Paleontologists in Argentina’s Pantagonia region believe this long-necked, long-tailed sauropod that walked on four legs and lived during the Cretaceous Period may have been the largest dinosaur to have ever walked the earth. It is said to have weighed about 100 tons, the equivalent of more than 14 African elephants.
“This is a true paleontological treasure,” Jose Luis Carballido, a paleontologist at the Egidio Museum in Trelew, Argentia, said in a statement. “There are many remains and they were practically intact, something that does not frequently happen.”
The Titanosaur bones were accidentally discovered by a farm worker in the desert 135 miles from Trelew in 2011. These bones are among 200 fossils at the site which experts believe also contains the remains of seven dinosaurs and the broken teeth of carnivores. Those bones have been described as being in a remarkable state of preservation.
Since the dinosaurs were found so close together, along with a number of carnivorous dinosaurs, it is believed they may have died during a drought, possibly as a result of dehydration.
Further analysis of the site where they were found suggests the area was different to how it appears today. Rather than a dry, arid land, it is probable there were trees and a wide variety of plant-life.


Adenopathy: Large or swollen lymph glands.
Advance directive: A legal document that states the treatment or care a person wishes to receive or not receive if he or she becomes unable to make medical decisions (for example, due to being unconscious or in a coma).
Analgesic: A drug that reduces pain, such as aspirin, acetaminophen, and ibuprofen
Anaplastic: A term used to describe cancer cells that divide rapidly and have little or no resemblance to normal cells
Anemia: A condition in which the number of red blood cells is below normal
Angiosarcoma: A type of cancer that begins in the cells that line blood vessels of lymph vessels
Antiemetic: A drug that prevents or reduces nausea and vomiting
Aspiration: Removal of fluid or tissue through a needle. Also, the accidental breathing in of food or fluid into the lungs
Asymphomatic: Having no signs or symptoms of disease
Benign tumor: A noncancerous growth that does not invade nearby tissue or spread to other parts of the body
Bile: A fluid made by the liver and stored in the gallbladder
Bile duct: A tube through which bile passes in and out of the liver
Biopsy: The removal of cells or tissues for examination by a pathologist
Blood cell count: A test to check the number of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets in a sample of blood. Also called complete blood count (CBC).
Bone marrow transplantation: A procedure to replace bone marrow that has been destroyed by treatment with high doses of anticancer drugs or radiation
Bowel function: The way the intestines work in terms of how often there are bowel movements, the ability to control when to have a bowel movement, and whether the stools are hard and dry as in constipation or watery as in diarrhea.
Brachytherapy: A procedure in which radioactive material sealed in needles, seeds, wires, or catheters is placed directly into or near a tumor
Carcinoma: Cancer that begins in the skin or in tissues that line or cover internal organs
Cartilage: A tough, flexible tissue that lines joints and gives structure to the nose, ears, larynx, and other parts of the body.
CAT scan: Computerized axial tomography scan. A series of detailed pictures of areas inside the body, taken from different angles; the pictures are created by a computer linked to an x-ray machine. Also called computed tomography (CT scan) or computerized tomography
Chemotherapy: Drugs used to treat cancer
Chondrosarcoma: A type of cancer that forms in cartilage
Clinical Trial: A type of study that shows how well a new medical approach works, which may include screening, prevention, diagnosis or treatment of a disease
Colonoscopy: Examination of the inside of the colon using a colonoscope, inserted into the rectum
CyberKnife®: Stereotactic radiosurgery procedure that uses a robotic arm, beam source and imaging. It is used to treat tumors, but is non-invasive and done on an outpatient basis
Cyst: A sac or capsule in the body. It may be filled with fluid or other material
Debulking: Removing as much of a tumor as possible
Diuretic: A drug that increases the production of urine
Dosimetry: The measurement of radiation exposure from X-rays, gamma rays or other types of radiation used in the treatment or detection of diseases, including cancer
DRE (Digital rectal exam): A procedure in which the doctor inserts a lubricated, gloved finger into the rectum and feels the prostate through the rectal wall to check for hard or lumpy areas
Drug resistance: Failure of cancer cells, viruses, or bacteria to respond to a drug used to kill or weaken them. The cells, viruses, or bacteria may be resistant to the drug at the beginning of treatment, or may become resistant after being exposed to the drug
Endoscopy: A procedure that uses an endoscope to examine the inside of the body. An endoscope is a thin, tube-like instrument with a light and a lens for viewing. It may also have a tool to remove tissue to be checked under a microscope for signs of disease
Esophagoscopy: Examination of the esophagus using an esophagoscope. An esophagoscope is a thin, tube-like instrument with a light and a lens for viewing. It may also have a tool to remove tissue to be checked under a microscope for signs of disease
Estrogen: A type of hormone that helps develop and maintain female sex characteristics.
Estrogen receptor+ or -: Cancer cells that are ER+ need estrogen to grow, and may stop growing when treated with hormones that block estrogen from binding. Cancer cells that are ER- do not need estrogen to grow, and usually do not stop growing when treated with hormones that block estrogen from binding
Fecal occult blood test (FOBT): A test to check for blood in the stool. Small samples of stool are placed on special cards and sent to a doctor or laboratory for testing.
Fibroid: A benign smooth-muscle tumor, usually in the uterus or gastrointestinal tract. Also called leiomyoma
Fluoroscopy: An X-ray procedure that makes it possible to see internal organs in motion
Gastric: Having to do with the stomach.
Genetic testing: Analyzing DNA to look for a genetic alteration that may indicate an increased risk for developing a specific disease or disorder
Gland: An organ that makes one or more substances, such as hormones, digestive juices, sweat, tears, saliva, or milk.
Glioma: A cancer of the brain that begins in the glial cells (cells that surround and support nerve cells
Glioblastoma: A general term that refers to malignant astrocytoma, a type of brain tumor
Glioblastomas multiforme (GBM): Type of brain tumor that forms from glial (supportive) tissue of the brain. It grows very quickly and has cells that look very different from normal cells. Also called grade IV astrocytoma
Gynecologic oncologist: A doctor who specializes in treating cancer of the female reproductive organs
Hematologist: A doctor who specializes in treating blood disorders
Hodkin’s lymphoma: A cancer of the immune system that is marked by the presence of a type of cell called the Reed Sternberg cell. Symptoms include the painless enlarged lymph nodes, spleen, or other immune tissue. Other symptoms include fever, weight loss, fatigue, or night sweats. Also called Hodgkin's disease
Hospice: A program that provides special care for people who are near the end of life and for their families, either at home, in freestanding facilities, or within hospitals
Hydronephrosis: Abnormal enlargement of a kidney, which may be caused by blockage of the ureter (such as by a kidney stone) or chronic kidney disease that prevents urine from draining into the bladder
Immunosuppression: The suppression of the body's immune system and its ability to fight infections or disease
Inflammatory breast cancer: A type of breast cancer in which the breast looks red and swollen and feels warm
Infusion: A method of putting fluids, including drugs, into the bloodstream
In situ cancer: Early cancer that has not spread to neighboring tissue
Jaundice: A condition in which the skin and the whites of the eyes become yellow, urine darkens, and the color of stool becomes lighter than normal
Keloid: A thick, irregular scar caused by excessive tissue growth at the site of an incision or wound
Laparoscope: A thin, tube-like instrument used to look at tissues and organs inside the abdomen. A laparoscope has a light and a lens for viewing and may have a tool to remove tissue
Lesion: An area of abnormal tissue
Leukemia: Cancer that starts in blood-forming tissue such as the bone marrow, and causes large numbers of blood cells to be produced and enter the bloodstream
Liposarcoma: Rare cancer of the fat cells
Lumpectomy: Surgery to remove the tumor and a small amount of normal tissue around it.
Lymphedema: A condition in which excess fluid collects in tissue and causes swelling. It may occur in the arm or leg after lymph vessels or lymph nodes in the underarm or groin are removed or treated with radiation
Lymphacyte: A type of white blood cell.
Malignancy: Cancerous tumor that can invade and destroy nearby tissue and spread to other parts of the body
Malignant fibrous histiocytoma: Soft tissue sarcoma that usually occurs in the limbs, most commonly the legs, and may also occur in the abdomen
Mammopad: FDA-cleared foam cushion,that eases the discomfort many women feel when they get a mammogram
Mastectomy: Surgery to remove the breast (or as much of the breast tissue as possible)
Mediastinum: The area between the lungs. The organs in this area include the heart and its large blood vessels, the trachea, the esophagus, the bronchi, and lymph nodes
Melanoma: A form of skin cancer that begins in melanocytes (the cells that make the pigment melanin). Melanoma usually begins in a mole
Meningioma: Type of tumor that occurs in the meninges, the membranes that cover and protect the brain and spinal cord.
Metastases: The spread of cancer from one part of the body to another. A tumor formed by cells that have spread is called a “metastatic tumor” or a “metastasis.”
MRI: Magnetic Resonance Imaging, a procedure in which radio waves and a powerful magnet linked to a computer are used to create detailed pictures of areas inside the body
Myeloma: Cancer that arises in plasma cells, a type of white blood cell
Myelodysplasia: Abnormal bone marrow cells that may lead to myelogenous leukemia
Needle biopsy: The removal of tissue or fluid with a needle for examination under a microscope. Also called fine-needle aspiration
Neoplasm: An abnormal mass of tissue that results when cells divide more than they should or do not die when they should. Also called a tumor.
Neurofibroma: A benign tumor that develops from the cells and tissues that cover nerves.
Neuro-oncologist: A doctor who specializes in diagnosing and treating brain tumors and other tumors of the nervous system
Neurosurgeon: A doctor who specializes in surgery on the brain, spine, and other parts of the nervous system.
non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma: Any of a large group of cancers of the immune system. NHLs can occur at any age, and are often marked by enlarged lymph nodes, fever, and weight loss. There are many different types of NHL, and they can be divided into aggressive (fast-growing) and indolent (slow-growing) types, and are classified as either B-cell or T-cell NH
Non-small cell lung cancer: A group of lung cancers that includes squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, and large cell carcinoma.
Oncologist: a doctor who specializes in treating cancer
Oopherectomy: Surgery to remove one or both ovaries
Opportunistic infection: An infection caused by an organism that does not normally cause disease. Opportunistic infections occur in people with weakened immune systems
Osteosarcoma: cancer of the bone that usually affects the large bones of the arm or leg. It occurs most commonly in young people and affects more males than females
OTC (Over the Counter): A medicine that can be bought without a prescription
Ovarian suppression/ovarian ablation: Surgery, radiation therapy, or a drug treatment to stop the functioning of the ovaries
Palliative therapy: treatment given to relieve the symptoms and reduce the suffering caused by cancer or other life-threatening illnesses
Pap smear: A procedure in which cells are scraped from the cervix for examination under a microscope. It is used to detect cancer and changes that may lead to cancer. A Pap smear can also show noncancerous conditions, such as infection or inflammation
Patient navigation specialist: a trained health care worker who provides support and guidance throughout the cancer care continuum, including helping people “navigate" through the maze of doctors' offices, clinics, hospitals, outpatient centers, insurance and payment systems and patient-support organizations.
Pneumonectomy: An operation to remove an entire lung
PET scan: Positron emission tomography scan. A procedure in which a small amount of radioactive glucose (sugar) is injected into a vein, and a scanner is used to make detailed, computerized pictures of areas inside the body where the glucose is used
Phlebotomy: The puncture of a vein with a needle for the purpose of drawing blood
Physiatrist: A physician specializing in physical medicine and rehabilitation
Pituitary gland: The main endocrine gland
Placebo: An inactive substance or treatment that looks the same as, and is given the same way as, an active drug or treatment being tested
Pleura: A thin layer of tissue covering the lungs and lining the interior wall of the chest cavity. It protects and cushions the lungs
Pleural effusion: An abnormal collection of fluid between the thin layers of tissue (pleura) lining the lung and the wall of the chest cavity
Polyp: A growth that protrudes from a mucous membrane.
Postoperative: after surgery
Primary tumor: The original tumor
Prostatectomy: An operation to remove part or all of the prostate
PSA (prostate-specific antigen): substance produced by the prostate that may be found in an increased amount in the blood of men who have prostate cancer, benign prostatic hyperplasia, or infection or inflammation of the prostate
Quality of life: The overall enjoyment of life. Many clinical trials assess the effects of cancer and its treatment on the quality of life. These studies measure aspects of an individual’s sense of well-being and ability to carry out various activities.
Radiation: Energy released in the form of particles or electromagnetic waves. Common sources of radiation include radon gas, cosmic rays from outer space, and medical x-rays
Radiation oncologist: A doctor who specializes in using radiation to treat cancer
Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA): The use of electrodes to heat and destroy abnormal tissue
RBC (Red Blood Cell): A cell that carries oxygen to all parts of the body.
Regression: A decrease in the size of a tumor or in the extent of cancer in the body
Relapse: The return of signs and symptoms of cancer after a period of improvement
Remission: A decrease in or disappearance of signs and symptoms of cancer. In partial remission, some, but not all, signs and symptoms of cancer have disappeared.
Resection: A procedure that uses surgery to remove tissue or part or all of an organ
Rhabdomyosarcoma: A malignant tumor of muscle tissue
Sarcoma: A cancer of the bone, cartilage, fat, muscle, blood vessels, or other connective or supportive tissue
Sentinel lymph node biopsy: The removal and examination of the sentinel node(s), also called the first lymph node(s), to which cancer cells are likely to spread from a primary tumor. To identify the sentinel lymph node(s), the surgeon injects a radioactive substance, blue dye, or both near the tumor. The surgeon then uses a scanner to find the sentinel lymph node(s) containing the radioactive substance or looks for the lymph node(s) stained with dye. The surgeon then removes the sentinel node(s) to check for the presence of cancer cells.
Sigmoidoscopy: an exam of the rectum and lower (sigmoid) colon with a lighted tube called a sigmoidoscope.
Sputum: Mucus and other matter brought up from the lungs by coughing
Squamous cell carcinoma: Cancer that begins in squamous cells, which are thin, flat cells that look like fish scales. Squamous cells are found in the tissue that forms the surface of the skin, the lining of the hollow organs of the body, and the passages of the respiratory and digestive tracts
stereotactic radiosurgery: A radiation therapy procedure that uses special equipment to position the patient and precisely deliver a large radiation dose to a tumor and not to normal tissue.
Systemic therapy: Treatment using substances that travel through the bloodstream, reaching and affecting cells all over the body
Tracheostomy: Surgery to create an opening (stoma) into the windpipe
Thoracic: having to do with the chest
Thoracoscopy: Examination of the inside of the chest, using a thoracoscope Thoracoscope: A thin, tube-like instrument with a light and a lens for viewing.
Thyroid: A gland located beneath the voice box (larynx) that produces thyroid hormone. The thyroid helps regulate growth and metabolism.
Trigeminal nerve: The main sensory nerve of the head and face, and the motor nerve of the muscles used in chewing.
Tumor marker: A substance sometimes found in the blood, other body fluids, or tissues.
Ultrasound: A procedure in which high-energy sound waves (ultrasound) are bounced off internal tissues or organs and make echoes
Watchful waiting: Closely monitoring a patient's condition but withholding treatment until symptoms appear or change
WBC (White Blood Cell): Refers to a blood cell that does not contain hemoglobin. White blood cells include lymphocytes, neutrophils, eosinophils, macrophages, and mast cells
Definitions courtesy of the National Cancer Institute and LifeBridge Health


