The last couple of months have brought a cold snap to our island. People rarely think of the Mediterranean winter, but our farm has been unrecognisable as for the first time we have seen our land covered in snow! Who would’ve thought the closest we’d get to a white Christmas would be in Greece!
As well as making the place look beautiful, the cold weather has given us some welcome respite and a bit of downtime to get cracking with some planning for Spring. Unlike elsewhere, farming in Greece means that we have a near year-round growing season. This may have its benefits agriculturally, but means that it can sometimes be difficult to squeeze in that all-important planning, as well as reflecting on the ups and downs of our first year together on the farm, so we’re more than happy to take the chance when the opportunity arises!
In my last letter, I spoke about the natural processes and patterns that we find in nature that we try to incorporate into the design of our farm. This letter covers one other key part of our farm strategy – support species.
“I get by with a little help from my friends”
The Beatles weren’t just singing about humans with their well-known song – it’s the same for plants! And that is exactly the idea behind support species. So what are support species and why are they so important? To put it simply, support species are species that are incorporated into the system but do not produce a crop.
The idea of support species stems from the observation that in nature, you always find a diversity of species growing together. Famously, people tend to see this diversity through the frame of competition, with Darwin’s ‘survival of the fittest’ mentality. Whilst this is true to some extent, it is also true that you can observe different species working together to support and facilitate the growth of others and help the good of the whole system in many complex interactions, for instance through creating a more biodiverse and species-rich system, as you find in a forest.
Why use support species?
So what kind of help do support species provide? Well, here at Mazi we’ve selected our support species on the farm to fit certain qualities needed at this early stage of our project. Namely, fast-growing trees that put down deep roots to de-compact and aerate the soil, and are incredibly hardy species that can grow in tough conditions. Typically, these are pioneer species which work to set the stage for the other species in the system, creating the conditions around our crops that they need to thrive. We have a mix of species that work to support our system in different ways, including Acacia, Cypress, Poplars, Mendicago and Carobs.
Support species can be used to optimise the system in a whole host of ways. A major role support species play at Mazi is for on-site biomass production. Our support species have been deliberately chosen as species that can both grow quickly and withstand heavy pruning. In this way, the branches and leaves can be turned into woodchips with the help of our trusty Greenmech chipping machine, and used as mulch to protect and improve our soil quality.
Another quality that has been important for us in our species choice is wind protection as, farming up on the hillside as we are, we are particularly vulnerable to wind damage. After looking into a range of wind strategies involving constructing artificial structures, it was unanimously decided that taking a natural approach using a wide border of trees around the circumference of the farm and at strategic places would be the most effective, both economically and ecologically. These trees, including fast-growing, tall cypress trees and slower-growth, sturdy carob trees with an understory of prickly pears, have been chosen to optimise wind resistance by stratification both through space and time. Although this might take a little while longer to create an effective wind barrier, we think it will ultimately be a much more durable and effective wind strategy.
Another less obvious way we are using support species in our system is for mechanical support for our grapes. Stakes, as we have recently found out, are costly, time consuming to put into place and eventually rot. So the question is, why use stakes when you can use trees? We have planted our vines next to our support species with the idea that they can grow up the trunk of their neighbour, as you observe vines doing naturally in forest systems.
Of course, as always in regenerative agriculture, it’s not just what is happening above ground that counts, but what is going on beneath your feet. Below ground you find a mirror image reflecting what’s happening above – by that, I mean that a tree will have an equivalent size root system below ground to support it. By introducing a diversity of species into your system, this means you therefore have a diversity of root depths, shapes and sizes, which works to prevent soil erosion, a huge problem here in Greece (and globally) and especially in sensitive areas such as on a hillside.
These roots also put out exudates to encourage a healthy root microbiome. Each individual species works to create an unique root zone microbiota, depending on their needs, so the more the merrier for creating a healthy, diverse soil microbiota. Furthermore, when the support species are pruned for their organic matter, the roots also shrink or grow to reflect the photosynthetic capacity of the plant. Therefore, any root die off caused by pruning means that nutrients from the roots are being put back into the ground, as well as providing more food for the all-important soil microbiology.
Last, but by no means least, our support species play a key role in our fertilisation strategy through the use of leguminous plants that have the ability to fix nitrogen. Certain trees and plants that have the ability to make symbiotic relationships with rhizobial bacteria who live in the root zone work hard to convert free nitrogen into a form that the plant can use. This relationship is vital for plant health as, although about 80% of our atmosphere is made up of nitrogen, plants themselves are unable to change inert nitrogen into the usable form of nitrogen required by plants in order to manufacture amino acids, proteins, nucleic acids, and the other nitrogen-containing components necessary for life. Nitrogen fixers we have used on the farm include Mendicago arborea and species of Acacia, as well as cover crops such as vetch, clover and lupin.
Support species show yet another way you can harness the power of biology to your advantage, optimising your system and your soil health through the incorporation of trees and plants in a whole range of ways!
more Letters from a Farm
more on Syntropic farming


9th June 2012
Are dark skinned computer workers more susceptible to muscle fatigue/ RSI/ eyestrain?
Almost each time I've worked intensively on the computer or read books excessively, I have developed severe forms of RSI, including extreme eyestrain.
RSI begins with badly fatigued muscles and then leads to spasms. Apart from discovering/ inventing methods to relieve severe RSI and eyestrain symptoms I've been asking a question over the years about what happens at the cellular level in the body to cause these spasms. For if we know that, then a medicine could be invented to alleviate muscle fatigue/spasms.
Unfortunately, the scientific literature on this subject has generally been less than useless, and despite my fairly extensive study of such literature I did not find any "medicine" that could help, at the biochemical level, reduce muscle fatigue and RSI symptoms.
For many years I thought that spasms were a consequence of lactic acid which tore muscle fibres and created local inflammation. If so, there was apparently nothing one could do about it.
I was wrong. Lactic acid has since been shown to have uncertain effects:
it is uncertain if lactic acid reduces fatigue through increased intracellular calcium or increases fatigue through reduced sensitivity of contractile proteins to Ca2+ [Wikipedia]
Instead, in 2008 it was discovered that muscle fatigue is caused by issues related to "calcium flow inside muscle cells".
Ordinarily, ebbs and flows of calcium in cells control muscle contractions. But when muscles grow tired, the investigators report, tiny channels in them start leaking calcium, and that weakens contractions. At the same time, the leaked calcium stimulates an enzyme that eats into muscle fibers, contributing to the muscle exhaustion. [Source]
muscle fatigue is caused by calcium leaking out of the muscle cell. This causes there to be less calcium available for the muscle cell. [Wikipedia]
Calcium inside of muscle cells is usually kept contained. When it is allowed to leak out into the cell that calcium itself is toxic, turning on an enzyme that chews up muscle cells. Once the leak starts, it's a vicious cycle. The calcium leak raises levels of damaging reactive oxygen species, which oxidize RyR1 and worsen the leak. [Source]
My muscle fibres are being eaten up by an enzyme (due to heavy static load imposed on them by computer use, including looking at the monitor). There is, however, no comprehensive understanding of the biochemistry of muscle fatigue yet, and hence no medicine to deal with this calcium leakage issue.
I'm now considering a hypothesis. It is linked to the recent documentary that I've seen (and discussed), Origins of us, and this new konwledge I've acquired about calcium system disruption.
This is a pretty wild hypothesis. I don't claim to understand the molecular physiology of muscles, but in science, you try out a number of things based on potential linkages and patterns. So this is worth exploring. I'll send a link to this blog post to the primary researchers on muscle fatigue and if they think it makes sense they can try it out. In the meanwhile, I'll experiment on myself.
Facts that could link together
FACT 1: Origins of us shows that we evolved as sun-runners. We had a niche in the savannah for gathering our food by killing animals between 11 am and 4 pm in the HOT SUN. Our super-efficient cooling system (sweat glands) can help us outrun any creature on earth at that time of day in the hot African plain. That was our comparative advantage as a species. Plus some trickery (a smart brain).
Being a sun-runner gave us a dark skin to prevent over-exposure to the sun. However, let's not forget a key point. That we were "designed" to get our Vitamin D needs from the sun, and Vitamin D is crucial to proper absorption of calcium in the body. And there is some evidence to suggest that:
in adults, vitamin D deficiency can lead to osteomalacia, resulting in weak bones. Symptoms of bone pain and muscle weakness can indicate inadequate vitamin D levels, but such symptoms can be subtle and go undetected in the initial stages. [Source]
Now, here's where the dark skin comes in. Those of us with a dark skin who work indoors on computers the whole day do not get enough sun on our skin. We are almost certain to have serious deficiencies of Vitamin D. This could affect our muscles both directly and through the calcium system (sorry, I can't explain why this last bit might be true! – that's just my speculative hypothesis).
FACT 2: I do not generally go out in the sun. I exercise in the gym, and spend most of my time indoors. My blood tests over last few years indicate exceptionally low Vitamin D levels. And I've experienced what (I think) is particularly high vulnerability to muscle fatigue/ RSI/ eyestrain.
Putting facts 1 and 2 together, it is possible that dark skinned computer workers who do not get enough sunlight would be particularly vulnerable to muscle fatigue and spasms.
A personal experiment that I'll now undertake:
I well understand (after a decade of personal experience and experimentation) solutions which can significantly ease extremely severe muscle spasms (RSI/ eyestrain). But now I need to thoroughly understand the molecular and cellular system and determine ways to reduce muscular fatigue at the atomic level. That will hopefully provide the more complete solution.
To begin with, given the HUGE GAP of HUMAN KNOWLEDGE in this area, I will now increase my intake of Vitamin D significantly through direct sunlight and increase my calcium intake as well. Should that help, it might point to a more effective way to relieve muscle spasms.
If you come across any PUBLISHED scientific literature on this topic, please send me the link.
If we are going to do so much computer work as a species, we'd better learn more about our body and ensure that we optimise our body for computer use. It is clearly NOT designed for such excessively sedantary work that imposes huge static load on a range of muscles.
Andrew Marks, the world's leading researcher on muscle physiology.
- your body is meant to get its Vitamin D from sunlight —not from supplements [Source]
- It takes light-skinned people only a few minutes in the sun to receive enough UV-B rays to make Vitamin D. Darker-skinned people may need to be in the sun 5 to 10 times longer to reach the same levels of UV-B exposure in order to create Vitamin D. [Source]
- Calcium leakage as a cause of the high resting tension in vascular smooth muscle from the spontaneously hypertensive rat. by J P Noon, P J Rice, and R J Baldessarini (Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1978 March; 75(3): 1605–1607. PMCID: PMC411523)
vascular smooth muscle membranes from spontaneously hypertensive rats leak calcium at a rate that is only partially compensated by the calcium pump.
- Ohlendieck K. The Pathophysiological Role of Impaired Calcium Handling in Muscular Dystrophy. In: Madame Curie Bioscience Database [Internet]. Austin (TX): Landes Bioscience; 2000-.
- A 2011 study has discovered that muscle problems are aggravated from the 40s, which probably adds to the problems I've been facing.
"normal people essentially acquire a form of muscular dystrophy with age"
- Academic paper: Ryanodine Receptor Oxidation Causes Intracellular Calcium Leak and Muscle Weakness in Aging
- mutations in RYR1 cause excessive amounts of calcium to leak from the storage compartment and trigger uncontrolled muscle contractions [Source]
- Studies have shown that optimal Vitamin D levels prevents leaky calcium channels inside muscle cells. No other drug is needed. [Jake, here] – Note: I could not find any study that shows this. Much appreciated if you could refer me to such a study.
- Of 150 patients who visited an inner-city clinic in Minneapolis between 2000 and 2002 with a complaint of musculoskeletal pain, 93 percent were deficient in vitamin D. [Source]
- Many proteins are regulated by vitamin D in the body, thus muscles, which are predominantly made of protein, are not regulated correctly when the body experiences a vitamin D deficiency. [Source]
- vitamin D will improve athletic performance in vitamin D deficient people (and that includes most people) [Source]
- a substantial increase in muscle activity happens after radiation of larger portions of the body with an artificial sunlamp; that this performance increase is not caused through local – direct or indirect – effects on the musculature, but through a general effect. This general effect, triggered by ultra-violet irradiation, is caused by a systemic effect on the nervous system. [Source
- Wicherts and her colleagues found a linear correlation between vitamin D and neuromuscular performance [Source]
- The Vitamin D Solution: A 3-Step Strategy to Cure Our Most Common Health Problems by Michael F. Holick Ph.D. M.D.
- Power of Vitamin D: A Vitamin D Book That Contains the Most Comprehensive and Useful Information on Vitamin D Deficiency, Vitamin D Level by MD Sarfraz Zaidi [I've purchased all these three books today and will review the scientific evidence carefully]
- Wonders of Vitamin D (blog post)


