Older adults need regular mental stimulation. When seniors participate in brain-stimulating activities, they can enhance their memory and quality of life. Here are some games that are good for boosting memory in the golden years.
When solving jigsaw puzzles, older adults need to use their short-term memory to sort through the various colors, shapes, and sizes of the puzzle pieces. The more pieces to the puzzle, the more the brain needs to work. Putting together puzzles can increase the amount of dopamine in the brain, which leads to better concentration skills.
Seniors with memory loss may require assistance with daily activities. If your aging loved one needs help managing everyday tasks or encouragement to adopt healthier lifestyle choices, turn to Home Care Assistance, a leading provider of home care. Bethlehem Home Care Assistance provides professional in-home caregivers around the clock to help seniors live longer, happier, and healthier lives.
2. Scavenger Hunts
Seniors need to use their sense of direction when navigating the home, backyard, park, or any other place where the scavenger hunt is taking place. Searching for objects requires older adults to use their thinking skills, which can boost their memory.
Playing bingo requires concentration, which boosts short-term memory skills. When playing this game, your loved one needs to quickly place the chips on the corresponding squares, which increases coordination. Engaging in a game of bingo also enhances social skills and leads to better relationships and effective communication abilities.
Seniors need to rely on their short-term memory to play chess. When moving the chess pieces around, your loved one relies on his or her thinking skills to analyze and plot the next move. Playing a game of chess may also boost your parent’s long-term memory because he or she will need to use past strategies and retained information to defeat the opponent.
5. Grocery List Game
To play a grocery list game, players need to form a circle and take turns stating an item that can be purchased from the grocery store. Each player repeats the items listed by the players before them and adds a new item at the end of the sentence. Playing the grocery list game increases memory retention, boosts brain health, and reduces the risk of developing Alzheimer’s and dementia.
If your elderly loved one is living with Alzheimer’s and needs help managing the symptoms, turn to Home Care Assistance, a leading provider of Alzheimer’s care. Bethlehem seniors can rely on our revolutionary Cognitive Therapeutics Method (CTM), an activities-based program that promotes cognitive health and delays the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. CTM also encourages seniors to engage with others in an enjoyable way and helps them build new routines to look forward to.
6. Card Games
Poker, spades, bridge, and UNO are some fun card games seniors may enjoy playing. Engaging in a game of cards could stimulate brain hormones that boost creativity, lower the risk of memory loss, enhance productivity, alleviate depression, and reduce stress levels.
7. Musical Chairs
Musical chairs is a fun game that boosts memory and overall cognitive health. Older adults need to concentrate to avoid elimination, and the music playing in the background can soothe agitation in those with cognitive issues.
Older adults who need regular mental and social stimulation can benefit from professional in-home care. In Bethlehem, home care agencies can be a great boon to seniors. With the help of the caregivers at Home Care Assistance, your aging loved one can lead a happier and healthier life. We offer a revolutionary program called the Balanced Care Method, which encourages seniors to eat nutritious foods, exercise and socialize regularly, and focus on other lifestyle factors that increase life expectancy. To learn about our revolutionary in-home care methods, give us a call at 484-350-3874 today.


Flag of Germany
The German Flag
The German flag is composed of three colors: red, black and gold. Each color is represented on one of three equal horizontal strips across the flag. This design was officially recognized as the national flag of Germany in 1919. Although German flags have seen several transformations over hundreds of years, it is this design from 1919 that represents Germany today.
- Capital of Germany: Berlin
- Area of Germany: 137,847 Sq. Miles
- Languages used in Germany: German (Deutsch)
- Currency used in Germany: Euro
History of the Flag of Germany
When Germany was divided after the end of WWII each side chose an individual flag design. West Germany retained the 1919 flag design while the East German government chose the same design, but with the addition of a coat of arms. Adding the coat of arms was seen as a deliberate challenge to the West German government and part of a continuing attempt to keep Germany divided.
East German flags became known as Spalterflagges or divider flags and their use was banned in West Germany. In November 1989 when the Berlin Wall fell, citizens cut out the coat of arms from their East German flags. This mass removal of the coat of arms represented popular support for a united Germany. In October 1990 the black, red and gold tri-color flag became the official symbol of a reunified Germany.
Present Day Flag Use
Displaying national symbols, including the flag, is not a common practice in Germany. This remains a direct reaction to the prominent use of flags by the Nazi Party throughout WWII. All Nazi symbolism continues to be banned in Germany. For this reason WWII computer games that are released in Germany do not show the Nazi flag. It is replaced by the modern tri-color.Today common displays of the national flag are rare even among those who buy German flags. The flag is primarily used by officials on state holidays and special occasions. However, citizens who buy German flags do commonly exhibit their national pride by showcasing the German flag at international sporting events. In some German states and sub-state regions residents often choose to display their regional flags instead of the national one.
In 2006 during the FIFA World Cup in Germany public use of the national flag noticeably increased. Many Germans met this rise in the flag's popularity with apprehension. The long standing fear remained that national pride and flag-waving were inextricably linked with Nazism. However, by the end of the tournament, this decades-old worry was dismissed by Germans and non-Germans alike.
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The Town of Mandale is located in the central part of North Carolina in the Piedmont Region. The town is situated on the banks of the Haw River and is bordered by the towns of Elon and Graham. The city was founded in 1856 by a group of settlers from Virginia who purchased the land from the Saura Indians. Information can be found here.
The city was named after the Saura Indian chief, Mandale. The town grew slowly at first but began to flourish after the arrival of the Carolina Central Railroad in 1858. The town became a hub for tobacco, textiles, and furniture production. The city continued to grow throughout the early 20th century. Discover facts about A Pittsboro Resident’s Guide to the Town.
Mandale is a charming town with a rich history. The city is home to numerous historical buildings, including the Mandal Mill, which was built in 1858 and is now on the National Register of Historic Places. The town is also home to the historic mandate Methodist Church, founded in 1856. The church is still in use today and is home to a vibrant congregation. The town is also home to the Mandal Museum, which houses a collection of artifacts from the town’s history.