History of the Fruit
It was only recently that the yuko was rediscovered and recognized as an astringent citrus fruit native to Japan. In appearance the fruit resembles the yuzu ( Citrus junos ) and kabosu ( C. sphaerocarpa ). When it ripens, the outer rind and flesh turn a bright yellow that calls to mind the lemon. The yuko has many seeds, a sharp but well-rounded flavor, and juicy flesh; the white inner rind is also edible, like that of the hyuganatsu ( C. tamurana ), another Japanese member of the citrus genus. The rind of the ripened fruit has a sweet scent similar to other fruits like the pomelo and yuzu .
The history of this fruit is far from clear. One theory holds that the yuko came about from natural crossbreeding between other species like yuzu and pomelo. The yuko grows naturally from seed, is polyembryonic, or capable of producing multiple seedlings from a single seed, and carries out monogonous, or asexual, reproduction. There are a number of yuko trees standing today that have stood for more than a century, and it is believed that this species was in distinct existence by the middle of the nineteenth century.
Today yuko trees grow in areas of the city of Nagasaki like the Doinokubi and Sotome districts. These were part of the same Saga domain during the Edo period (1603-1868), but some 20 kilometers separate them, and it is thought that the yuko developed independently in both of the districts.
Yuko trees grow alongside pomelo and summer orange trees in residential yards and farm fields of the Doinokubi district, where, as in Sotome, people have harvested and consumed their fruit. The trees can also be found alongside area roads, though, suggesting that birds may have scattered the seeds to sprout in various locations. Nagasaki has traditionally been home to a large Christian population, including the clandestine Christians of the Edo period, when the religion was banned, and the area has deep ties to the faith. Some believe that the French missionary Marc Marie de Rotz (1840-1914) sought to spread cultivation of the yuko as a means of improving the living standards of the area's impoverished villagers.
In both Doinokubi and Sotome, yuko is used to add flavor to vinegared side dishes and to garnish fish including sardines. Children eat the fruit and drink its juice. The fruit has traditionally been floated in bathtubs for a fragrant bathing experience and used medicinally to treat the common cold and other ailments. Since the strains in use have come from naturally growing trees, rather than managed, cultivated ones, the fruit shows great diversity in the thickness of its rind, its size, and its flavor. For the people in these communities, leading subsistence lifestyles and depending on both farming and fishing for their livelihoods, this lack of uniformity may have even made the fruit more attractive to them, as they could choose from among the various yuko types according to their intended use.
Beginning in the 1960s, the yuko began disappearing rapidly from the Nagasaki region. There were various reasons for this. First of all, farmers introducing satsuma oranges feared crosspollination would reduce the value of their new crops. Second, mass production of vinegar and other seasonings reduced the need for homegrown citrus fruit. Third, the trees got in the way of farmers' efforts to expand fields for vegetable production. And fourth, the yuko trees grew tall relatively quickly, making it difficult to harvest their fruit. In Doinokubi in particular, urbanization and the expansion of residential neighborhoods accelerated the decline of the species.
In a few short decades the yuko had declined almost to the point of extinction. In 2001 Masanori Kawakami, then the chief of Nagasaki City Hall's branch office in Doinokubi and the head of the local public community center, learned of this threatened fruit and carried out a survey of the remaining trees together with researchers from the Nagasaki Fruit Tree Experiment Station and other organizations. This was the beginning of a movement to protect and revitalize the yuko populations, mainly of the Doinokubi and Sotome districts.
Resuscitation of a Species
Kawakami's rediscovery of the yuko took place in 2001, when he went into the Nagasaki hills to survey the old "lord's road," used by the ruler of the Fukahori fiefdom to travel back and forth to the Saga domain, whose lord he served as a principal retainer. Tatsunori Konaka, then head of the Doinokubi community association, picked a fruit from a roadside tree and handed it to Kawakami, who then took his first bite of yuko . He found the fruit to have a flavor all its own, although similar to that of a summer orange. Wanting to know more about the yuko -its formal name, the common name's etymology, and the fruit's characteristics-he sent a photograph to the producers of a televised gardening program. A response came from Hirohisa Nesumi of the National Institute of Fruit Tree Science. In the correspondence that followed Kawakami sent samples of the fruit, branches, and leaves to the institute, which determined that this could be a previously unknown species and proposed a survey of the distribution, height, spread, and girth of the trees. This marked the beginning of a community effort led by Konaka to catalog the tree population. Ken'ichi Kose, who was then a supervisor in the Nagasaki City Department of Agriculture and Forestry, cooperated in the survey efforts as part of a city project to promote local production and consumption of agricultural products. Nesumi and other researchers began taking a serious scientific look at the outer appearance of the yuko and the makeup of its rind, flesh, and seeds, eventually determining it to be a new species based on its morphology and chemical composition.
It was after this that word came to Kawakami of yuko trees growing in the Sotome district. He went there and worked together with Sugino Hiu, leader of a local farming revitalization group, to survey the Sotome trees, discovering them to be even greater in number than the Doinokubi trees. Over time Kawakami came to be known as a knowledgeable advisor on the yuko for his involvement in the rediscovery of the fruit in these two districts. Kose, meanwhile, went on to volunteer his efforts as a local resident involved in tree-planting festivals in both Sotome and Doinokubi and in providing guidance on how best to raise the trees.
In recent years seed tree farms have been established in both districts, and residents are now raising more than 100 yuko seedlings. Nobuteru Nakao, a citrus farmer and farm management consultant certified by Nagasaki Prefecture, has since 2007 been at the center of efforts including citrus farmers and the Nagasaki city government's department promoting local food production and consumption to set up a system for increasing yuko production and making the fruit part of the region's branding efforts. Eight designated farmers in the city of Nagasaki are now growing yuko in this system.
State of the Yuko Today
As of December 2007, there were a confirmed total of 116 yuko trees standing in the two producing districts, with 52 in Doinokubi and 64 in Sotome. It is hard to get accurate numbers for fruit yield per tree, but hearings carried out in the two districts indicate that each tree produces upwards of 500 yuko per season on average. Residents in both areas begin harvesting the fruit around September, when the skin is still green, for use in place of vinegar. In November the fruit takes on its yellow color and is harvested and eaten fresh. Some yuko can score as high as 12 degrees on the Brix scale of sugar content, making them some of the sweetest astringent citrus fruit anywhere. The species is characterized by a particularly long harvest season, lasting from September through March. No pesticide is applied to the trees, so people can take bites through the rind and use the entire fruit, rind and all, without concern. Compared to the yuzu and Seville orange, which can overpower dishes, the yuko is a better choice for cooking thanks to its milder aroma that accents and brings out the taste of the food it flavors. The yuko is also a welcome addition to the kitchen as a fruit that can be used in its entirety, leaving nothing to throw away.
The people now working to bring this species back to vitality note that since yuko trees sprouted here and there naturally, people harvested the fruit for personal consumption as a matter of course, without giving thought to the importance of the species. It was the danger that the species might disappear that sparked their recognition of the role the yuko played in the food culture, daily life, and history of the area, and their awareness that the species was a vital one to keep around.
In Japan today there are numerous examples of foods that are important to the lives and food culture of a region's residents but are cultivated only for their own consumption. When the focus shifts to a crop's production capacity and economic benefits, these foods tend to fall into decline, even to the point of disappearing completely. The astringent citrus varieties that people have traditionally grown in their own yards and used in cooking seem particularly susceptible to this trend. The tale of the yuko and its resurgence in recent years is a highly instructive one in the consideration of the importance of these noncommercial foodstuffs and fresh approaches to their place in our lives in the modern era.
Culinary scholar. Her research focuses on the crafts and techniques used in cooking, agriculture, forestry, and fishing. While involved in the slow food movement, she met with farmers in her native Nagasaki who grew a wide variety of crops without pesticides and realized the importance of protecting the local characteristics and diversity of food. She is involved in a range of activities that benefit society by building closer connections between food producers and consumers.
Photos: Kazuo Kikuchi