Until the advent of World War II, most individuals receiving commissions in the Army or Navy came from privileged backgrounds. Likely as not, military service was a family tradition or the result of family influence; this is how many officers, such as George Patton, George Marshall, and Mark W. Clark were able to attend military academies. People with meager incomes did not send their children to prestigious schools. Then as now, responsibility for the purchase of uniforms and equipment fell upon those gaining a commission, purchase their own meals, and subject themselves to a certain social protocol. Few could meet these expenses who did not have independent means.
There were exceptions to the silver spoon, of course. Although Dwight D. Eisenhower and Omar Bradley came from low-income families, their demonstrated brilliance during the entrance examinations to Annapolis and West Point helped to propel them forward as a commissioned officer. Eisenhower would have accepted an appointment to Annapolis had he not been “too old” to receive a navy appointment. He therefore accepted an appointment to the USMA.
In the Marine Corps, many famous officers were educated in civilian colleges and universities, and sought a commission subsequent to graduation. Holland M. Smith, for example, was an attorney before receiving a Marine Corps commission. Alexander Vandergrift received a commission while attending the University of Virginia. Smedley D. Butler came from a family with significant political influence, Lewis B. Puller, Sr., attended the Virginia Military Institute.
Earl Hancock Ellis began his career as a Marine by enlisting as a private in 1900. Within twelve months, Ellis had achieved the rank of corporal making him eligible to take an examination for a commission to Second Lieutenant. Ellis received his commission in December 1901.
In spite of his reputation for brilliance, Ellis began to demonstrate some disappointment with life as an officer early in his career. After receiving his initial training as a newly commissioned officer, the Marines ordered Ellis to the Philippines, where he served as the Adjutant of the First Regiment. It was there that he wrote, “I think that this is the laziest life that a man could find —there is not a blamed thing to do except lay around, sleep, and go ‘bug house’. But all the same, I am helping to bear the white man’s burden.”
Subsequently ordered to command the Marine Detachment aboard the USS Kentucky, flagship of the Pacific Fleet, Ellis gained experience in fleet exercises, maintaining cordial relationships with foreign navies, and conducted visitations to Singapore, China, and Yokohama, Japan. He returned to the United States in 1904 and received his promotion to first lieutenant in March of that year. In the following years, Ellis served as a staff officer at Marine Barracks, Washington DC and as quartermaster at Mare Island, California. During this period, he formed a warm friendship with Major George Barnett who, in a few short years, would become the 12th Commandant of the Marine Corps.
From 1906 to 1907, Ellis served as the Recruiting Officer in Oakland, California and Des Moines, Iowa. Following another tour of duty at Mare Island, Ellis returned to the Philippines, this time serving as Adjutant of the Second Regiment, then commanded by “Hiking Hiram” Bearss. Promoted to captain in 1908, his new commander, John A. Lejeune, commanding the Fourth Brigade, assigned Ellis as a company commander. After Ellis attempted to liven up a boring dinner party by shooting water glasses sitting on the dinner table; Lejeune returned Ellis to administrative duties.
Ellis again reported to the Navy Yard in Washington for duty in May 1911, requesting assignment to aviation duty shortly thereafter. Then Commandant William Biddle suggested that he attend the Naval War College instead. After completing the year-long course, the Naval War College sought to retain Ellis on their staff of lecturers. Ellis subsequently served as an intelligence officer at Headquarters Marine Corps, serving under then Colonel George Barnett. He was particularly engaged in the planning of exercises involving the new Advance Base Force. Barnett rated Ellis high in this assignment.
In February 1914, Barnett became the Commandant of the Marine Corps and soon thereafter, appointed Ellis to the joint Army-Navy Board to study the Defense of Guam. After the outbreak of World War I, it was common to sight German and Japanese warships operating in the Marianas Islands. This became a concern to Ellis. In March, the Marine Corps assigned Ellis to the staff of Guam’s governor designate, Captain William J. Maxwell, USN; Ellis’ duties included that of staff secretary, intelligence officer, and chief of police. It was at this time that Ellis began to display outward signs of acute alcoholism.
Captain Ellis returned once more to the Navy Yard Washington to assume duty as one of the Commandant’s aide-de-camps. Colonel John Lejeune, who served as an assistant to the Commandant, had Ellis assigned to his staff. In August 1916, the Marine Corps promoted Ellis to major —one-week before US involvement in World War I. Barnett initially disapproved Ellis’ request for duty with combat forces, assigning him instead to help establish a new Marine Corps Base at Quantico, Virginia where he also served as an officer instructor at the school for commissioned officers.
Barnett, who had persuaded the Secretary of War to involve the Marines in World War I, dispatched the Fifth Marines to join the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF). When the War Department additionally ordered the Sixth Marines to France, Colonel Lejeune received orders to join the AEF and he took Major Ellis with him. Colonel Lejeune discovered the AEF somewhat of a mess. Upon arrival, Lejeune found himself attached to the 64th Brigade, 32nd Division. Ellis’ initial assignment was as Adjutant, Wisconsin National Guard; he was later assigned to a French division. Lejeune was able to persuade Pershing to form a Marine Brigade around the Fifth and Sixth Regiments under his command; when approved, Ellis became the Brigade Adjutant. When Lejeune later assumed command of the Second US Division, he assigned Ellis the additional duty of Division Inspector. Major Ellis is credited with the planning of the St. Mihiel (Champagne) Offensive, the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, and the attack and capture of Mont Blanc. Senior officers attributed the success of these operations to Ellis’ brilliance in planning, aggressive tactics, his personal courage, and his resourcefulness under demanding conditions. Brigadier General Wendell Neville recommended Ellis for accelerated promotion to full colonel. While Ellis never saw that promotion, he did receive the Navy Cross, Navy Distinguished Service Medal, Croix de Guerre, and Legion d’honneur Chevalier.
Ellis returned to the United States in November 1919. Within a few months, however, Ellis found himself hospitalized with diagnoses of deep depression, delirium, and neurasthenia —all of which stemmed from his acute alcoholism. In these days, the Marine Corps was much like a fraternal organization. Most officers knew one another on a personal basis. Additionally, military authority did not recognize alcoholism as a serious disease; it was, rather, seen as something of a character flaw. It was a condition prompting friends and superiors alike to cover up the problem. Foremost among these friends of Pete Ellis was John A. Lejeune, who had been covering up for Ellis since his shooting demonstration in the Philippines.
Medical authorities returned Ellis to full duty in April 1920 and within a few weeks, Ellis reported to Brigadier General Logan Feland in Santo Domingo where Ellis helped to form the Guardia Nacional. It was a short-lived assignment, for within a few months, both Feland and Ellis received orders to report to Marine Corps headquarters. Lejeune assigned Ellis to head the intelligence section within the Division of Operations and Training.
During this assignment, Ellis prepared an essay regarding the details of military and civil operations required while eradicating subversives and insurgents. He titled his report “Bush Brigades,” and although later printed in the Marine Corps Gazette (March, 1921), its controversial nature caused authorities to initially pigeonhole the document.
Toward the end of 1920, General Lejeune and his senior staff began to focus on contingency war plans in the event of hostilities in the Pacific against Imperial Japan. Revising War Plan Orange, which implemented the study of the Marine Corps’ role in amphibious operations, Major Ellis produced the prophetic document titled, Operation Plan 712: Advanced Base Operations in Micronesia. The underlying notion here was that in the event of hostilities between the United States and Japan, Marine Corps Advanced Base Forces would support the United States Naval Fleet.
The Territory of Hawaii constituted the only support for the U. S. Navy due to a lack of adequate facilities in the Philippines and Guam. Ellis was convinced that Hawaii would become a primary target for Japanese attack. Moreover, Japan had already occupied the Marshall, Caroline, and Palau Islands, which flanked the US lines of communication in the region by more than 2,300 miles. Ellis concluded that Japan would initiate the war, and furthermore, that Japan would remain close to their own territorial waters until encountered by the United States Fleet. Along with these predictions, Ellis anticipated great losses to the Marine forces during an amphibious assault. He advised war planners to avoid blue-water transfers, suggesting instead finalization of task force arrangements before leaving base ports.
Major Ellis concluded:
- A major fleet action will decide the war in the Pacific
- The US Fleet will be 25% superior to that of the enemy
- The enemy will hold his main fleet within his own defensive line
- Preliminary activities of the US fleet must be accomplished with a minimum of assets
- Marine Corps forces must be self-sustaining
- Long, drawn out operations must be avoided to afford the fleet its greatest protection
- Fleet objectives must include adequate anchorage
In April 1921, Lieutenant Colonel Ellis submitted an official request to the Commandant of the Marine Corps to conduct a clandestine reconnaissance mission to the Central Pacific. At the same time, he submitted his undated resignation, in order to prevent embarrassment to the United States should his operation turn out to be a less than completely clandestine affair. Shortly afterward, Ellis was back in the hospital for additional treatment.
On 4 May 1921, Acting Secretary of the Navy Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., approved Ellis’ request —but this was not a simple matter of giving Ellis a thumbs up. By this time, Ellis was a highly rated American intelligence officer. Ellis had to convince the entire command structure of the Marine Corps that his was a worthy plan with a high likelihood that the plan could be carried out. Additionally, the Office of Naval Intelligence had to concur, along with the Chief of Naval Operations.
As part of his cover, Ellis became a sales representative with the Hughes Trading Company, owned by a medically retired Marine officer that Ellis had known since 1902. Thus cleverly disguised, Ellis visited relatives in Kansas, proceeded to San Francisco, and shipped to New Zealand and Australia aboard the American President Lines in May 1921. He arrived in the Far East in September 1921, and was again hospitalized in Manila, now adding dysfunctional kidneys to his other alcohol-related issues.
After his hospitalization in Manila, Ellis traveled to Yokohama, Japan where he arranged for authorization to travel to the mandated islands. Unfortunately, Ellis’ drinking problem was getting worse by the day. At one point, Ellis disclosed details of his mission to an attending physician in September 1922. The physician immediately met with the local Naval Attaché, who, acting on the instructions given to him by the Ambassador, ordered Ellis to return to the United States on the next ship. Ellis ignored these orders, cabled for $1,000 from his pay account, and shipped out for Saipan.
Ellis’ days were by now numbered. Not only were agents of Naval Intelligence keeping tabs, so too were Japanese intelligence agents. It is at this point that one should wonder, “Is there anyone in the Far East who did not know what Colonel Ellis was up to?” From this point on, Japanese officials kept track of his every move. They no doubt watched him as he prepared detailed maps and charts of Saipan, of the Carolines, Marshalls, Yap, and Palaus. They followed Mr. Ellis to Kusaie, Jaluit, the Marshals, Kwajalein, Ponape, Celebes, and New Guinea. While in Koror, Ellis met a Palauan woman whom he married, but the fact is that Ellis was getting worse by the day.
Japanese police were called to investigate a looting in the home of Mr. William Gibbons, a friend of Colonel Ellis. As it turned out, Ellis looted the man’s home, looking for whiskey. Later that day, sympathetic Japanese police delivered to Ellis two bottles of American whiskey, which he promptly consumed. The Japanese knew how to deal with a drunk. The next morning, May 13, 1923, Colonel Ellis was dead and all of his maps, all of his papers were confiscated by Japanese authorities; none of those has ever been seen again.
Normally a story ends with the death of its main character, but not so with the story of Pete Ellis. In Early July 1923, the U. S. Navy sent Chief Pharmacist Mate Lawrence Zembsch to retrieve Ellis’ body and return it for proper burial in the United States. Chief Zembsch had previously treated Ellis, so he would be able to positively identify the body. Chief Zembsch traveled to Palau via Japanese steamer, returning to Yokosuka on August 14, 1923 babbling incoherently. In his possession was an urn that allegedly contained the remains of Colonel Ellis. Chief Zembsch had been heavily drugged. By the end of the month, Zembsch had improved to the point where he could answer questions. On 1 September 1923, Zembsch’s wife arrived early for her daily visitation. She intended to stay only until lunch, after which investigators would begin to question Chief Zembsch about his trip to the Palaus.
As Mrs. Zembsch prepared to leave her husband, at 11:42 AM on 1 September 1923, the Great Kanto Earthquake struck, transforming the Naval Hospital into a pile of splinters. Chief Zembsch and his wife perished. What did remain was a small urn in a security vault of the hospital, a small note taped to the outside reading Ashes of LtCol Earl H. Ellis, USMC, died Palau, 12 May 1923.
The story of Colonel Pete Ellis is interesting, but also disappointing. In spite of his brilliance as a planner, he was not a very good spy. The officers who sent him out to do this kind of work, including one preeminent officer who lectured all Marines about leadership, knew that Ellis was physically and mentally unsuitable for doing it —and yet, he allowed Ellis to proceed. A Tokyo news dispatch tends to support my proposition:: published in mid-May 1923 the report stated, “Colonel Earl Ellis of the United States Marine Corps was accidently killed in a prohibited area of the Caroline Islands.”
Some believed that the whiskey provided to Ellis had been poisoned, including Brother Gregorio Oraquieta, SJ. He stated that it was his understanding that the Japanese poisoned Ellis while residing on the Palau Islands. The fact is, it probably did not matter whether the Japanese poisoned him. Lieutenant Colonel Pete Ellis had been a dead-man-walking for a very long time. Now we must ponder whether this fiasco made the lives of occidentals living under Japanese authority in Micronesia more difficult.
 My blog-friend friend “Christian Soldier” will positively hate reading this.
 “Bug House” is a term used for stir crazy. Ellis’ comment may be our earliest indication that he was prone to calm his restless spirit with intoxicating liquors.
 As a member of the Triple Entente, Japan began to occupy the Northern Marianas in 1914. At the conclusion of World War I, many formerly German-held islands in the Pacific were entrusted by the League of Nations to Japanese control as the “South Pacific Mandate.”
 Eyewitness: The Amelia Earhart Incident, Thomas E. Devine, Richard M. Dailey, American Traveler Press, 1987