Gordon, James Byron
2 Nov. 1822–18 May 1864
James Byron Gordon, merchant, farmer, politician, and Confederate soldier, was born at Wilkesboro. His family, of Scottish descent, was founded by John George Gordon who emigrated from Scotland in 1724 and settled first in Maryland and finally in Spotsylvania County, Va. Two of the sons of John George Gordon's large family, George and Charles, later moved south and settled in Wilkes County. Charles Gordon was the great-grandfather of Major General John Brown Gordon, a Confederate general who served in the infantry of Lee's army. George Gordon fought in the Battle of Kings Mountain; his son Nathaniel represented Wilkes County in the General Assembly. Nathaniel married Sarah Lenoir Gwyn and their son was James Byron Gordon. Nathaniel Gordon died when James was about six years old.
At age ten, young James went to the school of Peter Stuart Ney at Hunting Creek in Iredell County but left after two years because of ill health; he subsequently did light chores on the family farm. At age eighteen Gordon entered Emory and Henry College, Va. Although he did not take the regular course, he remained there for two or three years before returning to Wilkesboro and entering the mercantile business. Gordon also supervised the farm he inherited from his father, and became involved in local politics, representing Wilkes County in the General Assembly in 1850. When the Civil War broke out in 1861, he enlisted as a private in the Wilkes Valley Guards on 9 May. The company was reorganized with Montford S. Stokes as captain and Gordon as first lieutenant. When it became Company B of the First North Carolina Regiment, Captain Stokes was elected colonel of the regiment and Gordon succeeded him as captain of Company B. Later, however, the First North Carolina Cavalry (Ninth North Carolina Regiment) was organized and Gordon was appointed its major. North Carolina heroes Robert Ransom and Laurence S. Baker served as colonel and lieutenant colonel, respectively.
The First North Carolina Cavalry was to become one of the finest cavalry regiments to serve in the war, with some fifty actions to its credit. After the regiment was organized, it was sent to Virginia where, on 26 Nov. 1861, it fought its first engagement at Vienna. In March 1862 the regiment was sent back to North Carolina to meet Union forces under Ambrose Burnside; it returned to Virginia in June to face McClellan's Union army, which was threatening Richmond. Meanwhile, Colonel Ransom transferred to the infantry, Laurence S. Baker became colonel of the regiment, and, on 3 Apr. 1862, succeeded Baker as lieutenant colonel. Participating in the Seven Days' battles before Richmond (26 June–2 July, 1862), the First North Carolina Cavalry served in the brigade of famous Confederate General "Jeb" Stuart. On 29 June the regiment was ordered to make a reconnaissance of the Union line of retreat at Willis' Church, resulting in a bloody engagement with Union infantry and cavalry. The regiment continued service as part of General Wade Hampton's brigade of Stuart's cavalry, participating in the campaigns of Second Manassas, Sharpsburg, Fredericksburg, and Chancellorsville, as well as in Stuart's "Horse Raid" into Pennsylvania. Gordon commanded a detachment of the regiment that took part in Hampton's raid on Dumfries in December 1862. In these actions he was frequently complimented by Stuart for his courage and leadership. Gordon was one of many officers in Lee's army to become an outstanding military leader with no previous military experience, and he easily became one of General Stuart's favorites.
On 9 June 1863, Union cavalry attacked at Brandy Station to begin the bloodiest cavalry engagement of the war. In the battle, the First North Carolina Cavalry had a conspicuous part in driving back the enemy forces. Afterward the regiment accompanied Stuart on his controversial raid around the Union Army in the Gettysburg campaign. In the cavalry engagement in the rear of the Union army at Gettysburg on 3 July 1863, General Hampton was wounded and Colonel Baker succeeded to the command of his brigade. Lieutenant Colonel Gordon found himself temporarily in charge of the regiment and continued in this capacity during the retreat of the Confederate Army to Virginia. At Hagerstown, Md., he met and repulsed a Union attack with a fragment of the Fifth North Carolina Cavalry. Of this General Stuart was to write in his report of Gordon: "that officer exhibiting under my eye individual prowess deserving special commendation." On 11 Aug. 1863, Gordon was made colonel and assigned to the Second North Carolina Cavalry (Nineteenth North Carolina Regiment), replacing its former commander, Colonel Sol Williams, who was killed at Brandy Station. He was shortly transferred back to the First North Carolina Cavalry, however, and later commanded Hampton's old brigade in the Battle of Jack's Shop on 22 Sept. 1863.
In the meantime, Colonel Laurence S. Baker, the First North Carolina Cavalry's former commander, had been promoted to brigadier general and placed in command of a new brigade composed exclusively of the First, Second, Third, and Fifth North Carolina Cavalry regiments; however, he had been so badly wounded in action as possibly to be invalided from further field service. To succeed him the choice of both generals Lee and Stuart fell on Colonel Gordon, who was promoted to brigadier general on 28 Sept. 1863, to rank from the same date (confirmed 17 Feb. 1864), and given command of the North Carolina cavalry brigade. His first opportunity to lead his new command in battle was not long in coming, for in October he accompanied Lee's army in its pursuit of Meade's Union army from near Culpeper Court House. On 10 Oct. 1863, Gordon drove back a Federal force at Bethesaida Church. Three days later his command was part of a column under General Stuart that was cut off and surrounded by moving columns of retreating Union infantry. The following morning Stuart attempted to cut his way out of the trap, and Gordon called on the First North Carolina Cavalry to attack and hold off the Union forces while the rest of Stuart's command escaped. This was done and the whole of Stuart's force was able to get away though Gordon himself had been slightly wounded when a bullet grazed his nose, breaking the skin and causing some profuse bleeding. On 16 October, Gordon commanded in an engagement on Bull Run. In November he led the center in what was known as the "Buckland Races" and was active in the Mine Run engagements, having his horse shot out from under him at Parker's Store.
At the beginning of March 1864, he took part at Atlee's Station in turning back Kilpatrick's and Dahlgren's raid on Richmond. On 4 May 1864, there began the great Wilderness campaign as Grant's Union army moved southward for Richmond. Gordon's outposts were the first Confederate units to make contact with the Union Army as it crossed the Rapidan River. Gordon served through the Battle of the Wilderness and at the beginning of the Battle of Spotsylvania. On 9 May, Union General Sheridan began his famous drive on Richmond with some 12,000 Union cavalrymen. To check this threat, Stuart hurried ahead with two brigades to intercept Sheridan's raiders while Gordon and his own brigade were instructed to harass the rear of the raiding column and slow it down as much as possible. Gordon did admirable work to this end, though it involved almost constant riding and fighting day and night. Stuart was able to get ahead of Sheridan and confront him at Yellow Tavern, outside Richmond, on 11 May 1864. Though Stuart's command was overpowered and he himself was mortally wounded, Sheridan was forced to turn back. Just before his wounding at the height of the battle, Stuart was heard to mutter: "Would to God, Gordon were here." Gordon had been following and harassing the rear of Sheridan's column all this time and had beaten it at Ground Squirrel Church on 10 May. On the twelfth, he again confronted Sheridan at Meadow Bridges near Brook Church. Here he fought with reckless courage, remaining mounted though bullets flew about him and urging his men to hold on until infantry reinforcements came up to relieve them.
Just before his exhausted little command was relieved late in the evening, Gordon was struck by a minie ball in the arm, ranging out at the elbow. At first the wound was not thought too serious but he lived only a few days, dying in the officers' hospital in Richmond. His remains were taken back to Wilkesboro where he was buried at the Episcopal church. Gordon left no heirs to carry on his name. He was truly one of the finest soldiers North Carolina produced.
Mrs. John H. Anderson, "Confederate Generals of the Old North State" ([typescript] North Carolina Collection, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill).
Samuel A. Ashe, ed., Biographical History of North Carolina, vol. 8 (1917), and Cyclopedia of Eminent and Representative Men of the Carolinas of the Nineteenth Century (1892).
Walter Clark, ed., Histories of the Several Regiments and Battalions from North Carolina in the Great War, 1861–'65 (1901).
William H. Cowles, Memorial Address on the Life of General James B. Gordon (1887).
Clement A. Evans, ed., Confederate Military History, vol. 4 (1899).
Douglas S. Freeman, Lee's Lieutenants, vol. 3 (1944).
War of the Rebellion: Official Records of Union and Confederate Armies, vol. 2 (1885).
Ezra S. Warner, Generals in Gray (1956).
Stephen B. Weeks Scrapbooks (North Carolina Collection, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill).
John H. Wheeler, Reminiscences and Memoirs (1884).
Marcus J. Wright, General Officers of the Confederate Army (1911).
"James B. Gordon." N.C. Highway Historical Marker M-13, N.C. Office of Archives & History. http://www.ncmarkers.com/Markers.aspx?sp=Markers&k=Markers&sv=M-13 (accessed September 12, 2013).
Hartley, Chris J. Stuart's Tarheels: James B. Gordon and His North Carolina Cavalry in the Civil War. McFarland, 2011. http://books.google.com/books?id=B2jDGUK08NAC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false (accessed September 12, 2013).
Gordon and Hackett Family Papers, 1752-1942 (bulk 1847-1860) (collection no. 01040). The Southern Historical Collection. Louis Round Wilson Special Collections Library. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. http://www2.lib.unc.edu/mss/inv/g/Gordon_and_Hackett_Family.html (accessed September 12, 2013).
E. G. Williams and Bro., engraver "James Gordon." Engraving. Biographical history of North Carolina from colonial times to the present volume 8. Greensboro, N.C.: C.L. Van Noppen. 1917. 167. Internet Archive / N.C. Government & Heritage Library. http://archive.org/stream/biographicalhist08ashe#page/n229/mode/2up (accessed September 12, 2013).
1 January 1986 | Branch, Paul