A seat belt is also known as a safety belt, and is intended to keep you safe during a sudden stop or car accident. The seat belt reduces serious injury and death in a traffic accident by keeping passengers in the correct position so the air bag will work properly. In addition, it helps to keep passengers from striking interior objects that can cause injuries as well.
Problems with Seat Belts
Seat belts can wear over time and not work properly when they need to. For example, the tension-relieving device can leave too much slack in the belt causing you to move in a collision. This movement can cause you to strike the sides, top, or other areas of the vehicle and cause injury. Another potential problem can be a defective seat belt. These do not work properly and can release upon impact of a crash. A defective buckle can cause serious injuries or even death. Rips and tears can happen in seat belts over time, so if this occurs, it is important to get them fixed right away. Seat belts will not function properly if they are torn.
Reasons to Use a Seat Belt
When the car is traveling at a certain speed, the passengers are traveling at that speed as well. If the car stops suddenly, you and the passengers keep moving at that same speed. The seat belt is designed to stop your body before you hit the dashboard or windshield. According to Oklahoma State University’s Safety Training, about 40,000 people die each year in car accidents, and half of those deaths could have been prevented by seat belts.
Myths of Seat Belts
One myth pertaining to seat belts is you do not have to wear them if you have an air bag. This is not true. Air bags provide protection in frontal crashes, but passengers can go under them if a seat belt is not in place. Furthermore, air bags do not help in side impact or rollover accidents. Another myth is not to wear a seat belt so you are thrown clear from a crash. According to Michigan State Police, this is almost impossible. During a crash, you are likely to hit the windshield, pavement, or another vehicle if you are thrown from the car.
Seat belts are an important safety feature and come standard on all vehicles. If you see rips or tears, get your seat belt replaced right away. Also, wear your seat belt every time you drive.


Boils are infections beneath the skin, and they start developing in the hair follicle. They can be first seen as a red spot around the infection, but after one or two days a small lump will appear. During seven days, the lump will slowly turn white because the disease will spread underneath the tissue of our skin. If the infection is not treated and more time passes, it can become a furuncle over time.
If you notice that more boils appear around the same place, it can be a sign that the infection is starting to spread. Even though the bacteria which cause the boils are the reason they develop, what speeds the development is intense heat. The most commonplace for boils to appear is the face, but it can also appear on the shoulders, neck, or even the butt and private parts.
Causes of boils development:
Boils are most commonly caused by the bacterium Staphylococcus, and the infection caused by that bacteria can spread fast. After Staphylococcus comes in contact with our skin, it will enter through small cracks on our skin tissues by grind through a single strain of hair all the way to our follicle. That is where the infection will start to spread and develop into boils. Some people are more easy targets for the infection to spread since they have health problems which makes it easy for the bacteria to spread. Few examples of that are:
- Problems with our immune system
- Having poor hygiene
- Poor nutrition
- Intense heat
Some symptoms of boils:
Like we talked about before, the fastest way to notice when the boil starts to form is when a red spot can be seen around the place of infection. If more time passes and the boil starts to get painful and bigger, it will be a sign that the infection is spreading, and soon after you will notice that pus forms on top of it. This will be the signs of a greater infection, and the symptoms to it are:
- More boils will appear close to the first one
- You will start to have fewer
- The pain caused by the boil will increase
- Swollen lymph nodes around the boil
The Best Home Remedies for Heat Boils:
- Onions – They may make you cry, but they will surely help
If you notice a boil appearing during summer and hot and humid weather, the home remedies which would help you are onions. The reason behind this is because they have antiseptic and antimicrobial properties that can drain out the boil. All you have to do is slice a small piece of onion and wrap it in any kind of cloth, after which you have to keep it on the boil for some time so that the onion can drain the boil.
- Prepare Garlic Pasta for further treatment
Garlic is not only good for heat boils, but also for rashes caused by humid and hot weather. What you should do here is to make pasta from fresh garlic. When you make the pasta, apply it where the boil has appeared. It will surely help you get rid of the heat boil, but if you want to maximize the effect it has, you should use these home remedies a few times a day.
- Few drops of Tea Tree Oil
Would you believe that tea tree oil has completely antibacterial, anti-fungal and antiseptic properties? The only thing you need to do is to, after taking a shower, apply three to four drops of the oil to the boil. If you repeat the process for a few days, the boil will dry out, and you won’t have any side effects because of the properties it has.
- Wash your boil and the skin around it with warm water.
- Take a few drops of tea tree oil and rub this onto your boil and the surrounding area.
- You may use undiluted tea tree oil with full strength on your boils.
- If you find it irritating, you may also dilute it with some water.
- Use an elastic bandage to cover the boil.
- Wash your hands properly after applying the oil.
- Repeat 2-3 times a day.
- Applying Castor Oil on the boil
Castor oil is possibly one of the best home remedies you could use to get rid of heat boils. You only need a few drops of castor oil on a piece of cloth, which you need to apply on the spot where the boil is. Since you need to keep it there for a while, it would be better if you used a bandage to secure the piece of cloth from falling. Do this every day, and in around 3 days, you will surely notice a difference.
- Pour some drops of castor oil on the cotton ball.
- Place this cotton ball on your boil.
- Secure it with gauze or bandage.
Boils by themselves are harmless but if they spread like an infection, especially during the heat, it can surely cause quite irritating problems. The best home remedies for boils caused by intense heat were described previously, and you should remember to use them if you notice any boils so you can stop the infection from spreading. Treat boils with these remedies, and you will surely be free of heat boils.


DIY: How to choose a high efficiency toilet
Toilets amount to a significant amount of household water usage, accounting for up to 30 percent of indoor water use.
A family of four with standard pre-1994 toilets that use up to 3.5 gallons per flush, will use approximately 27,500 gallons of water a year. Switching to a high-efficiency toilet will cut back drastically on water usage. Conversion to 1.6-gallons-per-flush toilets will save 14,000 gallons. And dual-flush toilets will cut water use to about 10,000 gallons — an annual savings of more than 17,000 gallons.
High-efficiency toilets fit into these categories:
- Single-flush, at 1.6 gallons per flush (gpf)
- Dual-flush, with 1.6 gpf/0.8 gpf
- Pressure-assist, with 1 gpf
Single-flush toilets using 1.6 gpf are required by code in most new home construction and bathroom remodeling jobs. They require, as the name implies, a single flush for solid and liquid waste.
Dual-flush toilets provide two flushing options. Solids are flushed using 1.6 gallons of water and liquids are flushed at 0.8 gpf.
Pressure-assist toilets are often used in commercial applications. This toilet consists of a plastic pressure tank mounted inside the toilet tank that uses pressure from the water supply line to compress air inside the pressure tank.
Ultra high-efficiency toilets are a new entry into the market, with Niagara Conservation developing the only 0.8 gpf toilet that eliminates solid waste. It harnesses air and water pressure to create a powerful, yet quiet, one-flush system. It retails for $308 online.
The top-selling brands include Kohler, Toto, Gerber and American Standard. In most areas, it costs about $450, including the fixture, to install a high-efficiency single-flush toilet. Including installation, dual-flush models can run up to $800. Toilet installation alone runs about $200.
Plumbing associations have put high-efficiency toilets to the test and developed a rating system for flush capacity. The results are part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's WaterSense list of toilets, which must flush at 1.28 gpf or less.
According to the EPA, WaterSense toilets can save consumers more than $90 a year on water bills, and an average of $2,000 or more during the 10-year lifetime of the product.
Japan-based Toto has come up with such innovations as a concave, rather than hollow, rim around the bowl and double cycle flush engines. This creates a stronger flow. The most popular model is the UltraMax II, priced at about $350. This uses less water and requires less cleaning.
Another Toto innovation is the Washlet, a remote-controlled heated toilet seat that combines bidet and dryer in one, making toilet paper unnecessary. The Washlet is priced at $750.
Rebates and incentives are set by local and state governments, and vary widely. Those offered by WaterSense partners are listed on the EPA website.
For more information, see our Water Saving Devices Research Center.
Teena Hammond Teena Hammond has published more than 2,000 articles in People and W magazines, Women's Wear Daily, and in dozens of newspapers and books. She also wrote a home improvement, remodeling and decor column that ran in Gannett newspapers nationwide. She's interested in all things green and would love to hear from you with your story ideas.


