“Irish troops found themselves besieged at Jadotville because Conor Cruise O’Brien ordered UN troops to seize Katangan positions in Elisabethville.”
In September 1961 Noel Carey was a 24-year-old lieutenant, Gorman a wide-eyed 17-year-old private, part of an Irish contingent of United Nations peacekeepers deployed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to stop the country descending into chaos. Even at a distance of 55 years, their voices crack with emotion as they recall how their mission turned into a battle for survival in what was Ireland’s first ever international military deployment.
What unfolded over five days in Jadotville is a little-known but astonishing story of heroism and against-all-odds soldiering, a feat of indefatigable courage.
The Congo, like many African countries in the years after the Second World War, had turned against its European ruler, Belgium, and declared independence in 1960. The new government was ill-prepared for its new role and the UN Security Council set up the UN Operation in the Congo to support it. Amid the chaos, Moise Tshombe, a Christian and anti-communist politician, supported by some Europeans, declared the resource-rich province of Katanga independent of the DRC. The UN forces found themselves party to a civil war between the central government and Katanga, which was also supported by Rhodesia and South Africa.
As part of the UN mission, Noel Carey and John Gorman’s “A” Company of the Irish Army’s 35th Infantry Battalion was dispatched to Jadotville, a strategic, mineral-rich town in Katanga, with orders to protect the mainly Belgian settlers.
The UN forces were largely based in the provincial capital of Elisabethville, 80 miles south-east of Jadotville, and initially the Irish were deployed to that city’s airport. In a move that has never been explained, two companies of UN peacekeepers—one Swedish and one Irish—had been hastily withdrawn from Jadotville, days before “A” Company was sent in.
What seemed like a simple mission, ended up in a desperate life or death fight, pitting the Irish against a well-armed enemy, which consisted of Katangan troops supported by European mercenaries and settlers who outnumbered them 20 to one.
Commandant Pat Quinlan, the wily, blunt, pipe-smoking officer in charge of “A” Company noted the deep levels of hostility to his men in Jadotville and began to organise a robust defensive perimeter around their base. The 42-year-old officer ordered his men to dig 1.5-metre-deep trenches, stockpile water and carry their guns at all times.
His instincts were correct; while most of his men were at mass on 13 September, the Katangans attacked, probably with the aim of taking the Irish as prisoners and using them as leverage in negotiations with the UN.
The Katangans attacked after other UN forces seized Katangan positions in Elisabethville, a planned operation, which had inexplicably been kept secret from Quinlan by the UN command. The Katangans had also taken a key river crossing that meant the Irish were completely trapped. The Irish were lightly armed, with 60mm mortars, Vickers machine guns, shoulder-fired anti-tank guns and Bren light machine guns. They had one truck, two jeeps and only intermittent radio communications. The Katangans had artillery and air support in a single Fouga Magister training jet.
The Irish were hit by mortars and heavy machine gunfire and strafed by the Fouga jet. The same airplane later dropped bombs, damaging the Irish vehicles and buildings. The Katangans attacked and were driven back again and again but they were getting closer to the Irish positions, but Pat Quinlan was a master tactician.
Quinlan negotiated a series of ceasefires with the Belgian mayor of Jadotville to create time for the arrival of reinforcements or supplies. A Norwegian pilot flew his helicopter in with water, which turned out to be contaminated but that was the UN’s last attempt to help the Irish. The Katangans continued to breach the ceasefire and without water and ammunition, the Irish had no choice but to surrender. They had killed 300 of their attackers and five Irish soldiers were wounded. The Irish feared for their lives after the damage they had done to their enemy but they were only held for five weeks before the UN could negotiate their release, and returned home in December.
There was to be no hero’s welcome. The surrender of “A” Company was seen by some as a national embarrassment which overshadowed the men’s courage and competence. The treatment of the Jadotville troops infuriated the soldiers and their families and led to a decades-long fight to recognise the importance of the battle. Jadotville was swept under the carpet. Anyone who was there was made to feel like they couldn’t talk about it. There was shame associated with it. The men should have been heroes, instead they were subject to humiliation and in some cases abuse for their involvement.
Quinlan, from Waterville, Co Kerry, died in 1997, aged 78, with his achievement still unrecognised. In Jadotville, he was supported by a close-knit group of officers and NCOs who ensured that “A” Company stuck together during the siege.
A commemorative stone recognising the soldiers of “A” Company was erected on the grounds of Custume Barracks in Athlone in 2005. A commissioned portrait of Quinlan was installed in the Congo Room of the Irish Defence Forces’ UN School.
In October 2017 a plaque commemorating Quinlan was unveiled in his native County Kerry, by former Taoiseach Enda Kenny. The decision of the state to honour the soldiers of Jadotville or their next of kin was one of the last decisions taken by Enda Kenny before he retired as Taoiseach in June 2017. On 2 December 2017, the soldiers and families of deceased members of the infantry were presented with special medals in Athlone. Minister of State for Defence Paul Kehoe presented An Bonn Jadotville to members of the ‘A Company’. The word ‘Jadotville’ is depicted on the clasp of the medal and the medal ribbon represents a combination of an Irish tricolour and the United Nations Operation in Congo mission medal. The word ‘Jadotville’ is depicted on the clasp of the medal and the medal ribbon represents a combination of an Irish tricolour and the United Nations Operation in Congo mission medal. Speaking in relation to the medal design, Kehoe said, “I would like to draw your attention to the words on the medal that you will soon receive. The words state ‘cosaint chalma’ (which means “valiant defence”) and ‘misneach’ (which means ‘courage’).
Declan Power’s history, The Siege at Jadotville: The Irish Army’s Forgotten Battle (2005), was adapted as the film, The Siege of Jadotville (2016). The cast includes Jamie Dornan and Mark Strong, and the movie had a “well received” premier at the 2016 Galway Film Festival. It had a limited cinematic release in September 2016, and worldwide release on Netflix, on 7 October 2016. Michael Kennedy, a military and diplomatic historian and author of Ireland, the United Nations and the Congo, provided some historical guidance for the movie’s script. He says: “Quinlan and his men helped to shape Ireland’s reputation today for providing well-trained, respected and, above all, resilient United Nations peacekeepers. At Jadotville, the Irish, with a small unit under very competent leadership, resisted a much larger, battle-hardened force and showed their ability and professionalism in Ireland’s first ever peacekeeping mission.
Featured Image | Comdt. Pat Quinlan in Jadotville, just days before the siege began, on 10 Sept 10, 1961, Courtesy of Leo Quinlan
Image | Comdt. Pat Quinlan, far left, poses with soldiers of A Company, 35th Infantry Battalion, in Elisabethville, before the siege | Courtesy of Leo Quinlan
Image | An Bonn Jadotville | Courtesy of Richard Chambers


William Thomas Lopp was born June 21, 1864 to Jacob C. and Lucinda Trotter Lopp in Harrison County, Indiana. He worked for six years as a teacher and principal in various Indiana schools, and was a superintendent and elder in the Presbyterian Church. He earned a B.A. at Indiana’s Hanover College in 1888.
In July 1890 Lopp arrived at Cape Prince of Wales, Alaska to teach at a mission school. Here he met Ellen Louise Kittredge, another trained teacher, and they married in 1892. Both dedicated themselves to learning the Eskimo languages and to understanding Eskimo lifeways. Seeing that Eskimo food sources were endangered by the encroachments of the burgeoning American and Canadian fishing industry, Lopp promoted reindeer herding among the native Alaskans as an alternative means of subsistence. In 1892 reindeer were brought over from Siberia and a Reindeer Station was established, of which Lopp was superintendent. He became known to the native whalers and fishermen of Alaska as the "Reindeer Man" and "Tomgorah," meaning "Tom-the-good-man."
In 1902 the Lopp family relocated to Seattle, although Lopp traveled between Seattle, Alaska and Washington D.C., working to improve the lives of Alaskan natives. He became superintendent of government schools (Native) and reindeer, northern district, of Alaska in 1904, and left that post in 1909. In 1910 he became chief of the Alaska division of the U.S. Bureau of Education, a post he held until 1923, after which he was superintendent of education of Natives of Alaska for two years. In 1925 he became a reindeer expert for Hudson’s Bay Company. In 1936, Lopp conducted a survey of the native Alaskan reindeer industry for the Indian Rights Association.
Throughout his years working with native Alaskans Lopp encouraged them to follow and care for the growing reindeer herds, assuring them and their children adequate food, clothing, and income. He developed the "endless chain" system of apprenticing young Eskimos to older reindeer herders and then giving the younger men a percentage of the increased herd. During his career Lopp established sixty-six schools, five hospitals and sanitation systems, and increased prosperity in the coastal villages of northern Alaska. William Thomas Lopp died on April 10, 1939, survived by his wife Ellen and eight children.
The collection contains materials relating to William Thomas Lopp's experiences on the Alaskan frontier. The collection is divided into six series: Journals (1893-1936), Correspondence (1893-1939), Manuscripts, Subject Files, Printed Material, and Photographs.
Journals comprises notes from overland journeys and explorations.
Correspondence is divided into three subseries: General; Personal; and Eskimo letters. General correspondence is arranged chronologically, as is the series of personal correspondence.
Manuscripts contains Lopp’s notes for and drafts of various articles and publications. Of note within this section is the Log of the Overland Relief Expedition upon which Lopp's book, The Great Reindeer Drive, was based.
Subject Files contains correspondence and notes relating to the Indian Rights Association and the Hudson’s Bay Reindeer Investigation. There is also documentation, in the form of correspondence, documents and newspaper clippings, of the Lomen Controversy. (The Lomens were a powerful family who cheated the Indians of Alaska out of their land and reindeer herd rights.) This section also contains a folder of notes and memoranda on reindeer and another with notes on Eskimo language.
Printed Material includes newspaper clippings, newsletters, publications of the Commissioner of Education (Alaska office), reports of the governor of Alaska, a National Geographic article (“Reindeer in Alaska”), and various government documents. Reindeer herding figures can be found in the publications from the Alaska Office of the Commissioner of Education and reports from the Governor of Alaska.
The Photographs contains Lopp's collection of photographs of predominately Eskimo scenes, portraits and Alaskan landscapes also depicts Alaskan coastal life.
Restrictions on Access :
Collection is open to the public.
Collection must be used in Special Collections & University Archives Reading Room.Restrictions on Use :
Property rights reside with Special Collections & University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries. Copyright resides with the creators of the documents or their heirs. All requests for permission to publish collection materials must be submitted to Special Collections & University Archives. The reader must also obtain permission of the copyright holder.
Archival may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal and/or state right to privacy laws and other regulations.
Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g. a cause of action for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which the University of Oregon assumes no responsibility.
If a researcher finds sensitive personal information in a collection, please bring it to the attention of the reading room staff.Preferred Citation :
[Identification of item], William Thomas Lopp Papers, Ax 058, Special Collections & University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries, Eugene, Oregon.
Collection is organized into the following series: Journals; Correspondence; Manuscripts; Subject Files; Printed Material; and Photographs.
Detailed Description of the Collection