Sometimes it's right on the box of rice mix—the high altitude version of cooking instructions. Usually this means that your rice will have to cook a little bit longer if you are in Denver or at the top of Mount Everest. Of course that's just a joke. No one cooks rice at the top of Everest. But why are the instructions even different? Why does it matter where you cook? The answer has to do with boiling water.
Go ask some people on the street about the boiling temperature of water. Some might say 212°F or even better 100°C—but that's not always true. As you increase your altitude above sea level, the boiling point of water decreases by about 1°F for every 500 feet increase. That means your water in Denver is going to be 203°F and this will have an impact on your cooking.
Water Vapor Pressure
There are many awesome things about water—one interesting "factoid" is that on the surface of the Earth you can find water in all three phases: solid (we call this ice), liquid water, and as a gas. We call the gas phase of water "water vapor."
You might think that you need to boil liquid water to create water vapor—but you don't. You just need some liquid water at room temperature (or any temperature). Picture a glass of water. If you could zoom in with super vision (not actually possible), you would see that this water is made of a bunch of molecules—water molecules. Although these molecules are themselves made of three atoms (two hydrogens and one oxygen), let's just think of them as tiny balls.
These tiny water balls are moving around in the water but stay fairly close to their ball neighbors. This motion isn't due to currents in the water, instead this is thermal motion. Imagine these tiny balls jiggling around in a giant collection of balls. The hotter the water, the greater the motion of these water balls. But wait! The speeds of the water particles aren't all the same. Although there is an average ball speed, some are going faster and some are going slower. It's just like the height of a group of adult humans. There is an average height, but everyone is not the same. Some people are VERY tall, but that's just a small fraction of the total group.
If you have a glass of water sitting out on a table, the water balls don't just stay as a liquid. Some of these balls have enough thermal energy to break away and become free. Free from the liquid stage means the water ball is now a gas—water vapor. Boiling is not needed to get this water vapor. But wait! It works the other way too. Some of the water balls in the gas stage can interact with the liquid water and join the liquid water balls.
Water in a closed container (like a water bottle) will eventually reach an equilibrium state between water vapor and liquid water. At this equilibrium state the rate that water balls are freed from the liquid state are the same as the rate of water balls entering the liquid state. The pressure of this water gas in equilibrium is called the vapor pressure (assuming it's all water gas and no air in the container).
You can see evidence of this water vapor in a closed container by looking at the water that condenses on the walls. Here is a picture.


Many Chinese industrial enterprises do not comply with the Montreal Protocol and emit large quantities of freon-11, the most dangerous gas of this type. This can lead to re-growth of the ozone hole, scientists write in the journal Nature.
“It is extremely important to find those industries that have generated these emissions. It is possible that these emissions signal only a small part of the actually produced freon-11. The remaining reserves of this gas are hiding inside materials or refrigeration units and will be released into the atmosphere in the coming decades,” Matthew Rigby of the University of Bristol (UK).
In 1985, Susan Solomon, a US chemist, and her colleagues discovered that freons and other halogen compounds destroy the ozone layer. In some regions of the Antarctic, this has already led to the appearance of “ozone holes” – zones through which the ultraviolet radiation of the sun easily reaches the surface of the Earth.
In subsequent years, large-scale international negotiations began, the outcome of which was the signing of the Vienna Convention in 1985 and the Montreal Protocol to it in 1987. Within their framework, most states in the world agreed to stop the production of substances that deplete the ozone layer.
Pictures from climatic probes showed that the size of the ozone hole above the south pole of the Earth began to decline in September last year, decreasing by 4 million square kilometers compared with 2000.
The rapid adoption and implementation of such plans, as scientists found out two years ago, stopped the growth of the ozone hole, keeping it within Antarctica and the Arctic, but has not yet led to its reduction. The first “visible” results of the ban on the production of freon, scientists expected to see in the second half of 2020, but this process, according to some estimates, has already begun in recent years.
All the advantages of the ban on freons, as environmentalists discovered two years ago, may disappear in the coming decades as a result of the accumulation of another type of ozone layer molecules, the solvent dichloromethane (CH2Cl2), in the atmosphere of the Antarctic.
Initially, scientists did not know where this substance comes from, but they suspected that it could come from China or other countries in East or Southeast Asia. In addition, later environmentalists recorded the appearance of another similar substance, classic Freon-11, or trichlorofluoromethane. It seems to be produced by the very same emerging economies of Asia.
Rigby and his colleagues confirmed that the main and so far the only “Asian” source of these emissions was China, analyzing the data collected by weather stations in Japan, South Korea and other East Asian countries over the past two decades.
“In recent decades, the concentration of these gases in the atmosphere gradually decreased due to the adoption of the Montreal Protocol. Therefore, we were extremely surprised that since about 2013 the level of emissions of the most dangerous freon suddenly began to increase,” Rigby said.
Investigating suspicions about the “Chinese” trail of these leaks, scientists analyzed data from tracking stations on the Japanese island of Hateruma and in the southern regions of Korea, adjacent to China’s largest industrial centers in Hebei and Shandong provinces, as well as similar installations in Europe, Hawaii and Australia
These data scientists have imposed on the climatic model of the Earth, taking into account how the winds carry freons and other gases after they enter the atmosphere. In parallel, chemists have calculated how much freon-11 could leak into the air “legally”, given the already available reserves of this gas on Earth, produced before the total ban on the production of trichlorofluoromethane in 2010.
The results of these calculations turned out to be quite unambiguous – the northeastern regions of China really began to emit the “new” freon-11 into the atmosphere at the beginning of this decade. At the same time, the volume of leaks grew every year, reaching seven thousand tons last year. This means that the PRC accounts for at least 60% of the global emissions of trichlorofluoromethane.
As scientists assume, their source is various illegal industrial enterprises built in the north of China, bypassing all the norms and laws of the people’s republic in recent years. Some of them have already been discovered and closed by the authorities of the PRC. Chemists hope that their measurements and simulation results will help eliminate other sources of freon and stop its accumulation in the atmosphere.


What kind of electrical receptacle should you install in the kitchen or bath? The answer is a GFCI outlet, or a ground fault circuit interrupt outlet. A GFCI (or GFI) outlet should be installed in any place where electricity might come in contact with water; such as a kitchen, a bathroom, a laundry room, garage, or exterior space. Basically, a GFCI outlet will sense when electricity is going to pass through a person’s body and it will shut off before the shock is delivered. Installing this type of outlet is only slightly more complex than installing a standard three-pronged receptacle. Join the At Home channel’s host, Jeff Wilson, for a tutorial on how to install a GFCI electrical outlet.
- Straight screwdriver
- Phillips screwdriver
- Needle-nose pliers
- Wire strippers
- Wire nuts
- 120-volt GFCI outlet
- Matching cover plate
How to Install a GFCI Outlet
- Start by turning off the power at the outlet. See the article How to Install an Electrical Outlet for more information on electrical testers to aid in determining whether the current has been shut off to a particular electrical device.
- Remove the existing electrical outlet by removing the cover plate, the two screws that hold the device to the box, and disconnecting the wires from the existing outlet.
- Straighten the existing electrical feeds as the wires will typical insert straight into slots on the back of the new GFCI outlet. Cut and trim back the insulation as necessary for making the connection to the new device. Be sure not to trim too much wire making it more difficult to connect to the new device.
- Open the GFCI outlet and review the printed instructions. If you have more than one set of wires in the box, you will need to identify which set of wires comes from the electric panel and which set feeds the next outlet in the circuit.
- You should notice yellow tape across one end – this is to identify the LOAD side of the outlet, as opposed to the LINE side.
- The LINE side is the wires that come from the electrical panel to the GFCI outlet and carry the current to the device.
- The LOAD side carries current from the GFCI outlet to the next outlet in the circuit.
- The connection points for these wires are indicated on the back of the device.
- Connect the outlet by inserting the wires into the appropriate slots on the back of the device and tightening the adjacent screws on the side to clamp the wires into place.
- As with a standard electrical outlet, the black wire is considered the hot wire, while the white wire is the neutral wire.
- It may be necessary to loosen the screws on the side to allow the wires to insert into the slots on the back, as many GFCI outlets have the load side screws tightened to prevent you from being able to insert the wires. This minimizes the chances of connecting the line side wires to the wrong ports on the device.
- The bare wire is the ground and connects to the green screw on the bottom of the device.
- Gently fold the wires behind the device and set the outlet into the box.
- Tighten the top and bottom screws to secure the outlet to the box.
- Finally, install the cover plate to the outlet.
- Turn the power to the outlet back on at the electrical panel and test it to make sure it works correctly.
- A GFCI outlet has a test and reset button to make sure it is always functioning properly. If it is not wired correctly, it will not reset.
Additional Notes on GFCI Outlets
- If you install a GFCI outlet at the beginning of the circuit, the GFCI outlet will protect all of the other standard outlets on the circuit. Included in the package you will find little blue stickers that say, “GFCI PROTECTED OUTLET,” which should be used to identify the other protected outlets in the circuit.
- GFCI outlet cost about 10 times as much as standard outlet because of the functions that it serves.
- Do not install a GFCI outlet on a refrigerator or freezer outlet, as you will unknowingly lose appliance function if the circuit is broken.
Ryan is a Registered Architect who earned a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Kentucky in 1998. His experience in a broad spectrum of architectural projects includes design and project management in multi-family residential, general commercial, and institutional projects. This architectural experience is balanced with a background in general contracting of residential and light commercial construction projects. Ryan’s knowledge and ability as both architect and builder enable him to address both the technical and practical sides of the comprehensive body of construction knowledge.Website: carpicodesign.com/