Earliest records show that the Squamish Nation hunted and fished here, and used the island as a neutral meeting ground. The Squamish name for the island is Xwlíl’xhwm, meaning “Fast Drumming Ground.” Early settlers observed some shake dwellings and a smoke house in Snug Cove.
1791. José Maria Narváez, a Spanish explorer, named the island “Isla De Apodaca” while charting islands in Howe Sound.
1860. Captain George Henry Richards named the island “Bowen Island” after Rear Admiral James Bowen who helped defeat a French fleet in 1794. (Rear Admiral Bowen never actually visited the island.)
1870. First loggers arrived, closely followed by early settlers.
1874. First preemption of land by white settler William Eaton, who claimed 160 acres south of Killarney Lake. In order to settle the colonies, Britain introduced a system by which Crown lands could be pre-empted by settlers willing to clear and fence land, build a home and produce crops.
1880s & 1890s. Major land holdings were assembled by prominent Vancouver pioneer families. Logging, fishing, farming, brick works from a rare blue clay deposit, and a dynamite plant were followed by tourism as primary economic engines. Visitors from Vancouver set up tent camps on sites at Snug Point that were leased for $10 per year.
1900–1920. The earliest subdivisions of Millers Landing (35 lots), the north shore of Deep Bay (61 lots), Scarborough (150 lots), and northwest of Killarney Lake (32 lots) took place. Captain Jack Cates purchased over 800 acres and developed a resort for day excursionists from Vancouver. The resort included a hotel, farm, general store, bakery, picnic grounds, dance pavilion, playing fields, ball diamond, tea room.
In the 1920s to 1940s Bowen was nicknamed ``The Happy Isle.`` Cruises from Vancouver, one of the largest dance pavilions in B.C., entertainment, and picnics were catalysts for a lot of happiness.
1920–1950s. Union Steamship Company bought and developed the resort further (ultimately 1,300 acres). They built or renovated 150 summer cottages, trails, picnic grounds, and a dance pavilion — one of the largest in British Columbia (could accommodate 800 couples on it sprung-wood floor). Tourism peaked at 100,000 to 150,000 visitors a year between 1937 and 1946. Moonlight cruises, dance cruises on Wednesday and Saturday evenings, organized games, entertainment, horseback riding, and lawn bowling set the stage for Bowen Island to be nicknamed “The Happy Isle.”
1940s–1950s. Artists and writers were attracted to Bowen. Lieben writers’ colony was established.
1962. The break up of the Union Steamship holdings gave way to the subdivisions of Snug Point and Deep Bay into single family lots. Other developments around the island followed, generally at a small scale and slow pace.
1957. First car ferry to Bowen, eventually replaced by BC Ferries. Made it possible for people to live on Bowen and commute to Vancouver.
1983. Greater Vancouver Regional District bought Union Steamship property. Crippen Regional Park, an 800-acre day use park, opened in 1984.
1970s–1990s. Families moved to Bowen because real estate prices were more affordable than in Greater Vancouver, and the commute was comparable to a commute from suburbs.
1999. Bowen became the first (and only) municipality within the Islands Trust. Bowen Island Municipality provides land use planning, building inspection, bylaw enforcement, fire protection, garbage removal, community recreation, and public library services — and operates/maintains six water systems, a sewer system, public roads, public trails, municipal parks, beaches, and three public docks in Snug Cove and Galbraith Bay.
Photos on this page courtesy of Bowen Island Museum & Archives.


Opening of "Too Jewish?" an exhibit featuring work of artist Helène Aylon
March 10, 1996
Helène Aylon's The Liberation of G-d was first shown in the New York Jewish Museum's Too Jewish?: Challenging Traditional Identities exhibit, which opened on March 10, 1996. The work, which took six years to create, was made by covering every page of the five books of the Torah with transparent parchment, on which Aylon marked problematic passages with a pink pen. The marked passages were mostly those considered degrading to women, but also included negative references to homosexuality. This work was accompanied by commentary on the marked passages from a spectrum of Jewish scholars and rabbis. Liberation was typical of Aylon's work in combining Jewish and social justice themes.
Born in 1931, Aylon was raised in Borough Park, Brooklyn, and married young. It was only when her husband, a rabbi, died of cancer in 1961 that she began to paint. At the same time, she changed her name (from Fisch) and turned away from Judaism. Her first works were abstract paintings made by pouring linseed oil onto plexiglass. Later, she turned from painting to sculpture, creating installations and performances. In the 1980s, her work increasingly commented on issues of social justice and world peace. The 1985 Current, two sacs en route consisted of small sacs of seeds floating down Japanese rivers toward Hiroshima and Nagasaki to mark the 40th anniversary of the nuclear bombings of those cities. The piece was videotaped, and in 1995 was shown on the Sony Jumbotron in New York's Times Square. Another piece from the 1980s, The Earth Ambulance, featured pillowcases filled with earth "rescued" from nuclear weapons sites around the world.
In the 1990s, Aylon began to focus her work on Jewish themes. Like The Liberation of G-d, these works highlighted gender inequities in Judaism. My Notebooks (1998) suggested a 1950s Orthodox girls' school classroom, with empty notebooks covering the walls to symbolize the absence of women's voices in the traditional texts taught to girls like Aylon. My Bridal Chamber (2001) focused on the laws of niddah—the ritual impurity of women during menstruation—and mikveh (ritual bath). Not surprisingly, many of these works caused considerable controversy. Although a critic for Art in America called The Liberation of G-d "an incisive and elegant deconstruction of Jewish texts," some visitors to the Jewish Museum called it "absolute garbage" and "disgusting" in the Museum's comment book. Similarly, reactions to My Bridal Chamber ranged from angry to enthusiastic, with at least one visitor calling it "offensive" while the curator saw it as "very healthy" and affirming.
Undeterred by the controversy her work creates, Aylon continues to create pieces that call attention to injustice and sexism, particularly within Judaism. The Digital Liberation of G-d (2004), exhibited in San Francisco, recreated the original Liberation with the addition of an interactive computer terminal where viewers can read the passages Aylon highlighted and add their own comments. Aylon's works are in the permanent collections of The Jewish Museum, the San Francisco Jewish Community Center, and elsewhere. In 2002, she was awarded the National Foundation for Jewish Culture's Visual Arts Award.
To learn more about Helène Aylon, visit Jewish Women and the Feminist Revolution.
Sources: New York Times, 28 August 1992, 8 March 1996, 19 July 2001; cms.jewishculture.org/publications/jcn/jcnsp03.pdf; Norman L. Kleeblatt, ed., Too Jewish?: Challenging Traditional Identities (New York, 1996); Jewish Women and the Feminist Revolution, jwa.org/feminism/index.html?id=JWA002.


