The Christmas 1997 stamp issue featured one of the first Christmas services to be held in New Zealand and continued the New Zealand Post tradition of issuing Christmas stamps which had spanned nearly four decades.
Samuel Marsden, a Yorkshireman who had been influenced and educated by Anglican evangelicals, went to New South Wales, Australia in 1794, to be Assistant Chaplain to the colony. Marsden was a complex character who gained a mixed reputation as a farmer, magistrate, Superintendent of Government Affairs and a Missionary. In the face of many difficulties he persisted in his desire to spread the Christian gospel in the South Pacific and increasingly among the Māori of New Zealand.
Marsden lived in Parramatta, some 24km from the main settlement at Sydney Cove in Port Jackson, and often put up Māori in his own home. He taught them and learned of the little-known country from where they came. One of his most prominent contacts was Te Pahi a Ngāpuhi chief. Te Pahi was later killed in fighting between his people and those of Whangaroa following the burning of the Boyd in 1809, when most of the vessel's crew and passengers were slaughtered. After that, shipowners were wary of venturing to New Zealand.
But Marsden, stubborn and intolerant to an extreme, was also convinced of the rightness of his cause and his ability to fulfil the demands God had laid upon him. He returned to New South Wales in 1810 on the convict ship Ann and brought with him William Hall, a joiner and John King, a rope-maker, who along with Thomas Kendall, a school teacher, were to form the nucleus of the church mission to New Zealand. Significantly, Marsden discovered that a Māori, Ruatara, was also a passenger on the ship. Ruatara had travelled to England to see the King, but instead had been harshly treated and was in poor health. Ruatara was in fact a Ngāpuhi chief from the Bay of Islands and his friendship and protection of Marsden were to be key elements in the establishment of the mission in New Zealand.
Delays did not cease when they reached Sydney and eventually Hall and King took up work to maintain themselves and their families. Eventually Marsden bought his own vessel, the Active, for 1,400 pounds. Early in 1814 he sent it with Hall and Kendall, to New Zealand on an exploratory visit, in the course of which they traded in spars and flax. Hall and Kendall returned with Ruatara, Hongi, Korokoro and other influential Bay of Island's chiefs and reported favourably on the prospects of the mission. Eventually on 28 November 1814, Marsden along with Ruatara, Hongi, Korokoro and other Māori, Hall, King and Kendall and their families, together with five ex-convicts and a large consignment of stores, set sail from Sydney for the Bay of Islands.
It was not an easy journey. Ruatara became withdrawn and reserved and began to regret that he had invited the missionaries to come to New Zealand.The techniques and technology of European agriculture had impressed the well travelled chief and he had thought these were benefits which Marsden and the missionaries would bring to his people. However, he now began to wonder if these same missionaries might not rival his own position as a chief. Marsden may have offered to turn the Active back, but Ruatara said "No". On November 1814, the Active reached North Cape. On 19 December Marsden landed on Motukawanui, one of the Cavalli Islands, and the following day, in the company of Ruatara, Hongi and Korokoro, he went ashore at Matauri Bay where they stayed the night. Eventually they reached Te Puna in the Bay of Islands on 22 December.
Ruatara gave the missionaries no choice, and decided they would live at Rangihoua, on the steep slopes above the bay and within sight of his Pā (fortified village). On the morning of Christmas Day 1814, in the presence of a large number of people, Marsden held a Christian service on the beach. He led off with Psalm 100 and then preached from the text Luke, chapter two, verse ten 'Behold I bring you good tidings of great joy'. Ruatara translated for Marsden. Sadly the mission was soon in trouble. Rangihoua's steep slopes were unsuitable for farming, but Ruatara would allow them to live nowhere else. The settlers were unable to achieve economic independence and they became subordinate to and dependent upon the Māori they had come to convert. Marsden returned to Sydney in March 1815 and Ruatara died four days later. Marsden made six more visits to New Zealand, teaching and preaching as far south as Tauranga. On his last visit he had to be borne on a litter and wherever he went Māori greeted him with reverance. Samuel Marsden died on 12 May 1838 and is buried in the churchyard of Saint John's Parramatta, New South Wales.
An Artist's Impression
By all accounts, the Christmas service conducted by Reverend Samuel Marsden in 1814, was a happy occasion. When he finished, many of the Māori present responded with a haka. "(It was) the most graceful return they could make for the solemn spectacle they had witnessed," wrote one European observer. This Christmas service was featured on the Christmas 1964 stamp, designed by L. C. Mitchell and showed the artist's impression of the service at Rangihoua Bay.
In 1997, New Zealand Post again based the Christmas stamp issue on early New Zealand Christmas. The stamp design used the words of the Christmas carol Te Harinui, which told the story of Marsden's historic service. The stamps were produced as an impressive se-tenant block of six, showing the music for Te Harinui running through the stamps, as well as six single sheet stamps and a self-adhesive.
Product Listing for Christmas 1997
Click on image to enlarge.
|Date of issue:||3 September 1997|
|Number of stamps:||Six sheet stamps plus a se-tenant block; one self-adhesive stamp (for booklet and dispenser box)|
|Denominations and designs:||Sheet stamps: 40c Not on a snowy night / By star or candlelight, 70c But on a summer day / Within a quiet bay, 80c The Māori People heard / The great and glorious word, $1.00 The people gathered round / Upon the grassy ground, $1.50 How in this blessed land / United heart and hand, $1.80 Te Harinui / Glad tidings of great joy; Self-adhesive stamp: 40c Te Harinui|
|Stamps and first day cover designed:||Fifi Colston, Wellington, New Zealand|
|Printer and process:||Southern Colour Print, Dunedin, New Zealand by lithography|
|Number of colours:||Gummed: Four process colours plus gold ink; Self-adhesive: Four process colours plus one special|
|Gummed stamp size and format:||30mm x 40mm (vertical)|
|Self-adhesive stamp size and format:||30mm x 25mm (horizontal)|
|Paper type:||Gummed: 103gsm gummed stamp paper; Self-adhesive: Harrison's red phosphor self-adhesive stamp paper|
|Number of stamps per sheet:||100|
|Number of stamps per booklet:||10|
|Number of stamps per dispenser box:||100|
|Perforation gauge:||Gummed: 14 x 14; Self-adhesive: die cut|
|Cost of unadressed first day cover with se-tenant block and one self-adhesive stamp:||$7.10|
|Special blocks:||Plate/imprint, positional or value blocks could be obtained by purchasing at least six sheet stamps. There were no marginal inscriptions such as plate, imprint or value blocks for the se-tenant block of six stamps.|
|Colour blocks:||Also known as "traffic lights", these blocks were included in plate blocks.|
|Barcode blocks:||Barcode blocks were available for sheet stamps only and not for the se-tenant block.|
|Period of sale:||These stamps remained on sale until 3 September 1998.|