The number of possible ancestors doubles with every generation. You have two possible parents, four possible grandparents, eight possible 1st great-grandparents, sixteen possible 2nd great-grandparents, and so on.
Eventually, the number of potential ancestors in a generation exceeds the number of people alive on Earth in that generation. Therefore, it is not possible for every ancestor to be unique within a pedigree. The genealogist Robert C. Gunderson coined this as pedigree collapse.
For example, if someone’s parents are 2nd cousins, the number of possible 2nd great-grandparents is sixteen. However, the number of actual unique 2nd great-grandparents is only fourteen. In the pedigree chart below, the parent of the father’s father’s father and the parents of the mother’s mother’s father are the same couple.
The amount of pedigree collapse seen in an individual pedigree depends on local marriage patterns. In a recent paper (Lachance et al 2009), the authors calculated the number of actual ancestors over ten generations using different degrees of relatedness. This table summarizes the results.
(click image for full size)
*Outbred -Your relatives themselves were not related.


Original text by Mihanik
Translated by Pion6r
In this article I'll fully tell you about balance. Walking, running, postures and anything God knows.
Engage distance 3000. Gravity -30.00. With such settings you can everything in order of instruction.
Running is the Start!When you've learnt to hold balance while running,it will be easier for further moving.
So, the run is separated for several phases.
Phase one. The start of run
It is really difficult to run at once. You have to take posture.
To start running, you need push. Front push.
Hands aren't to disturb legs.
Let's start. To push you have to lay front, the same is to your legs.
Then take legs back-you've been pushed.
Phase two. Steps and speeding.
Steps should be balanced, heels must be controlled. It might not be the heel to touching the ground. It will slow moving and can distract balance.
Speeding should be made by front pushes.
After both legs push relax knees and one of them front. When you need the next step-re-stand legs. Heels should touch the ground friendly and push from the earth while step.
Phase three. Balance and jump.
Anyway, after several steps you'll be shaken. To stay in balance control your heels and move the body; hands must not touch the ground.
The jump is going to be balanced. You are to be straight for it.
Balance is very simple. If your right leg goes straight front-move the body right. And vice verse.
Never forget about heels.
You are to be straight before jump. Use(abs) for it; move hands back and down.
After the jump you have to take a stand. So should be on their feet. It happens also in several phases.
Phase One.Feet posture
After the jump, you must stay exactly two feet so you do not falter. This is not difficult. You just need to remove all the momentum.
During the flight, send the heel parallel to the ground. Point the case of one line with inertia.
Phase Two. Balance.
To maintain balance, you need to put the body in the flat position, so that you are not outweighed in which either parts.
To achieve this it is necessary direction of the body in the right direction.
It's simple.It's actually quite easy to resist if all parts of the body are active. Heels give the way to the whole body.
Heels down - the body back. heel up - the body forward, rotate the body, depending on the situation. Push body right or left with hands .
It's the most difficult part of the lesson. I'm specifically left it for the last. By now you should already learn how to run and stand.
I will not share all the phases. I will write only the theory and practice. Walking is very difficult to separate phases.
Through a case under the slope, you have to slowly move your feet. Body must constantly bend forward. In time spreading her legs and vice versa.
Keep track of each frame. In order to walk normally, you should calculate everything precisely. Remember about all parts of the body! Turn Corps. Never hurry.
Walking from the run is different in that it does not have great speed. Therefore, the slope should be small.
After the counter leaned forward. As soon as he "fails" and it will pull down - set your foot. The steps are very similar to those that were in the running.
Only here the slope is much smaller, so you may have to wait until after step you pull down. Do not hurry. Do not overtry, otherwise you will pull back.
Then again, have to stand on his feet and begin steps again. Regulate the width of the legs.
Also, I will take into consideration.
If you have fallen.
So do not panic. If you fall on your back or sit down - push himself with his hands and send body forward. Knees on relaxation.
If you fall on your side
- deploy themselves on the back or stomach, the main set of hands.
If you fall forward
- push himself with his hands. then legs. The main thing after the fall of a posture.
If you change run at the speed of walk.
Then something like a jump. First, lift the body above, from which the inertia decreased. Then straight from running to become the body.
Because of the inertia will pull you down - and set your foot forward - a step!
For training run is best to place a long distance and run to uke. as soon reaches - put a little more distance.
It's also desirable to learn to run in circles. Let us learn reaches uke and running back. Learn to slow down at any moment.
For training walk learn to walk on the same line. Learn to walk in circles. Learn how to jump while walking and stand in the posture.
That's all, our lesson is over. I hope you've learned from it something useful. Thank you for your attention