Average Federal Tax Rates in 2007
The accompanying tables update annual estimates by CBO of average tax rates and compare those estimates for 2007 with estimates from 2006.
The accompanying tables update annual estimates by CBO of average tax rates—that is, households’ tax liability divided by their income—and compare those estimates for 2007 with estimates from 2006. This report’s tables show average tax rates for various income categories for the four largest sources of federal revenue—individual income taxes, social insurance (payroll) taxes, corporate income taxes, and excise taxes—and for the four taxes combined. The tables also present average before-tax and after-tax household income; the number of households in each income category; and shares of taxes, income, and households for each fifth (quintile) of the income distribution and for the top 10 percent, 5 percent, and 1 percent of households.
Additional data and supplemental material posted with this report contain information relating to the methodology used to construct the estimates, supplementary estimates for different types of households, and estimates of the number of households that pay more in payroll taxes than they do in income taxes.
Estimates for 2007
In 2007, the overall average federal tax rate was 20.4 percent (see Table 1). Individual income taxes, the largest component, were 9.3 percent of household income. Social insurance taxes (also called payroll taxes) were the next-largest source, with an average rate of 7.4 percent. Corporate income taxes and excise taxes were smaller, with average tax rates of 3.0 percent and 0.6 percent, respectively.
The federal tax system is progressive—that is, average tax rates generally rise with income. Households in the bottom fifth of the income distribution paid 4.0 percent of their income in federal taxes, the middle quintile paid 14.3 percent, and the highest quintile paid 25.1 percent. Average rates continued to rise within the top quintile: The top 1 percent faced an average rate of 29.5 percent.
Higher-income groups earn a disproportionate share of pretax income and pay a disproportionate share of federal taxes. In 2007, the highest quintile earned 55.9 percent of pretax income and paid 68.9 percent of federal taxes; the top 1 percent of households earned 19.4 percent of income and paid 28.1 percent of taxes. The share of taxes paid by high-income groups exceeded their share of income because average tax rates rise with income. In all other quintiles, the share of federal taxes was less than the income share. The bottom quintile earned 4.0 percent of income and paid 0.8 percent of taxes, and the middle quintile earned 13.1 percent of income and paid 9.2 percent of taxes.
Much of the progressivity of the federal tax system derives from the individual income tax. In 2007, the bottom quintile’s average rate for the individual income tax was -6.8 percent, which means that refundable earned income and child tax credits exceeded the income tax owed by that group. On average, households in the second quintile also received more in credits than they paid in individual income taxes. The average income tax rate was 3.3 percent for the middle quintile and 6.2 percent for the fourth quintile. For the highest quintile, the rate was 14.4 percent. The top 1 percent, on average, paid 19.0 percent of their income in individual income taxes.
Average rates for payroll taxes rise gradually across most of the income distribution, then fall at the top. The average payroll tax rate for the lowest quintile was 8.8 percent. That rate was 9.5 percent for the second quintile, 9.4 percent for the middle quintile, and 9.5 percent for the fourth quintile. The increase occurs because nontaxable transfer payments (for example, spending for Medicare, Medicaid, and most Social Security benefits) make up a larger share of income at the bottom of the distribution. The payroll tax rate was 5.7 percent for the highest quintile. That rate is lower than others in part because much of the wages in that quintile are above the maximum income subject to Social Security taxes ($97,500 in 2007) and in part because capital income, such as interest, dividends, and capital gains, is a larger share of income at the top. Social insurance taxes account for the largest share of taxes paid by households in all but the top quintile. The impact of the corporate income tax also rises with income, because CBO assumes in this analysis that the tax is borne by those who receive capital income, and capital income is a larger share of income at the top of the distribution. The incidence of the corporate income tax is uncertain, and various models suggest that at least some of the tax is borne by workers in the form of reduced earnings, in which case the tax would not be as progressive as shown in CBO’s analysis. The effect of excise taxes, relative to income, is greatest for lower-income households, which tend to spend a greater proportion of their income on such goods as gasoline, alcohol, and tobacco, which are subject to excise taxes.
Average tax rates in 2007 changed only slightly from those in 2006 (see Table 2). There were no significant changes in the income tax law between those years, and differences in the income distribution were not enough to cause large changes in average rates. The overall average rate fell by 0.3 percentage points from 2006 to 2007. The largest contributor was a decline of 0.5 percentage points in the average corporate tax rate, which was caused by falling corporate profits and associated reductions in taxes. Payroll taxes also fell by 0.1 percentage point, mainly because of rapid growth in wages above the Social Security taxable maximum. Excise taxes fell by 0.1 percentage point, largely because of changes in the telephone excise tax. Those declines were partially offset by an increase of 0.2 percentage points in the average individual income tax rate, which occurred in part because real income growth pushed more and more income into higher tax brackets.
The changes in average tax rates from 2006 to 2007 were uneven across income quintiles. The rate for the lowest quintile declined by 0.5 percentage points, largely because of declining excise taxes. The second quintile’s average tax rate increased by 0.4 percentage points, as rates for both the individual income tax and the payroll tax crept up. The average rate for the middle and fourth quintiles changed only slightly, reflecting an increase in the average rate for individual income taxes and small decreases in the average rate paid for other taxes. The largest decline in average tax rates—0.7 percentage points—applied to taxpayers in the highest quintile. That change was attributable mostly to the reduction in payments of corporate income taxes. The pattern continued up the income scale; the average rate for the top 1 percent declined by 1.8 percentage points, mostly because of lower corporate income taxes.
CBO uses a multistep methodology to estimate the distribution of income and taxes on the basis of data contained in the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey (CPS) and in the Statistics of Income (SOI) recorded by the Internal Revenue Service. CBO estimates federal taxes for each household in the sample on the basis of income, demographic characteristics, and existing laws in the relevant year. Households are then grouped into quintiles on the basis of income, and then income, taxes, and average tax rates (the amount of tax liability divided by income) are tabulated for each quintile.
Sources of Data
CBO’s analysis of average tax rates draws information on income from two primary sources. The SOI samples more than 300,000 individual income tax returns and reports much of the information that taxpayers provide on those returns. The March supplement to the CPS contains data on demographic characteristics and income for almost 100,000 households.
CBO statistically matches each SOI record to a corresponding CPS record on the basis of demographic characteristics and income. The matching process begins by dividing all records in the CPS and the SOI into demographic subgroups by household composition, considering the marital status of the head of the household, the number of children, and the number of elderly members. Because income measures in the SOI and CPS are not directly comparable, CBO uses a regression equation for each demographic subgroup (estimated using data from the SOI) to calculate a predicted income for each record for each source of data. All CPS and SOI records are ranked by predicted income within demographic subgroups, and the two files are then matched, starting at the top of the income distribution: The SOI record with the highest predicted income is matched with the CPS record with the highest predicted income—after their sample weights are taken into account. The SOI record with the next highest predicted income is then matched with the corresponding CPS record, and the process is repeated until all SOI records in the demographic subgroup have been paired with CPS records.
Each pairing results in a new record that takes on the demographic characteristics of the CPS record and the income reported in the SOI. Some types of income, such as most transfer payments and in-kind benefits (such as employer-provided health insurance, Medicare and Medicaid benefits, and food stamps), appear only in the CPS; values for those items are drawn directly from that survey. Because not all households must file tax returns, some do not appear in the SOI; thus, the CPS reflects more households. After all SOI records have been matched to CPS records, the remaining survey records are recorded as nonfilers, and the income values are taken directly from the CPS. CBO then estimates the tax liability for each matched record. The SOI record with the next highest predicted income is then matched with the corresponding CPS record, and the process is repeated until all SOI records in the demographic subgroup have been paired with CPS records.
Who Pays Taxes?
CBO’s analysis of average tax rates assumes that households bear the burden of the taxes that they pay directly, such as individual income taxes (including taxes on interest, dividends, and capital gains) and the employee’s share of payroll taxes. The analysis assumes—as do the analyses of most economists—that the employer’s share of payroll taxes is passed on to employees in the form of lower wages than would otherwise be paid. Therefore, the amount of those taxes is included in employees’ income, and the taxes are counted as part of employees’ tax burden. CBO estimates payroll taxes and individual income taxes, including refundable tax credits, by applying the tax law for the relevant year to each of the sample tax returns from the SOI.
Excise taxes are assumed to fall on households according to their consumption of taxed goods (such as gasoline, tobacco, and alcohol). Excise taxes that affect intermediate goods, which are paid by businesses, are attributed to households in proportion to their overall consumption. CBO assumes that each household spends the same on taxed goods as is spent by similar households that are shown in the Consumer Expenditure Survey to have comparable income.
Far less consensus exists about how to attribute corporate income taxes (and taxes on capital income generally). In this analysis, CBO assumes that corporate income taxes are borne by owners of capital in proportion to their income from interest, dividends, capital gains, and rents. Over the long term, however, some models suggest that at least part of the burden falls on labor income.
This analysis focuses on households’ adjusted pretax comprehensive income, which includes all cash income (taxable and tax-exempt), taxes paid by businesses (which are imputed to individuals, as noted above), employees’ contributions to 401(k) retirement plans, and the value of in-kind income received from various sources (such as employer-paid health insurance premiums, Medicare and Medicaid benefits, and food stamps). The calculations use the Census Bureau’s fungible value measure to determine the cash equivalent of Medicare and Medicaid benefits.
In a series of steps, CBO combines the income and taxes of households to create tables showing distributions of income and taxes among income groups and types of households. The first calculation adjusts for household size by dividing household income by the square root of household size to take account of the differing needs of larger and smaller households. Then, households are ranked by their (adjusted) income and grouped into quintiles that contain equal numbers of people (because household sizes vary, however, separate quintiles generally contain different numbers of households). Overall income and taxes are tabulated for each quintile and for smaller groupings at the top of the distribution.
Types of Households
Separate tables, available on CBO’s Web site, show average tax rates and income for three types of households: those with members under age 18 (households with children), those headed by a person age 65 or older and with no member under age 18 (elderly childless households), and all others (nonelderly childless households). The tables group households into quintiles by position in the income distribution within the entire population, not within each of the three types of households, so each type of household need not be evenly spread across the income quintiles.


How to learn programming?
Please show me the best way to learn programming.
I started learning Java for a year and a half but I never finished a book yet. My problem is after reading each chapter, I start doing all home work at the end of chapter, but there are many home works at the end of each chapter. Some I can do them, but some I have no Idea what is it. The time to figure them out is too much. If I keep figuring them out then some time it took me a month to finish a chapter. So, should I just do some exercises and samples and skip to a new chapter or try to do all home works then to start the new chapter? I know that doing all home works will best for me but it costs me a lot of time to get it done. Please show me how to learn this program.
I'm reading "Introduction to JAVA"
Thank you very much!
Re: How to learn programming?
I would say start at the beginning of the book and go as far as you can, doing the assignments you understand, and attempting the ones you do not. When things seem over your head, start a new book or tutorial and go as far as you can with that. Find a few books and/or tutorials to use. Over time you will start skipping earlier chapters as your understanding brings you closer to the end of the books/tutorials. Don't try to learn from just one source. I find more variety to be very helpful.