This page uses content from Wikipedia and is licensed under CC BY-SA.
|British Overseas Territories|
Location of the United Kingdom and the British Overseas Territories
|Largest settlements||George Town, Gibraltar, Road Town|
• Minister of State
• Minister of State
|1,727,570 km2 (667,020 sq mi)|
• 2010 estimate
|Date format||dd/mm/yyyy (AD)|
The British Overseas Territories (BOTs) or United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs) are 14 territories under the jurisdiction and sovereignty of the United Kingdom. They are the parts of the British Empire that have not been granted independence or have voted to remain British territories. These territories do not form part of the United Kingdom and, with the exception of Gibraltar, are not part of the European Union. Most of the permanently inhabited territories are internally self-governing, with the UK retaining responsibility for defence and foreign relations. Three are inhabited only by a transitory population of military or scientific personnel. They all share the British monarch (Elizabeth II) as head of state.
As of April 2018[update] the Minister responsible for the Territories excluding the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar and the Sovereign Base Areas on Cyprus, is Tariq Ahmad, Minister of State for the Commonwealth and the UN. The other three territories are the responsibility of Sir Alan Duncan MP, Minister of State for Europe and the Americas.
The fourteen British Overseas Territories are:
|Akrotiri and Dhekelia||Cyprus, Mediterranean Sea||255 km2 (98 sq mi)||7,700 (Cypriots; estimate)
8,000 non-permanent (UK military personnel and their families; estimate)
|Anguilla||Caribbean, North Atlantic Ocean||"Strength and Endurance"||91 km2 (35.1 sq mi)||13,500 (2006 estimate)||The Valley|
|Bermuda||North Atlantic Ocean between the Azores, the Caribbean, Cape Sable Island and Canada||"Quo fata ferunt" (Latin; "Whither the Fates carry [us]")||54 km2 (20.8 sq mi)||64,000 (2007 estimate)||Hamilton|
|British Antarctic Territory||Antarctica||"Research and discovery"||1,709,400 km2 (660,000 sq mi)||0
50 non-permanent in winter, over 400 in summer (research personnel)
|Rothera (main base)|
|British Indian Ocean Territory||Indian Ocean||"In tutela nostra Limuria" (Latin; "Limuria is in our charge")||46 km2 (18 sq mi)||0
3,000 non-permanent (UK and US military and staff personnel; estimate)
|Diego Garcia (base)|
|British Virgin Islands||Caribbean, North Atlantic Ocean||"Vigilate" (Latin; "Be watchful")||153 km2 (59 sq mi)||27,000 (2005 estimate)||Road Town|
|Cayman Islands||Caribbean||"He hath founded it upon the seas"||264 km2 (101.9 sq mi)||56,092 (2013 estimate)||George Town|
|Falkland Islands||South Atlantic Ocean||"Desire the right"||12,173 km2 (4,700 sq mi)||2,955 (2006 census)
1,350 non-permanent (UK military personnel; 2012 estimate)
|Gibraltar||Iberian Peninsula, Continental Europe||"Nulli expugnabilis hosti" (Latin; "No enemy shall expel us")||6.5 km2 (2.5 sq mi)||28,800 (2005 estimate)
1,250 non-permanent (UK military personnel; 2012 estimate)
|Montserrat||Caribbean, North Atlantic Ocean||"A people of excellence, moulded by nature, nurtured by God"||101 km2 (39 sq mi)||4,655 (2006 estimate)||Plymouth (abandoned due to volcano—de facto capital is Brades)|
|Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands||Pacific Ocean||47 km2 (18 sq mi)||49 (2014 estimate)
6 non-permanent (2014 estimate)
|Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha,
|South Atlantic Ocean||420 km2 (162 sq mi)||5,530 (total; estimate)||Jamestown|
|Saint Helena||"Loyal and Unshakeable" (Saint Helena)||4,255 (Saint Helena; 2008 census)|
|Ascension Island||880 (Ascension; estimate)
1,000 non-permanent (Ascension; UK military personnel; estimate)
|Tristan da Cunha||"Our faith is our strength" (Tristan da Cunha)||300 (Tristan da Cunha; estimate)
9 non-permanent (Tristan da Cunha; weather personnel)
|South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands||South Atlantic Ocean||"Leo terram propriam protegat" (Latin; "Let the lion protect his own land")||4,066 km2 (1,570 sq mi)||0
99 non-permanent (officials and research personnel)
|King Edward Point|
|Turks and Caicos Islands||Lucayan Archipelago, North Atlantic Ocean||430 km2 (166 sq mi)||32,000 (2006 census)||Cockburn Town|
|Overall||1,727,570 km2||c. 250,000|
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The term "British Overseas Territory" was introduced by the British Overseas Territories Act 2002, replacing the term British Dependent Territory, introduced by the British Nationality Act 1981. Prior to 1 January 1983, the territories were officially referred to as British Crown Colonies.
Although the Crown dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey, and the Isle of Man are also under the sovereignty of the British monarch, they are in a different constitutional relationship with the United Kingdom. The British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies are themselves distinct from the Commonwealth realms, a group of 16 independent countries (including the United Kingdom) each having Elizabeth II as their reigning monarch, and from the Commonwealth of Nations, a voluntary association of 52 countries mostly with historic links to the British Empire (which also includes all Commonwealth realms).
With the exceptions of the British Antarctic Territory and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (which host only officials and research station staff) and the British Indian Ocean Territory (used as a military base), the Territories retain permanent civilian populations. Permanent residency for the approximately 7,000 civilians living in the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia is limited to citizens of the Republic of Cyprus.
Collectively, the Territories encompass a population of about 250,000 people and a land area of about 1,727,570 square kilometres (667,020 sq mi). The vast majority of this land area, 1,700,000 square kilometres (660,000 sq mi), constitutes the almost uninhabited British Antarctic Territory, while the largest territory by population, Bermuda, accounts for almost a quarter of the total BOT population. At the other end of the scale, three territories have no civilian population; the Antarctic territory, the British Indian Ocean Territory (from which the Chagos Islanders were controversially removed) and South Georgia. Pitcairn Islands, settled by the survivors of the Mutiny on the Bounty, is the smallest settled territory with 49 inhabitants, while the smallest by land area is Gibraltar on the southern tip of the Iberian peninsula. The United Kingdom participates in the Antarctic Treaty System and, as part of a mutual agreement, the British Antarctic Territory is recognised by four of the six other sovereign nations making claims to Antarctic territory.
Early colonies, in the sense of English subjects residing in lands hitherto outside the control of the English government, were generally known as "Plantations".
The first, unofficial, colony was Newfoundland, where English fishermen routinely set up seasonal camps in the 16th century. It is now a province of Canada known as Newfoundland and Labrador. It retains strong cultural ties with Britain.
English colonisation of North America began officially in 1607 with the settlement of Jamestown, the first successful permanent colony in Virginia (a term that was then applied generally to North America). Its offshoot, Bermuda, was settled inadvertently after the wrecking of the Virginia company's flagship there in 1609, with the Virginia Company's charter extended to officially include the archipelago in 1612. St. George's town, founded in Bermuda in that year, remains the oldest continuously inhabited British settlement in the New World (with some historians stating that – its formation predating the 1619 conversion of "James Fort" into "Jamestown" – St. George's was actually the first successful town the English established in the New World). Bermuda and Bermudians have played important, sometimes pivotal, but generally underestimated or unacknowledged roles in the shaping of the English and British trans-Atlantic Empires. These include maritime commerce, settlement of the continent and of the West Indies, and the projection of naval power via the colony's privateers, among other areas.
The growth of the British Empire in the 19th century, to its territorial peak in the 1920s, saw Britain acquire nearly one quarter of the world's land mass, including territories with large indigenous populations in Asia and Africa. From the mid-nineteenth century to the early twentieth century, the larger settler colonies – in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa – first became self-governing colonies and then achieved independence in all matters except foreign policy, defence and trade. Separate self-governing colonies federated to become Canada (in 1867), Australia (in 1901), South Africa (in 1910), and Rhodesia (in 1965). These and other large self-governing colonies had become known as Dominions by the 1920s. The Dominions achieved almost full independence with the Statute of Westminster (1931).
Through a process of decolonisation following the Second World War, most of the British colonies in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean gained independence. Some colonies became Commonwealth realms, retaining the British monarch as their own head of state. Most former colonies and protectorates became member states of the Commonwealth of Nations, a non-political, voluntary association of equal members, comprising a population of around 2.2 billion people.
After the independence of Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in Africa in 1980 and British Honduras (now Belize) in Central America in 1981, the last major colony that remained was Hong Kong, with a population of over 5 million. With 1997 approaching, the United Kingdom and China negotiated the Sino-British Joint Declaration, which led to the whole of Hong Kong becoming a "special administrative region" of China in 1997, subject to various conditions intended to guarantee the preservation of Hong Kong's capitalist economy and its way of life under British rule for at least 50 years after the handover. George Town in the Cayman Islands has consequently become the largest city in the Overseas Territories.
In 2002, the British Parliament passed the British Overseas Territories Act 2002. This reclassified the UK's dependent territories as overseas territories and, with the exception of those people solely connected with the Sovereign Base Areas of Cyprus, restored full British citizenship to their inhabitants.
The head of state in the overseas territories is the British monarch, Elizabeth II. The Queen's role in the territories is in her role as Queen of the United Kingdom, and not in right of each territory. The Queen appoints a representative in each territory to exercise her executive power. In territories with a permanent population, a Governor is appointed by the Queen on the advice of the British Government, usually a retired senior military officer, or a senior civil servant. In territories without a permanent population, a Commissioner is usually appointed to represent the Queen. Exceptionally, in the oversea territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, an Administrator is appointed to be the Governor's representative in each of the two distant parts of the territory, namely Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha.
The role of the Governor is to act as the de facto head of state, and they are usually responsible for appointing the head of government, and senior political positions in the territory. The Governor is also responsible for liaising with the UK Government, and carrying out any ceremonial duties. A Commissioner has the same powers as a Governor, but also acts as the head of government.
All the overseas territories have their own system of government, and localised laws. The structure of the government appears to be closely correlated to the size and political development of the territory.
|There is no native or permanent population; therefore there is no elected government. The Commissioner, supported by an Administrator, run the affairs of the territory.|
|There is no elected government, as there is no native settled population. The Chagos Islanders – who were forcibly evicted from the territory in 1971 – won a High Court Judgement allowing them to return, but this was then overridden by an Order in Council preventing them from returning. The final appeal to the House of Lords (regarding the lawfulness of the Order in Council) was decided in the government's favour, exhausting the islanders' legal options in the United Kingdom at present.|
|There is no elected government. The Commander British Forces Cyprus acts as the territory's Administrator, with a Chief Officer responsible for day-to-day running of the civil government. As far as possible, there is convergence of laws[clarification needed] with those of the Republic of Cyprus.|
|There are an elected Mayor and Island Council, who have the power to propose and administer local legislation. However, their decisions are subject to approval by the Governor, who retains near-unlimited powers of plenary legislation on behalf of the United Kingdom Government.|
|The Government consists of an elected Legislative Assembly, with the Chief Executive and the Director of Corporate Resources as ex officio members.|
|The Government consists of an elected Legislative Council. The Governor is the head of government and leads the Executive Council, consisting of appointed members made up from the Legislative Council and two ex-officio members. Governance on Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha is led by Administrators who are advised by elected Island Councils.|
|These territories have a House of Assembly, Legislative Assembly (Cayman Islands and Montserrat), with political parties. The Executive Council is usually called a cabinet and is led by a Premier or a Chief Minister (in Anguilla), who is the leader of the majority party in parliament. The Governor exercises less power over local affairs and deals mostly with foreign affairs and economic issues, while the elected government controls most "domestic" concerns.|
|Under the Gibraltar Constitution Order 2006 which was approved in Gibraltar by a referendum, Gibraltar now has a Parliament. The Government of Gibraltar, headed by the Chief Minister, is elected. Defence, external affairs and internal security vest in the Governor.|
|Bermuda, settled in 1609, and self-governed since 1620, is the oldest and most populous of the Overseas Territories. The bicameral Parliament consists of a Senate and a House of Assembly, and most executive powers have been devolved to the head of government, known as the Premier.|
|The Turks and Caicos Islands adopted a new constitution effective 9 August 2006; their head of government now also has the title Premier, their legislature is called the House of Assembly, and their autonomy has been greatly increased.|
|British Overseas Territories Joint Ministerial Council|
|All members elected either as MPs in the UK cabinet or as heads of Government or Ministers in Overseas Territories.|
Each overseas territory has its own legal system independent of the United Kingdom. The legal system is generally based on English common law, with some distinctions for local circumstances. Each territory has its own attorney general, and court system. For the smaller territories, the UK may appoint a UK-based lawyer or judge to work on legal cases. This is particularly important for cases involving serious crimes and where it is impossible to find a jury who will not know the defendant in a small population island.
The Pitcairn sexual assault trial of 2004 is an example of how the UK may choose to provide the legal framework for particular cases where the territory cannot do so alone.
A joint ministerial council of UK ministers, and the leaders of the Overseas Territories has been held annually since 2012 to provide representation between UK Government departments and Overseas Territory Governments.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has the responsibility of looking after the interests of all overseas territories except the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia, which comes under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Defence. Within the FCO, the general responsibility for the territories is handled by the Overseas Territories Directorate.
In 2012, the FCO published The Overseas Territories: security, success and sustainability which set out Britain's policy for the Overseas Territories, covering six main areas:
Britain and the overseas territories do not have diplomatic representations, although the governments of the overseas territories with indigenous populations all retain a representative office in London. The United Kingdom Overseas Territories Association (UKOTA) also represents the interests of the territories in London. The governments in both London and territories occasionally meet to mitigate or resolve disagreements over the process of governance in the territories and levels of autonomy.
Britain provides financial assistance to the overseas territories via the Department for International Development. Currently[when?] only Montserrat and Saint Helena receive budgetary aid (i.e. financial contribution to recurrent funding). Several specialist funds are made available by the UK, including:
The territories have no official representation in the UK Parliament, but have informal representation through the All-Party Parliamentary Group, and can petition the UK Government through the Directgov e-Petitions website. Only Gibraltar has representation in the European Parliament and it shares its Member with the region of South West England.
Two national parties, UKIP and the Liberal Democrats, have endorsed calls for direct representation of overseas territories in the UK Parliament, as well as backbench members of the Conservative Party and Labour Party.
Foreign affairs of the overseas territories are handled by the FCO in London. Some territories maintain diplomatic officers in nearby countries for trade and immigration purposes. Several of the territories in the Americas maintain membership within the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States, the Caribbean Community, the Caribbean Development Bank, Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency, and the Association of Caribbean States. The territories are members of the Commonwealth of Nations through the United Kingdom. The inhabited territories compete in their own right at the Commonwealth Games, and three of the territories (Bermuda, the Cayman Islands and the British Virgin Islands) sent teams to the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Gibraltar is the only overseas territory that is part of the European Union (EU), although it is not part of the European Customs Union, the European Tax Policy, the European Statistics Zone or the Common Agriculture Policy. Gibraltar is not a member of the European Union in its own right. The Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus are not part of the European Union, but they are the only British overseas territory to use the euro as official currency. None of the other Overseas Territories are members of the EU, the main body of EU law does not apply and, although certain slices of EU law are applied to those territories as part of the EU's Association of Overseas Countries and Territories (OCT Association), they are not commonly enforceable in local courts. The OCT Association also provides overseas territories with structural funding for regeneration projects.
Since the return of full British citizenship to most 'belongers' of overseas territories (mainly since the British Overseas Territories Act 2002), the citizens of those territories hold concurrent European Union citizenship, giving them rights of free movement across all EU member states.
Five nations dispute the UK's sovereignty in the following overseas territories:
None of the overseas territories has its own nationality status, and all citizens are classed as British Overseas Territories citizens (BOTC). They do, however, have legislative independence over immigration, and holding the status of a BOTC does not automatically give a person a right of abode in any of the territories, as it depends on the territory's immigration laws. A territory may issue Belonger status to allow a person classed as a BOTC to reside in the territory that they have close links with. Non-BOTC citizens may acquire Belonger status to reside in a particular territory (and may subsequently become naturalised BOTC if they wish).
Historically, most inhabitants of the British Empire held the status of British subject, which was usually lost upon independence. From 1949, British subjects in the United Kingdom and the remaining colonies became citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies. However changes in British immigration and nationality law between 1962 and 1983 saw the creation of a separate British Dependent Territories citizenship (BDTC) with effect from January 1983. Citizens in most territories were stripped of full British citizenship. This was mainly to prevent a mass exodus of the citizens of Hong Kong to the UK before the agreed handover to China in 1997. Exception was made for the Falkland Islands, which had been invaded in 1982 by Argentina. Full British citizenship was soon returned to the people of Gibraltar having regard to the friction with Spain.
However, the British Overseas Territories Act 2002 replaced British Dependent Territory citizenship with British Overseas Territories citizenship (BOTC), and restored full British citizenship to all BOTCs except those from Akrotiri and Dhekelia. This restored to BOTCs the right to reside in the UK.
British citizens, however, do not have an automatic right to reside in any of the Overseas Territories. Some territories prohibit immigration, and any visitors are required to seek the permission of the territory's government to live in the territory.
Defence of the Overseas Territories is the responsibility of the UK. Many of the overseas territories are used as military bases by the UK and its allies.
Most of the languages other than English spoken in the territories contain a large degree of English, either as a root language, or in codeswitching, e.g. Llanito. They include:
Forms of English:
The many British overseas territories use a varied assortment of currencies, including the euro, pound, US dollar, NZ dollar, or their own currencies, which may be pegged to one of these.
|Location||Native currency||Issuing authority|
Falkland Islands pound (parity with pound sterling)
Gibraltar pound (parity with pound sterling)
Saint Helenian pound (parity with pound sterling)
Eastern Caribbean dollar (pegged to US dollar at 2.7ECD=1USD)
Bermudian dollar (parity with US dollar)
Cayman Islands dollar (pegged to US dollar at 1KYD=1.2USD)
US Federal Reserve
1 Part of the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha.
Each overseas territory has been granted its own flag and coat of arms by the British monarch. Traditionally, the flags follow the Blue Ensign design, with the Union Flag in the canton, and the territory's coat of arms in the fly. Exceptions to this are Bermuda which uses a Red Ensign; British Antarctic Territory which uses a White Ensign; British Indian Ocean Territory which uses a Blue Ensign with wavy lines to symbolise the sea; and Gibraltar which uses a banner of its coat of arms (the flag of the city of Gibraltar).
Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands and the Cayman Islands are the only British Overseas Territories with recognised National Olympic Committees (NOCs); the British Olympic Association is recognised as the appropriate NOC for athletes from the other territories, and thus athletes who hold a British passport are eligible to represent Great Britain at the Olympic Games.
Shara Proctor from Anguilla, Delano Williams from the Turks and Caicos Islands, Jenaya Wade-Fray from Bermuda and Georgina Cassar from Gibraltar strived to represent Team GB at the London 2012 Olympics. Proctor, Wade-Fray and Cassar qualified for Team GB, with Williams missing the cut, however wishing to represent the UK in 2016.
The Gibraltar national football team was accepted into UEFA in 2013 in time for the 2016 European Championships. It has been accepted by FIFA and went into the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying, where they achieved 0 points.
The British Overseas Territories have more biodiversity than the entire UK mainland. There are at least 180 endemic plant species in the overseas territories as opposed to only 12 on the UK mainland. Responsibility for protection of biodiversity and meeting obligations under international environmental conventions is shared between the UK Government and the local governments of the territories.
Two areas, Henderson Island in the Pitcairn Islands as well as the Gough and Inaccessible Islands of Tristan Da Cunha are listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and two other territories, the Turks and Caicos Islands, and Saint Helena are on the United Kingdom's tentative list for future UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Gibraltar's Gorham's Cave Complex is also found on the UK's tentative UNESCO World Heritage Site list.
The UK created the largest continuous marine protected areas in the world, the Chagos Marine Protected Area, and announced in 2015 funding to establish a new, larger, reserve around the Pitcairn Islands.
In January 2016, the UK government announced the intention to create a marine protected area around Ascension Island. The protected area would be 234,291 square kilometers, half of which would be closed to fishing.
There are 14 Overseas Territories which retain a constitutional link with the UK. .... Most of the Territories are largely self-governing, each with its own constitution and its own government, which enacts local laws. Although the relationship is rooted in four centuries of shared history, the UK government's relationship with its Territories today is a modern one, based on mutual benefits and responsibilities. The foundations of this relationship are partnership, shared values and the right of the people of each territory to choose to freely choose whether to remain a British Overseas Territory or to seek an alternative future.
The United Kingdom also manages a number of territories which, while mostly having their own forms of government, have the Queen as their head of state, and rely on the UK for defence and security, foreign affairs and representation at the international level. They do not form part of the UK, but have an ambiguous constitutional relationship with the UK.
|Wikimedia Commons has media related to British overseas territories.|