For well over a hundred years the railway trains, with passenger carriages running on steel rails and pulled by large locomotives based initially on steam engines, then on diesel engines and nowadays in much of the world on electric motors, have been filled with romance – opening up the world to travel at moderate cost, and allowing a view of the countryside in a relatively leisurely fashion during the journey. Much is owed to the early inventors.
The first steam-driven vehicle appears to have been built by a French military engineer called Nicolas Cugnot (1725–1804) His self propelled three-wheeled vehicle, was developed primarily for towing artillery and was capable of carrying four people. On 23rd October 1769, in the Paris arsenal, Cugnot demonstrated his first steam engine before distinguished government officials. The machine attained an impressive speed of 2mph and ran for 15 minutes. His second engine had its demonstration in the Paris streets before the French public. But there was a minor incident involving the engine and an argument with a brick wall, which resulted in an upside down lump of quality scrap iron. Cugnot was discredited and lack of support prevented his further engine developments. A replica engine is now preserved in the Paris Museum of Technology.
It is probable that most people would point to Richard Trevithick (1771 – 1833) as the most significant early contributor to steam propulsion. He was a remarkable man, born at Illogan, in Cornwall, about a mile from the Dalcoath Mine. He spent his school years at Camborne School where he excelled at sport, while his academic work, apart from an arithmetic aptitude, at this time was not of any great note. His early years were notable for his sporting achievements. He grew to a height of six feet two inches (this was a considerable height for that time) and was renowned for his prowess at Cornish wrestling. He was also known to have been able to toss a sledge hammer over the tops of the engine houses and to have been able to swing by his thumbs from a beam with a half hundredweight hanging from his thumbs. His nickname of the time was ´The Cornish Giant´.
His father was Engineer at the Wheel Treasury Mine, and Richard went to work for him there. It was at this time that he revealed a talent for engineering. By 1792 he was promoted to Chief Engineer at Tincroft, later moving to the Ding Dong Mine in 1796. In his position as engineer he made numerous improvements to the existing steam engine equipment, which was basically a Newcomen design. The main thrust of his experiments in this sphere was to improve the efficiency of the steam engine, thereby cutting down on fuel consumption and increasing output. He did this by increasing the operating pressure. James Watt, who had been largely responsible for the development of the then-current steam engines, had always been aware of the potential dangers of high-pressure steam, and regarded this new development as very risky – he is reported as having said that Trevithick ´deserved to be hung´. However, Trevithick’s early stationery engines were highly successful and they became known as ´Puffers´ on account of the noise they made.
.Following on from this success, Trevithick began to formulate
ideas for building a steam engine that could provide power for its own
locomotion and by 1801 he had designed and built the world’s first
steam-propelled road locomotive to carry passengers. It was named ´Captain
Dick´s Puffer´ and its first run took place in Camborn on
Christmas Eve. What exactly happened that evening is a matter of some
debate ! The Trevithick Society, who built the replica and called it
"Puffing Devil", believe the run was simply up Camborne Fore
Street and the short trip ended when control was lost of the steering
and it crashed.
Trevithick’s life was not exactly successful. He developed other locomotives, and in 1804 demonstrated the operation of a smooth-wheeled vehicle on a smooth steel track – at the time, many good engineers thought this was impossible. In 1803 he took a new machine to London, called the London Steam Carriage; this operated reasonably well, but had a crash. In 1808 he brought another new machine, called the Catch-Me-Who-Can, to London where he built a circular track in Euston Square, and charged people a shilling to ride his ‘Steam Circus’. However a shilling was a lot of money in those days and the venture was not successful.
Richard had business disaster after disaster, and he died in extreme poverty at the Bull Inn, Dartford, on 22nd April, 1833. As he left no money for his burial, he faced the prospect of a pauper's funeral. However, when a group of local factory workers heard the news, they raised enough money to provide a decent funeral and he was buried in Dartford churchyard, in an unmarked grave.
No study of Richard Trevithick would be complete without a mention of the Trevithic Society
Much of this was taken from an article the MediaDrome website which is no longer there.


Osteoporosis. Folk remedies treatment of osteoporosis.
Osteoporosis is a serious disease of metabolism, characterized by rarefaction and thinning of bone tissue of the human body.
There is a misconception that osteoporosis is a disease of the elderly and women postmenopauzalnom period. Indeed, these categories of people more vulnerable to osteoporosis, however, occur the disease may have any. Osteoporosis is a metabolic calcium in the body, this happens for various reasons: lack of calcium in the diet, inadequate absorption of calcium in gastrointestinal tract, poor absorption of calcium due to vitamin D deficiency or other causes, excessive leaching of calcium from the body due to pathology of the excretory or endocrine system, also potential other reasons. The choice of methods of treatment of osteoporosis depends on what the cause of disorders of calcium metabolism in a specific case. In most cases it includes, first of all, the correction of the patient’s lifestyle: proper nutrition, adequate physical activity, physiotherapy. In more severe cases can be administered medication. There are also various traditional medicines used for the treatment of osteoporosis. For example, it is recommended to use onion soup once a day(the course lasts one month). For its preparation it is necessary to clean, chop and fry two large onions, then pour them in a liter of water, add peels and cook in boiling water 25 minutes, then infuse for half an hour and discard the husk. The finished soup be enough for three servings (three days), store it in the fridge. In osteoporosis and other diseases associated with lack of vitamin D, it is possible to recommend also another recipe is a broth made from the following medicinal plants: grass, herbs, strawberries, herbs St. John’s wort, walnut leaves, black currant leaves, rose hips, grass Veronica drug herbs and violets. Medicinal plants need to take in equal parts and prepare a decoction which should be used daily inside a long time.


As humans, we rely on water, and that will be no different during long-term space exploration — which is why scientists are investigating how and where water forms elsewhere in the solar system.
One piece of new research suggests that in making the ingredients of water, the moon gets a boost from the constant barrage of charged plasma particles streaming off the sun, called the solar wind.
"We think of water as this special, magical compound," William M. Farrell, a plasma physicist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland and co-author on the new research, said in a statement. "But here's what's amazing: Every rock has the potential to make water, especially after being irradiated by the solar wind."
Farrell and his co-authors created a new simulation of the chemical reactions that take place at the moon's surface. That computer simulation suggested that the solar wind breaks apart oxygen-rich compounds in the lunar soil.
Then, positively charged protons within the solar wind combine with lunar electrons to create hydrogen atoms. Those atoms then meet up with oxygen atoms available in a range of different molecules found on the moon to create hydroxyl, which is just one hydrogen atom short of water.
The team was able to combine that chemistry and the amount of hydroxyl in the moon's crust with measurements of hydrogen in the moon's wispy atmosphere and in the solar wind itself to see how the three substances interact.
That makes the solar wind a potentially valuable resource — an unusual statement for a phenomenon that is usually considered a danger to life. On Earth, we're protected from this wind's negative impacts by the planet's thick atmosphere and robust magnetic field, but on the moon, most of the solar wind hits the surface.
While the research so far has looked only at the moon, the scientists believe a similar process plays out wherever rock meets solar wind. If that turns out to be the case, it could have real implications for human and robotic exploration.
"The whole process is like a chemical factory," Farrell said.
The research is described in a paper published in December in the journal JGR Planets.


