text stringlengths 199 648k | id stringlengths 47 47 | dump stringclasses 1 value | url stringlengths 14 419 | file_path stringlengths 139 140 | language stringclasses 1 value | language_score float64 0.65 1 | token_count int64 50 235k | score float64 2.52 5.34 | int_score int64 3 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
(April 29, 2011)
Philadelphia Zoo is home to new white-handed gibbon primate - an endangered species
– The Philadelphia Zoo is proud to announce its newest arrival, Leo a male white-handed gibbon born to dad Mercury and mom Phoenice. Leo was born on April 7, 2011. The Zoo’s newest baby white-handed gibbon is now on exhibit in PECO Primate Reserve.
The gibbons will be on exhibit Tuesdays-Thursdays in the day room.
Leo white-handed gibbon
Fun Facts about White-Handed Gibbons:
• Named after the celestial sign
• Gibbons are considered one of the most agile and acrobatic animals on earth
• Gibbon hair color is not sexed-linked
• From Southeast Asia
• Mainly eat fruit, bark, vegetables, insects leaves and flowers
• Gestation is about 7 months | <urn:uuid:f8e0800f-797b-46d7-8d05-5e58f30a8c91> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://philadelphiazoo.org/About-The-Zoo/Pressroom/Press-Releases/Philadelphia-Zoo-Welcomes-A-New-Baby-White-Handed.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397842.93/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00042-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936907 | 191 | 2.5625 | 3 |
Those familiar with the Lord of the Rings will remember the
Huorns. According to the Lord of
the Rings Wiki:
Mostly the Huorns stood as dark trees in the deepest forests, gnarled and unmoving, yet watchful. When aroused in wrath they moved swiftly as if wrapped in shadows, falling on foes with deadly and merciless strength. . . . These were wild wood spirits who were bent on the destruction of all who threatened the forests. They were dangerous to all on two legs unless they were protected by Ents.
So what is this, growing outside the Archaeology Department of the University of Reading, England?
It is, in fact, a type of Poplar from North America, namely Populus tremuloides, ranging from next to the Arctic Sea in the Canadian Northwest Territories, most abundant in the colder parts of the continent but with isolated pockets as far south as Mexico.
However, as the Wikipedia link above tells us:
It propagates itself primarily through root sprouts, and extensive clonal colonies are common. Each colony is its own clone, and all trees in the clone have identical characteristics and share a single root structure. A clone may turn color earlier or later in the fall than its neighbouring aspen clones. Fall colors are usually bright tones of yellow; in some areas, red blushes may be occasionally seen. As all trees in a given clonal colony are considered part of the same organism, one clonal colony, named Pando, is considered the heaviest and oldest living organism at six million kilograms and approximately 80,000 years old. Aspens do produce seeds, but seldom grow from them. Pollination is inhibited by the fact that aspens are either male or female, and large stands are usually all clones of the same sex. Even if pollinated, the small seeds (three million per pound = 150 micrograms) are only viable a short time as they lack a stored food source or a protective coating.
I suspect that such ‘behaviour’ may have evolved in response to the recent ice ages. Bitter cold is no help to sexual reproduction in plants. This is obvious in the case of insect-pollinated plants, so that some flowers in Greenland with its shortage of insects have gone in for self-fertilization. Poplars, though, are wind pollinated, so it may be that the difficulty of producing seeds and the rigours of seedling development have given the clonal method of propagation the edge.
I am not the only person to appreciate this wonderful tree, as the online article Aspen Eyes demonstrates. But the clonal method does have its vulnerabilities, as the Dieback section of the Wikipedia article describes. Perhaps a breeding programme to select for the ‘sexiest’ trees would be in order.
But I still wonder about that specimen at Reading University. It does look as if it might be one of a new breed of invigilators, to avoid tying up staff time during the exam season. Or maybe, are the NSA using biotechnology to develop new spying methods for use in Europe?
Which leads me to an even more outlandish or out-time-ish thought. At the Battle of the Hornburg, the Huorns only attacked when all the enemy orcs were in their midst which denied them the chance of escape. Since the Huorns waited no orcs would have been able to see the carnage from outside and escape.
Traditionally, in Europe, pitched battles have taken place in the open field. But in the USA, there is one very famous exception, namely the Battle of the Wilderness.
What if mutant huorn-like aspens had been established there? A most horrifying thought, but one that might be taken up by historical sci-fi television producers. | <urn:uuid:0fc697d7-7a01-470d-9912-cb8460dce8f0> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.science20.com/beamlines/blog/huorn-128384 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783392069.78/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154952-00135-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963283 | 775 | 3.09375 | 3 |
Know Your Numbers: Blood Sugar and Hemoglobin A1C
The blood sugar level and hemoglobin A1C are two common blood tests that screen for prediabetes and diabetes. These tests are also helpful in the regular monitoring of a person with diabetes.
What are blood sugar and hemoglobin A1C?
- Glucose is a nutrient from food that enters the bloodstream as sugar-containing foods are digested and absorbed by the gastrointestinal system. It can also be released from the body’s cells into the bloodstream when blood sugar levels are low.
- The glucose from food travels to cells in the body to be used for energy.
- The body strives to maintain a normal amount of glucose in the bloodstream
- Insulin, made by the pancreas, is like a key that “unlocks” the cells to allow the glucose to enter in. If not enough insulin is present or it doesn’t work properly, the glucose gets “locked out” of the cells and builds up in the bloodstream.
The blood sugar or glucose level reflects how much glucose is present in the bloodstream.
The hemoglobin A1C (often shortened to “A1C”) reflects a person’s average blood glucose level over the past 2–3 months. It is reported as a percentage.
What your blood sugar and A1C values mean
Note: An oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) can also be used to diagnose prediabetes and diabetes. A diagnosis of gestational diabetes is based on different criteria.
Why is blood sugar important?
•When blood sugar can’t get into the cells, the glucose level rises above normal.
•Persistently high blood sugar levels will lead to prediabetes and diabetes. If left untreated, these dangerous conditions will damage the heart, eyes, kidneys and feet. Prediabetes and diabetes causes premature death. Refer to the Fit Facts “Prediabetes” and “Type 2 Diabetes”
How to keep your blood sugar and hemoglobin A1C levels normal
- The presence of excess body fat is the main reason that insulin stops working properly. (This does not include type 1 diabetes)
- Follow these recommendations to keep your blood sugar in the normal range:
- Lose weight. Weight loss as small as 5–10% of your body weight can significantly lower your blood sugar levels.
- Commit to eating a healthy diet. (For examples of healthy diets, refer to our Fit Facts “DASH Diet” and “Mediterranean Diet.”)
- Eat junk food sparingly.
- Move more. Make physical activity a regular part of your routine. Brisk walking is a convenient way to get this in.
- See your health care provider to discuss whether medication is necessary in order to lower your blood sugar.
American Council on Exercise
American Diabetes Association | <urn:uuid:e0c7aa87-7cc0-4616-a394-7345f73eada6> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.acefitness.org/acefit/fitness-fact-article/3593/know-your-numbers-blood-sugar-and/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783400572.45/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155000-00024-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.872974 | 602 | 3.734375 | 4 |
A: Perennial vines and trailing plants can be an interesting addition to your landscape. Though we may not have much success with vines like wisteria here (some white flowering varieties do okay), we do have many other choices.
Most vines need some kind of support, whether it is a trellis, fence, or wall. But many vines are equally appealing when allowed to cascade down a slope or trail over a retaining wall. They can lend a different look as a ground cover, and many do quite well in containers.
Several vine varieties have adapted well to Colorado’s temperamental climate. Here are a few:
Trumpet vine (Campsis radicans) is a rapidly growing deciduous vine that displays very showy orange to red flowers all season, and the bluish-green leaves provide nice contrast. It grows best in full sun and is very drought-hardy once established. Look for hummingbirds visiting the showy flowers. (See photo at the beginning of this article.)
Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) can be invasive over time (at least some varieties can be), but if you are looking for a way to cover a large bare area, once established, this vine will do precisely that. In some parts of the world, this vines is considered a weed. No mowing is required and this plant is very drought hardy. It has clusters of sweet-scented white flowers.
Silver lace vine (Polygonum aubertii) is a rapid-growing deciduous vine that displays masses of white flowers summer through fall. This vine makes an excellent ground cover. Try inserting a metal tree-support stake in the ground and training this vine to grow on the stake. It will fill in and look like a flowering shrub.
Wine cup or Poppy mallow (Callirhoe involucrate) form low mats of trailing stems with magenta flowers and rich, green leaves. It thrives in dry, well-drained soil and full sun. If given too much water and attention, it will not do as well.
Ozark sundrop or Missouri evening primrose (Oenothera missouriensis) has large yellow flowers that last a single day. While it’s a bit of a stretch to call this a vine, its trailing stems give it a low-growing, small area, viney look. It spreads nicely among other rock garden plants. This plant will tolerate some shade and may be deer resistant.
Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) is a vigorous vine with leaves that turn red or orange in the fall. It grows well in sun or partial shade and has low water needs. You may notice this vine growing up telephone poles or up the trunks of nearby trees, especially visible in fall when the leaves turn red.
KINTZLEY’S GHOST® Honeysuckle (Lonicera reticulata) is an improved selection of the species brought to Colorado’s Plant Select® program. Showy yellow flowers lack the fragrance typically associated with honeysuckle, but they cover the vine in June and the distinctive appearance of eucalyptus-like bracts more than makes up for the flowers not being heavily scented. The vine is easy to grow and is undemanding, requiring only average garden loam and moderate irrigation. The unusual and distinctive appearance makes this a “must have” for gardeners wanting something new and different. Check out this link for more info on Plant Select for Colorado:
Contributed by Deb Ross, Certified Colorado Gardener
Photo by Leslie Holzmann, Certified Colorado Gardener | <urn:uuid:eb18f783-3041-4528-9bcc-66327f071a39> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | https://peakgardening.wordpress.com/2010/06/15/vines-for-colorados-temperamental-climate/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396100.16/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00192-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.924998 | 762 | 2.515625 | 3 |
Josephine Garis Cochran invented the first useful dishwasher in Shelbyville, Ill., and received patent # 355,139 on December 28, 1886.
Cochrane, a wealthy woman who entertained often, wanted a machine that could wash dishes faster than her servants, and without breaking them. When she couldn't find one, she built it herself.
She measured the dishes first, then she made wire compartments, each designed to fit plates, cups, or saucers. The compartments were placed inside a wheel that lay flat within a copper boiler. A motor turned the wheel while hot soapy water squirted from the bottom of the boiler and rained down on the dishes. Her invention worked! She showed the dishwasher at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, but only restaurants and hotels showed interest in it. Cochrane founded a company to manufacture her dishwashers, which eventually became KitchenAid®. It wasn't until the 1950s, however, that dishwashers started to become a standard household kitchen appliance.
Cochrane's patent and the trademarks registered to KitchenAid®, as well as the more than 6 million patents issued since the first in 1790 and the 2.3 million trademarks registered since 1870, can be seen on the Department of Commerce's United States Patent and Trademark Office website at www.uspto.gov.
Last year USPTO issued 182,223 patents and registered 127,794 trademarks. | <urn:uuid:ce5704a2-818e-4ccf-b559-5abe8f7c6884> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.uspto.gov/about-us/news-updates/woman-invented-dishwasher | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396459.32/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00169-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963915 | 295 | 3.03125 | 3 |
A Social Studies or History Teacher can teach this lesson. It may be useful to enlist the help of an art, music, dance, or drama teacher or specialist for students who may need specific guidance on their arts project if necessary.
Connecting to History and Culture
Communication and Collaboration
Composing and Planning, Performance Skills and Techniques
In this thought provoking, activity packed lesson, your class will learn about and discuss characteristics of the Gilded Age. Using books, internet and other media, your students research the various fine and performing art forms popular during that time period. Students will choose one of the art forms and create a studio project that is relevant to that era. The finished project will be exhibited and/or performed for the class. The lesson culminates in a written commentary about the art forms and their creative and historical significance and a group discussion of the learning process.
Research fine and performing art forms of the Gilded Age.
Demonstrate understanding of the historical influences and context of each art form during the Gilded Age.
Research and present a creative piece on a chosen art form or specific artist.
Write a commentary on the art forms of the Gilded Age and their creative and historical significance
Discuss as a group the creative processes and results of their own efforts
Determined by Teacher
What You'll Need
1 Computer per Learner
Internet Access is needed.
Teacher should have knowledge and understanding of the Arts and Culture of Gilded Age in American History.
If teaching the whole unit on the Gilded Age, teacher should have already taught the
Three Newport Mansions of the Gilded Age lesson. Prior Student Knowledge
Students should be familiar with the Gilded Age in American History
If covering the whole unit on the Gilded Age, students should have been taught the
Three Newport Mansions of the Gilded Age lesson. Physical Space
Media Center or Library
Visual Arts Studio
Small Group Instruction
Large Group Instruction
Resources in Reach
Here are the resources you'll need for each activity, in order of instruction.
Review and discuss the following facts and characteristics of the Gilded Age in America. Check your school, public library and internet for books, articles and other media on the Gilded Age in America. See the suggested web sites and books in the resource section below or select your favorite titles.
1870’s – 1910’s timeframe (post Civil War): this was a time of recovery and healing. Consider that after a bloody war the citizenry would naturally want to turn their attention to rebuilding what had been destroyed and towards civility and the creation of beautiful works of art.
“The Gilded Age” phrase was coined by Mark Twain: This is a book in which Twain pokes fun at the post war society and its emphasis on wealth and opulence.
Population growth: immigration, suffering in Europe and a sense of adventure brought many Europeans to the United States.
Industrial expansion: factories, coal mining, steel mills, this was the source of the wealth creation for the owners of these industries and the resources that fueled the growing country.
Growth of labor unions: the huge gap between the industrialists and their workers led organizers to fight for workers rights and safety.
Wealthy individuals built extravagant mansions: prominent Americans wanted to show the world that America was a powerful and influential force in the world.
First transcontinental railroad: open travel and communications across the country.
Many new inventions including the telephone, camera and harnessing of electricity changed daily life in America: increased communication and available power increased productivity.
Large scale philanthropy: contributes to arts and culture, education, charitable works: libraries, universities, hospitals, museums, symphonies and charities were founded and supported by the wealthy class.
Introduction of the Jim Crow Laws: the south, still smarting from the war established laws to limit the new found freedom of the slaves by keeping the black people separate from the white society.
Break the class into small groups and assign one of the above topics for them to research. Provide the groups with the web sites listed in the resources section and any reference books you may have available. Tell the class that they are to find at least three facts on their assigned topic to share with the class. If images, will help them tell the story of their topic, have them download and print images to share. Allow the groups sufficient time to complete their research.
Bring the class back together to discuss their research. Ask the following questions or consider discussion starters of your own.
What might need to be rebuilt in a war torn society?
What kinds of activities might be “healing” and lift the spirits of a war torn nation?
What kinds of activities might be healing to the citizenry after a war?
What do you think Mark Twain was suggesting by satirizing the display of wealth and the corruption that existed at the time?
Why do you think America was a place immigrants wanted to come to?
How do you think the mills, mines and railroads changed life in America?
Do you think that the labor unions and workers had equal power to the industrialists? What is the source of power for each party?
Do you think that the wealth created by the industrialists was well spent in the creation of mansions and a lavish lifestyle? What do you think they got for their investment? What did our nation get from it?
How do you think inventions such as the telephone, camera and the use of electricity changed the way of life in America?
What do you think is the legacy of Philanthropy in America?
What do you think is the legacy of the Jim Crow Laws in America?
Sample student responses might be:
America had to rebuild government buildings, town centers, hospitals schools and churches.
Music and dance, all of the arts could provide diversion for the people traumatized by war.
I think Mark Twain was saying there was too much gold in the hands of too few people.
Immigrants thought they could get a new start at life in America.
The mills, mines and railroads provided livelihoods for many people and helped them get out of poverty.
I think the industrialists had more power.
I think they had equal power just like the constitution says because the workers need jobs and the owners need workers.
I think the big mansions are beautiful and now we have beautiful museums to visit because of it.
It must have been fun to live in those big mansions.
I think the phone made things better because you could know how your family is if they were far away.
I think it was a good thing that they donated their money, because now we have museums and scholarships and foundations to cure diseases.
It took a long time for things to get better for black people.
List various arts forms and venues with the class. Write the following categories on the board or a chart paper:
Music (Instrumental and Vocal)
Solicit a student volunteer to record student’s suggestions for each art category. Ask the class to generate a list of the types of dances, theatrical productions, musical styles, visual arts styles, etc. For example in Dance there could be the following: cotillion, folk, ballet, etc. Have the student recorder list the class responses on the chart or board. Supplement the class answers by suggesting any art disciplines they may not have mentioned.
Resources for this step:
breaks down history and characteristics of the Gilded Age by subject and has an extensive list
breaks down history and characteristics of the Gilded Age by subject
Tierney, Tom. Newport Fashions of the Gilded Age Paper Dolls. Dover Publications. 2005
Glubok, Shirley. The Art of America in the Gilded Age/ designed by Gerard Nook. New York. MacMillan. 1974
Prelinger, Elizabeth.The Gilded Age: Treasures from the Smithsonian Art Museum. New York, Watson – Guptill Publications in Association with the Smithsonian American Art Museum. 2000.
Claridge, Laura. Emily Post:daughter of the Gilded Age, Mistress of American Manners. New York. Random House. 2008.
Twain, Mark and harles Dudley Warner. The Gilded Age: a tale of today. New York. Meridian Clasic 1988.
Allow the class time to research the arts topics in relation to the Gilded Age in America. Break the class into small groups and assign each group an art form category (i.e. Dance: popular, folk, ballet, ballroom, etc) to research.
Students should include the following information in their research:
Research if each venue or art form existed before, during, or after the Gilded Age and how it may have evolved during the Gilded Age. Have students devise a code for these categorizations, such as (+ after/-before/0 during) or (B before/D during/ A after).
Describe in detail, and/or provide examples of the art form to present to the class.
When possible, identify the creator/author of the art form.
Discuss how these art forms related to the mood of the country at this time, how they may have connected to the politics, growth in industry, technology and population, etc.
Optional: Each group can research their art form category and corresponding venues, with respect to the mansion they studied previously in the Three Newport Mansions of the Gilded Age lesson.
Arts Vocabulary handout. Go over handout checking for student understanding. Encourage the students to use the new vocabulary in preparing and presenting their research.
Direct each student group to present their research to the class. Allow sufficient time for questions and answers.
Direct each student to choose a specific art form for their culminating project. Using the Reference Guide handout as a starting point, have each student find an art form they would prefer to study in depth. Some students may need assistance with deciding which art form to research and pursue as a final project. In this case, use your knowledge of each student and their particular interests and talents to guide them towards a project with which they can be successful.
Tell students that they will now work independently to create a studio project/creative piece (i.e. song, creative writing, dance, play or dramatic reading, drawing, etc.) using the characteristics of their chosen art form. Students must place the piece within the setting of the Gilded Art Period, and if applicable, mansion they previously studied. Suggest to students to create a timeline of tasks they need to accomplish to chart their progress and finish their projects on time. See Student project timeline chart handout.
Allow some time for students to complete their initial research. Walk around offering suggestions and feedback.
Assign a written commentary to the class. You may wish to have students pair up and do this assignment with another person from their group. Consider the following writer’s guidelines or come up with suggestions of your own:
350 to 500 words.
Compare and contrast the art form or artist they researched with another art form or artist from the Gilded Age.
Assess how the historical time period (the Gilded Age) influenced the art form.
Describe the venue where their creative piece would be performed or displayed.
Optional: students can place their work in the mansion about which they previously studied in Three Newport Mansions of the Gilded Age lesson. An opinion about the significance of the historical art form and its contribution to the culture then and now.
Each student will perform or present their completed creative piece, or studio project, and present their written commentary. Direct students to keep notes in their journal on each piece presented, as they will have a culminating project at the end of this unit that will touch on each piece.
Allow time for student discussion after each presentation.
Have students ask questions and make constructive comments on each presentation and its justification. Remind student of the ideal atmosphere for a critique. (You may wish to refer to ARTSEDGE's
How to Write a Successful Critique
Engage the class in a group discussion about the lesson. Consider the following questions or come up with your own discussion starters:
Review all the work completed in this lesson, and if applicable the
Three Newport Mansions lesson Compare and contrast the style and imagery of their creative pieces with what they know and understand about the Gilded Age.
How do creative pieces from the Gilded Age differ from creative pieces in the same art forms in the present era?
Was it easy/hard/interesting gathering facts about the Gilded Age?
Were they able to find and decipher the information they needed?
What did they learn that they didn’t expect to discover?
Could they make a connection between the historical influences and context of the time and the artwork that was created during that time?
Was it limiting or liberating to create an art piece appropriate to the Gilded Age?
Can you draw any similarities/differences between the issues facing America during the Gilded Age and issues facing America today?
What do you think you learned in this lesson? About the arts? About yourself? About the Gilded Age?
Going forward how will this knowledge influence your observations of art, architecture and current events?
Possible Student responses may be:
My dance was simple compared to the cotillion.
Today there are lots of styles of paintings and music, back then there were less choices.
There were so many facts, I didn’t know what to read first.
I really got into it.
I was surprised to learn that ___________.
It made sense that after the Civil War people would want to experience luxury and be excessive.
It was okay making a “Gilded Art” Style artwork, but next time I want to do my own thing.
I liked drawing all the decorations.
Telephones and the railroad changed things then, today computers and cell phones are changing things.
When I walk through town/the city I can tell how old a building is
Assessment Rubric to evaluate students' understanding and the successful completion of their projects.
Students may attempt to stage
Black Tomb ( Kurozuka), the Noh play that they read at the beginning of the lesson. The complete libretto is at the Emory University's Noh Theater Web site for your use.
You may wish to have students conduct further study of other forms of Japanese theater, especially Bunraku and Kabuki. The EdSITEment lesson
Hamlet Meets Chushingura: Traditions of the Revenge Tragedy explores similarities and differences between cultures by comparing Shakespearean and Bunraku/Kabuki dramas.
Throughout the nation, standards of learning are being revised, published and adopted. During this time of transition, ARTSEDGE will continually add connections to the Common Core, Next Generation Science standards and other standards to our existing lessons, in addition to the previous versions of the National Standards across the subject areas.
The Arts Standards used in ARTSEDGE Lessons are the 1994 voluntary national arts standards. The Arts learning standards were revised in 2014; please visit the
National Core Arts Standards ( http://nationalartsstandards.org) for more. The Kennedy Center is working on developing new lessons to connect to these standards, while maintaining the existing lesson library aligned to the Common Core, other state standards, and the 1994 National Standards for Arts Education.
Lessons connect to the National Standards for Arts Education, the Common Core Standards, and a range of other subject area standards.
Common Core/State Standards
Select state and grade(s) below, then click "Find" to display Common Core and state standards.
National Standards in Other Subjects
Historical Understanding Standard 2:
Understands the historical perspective
United States History
US History Standard 2:
Understands cultural and ecological interactions among previously unconnected people resulting from early European exploration and colonization
US History Standard 31:
Understands economic, social, and cultural developments in the contemporary United States
Language Arts Standard 7:
Uses reading skills and strategies to understand and interpret a variety of informational texts
Language Arts Standard 8:
Uses listening and speaking strategies for different purposes | <urn:uuid:12b271f2-e337-4529-850f-c556a137a390> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/educators/lessons/grade-9-12/Arts_of_the_Gilded_Age.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395992.75/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00152-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934367 | 3,347 | 4.40625 | 4 |
Events to mark the 500th anniversary of the Battle of Flodden are continuing this week.
More than 14,000 Scottish and English soldiers died in the battle at Branxton in Northumberland on 9th September 1513.
For one family, the anniversary has particular significance because they're descended from a Scottish Borders clan which was virtually wiped out in the battle. At this year's gathering, the Elliot's retraced the footsteps of their ancestors.
Exactly 500 years ago, 14,000 men died in one of the bloodiest battles in Scottish and English history.
The Scottish king, James IV became the last British monarch to be killed on British soil.
The Scots lost around 10,000men, the English 4,000 in just three hours of fierce fighting.
Clan chiefs gathered in Edinburgh this morning to commemorate the Battle of Flodden.
Many Border clans were virtually wiped out during the fierce fighting between the English and the Scots on September 9, 1513.
In total, 14,000 men were killed.
Today, they came to remembered those who died.
A service of commemoration was held in Edinburgh this morning to mark 500 years since the battle of Flodden.
Around 14,000 men died in three hours of fierce fighting on September 9, 1513.
King James IV of Scotland became the last British monarch to die on British soil.
A special ceremony to remember the men from the Borders who fought - and died - in the battle of Flodden began on Thursday. A flag created for the 500th anniversary was unveiled after a service at the Flodden memorial.
It's just a few days until the anniversary of the battle that claimed thousands of Scots and English lives. Jenny Longden reports. | <urn:uuid:29091ce1-2b37-4f23-abcb-b8c6fd2f187f> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.itv.com/news/tyne-tees/topic/battle-of-flodden/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395346.6/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00156-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971434 | 360 | 3 | 3 |
(BlackDoctor.org) — A healthy diet won’t prevent or cure HIV, but it can keep you healthier while you live with HIV and are taking drugs to treat it.
Good nutrition can:
- Keep you healthier despite HIV infection
- Slow your progress towards AIDS
- Prevent health problems related to poor nutrition
- Help you maintain a healthy body weight
As soon as you’re diagnosed with HIV, it’s a good idea to review your diet to see if you are eating as healthily as possible. This is because HIV and HIV treatment can both cause loss of appetite and diarrhea that leads to weight loss and malnutrition over time. Additionally, you may find that stress and depression associated with HIV causes you to lose interest in food.
A Healthy Diet for People With HIV
Here is a basic outline for eating well. Though it can apply to anyone, it’s especially important for those trying to boost their immunity:
- Eat a starch at every meal. Foods like cereals, potatoes, rice, and bread are starches. Try to include whole instead of refined grains.
- Incorporate legumes (nuts, beans, peas) in your diet as regularly as possible. These provide a rich source of nutrients.
- Be sure to eat enough dairy and meat to get the calcium and protein your body needs.
- Eat a rainbow of different colored fruits and vegetables each day. This will maximize your intake of a variety of natural vitamins and minerals. Boil, steam, or stir fry these foods to preserve their vitamin and mineral content.
- Drink lots of water.
- Include small amounts of fats and sweets in your daily diet (but cut out the fried foods and sodas!).
- Take a multivitamin; look for one that contains B12 and zinc.
When You Are Losing Weight
If you’re starting to lose weight or your appetite, you may have to change your diet somewhat to amp up the nutrients and calories you’re consuming. Although this can be challenging if you feel nauseated or have mouth sores or dry mouth, the following dietary changes can help:
- Include more meat in your diet, especially those that are easy to digest, such as chicken or fish.
- Snack more often between meals. Some examples of good snacks are peanut butter sandwiches, yogurt, and fruits.
- Add more healthy fats — such as avocados, olive oil, nuts, and nut butters to your diet.
- Use whole dairy products instead of skim.
- Drink liquids in between meals instead of with meals.
If you lose 13 to 15 pounds without trying or you often feel too sick to eat, it’s time to call your doctor to discuss medications or other techniques that will make it easier to get food down. | <urn:uuid:f83b099d-ec03-4f07-983a-a10837516291> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://blackdoctor.org/525/hiv-aids-nutrition-the-most-important-foods-to-eat/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396106.71/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00170-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942851 | 580 | 3.078125 | 3 |
Complications of Mono
Although rare, mono complications can occur. These complications can affect the blood, spleen, nervous system, liver, heart, and lungs. While some of these problems may not require treatment, others (such as a ruptured spleen) are quite serious.
It is possible for complications to occur in people with mono. Although these complications occur infrequently, when they do develop, they can be dramatic.
Complications of this disease can affect the:
- Nervous system
Mono complications that affect the blood can include:
- Autoimmune hemolytic anemia (destruction of red blood cells)
- Thrombocytopenia (decrease in the number of platelets, which assist in blood clotting)
- Granulocytopenia (deficiency of white blood cells).
These blood complications usually improve over one to two months, without any treatment.
Infrequently, the spleen can rupture in someone with mononucleosis. When the spleen does rupture in such cases, it usually happens during the second or third week of the illness. Severe abdominal pain is the most common symptom associated with a ruptured spleen. Surgery is the only way to treat this potential complication of mono.
Complications Involving the Nervous System
There are a number of possible mono complications that can occur within the nervous system. The most common are cranial nerve palsies (including Bell's palsy) and encephalitis (inflammation of the brain).
Other nervous system complications can include:
- Guillain-Barré syndrome (inflammation of certain nerves, causing muscle weakness and paralysis)
- Transverse myelitis (inflammation of the spinal cord or bone marrow).
In 85 percent of cases, these complications improve on their own, without treatment. | <urn:uuid:949174d8-2aef-434e-a67d-91dcdae2773a> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://kids.emedtv.com/mono/complications-of-mono.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783403825.35/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155003-00179-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.901011 | 380 | 2.5625 | 3 |
(S. SEBASTIAN FLUMINIS JANUARII).
The ecclesiastical province of Rio de Janeiro, the third of the seven constituting the Brazilian episcopate, was first created a bishopric, as a suffragan see of the Archdiocese of São Salvador da Bahia, by a Bull of 22 Nov., 1676. It was raised to an archbishopric in 1893, its jurisdiction comprising the Dioceses of Nietheroy (1893) and Espirito Santo (1892) and the Prefecture of Rio Branco. The total Catholic population of the whole province in 1910 was 2,051,800, and that of the archdiocese proper, 800,000. The jurisdiction of the latter extends over the whole territory of the federal district in which Rio de Janeiro, the capital of the republic and seat of the archdiocese, is located. There are in the federal district 20 parish churches, 59 chapels, various monasteries and nunneries, and 63 Catholic associations prominent among which are: the "Irmandade do Sanctissimo Sacramento da Candelaria", founded in 1669 and in charge of the bureau of charities caring for nearly 1000 indigent persons, and of the Asylum of Our Lady of Piety for the education of orphan girls; the "Irmandade da Santa Casa da Misericordia", operating since 1545 and maintaining a general hospital, a foundling asylum, an orphan asylum, and a funeral establishment for the burial of the poor. These benevolent associations, known in Brazil as irmandades (brotherhoods), do a highly charitable and eminently Christian work, assisting the poor and caring for the orphans and the sick, by the maintenance of hospitals, asylums, savings banks, schools, etc. There are also several associations of St. Vincent of Paul, performing similar work. Of religious orders, there are in the archdiocese Jesuits, Franciscans, Carmelites, Lazarists, Dominicans, and Benedictines ; of female orders, there are Sisters of Charity, Ursulines, Carmelites, Poor Clares, and others. The archdiocese maintains at Rio de Janeiro the Seminary of St Joseph. Among other Catholic institutions of learning are: the College of the Immaculate Conception for girls; the Jesuit college ; the College of the Sacred Heart of Jesus ; the College of the Sacred Heart of Mary for girls. Mention should also be made of the "Circulo Catholico", a large association founded on 15 Sept., 1899, for the propagation of the Faith, and to provide young men with moral recreation. The organ of the Church in Rio de Janeiro is "O Universo" (Rue Evaristo Vega No. 61).
Rio de Janeiro was the first spot in the New World where a colony of Protestants settled. A little island in the bay was colonized and fortified by Villegaignon under the patronage of Admiral Coligny in 1555. This Huguenot settlement was destroyed by the Portuguese in 1566, and the name of the island changed to São Sebastião. The city of Rio de Janeiro was proclaimed the capital of Brazil in 1763. After the empire was established, the imperial chapel near the palace was selected for a cathedral, which building is at present being reconstructed. Adjacent to it is the Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Both are small structures, but preserve to a wonderful degree the effects of Latin-American architecture. The most noteworthy place of worship in Rio de Janeiro is the Church of the Candelaria. The corner-stone was laid about 1780, the funds having been donated by a pious Brazilian lady in gratitude for her rescue from a great peril at sea. The building was planned by a Brazilian architect, Evaristo de Vega. Its two towers, surmounted by glittering domes, are among the first objects to attract the eye on entering the Bay of Rio de Janeiro; they rise to a height of 228 feet above the street, but, unfortunately, the narrowness of the thoroughfare prevents a good impression of the size and beauty of the structure. The three bronze doors, with relief work showing extraordinary artistic detail, and the interior, finished in marble, with fine wall and ceiling paintings, are among the best of their kind in Latin-America. The present Archbishop of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro is His Eminence Joaquim Cardinal Arcoverde de Albuquerque Cavalcanti, born 18 Jan., 1850, elected 26 June, 1890, transferred to Rio de Janeiro, 24 July, 1898, and created cardinal on 11 Dec., 1905. (See BRAZIL, THE UNITED STATES OF.)
The Catholic Encyclopedia is the most comprehensive resource on Catholic teaching, history, and information ever gathered in all of human history. This easy-to-search online version was originally printed between 1907 and 1912 in fifteen hard copy volumes.
Designed to present its readers with the full body of Catholic teaching, the Encyclopedia contains not only precise statements of what the Church has defined, but also an impartial record of different views of acknowledged authority on all disputed questions, national, political or factional. In the determination of the truth the most recent and acknowledged scientific methods are employed, and the results of the latest research in theology, philosophy, history, apologetics, archaeology, and other sciences are given careful consideration.
No one who is interested in human history, past and present, can ignore the Catholic Church, either as an institution which has been the central figure in the civilized world for nearly two thousand years, decisively affecting its destinies, religious, literary, scientific, social and political, or as an existing power whose influence and activity extend to every part of the globe. In the past century the Church has grown both extensively and intensively among English-speaking peoples. Their living interests demand that they should have the means of informing themselves about this vast institution, which, whether they are Catholics or not, affects their fortunes and their destiny.
Copyright © Catholic Encyclopedia. Robert Appleton Company New York, NY. Volume 1: 1907; Volume 2: 1907; Volume 3: 1908; Volume 4: 1908; Volume 5: 1909; Volume 6: 1909; Volume 7: 1910; Volume 8: 1910; Volume 9: 1910; Volume 10: 1911; Volume 11: - 1911; Volume 12: - 1911; Volume 13: - 1912; Volume 14: 1912; Volume 15: 1912
Catholic Online Catholic Encyclopedia Digital version Compiled and Copyright © Catholic Online | <urn:uuid:0bf1aea9-928a-407d-b07d-4fad72b2c245> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.catholic.org/encyclopedia/view.php?id=10487 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783402479.21/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155002-00191-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942203 | 1,353 | 2.640625 | 3 |
1. Read the safety rules for metalwork. Discuss how to be safe while working with metal. Discuss with your counselor the additional safety rules that apply to the metalwork option you choose for requirement 5.
2. Define the terms native metal, malleable, metallurgy, alloy, nonferrous, and ferrous. Then do the following:
- a. Name two nonferrous alloys used by pre-Iron Age metalworkers. Name the metals that are combined to form these alloys.
- b. Name three ferrous alloys used by modern metalworkers.
- c. Describe how to work-harden a metal.
- d. Describe how to anneal a nonferrous and a ferrous metal.
3. Do the following:
- a. Work-harden a piece of 26- or 28-gauge sheet brass or sheet copper. Put a 45-degree bend in the metal, then heavily peen the area along the bend line to work-harden it. Note the amount of effort that is required to overcome the yield point in this unworked piece of metal.
- b. Soften the work-hardened piece from requirement 3a by annealing it, and then try to remove the 45-degree bend. Note the amount of effort that is required to overcome the yield point.
- c. Make a temper color index from a flat piece of steel. Using hand tools, make and temper a center punch of medium-carbon or high-carbon steel.
4. Find out about three career opportunities in metalworking. Pick one and find out the education, training, and experience required for this profession. Discuss this with your counselor, and explain why this profession might interest you.
5. After completing the first four requirements, complete at least ONE of the options listed below.
- a. Option 1 – Sheet Metal Mechanic/Tinsmith
- (1) Name and describe the use of the basic sheet metalworking tools.
- (2) Create a sketch of two objects to make from sheet metal. Include each component's dimensions on your sketch, which need not be to scale.
- (3) Make two objects out of 24- or 26-gauge sheet metal. Use patterns either provided by your counselor or made by you and approved by your counselor. Construct these objects using a metal that is appropriate to the object's ultimate purpose, and using cutting, bending, edging, and either soldering or brazing.
- (a) One object also must include at least one riveted component
- (b) If you do not make your objects from zinc-plated sheet steel or tin-plated sheet steel, preserve your work from oxidation.
- b. Option 2 – Silversmith
- (1) Name and describe the use of a silversmith's basic tools.
- (2) Create a sketch of two objects to make from sheet silver. Include each component's dimensions on your sketch, which need not be to scale.
- (3) Make two objects out of 18- or 20-gauge sheet copper. Use patterns either provided by your counselor or made by you and approved by your counselor. Both objects must include a soldered joint. If you have prior silversmithing experience, you may substitute sterling silver, nickel silver, or lead-free pewter.
- (a) At least one object must include a sawed component you have made yourself.
- (b) At least one object must include a sunken part you have made yourself.
- (c) Clean and polish your objects.
- c. Option 3 – Founder
- (1) Name and describe the use of the basic parts of a two-piece mold. Name at least three different types of molds.
- (2) Create a sketch of two objects to cast in metal. Include each component's dimensions on your sketch, which need not be to scale.
- (3) Make two molds, one using a pattern provided by your counselor and another one you have made yourself that has been approved by your counselor. Position the pouring gate and vents yourself. Do not use copyrighted materials as patterns.
- (a) Using lead-free pewter, make a casting using a mold provided by your counselor.
- (b) Using lead-free pewter, make a casting using the mold that you have made.
- d. Option 4 – Blacksmith
- (1) Name and describe the use of a blacksmith's basic tools.
- (2) Make a sketch of two objects to hot-forge. Include each component’s dimensions on your sketch, which need not be to scale.
- (3) Using low–carbon steel at least 1/4-inch thick, perform the following exercises:
- (a) Draw out by forging a taper.
- (b) Use the horn of the anvil by forging a U-shaped bend.
- (c) Form a decorative twist in a piece of square steel.
- (d) Use the edge of the anvil to bend metal by forging an L-shaped bend.
- (4) Using low-carbon steel at least 1/4-inch thick, make the two objects you sketched that require hot-forging. Be sure you have your counselor's approval before you begin.
- (a) Include a decorative twist on one object.