Google has filed a patent for a smartwatch that can take a small sample of your blood without the use of needles, and it could help diabetics more easily monitor their blood glucose levels throughout the day.
Currently, diabetics need to perform a finger prick and use a blood glucose meter multiple times a day to make sure their insulin levels are under control.
But based on the limited information we have so far, Google's new smartwatch-like device looks poised to replace that system with something less painful and more automatic.
Given that the invention is still in the patent phase, Google is remaining tight-lipped about exactly how the device works, what it might be used for, or even when or if it'll get made. But it has provided a little bit of insight into the process.
The patent application reveals that the device first sends an 'abrupt surge' of gas into a barrel containing a microparticle, which then punctures the skin to produce a small drop of blood.
This droplet is then sucked into a negative pressure barrel, where it can be used for further testing. "Such an application might be used to draw a small amount of blood, for example, for a glucose test," Google writes in the application.
From the diagrams released with the patent, it looks like the device is a little tube that's stored in the chunky watch-like device you can see above (hello, '80s design) and is then removed and used when the patient's blood needs to be taken.
Although diabetics aren't specifically mentioned in the patent, it doesn't take a tech expert to read between the lines and get an idea of the intended target market. And it's also not the first time that Google has actively targeted diabetics with its inventions.
Just last year, a research team at Google Life Sciences announced that it was developing 'smart' contact lenses that will be able to monitor blood glucose levels, and another group is working on disposable, bandage-sized glucose monitors.
It's a pretty sensible business move for the company, with one in three US adults projected to have diabetes by 2050 if current trends continue, according to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Of course, just because Google has patented an idea, doesn't mean anything is going to come of it anytime soon. The tech company told The Verge:
"We hold patents on a variety of ideas - some of those ideas later mature into real products or services, some don't. Prospective product announcements should not necessarily be inferred from our patents."
But we can't help but hope this device makes it to market, because a faster and more painless way to monitor blood levels would make a whole lot of peoples' lives easier.


Portland Fire Department emphasizing the importance of fire safety in the kitchenUPDATED 7:50 AM EDT Oct 26, 2013Video Transcript
LAST YEAR, THE PORTLAND FIRE DEPARTMENT RESPONDED TO MORE THAN TWO HUNDRED COOKING FIRES THAT COULD HAVE SPREAD FROM THE KITCHEN TO THE REST OF THE HOME. TODAY THE PORTLAND FIRE DEPARTMENT IS EMPHASISING THE IMPORTANCE OF COOKING SAFETY WITH SEVERAL OPEN HOUSES AT FIRE STATIONS ACROSS THE CITY. W-M-T-W NEWS 8'S KATIE THOMPSON IS LIVE IN PORTLAND WITH MORE. GOOD MORNING KATIE! -Stay in the kitchen when frying, grilling, broiling or boiling food. -Turn off stove if you leave the room. -Check food regularly, stay in the home and use a timer to remind you. -Keep children 3 feet from stove. -If possible, use stove's back burners when children are around. -Wear tight fighting sleeves while cooking. -Keep potholders, oven mitts and anything that can burn away from stovetop. -Clean food and grease from burners and stovetops.


Typography is no longer the specialist domain of the typesetter: these days anyone who uses a computer has access to a wide range of typefaces and effects. This book offers an introduction to the basics of typography, including choosing which typeface to use; adjusting letter-, line-, and word-spacing for improved legibility; understanding kerning and leading; and mastering typographic details, such as italics, punctuation, and line endings. The book is illustrated throughout with practical examples demonstrating good and bad solutions. There are tips for specific design tasks, such as letters, charts, tables, and design for the screen, and a glossary explaining typographic terms.
Dimensions: 6.75″ x 9.75″ (inches)


2nd Grade Has Great Character
Our second grade students are learning a lot about relating to others in a positive way. Through music, Mrs. Lester and student teacher, Mr.Jones helped us learn about many of the things that create Good Character. The song, Pass it On helped us learn about respecting others and others will respect you. We learned the importance of encouraging others to do their best in a fun way with a lively tune called, High Five Hand Jive. Let My Love Be Your Umbrella cheers up friends who are feeling low. Don't Drop The Ball was a tuneful lesson in the importance of supporting each other and "being there" when your friends are having a bad day.
We enjoyed learning songs that teach a lesson that will help us for years and years to come. Great character is in abundance among our students. We are so very proud of their performance and everyone had a wonderful time. Character counts!


EPA to Propose Regulating Greenhouse Gas Emissions
The Environmental Protection Agency today plans to propose regulating greenhouse gas emissions on the grounds that these pollutants pose a danger to the public's health and welfare, according to several sources who asked not to be identified.
The move, coming almost exactly two years after the Supreme Court ordered the agency to examine whether emissions linked to climate change should be curbed under the Clean Air Act, would mark a major shift in the federal government's approach to global warming.
Former President George W. Bush and his deputies opposed putting mandatory limits on carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases for years on the grounds that it would harm the economy; Congress is considering legislation that would do so but it remains unclear whether it can pass the proposal and enact it into law in the near future.
Late last month EPA sent the White House a formal finding that greenhouse gases endanger public health and welfare; the Office of Management and Budget signed off on the determination Monday.
When reached this morning, EPA spokesman Allyn Brooks-LaSure declined to comment on the matter.
President Obama pledged to limit greenhouse gases as a candidate, but has urged Congress to send him a bill that would cap them and allow emitters to trade pollution allowances nationwide. EPA administrator Lisa P. Jackson, in a speech at the Aspen Environment Forum last month, emphasized that the administration still hopes the country will develop a legislative answer to the question of how best to limit greenhouse gases.
"The best solution, and I believe this in my heart, is to work with Congress to form and pass comprehensive legislation to deal with climate change," Jackson said. " We hope to avert a regulatory thicket where governments and businesses spend an inordinate amount of time fighting. We are not looking for a doomsday solution."
According to a congressional aide who's been briefed on EPA's proposal, the agency indicates its preference for legislative action in the finding itself. But the endangerment finding also makes a broader case that the U.S. must act to limit greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, according to the aide, saying the science underlying its determination is "compelling and overwhelming."
The agency also is planning to include a "cause or contribute" finding for cars, which implies that not only are greenhouse gases dangerous in general, but that such emissions from cars and trucks are reasonably likely to contribute to climate change.
Some business groups, such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, have warned that if the federal government regulates carbon dioxide under the Clean Air Act it will end up imposing an enormous regulatory burden on small operations such as individual stores and even some office buildings.
EPA must hold a 60-day public comment period before finalizing its finding, and it would then have to look at regulating individual sectors of the economy, such as motor vehicles and power plants. Those two sectors account for roughly half of the nation's carbon dioxide emissions.
In a teleconference with reporters this week David Doniger, policy director for the Natural Resources Defense Council's climate center, said he did not think the agency would target small emitters of greenhouse gases if it began regulating emissions under the nearly 40-year old Clean Air Act.
"That is just not true," said Doniger. "EPA is able to focus on the big stuff, the big sources of global warming pollution."
Even before the formal announcement, experts predicted the decision would transform the federal government's role in regulating commercial operations across the country. Roger Martella, who served as EPA's general counsel under Bush and is now a partner at the firm Sidley Austin in Washington, issued a statement saying, "The proposed endangerment finding marks the official beginning of an era of controlling carbon in the United States."
"This means that EPA's mission of environmental protection will burst outside those bounds and place it on the stage as one of the most influential regulators of both energy use and the greater economy in the upcoming year," Martella added. "The proposal, once finalized, will give EPA far more responsibility than addressing climate change. It effectively will assign EPA broad authority over the use and control of energy, in turn authorizing it to regulate virtually every sector of the economy."
Many opponents of regulating carbon dioxide will now turn their attention to Congress, hoping to achieve a more modest cap on greenhouse gases through the legislative process than one that could be imposed by the federal government.
Fred Singer, who heads the Arlington, Va.-based Science and Environmental Policy Project and has repeatedly questioned the idea that humans contribute to climate change, said in a statement that the EPA proposal "is based on shoddy science and would impose a huge economic burden on American households . . . Congress must stop this unwarranted action by means of legislation, but without committing the same errors as EPA."