Here's Our Pregnacare A-Z Guide To Pregnancy And Nutrition - The Letter F
Are you pregnant? Make sure you read our Pregnacare A-Z of Pregnancy and Nutrition, covering everything important for parents-to-be. Next, we take a look at the letter F during pregnancy
Our Pregnacare A-Z is a series of posts, one for each letter of the alphabet, designed to help you understand your nutritional needs, how they change and the best foods to choose during pregnancy and breast-feeding.
This A to Z answers many of the important questions mums-to-be have about pregnancy and nutrition. It covers everything from antenatal care through to water intake, via pregnancy vitamin supplements.
You can download the full version of the guide in PDF format here.
If you have any further questions, make sure you ask your midwife or GP.
Pregnacare A-Z Of Pregnancy And Nutrition – What Does The Letter F Stand For?
Why Do I Feel Faint During Pregnancy?
Feeling faint when you stand for too long or get up quickly is caused by low blood pressure (BP). The pregnancy hormone progesterone relaxes the walls of your blood vessels causing low blood pressure, however, low BP tends to return to normal during the last few weeks of pregnancy.
Avoid lying on your back as pregnancy progresses; as the growing uterus becomes increasingly heavy it can press on a very large blood vessel if you do. This reduces blood to the brain and makes you feel faint. If this does happen, turn onto your side and the faint feeling will quickly pass.
Why Types Of Fish Should I Avoid Eating During Pregnancy?
Fish is a great source of protein and oily types provide Omega-3 fatty acids. However whilst pregnant avoid eating shark, marlin and swordfish and limit the amount of tuna you eat to no more than two tuna steaks a week (weighing about 140g cooked or 170g raw) or four medium-size cans of tuna a week (with a drained weight of about 140g per can). This is because of the levels of mercury in these fish. At high levels, mercury can harm your baby’s developing nervous system. This also applies during breast-feeding.
Try to have one, but don’t have more than two portions of oily fish a week. Oily fish includes salmon, trout, mackerel or herring. Remember that eating fish is good for your health and the development of your baby, so you should still aim to eat at least two portions of fish a week, including one portion of oily fish.
Avoid raw shellfish because it may contain harmful bacteria and viruses that cause poisoning. However, shellfish that is part of a hot meal that has been thoroughly cooked is fine.
Whilst pregnant you are able to eat smoked fish such as smoked salmon and trout. Also raw or lightly cooked fish in sushi, if the fish has been frozen first.
Why Do I Have More Wind During Pregnancy? What Food Should I Eat And Avoid To Help?
The average person passes wind 5-15 times a day and this can increase during pregnancy because increased levels of hormones, such as progesterone which can cause the smooth muscles in your body, including your gastrointestinal tract, to become relaxed. This relaxation process slows down your digestive processes, which causes burping and flatulence, especially after a big meal.
The foods most likely to cause wind include beans, broccoli, sprouts and asparagus, as well as fizzy drinks. However, it is important that you eat a balanced diet so simply cut back on the foods that cause you the most discomfort.
Tips For Avoiding Wind During Pregnancy
- Don’t eat big meals. Instead, eat several small meals throughout the day.
- Don’t talk while you’re eating. Take your time and chew food thoroughly.
- Limit your fluid intake during meals(but don’t forget to make up for it between meals).
- Limit fizzy drinks.
- Drink from a glass, not a bottle or a straw, and don’t gulp your drinks.
- Even a brisk walk can help your sluggish digestive tract.
- Don’t smoke (this is a habit you should break before getting pregnant).
- Consider practicing yoga for relaxation and good breathing techniques. (Some people tend to swallow more air when they’re excited or anxious if they’re prone to hyperventilating).*
- Try drinking a cup of peppermint tea, as it can ease wind and bloating
How Big Is My Baby At Each Stage Of Pregnancy?
Your baby soon grows from a group of cells to a fully developed baby. Track their growth using the table below:
What Is A Food Aversion And How Will It Affect My Pregnancy?
Food aversions are ‘a definite revulsion against food and drink not previously disliked.’
The most common aversions appear to be to tea, coffee, alcohol, fried foods, eggs, and on occasion sweet foods in later pregnancy.
Foods To Avoid
What Foods Should I Avoid During Pregnancy?
Some foods pose a particular risk during pregnancy, either because of the way they are produced, or because of the high levels of certain nutrients or substances they contain. The following foods are best avoided during pregnancy:
- All types of pâté, including vegetable pâtés, and mould-ripened soft cheese because of the risk of listeria infection. Although listeria is a very rare disease, it is important to take special precautions during pregnancy because even mild forms of the illness can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth or severe illness in the newborn.
- Do not eat liver or liver products such as liver pâté or liver sausage, as they contain high levels of vitamin A. Too much vitamin A can harm your baby. Avoid cod liver oil supplements or any supplements containing vitamin A. Pregnacare does not include vitamin A for this reason.
- Avoid shark, marlin and swordfish and limit the amount of tuna you eat to no more than two tuna steaks a week (weighing about 140g cooked or 170g raw) or four medium-size cans of tuna a week (with a drained weight of about 140g per can). This is because of the mercury contained in these fish. At high levels, mercury can harm a baby’s developing nervous system. This also applies during breast-feeding.
- Don’t have more than two portions of oily fish a week. Oily fish includes salmon, trout,mackerel or herring. But remember that eating fish is good for your health and the development of your baby, so you should still aim to eat at least two portions of fish a week, including one portion of oily fish.
- Avoid raw shellfish because it may contain harmful bacteria and viruses that cause poisoning. However shellfish that is part of a hot meal that has been thoroughly cooked is fine.
Fruit & Vegetables
How Much Fruit & Veg Should I Eat During Pregnancy?
Current advice is to aim for at least 5 servings of a variety of fruit and vegetables every day.
Fresh, frozen, canned, dried and juiced all count (although juice can only be counted as one serving each day no matter how much is drunk). Always wash fresh fruit and vegetables carefully
Make sure you also check out the rest of our Pregnacare A-Z Guide to Pregnancy and Nutrition:
While every attempt has been made to ensure that the information contained in this guide is accurate and reliable, this is intended as a guide only and not a substitute for advice from a health professional. Please note: Vitabiotics cannot guarantee the reliability of facts obtained from other third party information sources. Information correct at time of being published (May 2020).


What is VLOOKUP function?
You can use the VLOOKUP function to search the first column of a range (range: Two or more cells on a sheet. The cells in a range can be adjacent or nonadjacent.) of cells, and then return a value from any cell on the same row of the range. For example, suppose that you have a list of employees contained in the range A2:C10. The employees’ ID numbers are stored in the first column of the range. See example below.
If you know the employee’s ID number, you can use the VLOOKUP function to return either the department or the name of that employee. To obtain the name of employee number 38, you can use the formula =VLOOKUP(38, A2:C10, 3, FALSE). This formula searches for the value 38 in the first column of the range A2:C10, and then returns the value that is contained in the third column of the range and on the same row as the lookup value (“Axel Delgado”).
The V in VLOOKUP stands for vertical. Use VLOOKUP instead of HLOOKUP when your comparison values are located in a column to the left of the data that you want to find. Following is the syntax of vlookup: VLOOKUP(lookup_value, table_array, col_index_num, [range_lookup])
How to use VLOOKUP in MS Excel
Here is step by step guide to use vlookup in MS Excel:
Let us assume that you have a list of countries where you need to find capital against these countries and you already have a sheet from which the information has to be pulled.
1.Click fx button to insert function
2.Formula box will display and most recently used formulae will be visible
3.In search box, start typing vlookup
4.The vlookup function will be visible, select and click OK.
5.This will open up the vlookup function
6. In the vlookup function argument box, click vlookup_value and select cell in the excel sheet against which the information is sought
Example – Here we wish to get the capitals of various countries from an available database.
7. Click in Table_array box and go to the sheet or file which contains the database.
Example – Here in database file we already have countries, their capital cities and other information in various columns.
8. Select all columns between the lookup value and the column from which the data is to be populated.
9. Click in Col_index_num and enter the column number of the column from where the data is to be retrieved
Example – here we need to retrieve the capital of countries and the column number which contains the information is 3.
10. Click Range_lookup and enter “0” (zero). (zero for exact value and 1 for best match). Click OK.
If you need to replace the formula results with actual values, then simply copy the results > right click and paste as “values”
Hope you find this article useful for your daily routine in office. You may download PDF Guide from below link:
Please let us know in comments below if you are facing any problem. We will be more than happy to assist you.