- (b) Include a hammer-riveted joint in one object.
- (c) Preserve your work from oxidation.
|| The official source for the information shown in this article or section is:|
Boy Scout Requirements, 2015 Edition (BSA Supply SKU #620714)
The text of these requirements may be locked. In that case, they can only be edited by an administrator.
Please note any errors found in the above requirements on this article's Talk Page. | <urn:uuid:32b81a68-bed5-4ff5-ba14-2c6b9de82aa3> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://meritbadge.org/wiki/index.php?title=Metalwork&diff=22564&oldid=22559 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783392069.78/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154952-00192-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.881019 | 1,246 | 3.484375 | 3 |
When searching for the worst Presidents ever, it is important to understand there have been many great men who have led the United States of America throughout the years. Regardless of political parties, the true measure of a President is what he accomplished in office. Here is a look at men who left a blemish during their time in office.
- James Buchanan – Easily, the worst President ever, James Buchanan refused to challenge slavery and is partially responsible for the formation of the Confederacy in the South. He believed that the President had no power to stop states from seceding from the nation, which led directly to the Civil War.
- Warren G. Harding – Warren Harding knew he was one of the worst Presidents ever, saying at one point he did not belong in office. Harding’s biggest downfall was turning a blind eye while his friends began to manipulate and steal from the Government under his watch.
- Andrew Johnson – Andrew Johnson took over as President after Abraham Lincoln was assassinated and is one of the worst Presidents ever. Before his term, he was a strong advocate of the northern plan for Reconstruction but after becoming President opposed the Fourteenth Amendment.
- Franklin Pierce – Franklin Pierce was a northerner but held southern beliefs. He is one of the worst Presidents ever who wanted to expand the nation by adding more slave states. He repealed the Missouri Compromise and wanted to forcibly annex Cuba as another slave state.
- Millard Fillmore – Millard Fillmore took over as President after Zachary Taylor died and went against what the former President believed in, specifically on the topic of slaves. He remains one of the worst Presidents ever because of his reluctance to see slavery as a moral question.
- Richard Nixon – Richard Nixon earns a spot as one of the worst Presidents ever because Watergate effectively destroyed the innocence of the nation in their outlook on the U.S. President. Nixon did great things, helping end the Vietnam War and opening relations with China but was forced to resign, crippling his work.
- Ulysses S. Grant – Ulysses S. Grant was a national hero, helping the Union win the Civil War. While he worked hard to make racial reform in the South he remains one of the worst Presidents ever thanks to the corruption that arose while he was in office, an error in his judgment more than a crime of intent on his part.
- John Tyler – John Tyler was the first vice president to take over as President after the death of William Harrison. He became known as one of the worst Presidents ever when he turned on his party’s beliefs, causing his entire cabinet to resign and he had to fight impeachment proceedings.
- Herbert Hoover – Herbert Hoover came into office at the start of the Great Depression and, while he passed laws to help, never agreed to provide relief. Instead, Hoover signed into law a tariff act that made the Great Depression even worse, becoming one of the worst Presidents ever and a hated man to many Americans.
- Zachary Taylor – Zachary Taylor was a soldier and patriot but was not as educated as a U.S. President needs to be. He remains one of the worst Presidents ever thanks to his opposition to the Compromise of 1850 which precipitated the start of the Civil War. He died shortly thereafter while still in office.
What Others Are Reading Right Now.
6 Things You Think Your Girlfriend Cares About But She Doesn...
Guys, it may be time to refocus your efforts.
How to Turn (Almost) Every Lady’s Head
Top female stylists share their favorite men’s looks.
Acting, comedy and strong spirits converge in Speakeasy. When host Russell Peters interviews entertainers about all sorts of topics, neither the drinks nor the conversation is wate … | <urn:uuid:b829cc7f-b0a9-4d4e-a511-08c7645771cb> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.mademan.com/mm/worst-presidents-ever.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783393146.70/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154953-00087-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978941 | 773 | 2.953125 | 3 |
In the study of Phonetics we focus on how we communicate through oral speech, as well as speech perception. Fundamental topics in the specialization in Phonetics on bachelor's level include:
- How are we able speak?
- How can we distinguish and recognize speaking voices?
- How is synthetic speech produced?
- How can we help people with speech difficulties?
The course of study provides theoretical knowledge and proficiency in Phonetics.
As a bachelor's student in Phonetics you will:
- Learn auditory analysis, which is essential to transcription of spoken language
- Acquire skills concerning the articulation of speech sounds used in languages all over the world
- Gain knowledge about the anatomy, physiology and function of speech organs in oral language
- Obtain knowledge on oral language as an acoustic phenomenon
- Learn experimental design and quantitative data processing
- Learn instrumental analysis of the quality and durability of speech sounds by using computers and intonation.
Phonetics is a subject area through which one with the use of modern technical opportunities investigates how people communicate through oral language. Even if traditional observation of the speech organs' activity is significant, speech analysis is nevertheless mainly conducted by using computers. In this way, we may investigate important details that are not audible to the human ear. Another great advantage of modern methodology is that by using computer programmes we may manipulate intonation, for the purpose of testing the influence of manipulation of our perception.
NTNU is the only university in Norway that offers Phonetics at bachelor's and master's levels.
Phonetics is a science which borders on a number of other subject areas, within the Humanities as well as within Technology. The programme of study may therefore on the one hand be combined with subjects such as linguistics, applied linguistics, all language courses, psychology, anthropology or sociology and on the other information technology, speech technology (signal conditioning, speech synthesis and speech recognition) or information science. | <urn:uuid:e8d817f5-6fb6-4e84-99ff-23fbdeafb2a7> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.ntnu.edu/studies/bfon | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396887.54/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00087-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.933467 | 401 | 2.828125 | 3 |
Excerpts from a new Special Report from Foreign Policy:
"For half a century, the global energy supply's center of gravity has been the Middle East. This fact has had self-evidently enormous implications for the world we live in -- and it's about to change.
By the 2020s, the capital of energy will likely have shifted back to the Western Hemisphere, where it was prior to the ascendancy of Middle Eastern megasuppliers such as Saudi Arabia and Kuwait in the 1960s. The reasons for this shift are partly technological and partly political. Geologists have long known that the Americas are home to plentiful hydrocarbons trapped in hard-to-reach offshore deposits, on-land shale rock, oil sands, and heavy oil formations. The U.S. endowment of unconventional oil is more than 2 trillion barrels, with another 2.4 trillion in Canada and 2 trillion-plus in South America -- compared with conventional Middle Eastern and North African oil resources of 1.2 trillion. The problem was always how to unlock them economically.
But since the early 2000s, the energy industry has largely solved that problem. With the help of horizontal drilling and other innovations, shale gas production in the United States has skyrocketed from virtually nothing to 15 to 20 percent of the U.S. natural gas supply in less than a decade. By 2040, it could account for more than half of it. This tremendous change in volume has turned the conversation in the U.S. natural gas industry on its head; where Americans once fretted about meeting the country's natural gas needs, they now worry about finding potential buyers for the country's surplus (see chart above).
Meanwhile, onshore oil production in the United States, condemned to predictions of inexorable decline by analysts for two decades, is about to stage an unexpected comeback. Oil production from shale rock, a technically complex process of squeezing hydrocarbons from sedimentary deposits, is just beginning. But analysts are predicting production of as much as 1.5 million barrels a day in the next few years from resources beneath the Great Plains and Texas alone -- the equivalent of 8 percent of current U.S. oil consumption. The development raises the question of what else the U.S. energy industry might accomplish if prices remain high and technology continues to advance. Rising recovery rates from old wells, for example, could also stem previous declines. On top of all this, analysts expect an additional 1 to 2 million barrels a day from the Gulf of Mexico now that drilling is resuming. Peak oil? Not anytime soon.
A hydrocarbon-driven reordering of geopolitics is already taking place. The petropower of Iran, Russia, and Venezuela has faltered on the back of plentiful American natural gas supply: A surplus of resources in the Americas is sending other foreign suppliers scrambling to line up buyers in Europe and Asia, making it more difficult for such exporters to assert themselves via heavy-handed energy "diplomacy." The U.S. energy industry may also be able to provide the technical assistance necessary for Europe and China to tap unconventional resources of their own, scuttling their need to kowtow to Moscow or the Persian Gulf.
So watch this space: America may be back in the energy leadership saddle again." | <urn:uuid:740ca7da-9138-4b18-90fe-5e863218a06f> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://mjperry.blogspot.com/2011/08/adios-opec-americas-not-middle-east.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396147.66/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00041-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952075 | 669 | 2.578125 | 3 |
Definitions of follow
v. t. - To go or come after; to move behind in the same path or direction; hence, to go with (a leader, guide, etc.); to accompany; to attend. 2
v. t. - To endeavor to overtake; to go in pursuit of; to chase; to pursue; to prosecute. 2
v. t. - To accept as authority; to adopt the opinions of; to obey; to yield to; to take as a rule of action; as, to follow good advice. 2
v. t. - To copy after; to take as an example. 2
v. t. - To succeed in order of time, rank, or office. 2
v. t. - To result from, as an effect from a cause, or an inference from a premise. 2
v. t. - To watch, as a receding object; to keep the eyes fixed upon while in motion; to keep the mind upon while in progress, as a speech, musical performance, etc.; also, to keep up with; to understand the meaning, connection, or force of, as of a course of thought or argument. 2
v. t. - To walk in, as a road or course; to attend upon closely, as a profession or calling. 2
v. i. - To go or come after; -- used in the various senses of the transitive verb: To pursue; to attend; to accompany; to be a result; to imitate. 2
n. - The art or process of following; specif., in some games, as billiards, a stroke causing a ball to follow another ball after hitting it. Also used adjectively; as, follow shot. 2
The word "follow" uses 6 letters: F L L O O W.
No direct anagrams for follow found in this word list.
List shorter words within follow, sorted by length
All words formed from follow by changing one letter
Browse words starting with follow by next letter | <urn:uuid:d2c4e0c8-f8ab-4d92-9bf1-7d2cf826a6b2> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.morewords.com/word/follow/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783404405.88/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155004-00123-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.922638 | 424 | 3.203125 | 3 |
for National Geographic News
The queen honeybee would give Cinderella's wicked stepmother a run for her money.
A new study suggests the domineering matriarch regulates her daughters' brain activity to ensure her own survival.
"This is the first demonstration of [the queen's] pheromones acting directly on the brain," said study co-author Alison Mercer, a zoologist from the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand. "The fact that it's affecting the learning abilities of the young bees is unexpected."
The Controlling Type
The queen bee produces a pheromone from a gland near her jaws. Pheromones are chemicals found in animals that trigger a behavioral response in another animal of that species.
One of the parts of the pheromone is homovanillyl alcohol (HVA). It interacts with a neurotransmitter called dopamine, which is found in the brains of insects and animals. In a mechanism that's still not understood, the pheromone may be able to block dopamine and prevent the young worker bees from avoiding negative stimuli. Worker bees—which surround and dote on the queen—are all female, and drone bees are male.
(Related: "No Reproductive Rights in Insect "Police States," Study Finds" [November 1, 2006].)
To test the theory, Mercer and colleagues exposed test bees to the pheromone. The team found these bees could not learn to associate specific smells with negative stimuli—in this case, mild electric shocks delivered by the researchers.
Mercer speculates that the queen bee herself might be a negative stimulus.
"It turns out the queen is completely blocking out the ability of the young bees to make an association between signals in their environment and any nasty outcome," Mercer said.
As these young worker bees age, however, the pheromone no longer has control over them—a mystery still being investigated by researchers.
The study appears in tomorrow's journal Science.
SOURCES AND RELATED WEB SITES | <urn:uuid:7388a12e-5a61-4dd2-8606-560307cc460b> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/07/070719-bee-control.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783399428.8/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154959-00065-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941846 | 423 | 3.265625 | 3 |
OLYMPIA--The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the University of Washington and Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission are beginning a scientific study to determine why the number of adult coho salmon returning to central and southern parts of Puget Sound are declining.
Coho returns to northern Puget Sound rivers and the Columbia River have not shown the same downward trend.
The decline in some Puget Sound stocks has occurred even though Canada has drastically reduced its fisheries for Washington-bound coho and Washington has taken tough protective measures in the ocean and Puget Sound on behalf of its own wild coho stocks as well as those from British Columbia's Thompson River.
"For some reason fewer and fewer adults from southern Puget Sound coho runs are surviving at sea. We don't know why but we've got to find out," said Jeff Koenings, director of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
"We're also concerned that changes appear to be occurring in the south Sound's natural balance that may be affecting other animal and fish life." Koenings added.
In the Seattle-Bremerton area (Marine Area 10) coho returns have declined from more than 1 million in 1987 to less then 200,000 in recent years.
Koenings noted that 20 to 30 percent of the coho smolts produced in the mid- 1980's in the Deschutes River were either caught in fisheries or returned to spawn. In recent years only about 5 percent of the smolts produced by the river have survived to be harvested or spawn.
While south and central Sound coho stocks have been declining, WDFW scientists have found the numbers of marine mammals, dogfish, ling cod, gulls and some other species have increased while stocks of herring, rockfish, cod, pollock and whiting have decreased. There also may have been increases in harmful algae blooms but decreases in canopy kelp, which provides important habitat for many marine species.
Dr. Bob Francis, a University of Washington College Fisheries professor, said, "There seem to be a broad range of signals coming out of the south and central Sound that the entire ecosystem may have been altered in a significant fashion."
"We at the University of Washington are proposing to join in this effort with agency scientists to explore ecosystem responses, " he added.
"The collection of information put forth by WDFW employees should sound some alarms, it's clear that South Sound ecosystems have been changing in ways that are not good for wild and hatchery coho," commented Dr. Nathan Mantua, of the University of Washington Department of Atmospheric Sciences.
"Gathering information about the entire ecosystem seems critical to me, because it's also pretty clear that we can't effectively manage salmon without consideration of how salmon interact with other species and the always changing habitat in Puget Sound. I hope to lend a hand by investigating the impacts of climate variations in Puget Sound," Mantua added.
Billy Frank, chairman of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission, commented, "While coho returns to central and southern Puget Sound have declined steadily over the past decade, chum returns have actually been increasing. We need to investigate what has changed in the productivity of this region's ecosystem to allow one salmon species to thrive while another is declining. As co-managers of the salmon resource, the treaty Indian tribes in western Washington are committed to finding these answers."
Areas the scientists will investigate include:
- Trends in food sources available to fish in the south Sound.
- Effects of fisheries and hatchery programs as well as habitat trends
- Coho and chinook productivity trends
- Analyzing or re-analyzing scientific material, such as plankton samples, that have been collected in the past. Some of the materials never have been studied because of a lack of funding. | <urn:uuid:2abaaba0-d159-4257-b2bb-8a8e3c1f4c2e> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://wdfw.wa.gov/news/release-print/oct1899a/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396538.42/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00053-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955617 | 781 | 2.875 | 3 |
A few days ago, the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) released dramatic imagery showing a huge portion of the Wilkins Ice Shelf in Antarctica, 13,680 sq. km in size, which broke off and began disintegrating a few days ago at the end of the Antarctic summer. This is another dramatic instance of the huge ice melting at both poles of our planet. The new ice in the water will have a temporary effect of cooling the nearby waters (just like ice in your drink), but as it melts – and if the temperatures continue to rise – the ice melting will only accelerate in the coming years.
Stefan at OgleEarth took the NASA photos from the NSIDC and created a couple of image overlays so you can see the view of the ice shelf break-up right where it happened in Google Earth. And, you can grab the transparency slider beneath the Places pane to compare the new photos to the base imagery in GE. Stefan’s post also shares a YouTube video showing a flyby of this huge ice break-up (note that the cliffs of ice are 60+ feet tall!):
The Snow and Ice Data Center has some excellent Google Earth KML visualizations (see previous GEB story). My favorite is the sea ice extent time animation . This animation lets you see the extent of sea ice for either September or October from 1979 through the present. The pink lines show the normal average ice extent. Look at this past September 2007 ice extent report for the Arctic region for the dramatic drop in ice last summer (read GEB post on this). Hopefully the NSIDC will add the March 2008 update to this file soon. | <urn:uuid:ad136847-7938-4848-9479-c8a7c733475b> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.gearthblog.com/blog/archives/2008/03/wilkins_ice_shelf_sea_ice_extent_an.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397111.67/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00021-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.919467 | 340 | 3.28125 | 3 |
- freely available
Sensors 2008, 8(6), 4006-4032; doi:10.3390/s8064006
Abstract: The results of a dew monitoring program performed in Poland with the aim to outline the chemical composition of dew water in meteorological context are presented. Dew samples were collected from eight measurement stations from August 2004 to November 2006. Taking into account the type of land use and characteristics of pollutant emission, sampling sites were divided into the following categories: rural, coastal urban and inland urban stations. Selected anions and cations as well as formaldehyde and sum of phenols were determined. The average TIC (Total Inorganic Ionic Content) values in dew samples ranged from 0.83 to 3.93 between individual stations with 10.9 meq/L as the highest daily value of TIC measured. The average TIC values observed in dew at all stations were at a similar level (2.46 meq/L) when compared with hoarfrost (2.86 meq/L). However, these values were much higher in comparison with other kinds of atmospheric water like precipitation (wet only; 0.37 meq/L) or fog/cloud (1.01 meq/L). The pH values of dew water ranged from 5.22 to 7.35 for urban coastal stations, from 5.67 to 8.02 for urban inland stations and from 4.16 to 8.76 for dew samples collected in the rural area. HCHO was found in 97 % of dew samples, with concentrations ranging from 0.010 to 5.40 meq/L. Excluding stations near the seashore, where the contribution of Na+ and Cl- increased, the most important ions were sulphates. A very low contribution of NO3- and noticeable increase of Ca2+ which were not observed in the case of precipitation and fog water, were typical in all stations. The contribution of ammonium ion was two times higher at rural stations as a result of agricultural ammonia emissions. The strongest correlations were noticed between the sum of acidifying anions SO42- + NO3- and Ca2+ ion for all urban and rural stations. A very strong correlation was also observed for Na+ and Cl- ions in urban coastal stations, as a natural consequence of the location of these stations close to the sea. It was proved that thermal stratification, direction of circulation and local breeze circulation control the atmospheric chemistry at ground level, where dew is formed. The highest TIC values at urban stations were associated with anticyclonic weather, while at rural sites with cyclonic weather situations. The chemistry of dew water in urban coastal stations was closely related to local breeze circulation in the warm season, mainly in the form of diurnal breeze causing a significant increase of the concentration of Na+ and Cl-ions. Thus, dew can be a good indicator of the atmospheric pollution level at a given site. Taking into account both high TIC values and the annual water equivalent estimated at around 50 mm, dew is a considerable factor of wet deposition, responsible for an additional 60 % of pollutant input into the ground when compared with precipitation.
Dew is the product of direct condensation of atmospheric water vapour on the ground, the temperature of which has fallen below the dew point but not as low as water is freezing point. The conditions leading to dew formation are 1) a radiating surface, well insulated from the heat supply of the soil, on which vapor may condense; 2) a clear, still atmosphere with low specific humidity in all but the surface layers, to permit sufficient effective terrestrial radiation to cool the surface; and 3) high relative humidity in surface air layers, or an adjacent source of moisture such as a lake . An examination of dew formation on a microscale shows that different processes are involved in the growth of dew drops: direct accommodation at the drop surface in areas of maximum temperature gradients, nucleation and evaporation of clusters of near critical radius and coalescence of airborne small droplets formed earlier through nucleation .
In a major part of Poland dew deposition is the second most important path of water flux from the atmosphere to the ground after precipitation. In terms of frequency and duration in the warm-half of the year, dew is observed almost every night with scarce or scattered cloudiness and lasts even longer than precipitation. The annual number of days with dew in the lowland part of Poland varies from around 100 to 160, and it decreases on convex landforms to around 10-30 days in the case of conspicuous mountain summits and ridges above 1000 m a.s.l. The volume of annual dew deposition at different locations in Poland is disputable. Olszewski measured it as around 6 mm with the use of a dew-recorder, whilst Hutorowicz's measurements over 10 years revealed that dew formation was observed during 122 nights annually, with a total volume of 53 mm per year. The latter value is equal to around 10 % of annual precipitation. It could be also calculated as 0.4 mm per night, as a mean dewfall rate which corresponds to results presented in other studies [5-7].
Dew is a relatively neglected topic, even through measuring dew formation, the rate of accumulation and total deposition present interesting research questions [8, 9]. A major limitation in assessing the ecological and environmental role of dew is the extreme difficulty of collecting accurate measurements. In the majority of cases, dew is an important moisture input and plays a significant ecological function in most desert ecosystems . In the NW Negev desert, long-term observations by Evenari et al. show that dew occurs about 200 day per year and can reach the equivalent of 30 mm of annual precipitation. In drought years, dewfall can exceed annual rainfall. Interest also exists in urban dew and its implications for an urban climate and air pollution deposition [12, 13]. Measurements conducted in Vancouver showed that an asphalt shingle roof is one of the most efficient surfaces of dew accumulation . Information regarding the chemical composition of dew is not often interpreted with meteorological data. Very limited studies have been done on dew chemistry worldwide [14-19].
While precipitation chemistry in Poland is described quite well, very limited information concerning the composition of dew exists. The aim of the present research was to present information about the chemical composition of dew water collected in different places (rural and urban) and compare these results with meteorological data (horizontal pressure gradient-hPa/111 km, synoptic scale atmospheric circulation, direction of circulation).
2. Experimental Section
Dew samples were collected from eight measurement stations from August 2004 to November 2006. Taking into account the type of land use and chatacteristics of pollutant emissions, the sampling sites were divided into three groups: rural stations (located in agricultural areas: Wrocław, Dziemiany); coastal urban stations (close to the coast line: Gdańsk, Sopot, Gdynia) and inland urban stations (the chemical composition of precipitation in a town, with increasing traffic intensity and industry: Bytów, Mława, Kraków). Table 1 summarizes the basic characteristics of the sampling sites and Figure 1 illustrates their geographical locations. Dew samples were collected using a sampler based on the design described by Muselli et al. , placed 50 cm above ground. Basic information concerning the applied sampler is presented in Table 2.
Droplets remaining on the collection surface were transferred to the collector using a polyethylene scraper. The dew samples were collected early in the morning. Before the expected appearance of dew, the collection surface was flushed with deionized water and subsequently dried. The collection of dew samples took place only on rainless nights to eliminate the influence of precipitation.
Samples were collected during or immediately after a deposition event. They were stored at a low temperature without chemical preservatives because the analysis was performed either directly on-site, or immediately after in the laboratory. Samples were analyzed for pH, volume, and conductivity. Select anions and cations were then quantified against a synthetic rain standard using ion suppressed chromatography (Dionex Corporation, USA). This synthetic standard is Reference Material No. 409 (BCR-409, Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements, Belgium) and Analytical Reference Material Rain-97 (National Water Research Institute, Environment Canada) . Formaldehyde was determined spectrophotometrically (Merck, Germany) based on its reaction with chromotropic acid. In a solution acidified with sulphuric acid, formaldehyde reacted with chromotropic acid to form a violet dye that was measured . In a buffered solution, in the presence of an oxidizing agent, phenol and its ortho- and meta-substituted compounds react with 4-aminoantipyrine to form a red compound that is determined spectrophotometrically. Instruments used for these measurements, listed in Table 3, were selected to assure reliable and reproducible results.
Date quality assurance was performed by evaluating the percentage difference of the ionic balance (PDI) and the sum of the total inorganic ionic content (TIC). PDI was calculated as:
The acceptability criterion was set as PDI ≤ ± 20 % . TIC represents the sum of liquid phase concentration of SO42-, NO3-, Cl-, H+, NH4+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+ and K+[ 24]. The level of non-sea-salt sulfate (nss SO42-) and non-sea-salt calcium (nss Ca2+) was estimated using the following equations:
In this paper, we use the acidifying potential:
The level of magnesium loss (loss Mg2+) was estimated using the following equation:
3. Results and Discussion
3.1. Chemical composition of dew
The average TIC concentration (arithmetic, not volume weighted) in dew samples ranged from 0.83 in Wrocław to 3.93 in Kraków, where the highest daily value of TIC (10.9 meq/L) was measured. Such high TIC values were also observed at the urban inland station in Bytów (10.1 meq/L) and the urban coastal station in Gdynia (8.24 meq/L). Similar results for TIC were determined in dew samples collected in Amman (Jordan) – the maximum value of TIC was 7.68 meq/L , and in Bordeaux (France), the maximum value of TIC was 4.18 meq/L . However, average TIC values in rural inland stations were around 50 % lower than in urban areas. The highest value was observed for Dziemiany (6.20 meq/L). The average TIC values observed in dew at all stations were at the same level (2.46 meq/L) when compared with hoarfrost (2.86 meq/L). However, these values were much lower in precipitation (wet only; 0.37 meq/L) and orographic fog water (1.01 meq/L) [28,29].
The average Σ anions/Σ cations ratio for dew samples collected from different forms of land-use in Poland was calculated to be 0.92, whereas in Bordeaux (France), it was 1.03 . More information concerning chemical composition, select hydrochemical indices and the percentage contribution of select ions determined in dew samples are reported in Table 4 and Figure 3.
Excluding stations near the seashore, the most important ions are sulphates. This concerns densely urbanized areas as well as rural ones. A noticeably smaller contribution of SO42- in dew collected at coastal urban stations can be related to the narrowing influx zone of these pollutants to the south, west and north-west (S-W-NW) sectors, due to limited inflow from the open sea side, i.e. at least from the whole eastern sector (E). However, the values of the nss SO42-/SO42- ratio were close to 1 for all stations, which proved the anthropogenic origin of sulfate ions in dew samples.
For all of the dew water which was collected, NO3- characteristically constituted only a small fraction of the ions. In comparison with precipitation and fog water, his was true regardless of the environment of the measuring stations. It seems that this results from the fact that dew is formed during the night when traffic intensity is much lower than during daytime (2.3 times lower). As a result of very fast NOx conversion, the absence of its constant influx during the night may lead to its smaller concentration in dew samples. In agricultural areas with less urban influences, the contribution of ammonium ion was two times higher. This can be related to the higher influence of agricultural activity, which leads to considerably higher ammonia emission, very low emission and a very limited range of spatial deposition. In dew samples collected at coastal urban stations the contribution of ions of sea origin (Na+ and Cl-) increased. This results from the localization of these stations near the seashore. Regardless of the environment of the measuring stations, the contribution of Ca2+ ions noticeably increased (from 20 to 30 %). This contribution was much higher in dew in comparison with other kinds of atmospheric water (precipitation, fog). For frost, which can be regarded as a counterpart of mist at a temperature below zero, the contribution of Ca2+ in the total content of ions was two times lover. It seems that the main source of calcium is airborne dust from building areas, worn away concrete elements (curbs, pavements, roadways, etc.) and also cement mills. Smaller contribution of Ca2+ in frost can be explained by less “building” activity and the content of airborne particulate matter during the cool season (wet ground, frozen ground, snow cover). It is not also insignificant that calcium ions are bivalent. Additionally, the values of the nss Ca2+ / Ca2+ ratio in dew samples for all types of stations were close to 1, which results from nearly no limestone in Poland and confirmed the anthropogenic character of this pollution.
HCHO was found in 97 % of dew samples, with concentrations ranging from 0.010 to 5.40 meq/L. The highest average formaldehyde concentrations were observed for dew samples collected from the rural inland station (Wrocław). HCHO is emitted in to the atmosphere from exhaust gases from domestic heating, where it can be scavenged by wet and dry deposition. However, phenols were found in 95 % of dew samples, with concentrations ranging from 0.005 to 2.43 meq/L. The highest average sum of phenols concentrations was observed for dew samples collected from the urban coastal station. The high concentration levels of phenols in runoff waters collected in the area of the centre of Gdańsk and Gdynia are mainly caused by high traffic intensity and industrial factories situated in the surrounding area of these cities. The petroleum refinery alone introduces approximately 118 kg of phenols to the surface waters annually.
3.2. Correlation between concentrations
Seawater parameters, calculated as equivalent ratios, are respectively: Cl-/Na+ = 1.17; SO42-/Na+= 0.12; K+/Na+= 0.022; Ca2+/Na+= 0.045; Mg2+/Na2+= 0.25. The average equivalent ratio of Cl-/Na+ in dew samples calculated in Table 4 was higher for all stations when compared with the appropriate seawater value. Very high values were observed for dew samples collected in Mława (max 57.6; mean 3.88) and Sopot (max 10.9; mean 4.92), where the concentration level of Cl- was 3 to 4 times higher than Na+. A higher concentration of sodium ions (in comparison with chloride ions) was reported only in rural inland stations.
The average SO42-/Na+ ratio in dew samples was always higher than the seawater ratio (urban coastal from 21 to 125 times; urban inland from 30 to 114; rural from 50 to 60) which can be attributed to emission from fuel combustion. The average K+/Na+ ratio in dew samples was also higher than the seawater ratio (for all stations from 30 to 61 times). The excess potassium can have different explanations. K+ is a major constituent of fertilizers and is generally present in windblown soil. Vegetation is another possible source for K+.
It was observed (Table 4) that the value of Ca2+/Na+ ratio in dew samples was generally much higher than that of seawater. The highest average value of Ca2+/Na+ ratio was noticed for urban inland agglomerations, such as: Mława (14.4) and Kraków (12.5). The Mg2+/Na+ ratio was almost equal to that of seawater in rural stations. The highest average values of the Mg2+/Na+ ratio were also observed for big urban agglomerations, such as Kraków (2.66), Sopot (1.97) and Gdańsk (1.54). For Mg2+, the primary source could be marine and the secondary could be continental.
The frequency distributions of the NO3-/SO42- ratio for dew water for different forms of land-use in Poland are shown in Figure 4. The NO3-/SO42- ratio in dew samples ranged over a narrow interval, but in general the SO42- concentration was much higher than NO3-. A higher concentration of NO3- in relation to SO42- was observed for 4 % of dew samples collected from urban areas.
The dew acidification process can be also explained by the relationship between the sum of acidifying anions, SO42- and NO3-, and alkaline cation Ca2+ (Figure 5). An increased concentration of Ca2+ ions in relation to the concentration of acidifying ions was observed especially in dew samples collected from the urban stations (inland and coastal). In rural areas, for obvious reasons, the concentration of the Ca2+ ion was lower. Together with an increasing concentration of the Ca2+ ion, the prevalence of acidifying ions was more noticeable.
The frequency distributions of the Ca2+ + NH4+/ NO3- + SO42- ratio for different forms of land-use in Poland are shown in Figure 6. In the majority of cases, the values of this coefficient ranged from 0 to 2 (100 %, 99 % and 75 % of the obtained results for urban inland, rural inland and urban coastal stations, respectively). These values exceeded 2 only for urban coastal station (25 % of the obtained results), because of an excess of neutralizing ions (especially Ca2+).
3.3. The dew acidification process
The pH, which is a key measure of acid deposition in dew water, ranged from 5.22 to 7.35 in urban coastal stations, from 5.67 to 8.02 in urban inland stations and from 4.16 to 8.76 in rural inland stations. Acidic dew (pH<5.0) was observed in rural places twice (21.09.2006-4.16; 28.08.2006-4.30). However, strongly acidic dew (pH<4.0) was not seen. 57.4 % of the total number of dew samples were characterized by pH values above 6, and 34.5 % of them above 7.
The acidification process of dew water can also be discussed using the relationship between AP (acidifying potential) and NP (neutralizing potential). Figure 7 illustrates the relationship between AP and NP in dew water for different types of land-use.
The theoretical curve, linking experimental data points, can be defined as a linear equation, whose general form is y=x (AP=NP). For the dew samples collected within the framework of this research project, linear equations: y=1.1x+0.26, r=0.841 (urban coastal stations); y=0.88x+0.22, r=0.937 (urban inland stations); y=0.92x+ 0.044 r=924 (inland stations) were calculated. It was estimated that a NP>AP relationship occurred for 88 % of the dew samples collected from coastal stations, whereas the opposite, AP>NP (acidic dew), was observed for 40 % of the samples collected from rural areas.
Hara et al. suggest discussing dew chemistry from the viewpoint of an acid-base relationship and using the quantitative index pAi. The pAi is the hypothetical pH of atmospheric water if no neutralization takes place for both sulfic and nitric acids. These indexes focus only on acidic components, but pH is determined by the balance between an acidic and neutralizing component . pAi values for dew water for different types of land-use in Poland ranged from 2.63 to 4.07 (urban coastal stations), from 2.30 to 3.76 (urban inland stations) and from 2.60 to 4.36 (rural inland stations; Figure 8).
For all of the samples, pAi values appeared in a highly limited range when compared with pH results. This suggests that pH was controlled by a basic species, which was further evidenced by plotting H+/Ai against pH in Figure 9, where pH values decreased with increasing fractional acidity, H+/Ai .
3.4. Ionic correlations between determined concentrations of analytes
In Table 5, correlation coefficients values obtained between determined analytes in collected dew samples are presented. Positive correlation coefficients are marked in bold. Correlation coefficients above 0.5 were observed for 64 %, 71 % and 49 % of the relationships for urban inland, urban coastal and rural inland stations, respectively. Values above 0.9 were observed for 16 %, 5.5 % and 7 % of the relationships for urban coastal, urban inland and rural stations, respectively. The strongest correlations were noticed between the sum of acidifying anions SO42- + NO3- and Ca2+ ion for all urban and rural stations. Additionally, there was a strong correlation with Mg2+ for urban coastal stations (the influence of the vicinity of the Baltic Sea) and with NH4+ for rural stations (agricultural production). A very strong correlation was also observed for Na+ and Cl- ions in urban coastal stations, as a natural consequence of the location of these stations close to the coast line. Regardless of the type of land-use, strong correlations between sulfate ion and cations, such as: Na+, NH4+, K+, Mg2+ were characteristic. In the case of urban coastal areas, such relationships were also observed for NO3-. In rural stations, relationships between NH4+ ion and anions, such as: Cl-, SO42-, NO3-, PO43- played a more important role (such relationships were characteristic of agricultural areas, where phosphorous and ammonium fertilizers were used).
3.5. Dew chemistry in relation to meteorological data
3.5.1. Type of air mass
Information regarding the chemical composition of dew is not often interpreted within the context of meteorological data. Obtained results concerning the chemical composition of dew water, collected in different places (rural and urban), were presented as a background for meteorological data-type for the air mass, character and direction of atmospheric circulation and horizontal pressure gradient.
Air mass is a large volume of air, in which prevailing meteorological conditions are generated by an exchange of energy and moisture between the atmosphere and its underlying surface over the area, from which the air mass flows. In about 60 % of the cases in Poland, polar maritime (Pm) masses flow from the west. They are formed over the North Atlantic and are often accompanied by atmospheric precipitation. Less frequently observed are the polar-continental (Pc) masses flowing from Eastern Europe, which are dry as well as cold during winter and dry as well as hot during summer. Arctic air masses (PA) flow occasionally from the Arctic Sea and bring cold weather with possible showers. That is reason limited number of the days with arctic air mass and even lack of dew chemical composition in case of arctic air mass for rural in land.
For each day with dew deposition, the type of the flowing air mass over Poland was defined on the basis of sea-level synoptic maps. The diversity of chemical composition of dew, in relation to the air mass type, is presented in Table 6 and Figure 10.
In rural stations, dew pollution, represented by obtained TIC results, did not differ significantly between flowing air masses, reaching values of 1.11 and 1.01 meq/L for Pc and Pm masses, respectively. It should be explained in such a way that there are not so many local pollution sources influencing the near-ground air layers in rural areas in comparison with urban ones. In this type of station, in a TIC structure, an increased contribution of NH4+ from agricultural activity was observed.
The inner diversity of dew pollution in the urban stations was closely related to its distance from the Baltic coast. It was a characteristic feature that average TIC results in A, Pc and Pm masses in urban coastal stations were comparable, reaching the values of 3.32, 2.63 and 2.69 meq/L, respectively. However, these TIC results in urban inland stations showed significant diversity, reaching the values of 2.94, 3.73 and 1.81 meq/L, respectively. This can be explained by local breeze circulation in the warm part of the year, mainly in the form of a diurnal breeze. Breeze circulation, generated by the thermal difference between land and sea with a prevailing low horizontal pressure gradient, occurred in each of the investigated air mass types. A diurnal breeze forces air flown in from the sea onto land, causing on increase in the concentration of Na+ and Cl- ions. The flowing air mass is then polluted by local emission sources.
Taking into consideration both the smaller thermal contrast between land and sea during the night than during the day and the shortness of the night in the warm part of the year, the night breeze was not marked (as well) as the diurnal one. This means that a considerably smaller volume of air (within the atmospheric boundary layer) was transferred from land to sea during the night than in the opposite direction during the day. Dew in urban coastal regions had constituents, which were both of maritime origin as well as emitted from local sources, and the pollutant concentration was relatively high.
The highest TIC values were observed in urban coastal stations in the case of arctic air mass, which flows generally from the north sector, from the direction of local emission sources situated in the whole Tricity agglomeration. The mechanism of local breeze circulation, which was described above, did not occur in inland areas and therefore TIC diversity between air masses in urban inland stations was higher.
In rural and urban inland stations, the highest pollutant concentrations were observed for dew samples collected during the day, when meteorological conditions were influenced by Pc masses. In rural areas, the difference between Pc and Pm masses reached only 10 %. In the stations representing urban conditions, TIC values in Pc mass were more than twice as high as the Pm value. An explanation seems to be quite obvious. In comparison with Pm and A masses, dry air flow of Pc mass was characterized by lack of precipitation or small rainfalls with a limited range. This considerably limited the removal rate of pollutants (aerosols, dust or gaseous components) from air and caused an increase in the significance of their transport. In inland areas, a considerably higher efficiency of pollutants' removal from the atmosphere occurred in Pm and A masses, in which precipitation was more abundant, when compared with Pc mass. Moreover, during the nights which followed the days with the Pc mass, the near-ground inversion layer was characteristic, above which the second inversion layer often occurred due to the mesoscale subsidence of air in anticyclone systems. Under such conditions, there was a tendency for pollutants to accumulate in the sub-inversion layer (an average thickness of a few hundred meters above the ground) due to the considerably limited possibilities of air mixing. Noticeably smaller differences in TIC values between Pc and Pm masses in rural stations, as compared with measuring sites situated in urban inland terrains, additionally confirmed a low level of atmospheric pollution in rural areas.