PAINTING ANIMALS WITH CHARACTER
- Course opens May 5th!
- Instructor: Lisa Filion
- 6+ Hours of Instruction
- Lifetime Access/Downloadable Content
- Private Facebook Group
- Course Price – $89
Would You Like to Create Fun, Playful Animal Artwork? Are you Interested in Learning About Working in Different Mediums?
In this course, students will learn how to draw and paint three animals from, start to finish, in three different unique painting mediums. This course contains several lessons that focus on a unique animal and different painting medium in each. First, students will discover how to create an interesting composition and use techniques in watercolour and/or gouache to paint a beautiful portrait of a seal. Next, students will explore the fundamentals of working in a digital painted medium using the app Procreate to draw and paint a majestic fox. Finally, students will paint a sassy llama in acrylic using bold colours. Get ready to have fun, and create artwork that makes you happy!
By the end of this course students will have an understanding of the following concepts and more:
- Use geometric shapes to capture a likeness in drawings
- Explore wet-on-wet, wet-on-dry, and dry-on-dry using watercolors
- Build up value and hue using layers of paint
- Create a custom palette in Procreate
- Experiment with layers and distortion techniques
- Play with shadow and color in your digital image
- Mix your own colors
- Go bold with color
COURSE OPENS MAY 5TH
Lifetime Access - Download All Content
Cost - $89
DESCRIPTION OF LESSONS
In our first lesson we will be painting a sweet seal using watercolor paint. Throughout this lesson students will learn a variety of technique. We will begin by focusing on the shapes in the reference photo, and use those shapes to draw in our animal. Next we will learn wet-on-wet, wet-on-dry, and dry-on-dry techniques. Using a variety of watercolor techniques will help us to build up beautiful layers and values to create depth and interest in our work. Remember that you have the freedom to be creative in your work!
In our second lesson, I will introduce you to Procreate! If this is your first time using Procreate, that is okay! I walk you step-by-step through the process, and you can watch every move that I make as I create this super cute fox! We will begin by preparing your digital canvas! Next, we will draw the portrait of the fox and begin using layers. Students will explore creating a custom palette and how to add base colors. We will create depth and interest through the build up of values, textures, and layers. Lastly, students will add fine details stamping background elements. This lesson will be a great experience and an excellent way to become familiar with Procreate!
In our final lesson, we will paint this fun, bold, colorful llama! Who doesn't love a llama!! We will begin this lesson by preparing our wood panel! Next I will share how to easily sketch the portrait llama onto the wood surface. We will create a custom palette using acrylic paints, and begin by adding a base color. Next we will move into building up values, texture and layers to create depth and interest. Lastly, add in those final details using the boldest colors to show off your beautiful, bold, and happy llama artwork!
COURSE OPENS MAY 5TH!
Lifetime Access - Download All Content
Cost - $89
MEET LISA FILION - ARTIST/INSTRUCTOR
Lisa Filion is an artist and visual arts teacher from Ontario, Canada. Lisa has been creating art all of her life and enjoys the challenge of working with diverse media. Her work aims to capture the likeness or character of a person or animal while adding a bold twist or abstract design. Working mostly in painted as well as digital media, Lisa is inspired by the intersection between traditional art and digital painting. Recently Lisa has been designing her own Procreate brushes for artists who want to create analogue effects in their digital images. Lisa teaches a variety of online classes through Sktchy Art School, Kara Bullock Art and Willowing Arts.
PRIVATE GROUP JUST FOR YOU!
This course will have a private Facebook group just for you! The artist will be actively involved with the class via Facebook during the four weeks that the course is open! After that the course will be a self-study. The artist may or may not be involved after the four weeks. We are looking forward to seeing your artwork!
Below is a list of the supplies that I will be using for the projects in this course. However, you are always encouraged to use what you have on hand.
- Watercolour Paper or WC Board (I use Canson Watercolour Board)
- A canvas or board (I use a birch-ply wooden canvas panel that is 6x12”)
- Watercolour and/or Gouache Paint Set (I use a set from Beam Paints)
- Acrylic Paint Set (I use a set of 48 from Liquitex)
- Selection of watercolour brushes - I use THIS brush
- Various Sizes of Acrylic Paintbrushes
Cup for Water
Paper Towels or Cloth
Materials Needed for Procreate Lesson
- iPad, iPad Air, iPad Pro, iPhone (I use an iPad Pro 12.9”)
- The app Procreate (or Procreate Pocket if you are using a phone)
- A stylus or Apple Pencil
Optional Procreate Brush Add-Ons:
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ON ACCESSING CLASSES:
**Upon purchasing your course, you will be asked to create an account. If you have already created an account, after purchase your course will IMMEDIATELY be available under “LOGIN” at the top right-hand of karabullockart.com.
**If your course does not show up, please email us at email@example.com
**Due to the nature of the immediate availability of the course, all purchases are nonrefundable.


The F-22 Raptor is the world’s first stealthy air dominance fighter and is capable of multiple missions. Deadly and unseen at long range, unmatched at close-in dogfighting and with superb, precision-strike
ground attack capabilities, the F-22 will establish absolute control.
The F-22 is being built for the U.S. Air Force by Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, with Boeing as principal subcontractor and engines supplied by Pratt & Whitney.
The F-22 Raptor achieves air dominance of the skies
over any battlefield through the skillful blending
of stealth technologies, supercruise engines, integrated
sensors and avionics, maneuverability and agility
and long-range, internally-carried weapons. Two Pratt & Whitney
F119-PW-100 engines allow the Raptor to soar to uncontested
heights and achieve dry-thrust speeds unheard of
by today’s fighters.
Its main weapons bays carry either six radar-guided
AIM-120 medium-range missiles or two AIM-120s and
two 1000-lb GBU-32 Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs)
for ground attack. The F-22 also packs two heat-seeking
AIM-9 short-range missiles, one in each of its side
weapons bays. As a result, the Raptor can fly very
high, very far and very fast with little risk of
detection or intercept and strike with near-impunity
against both airborne and ground-based targets.
The F-22 reached initial operational capability Dec. 15, 2005.
History and Production
Lockheed Martin won what was then called the Advanced Tactical Fighter competition in April 1991 and was put on Air Force contract to build 11 EMD test aircraft in August 1991. Manufacturing of Raptor 4001 began in 1994; the aircraft rolled out in April 1997 and was flown for the first time September 7, 1997. After nearly three years of basic flight tests, Raptor 4001 was retired from the flight test fleet in November 2000.
Two nonflying aircraft have also been built to undergo
static and fatigue testing at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics
Company in Marietta, Ga. The fatigue test ended after 20,000 hours, equivalent to 2.5 lifetimes of operational service.
The Air Force plans to field the Raptors during the
next decade to replace the aging fleet of F-15 Eagles.
The first Raptor squadrons are operational at Langley AFB, Va. and Elmendorf AFB, Alaska.
Other candidates include Holloman AFB, NM and Hickam AFB, Hawaii. Additional testing continues at Edwards AFB, Calif. and Nellis AFB, Nev. Pilot and maintainer training is conducted at Tyndall AFB, Fla. The F-22 is scheduled to remain in service through at least the year 2040.
The Air Force has announced that Langley AFB, Hampton,
Va, will be the first operation base for the Raptor.
Other candidates include Elmendorf AFB, Alaska; Eglin
AFB, Fla; and Mountain Home AFB, Idaho. The service
is expected to select two or perhaps three locations
to base the F-22. Additional test and training
F-22s will be located at Edwards AFB, Calif.; Nellis
AFB, Nev; and Tyndall AFB, Fla. The F-22 is scheduled
to remain in service through at least the year 2040.
Evolution and Enhancements
The F-22 program began in the early 1980s as the
Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF), a next-generation combat aircraft designed
to confront and defeat the Soviet Air Force during
the height of the Cold War. With the fall of the
Berlin Wall, the role of ATF expanded to include multimission capabilities,
such as precision-strike ground attack.
The U.S. government at this time does not permit foreign sales of the F-22.
- Four pillars of success supercruise, super-agility, stealth and
- Supersonic for sustained periods of time without needing to engage afterburners
- Ease of maintenance only six commercially available tools needed
for routine maintenance on the Pratt & Whitney F119-PW-100 engine
- Common Integrated Processor (CIP) heart of integrated avionics suite,
these "Super Computers" can process 10.3 billion bytes per second


The rubber tree plant (Ficus elastica) is a common houseplant in the United States. It is rarely seen growing outdoors, except in the extreme southern portions of the country, due to its intolerance of freezing temperatures. In its native habitat, the jungles of South America, a rubber tree can grow to 100 feet tall. As a houseplant it can become rangy; it needs occasional pruning to promote bushy and attractive growth.
Look at the size and shape of the leaves. The leaves of a rubber tree houseplant range from 6 to 12 inches in length and have an elongated oval shape.
Notice the color of the leaves. The leaves of a rubber tree houseplant are smooth and dark green on top, and the bottom of the leaves are either gray or burgundy, depending on the variety of plant.
Observe how the leaves are arranged on the stems. Rubber tree plant leaves grow from the stems in an alternate pattern rather than two leaves growing from each side of the stem in the same location.
Snap off a leaf from the plant in an area where removal of the leaf will not be noticed. Simply grab the leaf and gently push down on it until it snaps off the plant. If the plant is a rubber tree it will immediately begin to "bleed" a white non-toxic latex material from the area where the leaf was removed. This will not harm the plant and the plant will heal shortly and recover.


A main feature of inheritance is predictability: given certain conditions, the likelihood of the occurrence or recurrence of a specific trait is remarkably predictable. The units of inheritance are the genes, and the pattern of single-gene expression can often be predicted using Mendel’s laws of genetic transmission. Techniques and discoveries since Gregor Mendel’s original work was published in 1865 have led to some modification of the original laws.
Mendel discovered the basic pattern of inheritance by conducting carefully planned experiments with simple garden peas. Experimenting with several phenotypic traits in peas, Mendel proposed that inherited traits are transmitted from parents to offspring by means of independently inherited factors—now known as genes—and that these factors are transmitted as recessive and dominant traits. Mendel labeled dominant factors (his round peas) “A” and recessive factors (his wrinkled peas) “a.” Geneticists continue to use capital letters to designate dominant traits and lowercase letters to identify recessive traits. The possible combinations that can occur with transmission of single-gene dominant and recessive traits can be described by constructing a figure called a Punnett square using capital and lowercase letters (Fig. 6.11).
The observable traits of single-gene inheritance are inherited by the offspring from the parents. During maturation, the primordial germ cells (i.e., sperm and ovum) of both parents undergo meiosis, or reduction division, in which the number of chromosomes is divided in half (from 46 to 23). At this time, the two alleles from a gene locus separate so that each germ cell receives only one allele from each pair (i.e., Mendel’s first law). According to Mendel’s second law, the alleles from the different gene loci segregate independently and recombine randomly in the zygote. People in whom the two alleles of a given pair are the same (AA or aa) are called homozygotes. Heterozygotes have different alleles (Aa) at a gene locus. A recessive trait is one expressed only in a homozygous pairing; a dominant trait is one expressed in either a homozygous or a heterozygous pairing. All people with a dominant allele (depending on the penetrance of the genes) manifest that trait. A carrier is a person who is heterozygous for a recessive trait and does not manifest the trait. For example, the genes for blond hair are recessive and those for brown hair are dominant. Therefore, only people with a genotype having two alleles for blond hair would be blond; people with either one or two brown alleles would have brown hair.