Folktales and Reality: The Social Construction of Race in Chinese Tales
This paper illustrates how folktales are a repository of primary material for the geographer. Using the example of The Strange Tales of Liaozhai, we discuss how these tales are not purely fictive constructs but constitute instead fictive, historical and projected realities. As an example of the value of such analysis, we discuss Chinese constructions of race as revealed in the tales.
Asian Studies | Human Geography | Race, Ethnicity and Post-Colonial Studies
Kong, Lily, & Goh, Elaine.(1995). Folktales and Reality: The Social Construction of Race in Chinese Tales. Area, 27(3), 261-267.
Available at: http://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/1719


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Israel's Flag Quiz/Printout
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This flag was designed for the Zionist movement by David Wolfsohn (1856-1914), a Zionist leader from Lithuania. The flag was was first flown at the First Zionist Congress in Basel, Switzerland, in 1897. Israel came into existence in November 1947, following a UN resolution on British-ruled Palestine (resolution 181). The State of Israel was proclaimed in Tel Aviv on May 14, 1948.
1. What colors are in Israel's flag?____________________________
2. When was this flag adopted as the flag of Israel? ____________________________
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4. When was the State of Israel proclaimed? ____________________________
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He was one of the most reviled and divisive kings in English history.
And, more than 500 years since he was hacked to death on a British battlefield, he is continuing to split opinion.
In one corner are the descendants of Richard III, whose bones were discovered under a car park in Leicester, England, last year.
Opposing them is the University of Leicester, who led the mission to find, exhume and identify Richard’s remains – hailed as one of the most remarkable archaeological discoveries in English history.
The university had obtained permission to reinter the king at the cathedral in Leicester, which is close to where he died in Bosworth in 1485.
But in a ruling on Friday (Aug 16) High Court Judge Charles Haddon-Cave said there should have been wider consultation about the burial plan. He then granted permission to the Plantagenet Alliance, a group of descendants and enthusiasts who want to bury him near York, to initiate a judicial review into the issue. They argue he should be buried in the northern English city because that was where he had close links to during his life.
The judge wrote: “The archaeological discovery of the mortal remains of a former king of England after 500 years is without precedent.
“I would, however, urge the parties to avoid embarking on the (legal) Wars of the Roses Part 2. In my view, it would be unseemly, undignified and unedifying to have a legal
tussle over these royal remains.”
Richard, depicted by William Shakespeare as a deformed tyrant who murdered his two young nephews to strengthen his grip on power, died during the War of the Roses. The 30-year civil war was a dynastic power struggle between two rival Plantagenet factions. Richard’s death ended Plantagenet rule and heralded the start of the Tudor era under King Henry VII.


New research has been announced to suggest that rather than the scary-ass, reptile looking dinosaurs you used to shit yourself about when you watched Jurassic Park, loads of different types of dinosaurs may have actually been fuzzy and feathered like birds.
Remember in Jurassic Park when the raptors get into the kitchen and they have turn the handle with their CLAW HANDS and the scientists are like ‘HOW DID THEY DO THAT?!’ and the raptors just don’t give a shit and start hunting those kids and like, totally subverting the hunter/animal dynamic and you just lost your shit?
Well imagine instead it’s a fuzzy, feathered raptor that looks more like a big beanie baby, except it would be totally inappropriate to sell this version to children on account of the spikey death hands.
Palaeontologists have deduced that there is a possibility that a whole bunch of different dinosaurs were ‘fuzzy’ and therefore a lot more adorable. This is due to a set of remains being discovered (pictured above) of species previously assumed to be featherless, with clear evidence of feathers. In Palaeontology circles that means shit just got blown wide open! Because of this Palaeontologists are saying that a whole bunch of other dinosaurs they assumed were scaly and weird, could also have had feathers. It’s even looking likely that a Tyrannosaur Rex could have been a cosy, warm, killing machine and old favourites like the stegosaurus might have been chilling permanently in winter jackets.
The dinosaur that the remains belong to is a type called Sciurumimus albersdoerferi, which sounds like a spell from Harry Potter or a Ukrainian builders last name. The first part of them name, Sciurumimus actually means ‘Squirrel Mimic,’ because the remains suggest this creature had a big bushy tail just like a squirrel. Hyde Park would be a lot more fun if these things were running around with their bushy tails scaring the shit out of people walking their dogs. Although instead of burying nuts it would probably be the mutilated corpses of children, so there’s always a downside.
Now I don’t know how they figure this stuff out from 150 million year old skeletons but sometimes I think the world is so sick you just don’t know what to say. One day CERN are finding the Higgs Boson particle and then the next people are announcing that dinosaurs looked more like this.


Theresa May defends her government saying they are serious about improving the environment. The plan spans 151 pages and pledges to “show leadership on conservation, climate change, land use, sustainable global food supplies and marine health.
“A Green Future: Our 25 Year Plan to Improve the Environment” sets out how over the next quarter of a century the government will achieve:
- Clean air.
- Clean and plentiful water.
- Thriving plants and wildlife.
Chapter 4: Increasing resources efficiency and reducing pollution and waste
2. iii Publishing a Chemicals Strategy
2.iv Minimising the risk of chemical contamination in our water. …. Chemicals get into our water
via a wide range of sources, including water treatment plants, use of agricultural pesticides,
abandoned infrastructure such as mines, atmospheric deposition and road runoff. We want to
tackle risks from chemical contaminants in English waters, including groundwater, and make sure
that levels of contaminants entering fresh water bodies (which may be transported to coats and
seas) neither increase nor give rise to pollution. . . As well as source control mechanisms actions
to manage prioritised substances will range from environmental interventions around pathways-to-
the-water environment; point source controls; and taking no further action where controls already
exist that can address concerns.
5. Using resources from nature more sustainably and efficiently.
6. Enhanced beauty, heritage and engagement with the natural environment.
“In addition, we will manage pressures on the environment by:
7. Mitigating and adapting to climate change.
8. Minimising waste.
9. Managing exposure to chemicals.
Chapter 6: Protecting and improving our global environment
3.ii Protecting and managing risk from hazards – We will develop methods to identify substances
of concern; our aim is to substantially reduce deaths and ill-health arising from hazardous
chemicals and waste
10. Enhancing biosecurity.
Tackling a Green Brexit and housing, the plan promises to:
- deliver a Green Brexit by consulting on a new environmental watchdog to hold government to account for environmental standards, and setting out a new approach to agriculture and fisheries management
- seek to embed a ‘net environmental gain’ principle so development delivers environmental improvements locally and nationally, enabling housing development without increasing overall burdens on developers.
The plan is vague on how the goals will be measured and enforced, saying ministers will consult on a new independent body to hold the government to account. It has been met with some caution by environmental groups such as WWF and Greenpeace, and criticised by Labour and The Green Party.
May was Home Secretary during the floods of 2014 at the time of Zane’s death and the emergency COBRA meetings, and one of her first acts as prime minister was to write to us, Zane’s parents, to refuse to meet with us regarding our son’s death.
Will the government put its words of environmental protection being at the heart of the strategy into action where it counts, and deliver the social justice they promise?
If Teresa May wants to persuade people this is more than green washing and government spin, she needs to immediately grant an independent panel inquiry into the death of 7 year old Zane. You can’t claim to care about the environment, care about the next generation and then let chemical contamination pollute our homes and kill our children.


Important Health Benefits of Fenugreek
Fenugreek is a greatly used herb in the Indian kitchen, with both its leaves and seeds being used. With bitter taste and strong smell if they are used in small quantity in your food, they tend to impart a very good flavor.
Fenugreek is a multipurpose spice and the best part about fenugreek is that it has many medicinal benefits also. It contains a lot of things which are greatly beneficial such as fiber, protein, Vitamin C, iron, potassium, niacin, and also alkaloids. Some of the important health benefits of fenugreek are:
Controls cholesterol and cardiovascular problems
Fenugreek is also good for keeping the cholesterol level of body in check. Galactomannan is a compound contained in fenugreek which greatly reduces your risk of cardiovascular problems. It greatly reduces the risk of heart attack as well as keeps blood pressure and heart rate controlled to normal.
Methi (Fenugreek) seeds control the blood sugar levels as it checks the rate of sugar absorption in the body. It also has amino acid which increases the rate of insulin production in body, helping in the control of diabetes. In various studies on diabetic patients significant improvement has been observed upon consumption of methi seeds.
Cures women’s health problem
Fenugreek is a must for new mothers. Diosgenin is a substance found in this spice which enhances the production of breast milk in new mothers who are lactating. Fenugreek can greatly help you in enlarging your breast. Fenugreek has properties similar to oestrogen, which strikes the balance among hormones in the body of women and this leads to increase in breast size. It also helps in various common health problems faced by women.
Compounds such as isoflavones and diosgenin which are present in fenugreek, are able to give women relief from the cramps caused due to menstruation. It also helps in hot flushes, period discomfort and eases the symptoms of menopause like mood swings. Fenugreek also acts as a good source of iron for women who need it greatly.
Fenugreek has the property of causing uterine contraction which is considered very supportive for inducing the birth of a child. It is also very useful in reducing the pain during delivery of a child. However, it should be taken in small quantity only.
Helps in digestion and gastrointestinal problems
Fenugreek is a great way to correct constipation and indigestion by eliminating harmful toxins from your body. A single spoon of fenugreek in your meal would keep you away from heartburn. The end product of fenugreek after breakdown in the stomach creates a layer in the intestine which effectively soothes your symptoms of gastrointestinal problems.
Cough and sore throat
Treatment of fever is one of the many health benefits of fenugreek, take a spoon of fenugreek with honey and lemon and this can work wonders for you. It would also cure you of cough as well as the pain caused by sore throat.
The fiber contained in fenugreek gets attached to the toxins present in the blood and gets them eliminated, thus saving you from the risk of.
This simple spice is a treasure mine of health benefits and should be properly utilized.