3.5.2. Synoptic situation
Quite important, in the context of the level of dew pollution, is the height of the mixing layer and the type of thermal stratification occurring within it. The efficient vertical mixing of air occurs under unstable conditions. Pollutants are more efficiently transported within the mixing layer than in other types of thermal stratification. Additionally, the depth of the mixing layer is the greatest. Under both: stable and temperature inversion conditions, the vertical transport of pollutants between air layers is significantly limited. Neutral stratification and the potential instability with the prevalence of ascending air currents are characteristic for low pressure systems during the whole year. In anticyclones, stable stratification connected to an inversion of radiation or subsidence origin is dominant in the atmospheric boundary layer, particularly in the cold part of the year. The occurrence of stable stratification considerably limits vertical air exchange allowing for a high and steady concentration level of emitted atmospheric pollutants. For each day with dew, on the basis of sea level synoptic maps (00 GMT) , one of three typical synoptic situations: anticyclonic (AS), cyclonic (CS) or transition (TS), determining the intermediate situation between AS and CS, was assigned.
Conditions allowing for dew formation occured in the anticyclonic situation, when Poland was surrounded by the central part of a high pressure system. Then, the prevailing macroscale processes of air subsidence conduced to cloudless weather with a very weak wind. A lesser probability of dew generation refers to the transition situation and in a greater degree to the cyclonic one. It finds its reflection in the population of the investigated cases of dew formation (AS-168, TS-37, CS-30, respectively). The diversity of the chemical composition of the dew in relation to the synoptic situation is presented in Table 7 and Figure 11.
In rural stations, average TIC results were the lowest and characterized by the smallest diversity for AS, TS and CS situations, reaching values of 1.04, 1.02 and 1.33 meq/L, respectively (Figure 11). In relation to AS and TS situations, these values were two times lower when compared with stations representing urban areas. The smallest TIC diversity for three investigated landuse categories was characteristic for cyclonic situations. It confirmed the significantly smaller role of local pollutant emission sources under such conditions. The reason lies in the specificity of the cyclonic weather. Then, the mesoscale ascending flow occurred, which caused an intensive vertical air exchange and dispersion of pollutants. Consequently, the role of local emission sources decreased and pollutant concentrations in dew in all types of stations was comparable to the (macro) regional background. Additionally, the washout of pollutants from the atmosphere in cyclonic weather was more efficient than in the anticyclonic one, due to more frequent precipitation events.
In some way it was surprising that in stations representing rural areas in AS situations, pollutant concentrations in dew was around 30 % lower than within CS days. Taking into account the cyclonic weather and small emission from local sources, long-range transport with a regional background, which was the main cause of increased Cl- and NH4+concentration, played a more important role in TIC formation.
For both coastal and inland urban stations, distribution of TIC values was opposite of those in rural areas. These results were highest during days with AS weather, a little smaller for days with TS situations and the smallest for cyclonic conditions (CS). In anticyclonic weather, there was a lack of precipitation and thermal inversion, which had a limited thickness and often occurred during the night (when dew is generated). Under such conditions, pollutants from near-ground emission sources accumulated. As a result, during days with a high pressure system, pollutant concentrations in dew increased, and the highest TIC diversities between rural and urban areas were observed.
The intercorrelation of formaldehyde with pollutant components (NH4+, nss SO42-, NO3-) suggested a possible anthropogenic input for HCHO, which was found in 97 % of analyzed samples. The most likely pollutant source is incomplete oxidation of hydrocarbons released by fossil fuel combustion, including industrial and domestic heating and motor vehicle traffic. There was a lack of significant correlations among the concentration levels of HCHO and phenols in relation to atmospheric circulation (Figure 12). The highest concentrations were noticed in dew samples collected from the Tricity agglomeration within days when anticyclonic circulation occurred. The obtained data confirmed the same relations for TIC analysis versus atmospheric circulation, which were described earlier.
3.5.3. Direction of atmospheric circulation
An important factor influencing air pollutant concentrations is the direction of airflow. The near ground wind direction is highly changeable because of existing turbulence and local effects imposed on synoptic scale airflow. In this paper, the direction of airflow was determined on the basis of sea level synoptic maps and generalized to eight directions in which the wind rose for each night with dew collection and for the whole territory of Poland.
There was no clear relation among select ion concentrations and different directions of atmospheric circulation, which could possibly be attributed to the emission background of the selected sampling sites (Figure 13). Nevertheless, some effects were visible. A directional asymmetry of major ions was observed at urban coastal stations where Cl- had the highest concentration when air flew from the sea (northern half of horizon) while SO42- took this role during southern circulation, when air masses came from inland areas. On the other hand, all Cl- concentrations at urban coastal stations, independent of circulation direction, were around twice as large as those at urban inland stations. This fact supports the hypothesis about the significant role of a diurnal sea breeze, which penetrates deep inland, delivering sea-salt aerosol, even on days with synoptic scale atmospheric circulation from a continental interior.
Stations located inland (both urban and rural) presented a higher concentration of Cl- during airflow from NW-N-NE directions with a minimum observed on circulation from the SE half of the horizon. The opposite pattern was visible in the case of sulphates, which came probably from distant industrialized areas further in the south. No discernible trend was detected for NH4+, which was emitted mainly from dispersed agricultural sources, with no clear directional preferences.
Figure 14 illustrated the relation between TIC values and horizontal pressure gradient, the latter being an index of atmospheric circulation intensity. The total amount of TIC showed a weak dependence on the horizontal pressure gradient. The maximum TIC values were observed for the moderate pressure gradient (0.7-1.7 hPa/111 km), whereas above and below this parameter, TIC values were lower.
This can be caused by an insufficient air pollution supply to the near-ground layer of air during nocturnal atmospheric calms caused by a low horizontal pressure gradient (below 0.7 hPa/111 km). On the other hand, when the horizontal pressure gradient was high (more than 1.7 hPa/111 km) pollution was dispersed by turbulence in vigorous airflow, which resulted in a lowering of observed concentrations. If the pressure gradient was moderate (0.7-1.7 hPa/111 km), the observed airflow brought pollution from neighbouring areas but was not strong enough to cause intense dispersion of pollutants, resulting in lowered concentrations. Nevertheless, the relationships presented are not unequivocal because of the role of other factors controlling dew formation and chemistry.
Dew water in Poland was characterised by a relatively high concentration of major ions with an average TIC 2.46 meq/L, when compared with precipitation (wet only; 0.37 meq/L) or orographic fog (1.01 meq/L) albeit very similar to hoarfrost (2.86 meq/L). Due to a high concentration of chemical constituents, dew is particularly important in pollutant deposition processes. Hence, over the large area of European lowlands, dew (together with hoarfrost) form an important path of pollutants' flux to the ground, being responsible at least for an additional 50% deposition through atmospheric precipitation. Ion concentrations in precipitation is 6-7 times lower in comparison with dew, but the amount of precipitation is a dozen times higher.
A specific feature of dew chemistry was a low level of NO3- when compared with precipitation, presumably caused by a decrease of traffic emission when dew was formed. The dominant ions were SO42- at rural and inland urban stations and Ca2+ at urban coastal stations. The discernible decrease of the marine components was clearly visible with an increasing distance away from the Baltic coast. Because of high concentration of both Ca2+ and NH4+, pH values of dew water were usually high.
The chemistry of dew water was strongly influenced by atmospheric circulation and air mass character. The highest pollutant concentrations in dew occurred when there was a lack of precipitation in the advecting air mass and weak synoptic- or local- scale airflow was observed supplying the area of dew formation with pollutants emitted from local sources. Local breeze circulation appeared to be very important for both pollutant concentration and composition in coastal areas.
Taking into account both high TIC values and the annual water equivalent, dew was a considerable factor of wet deposition, being responsible for an additional 60% of pollutants input into the ground when compared with precipitation.
This scientific work was financially supported in 2006-2008 as a research project (1 T09D 098 30).
- Taylor, R.C., Ed.; Glossary of Meteorology; American Meteorological Society website visited 6 March 2007. (http://amsglossary.allenpress.com/glossary).
- Beysens, D. The formation of dew. Atmos. Res. 1995, 39, 215–237. [Google Scholar]
- Olszewski, J.L. Dew at various heights above ground. Ekol. Pol. 1976, 24, 639–668. [Google Scholar]
- Hutorowicz, H. Dew measurements at Olsztyn. Assoc. Int. Hydrol. Scient. 1963, 65, 352–359. [Google Scholar]
- Monteith, J.L. Dew: facts and fallacies. In The water relations of plants; Rutter, A.J., Whitehead, F.H., Eds.; Wiley: New York, 1963; pp. 37–56. [Google Scholar]
- Garratt, J.R.; Segal, M. On the contribution of atmospheric moisture to dew formation. Bound. Layer Meteor 1988, 45, 209–236. [Google Scholar]
- Richards, K. Hardware scale modeling of summertime patterns of urban dew and surface moisture in Vancouver, BC, Canada. Atmos. Res. 2002, 64, 313–321. [Google Scholar]
- Jacobs, A.F.G.; Heusinkveld, B.G.; Berkiwicz, S.M. Dew deposition and drying in a desert system: a simple simulation model. J. Arid Environ. 1999, 42, 211–222. [Google Scholar]
- Jacobs, A.F.G.; Heusinkveld, B.G.; Berkiwicz, S.M. Force-restore technique for ground surface temperature and moisture content in dry desert system. Water Resour. Res. 2000, 36, 1261–1268. [Google Scholar]
- Jacobs, A.F.G.; Heusinkveld, B.G.; Berkiwicz, S.M. A simple model for potential dewfall in an arid region. Atmos. Environ. 2002, 64, 285–295. [Google Scholar]
- Evenari, M.; Shanan, L.; Tadmor, N. The Negev: Challenge of a Desert, 2nd Ed. ed; Harvard Univ. Press: Cambridge, MA, 1982. [Google Scholar]
- Richards, K. Observation and modeling of urban dew. PhD thesis, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, 1999. [Google Scholar]
- Grimmond, C.S.B.; Oke, T.R. Variability of evapotranspiration rates in urban areas. In Biometeorology and Urban Climatology at the Turn of the Millennium, Selected papers from the ICB-ICU'99 Conference, Geneva; de Dear, R.J., Kalma, J.D., Oke, T.R., Auliciems, A., Eds.; 2000; pp. 475–480. [Google Scholar]
- Beysens, D.; Ohayon, C.; Muselli, M.; Clus, O. Chemical and biological characteristics of dew and rain water in an urban coastal area (Bordeaux, France). Atmos. Environ. 2006, 40, 3710–3723. [Google Scholar]
- Beysens, D.; Muselli, M.; Milimouk, I.; Ohayon, C.; Berkowicz, S. M.; Soyeux, E.; Mileta, M.; Ortega, P. Application of passive radiative cooling for dew condensation. Energy 2006, 31, 1967–1979. [Google Scholar]
- Muselli, M.; Beysens, D.; Marcillat, J.; Milimouk, I.; Nilsson, T.; Louche, A. Dew water collector for potable water in Ajaccio. Atmos. Res. 2002, 64, 297–312. [Google Scholar]
- Zuo, Y.; Wang, C.; Van, T. Simultaneous determination of nitrite and nitrate in dew, rain, snow and lake water samples by ion-pair high-performance liquid chromatography. Talanta 2006, 70, 281–285. [Google Scholar]
- Rubio, M. A.; Guerrero, M. J.; Villena, G.; Lissi, E. Hydroperoxides in dew water in downtown Santiago, Chile. A comparison with gas-phase values. Atmos. Environ. 2006, 40, 6165–6172. [Google Scholar]
- Jiries, A. Chemical composition of dew in Amman, Japan. Atmos. Res. 2001, 57, 261–268. [Google Scholar]
- Polkowska, Ż.; Astel, A.; Walna, B.; Małek, S.; Mędrzycka, K.; Górecki, T.; Siepak, J.; Namieśnik, J. Chemometric analysis of rainwater and throughfall at several sites in Poland. Atmos. Environ. 2005, 39, 837–855. [Google Scholar]
- Cardenas, L.M.; Brassington, D.J.; Allan, B.J.; Coe, H.; Alicke, B.; Platt, U.; Wilson, K.M.; Plane, J.M.C.; Penkett, S.A. Intercomparison of formaldehyde measurements in clean and polluted atmospheres. J. Atmos. Chem. 2000, 37, 53–80. [Google Scholar]
- Cini, R.; Prodi, F.; Santachiara, G.; Porcu., F.; Bellandi, S.; Stortini, A.M.; Oppo, C.; Udisti, R.; Pantani, F. Chemical characterization of cloud episodes at a ridge in Tuscan Appenines, Italy. Atmos. Res. 2002, 61, 311–334. [Google Scholar]
- Zimmermann, F.; Matschullat, J.; Bruggemann, E.; Pleβow, K.; Wienhaus, O. Temporal and elevation-related variability in precipitation chemistry from 1993 to 2002, Eastern Erzgebirge, Germany. Water, Air, Soil Pollut. 2006, 170, 123–141. [Google Scholar]
- Möller, D.; Acker, K.; Wieprecht, W. A relationship between liquid water content and chemical composition in clouds. Atmos. Res. 1996, 41, 321–335. [Google Scholar]
- Watanabe, K.; Ishizaka, Y.; Takenaka, C. Chemical characteristics of cloud water over the Japan Sea and the North western Pacific Ocean near the central part of Japan: airborne measurements. Atmos. Environ. 2001, 35, 645–655. [Google Scholar]
- Hara, H.; Kitamura, M.; Mori, A.; Noguchi, I.; Ohizumi, T.; Seto, S.; Takeuchi, T.; Deguchi, T. Precipitation chemistry in Japan 1989-1993. Water Air Soil Pollut. 1995, 85, 2307–2312. [Google Scholar]
- Watanabe, K.; Takebe, Y.; Sode, N.; Igarashi, Y.; Takahashi, H.; Dokiya, Y. Fog and rain water chemistry at Mt. Fuji: A case study during the September 2002 campaign. Atmos. Res. 2006, 82, 652–662. [Google Scholar]
- Błaś, M.; Sobik, M.; Quiel, F.; Netzel, P. Temporal and spatial variations of fog in the Western Sudety Mts., Poland. Atmos. Res. 2002, 64, 19–28. [Google Scholar]
- Dore, A.J.; Sobik, M.; Migała, K. Patterns of precipitation and pollutant deposition in the western Sudete Mountains. Atmos. Environ. 1999, 33, 3301–3312. [Google Scholar]
- Sasakawa, M.; Uematsu, M. Relative contribution of chemical composition to acidification of sea fog (stratus) over the northern North Pacific and its marginal seas. Atmos. Environ. 2005, 39, 1357–1362. [Google Scholar]
- Daily Synoptic Bulletin; IMGW: Warszawa, 2006.
|Sampling site location||Geographic coordinates||Elevation [m a.s.l.]||Type of area||Landform type||Site description|
|Coastal urban sites|
|Gdańsk||54° 20″ N|
18° 36″ E
|74||suburban||gentle slope||200 m away from the main road connecting the Gdańsk centre with the Tricity ring road; 3 km WSW of the Gdańsk city centre and 8 km away from the Gdańsk Gulf; 460,000 citizens|
|Sopot||54° 27″ N|
18° 34″ E
|5||urban||flat||intersection close to the city centre; in the vicinity of the coast line (200 m), surrounded directly by allotments and a residential area; 40,500 citizens|
|Gdynia||54° 29″ N|
18° 32″ E
|37||urban||flat||intersection close to the city centre with very intensive road transport; close to the coast line (1.5 km), surrounded by a residential area; 253,500 citizens|
|Inland urban sites|
|Mława||53° 08″ N|
20° 21″ E
|142||urban||flat||outskirts of the country town; sampling point located in the vicinity of the allotments and a building with flats; 30,000 citizens|
|Kraków||50° 07″ N|
19° 55″ E
|225||suburban||flat||sampling point surrounded by allotments and a building with flats; 757,500 citizens|
|Bytów||54° 10″ N|
17° 30″ E
|147||urban||flat||outskirts of the city centre; only single-family buildings; 23,500 citizens|
|Dziemiany||54° 00″ N|
17° 46″ E
|166||rural, lake district and foresty||hilly||village located on the outskirts of the Wdzyński Landscape Park; surrounded by a forest; 1,600 citizens|
|Wrocław||51° 07″ N|
17° 05″ E
|116||rural||Flat (mikro concave)||Meteorological Observatory; measuring site situated on the east of Wrocław, 5 km from the centre; located close to the Odra river and Szczytnicki park, surrounded directly by allotments|
|Characteristics of the sampler||Size of the sampler|
|100 cm × 100 cm|
|Analyte||Technique||Analytical parameters||Limit of detection [mg/L]||Precision [% RSD]|
|Anions||IC||AS9-HC column (2 × 250 mm),||Br-, F-, Cl-,||1|
|AutoSuppression Recycle Mode||NO3-, SO42-= 0.01|
|ASRC®-ULTRA (2 mm), conductivity||NO2-=0.05|
|detection, eluent 9.0 mM Na2CO3,||PO43-= 0.04|
|flow rate 0.25 ml/min|
|Cations||CS12A column (2 × 250 mm),||0.01|
|AutoSuppression Recycle Mode CSRS|
|®-ULTRA (2 mm), conductivity|
|detection, eluent 20 mM|
|flow rate 0.25 ml/min|
|Phenols||photometry||Absorbance measured at 495 nm||0.001||5|
|HCHO||Absorbance measured at 585 nm||0.005||5|
|ANALYTES||STATS||URBAN COASTAL||URBAN INLAND||RURAL INLAND|
|SO42- + NO3-||max||1.91||2.41||0.95||5.10||3.98||2.16||2.51||1.58|
|Cl- / Na+||max||8.42||6.55||10.9||4.18||3.91||57.6||4.63||7.02|
|SO42- / Na+||max||17.3||8.61||8.55||14.6||29.0||287||14.5||24.5|
|K+ / Na+||max||4.12||3.81||1.16||1.45||3.44||6.23||2.86||2.50|
|Ca2+ / Na+||max||16.5||14.4||18.8||12.3||24.1||279||17.6||30.5|
|Mg2+ / Na+||max||8.99||2.37||2.36||1.52||6.53||40.5||1.27||2.08|
|NO3- / SO42-||max||0.83||2.08||2.95||0.86||0.30||1.67||2.25||0.88|
|Ca2+ + NH4+ / NO3- + SO42-||max||1.72||2.84||2.77||1.44||1.31||1.54||2.34||1.72|
|Σ anions / Σ cations||max||0.99||0.99||1.39||1.21||0.94||1.06||1.28||1.31|
|PDI [% ]||max||11.1||11.1||16.3||9.51||10.8||11.1||12.4||13.4|
|NP / AP||max||1.83||3.09||2.88||1.46||1.32||1.59||2.51||1.73|
|loss Mg2+/ Mg2+||max||0.89||1.67||0.69||3.81||5.96|
|nss SO42- SO42-||max||0.99||0.99||0.99||0.99||1.00||1.00||0.99||1.00|
|nss Ca2+ / Ca2+||max||1.00||1.00||1.00||1.00||1.00||1.00||1.00||1.00|
|f (%)||90.9(11)*||82.8 (29)*||100 (19)*||100 (34)*||100 (18)*||100 (27)*||100 (32)*||100 (51)*|
|Sum of phenols||max||0.83||2.43||0.57||1.51||0.22||0.55||0.470||1.76|
|f (%)||100 (7)*||73.9 (23)*||100 (15)*||96.8 (31)*||94.4 (18)*||100 (23)*||100. (32)*||96.1(51)*|
f – frequency of occurence
|SO42- + NO3-||0.74||0.73||0.90||0.023||0.99||0.76||0.15||0.87||0.94||0.94||1.00|
|SO42- + NO3-||0.68||0.58||0.54||0.18||0.97||0.63||0.57||0.82||0.68||0.97||1.00|
|SO42- + NO3-||0.73||0.42||0.95||0.65||0.81||0.23||0.91||0.78||0.44||0.94||1.00|
|Land use||Type of air mass||pH||Conductivity [μS/cm]||Concentration [meq/L]||N|
N = Number of samples
|Land use||Synoptic situations||pH||Conductivity [μS/cm]||Concentration [meq/l]||N|
N = Number of samples
© 2008 by the authors; licensee Molecular Diversity Preservation International, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open-access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/). | <urn:uuid:bd076efb-d548-4d9b-9784-85495aed8920> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/8/6/4006/htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783392527.68/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154952-00041-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.854349 | 11,737 | 2.9375 | 3 |
Introduction to Software Engineering/Reengineering/Round-trip Engineering
Round-trip engineering (RTE) is a functionality of software development tools that synchronizes two or more related software artifacts, such as, source code, models, configuration files, and other documents. The need for round-trip engineering arises when the same information is present in multiple artifacts and therefore an inconsistency may occur if not all artifacts are consistently updated to reflect a given change. For example, some piece of information was added to/changed in only one artifact and, as a result, it became missing in/inconsistent with the other artifacts.
Round-trip engineering is closely related to traditional software engineering disciplines: forward engineering (creating software from specifications), reverse engineering (creating specifications from existing software), and reengieering (understanding existing software and modifying it). Round-trip engineering is often wrongly defined as simply supporting both forward and reverse engineering. In fact, the key characteristic of round-trip engineering that distinguishes it from forward and reverse engineering is the ability to synchronize existing artifacts that evolved concurrently by incrementally updating each artifact to reflect changes made to the other artifacts. Furthermore, forward engineering can be seen as a special instance of RTE in which only the specification is present and reverse engineering can be seen as a special instance of RTE in which only the software is present. Many reengineering activities can also be understood as RTE when the software is updated to reflect changes made to the previously reverse engineered specification.
Another characteristic of round-trip engineering is automatic update of the artifacts in response to automatically detected inconsistencies. In that sense, it is different from forward- and reverse engineering which can be both manual (traditionally) and automatic (via automatic generation or analysis of the artifacts). The automatic update can be either instantaneous or on-demand. In instantaneous RTE, all related artifacts are immediately updated after each change made to one of them. In on-demand RTE, authors of the artifacts may concurrently evolve the artifacts (even in a distributed setting) and at some point choose to execute matching to identify inconsistencies and choose to propagate some of them and reconcile potential conflicts.
Examples of round-trip engineering
Perhaps the most common form of round-trip engineering is synchronization between UML (Unified Modeling Language) models and the corresponding source code. Many commercial tools and research prototypes (e.g., FUJABA) support this form of RTE. Usually, UML class diagrams are supported to some degree; however, certain UML concepts, such as associations and containment do not have straightforward representations in many programming languages which limits the usability of the created code and accuracy of code analysis (e.g., containment is hard to recognize in the code). Behavioral parts of UML impose even more challenges for RTE.
A more tractable form of round-trip engineering is implemented in the context of framework application programming interfaces (APIs), whereby a model describing the usage of a framework API by an application is synchronized with that application's code. In this setting, the API prescribes all correct ways the framework can be used in applications, which allows precise and complete detection of API usages in the code as well as creation of useful code implementing correct API usages. Two prominent RTE implementations in this category are framework-specific modeling languages and Spring Roo.
Round-trip engineering is critical for maintaining consistency among multiple models and between the models and the code in Object Management Group's (OMG) Model-driven architecture. OMG proposed the QVT (query/view/transformation) standard to handle model transformations required for MDA. To date, a few implementations of the standard have been created. (Need to present practical experiences with MDA in relation to RTE). | <urn:uuid:259a4e29-fc29-4508-8afd-2eaa4eb77bd6> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Introduction_to_Software_Engineering/Reengineering/Round-trip_Engineering | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397749.89/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00113-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.928351 | 764 | 3.28125 | 3 |
Casting can be as important as you want it to be. If you are happy with how
you cast and what you are able to accomplish, this article may be a waste
of your time.
The fact is, your casting may make the difference between catching or not.
It is true, most fish are caught within 30 feet or less of the anglers. I could
get into a number of reasons for that, but if we accept that as fact, being able
to cast well and accurately is as important as knowing what the insects are
and when they are available. It may be more important.
I've quoted Joan Wulff before, but her phase is, "If you know where the fish
are and can't reach them you're out of the ball game." If you know all the
insects, when and where they hatch, and can't get your fly where they are - you're
out of the ball game.
There are several methods of casting. Differences in the stroke, speed, arc,
and where the rod is 'stopped' make up some of those differences. A very
short cast (shown on the left) requires a shorter stroke (perhaps with just a
little wrist motion) and shorter arc - the distance the tip of the rod travels
between the forward and backcast. For absolute accuracy, the caster
also makes the short forward cast with their thumb directly between their
eyes. Giving that a little visualization, it becomes pretty obvious you can't
make a very long cast that way, but it is deadly for short casts. On short
casts there is hardly any arm or shoulder movement.
The look of the cast changes as longer casts are used. The length of the stroke
is longer, the arc is wider. The wrist is now firm, and the arm moves forward
and back like a piston. On the longest casts, the rod may be extended nearly
horizontal on the backcast after the stop. Here the shoulder rolls back to allow
the arm extension behind the body.
Take a dozen excellent casters and none of them will look identical casting the
same distance! We each develop a method that works for us - and is adaptable
to different conditions.
There is more. How fast or slow the casting stroke needs to be depends on the
rod too! That is where the word 'adaptable' come in. The more experienced
one is as a caster, the easier it is to adapt to changing conditions (wind) and
Castwell did a column last week about
teaching a gentleman who was accustomed to casting cane rods. He had never
cast a graphite rod. He learned to adapt his casting. He learned well and fast.
Let's take that in reverse. If you've been casting graphite rods forever and want
to cast a cane rod what would be different? Let's add fiberglass too. The early
fiberglass rods were made to imitate the action of the bamboo rods popular at
the time! Why not? That is what folks were using. No one at the time was
thinking about 'improving' the action of cane rods. Most of the great cane
tapers had already been designed.
A word you may not have heard a lot is 'stroke.' Graphite rods are considered
'fast,' and the words one hears associated with them is 'punch' - the faster the
rod, the less stroke used in casting them. A stroke is still the forward and back
motion of the cast, but it is slower and smoother than the 'normal' cast used
with graphite rods.
In slowing down the cast, it is easy to let the stroke become rounded instead
of a nice straight line. The casting stroke could be visualized by thinking of
your flyrod as a very long felt marker which you use to mark a line on the
ceiling. It's easier to do that fast than slow. But it is important to keep the
line of the stroke straight. Not doing so will cause the line on the ceiling to have
misses. It also causes fly line to puddle in front at the end of the cast or cause
tailing loops. The flyline goes exactly where you point the rod.
All fly rods, regardless of cost or type of material are designed to deliver the fly
line. The manufacturer (or maker) cannot predict your personal casting ability
or style. You may cast several rods before you find one that 'feels good' - it
fits your casting methods and style. It may however not be the most efficient
rod for your purposes. Meaning you may have to work harder to get the rod
to do what you need to do.
Improving your casting skills has a lot of payoffs. You may find the rod(s) you've
been using are causing stress on your elbow, shoulder and wrist. I keep hearing
about readers with wrist problems, rotator cup problems, tennis elbow and while
they may have been caused by other problems, their fishing is affected. Perhaps
improved casting skills would solve at least some of the problems. You might also
find it 'necessary' to purchase a new rod!
Fly casting should be fun. It should be 'natural' and not work. If it isn't, it is time to fix it.
If you would like to comment on this or any other article please feel free to
post your views on the FAOL Bulletin Board! | <urn:uuid:eab88cc4-b5d1-4fff-84c0-8556c2a78ec3> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.flyanglersonline.com/articles/ldy/ldy102901.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783391519.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154951-00084-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96335 | 1,136 | 2.515625 | 3 |
BURIED beneath the sea for almost 150 years, this timber skeleton of a boat is now revealing its secrets.
The wreck of the Ocean was uncovered during the heavy storms over the winter and research has proved it is the vessel which led to the establishment of Hayling RNLI.
The 100ft, 85-ton schooner was lost in fierce storms in Langstone Harbour in 1865, along with two of its five crew.
Dr Julian Whitewright, from the Maritime Archeological Trust (MAT), said the discovery is hugely significant.
‘The other three men were saved through the heroic action of Major Festing from Fort Cumberland and a crew of volunteer fishermen from Hayling who took a small boat out through the storm and rescued the captain and two crew from the ship,’ he said.
‘The major received a silver medal for bravery from the RNLI and, as a further consequence, Hayling Island lifeboat station was established.’
Marine archaeologists had only a small window to carry out research on the wreck before the shifting sands covered it up again.
Dr Whitewright added: ‘By digging through various archives we’ve found the ship is pretty interesting.
‘It was built in Brixham in 1821 and mainly served in the coastal trade along the English Channel and across to Wales.
‘So in that sense it is a very ordinary ship – which do not always get the recognition or coverage, compared to the big glamorous warships.
‘We have traced the owners and captains of the ship for its 44-year life and have a good account now of the wrecking and rescue of the vessel on the East Winner Bank.
‘The wreck has now been swallowed up by the sands again – there are just a few frame tops sticking up above the sand.
‘In one sense this is excellent as it is now fully protected again, although it means that studying it further is very difficult.’
Lifeboatman Trevor Pearce has also researched its history and found a petition was raised calling for a lifeboat at Hayling immediately after the accident.
He said: ‘Very quickly a lifeboat was donated by Leaf and Company of London and a lifeboat station was built. This station still stands today as the Inn on The Beach. The lifeboat was named Olive Leaf after the daughter of the donor family.’
Donate to MAT’s fund for research at maritimearchaeologytrust.org. | <urn:uuid:bb0e25ed-3ea9-4957-86a7-ad68c5a627cc> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.haylingtoday.co.uk/news/local/storms-reveal-1865-wreck-off-hayling-1-6178927 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783402479.21/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155002-00124-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.98245 | 514 | 2.796875 | 3 |
The purpose of this finding is to clarify the security concerns around using passwords on the World-Wide Web. The principle advice described is that passwords SHOULD NOT be transmitted in the clear except in a few very specific cases.
This finding is an editorial draft, not yet accepted by the TAG. This finding therefore does not have any official standing and does not represent the consensus of the Technical Architecture Group at the W3C.
Security on the World-Wide Web is an important issue which needs to be addressed or mistrust of the Web will limit its growth potential. This finding describes the use of passwords on the World-Wide Web and the need to keep them secure during display, temporary storage in cookies, and in transmission over the Web.
There are sufficient technologies available to describe a clear position on password security as it relates to the World-Wide Web.
This section addresses the issue of transmitting passwords in clear text over the World-Wide Web. When a password is transmitted in clear text, it is vulnerable in many ways:
The HTTP specification specifically states that HTTP is not considered to be a secure method of user authentication (unless used in conjunction with some external secure system such as SSL).
It is estimated that between 1 and 2 percent of e-commerce transactions are related to fraud. As customers are becoming more 'net savvy', they are starting to examine web page types and are attempting to only use secure systems. Therefore, any organization that wishes to safeguard its customers' data should start with secure transfers of user login and password information.
A server SHOULD NOT solicit any passwords in clear text.
A client or browser SHOULD NOT transmit passwords in clear text.
There are some cases where it is acceptable to transmit passwords in the clear. One example is placing a password on a page is a simple way to stop web crawlers without really having to 'secure' the content. Administrators using a clear text password need to be aware that passwords used for this type of purpose SHOULD NOT re-use the same password in contexts that are more sensitive.
While it's not the purpose of this paper to do an exhaustive description of secure transfer methods on the Web, there are a few common methods used today which are easy to implement;
Digest Access Authentication[Digest]:
Digest Authentication acts as an extension to HTTP 1.0 and provides a way for authentication between parties without transmitting the password over the network. Instead the password is treated as a secret input to a digest algorithm. The resulting digest is transmitted and verified by the server. The Digest method requires that both parties have access to the same initial secret value. Many systems store passwords as a salted hash and it is not possible in practice for two parties using such systems to compute the same initial secret value.
Secure Socket Layer (SSL/TLS)
SSL/TLS is a protocol developed for transmitting private channels via the Internet. SSL/TLS works by using a private key to encrypt data that is transferred over the SSL/TLS connection. Most browsers support SSL/TLS and most sites which require credit card information use SSL/TLS today.
SOAP messages are often sent using HTTP and any SOAP message is subject to similar password security concerns. While SSL/TLS can be used to secure SOAP-based messages point to point, the issue can be more complex if SOAP intermediaries are used. The previous Good Practice advice of "A client or browser SHOULD NOT transmit passwords in clear text" applies to SOAP messages and so passwords and sensitive information SHOULD be transmitted in a secure manner and not as clear text. If confidential information is to be sent as part of the SOAP package, publishers SHOULD either use SSL/TLS or XML Encryption for sensitive data elements. Further information on security for SOAP messages can be found in Security Challenges, Threats and Countermeasures Version 1.0 [WSI] or on the OASIS Web Services Security TC home page[WSS].
HTML allows authors to create input forms. If a form field is a password, password masking SHOULD take place to protect the user from onlookers seeing what is being entered and stop anyone from later using the 'back' button to discover passwords.
<form name="form1" action="http://www.mydomain.com/myform.cgi" method="POST"> Enter Password : <input type="password" size="25"/> </form>
User agents SHOULD use password masking when passwords are displayed in an HTML form.
This Good Practice does not contain a MUST because there are a few scenarios where password masking is not required. One example is that the user may request that the password be displayed in the clear in order to check the password as it is being entered. Another example is a password intended merely to stop web crawling and which consequently is not particularly sensitive.
[WSI]: Security Challenges, Threats and Countermeasures Version 1.0, WS-I. Available online as http://www.ws-i.org/Profiles/BasicSecurity/SecurityChallenges-1.0.pdf. | <urn:uuid:dfb1c4bd-c67e-4e3f-b86b-5939247523ea> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.w3.org/2001/tag/doc/passwordsInTheClear-52-20080124.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396027.60/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00163-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.904447 | 1,037 | 3.421875 | 3 |
Tangible results in biodiversity conservation
The NamibRand Nature Reserve has produced tangible results including the monitoring of endangered species such as the lapped-faced vulture and assisting with the relocation of previous endemic species such as cheetah, leopard and giraffe. Occasional live game capture and relocation projects are conducted purely for resource management and not for profit. The Reserve’s environmental management approach is one of minimal interference and constant monitoring. Species-specific conservation initiatives are undertaken in partnership with relevant specialist organizations. | <urn:uuid:e3d3947c-9f81-47c4-a3bb-1b7d1db9bffd> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.wolwedans.com/sustainability/conservation/tangible-results-in-biodiversity-conservation/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783402516.86/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155002-00072-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934002 | 104 | 2.578125 | 3 |
They all laughed at Christopher Columbus
When he said the world was round,
They all laughed when Edison recorded sound...
— lyric, "They All Laughed," George and
Anyone involved in sound engineering these days must be
familiar with computer programs such as Pro Tools or at least the freeware
called Audacity. These programs display sound recordings in the form of waves which can then be manipulated by the engineer. Click on the print
icon and you have a futuristic pattern generated by high technology... or do
you? Someone beat you to it as early as 1860. They also beat Thomas Edison by
17 years at the game of "recording" sound.
Now, don't get your hopes up. It took today's sophisticated computer equipment to
play back the recording, made in 1860 (the fact that it was able to be decoded at all is remarkable, nonetheless). You see, the device which made the
recording, the Phonautogram, was intended to create a graphical image of sounds
with the hopes that the sound waves could be deciphered back to words, rather
than played as they were recorded. The Phonautogram was invented by one
Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville, who published a paper about his idea for
sound recording as early as January of 1857. To his first paper he attached two
soot-covered glass plates, each with scribbles where a needle had removed some
of the soot. The paper and the plates were placed with the French Academy of
Scott received a patent for the concept of Fixation Graphique de la Voix
and the Phonautogram in March of 1857. The patented Phonautogram contained a
diaphragm attached to a needle which would etch sound waves on soot-covered
paper wrapped around a barrel-shaped cylinder. A second needle recorded the sine wave created by a
tuning fork which provided the calibration necessary to graph sound,
compensating for fluctuations in the rotation of the cylinder.
Who's On First?
It took until 1877 for Thomas Edison to record, and play back, the tune "Mary
Had A Little Lamb" on the first phonograph. As early as the 1890s Karl Ferdinand
Braun invented the Cathode-Ray Tube Oscilloscope, a novelty for students of
physics. It wasn't until the 1930s that the first calibrated oscilloscope was
invented by a company later to be absorbed by the Raytheon Corporation. Although
this early oscilloscope was used predominately by the military in World War II,
it provided a "view" of electronic waves not unlike the view of sound waves made
possible by the Phonautogram. It would be over twenty years until the "memory
scope;" an oscilloscope which could freeze, save and print a waveform; was
invented by the Tektronix Company. Of course, photography made it possible to
capture the instant of an oscilloscope's screen image, but still, the
Phonautogram captured waves over several seconds' time.
Inventor Scott intended his creation to be the birth of a way to store speech
and later decipher it. However, he was quite upset when Edison announced his
recording machine, capable of audio playback. Scott's 1878 autobiography rails
at Edison for incorrectly naming his device a "phonograph," stating that it did
not mean the reproduction of sound, but the "writing of speech." Scott died in
1879. It makes little sense that Scott was so angry at Edison. Scott's last
submission to the Academy of Sciences in France restated the fact that his
instrument was to assist in the study of vocal inflections, and in fact included
instructions on how to "read" a recording made on the Phonautogram.
Turning Speech Into Writing
Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville was a printer and librarian, not a student
of physics. Prior to his work with voice recording he wrote a book about
stenography. Indeed, Scott had loftier dreams than did Edison. While Edison
was concerned with sound reproduction, Scott intended his work to be the
foundation of a speech-writing machine. IBM took over a hundred years to
achieve that goal, with its ViaVoice® software in
1991 (and the first release of that software didn't work really well).
Today, of course, computer voice recognition is
taken for granted. First used in telephone robots to route calls,
"type-as-you-talk" software has become a reality. Most cellular phones are
available with a "hands-free" voice-dial feature that allows one to speak the
name of the person or business to be called (after it's been "taught" to
recognize the name). The web search engine Google very recently launched a
completely voice-driven telephone directory service.
Hearing The Voice Recorded Over A Hundred Years Ago
Scott's recording was turned into sound thanks to a collaborative of
scientists and lay persons dedicated to making the earliest sound recordings
broadly available. The collaborative, "First Sounds," was established in 2007 by
the owners of Archeophone Records in Champaign, Illinois.