Click on images
Scale bar 10mm. Copyright CSIRO
Fruit, side view and seed. Copyright W. T. Cooper
Cotyledon and 1st leaf stage, hypogeal germination. Copyright CSIRO
10th leaf stage. Copyright CSIRO
Cerbera inflata S.T.Blake
Blake, S.T. (1959) Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland 70: 33. Type: near Goldsborough, Upper Mulgrave River, Qld,28 July 1943, S. T. Blake 15033.
Cerbera manghas auct. non L., Contr. Arnold Arb. 4: 92(), Type: ?. Cerbera dilatata S.T.Blake, Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland 59: 161(1948), Type: QUEENSLAND. Cook District. ... near Goldsborough, upper Mulgrave R., in rain-forest, July 28th, 1943, S.T. Blake 15033; holo: BRI.
Cassowary Plum; Rubber Tree; Plum, Cassowary; Milkwood, Grey; Grey Milkwood
Exudate rapid and copious.
Petioles and twigs produce a milky exudate. Leaves crowded towards the ends of rather stout twigs. Leaf blades about 10-26 x 1.5-3 cm, petioles about 2-4 cm long. Lateral veins about 30-40 on each side of the midrib.
Cotyledons remaining inside the testa. Two or more cataphylls usually produced before the first true leaves which are usually narrowly lanceolate. At the tenth leaf stage: numerous small pale lenticels are produced on the stem. Stems and petioles produce a milky exudate.
Distribution and Ecology


