conception can be formed of a rotating magnetic field, the idea of considering a single-phase alternating field as made up of two oppositely rotating fields has been found very useful. In a paper entitled “A Physical Conception of the Operation of the Single-phase Induction Motor” Transactions A. I. E. E., Vol. XXXVII), Mr. B. G. Lamme has given an excellent description of single-phase induction motor operation based on a conception of two oppositely rotating magnetic fields. From the discussion of Mr. Lamme's paper, it appears to be the concensus of opinion that the method he uses furnishes the simplest and clearest physical conception of the single-phase motor. However, this is not the method usually employed in the quantitative analysis. Reference to text books will show that the mathematical treatment is usually based on the so called “cross field” theory. In this method the secondary induced voltage is considered made up of two components, one the voltage induced by transformer action of the alternating field and the other the voltage generated by rotation of the secondary conductors in the magnetic field. It has been argued against the method based on two oppositely rotating fields, also known as the “Rotating Field” theory, that it is more apt to lead to erroneous results, requires more expert handling and that it is an indir- ct method, being based on the previously determined performance of the polyphase motor. However, the main argument against it seems to be its limitation to induction motors only, and that it must be abandoned when we come to motors of the commutator type. Even those who otherwise favor the method appear to agree that it is not applicable to commutator motors as we are then no longer dealing with induction machines, but with shunt or series motors, as the case may be. The objection to the rotating field theory, that it is applicable to induction motors only, would be a serious one if it were valid. However, it will be shown in this paper that the theory can be readily applied to commutator machines also, and that so far from being more apt than other methods to lead to erroneous results, it undoubtedly furnishes the simplest and most direct means for mathematical deductions in the more complicated problems where three or more circuits are inductively related and moving with respect to one another. | <urn:uuid:ee5b8ea3-5448-475c-9afa-7fad0d23cd4c> | {
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Heeey everyone .
Well I like Math , love it actually , which is quite weird as I don't do Science subjects but am more of a Business person myself lol.
There is no denying that Math can be a pain in the butt at times but hey we can't really live without it .
I have my final A level Statistics exam tomorrow , and I'm stuck on Linear Combinations of Random Variables. Particularly calculating the variance ! I do not understand why we can use both these approaches and when: 1.) a^2 x Var(X) and 2.) a x Var(X)
When do we square and when do we not?
This text comes in my book : "It is important to distinguish clearly between situations in which a single observation is multiplied by a constant and those in which several different observations of the same random variable are added."
A clearer explanation ANYONE? I would really appreciate the help. Need at least a B on my paper tomorrow. | <urn:uuid:c3050df2-eb45-4ec5-8aa8-6b03cd40c02d> | {
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The largest pine in the U.S., the white pine has soft, flexible needles and is bluish-green in
color. Needles are 2½ - 5 inches long. White pines have good needle retention, but have little aroma. They
aren't recommended for heavy ornaments.
The white spruce is excellent for ornaments; its short, stiff needles are ½ to ¾ in. long
and have a blunt tip. They are bluish-green - green in color, but have a bad aroma when needles are crushed.
They have excellent foliage color and have a good, natural shape. The needle retention is better in a white
spruce than it is among other spruces.
The Fraser fir branches turn slightly upward. They have good form and needle-retention.
They are dark blue-green in color. They have a pleasant scent, and excellent shipping characteristics as well.
COLORADO BLUE SPRUCE:
Often used for stuffing pine-pillows, these sharp needles are 1 to 1 ½ in. in
length. This species is bluish-gray in color. Needles have an unpleasant odor when crushed. This Christmas Tree
has good symmetrical form and an attractive blue foliage. It also has good needle retention.
These small, narrow needles are around 1 to 1½ in. in length and occur in rows. They
have good foliage color, good needle retention, and a pleasing shape and aroma.
These soft needles are dark green to blue green in color and are approximately 1 to 1 ½ in. in
length. Douglas-fir needles radiate in all directions from the branch. When crushed, these needles have a
sweet fragrance. They are one of the top major Christmas tree species in the U.S.
These needles are ¾ to 1½ in. in length and last a very long time. This tree has a dark-green
appearance and retains its pleasing fragrance throughout the Christmas season.
Approximately 1 in. in length, these needles don't even fall when they're dry, providing
excellent needle retention. The color is a bright green. A common Christmas tree in the U.S., the scotch
pine has an excellent survival rate, is easy to replant, has great keepability and will remain fresh throughout the
These needles turn upward, exposing the lower branches. Known for its beauty, the noble fir
has a long keepability, and its stiff branches make it a good tree for heavy ornaments, as well as providing
excellent greenery for wreaths and garland.
The most popular Christmas tree in the southeast, the Leyland cypress is dark
green-gray in color and has very little aroma. Because it is not in the pine or fir family, it does not produce
sap, so those with an allergy to sap can still enjoy a Leyland as their Christmas Tree.
These branches are stout and woody and respond very well to trimming. The tree is small to
medium in size and its foliage becomes extremely dense. Aside from being a good nesting site for
woodpeckers, the Virginia pine continues to be one of the more popular Christmas tree in the south.
If you'd like to learn more about a particular species of Christmas tree, visit our Education Center | <urn:uuid:e0ba3c57-860b-4bfa-9ba5-85c8c6206e82> | {
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Fidel’s anti-American speeches during the crisis were epic, says Suchlicki. “They lasted sometimes six, seven, eight hours and were broadcast on every channel and every radio station. The speeches railed against the United States, and warned of a Yanqui attack at any moment. The Cubans did not realize the danger they were in; it all happened too quickly. People may have seen trucks covered in tarps, or maybe low-flying planes, but they had no idea what was under those tarps or what those planes were looking at. I think most Cubans on the ground at that time knew that they were heading toward a conflict with America.”
The Cuban government ordered all armed forces units to be ready for combat. Del Pino was told to report to a secret command post at armed forces headquarters on the outskirts of Havana, where Castro urgently needed an air force adviser.
“We were to go to one of the various tunnels under construction along the banks of the Almendares River,” he writes in Inside Castro’s Bunker. “This particular tunnel was not yet finished, but offered protection against the air attacks we were anticipating.” The tunnel was about 13 feet wide, 20 feet high, and 500 feet long. Every 100 feet, on either side, were 32- by 98-feet-deep chambers serving as work stations for various government officials. “The tunnel was strong enough to withstand a nuclear attack, but the engineers had failed to provide any ventilation system, and the resultant lack of oxygen and high humidity was almost intolerable. Nevertheless, with the imminent threat of war, the high command felt this was the safest and most reasonable place for the main command post,” del Pino writes.
On October 25, with the United Nations attempting to resolve the crisis, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev sent a coded message to Kennedy through the Soviet Embassy in Washington proposing to withdraw the missiles in exchange for an end to the naval blockade, and a guarantee that the U.S. would not attack Cuba. That evening, according to del Pino, Castro arrived at the riverside bunker, read the command post reports, and grew livid when he learned the Soviets were negotiating with the Americans behind his back. He called for his Soviet advisers and shouted at them that he was ordering all Cuban military units to fire on any U.S. aircraft in Cuban airspace.
Castro paced back and forth, rolling his cigar between thumb and fingers, del Pino writes. “Then he fixed his gaze on me and, with the cigar still between his fingers, pointed at me asking, ‘What chance do our MiG-15s and MiG-19s have of shooting down the Yanquis’ F-101s and the other planes that make daily reconnaissance flights?’ ”
Del Pino answered that the chances were not very good. He pointed out that the Cuban pilots had no radar and would be able to engage only if they were lucky enough to chance upon a visual sighting of an enemy aircraft. Under the circumstances, he told his president, he was not hopeful of shooting down U.S. aircraft. Castro was undeterred; he wanted both “anti-aircraft artillery and the pilots to open fire on any Yanqui planes they spot!” (The Cubans scrambled only once during the crisis, when a MiG-19 was sent up after an Air Force RF-101 Voodoo, but the MiG didn’t have air-to-air guided missiles.)
At 5:45 a.m. on October 26, del Pino sent a coded message to the air bases at San Antonio de los Baños, Santa Clara, and Holguin: “Fire on the Indians.”
Later that day, Khrushchev sent Kennedy another secret letter, this time delivered by Soviet ambassador Anatoly Dobrynin to the president’s brother, Attorney General Robert Kennedy. It called for the United States to also withdraw its Jupiter missiles from Turkey in exchange for removal of the missiles in Cuba. President Kennedy, Dobrynin was told, was anxious to get rid of the already obsolete Jupiters, and had ordered their removal some time ago. But since those missiles were installed under the auspices of NATO, it would be difficult for the United States to unilaterally remove them without damaging the structure of the alliance, the younger Kennedy said.
The next morning, October 27, an unarmed U-2F piloted by 35-year-old Air Force Major Rudolf Anderson Jr. took off from McCoy Air Force Base in central Florida and headed for Cuba. On station at 70,000 feet, he could see the curvature of Earth. On the ground stood batteries of Soviet surface-to-air missiles. At noon, three SA-2 anti-aircraft missiles nestled in the tropical foliage of Banés were launched toward Anderson’s airplane; two hit it, killing him.
“Much speculation has surrounded this U-2 incident,” del Pino says. “It has even been said that the missile unit had been taken over by Cubans and that the Cubans had opened fire on the U-2. This is sheer fantasy. Anyone who is knowledgeable in the complexities of these missile systems can understand that it takes at least two years of learning and training for an officer to be capable of operating them with minimum efficiency. At the time of the missile crisis, we didn’t have the slightest idea of the operating principles of an anti-aircraft missile.” | <urn:uuid:d89aeca7-e964-4b5f-877c-8a32ebb93a6e> | {
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This is a temple that legends say was built in a day. It is also the only temple in
where the Kalyana (marriage) ceremony of the deities are conducted in the night. India
This is the
also known as Kodandarama Swamy in Vonimitta, a small town in Cuddapah district of Andhra Pradesh. temple of Rama
Vonimitta is just 28 kms from Cuddapah and it is near to Tirupathi. It is very close to the city of
The Kodandarama Swamy temple is several centuries old. It was constructed in one day by two devotees, Vontudu and Mittudu. The two devotes sacrificed their lives after constructing the temple.
The sacrifice of the devotees did not go in vain. They turned into statues and even today they are standing at the entrance of the temple. The place also is named after them-Vontimitta.
Another legend says they were thieves and that they gave water to Bukka Raya, the Vijayanagar Emperor. Pleased with this, the Raya named the place after them.
Vontimitta in Telugu also means a single hill. The
stands on a single hill. Kodandarama Temple
The idol of Rama in the temple which has three gopuras was consecrated by Jambhuvantha who also installed the idols of Sita and Lakshmana. Another peculiarity of this temple is that there is no idol of Anjeneya or Hanuman nearby. This, the locals say, is the only temple in
where Hanuman is nowhere to be seen near his Rama. India
However, Anjeneya has a separate temple near the
on a small hillock called Gandi. Kodandarama Temple
The three deities of Rama, Sita an Lakshmana in the
are carved out of a single stone or rock. Kodandarama Temple
The temple is in Vijayanagar style and the main mantapa built by the Vijayanagar kings, has a dancing Vigneshwara.
The walls of the temple and its pillars have beautiful carvings in the Vijayanagar style. The carvings are from the Ramayana and are exquisite.
There are two small ponds here- Rama Theertha, Lakshmana Theertha and a meditation hall. Locals say Rama and Lakshmana shit arrows into the earth so that water could come out and quench the thirst of people and animals.
The temple was initially built by the Cholas and subsequently by the Vijayanagars.
The temple has important links to Telugu and Haridasa literature.
One of the greatest Telugu poets, Tallapaka Annamacharya, visited the temple, and has composed poems praising Kodanda Rama.
Another Telugu poet, Mahakavi Bammera Pothana, lived here and dedicated his magnum opus, “Mahabhagavatham” to Kodanda Rama. Vavilakolanu Subba Rao, known as Andhra Valmiki for translating Valmiki’s Ramayana into Telugu, has also dedicated this work to Kodanda Rama of Vontimitta. The house where Subba Rao lived is now an ashram and visitors and travelers are welcome to stay here..
Another aspect of the temple is that it is located in the very region where Kishkinda Kanda, one of the seven Kandas of Ramayana took place. The
at Gandi is equally important for a pilgrim as it is believed that it was Rama himself who created the figure of Hanuman or Anjaneya. Anjenaya Temple
Incidentally, Tallapaka which is the birthplace of Annamacharya, who was a contemporary of Purandara Dasa, is located just six kms from Rajampet.
Annamacharya wrote 32,000 Kritis or compositions and he was a regular visitor to Tirupathi. Many of his compositions are in praise of Venkatesha or Balaji.
Tallapaka is known for its temples of Chennakesava and Siddheswara. There is also a Srichakra, idol of Eka Tataiah , an ardent disciple of Lord Parasurama, and the Annamayya Dhyana Mandira.
The TTD has adopted Tallapaka for development on the lines of Tiruvayaru. It organises the Annamacharya jayanthi regularly.
Cuddapah is 248 kms from
by road. It will take you a little more than five hours and you can stop at Madanapalle or Chitoor en route to Cuddapah. The Horsley Hills in Madanapalle are famous. The Bangalore is located here. Rishi Vally School
There are two road routes that you can choose from. The first is Chitoor-Tirupathi-Renigunta and then left to Rajampet and further to Vontimitta. The other route is Chitoor-Rayachoti and straight onto Rajampet. There are also trains from
to Cuddapah. Bangalore | <urn:uuid:234a418f-590c-4a95-a84a-0bc674b17033> | {
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We all know how to straighten our posture when we want to get a whiff of some wonderful smell, whether it’s perfume, an ocean breeze, or cinnamon buns. The sense of smell is one of the keenest senses. Over long periods of time, its memory is the most accurate of the senses. Here is an example that compares visual memory with olfactory (smell) memory. Most people remember what their old grade school looked like, but when they go back for a visit they find it’s much smaller than they remembered. That visual memory wasn’t quite accurate. But smell is different. Over many years we remember smells well, and we remember them accurately. Mom’s fresh baked bread? Kindergarten lunches? Fresh mowed lawn, or hay? An ocean breeze? We recognize those smells quickly and right as rain.
For this activity, it’s the smells of fresh-brewed morning coffee that participants want to find. Smell the Coffee is a fun, quick, and easy activity that marries deep breathing and a natural back-lengthening movement. It will help participants lift into tall, ribs-lifted posture, with abdominals braced and head and shoulders retracted and aligned. This combination enhances posture and core stability. Use it for those times at the beginning of class when you look out at your participants and they don’t seem quite ready for exercise. Maybe they’re slumping and not yet smiling . . . it’s as if they need a wake-up call. Smell the Coffee can come to the rescue and whisk away those doldrums. Pretty soon, participants may start liking this activity better than actual coffee!
Helps participants achieve tall sitting posture.
Uses memorable cues to evoke an ingrained sequence for tall sitting.
Begins posture exercises in a fun, easy, and social way with a warm and fuzzy feel.
Come up with a list of smells that would be easily recognizable by participants. Talk with your participants about their memories of favorite smells. Maybe laugh about some awful smells we remember just as well. Share some of your own favorite smells or smell memories. Then invite participants to do a little imaginative smelling.
Use the following cues.
- Close your eyes and take a deep breath. Try to find a favorite smell. (Mention some of the responses they said earlier.) Smell deeply. Can you smell it?
- Did your posture change with your deep breath? Are you sitting taller to catch that smell?
- Again, image the scent drifting by on a breeze. Can you smell it?
- Ask them to notice their posture.
- Did they sit up tall?
- Did they pull their back away from the back of the chair?
- Did they lift their ribs, their head, and their spine?
Now they are ready to try the activity again. This time they’ll have the concept in their mind and will know what they’re doing for posture. You might say something such as, "Okay everyone, wake up and smell the coffee! Give me a tall sit and take a deep breath in!" Here are some cues to use:
- Bring your back away from the back of the chair.
- Breathe in and pull yourself up tall.
- Ribs . . . spine . . . lifted.
- Smell the coffee? Enjoy the great aroma and smile.
- Exhale slowly and pull the shoulder blades back and down.
Progress the activity by adding some flexibility. Give the stretches a morning theme to fit with smelling the coffee. The next stretch can be a good-morning yawn. They reach up with one arm and breathe in deeply, as if yawning and stretching, and then reach with the other. They can push their arms out and around their back. It’s their morning coffee with you!
This is an excerpt from ABLE Bodies Balance Training. | <urn:uuid:9dd84722-adf8-4086-8483-8e5ffe6e52b8> | {
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Wild Bactrian camel (Camelus ferus)
|Also known as:||Mongolian wild camel|
|French:||Chameau De Bactriane, Chameau Domestique|
|Size||Length: 3 m|
Shoulder height: 1.8 – 2.3 m
|Weight||600 – 1000 kg (2)|
Classified as Critically Endangered (CR) on the IUCN Red List (1).
Previously thought to be the ancestor of all domestic camels (3), recent genetic studies have shown that the wild Bactrian camel (Camelus ferus) is in fact a distinct species, with an independent evolutionary history to its domestic relative (4).
The wild Bactrian camel is extremely well adapted for the harsh desert climate that it inhabits. Sandstorm damage is reduced by the dense eyelashes and the narrow nostrils that can be closed tightly against the storms (5). The two toes are connected with an undivided sole and are able to spread widely, allowing the camel greater ability to walk on sandy ground (2).
With a characteristic camel body shape, the wild Bactrian camel has a long curved neck, long legs and a split upper lip (6), borne at the end of the long triangular face (2). The coat of the wild Bactrian camel tends to be lighter than its domestic relative and is a sandier grey-brown colour (5). The coat of this species' becomes thick and shaggy in winter when temperatures can fall to -30 degrees Celsius (5), and is lost in big sections as temperatures increase (2).
Wild Bactrian camels were previously found across the deserts of southern Mongolia and northwestern China, into Kazakhstan (4). Years of persecution have reduced the species to fragmented populations, three in northwest China and one in Mongolia (1). The largest population is currently found in the Gashun Gobi Desert (Lop Nur) in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (1).
Found in the arid and sparsely vegetated Gobi and Gashun Gobi Deserts where habitat ranges from rocky mountainous regions to plains and high sand dunes (1).
Wild Bactrian camels are highly migratory, and herds will travel vast distances in search of food and water sources (4). Herds of up to 100 individuals may gather in the autumn at the beginning of the rutting season, usually in the more mountainous regions where there is a greater availability of water (4). Outside of the mating season, family groups are more common usually consisting of between 6 and 30 animals led by a dominant male (2). Gestation takes between 12 and 14 months and females usually give birth to a single young between March and April (2).
Camels feed mainly on shrubs; their humps act at as a rich fat store that allows them to go for long periods without food (5). They are also able to go without water (2), but despite the common misconception this is not stored in the camels’ humps. Once water is located, camels are able to drink as much as 57 litres at one time in order to replenish reserves they have lost (2). To conserve water, camels produce dry faeces and little urine and allow their body temperature to fluctuate, therefore reducing the need to sweat (5). In some areas, these camels have developed the remarkable ability of drinking salt-water slush; they are the only mammals capable of this feat (3).
Wild Bactrian camels have been heavily hunted for their meat and hide over the centuries (4), and today only a few highly fragmented populations persist (1). These camels continue to be persecuted mainly as they are seen as competition with domestic livestock for the precious water and grazing of the desert (1). Bactrian camels persisted in China even though the Gashun Gobi desert (Lop Nur) was used as a nuclear test site for 45 years (3), today further habitat loss has occurred with the development of a gas pipe-line in the north of the reserve (1) and highly toxic illegal mining (3). Competition with domestic camels and livestock as well as hybridisation with domestic camels poses a further threat to the survival of the unique Bactrian camel (1). The total population is predicted to undergo an 80% reduction over the next three generations, prompting the species to be listed as Critically Endangered by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) (1).
Areas of the Gobi and Gashun Gobi desert (Lop Nur), where the Bactrian camel remain, are protected by the Great Gobi Reserve in Mongolia which was established in 1982, and by the newly established national reserve ‘Lop Nur Wild Camel Reserve’ in China (1) (7). Both governments have agreed to protect this trans-boundary migrating species in a historic move (3). A captive breeding programme based in Mongolia and run by the Wild Camel Protection Foundation began in 2003, in an effort to safeguard the future of this fascinating animal (3). Recent studies of dromedary (one-humped) camels (Camelus dromedarius) have revealed an extraordinary immune system; camel milk has been found to arrest diabetes in humans and has proved to be a substitute for insulin, with these results prompting hopes that further studies of the wild Bactrian camel may yield similarly remarkable discoveries (3) (7).
For more information on the wild Bactrian camel, see:
The Wild Camel Protection Foundation:
BBC Wildlife Finder:
EDGE of Existence:
Authenticated by John Hare of the Wild Camel Protection Foundation
http://www.wildcamels.com/, November 2004.
- Gestation: the state of being pregnant; the period from conception to birth.
- Hybridisation: Cross-breeding with a different species.
IUCN Red List (September, 2010)
Ultimate ungulate (November 2002)
Wild Camel Protection Foundation (November 2002)
- Burger, P., Silbermayr, K., Charruau, P., Lipp, L., Dulamtseren, E., Yadmasuren, A. and Walzer, C. (in press). Genetic status of wild camels (Camelus ferus) in Mongolia.
Animal Info (November 2002)
- Macdonald, D. (2001) The New Encyclopedia of Mammals. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
- Hare, J. (2004) Pers. comm. | <urn:uuid:ae3a9ad8-ee59-439d-89a8-c4539f17dcd0> | {
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What is the largest hummingbird? What is the smallest?
|A||The largest hummingbird in the world is the Giant Hummingbird of
South America. It weighs about 20 grams. Fernando Ortiz-Crespo of Quito
Ecuador says, in flight, this bird looks like a sandpiper with tiny legs. The smallest
hummingbird in the world is the Bee Hummingbird of Cuba. It weighs only 2.2
In North America the largest hummingbird is, depending on which way you measure it, either the Blue-throated and the Magnificent Hummingbird. The smallest in North America is the Calliope Hummingbird.
Larry & Terrie
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A scuba diving tourist feeds a giant potato cod in the Great Barrier Reef. Photo: Pete Niesen / Shutterstock.com.
Dredging set to swamp decades of Great Barrier Reef protection
4th December 2013
After decades of work, A$200 million in taxpayer funding and even more from farmers' pockets, Australia has a good news story to tell about the Great Barrier Reef. But as John Brodie reveals, all that is now at risk from vast dredging operations.
For all the small gains we’ve made so far, it looks likely that pollution of the Great Barrier Reef is set to soar.
Thanks to an extraordinary effort, we have stopped at least 360,000 tonnes of sediment and large amounts of other agricultural run-off polluting Australia’s most famous natural wonder. Yet all that effort to protect the reef looks like it’s about to be swamped.
140 million tonnes of marine sediment are proposed to be dredged during port development in the Great Barrier Reef over the next decade, according to my calculations from port development plans. Most of the dredge spoil will be dumped into the waters of the Great Barrier Reef, with the rest placed in reclamation areas on the coast within the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.
That enormous amount of sediment would have severe effects on inshore coral reefs and seagrass meadows - which provide shelter and food for fish, turtles and dugongs - because the cloudier water reduces the sunlight needed for healthy coral and seagrass growth.
Federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt recently rejected Gladstone Ports' bid to dump 12 million cubic metres of dredge spoils into the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.
But there are other port developments up for approval, including a decision due by 13 December on whether Abbot Point can be expanded to become one of the world’s biggest coal ports, which would involve dumping 3 million cubic metres of dredged spoil into the reef.
United Nations agency UNESCO has raised concerns about proposals to dump dredged soil in the reef’s World Heritage Area, and is due to rule in February next year on whether to add the Great Barrier Reef to its World Heritage in Danger list.
While largely symbolic, that UNESCO listing could hurt Australia economically if it hit reef tourism, which brings in $6.4 billion a year in direct spending and employs more than 64,000 people.
So before any more decisions are made, now is a crucial time to examine how the current port proposals could affect the health of the Great Barrier Reef - and whether there is a better way to develop ports without such a high risk to the reef.
A glimmer of hope
Starting in 2009, the Reef Rescue program has been working to reduce the amount of agricultural sediment being washed from farms into rivers and out into the reef.
On top of the A$200 million in government funding to date, its success has meant that during the election, the federal Coalition pledged to continue spending a further A$200 million over the next five years on the Reef Rescue program, renamed the Reef 2050 Plan.
That A$400 million in government funding comes on top of the money and time farmers have put into the program to introduce better management practices to reduce run-off of sediment, nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) and pesticides to the Great Barrier Reef.
Large increases in the amount of sediment discharged from rivers to the Great Barrier Reef have taken place since the beginning of agricultural development of the reef catchments. Current estimates suggest four times as much sediment is now discharged than 200 years ago.
But in the first two years of Reef Rescue, agricultural sediment washing into the reef was reduced by 360,000 tonnes from 2009 to 2011. And there have been signs of further progress between then and this year, although it’s too early to accurately report the latest figures.
The success of this program, part of the broader Reef Plan, is a testament to a 30-year effort to bring together farmers, scientists, natural resource management bodies, state and federal government staff, conservation groups and industry.
Reef Rescue’s success in reducing pollution of the Great Barrier Reef is a small ray of hope in what is largely a depressing story.
I was the lead author on the 2013 Scientific Consensus Statement on the Great Barrier Reef for the Queensland government.