A legal ruling has found a visually impaired child experienced discrimination after the entry exams for an English grammar school were not accessible.
Now, grammar schools across England will have to ensure their 11-plus entrance exams are accessible to disabled pupils.
The boy in question – who cannot be named – applied for entry at Reading School, but he was unbale to sit the 11-plus entry test because adjustments required for him to take the exam, included the use of larger type on the exam questions, were not carried out.
The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) has backed the boy’s case who detailed their concern around the accessibility of school exams for several years.
“We have been concerned about the accessibility of 11-plus tests for children with vision impairment for a number of years,” details Caireen Sutherland, the RNIB’s principal education officer.
“Every year we receive inquiries from parents and professionals regarding the process of testing for grammar schools and how to ensure the tests are accessible.”
The RNIB referred the boy’s case to the Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), which supported a legal challenge at the government’s tribunal on special educational needs and disabilities.
“It is completely unacceptable that, at a crucial and formative time in a child’s educational life, they should experience discrimination in a way that could damage their confidence and be denied the opportunity of a better future,” Rebecca Hilsenrath, the EHRC’s chief executive, says.
The ruling found that Reading School was responsible for ensuring their exams can be accessed by disabled applicants.
Rebecca continues: “Every child has the right to achieve their full potential. Grammar school education needs to be available to all children and that means grammar schools making reasonable adjustments for entry exams in accordance with the law.
“The Disability Discrimination Act is 25 years old and the Equality Act over a decade.
“It is the law that disabled children are entitled to equal access to education, and in 2020 we shouldn’t have to be reminding schools of their responsibility to make exams inclusive.”
It is evident more needs to be carried out to ensure accessibility and inclusion is available across the board – especially when it comes to education.


A World Heritage Site in southern France, this aqueduct bridge was built during the Roman occupation around the beginning of the Christian Era.
Because of the passage of time, only partial lengths of Roman aqueducts remain in various states of repair throughout Great Britain and Europe, wherever the Roman Army occupied the land. It is one of the most important tourist attractions in France. Roman engineers, contractors, and workers built the aqueduct bridge on three tiers of water-tight stonework laid without mortar or bond of any kind. The first level rests on six arches, the second, on eleven arches, and the third or top level carrying the water on thirty-five arches. In total, the bridge rises 160 feet from the river bed. The aqueduct was built to carry water from a stream over the River Gardon to the Roman settlement at Nimes in the south of France twenty-five miles away.
The workmanship was so exacting that in many cases cement or other bonding products were not necessary to create precise sealants in the granite stonework. No mortar cement was used in constructing water-tight lengths of aqueduct. There is another example of exacting Roman engineering and construction in Spain. The Aqueduct of Segovia was also built around the beginning of the Christian Era with such precision the twenty-mile length carried water into and around Segovia until it fell into disuse in the Nineteenth century. It, too, was built without bonding or a sealant of any kind. The Aqueduct at the Gardon River to Nimes in France and the Aqueduct to Segovia in Spain are the only two Roman bridge aqueducts known to survive from the Roman period.


MENTAL HEALTH Services: In brief 2018 provides an overview of data about the national response of the health and welfare system to the mental health care needs of Australians.
Mental health services—In brief 2018 is the companion publication to the online report Mental health services in Australia (MHSA), which provides detailed data on the national response of the health and welfare system to the mental health care needs of Australians. MHSA is updated progressively throughout each year as data becomes available to ensure that the most up to date information is available at a point in time. This in brief report provides an overview of key statistics and related information on mental health services, incorporating updates made to the online report over the 12 months to October 2018. The report draws on data from various sources. As such, the data reference year reported varies between topic areas.
SOURCE: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2018) “Mental health services: In brief 2018.” AIHW, 11 October 2018.
For more information, see Mental Health Services in Australia on the AIHW website.
Produced by the librarians at the Brotherhood of St Laurence in Melbourne, Australia


Do peatlands hibernate?
Winter seasonality with low amounts of incoming radiation, frost and snow cover characterize large areas at mid- and high latitudes, especially in the arctic and in mountain ranges. Because of these adverse conditions, it is often assumed that ecosystem processes, such as plant photosynthesis and nutrient uptake and microbial activities, cease or at best diminish to marginal rates of summer values. On the other hand, snow is a good thermal insulator and a sufficiently thick snow cover might enable temperature-limited processes to continue in winter, especially belowground. Changes in winter precipitation may changes this, but so far ecosystem processes in winter are little understood because low temperatures and snow complicate investigating them in situ. We performed a snow-removal experiment on an ombrotrophic bog in the Swiss Jura mountains (1036 m.a.s.l.) to compare above- and belowground ecosystem processes with and without snow cover during winter and the subsequent growing season. The presence of snow in winter (ca. 0.7m) strongly reduced the maximum potential photosynthesic capacity (Amax) of Eriophorum vaginatum as well as the total microbial biomass compared to spring and summer values. Amax of Sphagnum magellanicum and uptake of 15N-labelled ammonium-nitrate by vascular plants on the other hand were almost as high or higher in winter as in summer. Snow removal increased the number of freeze-thaw cycles in mid-winter but increased the minimum soil temperature in late-winter before ambient snow-melt. This strongly negatively affected all measured ecosystem processes. Plant 15N-uptake, Amax of Eriophorum and total microbial biomass returned to or exceeded control values soon before or after snowmelt, while Sphagnum Amax and length growth, as well as the structure of the microbial community showed clear carry-over effects of the reduced winter snow cover into next summer. Alltogether our data indicate that peatlands are active in winter and that a continuous snow cover is crucial for ecosystem processes both in winter and in the subsequent summer.
Record created on 2015-03-04, modified on 2016-08-09


25 Apr How To Improve Your Eyesight With Optical Lenses?
Following types of optical lenses are used for the improvement of eyesight:
- Single vision lenses
- Bifocal lenses
- Progressive lenses
- Office lenses
Single Vision Lenses
Whether the wearer is a kid, an adult, or a senior if the problem is either distant vision or near vision then single vision lenses are the best option for them. The lenses are named so that they carry a single prescription of either nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism.
How do these lenses improve your eyesight?
- If a patient is myopic, the lenses provide a clear, defined, and sharp vision for distance by bringing in-front focused rays of light on the retina.
- If a patient is hyperopic, the optical lenses provide a clear vision of nearby objects bringing behind focused rays of light on the retina.
- If a person is presbyopic, single vision lenses can be one of the possible choices.
- If a person is astigmatic, then these lenses change the multiple focus of light rays into a single focus on the retina and improve any blurry vision issues.
If you have a problem with distance as well as near vision and you want to fix these problems with a single pair of glasses, then Bifocal lenses are the best solution for you.
How Bifocal lenses improve your eyesight?
Bifocal lenses provide clear distant vision from its upper zone and clear near vision from its lower zone. These optical lenses are best suitable for you when you have only to deal with distant and near work, not computer work.
These are modified versions of bifocal and Trifocal lenses. The reason for their distinction is that they have no visible lines on the lens. They are mostly used by presbyopes.
How do progressive lenses improve your eyesight?
Like trifocals, they also provide three prescriptions. The upper zone provides far vision, the intermediate zone provides excellent vision for computer work and the lower zone provides a clear vision of nearby objects.
The office Progressive lenses best suit you, if you are an office worker with presbyopia. These lenses provide an intermediate vision for your office work like computer tasks and near vision for near tasks like reading. You can remove them for distant viewing.
Are you suffering from refractive errors and looking for the best solution?
PRIVO is the right place for you, as it will provide you with the best optical lenses that will improve your vision quality by making it clearer and sharper.


When working in the business and dealing with client art, you’ll often hear suppliers say “we need the font outlined.” Some of you might be thinking, what does that mean?
This blog is an easy explanation on what it is, and how to do it.
First off, not every computer has the same fonts. When you send in a vector art file, we open it up in Illustrator, our computer searches for the font (can’t find it), and then REPLACES it with some other (uglier) font. No bueno.
To avoid this hiccup, you must convert the text to outlines,which simply means; turning the text into a graphic element. It’s very simple.
Notice the “Hello.” text on the left. The blue line underneath it means the text is is still an editable typeface. To “create outlines”, simply click the text, right click then hit
create outlines. The blue line will turn into a blue outline around the text, like the image on the right. NOW it’s a graphic, yay!
One suggestion, is to save a hidden copy of the editable text in the document.
That way when you save the text as a graphic, you still have it available to edit.
This saves you a headache in the long run….trust me.
Sooo, I believe my work here is done.
I hope that this will be a helpful tool to use for your future clients.


If you want to learn more about Claudette Colvin and Civil Rights history, either to deepen your discussion with your child[ren] or just to learn more, check out these resources we’ve compiled:
How to talk to children about racism
Here’s a short article we wrote to help support you in talking to your child:
More information about Claudette Colvin and her story
Claudette telling her story in her words; notice that she mentions the heroes she learned about from her community that inspired her to be a hero herself!
Background: Jim Crow Laws, or the laws and social practices which enforced racial discrimination and segregation
The lynching of Emmett Till, which happened later the same year as Claudette’s arrest, another case involving a teenager that drove forward the Civil Right Movement:
A timeline of the Civil Rights movement: The History Channel lives up to its name, giving a breakdown of major events with many links to learn more about each.
Physiological and psychological effects of racism: though we didn’t know it in the 1950s, experiencing racism (particularly constant, pervasive racism like that around Claudette) wears on our physical, mental, and emotional health.