Published on June 17th, 2014 | By: April Gocha0
Other materials stories that may be of interestPublished on June 17th, 2014 | By: April Gocha
Researchers with the U.S. DOE’s Lawrence Berkeley National Lab have devised a technique whereby self-assembling nanoparticle arrays can form a highly ordered thin film over macroscopic distances in one minute. The researchers combined supramolecules based on block copolymers with gold nanoparticles to create nanocomposites that under solvent annealing quickly self-assembled into hierarchically-structured thin films spanning an area of several square centimeters.
The “man in the moon” appeared when meteoroids struck the Earth-facing side of the moon creating large flat seas of basalt that we see as dark areas called maria. But no “face” exists on farside of the moon and now, Penn State astrophysicists think they know why. The researchers realized that the absence of maria, which is due to a difference in crustal thickness between the side of the moon we see and the hidden side, is a consequence of how the moon originally formed.
Material scientists from Bremen (Germany) and Stanford have identified nanodiamonds as potent bactericidal agents. Exhibiting a diameter of 5 nm, nanodiamonds are 200-times smaller than a bacterium and are produced by the explosion of carbon-containing compounds in high-pressure storage tanks. The material scientists have now identified the strong antibacterial properties of these nanodiamonds. Besides silver and copper, nanodiamonds might be used as a new effective agent against bacterial contaminations and infections.
(Reuters) Researchers at Ford and Heinz are investigating the use of tomato fibers in developing sustainable, composite materials for use in vehicle manufacturing. Specifically, dried tomato skins could become the wiring brackets in a Ford vehicle or the storage bin a Ford customer uses to hold coins and other small objects. Nearly two years ago, Ford began collaborating with Heinz, The Coca-Cola Company, Nike Inc. and Procter & Gamble to accelerate development of a 100 percent plant-based plastic to be used to make everything from fabric to packaging and with a lower environmental impact than petroleum-based packaging materials currently in use.
Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) researchers have developed an innovative process to make high strength cellular aluminum foam with help from some salt. Aluminum foam exhibits unique properties when compared to its dense form, particularly its lightweight characteristics. The researchers developed an innovative processing route for high strength cellular aluminum foam by integrating porous and dense structures. The product has demonstrated functionally graded properties that are desirable for applications that require both properties of heat transfer and high strength.
Machine parts wear if there is friction between their metal surfaces. Lubricants and functional oils help prevent this, but they attract dirt, debris and dust, and over time form lumps or become resinous. Researchers at the INM–Leibniz Institute for New Materials have now developed a functional coating which lubricates without grease and protects against corrosion at the same time. It is suitable as a coating for metals and metal alloys such as steel, aluminum, or magnesium.
New research from Rensselaer makes it possible to predict how subjecting metals to severe pressure can lower their electrical resistance, a finding that could have applications in computer chips and other materials that could benefit from specific electrical resistance. The published research opens the door to a new variant of strain engineering that can be applied to the metal interconnects and other materials used to conduct or insulate electricity.
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|Mens sana in corpore sano|
L'Hôpital Neuf Photo : O.T. de Pons
Pons is about 20 km south of Saintes on the Camino to Santiago, before your arrival at the Garonne estuary and the Bordeaux region .
Today there is a pilgrim refuge at Pons, and the Paris Way was already very important in the 12th century : "The Saint Nicolas hospital, the Tourist Office says, was too busy and showed insufficient to accomodate the sick, the orphans an the pilgrims. Geoffroy III of Pons decides then to build a second hospital called "Hôpital Neuf" (New Hospital) out of town. The founder was buried there in 1192.
That is the porch (topped by a tower in the past) under which pilgrims received blessed bread, shade or shelter from the rain. Sometimes ... abandonned children were left there. Grafitis in the shape of horseshoes and crosses cover the walls. The top of one of the collums shows the town emblem : an eel.
The hospital operated until
the 18th century."


Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, ADHD, is the most commonly diagnosed behavioral problem in young children. Inability to maintain attention, hyperactivity and impulsiveness can lead to problems functioning at home and at school. As of the time of publication, specific causes of ADHD are not known. Low levels of certain neurotransmitters may contribute to ADHD symptoms.
Three to five percent of school-aged children are diagnosed with ADHD, according to the National Institutes of Health. Boys are more commonly diagnosed than girls. A child with ADHD may be unable to focus attention. This can manifest as poor school performance, difficulty organizing or finishing a task and problems communicating directly. A child may also be hyperactive, unable to remain still, constantly fidgeting and playing loudly and continuously. ADHD can also manifest as an inability to wait, commonly interrupting. Medication and behavioral therapy are used to manage the disruption of school and home life.
5-HTP, 5-hyrozytryptophan, is a product produced from the amino acid trytophan that is a precursor for neurotransmitters, including serotonin and melatonin. Supplementing with 5-HTP may increase the production of these neurotransmitters. It is thought that the brains of children with ADHD may be understimulated, seeking out stimulation from the environment to obtain the level of activity the brain wants to maintain.
According to Billy J. Cahley, Ph.D. and certified clinical nutritionist, 5-HTP may improve the symptoms of children with ADHD and related behavioral disorders. Because there appears to be varied genetic components to ADHD, not all children will benefit from 5-HTP. Supplementation with 5-HTP does not replace, and may alter the effectiveness of, medications prescribed by your doctor to treat ADHD.
5-HTP is produced naturally by the body and is likely safe in healthy individuals when taken in low to moderate doses. Consult with your child's physician before using and adhere strictly to dosing guidelines. A high-protein diet that contains amino acids from which many neurotransmitters are derived may also help treat ADHD without the risk of supplements.


Statistics about the great disaster
The scale of the Johnstown flood of 1889 is hard to imagine. Summarizing the flood’s impact in statistics and facts is a quick way to convey the enormity of the event. Here is a list of some of the most descriptive facts about the Johnstown flood.
- 2,209 people died. (Click here for a PDF list of flood victims, including their addresses, ages and burial places.)
- 99 entire families died, including 396 children
- 124 women and 198 men were left widowed.
- More than 750 victims were never identified and rest in the Plot of the Unknown in Grandview Cemetery
- Bodies were found as far away as Cincinnati, and as late as 1911
- 1,600 homes were destroyed
- $17 million in property damage was done
- Four square miles of downtown Johnstown were completely destroyed
- The pile of debris at the stone bridge covered 30 acres
- The distance between the dam that failed and Johnstown was 14 miles.
- The dam was owned by the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club, an exclusive club that counted Andrew Carnegie and Henry Clay Frick among its members.
- The dam contained 20 million tons of water before it gave way, about the same amount of water as goes over Niagara Falls in 36 minutes.
- Flood lines were found as high as 89 feet above river level
- The great wave measured 35-40 feet high and hit Johnstown at 40 miles per hour.
- The force of the flood swept several locomotives weighing 170,000 pounds as far as 4,800 feet
- $3,742,818.78 was collected for the Johnstown relief effort from within the U.S. and 18 foreign countries
- The American Red Cross, led by Clara Barton and organized in 1881, arrived in Johnstown on June 5, 1889 – it was the first major peacetime disaster relief effort for the Red Cross.
- Johnstown has suffered additional significant floods in its history, including in 1936 and 1977.
For more about the 1889 flood, visit the 1889 Flood Resources page in the Archives & Research section of this site.


On this day in 1861, Abraham Lincoln becomes the 16th president of the United States. In his inauguration speech Lincoln extended an olive branch to the South, but also made it clear that he intended to enforce federal laws in the states that seceded.
Since Lincoln's election in November 1860, seven states had left the Union. Worried that the election of a Republican would threaten their rights, especially slavery, the lower South seceded and formed the Confederate States of America. In the process, some of those states seized federal properties such as armories and forts. By the time Lincoln arrived in Washington, D.C., for his inauguration, the threat of war hung heavy in the air. Lincoln took a cautious approach in his remarks, and made no specific threats against the Southern states. As a result, he had some flexibility in trying to keep the states of the upper South--North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland, and Delaware--in the Union.
In his inaugural address, Lincoln promised not to interfere with the institution of slavery where it existed, and pledged to suspend the activities of the federal government temporarily in areas of hostility. However, he also took a firm stance against secession and the seizure of federal property. The government, insisted Lincoln, would "hold, occupy, and possess" its property and collect its taxes. He closed his remarks with an eloquent reminder of the nation's common heritage:
"In your hand, my fellow countrymen, and not in mine, is the momentous issue of civil war. The government will not assail you. You can have no conflict without being yourselves the aggressors. You have no oath in Heaven to destroy the government, while I shall have the most solemn one to preserve, protect, and defend it... We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave, to every living heart and hearthstone, all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature."
Six weeks later, the Confederates fired on Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina, and the Civil War began.