As our report noted, "key Great Barrier Reef ecosystems are showing declining trends in condition due to continuing poor water quality, cumulative impacts of climate change and increasing intensity of extreme events."
But while water quality was still known to be poor, finally some progress was being made to improve it by reducing pollution from agricultural sources.
Yet for all the small gains we’ve made so far, it looks likely that pollution of the Great Barrier Reef is set to soar.
Expanding ports along the reef
As well as agricultural run-off, large amounts of sediment are also generated during dredging for port development along the Great Barrier Reef coast, with suspended sediment being generated both during the dredging itself and then in the spoil dumping process.
Major ports along the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) coast include Cairns, Townsville, Abbot Point (which is between Townsville and Mackay), Hay Point near Mackay and Gladstone’s Port Curtis. However, they all lie outside of the boundary of the GBR Marine Park (GBRMP).
All the marine parts of the ports are inside the boundary of the GBR World Heritage Area (GBRWHA). (The difference between the marine park and the World Heritage area is explained here.)
Large exports of coal occur from Gladstone, Hay Point and Abbot Point, while Cairns is mainly a cruise ship and sugar port and Townsville a metal ore and metal product port with sugar and general cargo also important. There are also proposals to develop large ports in Bathurst Bay on Cape York and in the Fitzroy River estuary near Rockhampton.
The ports of Cairns, Townsville, Abbot Point, Hay Point and Gladstone are all planning major developments to improve and expand capacity. In the case of Gladstone, this expansion has been underway for the last two years, particularly associated with the development of currently three, but potentially four or more, large coal seam gas processing and export facilities.
Dredging the coast
The expansion of these ports and the development of new ones involves extensive dredging. In addition to the dredging process the spoil has to be disposed of, usually by dumping at sea or dumping behind bunded areas on the coast.
Both these processes - dredging and spoil dumping - produce suspended sediment plumes. The suspended sediment may then been transported by currents (wind, tidal and ocean current driven) to various distances depending on the strength and direction of the currents.
The dispersal of the dredging and spoil dumping plumes and their suspended sediment content is modelled as part of the environmental impact assessment process by the developer’s consultants. Independent plume modelling has also been done at the same sites by consultants for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.
But in all cases, the potential adversely affected areas are much larger in GBRPMA’s modelling than in that done by the developer’s consultants.
Underestimation of the ecological effects of dredging is common in environmental impact assessments when compared with models developed independently of developers.
Our recent research - involving experts from James Cook University and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority - has found that the lack of independence in Australia’s environmental impact assessment process is a large part of why it is so ineffective.
Estimating the impact of dredging
By analysing environmental impact assessments and development applications for current port proposals, it is possible to estimate the likely amount of dredging that will occur if the developments go ahead as planned.
In my estimates, I have included the current dredging program in Gladstone (the Western Basin project).
The table below shows my best estimates of the potential dredging to occur over the next 10 years if all proposals went ahead. I have converted cubic metres (the units used for volume of dredged material) to tonnes by multiplying by 1.8, an estimate of the density of dredged material. This was done so that comparisons could be made with loads of sediment discharged from rivers.
Of course the numbers are uncertain as some projects will not go ahead. For instance, the Xstrata Balaclava Island proposal has recently been withdrawn from the approval process, so it was excluded from my calculations.
In addition, not all dredge spoil may be dumped at sea but some may behind bunds to form reclamation areas for future port activities, as will now be the case in Gladstone.
The probability of any project in the table below proceeding is based on entirely my own opinion.
The amount of dredging associated with current proposals to expand or build ports along the Great Barrier Reef coastline. Drawn by the author from development plans.
From this table it can be estimated that on average 14 million tonnes per year of dredge material could be produced over the next decade, of which a considerable proportion will be dumped within the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area, and a large but lesser amount in the Marine Park.
To put that in context, the total human-caused sediment load from agricultural sources, combined with much smaller contributions from urban development and mining, is estimated to average 6 million tonnes a year, out of a total sediment load of 9 million tonnes. (That is, 3 million tonnes is from natural sources.)
So the possible 14 million tonnes a year of sediment pollution from dredging could easily be 2.5 times more than all of the existing agricultural, urban development and mining pollution reaching the reef at present.
And it would dwarf - more than 38 times over, in one year alone - the 360,000 tonnes of pollution avoided by the Reef Plan over 2009 to 2011.
In 2007, CSIRO scientists confirmed that sediment plumes travel to the outer reef and beyond, and that pesticide run-offs may be polluting larger areas of the Great Barrier Reef than originally thought. AAP Image/CSIRO
Coral reefs, dugongs and turtles
The increased turbidity, or cloudiness, of the water would have severe effects on inshore coral reefs and seagrass meadows, by cutting the sunlight reaching the coral or grass and reducing its growth. That would have knock on effects for the local marine life, such as the dugong and turtles feeding on seagrass.
Those reefs and seagrass meadows have already been badly affected by recent large river floods that washed sediment and other pollutants into the coastal Great Barrier Reef and the additional stress of large quantities of additional sediment from dredging is likely to prevent recovery of these valuable assets.
It is sometimes claimed that material in dredge spoil is somehow less harmful to marine ecosystems, such as seagrass, fish and coral reefs, than the sediment from rivers. Yet there is no scientific evidence for this claim.
It is also often claimed that the dredge spoil is dumped into areas that are less sensitive to increased sedimentation and turbidity than the areas where river sediment ends up.
In fact, the reverse is likely to be the case. Sediment discharged out of rivers enters areas where sediment from the rivers has always been present (for the last 10,000 years), only now in greater quantities.
In contrast, dredge spoil is being dumped in areas that are not naturally exposed to large sediment loads.
The management of the dredging process is also defective. As noted earlier, our research found there is no real independence in the environmental impact assessment process, which are used to form the basis of how developments are managed.
Neither is there independence or transparency in the compliance monitoring program, which is also designed by consultants for the developer, and the decisions on the tenderers for the contracts made by the developer.
This has been highlighted by the current fiasco in the Gladstone, where it has just emerged that an outbreak of diseased fish in the Gladstone Harbour two years ago coincided with a toxic algal bloom that may have been fed by a leaking rock wall used to contain dredge spoils.
As The Australian reported this month, Gladstone Ports Corporation had known about the algal bloom and increased sediment from its infrastructure works for more than two years - but only recently made the reports publicly available.
How to develop ports and protect the reef
Yet it is possible to properly manage port developments along the sensitive Great Barrier Reef coast - and to see how, we only need to look at the last capital dredging project in the Port of Townsville in 1993.
In that case, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority held the funds for the environmental impact assessment and compliance monitoring, let the contracts and directly received the results of the compliance monitoring. No pressure was then placed on the consultants to get "acceptable" results.
A healthy section of the Great Barrier Reef, which stretches for 2000km and is one of the seven natural wonders of the world. AAP Image/James Cook University
Our research recommended that that Townsville process be used as a model for all large development projects. I am hopeful that the current planned expansion of the Port of Townsville will show the way again in how world best management practices can be applied in port developments in the Great Barrier Reef.
If the federal and Queensland governments sign off on the current proposals for port development along the Great Barrier Reef coastline, which are not up to the standard set with Townsville 20 years ago, then we can expect less stringent controls over dredging and spoil dumping processes and more severe effects from sedimentation and light loss on marine communities such as seagrass and corals.
Given that coral and seagrass are already in decline in the Great Barrier Reef, this extra pressure could lead to an increased rate of degradation.
Having spent so much time and money on trying to improve the health of the reef, is it really worth gambling with anything less than world’s best practice dredging and spoil disposal for ports along the Great Barrier Reef?
Jon Brodie is Senior Principal Research Officer at James Cook University. He receives funding from the Queensland and Australian Governments for his research. He was the lead author in preparing the Reef Plan Scientific Consensus Statement on water quality and the Great Barrier Reef in both 2008 and 2013. He is also being funded to write expert reports for the Shine lawyers fishermen's compensation case in Gladstone.
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About a year ago in MOTHER EARTH NEWS Mr. and Mrs. John Gray asked how to make blood sausage (also called blood pudding).
At hog-slaughtering time, have ready a cup and a half of partially cooked rice or barley per expected gallon of blood. (Fifty years ago we used soy flour and a small amount of wheat flour for a binder.) For each gallon of blood, dice into quarter-inch or so squares one pound of baked or boiled ham fat or dry salt fatback (Speck in German) and an equal amount of cured and cooked hog tongue. Lay out coriander, allspice, cumin or related seeds, coarse pepper, and salt.
(The spicing of any sausage is a matter of individual or family preference, and Rolf's recipe resembles most such formulas in not specifying amounts. Your best bet is to overseason your first batch, keeping in mind that blood contains salt and that the cured meats contribute still more. Then cook a small sample of the filling, taste it, and adjust the flavor accordingly. Be sure to keep records to guide your future attempts. —MOTHER EARTH NEWS. )
When you hoist the pig up in the air by its leg to stick it, catch the blood in a bucket. Then stir the fluid with your hand while it's warm. Once you gather a bit of the fiber on your palm, the coagulant will start accumulating in your hand. This takes a while. Stir and stir until you have a sphere between softball and tennis ball size (gathered from three to four gallons of blood). Mix this well with the Speck, spices, and other ingredients and stuff the filling into casings. Lace the pudding with a thick cord so it won't split.
For casings you can use the bung gut of the animal you just slaughtered. Make sure the intestine is cleaned thoroughly (turn it inside out over your hand) and save the surrounding fat to render for tallow. (You may want to keep gut from your beef slaughter for this purpose, since a pig's intestinal wall breaks more readily.) Use the large end for the blood pudding; the middle width is kept for leona and goose liver sausages. We used to stuff little pork sausages and wieners into sheep casings, but these days U.S.-produced sheep gut generally splits. What is used comes from Australia and New Zealand.
You may prefer to get casing from a butchers' supply house: a "hank" is about the amount of gut one animal contains. Soak salted gut approximately five hours in warm water before filling. If you don't want to use natural casing, here's an alternative: When grandmother made Blutwurst in the copper washboiler on the kitchen stove, she would cook it in salt sacks or muslin sewed into bags measuring 5 by 15 inches.
When the puddings are stuffed, cook them several hours just short of a boil. Test them with a wooden skewer . . . the sausage is done when the filling doesn't bubble through the hole. Let the sausages hang free (as on poles across sawhorses) until they're dry and cooled before refrigerating. Formerly, we'd store puddings in a well-vented attic, where they'd keep six or seven months. If you want them to have a smoky flavor and a slightly lengthened storage life, put the puddings in the top of the smokehouse several days to a week. Don't let them get hot again. Corncobs, for instance, make cool smoke.
(For a slightly different version of Blutwurst, see "A Blood Sausage Recipe, How to Buy Cheap Vegetables and Home Baking Tips.") | <urn:uuid:abe5718e-8a00-43ba-88de-c3befaa68328> | {
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A study from the School of Economics has found that an increase in Asian elderly population share will significantly lower economic growth due to decreased labour participation in the region.
The results of the study implies that governments facing population ageing have a challenging task to provide social security and public services for the aged while maintaining economic growth. This fundamental issue is common across all economies around the world.
Many Asian economies are currently faced with the challenge of rapidly ageing population, which can be harmful to the economy in the long run. The study, conducted by Dr Keisuke Otsu and Dr Katsuyuki Shibayama from the University’s School of Economics with the results published in Asian Development Review, analysed the effects of projected population ageing on potential growth in Asian economies over the period 2015–2050 using quantitative assessment.
Population ageing could lead to an increase in government consumption due to the rise in the demand for health care. The study estimates the future increase in government expenditure in Asia and finds that the increase in aggregate demand would lead to a 0.05 percentage point increase in annual per capita GDP growth rate above its potential.
However, the increase in government consumption can lead to a decline in aggregate productivity by shifting away economic activity in the more productive private manufacturing sector to the service sector. The study estimates the effect of population ageing on future productivity growth in Asia and finds that this effect could reduce the annual per capita GDP growth rate by 0.40 percentage points below its potential.
The paper concludes that population ageing is harmful for economic growth due to the decline in labour participation rate and its negative effect is significantly magnified through the increase in social security tax and the slowdown in productivity growth. This provides quantitative support for arguments for social security reform and innovation policies in ageing economies. | <urn:uuid:11650464-c135-4a84-bd15-7b56a3fd6ce0> | {
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Last week, NASA released new, higher-res images of three Apollo landing sites taken by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. BABloggee Rick Sheppe had a cool idea: why not compare these to ones taken by the Apollo astronauts themselves? In fact, by grabbing a frame taken by a 16mm movie camera on board the Apollo 17 ascent module as they left the Moon, you can compare the views seen by astronauts and LRO directly!
So I did it. I took a frame from the 16mm camera on Apollo 17, and the LRO pic of the same area. After rotating and adjusting the contrast of the original Apollo 17 picture a wee bit, here is what I got:
Coooool. The original Apollo 17 picture is on top, and the LRO pic on bottom.
If you’re curious, NASA has labeled some of the features in the Apollo pic. In that original picture you can clearly see the bottom half of the lunar module on the surface (the bug-like landing module had two parts; a lower half (the descent stage) that stayed on the Moon to save weight, and an upper half (the ascent module) that is what carried the astronauts back to orbit, and is where the camera was that took this shot), as well as several craters, boulders, and the scuffed surface tracks from the astronauts’ boots and the rover as they ambled and rode across the Moon.
These features are all much more clear in the higher resolution LRO picture, which also had the advantage of better lighting. I labeled a bunch of the features in the image — click this pic inset here to enlunanate. Feature 1 is the lander itself, and most of the rest are craters (several are overlapping, which is nifty, and 10 is oddly shaped). Note Feature 11, which looks like a dark jagged streak. In the Apollo picture you can almost dismiss it as a scratch or some film flaw, but in the LRO shot it’s clearly real, and a place where the astronauts’ bootprints are particularly dark. I also like the bright rocks that look like pinpoints in the Apollo picture but show some size in the LRO view.
I also like how you can tell the difference between the tracks left by the astronauts in their suits and ones made by the lunar rover: the rover tracks are two parallel grooves made by the wheels on the left and right sides of the vehicle!
Again, as I did when I first saw these images a few days ago, I had a weird sense of being there, a feeling that was visceral instead of intellectual. Sure, I know we’ve been to the Moon, multiple times. But these pictures really — pardon the odd metaphor — bring it home. And when you think that what we’re seeing from LRO in its lonely orbit around the Moon is the same as what the astronauts saw by simply looking out their window… well.
It’s pretty amazing what we can do sometimes, isn’t it?
Image credits: NASA; NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/ASU. Tip o’ the ALSEP to Rick Sheppe.
Links to this Post
- Monday’s Links for Curious People: Going to Disneyland edition | St Casimir Brockton | September 13, 2011
- Episode #27: Thylacine extinction, | Consilience: An African Science Podcast | September 15, 2011
- Episode #27: Thylacine extinction, Sediba and Apollo 17 | Consilience: An African Science Podcast | September 15, 2011 | <urn:uuid:26f7f12b-10c5-4d15-975a-61d15f0aff69> | {
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Spanish, American and Mexican researchers have produced the first quantitative description of cannibalism among female rattlesnakes (Crotalus polystictus) after monitoring 190 reptiles. The study has shown that these animals ingest on average 11% of their postpartum mass (in particular eggs and dead offspring) in order to recover energy for subsequent reproduction.
The lack of information about cannibalism in rattlesnakes (Crotalus polystictus) led researchers to start a study in 2004, which they continued for three years in central Mexico, where this species is endemic. They measured "cannibalistic behaviour" among 190 females, which had 239 clutches of eggs, and determined that this phenomenon is justified by "enabling the mother to recover and regain strength".
"A cannibal rattlesnake female can recover lost energy for reproduction without having to hunt for food, a dangerous activity that requires time and expends a great deal of energy," Estrella Mociño and Kirk Setser, lead authors of the study and researchers at the University of Granada, along with Juan Manuel Pleguezuelos, tell SINC.
The study, published in the latest issue of the journal Animal Behaviour, shows that cannibalism in this species is an evolutionary result of its feeding behaviour, since its prey is dead for some time before being eaten by the snake. "Viperids in general are prepared to eat carrion, and for this reason it is not so strange that they consume the non-viable sections of their clutches after going through the great energy expenditure caused by reproduction," says Mociño.
The research team say this behaviour can be explained by four biological factors - the day of the birth (females that give birth at the end of July are more likely to be cannibals, since they have less time to feed and prepare themselves to reproduce again), the proportion of dead babies per clutch, the level of maternal investment (the larger the brood, the greater the chance that it will contain non-viable elements, which she will eat), and stress caused by being in captivity (the researchers maintained the females in captivity for an average of 21 days).
Of all the females, 68% consumed part or all of their dead offspring, and 83% of these ate them all, and waited little time to do so (around 16 hours), although some ate them "immediately after giving birth", adds Mociño. The rest (40%) of the females "did not display cannibalistic behaviour".
According to the scientists, cannibalism is "not an aberrant behaviour, and is not an attack on the progeny", since it is not the same as parricide or infanticide as it does not involve live elements. It simply recovers some of what the snake invested in the reproduction process, and prepares it to reproduce once again.
Snakes can distinguish between dead and live offspring
The scientists showed there was a low risk of the snakes eating healthy offspring, which look very similar to dead ones for the first two hours after emerging from their membranes. During the study, only one female ate live babies.
"In comparison with mammals or birds, snakes are not as maternal, but the study shows that they also display behaviour that has evolved, and that helps the female and her offspring to reproduce and grow successfully," say Mociño and Setser.
Crotalus polystictus is categorised as a "threatened species" according to the Official Mexican Regulations on protection of native species of wild flora and fauna in Mexico. Limited habitat, urban expansion and the growth of agriculture are the main threats to the snake.
To date, the scientists have marked more than 2,000 individuals of this species, which range in length on average from 50cm to 90 cm, and which display different survival strategies from many other rattlesnakes in the north of Mexico and the United States.
This reptile has a very rapid reproduction rate, suggesting that it is experiencing a high death rate caused by external factors. As well as contributing to scientific knowledge about animal cannibalism from an evolutionary perspective, the scientists hope that publicising these results will "lead to human beings being less aggressive towards these snakes".
- Mocinodeloya et al. Cannibalism of nonviable offspring by postparturient Mexican lance-headed rattlesnakes, Crotalus polystictus. Animal Behaviour, 2009; 77 (1): 145 DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2008.09.020
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What is MAC address?
MAC address (Media Access Control address) - is a unique identifier of a network interface (usually hardware network card) for communication on the network physical level.
Actually it is a unique number assigned to a network card by a manufacturer and is stored in a hardware's read-only memory.
The MAC address length is 48 bits, which gives 248 (which is equal to 281,474,976,710,656) of possible addresses. Usually representation of MAC address is written as six groups of two hexadecimal digits separated by "-" or ":". So it is look like "00:11:22:33:44:55" or "67-78-89-AB-CD-EF".
To see a MAC addresses of the network interfaces on your PC is just required to type "ifconfig" command in Linux, "ipconfig /all" command in Windows or "networksetup -listallhardwareports" on Mac OS. It will be listed for each interface as "HWaddr", "Physical address" and "Ethernet address" accordingly.
Generally, MAC address is assigned permanently to the device and can not be changed. But in some circumstances there is a possibility to change MAC address on a software level. It is known as MAC-address spoofing. Any way, it is subject only to a local broadcast domain. | <urn:uuid:e34dd74e-b4fe-4d6b-9717-def0c33fceb2> | {
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Even though there is about a month left in our summer vacation, it’s not too soon to start preparing for the coming school year. Unless you loop (the practice of having students more than one year), you probably won’t know much about your incoming students. However, it is possible to consider the general characteristics of learners and begin preparing for your students’ various differences.
I have found it helpful to break down learners into four general characteristics. This typology is not based in any specific research; rather, it’s based on my experiences with people and what I know about how we learn. Every person is a composite of all four types, though many favor one or two types when learning or interacting with the world. Some will be able to shift from one type to another when necessary to complete a task. When students struggle in your classroom, consider the following possible reasons:
- They don’t work well in the way information was delivered.
- They find it hard to shift from one type to the other when the experience requires it.
- They clash with the teacher’s preferred method of instruction.
- They can’t recognize what type of learner they are or need to be.
- When in groups, they are mismatched with other types.
Here are the four types.
Type I: Paper Clip
A paper clip learner is one who likes order, sequence, and timelines. These learners prefer to know what is coming and precisely what’s expected of them. They like neat surroundings that are organized and efficient. They may be uncomfortable with random conversations, inaccurate information, sudden schedule changes, and too much flexibility. Paper clips enjoy keeping time, creating and checking off the “to do list,” and maintaining order. These are your “get it done” type learners. The slinky can be a paper clip’s nemesis.
Type II: Teddy Bear
A teddy bear is your emotional learner. These learners recognize and pay attention to their own and other’s feelings and behaviors. They like to make others feel comfortable, are interested in the other person’s affect, and have a deep need for an affirmative environment. Teddy bears are also considered contextual learners—they learn in context (meaning through the wholeness of an experience). This type of learner may find it difficult to debate, watch others struggle, see the factual side of highly charged events (such as the Holocaust or acts of aggression), or be critical. Teddy bears prefer to set group tone and mood, encourage others, or participate in service learning projects. These are your “positive”-type learners—always seeing the best in others. The magnifying glass can be a teddy bear’s opposite.
Type III: Magnifying Glass
A magnifying glass is very much like a detective. These learners like to look closely at issues and often find more problems this way. Magnifying glasses are critical and sometimes emotionless in their pursuits (hence the difficulty with teddy bears). They can be argumentative—your “Yes, but . . .” students. Very much like paper clips, magnifying glasses like a logical order to information. They may find it difficult to use empathy in the decision-making process, or listen with their heart when trying to understand differing points of view. These learners love the debate, finding problems, critically analyzing tough issues, and forming individual opinions. They are your “straightforward” thinkers. They may find it difficult to work with and deal with teddy bears.
Type IV: Slinky
The slinky is your creative, abstract, random student. These learners know where they want to go, but they may take multiple pathways to get there. They enjoy “coloring outside the lines,” coming up with new ideas and ways to do things, and doing projects their own way. These are true “out of the box” thinkers and doers. Slinkys have a difficult time with too much structure and order and get restless when their creative muscle is not flexed. This is why the paper clip can annoy the slinky.
Another way to think about the four types is based on how our brain is organized. The left hemisphere of our brain is considered the logical-sequential side (the paper clip and magnifying glass types), whereas the right hemisphere is considered the abstract-contextual side (the teddy bears and slinkys). When these two sides work in harmony, we are more likely to accomplish complex tasks efficiently and with greater success.
It’s always a good idea to assist students in identifying their areas of strength and limitations. This includes the way they prefer to learn. Ask your students to identify the one or two types of learning they prefer, as well as the one or two types where they struggle. Then encourage them to work through their limitations and understand those who are strong in those areas. I always found it helpful to assign students to partner up with an oppositional type of learner so they could support each other when it came time to do tasks that required specific types of strengths.
As you plan for your upcoming school year, keep in mind these four types and what will make their school year more enjoyable.
Paper clips need:
- Posted schedules
- Notification when schedules change
- Timelines and due dates
- Linear instruction that follows an outline
- An organized classroom environment
Teddy bears need:
- Connectivity with others
- Contextualized experiences or service learning projects
- Study topics that have emotional connections
- Inclusion of the arts in the classroom
Magnifying glasses need:
- Time to investigate complex issues
- Opportunities to debate and discuss ideas
- Chances to problem-find and -solve
- Experiences that require making decisions
- Logical order to units of study
- Open-ended questions and activities
- Chances to think, act, and be outside the box
- Time to express themselves
- Ample opportunities to move
- Space, opportunities, and materials to be creative
How do you use learning styles or personality types to prepare for teaching?
Richard M. Cash, Ed.D., has given hundreds of workshops, presentations, and staff development sessions throughout the United States and internationally. The research-based strategies and techniques he offers are proven to increase student achievement. His greatest passion is helping teachers recognize the various talents all children possess and create engaging learning experiences to encourage those talents to flourish. His most recent book is Differentiation for Gifted Learners, coauthored with Diane Heacox, Ed.D. He is also author of Advancing Differentiation: Thinking and Learning for the 21st Century.
We welcome your comments and suggestions. Share your comments, stories, and ideas below, or contact us. All comments will be approved before posting, and are subject to our comment and privacy policies. | <urn:uuid:8eb4f9e7-ada9-4903-837f-69f8894ec4bd> | {
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Final Project Documentation: A.R.E.A.
Operation AREA (Awesome Robot Enters Assemble) is an Urban Intervention project by John Choi where an advanced human-size mobile manipulator robot enters real-world educational environments to teach young children the basic principles of robotics. The hypothesis of this project is simple: large robots have an ability to inspire young minds in a way few other things can.
The platform used for these events is Mobius, a 3.5-ft human-size robot designed and developed over the course of an entire year with 30 interdisciplinary freshmen at Carnegie Mellon University to do a variety of human size tasks, including but not limited to watering plants, cleaning rooms, delivering bagels, preparing ramen noodles and more.
In the same spirit of engaging children with awesome robots, numerous other events were also attended over the course of the Spring 2016 semester. These events were SWE Middle School Day, Southwestern Pennsylvania BotsIQ, and also Take Our Sons and Daughters to Work Day. The original hypothesis was confirmed at every event: giant robots are exceptionally good at inspiring little children.