Careful copies of an 1860 Phonautograph recording on parchment paper were
made, and then the waveforms "traced" with a sophisticated, computer-generated "stylus." After
significant efforts were made to remove noise from the recording (again with the aid of today's most sophisticated computer hardware and software), First Sounds
made the first recording available to the public: a ten-second excerpt from "Au
Clair de la Lune," sung by a woman. They'd taken stabs at reproducing earlier,
uncalibrated versions of phonautograph recordings and came up with nothing but
On March 27, 2008, historian David Giovannoni, Patrick Feaster of Indiana
University, Bloomington IN; and sound engineer Richard Martin played the filtered
recording, the oldest viable sound recording existent, to attendees at a press
conference held on the campus of Stanford University.
First Sounds describes the significance of their achievement in their
Until this discovery, the earliest recordings of the human voice known
to be capable of reproduction were those made by Thomas Edison in 1877, and
the earliest surviving recordings of certain date available to the public
for listening were from 1888. "Au clair de la lune" proves that the human
voice was recorded on April 9, 1860 well enough to allow the results to be
played back and recognized, and it pushes our audible past back from 1888 by
nearly a generation. "Au clair de la lune" is the oldest recognizable sound
recording made from the atmosphere, the oldest surviving musical recording,
and the oldest recording of identifiable words. | <urn:uuid:8605fc56-ac57-4f28-921a-3d258361c5c7> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://everything2.com/title/Phonautogram | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395546.12/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00194-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959407 | 1,444 | 3.390625 | 3 |
from another forum...
Watched an interesting doco this morning called Shark Attack Experiment where a team of 3 females free-dive with 5 of the world's most dangerous shark species to see what type of triggers attract the sharks to target people. The sharks they were diving with were Black Tips, Great Whites, Bull Sharks, 7 Gills, and the Ragged-Tooth.
They tested things like swimming in the usual colourful beach attire, splashing while swimming, rapid movements on a surfboard, colours, making noise, wearing bling, releasing urine, etc.
Their findings were:
Avoidable shark attracting triggers:
Splashing (eg. Swimming)
Rapid Movement (eg. Surfing)
Yellow (Greatest contrast with blue water)
Noise (One of the Shark's greatest senses is hearing)
Shiny objects (eg. Bling reflects like fish scales)
Non-avoidable shark attracting triggers:
Shark's sixth sense
The show also had some other interesting info/stats:
More than 375 shark species have been identified but only 12 are considered dangerous to humans.
The three most responsible for attacks on humans are the Great White, Tiger and Bull sharks.
A recent study suggests sharks are colour blind but see contrast very well.
You have a 1 in 63 chance of dying from the flu, a 1 in 218 chance of dying from a fall, and a 1 in 3.7 million chance of being killed by a shark.
For every human killed by a shark, humans kill two million sharks.
New Smyrna Beach, Florida is the shark attack capital of the world.
In 1996, Toilets injured 43,000 Americans, Room fresheners injured 2,600 Americans, Sharks injured 13.
Their summary of their own professional experiences: No matter how long you've been working with sharks, no matter what you know about sharks, no matter what you feel about sharks, they're unpredictable. Treat them with respect.
Great little doco. | <urn:uuid:912837d5-8b05-40a1-a7b2-3e7ce57b643f> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.hobiecat.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=71&t=48936&view=previous | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783393332.57/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154953-00036-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.931467 | 416 | 2.8125 | 3 |
This is an experimental weblog created by a graduate student in CS for his weblog research.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Sudan egg is not referring to the eggs originated from Sudan, instead, it is referring to the eggs produced in China, where chickens and ducks are fed with food contaminated by Sudan (a form of industrial dye) to induce a reddish color in egg yolk. This case has been covered extensively in the mass media of Hong Kong (not sure about mainland China). Interestingly, CNN has an article today about how human evaluate risk wrongly. The idea is similar to what we learned from the Sudan egg incidence. The intake amount of Sudan to be fatal to human boday is equivalent to eating 200k eggs according to some authorities. On the other hand, eating meals from McDonald for 1 month consecutively can already damage your liver badly (according to the movie supersize me). Which one do general peopl more afraid of? I bet it is Sudan egg.... to be continued
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
HTML recommendation to combat against phishing
As we know, phishing activities are very active in the Internet nowadays. Such vulnerability of phishing is partly because we allow a user's password to be sent in its plain format to the server side; it makes the phishers able to collect username and password by setting up a fraudulent website that looks like a legitimate one and tempt the user to input their secret information. I am suggesting to add a new attribute within the HTML input element to improve what we are currently using (<input type="password">) for password input. The new attribute will be something like (<input type="challenge" param="some random string" value=... >).The browser will render this as a password box significantly different from what the password box we are using to indicate it is secured, and when sending out the data, it uses the value input by the user to encrypt the random string and send it back to the server.
As you can see, the idea here is to avoid sending the password in it's plain format to the server; instead, it is used to encrypt a string. Given a corresponding changes in the server side to generate random string with proper timeout period when user access their login page, and use the same encryption/decryption mechanism to check against the password, phishers can no longer harvest plain password but an encrypted form of it. This new HTML input attribute can guard against phishing activities nowadays to certain extent. How do everyone feel about this addition?
p.s. This scheme may be vulnerable to man-in-middle attack, where once a victim visit the page, the phisher contacts the legitimate site and asks for a random string, and passes on the random string to the victim. Once the phisher collects the salted password from the victim, it forwards to the legitimate site and gain the login control. This can probably be fixed by allowing the random string consist of the client and server IP (or some value derived from these two values), so that the client (browser) is able the tell the random string is sent from the server it is talking to.
Monday, April 24, 2006
Newly erupted Internet buzz word - browser shopping.
This activity is analogous to what we called "window shopping" in real life except that it is practiced in the cyber space. It refers to browsing product pages without actually buying them. It is predicted that more than 30% of the Internet activities are related to browser shopping and this number will be growing rapidly.
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Congratulation! You have been chosen. Recently, I have started a campaign that will revolutionize information flow over the web in the near future, you have been selected as one of the few luckiest testbed. The name of this project is called "Parasitic blogging" . From the name of this project, you can see that it meant to live parasitically. Instead of posting articles on one's own blog, I propose to post them as comments of other blog (it can be your friend's blog). By reshuffling how information is hosted, it revolutionize the internet as a source of information. You no longer go to some particular authoritative source for information; instead, you gather them from everywhere, this will give you a more balanced view of opinions (which the world is currently lack of), polish your information gathering skills and make you a better researcher; at last, it favors the hard-working people who dig into different places and leave their personal digital traces.
You can always be one of the very few people who started an eruptive campaign that generate the next wave of Internet.
Everything has a beginning, must have an end.
Rossi, Tassotti, Galli, Baresi, Maldini, Eranio, Desailly, Albertini, Evani, Weah, Papin, Costacurta, Donadoni, Boban, Gullit, Massaro, Carbone, van Basten. How many of these players do you still remeber? May be you are not aware, there is a match today between Milan and Barcelona, no no, it is not the semi-final of European champions league, it is the retirement match for Demetrio Albertini. Interestingly, Albertini, being a Barcelona player currently, play in the side of Milan and scored a freekick.
Today, we all buried something in some place.
Monday, October 31, 2005
BRICs (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) are four countires whose economic potential is such that they may become among the four most dominant economies by the year 2050. The thesis was proposed by Jim O'Neil, global economist at Goldmann Sachs.
The BRIC thesis is merely just that. Prediction of events in future has always been notoriously difficult. There are many uncertainties and assumptions that could mean that any of these four countries do not live up to their promise. The preeminence of China and India as major manufacturing countries with unrealised potential has been widely recognised, but some commentators state that China's lack of full democracy could be a problem in the future, as is the possibility of conflict over Taiwan. Likewise, the population of Russia is declining, and this may have implications for its future. The potential of Brazil has been speculated upon for many decades without amounting to fulfilling this potential. Factors such as international conflict, civil unrest, political policy, outbreaks of disease and terrorism are all factors that are difficult to predict and that could have an effect on the destiny of any country. India, China and Russia are all in disupte regarding territory for example. Nonetheless, the BRIC thesis is based upon thorough analysis of key economic indicators.
Thursday, July 21, 2005
Recently, I choose one of Natalie Ng's photo as my wallpaper in the desktop computer in my workplace, well, she is gorgeous, isn't she?
The story is like this...... On Thursday July 21 2005 around 3pm, I left my cubicle for a while, and of course I lock my computer everytime I am away according to the company policy, thus the monitor showed, you know, Natalie Ng. When I was back, a colleague passed by my cubicle, due to the nature of human curiosity, he peeped into my cuibicle, without noticing that someone is watching him from behind (that's me, another peeper). Probably he was stunned by the beauty of Natalie Ng, even after he passed my cubicle, he walked back and peeped again, and this time was longer than the previous one.
As a considerate colleague, I then decided to use a blank wallpaper to avoid such embarrasing circumstance. Story end. | <urn:uuid:dff42469-61df-4dda-a737-eea8ca6fe691> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://kcsiablog.blogspot.com/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396455.95/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00090-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953507 | 1,591 | 2.515625 | 3 |
Get the RTF specification for complete details of RTF format:
Word (or the application in question) stores text internally in Unicode.
The file header contains the \ansicpg control word that specifies the
For characters that are in the codepage, the normal RTF is written (the
if ASCII, else \'##.
For characters that do not exist in the codepage, the Unicode value is
written (\u####), followed by the an approximation for the character in the
codepage. For double-byte characters, it gets a little more complicated.
What you've described is this case. The Unicode character doesn't exist in
the codepage, and the best thing the RTF writer came up with for an
approximation is '~'.
You'll need to teach your program to recognize the Unicode control words.
On Windows, you can just use WideCharToMultiByte and MultiByteToWideChar to
map the text between Unicode and the codepage specified in the file.
The Unicode web site has mapping tables for many codepages and encodings.
--- Paul Chase Dempsey
Microsoft Visual Studio Text Editor Developer
From: Alfinito, Charles [mailto:AlfinitoC@cadmus.com]
Sent: Tuesday, January 12, 1999 9:11 AM
To: Unicode List
Subject: New on list
Unicode is presenting a problem. For example, a ~ may be the character in a
file. Normally in RTF this would be shown as \'98. Recently I had a file
with the unicode, \u8776\'98. This character should have been an
"infinity". Since my program can't handle the Unicode RTF (\u8776) it
ignores it and changes the \'98 to a ~ which obviously is wrong.
Does anyone know how Unicode is deriving the number (as in \u8776). I know
it has to do with the ANSI code page but I can't figure out if there is any
ryhme or reason to the Unicode numbers it is assigning or the combination of
Unicode and RTF (\u8776\'98). If I know then I could program the Unicode
characters. I've been looking for some sort of table.
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.2 : Tue Jul 10 2001 - 17:20:44 EDT | <urn:uuid:dd3eeedd-a2d0-44a0-9d6b-8dd1ce1e243f> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.unicode.org/mail-arch/unicode-ml/Archives-Old/UML014/0521.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783392099.27/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154952-00048-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.874259 | 514 | 3.015625 | 3 |
The aortic valve is one of four heart valves in the heart. It opens to allow blood to flow into the aorta—the main artery that carries blood out of the heart to your body. If you have aortic valve stenosis, the valve does not open fully. This abnormal narrowing of the valve (stenosis) makes it difficult for blood to flow freely and can weaken the heart. Blood can then back up into your lungs. In severe cases, not enough blood reaches the brain and the rest of your body.
Aortic valve stenosis is not that common, and usually develops later in life. It often results from a build-up of calcium on the valve. You may also develop aortic valve stenosis after having rheumatic fever, a condition that can result from untreated strep throat, or other infections that can damage the valve. Some people are be born with a damaged valve (see congenital heart defects).
If you have aortic valve stenosis, you may not notice anything different at first. Symptoms can take a long while to develop. These may include fainting; chest pain; or feeling short of breath, weak or overly tired, especially with activity. Your doctor may also notice you have a heart murmur.
Treatment will depend on how severe your condition and symptoms are, but may include medications or surgery. You may also be told to avoid competitive sports or other vigorous activities. Use this condition center to learn more about living with aortic valve stenosis. You can also read about the latest research, create a list of questions to ask your doctor and much more. | <urn:uuid:98eb5bfd-b7f6-405e-94fc-bfa15f54f807> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | https://www.cardiosmart.org/Heart-Conditions/Aortic-Valve-Stenosis?page=1&pagesize=25 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395039.24/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00017-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94945 | 335 | 3.578125 | 4 |
Russian 1 (Beginners)
This intensive module provides you with the opportunity to learn Russian to approximately A level standard as a basis for study to honours degree level. You’ll study grammar and syntax, acquire vocabulary, read simple texts, and engage in simple conversations on personal subjects. In an average week you’ll spend around two hours in lectures, an hour in practical classes and three hours in workshops.
You will consolidate and develop the knowledge of Russian which you gained at A level. This module focuses on practical application of your language skills, including reading, writing, comprehension and oral communication. You will also study some grammar topics in depth. You’ll spend around four hours per week in practical classes workshops and tutorials, benefiting from experienced teachers most of whom are native speakers and the use of excellent language laboratory facilities.
Nation, Myth, Identity: Introduction to Russian and Slavonic Studies
This module introduces students to important areas and topics in Russian and Slavonic Studies, examining important aspects of the histories and cultures of the region, as well as aspects of the languages, cultures and literary traditions. You will learn to analyse a wide range of cultural phenomena, including pictures, music, film, literary texts and other kinds of written sources.
This module will provide you with the learning skills necessary to make the most of your studies in history. You will be introduced to different approaches in the study of history as well as to different understandings of what history is for. The module aims to encourage more effective learning, bridge the transition from school or college to university, prepare you for more advanced work in the discipline, and enhance the skills listed. You will spend three hours in lectures and seminars each week.
Introduction to the Medieval World, 500-1500
This module provides an introduction to medieval European history in the period 500–1500. It offers a fresh and stimulating approach to the major forces instrumental in the shaping of politics, society and culture in Europe. Through a series of thematically linked lectures and seminars, you will be introduced to key factors determining changes in the European experience over time, as well as important continuities linking the period as a whole. Amongst the topics to be considered are: political structures and organization; social and economic life and cultural developments. You will have a one hour lecture and one hour seminar each week.
From Reformation to Revolution: An Introduction to Early Modern History, 1500-1789
This module introduces you to major issues in the social, political and cultural history of Europe in the early modern period by analysing demographic, religious, social and cultural changes that took place between 1500 and 1789. You’ll examine the tensions produced by warfare, religious conflict, the changing relationships between rulers, subjects and political elites, trends in socio-economic development and the discovery of the ‘New World’ spending two hours per week in lectures and seminars.
Roads to Modernity: An Introduction to Modern History, 1789-1945
In the first semester the module provides a chronology of modern history from c.1789-1945 which concentrates principally on key political developments in European and global history such as the French Revolution, the expansion of the European empires and the two World Wars. The second semester will look more broadly at economic, social and cultural issues, such as industrialisation, urbanisation, changing artistic forms and ideological transformations in order to consider the nature of modernity. You’ll spend two hours per week in lectures and seminars.
Students on the post A level pathway also have the choice of optional modules in Russian and Slavonic studies, and may opt to study a second Slavonic language (Serbian/Croatian or Slovene) from beginners' level in Year One.
Russian 2 (Beginners)
You will consolidate and develop the knowledge of Russian which you have acquired in year one. This module focuses on practical application of your language skills, including reading, writing, comprehension and oral communication. You will also study some grammar topics in depth. You’ll spend six hours per week in practical classes, workshops and tutorials, benefiting from experienced teachers, most of whom are native speakers, and the use of excellent language laboratory facilities.
This module will help you to develop your comprehension of Russian and your communicative skills, including reading, oral fluency in Russian, and translation from Russian into English. The module also includes some writing in Russian and study of more sophisticated grammar topics.
The World of Orthodox Sainthood
You’ll gain an understanding of the growth and development of the cult of saints in the Eastern Christian world in the context of the history and culture of late antiquity and the middle ages. In particular, you’ll learn to interpret original written sources and icons and will master the basic tools for conducting research in the field, spending around three hours in lectures and seminars each week.
The Russian Novel
This module offers an in-depth analysis of world classics of the novel genre - from nineteenth-century pioneers of realism such as Pushkin and Gogol, through the masterpieces of Dostoevsky and Tolstoy, to the revolutionary advances of Russian prose fiction in the twentieth century.
Repression and Resistance: Dissidents and Exiles in Russian Culture
This module provides you with an introduction to the themes of dissidence and exile, central notions in Russian literature, culture and thinking, using the examples of the life and work of four major Russian writers of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries (Pushkin, Dostoevsky, Nabokov, Bulgakov). You will learn the theory of different literary forms (verse narrative, novel, short story and drama).
Serbian and Croatian Literature
You’ll examine major literary movements in Serbia and Croatia during the 20th century, from Modernism to the socially engaged literature of the 1930s, Socialist Realism, literary politics under the Communists in Yugoslavia and the emergence of critical literature in the 1980s and 1990s. You’ll also undertake a textual analysis of representative works from 20th century literature; for example, works by Milos Crnjanski, Ivo Andrić, Miroslav Krleža, Danilo Kiš and Slobodan Selenić. You’ll spend around two hours per week studying in lectures and seminars.
The History of Yugoslavia and Successor States since 1941
The aim of this module is to examine developments in the political, social and diplomatic history of Yugoslavia after 1941 leading towards an understanding of the reasons behind the collapse of the country and subsequent violence in the 1990s. You’ll spend around three hours per week in lectures and seminars studying for this module.
Screening Russia: Film and Society from the Tsars to Putin
In this module you will acquire an in-depth understanding of developments in Russian society and culture as reflected in popular and influential films from the period 1900 to 2010. You’ll examine how films are constructed technically and develop skills in analysing cinema in its historical and social contexts. You’ll spend two hours per week in lectures and seminars.
This module addresses evidence for crusader motivation and experience through sources relating to crusading activity in Europe and the Middle East from the late eleventh century to the mid-13th century. It seeks to understand how crusaders saw themselves and their enemies, their experiences and activity on crusade and as settlers, and how this horrifying yet enduringly fascinating process has been interpreted historically. You’ll have five hours per week in lectures and seminars.
De-industrialisation: A Social and Cultural History, 1970-1990
This module examines the social and cultural impact of economic change in three traditional industrial regions in the UK, Germany and the US in the 1970s and 1980s. It takes thematic approaches, exploring topics including: overlaps and differences between Contemporary History and the Social Sciences; change and decline in traditional industries such as coal, steel and shipbuilding; political responses to industrial change, with a particular focus on industrial conflict over closures, among others. You’ll spend four hours per week in lecture and seminars.
Soviet State and Society
This module examines political, social and economic transformations in the Soviet Union from the October Revolution of 1917 to Gorbachev’s attempted reforms and the collapse of the state in 1991. You’ll look at Russia both from the top down (state-building strategies; leadership and regime change, economic and social policy formulation and implementation) and from the bottom up (societal developments and the changing structures and practices of everyday life). You’ll spend four hours per week in lectures and seminars.
Race, Rights and Propaganda: The Superpowers, the Cold War, and the Politics of Racial Identity, 1945-89
The Cold War was a conflict defined as much by intellectual and cultural struggle as by conventional military means, diplomacy, or realpolitik. Conceptions of race and identity were by no means immune from this, but heavily disputed and contested in the political environment of the Cold War. This module examines how the two superpowers dealt with issues of race and identity during the Cold War years, confronting questions and challenges from both within their own borders (and each other’s) and in several theatres of superpower conflict – including the Middle East, East Asia and post-colonial Africa. You’ll spend four hours per week in lectures and seminars.
All students also have the option of beginning a second Slavonic language (Serbian/Croatian or Slovene)
Through this module you’ll develop a high level of Russian language skills, both written and oral. The written skills include English-Russian and Russian-English translation, business Russian, summaries and creative writring in Russian. Oral presentations draw upon and extend the practical language experience of your year abroad. You’ll also cover advanced grammar topics of Russian. You will spend three hours per week in practical classes and workshops.
This module will introduce you to different forms, modes, and models of interpreting as well as the issues that are often encountered by professional interpreters. It will offer opportunities to explore the different techniques/skills required for both simultaneous and consecutive interpretation. The module is seminar-led in order to maximise practice in class with two hours of both lectures and practicals weekly. The main difficulties of interpreting will be examined, along with strategies to deal with them.
The Petersburg Text
Through three hours of lectures and seminars each week, you’ll undertake an in-depth analysis of the Russian imperial capital, St Petersburg and its artistic representations. You will study the development of the image of St Petersburg in Russian poetry (Pushkin, Blok, Akhmatova, Mandelshtam) and prose (Gogol, Dostoevsky, Bely, Bitov) of both the 19th and 20th centuries. You’ll also be given a historical overview of the evolution of the legend of St Petersburg, its representations in folklore, and readings of its urban landscape.
Myths and Memories: Histories of Russia's Second World War
This module introduces you to the construction of national and collective memory of the Second World War in Soviet and Russian culture and society. You’ll focus on contemporary and subsequent artistic and social responses to the experience of war, but also look at individual acts of remembering (diaries, reports, letters) in the context of a wider cultural memory. The module is conducted in English and you’ll spend around three hours per week in lectures and seminars.
Russian Popular Music in the 20th and 21st Centuries
The module offers an in-depth study of the development of popular music in Russia in the 20th and 21st centuries. You will gain knowledge of the popular musical culture of the late Tsarist, Soviet and post-Soviet eras, and learn to analyse songs and performances using such concepts as authorship, performance, technology and ideology. You will have one lecture and one two-hour seminar per week on this module
History of the Byzantine Empire
This module offers advanced study of the history of the Byzantine Empire from the reign of Constantine I to the fall of Constantinople. The course is structured chronologically, focussing on particular themes for each period: religion and heresy in late antiquity; warfare and the arts in middle Byzantium; and politics and international relations in late Byzantium. In an average week you’ll spend around three hours in lectures and seminars on this module.
East European and Balkan Cultural Studies
The module examines issues covering the division of Europe into East and West, the West’s construction of Russian, East European and Balkan identities in its own imagination, relations between dominant and subordinate cultures in Europe, and theoretical frameworks in which to examine intercultural relations (semiotics, orientalism). You will examine examples of such constructions in travelogues, popular fiction, film and journalism. The module also includes study of the influence of such largely negative views on identity formation within Eastern Europe and the Balkans.
Serbian and Croatian Cinema
Developing your ability in addressing the study of cinema, this module examines the ways in which themes, motifs and narrative structures of films combine to produce semantically complex interfaces through which they also reflect the cultural circumstances of their production. In an average week you’ll spend around six hours in lectures, seminars and film viewings.
Serbian/Croatian for Linguists
This module is a fast-track course of study for students in their final year who wish to acquire a new language. The module is based on the textbook Teach Yourself Serbian and will introduce you to everyday use of the language. Through three hours of practical classes each week, you’ll study different points of grammar (syntax and morphology) as well as vocabulary for everyday situations.
Slovene for Linguists
The module covers a basic knowledge of the Slovene language along with the first fundamentals of Slovene grammar. It develops aural comprehension and oral communication based on information acquired, and enables students to translate simple texts from and into Slovene. The module is taught by a native speaker and is based on a textbook, supported by additional materials.
From Racial State to Reconstruction: women and gender relations in German, 1939-45
This module adopts a perspective of women´s and gender history to explore the history of Germany in the period from the beginning of the National Socialist dictatorship up to the division of Germany into two post-war states in 1949. It will examine National Socialist discourses, policies and practices in relation to women and gender relations by drawing on records of public authorities and institutions concerned with educating and training the female population in line with Nazi precepts, mobilizing labour for the Nazi war economy, sustaining home front morale, and combating 'threats to the race'. You’ll have a weekly three hour seminar to study for this module.
Italy at War, 1935-45
Spending three hours per week in seminars and tutorials, you will be given a framework to understand the experience of Italians (and to a lesser degree their enemies, allies, and collaborators) during the military conflicts in the long decade 1935–45, as well as knowledge of the background factors that shaped these experiences.
The Missing Dimension: Intelligence and International History in the 20th Century
The history of secret intelligence was once called the ‘missing dimension’ in the study of politics and international relations. Today, it has established itself as a separate field of historical enquiry. This module will examine how the study of secret intelligence has informed and sometimes even altered our understanding of some of the major political and international crises of the twentieth century. You will spend three hours per week in lectures and seminars studying for this module.
The modules we offer are inspired by the research interests of our staff and as a result may change for reasons of, for example, research developments or legislation changes. The above list is a sample of typical modules we offer, not a definitive list. | <urn:uuid:61c4de6b-b047-4adb-a8d1-beeaceaa2835> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/ugstudy/courses/russianandslavonicstudies/history-russian.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783403825.35/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155003-00096-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.925739 | 3,269 | 2.625 | 3 |
Tonight a total lunar eclipse but here at home, we're eclipsed by clouds.
It only happens about every six months. When the moon passes into the earth's shadow which blocks out the light that we would normally see shinning on the moon.
Typically, you wouldn't be able to see them here in Marietta. This one we can but the cloudy sky tonight may prevent that.
"Yes, unfortunately the weather forecast doesn't look so good for the eclipse, if it were clear enough to see the moon you would just want to go somewhere you had a clear view of the moon. It will begin at about 2 AM in the morning and the moon will be completely in the earths shadow at about 3 AM," said Ann Bragg, Physics Professor at Marietta College.
Watch the lunar eclipse here: http://www.nasa.gov/ | <urn:uuid:667dd136-b5d0-4d1e-b335-bfbdaebfc155> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.thenewscenter.tv/home/headlines/Lunar-Eclipse--255239881.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783393463.1/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154953-00140-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966823 | 178 | 2.765625 | 3 |
HOW TO GROW HEMEROCALLIS (Daylily)
About DayliliesDaylilies are among the most adaptable of all perennials. They can be grown in sun or bright shade; clay, loam, or sandy soil. They tolerate wind, heat, cold, and seaside conditions. The daylily is a long-lived perennial bringing spectacular color to your garden, with very little maintenance. An excellent choice!
Companion PlantingDaylilies look great and grow well with Rudbeckia, Heliopsis, Helianthus, ornamental grasses, Crocosmia and Poppies. Plant among fall Asters and Chrysanthemums which bloom after the daylilies (cut the daylily foliage back and let the aster and chrysanthemum blooms fill in and take over).
Soil PreparationAdd organic matter to the soil, using compost, peat moss, humus, or decomposed leaves.
FertilizersWe recommend Plant-tone, rock phosphate, and green sand when planting. For established daylilies, feed spring and fall with Plant-tone.
Soaking (For Bareroot Daylilies Only)Soak in water for 2-6 hours before planting.
PlantingFull sun brings the best blooms, although daylilies can be planted in bright shade. Space plants 24" apart. Once the hole is dug, place the daylily roots in the hole, gently fanning them out. The crown should be placed about 1" below the soil surface. Fill in with the amended soil.
MulchAfter planting, use 2" to 3" of mulch. We recommend pine bark, pine needles, or hardwood mulch.
WateringWater deeply after planting and for the first two weeks. After plants are established water deeply when needed. | <urn:uuid:af33c9e7-26a3-4604-b24c-b7c98fc79909> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://inthegardenradio.com/v.php?pg=21 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783408840.13/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155008-00097-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.866212 | 384 | 3.078125 | 3 |
“Solving the Pell Equation” provides a much-needed comprehensive reference work on the methods used to solve the misnamed Pell’s equation x2 – ny2 = 1. Given that this equation has been studied for over two millennia and is introduced to most elementary number theory students, it is surprising that only two books have appeared on Pell’s equation. In 2003, Barbeau published the delightful “Pell’s Equation,” which covers some of the same material as the book under review, but differs in being an exercise-book in algebra for college students. In contrast, “Solving the Pell Equation” is a traditional mathematical monograph that offers encyclopedic in-depth coverage of its topic.
While organized into seventeen chapters, “Solving the Pell Equation” can be broken up into three main areas. The first three chapters give an overview of classical methods for solving Pell’s equation, concluding with the simple continued fraction method commonly seen in an elementary number theory course. The next six chapters then introduce the standard concepts of algebraic number theory (such as ideals, class groups and numbers, the regulator, and the analytic class number formula) needed for a more modern study of Pell’s equation. Solving Pell’s equation is shown to be equivalent to the problem of finding the fundamental unit (with norm 1) of a quadratic number field and some special cases of Pell’s equation are considered.
The third part of the book is perhaps its heart. In chapters 10–13 and 15, the authors present a detailed account of the state of the art computational techniques for solving Pell’s equation for large n. They present Buchmann’s subexponential method (so-called as its complexity cost is probabilistically subexponential in log n) for calculating the regulator of a quadratic number field and show how one can verify that the subexponential’s estimate for the regulator and class number without assumptions such as the Riemann hypothesis.
These chapters are the densest part of the book, presenting state of the art results, many due to the authors, that are scattered throughout the mathematics literature. By presenting a clear exposition of these methods in a single book, the authors have done a great service to the math profession.
The remaining chapters of the book explore how Pell’s equation occurs in cryptography as part of a public key-cryptosystem (Chapter 14), how to use the methods developed in the book to find unconditional methods for determining whether an ideal is principal and finding its generator (Chapter 16), and generalizations of Pell’s equation (Chapter 17).
The book is very well-written and filled with many interesting asides. The authors consistently give a historical overview of the subject and how the methods develop. The only disappointment I had reading the book was the comparatively small set of examples. As one of the book’s stated goals is to provide “a relatively gentle introduction for senior undergraduates,” a much larger set of examples, particularly in the latter, more dense material, would increase the number of students at every level who could profitably read this text. There are also some minor typographical errors in the book (e.g. page xix, first line, definition of ρ).
I highly recommend the book to anyone with an interest in Pell’s equation and its modern study.
Tom Hagedorn is Associate Professor of Mathematics at The College of New Jersey. | <urn:uuid:7300a6b0-366b-4acc-be39-5ebf40948a3c> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://maa.org/publications/maa-reviews/solving-the-pell-equation | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783398628.62/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154958-00182-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944556 | 732 | 3.0625 | 3 |
Haldwani is a town located in the district of Nainital within Kumaon region of Uttarakhand state in India. Haldwani, which is one of the biggest commercial centers of the state, is considered to be the gateway to Kumaon Himalayas.
During ancient times, Haldwani was known as Halduvani. This name was drawn from 'Haldu', a tree abundantly found in this area. However, the name was changed to Haldwani during the British rule in 1834.
The British had taken over the beautiful region of Kumaon after defeating the ruling Gorkhas in the year 1815. A British commissioner by name Gardener was posted in Kumaon. Later, George William Trail took over as commissioner. It was Trail in 1834, who changed the name from Halduvani to Haldwani.
Today, Haldwani is a major town within the hill state of Uttarakhand. Haldwani is not only an important center for trade and commerce but also an attractive tourist destination.
For the purpose of administration, Haldwani along with its twin town Kathgodam is administered as a Municipal council. Haldwani - Kathgodam Municipal council was established on 21st September 1942. Today, Haldwani - Kathgodam Municipal Council is the second largest council in the state, after Haridwar, as per population.
Interesting Places To See In And Around Haldwani
Located in Kathgodam, on river Gaula, this is an attractive tourist spot. This barrage was made for the purpose of irrigation. Every year people come here in large numbers for site seeing and picnicking.
Sanjay Van is a part of Tanda Range Forest in Pantnagar. It is a beautiful place located at a distance of 23 Km from Haldwani and 30 Km from Kathgodam.
Hedakhan Ashram is worth visiting for its scenic beauty and calmness that surrounds it. Located idyllically on the banks of Gaula river, a few kilometers away from Kathgodam, this is an excellent destination to spend a day. Walking by the river side, visiting beautifully constructed temples and caves across the river are some of the interesting things one can do here.
Chhoti Haldwani is a model village that was conceptualized by the legendary Jim Corbett. He established here, modern infrastructure, housing and other facilities for his tenants. The visitors to this beautiful village are taken through a heritage trail that starts at the Corbett Museum at Kaladhungi and ends its way within the 9 Km wall that Corbett built to keep the wild boars out. Other interesting places to see on your trip to Chhoti Haldwani are Corbett Canal and Corbett Falls.
How To Reach
By road, Haldwani is well connected with major destinations like Delhi (368 Km) and Nainital (35 Km). By rail, Haldwani is directly linked with cities like Amritsar, Delhi, Howrah, Lucknow, Rampur and so on. The nearest airport is at Pantnagar (35 Km). | <urn:uuid:f8e2d5ef-aa93-44d3-8ad2-e1fc1072c5a3> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.bharatonline.com/uttarakhand/nainital/haldwani.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783399522.99/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154959-00181-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969914 | 666 | 2.515625 | 3 |
First Known Use of plant kingdom
PLANT KINGDOM Defined for Kids
Definition of plant kingdom for Students
: a basic group of natural objects that includes all living and extinct plants
Learn More about plant kingdom
Medical Dictionary: Definition of plant kingdom
Seen and Heard
What made you want to look up plant kingdom? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible). | <urn:uuid:25ef7f72-94d7-4507-b021-463c79bba70b> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plant%20kingdom | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397744.64/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00030-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.877974 | 84 | 2.734375 | 3 |
My grandfather took me to Columbus when I was very young. He took me to the top of the now called LeVeque Tower. Let me tell you, I was scared. From that day foreword, the Tower has always been of interest to me. It is the landmark which identifies Columbus. The following is what I have learned about the Tower over the years. ...
The building was constructed by the American Insurance Union at the cost of approximately $8 million. The building was known as the A I U Bldg., rising 555 feet to 6 inches. It was to be 6 inches taller than the Washington Monument, but the Washington Monument was actually taller than originally thought, but the Tower is still taller, by only 7/8 inches. The Tower featured a large number of sculptures which were removed due to crumbling. Lost sculptures included four 18-foot eagles, four 20-foot statues of Collusue and youth on the sides of the building. The spaces left by the departed sculptures serves as a base for lights to illuminate the tower. The Tower was the tallest building in Columbus from 1927 to 1973. Today there are many high-rise buildings in downtown Columbus, but none stands out like the LeVeque Tower, which is on the National Registry of Historic Places. For years, the 47-story Tower acted as a lighthouse for passing aircraft. Five people lost their lives during the construction. The foundation extends 112 feet below the street level. There is 10,000 tons of steel that reinforce the building's structure. Ground breaking was in 1924, and the dedication was in 1927.
In 1935, the American Insurance Union went bankrupt, and John Lincoln of Cleveland bought the structure. The building then became known as Lincoln LeVeque Tower. It has changed hands several times since then.
Today, if you look closely at the building, just below the microwave dishes, you can see giant stone eagles with outreached wings. Behind these wings is a narrow walkway that goes around outside of the top. The Tower now has external lighting, and at different times of the year the lights are changed to reflect different occasions - red and green for Christmas, pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, green for St. Patrick's Day, and red, white and blue for the Fourth of July. The rest of the time it is illuminated with just white lights. The colors are changed by placing gels over the lamps.
Modern high-rise buildings have been built in Columbus over the years, but this grand old building remains the same. It is one of the most recognized structures in the U.S. When you look upon it, you know it is Columbus. In the early 1940s, my Dad drove me to the Rim of The World (which is one of the highest point in Ohio). It was a clear day, and with my naked eye, I could make out the top of the old A I U Bldg., which is some 80 miles away. I have never lost my fascination for this Columbus landmark. It's one of a kind.
Robert D. Carnes | <urn:uuid:2b1167c6-789f-434a-bcdd-d7a54ae91b9d> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://mariettatimes.com/page/content.detail/id/552492/Columbus-landmark-endures-through-the-years.html?nav=5007 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783394414.43/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154954-00110-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.981973 | 625 | 2.53125 | 3 |
A neural network is, in essence, an attempt to simulate the brain. Neural network theory revolves around the idea that certain key properties of biological neurons can be extracted and applied to simulations, thus creating a simulated (and very much simplified) brain. The first important thing to understand then, is that the components of an artificial neural network are an attempt to recreate the computing potential of the brain. The second important thing to understand, however, is that no one has ever claimed to simulate anything as complex as an actual brain. Whereas the human brain is estimated to have something on the order of ten to a hundred billion neurons, a typical artificial neural network (ANN) is not likely to have more than 1,000 artificial neurons.
Before discussing the specifics of artificial neural nets though, let us examine what makes real neural nets - brains - function the way they do. Perhaps the single most important concept in neural net research is the idea of connection strength. Neuroscience has given us good evidence for the idea that connection strengths - that is, how strongly one neuron influences those neurons connected to it - are the real information holders in the brain. Learning, repetition of a task, even exposure to a new or continuing stimulus can cause the brain's connection strengths to change, some synaptic connections becoming reinforced and new ones are being created, others weakening or in some cases disappearing altogether. The second essential element of neural connectivity is the excitation/inhibition distinction. In human brains, each neuron is either excitatory or inhibitory, which is to say that its activation will either increase the firing rates of connected neurons, or decrease the rate, respectively. The amount of excitation or inhibition produced is of course, dependent on the connection strength - a stronger connection means more inhibition or excitation, a weaker connection means less. The third important component in determining a neuron's response is called the transfer function. Without getting into more technical detail, the transfer function describes how a neuron's firing rate varies with the input it receives. A very sensitive neuron may fire with very little input, for example. A neuron may have a threshold, and fire rarely below threshold, and vigorously above it. A neuron may have a bell-curve style firing pattern, increasing its firing rate up to a maximum, and then levelling off or decreasing when over-stimulated. A neuron may sum its inputs, or average them, or something entirely more complicated. Each of these behaviours can be represented mathematically, and that representation is called the transfer function. It is often convenient to forget the transfer function, and think of the neurons as being simple addition machines, more activity in equals more activity out. This is not really accurate though, and to develop a good understanding of an artificial neural network, the transfer function must be taken into account.
Armed with these three concepts: Connection Strength, Inhibition/Excitation, and the Transfer Function, we can now look at how artificial neural nets are constructed. In theory, an artificial neuron (often called a 'node') captures all the important elements of a biological one. Nodes are connected to each other and the strength of that connection is normally given a numeric value between -1.0 for maximum inhibition, to +1.0 for maximum excitation. All values between the two are acceptable, with higher magnitude values indicating stronger connection strength. The transfer function in artificial neurons whether in a computer simulation, or actual microchips wired together, is typically built right into the nodes' design.