Coronavirus Response: Commission adopts banking package deal to facilitate lending to households and businesses within the EU
The Council of the European Union (also known as the “Council” and the “Council of Ministers”, its former title) forms one half of the EU’s legislature. It consists of a government minister from every member state and meets in different compositions relying on the policy area being addressed. Notwithstanding its totally different configurations, it’s considered to be one single physique. In addition to its legislative functions, the Council also workout routines government functions in relations to the Common Foreign and Security Policy. The Article 17 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union recognises the “status underneath national law of churches and non secular associations” as well as that of “philosophical and non-confessional organisations”.
Commissioners swear an oath on the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg City, pledging to respect the treaties and to be utterly unbiased in carrying out their duties throughout their mandate. The Commissioners are proposed by the Council of the European Union, on the premise of recommendations made by the nationwide governments, after which appointed by the European Council after the approval of the European Parliament.
Additionally, all EU international locations have a really excessive Human Development Index, in accordance with the United Nations Development Programme. Through the Common Foreign and Security Policy, the EU has developed a role in exterior relations and defence. The union maintains everlasting diplomatic missions all through the world and represents itself on the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, the G7 and the G20. Due to its world influence, the European Union has been described as an emerging superpower. (European Community) A European grouping from 1958, consisting of the European coal and steel group (ECSC), the European Economic Community (EEC), and the European Atomic Energy Commission (Euratom).
In 1987 the European Political Cooperation was launched on a formal basis by the Single European Act. EPC was renamed because the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) by the Maastricht Treaty. The European Court of Auditors has signed off the European Union accounts every year since 2007 and, while making it clear that the European Commission has more work to do, has highlighted that many of the errors take place at national degree.
In their report on 2009 the auditors found that 5 areas of Union expenditure, agriculture and the cohesion fund, had been materially affected by error. The European Commission estimated in 2009 that the monetary effect of irregularities was €1,863 million. the Council of the European Union brings together ministers of member states governments’ departments. It serves to characterize the varied governments immediately and its approval is required for any proposal to enter into regulation. the European Commission, the only institution empowered to propose laws, serves because the “Guardian of the Treaties”.
It consists of an executive cupboard of public officials, led by an not directly elected President. This College of Commissioners manages and directs the Commission’s permanent civil service.
These countries, primarily creating nations, embrace some who search to at some point become either a member state of the European Union, or more intently integrated with the European Union. The EU offers financial assistance to nations within the European Neighbourhood, as long as they meet the strict circumstances of presidency reform, economic reform and other points surrounding optimistic transformation. This process is generally underpinned by an Action Plan, as agreed by both Brussels and the goal nation. In 2009, the Lisbon Treaty gave legal impact to the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. The charter is a codified catalogue of basic rights in opposition to which the EU’s legal acts can be judged.
Little heed was taken of his administration at first however, with help from the European Court of Justice, his Commission stamped its authority solidly enough to allow future Commissions to be taken extra seriously. Although the institutional crisis was solved the next year, it cost Etienne Hirsch his presidency of Euratom and later Walter Hallstein the EEC presidency, regardless of his otherwise being viewed as the most ‘dynamic’ chief till Jacques Delors.
The governmental powers of the Commission have been such that some, together with former Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt, have instructed altering its identify to the “European Government”, calling the current identify of the Commission “ridiculous”. In 2019, Ursula von der Leyen was appointed as the next President of the European Commission. She submitted the guidelines of her policy for 2019–2024 to the European Parliament on sixteen July 2019, following her confirmation. She had not been thought-about a probable candidate (normally, the elected candidate is decided, in accordance with the results of the European election, as winner of inside election into the dominant European get together known as “spitzenkandidat”).
Cultural co-operation between member states has been an curiosity of the EU since its inclusion as a community competency within the Maastricht Treaty. Actions taken within the cultural area by the EU include the Culture 2000 seven-12 months programme, the European Cultural Month event, and orchestras such because the European Union Youth Orchestra.
Live, work, travel in the EU
The creation of a European single currency became an official objective of the European Economic Community in 1969. In 1992, having negotiated the construction and procedures of a currency union, the member states signed the Maastricht Treaty and were legally bound to fulfil the agreed-on guidelines together with the convergence criteria in the event that they wished to join the financial union. The states desirous to take part had first to affix the European Exchange Rate Mechanism. Foreign coverage co-operation between member states dates from the establishment of the Community in 1957, when member states negotiated as a bloc in international commerce negotiations under the EU’s widespread commercial policy. Steps for a extra wide-ranging co-ordination in foreign relations started in 1970 with the establishment of European Political Cooperation which created an informal session process between member states with the goal of forming widespread overseas policies.
What Is the European Community (EC)?
What is EC in science?
European Economic CommunityMap showing the composition of the European Economic Community (EEC) from 1957, when it was formed by the members of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), to 1993, when it was renamed the European Community (EC) and was subsumed under the European Union (EU).
Well, Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory, and also part of the European Union, but under Article 28 of the 1971 UK Accession Treaty it isn’t part of the European Union VAT Area. As a result of the Maastricht Treaty, the European Communities became the European Union on 1 November 1993. The new identify mirrored the evolution of the organisation from an economic union into a political union. However, underneath Barroso, the Commission started to lose floor to the bigger member states as countries corresponding to France, the UK and Germany sought to sideline its position. This has increased with the creation of the President of the European Council beneath the Treaty of Lisbon.
What is EC in agriculture?
No, ec is not in the scrabble dictionary.
Each country has a set number of seats and is divided into sub-nationwide constituencies the place this doesn’t have an effect on the proportional nature of the voting system. On 1 December 2009, the Lisbon Treaty entered into force and reformed many aspects of the EU. Neither the ECHR nor the ECtHR is formally a part of the European Union, and usually are not linked to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). The ECHR was drafted by, and the ECtHR is a part of, the Council of Europe, of which the UK was a founding member in 1949. The UK was an unbiased signatory to the ECHR, 21 years earlier than joining the EC/EU, in 1951.
It is frequent, though not a proper requirement, that the commissioners have previously held senior political positions, similar to being a member of the European Parliament or a authorities minister. The EU has no main competences within the field of health care and Article 35 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union affirms that “A excessive level of human well being safety shall be ensured within the definition and implementation of all Union policies and actions”. The European Commission’s Directorate-General for Health and Consumers seeks to align nationwide legal guidelines on the safety of people’s well being, on the customers’ rights, on the security of meals and different products.
In the strange legislative process, the European Commission proposes legislation, which requires the joint approval of the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union to pass. The Parliament is the ultimate physique to approve or reject the proposed membership of the Commission, and may try motions of censure on the Commission by enchantment to the Court of Justice. The President of the European Parliament (currently David Sassoli) carries out the role of speaker in Parliament and represents it externally. The President and Vice-Presidents are elected by MEPs every two and a half years.
However, they are sure to act independently – free from different influences corresponding to those governments which appointed them. Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, Section 7, Article 287.”Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union”. It convenes at least 4 occasions a year and includes the President of the European Council (currently Charles Michel), the President of the European Commission and one representative per member state (both its head of state or head of government). The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (at present Josep Borrell) also takes half in its conferences.
Her appointment was consensual between European Council Members (Manfred Weber was not thought of the most appropriate candidate). On 9 September, the European Council declared a list of candidate-commissioners which has to be formally approved by the parliament.
The Council of the European Union then nominates the opposite members of the Commission in agreement with the nominated President, and the 27 members as a single physique are then subject to a vote of approval by the European Parliament. The current Commission is the Von der Leyen Commission, which took workplace in December 2019, following the European Parliament elections in May of the identical yr. Two of the unique core goals of the European Economic Community were the event of a typical market, subsequently changing into a single market, and a customs union between its member states. The single market involves the free circulation of products, capital, individuals, and companies within the EU, and the customs union involves the application of a typical external tariff on all goods coming into the market. Once goods have been admitted into the market they can’t be subjected to customs duties, discriminatory taxes or import quotas, as they travel internally.
Each covers a specific policy area corresponding to agriculture or justice and citizens’ rights or internal providers such as human assets and translation and is headed by a director-common who’s accountable to a commissioner. A commissioner’s portfolio could be supported by quite a few DGs; they put together proposals for them and if accredited by a majority of commissioners proposals go forward to the Parliament and Council for consideration. The rules of process of the European Commission set out the Commission’s operation and organisation. However, it is the Commission that at present holds govt powers over the European Union.
From the beginning of the 2010s, the cohesion of the European Union has been examined by several points, together with a debt disaster in a number of the Eurozone international locations, growing migration from Africa and Asia, and the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the EU. A referendum in the UK on its membership of the European Union was held in 2016, with 51.9% of individuals voting to depart. Containing in 2020 some 5.eight% of the world inhabitants,[observe 1] the EU in 2017 (including the United Kingdom) had generated a nominal gross home product (GDP) of round US$20 trillion, constituting roughly 25% of world nominal GDP.
- This submit, also a Vice-President of the Commission, would chair the Council of the European Union’s international affairs meetings as well as the Commission’s exterior relations duties.
- Lisbon also mixed the posts of European Commissioner for External Relations with the Council’s High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy.
- After the President, essentially the most distinguished Commissioner is the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, who is ex-officio a Vice-President of the Commission and can also be chosen by the European Council.
- One of the 27 is the President of the European Commission (Jean-Claude Juncker for 2014–2019), appointed by the European Council, topic to the Parliament’s approval.
Internet TLD.eu[d]The European Union (EU) is a political and economic union of 27 member states which might be positioned primarily in Europe. Its members have a combined area of four,233,255.3 km2 (1,634,469.zero sq mi) and an estimated total population of about 447 million. The EU has developed an inner single market by way of a standardised system of laws that apply in all member states in those matters, and only those matters, where members have agreed to behave as one. EU insurance policies purpose to ensure the free motion of individuals, goods, companies and capital throughout the internal market, enact legislation in justice and residential affairs and maintain frequent policies on trade, agriculture, fisheries and regional growth.
Lisbon also combined the posts of European Commissioner for External Relations with the Council’s High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy. This publish, also a Vice-President of the Commission, would chair the Council of the European Union’s international affairs meetings in addition to the Commission’s exterior relations duties. One of the 27 is the President of the European Commission (Jean-Claude Juncker for 2014–2019), appointed by the European Council, subject to the Parliament’s approval. After the President, probably the most outstanding Commissioner is the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, who’s ex-officio a Vice-President of the Commission and is also chosen by the European Council.
It provides assist for the event, promotion and distribution of European works inside Europe and beyond. The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is one of the long lasting policies of the European Community. Until the Nineties, the policy accounted for over 60% of the then European Community’s annual price range, and as of 2013[replace] accounts for round 34%. The euro, and the financial insurance policies of those who have adopted it in agreement with the EU, are underneath the management of the European Central Bank (ECB). The ECB is the central bank for the eurozone, and thus controls monetary policy in that space with an agenda to take care of worth stability.
There is one member per member state, however members are certain by their oath of office to symbolize the general curiosity of the EU as an entire somewhat than their house state. One of the 27 is the Commission President (currently Ursula von der Leyen) proposed by the European Council and elected by the European Parliament.
EU regional and urban development
In 2010, forty seven.3 million people who lived in the EU have been born outdoors their resident country. Of these, 31.four million (6.three%) have been born outside the EU and sixteen.zero million (3.2%) were born in one other EU member state. The largest absolute numbers of people born outside the EU were in Germany (6.four million), France (5.1 million), the United Kingdom (four.7 million), Spain (four.1 million), Italy (3.2 million), and the Netherlands (1.4 million). In 2017, approximately 825,000 individuals acquired citizenship of a member state of the European Union. The largest groups had been nationals of Morocco, Albania, India, Turkey and Pakistan.
There has also been a greater degree of politicisation inside the Commission. The Malfatti and Mansholt Commissions followed with work on monetary co-operation and the primary enlargement to the north in 1973.
When did the EEC become the EC?
EC is the measure of total dissolved salts in a solution, the factor that influences a plant’s ability to absorb water. In horticultural applications, monitoring salinity helps manage the effects of soluble salts on plant growth. EC is a meaningful indicator of water quality, soil salinity and fertilizer concentration.
The EEAS will function a international ministry and diplomatic corps for the European Union. In March 2020, Hungary handed extensive laws to give prime minister Viktor Orbán indefinite emergency powers, citing the coronavirus pandemic as the explanation for the expansion of executive powers. The powers included issuing executive decrees, suspending parliament and the shutting down and persecution of opposition media publications deemed faux information. Many have since referred to as upon the EU to sever ties to the country for democratic backsliding and for being fundamentally incompatible with the EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights.
With that enlargement, the Commission’s membership increased to thirteen beneath the Ortoli Commission (the United Kingdom as a large member was granted two Commissioners), which handled the enlarged neighborhood during financial and worldwide instability at the moment. Following the Jenkins Commission, Gaston Thorn’s Commission oversaw the Community’s enlargement to the south, along with beginning work on the Single European Act. Walter Hallstein led the first Commission of the EEC, holding the first formal meeting on sixteen January 1958 at the Château of Val-Duchesse. It achieved settlement on a contentious cereal price accord, as well as making a optimistic impression upon third nations when it made its worldwide debut at the Kennedy Round of General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) negotiations. Hallstein notably started the consolidation of European legislation and began to have a notable impression on national legislation.
But in 1952, dissatisfied at what they noticed as the lack of progress throughout the Council of Europe, six nations determined to go further and created the European Coal and Steel Community, which was declared to be “a first step within the federation of Europe”. This group helped to economically combine and coordinate the massive number of Marshall Plan funds from the United States. These males and others are officially credited because the founding fathers of the European Union.
Article 50 is the clause of the European Union treaty that outlines the way to depart the EU. Its examples are the ratifications of United Nations Convention against Corruption and Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities by EU. “Consolidated model of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union” – through Wikisource. The MEDIA Programme of the European Union has supported the European popular movie and audiovisual industries since 1991.
The non-EU member states of Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland take part in the single market but not in the customs union. Half the commerce within the EU is roofed by laws harmonised by the EU. The EU makes use of international relations devices just like the European Neighbourhood Policy which seeks to tie those nations to the east and south of the European territory of the EU to the Union.
The other 26 Commissioners are subsequently appointed by the Council of the European Union in settlement with the nominated President. The 27 Commissioners as a single body are subject to approval (or in any other case) by vote of the European Parliament. The European Commission (EC) is the executive branch of the European Union, liable for proposing laws, implementing choices, upholding the EU treaties and managing the day-to-day business of the EU.
The purpose of the unique member international locations (Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and West Germany) was to work together for financial and political union. Now additionally contains Denmark , Greece , Ireland , Portugal , Spain , and UK , and reunited Germany . The Commission is divided into departments generally known as Directorates-General (DGs) that may be likened to departments or ministries.
The European Parliament can dissolve the Commission as an entire following a vote of no-confidence but solely the President can request the resignation of a person Commissioner. However, individual Commissioners, by request of the Council or Commission, can be compelled to retire on account of a breach of obligation(s) and if that’s the case ruled by the European Court of Justice (Art. 245 and 247, Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union). The Commission was arrange from the start to act as an unbiased supranational authority separate from governments; it has been described as “the only physique paid to think European”. The members are proposed by their member state governments, one from each.
However, the European Court of Human Rights (which is the court docket based by the European Convention of Human Rights) does not have constitutional supremacy over the varied judiciaries of European Countries. The European Court of Justice (which is the courtroom founded by the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union) does actually attempt to comply with the European Convention of Human Rights and the judgements/opinions of the European Court of Human Rights. This EU establishment operates as a cupboard authorities, with 27 members of the Commission (informally often known as “commissioners”).
Frontex is an company of the EU established to handle the cooperation between nationwide border guards securing its external borders. It goals to detect and stop illegal immigration, human trafficking and terrorist infiltration. In 2015 the European Commission presented its proposal for a brand new European Border and Coast Guard Agency having a stronger role and mandate along with national authorities for border management. In an EU consisting of 27 members, substantial security and defence co-operation is more and more relying on collaboration among all member states. The High Representative heads up the European External Action Service (EEAS), a novel EU department that has been officially carried out and operational since 1 December 2010 on the occasion of the primary anniversary of the entry into drive of the Treaty of Lisbon.
For travel throughout the Schengen Area, passport controls have been abolished. A monetary union was established in 1999, coming into full drive in 2002, and consists of 19 EU member states which use the euro currency.
EU member states personal the estimated second largest after the United States (US$105 trillion) web wealth in the world, equal to around 20% (~€60 trillion) of the US$360 trillion (~€300 trillion) international wealth. EU forces have been deployed on peacekeeping missions from middle and northern Africa to the western Balkans and western Asia. EU military operations are supported by a variety of bodies, including the European Defence Agency, European Union Satellite Centre and the European Union Military Staff.
The European Capital of Culture programme selects one or more cities in yearly to help the cultural growth of that metropolis. The European Union has established a single market across the territory of all its members representing 447 million citizens. In 2020, the EU has a mixed GDP of $20 trillion international dollars, a 14% share of worldwide gross domestic product by buying energy parity (PPP). As a political entity the European Union is represented in the World Trade Organization (WTO).
Whats is EC?
The European Community (EC) was an economic association formed by six European member countries in 1957, consisting of three communities that eventually were replaced by the European Union (EU) in 1993. The European Community dealt with policies and governing, in a communal fashion, across all member states.
It has been described by some because the Union’s “supreme political authority”. It is actively concerned in the negotiation of treaty changes and defines the EU’s policy agenda and strategies. The European Parliament is one of three legislative establishments of the EU, which together with the Council of the European Union is tasked with amending and approving the Commission’s proposals. The 705 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) are directly elected by EU citizens every 5 years on the idea of proportional illustration. MEPs are elected on a nationwide foundation and so they sit according to political teams somewhat than their nationality.
Where is the EC?
Chemistry. Electrical conductivity of a solution. EC meter (electrical conductivity meter), measures the electrical conductivity in a solution.