Project Development Slides
Project Timeline and Milestones
The original phases of the project were as follows:
Milestone 1: Research similar projects and communicate with Assemble.
Milestone 2: Develop a curriculum and develop a website.
Milestone 3: Deploy robot into educational environment.
All Milestones, with the exception of a working website, were successfully completed. For Milestone 1, a non-exhaustive list of comparable educational and research-grade robots was compiled (Link: Competitors). Due to communication delays, a final date with Assemble was not scheduled until mid-April, resulting in the intervention confirmed for May 12, 2016. For Milestone 2, a set of three 30-minute activities with the robot aimed at children ages 8-12 were planned (Link: Awesome Robot Enters Assemble). Due to time constraints, a website was not fully developed, and instead focus was placed on development of the activities. For Milestone 3, the robot was successfully deployed at Assemble on May 12, where the robot actively inspired children to great effect.
An updated and detailed timeline of the process has been documented in this link: http://teach.alimomeni.net/2016spring1/g-r-i-p-s-john-choi-project-update-1/
Zach Zacharias: Fellow Urban Intervention Student provided transportation to and from Assemble and filmed the event.
Amanda Hudson: Host instructor at Assemble. Provided logistics support at the event.
The Multipurpose Mobile Manipulator is intended to be an ongoing, multi-semester long project, and it will evolve into my Senior capstone project as a Carnegie Mellon Student. Future collaborations with the Assemble organization are certainly possible as long as I continue my work in the Pittsburgh region. The robot will additionally participate in the 2016 Maker Faire and the CREATE Pittsburgh events in the very near future.
During the summer, 3 more robots will be built with the lessons learned from the first version of the robot, and they will be used as an advanced educational robotics platform with 4 participating high schools during the 2016-2017 school year through the Project Ignite initiative at Carnegie Mellon University.
Post-graduation, the Multipurpose Mobile Manipulator will be highly sustainable as I intend to launch a startup company dedicated to building advanced educational robotics platforms for hobbyists, students, educators and researchers with the initial objective of delivering university level robotics education for high schools. | <urn:uuid:494a843e-637a-46ce-b344-cf2a33efeaba> | {
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The Manuscripts Collection is New Zealand’s major collection of non-government manuscripts. Manuscripts are the unpublished records of individuals and organisations, preserved for their research value.
The Manuscripts Collection forms part of the Alexander Turnbull Library collections. It fills over ten kilometres of shelving.
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As well as the records of individuals and organisations of national and international standing, we collect records of people who are not necessarily well known but whose experiences are representative of significant aspects of New Zealand's history. Examples include soldiers' letters, whakapapa books and immigrant journals.
We also have microfilm copies of New Zealand and overseas manuscript material held by other institutions, or still in private hands. Some material such as the Donald McLean papers and the Ranfurly Collection are now digitally available.
Access the Manuscripts Collection during the building redevelopment
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You can borrow microfilm copies of some items from this collection by interloan through your local library. We do not lend original material.
Archive of New Zealand Music
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STEEP AND CROOKED: THE MINING RAILROADS OF THE CANADIAN BORDER
By Bill Laux
Typical Trestle Bridge around 1900
JIM HILL VS THE HOT AIR LINE 1900 – 1908
When the Canadian Pacific brought its Columbia and Western rails into Grand Forks in 1900, a civic dream was born. In the euphoria of getting a railroad, a copper smelter, and a hug influx of miners, merchants and promoters, the citizens began to see their town as a second Spokane, the hub of an empire of mining, agriculture and industry. Their location, with broad, easy valleys leading to east, west, north and south, suggested that it was the destiny of Grand Forks to become the center of a network of railroads. Not cramped on a steep hillside against a lake, as was Nelson, nor on top of a wintry mountain, as Rossland, it would be Grand Forks, they believed, that would dominate southeastern British Columbia.
“The immensity of the ore deposits in the Boundary and Kettle River districts is almost unparalleled in history,” the Grand Forks Miner exulted in 1896. The year following, the Miner’s pride soared to even greater heights as the editor counted the local “firsts.”
“…the first town in the Boundary to have a man found dead in his room in a hotel; the first to have a man publicly horsewhipped by a woman; and the first to announce the arrival of a pair of twins.”
Local prospector, R.A. “Volcanic” Brown, spoke of “a new type of city arising; one without any schools, churches, or banks, and served by four railroads running in from the four cardinal directions..” Having witnessed the rise of Rossland from a handful of tents and log cabin to the fifth city in B.C. in a single year, Grand Forks’ dream seemed eminently achievable. All that was needed was leadership. Leadership and money.
The leadership presented itself in the person of Tracy Holland, a native of Ontario, who had come west to manage the affairs of the Grand Forks branch of his brother’s Dominion Permanent Loan Company. Holland proposed that Grand Forks itself build Volcanic Brown’s railroads to the four cardinal directions with himself as manager. He enlisted the support of his brother, Frederick in Ontario, and his Loan Company. Their enthusiasm converted James Stratton, the Provincial Secretary of Ontario, Thomas Coffee, manager of the Toronto Trust and Guarantee Company, and George Cowan, a Vancouver lawyer.
Holland then went to work to secure a charter for the four railroads. He gave them a bewildering confusion of names: Grand Forks and Kettle River Railway, to run east; Grand Forks and Republic, to run south; Kettle River Lines, to run west. The skeptics of Grand Forks, wearied of Holland’s endless speechmaking, and interminable lobbying in Victoria and Ottawa. Just another paper railroad, they concluded, and all of Holland’s projected lines, whatever its corporate title, went by just one name: “The Hot Air Line.” The name stuck, and all of the chartered lines, Canadian and American, were known in the Boundary Country only as “The Hot Air Line.” To avoid confusion, we shall refer to them by that name.
When Jim Hill bought the Vancouver Victoria and Eastern charter in 1902, his way was clear to enter Canada with his line from Marcus and build to the Phoenix mines. He had chartered the Washington and Great Northern Railway to build the American parts of his line, and began from Marcus with a reaction ferry carrying the cars across the Columbia while the long bridge was being built, just as Dan Corbin had done six years before in Northport. His graders followed the Kettle River north to the Canadian line at Laurier, crossed it, and then. under the VV&E charter, began working west.
At the same time, in Grand Forks, it appeared that after years of lobbying, Tracy Holland had actually succeeded, and had real railway charters in his hands. The delighted residents swung in behind him. Amazingly, they now had charters for all those four railroads running to the cardinal points. Volcanic Brown’s dream was becoming reality. In their enthusiasm, the City Council passed by-law No. 68 in December, 1901, allowing for the issuance of debentures to grant the Kettle River Railway $3,500.
Holland’s charters authorized him to build a fifty mile line north up the North Fork of the Kettle River to the gold mines at Franklin Camp. A second line was authorized to run west to Midway. A third would parallel the CPR tracks east to Cascade where a smelter was proposed to take advantage of the electric power that could be generated at that point from the falls of the Kettle River. In addition, Holland had obtained from the Americans a charter for a line south to the new gold camp of Republic (Eureka Creek). None of the charters provided land grants. And the $3,500 from the city of Grand Forks would not build much of a railroad. But there were the Ontario Banks supporting the scheme. And there was the CPR. Its position would be crucial. When the newly formed Hot Air Line issued construction bonds to finance their first line, the Canadian Pacific bought the bonds and quietly became the line’s sponsor. With Jim Hill about to begin a fourth incursion into southern B.C. and the territory the CPR considered its own, the Hot Air appeared to be the tool with which to fight him from behind the scenes.
In Grand Forks, railroad enthusiasm became conviction, when, on August 31, 1901, the first contract for construction was awarded, and grading began on the line south to Republic, Washington. This first Hot Air line was to run south from a depot on Fourth Street where the Boundary Mall now stands. It was to cross the Kettle and turn west to enter the U.S.A. at Danville, and then south down the valleys of the Kettle River and Curlew Creek to Republic. On the 28th of October the Hot Air’s first locomotive arrived, an ancient 4-4-0 of ungainly proportions and uncertain ancestry. However, it ran, and a celebration was in order. The townsfolk followed the local band across the Kettle River Bridge to the CPR siding called Cuprum, and here, leading citizen, John Manly, pounded down the first spike, while his wife who had left her horsewhip at home on this occasion, broke a bottle of champagne across the first rail. The scoffers showed up as well — they always do — with a wagon on which was mounted a huge blacksmith’s bellows with the legend, “Hot Air.”
However, locomotive No. 1 had real steam up, not air, and demonstrated her ability by creakily moving off the CPR rails, and onto the very first lengths of steel of the Grand Forks and Republic Railway. From the ragged sound of her whistle, No. 1 was there and then dubbed “The Tin Whistle,” and was known by that name rather then by her number, as long as she ran, creaking and screeching, up and down the riverside prairies of the Kettle River Valley.
All this civic jollification, the whistle blowing, the champagne and the speeches, ignored the ominous fact, that just twelve miles to the east, Jim Hill’s men were crossing the border into Canada and beginning to grade westward toward Grand Forks. Jim Hill had announced that, he too, was building to Republic. It was not likely that the mighty “Empire Builder” would have any patience with a home grown railroad, its one engine and few hundred feet of track. Holland, of course, knew Jim Hill was coming, knew his enormous power and influence. Still, he resolved to take him on, head to head. His silent ally was the CPR. It had bought his bonds, and he counted on its continued assistance. However, CPR support had its price. At Cuprum, it did not permit the Hot Air to lay a diamond crossing of its tracks. Instead, it required that the Hot Air trains switch onto its rails, run for a few yards on them, and then switch off to the south. This ensured that the CPR could charge each Hot Air train crossing its rails, a switching fee, and as well it would get all the Republic ore to haul on its own rails the last few miles to the Granby smelter.
Holland had worked out a scheme to counter this. The B.C. Government Mineral Reference Map No. 4A shows a Hot Air track diverging from the Republic line just 1/4 mile south of Cuprum and running east to cross the CPR and the Kettle River on a bridge to the east bank about where Johnnie’s Motel is today. This was to be the Hot Air’s north line to Franklin Camp. It would run up the east bank of the North Fork of the Kettle to the Granby smelter, and past it up the river to Franklin Camp. This line was never built. Perhaps Holland came to an agreement with the CPR about more modest switching fees to the smelter. Behind the scenes, the CPR was definitely pulling the strings. When the first interest payment came due on the Hot Air bonds, Holland was obliged to borrow the money from the CPR to pay the interest due it. The relationship was clandestine, but essential to Holland and his railroad.
A photograph of Tracy Holland at this time shows a young man, smooth shaven, regarding the camera with steely eyes, a slightly amused expression, and wearing a slouch hat pushed well back on his forehead. It is reminiscent of early photographs of Fritz Heinze, the same humorous and confident mouth, the same unwavering eyes, hinting at a willingness to take on any of the financial carnivores of the day.
Holland’s crews graded west from Cuprum to Carson and crossed the border.
At Danville they crossed the Kettle River with a two span Howe truss bridge, and a station was built just south of the present Lone Ranch Creek road. The grade from Danville south is now State Highway 21. Just a half mile north of the Curlew iron bridge, a rock cut to the west of the highway shows where the Hot Air grade gained elevation to recross the Kettle on another two span Howe truss bridge and a trestle across the low lying fields on the east bank of the river.
Behind Holland’s graders with their one, rickety steam shovel, came Jim Hill’s men with the finest equipment, first class engineering, and horses and scrapers hired from the Montana prairies. To try to delay them, Holland and his backers fanned out through he Kettle Valley in Canada to persuade the farmers to refuse Hill and his VV&E permission to cross their lands. The VV&E charter, of course, gave Hill’s lawyers the right to expropriate a right of way across the lands of the uncooperative, but that entailed protracted court proceedings and long delay for every separate parcel of land. Holland hoped that by delaying Jim Hill this way, he would get his line to Republic first and contract for the cream of the trade.
The Hot Air men dug industriously, the Tin Whistle bustled up and down the lengthening track, leaking steam at every joint, but bringing up ties and rails and trestle timbers. Over their shoulders was always the shadow of Hill’s lawyers, working as speedily as the courts would permit, to acquire, farm by farm, the rights of way for their line to Grand Forks. These lawyers in special trains hurried up and down the lines between Spokane and Grand Forks. Deputies carried writs from American courts to Canadian courtrooms. Canadian judges dismissed them as unenforceable in Canada, and issued their own writs, which were of course void in the U.S.A. Judges in both countries chose to be insensible to the fact that their pronouncements had no effect in the other country, and continued to fire paper salvos at each other. It was a grand game; the newspapers and the public loved it. Deputy Bunce, or “Burns,” as the papers spelled his name, hustled the papers back and forth from one country to the other. He was becoming an old hand at this business.
In spite of all the Hot Air Line’s haste, the promised completion date of January 1, 1902, came and went with the graders only at Curlew, half way to Republic.
Hill’s men were catching up. Holland conferred with his lawyers, and new injunctions were showered on the VV&E. One enjoined the VV&E from crossing the Hot Air’s tracks, which it would have to do if it were to enter Grand Forks. A second prohibited the VV&E from trespassing on land owned by Tracy Holland and his friends. As Holland was a principal in the Grand Forks Townsite Company, which owned the unsold lots, this effectively barred Jim Hill from entering Grand Forks. The third action was a notice of a court application denying the legality of the VV&E charter. This charter had lain dormant for five years before Hill bought it, with no construction of any kind except from some desultory grading down Penticton’s Main Street for the election of 1898. It contained the standard phrase that, “…construction was to begin immediately and be prosecuted continuously.” But the precise meanings of “Immediately” and “continuously” could become surprisingly elastic when the courts cogitated on them. The lawyers for both sides saw real meat in the arguments, and settled in for a long winter of litigation, hurrying back and forth from Spokane to Grand Forks in their special trains.
The question of the validity of the VV&E charter was taken all the way to the Canadian parliament where its Railway Committee held up approval of the VV&E line until the matter could be settled. No railway line in Canada could be opened to the public until the Parliamentary Railway Inspector examined and approved it. Hill continued to grade and lay tracks, but he was forbidden to operate trains for profit until the Inspector should authorize it.
It seemed that this charter dispute had Hill stuck, but he countered with an injunction prohibiting the Hot Air Line from crossing his right of way at Curlew where Holland’s line came off the bridge on a trestle and crossed over the W&GN line with another bridge to reach Curlew and compete for traffic there. E. J. Delbridge, of the California mine, near Torboy, was already shipping ore by wagon to the end of the Hot Air track at Curlew for furtherance to the Granby smelter. Three carloads, amounting to 105 tons, were the first of the Republic ores to reach the smelter, and returned $10,000 to the owners. Other shipments followed.[v] It was crucial to Holland to haul these ores and show some revenue for the new line.
A deputy (“Burns,” in the newspaper report, but possibly, “Bunce”) served Holland in his office with Jim Hill’s injunction forbidding the Hot Air to cross his line at Curlew. Holland politely observed to Burns (or Bunce) that Hill’s injunction had been properly issued by a Canadian court, but Curlew was in Washington State, and no Canadian injunction could be enforced on American soil. The deputy nodded. The argument was familiar to him. It was all beginning again.
For his part, Holland had his men work all night to bridge the W&GN grade at Curlew without physically touching it, and thus avoid a trespass. At daylight the bridge was discovered, and the news went out to an angry J.J. Hill in St Paul. Blunt instructions came back to Chief Engineer Kennedy.
On Sunday morning, January 5, 1902, when railroaders were darning their socks, playing cards, or tuning up their fiddles, a group of W&GN men were rounded up by their foreman and promised Sunday wages if they would walk over to the Hot Air’s bridge and tear it down. The men harnessed a team of horses, put a chain on the bridge and tried to pull it over. The bridge stood fast. They then began making preparations to blow it up with gunpowder. The noise of these efforts alerted the Hot Air construction camp nearby. Putting down their socks and cards, the Canadians hurried to the site to repel Hill’s men and save their bridge. A fight ensued with fists and clubs. The Hot Air men were tenacious in defense of their bridge and gained the victory. The Hill men were driven to some distance where they shouted insults and hurled rocks and bottles. Tommy Hogan, timekeeper at the Hot Air camp, hurried to Danville to summon Tracy Holland. Commandeering the leaky Tin Whistle, and with deputy Bunce at his side, Holland hurried to the scene. He arrived to find his men still in possession of their bridge, and reached into his pocket for money to enable deputy Bunce, that experienced international enforcer, to hire armed guards to patrol the Hot Air bridge.
Lawyers swarmed eagerly on this legal tangle. Holland’s men argued no trespass. Though Mr. Hill might own his rails and ties and the soil they rested on, he did not own the air above them. Mr. Hill could not forbid a bird to fly over his rails, nor could he forbid the trains of the Hot Air Line to pass harmlessly overhead. Hill’s lawyers revived an ancient definition of private ownership, which stated that a man had exclusive use of his land, “down to the center of the earth and up to the sky.”
But now, with these weighty matters being chewed over in the courts, with Hill blocked at Grand Forks by Holland’s injunction, and Holland blocked at Curlew by Hill’s suit, all construction came to a halt. The workmen gathered their effects and went home. Only deputy Bunce and his hired bravos remained, huddled over a smoky fire in the January winds at the Hot Air bridge.
The situation alarmed those in Grand Forks who knew of Jim Hill’s stubborn and vengeful nature when crossed. It occurred to them that if Hill were blocked out of Grand Forks, he might finish his line to Republic, which no injunction forbade, and ship Republic ore to the Northport smelter, all on his own rails, and leave Grand Forks out of the Republic boom altogether. The Granby managers, Hodges and Jay Graves, found that an intolerable prospect. They were eager for the Republic ores with their high silica and lime content which would flux the sulfurous Phoenix ores and reduce the amount of coal needed. In an effort at a solution, Grand Forks mayor, James Anderson offered (or was persuaded) to step out of the 1902 mayoralty election and let Tracy Holland, the only other candidate, win by acclamation. But only if Holland allowed Hill’s railroad to lay tracks to the Granby smelter. After a conference between Holland, Mayor Anderson, and J.H. Kennedy, chief engineer for the VV&E Railway, Tracy Holland signed an agreement.
“Grand Forks, B.C., Jan. 15, 1902 On behalf of the Grand Forks Townsite Company, I agree to allow the Vancouver, Victoria & Eastern Railway and Navigation Company, possession of a strip of land one hundred feet wide, fifty feet on either side of their line as located across the lands of the Grand Forks Townsite Company for its spur to the land of the Granby smelter. Said land to be paid for by the railway company, the price to be mutually agreed upon or decided by friendly arbitration in the same way as if expropriation proceedings were being undertaken, and the work of grading to be commenced by the said railway at once.“Tracy W. Holland, Managing Director, Grand Forks Townsite Company.”
It is not hard to see the hand of Jay Graves behind this agreement. Graves had financial involvement in the Republic mines. He was anxious that Hill’s tracks should reach Phoenix as soon as possible, so that competition between the two lines should reduce ore hauling rates, and allow Granby to ship lower grades of ore. As well, Graves knew that Hill was buying Granby stock ever since Graves’ takeover proposal to him. Soon J.J. Hill would have a seat on the Granby board; it was crucial to Graves to solidify his position with him since the New Yorkers who now owned Granby were ready to discard Jay Graves.
With the signing of the agreement, engineer Kennedy of the VV&E had his men begin bridging the Kettle River and scraping a grade into Grand Forks. But if Jim Hill thought that he had disposed of the pestiferous Tracy Holland by elevating him to the Mayor’s chair, he was very wrong. Although Holland no longer opposed VV&E construction through the Township Company’s lands to the smelter, there was still this pesky injunction forbidding VV&E rails to cross the Hot Air tracks south of town. And there were still those stubborn farmers who continued to refuse to sell rights of way to Hill’s agents. Tracy Holland was very sorry about these matters, he said, but he had no authority to dismiss them. They would have to be resolved in the usual way, by application to the courts.
Hill was furious. In St Paul he glared at his lawyers and demanded who was this gadfly, this nobody, this insignificant Canadian, standing in his way? His lawyers argued for a more conciliatory policy. Reasonable compromise might prove effective where intimidation had not. Mr. Hill should try to win the sympathy of Grand Forks, not its hostility. His real adversary was, after all, the monopolistic CPR, not this preposterous Tracy Holland.
Hill listened. He called off his forces at Curlew, and let the Hot Air complete their bridge and enter the town. He permitted a second crossing, this time at grade, four miles south of Curlew at Pelham Flats. Hill knew that no matter who got to Republic first, he had resources to beat the Hot Air in the end. The important goal was to get those Phoenix ores.
The matter of dissolving that injunction against crossing the Hot Air tracks south of Grand Forks went to the B.C. Supreme Court on January 24, 1902. Astonishingly, Holland, not in the least mollified by Jim Hill’s gesture at Curlew, succeeded in having the injunction upheld. In fury, Hill thundered publicly on February 8, that he would give up the Boundary trade altogether and haul Republic ores only to the Northport smelter. Grand Forks would not profit a nickel from any Great Northern connection.
Holland greeted Hill’s pronouncement with bland ingenuousness. If Mr. Hill was truly abandoning his intention to enter Grand Forks, he told the press, then Mr. Hill could have no objection to the Hot Air Line beginning their new line east to Cascade by using Mr. Hill’s apparently now abandoned grade. Hill, of course, exploded in apoplectic rage at this. He damned his lawyers gentle counsels and forthwith ordered his men back to the disputed line to claim it as their own.
Holland was having the time of his life. His repeated tweaking of Jim Hill’s nose strikingly resembles Fritz Heinze’s amused twitting of the CPR’s directors in Montreal four year before. Holland and Heinze were both young men with their own ideas, and like brash young men everywhere, delighted in having a run at the rich and powerful of their time. Even Dan Corbin, though older and more conservative, seemed to have a zest for the game. “I have had one satisfaction, in knowing that I gave the Canadian Pacific the toughest fight it ever had, and I am not through with it yet,” he said in 1898.
In the following months, a frustrated Jim Hill announced to the press this plan and that in continuing war of words. He would bypass Grand Forks altogether, and build to Greenwood instead, to access the Phoenix ores from the west. Or he would shift his line to the north bank of the Kettle and build into Grand Forks behind Holland’s line. The CPR, which had its own line on the north bank, came to life at that , and told Mr. Hill, that, No, he would not do that under any circumstances.
Nothing that J.J. Hill could come up with budged Holland’s intransigence. Intimidation, brute force, political payoff, conciliation, all had failed. At last he gave in. On April 5, 1902, he dissolved his expropriation proceedings against the Grand Forks farmers who stood in his way. He paid their extortionate prices for a right of way. Hill could afford the money, but the legal delays from January until April had given Holland’s men the time to run their track down the Curlew valley toward Republic well ahead of Hill’s forces, which had been unable to complete the grade from Cascade to Grand Forks. The Washington and Great Northern crews had been able to grade a line on American soil, down past Curlew, but since he had no right of way through Canada, engineer Kennedy had been unable to bring up ties or rails or bridge timbers to complete it.
From Curlew south, the two lines ran side by side, barely a hundred feet apart, their respective crews trading insults as to the character of each other’s work. The fight at the Curlew bridge was not forgotten, and at the least provocation it broke out anew, just for the love of brawling. At Curlew Lake, the W&GN grade followed the west shore of the lake, while the Hot Air grade climbed along the west slope to gain elevation. Above Pollard’s it turned up Trout Creek for a mile to climb higher. It then crossed Trout Creek on a high, curving trestle to reverse direction and skirt the lower slopes of Bald Mountain, still climbing. Two miles on, it entered Barrett Creek, and four more miles brought it to the summit where it entered the drainage of Swamp Creek and reached the Tom Thumb mine. The Tom Thumb was up on a granite bench just a few hundred feet south of the grade. While it was not yet shipping ore, Holland rejoiced, believing he had “captured” the first of the Eureka Creek mines.
Skirting the swampy ground along Swamp Creek (North Fork of Granite Creek), the grade passed close by the Mountain Lion’s big mill. The Mountain Lion had lots of ore stockpiled, awaiting the railway. Holland was delighted; he had added a second mine, this one with hundreds of tons of ore to move. All he needed now was rails to lay on his grade. They were slow in coming.
Another 2-1/2 miles down Swamp Creek brought the graders to Granite Creek. There, holding their elevation, they contoured around the slope on a level grade to be able to enter Eureka Creek a mile further on. As they passed under Flag Hill, the line picked up a whole series of mines just above their right of way. The El Caliph and Morning Glory were ready to ship as soon as the rails arrived and were spiked down under their ore bunkers. Holland, desperately needing the revenue, ordered the track laying to begin, although the grade was not complete, either into Eureka Creek or to his proposed station in Republic.
Meanwhile the W&GN graders passed Curlew Lake and reached San Poil Lake at Torboy. Ahead, they faced several miles of rock work to keep the grade on the rock bluffs above the San Poil River. This slowed their progress. They were well behind Holland’s men who had a far easier location with very little blasting required. Still, Holland’s injunction held and no ties or rails could be forwarded past Grand Forks. The W&GN line had a number of trestles across arms and bays of Curlew Lake still to build, but nothing could be sent up to build them with; this left three unfilled gaps in their grade.
On April 12, Holland, convinced he had won the race, declared the Republic and Grand Forks line completed. Republic was hung with bunting, and the Hot Air got out locomotives No.2, and No.3, second hand ten wheelers, to run a special train with 300 passengers down to Republic for a “Calithumpian Celebration and Last Spike Ceremony.”