Perhaps the most significant difference between artificial and biological neural nets is their organization. While many types of artificial neural nets exist, most are organized according to the same basic structure (see diagram). There are three components to this organization: a set of input nodes, one or more layers of 'hidden' nodes, and a set of output nodes. The input nodes take in information, and are akin to sensory organs. Whether the information is in the form of a digitised picture, or a series of stock values, or just about any other form that can be numerically expressed, this is where the net gets its initial data. The information is supplied as activation values, that is, each node is given a number, higher numbers representing greater activation. This is just like human neurons except that rather than conveying their activation level by firing more frequently, as biological neurons do, artificial neurons indicate activation by passing this activation value to connected nodes. After receiving this initial activation, information is then passed through the network. Connection strengths, inhibition/excitation conditions, and transfer functions determine how much of the activation value is passed on to the next node. Each node sums the activation values it receives, arrives at its own activation value, and then passes that along to the next nodes in the network (after modifying its activation level according to its transfer function). Thus the activation flows through the net in one direction, from input nodes, through the hidden layers, until eventually the output nodes are activated. If a network is properly trained, this output should reflect the input in some meaningful way. For instance, a gender recognition net might be presented with a picture of a man or woman at its input nodes and must set an output node to 0.0 if the picture depicts a man, or 1.0 for a woman. In this way, the network communicates its knowledge to the outside world.How They Learn
Having explained that connection strengths are storehouses of knowledge in neural net architectures, it should come as no surprise that learning in neural nets is primarily a process of adjusting connection strengths. In neural nets of the type described so far, the most popular method of learning is called Back-Propagation. To begin, the network is initialised, all the connection strength are set randomly, and the network sits as a blank slate. The network is then presented with some information, let us suppose that we are designing the "gender detector" mentioned earlier, and that the input nodes are receiving a digitised version of a photograph. The activation flows through the net (albeit haphazardly since we have not yet set the connection strengths to anything but random values). And eventually the output node registers an activation level. However, since the net has not yet been trained, its responses will initially be random. This is where back-propagation steps in. The net's response is compared with the correct response for that picture (i.e. 0.0 for male, 1.0 for female). Then working backwards from the output node, each connection strength is adjusted so that next time it's shown that picture, its answer will be closer to the desired one (the process by which each node is adjusted involves mathematics more complicated than this course requires. Students who are interested will find that some of the papers provided at the bottom of this chapter will discuss these methods in more detail).
This whole process: input, processing, comparing output with correct answer, and adjusting connection strengths is called one 'back-propagation cycle', or often just one 'iteration'. The net is then presented with another picture and its answer is compared with the correct answer, the connection strengths adjusted where needed. This process can often take hundreds or thousands of iterations. Eventually, the net should become fairly proficient at identifying males and females. There is always a risk however, that the net has not learned to discriminate males from females, but rather that it has effectively memorized the response for each picture. To test for this, the pictures (or whatever input is being used) should be divided into two groups: The training set, and the transfer set. The training set is used during back-propagation cycles, and the transfer set is used once learning is complete. If the net performs as well on the novel transfer stimuli as it did on the training set, then we conclude that learning has occured.Successes and Failures
It's fine in theory to talk about neural nets that tell males from females, but if that was all they were useful for, they would be a sad project indeed. In fact, neural nets have been enjoying growing success in a number of fields, and significantly: their successes tend to be in fields that posed large difficulties for symbolic AI. Neural networks are, by design, pattern processors - they can identify trends and important features, even in relatively complex information. What's more, they can work with less-than-perfect information, such as blurry or static-filled pictures, which has been an insurmountable difficulty for symbolic AI systems. Discerning patterns allows neural nets to read handwriting, detect potential sites for new mining and oil extraction, predict the stock market, and even learn to drive.
Interestingly, neural nets seem to be good at the same things we are, and struggle with the same things we struggle with. Symbolic AI is very good at producing machines that play grandmaster-level chess, that deduce logic theorems, and that compute complex mathematical functions. But Symbolic AI has enormous difficulty with things like processing a visual scene (discussed in a later chapter), dealing with noisy or imperfect data, and adapting to change. Neural nets are almost the exact reverse - their strength lies in the complex, fault-tolerant, parallel processing involved in vision, and their weaknesses are in formal reasoning and rule-following. Although humans are capable of both forms of intellectual functioning, it is generally thought that humans possess exceptional pattern recognition ability. In contrast, the limited capacity of human information processing systems often makes us less-than-perfect in tasks requiring abstract reasoning and logic.
Critics charge that a neural net's inability to learn something like logic, which has distinct and unbreakable rules, proves that neural nets cannot be an explanation of how the mind works. Neural net advocates have countered that a large part of the problem is that abstract rule-following ability requires many more nodes than current artificial neural nets implement. Some attempts are now being made at producing larger networks, but the computational load increases dramatically as nodes are added, making larger networks very difficult. Another set of critics charge that neural nets are too simplistic to be considered accurate models of human brain function. While artificial neural networks do contain some neuron-like attributes (connection strengths, inhibition/excitation, etc.) they overlook many other factors which may be significant to the brain's functioning. The nervous system uses many different neurotransmitters, for instance, and artificial neural nets do not account for those differences. Different neurons have different conduction velocities, different energy supplies, even different spatial locations, which may be significant. Moreover, brains do not start as a jumbled, randomised set of connection strengths, there is a great deal of organization present even during fetal development. Any or all of these can be seen as absolutely essential to the functioning of the brain, and without their inclusion in the artificial neural network models, it is possible that the models end up oversimplified.
One of the fundamental objections that has been raised towards back-propogation style networks like the ones discussed here is that humans seem to learn even in the absence of an explicit 'teacher' which corrects our outputs and models the response. For neural networks to succeed as a model of cognition, it is imperative that they produce a more biologically (or psychologically) plausible simulation of learning. In fact, research is being conducted with a new type of neural net, known as an 'Unsupervised Neural Net', which appears to successfully learn in the absence of an external teacher.Introductory Papers
These papers have been assembled to provide students with a more developed understanding of neural net architectures, and the current issues in research. The first three articles should be read by all students, they are clear and well explained. They avoid some of the more technical detail, but provide an excellent beginner's understanding of the field. The remaining three are included for students interested in more technical details. Students interested in neural networks are encouraged to read them for a more thorough understanding, but some calculus and computer science will be introduced that is beyond the scope of this course. | <urn:uuid:c024a8da-b19a-4897-8d4c-c11208e1c715> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.psych.utoronto.ca/users/reingold/courses/ai/nn.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783391519.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154951-00037-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953311 | 2,437 | 3.90625 | 4 |
Warren County Local History by Dallas Bogan
|Dallas Bogan on 27 July 2004|
|Dallas Bogan, Warren County, Ohio and Beyond (Bowie Maryland: Heritage Press, 1979) page 176|
|Return to Index to see a list of other articles by Dallas Bogan|
The American Civil War (1861-1865) was long in coming. With the bombardment
of Fort Sumter, April 12, 1861, President Lincoln called on the States for 75,000
volunteers for three months service.
The regular army, as of January 1, 1861, had a small force of 16,402. This figure was reduced due to the resignations and desertions of officers loyal to the Southern cause.
The President's proclamation calling for three-month volunteers was read April 15, 1861. The states of Kentucky, Virginia, Tennessee and Missouri refused to answer the President's call. However, the Legislature of the State of New York chose to raise $3,000,000 for unlimited support of that State.
Ohio, because of its geographical location, was the centerpiece of the Union. A call by Governor Dennison for thirteen full regiments was received and answered so rapidly that a total complement of twenty-two regiments was filled.
At the end of July the three months service was over. The returning volunteers from the Battle of First Bull Run sought their pay. The original thirteen regiments received their pay as United States volunteers; the remaining nine were considered State Militia and received no wage.
However, Governor Dennison had originally obtained pledges from the United States Government that all volunteers would receive their earnings. Pay eventually came and several companies/ regiments were reinstated into their original outfits, thus signing for three more years' service to the Union. Ohio's Legislature immediately went into session and within less than 24 hours after the President's call, the State Senate carried through the three readings and passed unanimously a bill appropriating one million dollars. The House immediately went into action declaring a unanimous vote for the passage of the money appropriation.
Within 48 hours after the call, two Ohio regiments were on their way to Washington. President Lincoln's call for volunteers was received in Warren County at the premises of Washington Hall on the evening of April 16. This was the County's first war meeting. It was marked with a boldness of general enthusiasm and spirit. The enemy had turned their cannon on the citizens of the North and the flag of the United States was threatened. With A.H. Dunlevy presiding, a resolutions committee was formed. The panel consisted of George R. Sage, Durbin Ward, James M. Smith, J.D. Wallace, William Crosson, Simon Suydam, and John C. Dunlevy. The president, Judge Belamy Storer, Durbin Ward and J.D. Wallace, gave addresses of sincerity. Resolutions were adopted as follows:
"Resolved, That we, the citizens of Warren County, most cordially endorse the action of the Government in its energetic measures to execute the laws, and to preserve the institutions of our country.
"Resolved, That we stand by and support the Administration in the most vigorous efforts to put down rebellion and punish treason at whatever expense of men or money.
"Resolved, That we recognize no party in the present crisis, but the party of the Union.
The band played "The Star Spangled Banner, "Yankee Doodle," and "Hail Columbia." Professor William H. Venable, then a young man, described in his address at the 1902 Lebanon Centennial the meeting as such:
"I shall never forget that meeting. It was a gathering of men, some in the flower of their youth, others verging on four score, but the oldest felt young and the youngest suddenly grown mature, was eager to prove his manhood by relinquishing all that youth values, most ease, pleasure, home - to take upon him the soldier's burden, to fight, and if need better die for the Union.
"Durbin Ward made a brief, terse speech, eloquent for its simplicity. He was the first man in the congressional district to enlist. A paper he had drawn up, pledged those who signed it to the service of their country.
"This paper was passed from hand to hand and many names were written upon it. There was no noise, no shouting, the still white heat of patriotism consumed all smoke of outward demonstration. The meeting was solemn thruout and at its close the audience dispersed as quietly as a congregation leaving a church after listening to an impressive sermon."
Every day life of Warren Countians changed from one of habit to a rising "war spirit." The flag of the United States was flown from the courthouse, from stores, workshops and residences. Military preparation had consumed the whole nation. The county soon raised three companies commanded respectively by Capt. Rigdon Williams, of Lebanon; Capt. John Kell, of Franklin; and Capt. J.D. Wallace, of Morrow.
The sight of real soldiers to the residents of the County was new. The marching away of their loved ones, neighbors and friends instilled into the remainder a silence never before experienced.
On Tuesday, April 23, Capt. Williams' company marched from Lebanon to the railroad with the assumption that the departure for Camp Jackson at Columbus would be swift. Stores and shops were closed; the public turned out in great numbers to say their farewells. The procession of soldiers and citizens stretched for nearly a mile between Lebanon and Deerfield. Lebanon had no railroad at this time and the station at Deerfield was the closest depot.
At the railroad station, the Captain received a dispatch that Camp Jackson was full. Consequently, the company returned to Lebanon and encamped at the fair grounds. Captain Williams' company was mustered into the service of the United States for three months service at Columbus on May 5. It was reorganized and mustered into service for three years at Camp Dennison on the 19th of June, as Company F, Twelfth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry.
The first man to lose his life in the War of the Rebellion from Warren County was Jabez Turner from Harveysburg. He was killed at the Battle of Scarry Creek, (West) Virginia, July 17, 1861. Turner faced the engagement with an emotional tenderness. He went into battle with the feeling that he would not return alive. It was his first conflict with the enemy. He entered into the fighting line and fell at the first fire. In a letter to his widow, Captain Williams said that on several occasions Turner had related his premonitions to him. Although these instincts were strong they made no gloomy impressions upon him. He had offered his life for the service of his country. He died with glory, his face to the enemy. A ball struck him in the forehead and death was instantaneous. His body, along with others, was left to be buried in Virginia soil.
John Kell's company, before the war, had been formed as a militia company. It was called the "Franklin Grays." (Captain Kell had served in the Mexican War, 1846-1848, and had been appointed postmaster of Franklin by Buchanan.) It was the first company to leave the County for service and it became Co. F, 1st Ohio Volunteer Infantry, in the three months service. The service date is recorded as of April 16, 1861. With drilling experience before the war, most of the company volunteered.
Durbin Ward was the first man of the County to sign an enrollment paper for troops in the Union cause. When the President's call reached Lebanon, Ward was holding court. He immediately drew up a paper saying in certain terms that, "We, the undersigned, hereby tender our services to the President of the United States to protect our national flag." He signed it and proceeded with his case. Ward was a Democrat along with about two-fifths of the eligible men of the County. A question arose as to whether these opposing party members would relinquish their politics and join with the Republicans and other political affiliations and take a stand to preserve their country. Ward declared many times over that politics had no bearing in his effort to reunite the Union. Political party lines melted in the County and seemed to have no consequences as patriotic feelings ran deep.
NOTICE: All documents and electronic images placed on the Warren County OHGenWeb site remain the property of the contributors, who retain publication rights in accordance with US Copyright Laws and Regulations. These documents may be used by anyone for their personal research. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the submitter, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed Warren County OHGenWeb coordinator with proof of this consent.
This page created 27 July 2004 and last updated
28 September, 2008
© 2004 Arne H Trelvik All rights reserved | <urn:uuid:82652f9d-4906-40cf-8249-88c2101d5d31> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ohwarren/Bogan/bogan057.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783398516.82/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154958-00081-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.98371 | 1,834 | 2.828125 | 3 |
A Colorado Parks & Wildlife hydrologist estimated that the Cache la Poudre River’s peak flow early on Sept. 13 was about 11,000 cubic feet per second, about half the all-time record of 21,000 CFS recorded in the 1880s.
Aquatic research Scientist Eric Richer said that flood waters took out water measurement gauges at the mouth of the Poudre before a high-water mark could be recorded. From his preliminary data, Richer estimates the recent flood at about once in every 65-year event. He was in the process of confirming the CFS flows this morning using surveying equipment.
Data from the Colorado Division of Water Resources gauges at the mouth of the Poudre Canyon show the gauge failing at about 11 p.m. on Sept. 12, near the 6,000 CFS mark. Measurements were restored late the next night, with the river running in the 6,000 CFS range. The gauge is located 1/2 mile downstream from headgate of Poudre Valley Canal and about 1.2 miles upstream from Lewistone Creek.
U.S. Geological Survey water flow measurement gauges in Fort Collins near East Lincoln and North College registered the Cache la Poudre’s peak water level at 11-feet high and at about 9,000 CFS on late Sept. 13 into early Sept. 14.
Other high-water events include a flood in 1903 that was recorded at about 12,000 CFS and the recent 1997 flood, where the river flowed at about 3,000 CFS. Normal river flow for September, based on about 100 years of observation, is between 100 and 300 CFS. A cubic foot of water equals about 7.5 gallons.
Final numbers on the Poudre River flows will be released later this month. | <urn:uuid:6f82ce39-9659-457a-b138-be1fc4693501> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.northfortynews.com/recent-cache-la-poudre-river-flows-about-half-the-all-time-record/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783402746.23/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155002-00096-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96037 | 378 | 2.765625 | 3 |
|Page tools: Print Page RSS Search this Product|
MARRIAGES, DIVORCES AND DE FACTO RELATIONSHIPS
Marriage rates for the unmarried population (per 1,000 not currently married men or women aged 15 years and over) have also fallen over time. In 1976 marriage rates for the unmarried population were 63 per 1,000 unmarried men and 61 per 1,000 unmarried women. By 2001, these rates had declined to 31 and 28 respectively.
The trend towards older age at marriage continued in 2005. The median age at marriage for men was 32 years, rising from 29 years in 1995. For women the median age at marriage rose to 30 years from 27 years in 1995. The median age at first marriage for men increased from 27 years in 1995 to 30 years in 2005, and for women from 25 years to 28 years (graph 7.42). Part of this increase can be attributed to the increasing incidence of de facto relationships. Another factor is young people staying in education longer.
Marriage data for 2005 reflect a continuation of a 30-year trend of more Australian couples cohabiting prior to entering a registered marriage. In 1975, only 16% of couples cohabited prior to marriage, while 76% of couples cohabited prior to marriage in 2005. Widowed males who remarried in 2005 were the least likely to have cohabited before marriage and divorced males and females were the most likely. Only 58% of widowed males and 65% of widowed females who remarried in 2005 cohabited before marrying their partner, while the proportion of those divorced who cohabited prior to remarriage was 81% for both males and females.
Table 7.43 shows summary measures for marriages between 1995 and 2005.
De facto relationships
Between 2001 and 2006, the census count of people aged 15 years and over in de facto relationships rose by 25% from 951,500 to 1,193,400. This was marginally lower than the increase between 1996 and 2001 (28%). In 2006, de facto partners represented 15% of all people living as socially married - that is, all those either in a registered marriage or a de facto relationship - up from 12% in 2001 and 10% in 1996. Total de facto partners in 2006 represented 7% of all persons aged 15 years and over, up from 6% in 2001 and 5% in 1996. These rises may be due to both increases in the number of de facto partners and in the willingness of people to identify themselves as living in de facto relationships. In 2006, the median age of males in de facto relationships was 35.3 years while the median age of females was 33.3 years. In 1996, the comparative medians were 34.4 years and 32.0 years respectively. Graph 7.44 shows the age distribution of male and female partners in de facto relationships in 2006.
De facto partnering has arisen as an alternative living arrangement prior to or instead of marriage, and also following separation, divorce or widowhood. Some couple relationships, such as that between a boyfriend and girlfriend who live together but do not consider their relationship to be marriage-like, are classified as de facto. Of all people in de facto relationships in 2006, 70% had never been in a registered marriage and 27% were either separated or divorced. The likelihood of being never married was higher among people aged under 35 years, counterbalanced by higher proportions of separated and divorced de facto partners aged 35 years and over (graph 7.45).
For most of the 20th century, there was a slow but steady rise in the crude divorce rate (the number of divorces in a calendar year per 1,000 population), increasing from 0.1 divorces per 1,000 population for each year between 1901 and 1910 to 0.8 divorces per 1,000 population between 1961 and 1970. The most important factor involved in the higher divorce rates in the latter quarter of the century was the introduction of the Family Law Act 1975 (Cwlth) which came into operation on 5 January 1976. This legislation allows only one ground for divorce - irretrievable breakdown of the marriage, measured as the separation of the spouses for at least one year. Following the implementation of this law, there was a large increase in the divorce rate in 1976. The rate then declined over the next three years as the backlog of applications was cleared. Since then, the crude divorce rate has remained between 2.4 and 2.9 divorces per 1,000 population (graph 7.46). In 2005, the crude divorce rate was 2.6 divorces per 1,000 population.
The most recent divorce rates based on the number of married men and women are for 2001. The divorce rate of the married population in 2001 was 13 divorces per 1,000 married men or women, slightly higher than the rate recorded in both 2000 and 1991 (of 12 divorces per 1,000 married men or women).
The median duration of marriage to both separation and divorce has increased since the late-1980s, revealing that marriages are lasting longer on average (graph 7.47). In 2005, the median duration of marriage to separation was 8.8 years compared with 7.6 years in 1995, while the median duration of marriage to divorce was 12.6 years compared with 11.0 years in 1995.
In 2005, 6% of divorces involved separation within the first year of marriage, 32% within the first 5 years and a further 22% were separated within 5 to 9 years of marriage. Of divorcing couples in 2005, 15% were married less than 5 years, 25% between 5 and 9 years and 60% were married for 10 years or more. Around 16% of divorces occurred to couples who had been married for 25 years or more.
Table 7.48 shows summary measures for divorces granted in the period 1995 to 2005. | <urn:uuid:c6c26216-5814-40d7-b5e0-0b74bd24b7da> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/ABS@.nsf/7d12b0f6763c78caca257061001cc588/D5F4805AD4C3E03ECA2573D2001103E0?opendocument | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783393997.50/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154953-00013-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970248 | 1,204 | 2.609375 | 3 |
New insect invaders pose threat to Ohio forests
By Amy Forsthoefel
Remember the invasive species firestorm that swept through the region just a couple years ago with the emerald ash borer invasion? For many Dayton-area residents, it was the first time they ever heard the word “invasive species.” Thanks to efforts from conservationists, city planners, regional parks departments and state and national forestry services professionals, awareness spread and the beetle has passed through the region without completely wiping out Dayton’s ash population. Five Rivers MetroParks continues reforestation efforts to increase biodiversity and replace trees lost to the borer.
Unfortunately, there is a new threat on the horizon, and this new invader could have effects far more devastating than the emerald ash borer.
The Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) is another tree-eating invader whose palate is broader than one tree species. “The ALB feeds on a wide variety of native tree species, which have not developed natural defenses against the insect,” explained Conservation Director Dave Nolin. Species include birch, willow, hackberry, poplar, golden rain tree, London plane tree, maple, katsura, elm, mimosa and horse chestnut, as well as recovering ash species.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, more than 80,000 trees have been lost to ALB infection, and Ohio is one of three quarantined states where the beetle has been discovered. “State and federal agencies are in the process of eradicating the insect from Clermont County, not too far from Dayton,” Nolin said. “The good news is the ALB can’t fly as far as the EAB does, and by now many people have gotten the message that if you’re going to have a campfire, it’s best to burn where you buy it.”
The ALB is about 1-1.5 inches in length with a shiny black body and white spots. The insect’s eponymous long antennae also have white spots. Residents who think they have found an ALB are encouraged to report it. “Unlike the emerald ash borer, this beetle digs into the tree’s heartwood, where pesticides can’t reach. Once a tree’s infected, it’s gone,” Nolin said. “We have the opportunity to keep up with this pesky creature; today’s modern technology allows for faster, more efficient communication. If we have lots of people keeping an eye out for this beetle and reporting it when they see one, officials can handle the situation with greater ease.”
In September, the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), the Ohio Department of Agriculture, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began aggressive efforts to remove infested trees and eradicate the beetle in order to protect nearby East Fork State Park. According to APHIS, the eradication program will remove high-risk host trees up to a quarter mile from infested trees. Tree removals will take place on approximately 55 acres of the 2,705-acre designated state wildlife area. An estimated 7,200 high-risk host trees are expected to be removed. No trees are expected to be removed from 4,870-acre East Fork State Park.
The infested trees were detected on several private properties within Tate Township that abut the edges of the wildlife area. Infested trees were identified through tree inspection surveys conducted by eradication program staff as part of the ongoing ALB eradication efforts in Clermont County.
The use of high-risk host removals is part of an integrated approach in eradicating the invasive insect. High-risk host tree removals have been used in every State where ALB eradication operations have taken place – New York, Illinois, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Ohio. ALB high-risk host tree removals began in Tate Township in May on properties where landowners have provided permission.
Like emerald ash borer, ALB arrived in the United States as a stow-away inside packing materials from its native China and Korea. “We live in a global economy,” Nolin said. “The fact is we cannot expect companies to stop shipping products back and forth between continents. The accidental introduction of foreign species has been an issue since the early explorers in the 15th and 16th centuries. But, we can take a note from team sports and remember that sometimes the best defense is a good offense. We can be vigilant about invading species that present a threat and be better stewards of our environment so these habitats have a chance to withstand an attack.”
Five Rivers MetroParks offers programs to help adults and children learn more about Ohio’s habitats and how to keep them healthy and vibrant. Upcoming programs include:
Fall Tree ID Workshop, 1-4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 12, at Germantown MetroPark ($20)
Tikes Taking Action: Accruing Acorns, 10-11:30 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 24, at Taylorsville MetroPark (free)
MetroParks’ Forestry Workshop, 8 a.m. – noon Saturday, Oct. 26, Cox Arboretum MetroPark (free)
More programs can be found at metroparks.org or in the current issue of ParkWays (available in print at a MetroPark location or download).
Volunteering is another way to combat the effects of invasive species like ALB as well as improve the health of habitats to ward off future invasions. Visit metroparks.org/forests and click on the “Take Action” tab or the “Volunteer” tab at the top of the page to learn more about ways to get involved. Seedling Saturday fall tree planting dates are approaching. Join the reforestation team and other volunteer for a day of tree planting from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Nov. 2, at Germantown MetroPark, or Saturday, Nov. 16, at Carriage Hill MetroPark. These opportunities are free and appropriate for volunteers of all ages. Call 937.275.PARK for more information or to register.
For more information about Asian longhorned beetle, please visit atadianlonghornedbeetle.com. Get involved with Five Rivers MetroParks’ reforestation efforts at metroparks.org/forests. | <urn:uuid:da6bf17b-e76f-4b25-bb5a-8543515c7a42> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.daytoncitypaper.com/beetle-mania-rages-on/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397213.30/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00080-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939156 | 1,369 | 2.734375 | 3 |
Origin of the Name
On March 2, 1861, President James Buchanan signed the bill creating the Dakota Territory, which originally included the area covered today by both Dakotas as well as Montana and Wyoming. The name was taken from that of the Dakota or Sioux Indian Tribe. Beginning about 1877, efforts were made to bring Dakota into the Union as both a single state and as two states. The latter was successful and on November 2, 1889, both North and South Dakota were admitted. Since President Benjamin Harrison went to great lengths to obscure the order in which the statehood proclamations were signed, the exact order in which the two states entered is unknown. However, because of alphabetical position, North Dakota is often considered the 39th state.
Dakota is the Sioux Indian word for "friend".
- Capitol City: Bismarck, ND
- Statehood: November 2,1889
- Constitution: 39th State | <urn:uuid:3713bb30-4989-43c3-850d-d045842588b5> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.nd.gov/content.htm?parentCatID=74&id=Origin%20of%20the%20Name | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783398516.82/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154958-00125-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.988067 | 193 | 3.53125 | 4 |
You hear a phone number on the radio as you are driving
home from work and begin repeating it over and over so you can call when
you get home and get your carpets cleaned for 20% off. However, as you
are saying the numbers out loud, your friend, in an endeavor to keep your
carpets dirty, starts spouting out random numbers. Soon, the number is
gone, completely out of your head. This is the phenomenon known as interference.
Just like the name implies, interference is an event that prevents you
from remembering specific things. But there are different types of interference,
and they vary in their destructive effect. To demonstrate this, try the
following experiments. When you are finished, click the done button.
Experiment 1. Play the sound file below. You will hear a list of seven numbers. When the file is done, press the start button to start the timer. When it reaches 0, write as numbers as you can remember. When you are finished, click the done button to continue. | <urn:uuid:33fe24d6-0a1f-43c3-872a-561cde67b991> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://human-factors.arc.nasa.gov/cognition/tutorials/interference/auindex.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396949.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00178-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945303 | 217 | 3.828125 | 4 |
According the United Nations Report for Pacific Island Developing Countries (1992), the most significant environmental problems facing the nations in this area of the world are global warming and the rise of sea levels. Variations in the level of the sea may damage forests and agricultural areas and contaminate fresh water supplies with salt water. A rise in sea level by even two feet (60 cm) would leave Kiribati uninhabitable; in 1996, such a rise was forecast as a possibility by 2100. Kiribati, along with the other nations in the area, is vulnerable to earthquakes and volcanic activity. The nation also has inadequate facilities for handling solid waste, which has been a major environmental concern since 1992, particularly in the larger population centers.
The environment in Kiribati has also been adversely affected by metals and chemicals from mining activities, and agricultural chemicals have polluted coastal waters. Phosphate mining was especially devastating, rendering the island of Banaba almost uninhabitable. The Banabans, who were forced to move to the Fijian island of Rabi, sued the owners of the mines and have won special compensation. A fund was also set up to compensate the people of Kiribati. Called the Phosphate Revenue Equalization Fund (PREF), in 1996 it amounted to A $200 million.
The lagoon of the south Tarawa atoll has been heavily polluted by solid waste disposal. Like other Pacific islands, Kiribati is sensitive to the dangers of pollution and radiation from weapons tests and nuclear waste disposal. The UN Report describes the wildlife in these areas as "among the most critically threatened in the world." Endangered or extinct species include the green sea turtle and mukojima bonin honeyeater.
Kiribati is a party to the Biodiversity, Endangered Species, Marine Dumping, and the Ozone Layer Protection international agreements. | <urn:uuid:33374034-ae0e-42a7-8f90-7e5dba6f0cb9> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Asia-and-Oceania/Kiribati-ENVIRONMENT.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396100.16/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00108-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959028 | 381 | 3.765625 | 4 |
3 Answers | Add Yours
It stands to reason that the opening sentences, particularly the first sentence, must be the ones to establish the style of a story. And this maxim is true for hemingway's "A Clean Well-Lighted Place." Yet, since so much of this story is told as dialogue, then later as the old waiter's soliloquy (speeches in which speakers addresses themselves), a sentence written after the opening is also instrumental in establishing style.
The first sentence Hemingway writes sets up the style, as it rightly should and must do. In it, he incorporates and establishes the tone, instructive symbolism, foreshadowing, and theme. He also establishes his terse, concise, information-packed sentence style.
It was very late and everyone had left the cafe except an old man who sat in the shadow the leaves of the tree made against the electric light.
The tone is distanced and objective but not unemotional: "very late and everyone had left" has an emotional, lonely quality to it. The symbolism in "an old man who sat in the shadow" is instructive of the existential despair and suggests the theme. Foreshadowing in the "old man," the "leaves," and the "electric light," leads to and prepares for the old waiter's soliloquy and delivery of the full theme.
The full thesis of existential despair that overwhelms after the full blush of youth is gone is established in the first sentence of dialogue spoken by an unnamed "one waiter":
"Last week he tried to commit suicide," one waiter said.
In these two sentences, Hemingway's style is fully and firmly established, from style of establishing tone to establishing sentence style to establishing his style for revealing his thesis and themes.
what repetitions of words or phrases seem particularly effective
point to sentences that establish the style of the story and what is distinctivein them
We’ve answered 327,659 questions. We can answer yours, too.Ask a question | <urn:uuid:815f734b-93bc-4a80-8853-1ede48f84328> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.enotes.com/homework-help/identify-sentences-that-establish-style-story-311136 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395613.65/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00034-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970507 | 416 | 2.953125 | 3 |
Japan Says Fixing Fukushima’s Toxic Water Issues to Take Years
Ending radioactive water leaks along with groundwater and ocean contamination at the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan may take more than five years, according to a report by a government advisory body.
The effort includes building stronger storage tanks at the site to prevent leaks of radioactive water, covering areas with impermeable coating to stop groundwater contamination and building underground walls to block subsurface inflow.
Completing the measures will take till March 2019, the report estimates. It’s based on 779 proposals submitted by domestic and overseas companies to the International Research Institute for Nuclear Decommissioning. The plan doesn’t include any technology to remove tritium isotopes from water.
The plan “excludes measures for tritium contamination because there is no proven technology to remove it,” Yuzo Ohnishi, chairman of the panel and an executive vice-president of Kyoto University, told reporters. He delivered the report to Trade and Industry Minister Toshimitsu Motegi today.
Japan’s government has said it will play a more prominent leadership role in tacking the disaster amid criticism of the response by the plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. (9501)
The Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear station suffered reactor meltdowns following the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. The plant is on the Pacific coast 150 miles (240 kilometers) north of Tokyo. | <urn:uuid:9e40d801-cc18-44ed-a97b-df131db792c5> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-12-10/japan-says-fixing-fukushima-s-toxic-water-issues-to-take-years.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397842.93/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00028-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.922023 | 296 | 3.140625 | 3 |
A low sound or pitch. (Homonym of 'base')
Charles could sing bass notes with ease.
'Bass' is also a kind of freshwater fish: My brother loves to fish for bass (but in this case it rhymes with 'grass').
The bottom support of a structure. (Homonym of 'bass')
The base of the vase was narrow.
Base is also the thing you run across when you've hit a homerun! | <urn:uuid:3855595b-8c1c-41d1-8dcc-1be9fd589fd9> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.alphadictionary.com/ww/goodwordjr/date/2008/03/13?backtopuzzles=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396959.83/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00033-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968744 | 96 | 2.6875 | 3 |
Paper Plate Education
"Serving the Universe on a Paper
What can you do with a paper plate? Try these
then send us your great idea. Thanks for sharing.
Welcome to a unique genre of education materials. Paper Plate Education is an initiative to
reduce complex notions to simple paper plate explanations. This website
promotes innovative hands-on
Activities that you can experience across a range of interests, at varying
degrees of complexity, and at a low priceall with common paper plates.
Check out the exciting new material
that has been uploaded to this website recently. Paper Plate Education evolves
as educators contribute to its content. Please pardon the star dust as
our universe expands. Here are some recent highlights:
quick visit here will help you find your way around this growing collection of
ideas and material. Site Map
outlines the variety of Paper Plate Education website components,
from A to Y (we strive to eliminate the Zzzz).
It seems a good
thing comes round. Paper instruments have
been used since the 13th Century to support teaching and to buttress
arguments. Paper plates are also believed to have inspired a key element of the Mercury space capsule in
the late 1950's. In 1992 a member of the Great Lakes Planetarium
Association renewed interest in this humble yet useful medium. See our Background
for the history of paper devices and for current Paper Plate Education
is a unique profession in that it encourages sharing of ideas, modifying other
people's material, and adapting to local situations in order to deliver a
better product. In fact, you may recognize some of the paper plate
activities as variations on familiar themes. Please advance that
spirit of improvement by sending us feedback
about your Paper Plate Education experience.
pages represent the cumulative
work of many educators who openly avail their work to colleagues. You
may freely use the material for non-profit educational purposes. As a
courtesy, please credit
the author of contributed material. Thank you.
forget to bookmark your favorite pages. Now go
your plate and enjoy.
"Paper Plate Ed" celebrated IYA2009! | <urn:uuid:dbeeb0c8-27a9-4e3b-a490-24084a30d88b> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://analyzer.depaul.edu/paperplate/Default.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783404382.73/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155004-00124-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.894922 | 445 | 2.625 | 3 |
Introduction: Chettle Historical Research From 1981 to 2016
This History of the Chettle Family is in two parts. The proven recorded history which starts 326 years ago in April 1674, and then continues with details of other Chettle Family groups. Some of whom are related to our Family.
The second part also shows that we have descended from the Danes (A.D.877) and show that the Family has been in Leicester for more than 640 years.
Meanwhile the search continues for more evidence of the link between 1600 – 1674.
An excellent book to read in conjunction with this Family History is “History in Leicester” by Colin Ellis.
The name Chettle originates from the name Ketil, which in its self derives from the Mythology of Scandinavia meaning: “A Sacrificial Cauldron of the Gods”
Also in our case, our Ancestors were probably original Danish settlers from the Village of Ab Kettleby, Leicestershire, (Chetel Bi in 1086).
In the Domesday Book Chettle is listed as Chettil, but there are various forms of spelling through the ages until the name finally settled for us in the early 17th Century.
The names below found in early Leicester records and is our probable line:
1345 - Will Ketyl
1364 - Will de Ketilby (meaning “of Kettleby”)
1460 - Will Kettleby
1513 - Robert Ketell
1557 - Richard Chetelle
1563 - Raphe Chetell
1591 - Ralph Chetell (Lord Mayor of Leicester)
1604 - Thomas Chettle (Lord Mayor of Leicester)
1674 - Robert Chettle
In the Family Records that follow, where there is no record of a baptism etc.
A space is left in the event of the information being found
The name Chettle is derived originally from a Scandinavian personal name.
A name which takes the Family back to the settlers of Mercia in the late
Ninth Century (877 onward); The original name Ketel or Ketil finally
Crystallised in Chettle-Cheatle-Kettle and the records show that the Chettle
Family is a very old on in the City of Leicester and the County.
Although there is still more research to be done there are early 16th Century Families
Recorded at Thornton to the West of Leicester, at Gaddesby to the East
and at Braunstone in the South.
With regard to the Chettle Family in Leicester, although there are few early
records available we can point back to the year 1345 to Will Ketyl as our
earliest recorded ancestor, and to the Families following him because they held
public office and/or became Freeman of the City of Leicester.
However after Thomas Chettell, Lord mayor of Leicester in 1604 the Family
Records are scarce, but it seems that Robert Chettle (born around 1648)
inherited Ralph Chettell’s (Brother of Thomas) house and probably an amount
of money which enabled him to make a living in Melton Mowbray (Welby),
and to Marry. This shows a link between Robert Chettle and Ralph Chettell
and leads us back to 1345; so the Family line as the present evidence shows
is as follows:
1344/45 Will Ketyl in the Reign of Edwards III was on the equivalent of
the Freeman's List :-
Roll 40, Will Ketyl- Serviens, this office was the Mayors Sergeant and he
would have been present when King Edward III came to Leicester for the
funeral of Earl Henry in the Newarke Church.
Then follows in 1365/66
still in the Reign of Edward III on:
Roll 46, Will de Kettilby,he was probably the son of Will Ketyl and it was the
fashion to adopt the French “de” and also the “place of your ancestors” and
so Will Ketyl became Will de Kettilby, taking the name from Ab Kettleby or
Ketels By, listed in the Domesday Book in 1086 as Chetel Bi (the Chettle’s
returned to Ab Kettleby in 1748).
The records for the next (15th) Century
are very scarce and we are fortunate to have a record for Will Kettleby in
1460, the name is still running through and this “Will” is most likely to the
Great-Grandson of Will de Kettleby, however this Will Kettleby held the Office
of Keeper of the Shambles (Meat Market) in the Saturday Market in the Reign
of Henry VI just prior to the Civil War and the Reign of Edward IV.
Next it then follows that his Grandson dropped the “By” from his name and
returned to the original in different spelling:- to Robert Ketell. He would
have been born before Richard III fought at Bosworth and may well have seen
Richard III (alive or dead !) .
Robert Ketell held the Office of Meat Tester (Inspector) in 1513 to 1516, this
was a Public Office in the Reign of Henry VIII.
Robert was followed by:
Richard Chetelle, it is interesting to note here on the change from Ketell to
Chettelle. There are no Ketell’s recorded after Robert and it follows that it was
a natural change to Chettelle. Richard Chettelle is recorded as Constable of
VII Ward of Leicester in 1557 in the Reign of Queen Mary (of Scots).
This Ward extended “from the Hyghe Street (Highcross Street) beyounde
Chettelles Howse and so all of the Chyrche Gate downe to Mr Nicholas
Herryke and Parchment Lane (Bond Lane) Mr Blakwyn, Alderman and
Richard Chettelle, Constable”
It can be seen here that the spelling of names and words was down to the
individual concerned who recorded the events .