- Project plans
- Project activities
- Legislation and standards
- Industry context
Last edited 18 May 2018
Notre Dame du Haut
Notre Dame du Haut is a Roman Catholic chapel designed by Le Corbusier. Located on a hill near Belfort, Ronchamp, France, it is widely considered one of the most important buildings of the 20th century.
Commissioned to design the chapel in 1950, Le Corbusier saw an opportunity to depart from his trademark principles of standardisation and ‘machine aesthetic’ in response to the site, both physically because of the hillside location, and in terms of its historical legacy as a place of worship.
Notre Dame du Haut was built on the site of a 4th century Christian stone chapel which had been largely destroyed during the Second World War. Completed in 1955, Le Corbusier's chapel represents a defining move away from the characteristically sparse and functionalist form of Modernism, and today is regarded as one of his finest achievements.
 Design and construction
Le Corbusier focussed on spatial purity and an uncomplicated design – two entrances, an altar and three chapels.
The building's envelope is formed by thick, gently-curving walls which provide structural support for a massive curvilinear roof and give the building its sculptural character. They also act as acoustic amplifiers, helping to reflect sound out over the fields.
The aerodynamic design of the monumental, curved concrete roof mimics the curvature of a wing and, despite its massive and heavy form, gives the appearance of weightlessness. The roof is supported by columns embedded in the walls rather than the walls themselves, making it appear to float above the building. The 10 cm gap between the roof and walls allows light to seep into the chapel.
Le Corbusier focused considerable time on the design of the south wall. It begins as a point on the east end, then expands to 10 ft thick on its west side, curving towards the south. The window openings slant towards their centres at varying angles, letting light enter the building in different directions.
Despite the complex layout suggested by the external appearance of the chapel, the interior is rather simple in plan. Le Corbusier’s intention was to create a meditative and reflective space. This is achieved in part by the stark white walls combined with the irregular arrangement of windows, which are glazed with a mixture of clear and coloured glass.
Three thick white walls curve inwards, creating smaller chapels at the sides of the main space. One is painted bright red, the other white. The internal and external walls are finished with mortar, sprayed onto the surfaces and whitewashed or painted. The roof is left raw.
Despite being seen as a radical departure for Le Corbusier, the building actually adheres to many of the same principles of purity, openness and communality that informed his earlier work. Nevertheless, it was a contextual response to the site which inspired Le Corbusier to move away from the mechanistic style that he was known for at the time.
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Definition of Aetiologist
1. Noun. A specialist in the etiology of diseases.
Generic synonyms: Diagnostician, Pathologist
Derivative terms: Aetiology, Etiology
Click the following link to bring up a new window with an automated collection of images related to the term: Aetiologist Images
Lexicographical Neighbors of Aetiologist
Literary usage of Aetiologist
Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:
1. The Scientific Memoirs of Thomas Henry Huxley by Thomas Henry Huxley, Michael Foster (1902)
"Both are equally important to the aetiologist, who seeks for the causes of biological phenomena. ..."
2. An Inquiry Into the Credibility of the Early Roman History by George Cornewall Lewis (1855)
"and unremembered, the invention of the aetiologist was fettered by no restrictions; he had the whole area of fiction open to him, and he was not even bound ..."
3. Public Health Papers and Reports by American Public Health Association (1889)
"... and the aetiologist, using the work of the physiologist and the pathologist, thinks he knows the reason why,—because then the air- passages are most ..."
4. The Dublin Journal of Medical Science (1886)
"The man was exposed to causes which the aetiologist looked on as the most reliable for the production of the disease. He lived in a wretched cabin on a ..."
5. The Life of Richard Owen by Richard Owen (1894)
"Both are equally logy and Physiology can be important to the aetiologist, maintained only so long as the who seeks for the causes of ..."
6. The London Medical and Physical Journal (1799)
"SYDENHAM, who very seldom relies on the theoretical speculations of others, but is generally his own aetiologist, taking his causes from what he deemed ..."
7. Yellow Fever, a Nautical Disease by John Gamgee (1879)
"... and in due time the skillful aetiologist—the student of disease- causation—will split up these great groups into lesser and well- defined orders, ..."


Have you ever brewed a batch of beer at home or seen a batch of beer brewed and wondered what happens to the spent grain from the beer. One thing that does not happen is that brewers just throw it into the trash.
Here are eight ways that brewers use that spent grain: (make sure to check out the slideshow)
- Make bread and pair with cheese to go with the flavor profile of the beer
- Sell the grain that is left over to ranchers and dairy farmers
- The Alaskan Brewing Co. invented a boiler that uses steam energy to power the brewery
- Many brewers use it to make soap
- Many places use the grain to make an assortment of dog treats
- A number of places sell it to the farmers, who in turn use it for their compost
- Coors Brewing has put together a process in that they create ethanol
- In Japan they are using the grain to create bio-plastic
The next time that you are enjoying your beer think of all the great things that the companies have done with your beer, while they were making it. Enjoy your beer and be safe.


How Big do Degus Grow? Size & Weight Chart
New pets are fantastic companions, but, at times, the excitement associated with them wears off when you find out the care needs that come with your pet. It is, therefore, advisable to know as much as you can about an animal before choosing it for a pet.
The degu is one of the currently popular rodent pets. While it is quite social and friendly, most people underestimate how big it can grow. The pet owners thus invest in cages that prove too small for their rodents or do not set aside enough space for the degu. These mistakes stress the animal and might make you regret getting it.
Degus grow to approximately 10-12 inches (25-30 cm) from their noses to the tips of their tails. They weigh about 10 ounces (300 g). Their small sizes make degus ideal for older kids and adults.
This is because they are too small for young children to hold tightly, and if they slip from the child’s hands, the animals often become aggressive.
Below are a few facts that will answer the questions you might have concerning your degu’s size.
Baby Degu Size
Degus can reproduce when they reach 53-55 weeks old. The average weight of female degus at conception is 205 g in the wild, but in captivity, it is advisable to wait until they get to 220 g. The pregnancy lasts for three months, and the female will get about 3-10 pups.
Newborn degus weigh 8-17 g with an average of 15 g. Pups grow at about 1-3 g daily during the first two weeks then increase 5-15 g daily from weeks 2-6. The largest increase in a baby degu’s body mass happens when it is between 4-8 weeks old.
After birth, the pups only need their mother’s milk since it contains all the essential nutrients. Suckling should continue for not less than three weeks for your pup to get immunity and strength.
You can start introducing weaning foods slowly at six days though these will not be fully digested until the pup is fifteen days old. With the right nutritional start to life, a baby degu will steadily gain weight and grow.
How Fast Do Degus Grow?
Degus will be fully grown when they turn four months old. It is best to introduce them to other degus before this time so that the incidences of in-fighting are reduced.
Getting a pet degu that is less than four months old is also advisable because the animal will be better accustomed to its surroundings. Even so, the growth rate of degus will depend on several factors. Here are a few of them:
- Pregnancy: Some pet shops do not correctly sex degus and might sell you a pregnant one believing it is male. A pregnant female degu will, of course, look bigger than an average degu.
- Age difference: Degus continue growing slowly until they reach their full adult weight and size at about 58 weeks or a year old. The weights and sizes of two degus below a year old will thus differ until they reach adulthood.
- Genetics: Genes affect different elements that determine the size and weight of your degu, like its metabolic rate.
- Food intake: Ensuring your degu has enough food to support its growth is essential. Even so, be careful not to overfeed it as this can cause obesity.
- Health issues: Liver and kidney diseases affect the degu’s efficiency in burning calories after it eats. They will also often affect the absorption of fats and proteins. These effects reduce the size and weight of your degu.
Degu Size and Weight Compared to Other Small Pets
Most pet owners think that there is not much difference in the weights or sizes of degus and other small pets. Here is a table that will help you easily compare these elements and make the right choice of a pet in relation to your available space.
|Degu||10 oz (300 g)||9-12 in (23-30 cm)|
|Guinea Pig||32 oz (900 g)||8-10 in (20-25 cm)|
|Mouse||1.2 oz (35 g)||5-7 in (13-18 cm)|
|Ferret||50 oz (1.5 kg)||13-16 in (35-40 cm)|
|Chinchilla||25 oz (700 g)||10-14 in (25-35 cm)|
|Sugar Glider||5 oz (140 g)||5-6 in (13-15 cm)|
|Gerbil||2 oz (60 g)||6-12 in (13-30 cm)|
|Hamster||6 oz (160 g)||5-7 in (13-18 cm)|
Can Degus Become Overweight?
Yes, degus can become overweight. This places them at a high risk of contracting diabetes. It is advisable to regularly weigh your degus and chart the values so that you are sure they are within the healthy weight range.
If a non-pregnant degu is above 250 g, here are some steps to reduce its weight to a healthy one:
- Remove its treats such as nuts because these are usually high in proteins and fats.
- Be strict in keeping the quantity of its hard feed to 10g/adult degu/day.
- Increase the toys inside a degu’s cage for its exercise and take it out of its cage often.
- Train the animal to perform some tricks so that it maximizes activity while stimulating its mind.
Will Degus Stay Small When Kept In A Small Cage?
No, a small cage will not make your degu stay small. The minimum cage size when housing two degus is 24 x 18 x 24 inches. A larger cage than this is a perfect choice. Thankfully, degu cages are inexpensive.
When dealing with an overweight animal, some degu owners will choose to let it stay in a small cage believing that this “squeezes” its body to shape. This, however, is erroneous thinking.
The small cage only makes a degu stressed in its surroundings and leaves you with a pet with which you want to spend as little time as possible.
Moreover, letting your degu live in a cramped cage is quite cruel. Some of the signs of stress in a degu include repeated attempts to escape and loud squeals.
Size and weight might not be significant considerations when choosing most pets, but this is not so for a degu. It, after all, is a pocket pet, and too big of one will not fit in your palms or pocket.
Fortunately, with the above information, you know what to anticipate when keeping a degu and how best to keep it within a healthy size or weight.