It was something of a surprise to the celebrants when the train came to a stop at the end of track, some five miles from Republic. Well, yes, Holland admitted, the track was not yet quite complete. But no matter. Stages were on hand to take everyone the few miles into town for the festivities. And there, in Republic, in the middle of Clark Avenue, opposite the Delaware Hotel, were a pair of orphan rails mounted on twenty ties, ready for a final spike to be driven.
The crowd was in an optimistic and forgiving mood. Yes, the tracks were five miles away, but here was the Grand Forks brass band rendering sweet sounds, and Lawyer Morris and Mayor Holland had a real gold spike and were about to drive it. Why spoil a party, a barrel of free whiskey and a fine banquet with niggling details. Some allowance, they supposed, ought to be made for a homemade Hot Air Line.
So, the hoarse-throated orators pronounced, the bands played lustily, some fireworks were let off, and the crowds cheered. The golden spike was hammered down, and everyone agreed that it was a dandy celebration, and exactly what they had come to expect from their own railroad. And Tracy Holland, that nobody, from Grand Forks, Canada, had beaten — well, sort of — the great James Jerome Hill and his Great Northern Railway to Republic and the Eureka Creek mines.
One could believe it, perhaps, and toast the hometown boys while the fireworks and oratory lasted, and the free whiskey flowed. But anyone who thought that J.J. Hill would accept second place in Republic, or anywhere else, was not thinking with a clear mind.
Jim Hill, that same April, ran out of patience with his lawyers. They were costing him a fortune, and spending most of their time racing up and down the rails in special trains between the American and Canadian courts. He now gave orders for his men to ignore the law, the Canadian courts, the several Grand Forks injunctions, and proceed regardless and with main force. The lawyers could deal with the consequences, if any. The VV&E workmen began to lay illegal rails toward Grand Forks. The lawyers assembled. The special trains rolled and the matter entered the courts to wind its way slowly through endless legal cunctation.
Outside the courts, however, a real railroad was being spiked down, and on June 9, 1902, the Canadian Government’s Railway Inspector approved the 11 miles of VV&E railway in Canada, from Laurier to Carson, and ties, timbers and rails could now come forward to be spiked down on the grade to Republic.
During the April to June delay, Tracy Holland had found the rails he was missing and spiked them down. The track was now complete, not to Clark Avenue in Republic, but to a station over on the west side of Eureka Creek above the present County Highway shops. His track ran up the right (west) wall of Eureka Gulch as far as The Cove, with spurs down to the creek bottom and the mines along its course. To his consternation, Holland now found the mine owners unexpectedly coy about signing long term contracts for their ore. They would ship a car at a time by the Hot Air, but for the rest, Jim Hill’s men were coming; they could hear their blasts echoing from the other side of Klondike Mountain. The owners chose to wait and see what rates the competition would offer them.
This was ominous for the Hot Air. Jim Hill’s tactic had always been to be the lowest cost competitor in any transportation market. With his vast network of lines, he could underbid any short line in his way, and make good the loss by raising rates in markets where his was the only railroad.
Holland had done his best. He had run his rails up Eureka Gulch on a 2% grade, and dropped a switchback to the creek below to serve the Quilp, Black Tail, Lone Pine, Surprise, Pearl and Little Cove mines. His main line ended at the San Poil mill in the Cove, the head of Eureka Creek. For ore cars he bought or leased those home-made ore boxes on flat cars that the CPR had built in Trail in 1898 for use on the Rossland run. It is not possible from the early photographs to tell whether they are still lettered for the CPR, or whether the Hot Air had ownership.
Holland had the Eureka Creek traffic to himself for just a few months. By September, the W&GN had arrived. They built a Republic station at the confluence of Granite Creek and the San Poil River, no nearer Clark Avenue than the Hot Air station over on Eureka Creek. From their station, with its wye and water tower, the W&GN ran their tracks up the east side of Granite Creek, crossed it on a curving trestle that looped the line back on the opposite bank to climb to the Jim Blaine mine. Here, the tail of a switchback ran to the mine, while the line reversed to climb upstream again, passing above the big Republic Mill and following the creek to a point opposite the Flag Hill mine. At this point a high trestle looped over Granite Creek and brought their grade just beside that of the Hot Air at the entrance to Eureka Gulch. As the Hot Air was already in place on the west wall of the gulch, the W&GN crossed the creek on a high trestle at the Quilp mine and ran up the east bank. Coal and mine timbers were shot down a wooden chute from this trestle to the mine below. Eureka Gulch was narrow. Log cribs had to be built along both sides of the creek and filled with mine waste to hold the two sets of spur track that Hot Air and W&GN ran to each of the ten mines along the creek’s golden mile. The four sets of tracks, the two main lines dug out of the canyon walls fifty feet above the creek, and the two sets of mine spurs, one on either side of the creek, filled the gulch completely. There was scarcely enough room for the dirt road from town. At The Cove, where the Hot Air line ended, the W&GN men threw a great, climbing loop around the perimeter of the meadow with a spur to the Knob Hill mine on the north. It then crossed above the San Poil mill, and a switchback was laid to to reverse the line up to the top of The Cove past the Ben Hur mine. Climbing out of the gulch, the grade skirted the south shore of Mud Lake, the source of Eureka Creek. Past the lake, it entered the wide flat behind Knob Hill. Here a wye was laid to turn the engines, with one leg running a half mile west to the Mountain Lion, and the other leg a mile north to the Tom Thumb. Excepting the El Caliph, Morning Glory, and Flag Hill mines, Jim Hill had now run his own spur to every mine served by the Hot Air, and he was ready to underbid Holland for every shovelful of ore to be moved out of Republic.
There was still one problem. The VV&E while complete from Laurier to Carson, had not yet been able to enter Grand Forks and run up to the Granby smelter. It was still fenced out by that injunction forbidding it to cross the Hot Air’s track. Faced with hauling Republic ore 103 miles to the Northport smelter, as against the Hot Air’s 48 mile haul to the Granby smelter, Hill applied to the Railway Committee of the Canadian Parliament for permission to cross both the Hot Air and CPR tracks to enter Grand Forks. He got parliamentary permission, but still the local injunction held against him. Hill opted for main force, and so, after dark, on Sunday, November 9, 1902, his crews quietly laid a diamond crossing over the Hot Air tracks south of town. Monday morning found the VV&E crews laying track across the bridge into town. The Hot Air men responded by getting steam up in one of the Ten Wheelers and parking her squarely on the diamond, blocking the VV&E line. Now the crews of both lines gathered at the obstruction, hefting pick handles, showing their teeth, and ready for a dandy fight. Where was deputy Bunce? Still guarding that Curlew bridge, apparently, twenty miles away.
As a crowd from town gathered around them,the VV&E men saw that the Hot Air had a large part of the citizenry behind it, and this was, after all, Canadian territory. They considered the odds, and settled for packing their ties and rails around the obstructing locomotive by hand under the hostile scrutiny of the Hot Air men.
Chief Engineer Kennedy of the VV&E wired Hill in St Paul. Hill wired back to Tracy Holland telling him that if he did not remove his locomotive forthwith, the blockage at the Curlew bridge would be revived. A stalemate was not to the advantage of Holland now; he needed the revenue from the Eureka Creek ores he was hauling. Reluctantly, he conceded. The locomotive was removed, the VV&E entered Grand Forks, and proceeded to lay its own rails to the Granby smelter.
Hill, or his engineer, Kennedy, seemed to have learned one thing from this long standoff. When his men were running their line to the downtown Grand Forks, and came to the CPR tracks, Hill did not attempt to have them force a crossing. Although he had Parliamentary permission, the CPR was somewhat more powerful than that body. Engineer Kennedy ended his track at the CPR rails and built his station there, at Boundary Road. And again, when at Ward Lake, his smelter spur had to cross the CPR line, he chose to bridge it rather than rouse the Canadian Pacific to retaliation. He crossed CPR rails once more at the North Fork dam on the smelter spur, where he threw a bridge across both the CPR line and the river in one leap. These structures were costly, but Hill and Kennedy had learned something about Canadian stubbornness when aroused.
Now, with Hill’s line running direct to the Granby smelter, and his agents able to underbid the Hot Air for ore haulage from Republic, Holland seems to have chosen to retire from the fight. He had beaten Jim Hill to Republic, but now the financial power of the Great Northern came into play against him. The W&GN undercut his rates on Republic ores by dropping its charge to 75 cents per ton. The Hot Air matched that. Then Hill dropped his rate to 37-1/2 cents per ton. Again, the Hot Air matched the rate. Finally, Hill dropped his rate to 25 cents per ton. That was below cost and unmatchable. Moreover, Hill could move his cars direct to the smelter, while the Hot Air had to turn over its cars to the CPR at Cuprum and absorb the switching charge for moving the ore the last three miles to the smelter. Hill gradually took away most of the ore business. The Hot Air tried to stay alive by moving logs, lumber, sheep and whatever other traffic agent O.E. Fisher could scrape up.
The Hot Air had cost Holland and his backers $718,747 to build, and $43,190 to equip. The Washington and Great Northern line, built to higher standards, had cost Hill $4,555,392 to build, equip, and defend in court. Hill could not possibly recoup this expenditure by moving ore at 25 cents a ton, a mere $7.50 a carload. But Hill could raise his rates on other lines to make up the loss. The Hot Air could not. But by staying in business, however shakily, and moving small lots of ore at 37-1/2 cents, the Hot Air prevented Jim Hill for the next 18 years, from raising his rates to a profit making level. The mine owners reaped the benefit, but it is not recorded that they manifested their gratitude to Tracy Holland in any tangible way.
Crushed by the ingratitude of the mine owners he had done so much to enrich, Tracy Holland resigned from the Kettle Valley Lines at the end of 1902. His mayoralty was in trouble as well, A civic protest meeting was held to urge him to resign. He finished his term, but then, a defeated Tracy Holland left Grand Forks for Vancouver, to be heard of no more. He had beaten Jim Hill, railroad Mogul, only to lose to Jim Hill, the financier. His place at the Hot Air was taken by Republic lawyer, W.T. Beck.
Although Tracy Holland had departed, the Hot Air management was not ready to give up their dream of railroads running to the four points of the compass. Hill’s VV&E, and the CPR had preempted the route east to Cascade, and the W&GN was beggaring the line to Republic with lower rates, but there still remained that projected line up the North Fork (Granby) to Franklin Camp and its gold mines, and an extension beyond to cross the Monashees and reach the Nicola Valley coal mines. With coal in demand at the three Boundary smelters, such a line would seem to have an assured future. A line was surveyed to Franklin Camp and grading was begun running north up Fourth Avenue from the Hot Air station. Jim Hill made his enmity known at once. He was still angry at the delays Holland had previously put in his path, and he would punish the Hot Air if he could. Using the press, he announced that he would build a parallel line up the North Fork if the Hot Air dared to lay rails in that direction. This was undoubtedly St Paul hot air, but no one could be sure. Potential investors were scared off by Hill’s proclaimed opposition, and work was halted.
When the Canadian Government came through with a subsidy of $3200 per mile in 1906, work began again, and track was built up the North Fork. But 18 miles from town, at Lynch Creek, the money ran out, and no more could be found. There, the Hot Air stalled, until, some years later, under CPR management, it was extended another two miles to Archibald where a cable tram brought down fluorite from the Rock Candy mine to be used as flux in the Trail smelter.
The Hot Air made one more floundering attempt at their railroad empire. Under the leadership of lawyer, W. T. Beck, of Republic, they renamed their line the “Spokane and British Columbia Railway, and projected an extension south from Republic to Spokane. Jay Graves offered a loan of $50,000 from Granby to get the work started. This extension, if built, would short-haul the Great Northern’s roundabout line to Republic, arousing Hill’s anger once more. He sent his Spokane lawyers baying after the Spokane and B.C. like a pack of savage hounds and submerged the scheme in reams of litigation. The Hot Air lawyers fought back. Astonishingly, ten years later, they had won, but by that time the Spokane and B.C. was bankrupt.
The S&BC was the Hot Air’s last gasp. Traffic on the Republic line had dwindled. When the depression of 1907 hit the country, the Eureka Creek mines were unable to finance a needed conversion to low-grade ore mining and concentration. Ore shipments to both railroads, which in 1903 amounted to 35,000 tons, with a value of $350,000, had declined by 1907 to a mere 195 tons with a value of $9,000. In desperation, the Hot Air, using its CPR connections advertised a rate to the Chicago stockyards to attract local sheep men. By using the CPR’s Soo Line to Chicago, the Hot Air would accept live sheep at Republic for delivery in Chicago at the rate of $1.00 per pound. It was not enough. Regular service was suspended in 1907, and maintenance could no longer be afforded. The Hot Air would still run a train for any traffic that was offered, but that was all.
The CPR leased the Hot Air in 1908 for the sake of its charter, which still offered the right to build to the fourth point of the compass, west, to the Okanagan Valley and the Coast. Using this Hot Air charter, and renaming the Hot Air once again, to “Kettle Valley Railway,” the CPR built from Midway through Penticton to Hope on the CPR main line. Thus, by 1916, Volcanic Brown’s great dream was fulfilled. Rail lines, though now, Canadian Pacific lines, were running in all the cardinal directions out of Grand Forks. There was an irony in the CPR takeover, for, beginning in 1908, the Republic mines began to recover as concentrators were installed. The turnaround was dramatic.
From the 1907 low of 195 tons, the ore shipped rose to 584 tons in 1908, to 11,000 in 1909, and, by 1911, all previous records were bettered, with shipments of 44,000 tons, with a value of $868,000. Still, this was split between the two railroads with Jim Hill’s W&GN getting much the larger share. | <urn:uuid:51289d2c-dcfb-40ad-8cd3-3d6fd10d6b82> | {
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Neurological disorders are the commonest cause of disability in the UK.
An estimated 3 million people in Britain are suffering from brain
"Without the staff at BASIC to talk me through the things that were
happening in my head, I would probably have committed suicide at that
time." BASIC ex-patient
Your help is invaluable in continuing BASIC's unique service.
Approximately 1 million people are treated in hospital for head injuries
each year. It is the most common cause of death in teenagers. Approximately
8,500 people in the UK suffer a brain haemorrhage each year. More than
half of these people are of working age and sometimes young children are
affected by this life threatening condition which hits out of the blue.
Strokes affect one in every 250 people and is the third highest killer
in the UK. There are 5,000 new cases of primary brain tumours and 7,000
secondary cases each year in the UK. Unfortunately brain tumours know
no age barriers, they account for 25% of all childhood cancer deaths.
These, along with other neurological conditions affecting the brain,
mean that an estimated 3 million people in Britain are suffering from brain
related disorders. New technology and research are revolutionising the
Neurosciences and many more patients are now surviving what would once have
been fatal conditions. These people often need rehabilitation,
sometimes over many years. Even minor brain injuries can
result in difficulties which persist for many months or years. | <urn:uuid:378d8e3a-b25d-48dd-9e8e-674db3636e63> | {
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Continuous Process Improvement
Quality is a never ending quest and Continuous Process Improvement (CPI) is a never ending effort to discover and eliminate the main causes of problems. It accomplishes this by using small-steps improvements, rather than implementing one huge improvement. The Japanese have a term for this called kaizen which involves everyone, from the hourly workers to top-management.
CPI means making things better. It is NOT fighting fires. Its goal is NOT to blame people for problems or failures. . . it is simply a way of looking at how we can do our work better. When we take a problem solving approach, we often never get to the root causes because our main goal is to put out the fire. But when we engage in process improvement, we seek to learn what causes things to happen and then use this knowledge to:
- Reduce variation.
- Remove activities that have no value to the organization.
- Improve customer satisfaction.
Process improvement is important as Rummler & Brache's research (1995) showed that process account for about 80% of all problems while people account for the remaining 20%.
One way to get CPI started is to set up a Steering Committee (SC). Although everyone in the organization is responsible for CPI, the SC follows all ideas from conception to completion. Some organizations might have several SCs working on different processes, departments, or systems; while smaller organizations might set up one SC to oversee all CPI projects. Normally, there is one SC that oversees all CPI projects within a physical area. It in turn, passes each CPI suggestion on to a CPI team that carries that project out to completion. At the very least, the SC must contain members who can approve a project (spending authority).
CPI has been described using a number of models. This manual will use the system approach or ADDIE (Analysis, Design, Development, Implement, Evaluate) model. There are five phases in this model:
- Analysis Phase — Identify areas of opportunity and target specific problems. These areas and problems are based on team brain-storming sessions, process definition sessions, recommendations forwarded to the team by organizational members, and other various analysis techniques.
- Design Phase — Generate solutions through brain-storming sessions. Identify the required resources to implement the chosen solution and identify baselines to measure.
- Development Phase — Formulate a detailed procedure for implementing the approved solution.
- Implementation Phase — Execute the solution.
- Evaluation Phase — Build measurement tools, monitor implementation, and evaluate measurements to baseline. Please note that this phase is performed throughout the entire process. The chart below shows that this is a dynamic, not a static model:
This is the discovery phase where problems are uncovered and defined. One of the best ways to accomplish this is to learn how things work in an organization. . . and a simple technique for doing this is "Process Definition."
Often, new insights become apparent when you see how tasks relate to a series of events. Building a task and event relationship is called Process Definition. A process is a planned series of actions that advances a material or procedure from one stage of completion to the next. It includes the steps and decisions involved in the way work is accomplished. Being able to understand and define the process has several advantages:
- You can better understand how individual and group efforts affect other groups and individuals.
- You can discover barriers that exist between work groups. These barriers are obstacles that get in the way of cooperation and performance.
- Work is accomplished through processes and we improve performance by improving processes. Examining a process can highlight a glaring problem that could easily be fixed.
The first step of process definition is to identify the boundaries. This is where the process begins and ends. The beginning of a process starts with a trigger that causes a specific action to be taken by a person, another process, or work group. The ending occurs when the results get passed on to another person, process, or work group.
The beginning trigger starts when someone performs an action on an input that they receive from a supplier (another work group, vendor, or person). The input can be physical, such as raw material, parts, a person to be interviewed, etc.; or information, such as a computer printout, request form, etc.
The ending trigger is when the results of the process is passed on to the customer (another work group, person, or outside customer). The output can be physical, such as a television set, new hire, etc.; or information, such as a typed letter, grant, etc.
Notice that every person at every level has two roles:
- The role of customer where they receive a trigger from a supplier (either external or internal).
- The role of supplier where they pass the result on to a customer (either external or internal).
Process Definition lists what happens between the start and end points. It includes all the activities performed by each department, group, or person who are involved in the process. Activities are the major "works" that transform an input into an output. A process rarely has more than six major activities.
For example, a simple sales process might include, Introduce Services, Identify Customer Needs, Suggest Solutions, Articulate Benefits, Negotiate a Proposal, and Close the Sale.
Many processes do not stay in one department, but may span across several departments. For example, a new candidate gets selected by the Recruiting Department, is interviewed by Manufacturing and Sales, and is then hired by Human Resources. The chart below shows how processes can span across several areas:
Vendor Dept 1 Dept 2 Dept 3 Customer Process 1 ---------------- Process 2 ------------------------ Process 3 ------------------------ Process 4 ---------
When listing the activities, do NOT analyze the process, just describe it. One effective way of doing this is to first create a matrix on a large board. Title the horizontal axis with the major steps or departments and the vertical axis with a timeline.
Then list each activity performed by each department, group, or individual on a separate Post-It Note. Start the statement on each Post-It note with a verb. For example:
- Cuts boards into 12 inch sections.
- Types customer's address into the order-entry database.
- Assembles circuit board.
- Selects candidate for interview.
Next, assemble the Post-It Notes on the board in the sequence they are performed. Highlight the inputs and outputs for easy identification.
Your matrix should show:
- The process goals.
- The process boundaries (start and stop points).
- The process flow.
- Resources, such as material, people, time, and equipment.
- The process inputs and outputs (physical or information).
- The process customers and suppliers (internal and external).
There are several methods for laying out the models. The most common way is in a linear fashion by activity. For an example see Process Example.
A second method is by hierarchy. This type of model works best when there are many details included in the process. For an example see Hierarchy Process Example.
You are now ready to analyze the process for problems or bottlenecks. A good process model will expose the "truth" of the organization. Although there might be written procedures, instructions, or rules for conducting a process, your model should point out what is really being performed! First, look for problems and opportunities that affect customers. These affect the organization the most. Remember that customers are both internal and external. Also, you need to understand the magnitude of the problem. This can be done by asking "How bad is it?"
The analysis should also include unearthing the Performance Metrics of the process. These include:
- Quality (to include rework)
- Service levels
Other Problem Solving Methods
Listed below are some other methods for problem identification:
- Customer Surveys — These can be written or oral. If oral, make sure they are consistent. Otherwise your measurements will not be accurate.
- Employee Suggestions.
- Delphi Decision Making Process
- Dielectric Decision Making Process
- Pareto Decision Making — (Note: see the Evaluation Phase for measurement tools)
Ensure that you get to the root cause of the problem. If you do not eliminate the root cause, then the problem will resurface elsewhere. The Japanese have a procedure called the five whys. They ask "why" five times when confronted with a problem. By the time the fifth why is answered, they believe they have found the ultimate cause of the problem.
Problem and Recommended Solution Statement
This is the output that gets passed to the design phase. A good statement fully defines the problem and provides a solution. Listed below are a couple of examples. Please note that they are highly abbreviated, but you should get the idea!
ExamplesA bad example: Supplies do not get here on time. We need to do things faster.
A Better example: 1/2 of Purchasing's time is spent gathering product, vendor, and customer information. Recommend that all information be entered into the product's database. Also, a formal procedure for ordering supplies needs to formalized as it is presently done in a haphazard manner.
A bad example: Our products cost more than the competitors. We need to lower prices.
A better example: Each finished good is moved an average of 9 times before it is sent to the customer. By making dedicated locations for each product line, this could be reduced to a maximum of 2 moves.
Once you have firmly identified the problem, you can then design a plan or counter-measure to get rid of the problem and keep it from reoccurring. During this phase, two products will be developed — The Process Performance Objectives and a measurement tool with baselines.
Process Performance Objectives
Process Performance Objectives are brief and concise plans that contain an action statement. They include:
- Direction — e.g. reduce, increase
- Measurement — e.g. hours, cycle time
- Process — e.g. receive shipments, build widget
- Solution — e.g. by implementing, changing
- Target — a number or goal to aim for (targets should always be reviewed with the organization's leadership to see if they concur with their goals)
For example, "Reduce (direction) hours (measurement) packaging software (process) by changing the location of the shrink wrap tunnel (solution). The target is 1.5 hours.
Increase (direction) quality (measurement) for painting bicycles (process) by implementing a painting process (solution). The target is a 15% increase in the customer survey satisfaction index.
Raise (direction) customer satisfaction (measurement) for returning goods (process) by allowing a "no question asked" return policy (solution). The target is a 10% decrease in complaints.
In order to evaluate the CPI project, measurements are taken before, during, and after implementation of a solution. Measurements are taken before implementation for two main reasons. The first is to confirm that a problem really exists. In many instances this may not be necessary as you will already have the data to confirm the initial analysis. The second reason is to collect a baseline measurement. The baseline measurement allows you to evaluate the solution by having a reference to measure against. When the solution is implemented, the measurement is conducted again. The difference (if any) tells you the degree of success of the project. Some of the things that can be measured are:
- Customer satisfaction
- Product or service quality
- Percent of late deliveries
- Number of errors
- Number of minutes per order
- Cost per order
- Quantity produced
- Cycle time vs. best in class (Benchmarking)
- Percent of time devoted to rework
- Number of people or resources involved in a process
The development phase builds on the Process Performance Objectives and measurement tool constructed in the design phase. The product of this phase is a detailed plan of action that lists step-by-step procedures for implementing the change. The plan also needs to include who is responsible for what and time schedules.
If there are several projects, then the SC normally passes the project on to a CPI team at this point to carry it through to completion.
This is where you put your plan into action. This phase involves change and whenever you have change, you can have resistance. Please read Change for smoothing the implementation of the new process.
One method for getting the process owners involved in CPI and ensuring all the steps to a process have been identified is to have them list their tasks in the process. Although the following is actually part of the analysis phase, it will make the implementation go much smoother by getting the stake-holders involved:
- You will need Post-It-Notes and large pieces of paper taped to the walls of the meeting room. Each person involved in the process is issued a pad of Post-It-Notes and a broad tipped pen. The coach provides an overview of the process and then asks the process team to identify the tasks that the team has to perform in order to accomplish the process. Each person silently list every task he or she can think of on a separate note. Allow 20 to 25 minutes for this activity. Once everyone has completed their notes, each person in turn goes to the board and sticks their notes on the board, taking a moment to read each note. The process team is encouraged to remain silent during this part of the activity, but are told to create additional notes when someone else's note sparks a new thought about an additional task is performed.
- In the next step, each person approaches the board and attempts moves the notes around into groups that have a similar theme and in the order they are performed. Team members can work together on this, asking questions about the meaning of specific notes, and suggesting themes for grouping tasks. Duplicates should be placed on top of one another. It is also a good idea to create a boxed-off area for any notes that suggest activities that may be out of the scope of process. This "Holding Area or Parking Lot" can be revisited from time-to-time as the process model continues to build.
- Next, the team is asked create a name for each theme. This involves looking at the grouped tasks and trying to come up with a word or phrase to describe each theme. Then the team is asked to determine if the natural order of the themes is correct. Some themes will have to be performed before others can occur. Some can, or will have to be performed simultaneously.