This fact alone accounts for
a lot of the Chettle Surname variations. Incidentally, the Office of Constable
was responsible for Law and Order in the Ward, well before the Police Force
was established, also Richard was a Constable one year after Thomas Moore
was burnt as a Heretic in Leicester in 1556.
After Richard Chettle we come to Ralph Chettell (Baker & Brewer).He became
a Freeman of Leicester in 1561/62 and lived through the Reign of
Queen Elizabeth I. He was born about 1539/40 and he held various public
offices including:- Fish Tester (Inspector), Steward of the Fair, Coroner,
Bailiff, Commissioner, Chamberlain, Alderman and in 1591 he became the
Lord Mayor of Leicester. After his death in 1598 he was survived by 3 Sons
These were:- Thomas, Ralph and John. His Son Thomas (Woolendraper by
trade) was born about 1559 and was made a Freeman of Leicester in 1581/2.
His younger Brother Ralph born in 1568 and also a Woolendraper was made a
Freeman of Leicester in 1591/2, Thomas Chettell also held public office
including Bailiff, Coroner, Chamberlain, Commissioner, Alderman and he too
became Lord Mayor of Leicester in 1604.
In the Leicester Guildhall, Leicester’s original Old Town Hall there is the
“Mace Stand”, it was made during the Reign of Queen Elizabeth I in 1586
and bears the initials of George Oldham and Thomas Chettell,
Chamberlains for that year. | <urn:uuid:9b15652a-1a63-48e2-ab39-4facf475b25f> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.chettleworld.com/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783393533.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154953-00147-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947833 | 1,642 | 2.640625 | 3 |
Millions of Chinese have just celebrated the beginning of the year of the Dragon - a year which according to Chinese tradition is auspicious for ambitious undertakings. These may be required as the global economy faces severe headwinds. According to the January edition of Global Economic Prospects (GEP) report the world economy is expected to grow at 2.5 percent and 3.1 percent in 2012 and 2013, significantly below the 3.6 percent projected for both years in last July’s GEP. But even achieving these much weaker outturns is highly uncertain. The downturn in Europe and weaker growth in several large developing countries, such as Brazil and India, could potentially reinforce one another, resulting in an even weaker outcome. But without growth it will be more difficult to reduce the high debt of some advanced economies to sustainable levels and create much needed jobs world-wide.
In these uncertain times, a global infrastructure initiative could help the global economy regain momentum as I argue in my recent Working Paper. Such an initiative would benefit both developed and developing countries. Governments of advanced economies could support growth in their own countries through infrastructure investments by taking additional steps to attract private sector investments in bottle-neck releasing infrastructure investments that are ultimately self-financing. These investments – if well chosen - while improving future competiveness would create much needed jobs directly in the construction and manufacturing sector that have suffered from particularly high unemployment rates in several countries, and indirectly in service sector as well.
But opportunities for bottleneck-releasing infrastructure investments in advanced economies tend to be limited, since their infrastructure is on average well developed. In developing countries, to the contrary, lack of infrastructure impinges on the daily lives of millions of people, who have no access to electricity, safe drinking water, basic sanitation or all-weather roads. It also renders firms less competitive, affecting productivity, transaction costs, and output quality adversely. Many businesses are never started, since the required infrastructure services are not available. Going forward the demand for infrastructure is likely to increase even further, as population grows, urbanization rates become higher and countries grow richer.
But infrastructure is not only a by-product of growth. It can also be an important driver of economic development. As I argue in my on New Structural Economics, economic development in any country is a process of continuous technological innovation, industrial upgrading and diversification, and structural transformation. Countries start with more than 85 percent of the population making a living through agriculture when income levels are low. At this agrarian stage, farmers produce mostly for their own consumption and the need for infrastructure services is limited. When the production moves to manufacturing, economies of scale become larger, and producers will mostly produce for other people and no longer for themselves. As market range expands, good infrastructure will enable entrepreneurs to get their goods and services to market in a secure and timely manner and facilitate the movement of workers to the most suitable jobs. Empirical cross-country studies tend to confirm that infrastructure investment has a large effect on growth in developing countries.
Infrastructure investments in developing countries would not only raise their growth, they would also increase demand for capital goods from capital good-exporting countries, most of which are advanced economies, thereby, raising their exports and creating jobs. A US$1 increase in investment in developing countries is associated with a US$0.50 increase in imports. In 2009, about 70 percent of traded capital goods from low-income countries were sourced from high-income countries. A US$1 increase in investment in developing countries is therefore likely to be associated with a US$0.35 increase in exports from high-income countries. These are not small amounts. A global infrastructure initiative could thus generate a virtuous, self-reinforcing cycle of global growth by boosting growth in developing countries and developed countries alike.
History shows that a bold infrastructure initiative can be truly transformative. In 1919, when the young lieutenant colonel, Dwight D. Eisenhower, drove from Washington, D.C., to Oakland, California, with the Motor Transport Corps Convoy, it took him 56 days to cover the 3,250 miles, covering an average of 58 miles during daily 10-hour rides. Upon his return, he reported that bridges were destroyed by the convoy, trucks became stuck during rain, and some roads simply could not accommodate quick and easy travel. When Eisenhower promoted the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 he envisioned that “its impact on the American economy—the jobs that it would produce in manufacturing and construction, the rural areas it would open up—was beyond calculation”. Opportunities to transform economies through infrastructure investments still abound in developing countries today—to the benefit of advanced economies.
A bold global infrastructure initiative would be especially helpful for solving the dilemma besetting the Eurozone countries. Without structural reforms to enhance the competitiveness of the debt crisis-hit countries, any stabilization measure is just buying time and problems will recur sooner or later. Moreover, fiscal adjustments are often contractionary and may further reduce demand, jobs, growth, and government revenues at least temporarily, with dire social and policy consequences. Many structural reforms on the other hand, while key to boosting growth in the medium term, might only gain traction once demand increases. A concerted push for a global infrastructure initiative could increase demand, build confidence and contribute to a sustained global recovery from the current crises. It is a global win-win. | <urn:uuid:6c695007-aacf-40c3-893f-9ca1eb61a7e5> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://blogs.worldbank.org/developmenttalk/beyond-keynesianism-in-the-year-of-the-dragon | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397842.93/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00091-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955316 | 1,091 | 2.546875 | 3 |
Older buildings, such as museums and train stations, are notorious for being highly inefficient in terms of their energy use. In many cases, such inefficiencies are forgiven, as many examples of old architecture are the most stunning and beautiful. At the same time, however, there is growing pressure on owners of all types of buildings to ensure that they are doing everything possible to reduce their carbon footprint and promote the global green agenda.
What are the available options for buildings that need an environmental overhaul?
Although solar panels are widely seen on buildings today, they are only really prominent on new builds or if they have been used as part of the main structure. Attaching solar panels to older buildings would, in many cases, be a total nightmare. This is mainly due to the erosion of many elements of the existing construction, meaning that they would simply not be strong enough to support solar panels, which are heavy and put a lot of pressure on the external framework of a building.
With solar out of the question, where could we turn to next?
Some older buildings are struggling to support their own existing roof structure, let alone with solar panels adding to the weight. This means that many decades-old buildings currently require essential maintenance to be carried out on the roof.
Trouble is, construction companies cannot just put up scaffolding and reinforce the roof, as that will put pressure on the structure and perhaps cause the building to collapse inward. Reinforcing the existing structure is neither cost effective nor practical.
However, the roof can be replaced in its entirety using materials such as ETFE. ETFE is such a great product for roof replacements as it is extremely light, meaning that the load placed on the existing structure will actually reduce once the existing brick rooftop has been removed.
The ace in the pack; ETFE is a highly eco-friendly material. It doesn’t erode due to air pollution, requires very little maintenance, acts as a natural insulator, and allows a building to enjoy hugely increased levels of natural light within it.
Immediately, energy use and costs within a building will tumble dramatically, whether it is a library, a museum, a train station, or a hospital.
While homeowners are continuously looking for a number of small gains in order to improve their energy efficiency, the best results for larger buildings are found by making wholesale upgrades to major elements of a construction, such as the roof.
Over the coming years, expect to see more and more old buildings around the world given the modern green treatment. While there will likely be levels of upset at the dismantling of much-loved architectural features, ultimately the aesthetic loss will be far outweighed by the longer term benefits of an environmental overhaul.
This article was written by Vector Foiltec. Vector Foiltec have been responsible for the development of many large-scale eco-building projects across the world, regularly using ETFE panels on both new buildings as well as within renovation projects for older examples of architecture. | <urn:uuid:b337a518-c85d-45b1-82f7-d2a9d366b0d5> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.australiantradies.com/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783399428.8/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154959-00046-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969506 | 606 | 3.390625 | 3 |
For term searches and specialty glossaries, please try the new GBK glossaries
|English to Dutch translations [PRO]|
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature
Additional field(s): Linguistics
|English term or phrase: assonance|
|Definition from The Poetry Archive :|
Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in words that are close to each other - this also includes diphthongs. Like alliteration, it is the sound rather than the letter used that is important.
- The Greeks occasionally employed assonance for the sake of its aesthetic effect but took no pains to avoid it when no effect was intended, even when the repetition of sound seems to us displeasing. Answers.com
- While the bling of rhyme and meter are exciting, sometimes what a poem needs is the soft power of assonance. The Fix
- In more modern verse, stressed assonance has become the main literary device in modern rap, starting with gangsta rap like 2Pac in the 1990s, departing from rap's foundations in the 80's rapper like Slick Rick when rhyme at the end of each line was the cornerstone of poetic expression. Wikipedia
This question was created by:
This question is closed
Rijm van woorden of regels door middel van gelijkheid van klinker maar niet van de daarop volgende medeklinkers. Halfrijm en klinkerrijm zijn synoniemen voor assonantie."
Selected response from:
|4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer |
1 hr confidence: peer agreement (net): +2 | |
KudoZ™ translation help
The KudoZ network provides a framework for translators and others to assist each other with translations or explanations of terms and short phrases.
Search millions of term translations | <urn:uuid:d1602092-7d9c-48e4-baf1-15b7cdcbb895> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.proz.com/kudoz/english_to_dutch/poetry_literature/2966009-assonance.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783392069.78/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154952-00182-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.859667 | 399 | 3.515625 | 4 |
Professor of History Anne F. Hyde has been awarded the prestigious Bancroft Prize for her book “Empires, Nations and Families: A History of the North American West, 1800-1860.”
One of the most celebrated awards in its field, the Bancroft Prize is awarded annually by the trustees of Columbia University. Winners are judged in terms of the scope, significance, depth of research, and richness of interpretation they present in the areas of American history and diplomacy. Hyde’s book, which Columbia University calls “a highly original history of the American West,” was among the 175 books considered for the 2012 prize.
The period covered in Hyde’s book, 1800-1860, spans the fur trade, Mexican War, gold rushes and the Overland Trail, usually very male-dominated fields of study. Hyde took a different approach, and, using letters and business records, documented the broad family associations that crossed national and ethnic boundaries. “These folks turned out to be almost entirely people of great wealth and status who loved and married across racial and cultural lines. It turns out that the West of that period is really a mixed race world that made perfect cultural and economic sense until national ideas made that cultural choice impossible in the 1850s,” Hyde said. | <urn:uuid:daadd8e0-2bab-4b59-bdd8-14cd902fb3ea> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://sites.coloradocollege.edu/bulletin/2012/04/history-professor-anne-hyde-wins-bancroft-prize/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397213.30/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00071-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96714 | 269 | 2.875 | 3 |
America’s killing of Osama Bin Laden
Was America’s spectacular killing of Osama Bin Laden a lawful act of war, or an illegal extrajudicial assassination? The answer depends on two key areas of international law: the law on the use of force, and international humanitarian law.
Under the law on the use of force, it is prohibited to use military force on the territory of a foreign country except in self-defence against an ‘armed attack’. The US might argue that it is the victim of an ongoing ‘armed attack’ by Al-Qaeda, beginning with the attacks of 9/11. Attacking Bin Laden as the military commander of Al-Qaeda could possibly be justified in self-defence.
There is, however, controversy in international law about whether self-defence is permitted against a non-state actor (Al-Qaeda) on the territory of a foreign state (Pakistan) where the foreign state does not control or direct the non-state actor. Most countries accepted the right of the US to do so in Afghanistan after 9/11, where the Taliban government did not control Al Qaeda, and actively shielded them. Countries such as Turkey and Israel have also occasionally used force against non-state groups in neighbouring countries.
On the other hand, the International Court of Justice has been reluctant to acknowledge a right of self-defence in such circumstances. The practice of most countries also still weighs against it. For example, Colombia attacked FARC rebels in Ecuador (which did not direct FARC) a few years ago. Colombia later apologised and compensated Ecuador, after the Organisation of American States condemned the incursion as illegal.
The ordinary expectation is that a host state (in Bin Laden’s case, Pakistan) is responsible for dealing with terrorist threats on its territory, and its sovereignty should not be infringed by foreign intervention to attack terrorist groups. The difficulty with this traditional view is that if the host state is unwilling or unable to deal with terrorism, it may leave foreign states at the mercy of unabated attacks.
Perhaps a better view is that if the host state is unwilling or unable to deal with the problem, a foreign country then becomes entitled to exercise self-defence. The US had a genuine concern that alerting Pakistan to Bin Laden’s whereabouts may have tipped him off (because of leakage within the Pakistani security services) or been ineffective (because less well-trained Pakistani forces may have botched the operation). These are legitimate concerns in the circumstances, and may have justified the US acting alone. Even if the US response might seem legitimate, and might point towards a future direction in the law, it was probably not lawful at the time.
Even if the US response might seem legitimate, and might point towards a future direction in the law, it was probably not lawful at the time.
The bigger problem for the US is whether Bin Laden was responsible for an ongoing (or imminent) ‘armed attack’ on the US. With distance from 9/11, Al Qaeda’s capabilities have been much degraded, and its activities have reverted to more of an isolated, criminal, terrorist kind rather than remaining on an extensive military scale amounting to an ‘armed attack’.
Military force is not usually lawful in response to criminal threats, even terrorist ones, for the very good reason that escalating a situation into military violence seldom makes things better. Even if the operation was lawful under the law on the use of force, it must also comply with international humanitarian law (the law on the conduct of hostilities, once a war gets underway). Humanitarian law applies if there was an ‘armed conflict’ in Pakistan at the time, such that special rules on military targeting apply and displace normal law enforcement in peace time.
Citizen or ‘unlawful combatant'?
In my view, there probably was a non-international armed conflict in parts of Pakistan under common art 3 of the four 1949 Geneva Conventions. That is because for some time there has existed intense military violence between a government (the US) and an organised armed group (Al-Qaeda) in the north-west frontier provinces of Pakistan, which is a spill-over of the neighbouring conflict in Pakistan. The US has been targeting Al-Qaeda with aerial drone strikes since the Bush Administration, and has escalated such attacks under President Obama (without, it must be said, accountability or transparency).
While Bin Laden was not present in the north-western frontier where most of the violence occurs, he is probably proximately connected to it. There is no rule of international humanitarian law which confines hostilities only to pre-existing ‘hot’ battlefields; logic dictates that the legal rules follow the conduct of those engaged in the conflict, even those hiding in a house in a field far away. The operation against Bin Laden was arguably part of that non-international armed conflict.
The relevant legal question is then whether Bin Laden is classed as a civilian (who cannot be targeted), or is a person ‘directly participating in hostilities’ (which makes him a legitimate military target). The US could argue that as the military commander of Al-Qaeda, Bin Laden must be regarded as a perpetual ‘unlawful combatant’ who can be killed at any time. If a person is taking a direct part in hostilities in this way, there is no obligation under humanitarian law to attempt to apprehend or arrest the person before killing them - which is quite unlike the ordinary operation of law enforcement powers against criminals in peacetime.
The difficulty here is that there is a current controversy in humanitarian law about what ‘direct participation in hostilities’ means. A more traditional view is that it only covers acts of immediate physical participation in fighting, such as carrying a weapon. That view is usually preferable because it better protects civilians not engaged in hostilities at the time, although some governments argue it makes it too difficult to deal with terrorists. A military leader of a non-state group is in a rather different position, since he is continually engaged in a combat function as military leader.
Whether the killing was wise policy is a different question. The US has admitted that Bin Laden was not armed when he was shot, nor apparently was anyone else in the bedroom where he was captured. A US spokesperson said that ‘resistance does not require a firearm’. That cryptic comment has not been explained. Perhaps he was physically struggling against capture, and he was a big man with a strong will.
But that hardly explains why a room of highly-trained and well-armed US special forces found it necessary to shoot him, instead of simply overpowering an unarmed man who was not taking a direct part in hostilities. That there was armed resistance in other parts of the compound is irrelevant to what happened to those people, in that room. Humanitarian law requires positive identification of a person taking direct participation in hostilities, not eyes wide shut assumptions about what one might expect to find there. It may have been smarter to show restraint, and put Bin Laden on trial, even if the apprehension might be tainted by the illegality of the incursion into Pakistani territory without its consent.
The US mission was certainly preferable to an original proposal to drop a 900 kg bomb from a B2 bomber to obliterate the compound. From what has been reported, the operation appeared to minimise civilian casualties. A US spokesperson also said that they were prepared to capture Bin Laden if that were possible. That makes sense since his capture would have intelligence value, enable his criminal prosecution, and bring propaganda benefits.
If that statement is correct, then the failure of the Americans to carry through that plan to arrest Bin Laden must be seen as a considerable mission failure. On the facts so far provided by the Americans, it would have seemed possible to apprehend and detain an unarmed Bin Laden, in a room where there were no other hostile threats to American forces.
His killing therefore may mean one of two things. It could mean that US special forces did not properly follow orders, but messed up the operation by being too trigger-happy, admittedly under the frightening and confusing circumstances of a surrounding battle. Or it could mean that his killing was planned all along - an assassination order of the US President, coordinated by the civilian CIA (which itself unlawfully participated in hostilities by running the military operation), regardless of the circumstances in which Bin Laden happened to be found - including unarmed, in his bedroom, with his wife.
The outcome has been welcomed by many, and few regret Bin Laden’s passing. Bin Laden was as evil a person as can be found: a genocidal, obsessive, odd man whose business was exterminating civilians he didn’t like, including fellow Muslims. But in the long term, lawlessness of our own will not make us safer. It ultimately sends a signal to those despicable terrorists that we will sometimes act like them. That seldom makes them afraid; it tends to steel their will and escalate their savagery against us. The violence is not finished.
Ben Saul is Professor of International Law at Sydney Law School. | <urn:uuid:9a8519c1-8681-4e26-90f3-b5606158e1e7> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://sydney.edu.au/alumni/sam/october2012/soldiers-assassins.shtml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396029.85/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00009-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973236 | 1,853 | 2.609375 | 3 |
Now hear this
West Tualatin View fourth-graders say new podcasts plug them into lessons on technology
Grabbing a high-end condenser microphone, fourth-grader McKenzie Metcalf goes through her paces, trying to reach the perfect sound level.
'Testing 1-2-3,' she said. 'That's good.'
With that, Metcalf and her fellow fourth-graders at West Tualatin View Elementary School are ready to record their most recent endeavor - a podcast of student book reviews.
Fourth graders at the school are responsible for designing, editing and recording the podcasts, audio pieces that can be downloaded to such devices as iPods or mp3 players.
'They learn how to use microphones, set a sound system, write their scripts,' said Jill Mohr, the school's technology specialist.
Mohr said the technology to broadcast the podcasts was made available through a generous grant from the West Tualatin View's Parent Teacher Club, resulting in the purchase of a video and sound system as well as a high speed computer for video editing.
The podcasts can be downloaded at iTunes or heard on the school's Web site: www.beaverton.k12.or.us/west_tv/podcasts.
'We have a core group of students we're working with training,' said Mohr. They can go to itunes to get it as well.
Students take turns doing research and recording.
'Everybody does all the parts involved,' said Alicia Streit, a fourth-grade teacher.
While attending a technology conference several years ago, Streit said she learned how important podcasts were predicted to become with the ability to reach a wide number of people on the Web.
'Now people all over the world are listening to this,' said Streit. 'It's just a real interesting thing on how students publish their work.'
Students began experimenting with podcasts last year. This year, they have produced several including the 'Medieval Times,' an audio information that gives students a taste of what life was like in the Middle Ages, and 'All About Space,' which provides an informative look at space travel, stars and more.
'We research our topic and write a report on that topic,' fourth-grader Emilee Phillips explained.
Madeline Leonard, another fourth-grader, said students use Garageband, an Apple software download, to record their voice and then add music. Leonard said she's found Garageband an easy program to learn and now that she has some experience, 'it's way easier.'
Meanwhile Metcalf said she's had a great time with the podcasts.
'I probably like the recording and the music,' she said.
Kyra Patton's favorite part of the production is recording the podcast and listening to it when it's completed.
Now the students are working on a World War II podcast.
'We're actually going to add graphics,' said Mohr, noting that those with video iPods will be able to download images along with the audio portion.
And how do fellow students like the podcasts?
'Most people, I think, think it's pretty cool,' said Leonard.
Also, West Tualatin View fifth-graders produce a 10 to 15 minute broadcast - 'All Star News' - every other month, editing the entire production on the computer.
Meanwhile, the school is moving toward becoming even more technologically advanced with the purchase of 24 GPS systems, thanks to a $4,600 grant from Lowe's home improvement stores. The equipment is on order.
'So all the students (in a class) will be able to have one,' Mohr said.
The devices will be used in math and science curriculum and other activities, said Mohr, who as a volunteer with the Yamhill County Search and Rescue, said she's seen how important satellite communication has become.
Mohr said the learning experience regarding high-tech gadgetry goes beyond having the equipment for it's own sake.
'Sometimes technology is that hook students need to become involved in what they're studying,' she said. | <urn:uuid:14108ef8-6cba-4493-9b13-5e9f0b3227b3> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://portlandtribune.com/component/content/article?id=83109 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397749.89/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00154-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961636 | 845 | 2.53125 | 3 |
Help support New Advent and get the full contents of this website as an instant download. Includes the Catholic Encyclopedia, Church Fathers, Summa, Bible and more all for only $19.99...
Diocese in the Province of Foggia (Capitanata), Southern Italy, situated in a fertile plain, watered by the Radicosa and Triolo. The origin of the city is obscure. Under the Normans it became the residence of a prince, then passed under the Benedictines of Torre Maggiore, later under the Templars, on whose suppression it was disamortized. It suffered frequently from earthquakes, especially in 1627, 1828, and 1851. The Diocese of San Severo was established in 1580. The episcopal see is only the continuation of that of Civitate, which in turn succeeded the ancient city of Teanum. Civitate, where the papal troops were defeated by the Normans in 1052, was an episcopal see in 1062 under Amelgerio. Among the bishops of Civitate were: Fra Lorenzo da Viterbo, O.P. (1330), a distinguished theologian; Luca Gaurico (1545), a distinguished astronomer; Franc. Alciato (1561), later a cardinal. In 1580 the first occupant of the See of San Severo was Martino de Martini, a Jesuit; other bishops are: Fabrizio Verallo (1606), nuncio in Switzerland, later a cardinal; Franc. Venturi (1625), a distinguished canonist and defender of the rights of the Church; Orazio Fortunati (1670), who restored the cathedral; Carlo Felice de Mata (1678), founder of the seminary, which was enlarged by two of his successors, Carlo Franc. Giacoli (1703) and Fra Diodato Sommantico (1720), an Augustinian. To this diocese was added later the territory of the ancient Dragonaria, a city built in 1005 by the Byzantine Governor of Apulia. Cappelletti gives the names of twenty-eight bishops between 1061 and 1657. It seems never to have been formally suppressed. The diocese is suffragan of Benevento, and has 7 parishes, about 46,000 inhabitants, and 6 religious houses.
CAPPELLETTI, Le chiese d'Italia, XIX (Venice, 1857).
APA citation. (1912). San Severo. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13453b.htm
MLA citation. "San Severo." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 13. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13453b.htm>.
Transcription. This article was transcribed for New Advent by Vivek Gilbert John Fernandez. Dedicated to those distinguished persons mentioned above.
Ecclesiastical approbation. Nihil Obstat. February 1, 1912. Remy Lafort, D.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York.
Contact information. The editor of New Advent is Kevin Knight. My email address is webmaster at newadvent.org. Regrettably, I can't reply to every letter, but I greatly appreciate your feedback — especially notifications about typographical errors and inappropriate ads. | <urn:uuid:c4f55642-e0ca-4a55-afaf-058fb80795db> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://newadvent.org/cathen/13453b.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397873.63/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00045-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.925288 | 729 | 2.78125 | 3 |
This article is sponsored by Pennington Seed.
Conserving water is an important part of responsible home ownership. From the kitchen to the bathroom to your yard, you should regulate your water usage to save money and the precious resource of potable water.
Due to the extreme heat and lack of precipitation in 2012—a year that ranked as the warmest on record—many people saw their yards suffer. Thirty-six states anticipate continued local, regional or statewide water shortages, even under non-drought conditions.
Faced with these obstacles, novice do-it-yourselfers and landscape-aficionados alike are looking for landscapes that can be kept lush and beautiful, while being more resilient and easier to maintain.
Here are 10 easy tips to keep your landscape healthy and reduce water consumption from Russ Nicholson who is the Senior Agronomist for Pennington Seed and a Certified Professional Agronomist (CPAg). He has more than 35 years of expertise in turfgrass research and management so you know he knows what he’s talking about.
1. Drought-condition plants: Plants can be conditioned for dry weather starting at the beginning of the spring season by irrigating less frequently but longer. More watering is needed earlier in the development process during germination and establishment. As part of ongoing maintenance, decrease the frequency of watering and increase the amount of water penetration to encourage deeper rooting. Deeper roots will be more drought-tolerant.
2. Install water-saving systems: Consider using a drip irrigation system around trees and shrubs in your landscape to improve water efficiency. Drip irrigation systems apply water only when needed, minimizing water loss due to evaporation and preventing moisture from reaching spaces between plants—limiting the chance of weed growth in those areas. In addition, rain barrels can be used to harvest rainwater for later use in landscapes as irrigation.
3. Select water-efficient plants: By utilizing grass seed that requires less water, lawns are more resilient during periods of drought and easier to maintain (e.g. reduced time, energy and resources). Consider a pure bred, drought-tolerant seed, like Pennington Smart Seed, which stays green for up to three weeks without water and requires 30 percent less water year after year versus ordinary seed. The varieties in every bag were developed to help you establish a fuller, healthier and greener lawn, while efficiently using natural resources.
4. Don’t be overly reactive: Lawns tend to be overwatered, often with entire lawns being watered to avoid a few dry spots. Overwatering can cause numerous problems, including: shallow root systems; increased disease, weed or insect infestations; reduced drought tolerance; and increased thatch and excessive growth. A lawn does not need water until the color falls by 50 percent, at which time only one inch of water should be added.
5. Adjust sprinklers: Make sure sprinklers are watering the lawn and defined landscape areas not the driveway or street. If water is seen running into the street or sidewalk, this may mean that sprinklers are not properly aligned, too much water is being applied or the soil has reached a point of saturation.
6. Water in the morning: Water at night or in the morning – from 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. – to reduce the chance of water being lost to evaporation in the mid-day heat. This timing allows grass to retain moisture but still dry in enough time to prevent diseases that are more likely to develop in a wet lawn.
7. Plan around wind: Limit evaporation and water being blown outside landscape areas by watering on windless days.
8. Retain moisture with mulch: Spread mulch when seeding new areas to add a protective layer over soil. The mulch will help your soil retain moisture during the critical seed germination and establishment stages. The clippings from mulching mowers also serve the same purpose—preserving soil moisture and nutrients for growing grass.
9. Broom clean: Instead of using a hose to clear debris from walkways and driveways, use a broom to tackle those types of projects and save water in the process.
10. Fertilize thoughtfully: Fertilization supplies plants with essential nutrients for strength, uniform growth and a healthy, fibrous root system. A vibrant and healthy plant makes the best use of available water, meaning less water is needed over time. There also is less chance of the plant being “burned” or dried out to a point beyond recovery. Fertilizers, however, should not be applied during periods of drought.
When considering the type of seed you choose here are some more helpful tips to conserve water.
* Pennington Smart Seed remains green for up to three weeks without water and requires up to 30 percent less water year after year versus ordinary seed.
* By utilizing a high-quality seed that requires less water and contains no filler, lawns are more resilient and easier to maintain.
* As a pure bred, drought-resistant seed, Pennington Smart Seed also helps establish fuller, healthier and greener lawns, while efficiently using natural resources. | <urn:uuid:a5be9788-f122-415b-9687-0bad6c7148ae> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://charlesandhudson.com/get-a-healthy-lawn-using-less-water/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783402699.36/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155002-00100-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939798 | 1,065 | 2.8125 | 3 |
Latest update: January 15th, 2015
Question: I have two questions regarding Pirkei Avot. First, is there a specific reason that the last chapter is read on the Sabbath before Shavuot, or is this just a quirk of the calendar? Second, in that last chapter we find a list of qualities that enable one to acquire Torah knowledge, including anavah, humility. I find this difficult to believe in light of the Gemara in Gittin that chastises one of the scholars for his anavah, saying that it ultimately caused the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash.
Summary of our response up to this point: The study of Pirkei Avot through the summer is specified in halacha (Rema, Orach Chayim 292:2). While we generally refrain from organizing study sessions on Shabbat between Minchah and Ma’ariv, we do recite Pirkei Avot at that time starting after Pesach until Rosh Hashanah.
Since there are six Sabbaths between Pesach and Shavuot and six chapters in Pirkei Avot, we devote an entire Sabbath to the study of each chapter. In the month of Elul, there are weeks when we double up and learn two chapters on one Sabbath. We always read the last chapter on the Sabbath before Shavuot and the fifth and sixth chapters together on the Sabbath before Rosh Hashanah.
This last chapter is referred to as Kinyan HaTorah, lit., “the method of acquiring Torah.” It is not part of the original Mishnayot compiled by R. Yehudah HaNasi, but is rather a compilation of Tannaitic Beraitot that was added to Pikei Avot at a later date.
In the preface to his sefer Matnot Chayim, HaRav Matisyahu Salomon, shlita, of Beth Medrash Govoha in Lakewood, NJ, explains that Pirkei Avot is studied prior to Shavuot because we prepare for receiving the Torah at Mt. Sinai on Shavuot through the 48 methods of acquisition listed in the last chapter of Avot.
The Hasid Ya’vez states: “The Torah can only dwell in one whose being is devoid of negative traits, and who is full of important [and admirable] traits.” Rabbi Salomon adds that one must purify oneself from ritual impurities and uncleanliness that restrain the soul from reaching its highest level of attainment. Pirkei Avot are replete with important matters that enable the soul to come closer to its Creator and awaken a person to service to G-d. The last chapter focuses on the attainment of Torah, and, as such, is appropriate to study before Shavuot.
* * * * *
Let us now quote from Ethics from Sinai, the wonderful work of the legendary R. Yitzchak Meir (Irving M.) Bunim, zt”l:
“In the times of the Geonim, it became the custom in the academies of Babylonia to recite and study a chapter of Avoth on Saturday afternoons after the minchah service, as Rav Amram Gaon [ninth century] notes in his siddur about his academy. The Geonim knew of a tradition that Moses had passed to his eternal rest on a Sabbath afternoon at this time (Otzar HaGeonim, Shabbat 314-317, p. 103). [For this reason they included the three verses of tzidkath’cha tzedek: ‘Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness…’ as a prayer of justification and acceptance of his death.] And it became the practice to follow the minchah service with a chapter of Avoth to commemorate him, since it begins with his name: ‘Moses received the Torah, etc.’ Rav Paltoy Gaon [ninth century] gave another reason: ‘The Talmud (Moed Katan 22b) teaches that when a Sage passes away, all the Houses of Study and Worship in his city are to cease their activity.’ This suggests that in commemoration of Moses’ passing, it would be appropriate not to have intensive, concentrated Talmud study, but rather to learn and review the lighter subject matter of Avoth (Otzar HaGeonim, ibid.).
“From the academies of Babylonia the custom traveled to the Jewish communities of Ashkenaz, the France and Germany of over 900 years ago, and we find it mentioned by Rabbi Abraham ben Nathan of Lunel [Ibn Yarhi, 12th century] in his Sefer HaManhig (Hilchot Shabbat 63). But in Kol Bo [an anonymous work of the 14th century], we read that the custom varied among the communities: Some study the chapters only from Passover to Shavuoth, others all year or during different periods of the year. In his Siddur Avodath Yisra’el, published in Roedelheim in 1868, Dr. Seligmann Baer lists three different customs current among the German Jewish communities of his time.”
He continues, “In the Mishnah itself, Avoth has only five chapters. But between Passover and Shavuoth there are six Saturdays, and apparently for this reason a sixth chapter was added yet in the days of the Geonim, since Rav Amram Gaon speaks of ‘Avoth and Kinyan Torah.’ This added chapter, Kinyan Torah, is a baraitha: it is material quite similar to the Mishnah, which Rabbi Judah haNasi did not include in the Mishnah when he compiled it.
“Our custom, from time immemorial in East European Jewry, is to recite and study Avoth from the Sabbath after Passover to the Saturday before Rosh Hashanah, fifteen Sabbaths in all. On each of the first twelve we study one chapter, on each of the last three, two chapters. Since the Hebrew for ‘chapter’ is perek, ‘chapters’ is p’rakim, and ‘chapters of’ is pirkei – the work has come to be called Pirkei Avoth, or more simply, Perek.”
He further states, “It is no accident or coincidence that originally the time for Perek seems to have been from Passover to Shavuoth. On Passover we celebrate going free from Egypt, and its physical enslavement, to a destiny of G-dliness and Torah. Our people, however, were not ready to receive the Torah at once, and it was only weeks later, when they stood at Mount Sinai, that our people received the Torah – at Shavuoth time. In the symbolic language of the Sages, on Passover we became ‘betrothed’ to the Torah; on Shavuoth the spiritual ‘wedding’ took place, as we made an eternal, irrevocable pact, a covenant, with the Almighty and His Torah. Now, in a time of betrothal, bride and groom get to know one another, in preparation for a lifetime together. Between Passover and Shavuoth, as we ‘count the days’ by observing s’firah, waiting to receive the Torah anew from Sinai, it is good to prepare by studying Avoth, to gain some idea of the greatness, wonder and profundity of Torah, this unique spiritual ‘bride’ that we are going to receive. Even a non-Jewish scholar, George Foot Moore (Judaism, Cambridge, 1927-30, Vol. II, p. 157), has observed: ‘For a knowledge of the ideals of Rabbinical ethics and piety, no other easily accessible source is equal to Avoth.’
“Nor is it a coincidence, I believe, that we begin studying Perek in the springtime. This is when nature renews its great cycle of annual life and growth: the warm, vital forces of regeneration begin to stir and flow. Man too feels powerful instinctual urges rouse within himself. At this time of year, it is therefore best to listen to the wisdom of the Sages, to learn how to overcome temptation and passion, develop our will power and control our actions. Pirkei Avoth provides instruction, mussar, a blueprint of Torah for the life that comes with renewed force in the spring.
“But, you may ask, do we really need this special instruction? We have the Shulchan Aruch, an elaborate legal code that delineates right and wrong, the just and the unjust, in all practical circumstances. And the very passage from the Mishnah that we say before each chapter of Avoth proclaims, ‘The people Israel all have a share in the world to come.’ Why should we have this special mussar, this teaching and chastisement?
“The answer is that a Shulchan Aruch, a legal code of right and wrong, is not enough. Our goal under heaven is not simply to observe the law, important and functional though it is. The goal of Torah is to transmute the human spirit, the character, into something fine and G-dly. David the Psalmist entreated the Almighty, ‘Guard my life, for I am a hasid’ (Psalms 86:2). In its age-old classic sense, this means a person of deep goodness, benevolence and piety. We mentioned the prescription of one sage: ‘The one who wants to become a hasid should observe the laws of n’zikin, laws concerning injuries and damages’ (Bava Kamma 30a). In other words, you should learn from the Torah how to avoid causing injury, and how to pay proper damages for the harm that you may bring. But for another sage this is not enough; his advice for becoming a hasid is, ‘Let him observe the teaching of Avoth.’ Knowledge and strict observance of the Law is not the be-all and end-all. The true hasid is one whose profound piety carries him above and beyond the strict letter of the Law. If he has the slightest doubt that he may be wrong in a dispute, or that his potential claim is questionable, he will give his fellow man the benefit of the doubt rather than use his legal rights aggressively. The hasid overcomes his acquisitive nature and looks beyond, to the spirit of the Law.”
R. Bunim concludes, “If you wish to reach this level of beneficence and loving piety, if you would be a hasid, the teachings of Avoth are essential.”
(To be continued)Rabbi Yaakov Klass
About the Author: Rabbi Yaakov Klass, rav of Congregation K’hal Bnei Matisyahu in Flatbush, Brooklyn, is Torah Editor of The Jewish Press. He can be contacted at firstname.lastname@example.org.
If you don't see your comment after publishing it, refresh the page.
Our comments section is intended for meaningful responses and debates in a civilized manner. We ask that you respect the fact that we are a religious Jewish website and avoid inappropriate language at all cost.
If you promote any foreign religions, gods or messiahs, lies about Israel, anti-Semitism, or advocate violence (except against terrorists), your permission to comment may be revoked. | <urn:uuid:9694967a-53dd-4653-9552-82e4c53d2bd5> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.jewishpress.com/judaism/ask-the-rabbi/q-a-pirkei-avot-part-iii/2014/05/08/0/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783404826.94/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155004-00076-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947805 | 2,445 | 2.609375 | 3 |
September 1, 2006
Canada rain forest town tackles drought crisis
OTTAWA (Reuters) - A drought-hit resort town in Canada's
Pacific rain forest is trucking in water to avert a total
shutdown, but hotels and other businesses will have to severely
limit consumption, the mayor said on Friday.
Tofino, on the west coast of Vancouver Island, usually
receives about 10 feet of rain a year. It has had no serious
rainfall since June and last month was the driest August on
businesses to close by Friday -- said some water was being
shipped in from nearby towns.
"We've set a record for the driest August ever ... we've
always had rain in Tofino. It is a rain forest but the weather
patterns are changing," he told a televised news conference,
"It's certainly something that I think we're going to have
to look at in the future in terms of global warming ... this
was definitely the biggest wake-up call."