Cerebral aneurysms are dangerous, potentially deadly lesions arising from a weakness in the wall of an artery, in this case in the brain, which causes it to bulge outward. If a cerebral aneurysm ruptures it can cause extensive brain damage resulting in neuro-cognitive impairment, deficits such as paralysis and blindness, coma or death. Over the last decade, specially designed stents—tiny mechanical cylindrical meshes implanted as a scaffold across the base of an aneurysm to facilitate repair of the parent artery—have in large part transformed the treatment of brain aneurysms. Because the stents can be delivered to the aneurysm site by a slender hollow tube called a catheter, the stress and risks of open brain surgery are avoided.
An early significant milestone in stent-mediated treatment of cerebral aneurysms was achieved at NYU School of Medicine. Arani Bose, M.D., formerly an assistant professor of Radiology and Neurology and Peter Kim Nelson, M.D., associate professor of Radiology and Neurosurgery, staff members from the Neurointer- ventional Service—working with material scientist David Johnson of TINI Metal Alloy and the NYU Office of Industrial Liason—founded Smart Therapeutics. Its mission specifically was to bring cutting-edge stent technology to the problem of cerebral aneurysms. Together with Bay Area engineers they recruited, they developed a flexible, self-expanding stent which could be delivered to the delicate arteries of the brain through a small microcatheter. The resulting device, ultimately rebadged as the Neuroform Micro-delivery Stent, was tested in clinical trials internationally, leading to its approval for the treatment of cerebral aneurysms by the Food and Drug Administration in 2002 and sparking a torrent of further innovation. In 2002 Smart Therapeutics was acquired by Boston Scientific.


The National Curriculum states that schools must promote mental and physical development of pupils and prepare them for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life.
JASS is an ideal way of meeting these criteria because it develops interpersonal skills, communication, problem solving and team work, and builds self-confidence and a sense of self-wellbeing. JASS can produce successful learners, confident individuals, effective contributors and responsible citizens.
Developing an interest or learning a new skill
Taking part in sport and physical activity
Contributing to the local community and environment
Outdoor activities & learning, problem-solving and teamwork
JASS is structured into four sections, designed to stretch different aspects of developing confident individuals.
The JASS award is progressive, with increasing commitment, learning and challenge. Each JASS award takes the following timescales to complete but is flexible and adaptable should changes to the timescale need to be made:
We are here to support you and your school throughout the programme.
From £8.50 (plus VAT) per pupil
Of course! Start building a list of all the existing activities that are planned for the year, e.g. school trips, eco work, sports events etc., is a good starting point. Once this is completed it is recommended that these are allocated to the most appropriate JASS sections. This can be done as a team to work out who has an interest in the different activities and is willing to lead on this activity. The question can then be asked, ‘should we bring in Edsential?’
It is always hard to inspire people of any age to take up regular sporting activities! For pupils who have fallen behind their peers in terms of their level of fitness, this can be doubly daunting.
Edsential can tailor some excellent programmes full of engaging exercises that can be delivered as part of a fun lunchtime club should one not be already available. Walking to school is something which could be promoted in school too which could be done as part of the Get Active Stay Active and ties in with developing healthier long-term lifestyle choices.
Playing of the games in themselves cannot be counted for JASS, but this hobby can be extended to fit within the My Interests section. Some ideas might be:
As JASS is a very flexible programme there are many ways to present evidence of having done activities for JASS sections. Edsential have Activity Log templates available to make recording easy.
eJASS: All evidence for eJASS must be submitted onto the participants online profile. This can be as photos, videos, documents etc. If a participant has written evidence (such as the Activity Log), then this can be photographed or scanned and added onto their eJASS profile
Trust plays a big part in completing the JASS programme. We would encourage mentors to ensure that the personal objective pages, as well as the activity planner for each activity is completed for each activity and at least one piece of evidence – certificate, photograph, report – is produced for each activity.
Although JASS is targeted at the age range 10-14 to cover Bronze, Silver and Gold, there are circumstances where a school may want to start earlier or to extend beyond this. The flexibility of the JASS award allows for variation. This is often seen in Special Educational Needs and Disability settings.
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This can depend on the chosen activity as well as the JASS section. All sections can be completed without the school curriculum and this will assist in increasing the participants self-reliance and self-confidence. However, there are benefits to completing the JASS award as part of the school curriculum also, for example through building teamwork and communication skills.
This is not a problem unique to JASS and many schools will already have mentoring or other support arrangements in place. For JASS activities it is also possible to consider involving interested parents or other mentors, as well as utilising peer support from older pupils/participants – for example pupils looking for volunteering opportunities as part of their own JASS programme.
JASS is a flexible award and schools or youth groups can decide how best it fits in with their other activities. A typical model is for one theme to be completed each term with the Adventure met by a class activity in the 3rd term but it is also possible to work on two or more sections concurrently. The Gold JASS level can be completed during one academic year however, due to the greater time commitment, this can also be distributed over two years.
JASS has been designed as a progressive award but there is no dependency on completion of the preceding stage and it can be started at Silver or Gold level if that is the appropriate level for the participant.
If you didn’t find the answer for your question here, then please contact Claire Annakin – PE Specialist and JASS Lead


The last few weeks we have visited and served people who live on the old Tijuana dump. Houses made out of scraps of wood. Fences built out of the garbage that has been thrown away, a broken table, an old box spring, and other thrown away items. Seeing how people live like this can feel overwhelming and make us feel a sense of helplessness looking for answers to some hard questions.
- Why is there poverty?
- How long have these people been living this way?
- Why do generations of families continue to live in poverty?
- Why can’t they just work their way out of their situations?
- What is a long term fix to issues of poverty?
- Didn’t Jesus say we will always have people living in poverty?
In Matthew 26:11 Jesus states,” The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me.”
On the surface, it appears as though Jesus justified poverty.
In the story surrounding this quote, we see a woman anointing Jesus with expensive perfume. As this woman was anointing Jesus, the disciples were angry that this woman had “wasted” this money on perfume and instead the money should have been given to the poor. Jesus’ response is a response that I believe we have either consciously on unconsciously seen as justification that there should always be poverty. On the surface, it appears that Jesus is justifying poverty and that it is ok for us not to do anything or feel a sense of urgency to help. I know I have. But, is this what Jesus was saying?
I don’t think so.
But if we don’t investigate what Jesus is really communicating here we may miss what God is calling us to do. When we dig deeper we realize that Jesus is not giving justification to poverty, He is actually calling for its removal. When Jesus says, “the poor you will always have with you,” the Jewish people knew He was quoting from Deuteronomy 15:1-11. In these verses, God had commanded Israel that every seven years debts where to be canceled. He has commanded them to be openhanded and freely lend to anyone in need. Verse 4 God states, “there need be no poor people among you.” Meaning, we have the power to prevent poverty. God goes on in vs. 10, “Give generously to them…” God’s plan with Israel, and with us, is that there should be no poor people. We are commanded to not be “hard-hearted or tight-fisted” but to be “open handed and freely lend them whatever they need.”
The first church in Acts took this seriously. Acts 2:44-45, “All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.” The first church made sure everyone had what they needed to live and survive. They gave open-handed and freely. The giver was not afraid that they would not have enough for themselves. They trusted what God said in Deuteronomy 15:10 “Give generously to them and to and so sow without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.”
We live in a different time than when Deuteronomy was written and even when the first church started. Canceling debts every seven years is not feasible on a grand level. I also understand that there are layers to the problem of poverty, systematic, governmental, social, mental, emotional, and spiritual. Yet, Jesus has called us to eradicate poverty on every level. To give freely, generously, and open-handed knowing, and trustingly, that we cannot out give God. Do we believe that God will bless us and take care of us if we give sacrificially?
This feels overwhelming because there is so much poverty in our world. Instead of looking at the many, let us focus on a few. Who do you know (one family, one person) living in poverty that needs help?
To fight against poverty, our giving must expand beyond just sending money because often times the reason we don’t help or feel the urgency is because of our proximity to the poor. (To be continued)