- The coach then asks for a volunteer to grab a marker pen and write on a flip chart. With the volunteer leading, the team creates a refined list of tasks by theme. It is usually a good idea to ask the team to determine which activities are essential and which are nice to have. Next the team estimates the time needed to perform each essential task. Individuals are asked to volunteer to work on one or more tasks or themes until all the items have been completed.
- At the conclusion of the activity the followings steps should be accomplished:
- All steps performed in a process has been determined.
- Time-frames for accomplishing each task have been estimated.
- The order of the tasks have been determined.
- Workers who perform each task have been identified.
- After the activity, compare the process holders model with your model. Any discrepancies must researched and resolved.
You cannot know if the plan succeeded unless you measure it. Evaluations are used to measure the success or failure of a change. Some plans do fail and they should be thought of as learning experiences, not "lets find a scapegoat." This section describes a few tools of measurement that allow you to solve problems, and make decisions.
Also note that this phase is performed throughout the CPI Model. It is used to get baseline measurements in the other phases and to monitor the progress and procedures for CPI. At least one person on the steering committee should be appointed to monitor the progress and process of all CPI projects.
The Pareto Chart is based on Vilfredo Pareto, an Italian economist, that states that a small percentage of a group accounts for the largest fraction of a value or impact. That is, 80% of the effects come from 20% of the possible causes. The goal is to go after that 80% first, by solving a few problems. The Pareto Chart converts data into visual information. For example, you are analyzing the errors in a clothing manufacturing plant by counting the number of rejects over a one week period. You know that most of the errors are: wrong material used, stretched bands, weak threads, cracked buttons, and broken zippers. At first you might believe that the vendors are responsible for most of the errors by sending you bad material since four of the error codes belonged to the vendors and only one belonged to the operators. But then you analyze the data:
Sew a pair of pants: reason for rejects
60 ---------------------------------------------------- 55 Total Mistakes: 92 ____ | | | | 50 ---| |------------------------------------------- | | | | | | 40 ---| |------------------------------------------ | | | | | | 30 ---| |------------------------------------------ | | | | | | 20 ---| |------------------------------------------ | | 15 | | ____ 12 | | | | ____ | | | | | | 10 ---| |----| |----| |---------------------- | | | | | | 6 | | | | | | ____ 4 | | | | | | | | ____ | | | | | | | | | | 0 ---------------------------------------------------- Wrong Band Weak Buttons Broken Material Stretched Threads Cracked Zippers Used
The chart shows that about 55% of the rejected pants are made from the wrong material (operator error). The other 40% is bad material (vendor error). By training the operators to use the correct material and inspecting only the two highest vendor error materials — the bands and thread, before they go into the production area, you can lower the error rate by 89%.
Some of the things you can measure with a Pareto Chart are:
- Item counts
- Opinions or perceptions
ReferencesRummler, G. A., & Brache, A. P. (1995). Improving performance: How to manage the white space on the organization chart (2nd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers. | <urn:uuid:6882d879-d54d-4386-b2c8-5bdfb7e6735b> | {
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Remembering and honoring those that served and gave their lives during the First World War is a central task in the Centennial Commemoration period. More than four million American families sent their sons and daughters to serve in uniform during the Great War. In only five months of fighting at the end of the war, 116,516 U.S. soldiers gave their lives in combat, with another 200,000 wounded – a casualty rate far greater than in World War II. More than 350,000 African Americans served in the U.S. military, as did Native Americans and members of other minority groups. And, for the first time, women joined the ranks of the U.S. armed forces.
By establishing a national memorial to World War I in the nation’s capital, and bringing renewed attention to local WWI memorials around the country, the Commission will honor the service and sacrifice of the men and women who served, not only on the battlefields but behind the lines and on the home front, and help today’s generations of Americans begin to understand the true heroism of all those who served.
Since 1982, the nation has dedicated national memorials in Washington, DC, in remembrance of World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. No such memorial exists for the veterans of World War I. Congress has authorized the Commission to establish a national World War I Memorial in Pershing Park, one block from the White House on Pennsylvania Avenue. Currently, Pershing Park serves as the existing memorial honoring General John J. Pershing, the commander of all U.S. forces in the war. The memorial would be renovated and expanded to officially serve as the nation’s World War I memorial in Washington.
Across the country there are local WWI memorials in thousands of cities and towns that are forgotten and in disrepair. The Commission has partnered with the World War I Memorial Inventory Project and partners from all 50 states to create an on-line database that will assist with locating, restoring, and bringing new attention to all the memorials built to honor U.S. veterans of the First World War. | <urn:uuid:3dded5a7-3a61-4e78-9d1a-3142097702e6> | {
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It’s been almost eight years since "An Inconvenient Truth," Al Gore’s call-to-action on climate change. Now the televison channel Showtime is taking up the challenge with its nine-part docu-series "Years of Living Dangerously." In between these two films, advocates have learned a lot about communicating climate change. No. 1, it’s harder than anybody thought.
After years of dire warnings, a little over half of Americans worry about climate change “only a little,” if at all, according to a Gallup poll.
“At first the attitude was, the truth speaks for itself,” says Dan Kahan, a professor of law and psychology at Yale Law School and a member of the Cultural Cognition Project. “Show them the valid science and the people will understand. That’s clearly wrong.”
Ed Maibach, director of George Mason University’s Center for Climate Change Communication, says there are at least three things “we know that you shouldn’t do,” when communicating the science: don't use language people don’t understand, don't use too many numbers, and don't talk about “plants, penguins and polar bears” instead of people. Maibach says another error is talking about the threat of climate change without giving people solutions.
Elke Weber*, a business and psychology professor Columbia University’s Earth Institute, takes that one step further. She believes that instead of “scare campaigns” and “visions of apocalyptic futures,” climate advocates need to present visions of what a world less dependent on fossil fuels would look like.
“Focus on the benefits,” Weber says. “Scare campaigns work extremely well when there’s a simple thing you can do to remove the danger. But if it takes protracted action, over time, nobody wants to feel bad for that length of time. People just tune out.”
The real challenge, however, may be to talk about climate change in ways that don’t push people’s cultural and political buttons. Dan Kahan’s research shows that the way people view climate change is closely tied to their values.
People “aggressively filter” information that doesn’t conform to their worldview.
“And remarkably the more proficient somebody is at making sense of empirical data," he says, "the more pronounced this tendency is going to.”
Robert Lalasz, director of science communications at the Nature Conservancy, is convinced that real progress will come at the local level, where people are already confronting drought and rising seas and looking to community leaders for solutions.
“We need to show people that the people they respect and trust are paying attention to climate science and using it to make decisions about issues they’re dealing with right now and issues in the future,” Lalasz says. Those conversations, however, tend to be about adaptiing to the effects of climate change. The question is whether they can help move the needle on mitigating it, before it's too late. | <urn:uuid:dfb5b2d2-f9bb-4a4b-86d9-935eaf1a9db4> | {
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Thirty bodies said to belong to Rohingya and Bangladeshi migrants were discovered in southern Thailand on May 1 as global concern and awareness grows over what some claim are the makings of “genocide” in Myanmar’s western Rakhine State.
According to Human Rights Watch, a joint Thai military-police taskforce found the bodies at an abandoned human trafficking camp. They were buried in shallow graves while others weren’t even buried at all, covered with clothes and blankets on the jungle canopy floor by human traffickers. The people were said to have died from starvation and disease.
The majority of Rohingya people flee from Myanmar in search of a better life but get caught in the net of human traffickers and at times are forced into slavery.
Human Rights Watch says the bodies were discovered in Thailand’s Songklha province in the country’s unruly south, a region troubled by human trafficking and separatism.
Asia director of Human Rights Watch, Brad Adams, had this to say:
“The finding of a mass grave at a trafficking camp sadly comes as little surprise. The long involvement of Thai officials in trafficking means that an independent investigation with UN involvement is necessary to uncover the truth and hold those responsible to account.”
Trafficking in Thailand has been out of control for some time with the current and previous administrations preventing the UN High Commission for Refugees from properly determining numbers of Rohingya moving through the country.
This latest news comes in the wake of a detailed report from the United States Holocaust Museum outlining the current situation in Rahkine State where Rohingya are displaced in what they termed “apartheid style camps” and basic rights are denied.
Concerned that “many preconditions for genocide are already in place,” members of the museum’s Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide recently travelled to Myanmar to hear first-hand accounts of the Rohingya’s suffering.
According to the members: “We met with forcibly displaced people living in makeshift internment camps and ghettos, where they are cut off from their jobs and essential services, segregated from their former neighbours, and closely monitored by the police.
“We also spoke with activists, politicians, religious leaders, and journalists to get a sense of the overall situation and prospects for the future,” the group reported.
An outbreak of violence in 2012 saw Muslim Rohingya and Rakhine Buddhists killed in the state, with many Rohingya forced to live in camps for internally displaced people.
The Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide report noted particular events such as:
The retraction of the population’s ‘white cards’, which offer a form of temporary identification and the right to vote; the widespread hate speech against Muslim and Rohingya people; and the temporary ban on Médecins Sans Frontières operating in Rakhine State.
Recommendations from the report noted that the government should investigate attacks against Rohingya and repeal the 1982 citizenship law preventing Rohingya from applying for citizenship.
The Myanmar government refers to the people as “Bengali,” inferring they are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. Many Rohingya claim they were born in Myanmar and have family roots there.
The report called for the international community to impose UN sanctions on those who are targeting the ethnic minority and Muslim groups.
The report stated, “The longstanding persecution of the Rohingya Muslim minority in Myanmar has led to the highest outflow of asylum seekers by sea since the US war in Vietnam.”
ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights met last week, before the ASEAN meetings in Malaysia, and drew attention to the crisis in Myanmar noting that the situation has all the signs of “genocide,” noting that it was a regional issue. | <urn:uuid:02eff0ac-0f57-4daa-a5af-ff74844f3d7b> | {
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Climate change a short-lived buzzword
Tuning in for a fortnight or so of the UN global warming debate early in December is an annual ritual for mainlanders.
Climate change becomes the buzzword in the mainland media, with almost every newspaper, internet portal and television news bulletin showing enormous interest in global warming.
It is usually the only time that mainlanders get a glimpse of the preoccupations of mainland negotiators and how they perceive international climate negotiations.
But don't expect unorthodox views, a sharp analysis of Beijing's official stance from informed insiders, or even complete coverage of what's going on at the climate talks.
The media interest is usually short-lived, ending abruptly along with the annual climate gathering itself. This year was no exception.
China made a landmark concession at recent climate talks in Durban, South Africa, in a bid to save the 1997 Kyoto Protocol - fiercely opposed by developed nations and many poor developing countries - from collapse.
Most mainlanders may not have noticed it. The media barely mention the concession, which will bring China under the same scrutiny as industrialised countries after 2020. While China, the world's top carbon emitter, sees the extension of the Kyoto pact, which conveniently exempts it from accepting binding emissions cuts, as a life-and-death issue, the post-2020 framework has been of interest to the rest of the world for years.
Mainland officials and experts are still debating behind closed doors the implications of the Durban talks on China and long-stalled global negotiations.
'The government does not view the 2020 issue as a significant compromise, as overseas media have described,' said a leading climate expert who was briefed about Beijing's latest assessment of the Durban talks yesterday.
'It is rather a balanced and compromise outcome jointly worked out by all parties,' she said, citing the government's conclusion. 'The Durban talks were successful because we have won China plenty of room to develop its economy in the next decade.'
She said the government had long been prepared to accept a binding international deal after 2020, which means the end of China's unfettered economic growth, marked by heavily polluting industrialisation.
'It is definitely not a surprise because sooner or later China will have to make that move given China's surging emissions and rising global political and economic clout,' she said. 'It would be easier to understand China's perspective if we see the global climate talks as China's defensive fight. It is all about how we choose to withdraw ourselves strategically - an orderly retreat or an utter rout.'
Many mainland analysts say although China got what it wanted with the extension of the Kyoto pact, it looks set to be a weakened treaty even if it is still alive.
They played down the impact of Canada's decision to pull out of the Kyoto pact last week, saying it was a bad decision in terms of Canada's global image. 'The decision was driven by Canada's domestic politics, which would have limited impact on future talks about the extended Kyoto pact,' said one mainland climate negotiator. 'On the contrary, it will give developing nations more ammunition to blame rich nations in future talks.'
Professor Zou Ji, a climate expert with Beijing's Renmin University and the US-based World Resources Institute, said it remains to be seen what kind of agreement countries can achieve next year on the details of the new Kyoto pact.
'All important details about the extended pact have yet to be finalised. The talks next year will decide if the pact is still as meaningful as the old one or just a formality,' he said.
From the developing nations' perspective, rich nations, notably in the European Union, had yet to commit to steeper cuts - a critical criterion of the effectiveness of the extended Kyoto deal, he said. China would have many domestic challenges in the next decade as it had to come up with its own road map for low-carbon development, which includes calculations of when the country's carbon emissions may peak, another contentious issue, he said, that Beijing has tried to dodge for years.
'Apparently China wants to delay the peak time, but China has to clarify the issue sooner or later, as it looks set to be a focal point in the negotiations for the post-2020 deal.'
He also said China's soaring energy demand would inevitably push up carbon emissions and pose severe challenges for the country's domestic efforts to cut carbon intensity, or emissions per unit of gross domestic product, by 17 per cent from the 2010 level by 2015.
Despite such intense debate among climate experts, the mainland public has been absent from the discussions.
Many environmentalists say individuals and non-government groups have yet to feel the urgency of tackling climate change because they are preoccupied with pollution woes and ecological degradation as a result of the mainland's decades-long runaway economic expansion. | <urn:uuid:04419ed1-0a4e-404d-8ad0-3f3ffb9623a0> | {
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October 2, 2018—The American Thyroid Association (ATA) will hold its 88th Annual Meeting on October…
Thyroid Nodules in Children
WHAT IS A THYROID NODULE?
A thyroid nodule is an abnormal growth of thyroid cells that forms a lump within the thyroid gland. There may be one or more nodules in the thyroid gland and each one should be evaluated. Most thyroid nodules are benign (not cancer); however, a small proportion may contain thyroid cancer. In order to diagnose and treat thyroid cancer at the earliest stage, thyroid nodules need evaluation.
Thyroid Nodules in Children and Adolescents FAQs
The thyroid gland is a butterfly-shaped endocrine gland that is located in the lower front of the neck, just above the collarbone. The thyroid’s job is to make thyroid hormones, which are released into the blood and then carried to every tissue in the body. In children, thyroid hormone helps to ensure that growth and development occur normally and that the body’s energy, metabolism, heart, muscles, and other organs are working properly.
Thyroid nodules come to medical attention in a variety of ways. Most thyroid nodules do not cause symptoms and the thyroid gland usually works normally despite the nodule. Some nodules are found by the patient, a friend, or a parent noticing a lump in the neck during routine daily activities. Some are discovered during routine physical examinations including by dentists or sports physicals, and some are found on radiologic imaging (ultrasound, CT scan, or MRI) that was done for unrelated reasons. Rarely, nodules can get so large that they cause difficulty breathing or swallowing because the nodule is pressing on the windpipe or esophagus.
The important points to remember are:
- Thyroid nodules generally do not cause symptoms.
- Thyroid tests are usually normal—even if cancer is present in a nodule.
- The best way to find a thyroid nodule is to make sure your doctor checks your neck!
Thyroid nodules are common in adults, especially as they get older (they are present in up to one-half of adults by age 60 years). We know that thyroid nodules are much less common in children, but we do not have exact numbers. There is an increased risk of thyroid cancer in nodules found in children and adolescents compared to adults; however, even in children, most thyroid nodules are benign (not cancer). It is estimated that over 75% of nodules found in children and adolescents are benign.
For the majority of patients, it is not known why a thyroid nodule develops. Risk factors include exposure to radiation (most commonly medical radiation used to treat another form of cancer), a family history of thyroid nodules, or thyroid cancer. Iodine deficiency also causes nodules, but this is very uncommon in the United States.
Once a nodule is discovered, the goal is to figure out whether the nodule is benign (not cancer) or malignant (cancer). The first step is to decide if the child has any increased risk of cancer by asking about their medical history, including exposure to radiation. It’s important to have a thorough physical exam of the thyroid and neck, to determine the firmness of the thyroid and nodule and to feel if there are abnormal lymph nodes in the neck. The next step is to check that the thyroid gland is producing normal amounts of thyroid hormone by checking levels of thyroid hormone (T4, thyroxine) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) in the blood.
It is not possible to know whether a nodule is cancerous or not just from the physical examination and blood tests. A thyroid ultrasound is needed and used to determine if a fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy should be performed.
Thyroid ultrasound (US) is the best tool to diagnose a thyroid nodule and to estimate the risk of cancer. US uses high-frequency sound waves to take a picture of the thyroid gland; it is not painful and does not use any radiation. This test tells doctors the size of the nodule and whether it is solid, fluid-filled (cystic), or a combination of both (partially solid and partially cystic). The images obtained of the thyroid gland and nodule can help identify nodules that look suspicious for cancer, but it cannot actually diagnose cancer. If a nodule looks like it could be cancerous, the next step is to perform an FNA biopsy of the nodule using a tiny needle (skinnier than a needle used for a blood draw). Ultrasound is often used to guide the needle directly into the nodule through the skin of the neck. The cells removed from the nodule are then examined by a specialist under a microscope to see if they look like cancer (see the FNAB nodules in children brochure to learn more about how this procedure is performed, as well as how to prepare for it).
In children with benign thyroid nodules, ultrasound is used in follow-up visits to see whether the nodule is growing or changing.
NUCLEAR THYROID SCANS:
Most children with thyroid nodules are producing normal amounts of thyroid hormone; however, if they are found to have a low TSH, the nodule itself may be making excess thyroid hormone (called an autonomously functioning thyroid nodule). The best test to see if the nodule is producing thyroid hormone is a thyroid nuclear scan. This test uses a tiny amount of radioactive iodine or technetium (also called radiocontrast): the nodule will absorb more of the radiocontrast if it is overactive (a ‘warm’ or ‘hot’ nodule). The radioactive iodine is either swallowed or the technetium is given intravenously. Most autonomous nodules are benign, but based on the US appearance, a FNA may be needed to confirm the diagnosis.
Children with any thyroid nodules found to contain thyroid cancer, or that are suspicious for cancer, should have surgery by an experienced thyroid surgeon to remove the nodule and/or all the thyroid gland. More than 90% of thyroid cancers in children are papillary thyroid cancer. Even if this cancer is advanced when it is discovered, the vast majority of children do very well and live long, healthy lives after a thyroid cancer diagnosis.
Thyroid nodules that are benign usually do not need to be removed, but the patient should have a follow-up ultrasound to make sure the nodule has not grown or changed 6 to 12 months later. In children and adolescents, doctors usually recommend surgical removal of nodules if they are very large (measuring more than 3 to 4 cm across) or if they are producing too much thyroid hormone (“hot nodules”) or if the nodule is impacting quality of life, even if they seem benign (non-cancerous) on FNA biopsy. In about 25% of patients, the results from the FNA are not clear on whether a nodule is benign or malignant. When this occurs, the patient, family, and doctor will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of surgery versus close follow-up with repeat thyroid ultrasounds.
More Thyroid Nodules in Children and Adolescents Information
For information on thyroid patient support organizations, please visit the Patient Support Links section on the ATA website at
We are pleased to present: The final, fully edited version of the official 2015 American…
New Rochelle, NY, January 25, 2016—In a stimulating new Roundtable Discussion, a distinguished panel of…
New Rochelle, NY, October 14, 2015—New, evidence-based recommendations from the American Thyroid Association (ATA) will…
New Rochelle, NY, April 22, 2015—Previous guidelines from the American Thyroid Association (ATA) for evaluating… | <urn:uuid:c6097541-828c-4ab7-a7be-36022d5ece10> | {
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HEP is an autosomal recessive disease caused by mutations in the gene responsible for PCT, the uroporphyrinogen decarboxylase gene (UROD), located at 1p34.
PCT may be acquired, typically as a result of disease (especially hepatitis C), drug or alcohol use, or exposure to certain poisons.
HEP results from a defect in uroporphyrinogen decarboxylase activity (step 5), and is caused by defects in the same gene as PCT.
Porphyria cutanea tarda (PCT) is also called symptomatic porphyria, porphyria cutanea symptomatica, and idiosyncratic porphyria.
PCT may also be inherited as an autosomal dominant disorder, however most people remain latent-that is, symptoms never develop.
PCT is caused by mutations in the uroporphyrinogen decarboxylase gene (UROD) located at 1p34.
PCT is the most common of the porphyrias, but the incidence of PCT is not well defined.
PCT is caused by deficient uroporphyrinogen decarboxylase.
PCT may occur as an acquired or an inherited condition.
11 (ibEre 7r77Xisocs uµ 7 cv ypaµµao'cv pct / a T7l Eµrl xapi) is to the large bold size 9 of the letters in Paul's handwriting, but the object and scope of the reference are matters of dispute. | <urn:uuid:b39bef76-bd1e-48be-8066-295c45aaaa06> | {
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Hello World Out There World!
This weeks old word is privign. Now, this word is a noun that was used mostly between 1605 all the way to 1654. Privign is a fancier way of saying stepson… why they had to make a fancier term for stepson I don’t know but that’s what this weeks word means.
How to pronounce this weeks word:
Examples of using privign in a sentence:
He was looking forward to gaining a privign after he married the love of his life.
The woman was known to not be so kind to her privign.
Their privign was treated more like a housekeeper than one of their children.
Should this would be brought back?
I think if you are writing historical fiction or getting together with your steampunk buddies for an adventure around town this word would make more sense to use… but to use it in common, everyday conversation – no. Like many of the words I do in this segment privign is a fun word to say but it’s one that would take more explaining than it would to just say stepson. This doesn’t mean I won’t use it but I doubt it is going to make a comeback. 🙂 | <urn:uuid:109c9ba9-f5cc-41e5-99c6-58983c89ea14> | {
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contradicting and disproving our opinion, is the very condition which justifies us in assuming its truth for purposes of action; and on no other terms can a being with human faculties have any rational assurance of being right.
When we consider either the history of opinion, or the ordinary conduct of human life, to what is it to be ascribed that the one and the other are no worse than they are? Not certainly to the inherent force of the human understanding; for, on any matter not self-evident, there are ninety-nine persons totally incapable of judging of it, for one who is capable; and the capacity of the hundredth person is only comparative; for the majority of the eminent men of every past generation held many opinions now known to be erroneous, and did or approved numerous things which no one will now justify. Why is it, then, that there is on the whole a preponderance among mankind of rational opinions and rational conduct? If there really is this preponderance—which there must be unless human affairs are, and have always been, in an almost desperate state—it is owing to a quality of the human mind, the source of everything respectable in man, either as an intellectual or as a moral being, namely, that his errors are corrigible. He is capable of rectifying his mistakes, by discussion and experience. Not by experience alone. There must be discussion, to show how experience | <urn:uuid:dabfbbd3-944f-489d-a3d5-c1827d42c92f> | {
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The Literacy Dialogues are a type of experiment. Each episode presents the characters in a dialogue about a particular text (to be written and/or read). It follows the process of meaning making, and what needs to be in place for meaning to be made. Episode one presents the two character in a discussion over a parable. The dialogues will be designed to be interactive, though this first episode is quite basic.
The dialogues aim to demonstrate a framework for reading comprehension and written composition, whilst also demonstrating that meaning making and responding are highly dynamic. A teacher should not reduce the process to a mechanical exercise. Nor should the teacher avoid establishing routines that move from lower order to higher order skills engagement. Most importantly, the teacher must be careful not to teach beyond the learner's capacity to engage meaningfully, purposefully, enthusiastically and strategically. Each dialogue explores questions such as:
- How are the characters oriented to the text?
- Is there a reason for them to attend to the text? and why?
- Do they have the language and cognitive skills to decode/encode and make meaning from/through the text?
- Do they have the background knowledge and experiences required to make meaning of the text?
- How does the meaning making process unfold?
- Do the readers/writers gain a clear sense of the state of affairs represented in the text? What might be the barriers to comprehension or expression?
- What conclusions are being drawn?
- How is this knowledge interacting with prior knowledge and immediate investigations?
- Are the readers/writers comfortable with the meanings being expressed?
- What can the readers/writers take from this experience? Knowledge? Reflection on practice? Language?
- What will be memorable? What needs to be in place for this to occur? What needs to occur to consolidate this experience?
Please explore Episode 1: Manna from Heaven.Read More | <urn:uuid:623891cc-2f23-4db5-86b0-3122647a7e9d> | {
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What is Google’s Rank Brain? It is the artificial intelligence (AI) system used for processing search queries. These queries run at millions per second. The AI processes very large amounts of written language into vectors (mathematical entities) to communicate with the computer.
If there are words or phrases that Rank Brain doesn’t identify or understand, it begins making guesses for similar data.
Rank Brain is just one of the signals used by Google to determine which search results will appear on the search page and how they are ranked. Google estimates Rank Brain is responsible for about 15% of searches making it one of the most important of the hundreds of signals used. It is continually growing and changing.
Tensor processing units (TPUs) are being leveraged for this system.