The new WiFi standard 802.11ax is expected to be ratified and released as a standard sometime next year. In the new industry nomenclature this now be called WiFi-6. A lot of the woes we have today with bandwidth in our home is due to the current 802.11ac standard that this will be replacing. 802.11ax will introduce a number of significant improvements that ought to improve home WiFi performance.
To understand why these improvements are important we need to first understand the shortcomings of the current WiFi protocols. The industry groups that developed the current WiFi standards had no idea that WiFi would become so prevalent and that the average home might have dozens of WiFi capable devices. The current problems all arise from a WiFi router trying to satisfy multiple demands for a data stream from multiple devices. Unlike cellular technologies, WiFi has no central traffic cop and every device in the environment can make an equal claim for connectivity. When a WiFi router has more demands for usage than it has available channels it pauses and interrupts all data streams until it chooses how to reallocate bandwidth. In a busy environment these stops and restarts can be nearly continuous.
The improvements from 802.11ax will all come from smarter ways to handle requests for connectivity from multiple devices. There is only a small improvement in overall bandwidth with a raw physical data rate of 500 Mbps compared to 422 for 802.11ac. Here are the major new innovations:
Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access (OFDMA). This improvement will likely have the biggest impact in a home. OFDMA can slice the few big existing WiFi channels into smaller channels, being called resource units. A router will be able to make multiple smaller bandwidth connections using resource units and avoid packet collision and the start/stop cycle of each device asking for primary connectivity.
Bi-Directional Multi-User MIMO. In the last few years we’ve seen home WiFi routers introduce MIMO, which uses multiple antennas to make connections to different devices. This solves one of the problems of WiFi by allowing multiple devices to download separate data streams at the same time without interference. But today’s WiFi MIMO still has one big problem in that the MIMO only work for downloading. Whenever there is a request for any device to use a channel for uploading, today’s MIMO pauses all the downloading streams. Bi-Directional MIMO will allow for 2-way data streams meaning that a request to upload won’t kill downstream transmissions.
Spatial Frequency Reuse. This will have the most benefit in apartments or in homes that have networked multiple WiFi routers. Today a WiFi transmission will pause for any request for connection, even for connections made to a neighbor’s router from the neighbor’s devices. Spatial Frequency Reuse doesn’t fix that problem, but it allows neighboring 802.11.ax routers to coordinate and to adjust the power of transmission requests to increase the chance that a device can connect to and maintain a connection to the proper router.
Target Wake Time. This will allow small devices to remain silent most of the time and only communicate at specific and pre-set times. Today a WiFi router can’t distinguish between a request from a smart blender and a smart TV, and requests from multiple small devices can badly interfere with the streams we care about to big devices. This feature will reduce, and distribute over time the requests for connectivity from the ever-growing horde of small devices we all have.
There’s no rush to go out and buy and 802.11ax router, although tech stores will soon be pushing them. Like all generations of WiFi they will be backwards compatible with earlier WiFi standards, but for a few years they won’t do anything differently than your current router. This is because all of the above features require updated WiFi edge devices that also contain the new 802.11ax standard. There won’t be many devices manufactured with the new standard even in 2019. Even after we introduce 802.11ax devices into our home we’ll continue to be frustrated since our older WiFi edge devices will continue to communicate in the same inefficient way as today.