It is no secret that American students’ math and science standardized test scores don’t break any records1,2. In 2012, the US scored below average for developed countries in math and close to average in science. We also know that many of the most pressing problems facing us today and in the future, from halting climate change to combatting terrorism, require science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) mastery and innovation. For this reason, educators and policymakers continue to increase their emphasis on STEM education.
Students’ time in school is finite, so spending more time learning to program or construct electrical circuits often means spending less time reading literature and engaging in arts, as these activities are often considered less practical. This STEM myopia can also be problematic, as those “less practical” fields may impart critical thinking and creativity3, perseverance, teamwork, and commitment4 in ways that STEM fields may not.
This understanding has prompted the STEAM movement, dedicated to incorporating the arts into a STEM educational framework.
I had the opportunity to talk with Nan Renner, a researcher at UC San Diego’s Center for Research on Educational Equity, Assessment and Teaching Excellence (CREATE). Nan’s work is focused on how we learn by interacting with the world – using language, objects, environments, and other people. With an initiative called the Art of Science Learning, she directed an Incubator for Innovation in San Diego to bring community members together to seek creative solutions for the water crisis in the region. She also teaches undergraduate courses in Cognitive Science. One course is called Distributed Cognition, a class that expands how we think about thinking to include our bodies and social and cultural contexts. Another is Cognitive Ethnography, a project-based research course that encourages students to understand human cognition through observing and analyzing behaviors. Collectively, her work is an exemplar for STEAM proponents, demonstrating not only a seamless integration of sciences and arts, but also working towards making STEAM a natural part of education.
What is STEAM, really?
Defining STEAM as simply the integration of arts with STEM fields is an oversimplification, especially for those of us who have been raised on the distinctions between the subjects. Traditionally, students learn science in science class and art in art class.
How could these very different subjects be combined?
There are some obvious ways to integrate them: students can use physical materials like clay or styrofoam to make models of cells or the solar system, and they can learn songs about concepts like Avogadro’s number. But Nan pointed out that we should think more broadly about what arts really are when trying to make education more “STEAM-y.” Instead of always incorporating art per se, we can incorporate an artistic spirit into STEM lessons. Art encourages and requires exploration, an emotional engagement and sense of ownership, and flexibility, all of which are key ingredients for success in science. For this reason, these same attributes should be components of STEM education.
Factor 1: Exploration
When we take a paintbrush to a canvas, a bow to a violin, or our eye to a camera lens, we are exploring. We explore the world around us, our bodies, and the media that we’re using to create the art. At an abstract level, it is this exploration that STEAM advocates promote for science classrooms. The goal of science is to predict and explain phenomena in the world, and that can’t happen without exploration.
To illustrate the value of exploration, Renner told me about the Hands On Lab, a mini science course for high school students held by CREATE at UCSD. Students learned about molecular self-assembly by creating and exploring bubbles and observing how dish soap alone could move boats across water. They also used microscopes to examine cells from fruits and vegetables, comparing and contrasting cells from the tougher outsides to the fleshier insides. By getting their hands dirty (or wet), students were able to explore the scientific principles in an unstructured way, freely experimenting with contrasts and causality. These activities create a foundation that students can build on once they learn more structured scientific terms and processes for explaining those phenomena.
Factor 2: Emotional Engagement & Ownership
Another key feature of art is that someone (or some people) created it. Regardless of whether the piece of art is a knitted scarf, a Broadway musical, a digitally rendered graphic, or a gourmet meal, the artist becomes emotionally invested in the project, leading to a strong feeling of ownership. Children especially are often rightfully proud of their artwork. These feelings of engagement and ownership are crucial to science as well, and they were central to a series of workshops also held at UCSD called Informath. Educators who participated in Informath gathered for workshops with the goal of creating professional development programs that brought art and math together to enhance learning. They received materials like paper strips, straws, and pipe cleaners, and after “playing” for a little while, had arrived at intriguing ways to teach concepts like fractals, recursive relationships, and geometric proofs.
Using the materials to make their models meant that those sculptures were now theirs – not only did the educators own the finished products, but they also owned the processes they had taken to arrive at them. As in the Hands On Lab, the lessons that the teachers created at Informath fostered ownership and engagement through a personal exploration process.
Extensive research on Self Determination Theory has focused on uncovering the social-contextual conditions that enhance individuals’ motivation and development5. One of these conditions is autonomy, which can be facilitated by granting students choices so that they have ownership over their exploration processes and means for expressing what they have learned6. Science lessons that revolve around art and exploration will introduce ownership into the classroom, instilling motivation, curiosity, and deeper understandings.
Factor 3: Flexibility
Flexibility is yet another hallmark of art. When you’re in a musical ensemble or a theater troupe, for example, you need to be constantly aware of the whole, and adapt so that you fit in. Likewise, scientific exploration requires this constant awareness of how new pieces of information fit into existing knowledge frameworks and the willingness to alter hypotheses or procedures as new information is accounted for.
These traits are central to the Incubator for Innovation, a project that Nan was involved with through the Art of Science Learning. In San Diego, the incubator’s focus was on the mismatch between supply and demand for water, a challenge chosen by public vote. The Incubator participants included scientists, artists, educators, and students who were invested in the problem. The teams learned arts-based techniques that they used to continuously come up with ideas, test them, and communicate about them. Iteration was a crucial component of the incubator: as teams tested their ideas and continued to learn about what did and did not work, they continually improved their innovations.
Similar incubators took place to address problems of access to fair and equitable nutrition (in Chicago) and new transportation solutions (in Worcester, MA). In 2016, a traveling exhibit will showcase the projects that came out of all 3 incubators and emphasize the importance of bringing creativity to science and innovation. Collaborating, iterating, and incorporating new information into prototypes are all crucial components of the incubator that drive home the importance of flexibility for innovation and success.
Creating a STEAM-ier classroom
A few times during our conversation, we circled back to a resounding theme: The most crucial part of STEAM is integration. Nan pointed out that “when we engage in real-world problem-solving, the disciplinary boundaries fade into the background. We blend and merge creative and critical thinking, representing ideas with words, metaphors, numbers, images, forms. We can be inquisitive and thoughtful about what these different modalities offer, in education and the workplace, and expand our collective repertoire for identifying and solving big challenges.”
How can we accomplish this in our STEAM lessons?
- Keep the goals of exploration, emotional engagement, and flexibility at the forefront when designing STEM lessons and incorporate hands-on lessons whenever appropriate.
- De-emphasize curricular boxes – although there will inevitably be certain topics and lessons that fall within our definition of science or math more than others, help students to be holistic thinkers by encouraging them to answer questions using whatever knowledge and tools they have available, as opposed to sticking to the confines of one traditional subject.
- Try metaphorming – a form of brainstorming that involves making multi-dimensional, freeform, symbolic models and can lead to deeper insights and more creativity.
- Promote the arts – students who learn to play as part of an orchestra, who gain confidence in ballet class, or who become comfortable getting their hands dirty with a pottery wheel will take those lessons and mindsets with them to the science classroom.
- As a teacher, take some creative liberties when planning science lessons. Students will learn best by observing a role model who incorporates arts and science (for inspiration, check out the #sciart hashtag on Twitter).
One intuition might be that the key to improving STEM education is to focus students’ time more on STEM subjects and less on the arts. However, we have solid evidence suggesting that STEM and arts aren’t incompatible ends of a spectrum, but instead can – and should – be integrated. When we integrate arts, and more broadly, an artistic mindset, into science lessons, we open the door for exploration, emotional engagement and ownership, and flexibility; indispensible skills for success in science and in life more generally.
The STEAM movement suggests that arts and sciences may have a synergistic relationship – even better when combined than each in isolation. The movement reminds us that when it comes to treasured school subjects – arts and sciences – we can have our cake and eat it too.
References & Further Reading
- Chappell, B. (2013). U.S. Students Slide In Global Ranking On Math, Reading, Science. NPR. [Article]
- Desilver, D. (2015). U.S. students improving – slowly – in math and science, but still lagging internationally. Pew Research Center. [Article]
- Zakaria, F. (2015). Why America’s obsession with STEM education is dangerous. The Washington Post. [Article]
- Williams, Y. (2014). Rhythm and bruise: How cuts to music and the arts hurt kids and communities. Huffington Post Education. [Article]
- Ryan, R.M. & Deci, E.L. (2000). Self-Determination Theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55(1), 68-78. [Paper]
- Stefanou, C.R., Perencevich, K.C., DiCintio, M., & Turner, J.C. (2004). Supporting autonomy in the classroom: Ways teachers encourage student decision making and ownership. Educational psychologist, 39(2), 97-110. [Paper]


Semiconductor nanocrystal visualization tool
Semiconductor nanocrystals constitute a very hot fields of nanoscience, especially for their striking technological applications. Their properties can be quite different from the macroscopic crystals properties, and often they are "tunable" with the nanocrystal size. This gives the chance of building target-oriented devices, modeled on the actual needs of customers.
Interesting applications as optoelectronic devices and biomedical applications come from semiconductor nanocrystals. The chemical structure is formed by
i) an internal core, whose structure closely resembles the crystallographic lattice, and
ii) a passivant layer, usually formed by hydrogen atoms.
The following graphical tool allows to build up the chemical structure of semiconductor nanocrystals. The structure can have either spherical or rotation ellipsoidal shape. The ellipsoid equivalent radius is defined as the radius of an isovolumetric sphere and the aspect ratio as the ratio between the semiaxes. The spherical nanocrystal is obtained using an aspect ratio of 1. You can choose the nanocrystal material, that can be either Si or InAs.
Insert the nanocrystal equivalent radius (in nanometers) and the aspect ratio


Social networks used in the assessment of damage caused by natural disasters
An international scientific study, involving Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M), has carried research into the use of social networks such as Twitter, as tools for monitoring, assessing and even predicting levels of economic damage caused by natural disasters.
The study, published in the latest issue of the journal Science Advances, along with scientists from NICTA (National Information Communications Technology Australia) and the University of California in San Diego concludes that it is possible to determine the damage caused by a natural disaster in just a few hours, by using data from social networks. "Twitter, the social network which we have analyzed, is useful for the management, real-time monitoring and even prediction of the economic impact that disasters like Hurricane Sandy can have," says one of the researchers, Esteban Moro Egido, of UC3M's Grupo Interdisciplinar de Sistemas Complejos - Complex Systems Interdisciplinary Group (GISC).
The research was carried out by analyzing Twitter activity before, during and after Hurricane Sandy which, in 2012, caused more damage than any other storm in US history, with an economic impact in the region of 50,000 million dollars. Hundreds of millions of geo-located tweets making reference to this topic were collected from fifty metropolitan areas in the USA. "Given that citizens were turning to these platforms for communication and information related to the disaster, we established a strong correlation between the route of the hurricane and activity on social networks," explains Esteban Moro.
But the main conclusion of the study was obtained when the data relating to social network activity was examined alongside data relating to both the levels of aid granted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and insurance claims: there is a correlation between the mean per capita of social network activity and economic damage per capita caused by these disasters in the areas where such activity occurs. In other words, both real and perceived threats, along with the economic effects of physical disasters, are directly observable through the strength and composition of the flow of messages from Twitter.
Furthermore, researchers have verified the results obtained from Hurricane Sandy and have been able to demonstrate that the same dynamic also occurs in the case of floods, storms and tornadoes; for example, whenever there is sufficient activity on social media to extract such data.
In this way, communication on Twitter allows the economic impact of a natural disaster in the affected areas to be monitored in real time, making it possible to provide information in addition to that currently used to assess damage resulting from these disasters. Moreover, the distribution space of the event-related messages can also help the authorities in the monitoring and evaluation of emergencies, in order to improve responses to natural disasters.
The authors of the study suggest that we are facing an increase in the frequency and intensity of natural disasters as a consequence of climate change. "We believe that this is going to cause even more natural disasters and, therefore, the use of social networks will allow us to obtain useful supplementary information," points out Professor Esteban Moro, who is currently working on further research in this area. "We are trying to see if there is a relationship between activity on social networks and climate change which will affect us in the future".