The initial rollout of Rank Brain was early in 2015. It’s currently thinking….. | <urn:uuid:562ad2e9-3b71-4473-9372-da25c15b33cd> | {
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Entries listed under "town office"
Originally, the area was known to the Native Americans as Massabesic and was acquired from Chief Fluellin in 1661 by Major William Phipps. Later a Shaker community settled on a hill overlooking what is now called Shaker Pond. Alfred is the county seat of York County and was the site of a Civilian Conservation Corps camp in the 1930’s. Continue reading
Settled in 1772, known as Brookfield, Seven Mile Brook Plantation, and Titcomb Town, it is named for British Lord George Anson. In 1775, Benedict Arnold’s expedition camped at Norridgewock Falls, near the current town office. Continue reading
National Register of Historic Places – Augusta Much of Augusta’s history is tied to two eras: the early settlement and trading on the Kennebec River, and the long period it has served as the state’s capital. Official government buildings and … Continue reading | <urn:uuid:ac5a8a5c-3f2d-4d47-ae03-97e2febde736> | {
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In California, the high cost of housing is hurting the state's economic growth and pushing its citizens deeper into poverty. But there's so much land! Why is it so hard to find somewhere affordable to rent?
The Wall Street Journal's summary of California's new state report on its housing situation is grim: California's average rent is 50% higher than the national average, and its average home price is more than double the national average. Since housing is the first cost that most people pay, that means low-income Californians have less money left over for everything else. The negative impacts of high housing costs tend to cascade down the economic food chain in ways that high prices of less necessary goods do not.
What is California's problem, specifically? "That high cost is largely driven by a slow pace of construction in the state's major coastal markets, where demand for homes is highest and prices are bid up, the report said. Between 1980 and 2010, for instance, new home construction in the state's coastal metro areas increased by 32%, compared with 54% nationally, the report said. In Los Angeles and San Francisco, the supply of new housing grew even more slowly, by about 20%."
The most desirable cities make it the hardest to build new housing. Therefore prices for existing housing skyrocket, and middle and lower class people begin to get priced out of cities altogether. Endless material has been written on how San Francisco, in particular, has erected a wall of local regulations that make it difficult and expensive to build there, which has the effect of protecting the beautiful city inhabited by people who already own, at the expense of everyone else who wants to live there now.
1. If you remove regulations and make it easier and cheaper to build new housing in desirable cities like LA and SF, prices should eventually fall, at least somewhat. Fortunate people who already have nice places to live in these desirable areas may argue that this could bring down their quality of life. This is true! It may not be important, though.
2. Don't want to deregulate and throw it onto the mercy of the free market? The government can also build affordable housing, especially subsidized housing for low income people. The problems are A) This has to be funded with tax dollars, and everyone will bitch about it, and B) Even if successful, if you still don't allow for more market-rate housing to be built along with it, you can end up with a situation where there is only low-end and high-end housing available, and nowhere for the middle class.
3. Alternately, you can direct public and private investment towards other areas of the state in order to make them more attractive for people to live, in hopes that they will draw off some of the demand that currently goes to LA and SF. Barstow—there's a nice public swingset there, now. Think about it.
4. You can leave the situation just how it is. This will lead inexorably towards a situation in which the most desirable urban areas become more and more expensive, until you reach a point when entire cities are only affordable for the upper class. Whether or not you perceive this to be a problem depends on what your concept of a city is, but suffice it to say that the ongoing housing trends of San Francisco do make it that much easier to construct a fence around a discrete urban area for the purposes of imprisonment when the revolution comes, hypothetically.
In other countries poor people just construct huge unregulated slums in and around cities where they can't afford proper housing. This would certainly be in keeping with San Francisco's fancy-free self image. | <urn:uuid:c6fab8f5-c8b6-48a6-b4f6-bc0ed36c6d76> | {
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1. Control and coordination in animals are provided by nervous and muscular tissues. Human Nervous System is key to control and coordination in Humans.
2. The nervous system carries out the following functions:
(i) It perceives the changes around us through our senses.
(ii) It controls and coordinates all the activities of the muscles in response to the changes outside.
(iii) It also maintains the internal environment of the body by coordinating the functions of the various internal organs and the involuntary muscles.
(iv) It stores the previous experiences as a memory that helps us to think and analyze our reactions.
(v) It conducts messages between different parts of the body
3. The units of the nervous system in the human nervous system are specialized cells called the neurons. Around the cell body are short sensory projections called the dendrons. The fine branches of dendrons are called the dendrites. These short fibers receive messages and pass them on to the cell body or the cyton. The messages from the cyton are carried away by the long axon which ends in many fine branches. The branches end in synaptic knobs.
4. Transmission of Messages – All information from our environment is detected by the specialized tips of some nerve cells. This information, acquired at the end of the dendritic tip of a nerve cell, sets off a chemical reaction that creates an electrical impulse. These impulse travels from the dendrite to the cell body, and then along the axon to its end. At the end of the axon, the electrical impulse sets off the release of some chemicals. These chemicals cross the gap, or synapse, and start a similar electrical impulse in a dendrite of the next neuron. This is a general scheme of how nervous impulses travel in the body.
- These receptors are usually located in our sense organs, such as the inner ear, the nose, the tongue, and so on. These gustatory receptors will detect taste while olfactory receptors will detect the smell.
- The human nervous system can be divided into three main parts:
(i) Central nervous system
(ii) Peripheral nervous system
(iii) Autonomic nervous system
7. Central Nervous System – It is made up of the brain and the spinal cord which is the continuation of the brain. Brain and spinal cord are surrounded by membranes called the meninges.
8. The brain is part of the central nervous system that is present in the head and protected by the skull. The box that houses the brain within the skull is called the cranium. Inside the box, the brain is contained in a fluid-filled balloon which provides further shock absorption.
9. The brain has three such major parts or regions, namely the fore-brain, mid-brain, and hind-brain.
- The fore-brain is the main thinking part of the brain. It is made up of the cerebrum, hypothalamus, and thalamus.
(i) Cerebrum is responsible for the intelligence, thinking, memory, consciousness, and willpower.
(ii) Thalamus – It is an area which coordinates the sensory impulses from the various sense organs – eyes, ears, and skin and then relays it to the cerebrum.
(iii) Hypothalamus – It receives the taste and smell impulses, coordinates messages from the autonomous nervous system, controls the heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature and peristalsis.
11. Separate areas of the fore-brain are specialized for hearing, smell, sight etc. The sensation of feeling full is because of a center associated with hunger, which is in a separate part of the fore-brain.
12. Mid Brain -It serves as a relay center for sensory information from the ears to the cerebrum. It also controls the reflex movements of the head, neck and eye muscles. It provides a passage for the different neurons going in and coming out of the cerebrum.
13. Hind Brain – It consists of cerebellum, pons and medulla oblongata.
(i) Cerebellum is responsible for maintaining the balance while walking, swimming, riding, etc. It is also responsible for precision and fine control of the voluntary movements. For example, we can do actions like eating while talking or listening.
(ii) Pons serves as a relay station between the lower cerebellum and spinal cord and higher parts of the brain like the cerebrum and mid brain.
(iii) Medulla Oblongata-It has the cardiovascular center and the breathing center. It also controls activities such as sneezing, coughing, swallowing, salivation and vomiting.
14. Spinal Cord – It is a collection of nervous tissue running along the backbone. It is a continuation of the brain. The functions of the spinal cord are:
(i) Coordinating simple spinal reflexes
(ii) Coordinating autonomic reflexes like the contraction of the bladder
(iii) Conducting messages from muscles and skin to the brain
(iv) Conducting messages from brain to the trunk and limbs
15. ‘Reflex’ is some sudden action in response to something in the environment. A reflex arc is a neural pathway that controls a reflex. In vertebrates, most sensory neurons do not pass directly into the brain, but synapse in the spinal cord. This allows for faster reflex actions to occur by activating spinal motor neurons without the delay of routing signals through the brain.
- Peripheral Nervous System – The peripheral nervous system of the human nervous system is made up of nerves that connect the different parts of the body (peripheral tissues) to the central nervous system. There are three types of nerves based on their composition:
(i) sensory (afferent)
(ii) motor (efferent)
17. When a nerve impulse reaches the muscle, the muscle fiber must move. The simplest notion of movement at the cellular level is that muscle cells will move by changing their shape so that they shorten. Muscle cells have special proteins that change both their shape and their arrangement in the cell in response to nervous electrical impulses. When this happens, new arrangements of these proteins give the muscle cells a shorter form.
B -COORDINATION IN ANIMALS
1. The endocrine system is the collection of glands that produce hormones that regulate metabolism, growth and development, tissue function, sexual function, reproduction, sleep, and mood, among other things. The control and coordination of the different bodily functions is also done with the help of the endocrine system.
2. Exocrine glands are those which pour their secretions into a duct. For example, sweat glands, tear glands, etc. These glands are called the ductless glands as they do not have ducts. For example, thyroid, adrenal, etc.
- The human endocrine system consists of the following glands:
(ix) Ovary in female
(x) Testes in male
4. Pineal – It is a small round gland in the brain. It secretes melatonin that regulates the sexual cycle.
- Thyroid – The hormone secreted is thyroxine. Functions of Thyroxine
(i) Thyroxin regulates carbohydrate, protein and fat metabolism in the body so as to provide the best balance for growth.
(ii) Iodine is essential for the synthesis of thyroxin. In case iodine is deficient in our diet, there is a possibility that we might suffer from goiter.
(iii) Thermoregulation – it regulates the production of body heat by regulating respiration
(iv) regulates metabolic rate
(v) regulates mental and physical development
(vi) helps in absorption of glucose from intestine
6. Parathyroid – They secrete parathormone which is important in calcium and phosphorus metabolism. Deficiency of parathormone causes brittle bones.
7. Pituitary – Growth hormone is one of the hormones secreted by the pituitary. Growth hormone regulates growth and development of the body. If there is a deficiency of this hormone in childhood, it leads to dwarfism.
8. Thymus – It secretes a hormone called thymosin. Thymosin helps in the production of lymphocytes.
9. Adrenal – A hormone called adrenaline is secreted from the adrenal glands. Adrenaline is secreted directly into the blood and carried to different parts of the body. The target organs or the specific tissues on which it acts include the heart. As a result, the heart beats faster, resulting in the supply of more oxygen to our muscles. All these responses together enable the animal body to be ready to deal with the situation.
10. Pancreas – Insulin is a hormone which is produced by the pancreas and helps in regulating blood sugar levels. If it is not secreted in proper amounts, the sugar level in the blood rises causing many harmful effects.
11. The male gonads are the testes and the female gonads are the ovaries. Dramatic changes appear as you approached 10–12 years of age. These changes associated with puberty are because of the secretion of testosterone in males and estrogen in females. Testes produce testosterone which produces the secondary sexual characteristics like mustache and beard. Ovaries along with the egg-production, secrete estrogen from the mature follicle that produces the secondary sexual characteristics like enlargement of breasts. It also prepares for the monthly menstruation. After ovulation, another hormone, progesterone is produced from corpus luteum that maintains the pregnancy.
- Feedback Mechanism – It is a method of controlling the hormone production. If the sugar levels in the blood rise, they are detected by the cells of the pancreas which respond by producing more insulin. As the blood sugar level falls, insulin secretion is reduced. | <urn:uuid:3da93dbd-fe29-44e1-a5f4-e94c702f62c2> | {
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Adventist Youth Honors Answer Book/Recreation/Travel
North American Division
See also Travel - Advanced
|Skill Level 1|
|Year of Introduction: 2009|
- 1 1. List as many modes of transportation you can think of that people use to get around the planet. Narrow down the previous list to a “Top Five” most common modes of transportation. List the pros and cons of each of the “Top Five.”
- 2 2. List some of the pros and cons of the following types of lodging:
- 3 3.What types of documentation may be necessary for travel? Explain the purpose of each type of document.
- 4 4.Watch a travelogue program that shows travel scenery and geography of a unique location.
- 5 5.Discuss in a group setting what kind of attitude travelers should have when traveling abroad.
- 6 6.Create a simple 7-day trip plan for a “family vacation.” As part of your plan, create a 7-day trip planner and include:
- 7 7. List a few different ways people got around in Bible times.
- 8 8.Calculate approximately how long it would take to walk between Jerusalem and Damascus.
- 9 9.Sketch a map of a trip mentioned in the Bible:
- 10 References
1. List as many modes of transportation you can think of that people use to get around the planet. Narrow down the previous list to a “Top Five” most common modes of transportation. List the pros and cons of each of the “Top Five.”
This should be done as a brainstorming session. If you have trouble getting people started, ask leading questions. If that doesn't work start making suggestions. Below are some suggested pros and cons of various types of transportation. You and your Pathfinders may think of more.
|Mode of Travel||Pros||Cons|
2. List some of the pros and cons of the following types of lodging:
|b. Youth hostel||
3.What types of documentation may be necessary for travel? Explain the purpose of each type of document.
A driver's license is necessary in order to legally operate a motor vehicle on a public road.
Many groups of countries have agreed to recognise driving licences issued by authorities of any of its members. Examples include the European Union and the GCC, where holders of driving licences issued by any member state can drive in all member states. Most countries worldwide will also recognize the licenses of citizens of foreign states wishing to drive as visitors. All EU member countries now issue licenses in a standard format, regardless of the language of the license.
The International Driving Permit (IDP) (sometimes erroneously called the International Driver's License) is a booklet which is an authorized translation of a driver's home license into many languages (especially languages with different scripts such as Russian, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, etc.). In some cases, it is obtained from a motoring organization such as the Automobile Association or the equivalent in the driver's home country. In other cases, it is delivered by the same government services that deliver ordinary licenses. The IDP has no validity except when used in conjunction with the driver's own license. The existence of the IDP is necessitated by many countries refusing to recognize driver's licenses written in foreign languages without accompanying translations.
The People's Republic of China at present does not recognize IDPs (although Hong Kong and Macau do) and requires drivers to get an additional PRC licence before being officially allowed on all roads. Holders of foreign licences are exempt from certain requirements when obtaining a PRC licence.
A passport is a document, issued by a national government, which certifies, for the purpose of international travel, the identity and nationality of its holder. The elements of identity are name, date of birth, sex, and place of birth. Most often, nationality and citizenship are congruent.
A passport does not of itself entitle the passport holder entry into another country, nor to consular protection while abroad or any other privileges, in the absence of any special agreements which cover the situation. It does, however, normally entitle the passport holder to return to the country that issued the passport. Rights to consular protection arise from international agreements, and the right to return arises from the laws of the issuing country. A passport does not represent the right or the place of residence of the passport holder in the country that issued the passport.
A visa is an indication that a person is authorized to enter the country which "issued" the visa, subject to permission of an immigration official at the time of actual entry. The authorization may be a document, but more commonly it is a stamp or sticker endorsed in the applicant's passport. Some countries do not require a visa in some situations, such as a result of reciprocal treaty arrangements. The country issuing the visa typically attaches various conditions to the visa, such as the time that the visa is valid, the period that the person may stay in the country, whether the visa is valid for more than one visit, the type of travel that is permitted (business, tourist, study) etc. The possession of a visa is not in itself a guarantee of entry into the country that issued it, and a visa can be revoked at any time.
4.Watch a travelogue program that shows travel scenery and geography of a unique location.
The Globe Trekker travelogue program airs in the United States on many PBS stations. You can also find travelogues on websites such as Hulu, or on DVD at various retail outlets.
AdventSource sells an Adventist-produced travelogue video series created specifically for this honor, called "The Nature of God in Nature". There are currently two episodes: Hawaii and The Lake District. Both come with English and Spanish audio options.
5.Discuss in a group setting what kind of attitude travelers should have when traveling abroad.
Always show respect for other people and cultures. Learn about customs and protocol and try not to be offensive. Do not act like you come from a superior place - everywhere is different in various ways. Do not expect things to be like home. If things were like home there would be no reason to travel. If people do not speak your language (ie English) they are not stupid. Learn a few words of their language and bring a phrasebook.
6.Create a simple 7-day trip plan for a “family vacation.” As part of your plan, create a 7-day trip planner and include:
a.Details on one historic place to visit
b.Details on two natural sites to visit
c.Details on one recreational site to visit
Note: the first and last days may be travel days
7. List a few different ways people got around in Bible times.
In Bible times there were not many options for getting around. People either walked, rode on an animal (donkey, horse, camel), rode in a cart or wagon pulled by an animal, or took a boat or a ship to their destination. Rich people had a few more options including being carried on a litter (an item of furniture mounted on poles and carried by a team of people), or riding in a chariot.
8.Calculate approximately how long it would take to walk between Jerusalem and Damascus.
Long-distance hikers can cover about 50 km in a day. However, in order for them to do this, they must be in top condition traveling over easy terrain. A well-seasoned hiker can cover 25 km per day, every day, for an extended period of time. We should assume the lower of these two figures.
From this information, we can calculate that it would take on the order of to cover that distance.
9.Sketch a map of a trip mentioned in the Bible:
a.Show name of person(s) and path taken including notable stops made.
b.Show different types of lines for each different mode of transport taken.
c.Show a “legend/key” for identifying markings and transport types.
Note: You may have to logically guess some aspects of the information if not mentioned directly in scripture. A non-exhaustive list of examples might include:
- Abram trip to Canaan or Egypt
- Jesus and family flight to Egypt
- Children of Israel Exodus from Egygt
- Paul's missionary journeys
- Jonah's travels
- Ezra or Nehemiah's travels
If this honor is being earned in a group session, it would be nice to have each Pathfinder select a different person/group and route to research and present to the class at the next meeting. Online maps would be a good start to relate the story of the Biblical trip to modern borders and cities. This should be a learning experience and perhaps the Pathfinder will have the opportunity to follow the same path in person someday. | <urn:uuid:8ef3a65d-aeba-4f8a-b332-31ab1164643a> | {
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I delivered this presentation to The International Commission on the History of Geological Sciences, August 11, 2009By Peter McKenzie-Brown
Synopsis: In Canada’s early years, important hydrocarbon discoveries occurred almost independently of settlement. In the frontiers, of course, that pattern continues. The relationship between Norman Wells and Alberta’s post-war discovery at Leduc is one example of a pattern that turns on its head the American model of petroleum development. Remote exploration has always played a critical role in our industry’s development.
It would be easy to think of Canada’s petroleum industry as one that began in the south, grew wealthy, then began exploring and developing more remote lands. That is indeed a realistic caricature of the US industry, but in Canada the story was different. The most important oil discovery prior to Leduc actually took place just south of the Arctic Circle. In a drama worthy of the great white north, that discovery led directly to the creation of Canada’s modern petroleum industry.
Before I address the major topic of my presentation today, I would like to suggest an idea about the development of Canada’s petroleum industry compared to that in the United States. Simply put, the patterns of petroleum industry development in the two countries paralleled their respective patterns of settlement.
As you know, the US takes up the best temperate lands along the eastern seaboard, and there are no major barriers to settlement between New York and San Francisco. The Cordillera is a problem, but settlement in the far west was still not seriously hindered – especially after the construction of the transcontinental railways. That pattern exactly reflects the development of the US petroleum industry. In the US there are many sedimentary basins – smallish, but regularly spaced across the country. Once Colonel Drake drilled his historic well, the American petroleum industry developed with patterns of settlement.
Canada has quite a different geography. Settlement was difficult in this country because of the predominance of the Canadian Shield, which provided barriers in many ways. Trapped between the Shield and the Cordillera, the Western Canada sedimentary basin is far bigger than the many on-shore basins in the US. Because of the Shield, it is well separated from the small basins in eastern and central Canada. The Shield and our northern latitudes created what I call the coureurs du bois model of how the Canadian industry developed.
In case you don’t know the expression, coureurs du bois were fur traders who earned their livelihoods with the aid of canoe transport along our mostly northward-flowing rivers. They played a big role in the creation of Canada. For example, from remote northern locations they brought information about resource potential to our political and commercial centres.
Partly because of their efforts, our earliest hydrocarbons were found in outposts of settlement. Consider our Oil Springs discovery, for example, which was contemporaneous with Colonel Drake’s 1859 well. Based on investigation into the well-known gum beds near Black Creek, the Oil Springs discovery took place on the north shore of Lake Erie – in an area without roads, but along the transportation and trading system afforded by the Great Lakes.
Alberta’s first recorded natural gas find came in 1883 from a well at CPR siding No. 8 at Langevin, near Medicine Hat. This well was one of a series drilled at scattered points along the railway to get water for the Canadian Pacific Railway’s steam-driven locomotives. The unexpected gas flow caught fire and destroyed the drilling rig. The discovery took place as we built our first transcontinental railway – itself an effort to settle our empty prairies before the Americans did the job for us.
The Athabasca oil sands were already well known – in fact, the first recorded mention of Canada’s bitumen deposits goes back to a Hudson’s Bay Company record of June 12, 1719. Hoping to find light oil beneath the sands, in the late 19th century Ottawa undertook a drilling program to help define the region’s resources. Using a rig taken north by river, in 1893 contractor A.W. Fraser began drilling for liquid oil at Athabasca, where the oil sands had been known for centuries. In 1897 he moved the rig to Pelican Rapids, also in northern Alberta. There it struck natural gas at 250 metres. But the well blew wild, flowing huge volumes of gas for 21 years. It was not until 1918 that a crew succeeded in killing the well.
These few examples illustrate my point. Quite unlike the situation in the US, Canada’s early hydrocarbon exploration took place along transportation corridors rather than in settled areas. The country had been well explored during the fur trade era, but settlements were still few and far apart. That pattern is in evidence in the case of Norman Wells, to which I now turn my attention.
Ask any of Canada’s exploration professionals when Western Canada’s oil industry began, and you will get one of two answers. The first is the Dingman #1 discovery, which began disgorging wet gas at Turner Valley in 1914. The second is Imperial’s 1947 oil discovery at Leduc. The more thoughtful industrial historian would probably say Dingman was the critical event for the industry’s early years, while the modern era began at Leduc.
I want to suggest that another event was equally pivotal. The year was 1914. The occasion was an expedition down the Mackenzie River by a British geologist, Dr. T.O. Bosworth. There are direct links between that trip and the modern industry’s birth.
The Bosworth Expedition: Two Calgary businessmen, F.C. Lowes and J.K. Cornwall, commissioned Bosworth’s journey. They wanted to investigate the petroleum potential of northern Alberta and beyond, and to stake the most promising claims. Bosworth did not disappoint. His confidence that the north was highly prospective is apparent on almost every page of his 69-page report.
Bosworth’s own words suggest how ambitious the expedition was. “The undertaking was planned in March 1914,” he says. “In April I consulted with the officers of the Government Geological Survey and other Departments in Ottawa and gathered from them all available information; maps and literature bearing on the subject.
“At the beginning of May, I journeyed from London to Canada accompanied by three assistant geologists and surveyors, and on May 19th, the expedition set out from Edmonton to travel northwards in the Guidance of the Northern Trading Company. We returned to Edmonton September 24th.”
During that period, the Bosworth expedition covered huge distances. And according to his report, there were excellent exploration prospects in three general regions: “The Mackenzie River between Old Fort Good Hope and Fort Norman; the Tar Springs District on the Great Slave Lake; and in the Tar Sand District on the Athabasca River.”
His report offered concise, well-written geological descriptions of rocks, formations and structures. It also included chemical reports on both rocks and oil from the many seepages in the area. Some of his greatest praise came from investigations north of Norman Wells, areas which to this day have not yielded a major oil discovery. “Near Old Fort Good Hope (lat. 67 30’) in the banks of a tributary stream, the shales are well exposed ... from the fossils it is evident that the shales are of Upper Paleozoic Age and probably belong to the Upper Devonian,” he said. “This remarkable series of Bituminous Shales and Limestones, of such thickness and of such richness contains the material from which a vast amount of petroleum might be generated and might pass into an overlying porous rock. It is admirable as an oil generating formation.”
In a discussion of the evidence of good reservoir rock, Bosworth points to a nearby occurrence of “gray clay shales and shaley sandstone,” and to another of “greenish shaley sandstone containing occasional fossils – corals, chenetes and rhynconella.”
Both of the reservoir rocks Bosworth speculates upon lie above the Devonian shales. He was looking specifically for “overlying porous rock” to form the reservoir. It does not seem to have occurred to him that reefs within the shales could have served as reservoirs, even though he specifically noted the presence of Devonian corals.
Before I turn to the outcome of this expedition, which was quite important, I would like to share with you the business advice he gave his clients in the conclusion to his general report. “To avoid all competition,” he said, “I strongly advise that you form a controlling company or syndicate containing the most influential men. I recommend particularly that you arrange matters in such a way that it would be to the obvious advantage of every oil man to join you, and that you freely provide the opportunity so that the Company may include every man who wishes to venture anything in the exploitation of the oilfields of the North. By this means alone can you hope to avoid competition and the unfortunate results which must follow….”
In his report Bosworth noted that he had “investigated” the discovery at Turner Valley. Fifteen months in the drilling, the wet gas discovery came in on May 14, 1914 – just before Bosworth left Edmonton on his expedition. Within 20 years, that discovery would be recognized as “the largest oilfield in the British Empire.” Bosworth, however, was not impressed. In his view, the real potential was in the North.
Believing Turner Valley was doomed to disappoint explorers, he wrote that that “there are a number of oil companies in Western Canada who have capital in hand which must be spent on drilling wells. At this moment they are faced with failure (at Turner Valley), and might gladly turn to any region where there is a genuine reason to expect oil. Any such companies might become associated with your controlling company to the obvious advantage of all parties, on terms which can be mutually arranged...”
After further commentary, he advises his clients in these words: “You would also provide for the transportation; the necessary railroads; the pipe lines, the refineries, and, what is more important than all the rest, and which would give you complete command of the whole situation, all of the oil produced in the region would pass through your hands to be marketed by you.