Q: I have some ornamental grass plants that have this strange growth on them this year. They have not had it before. I think they were called sweet grass at the nursery where I bought them. Is this something to worry about or treat with something? - Frank, Glen Iris
A: The growths on your "grass" are nothing to concern yourself about. They are the flowering stalks of this most unusual plant.
The plant you have is Acorus gramineus (uh-CORE-iss gruh-MIN-e-iss, although I've also heard it as AH-ker-iss). I've seen several common names used for this plant including dwarf sedge (it is not a sedge), Japanese rush (it is not a rush, either), Japanese sweet flag and grassy-leaved sweet flag (the specific epithet gramineus means "grass-like"). Most horticulturists just call them acorus, which is at once much simpler and more accurate. It is native to Japan, and mid-elevation habitats in Myanmar, Thailand and the Philippines; that semi-tropical heritage shows its substantial tolerance of heat and humidity and is one of the reasons it makes a good choice for central Alabama gardens.
The flowers on this extremely ancient plant are interesting. Don't feel bad; most people would not recognize that stalk, called a spadix, as having anything to do with the flowers at all. But look closely and you may see the individual flowers along it. Depending on the age of your plant it may have both female flowers (near the bottom of the spadix) and male flowers (near the top). Younger plants would typically have all male flowers and you can usually see the pollen grains if you gently tap the spadix when the flowers are blooming (shedding pollen).
If you are familiar with our common Alabama native jack-in-the-pulpit, Arisaema triphyllum (air-uh-SEE-muh try-FILL-um, although some might say uh-RISS-uh-muh for the genus name), you will note the similarity in the floral structure; specifically, the "jack" is the spadix and it sits inside an enclosing floral bract called a spathe. Members of Acorus (there are several species) lack the spathe. Until recently, Acorus was placed by taxonomists in the same family as the "jacks," a large and important family known as the arum family, the Araceae, which includes taro and elephant ears, caladium, calla lily, and a number of common indoor plants such as philodendron, pothos, monstera and anthurium. Now, Acorus is considered to be the only living genus in the Acoraceae, which is among the most ancient lineages of flowering plants.
Japanese sweet flag prefers moist to wet locations in sun or shade, but displays excellent tolerance for soils that are much drier, including containers. In drier locations, shade is beneficial or the plant will begin to look bleached-out. In my home garden and here at Birmingham Botanical Gardens, they are very much at home in rain gardens or vegetated swales where they are perfectly happy to be under water for several days at a time. Usually they only flower when in these kinds of sites – so your plant must be quite happy.
It's hard to tell from the image you sent, but your plant looks like one of the variegated cultivars that are the most common forms seen in cultivation. Among others, 'Albo-Marginata' has green leaves with a white stripe and 'Aureovariegata' has green leaves with a yellow stripe. They are not easy to discern unless side-by-side, although from my experience the former grows much more slowly and perhaps a bit more compactly. There are several all-yellow varieties including 'Miyazuki' and 'Ogon;' the yellow coloration is more intense in cooler seasons. 'Minimus Aureus' is a gold-leaved dwarf, and var. pusillus is its solid green counterpart; both are superb forms forming nice, tight buns of fine-textured foliage. The straight species, 15" tall and solid green, is almost never seen in the trade.
Finally, the term "ornamental grass" is one of horticulture, not of botany, and has no scientific standing. It is conveniently used and widely applied as a catch-all for various grasses, sedges, rushes, and yes, sweet flags, all of which have superficially grass-like leaves.
To learn more about all of the educational opportunities at The Gardens and the fundraisers that make them possible, like Spring Plant Sale, April 13 - 15, we encourage you to visit our website, find us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and follow us on Pinterest. You can subscribe to our award-winning, bi-weekly e-newsletter, Dirt E-Lert, by texting BBGARDENS to 22828.
About Birmingham Botanical Gardens
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There were probably more than a few heads scratched when the cable channel A&E's "Biography of the Millennium" was revealed on Monday to be Johann Gutenberg (1400-1468), the inventor of the printing press.
Gutenberg beat out Galileo Galilei (10), Nicolaus Copernicus (9), Albert/Einstein (8), Karl Marx (7), Christopher Columbus (6), William Shakespeare (5), Charles Darwin (4), Martin Luther (3) and Isaac Newton (2).
But "Biography's" brand of spin doctoring made a convincing argument.
"So much of what defines our millennium would never have happened without (Johann) Gutenberg's printing press and its astonishing ability to get the word out," host Harry Smith said.
Noted Walter Isaacson, managing editor for Time magazine: "We evolved from being a society that was all city-states and villages that didn't communicate, to being a global society in which all information could be communicated.
"That starts with the printing press."
"Biography's" millennium list was compiled by more than 360 journalists, scholars and political leaders.
Civilians also provided their suggestions through the Internet.
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New research suggests the UK is lagging behind progress being made by similar countries on many indicators for ill health.
Health data over 20 years was compared with figures from 18 other countries in the research published in the Lancet. Although average life expectancy has risen by four years since 1990, it says the UK needs to increase its strategies for tackling preventable problems such as heart disease and stroke.
We are living longer but not in good health
UK Health secretary Jeremy Hunt has said he has a plan to address the lag. The team of experts from the UK and the University of Washington in Seattle said the UK had a high burden of smoking-related illnesses, and greater priority should be given to reducing lung disease.
There must be extra focus on Smoking, Alzheimer’s Disease and Snoring.
There was also a large rise in the number of recorded deaths related to Alzheimer’s Disease. Snoring and sleep apnoea is also overlooked as a serious contributor to poor health as we age.
Many deaths happen because the NHS is not good enough at preventing people getting sick or because the treatment given does not rival that seen elsewhere in Europe, says Mr Hunt who is responsible for health policy in England.
He says up to 30,000 lives a year could be saved if England performed as well as its European neighbours.
Mr Hunt has announced plans to cut the death toll caused by the UK’s five avoidable big killers – cancer, heart, stroke, respiratory and liver disease.
The big five avoidable killers
- Heart disease
- Lung disease
- Liver disease
He wants more people to go for regular health checks to spot diseases earlier and he is calling for better joining up of NHS services so that patients don’t get lost in the system.
In the 20 years from 1990 to 2010 that The Lancet study examined, average life expectancy increased by 4.2 years in the UK to 79.9 years. But the premature death rate had hardly changed in the UK for both men and women aged 20-54.
Among the leading causes were heart disease, cancers and chronic lung disease.
These are linked to avoidable risk factors such as smoking, high blood pressure, snoring and obesity, which are still all too common in the UK, say Chris Murray, from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, USA, and colleagues who carried out the analysis of global data. But progress is being made on conditions like diabetes, where the UK appears to be ahead of many of its European neighbours and other high-income countries like the US and Canada.
Prof Murray says the UK also faces fresh challenges, like its growing burden of disability from alcohol use, the rapid growth of snoring and sleep apnoea due to lifestyle, and a 137% rise in deaths linked to Alzheimer’s disease.
He and his team also acknowledged that making firm conclusions based on data from different countries was inherently problematic – not all record the same information and each has its own unique issues and policies that made interpretation and comparison difficult.
Leading UK health risk factors
- Tobacco smoke (including second-hand smoke)
- High blood pressure
- Too little exercise
- Alcohol use
- Poor diet
Many of these can be identified through heavy snoring and are closely related to these factors – something that can be easily taken in hand.
Recent figures from the Office for National Statistics suggested people in the UK were living in good health for longer.
But the UK still measures up poorly compared with other countries – it ranked 12 out of the 19 countries in the Lancet study.
Britons have 68.6 years of healthy life, whereas people in the top-ranked country, Spain, have 70.9 years of healthy life on average.
Public Health England, a new division of the Department of Health that will come into being in April 2013 along with the NHS organisational reforms, called the report a wake-up call.
How many healthy years will you live?
By John Redfern


If you know the basics of multiplication and division, you already know all the skills you need to factor. A number's factors are simply any numbers that can be multiplied to create that number. You can also factor a number by dividing it repeatedly. While factoring large numbers can feel difficult at first, there are several simple tricks you can learn to quickly find a number's factors.
Factors of a Number
You can find the factors of a number by finding all the terms that multiply together to create that number. For instance, the factors of 14 are 1, 2, 7, and 14, since,
14 = 1 x 14 14 = 2 x 7
To completely factor a number, reduce it to its factors that are prime numbers. These are referred to as the number's "prime factors." For example, 6 and 8 are factors of 48, since,
6 x 8 = 48.
But 6 and 8 are not prime numbers, because they have factors other than 1 and themselves. To completely reduce 48 to its prime factors, you need to factor 6 and 8, too.
2 x 3 = 6 2 x 2 x 2 = 8
So the prime factors of 48 are,
3 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 = 48
You can use a factoring tree to easily visualize splitting a large number into its prime factors. Place the number you wish to factor at the top of the expression, and divide it in steps by its factors. Each time you divide a number, place the number's two factors below. Continue dividing until all numbers have been reduced to their prime factors. For example, you can factor 156 using a factor tree as follows:
2 78 / \ 2 39 / \ 3 13
You can now easily see the prime factors of 156:
2 x 2 x 3 x 13 = 156
You can also divide by composite (or non-prime) factors to create a factor tree. When you divide by a composite factor, you then divide the composite factor into its prime factors. For example, you can factor 192 using either composite or prime factors as follows:
4 2 2 12 3 32 / \ / \ / \ 2 2 3 4 2 16 / \ / \ 2 4 2 8 / \ 2 4 / \ 2 2
So the prime factors of 192 are,
2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 3 = 192
Factoring With Variables
Variable expressions -- yes, the ones with letters in them -- also have factors. If a variable is multiplied by a constant (defined number), the variable is one of the expression's factors. For instance,
4y = 2 x 2 x y
You can find factors for expressions that include both variables and constants. For instance, you can factor the expression 6y - 21 by 3, since both 6 and 21 are divisible by three. This leaves you with,
6y - 21 = 3(2y - 7)
Greatest Common Factors
Once you've grasped the basics of factoring, you might be given a problem that asks you to find the greatest common factor of two numbers or expressions. You can find the greatest common factor by creating a list of both numbers' factors. The greatest common factor is simply the largest number that appears on both lists.
The factors of 48 are 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 24, and 48 The factors of 56 are 1, 2, 4, 7, 8, 14, 28, and 56
If you compare the two sets of factors, the largest number that's in both sets is 8. So the greatest common factor is 8.
You can also use factor lists to find the greatest common factor of two variable expressions. Let's say you were given the following expressions:
8y 14y^2 - 6y
First, find the all the factors of each expression. Remember that you can include variables in an expression's factors.
The factors of 8y are 1, y, 2, 2y, 4, 4y, 8, and 8y The factors of 14y^2 - 6y are 1, y, 2, 2y, 7y - 3, 7y^2 - 3y, 14y - 6, and 14y^2 - 6y
So the greatest common factor of both expressions is 2y. Note that 2 is not the greatest common factor, since the expressions divided by 2 (4y and 7y^2 - 3y) can both still be divided by y.
About the Author
Jon Zamboni began writing professionally in 2010. He has previously written for The Spiritual Herald, an urban health care and religious issues newspaper based in New York City, and online music magazine eBurban. Zamboni has a Bachelor of Arts in religious studies from Wesleyan University.