A probability distribution represents the possible values of a variable and the probability of occurrence of those values. Arithmetic mean and geometric mean of a probability distribution are used to calculate average value of the variable in the distribution. As a rule of thumb, geometric mean provides more accurate value for calculating average of an exponentially increasing/decreasing distribution while arithmetic mean is useful for linear growth/decay functions. Follow a simple procedure to calculate an arithmetic mean on a probability distribution.
Write down the variable and the probability of the variable to occur in the form of a table. For example, the number of shirts sold by a store can be described by the following table where "x" represents the number of shirts sold every day and "P(x)" represents the probability of each event. x P(x) 150 0.2 280 0.05 310 0.35 120 0.30 100 0.10
Multiply each value of x with the corresponding P(x) and store the values in a new column. For example: x P(x) x*P(x) 150 0.2 30 280 0.05 14 310 0.35 108.5 120 0.30 36 100 0.10 10
Add the result from all the rows of the third column in the table. In this example, arithmetic mean = 30+14+108.5+36+10 = 198.5.
For the example, arithmetic mean gives an average value for the total number of shirts sold on daily basis.
Generally, the term "mean" refers to "arithmetic mean." So use the calculations for arithmetic mean unless specifically asked to do otherwise.


Maramuca, a Portuguese Feira dating from 1660 - 1680
- The Portuguese were not the first traders and explorers to enter Zimbabwe, as prior to their arrival on the east coast of Africa the Arabs, Indian and Swahili merchants had traded in the interior with local people. The Arab-Swahili merchants adopted Islam and moved south from Kilwa from about 900AD establishing trading settlements where they traded for gold and ivory at Angoche, (now in Nampula Province in Mozambique) Quelimane (north of the Zambezi River mouth) and Sofala (on the Buzi River, south of Sofala) and in the interior.
- Initially after their 1498 arrival the Portuguese cooperated with the Arab-Swahili merchants, but gradually they planned to take-over the entire trade and force out any rivals through their sea power and by dominating the seaports. In response the Arab-Swahili traders opened up new routes into the interior in rivalry and little gold reached the Portuguese who were forced to undertake trading expeditions into the interior themselves. They built inland settlements along the Zambezi River at Sena and Tete initially, but found that to increase their trade in gold and ivory they needed to establish permanent trading posts deep in the interior where a few Portuguese settled with their vashambadzi, offspring from local marriages. Amongst these were Dambarare, Massapa, Luanze (Ruhanje) Manyika, Bocuto, Piringani, Angwa (Ongoe) and Maramuca. Most of these appear to have been well established by the 1580’s, although Maramuca was probably only occupied for a short period between 1660-1680 and at the end of the Portuguese presence in Mashonaland.
- Peter Garlake’s excavations of Maramuca near Chikari in 1965 revealed that it was very similar to the feira at Luanze near Mutoko which had a sun dried brick building surrounded by a earth bank and ditch. Unlike Luanze however, Maramuca’s wall had a brick core and there was no ditch and the enclosure was much smaller. The Maramuca brick building was built onto an artificial stone platform and divided into three long narrow rooms, each 2.1 metres wide and 4.9 metres long.
- Neither Maramuca nor Luanze were built with strong defence in mind; they were primarily places for storing and selling goods and to provide shelter. This was confirmed by archaeological finds following an excavation done by Peter Garlake which included European and Chinese imported ceramics, glass and gold beads, musket balls and gold dust. Luanze is described on the website www.zimfieldguide.com under Mashonaland East.
- The Maramuca site is on the eastern edge of the lower Mupfure gold belt and the kopje on which the earthwork is built and another kopje 90 metres to the north is pitted with shallow “ancient gold workings.”
Take the A5 from Harare to Chegutu. Turn right on entering the town for Chegutu (the Seigneury Road goes left) 0.5 KM turn left, 29.4 KM reach junction and turn right, 33.2 KM turn right onto untarred road in front of the Dalny Mine dumps at Chikari. 35.2 KM turn left, 42.2 KM continue straight on, 43.3 KM turn off the main road onto a farm track, 44.7 KM park. Maramuca site should be 250 metres due east, with the Suri Suri River a further 150 metres east.
GPS Reference: 17⁰59′58.02″S 29⁰54′51.61″E
There a number of direct and indirect nineteenth century references to the feira at Maramuca. In 1867 Thomas Baines was told by Shona informants that the ruins of a Portuguese house were still visible, although he did not visit the actual site. Another reference is from William Harvey “Curio” Brown who set off on November 16th 1890 for Guidzema (now Gadzema, a siding on the railway line) about 35 kms from Hartley Hills taking Krohn, a prospector for the firm of Johnson, Heany and Borrow. They found the area had been heavily turned over by the “ancients” looking for gold and the quartz reefs had been worked to the depth of the water table, about fifty or sixty feet (up to 18 metres) and they found many grinding stones, or dolly holes, their upper surfaces worn away where the miners had crushed the quartz preparatory to panning it. Also, they saw the remains of two houses built of adobe bricks, 12 metres long (40 feet) by 6 metres (20 feet wide) that Brown speculated might have been a Portuguese Jesuit mission station, or the home of a Portuguese trader, who had lived there fifty or one hundred years before, buying gold from native miners. In truth, the Portuguese had been in Zimbabwe from 1560 and left by 1693, nearly two hundred years before.
There is gold at both Chikari and Gadzema; in Roger Summers’ Ancient Mining in Rhodesia Chakari is Area 29 which has estimated pre-colonial mining production at the Bay Horse Mine and Dalny Mine of > 10,000 oz. or 310 kgs and the Turkois Mine of > 50,000 oz. or 1,550 kgs. Gadzema is Area 30 with pre-colonial mining production at the Butterfly Mine, Lone Star Mine and New Found Out Mine each of > 10,000 oz. or 310 kgs and the Giant Mine > 300,000 oz. or 9,330 kgs. However, although Brown says he set off for Gadzema (he spells it Guidzema) he actually may have gone to modern day Chakari, 30 kilometres west and the site of the Dalny Gold Mine, also one of Zimbabwe’s largest gold producers. The reference to the Portuguese Jesuit mission station is probably the best clue as Maramuca is north east of Chakari and just 8 kilometres west of the Mupfure River. It seems much more likely that Brown actually went in the direction of Chakari following the Mupfure from Hartley Hill and Guidzema was just a general name for the area. Chakari only became a village in 1907 around the Turkois Mine after which it was named, and then it became Shagari in 1911 and Chakari in 1923.
Until the Portuguese forced the Mutapa Mavura to sign a treaty in 1629 the Mutapa controlled all the gold mines and the Portuguese only had jurisdiction within their feiras, and were not able to travel or trade as they liked and had to pay taxes and tribute (curva) to the Monomotapa State. After the treaty date they travelled at will, recruited labour and mined for gold as they choose. However, their meddling in the affairs of the state alienated the chiefs and spirit mediums “mhondoros” and in November 1693 the Rozvi under Changamire Dombo destroyed Dambarare in a surprise attack and forced the Portuguese at the Angwa River feiras to retreat north back to their bases at Tete and Sena.
Peter Garlake in his defining article Seventeenth Century Portuguese earthworks in Rhodesia says that his attention was drawn to an unsigned 1947 report in the Mining Commissioners office in Kadoma (previously Gatooma) referring to a “Portuguese Fort marked on an old blueprint” and a low quartz wall retaining a terrace near the Suri Suri River. Garlake visited and excavated the Maramuca site in July 1965 and found to an earthwork very similar to that of the Luanze feira. The site is on the summit of a small kopje on the west bank of the Suri Suri River fifteen kilometres above its confluence with the Mupfure River, opposite one of the permanent pools and on the eastern edge of the Lower Mupfure gold belt. The kopje on which the earthwork is sited is quartz rubble and a similar kopje 90 metres to the north is covered with shallow ancient workings.
Stan Mudenge suggests that the gold trade was carried out either:
- From Sena where Portuguese traders and / or their offspring from local women called vashambadzi either carried their trade goods of beads and cloth overland through Barwe to Manyika, or to the feiras of Mukaranga or,
- Sailed up the Zambezi River to Tete from where they went overland to the feiras of Mukaranga where they traded their cloth and glass beads and manufactured iron products to barter with the local people.
In Mocaranga (northern Mashonaland) in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the feira of Masapa was the most important; but later in the second half of the seventeenth century the feira of Dambarare became dominant until the Portuguese were forced from Mashonaland and established a feira at Massi Kessi in Manyika for gold trading. Indian cloth, blue and white beads, Indian tin and pewter wares were popular imported trade items as well as muskets.
A Portuguese trader Gonçalo João obtained the rights to open a trading station, or feira at Maramuka from the Mutapa Kamharapasu Mukombwe, but at the same time the Mutapa gave monopoly rights to trade in the area to Antόnio Roiz de Lima and a mulatto priest, Fr. Simão Gomes, both very rich traders at Sena. Gonçalo João started trading at Maramuka from 1660–1680. In response to him trading within their monopoly area, Antόnio Roiz de Lima and Fr. Simão Gomes began to encourage the local chiefs around Maramuka to rise up against Gonçalo João by sending them arms and men. Joao was unprepared for this assault and because he had no defences, his feira was attacked and pillaged around 1680.
Roger Summers in Ancient Mining in Rhodesia states this carved ivory statuette of the Immaculate Conception was found at depth in an ancient working of the Bay Horse Mine in the 1930’s. It was given to the miner’s children to play with and rescued by Capt. RHR Stephenson who gave it to the Bulawayo Natural History Museum. The British Museum reported that it is a Portuguese colonial work of the seventeenth or eighteenth century, probably Goanese. Abraham was the first to suggest that the statue may have been the property of a Portuguese trader living at the Maramuca feira just nine kilometres away.
Abraham used Portuguese records and local oral traditions to suggest this is the area of Maramuca and Manoel Barretto in 1667 described it as follows: “Maramuca is the name of a great district of the Kingdom of upper Mocaranga…this kingdom is the richest in gold known.“
Mocaranga refers to the broad area of Mashonaland; Rimuka referred roughly to the much smaller area between the Mupfure and Umsweswe rivers. The above 1824 map by Joshua Archer continues to show Mocaranga diagonally across the area south of the Zambezi River and the Portuguese feiras of Dambarare, Luanze and Bocuto even though they had all been sacked and destroyed by the powerful Rozwi warlord Changamire Dombo in 1693 at the instigation of the then Monomotapa Mutapa Nyameande Mhande. Although mapmaking techniques had changed greatly between the above dates; later cartographers continued to borrow a great deal of misleading information from earlier mapmakers.
Maramuca as a feira appears to have been much smaller trading post than those named above which each comprised several Portuguese families operating under the overall command of an elected Capitão with servants and followers, or their offspring from local women called vashambadzi, possibly just a single trader occupied the Maramuca site.
The Maramuca feira site closely resembles the earthwork at Luanze feira with straight banks enclosing a rectangle facing north which is 67 metres wide (220 feet) and 55 metres long (180 feet) with bastions 6 metres wide (20 feet) and projecting 4.5 metres (15 feet) from the centre of each wall. A wall runs down the middle of the site with a retaining wall made of massive quartz boulders on the east side to provide a flat artificial terrace before falling away to a steep slope.
On the western side of the rectangle is a rectangular brick building, whose southern wall at the time of Garlake’s 1965 excavation was still partly above ground. This building was 6 metres wide (20 feet) and 8.2 metres long (27 feet) and divided into three long narrow rooms with a raised internal floor; most of this is obscured unfortunately by a large termite mound.
The walls were built of sun dried brick, probably using ant heap material. An excavation trench outside the western wall revealed there was no ditch, but that the wall contained brickwork. The steep eastern slope revealed scattered stick dhaka, probably from huts destroyed on the terrace.
The only imported wares excavated were scattered parts of a seventeenth century brown and black glazed storage jar; similar jars were commonly found in the seventeenth century levels of the Portuguese built and occupied site at Fort Jesus, and scattered shards of imported Chinese blue and white glazed wares. Fort Jesus was built between 1593 – 1596 by order of King Philip I of Portugal, to guard the Old Port of Mombasa. A few pieces of local pottery were found identical to those at Luanze and some imported red and white glass beads and cylinders identical to those found at Luanze and Dambarare feiras and other glass fragments.
In conclusion, Peter Garlake states the basic architecture of the Maramuca feira had a military basis featuring bastions; but that the long perimeters and low banks were never practical for defensive purposes and the enclosures were intended for secure bulk storage as warehouses and built for trading as indicated by the finds of beads, wire and ceramics. Maramuca was situated for convenience within the gold field; but the absence of many archaeological finds tends to suggest a short period of occupation of about 20 years.
Further to the west around the goldfields of modern day Kadoma and Kwekwe was Abutua, or Butua, first reported by the Portuguese degredado Antonio Fernandes, whose accounts of his travels reached Portugal in 1516 and earned him recognition and great esteem as an explorer.
The Rozvi forbid foreigner travellers into the interior after the destruction of the Portuguese feiras in 1693 and this situation lasted until the 1830’s Mfecane when Zwangendaba destroyed the Rozvi state. The entire interior saw great migrations of people and confusion and hardship. By the time European explorers and hunters such as Karl Mauch and Henry Hartley entered Mashonaland in the 1860’s and 1870’s overall control was in the hands of the amaNdebele who sent annual raising parties into Mashonaland to exact tribute in the form of women and children and cattle.
Archaeological site of Maramuca has been destroyed
The former site has been overrun by Makorokoza or small-scale miners who have been forced by the wretched state of the economy to mine in the former gold mines of the area; others have resorted to panning. There are reports that numerous miners have been trapped and killed after undermining the support pillars in the stopes of Dalny and Giant mines resulting in the roofs caving in and collapsing. Others are panning the local rivers and known former gold-mining areas such as Maramuca in search of gold. Extreme risks are taken by miners to earn a living and as a means of survival in an economy that is barely ticking over due to mismanagement and corruption and where formal jobs are scarce.
D.P. Abraham. Maramuca: an exercise in the combined use of Portuguese records and oral tradition. Journal of African History 11, 2
W.H. Brown. On the South African Frontier. Books of Rhodesia 1970
C. Dunbar. Article on a visit to Maramuca on www.colonialvoyage.com
P.S. Garlake. Seventeenth Century Portuguese Earthworks in Rhodesia. The South African Archaeological Bulletin Vol. 21, No. 84 (Jan., 1967), pp. 157-170
Col. A.S. Hickman. Norton District in the Mashona rebellion. Rhodesiana No. 3. 1958
S.I.G. Mudenge. A Political History of the Munhumutapa c.1400-1902. Zimbabwe Publishing House. 1988
H. Sauer. Ex Africa. Books of Rhodesia 1973
R. Summers. Ancient Mining in Rhodesia. Trustees of the National Museums of Rhodesia 1969