Verdict on Higher Level Maths Paper 2
With some exacting questions and a change in font from Times New Roman to Calibri this year’s Leaving Cert Maths Paper two would have challenged many students.
Analysing the paper Margaret Kenny, Studyclix Expert Teacher and teacher at Jesus and Mary Secondary School, Enniscrone said: “The monotony of the new font chosen, meant that numbers and other information was undifferentiated and less distinct from the core material of the questions. Meant students would have had to be more careful when reading questions.
"The orientation of the triangle in question 3 was very off-putting for students. Appearing somewhat skewed from what one would expect, students might have been better off without the diagram. The traditional trigonometry proofs were absent with a bigger emphasis on the understanding of geometry.”
"The final question, would have proven difficult for weaker students, in particular H6 and h7 students would have struggled with the material”.
Teacher Verdict on Ordinary Level Maths Paper 2
Margaret Kenny, Studyclix Expert Teacher and teacher at Jesus and Mary Secondary School, Enniscrone said: “In this case the examiners managed to fit huge range of questions and cover a broad range of material in the paper. With a more ‘traditional’ approach to Paper 2, today’s paper was well received. The highlighting and emboldening of key words and presentation should be commended here for bringing clarity to students, that was absent in other papers. It was clear what they were being asked, which would have helped build confidence as students progressed”


By Paul Theerman, Associate Director, The Center for the History of Medicine and Public Health
In last Friday’s episode of The Knick, the main character, Dr. John Thackery, worries about being upstaged at an upcoming meeting of the New York Surgical Society. Indeed, that was (and is) a real society. It met at the New York Academy of Medicine, and NYAM’s archives hold its early minute books.
The New York Surgical Society was founded in 1879 at the home of prominent surgeon Dr. Robert Fulton Weir, later a president of The New York Academy of Medicine. By the early 20th century, membership had grown from an initial 12 members to 60. Its early founders were also instrumental in the establishment of the American Surgical Association in 1880. The surgeon on whom the Thackery character is based, Dr. William Halsted, was a member, as he worked in New York until joining the faculty at Johns Hopkins in 1889.
The rise of surgical societies reflected a two-fold movement: the increasing prominence of surgery within the medical profession, coupled with increasing medical specialization overall. That is, surgery was becoming glamorous, and more and more surgeons wanted to mingle, and learn from, like-minded professionals. General medical societies date at least from the 1840s—NYAM and the American Medical Association were both founded in 1847, and the College of Physicians of Philadelphia a full 60 years before that. But in the 1870s and 1880s, specialized medical societies began to flourish, motivated by sociability and professional advancement. Presenting papers on their work, members began building a publication record and a reputation. Societies prized innovation and skill—in some organizations, priority for one’s work could be established through the minute books of the meetings, even before publication.
The New York Surgical Society still exists. Find out more about it here.


- The benefits of glutathione (GSH) are inarguable with almost 160,000 research studies as of January 2021. The second most studied antioxidant is Vitamin C with around 67,000.
- Riboceine was developed by 9 Ph.D.’s led by Herbert T Nagasawa, the Senior Editor of the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry for 32 years and the head of the research facilities at the University of Minnesota and the V.A. for 37 years.
- There are 37 research studies in PubMed currently with others underway.
- In a mice study, Riboceine was shown to be 300% more effective than n-acetylcysteine without the side effects associated with doses over 750 mg.
- In another mice study, the control group was normal. The other group was under oxidative stress. That group only lived half as long as the control group. Glutathione enhancement reduces oxidative stress and slows down the aging process.
OUR SCIENCE IS SECOND TO NONE!
The Doctor’s Corner
GLUTATHIONE THE MAGICAL MOLECULE
With over 160,000 studies and articles as of January 1, 2021, in PubMed, the electronic database of The United States National Library of Medicine at the National Institutes of Health, its benefits and functions are inarguable. These studies reveal the remarkable role glutathione plays in the protection and function of every cell in the human body as the Master Antioxidant. It is also vital to the enhancement of the immune system and the body’s primary detoxification process.


Stephen Hawking presented his own theory to millions of viewers Sunday on how the universe came about – without God.
The famed physicist and cosmologist is convinced that a "grand designer" was unnecessary in the creation of the universe. He made his case on the Discovery Channel as he sought to answer the question "Did God Create the Universe?"
Hawking essentially argued that it is possible that something can come out of nothing.
"The laws of nature themselves tells us that not only can the universe have popped into existence like a proton and have required nothing in terms of energy but also that it is possible that nothing caused the big bang," he said on the show.
The Sunday night episode, part of the new "Curiosity" series, took viewers back in time to eras when many saw God or gods as the only explanation for natural phenomena like lightning or for the origin of the universe.
But Hawking sought to disprove the need for a Creator and instead explain everything through science – or what he considers the truth.
He offered, "It's not quite as difficult as it seems."
You only need three ingredients to make a universe, he contended. Those ingredients are matter or mass, energy and space. But using Albert Einstein's famous equation, Hawking argued that mass and energy are basically the same thing.
The big bang created the now two necessary ingredients for a universe: energy and space.
While some argue that this is where God comes into the picture because you can't create something out of nothing, Hawking argued that it is entirely possible.
Particles such as protons, he said, behave according to quantum mechanics and can appear at random, then vanish, and then reappear somewhere else.
Still, the question remains, did God create the quantum laws that allowed the big bang to occur?
"In a nutshell, do we need a God to set it all up so that a big bang could bang?" Hawking posed. "I have no desire to offend anyone of faith but I think science has some more compelling explanation than a Divine Creator."
Enter: the black hole.
The black hole, which floats in space, is a star so massive that it has collapsed in on itself. Nothing, including light, can escape its gravity.
"Its gravitational field is so powerful it doesn't only warp and distort light but also time," he explained. Time, thus, doesn't exist in the black hole.
Using this as the final key to revealing how the universe created itself, Hawking explained that if you travel back in time toward the moment of the big bang, the universe gets smaller until it comes to a point where the whole universe is in a space so small that it is "in effect a single infinitesimally small, infinitesimally dense black hole."
He concluded, "You can't get to a time before the big bang because there was no before the big bang. We have finally found something that doesn't have a cause because there was no time for a cause to exist in. For me, this means there is no possibility of a Creator because there is no time for a Creator to have existed."
"Since time itself began at the moment of the big bang, it was an event that could not have been caused or created by anyone or anything."
Hawking presented his theory as scientific arguments, saying "science has given us the answer we set out to discover."
But others saw it more as a faith statement, than science.
Dan Wilt, conference speaker and founder of worshiptraining.com, observed that scientists who were interviewed after the show were uncomfortable with Hawking's claims.
"He (Hawking) was explicitly changing the scientific game, and taking it into the realm of fact statements about unknown metaphysics," Wilt wrote on his blog, summing up what the panel of scientists argued.
Atheism, Wilt maintained, takes faith just as theism takes faith.
"A meaningless 'popping into existence' or a meaningful 'popping into existence' (a naturally occurring phenomenon or a naturally occurring phenomenon catalyzed by the Will of God) both take faith to embrace," he wrote.
"[T]o say 'I don’t know that God exists, therefore He doesn’t,' and to say 'In the face of my limited science, I declare that there is no afterlife,' in the face of the limited knowledge we have (brilliant as we can be), is actually a faith statement as 'ignorant' as some scientists accuse others of being."
Wilt also contended that what Hawking has presented is simply an alternate way of explaining the origin of the universe.
"And an alternative way of speaking about the big bang, or creation, or origins doesn’t mean it’s true – it just means that it’s an alternate way (compelling as it may be)."
"In my mind, Stephen’s story is compelling, but not in contradiction to faith," Wilt highlighted. "For my part, Hawking’s discussion actually led me to greater belief in God, not away. Go figure."