Kinematic Self-Replicating Machines
© 2004 Robert A. Freitas Jr. and Ralph C. Merkle. All Rights Reserved.
Robert A. Freitas Jr., Ralph C. Merkle, Kinematic Self-Replicating Machines, Landes Bioscience, Georgetown, TX, 2004.
3.3 Penrose Block Replicators (1957-1962)
The first known physical implementation of simple machine replication was reported by the British geneticist Lionel S. Penrose at University College, London, and his son, the physicist Roger Penrose at Bedford College, London, in 1957 . They started by defining some ground rules  for such efforts: “A structure may be said to be [self-replicating] if it causes the formation of two or more new structures similar to itself in every detail of shape and also the same size, after having been placed in a suitable environment. One of the new structures may be identical with the original one; alternatively, the original structure may be destroyed in the process of forming two new replicas. Certain conditions are added which exclude all well-known types of physical or chemical chain reactions. First, the replicating structure must be built by assembling simpler units present in the environment. Secondly, more than one design can be built from the same set of units though the only replicating structure that can be automatically assembled will be one exactly copying a previously existing structure. The pre-existing structure is known as a seed.”
The first  in the Penrose family of replicators was a set of “A” and “B” type tilt-blocks, cut from plywood or vulcanite, and placed on a track where they could slide freely but not pass each other. When single parts are placed on the track and subjected to horizontal agitation, they do not join together. However, when an interlocked, two-block “AB” or “BA” unit is placed in the box and shaken, a simple form of 1-dimensional replication takes place (Figure 3.3). Collisions between the two-block unit and other lone parts in the box cause new two-block units to form, each identical to the original, demonstrating self-replication as a simple form of mechanical autocatalysis.
L. Penrose [681-685] went on to devise an ingenious interlocking column design which allowed the replication of a multipart machine which is free to move about in a 2-dimensional agitation environment strewn with a random assortment of premanufactured constitutive columns. The replicating machine consists of two interlocking columns of five blocks each, with clever arrangements of springs, levers, hooks, dovetails, and ratchets on each of the parts. Each column includes five blocks stacked vertically: two double-hook blocks which act as neutral “food” for a fully automatic replicating structure of any required length (Figure 3.4), one activating cam lever block that transmits activation but does not link (Figure 3.5), one blocking device that prevents more than four units from coming close together (Figure 3.6), and a footing block consisting of interdigitating bases upon which superstructures capable of activation, hooking and release could be mounted, permitting machines to operate in 2 dimensions and to orient themselves to one another for the purposes of self-replication (Figure 3.7).
The complete 2-D self-replicating machine (Figure 3.8) is the double-column seed unit at center (a) – linked by double hooks, incorporating the tilted cam-lever activating principle, and protected by the blocking device in its base (interdigitating footing blocks not shown). Explains Penrose : “When the neutral unit at left joins the seed (b), it disengages one of the hooks holding the seed together and sets the blocking mechanism so that only one more neutral unit can be added. When the fourth unit joins the triple group (c), it disengages the second hook in the original seed, causing it to come apart in the middle and form two replicas of itself (d).”
An 11-minute movie was made of the replicating blocks in action by H.A. Cresswell in 1958 . Interestingly, in the finest scientific tradition, the simplest of Penrose’s machine replicator designs was independently “replicated” (confirmed) in 1962 by another well-known scientist, Edward F. Moore, who wrote : “After constructing an exact copy of Penrose’s basic model, I have found that it not only operates mechanically with reasonable satisfaction, but is very useful in suggesting to audiences some of the problems and possibilities of self-reproducing machines. If the reader attempts the problem of how to design the shapes of the units A and B so as to have the specified properties, the difficulties he will encounter in his attempt will cause him to more readily appreciate the ingenuity of Penrose’s very simple solution to this problem.”
New generations of similar conformation-switched blocks are currently being pursued by Griffith (Section 3.28) and by Saitou  in the context of the self-assembly of microscale mechanical parts (Section 4.1.5). Prions (Section 4.3.1) also represent a crude biological analog of the Penrose block system.
Last updated on 1 August 2005