“If you could succeed in promoting a great scheme on some such lines as these, no smaller rival group could hope to compete against you, and you might eventually be in the position to control the great oil fields of the North.”
One of the great ironies of these comments, of course, is that they came barely three years after the Standard Oil Trust was dismantled for just such anti-competitive practices. In addition, Bosworth completely misread the importance of Turner Valley and the petroleum potential of Alberta, so smitten was he by the North. The practical value of his advice may be seen in the fact that seven decades elapsed before oil from the Norman Wells oilfield actually began flowing to southern markets.
Now, let us push on with our story. Bosworth does not remark on the coming of World War I. However, when he and his men left the world was at peace; when he returned, Europe and the British Empire had become embroiled in that terrible war. He was probably totally unaware of those developments while in the north.
The exigencies of war postponed exploration of Bosworth’s claims. So did the Dingman discovery. The petroleum industry by this time was focused on Turner Valley field development, where standard practice was to strip naphtha from the gas stream and flare the gas itself. By 1918 an Imperial Oil subsidiary, The Northwest Company, had acquired the properties Bosworth had staked for his clients. Imperial had hired Bosworth himself as chief geologist. The company decided to drill on one of those claims.
Imperial Oil Limited’s legendary exploration geologist, Ted Link, led the drilling expedition. By train, scow and riverboat, he and his crew followed Bosworth’s route north to Fort Norman, just south of the Arctic Circle. They had taken with them the wherewithal to assemble a cable-tool drilling rig, and they soon set to work. One valuable member of the party was an ox, which supplied heavy labour during the summer. As the autumn cold began killing off the forage, he delivered steaks and stew.
Before moving on, it is worth noting that the most important early geological work at Norman Wells, including the location of the discovery well, needs to be attributed to Ted Link – not to T.O. Bosworth. In an important 1947 presentation to the AAPG, J.S. Stewart of the Geological Survey of Canada is adamant on this point.
Canol: Imperial’s first well brought in the great Norman Wells discovery, in 1920. However, there was no practical way to get the oil to market. Because demand in the Northwest Territories was marginal, Imperial had little reason to develop the field. However, later in the decade the company constructed a tiny refinery at Norman Wells to supply gasoline and other products to missions, mines, riverboats and other local customers. The company did not need many wells to meet local needs, and did little investigation of the geology of the reservoir.
That changed after Pearl Harbor. When the Americans came into the Second World War, they were extremely concerned about having secure local fuel supplies in the North, especially after Japan took control of a couple of Alaska’s Aleutian islands. They therefore worked with Canada to develop Norman Wells into a source of local oil supply for a refining and distribution complex. This was the beginning of the Canol Project. The name supposedly comes from the contraction of “Canadian” and “oil”, but I suspect the second syllable is actually “oil” with a Texas accent.
Construction crews built a 950-kilometre oil pipeline over the Mackenzie Mountains to a newly constructed refinery in Whitehorse, in the Yukon Territory. The pipeline was built over some of the most difficult terrain in the country, and much of the work had to be done in bitter cold. Crews also laid product pipelines to Skagway, Alaska. In total, they constructed 2,560 kilometres of pipeline.
By any standard those lines were terrible. The line ran on top of the ground, alongside the road, often without supports. Vulnerable to frost heaving, snowstorms and flooding, the Canol pipelines were not designed for extreme cold. They were neither installed nor handled properly, and they failed frequently. The crude oil pipeline leaked onto the permafrost. So did the product pipelines, which delivered diesel and gasoline to a fuelling station in Skagway, Alaska.
To meet the needs of the refinery, Imperial drilled more wells, and began to better understand the Norman Wells reservoir. Of particular note, the company discovered that it was a Devonian reef – of earlier vintage than the Leduc and Redwater fields soon to be discovered in Alberta, but still a Devonian reef. That turned out to be the geological key.
By the time the refinery was ready to begin operations, the company had drilled 60 productive wells out of 67 project wells in total. The test for the field came on February 16, 1944 when the pipeline began operating. As a producer of good-quality oil (39° to 41° API), the field surpassed expectations. By October 1944 Norman Wells was producing 4,600 barrels per day by natural pressure.
The extraordinary Canol project did not contribute meaningfully to the war effort. The threat to west coast shipping had disappeared and it was clear that the war would soon be won. First oil flowed through the pipeline in 1944, and the refinery operated for less than a year before being mothballed. Perhaps Canol was the greatest white elephant in petroleum history.
No one really knows how much the project cost – estimates range up to US$300 million, all paid by American taxpayers. However, for the following calculations I will use one of the conservative estimates: $134 million. Total oil production was about 1.5 million barrels. In as-spent dollars, therefore, it cost $89.33 per barrel. The Whitehorse refinery only produced 866,670 barrels of refined product. Dividing that by total project cost, you get $0.97 per litre.
Now, let’s adjust those numbers by official consumer price inflation in the United States. In today’s money, the oil would cost $982 a barrel. The refined products would cost $10.69 a litre. And that’s before taxes!
Later studies of the project’s environmental impact in Whitehorse were revealing. The Canol legacy included the creation of an environmental horror known locally as the Maxwell Tar Pit. Appalling disposal and clean-up practices during the Canol debacle had created an oily mess that was declared an environmentally contaminated site in 1998. Forty years earlier, a man had stumbled into the pit and got stuck. He later died in hospital.
Leduc: Although Canol had little impact on affairs of state, it had a huge impact on oil development in Western Canada. As the result of wartime field development at Norman Wells, Imperial learned that the field’s reservoir rock was Devonian reef. Armed with this knowledge, the company’s geologists – led by Ted Link, who by this time was in charge of Imperial’s exploration efforts – rethought their approach to Western Canada.
This was an important example of thinking outside the box. Other oilmen at the time were on the hunt for big plays that looked, walked and talked like Turner Valley. They would be roughly 340 million years old. They would be thrusted anticlines of Paleozoic age in a Mississippian formation. Much fruitless drilling in the foothills sought the next Turner Valley.
Perhaps we should not give all the credit to Imperial Oil for the geological idea that there might be Devonian reefs in Alberta. In an email, my friend Clint Tippett asked whether GSC mapping of the Rockies west of Edmonton – work undertaken by Helen Belyea, Digby Maclaren and others – influenced Imperial’s thinking. Before the Leduc discovery, Charles Stelck at the University of Alberta also gave thought to the question of Devonian reefs in Alberta.
However Imperial arrived at its revolutionary idea, the importance of its decision to drill for a reef cannot be understated. That geological idea brought forth a series of great discoveries. The first came with the aid of primitive seismic technology, and it was a big one – the famous Leduc #1 discovery well. When it came in to much fanfare on February 21, 1947, Leduc laid the groundwork for one of the world’s great post-war oil booms.
There is another important connection between post-war oil development in Alberta and the Canol project. The refinery built in Whitehorse played an important role in Alberta’s industrial development. Imperial bought the mothballed refinery for one dollar, dismantled it and moved it to Strathcona, near Edmonton. There, the company reassembled it to handle production from Leduc and other post-war discoveries. That refinery laid the foundation for one of Canada’s biggest refining complexes.
As I leave this discussion, a final piece of trivia. Although Imperial is the hero of this drama, I understand that the company’s geologists mapped the Leduc reefs at a 90° angle to their actual orientation. After mapping them correctly, Texaco came to have the dominant position in the Leduc chain of reefs.
Summary: The Norman Wells story illustrates a pattern that turns on its head the American model of petroleum industry development. Briefly put, remote exploration has played a critical role in the industry’s development since the earliest years of oil and gas exploration in this country. Bosworth was wrong in important areas. However, his work greatly influenced that of his successor, Ted Link, who ultimately proved that Devonian reefs were an important key to Canada’s petroleum wealth. That change in thinking paved the way for a series of discoveries which represented the birth of the modern petroleum industry in Canada.
It would be easy to think of Canada’s petroleum industry as one that began in southern Ontario and Alberta, grew wealthy, then began exploring and developing its frontiers. But this model doesn’t fit the facts. Key discoveries and developments took place in remote regions. In the sector’s early years, important discoveries occurred almost independently of settlement, and a great deal of oil and gas development continues to take place in sparsely populated areas. In our frontiers, of course, that pattern is fully intact.
If not for the Bosworth report, Canada’s petroleum industry would have had quite a different history. Imperial Oil’s efforts were heroic – indeed the stuff of legend. Enormously frustrated with its unbroken string of 133 dry holes, Imperial planned the program that yielded Leduc as its last major wildcat play in Alberta. If Leduc had not come in, it is easy to imagine the Devonian oil fields lying fallow for many, many years. No other big players were exploring the prairies.
In the actual case, however, oilmen around the world soon became aware of this important new discovery, and they began to bring expertise and investment into the province. They created one of the first great post-war oil booms, and helped lay the foundation for one of the world’s most diverse and technically advanced petroleum industries.
In respect to its long-term impact, T.O. Bosworth’s 1914 report may have been the most influential geological document in Canadian history. I hope my brief comments today have given you reason to consider that claim.
1. T.O. Bosworth, 1914; “The Mackenzie River between Old Fort Good Hope and Fort Norman; the Tar Springs District on the Great Slave Lake; and in the Tar Sand District on the Athabasca River.”Available at the Glenbow Archives, Calgary; reference number M-8656; 69 pages.
2. J.S. Stewart, 1948; “Norman Wells Oil Field, Northwest Territories, Canada”; in Structure of Typical American Oil Fields, Volume III, pp. 86-109; original paper read before an AAPG meeting in Wichita, Kansas, on January 18, 1947.
3. Peter McKenzie-Brown, 1988; “Two Historical Documents: Notes for an Address to the Petroleum History Society”; online at http://languageinstinct.blogspot.com/2006/09/two-historical-documents.html | <urn:uuid:c09010e4-eab4-44ec-9fc3-104c33ca015e> | {
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Behind the exterior of 19 Princelet Street lie stories of the immigration that has made London a melting pot of cultures. © 19 Princelet Street
London’s £12 billion Crossrail scheme could have devastating consequences for a unique museum in Spitalfields, says the museum’s chair, Susie Symes.
Ms Symes will tell MPs next week that the impact of the 100ft underground tunnel linking East and West London has not undergone a thorough Environmental Impact Assessment. She believes that it is an oversight to route it under the Grade II* listed building housing the Museum of Immigration and Diversity, as Transport for London propose to do.
“This is a major, major scheme costing billions of pounds,” said Ms Symes, “but, to put it bluntly, they simply haven’t done their assessmentproperly. They have no idea of the structure of this building.”
The museum was once home to a Huguenot silk merchant and conceals a synagogue from 1869. © Joel Pike/19 Princelet Street
The rail tunnel would travel directly under 19 Princelet Street, home of Huguenot silk weavers in the 18th century. Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe later built a synagogue in the garden, and the museum now celebrates the multicultural heritage of the building and British Society. The building is already in a fragile state of repair due to its age and lack of funds, and is on the English Heritage ‘At Risk’ register.
Ms Symes is concerned that the tunnel would lead to settling of the 1719 building, which could make it unsound. Given its important educational role and international significance, she argues, it should not be put in any further danger.
“This is the only listed building in Britain that deals with immigration and multicultural issues,” she said, “and it’s in the middle of an area of great cultural diversity, which means they need to carry out a further impact assessment – which they didn’t know about. It’s completely inadequate.”
The museum only opens to the public on certain days throughout the year because of its condition, while the campaign for funds to pay for work is ongoing.
The Suitcases and Sanctuary exhibition at the museum explores real and imagined stories of immigration. © Joel Pike/19 Princelet Street.
“This is a national treasure, unique in Europe,” said Ms Symes. “The museum brings in educational groups from all over the world – we’ve just had schools visiting from Denmark and Germany, American college students … London should be proud of it, but Crossrail were totally unaware of the existence of the work that we do here.”
An additional worry is that no compensation would be payable to the charitable trust that runs the museum if it should fall into further disrepair after the building of the tunnel, because it is already in delicate order.
Ms Symes will urge the Commons Select Committee on the Crossrail Bill to go with one of the alternative routes, either further north under a disused brewery scheduled for demolition or closer to the river.
Museum volunteer Philip Black looks into a mirrored suitcase. The inscription reads: "All of us are immigrants or descended from immigrants, it just depends how far back you look." © Joel Pike/19 Princelet Street
Transport for London denies that the museum will suffer. “The museum will not be affected by the work nor damaged by the tunnelling which will be more than 100ft below ground,” said a spokesman.
“Why put historic buildings at risk?” asked Ms Symes. “There are alternative routes. Why put something important – a multicultural community and an educational service – at risk, when there are two other routes that don’t have this problem?”
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Intel® CoFluent™ Studio: Abstraction Levels
During the functional and architectural design steps, developers create a virtual architecture model of the system, simply called "virtual system." This represents an abstraction of the final system and provides developers with means to validate the entire system through simulation. At this stage, it is essential to define the right abstraction level since it impacts simulation time and effectiveness. For instance, a low-level simulation such as RTL simulation is precise but slow. Evaluating complex systems requires faster simulation speed so they can be used in an interactive development process. However, a description at a higher abstraction level has to be precise enough to represent accurate real-time system behavior and to generate code for lower-level-virtual prototype simulation or implementation and synthesis purposes.
A model describes three types of views on a system:
- Structural and organizational
There are typically five levels of abstraction for all models: service, message, transaction, transfer, and register transfer (or logic/gate).1
The communications view is the most significant view for characterizing an abstraction level. Each abstraction level has a corresponding model for communications defined by time accuracy, dependency as well as types of media, addressing, data and protocol.
|Abstraction levels||Characteristics of communications model|
|Service (e.g. CORBA)||Un-timed functional||Abstract Network||Automatic||Service request: do something||Abstract||Unpredictable (service/request causality)|
|Message (e.g. MCSE, SDL, UML)||(Un-) Timed functional||Logical network of active channels||Abstract & explicit||High-level primitives: send/recieve||Abstract||Possibly predictable (ordering of messages)|
|Transaction (e.g. CSP, SystemC Cossap)||Bus cycle-accurate||Logical links||Logical & explicit||Read/write data, wait for new event||Varying size||Synchronized to bus cycle|
|Transfer (e.g. VHDL, Verilog)||Cycle-accurate||Logical links||Logical & explicit||Read/write data, wait for new clock cycle||Fixed size||Synchronized to clock cycle|
|Register transfer (e.g. VHDL, Verilog)
||Pin-accurate||Physical links||Physical & explicit||Set/reset ports, wait for new clock cycle||Bit/data on bus||Synchronized to clock cycle|
Simulation speed and behavioral real-time accuracy depends on the abstraction levels at which communications and computation, as part of the behavioral view, are described. They also largely impact the complexity of the simulation environment and the exploitability of results obtained. Service and message level models are simulated on the development host platform using a native technology such as SystemC (host-based simulation), while lower level models require dedicated target hardware. RTL and transaction level simulation technologies are closer to a real world execution than higher level models, but significant results can be difficult to obtain.
Intel® CoFluent™ Studio creates different models at the message level. Models are precise and fully timed to simulate real time behavior. The high level abstraction enables high-speed simulation (about 1000x RTL simulation speed). In addition, they provide high level simulation results for early and easy evaluation, avoiding any paradigm shift from modeling to analysis.
Intel® System Modeling and Simulation
Flexible architecture modeling capabilities enable designers to explore multiple architectural choices. Performances analysis is based on simple configuration parameters describing macroscopic properties of architectural components. It does not require separate simulation or special system editing.
High Abstraction Levels
Developers can no longer use low-level represenatations (RTL for hardware, assembly for software) to develop systems. Higher abstraction levels are required to master complexity and reduce development times.
Software needs to be validated before the final hardware is available.
1. Abstraction levels definition and table courtesy of Jean Paul Calvez and Gabriela Nicolescu, excerpt from chapter 2 Spécification et modélisation des systèmes embarqués of the book edited by A. A. Jerraya and G. Nicolescu: La spécification et la validation des systèmes hétérogènes embarqués (publisher: Hermes, Collection "Techniques de l'ingénieur"). | <urn:uuid:55d5e337-98d9-4625-87b5-178264c22cb4> | {
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DID YOU KNOW?
The life of concrete is limited by a number of disintegrating effects:
Weathering by rain and frost action is chiefly a function of water-tightness or impermeability, since leach and attack by the carbonic and other acids present in rainwater, and disruption by frost action, depend on the penetration of water into the surface. Chemical attack such as industrial chemicals and wastes; sewage; animal and vegetable oils, fats, grease; milk; and sugars. Wear by abrasion from foot and vehicular traffic, by wave actions, and by water-borne and wind-borne particles.
Concrete has the tendency to be porous due to the presence of voids formed during or after placing. It is usually necessary in order to obtain workable mixes, to use far more water than is actually necessary for chemical combination with the cement. This water occupies space, and when it later dries out, it leaves behind air voids.
Gases such as sulphur dioxide and carbon dioxide in damp situations, attack concrete. Sulphuric acid also attacks concrete, but the attack from sulphuric acid is likely to be accompanied by abrasion. Sulphates of sodium potassium, magnesium and ammonium may cause serious damage to Portland cement concrete in the presence of moisture. This begins by expansion within the concrete, which may be enough to cause general expansion in the member.
Cracking and disruption follow. Cracks provide a path for soluble chemicals to migrate into the interior of the "Generally, inorganic acids are destructive to concrete... may also be released from some salts..." structure causing deterioration of the concrete. Fertilizers often contain ammonium, potassium and magnesium sulphates. Generally, inorganic acids are destructive to concrete. These may also be released from some salts such as ammonium chloride and ammonium nitrate by interaction with lime. Leaching then follows. A number of fertilizers are soluble in water, enabling the chemical easy pathway to the interior of the concrete. Although petroleum oils, are not known to cause extensive damage to concrete, they do penetrate into the pores and cause unsightly staining, with subsequent high maintenance cleaning as well as possible contamination of the soil below leading to environmental issues. Organic acids such as stearic, oleic, lactic and tannic all attack concrete. Lactic substances which are derived from dairy product have a most destructive effect. Vegetable oils attack, molasses, sugar, syrup, glucose have a fair degree of attack, acetic acid which occurs in vinegar and tartaric acid which occurs in some fruit juices all attack concrete.
Sewage normally has an alkaline tip reaction and is harmless, but it may become acid by contamination with factory wastes and will then attack concrete. The concrete along the top of sewers can be severely attacked as the result of hydrogen sulphide gas being evolved from the stale sewage. The hydrogen sulphide is oxidized by anaerobic bacteria to form sulphuric acid which condenses on the walls of the structure. The attack may be rapid particularly in warm conditions and where ventilation is poor. | <urn:uuid:e1983ae5-3405-427e-a55b-8c518e13117c> | {
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Baths dating from the Middle Ages
The first information currently available on the Dorres bathsgo back to the Middle Ages. However, the prehistoric people have left traces of their presence in the area: polished stone axes, stone cups, and even a magnificent dolmen nearby the village.
It’s said that the Romans had already developed Dorres baths even if the remains date from the Middle Ages. In Les Escaldes, just 500 meters as the crow flies, the existence of baths since the Roman’s is proved. In those days, villagers used the hot water source for domestic use.
The current Dorres wash baths was carved in granite in 1842. There was washing clothes, but also skins or wool of sheep. Hot and sulphurous, this water is particularly effective for washing raw wool sheep.
Swim outdoors in water at 38 ° or 39 °
The outdoor pools of Dorres provide to lovers, nature and water, a moment of rest and relaxation in a breathtaking panorama. This hot spring goes out of a granite rock by a temperature of 41°C. When leaving the bath, the sensation of gentle warmth still persists a few minutes.
The two outdoor baths, the old wash house and the new pool, are complemented by two antique bathtubs carved in granite blocks.
After a prolonged physical effort (skiing, hiking ...) a one-hour bath in Dorres thermal water will eliminate the aches ; returning from a mountain walking, the water from the source will give to hiker energy and fitness, thus verifying the statements of the ancients, who lend to it many virtues ...
(source : www.bains-de-dorres.com) | <urn:uuid:5be9903f-0a01-4f8d-8fe1-4c1cbdc0cbe4> | {
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Following a failure of the dike at the Kingston Fossil Plant in Tennessee which received national attention, the Obama Administration announced it would re-evaluate regulation of coal combustion residuals (CCR) or coal ash.
The Administration's key decision was whether to regulate CCR under Subtitle C of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) as a hazardous waste or Subtitle D of RCRA as a non-hazardous waste. Industry feared that with the national attention from two major spills, EPA would take the more stringent path and regulate CCR as a hazardous waste.
As indicated by the time line from the Bloomberg BNA article discussing the EPA announcement, EPA has been very slow to make a final decision.
Time line of EPA Coal Ash Regulation
Dec. 22, 2008—Dike ruptures at the Kingston Fossil Plant in Harriman, Tenn., releasing 5.4 million cubic yards of coal ash slurry into surrounding area.
Jan. 14, 2009—At her Senate confirmation hearing, incoming EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson says the agency will review how it regulates coal ash.
June 21, 2010—The EPA proposes (75 Fed. Reg. 35,128) two possible ways for regulating coal ash—under the hazardous waste provisions of Subtitle C of RCRA or under the nonhazardous waste provisions of Subtitle D.
April 5, 2012—Frustrated with the slow pace of the rulemaking, environmental advocates sue the EPA over failure to complete a mandatory review of RCRA regulations every three years. They seek a deadline for final coal ash standards.
Jan. 31, 2014—Environmental advocates, coal ash recyclers, utilities and the EPA reach an agreement that requires the EPA to complete its coal ash regulations by Dec. 19.
Feb. 2, 2014—140,000 tons of coal ash and wastewater spill from a Duke Energy Corp. into North Carolina's Dan River.
Dec. 19, 2014—The EPA issues a final rule on the management and disposal of coal ash.
On December 19, 2014, EPA released its final CCR rule. The rule will regulate CCR as solid waste under Subtitle D of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), rather than as a special waste under Subtitle C.
If EPA elected to regulate CCR under Subtitle C, EPA would have maintained greater authority over the material and enforcement of standards. Under Subtitle D, states will take the lead on implementation and enforcement.
Subtitle D also governs municipal solid waste landfills. EPA's approach to regulating CCR in many ways is similar to standards established for solid waste landfills. The rule establishes the following:
- Minimum national criteria for new and existing CCR landfills and surface impoundments;
- location restrictions;
- design requirements;
- groundwater monitoring, if constituents are detected in groundwater above protective standards, the owner will be required to institute corrective action;
- inspection requirements, including evaluation of the structural integrity of impoundments;
- fugitive dust controls;
- surface water protection requirements; and
- closure and post-closure care requirements.
Inactive Landfills Will Not Be Regulated
The final rule will become effective six months after publication in the federal register. The new standards will not apply to CCR landfills that cease receiving waste prior to the effective date ("inactive units"). If these units complete closure (that is dewater and place final cover) within three years of the publication of the rule, then they are not subject to any additional requirements under the rule.
Coal ash is the second largest industrial waste stream. This final rule supports responsible recycling of coal ash by distinguishing safe, beneficial use from disposal. In 2012, almost 40 percent of all coal ash produced was recycled (beneficially used), rather than disposed.
The rule establishes a comprehensive definition of beneficial use of CCRs. The rule
also clarifies that a use of a CCR that is not beneficial use is disposal. | <urn:uuid:3c47636b-4433-4fef-898f-d1f482ff6b7c> | {
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Using “the” with an adjective and no noun most often gives the general meaning of “people who are …”
THE LINK BETWEEN ADJECTIVES AND NOUNS
Adjectives normally accompany nouns (or noun substitutes like pronouns). In the following examples, the adjectives are underlined, and the nouns they accompany are easily seen.
(a) Educated people have a duty to help others.
(b) Some ideas are difficult to understand.
In (a), the adjective educated accompanies the nearby noun people, and in (b) difficult accompanies ideas. In (a), the adjective is directly before its noun, and in (b) it is after and separated by a linking verb. These are the normal positions of adjectives, though others are sometimes possible too, for example directly after the noun, as in the diagram below (see 109. Placing an Adjective after its Noun).
More on the characteristics of adjectives is in the Guinlist posts 66. Types of Passive Verb Meaning and 98. “Very”, “Much” & “Very Much”. Other adjective posts can be accessed by clicking on ADJECTIVES in the “Categories” Menu on the right of this page.
WAYS OF USING AN ADJECTIVE WITHOUT A NOUN
A further way of using some (but not all) adjectives is without any noun at all, like this:
(c) Sometimes it is necessary to consider the unthinkable.
(d) The educated have a duty to help others.
There is no visible noun before or after either of these underlined adjectives, yet they are still describing something. In (c) it is something like “idea”, while in (d) it is “people”. Sentence (d), in fact, means the same as (a) above. It is sentences of this kind, where the unmentioned noun is “people”, that are the particular focus of this post. The use shown by (c) is considered in the post 102. Adjectives with no Noun (2): Thing-Naming.
REQUIREMENTS FOR AN ADJECTIVE TO REPRESENT A GROUP OF PEOPLE
There are four important points to note about adjectives used without a noun as in (d):
1. There is always the in front: you cannot say *Educated have a duty to help others or *An educated has a duty to help others. This is an unusual use of the – for some others, see 47. Article Errors with Proper Nouns, 89. Using “the” with General Meaning and 110. Nouns without “the” or “a”.
2. The combination is grammatically plural even though there is no -s on the adjective (only nouns can show plural meaning with -s). This means that when the + ADJECTIVE is the subject of a verb, the verb too must be in a plural form – have in (d), not has (see 12. Singular and Plural Verbs for a full discussion of subject-verb “agreement”).