Dr Aung Tun
World No Tobacco Day is celebrated around the world every year on May 31. The day was created by the member states of the WHO in 1987 to draw global attention to the tobacco epidemic and the preventable death and disease it causes. Every year, World No Tobacco Day is observed, with a different theme to cover the broad range of measures within the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC).
The Tobacco Epidemic
The tobacco epidemic is one of the biggest public health threats the world has ever faced, killing around 6 million people a year. More than 5 million of those deaths are the result of direct tobacco use while more than 600 000 are the result of non-smokers being exposed to second-hand smoke.
Nearly 80% of the more than 1 billion smokers worldwide live in low- and middle-income countries, where the burden of tobacco-related illness and death is heaviest.
In South Asia, approximately 1.2 million people die every year from tobacco use.
Tobacco damages not only the whole person but also the whole planet. The harm caused by the tobacco use is not limited to lung cancer, heart disease, and emphysema. Tobacco use exacerbates other non-communicable diseases, mental illness and substance abuse problems, as well as damages the environment and undermines human development.
Tobacco users who die prematurely deprive their families of income, raise the cost of health care and hinder economic development.
The harm caused by Secondhand smoke
Exposure to secondhand smoke can cause many of the same diseases as active smoking. Secondhand smoke is the smoke that fills restaurants, offices or other enclosed spaces when people burn tobacco products such as cigarettes, bidis and water-pipes. There are more than 4000 chemicals in tobacco smoke, of which at least 250 are known to be harmful and more than 50 are known to cause cancer.
There is no safe level of exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke.
In adults, second-hand smoke causes serious cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, including coronary heart disease and lung cancer. In infants, it causes sudden death. In pregnant women, it causes low birth weight. Almost half of children regularly breathe air polluted by tobacco smoke in public places. Secondhand smoke causes more than 600 000 premature deaths per year. In 2004, children accounted for 28% of the deaths attributable to secondhand smoke.
Every person should be able to breathe tobacco-smoke-free air. Smoke-free laws protect the health of non-smokers, are popular, do not harm business and encourage smokers to quit.
Tobacco use in Myanmar
National Tobacco Control Program of Department of Public Health has been implementing tobacco control activities in collaboration with related ministries; school-based tobacco control activities are being conducted in coordination with the Ministry of Education. Myanmar has been participating in the Global Tobacco Surveillance System and has conducted Global Youth Tobacco Surveys (GYTS) in 2001, 2004 2007 and 2011 and the Global School Personnel Surveys (GSPS) in 2004, 2007 and 2011. National Tobacco Control Program has already planned to conduct a new Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) in Myanmar this year.
The GYTS is a school-based survey of students aged 13-15 years. The GSPS is also a school-based survey of all school personnel from the schools that the GYTS was conducted. The GYTS and GSPS were conducted as a nation-wide survey in Myanmar.
According to Global Youth Tobacco survey (GYTTS, 2011), about 7% of school youths (13% of boys and 0.55% of girls) were currently smoking cigarette while about 17% (28% of boys and 7%% of girls) were currently using other tobacco products. Like the adult population, about 38% of them were also exposing to environmental tobacco smoke in public places. Between 2001 and2011, a significant reduction in the proportion of students currently smoked cigarettes is observed ( a fall from 13-15 year olds of 10.2% to 6.8%) but reported use of other tobacco products had increased during the period from 5.7% to 9.8%. The ability to purchase cigarettes in a store had reduced significantly from 72.9% to 39.2%; percent. There is no change in percent of students receiving education on dangers of tobacco. According to the National STEPS (The WHO STEPwise approach to Surveillance) survey 2009 showed that about 22% of people (45% of men and 8% of women) are currently smoking, about 30% of people (51% of men and 16% of women) are currently using smokeless tobacco and 39% of people are exposing to environmental tobacco smoke in work places.
World No Tobacco Day 2016
May 31 is World No Tobacco Day, a day designated by the World Health Organization to draw global attention to the tobacco epidemic and to advocate for strategies to reduce tobacco use. The theme for 2016 is “Get ready for plain packaging”. For this year’s campaign, WHO and the Secretariat of the WHO Frame work Convention on Tobacco Control are calling countries to get ready for plain (standardized) packing of tobacco products.
Plain packaging (also called standardized packaging) refers to “measures to restrict or prohibit the use of logos, colours, brand images or promotional information on packaging other than brand names and product names displayed in a standard colour and font style (plain packaging).
Plain packaging has also been described as packaging that is “black and white or two other contrasting colours, as prescribed by national authorities; nothing other than a brand name, a product name and/or manufacturer’s name, contact details and the quantity of product in the packaging, without any logos or other features apart from health warnings, tax stamps and other government-mandated information or markings: prescribed font style and size; and standardized shape, size and materials. There should be no advertising or promotion inside or attached to the package or on individual cigarettes or other tobacco products.
Plain packing of tobacco products is an important demand reduction measure. It reduces the attractiveness of tobacco products, restricts use of tobacco packaging as a form of advertising, limits misleading packaging and labeling, and increases the effectiveness of health warnings.
Guidelines for Implementation of Article 11 (packing and labeling of tobacco products) and Article 13 (Tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship) of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control(WHO FCTC) recommend that Parties consider adoption of plain packaging.
Specific goals of the 2016 campaign are that:
* Highlight the role of plain packaging as part of a comprehensive, multi-sectoral approach to tobacco control.
* Facilitate policy development by Member States and the globalization of plain packaging by providing informative, compelling and persuasive information.
* Encourage Member States to strengthen packaging and labeling measures and restrictions on advertising, promotion and sponsorship as they work towards plain packaging in a step-wise approach.
* Support Member States and civil society against tobacco industry interference in political processes leading to adoption of plain packaging laws.
Myanmar has been celebrating the World No Tobacco Day, both at Central and Regional/State level every year since 2000.
Tobacco Control Measures
relating to packaging and
labeling in Myanmar
The National Program on Tobacco Control was officially launched in January 2000 with the drafting and approval of the National Policy on Tobacco Control and Plan of action. In collaboration with Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health and Sports has launched the Tobacco Free School Program in 2003.The Tobacco Free Youth Program was also implemented by School and Youth Health Project since 2009 .
The Myanmar Tobacco Control Program has been implementing its activities in line with the six MPOWER policies recommended in the “WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic 2008”.
Myanmar has signed the WHO FCTC in October 2003 and ratified in April 2004.With the objectives of protecting and reducing the dangers of tobacco among the community and based on the provisions of the WHO FCTC, “The Control of Smoking and Consumption of Tobacco Product Law” was enacted in May, 2006 and it came into effect in May,
In accordance with new administrative structure, the National Tobacco Control Committee was reformed in January 2011, headed by the Minister for Health and included heads of related departments and chairpersons of several national NGOs as members. The Committee set guidelines for the tobacco control measures to be implemented in the country. Myanmar also attended the 5th session of the Conference of the Parties to the WHO FCTC (COP 5), held in Seoul, Korea from 12th to 17th November, 2012. At COP 5. Myanmar has signed the Protocol on Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products on the day of the opening ceremony on 10th January, 2013 at Geneva, and it was the 1st country of signatories in South East Asia Region. Over the past two years, Myanmar has strengthened the tobacco control cell within the Department of Public Health, worked with civil society to build support for tobacco control among the public, and partnered with related ministries and NGOs to prohibit all forms of direct and indirect advertising, promotion and sponsorship of tobacco.
In 2015 Cigarette taxes in Myanmar are levied at 120% (commercial tax) of taxable turnover.
A new legislation to print warning messages and illustrations of the health risks of tobacco use on all tobacco packages was announced by the Ministry of Health and Sports on February 29,2016. According to the legislation, the new packaging will feature images of the health consequences of tobacco use across 50 percent of the surface area, and text warnings in local language across 25 percent. Old packaging will be illegal from 1 September 2016.
Working Together for Tobacco Free Myanmar
Currently, the Ministry of Health and Sports is committed to promoting and maintaining the health status of Myanmar people through various health care services, with the support and participation of the related ministries and sectors, international and local NGOs and the community as a whole.
The Control of Smoking and Consumption of Tobacco Product Law was adopted on 4th May, 2006. The adoption of the law was a very significant milestone in the history of public health of Myanmar and was highly appreciated by the World Health Organization and anti-tobacco advocates.
There is a need to enforce school policy on tobacco and the need to provide training to school personnel on prevention of tobacco among the youth. Specifically youth-focused programs should be implemented as joint efforts between Ministry of Health and Sports and Ministry of Education in collaboration with related ministries.
Myanmar Tobacco Control Program also needs to set in place mechanisms to strengthen implementation and enforcement of existing tobacco control laws in Myanmar and to develop new regulations needed on key tobacco control policies to bring them in line with WHO FCTC provisions and best practices. The program is also required to build Myanmar’s capacity for tobacco control in the long-term.
Continued support and close collaboration from the WHO and other partners are essential in the struggle against tobacco epidemic in Myanmar. Civil society at national, regional and international levels are needed to play an important role in contributing to the success of tobacco control efforts in Myanmar including effective implementation of pictorial health warnings, plain packaging and labeling for all tobacco products.
Ref:1. 2016 WHO WNTD
2. The Tobacco Atlas, The
3. Health in Myanmar, MOH, 2014
Dr Aung Tun is a retired Pro-Rector of University of Community Health and the former Director (Public Health) of Department of Public Health.


It was only 40 years ago that President Jimmy Carter made Grandparents Day an official holiday. Can you believe that?
This year, as you decide how to celebrate, grab your Library card and let Charlotte Mecklenburg Library help you connect with your close and distant relatives.
Recording grandma and grandpa’s stories and memories can be an important way to research and preserve your family history. Get tips on collecting and archiving those memories with Curating Oral Histories. Sharing photos and mementos can also be a bonding and learning experience. How to Archive Family Keepsakes can help with that!
Census Bureau records are also a great way to add to your investigation into the past. Every decade the Census Bureau releases responses from United States households, including statistics on race, ancestry, education, health and housing information. You can use Heritage Quest to research your grandparents, great grandparents and beyond from 1940 and earlier.
Need more inspiration to get started? Try a few episodes of Henry Louis Gates' PBS series, Finding Your Roots and follow the ancestor searches of celebrities including Samuel L. Jackson, Anderson Cooper, Shonda Rimes and Gloria Steinem.
Don’t forget the wealth of information and resources available to you from the Robinson Spangler Carolina Room located in the Main Library. The librarians there can help with research, historical document location and general wisdom on the process of tracing your roots.
Happy hunting and happy Grandparents Day.


This article discusses using wikis as a teaching strategy for follow-up debriefing after students participated in human patient simulator activities. Wiki tools assist students in collaborating, sharing, creating, and editing documents that reinforce learning developed during simulation. Students are actively engaged in the learning process by sharing information and experiences obtained in simulation scenarios. The use of a wiki enhances debriefing reflection. Wikis provide students with a written document to answer questions, discuss content, and develop notes and study guides after a classroom simulation activity.
KeyWords: wiki; reflection; debriefing; simulation; nursing students; peering


It is possible to observe gene expression within single cells using a tetracycline inducible promoter for activation. Transcription can be observed by using a fluorescent fusion protein to bind nascent RNA. Ultimately, it is desirable to activate a reporter gene within a single cell with only photons. This is achieved by preparing a chemically altered transcription factor that is functionally unable to activate a reporter gene until it is exposed to photon excitation. We apply two-photon imaging to visualize tumor cells expressing a transgene and ultimately this approach will provide the means to activate a specific gene within a single cell within any tissue to ultimately observe its functional significance in situ.


“Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.”
“The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.”
Democracy has been around since all the free men of Athens gathered to vote around 500 BC. As I suspect we all know, a democracy is a government in which decisions are made by the people, not senators, not presidents, not aristocrats, and certainly not kings.
I suppose it may shock a lot of people here when I tell you that the United States of America is not technically a democracy, and I am glad of it! In a democracy, general votes are held on every single issue. That’s just not practical once you get more than a few dozen people. (In my experience, it’s no longer practical with more than about three people!)
Instead, the US and most other democracies are actually republics, where the people vote to select their leaders. These leaders then make most of the decisions themselves. However, most of the time when we talk about democracy we’re referring to these wonderful republics.
“Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.”