Napoleon: Conquest, Reform and Reorganisation
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BeschreibungAlmost two centuries after the death of Napoleon, historians continue to argue about his aims, his achievements and his legacy. This book provides an accessible introduction to the life and career of Napoleon as well as the historical debates surrounding him. In this thoroughly revised and updated new edition, Clive Emsley broadens his study to include the debate on the cultural and social impact of the Napoleonic era. Includinga Chronology, Glossary,Who's Who of key charactersand a wide selection of primary source documents, this is an indispensable textbook for students of nineteenth-century French and European history.
InhaltsverzeichnisPart One: Introduction
1. 'My History is made up of facts, and words alone cannot destroy them' Part Two: Narrative and Analysis
2. The Career and the Man
3. Reorganising France
4. Reorganising Europe Part Three: Assessment
5. The Legacy Part Four: Documents Part Five: Glossary, Maps, Who's Who, Bibliography
PortraitClive Emsley is Professor Emeritus of History at the Open University. He is co-editor of the Seminar Studies series. Among his publications are The Longman Companion to Napoleonic Europe (1993) and Gendarmes and the State in Nineteenth-Century Europe (1999).
Untertitel: 'Seminar Studies'. Revised. Sprache: Englisch.
Verlag: ROUTLEDGE CHAPMAN HALL
Erscheinungsdatum: November 2014
Seitenanzahl: 178 Seiten


A covalently bonded compound that contains carbon, excluding carbonates and oxides.
The portion of a molecule that is active in a chemical reaction and that determines the properties of many organic compounds.
A very large organic molecule, usually a polymer, composed of hundreds or thousands of atoms.
A chemical reaction in which two or more molecules combine to produce water or another simple molecule.
A chemical reaction between water and another substance to for two or more new substances; a reaction between water and a salt to create an acid or a base.
Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP)
An organic molecule that acts as the main energy source for cell processes; composed of a nitrogenous base, a sugar, and three phosphate groups.
Any organic compound that is made of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen and that provides nutrients to the cells of living things.
One of the carbohydrates made up of long chains of simple sugars; polysaccharides include starch, cellulose, and glycogen.
An organic compound that is made of one or more chains of amino acids and that is a principle component of all cells.
An organic molecule that contains a carboxyl and an amino group and that makes up proteins; a proteins; a protein monomer.
The chemical Bond that forms between the carboxyl groups of one amino acid and the amino group of another amino acid.
A type of protein or RNA molecule that speeds up metabolic reactions in plant and animals without being permanently changed or destroyed.
A part, substance, or element that lies beneath and supports another part, substance or element ; the reactant in reactions catalyzed by enzymes.
A large nonpolar organic molecule, including fats and steroids; lipids store energy and make up cell membranes.
A type of structural lipid consisting of a long fatty-acid chain that is joined to a long alcohol chain
A type of lipid that consists of four carbon rings to which various functional groups are attached and that usually has a physiological action.
An organic compound, either RNA or DNA, whose molecules are made of one or two chains of nucleotides and carry genetic information.
Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA)
The material that contains the information that determines inherited characteristics.
Ribonucleic Acid (RNA)
A natural polymer that is present in all living cells and that plays a role in protein synthesis


The liver is the largest organ inside the human body. About the size of a football, it is located in the upper right part of the abdomen.
We can’t live without a functioning liver. It’s the body’s filter and warehouse. Almost all cells and tissues in the body depend on the liver. When something goes wrong with the liver, it can have a serious effect on almost every other organ in the body.
A little more than 1.5 quarts of blood pump through the liver every minute, allowing the liver to quickly and effectively remove toxins and waste products from the bloodstream. At the same time, the liver stores important nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and iron. The liver also plays a role in managing levels of certain substances in the body, such as cholesterol, hormones and sugars, which are all necessary for survival and are potentially harmful when out of balance. The liver also has a key role in digesting food because if produces bile. In addition, the liver controls blood-clotting factors, which prevent excessive bleeding.
Click through the slideshow for tips to keep this important organ happy and healthy.


Infants are much less likely to get whooping cough if their mothers are vaccinated against the potentially fatal respiratory infection during pregnancy, a large U.S. study finds.
The bacteria Bordetella pertussis causes whooping cough, which gets its nickname from the sounds patients make as they gasp for air during intense coughing fits. Pertussis is highly contagious and easily spread when an infected individual coughs or sneezes. About half of babies under age one who catch pertussis require hospitalization for serious complications like pneumonia or brain disorders.
Read more at Reuters.


The physical condition in which rapid discontinuation or dose reduction of a
drug causes a withdrawal reaction.
Physical dependence is frequently confused with, or mislabeled as addiction.
Physical dependence is a physiological state whereas addiction is a
dysfunctional psychological and behavioral syndrome.
Addiction refers to the ability of the drug to dominate the individual’s
behavior, regardless of whether physical dependence is also produced by the
drug. Indeed, physical dependence does not accompany all forms of drug
To read about this term in context:
GreenFacts Summary on Psychoactive Drugs Tobacco, Alcohol, and Illicit Substances:


Our Place-based Academic Curriculum
- Is created with our 400-acre outdoor classroom in mind; we use it regularly as a laboratory and resource for place-based studies.
- Engages all disciplines in an integrated manner, and is designed to meet children where they are – developmentally, academically, and socially.
- Is aligned with a child’s natural developmental continuum. The geographic area of study expands comfortably as the child grows and is able to explore farther afield and grasp larger concepts.
- Emphasizes hands-on, real-world learning in an engaging manner, allowing students to develop ties to their community and the natural world.
- Encourages finding reasons and solutions to real-life problems, which allows students to apply and use academic knowledge, fostering problem-solving and critical thinking skills.
- Is standards-relevant: the Next Generation Science Standards, National Council for Social Studies Learning Targets, and Common Core Standards for Math and Literacy serve as guides and benchmarks for learning.
- Has social studies and science content at the core, with writing and reading projects linked appropriately and authentically to support and enhance the learning.
- Incorporates music, art, farm, kitchen, and outdoor living skills as an integral part of the curriculum, allowing for individual focus on these subject areas as well.
- Asks students to understand and actively embrace the goals of getting to know the physical, cultural, and ecological components of their local environment.