3. The reference is to a group of people, not any other kind of group.
4. The meaning is general, not specific (in the sense outlined in the post 89. Using “the” with General Meaning). If you mean specific educated people, you must say the educated ones/people instead of the educated (e.g. The educated ones are standing outside).
Other examples where the + ADJECTIVE stands for a general group of people are the poor, the famous, the elderly and the elite.
Care is needed with elite because it is not just an adjective but also a countable noun meaning “privileged group of people”. Compare the following meanings:
the elite (adj) = privileged people (general)
the elite (noun) = a specific identified group of privileged people
an elite (noun) = (a) any group of privileged people (general); (b) a specific unidentified group of privileged people
elites (noun) = (a) all privileged groups of people (general); (b) specific unidentified groups of privileged people
It is a common error to confuse the elite (adj) with elites. The latter refers to multiple groups of people, not multiple people.
PRACTICE EXERCISE: “the” + ADJECTIVE
The following exercise is designed to help interested readers to discover some more examples of the + ADJECTIVE. In each case you have to suggest an adjective with the that means the same as the given group of people (answers are given afterwards). The first has been done as an example.
1. People who are over 70 years of age = The elderly/old.
2. People who belong to France = The ________ .
3. People who cannot see with their eyes.
4. People who are no longer living.
5. People who want to do paid work but cannot find any.
6. People whose marriage has been cancelled by the state.
7. Small children whose life has just begun.
8. Those who have never learned to read and write.
9. People who need help with some major things in life.
10. People who read a lot.
11. Those who are well above average in what they can do.
12. Those who have passed 40 years of age but not yet reached 65.
Other common examples are the hungry, the fortunate, the feckless, the gullible, the illiterate, the dispossessed, the desperate, the distressed, the poverty-stricken, the super-fit, the mentally-ill, the criminally inclined, the able-bodied.
2 = The French; 3 = The blind; 4 = The dead; 5 = the unemployed; 6 = The divorced; 7 = The newborn; 8 = The uneducated; 9 = The needy; 10 = The literate; 11 = The talented/able; 12 = The middle-aged. | <urn:uuid:59d09915-ee14-4ee6-979d-49896778390d> | {
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Definitions for open university
This page provides all possible meanings and translations of the word open university
a British university that is open to people without formal academic qualifications and where teaching is by correspondence or broadcasting or summer school
A UK university offering distance learning taught courses, that are open to people without formal academic qualifications, teaching being by correspondence and online with mostly optional tutorials and for some courses compulsory summer schools. Access to postgraduate research is selective and is primarily taught on campus using traditional methods.
A similar university in the Netherlands
The Open University is a distance learning and research university founded by Royal Charter in the United Kingdom. The university is funded by a combination of student fees, contract income, and allocations for teaching and research by the higher education funding bodies in each of the four countries of the UK. It is notable for having an open entry policy, i.e. students' previous academic achievements are not taken into account for entry to most undergraduate courses. The majority of the OU's undergraduate students are based in the United Kingdom and principally study off-campus, but many of its courses can be studied off-campus anywhere in the world. There are a number of full-time postgraduate research students based on the 48 hectare university campus where they use the OU facilities for research, as well as more than 1000 members of academic and research staff and over 2500 administrative, operational and support staff. The OU was established in 1969 and the first students enrolled in January 1971. The University administration is based at Walton Hall, Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire, but has regional centres in each of its thirteen regions around the United Kingdom. It also has offices and regional examination centres in most other European countries. The University awards undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, as well as non-degree qualifications such as diplomas and certificates, or continuing education units.
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how can i write this program i need only the method to write it>>>>
Say that you are interested in the value of the quadradic: 3X2 -8X + 4 For several values of X. Write a program that has a double precision variable X. Assign a value to it. Write statement that computes a value for the quadratic and stores the result in another double precision variable. Finally write out the result, something like: At X = 4.0 the value is 20.0 Run the program with several values for X (edit the program for each value of X) and examine the result. Use values with decimal points, large values, small values, negative values, and zero. The quadradic should evaluate to zero at X = 2.0 and at X = 2/3. Try these values for X. Are the results exactly correct? | <urn:uuid:34df04b3-5cb7-4152-9b87-84b637f50559> | {
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political party(redirected from Political parties)
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party, political,organization whose aim is to gain control of the government apparatus, usually through the election of its candidates to public office. Political parties take many forms, but their main functions are similar: to supply personnel for government positions; to organize these personnel around the formation and implementation of public policy; and to serve in a mediating role between individuals and their government. Political parties are as old as organized political systems. For example, many of the ancient Greek city-states had organized, competitive parties. Political parties have been organized for various reasons: to support a particular political figure, to advance a particular policy or a general ideological stand, to aid politically certain groups or sections of society, or merely to combine for short-term political advantage. Political parties have also been organized in various ways; in some, control is exercised by a small central elite, either elected or self-perpetuating, while in others, power is decentralized, with candidate picking and decision making spread among local party units. The modern mass political party has taken shape in the last century, along with the rise of democratic ideology, universal suffrage, nationalism, and more effective means of communication. Such a party is commonly categorized by the type of party system in which it operates. In a noncompetitive or one-party system, the party is often employed as part of the governing apparatus, with the functions of maintaining public support for the regime, encouraging popular participation in government programs, and alerting the government to changes in public opinion. In competitive systems, a distinction may be made between two-party systems, which seem to encourage a party strategy of moderation and compromise aimed at obtaining a majority vote, and multiparty systems, where there is less compromise and where a party's strategy emphasizes retaining the support of its core voters. In general, however, the structure and behavior of a particular country's political parties depends most heavily on the country's political and cultural history.
See V. O. Key, Politics, Parties and Pressure Groups (5th ed. 1964); S. M. Lipset and S. Rokkan, ed., Party Systems and Voter Alignments (1967); R. S. Katz, A Theory of Parties and Electoral Systems (1981); R. L. McCormick, ed., Political Parties and the Modern State (1984); K. Von Beyme, Political Parties in Western Democracies (1985).
political partyany association set up with the objective of gaining political power, usually but not always by electoral means. In contrast with PRESSURE GROUPS, which seek to influence political events by acting on governments and public opinion, parties can be distinguished as seeking to wield governmental power directly. The operation of political parties is central in the government and politics of modern industrial societies.
The early sociological study of political parties engaged with a series of questions raised by MICHELS, notably his argument that, what ever the differences in their political programmes and philosophy, political parties tend always to be dominated by ÉLITES. In reality, notwithstanding a general tendency for parties to be dominated by their leadership, with leaders drawn from socially advantaged backgrounds, empirical evidence suggests that parties vary greatly in the extent or permanence of such domination (see also IRON LAW OF OLIGARCHY). See also POLITICAL PARTICIPATION, ÉLITE THEORY.
Apart from Michels, a useful contribution to the study of the internal organization of political parties is provided by Duverger (1964), who identifies four basic types of grass-roots organization:
- the caucus, e.g. a small group of political insiders acting either on their own behalf or on behalf of wider social groups they claim to represent;
- the branch, a local grouping established as part of a wider permanently organized democratic and bureaucratic structure;
- the cell, a carefully selected, highly and ideologically motivated group (e.g. within Communist parties), perhaps set up to operate covertly with the aim of fostering unrest or preparing for revolution;
- militia (as utilized by Fascist parties), political groupings organized on military lines and engaging in violence and political intimidation.
A further overall distinction of importance is that drawn by Sigmund Neumann (1956) between parties of integration, in which the lives of members are ‘encased within ideologically linked activities’, and parties of representation, which view their function as primarily one of securing votes in elections, without seeking to achieve ideological closure, seeing themselves as contestants in a ‘give-and take’ political game (Lipset, 1960). According to Lipset, parties of the latter type are an essential requirement for stable forms of liberal democracy, and the presence of major parties of the former type a significant barrier to this form of government (see STABLE DEMOCRACY).
A further important element in the sociological study of political parties is discussion of the origins and implications of different types of party system, e.g. differences between one-party systems (a feature mainly of communist and developing societies), two-party systems (associated mainly with first-past-the-post electoral systems as in the US or, for the most part, UK), and multiparty systems. This last form of party system occurs when elections are based on proportional representation and where political parties based on religious or ethnic divisions continue alongside parties based on class. In contrast, in two-party systems class is usually the predominant basis of political alignment, notwithstanding the fact that many voters vote across class lines (see also CLASS DEALIGNMENT).
a political organization that expresses the interests of a social class or its strata, uniting its most active representatives and directing them toward the attainment of certain goals and ideals. A political party is the highest form of class organization.
The emergence and development of political parties are associated with the division of society into classes and with the history of the class struggle, especially the struggle for political power. “In a society based upon class divisions, the struggle between the hostile classes is bound, at a certain stage of its development, to become a political struggle. The most purposeful, most comprehensive and specific expression of the political struggle of classes is the struggle of parties” (V. I. Lenin, Poln. sobr. soch., 5th ed., vol. 12, p. 137).
In contrast to the spontaneous process of class formation, the emergence of political parties is possible only when the ideologists of a particular class become aware of its fundamental common interests and express them in the form of definite conceptions and political programs. The political party educates and organizes the class or social group and lends an organized, purposeful character to its actions. Furthermore, the political party is the repository of a particular ideology. To a considerable degree, ideology determines the leading principles of the party’s policies, organizational structure, and practical activity, which are usually specified in the party’s programs and rules. As Lenin emphasized: “To see what is what in the fight between the parties, one must not take words at their face value but must study the actual history of the parties, must study not so much what they say about themselves as their deeds, the way in which they go about solving various political problems, and their behavior in matters affecting the vital interests of the various classes of society—landlords, capitalists, peasants, workers, etc.” (ibid., vol. 21, p. 276).
The demarcation of political parties, which corresponds to the arrangement of the basic class forces of society, can only take place under the conditions of mature capitalism. In slaveholding and feudal societies political groupings organized according to social estate expressed the interests of various strata of the ruling classes. Because they were economically fragmented and spiritually oppressed, the toiling classes could not form independent political parties during this historical period. To a certain degree, their interests were expressed by progressive political groupings of the propertied class (the Jacobins, for example), which were interested in obtaining popular support in the struggle against reactionary forces. Under mid-19th-century capitalism, the proletariat and the bourgeoisie began to use political parties in their struggle for political dominance. The party system became an organic component of the mechanism of bourgeois governmental power. In the final analysis, the character of this system depends on the balance of class forces, which predetermines the forms and methods by which the bourgeoisie implements its dictatorship.
According to the theory developed by the majority of bourgeois sociologists and political scientists, political parties express the will of the people and are an intermediate link between the people and the government. Bourgeois theorists consider the multiparty system to be the fundamental principle underlying a “free democratic society.” In fact, this bourgeois theory is refuted by several phenomena, including the dominant position of parties controlled by society’s monopolistic elite, as well as tendencies toward preventing the participation in politics of mass political organizations expressing the interests of the workers. These phenomena show that the bourgeois theory of the multiparty system is an apology for the rule of monopolies that permit the use of democratic forms. In reality, the existence of political parties is a lawlike, natural phenomenon in a bourgeois society divided into antagonistic classes and maintaining the elementary principles of bourgeois democracy (freedom of association and a parliamentary structure). A multiparty system reflects the contradictions between classes and the existence of various strata and groups within a single class.
The parties of monopoly capital hold the dominant position in the party systems of many modern bourgeois states. The existence in one state of several such parties and their struggle among themselves do not not affect the essence of the political power of the monopolies and the economic basis for their dominance. The social function of a bourgeois party is to express the interests of the ruling class and to make the masses ideologically and organizationally subordinate to that class. This is the impetus for creating not only parties that openly defend the bourgeois system (for example, Great Britain’s Conservative Party) but also parties that carry out the policies of the monopolies but have a broader social base (for example, the Christian Democratic and Christian Social parties in a number of Western European countries). Neofascist parties and organizations are the political reserves of the monopolies.
Social Democratic parties are an important political force in many bourgeois states, including Great Britain, the Federal Republic of Germany, Austria, Belgium, and the Scandinavian countries, where they lead the majority of the working class and dominate the trade unions and other mass organizations. The right wing of the Social Democrats is far from scientific socialism in its understanding of socialist goals, the methods of attaining them, and the speed with which they can be achieved. In essence, they transfer to the working-class movement the ideas and political and organizational principles of the liberal bourgeois parties. Openly disavowing Marxism in their programs, many Social Democratic parties preach a movement toward socialism through reforms alone, the reconciliation of class contradictions, and adherence to bourgeois democracy. The Social Democrats have been in power several times in a number of countries, where they have formed governments independently or entered into coalition governments. However, they have never shaken the foundations of capitalism. The influence of leftist elements has grown stronger in a number of Social Democratic parties. The unity of the fundamental interests of all the toiling people necessitates the establishment of contacts and cooperation between Communists and Social Democrats in the struggle against monopolistic forces.
The acuteness of the contradictions between the monopolistic elite and the rest of society leads to the founding of anti-imperialist parties in advanced bourgeois countries. These parties, which have a broad social base, make general democratic demands. In states that have liberated themselves from colonial dependence, anti-imperialist parties often represent the broad masses of the population, united under the slogans of national liberation.
The basic trend in the development of party systems in modern bourgeois society is adaptation to the needs of the dictatorship of the monopolies. This is accomplished by decreasing the total number of parties, by forcing the smaller bourgeois parties out of participation in parliament and the government and replacing them with larger parties, and by excluding democratic parties from political activity by methods ranging from electoral reforms to outright prohibition.
Bourgeois parties perform a number of tasks in the government machinery. By nominating candidates and campaigning for votes, they form parliaments that support the system of bourgeois rule. The parties’ leadership bodies help the monopolies to control the activity of the parliament. Moreover, the bourgeois parties form governments and support their contacts with the ruling social forces.
As a rule, the programmatic documents drawn up by bourgeois parties in an effort to attract the mass of voters reflect the class character of the parties and their true goals in veiled terms —for example, the ideas of “economic liberalism” and a “free market economy.” Programmatic documents make extensive use of bourgeois nationalism and religious ideology and proclaim adherence to democracy, freedom, and the defense of inalienable human rights. In order to guarantee themselves room to maneuver, many parties refuse to work out programs, restricting themselves to publishing preelection platforms and proclamations.
Bureaucratic centralism is characteristic of the organizational structure of bourgeois parties. The independence of the reactionary party leadership from the party’s rank and file and the virtual absence of control over the leadership are ensured by limiting the rights of the elected and collegial party bodies and concentrating the most important functions in a ruling “staff” of narrow composition. As a rule, the staff consists of the party leadership, with an even more exclusive group of party leaders at the core. The party elite also holds the most important government posts.
If the working class is to fulfill its historical mission of creating a communist society, it must be organized into an independent political party that differs fundamentally in character, ideology, organization, and methods from the political parties of all other classes. The ideology, program, and tactics of the independent political party of the working class are based on the scientific world view of Marxism-Leninism. The independent working-class party acts as a vanguard, uniting and organizing the working class in the struggle for the interests of the entire class and giving it unity of goals, will, and actions. The historical role, tasks, and principles of building a political party of the working class are defined by K. Marx and F. Engels in the Communist Manifesto (1848).
In the preimperialist epoch, working-class parties were formed in a number of countries primarily to provide the proletariat with political representation within the framework of bourgeois democracy. These parties gave most of their attention to parliamentary activity. The first international association of working-class parties—the First International—played an important role by laying the foundation for an international organization of workers to prepare a revolutionary offensive against capital. The Second International played a positive role in the period when the proletarian movement grew broader. However, this broadening took place at the cost of “a temporary strengthening of opportunism, which in the end led to the disgraceful collapse of this International” (V. I. Lenin, ibid., vol. 38, p. 302).
In the new historical period, when the socialist revolution became the immediate task, it became necessary to form a new kind of working-class party, radically different from the parties of the Second International. Creatively developing Marxism and adapting it to the epoch of imperialism, Lenin created an integral doctrine of the party as the highest form of revolutionary organization of the working class and elaborated the party’s theoretical and organizational foundations, the strategy and tactics of Bolshevism, and the standards of party life and principles of party leadership. The new type of party was established for the first time in 1903 by Russian Marxists under Lenin’s leadership. Subsequently, Communist parties were founded in most of the capitalist countries. The organization and activity of a Communist party rest on many principles, including loyalty to Marxism-Leninism and an uncompromising struggle against all attempts of right-wing or left-wing opportunists, revisionists, and dogmatists to distort the party’s programmatic, tactical, or organizational foundations. Other basic principles include loyalty to proletarian internationalism and a decisive struggle against all manifestations of nationalism; democratic centralism, the basis of party structure; an organic link with the masses, which entails considering their experience in working out tactics and educating them on the basis of this experience; and collective leadership. In addition, the fundamental principles of Communist parties include strict and universally applicable party discipline and continuous attention to the quality of party membership; firmness in carrying out basic principles, with maximal flexibility regarding tactical means and methods of struggle, taking into account specific internal and international conditions; and a self-critical attitude, an open admission of errors, and correction of them.
The international character of the revolutionary struggle of the working class makes it objectively imperative to coordinate the activities of Marxist-Leninist political parties in all countries. Furthermore, Marxist-Leninist parties must support each other, participate in a broad exchange of opinions and experience, and join in the development and propagandizing of Marxist-Leninist theory, strategy, and tactics. In the 1920’s and 1930’s the Third, or Communist, International, in the founding of which Lenin had played a leading role, performed an important service by creating and educating leadership personnel and working out the program and tactical foundations of Communist parties. After the dissolution of the Communist International, Communist and working-class parties developed new forms of cooperation, including bilateral and regional leadership meetings, exchanges of delegations, joint activity in various democratic and progressive organizations, and international conferences.
Communist and Marxist-Leninist working-class political parties are the most consistent representatives of the interests of the toiling masses. They are the organizing and controlling force in the struggle for democracy, peace, national independence, and socialism. Maintaining the unity of their basic principles of action, Marxist-Leninist parties consider the concrete historical conditions of a particular country and the common interests of the international working-class and communist movement.
After the victory of a socialist revolution, Marxist-Leninist parties become the leading political force in government. The role and responsibility of the Communist Party as the embodiment of a conscious element in the creation of communism increase as the scale of building a new society broadens and as vital problems become more complex.
As society develops, the parties of the working class develop. Thus, as the result of the victory of socialism and the building of a developed socialist society in the USSR, the Communist Party of the Soviet Union—the expression of the communist ideals of the working class and its vanguard in the construction of a communist society—has become the party of the entire Soviet people.
REFERENCESMarx, K., and F. Engels. Manifest Kommunisticheskoi partii. Soch., 2nd ed., vol. 4.
Marx, K. Uchreditel’nyi manifest Mezhdunarodnogo Tovarishchestva Rabochikh. Soch., 2nd ed., vol. 16.
Lenin, V. I. “Proekt i ob”iasnenie programmy sotsial-demokraticheskoi partii.” Poln. sobr. soch., 5th ed., vol. 2.
Lenin, V. I. Chto delat’? Ibid., vol. 6.
Lenin, V. I. Shag vpered, dva shaga nazad. Ibid., vol. 8.
Lenin, V. I. “O smeshenii politiki s pedagogikoi.” Ibid., vol. 10.
Lenin, V. I. “Sotsialisticheskaia partiia i bespartiinaia revoliutsionnost’.” Ibid, vol. 12.
Lenin, V. I. “Opyt klassifikatsii russkikh politicheskikh partii.” Ibid., vol. 14.
Lenin, V. I. “Politicheskie partii v Rossii.” Ibid., vol. 21.
Lenin, V. I. Proletarskaia revoliutsiia i renegat Kautskii. Ibid., vol. 37.
Lenin, V. I. “Tretii Internatsional i ego mesto v istorii.” Ibid., vol. 38.
Lenin, V. I. Detskaia bolezn’ “levizny” v kommunizme. Ibid., vol. 41.
Lenin, V. I. “Pervonachal’nyi proekt Rezoliutsii X s” ezda RKP o sindikalistskom i anarkhistskom uklone v nashei partii.” Ibid., vol. 43.
Programma KPSS. Moscow, 1961.
Programmnye dokumenty bor’by za mir, demokratiiu i sotsializm. Moscow, 1961.
Mezhdunarodnoe Soveshchanie kommunisticheskikh i rabochikh partii (Moskva, 5–17 iiunia 1969 g). Dokumenty i materialy. Moscow, 1969.
K 100-letiiu so dnia rozhdeniia Vladimira Il’icha Lenina: Tezisy TsK KPSS. Moscow, 1970.
O podgotovke k 50-letiiu obrazovaniia SSSR: Postanovlenie TsK KPSS 21 fevralia 1972 g. Moscow, 1972.
”O 70-letii II s”ezda RSDRP.” Kommunist. 1973, no. 6.
Partii v sisteme diktatury monopolii. Moscow, 1964.
Problemy kommunisticheskogo dvizheniia: Nekotorye voprosy teorii i metodologii. Moscow, 1972.
Mezhdunarodnoe kommunisticheskoe dvizhenie: Ocherk strategii i taktiki, 2nd ed. Moscow, 1972.
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Georgia Wages and Prices
Sources: The Library of Congress Country Studies; CIA World Factbook
Until 1991 Georgia's price system and inflation rate generally coincided with those of the other Soviet republics. Under central planning, prices of state enterprise products were fixed by direct regulation, fixed markup rates, or negotiation at the wholesale level with subsequent sanction by state authority. The prices of agricultural products from the private sector fluctuated freely in the Soviet system.
Once it forsook the artificial conditions of the Soviet system, Georgia faced the necessity for major changes in its pricing policy. Following the political upheaval of late 1991, which delayed price adjustments, the Georgian government raised the prices of basic commodities substantially in early 1992, to match adjustments made in most of the other former Soviet republics. The price of bread, for example, rose from 0.4 ruble to 4.8 rubles per kilogram. By the end of 1992, all prices except those for bread, fuel, and transportation had been liberalized in order to avoid distortions and shortages. This policy brought steep inflation rates throughout 1993.
Beginning in 1991, a severe shortage of ruble notes restricted enterprises from acquiring enough currency to prevent a significant drop in real wages. In early 1992, public-sector wages were doubled, and every Georgian received an additional 40 rubles per month to compensate for the rising cost of living. Such compensatory increases were far below those in other former Soviet republics, however. In 1992 the Shevardnadze government considered wage indexing or regular adjustment of benefits to the lowest wage groups as ways of improving the public's buying power.
In mid-1993 the majority of Georgians still depended on state enterprises for their salaries, but in most cases some form of private income was necessary to live above the poverty level. Private jobs paid substantially more than state jobs, and the discrepancy grew larger in 1993. For example, in 1993 a secretary in a private company earned the equivalent of US$30 per month while a state university professor made the equivalent of US$4 per month.
Data as of March 1994
NOTE: The information regarding Georgia on this page is re-published from The Library of Congress Country Studies and the CIA World Factbook. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Georgia Wages and Prices information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Georgia Wages and Prices should be addressed to the Library of Congress and the CIA. | <urn:uuid:b33847da-2141-4f76-b373-3d41e1c9451a> | {
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Landscapes are the great wonders of the Earth. No place is alike, and each visit is different. But alas the natural landscape is going extinct, soon it will all be asphalt and concrete jungles, and no more mountains. We are grateful of the hard work John Muir put in to creating awareness of the modern days and the landscape. We adore the photographs Ansel Adams created, that which gave way to the preservation of lands. But the human growth and greed will soon be too much for the land too handle.
Fluffy white clouds float across Lake Tahoe, Nevada.
A view of a mountain rolling into a lake, while clouds pass by.
A black and white film photograph of a waterfall in a gorge.
A desert view at dusk in Idaho.
A black and white film photograph of Bruneau Canyon in Idaho.
The Devil’s Canyon. A river flows between two states. On the right is Idaho, on the left is Oregon.
What remains of the New Hampshire landmark, Old Man of the Mountain.
An ocean view from Pemaquid Point in Maine.
Pine trees with a dusting of snow, cover a mountain in New Hampshire.
This rock is similar to the mountain peaks observed from Mount Washington, New Hampshire.
A photograph of clouds behind White Dome Geyser in Yellowstone National Park.
A black and white photograph of a hot thermal pool in Yellowstone National Park.
Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | <urn:uuid:b609df8d-f604-432f-b451-d95e88ed2d1f> | {
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What happened in the “Saturday Night Massacre?”
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In the Saturday Night Massacre, President Richard Nixon essentially forced two Attorneys General to resign so that he could find one who would fire Archibald Cox, the special prosecutor who was appointed to investigate the Watergate affair.
After the Watergate burglary came to light, Nixon’s Attorney General, Elliott Richardson, promised to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate. He appointed Cox and he promised not to fire Cox except for cause. Only the Attorney General was allowed by law to fire Cox and Richardson promised not to do so.
However, Cox eventually subpoenaed the infamous tapes of conversations held by Nixon in the Oval Office. He refused a compromise the Nixon tried to offer to avoid turning the tapes over. Nixon then ordered Richardson to fire Cox. Richardson did not want to go back on his word and therefore resigned rather than fire Cox. Richardson’s deputy, William Ruckelshaus, did the same. Finally, Nixon got Robert Bork, who was Solicitor General and by then acting head of the Justice Department, to fire Cox.
This was called the Saturday Night Massacre because of the resignations of the Attorney General and his deputy and the later firing of Cox.
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