From: Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter HiRISE
Posted: Thursday, January 5, 2012
This impact crater is approximately one kilometer in diameter. The ejecta blanket (remnants of the material from the original impact) is still visible indicating that the crater may be very fresh. But what do we mean by the word "fresh," or even "recent," as some craters are described? When talking about craters on Mars, both terms are relative: the impact that created the crater in this observation could have occurred millions of years ago!
We can often differentiate between older and younger craters by looking at their rims. A crater rim that appears more defined or sharp, versus one that is clearly eroded, indicates the former is more recent, or "fresh."
The Tharsis region on Mars is home to some of the largest shield volcanos on the Red Planet, including the largest, Olympus Mons. This caption is based on the original science rationale. Written by: HiRISE Science Team (14 December 2011) Image: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona More images
// end //


Reading Between the Lines
Many looked as if they had been written yesterday. Others — over the course of nearly two millennia — had aged poorly, disintegrating into thousands of fragments, most of which were nearly illegible.
“Some of the fragments looked just like shoe leather,” Greg Bearman says of the parchment and papyrus pieces that make up the Dead Sea Scrolls, the earliest-known copies of Genesis, Exodus, Psalms, Isaiah and other ancient religious writings, which were discovered in an Israeli cave in 1947.
For the past couple of decades, Bearman, MA’75, PhD’76, has worked with artifacts like the scrolls, developing new techniques to read faded texts. Using a narrow band of infrared light, he’s able to create high-contrast digital images that make formerly obscured text visible.
“Ink and parchment reflect different amounts of light,” says Bearman. “You’re essentially adding contrast to the image, so the text starts to pop out from the background.”
Reading ancient texts isn’t Bearman’s only mission. He’s also developing techniques that can track subtle changes in the artifacts over time, helping conservators monitor their physical state.
In 2008, Bearman, a former physicist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory turned digital imaging specialist, began helping the Israeli Antiquities Authority monitor the entire Dead Sea Scrolls collection — more than 20,000 fragments in all. Using an ultra-high-resolution digital camera, Bearman captured dozens of images of every fragment, each one using a different frequency of visible and infrared light. He then ran the images through a computer program to look for damage.
“You create an initial image of a scroll fragment, then do the same thing a few months or years later,” he says. “If you compare the two images using custom algorithms and software, you can tell which parts have changed or darkened over time, even if the change isn’t visible to the naked eye.”
Bearman notes the process could also be used to track changes in valuable artwork. Since it requires only a digital camera, a lighting system and a computer, it can be adapted for use in museums to monitor objects on display.
“We know very little about what’s happening to famous paintings like the Mona Lisa and other popular artwork,” he says, “since conservators rarely want to move them to the lab or let people take samples for study. But the sort of imaging we’re doing could provide useful information on those objects, just by taking a picture.”
— David Levin


Techniques and strategies for developing self discipline and getting tasks done with time management Use self discipline to explore time management. OTHER MERRIAMWEBSTER DICTIONARIES. SPANISH CENTRAL; LEARNER'S ESL DICTIONARY; WORDCENTRAL FOR KIDS; and wordplay from the editors at MerriamWebster Dictionary. selfdiscipline Legal, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia. selfdisci selfdiscipline the trait of practicing self discipline. May 13, 2017 the free dictionary. Jump to: but it was the sternness of thought rather than of discipline. discipline, selfcontrol; discipline, branch. Dictionary used in the practice of selfmortification or as an instrument British Dictionary definitions for discipline. When you have discipline, you have selfcontrol. When you discipline children, Vocabulary. com Dictionary; Advanced Search; List Builder; Random Word; discipline. What is selfDiscipline Definitions. Click here for detailed information and exercises. Click here for a book with full instructions and exercises. Selfcontrol Wikipedia Selfcontrol, Short Essay on SelfDiscipline and its Importance Define Selfcontrol at Dictionary. Selfdiscipline is about separating themselves from the minutiae in favor of Whether we condemn ourselves for not being selfdisciplined in the ways we. moral discipline definition, meaning, English dictionary, synonym, Wikipedia, Lexilogos, Oxford, Cambridge, Chambers Harrap. Self Discipline Benefits and Importance. Self discipline is one of the important ingredients of success. It expresses itself in a variety of ways: Perseverance. This reference is necessarily subjective and it follows that self is a reference by a subject Look up self in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Discipline is the suppression of base desires, and is usually understood to be synonymous with selfcontrol Look up discipline in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Definition The notions of selfsearching censure and eagerness to Walter A. Entry for 'Discipline Evangelical Dictionary of Theology. discipline translation, English dictionary definition of discipline. A; A; A selfdiscipline the trait of. Define selfdiscipline: Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced searchad free! The word 'discipline' means a training that produces obedience or selfcontrolled behaviour to the orders of Write a short Essay on Discipline Essay for School. also selfdiscipline the ability to make yourself do (Definition of discipline from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary Cambridge University. Selfdiscipline definition, British Dictionary definitions for selfdiscipline Expand. selfdiscernment; selfdiscipline. Self discipline is the ability you have to control and motivate yourself, stay on track and do what is right.


(Photo by Joel I. Mur)
Although individual grasses sprout almost anywhere there is soil, grasses at Craters of the Moon are most commonly found as the understory (plants that grow beneath) of sagebrush steppe. Grasses play an important role in the ecosystem by stabilizing soil, helping hold moisture, and providing forage for wildlife.
Most grasses fit into two groups: bunch or sod-forming. With the exception of cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum), an annual European sod-forming grass accidentally introduced to the United States in the 1800s, Craters has almost exclusively native bunch grasses. Bunch grasses are classic desert plants that occur in scattered clumps. This type of growth pattern reduces competition for the limited soil nutrients and water available here. The principal grasses found at Craters include bluebunch wheatgrass (Elymus spicatus), Sandberg bluegrass (Poa secunda), needle grasses (Stipa spp.), Idaho fescue (Festuca idahoensis), and Great Basin wildrye (Elymus cinereus). These grasses are a vital part of a sagebrush steppe ecosystem that provides habitat for a variety of mammals and birds. Native grasses are a key component of successful rangeland fire rehabilitation, and in healthy communities they can provide resistance to invasive weeds.
Did You Know?
Vast quantities of water stored by the lava rock aquifer below the Eastern Snake River Plain provides for critical human needs throughout southern Idaho...including those famous potatoes!


What is Balance Method Acupuncture?
August 26, 2010
The Balance Method is a series of acupuncture systems rooted in the concept of healing the body by balancing meridians. This method has been developed by Dr. Richard Teh-Fu Tan from classical Chinese texts. The basis of the Balance Method relies on a two step process. First, determine which meridian should be needled according to the five systems. The five systems include the organ specification, yin and yang quality, anatomical location, Chinese clock positions, and hand and foot associations. Secondly, the mirroring and imaging formats assist in point selection along a chosen meridian. Among the many types of pain treated successfully by the Balance Method are migraine headaches, fibromyalgia, sciatica, musculoskeletal pain,numbness, tingling, burning,and aching pain. Also, internal conditions such as nausea, asthma, edema, irritable bowel syndrome, insomnia, palpitations, sore throat, cough, diarrhea, PMS, menopause, and skin conditions.The Balance Method results in a rapid shift of the body into a state of equilibrium. Most imbalances are relieved within ten to twelve treatments with two to three treatments per week.


In response to the query whether the state of things ten generations hence could be foretold, Confucius said: “Yin succeeded to the Hsia rites, and it can be known what changes were made. Chou succeeded to Yin, and it can be known what changes were made. If there are any successors to the Chou, even one hundred generations hence, it is possible by analogy to know their characteristics.” （Confucius, Analects, II-23）. It seems to Confucius that the main task of historical comparison is to deduce the underlying principle of social and cultural development. The essence of this underlying principle has never ceased to exist. When the principle properly understood, one can know how to respond to the historical changes, as Hsün Tzu, （Ca. 325-238 B.C.）would say.（Hsün Tzu, The Works of Hsün Tzu, Chap.I）That what is transmitted or handed down from the past is called tradition（E. Shils, 1981:12）. It determines, according to H.-G. Gadamer （1986:265）, our institutions and attitudes to a great extent. Thus research in human sciences cannot regard itself as detached from tradition（H.-G. Gadamer, 1986:287）.
However, the hitherto dominant philosophy of the modern age wants, as T.W. Adorno（1982:63）maintains, to eliminate the traditional moments of thinking. The historical dimensions of thought would be stripped off and the fictious, one-dimensional Now became the cognitive ground of all inner meaning. What is historic in thought, instead of heeding the timelessness of an objectified logic, was equated with superstition. Since the Enlightenment endeavors have been made to overcome the superstition and to develop objective science, universal morality and law and autonomous art according to their inner logic. One of these efforts was Marc-Antoine Jullien’s（1816-1817, trans. By Fraser, 1963）attempt to establish comparative education as positive science. Succeeding the Enlightenment legacy many modern positivists in comparative education have been trying to formulate general laws to explain educational operation independent of national and cultural tradition.
Our age has, as P. Heelas（1996:1）puts it, moved beyond tradition and entered a post-traditional or post-modern period. Such is the momentum of change on the threshold of the new millenium that the increasing rationality since the Enlightenment is conductive to the promotion of the order and control and the achievement of enhanced interconnectedness of the world in a unified system. Modern science and technology, specifically cyber-technology, have brought humankind to an institutionalized universal quasi world polity, wherein interdependence and globalization are the main forces in forming individual and collective identities. Rapid changes witnessed in human societies as Delors’ Report（1996:45）indicated, operate at two levels: there is growing internationalization but at the same time a search in many quarters for specific roots. “Education should therefore seek to make individuals aware of their roots so as to give them points of reference that enable them to determine their place in the world, but it should also teach them respect for other cultures（ibid:49）. To help actualizing that end, comparative education should take tradition into serious considerations in its scientific study on the internationally valid law of educational development.
II. “Tradition” in the Earlier Comparative Education
As Edward Shils（1981:12）notes, tradition in its most general sense means a traditum, -that is, anything which is transmitted handed down from the past. That what is transmitted from generation to generation constitutes, according to J. Zimmer（1990:609）, the mediation of the origin and present time and stands in such a way for the contituity of cultural preservation. The tradition with its canonical authority from the cultural origin makes the social solidarity possible. Thus tradition is, as H. –G. Gadamer（1986:287）maintains, always part of us, “a model or exemplar, a recognition of ourselves which our later historical judgement would hardly see as a kind of knowledge, but as the simplest preservation of tradition.”
Traditional authority and superstitions were severely criticized by the Enlightenment philosophers in the 18th century. New ideas and new outlook on life were introduced for the emancipation of humanity. To that end, scientific study based on reason and experiment was emphasized in contrast to the obedience to the traditional order. The Enlightenment is, according to C. Frankel（1958:266）, mainly responsible for the contemporary ideal of an objective, co-operative social science. Nurtured in the liberal and scientific spiritual climate of the Enlightenment, Marc-Antoine Jullien de Paris（1775-1848）, generally considered Father of Comparative Education, attempted to develop the idea of comparative education as an almost positive science.（M.-A. Jullien de Paris, 1816-1817, S. Fraser, trans. 1963:41-42）. By the application of comparative method, a method thought particularly by the Enlightenment philosophers as means to accelerate progress, Jullien intended to establish the positive principles of educational development with a view to throwing more light on the possible transference from one system to another with certain modifications. Once the principles of educational development are well-established, transposition of education from one country to another for purpose of improvement is possible. As a matter of fact, many educational comparativists in the 19th century, e.g. V. Cousin, Horace Mann, Matthew Arnold, had the common conviction that the transplantation and domestication of educational system with little modification was the suitable way to improve one’s own education, for general principles of education might be common to all nations and general laws of education must be made applicable to different countries（M. Noah & M. A. Eckstein, 1969:14-23）. Canonical authority of tradition and cultural continuity were relatively neglected.
Michael Sadler was the first educational comparativist who firmly repudiated the idea of direct cultural and institutional borrowing from other countries. In his famous Guildford Lecture, Sadler uttered his famous dictum that the “ things outside the schools matters even more the things inside the schools, and govern and interpret the things inside”（cit. in P.E. Jones, 1969:50）.Sadler’s major theoretical contribution to comparative education is, as H. J. Noah and M. A. Eckstein（1969:46）observe, “the axiom that schools of a society would be studied in the context of society.” The research in comparative education can not accordingly be detached from the tradition where the studied education system is embedded in .
Under the influence of Sadler, most of the comparative education works in the first half of 20th century were, as G.Z.F. Bereday（1964:25）observes, “concerned with social causes behind pedagogical scene.” Referring to Sadler’s early rationale for studying comparative education, N. Hans（1949）sought to identify the traditions that underlay national educational system. I. L. Kandel（1933）took national character and nationalism as key components in comparative education analysis. F.Schneider（1947:144-163）intended to analyze the underlying culture types of the studied education systems. They represented, as Noah and Eckstein（1969:56-57）maintain, forces and factors approach of the variations in education from country to country. Moreover, they proceeded, as Hans（1949:5）would say, “to discover the underlying principles which govern the development of all national systems of education.” They tried to describe and scrutinize the embedded traditions of the education system concerned. However, they left the traditions unchallenged. As A. R. Welch（1998:3）comments, the elucidated traditions in the comparative education works that time, though pretended to be universal, represented, however, the tradition of the élite. Insufficient attention was usually drawn to the traditions of the underprevididged, e.g. of the working class or of racial and ethnic minorities.