ABSTRACT(#br)This article revisits an earlier social scientific analysis of the thought of Rudolf Arnheim and E. H. Gombrich. Adding to the earlier analysis in terms of social ontology and historical development is an analysis of the sufficiency of perception to yield information about the world, both in ordinary and in artistic contexts. Gombrich held to an idea of perception as hypothesis testing, and it joins with Popper's philosophy in the deferred warrant of the perceptual image. Arnheim, instead, followed the Gestalt theorists to believe that each stage of perceptual experience was incorrigible according to the given conditions. Consequently, Arnheim felt confident addressing the essence of art, while Gombrich remained anti‐essentialist. Ultimately, Gombrich's Popperian empiricism... attenuates realism, whereas Arnheim's gestaltism seeks to build a bridge between ordinary and scientific observation.


CINCINNATI, Aug. 30 (UPI) -- A female rhino at the Cincinnati Zoo will make history by giving birth to the first Indian rhino calf conceived by artificial insemination, zoo officials say.
Mother-to-be Nikki has added 60 pounds to her 4,120-pound figure since June and is expected to deliver in October, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported.
For zoo scientist Monica Stoops the birth will be the culmination of eight years of work as reproductive physiologist at the zoo's Center for Conservation and Research of Endangered Wildlife.
"Everything looks great," she said.
The zoo is known for its pioneering work in reproductive technology.
"They're writing new chapters in reproductive books," Randy Rieches, curator of mammals at the San Diego Wild Animal Park, said.
"There have only been a couple of rhinos reproduced by artificial means," and those were not Indian rhinos, he said.
"To a lot of people, a rhino is a rhino is a rhino," Rieches said. "But each (of the five) species is so different behaviorally, reproductively. It's a learning experience with each one."
Captive breeding is vital, Susie Ellis, executive director of the International Rhino Foundation, said, to provide an "insurance policy for the wild population. So if something catastrophic happens, there's a good reservoir of genes from which the wild can be repopulated."


The total number of probable and confirmed cases in the current outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in the four affected countries as reported by the respective Ministries of Health of Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone is 3,069, with 1,552 deaths.
The outbreak continues to accelerate. More than 40 percent of the total number of cases have occurred within the past 21 days. However, most cases are concentrated in only a few localities.
The overall case fatality rate is 52 percent. It ranges from 42 percent in Sierra Leone to 66 percent in Guinea.
A full understanding of the outbreak that will lead to improved response requires detailed analysis of exactly where transmission is occurring (by district level) and of time trends. This analysis is ongoing. Preliminary results show that cases are still concentrated (62 percent of all reported cases since the beginning of the outbreak) in the epicentre of the outbreak in Gueckedou (Guinea); Lofa (Liberia), where cases continue to rise; and Kenema and Kailahun (Sierra Leone). Capital cities are of particular concern, owing to their population density and repercussions for travel and trade.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners are on the ground establishing Ebola treatment centers and strengthening capacity for laboratory testing, contact tracing, social mobilization, safe burials, and non-Ebola health care.
WHO continues to monitor for reports of rumored or suspected cases from countries around the world and systematic verification of these cases is ongoing. Countries are encouraged to continue engaging in active surveillance and preparedness activities. Cases of EVD have been reported from the Democratic Republic of Congo. The cases in DRC are not related to the outbreak in West Africa. Outside of the four affected countries in West Africa and DRC, no new cases have been confirmed in other countries.
WHO does not recommend any travel or trade restrictions be applied except in cases where individuals have been confirmed or are suspected of being infected with EVD or where individuals have had contact with cases of EVD. (Contacts do not include properly-protected healthcare workers and laboratory staff.)