Frustrated student with her head in hands. (Photo courtesy of Andrea Piacquadio, pexels.com)
There is nothing more frustrating than finishing an assignment and realizing how useless it really was, knowing I’ll never get those thirty, forty, sixty minutes of my life back.
Students spend nearly seven hours a day sitting in classrooms (or more recently, at home, staring at a screen) and additional hours completing homework. So why do teachers give students “busywork”, wasting what little time students still possess? Busywork is a drain on students’ time and effort, time they should be spending on actual learning.
What is Busywork?
Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it as “work that usually appears productive or of intrinsic value but only actually keeps one occupied.”
The Urban Dictionary is even more scathing, defining it as “class or homework teachers tend to give that usually have no learning benefit or provide more than necessary exercises to learn the material. This work is usually distributed when the teacher is lazy or needs to do something and needs to preoccupy the class for the day. Busy work is especially common in cases of substitute teachers.”
“I would define busywork as any form of work that doesn’t teach new content or particularly help enforce previously learned concepts,” said Brooke Dickinson, sophomore (via text interview).
Some teachers’ perceptions of busywork differ from students’. “I would define busywork as something to keep students working in the classroom. Busy work fills the time for a given class,” said Allison Bullard, Chemistry teacher (via email interview).
Even though Bullard also believes busywork to be a time filler, she views it as necessary when students’ need extra practice, and she is not able to teach. “The work I would consider busywork I assign… when I need a substitute. I use that time to give extra practice for a concept that I have already taught in class,” wrote Bullard.
Essentially, teachers give students busywork just to keep them occupied rather than teaching them anything new. The work does not provide necessary educational value. Some examples include post-assessment activities like vocabulary word searches and redundant worksheets like fill-in-the-blank activities on material already covered.
That is not to say that all worksheets are useless or that all homework is busywork. What distinguishes busywork from productive work is students’ knowledge or understanding afterwards. Productive work introduces new ideas and revisits old ones. Work that strengthens students’ skills, allowing them to analyze and evaluate content with greater understanding, is work of intrinsic value.
“Students often tell me that they understand a topic in class, but when they get home they are lost. Productive work helps reinforce what is taught in the classroom. Busy work is a time filler,” wrote Bullard.
“Busywork often… includes insignificant activities, such as a reading with questions or a ‘problem-solving’ activity. On the other hand, I would consider productive work to be thought-provoking and actually relevant to the curriculum,” wrote Dickinson.
Busywork has no real educational value. While it may be related to the content, it does not build on students’ knowledge or skills. Important skills busywork neglects to reinforce include: critical thinking, problem solving, and analyzation.
When I solve a math problem, I use essential formulas and ideas the teacher can only impart through multiple examples and a lot of practice. However, busywork comes into play when the practice becomes superfluous – when I no longer gain anything from excessive worksheets on the content. In like manner, science work is most often memorization of vocabulary and concepts. Yet, students can tell when teachers give assignments just to fill the time, having already learned and practiced the material.
Students do not gain anything from busywork. Excessive practice is not always busywork, as long as students are still applying their learning to new situations. It’s when that practice neglects to help students that it becomes busywork. It is the work that students complete to check a box…work without worth, where students’ knowledge before and after completing it is the same.
“I believe that busywork is pointless and encourages students to procrastinate. When they do not do well on an assignment and still ace their tests, it leads to a spiral of bad habits,” said Anderson Fox, Sophomore (via text interview).
The Effects of Busywork
Typically, the higher the grade level, the less busywork students’ do. The concepts in high school are more challenging than those in middle and elementary school, requiring more practice in understanding the material.
The problem is that when students receive busywork as part of an increased workload, they are more likely to dislike a topic they may otherwise have interest in. However, students still generally complete busywork for fear that not doing so will negatively affect their grades.
“Teachers give busywork so that they are not constantly teaching material, and attempt to get more grades in the grade book to look better. Busywork leads to higher stress in students, because it puts pressure on them to complete all of their assignments and have a higher average,” wrote Fox.
Bullard also believes busywork to be a possible source of stress for students, especially due to the fact that many students fall behind in completing the multitude of assignments. “Sometimes I feel that students think all work assigned is busy work. They often spend a lot of energy saying how hard something is or take a long time to get started. Once they really focus, the assignment doesn’t take nearly as long as they predicted,” wrote Bullard.
However, Bullard acknowledges that a lot of busywork can confuse students about what is essential content. “I also think that students struggle to know what is important for the unit,” wrote Bullard.
In almost every subject, I find the content interesting but stressing about my grade diminishes my enjoyment in learning about it. Instead of learning about an interesting subject I end up learning what I need to know to get a good grade. Busywork only exacerbates this problem. Increased busywork means more work and more grades, leading to more stress, decreasing students’ desire to learn for the sake of learning.
This is indicative of a wider issue in the school system: The negative effects grades and assessments have on students’ long term knowledge. In schools today, the scores of standardized tests are the yardsticks with which students’ worth is measured by.
Students learn the necessary skills to fulfill the curriculum’s requirements and are rarely incentivized to learn beyond that. Adults reward students for test grades, instead of actually learning and retaining the material. Likewise, administrators reward teachers for how well their students do on tests, not for whether they will remember the material in a few months’ time.
“The structure of my curriculum in middle and high school made me focus only on the consequences associated with learning, not with the material itself. This made everything uninteresting and made truly learning material very difficult,” wrote Andrew Mayor, writer, in an article on medium.com.
Busywork is a part of the system that causes students’ disinterest in learning. Work lacking in value discourages students from finding worth in education.
“I think busywork can occasionally reinforce previously learned concepts. Although, I believe that when a teacher relies on busywork consistently, students lack an understanding of the curriculum that could have been achieved through productive work,” wrote Dickinson.
Hi! My name is Sydney and I am a staff writer for The Mycenaean. I am also a member of Key Club and Co-President of the Food Club Bank. I’m the last of six Kaelin family members to go through Leesville.


Cardboard (or OCC), is our bread-and-butter at Town Recycling. Cardboard is used to ship 90% of products used in the United States. That's a lot of waste. The recovery rate of cardboard was over 75% in 2007. Hopefully, we can get that number up to 90% sometime this decade.
We will always buy your cardboard at competitive market prices. Just call us at (505) 452-9277 for a quote.
Some facts about recycled cardboard (per recycleplz.com):
Recycling 1 ton of cardboard saves 9 cubic yards of landfill space and 46 gallons of oil.
Recycled cardboard only takes 75 percent of the energy needed to make new cardboard.
Plastics pose the largest threat to the environment of all recyclable materials. Plastics take hundreds of years to decompose, and most plastic is single-use.
We want to keep as much plastic out of landfills as we can. Plastic bottles, water jugs, and countless other things can be recycled, all you need to do is get it to us!
According to the CRI, Americans buy an estimated 29.8 billion plastic water bottles every year. An estimated eight out of every 10 of these bottles will end up in a landfill.
Town Recycling is happy to buy your used plastic materials. Just call or email us for a quote.
Paper is everywhere. Mail, magazines, flyers, newspaper... they're all printed on recyclable paper. At 33%, paper is the largest single part of America's waste stream.
Fortunately, paper is also one of the world's most recovered materials. However, when the planet is consuming trillions of tons of paper per year, even a low percentage of lost materials equals billions of tons ending up in landfills.
Recycling 1 short ton of paper saves 17 mature trees, 7 thousand gallons of water, 3 cubic yards of landfill space, 2 barrels of oil, and 4,100 kilowatt-hours of electricity – enough energy to power the average American home for six months.
At Town Recycling, we buy paper in bulk, bales, or bags. Office shreddings are also recyclable, and we'd love to buy them from you.
Metals are the newest materials accepted at Town Recycling. Metals are some of the most detrimental products to enter the waste stream, because they never decompose naturally. They are also very expensive to manufacture. This makes metals important players in recycling. Recycling metals is responible, and smart too!
We offer the highest prices for metals in Albuquerque. We also don't have limits on the variety or quantity of metals we buy.
A few examples of the most commonly reycled metals are: Aluminum cans, copper, brass, radiators, steel, and wire (electrical, data, and copper). Not sure if we will buy your metal? Call us, or bring it by. We will give you an answer immediately.


Monday, November 19, 2012
PRPN News Staff
18 Nov 2012
The Social Security Administration (SSA), a part of the United States Executive Branch, touts its commitment to the sanctity of you Social Security Number (SSN).
In the United States, a Social Security number (SSN) is a nine-digit number issued to U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and temporary (working) residents under section 205(c)(2) of the Social Security Act, codified as 42 U.S.C. § 405(c)(2). The number is issued to an individual by the Social Security Administration, an independent agency of the United States government. Its primary purpose is to track individuals for Social Security purposes.
A Social Security number may be obtained by applying on Form SS-5, “Application for A Social Security Number Card”.
Over time, the number has been used for more diverse purposes than simply taxes, essentially making it a de facto national identification number.
From 1961 to 1972, the card was imprinted with “For Social Security and Tax Purposes — Not For Identification.”
In recent years, most government agencies have changed their policies to remove Personally Identifiable Information (PII) placed on correspondences, they may only use the last 4 or 5 digits of the SSN, but never the full SSN.
This is not the case for the sworn protectors of your Social Security benefits. In fact, not only can you find the SSN on nearly every form sent out by the SSA, but complete SSN’s, addresses, dates of birth, can all be found by using website to read the bar-codes on these forms.
As an example, this is what can be found on some forms:
Read more at http://www.prepperpodcast.com/social-security-admin-helps-identity-thieves-claiming-protect-identity/#ixzz2Cce0LiTe
Posted by John MacHaffie at 7:44 AM


In vehicles that many sensors are controlled by the new generation ECU, the cosmic radiation effect occurring at different altitude points is modeled with MRADSIM in terms of position and time.
- Especially in recent years, with the rapid advancement of the automotive industry from the mechanical structure to the digital structure, the unexpected negative effects created by cosmic radiation can be analyzed and mitigated / prevented on the ECU and other electronic components in the vehicles.
- Since the aviation sector has the most radiation-affected structures in the atmosphere, especially in the high quota, radiation studies on avionics can also be carried out.
Radiation related facilities
All radiation penetration based analysis and shielding of the important structures such as accelerator facilities, radiopharmaceutical production facilities, research laboratories, nuclear medicine and radiation oncology units are carried out with MRADSIM.
- Radiation mapping of all radioactive particles including neutron in treatment rooms,
- Determination of produced flux and secondary particles emitted from electron linear accelerators,
- Shielding design optimization.
The risk of radiation leakage is possible in nuclear reactors. Many different studies can be done with MRADSIM such as the uncontrolled spreading of radioactive material release and its effect to the environment.
- Detailed analysis of the entire site,
- Identifying critical and safe areas in accident scenarios,
- Making suggestions with precise shielding design for control rooms,
- Radiation resistance analysis of all mechanical and electronic structures, which constantly interact with radiation, can be performed.