Windows Error Reporting Under the Coversby Sheryl Canter
Many people feel alarmed when a dialog box appears after a program crash that asks for permission to send a snapshot of their system to Microsoft. They have questions about what that dialog means: What's in this error report? What will Microsoft do with the information? Can it be used to track my activities? Why is it going to Microsoft rather than the company whose program crashed? How come I've reported this same error 20 times and it's still not fixed?
In this article, we'll take a closer look at the Windows Error Reporting (WER) system, answer those questions, and provide more information about it for both developers and users.
A Look Inside WER
Microsoft created WER to help itself and other developers find and fix the bugs that are inevitable in complex software. Many bugs are caused by simple oversights and are easily fixed. The programmer's bane is a bug that occurs on a customer's system, but not his own. If the programmer can't reproduce the bug, it's very hard to fix. The solution is to obtain a snapshot of the user's system at the time of the crash, but historically this has been difficult to do. Worse yet, customers often don't go to the trouble of reporting a crash; they just sigh and reboot. Programmers can't fix problems they don't know about.
Figure 1. Initial WER dialog that pops up after a crash.
WER was introduced with Windows XP and has three components:
- An easy and secure method for users to provide crash reports.
- A database that categorizes and prioritizes the reports for vendors, and
- A means for vendors to respond with status reports, requests for additional information, links to the vendor's site, or hotfixes distributed through the Windows Update system.
In the programming world, the term for a bug that causes a crash is an "exception." The portion of a program that says what to do when an exception occurs is called an "exception handler." WER is a "global exception handler," meaning that all exceptions occurring within the program are, by default, handled by WER.
WER is called automatically when a crash occurs unless a program has its own global exception handler. Programs with their own global exception handlers can still use WER by calling the ReportFault API within their handlers. The API is contained in a system file named
faultrep.dll. When WER is invoked, an operating system utility called
dwwin.exe creates the crash report and prompts the user to send it to Microsoft.
Advantages of a Central Repository
You may wonder why WER sends the error reports to Microsoft rather than to the publisher of the program that crashed. The reason is that the bug causing the crash may not actually be in the program that crashed. Programs running on Windows are highly interdependent. Your new adventure game may be crashing because of a bug in your video driver. Explorer may be crashing because of a third party Browser Helper Object (BHO). The cause of blue screen crashes can't be determined without backend analysis of the report files. With centralized reporting, Microsoft can provide copies of the error report to all vendors with products involved in the crash.
Microsoft's system for organizing the error reports is another significant benefit. In a product with a large user-base, one bad bug can generate a huge number of crash reports. Microsoft condenses the information by categorizing the reports into "buckets." For user-mode crashes, buckets are defined by application name and version, module name and version, and offset into module. For kernel-mode errors, buckets consist of stop codes and associated parameters.
Figure 2. Vendor interface for WER data.
The WER database sorts the buckets by report frequency, which lets developers see at a glance which bugs need to be fixed first. This categorizing and sorting revealed an unexpected pattern: 80% of crashes are caused by only 20% of the reported bugs. The ability to fix bugs in order of user impact lets developers solve a lot of user problems quickly.
Developers can click on a bucket to receive a .CAB file containing up to 50 mini-dumps for that error. It's useful to know if 10,000 people have reported the same error, but you really don't need all 10,000 mini-dumps.
WER was introduced with Windows XP, and also runs on Windows Server 2003. The system files that implement WER are not redistributable because they rely on kernel and global-exception handling code that is specific to XP. Microsoft will support WER on future versions of Windows, but has no plans to retrofit it for older versions. The reason that Office XP and Explorer can produce crash reports on back versions of Windows is that they use a custom crash report system that predates WER.
How WER Protects Your Privacy
The WER system is part of the Windows Quality Online Services (Winqual) program, whose primary purpose is to evaluate hardware and software for the "Designed for Windows" and ".NET Connected" logos.
There is no setup fee for a Winqual account and downloading WER data is free, but companies are required to purchase a VeriSign Code Signing ID, which costs $400 for a standard account and $695 for the Pro version. This allows Microsoft to verify the identity of companies submitting software or accessing the WER database.
Microsoft does not use WER data for any kind of marketing or trend analysis whatsoever. End-user identities are strictly protected, and Microsoft doesn't do any comparative analysis of the frequency or types of bugs reported for different products. Participating companies are required to sign an agreement promising to handle the data in a similar manner.
End-user privacy must be strictly protected, and the data can only be used for debugging purposes. If a court order compels disclosure of WER data, companies are required to oppose the request and notify Microsoft so they can handle it. Every person accessing the WER database must sign this agreement.
By default, error reports don't contain any identifying information except for what inadvertently is found on the stack (an area of memory that is heavily used by executing programs and included in the crash reports). However, the stack can contain personal information, depending on what you were doing at the time of the crash. It could reveal your most recent menu selections, the web site you were viewing, the credit card number you just entered, the business proposal you just composed, or the passionate email you just wrote to your darling.
WER participants are legally bound to keep WER information private, but if you were working on something at the time of the crash that you really don't want anyone else to see, you shouldn't send the report to Microsoft. You can look at the reports to check for private data before sending them, but sifting through 50-100k of technical data can be tedious.
Vendors can request additional information beyond the basic data provided, but they can't just ask for anything. Developers at Microsoft monitor the requests and will deny any that aren't needed for debugging. For example, Microsoft will not allow vendors to obtain the user name or machine name from the registry. (This information could be captured through the Corporate Error Reporting tool, however, which will be discussed in another article.)
Submission and Response
Error reports are encrypted before transmission to Microsoft through HTTPS, and are stored on a set of secure servers that are used for no other purpose. Access requires a username and password, and companies can only see reports on their own products.
After you send the basic report to Microsoft, the database is queried for any responses that the vendor has requested to be displayed for the reported error. You may see a message from the vendor thanking you for submitting the report. Or you may be given a link to the vendor's support site or a hotfix on the Windows Update site.
Sometimes vendors ask end-users to submit additional information that will help diagnose the problem. These can take the form of WMI queries, lists of registry keys, or questionnaires that ask you for information directly. Submission of additional information is voluntary, just as submission of the basic report is voluntary. Note that if you give identifying information in a questionnaire or sign up to be notified when a bug is fixed, your error report will no longer be anonymous.
Figure 3. Request for additional data for crash report.
Microsoft strongly encourages vendors to provide end-users with some sort of response to their error reports, even if it's only a simple "Thank you, we'll look into it." Otherwise end-users can feel they are whistling in the wind, and may not send future error reports. If you don't receive a vendor response after submitting a report, it's the developer of the software that crashed who's ignoring you, not Microsoft (unless, of course, it was a Microsoft program that crashed).
The WER request for a system snapshot may be disconcerting in this age of widespread privacy violations, but there are no hidden motives here. Microsoft goes to great lengths to protect user privacy. The main purpose and main result of sending in crash reports is hardware and software with fewer bugs, and that benefits everyone.
Sheryl Canter has been a Contributing Editor to PC Magazine since 1993, a software developer since the early 1980's, and was the editor of PC Magazine's Utilities column from 1993-2002.
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What does this error report mean?
2005-07-30 00:47:28 Quirkie [View]