Every year the English department challenges our Year 8 pupils to write a short story of no more than 500 words. This year’s very talented winners were Ella Moody and Connie Britton – their winning pieces are featured below:
By Connie Britton Year 8
I stopped. The finger pointed directly at me. The eyes were glaring into my soul. It looked simple enough – just a man in uniform with a bushy moustache. But it burned with an intensity I could barely describe. I focused on the words to try and absorb the meaning: “JOIN YOUR COUNTRY’S ARMY!” The words seemed to scream at me, the bold, red letters bursting forward into my wide, astonished eyes. And underneath that, “GOD SAVE THE KING!” which brings out the patriotic drum in everyone. My brain raced backwards and forward. Go or stay. Hero or coward. Dead or alive. If I go and return I will be a hero, a saviour of my country. As I continued on my way, leaving the poster behind, the eyes followed me, the black and white eyes of this man, this soldier, this idol.
A couple of days later, I was outside the recruitment office. About 5th in the line. Although I was determined, I was really nervous, but the poster kept appearing in my mind like a nagging conscience. As the line shuffled forward, I fidgeted with my papers knowing that they were all a lie. I was not yet the required age to fight. Across the room, I watched as a mother sobbed her heart out, begging her twin sons not to sign up. But in their expressions I recognised the same sense of determination, patriotism and pride that burned inside me. I thought briefly of my own family and what was to come – the raised voices and the inevitable tears. I straightened my back to look taller and stronger as I walked forward when my name was called and sat down in front of a recruiting officer.
I stopped. As I stood outside my parents’ house, I felt like I barely recognised it. With the freshly painted walls and the familiar old, brown, mucky door. I knew there would be tears when I went in, but I was now 22 so I thought I could handle it like a man. The neat rows of houses leading down the street were definitely a change of scenery to the muddy, crowded trenches I was used to. Every night, as I would go to sleep, I would hear many different noises: the screaming of wounded soldiers, the crying of sad ones and the silence that was terrifying to all. We all knew what the silence meant. It meant something was going to happen and every time something happened it would always leave me at least one friend down. I knew my mother would have so many questions about my life – what it was like at the front and what happened – and I knew I would have to tell her of the horrors of the war. And how I would ask her for news of the family and everything that had happened at home during these strange years of war.
After leaving the battlefield, I felt older and wiser because of all I had seen and done. Much of my experience was difficult to describe to my mother. It was too hard for her to imagine and impossible for her to understand, especially after what she and everyone at home had been told by our leaders. But I knew I had had true friends that were always by my side in battle. Now half these friends were there and half not. As I kept thinking, I knew that a lot of my friends wouldn’t have died if the battle plans had been smarter. Tears ran down my face. I realised I had put my faith in the wrong people. I had trusted that man in uniform with the glaring eyes and finger pointing at me, choosing me. I knew now that my loyalty was actually to those twins in the recruitment queue, all those years before. I wondered what had happened to them or what they were saying to their mother. The lie. Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori.
One Last Shot
By Ella Moody Year 7
“Officer Montez,” came a strict voice from behind Michael. Michael spun around almost immediately. It was his boss, Chief Brodie. “You’re needed in my office,” he bellowed.
“Of course,” Michael said, only partly managing to hide the fear in his voice; what if he’d found out what Michael had done? He was led into the Chief’s office. He bit his lip nervously, forcing his trembling legs forward.
“So,” Chief Brodie began, “this is about the Emma Raynott investigation.” Michael’s heart sunk, his palms were sweaty, his mouth was dry. This is it, he thought. They’ve found out.
“Well, I just wanted to tell you, we now know the time of death was around…” Chief Brodie clicked his computer, “midnight to two am.” A calming wave of relief washed over Michael. “And we are now confident we will find her killer very soon.” Michael was too relieved to care about that worrying statement so he just smiled and nodded his head. “Thank you for informing me,” Michael said as he marched out of the office, full of energy.
Michael exhaled deeply as he spun around the corner into his office. His partner, Officer Emily Perez, was in there looking at something on the computer. “What’s that?” Michael asked signalling at the computer.
“A picture of the café where Emma was killed, just before midnight,” Emily said. As Michael shot across the room, all his worried emotions flooded back. He stared at the picture, unable to focus for a few seconds, then his vision came flooding back and he could see the shadowy figure standing outside the café.
“I don’t understand.” Michael could barely hear Emily’s voice but he could hear the notes of confusion and horror. The room fell silent and Michael was dreading what Emily would say next.
“Is that you?” Emily asked, her voice trembling; there was another pause as Michael planned what he would say next.
“No – that could be anyone” he finally muttered.
“Michael,” Emily began.
“I didn’t do it!” Michael shouted. Emily could hear the desperation in his voice and decided not to question him any longer. With a soothing smile, she left the office. Michael took a deep breath and thought. He had only one chance – that night he would sneak into Chief Brodie’s office and dispose of any evidence pointing in his direction. He had no choice – he could not afford to be found out.
Finally, it was night time. Michael still hadn’t left the station. He waited – his panic increasing – until Chief Brodie left his office. At last the station was empty. He sprinted down the corridor into the office and paused in the doorway. Then he began his frantic search. Nothing. Exhausted, he sat on the desk chair and looked at the Chief’s computer. He saw a file labelled Emma Raynott. He was about to click on it when something stuck between the screen and the wall caught his eye. An evidence bag! He pulled it out, his hand trembling and he was shocked to find his phone! He hadn’t even realised it was missing. Had they been suspecting him this whole time? All Michael could feel was terror and betrayal. Suddenly the lights flicked on!
Michael turned around very slowly; he could barely control his movements because he was shaking so much. As he turned around he could made out two people in the door way – Chief Brodie and Emily.
“I don’t believe it,” gasped Chief Brodie. “Emily was right.” Michael hung his head low and he realized he was still holding the evidence bag.
“Why do you have my phone?” he muttered.
“Don’t be a fool, put it down” Chief Brodie boomed. Michael dropped the bag.
“Are you going to arrest me?” asked Michael quietly.
“We have no choice. Follow me,” the chief said firmly. Michael dragged his feet out of the office and his hand curled around his gun. But he had no time to shoot. Emily was faster.


Presented by polkingbeal67 & smolin9
Earthwatch presenters – polkingbeal67 & smolin9
“Join us to watch human life unfold on the Pale Blue Dot.”
Highlights, interviews and analysis from Earth’s media
The most expensive unmanned probe ever to be sent to Mars is expected to land on August 6 (next Sunday night).
Nasa’s Mars Science Laboratory, named ‘Curiosity’, is a $2.5 billion robotic planetary rover, the size of a small car, that will be lowered to the surface of the planet from a hovering spacecraft known as a “sky crane”.
If all goes well, it will spend two years collecting information from the area around Gale crater.
Tom Rivellini, an engineer at Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory who worked on the new landing system, said: “The entry, descent and landing is also known as ‘seven minutes of terror’. We have to get from the top of the atmosphere to the surface of Mars, going from 13,000 miles per hour to zero, in perfect sequence, perfect choreography, and perfect timing. If any one thing does not go right, it is game over.”
|polkingbeal67:||A sky crane? The crazy prokaryotes! They’d be better off using one of their satnavs! You know: “Turn right at the crater, third exit.”|
|smolin9:||More like: “Turn around when possible!”|
|polkingbeal67:||And then they’re going to spend months and months just poking around this crater?|
|smolin9:||Yes. The question is – at the end of the day, how much of an impact will it have had? Ha ha.|
|polkingbeal67:||The sky crane thing reminds me of the time our ancestors used something similar to construct a colossal three-tiered monument on Earth in honour of our revered leader.|
|smolin9:||Right. Then they made the mistake of placing goopmutt eggs in it as a ritual offering. And some goopmutts got drunk on vitalmados and demolished the structure by launching boulders at it. The ruins are still there. The Earthlings call it Stonehenge.|
|polkingbeal67:||One of the most disgraceful acts of vandalism in intergalactic history.|
|smolin9:||Yes, but Earthlings still celebrate it.|
|smolin9:||Oh yes. They call it Angry Birds.|
© MMBC (Morys Minor Broadcasting Corporation)
All Rights Reserved
Keeping both feet on the ground while the mind takes a leap in the dark.
(Please visit again soon. I'll keep the wormhole open.)


By Carolyn Jones
At Design Tech High, a charter school in Burlingame that’s affiliated with Oracle, students are analyzing the science behind the Tubbs Fire that raged through Sonoma County in October and creating blueprints for how the destroyed neighborhoods can rebuild in a way that could minimize impacts from the next fire.
The crash course in sustainability is an example of how, amidst the devastation and human suffering, teachers are using wildfires, hurricanes and other natural disasters to further students’ understanding of science, history and social studies.
“Drought, famine, fire, war — students get it. They see the connection between what’s on the news and these larger environmental issues,” said Andra Yeghoian, environmental education coordinator for the San Mateo County Office of Education, who teaches environmental science and trains teachers at Design Tech and other public schools in San Mateo County.


The cemetery can be found on a hill near the right bank of the Vistula. This is the eastern cemetery out of two cemeteries marked on the old maps to be found on neighboring hills. The cemetery can be distinguished from the rest of the wood by a significant step or remains of an earth wall. Old pine trees and partially very dense growing lilac are found on the area of the cemetery. An area somewhat in the center of the cemetery shows some more open space and is covered by a lot of old wood. There were no signs of graves except for a cement plate, which probably has been the base of a cross, and several boulders, which might have been used to mark graves. But there were no traces of iron crosses at the boulders.
Source information for this cemetery was found in: 1:25.000.
Photos and other contributions for the documentation of this cemetery were provided by: Jutta Dennerlein.
You can choose your starting point from the following item list of the Wola Czerwińska II cemetery or return to your query at the Cmentarze Index page.