Often referred to as “rats with wings,” pigeons are unwanted pests in urban neighborhoods. Birdwatchers in these neighborhoods are discouraged when pigeons frequent their feeders, intimidating smaller, more desirable songbirds. In addition to bullying other birds, pigeons cause messes on garden walkways and nearby patios. You can adapt your bird feeder to keep pigeons out while inviting more desirable birds.
Things You'll Need
- Pole-mounted birdfeeder
- Stovepipe baffle
- Screen or large rocks
Video of the Day
Sweep up all birdseed from the ground. Remove ground feeders and cease feeding the birds for a week. Pigeons will go elsewhere and will stop associating your yard with food.
Install a pole-mounted bird feeder, preferably one with a cage enclosure that prevents pigeons from accessing the food inside. Remove any trays or disks around the feeder, which may provide a perching spot for pigeons. If using a tray as a squirrel baffle, replace it with a stovepipe baffle. Stovepipe baffles are available at hardware stores and block out predators without inviting pigeons.
Place a screen or large rocks on the ground under the feeder to prevent pigeons from accessing fallen seeds.
Replace mixed seed with foods that pigeons don’t like, such as shelled sunflower seeds, thistle seeds or suet.


Environment Minister Mary Polak, along with Energy and Mines Minister Bill Bennett, have issued an environmental assessment certificate to Teck Coal Limited (Teck) for the Baldy Ridge Extension project, located approximately 2.5 kilometres east of the District of Sparwood in southeast British Columbia.
The decision was made after considering a review led by British Columbia’s Environmental Assessment Office. A record of the factors that the ministers considered in making their decision can be found in the Reasons for Ministers’ Decision at: http://ow.ly/MjCg304m7OQ
The Environmental Assessment Office concluded that the project will be constructed, operated and decommissioned in a way that no significant adverse effects are likely to occur, with the exception of visual aesthetics. Although the project would gradually change the local view-scape, the environmental assessment certificate includes a condition for a view-scape management plan requiring long-term monitoring and mitigation of effects.
There are 25 conditions in total that are attached to the environmental assessment certificate. Design requirements are specified in a certified project description. Each of the conditions and the certified project description are legally-binding requirements that Teck must meet to be in compliance with the environmental assessment certificate.
The certificate conditions were developed following consultation and input from Aboriginal groups, government agencies, local governments, communities and the public. Other key conditions for the project require Teck to:
- Develop a plan to monitor water quality related to and potential replacement of District of Sparwood domestic water well No. 3;
- Develop management plans to monitor and mitigate effects on wildlife, fish and fish habitat, air quality, noise, visual quality and vibration;
- Retain an independent environmental monitor to audit whether Teck is complying with the environmental assessment certificate conditions to avoid or reduce adverse effects from the project on environmental, health, economic, social and heritage values;
- Develop a plan to achieve long-term selenium concentration limits in Harmer Creek;
- Consult with the District of Sparwood to develop a plan to manage and monitor socio-community and economic effects from the project; and
- Consult with the Ktunaxa Nation on the implementation of mitigation measures to protect Ktunaxa cultural, heritage, ecological and economic values associated with the project.
The Baldy Ridge Extension project will require various federal, provincial and local government permits to proceed.
The Environmental Assessment Office will co-ordinate compliance management efforts with other government agencies to ensure that the office is satisfied that the certificate conditions are met throughout the life of the project.
The Baldy Ridge Extension project is an extension of the currently operating Elkview Operations open pit coal mine located on Teck’s privately-owned land. The project will mine approximately 153 million metric tonnes of clean coal and will extend the overall life of the Elkview operations open pit coal mine by about 23 years, until 2045. As an extension of existing operations, the project will use existing facilities, including haul roads, overland conveyor, hopper and breaker station, main power supply line, gas line, main mine access roads, coal processing facilities, Canadian Pacific Railway line and load-out loop, explosives storage and surface water management infrastructure.
British Columbia’s Environmental Assessment Office is a neutrally-administered office that is required by law to undertake rigorous, thorough reviews of major projects in British Columbia. These reviews provide significant opportunities for Aboriginal groups, government agencies and the public to influence the outcome of environmental assessments by providing input on the potential for environmental, economic, social, heritage and health effects from a proposed project.


Scientists have discovered the world’s oldest forest in an abandoned quarry near Cairo, New York. The 385 million-year-old rock contains wood-root fossils of dozens of ancient trees. The discovery marks a turning point in Earth’s history. As trees evolve these roots, they can absorb carbon dioxide from the air and seal it, fundamentally altering the Earth’s climate and creating what is known today.
Photo credit: CHARLES VER STRAETEN
The site is so special that christopher Berry, an ancient botanist at Cardiff University in the UK, said the quarry’s ground was about half the size of an American football field and represented a horizontal cut through the soil beneath the surface of the ancient forest. “Standing on the ground in the quarry, we can imagine rebuilding the surrounding forest. Berry said.
Berry and his colleagues first discovered the site in 2009 and are still analyzing the fossils. Some petrified roots, with a diameter of 15 cm, form a horizontal radiation pattern 11 meters wide where the trunk once stood. The team recently reported in Current Biology that they appear to belong to the genus, a tree with large wooden roots and leafy wood branches that are somehow related to modern trees.
Prior to that, Berry said, the oldest genus fossils were no more than 365 million years old, and it was unclear when the tree evolved to feature generational features.
Patricia Gensel, an paleobotanist at the University of North Carolina who was not involved in the study, said the site showed that the genus had done it 20 million years ago. “The size of these roots really changes the landscape. Even 20 years ago, she added, researchers believed that trees with such large and complex roots did not evolve in the early days of the geological age.
Kevin Boyce, a geoscientist at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, says trees like this have a big impact on the ancient climate. Deep roots penetrate and break down rocks inside and outside the soil. Geologists call the process “weathered” and trigger chemical reactions that convert carbon dioxide from the atmosphere into carbonate ions in groundwater. The carbon eventually flows into the sea and is locked into limestone.
As a result of weathering and its knock-on effects, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere dropped to modern levels shortly after the emergence of wood forests. Tens of millions of years ago, the number was 10 to 15 times what it is today. Some studies have shown that the removal of so much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has directly contributed to the continued rise in oxygen levels, which by 300 million years ago amounted to about 35 percent. This, in turn, may have led to the evolution of the giant insects of the time, some with wings up to 70 cm wide and possibly living in ancient forests.
Trees that grew in the ancient forest tens of millions of years later also had an indirect effect on the modern climate. Berry has previously written about how the fossil remains of these forests formed coal and contributed to the industrial revolution sontoicrevolution son in Europe and North America.
This isn’t the first time Berry and his colleagues have explored the pristine forest. In the 19th century, researchers discovered a fossil forest containing 382 million-year-old ancient tree fossils in Gilbo, New York, about 40 kilometers from the site. But in 2010, Berry and colleagues discovered that the roots of the Gilbo Forest were more primitive trees, possibly related to ferns and wedge-leaf plants, which did not produce woody roots with great weathering potential.
This means that the trees that grow at the Site in Cairo are innovators. “The leaves of trees can produce shadows and have a large root system, which was a modern tree that didn’t exist before. Berry said.


As one movie reviewer points out, the Autobots and Decepticons in Transformers: Dark of the Moon “drool, bleed, have whiskers and even go bald with age.”
But what's going on beneath the surface? As real-life robots become increasingly sophisticated, how will we decide if they have enough of a sense of themselves to deserve certain levels of rights?
“It will be an interesting question, and it won’t be just an intellectual one,” says bioethicist Paul Root Wolpe, director of the Emory Center for Ethics. “A whole series of experiments show that if you create a robot that moves, but just looks like a whole bunch of gears, and you give someone a sledgehammer and say, ‘Smash it,’ they’ll smash it. If you put a little furry cover on it, so now it moves but it looks organic, they won’t hit it.”
Whenever a robot is more humanoid or more animal-like in appearance, people are more reluctant to harm it.
“We already have robots that in one sense or another are being treated more like animals,” Wolpe says. “As soon as you begin to give robots the appearance of life, people begin to project onto it the feelings that they project onto life.”
Dining with machines that feel
The real origins of the X-Men


Social and Environmental Factors Related to Boys' and Girls' Park-Based Physical Activity
Bocarro, J. N., Floyd, M. F., Smith, W. R., Edwards, M. B., Schultz, C. L., Baran, P. K., et al. (2015). Social and Environmental Factors Related to Boys' and Girls' Park-Based Physical Activity. Preventing Chronic Disease, 12(E97). DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5888/pcd12.140532.
INTRODUCTION: Parks provide opportunities for physical activity for children. This study examined sex differences in correlates of park-based physical activity because differences may indicate that a standard environmental intervention to increase activity among children may not equally benefit boys and girls. METHODS: The System for Observation Play and Recreation in Communities was used to measure physical activity among 2,712 children and adolescents in 20 neighborhood parks in Durham, North Carolina, in 2007. Sedentary activity, walking, vigorous park activity, and energy expenditure were the primary outcome variables. Hierarchical logit regression models of physical activity were estimated separately for boys and girls. RESULTS: Type of activity area and presence of other active children were positively associated with boys’ and girls’ physical activity, and presence of a parent was negatively associated. A significant interaction involving number of recreation facilities in combination with formal activities was positively associated with girls’ activity. A significant interaction involving formal park activity and young boys (aged 0-5 y) was negatively associated with park-based physical activity. CONCLUSION: Activity area and social correlates of park-based physical activity were similar for boys and girls; findings for formal park programming, age, and number of facilities were mixed. Results show that girls’ physical activity was more strongly affected by social effects (eg, presence of other active children) whereas boys’ physical activity was more strongly influenced by the availability of park facilities. These results can inform park planning and design. Additional studies are necessary to clarify sex differences in correlates of park-based physical activity.


This article originally appeared in the Spring 2009 issue of Cape May Magazine. Vintage map and postcard courtesy of Robert W. Elwell, Sr.
Cape Island received its name because it was separated from the mainland by a small creek.
In 1691 a map by Thomas Budd showed that Cape Island was a little spot on that map of Cape May County. The spot was at the south end of the map, which showed a peninsula. On a later map, dated 1850, by Nunan which was more distinct and better drawn, one can see clearly the area called Cape Island.
An island is, by definition, a tract of land completely surrounded by water, but not large enough to be called a continent. The area that showed Cape Island on the Nunan map was surrounded by a small creek, hence Cape Island. Later, the small creek was named Cape Island Creek. The area named Cape Island would become the City of Cape May in 1851.
Most people believe that Cape May City was named after Cornelius Jacobsen Mey and, in a way, it was. Captain Mey (the Mey was later anglicized to be spelled with an “a” – May) was a Dutch sea captain who explored the Delaware Bay and River in his ship Glad Tidings. He was appointed the first director of New Netherland (most of New Jersey) in 1623. Captain Mey named the peninsula after himself with the “Cape” being the peninsula and the “Mey” being his last name. So in essence he really named the area of Cape May County.
Nunan’s Cape Island was an area of land surrounded by a creek or ditch. It was said to be about three miles long with its broadest part about one-half mile wide. The boundaries of Cape Island started at the Atlantic Ocean and the Cape May Inlet – which was formerly known as the Cold Spring Inlet. Going south, the boundary continued about 3,500 feet past what is now the Third Avenue jetty at the south end of Beach Avenue. Around this point there was another small inlet which dumped into the Atlantic Ocean, which is now filled in. This was part of Cape Island Creek, which ran to what was called Mt. Vernon Bridge on Broadway, near Grant Street.
The boundary ran from Mt. Vernon Bridge up Broadway to West Perry Street, making a turn east to where Cape May Miniature Golf Course is located today at West Perry and Jackson streets. There, Cape Island Creek picked up again and ran northerly somewhat parallel to Lafayette Street until it reached Schellenger’s Landing. The first little bridge one goes over going out of town is called Cape Island Creek Bridge. The Cape Island boundary follows the creek past the Lobster House and the channel back to the starting point of Cape May Inlet and the Atlantic Ocean. Thus, it is Cape Island Creek that made Cape Island and, by law, the name was changed to the City of Cape May in 1875.
The next reference to Cape Island after the Budd map of 1691 was when George Eaglesfield, in 1699, built a causeway connecting the island with the mainland. The first legal reference to Cape Island was in 1796 when a law was passed to make a road on which boats could be stowed. The History of Cape May County, New Jersey, published in 1897 by Lewis T. Stevens, does not name the road and I can only guess that it may have been Lafayette Street which was a cow path in the early days. Later it was a convenience for wagons and finally adopted as a street.
Where is Cape Island? In simple terms it is where the City of Cape May stands today. In 1848 the village of Cape Island adopted a borough organization form of government. In 1851 it became incorporated as the City of Cape Island with Isaac M. Church as the Mayor. Two other charters were subsequently procured as necessity arose, one in 1867 and another in 1875, when the name of Cape Island was changed to the City of Cape May.
To the average person, boundaries mean very little. But amateur historians around Cape May cringe when they see references in the newspaper or other print to Cape Island when it is not in the confines of the old Cape Island boundaries. For instance, West Cape May’s slogan says it is in the “heart of Cape Island” when, in the true sense, they are not in the historic Cape Island boundaries. One of the reasons for much of this confusion is that in the early days of World War II the military cut the Cape May Canal through from the Cape May Harbor to the Delaware Bay in order in enhance military operations for the Navy. As a result, many people hearing the phrase Cape Island and crossing over the waterway coming into the Cape Mays think of everything south of the Cape May canal as Cape Island. When, in reality, it was Cape Island Creek that separated Cape Island from the mainland and made Cape Island an island. Hence its name.
Even if you “Google” Cape Island on the computer, Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, has Cape Island all wrong. It says it is “a man-made island at the southern tip of Cape May County” which is totally incorrect. It also says “it consists of Cape May, Cape May Point, West Cape May, and portions of Lower Township.” In reality, Cape Island is made up of only Cape May City. Wikipedia also says that “Cape Island Creek, for a while, was the divider between the mainland and the (smaller) island, but it was mostly filled in and only a small part remains.” This is totally wrong – all of Cape Island Creek is intact except a small portion where Cape May City borders the Township of Lower (at South Cape May beach). Again, this misconception stems from looking at the Cape May Canal which additionally separates the lower end of Cape May County from the mainland. Cape Island is really an island within an island and has been since World War II.
Today, knowing that Cape May thrives on its history, several businesses use the words Cape Island to give their name an old-time feeling. For instance: Cape Island Appraisals, Cape Island Bicycles, Cape Island Campground and Cape Island Gardens. The only institution that can use Cape Island authentically is the Cape Island Baptist Church since it dates back to when the City of Cape May was Cape Island. Some of Cape May’s best history comes from when Cape May City was Cape Island. Whether we call ourselves Cape Island or Cape May, the fact remains that we are the “Nation’s Oldest Seashore Resort.”


(1) Under the federal tax code, a couple with two children earning less than $26,400 will pay no federal income tax because the standard deduction and exemptions reduce their taxable income to zero. The Tax Policy Center has explained that this reflects components of “the basic progressive income tax structure that intend to exempt subsistence levels of income from tax and to adjust for differences in ability to pay based on family size. “
Do you disagree with that approach? Do you believe that this family’s tax burden is too low? If so, how would you raise it? Eliminate the deduction for children? Raise marginal rates? Make the tax code less progressive?
(2) Of the 47 percent of households that do not owe federal income taxes, two thirds pay payroll taxes that amount to 7.6 percent of income. Indeed, under standard economic theory, the employer’s side of those payroll taxes also comes from their income — meaning that their 15 percent tax rate compares roughly to your 13.9 percent effective rate in 2010, the year for which you’ve released returns. And, of course, these households pay state and local sales and property taxes, plus federal gasoline and other excise taxes.
In what way do you believe these households are failing to “take personal responsibility and care for their lives”?
(3) Of the 18 percent of households that pay neither income nor payroll taxes, most are elderly (10 percent of households).
What do you believe these elderly households should do to “take personal responsibility and care for their lives?” Do you support repealing special tax benefits for the elderly, such as the extra standard deduction, the tax credit for low-income seniors and the exclusion of a portion of Social Security benefits from taxation?
(4) Another 7 percent are households earning less than $20,000 a year. That seems like a far cry from the 47 percent you describe as “dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it.”
But I’m confused about where you stand, because you have also said, "I'm concerned about the poor in this country. We have to make sure the safety net is strong and able to help those who can't help themselves."
Do you believe in a safety net or not?


NASA Center, National Cancer Institute Renew Big Data Partnership
The NCI-supported Early Detection Research Network (EDRN) is a consortium of biomedical investigators who share data on cancer biomarkers, with the goal of pooling their research data into a single searchable network and facilitate techniques for early diagnosis of cancer or cancer risk.
One of NASA's centers, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, on Sept. 6 renewed a research partnership with the National Cancer Institute through 2021. For the past 15 years, their partnership involves the development of data science that originated in space exploration and now supports new cancer discoveries.
The institute is one of the National Institutes of Health.
The NCI-supported Early Detection Research Network (EDRN) is a consortium of biomedical investigators who share data on cancer biomarkers, with the goal of pooling their research data into a single searchable network and facilitate techniques for early diagnosis of cancer or cancer risk. So far, the efforts have brought about the discovery of six new FDA-approved cancer biomarkers and nine biomarkers approved for use in Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments labs; the FDA has approved each of these biomarkers for use in cancer research and diagnosis, and they have been used in more than 1 million patient diagnostic tests worldwide, NASA reported.
"After the founding of EDRN in 2000, the network needed expertise to take data from multiple studies on cancer biomarkers and create a single, searchable network of research findings for scientists," said Sudhir Srivastava, chief of NCI's Cancer Biomarkers Research Group and head of EDRN. Dan Crichton, head of JPL's Center for Data Science and Technology (a joint initiative with Caltech in Pasadena, Calif.) helped to establish a JPL-based informatics center dedicated to supporting EDRN's big data initiatives.
"From a NASA standpoint, there are significant opportunities to develop new data science capabilities that can support both the mission of exploring space and cancer research using common methodological approaches," Crichton explained in the NASA news release. "We have a great opportunity to perfect those techniques and grow JPL's data science technologies while serving our nation."