Fraser warned visitors they would have to live like campers
and use no more than two U.S. gallons (7.5 liters) of water
each per day.
An average 5-minute shower uses between 15 and 25 U.S.
gallons, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency's Web site.
Fraser's initial shutdown order prompted protests from
hotels and travel operators. The town's permanent population of
1,500 swells to around 20,000 in summer.
Fraser said all businesses will be shut down immediately if
the town's total water consumption exceeds 250,000 gallons a
day. Normal consumption is around 600,000 gallons a day.
Tofino, on the edge of the Pacific Rim national park, is
particularly popular with surfers and whale watchers. | <urn:uuid:809cf452-8868-41a1-b670-5d5694525e94> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/642335/canada_rain_forest_town_tackles_drought_crisis/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396949.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00189-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954622 | 393 | 2.546875 | 3 |
|To leave a comment you must sign in.
Create a Web Account:
To leave a comment you must sign in.
Create a Web Account:
How effective are Flip cameras and other mini-camcorders as learning tools? Where are video-in-the-classroom assignment s taking education?
I spoke to Jake Dunagan, one of the tech prognosticators from the Institute for the Future, who helped explain where video in the classroom will be going in coming years. Additionally, I asked three intrepid instructors, who have been experimenting with mini-camcorders in their curricula, how they are using the technology and what their students are learning.
These folks believe that using camcorders as a medium is affecting not only the message but the student communicators and their learning process.
Personal Documentaries in Writing Courses
Bill Wolff is an assistant professor in the Department of Writing Arts at Rowan University. He wanted to use Flip camcorders for student projects in his upper-level course "Writing, Research and Technology."
In June 2008, he secured a grant for the cameras, then set about figuring how he could best use the devices to make sure they supported "a pedagogically-sound undergraduate writing class."
He decided to incorporate them in the students' final project. "I landed on the idea of the major project being an oral history video," Wolff says.
"I had to bone up on oral history theories and methodologies," he says. But he liked the idea because it provided a handy springboard into "ethical research on human subjects and Institutional Review Boards, two things none of [the students] had considered before."
Wolff also built in shorter assignments, like initial in-class sessions where students would interview each other, and the making of brief videos, before setting out on the major project.
For the oral history, students interviewed family members, "learning things about the closest people in their lives that they never knew," says Wolff. The assignment was for an 8- to 10-minute video, but most ran over 15 minutes because the directors couldn't bear to cut them further. "These were histories on incredibly difficult subjects: divorce, adoption, the immigrant experience, living with a physical disability, caring for someone with Down syndrome, mourning the death of a loved one, and so on," Wolff explains. "The videos are powerful statements, powerful contributions to the growing body of publicly available oral histories."
Wolff's plan was to meet two key goals: 1) getting the students to apply "the metaphors of writing" (research, drafting, revisions) to video composition and 2) challenging the students to reconsider preconceived ideas about writing.
"The course was quite effective at doing that. It was even more effective at making visible what is often invisible when asking students to think about traditional text-based writing: the technologies used."
Educating students about the impact of the technologies they use is something often ignored, but Wolff sees it as critical. "If you ask students to describe their writing process, they will immediately jump to the research they do, then the drafting, then revising, and so on. Rarely will they say that they had to open Microsoft Word, use cutting and pasting, save the file, and so on. But ask any of the students what it means to compose a video, and the technologies and software are intimate parts of the process."
Wolff wrote a blog post about the project, where he gives six recommendations for teaching with the Flip video camera. "If I could add a seventh recommendation," he says, "it would be: Ensure that the cameras facilitate meeting the course goals rather than becoming the primary focus of the class."
In Wolff's course, the technology was the lesson. "Students had to become critically aware of the social, political, and rhetorical implications of the technology they were using, and not just learn how to use it effectively.
"I must say at the end that it was one of the most exciting classes I have ever taught," says Wolff, who is teaching the course again this semester with a few modifications. "We all felt that we were doing something new, innovative, and important, and from the discussions so far, this semester's section looks to be even better."
Investigative Interviews for Biomedical Devices
In a capstone course on biomedical engineering at Duke University, student teams create custom medical assistive devices. The course is taught by Kevin Caves, director of Duke University's Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Communication Enhancement, who saw a way to use Flip camcorders for the assignment.
Armed with the mini video cameras, courtesy of an in-college grant, Caves' students record interviews with disabled clients, in which the clients explain what they can do on their own, and later, what they can do with assistive prototypes.
For this course, student teams are matched with someone in the community who needs an assistive device that does not exist commercially: a "Talking Dots" Braille trainer for two vision-impaired five-year-olds, a one-handed nail set and chisel for a carpenter who lost the use of one arm, a vibrating rocking chair with audio output to soothe an anxious 13-year-old with cerebral palsy.
Students only have one semester to complete the project. During the process from concept to delivery, students interact with patients, interviewing them and clinical personnel about what is needed and what limitations exist.
The hand-documented interviews of previous years were spotty. "Nerves get in the way," Caves explains. "They forget to write things down. Three of them will go to a meeting and come away with three different recollections of what happened."
The camcorder interviews filled some of the gaps. Teams could save a trip back to the client site, using the video to answer questions like, "Was the person left-handed?" or, "What did that doorway look like?" Caves admits not all teams went back to consult the footage, but for those who did, the video documentation was extremely valuable. It also helped instructors, who can't always attend each meeting with the clients, to review what happened during a visit.
In addition, students used video to present a demo of their devices to their peers at Duke and, via video conferencing, to students in a similar course at University of North Carolina. The advantage of having a YouTube-sized video over a live demo is substantial: "It allows students to be sure that their demonstration will work because it's been done a couple of days before," says Caves. "It also allows them to focus in on a particular feature that they want to highlight; they can edit it; they can put text over it; they can edit-in still photographs of things. It's really helped to improve the quality of those presentations."
Caves adds, "The nice thing about the Flip is that you flip it on, and you start recording." What he didn't like as much was the audio. Students typically have to record voiceovers separately to ensure decent sound quality for the presentations.
Using the Flip was easy for Caves' students, but editing was another matter. "All the students across the board said, 'Video editing is hard.' In general it was one student in each group who said, 'I'll take it on,'" he explains.
"One thing we didn't think about was permissions." Once the work was done, students wanted to post their videos to YouTube, but didn't have a release form from the clients or families involved. (This year they plan to address that issue from the start.)
Caves estimates that it took most teams between five and 15 hours of work to shoot the video, transfer the files, learn to use iMovie, and edit the final cut.
Caves gives full marks to the video project as an effective teaching practice. "It was a great success. We're a visual society; it's so much easier to explain what you're doing by video. It saved travel time and certainly was easier on instructors. We [instructors] didn't feel guilty missing a meeting if we knew there would be a video."
Community Service Analysis
Jennifer Ahern-Dodson also teaches at Duke, and she, too, saw an opportunity to use Flip camcorders for a service-learning course she teaches. In this upper-level course, students do critical analysis and evaluation of their community-service involvement. "Because critical reflection was such a key piece of the course, it made sense to have it be about the technology as well as their service work," she says.
Her plan was to have students record both interviews with their community partners and a portion of their field notes. "I wanted to study if there was any measurable difference between field notes the students took through video and those being posted [in text] on Blackboard," she explains.
Because Ahern-Dodson was interested in how students were responding to the introduction of video as a tool for documentation, she conducted pre- and post-surveys, as well as informal check-ins.
"There was some fear of the technology," says Ahern-Dodson. "The challenge was not just the recording of the videos, but uploading them to our shared Web space... The students who didn't like it at first were those who were a little paralyzed by the technology."
An unforeseen technology problem complicated the class's work further. Students struggled sometimes for hours, to upload their videos to Blackboard to share them with the class. Why was it taking so long? Eventually, they learned that their Blackboard Web share wasn't allotted sufficient space to support all the memory-munching videos. Once the problem was identified, it was easy to resolve. But in the meantime, Ahern-Dodson asked her students to bring their camcorders into class and pass them around to share their work. "What ended up happening organically is that the students started helping each other," she says.
Based on the experience, Ahern-Dodson came up with a rule of thumb for video-related troubleshooting: "If it takes you more than 20 minutes to do something, stop and ask for help." The students had mixed feelings about video field notes as well as the feedback they received from peers, some of which was video-base, too. "Almost all of them preferred to receive written feedback to verbal feedback," she explains with a chuckle "because they didn't want to transcribe people's ideas. They didn't want to have to wait and watch the video. They just wanted it in writing."
Yet the video field notes yielded value in other work the students did. "The end of semester critical reflection essays were significantly better in quality, particularly with the details. They remembered details two months after the fact simply because the video sparked their memory." When compared with essays from previous years, the class that used video offered "a much crisper analysis," and she was pleased with the way lines of demarcation changed as the videos helped students see themselves as part of the community.
The videos paid a dividend, too, in helping students examine their own assumptions and expectations about the field work they were doing, which mostly took place in nearby Durham. "The personal dimension of their work was supported by the FLIP because they could capture their thinking in the moment," says Ahern-Dodson. Initial field notes recording expectations about the work they would be doing and the neighborhood they would be working in could be compared to later field notes so students could see and hear how their own thinking and that of their peers was affected by the work they were doing.
The students were encouraged to consider lines of demarcation between Duke and Durham's neighborhoods. "One student filmed trash on her walk to her community organization and said she thought the city was dirty and the neighborhood was poor," says Ahern-Dodson, observing that the young woman was from a small suburban community. When a second student, from a large urban area took the same route, he didn't notice the trash. "The Flip recording from the first student generated a sustained class discussion about how our own backgrounds and experiences shape what we pay attention to as qualitative researchers... and what we expect and assume about the places where we're volunteering."
Ahern-Dodson found her students often pointed out things to the video-makers that they might have missed, like a broken sidewalk that limited access for wheelchairs and walkers, or several neighbors sitting on porches in the middle of the day—one student saw it as a problem, wondering why these people weren't working, while another saw it as an asset, providing a robust neighborhood watch. "The 'text' of the video made the needs and assets of the community organization more visible to students who weren't volunteering at that specific place, and provided opportunities for collaborative identification of community organization needs and assets and shared meaning-making," she explains. "We all could look at the video and see for ourselves—and not rely just on a verbal re-telling by one person. This Flip video became part of our collective class inquiry.
"The Flips allowed for depth of inquiry because students could return to their initial impressions again and again as they encountered new experiences that challenged (or reinforced) their first impressions or their ideas about community, or self, or Duke-Durham relationships at the time of filming," says Ahern-Dodson. "They initially see their role primarily as helping others, rather than also learning from others. The Flips provide a powerful medium for examining their own developmental process and reconsidering initial impressions after reading and applying course theories about partnership development and relationship-building to their experiences."
One of the things Ahern-Dodson says she would do differently in the future is to focus from the outset on explaining to students why they are being asked to use video at the same time they are learning about civic involvement. She thought students struggled early on with understanding the relationship of technology to their processes of analysis. "Why does it matter that you are totally freaked out by technology?" she asks. "Well it matters because you're probably going to have to learn something new in your job!"
She would also select a low-stakes introductory assignment, like having students interview each other in class, giving them experience with the camcorders, as well as experience in interview technique. Then she offers some excellent advice: "The previous semester, I would meet with my technology consultant and say, 'This is what I want to do,' and walk through the process to find out how long it would take the average student to do it."
Teaching, Learning, and Recording in the Future
To learn how video will change the future of teaching and learning, I contacted Jake Dunagan, research director for the Technology Horizons Program at the forward-looking think-tank, Institute for the Future. His brave new world is filled with mobile video-capture technology.
"The most important change on the horizon for video in the classroom may not be from a pedagogical perspective, but rather the fact that every student will be carrying a camera on his or her mobile device or iPod," he says. "Teachers should no longer expect the classroom to be a private, walled-off space for learning, but an open and potentially very public space, as videos are captured and uploaded to sites such as YouTube.
"Video is becoming a significant avenue for the way young people acquire knowledge. YouTube has surpassed Yahoo! as the second leading search engine, just behind Google," he says. This trend should continue as improved search capabilities make it easier to find information within videos to use as source material. "How-to and instructional videos on the Web are huge, and getting bigger," but he acknowledges a built-in problem: "All the credibility and reliability issues for the text web apply to the video web as well."
Drawing on anthropologist Mimi Ito's assertion that that video is more about communication than creativity or commercial purposes, Dunagan points out that "young people are quickly developing a language for communicating with video, using short clips, jump cuts, visual puns." But he also acknowledges that "media literacy in the classroom is still rare." One problem is that the rules for assessing the value of a piece of video—as opposed to an essay or term paper—are still evolving. "This will slow the adoption of video as a legitimate medium for classroom communication, in grade school all the way through graduate studies."
Despite, that slow-down, Dunagan predicts "affordable real-time video conferencing will make remote classroom participation possible and very desirable."
The video innovations we should expect in education are reflective of wider cultural changes triggered by video production equipment which is as available as our cell phones. "As video is democratized, new players and voices enter the media stream, and they aren't always following the precedent of mainstream media. A bottom-up, vernacular language (as Howard Rheingold calls it) is emerging around our simple tools of video communication such as webcams and basic editing tools," says Dunagan. "The addition of video to wiki will help usher in the language of video as a common capacity."
As video becomes part of our cultural conversation, used more frequently than, say, a postage stamp, it will affect the way we talk about the world and the ways we learn about it.
Dunagan's parting words describe a future that many may view with excitement, possibly mixed with a touch of unease. "A big story is video's ubiquity. Screens will increasingly surround us, and with pico projectors and touch-screen interfaces, we will be entering a world where previously inert surfaces become information and communication interfaces."
To leave a comment you must sign in.
Create a Web Account: | <urn:uuid:3c19eec2-3f15-4f7b-a370-67724f7ec18b> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://elearnmag.acm.org/featured.cfm?aid=1631260 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397864.87/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00024-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97796 | 3,688 | 2.65625 | 3 |
Actually, There Is ZERO Chance The World Will End On Friday
Published 2:35 pm, Tuesday, December 18, 2012
According to a Mayan calendar that's been widely misinterpreted, the world is supposed to end on Friday, December 21, 2012.
Doomsdayers think the world will end one of four ways:
- We'll be engulfed in a giant black hole
- The sun will pass through a "galactic plane"
- Solar flares will fry us
- A planet called Nibiru will collide with Earth
Scientists and historians say there's no way any of those will happen.
According to John Carlson, the Director of the Center of Archaeoastronomy, no Mayan calendar ever suggested the world would end on Friday. The Mayan calendar doesn't end in 2012 either. "The whole thing was a misconception from the very beginning," he tells The Atlantic.
More from Business Insider
The popular misconception stems from a long-count calendar the Mayans created to keep track of extended intervals of time. According to that calendar, the world was created on August 11, 3114 BC.
Like the odometer in a car, the numbers on the calendar can roll over, so number schemes that represent Mayan dates can repeat themselves.
On August 11, 3114 BC, the Mayan "odometer" looked like this: 13-0-0-0-0.
This Friday, it will look the same: 13-0-0-0-0.
While historians acknowledge that number scheme was significant to the Mayans, its arrival on 12/21/12 never meant the end of the world -- at least not as evidenced by ancient Mayan ruins or tableaus historians have found.
Scientists agree with historians: there's no evidence whatsoever that an unusual cosmic occurrence will occur this Friday. The head of NASA's near-earth object program, Dan Yeomans, hasn't seen any strange asteroids or planets headed toward Earth.
Another NASA scientist, David Morrison, confirms this. He says the government wouldn't be able to hide an object large enough to destroy Earth hurtling towards us in outer space. It'd be visible by now to everyone in the sky, and it would look like a very, very bright star.
"Just go outside and look," he suggests to anyone with a morsel of doubt.
Lika Guhathakurta leads NASA's star program, and she says the theory that solar flares will destroy earth on Friday are also false. It's true that the sun is approaching a solar maximum, but that happens every eleven years, and it poses no threat this Friday (see chart on the left).
If you still aren't convinced, you can watch all of these experts explain why there is no, scientifically-plausible way the apocalypse will occur on Friday, below: | <urn:uuid:c6a615d8-fbda-4f0b-9756-fba35d9922ad> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.sfgate.com/technology/businessinsider/article/Actually-There-Is-ZERO-Chance-The-World-Will-End-4128948.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783400572.45/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155000-00051-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950046 | 585 | 3.078125 | 3 |
News & Policies
History & Tours | Kids | Your Government | Appointments | Jobs | Contact | Graphic version
For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
October 21, 2004
President's Statement on the North Korean Human Rights Act
President Signs the North Korea Human Rights Act
On October 18, 2004, the President signed into law the North Korea Human Rights Act. The United States has long been committed to alleviating the suffering and repression of the North Korean people. This Act provides us with useful new tools to address the deplorable human rights situation in North Korea by focusing our efforts to help both those who flee the regime and those who are trapped inside the country. The President's signature on this bipartisan legislation is testimony to our unified concern for and commitment to the welfare of the North Korean people. We will work with other concerned states in the region and internationally to take steps to improve the lives of the average North Korean.
North Korea remains one of the most repressive countries in the world and stands in stark contrast to the march of freedom elsewhere in the region.
# # #
|Email this page to a friend| | <urn:uuid:fe9efecd-81a8-4b85-89d4-283b49ae4814> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2004/10/text/20041021-22.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397749.89/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00191-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.893765 | 230 | 2.671875 | 3 |
CONJUNCTIONS. But with contingency expressed or impliedBut meaning except may apply to an expressed contingency, as (1)
i.e. "God forbid everything except (I should, &c.)"
“God defend but I should still be so.
i.e. "Excepting the supposition of our being charged." (2) Sometimes the contingency is merely implied.
“But being charged we will be still by land.
“I should sin
To think but (except I should think) nobly of my grandmother.
i.e. "only your comfort." The last passage illustrates the connection between but meaning only, and but used adversatively.
“Her head's declined and death will seize her, but
Your comfort makes her rescue. | <urn:uuid:8b6c90ca-55cc-460d-ab13-5642a8f2c535> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.03.0080%3Asection%3D4%3Asubsection%3D4%3Aparagraph%3D124 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396875.58/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00069-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947882 | 165 | 2.546875 | 3 |
Minority Groups, Co-Sponsored by Section on Africa: Minority Conservatives and Their Impact on Legal Theory
The American Constitution and Bill of Rights were drafted in response to historical imperatives and remain embedded in particular historical moments. How to interpret the text of the Constitution and Bill of Rights continues to be a major source of conflict among scholars, lawyers and judges, with those who favor an originalist approach pitted against those who see the Constitution as a living document, responding to contemporary realities. Reflecting the tremendous societal change since the Constitution’s ratification, identity issues of race, gender and sexuality often trigger these discussions , with those identified as “the other”, namely people of color, women, sexual minorities, as objects of these interpretive differences. Recently several conservative scholars who happen to members of these identity groups have emerged who insist on a strict formalist approach to constitutional interpretation. Their approach to constitutional interpretation places them outside the mainstream of their identity communities, where reliance on a living constitution has provided the context for societal change, such as the eradication of racial and gender discrimination. This panel will raise the following questions: Does, and/or should, one’s identity influence one’s interpretation of the Constitution and Bill of Rights? Is and should one’s philosophical approach to constitutional interpretation be guided by one’s identity? Is it possible to balance one’s identity group membership with a strict constructionist approach to constitutional interpretation and still achieve meaningful and even transformation social equality under law?
Business Meeting at Program Conclusion. | <urn:uuid:06b9a0b8-efca-41f3-84e7-551d74503bad> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | https://memberaccess.aals.org/eweb/DynamicPage.aspx?webcode=SesDetails&ses_key=a728870e-f778-425b-a709-7a4ea6f523f1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396959.83/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00145-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.927987 | 314 | 3.09375 | 3 |
A heart defibrillator is a medical device designed to provide a small electrical charge to the human heart in order to resolve arrhythmia and restore the normal rhythm of heart contractions. This device is the most popular treatment for serious medical conditions such as ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation, and cardiac arrhythmias, all of which interrupt the natural rhythm of the heart and are life threatening conditions if left untreated.
Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs)
While some defibrillators are used internally and applied directly to the heart, other defibrillators function intravenously or externally. Manual defibrillators are sometimes used as form of resuscitation in cases of cardiac arrest and are often seen in film and television scenes depicting emergency medical care. In recent years, automated external defibrillators (AEDs) that can be used by a layperson with no medical training have begun appearing in many public places. An AED functions by automatically diagnosing the heart rhythm of an individual and prescribing the appropriate medical charge. The AED comes with instructions on how and where to place the accompanying pads on the body and delivers the appropriate jolt of electricity to restore a natural heart beat.
Automated Internal Cardiac Defibrillators (AICDs)
For patients who have a chronic condition that causes serious arrhythmias, an automated internal cardiac defibrillator (AICD) is frequently implanted. An AICD is a device similar to a pacemaker that delivers electrical jolts to the human heart whenever it detects a life-threatening arrhythmia. Many of the newer AICDs available to patients are advanced enough to make the distinction between serious arrhythmias like ventricular tachycardia and less threatening arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation, allowing the devices to adjust the charge of the administered shock accordingly. However, defective programming and other design faults in some AICDs can occasionally cause the device to start misfiring and administer repeated, unnecessary shocks to the heart. This can result in serious pain and discomfort, and in some cases, this can lead to fatal arrhythmias or cardiac arrest. In fact, emergency medical personnel are now often equipped with a specialized magnetic device that is designed to disable a misfiring internal defibrillator.
Defects in AEDs
In the case of automated external defibrillators, there have many instances in which certain models of these devices have been recalled following repeated reports that the device was defective. In most cases, the problem existed with a fault in the design of the defibrillator that rendered it unable to deliver the necessary electrical charge when it detected a potentially lethal arrhythmia. Sometimes this can occur when there is a problem with the resistors in the defibrillator, in which case the device could not deliver the necessary electrical therapy. In other cases, the failure of a specific relay switch stopped the automated external defibrillator from building up the prescribed charge. Still other faulty automated external defibrillators are unable to wash out interference or background noise in order to correctly diagnose a patient's heart beat, and there have been complaints of other defective components that result in dysfunctional electrocardiography (ECG) analysis.
Because automated external defibrillators are often used by laypeople as a form of emergency first aid, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued particularly severe warnings to users of these products when there appears to be a problem with a device. The failure of an external defibrillator during a medical emergency may easily result in death or serious injury if emergency medical personnel are unable to reach the affected patient in time.
2009 Recall of 300,000 CardioVive and Powerheart AEDs
Although the Cardiac Science Corporation issued a press release in November 2009 calling for the voluntary recall of some models of their automated electronic defibrillators, the FDA followed up the release just days later stating that the company was failing to adequately address the problem and that further action was necessary. The affected defibrillators include CardioVive models 92533, 92532, and 92531, as well as Powerheart models 9390E, 9390A, 9300P, 9300E, 9300D, 9300C, and 9300A. According to the FDA, these Cardiac Science automated electronic defibrillators are affected by a host of defective components, including an inability to recognize pad placement when delivering a charge and incorrect or interrupted electrocardiography. At the time of the initial press release from CardioVive, there were approximately 300,000 Cardiac Science defibrillators being used by the public that may be defective.
Injury and Deaths from Defective Sprint Fedelis AEDs
In the case of the October 2007 recall of the Sprint Fidelis Defibrillator, manufactured by Minnesota based manufacturer Medtronic Incorporated, the voluntary recall issued by the corporation and the FDA came too late to save the lives of a number of patients. Due to the fracturing in the wire leads of the defibrillators, the device delivered incorrect electrical shocks to patients or failed to work completely, resulting in serious injury or death to many individuals. | <urn:uuid:2c803bf0-4acb-4dd4-abfd-c3a6dd71d43c> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.consumerwatch.com/medical/defibrillators | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783408840.13/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155008-00119-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.915742 | 1,087 | 3.375 | 3 |
Is there a simple way to understand how scientists estimated/calculated the following percentages?
The total energy density of the universe can be inferred from the geometry of space-time, which in turn can be inferred from the observed size of microwave background fluctuations.
The amount of normal matter can be extrapolated from direct observation, the amount of dark matter indirectly via gravitation, the rest is dark energy.
See this site from NASA for a basic introduction.
I am afraid it is not simple. The normal matter would be the visible matter i.e. something directly observable. As for the Dark Matter, various observations point to its existence. One of them being the galaxy rotation curves. This is when the stars rotating in the galaxy are moving a lot faster than they would if there were only the visible galaxy matter creating the gravitational pull. You can also study galaxy clusters which will give you an idea of how much Dark Matter there is. Dark Energy is even more complicated. The evidence for that stems for observation which show the Universe to be expanding. Based on the expansion rate one can deduce how and how much of this Dark Energy is around to cause such an accelerated expansion.
From studying the motions of clusters of Galaxies, you can calculate its motion and therefore estimate its mass.
Then study clusters of clusters of Galaxies and you can estimate the total mass and the rate of expansion.
After that it is simple psychology:
Normal (visible) Matter 4%, Dark (invisible) Matter 75%, Dark (expansion) Energy 21%
Give something a name and number and people will believe anything. | <urn:uuid:764f54ef-934e-4a35-b888-f8c265278145> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/18027/how-scientists-estimated-that-our-universe-is-4-normal-matter-21-dark-matter | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783393442.26/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154953-00033-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.922146 | 326 | 3.4375 | 3 |
At the field school, the students are trained to teach others about wildlife and their conservation. They practice and learn how to present a PowerPoint and create educational tri-folds like the one in this photo. Through these exercises they gain confidence and valuable leadership skills. After field school, youth…
- give educational presentations at their sportsmen’s clubs, school classrooms to other youth,
- share their educational tri-folds at local locations like libraries and businesses, and
- create new educational tools such as their own county plant collections. | <urn:uuid:8547d4a4-ea48-4ef4-b7bc-bf6702f372e9> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://piceweb.org/hello-world/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395039.24/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00105-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976431 | 110 | 3.234375 | 3 |
“That is sooooo ironic.” This sentence is used frequently — and usually incorrectly — in American English.
Often the word “ironic” is misused to remark on a coincidence, such as “This is the third time today we’ve run into each other. How ironic.”
It is also mistakenly used to describe something out of the ordinary or unusual: “Yesterday was a beautiful, warm day in November. It was really ironic.” And, unfortunately, it is sometimes used to simply emphasize something interesting. For example, “Ironically, it was the best movie I’ve seen all year!” We submit that ironic might be the most abused word in the English language.
Even Alanis Morissette was called out for being too loose with the word in her 1995 hit “Ironic.” The critics were so sharp that Morissette was forced to explain that she wasn’t trying to make every lyric in the song “technically ironic.”
So, what does the word really mean? And how do you make a proper ironic statement? An ironic remark conveys a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning. So, in an ironic statement one thing is said, while another thing is meant. For example, if you were trying to be ironic on a stormy, dreary day, you might say: “What glorious weather!” Or if you were suffering from a bad cold, you might ironically say: “I feel like a million bucks.” These are both examples of verbal irony, the most common occurrence of the figure of speech.
Irony is often confused with sarcasm. While the two are similar, in sarcasm there is a stronger intent to ridicule or mock, often harshly or crudely. Dramatic irony is inherent in speeches or a situation of a drama and is understood by the audience but not grasped by the characters in the play. Situational irony is an outcome that turns out to be very different from what was expected. This third type is the most prone to ambiguity and personal interpretation, setting up the potential for misunderstanding, and misuse.
Do you agree with our assessment, or do you feel we need to let language evolve no matter how far usage drifts from a precise meaning? What other words or phrases receive such treatment? Let us know, below. | <urn:uuid:7473a680-887c-4b8d-ad36-c98480ddb50f> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://blog.dictionary.com/ironic/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395613.65/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00160-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97489 | 496 | 3.21875 | 3 |
It will be surprising news for any woman whose partner has come down with the dreaded Man Flu.
But researchers have discovered that men can tolerate more pain than women and are less likely to react to it because they want to appear macho.
Gender stereotypes mean men tend to act stoically when they are hurt whereas women show more sensitivity, according to a study by Leeds Metropolitan University.
Pain scientist Dr Osama Tashani, who recruited 200 British and Libyan volunteers to inflict pain on, said: "Traditionally, high levels of stoicism are associated with men and high levels of sensitivity are associated with women.
"Some ethnic groups are described as more stoic, while others are viewed as more free in expressing their pain behaviour.
"We did not detect differences in pain unpleasantness."
Dr Tashani said men had higher pain thresholds and reported less pain intensity than women irrespective of nationality.
British volunteers could not endure as much pain as Libyan participants but were more willing to report it.
However, reactions based on gender stereotypes were more pronounced in Libya than the UK, suggesting gender and culture both play a part in how people cope with discomfort.
Those who took part in the study were jabbed in the hand with a 1cm-wide blunt tip and had their blood supply to a raised hand restricted.
Scientists monitored sensitivity and endurance and willingness to report pain.
The two-year study, which researchers claim is the first of its kind, has been published in the European Journal of Pain.Reuse content | <urn:uuid:89f9ff0d-bf53-4af1-828e-31f04a83b60b> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.standard.co.uk/news/health/why-man-flu-must-be-real-men-less-likely-to-react-to-pain-so-they-look-macho-8268803.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783399385.17/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154959-00124-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.981008 | 310 | 2.59375 | 3 |
The Maya built pyramids. The Inca constructed Machu Picchu. But what do you know about the historical exploits of the Maléku, the Cabécar or the Bribri?
Chances are, not a whole heck of a lot. All three are indigenous peoples native to Costa Rica, part of a larger cultural and linguistic group that archaeologists call Chibchan. Their ancestors were the earliest inhabitants of Costa Rica, but the general public (even within that country) knows very little about them.
Despite a scarcity of giant tourist-attracting monuments, ancient Costa Rica was a pretty hopping place—a nexus of trade where the cultures of Mexico and Central America met those of northern South America, and elements of both were incorporated into the unique and diverse Chibchan culture. Gold ornaments, jade carvings and pottery are literally just below the surface, uncovered by modern construction—or even just poking around in the backyard. So why the low profile? Blame the combined forces of local climate, indigenous tragedy and looting as national pastime.
EDIT: I've added a bunch more photos of Chibchan art.
"Tourists can visit the Gold Museum and the Jade Museum in San Jose. But they're meaningless scientifically, like a bank vault or a jewelry store. Every item in them comes from looting," said Michael Snarskis, Ph.D. "Only the National Museum has an active research program with didactic exhibitions based on its own scientific excavations."
Thanks to Henry "Indiana" Jones, Ph.D., you're probably well-acquainted with the war cry, "It belongs in a museum!" But the real slogan of archaeology goes deeper. More like, "It belongs in a museum, after having first been carefully excavated and cataloged, so we know where it was found, in what layer of earth and with what other objects." It's an important distinction (and one the good Dr. Jones usually missed). Without that information, there's no context. Without context, all you've got is a pretty gold figurine that can only tell you a limited amount about the people who made it.
Most of the art and artifacts uncovered in Costa Rica during the 20th century lack context, coming either directly from for-profit looters, or from pre-scientific archaeologists who did their work in the grab-and-go method of Indiana Jones. Snarskis was among the first of a core of pioneers who brought scientific archaeology to the region beginning in the 1950s. He helped turn Costa Rica's National Museum into a showcase for scientific archaeology, rather than just pretty objects, and contributed to the training of the first generation of Costa Rican archaeologists to work in their own country's National Museum. All of which is somewhat ironic, he said, considering the way he got involved in archaeology.
"I knew zip about archaeology when I joined the Peace Corps in Costa Rica. I was a Spanish Literature major, and when I arrived I saw all these looters coming in with amazing stuff and I started collecting it, and I thought that was archaeology. I shipped that collection back home after the Peace Corps and when I applied to the archaeology Ph.D. program at Columbia, I even mentioned, among my qualifications, that I had this rather interesting collection of Costa Rican artifacts. Which is, you know, unprofessional, and just with that, they could have axed me. I still don't know how they accepted me," he said.
It only took a couple weeks in the program for Snarskis' thinking to switch gears. He eventually returned the entire collection to Costa Rica.
"I remember thinking, 'My God, what have I done?'", he said.
Costa Rica certainly isn't the only Central American country with a history of looting ancient artifacts, but Snarskis said the damage done there has been more thorough, largely because there were so few people who saw the artifacts as more than potential profit. In Guatemala, for instance, the descendants of the ancient Maya remained relatively numerous and, in many places, were even able to keep their cultural identity intact. They saw Mayan artifacts as a part of their history, and their presence helped other people see the pieces as important, too—a part of the national identity, even for those who had no cultural or genetic connection to the Maya.
This ceremonial metate—basically a fancy, special-occasion version of the grinding stones used for everyday cooking—is carved from a single piece of stone.
The indigenous peoples of Costa Rica, on the other hand, were almost completely wiped out by disease within 100 years of Christopher Columbus setting foot on their shores in 1502. Their descendants have struggled to keep even their tribes alive, let alone their culture. Their small numbers made them easy to ignore. Only in the second half of the 20th century did average Costa Ricans really start valuing their country's archaeology, Snarskis said.
Another factor was the lack of big architecture. Early archaeologists were drawn to places where they could uncover the ruins of massive pyramids—not to places where they would spend weeks digging in the dirt for a carved jade pendant. So Costa Rica never developed a storied, international reputation as a cool place to learn about ancient history.
Finally, Costa Rica itself played a role in diminishing local archaeology. The ancient Chibchan people did build some impressive architecture, but they built it mostly out of wood, adobe and cane. The acidic soil, and the tropical climate which cycles yearly between wet and dry seasons, destroyed all that, leaving only the stone foundations. Most human remains are also eaten by the tropics.
But what has been found, and found scientifically, has shown that Costa Rica was hardly some ancient, backwater version of flyover country. In fact, it was one of the most artistically diverse regions in the Americas. Put it this way: Usually, you'll have an area the size of Indiana, where any given period of time has one predominant style of pottery associated with it. In Costa Rica—a country roughly the size of Maryland—you might have three or four different styles.
Tomorrow, you'll get a closer look at the Chibchan world, as Snarskis and I travel to Guayabo, a sophisticated ancient city in the Costa Rican rainforest.
Michael Snarskis offers guided tours of Costa Rica's National Museum, Jade Museum, Gold Museum and the ancient city of Guayabo. If you'll be visiting Costa Rica and you're interested in archaeology, you can contact him by email or by phone at 011-506-2235-8824.
All other images, courtesy Michael Snarskis. | <urn:uuid:7cf30549-154c-4ffd-9b8a-ac7709705590> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://boingboing.net/2010/01/11/ancient-costa-rica-p.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397744.64/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00121-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967946 | 1,391 | 3.1875 | 3 |
There are two ideas for how the Interstellar Probe might get to 250 AU quickly enough to make the mission worth while. These are:
In the view discussed in the Introduction, solar wind flows outward to the termination shock, surrounded at somewhat greater distance by the heliopause. The bubble of solar wind shields the inner heliosphere from the plasma, energetic particles, dust, and fields of the interstellar medium; to observe these directly it will be necessary to get outside the heliopause. Several recent estimates place the distance to the termination shock at ~80 to 90 AU, with the heliopause at ~120 to 150 AU.
The Interstellar Probe Mission would be designed to cross the solar wind termination shock and heliopause and make a significant penetration into nearby interstellar space in the direction the heliosphere is moving through the local interstellar medium (LISM). The principal scientific objectives of the mission would be to (1) Explore the nature of the interstellar medium and its implications for the origin and evolution of matter in our Galaxy and the Universe; (2) Explore the influence of the interstellar medium on the solar system, its dynamics, and its evolution; (3) Explore the impact of the solar system on the interstellar medium as an example of the interaction of a stellar system with its environment, and (4) Explore the outer solar system in search of clues to its origin, and to the nature of other planetary systems. I comprehensive set of observing objectives has been prepared which meets these general scientific objective.
To achieve these broad, interdisciplinary objectives, the strawman scientific payload includes an advanced set of miniaturized, low-power instruments specifically designed to make comprehensive, in situ studies of the plasma, energetic particles, fields, and dust in the outer heliosphere and nearby interstellar medium. Included would be studies of solar wind, neutral species, and pickup ions in the interplanetary medium, in situ studies of particle acceleration at the termination shock, which is a model for other astrophysical shocks, studies of the penetration of interstellar gas and dust into the heliosphere, and exploration of the hydrogen wall apparently responsible for low frequency radio emissions. Infrared and in situ studies of the zodiacal dust cloud would have important implications for the evolution of the solar system, for studies of planets around other stars, and for studies of the cosmic infrared background radiation. The large-scale structure and dynamics of the heliosphere would be studied in situ and with energetic-neutral-particle imaging. The interaction of our heliosphere with the interstellar medium is a model for similar interactions occurring around other stellar systems.
Once beyond the heliopause Interstellar Probe would make direct measurements of properties of interstellar gas, dust, and the interstellar magnetic field, and of low-energy cosmic rays unaffected by the processes of “solar modulation” that shield the inner heliosphere. Direct measurements would be made of the composition of interstellar dust, and of the elemental and isotopic composition of the ionized and neutral components of the interstellar gas and low-energy particle components, including key isotopes such as 2H, 3He, 13C, and heavier species. The possibility of identifying organic matter in the outer solar system and interstellar medium is under investigation.
To accomplish its objectives Interstellar Probe should acquire data out to a distance of at least 200 AU, with a goal of continuing on to ~400 AU. Spacecraft velocities of ~10 to 20 AU/year (3 to 6 times that of Voyager 1) can be achieved if solar sail propulsion is developed, with potential benefits for many other missions. Interstellar Probe can serve as the first step in a more ambitious program to explore the outer solar system and interstellar space. | <urn:uuid:85819976-f56f-43ef-81d2-8debeacf6d9c> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://solarscience.msfc.nasa.gov/people/suess/Interstellar_Probe/ISP-MissionTech.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396027.60/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00106-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.895966 | 749 | 3.21875 | 3 |
According to news reports, the fire situation in New South Wales and Victoria, Australia, is grave. Hot temperatures and winds gusting up to 70 kilometers (43 miles) per hour have kept bushfires burning out of control in southeastern New South Wales and northeastern Victoria. The fire situation may be the worst the area has experienced in more than 50 years, and in Victoria, government officials are making plans to call up the army for firefighting assistance. Smoke continues to pour from the blazes and to create a health hazard.
This true-color Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image from January 17, 2003, shows the fires in southeastern Australia marked with red dots. Smoke is drifting south east. On the western side of the fires, what look like long straight lines of smoke (see high-resolution image) may be contrails from reconnaissance aircraft or water tankers.
Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC
- Terra - MODIS | <urn:uuid:80456690-fe58-43bc-ae44-8419a6fcd45e> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=10751 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395679.18/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00180-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.892724 | 203 | 3.515625 | 4 |
International Grammar School
Bombay spectrum represents the Hindu festival Holi, which is the celebration of colour. The cones of coloured rice signify the necessity of cultural experience, colour and taste. Yet they furthermore point towards the direction; the aim in which humanity must reach… transcendence. By placing the cones in different contexts, the message of the aim can be seen in the environment of everyday life. By living in India during years of my childhood I was surrounded by the richness of culture, the colour, the taste and spirituality. Bombay spectrum evolved and developed through the original ideas and concepts of Indian culture. Ultimately highlighting colour, expressed through natural materials, such as rice which is a fundamental universal staple.
By combining the formal qualities of art and utilising non-traditional materials artists make artworks about societies and cultures. Consider how Nicola Wells and Dieter Roth express ideas through their use of materials. List other senses apart from sight that these works may stimulate. Suggest how the use of non-traditional art materials changes the way artists make work. Analyse the way Wells, Roth and Roy de Maistre utilise rhythm and colour in their work to strengthen their intentions. | <urn:uuid:ac184fb0-a31e-4b0a-911e-12b3e0757ef4> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/insideartexpress/2007/nicola_wells/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783403826.29/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155003-00015-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9178 | 235 | 3.34375 | 3 |
'Bloody Sunday' remembered in Selma
SELMA, Ala. Thousands of marchers marked the 46th anniversary of the "Bloody Sunday" voting rights confrontation in Selma.
Activists did a ceremonial crossing of the Edmund Pettus Bridge where, on March 7, 1965, Alabama state troopers assaulted 600 peaceful demonstrators with clubs, tear gas and horses.
"Bloody Sunday," as it became known, led to passage of the Voting Rights Act and the date has been commemorated in one form or another each year since.
Gov. Robert Bentley helped kick off Sunday's busy schedule at a unity breakfast at Wallace Community College, where Alabama's top Republican was warmly greeted by state Sen. Hank Sanders of Selma, one of the state's top Democrats.
"(Bentley) has a good heart (and) is concerned about those who have been left out," said Sanders, who noted that he has seen several blacks appointed to important positions in the new governor's administration.
Such was not the case in the administration of Bob Riley, Bentley's Republican predecessor, Sanders said.
Bentley said his decision to name Hugh McCall the state's first black full-time director of the state Department of Public Safety had nothing to do with trying to look good with Alabama's black population.
"He was chosen by me not because of his color, but because of his outstanding leadership," Bentley said, to applause from hundreds gathered.
During his comments, Bentley said he told Sanders prior to last year's gubernatorial election that he had "less than a 25% chance" of succeeding Riley "but I told (Sanders) that if I did win, 'I want to work with you.'"
As the breakfast was wrapping up, Selma's biggest black churches were preparing to welcome prominent speakers at Sunday morning services.
Brown Chapel AME Church, Selma's most famous black house of worship, attracted several of the country's most important politicians.
U.S. Rep. James Clyburn, a black Democrat from South Carolina and his party's No. 3 in the House, delivered the sermon at Brown Chapel, but his introduction may have been more important than his comments.
It came from U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Birmingham, who grew up in Selma and became the first black woman elected to Congress in Alabama history.
What made it even sweeter for Sewell was the fact that she also grew up at Brown Chapel where her mother, Nancy, beamed in a pew not far away.
Well aware of the history she has made and the congressional company she now keeps, Sewell flashed a big smile and said: "Now I get to call them colleagues. God Bless America."
A large delegation of national leaders attended ceremonies over the weekend including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer of Maryland.
In years past, Democrats had a field day castigating Republican presidents, especially George W. Bush who became a favorite verbal target at Brown Chapel services.
Sunday's services were, for the most part, more religious than secular, and political rhetoric seemed toned down.
John Zippert, a Greene County newspaper publisher and an official with a Southern farming cooperative, said concern today is centered more on unemployment, wages and health care, but that should change soon.
"Now that the stimulus program is over, budget cuts will hit hard, especially in poorer counties," Zippert said. "Food stamps are still there, but if the Medicaid budget is cut they will put black and white people out of the nursing homes. It doesn't make sense."
Alabama Democratic Conference director Joe Reed indicated that excitement generated by recent Jubilee speakers is a thing of the past — at least for now.
"Back in '07 we had (Barack) Obama and (Hillary) Clinton both here at the same time," Reed said. "I'm sure things will pick up when the next presidential election rolls around." | <urn:uuid:8db0e1e5-e0fc-4175-9575-b9cb0294da4a> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2011-03-07-bloody-sunday_N.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397842.93/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00017-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975592 | 822 | 2.515625 | 3 |
Mysterious stomach bug reaches Minnesota
- Blog Post by: Colleen Stoxen
- July 25, 2013 - 3:13 PM
At least 285 people in 11 states have been sickened by a parasitic infection commonly linked to fresh produce, but the exact cause of the outbreak has yet to be pinpointed, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday.
Most of the cyclospora infections have been clustered in the Midwest, with 138 cases reported in Iowa and 70 in neighboring Nebraska. The remainder are in Texas, Georgia, Wisconsin, Connecticut, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, New Jersey and Ohio.
The cause of the illness has not yet been identified, but the parasite is most commonly found in fresh produce, including fruits, vegetables and herbs, grown in tropical and subtropical regions, according to Dr. Barbara Herwaldt, a medical epidemiologist at the CDC.
"Because no food item has been implicated to date, we're not yet sure the cases in the various states are related," she said. "Though it's quite likely that the cases in the Midwest might be."
At least 18 people in three states have required hospitalization from the cyclospora parasite, which causes an intestinal infection called cyclosporiasis.
Cyclosporiasis is caused by ingesting food or water containing a one-celled parasite that is too small to be detected without a microscope. Symptoms include watery diarrhea, vomiting and body aches.
The symptoms usually hit within several days of eating contaminated food. If not treated, the illness may last from a few days to a month or longer, and patients have been known to relapse, the CDC said.
The first cases were reported in Iowa in late June, with the majority of the illnesses logged in early July.
Read more from Reuters.
© 2016 Star Tribune | <urn:uuid:0f248627-51ca-49a2-a72a-6eec39514654> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.startribune.com/printarticle/?id=216969081 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396945.81/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00114-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960457 | 380 | 2.6875 | 3 |
In early October, 265 Syrian Kurds crossed the border into Turkey, fleeing the latest wave of attacks by the ‘Islamic State’ (ISIS) on Kobane, a city on Turkey’s southern border. They were promptly detained by the Turkish military, conveniently stationed not to provide aid to Syrian Kurdish fighters in the YPG (People’s Defence Units) but to facilitate its own brand of oppression. The refugees, suspected of belonging to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is still listed as a proscribed organisation in Turkey, the UK, the EU and the US, were funnelled into a basketball arena, where they were unlawfully detained, in many cases for weeks, threatened and physically maltreated.
Days after the arrests, in the midst of massive protests against Turkey’s refusal to support the defence of Kobane and having taken no direct military action against ISIS since the Turkish parliament approved its participation in the US-led bombing campaign, the Turkish military ordered fighter jets to bomb PKK positions inside Turkey. The parliamentary motion that gave the government its mandate made no mention of ISIS and yet the PKK, whose success in holding back ISIS in Iraq and Syria is well documented, was explicitly named. Peace negotiations between Turkey and the PKK, which began in 2013, hang in the balance.
The PKK has been officially designated as a ‘terrorist’ organisation since 2000. Founded by Abdullah Öcalan, among others, in 1978, it has been engaged in armed conflict since 1984. During Turkey’s ‘dirty war’ in the 1990s, when thousands of Kurdish villages were razed and extra-judicial killings, torture and forced disappearances were common tools in the state’s own repertoire of terror, the PKK’s armed struggle became the frontline defence for the Kurdish people and a vehicle for the expression of Kurdish identity and aspirations for self-determination.
With the terror label, however, has come a raft of domestic anti-terrorism measures that emulate the ramped-up police powers that prop up the west’s so-called ‘war on terror’. Since 2009, more than 8,000 people have been convicted in what has been called ‘the KCK trials’, named after the Kurdish Communities Union (KCK), which the government claims is affiliated to the PKK. Journalists, trade unionists, activists, students, and elected officials have been subjected to mass show trials, accused of belonging to or providing support to the PKK. The government’s own statistics reveal the extent of the measures, with nearly 40,000 people prosecuted for membership of an illegal organisation. As a consequence, Turkey has the largest number of prisoners convicted of ‘terrorism’ anywhere in the world.
The EU and UK, with large and politically vocal Kurdish communities, have been happy to participate in the criminalisation of what should be legitimate political activity. Kurdish-language broadcasters deemed sympathetic to the Kurdish struggle are repeatedly shut down. Kurdish community centres, such as the Halkevi in Dalston, London, have been raided by intelligence services and computers and equipment seized. In 2013, three Kurdish women activists were assassinated in broad daylight in central Paris; in January 2014, three coachloads of Kurds on their way to the anniversary demonstration against this killing were held at Dover under the Terrorism Act. Even at the latest demonstrations for Kobane, protesters across the UK have been told by police they are prohibited from carrying flags with Öcalan’s image.
As a movement for self-determination that grew out of the divisive consequences of colonial map-making and decades of denial of Kurdish cultural heritage, language and identity, the PKK cannot simply be cast as a ‘terrorist organisation’, equivalent to ISIS, as President Erdoğan has clumsily attempted. Turkey’s (and its allies’) double game in Syria — facilitating and colluding with the Islamist Jabhat al-Nusra and ISIS in an effort to destabilise both the Assad government and the new democratic autonomous self-administration of Rojava (Western Kurdistan, Syria) — has exposed its hypocrisy. Instead, the PKK and its offshoots in Syria are demonstrating what liberatory praxis looks like in a place where violence and oppression are endemic.
Now, no longer able to conflate armed conflict with terrorism, calls to remove the PKK from the list of banned organisations are coming from diverse voices, from the German parliament to American political analysts. In the UK, an international appeal by the Peace in Kurdistan Campaign and the Campaign Against Criminalising Communities has been gaining momentum. It follows earlier calls for delisting by human rights lawyers in Europe and conflict resolution experts. A political resolution to the conflicts in Turkey and Syria will likely be impossible while the PKK remains proscribed, and lifting the ban is a political decision, not a legal one, that could be easily taken if the will was there. | <urn:uuid:22dff650-4dcb-452b-a18a-b5e79565db0e> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.redpepper.org.uk/delist-the-pkk/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783393332.57/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154953-00089-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969156 | 999 | 2.671875 | 3 |
Israel has used a complex legal and bureaucratic mechanism to take control of more than fifty percent of the land in the West Bank. This land was used mainly to establish settlements and to create reserves of land for the future expansion of the settlements.
The principal tool used to take control of land is to declare it "state land." This process began in 1979 and is based on a manipulative implementation of the Ottoman Lands Law of 1858, which applied in the area at the time of occupation. Other methods employed by Israel to take control of land include seizure for military needs, declaration of land as "abandoned assets," and the expropriation of land for public needs. Each of these is based on a different legal foundation. In addition, Israel has assisted private citizens purchasing land on the "free market."
The process employed in taking control of land breaches the basic principles of due procedure and natural justice. In many cases, Palestinian residents were unaware that their land was registered in the name of the state, and by the time they discovered this fact, it was too late to appeal. The burden of proof always rests with the Palestinian claiming ownership of the land. Even if he meets this burden, the land may still be registered in the name of the state on the grounds that it was transferred to the settlement "in good faith."
Despite the diverse methods used to take control of land, all the parties involved - the Israeli government, the settlers, and the Palestinians - have always perceived these methods as part of a mechanism intended to serve a single purpose: the establishment of civilian settlements in the territories. Accordingly, the precise method used to transfer the control of land from Palestinians to Israel is of secondary importance. Moreover, since this purpose is prohibited under international law, the methods used to secure it are also unlawful.
Israel uses the seized lands to benefit the settlements while prohibiting the Palestinian public from using them in any way. This use is forbidden and illegal in itself, even if the process by which the lands were taken was fair and in accordance with international and Jordanian law. As the occupier in the Occupied Territories, Israel is not permitted to ignore the needs of an entire population and to use land intended for public needs solely to benefit the settlers.
The High Court of Justice has generally sanctioned the mechanism used to take control of land. In so doing, the Court has contributed to imbuing these procedures with a mask of legality. The Court initially accepted the state's argument that the settlements met urgent military needs and allowed the state to seize private land for this purpose. When the state began to declare land "state land," the Court refused to intervene to prevent this process. | <urn:uuid:1fa915ae-f798-46e3-abc2-a29a59e66ce7> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.btselem.org/settlements/land_takeover | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783398209.20/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154958-00161-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968161 | 535 | 3.015625 | 3 |
by Staff Writers
Liege, Belgium (SPX) Nov 24, 2014
Quasars are galaxies with very active supermassive black holes at their centres. These black holes are surrounded by spinning discs of extremely hot material that is often spewed out in long jets along their axes of rotation. Quasars can shine more brightly than all the stars in the rest of their host galaxies put together.
A team led by Damien Hutsemekers from the University of Liege in Belgium used the FORS instrument on the VLT to study 93 quasars that were known to form huge groupings spread over billions of light-years, seen at a time when the Universe was about one third of its current age.
"The first odd thing we noticed was that some of the quasars' rotation axes were aligned with each other -- despite the fact that these quasars are separated by billions of light-years," said Hutsemekers.
The team then went further and looked to see if the rotation axes were linked, not just to each other, but also to the structure of the Universe on large scales at that time.
When astronomers look at the distribution of galaxies on scales of billions of light-years they find that they are not evenly distributed. They form a cosmic web of filaments and clumps around huge voids where galaxies are scarce. This intriguing and beautiful arrangement of material is known as large-scale structure.
The new VLT results indicate that the rotation axes of the quasars tend to be parallel to the large-scale structures in which they find themselves. So, if the quasars are in a long filament then the spins of the central black holes will point along the filament. The researchers estimate that the probability that these alignments are simply the result of chance is less than 1%.
"A correlation between the orientation of quasars and the structurethey belong to is an important prediction of numerical models of evolution of our Universe. Our data provide the first observational confirmation of this effect, on scales much larger that what had been observed to date for normal galaxies," adds Dominique Sluse of the Argelander-Institut fur Astronomie in Bonn, Germany and University of Liege.
The team could not see the rotation axes or the jets of the quasars directly. Instead they measured the polarisation of the light from each quasar and, for 19 of them, found a significantly polarised signal. The direction of this polarisation, combined with other information, could be used to deduce the angle of the accretion disc and hence the direction of the spin axis of the quasar.
"The alignments in the new data, on scales even bigger than current predictions from simulations, may be a hint that there is a missing ingredient in our current models of the cosmos," concludes Dominique Sluse.
University of Liege
Understanding Time and Space
|The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service.| | <urn:uuid:733f4aa0-045e-400f-b870-84e150e41d96> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Spooky_alignment_of_quasars_across_billions_of_light_years_999.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783392099.27/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154952-00069-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934101 | 820 | 3.265625 | 3 |
Shep"herd (?), n. [OE. schepherde, schephirde, AS. scéaphyrde; scéap sheep + hyrde, hirde, heorde, a herd, a guardian. See Sheep, and Herd.]
A man employed in tending, feeding, and guarding sheep, esp. a flock grazing at large.
The pastor of a church; one with the religious guidance of others.
Shepherd bird Zool., the crested screamer. See Screamer. -- Shepherd dog Zool., a breed of dogs used largely for the herding and care of sheep. There are several kinds, as the collie, or Scotch shepherd dog, and the English shepherd dog. Called also shepherd's dog. -- Shepherd dog, a name of Pan. Keats. -- Shepherd kings, the chiefs of a nomadic people who invaded Egypt from the East in the traditional period, and conquered it, at least in part. They were expelled after about five hundred years, and attempts have been made to connect their expulsion with narrative in the book of Exodus. -- Shepherd's club Bot., the common mullein. See Mullein. -- Shepherd's crook, a long staff having the end curved so as to form a large hook, -- used by shepherds. -- Shepherd's needle Bot., the lady's comb. -- Shepherd's plaid, a kind of woolen cloth of a checkered black and white pattern. -- Shephered spider Zool., a daddy longlegs, or harvestman. -- Shepherd's pouch, or Shepherd's purse Bot., an annual cruciferous plant (Capsella Bursapastoris) bearing small white flowers and pouchlike pods. See Illust. of Silicle. -- Shepherd's rod, ∨ Shepherd's staff Bot., the small teasel.
© Webster 1913.
Shep"herd, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Shepherded; p. pr. & vb. n. Shepherding.]
To tend as a shepherd; to guard, herd, lead, or drive, as a shepherd.
White, fleecy clouds . . .
Shepherded by the slow, unwilling wind.
© Webster 1913. | <urn:uuid:7ef8f35e-f659-4fd5-8ada-d186f0910a2a> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://everything2.com/title/shepherd%2592s+plaid | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395620.56/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00099-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.876603 | 471 | 2.609375 | 3 |
How can we help our children learn to deal with prejudice?
Sadly, over four decades after the civil rights movement of the 1960s, our children are growing up in a society in which prejudice and bigotry are still commonplace. Although laws have been implemented and many attitudes have changed, bigotry based on racial, ethnic, and religious grounds remains too much a part of the daily lives of children and families.
Our children are growing up in a time when the racial and ethnic composition of our country is rapidly changing. In some areas of the nation, groups of people previously characterized as racial or ethnic minorities make up the majority of the population.
Children are also being exposed to different cultures through the media. They are learning and forming opinions about people and events all over the country and the world. As a result, there is more of a need and opportunity to help children learn to understand and value diversity.
Children's encounters with prejudice are not confined to ethnic and racial stereotypes and bias. Every day, children are exposed to the way some individuals are valued more or less because of their gender or age. Young children may or may not be aware of the preferential treatment boys tend to receive from their teachers over girls. But they are very much aware that their feelings, opinions and beliefs receive less consideration because of their youth. As children approach adolescence, they also become increasingly aware of the more subtle prejudices and intolerances tied to differences in social class and religion.
The Impact of Prejudice On Children
Children can suffer from a climate of prejudice. Prejudice creates social and emotional tension and can lead to fear and anxiety and occasionally hostility and violence. Prejudice and discrimination can undermine the self-esteem and self-confidence of those being ridiculed and make them feel terrible, unaccepted and unworthy. When that happens, their school performance often suffers, they may become depressed and socially withdrawn and childhood can become a much less happy time.
It is critical that you help your child deal with diversity in a positive way. Prejudice is learned at a very young age from parents, other children and people and institutions outside of the family. By about 4 years of age, children are aware of differences among people, primarily in characteristics like appearance, language and names, but later they are aware of religious and cultural distinctions as well. To some extent, children begin to define and identify themselves through their understanding of these personal differences. This is normal.
As youngsters try to make sense of these individual distinctions, they may hear and accept simplified stereotypes about others. When that happens, they not only develop distorted views of the youngsters and adults they encounter in daily life, but they may start to deny and overlook the common, universal human elements and traits that would bring people together. As a result, intolerance may develop where there should be friendship.
How Schools Can Diffuse Prejudice
Schools should be a place where your child learns more than academic skills. They should also promote understanding and cooperation among people, not prejudice.
Here are some questions to ask school teachers and administrators about your child's educational environment:
- Do learning and problem-solving tasks emphasize cooperation and team play, while minimizing excessive competition? Children should not be placed in situations where differences in gender, race, ethnicity, economic status, and academic ability are stressed, or are even allowed to be expressed in a negative, divisive way. Rather, whether the academic skill being taught is math or spelling, or the activity is drama or sports, part of each child's grade should be dependent on the achievement of the entire group. Team spirit can conquer feelings of difference and separateness that children experience among themselves.
- Does the school have a curriculum that covers the different races, religions and cultures of present-day America? Is your youngster continuously exposed to the achievements and contributions of all Americans and cultures?
- Does the school take advantage of ethnic holidays - Chinese New Year, Cinco de Mayo, Kwanzaa, etc. - for children to actively learn customs and traditions with which they may not be familiar?
- Do teachers have open discussions in class about discrimination and negative feelings toward others? If an incident involving prejudice has occurred at school or in the community, is it used as a springboard to discuss these issues in a sensitive, nonpunitive, nonstigmatizing way that emphasizes the common human qualities of people? | <urn:uuid:5469ee16-2cfc-46f8-96b6-f5c443e28966> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | https://www.healthychildren.org/Spanish/family-life/family-dynamics/Paginas/Children-and-Prejudice.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395560.69/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00084-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964546 | 886 | 3.890625 | 4 |
Berlin’s tour guides often joke about a certain obsession of British and American visitors. Whether in town on an art history tour or for a gynaecological conference, almost every Anglophone eventually asks about the Second World War. Where was Hitler’s bunker? What happened to the flak towers? Can an air raid shelter be visited? ‘Why o why can’t Brits and Americans just leave the past behind?’ wail local guides.
Beyond the stereotypes, and the tourist industry’s implicit exploitation of the darkness in the city’s past, there is an important point to be understood. Berlin is an exemplar. No where else in Europe – and perhaps in the world – is the story of man’s ability to create, destroy and rebuild better experienced. And Germany is open and dynamic today as a direct consequence of reflecting upon and taking responsibility for its history.
This month a sober reminder of that vital, edifying process is published in Berlin. In the 1930s Hein Gorny was a respected and successful commercial photographer. His joyful image of a woman throwing her child into the air, and poised to catch it, was used in a major advertising campaign for the German National Railway. But when the Reichsbahn discovered that the woman in the photo was a Jew – as well as Gorny’s wife -- he was accused of ridiculing the railway. He was told to divorce the woman if he wished to continue as their photographer. When he refused all commissions from German companies and institutions stopped. He had to make a living by taking portraits of horses and dogs.
In 1945 Gorny -- with the help of the American military photographer Adolph Carl Byers -- managed to sneak onto a small aircraft and fly over his devastated hometown, cameras in hand. At the time the airspace over the city was tightly controlled by the Allies, and German nationals were banned from flying over Berlin. Gorny became the first German photographer to take aerial pictures of the capital just a few months after the end of the war, capturing in black and white shocking images of the shattered ruins.
For years Gorny and Byers’ photographs were considered lost, until they were discovered and published by the Berlin-based Collection Regard. Marc Barbey, a Parisian economist, collector and owner of both gallery and imprint, works to rediscover once-renowned photographers and photo artists who have since faded from memory. He considers Berlin the perfect city for his collection.
‘Both its history and its incredibly fast development are vividly present in everyday life, creating a dynamic field of tensions in which I hope to engage with fellow art and photography enthusiasts,’ he said. ‘I can’t imagine any place better than Berlin than to do just that.’
Barbey celebrated Hein Gorny’s aerial photography in the exhibition Hommage à Berlin. A book of the exhibition has just been published in German, French and English.
Why remember? As I gazed at Gorny’s sad and haunting images I recalled George Santayana words. ‘The one who does not remember history is bound to live through it again.’ | <urn:uuid:4a2ae968-0990-44e1-8899-24d59376ddc0> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://blog.goethe.de/meet-the-germans/archives/190-Why-Remember.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396106.25/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00051-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972531 | 661 | 2.59375 | 3 |
There’s a running joke in Canada about our charming sense of delicate hubris. A Toronto newspaper headline wryly proclaims: “Man Lands on Moon. Boots made in Montreal!” In other words, we’re only 30 million strong and we’re invariably mistaken for quiet Americans, and so when we do achieve something remarkable, even of a minimal variety, we like people to know.
Which is why the world needs to know that what will now be the standard life of Pope Pius XII—the definitive biography of the wartime pontiff at least for the present—has just appeared. And it was written by a Canadian academic. It’s true that Harvard University Press published the book, but Robert A. Ventresca is a professor at King’s College at Western University in...TAGGED: World War Ii
, Pope Pius XII | <urn:uuid:0ce9c6b4-71a2-4019-9308-dd3f3ef38429> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.realclearreligion.org/2013/02/01/latest_from_the_039pius_wars039_front_252346.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397748.48/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00135-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.894356 | 184 | 2.765625 | 3 |
Breast cancer is a complicated disease. But studies have shown that a vegetarian diet can help some women reduce their risk of cancer and can also increase chances of survival.
A recent study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology reinforced existing evidence that women with breast cancer can greatly reduce their risk of recurrence by eating a healthy plant-based diet rich in fruits and vegetables and making other healthy lifestyle choices.
The study, conducted by researchers with the University of California, San Diego, tracked dietary patterns and exercise habits among about 1,500 women who were diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer between 1991 and 2000. It found that the death rate for women who consumed a high-fiber diet rich in fruits and vegetables and practiced good exercise habits was 44 percent lower than the rate for women who exercised little and ate few plant-based foods.
The Women’s Healthy Eating and Living (WHEL) study showed that women previously treated for breast cancer who consume at least five fruit and vegetable servings per day and are physically active have a nearly 50 percent reduction in mortality risk.
The WHEL study included more than 3,000 pre- and postmenopausal women. Half the participants (the intervention group) were asked to have five vegetable servings, 16 ounces of vegetable juice, and three fruit servings daily, as part of a low-fat, high-fiber diet. A comparison group was asked to consume at least five fruit and vegetable servings per day.
After seven years, those women in the comparison group who followed the guideline of eating at least five fruit and vegetable servings daily and who were physically active turned out to have nearly a 50 percent lower rate of mortality, compared with women who did not meet these healthful guidelines.
A 2005 National Cancer Institute study found that breast cancer patients in the study who reduced their fat consumption lowered their risk of tumor recurrence by as much as 42 percent. High-fat foods, including beef, vegetable oils, and chicken, can boost the hormones that promote cancer cell growth. But most plant-based foods are naturally low in fat and offer people a healthy way to stay slim.
Researchers followed 2,437 postmenopausal breast cancer patients for five years after standard surgery and cancer treatments. They instructed 1,462 of the patients to continue their regular diets, while 975 patients were given intensive counseling with a dietitian to reduce their fat intake. The control group consumed an average of 51.3 grams of fat per day, which is still lower than the average American’s fat intake. The low-fat group averaged 33.3 grams per day—slightly more than in a typical vegetarian diet. After five years, 12.4 percent of the women eating their usual diet had cancer recurrences, compared with only 9.8 percent of the low-fat diet group: that’s a 24 percent reduction in recurrence. Low-fat dieters with estrogen-negative tumors experienced a 42 percent reduction in recurrence.
In 1982, the National Research Council linked eating habits—particularly high-fat, meat-heavy diets—to cancer of the breast and other organs. The Journal of the National Cancer Institute recently reported that the rate of breast cancer among premenopausal women who ate the most animal fat was one-third higher than that of women who ate the least animal fat.
Consuming meat only increases a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer. A study of postmenopausal Danish women looked at 378 women who developed breast cancer and matched them to control subjects who did not develop breast cancer. A higher intake of meat—including poultry and fish, as well as red meat and processed meat—was associated with a significantly higher breast cancer incidence rate.
Every 25 gram increase (about one ounce) in consumption of total meat, red meat, and processed meat led to a 9, 15, and 23 percent increase in risk of breast cancer, respectively. However, the degree of risk may depend on genetics. Certain genes activate the carcinogens (heterocyclic amines) found in cooked meat. The study showed that women with genes that rapidly activate these carcinogens are at particular risk of breast cancer if they eat meat.
There are more than 2 million breast cancer survivors in the United States, but many of these women eat fewer than five servings of fruits and vegetables a day, consume too much fat, and lead sedentary lifestyles.
Simply adding healthy foods to an otherwise poor diet, rather than getting rid of the troublemakers—meat, dairy products, and fried foods—may not offer the same benefits of adopting a fully plant-based diet. But science has repeatedly shown that a plant-based diet composed of legumes, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables can help prevent cancer and cancer recurrence.
While scientists are hard at work searching for specific breast cancer-fighting compounds, the best approach is to apply what we already know: Diets that are highest in a variety of plant foods and stay away from heavy oils, meat, and dairy products help prevent many diseases. The earlier in life we start, the better.
Need help making dietary changes? Visit www.CancerProject.org for delicious vegetarian recipes, information on nutrition and cooking classes, fact sheets on nutrition and cancer, DVDs, videos, books, and a free copy of The Cancer Project’s booklet Healthy Eating for Life: Food Choices for Cancer Prevention and Survival.
By Jennifer K. Reilly, R.D.
The Cancer Project | <urn:uuid:f4adf2ad-c6b8-41f3-8fe1-b9fd6198b2e2> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.healthy.net/scr/column.aspx?ColumnId=51&Id=1116 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783394937.4/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154954-00026-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963422 | 1,115 | 3.03125 | 3 |
Pictures of the American City
This online archive of 170 photographs, selected from the National Archives and Records Administration collection, depicts the development of the American city from the early 19th century to the present. The photographs represent a wide range of urban subjects and original media; some images are photographic copies of paintings, engravings, and imprints, as well as photographs. The images are exceptional, and are grouped into six categories: Artists' Conceptions of 19th Century Cities; Skylines and Streets; City Life; Urban Transportation; The City in Turmoil; and 20th Century Art Reflecting Urban Themes. The finding aid offers a roughly 25-word caption for each item, including the photograph's title, medium, repository, artist, and date. Though the site is somewhat difficult to navigate, it is worth a visit for those interested in images depicting America's urban history. | <urn:uuid:f952c193-61be-46a5-9b72-a7e6bb19f82f> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://teachinghistory.org/history-content/website-reviews/23132 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397797.77/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00081-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.926486 | 178 | 2.859375 | 3 |
December 12, 2006 > Jewish Festival of Lights
Jewish Festival of Lights
by Linda Stone
Hanukkah, also known as the Jewish Festival of Lights, commemorates the victory of the Jews over the Hellenistic Syrians, led by Antiochus, the Greek king of Syria, in the year 165 B.C.E. and the rededication of the Jerusalem Temple. The Hebrew name Hanukkah means “dedication.”
Judah Maccabbee and his rebel forces restored the temple after its desecration by the Greek soldiers. When they prepared to consecrate the temple by lighting the menorah, a holy lamp used in temple services, they were unable to find enough oil to light the lamp. In searching for oil, they came upon one single bottle in a temple chamber. The small amount of oil that normally would be enough for one night, lasted eight nights instead. This miracle plays a significant role in Hanukkah and is observed by lighting a chanukiah or special menorah that has eight central candles and one larger candle called a shamash. Each night a smaller candle is lit by the shamash.
Traditionally, gift-giving is not part of the ceremonies, but this has grown more common amongst Jews whose children are exposed to Christmas observances. Even so, it is unusual for Jews to give gifts to anyone except their own, young children. And then, only traditional gift is “gelt,” small amounts of money. Families prepare special foods fried in oil, like latkes (fried potato pancakes) and sufganiot, which are fried jelly donuts. A game called “dreidel,” is played with a four-sided top. Each side contains a letter representing the first letter of the words spelling out, “A great miracle happened here." Special songs and prayers are also recited during the eight days. This year Hanukkah is celebrated December 16 - 23.
For information on Hanukkah services, contact Temple Beth Torah in Fremont at (510) 656-7141. | <urn:uuid:09b51d0d-70c6-44a1-b25a-268642541bca> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.tricityvoice.com/articledisplay.php?a=6592 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783403508.34/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155003-00155-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96264 | 433 | 3.1875 | 3 |
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Airborne scientists have detected a fault they didn’t know about on the northern flank of Mount Hood.
The Oregonian reports (http://bit.ly/pXnYv9 ) the scientists found it appears to be active — and dangerous. The evidence suggests that the last time the fault ruptured, a magnitude 6 or 7 earthquake resulted. A state geologist said that might have caused damage in Hood River valley towns.
The discovery comes from a team of scientists using a system that bounces laser flashes off the ground to search for hidden seismic faults.
The scientists have found dozens of shallow crustal faults, including others near Mount Hood and several in Deschutes County, Klamath County, and near the coast between Bandon and Coos Bay.
Information from: The Oregonian, http://www.oregonlive.com | <urn:uuid:5599c9de-f51e-4493-9b93-5ca7a1ee1017> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.columbian.com/news/2011/aug/30/airborne-geologists-uncover-oregons-hidden-faults/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395613.65/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00067-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940792 | 183 | 2.875 | 3 |
1713 Weston, which was previously part of Watertown, is incorporated as a separate town.
1757 Josiah Smith builds his tavern, which continues in operation until 1838.
1765-68 Abraham Hews establishes Hews Pottery on Boston Post Road.
1772 Regular passenger stagecoach travel begins between New York and Boston, bringing many travelers through Weston. The uncomfortable journey took up to a week.
1774 Weston residents join in protests against British rule. Some ransack the Golden Ball Tavern after proprietor Isaac Jones is suspected of Tory sympathies, partly because he continues to serve tea.
1845 First train station opens in Weston, on the Fitchburg line. During this pre-Civil War period, Weston remains an agricultural community with some small water-powered industries.
1889 Hook & Hastings Co., which built some of the country’s greatest church and concert hall organs, moves from Roxbury to Weston. The company is by far the largest of the town’s 19th-century mills and factories and is the town’s largest employer from 1889
until its closing in 1935.
1890-1930 Peak of the Estate Era in Weston. More than a dozen estate mansions are constructed, and their owners have a major impact on town government, schools, and private beautification efforts.
1912 The Town Green is created out of swamp land, a new “Townhouse Road” encloses the Green, and new town buildings are constructed.
1951 Route 128 opens in the Waltham-Weston area, with about 41 acres in Weston taken for the project.
1957 The Massachusetts Turnpike opens from the New York State line to the Weston tolls. The extension into Boston is completed in 1965.
SOURCES: Weston Historical Society (Taken from
“Farm Town to Suburb: the History and Architecture of Weston, Massachusetts, 1830-1980” by Pamela W. Fox, 2002). | <urn:uuid:786b91f0-505c-47fd-9228-8b9575e86b06> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/regionals/west/2013/01/17/timeline-weston-history/L7G3MXWHgngL7tmoR5dTyH/story.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783399117.38/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154959-00126-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956263 | 411 | 3.140625 | 3 |
A vegetarian diet excludes meat, poultry, fish, and foods containing these products. There are many different variations of the vegetarian diet. This article focuses on the lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet, which is based on plant foods, but also includes eggs and dairy.
There are many health benefits associated with following a vegetarian diet. In general, vegetarian diets tend to be lower in saturated fat and cholesterol, and provide higher amounts of many vitamins and minerals than traditional western diets. Moreover, a well-balanced vegetarian diet may help:
People choose to follow a vegetarian diet for many different reasons, including health benefits, concern for the environment, and concern for animal welfare.
A lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet is based on plant foods such as grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes, seeds, and nuts, in addition to dairy and eggs. To make sure that you meet all your nutrient needs on this diet, be sure to eat a variety of each of these types of foods. Nutrients that deserve extra attention to make sure they are eaten in sufficient amounts include: protein, iron , calcium , zinc , vitamin B12 , vitamin D , and omega-3 fatty acids .
This guide is based on the United States food guide, MyPlate. The latest information on the types of food included in each food category is available at http://www.choosemyplate.gov/ .
|Food Category||Key Suggestions||Key Nutrients Provided|
|Protein Rich Foods|
|Fats and Sweets|
American Dietetic Association
The Vegetarian Resource Group
Dietitians of Canada
Toronto Vegetarian Association
American Dietetic Association. Position of the American Dietetic Association: vegetarian diets. J Am D Assoc . 2009;109:1266-1282.
American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada. Position of the American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada: Vegetarian diets. J Am D Assoc . 2003;103:748-765.
Messina V, Melina V, Mangels AR. A new food guide for North American vegetarians. Can J Diet Prac Res . 2003;64:82-86.
Vegetarian choices in the protein food group. ChooseMyPlate.gov website. Available at: http://www.choosemyplate.gov/food-groups/vegetarian.html# . Updated June 10, 2011. Accessed June 21, 2011.
Vegetarian diets. ChooseMyPlate.gov website. Available at: http://www.choosemyplate.gov/tipsresources/vegetarian_diets.html . Updated June 10, 2011. Accessed June 21, 2011.
Last reviewed September 2013 by Dianne Scheinberg Rishikof MS, RD, LDN
Please be aware that this information is provided to supplement the care provided by your physician. It is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. CALL YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU THINK YOU MAY HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
Copyright © 2012 EBSCO Publishing All rights reserved.
What can we help you find?close × | <urn:uuid:116db331-e9b4-4c6a-8c7c-5ba79dadf65a> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.mbhs.org/health-library?ArticleId=199441 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396222.11/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00100-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.877499 | 693 | 2.9375 | 3 |
A report released today reveals that California ranks in the bottom half of the nation 42nd out of 50 states and the District of Columbia in the percentage of children who are read to daily by their parents.
According to "Reading Across the Nation: A Chartbook," prepared by the UCLA Center for Healthier Children, Families and Communities for the nonprofit Reach Out and Read National Center, only 44.6 percent of Californian children between birth and the age of 5 are read to every day by a parent. The national average is 47.8 percent. California brings up the rear, along with a number of Southern and Southern border states.
For children, early exposure to books including being read to aloud each day is critical for long-term academic success. Research has shown that up to one-third of American children enter kindergarten underprepared to learn, mostly because their early years leave them without the necessary language and literacy skills.
"This report proves that physicians and policymakers have work to do," said Dr. Shirley Russ, associate clinical professor of pediatrics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, who led the research team that compiled the report. "Early learning starts in the home with parents. We need to do more to ensure that parents have the information and tools they need to provide their children with a strong foundation for learning."
The report provides state-by-state information on the percentage of children whose parents read aloud to them daily. The statistics show that reading rates vary significantly by state, with Vermont posting 68 percent and Mississippi only 38 percent.
Among the findings for California:
"Many of the states reporting the lowest rates of reading also report lower reading proficiency rates among their fourth-graders," said Dr. Neal Halfon, professor of pediatrics, public health and public policy at UCLA and director of the Center for Healthier Children, Families and Communities. "We are trying to connect the dots between the investments parents make to foster early language and literacy skills and their child's eventual academic achievement. These are important connections to make if we hope to prevent poor academic achievement and school failures that have important implications for children, their long-term earning potential and for our local economy."
UCLA's Center for Healthier Children, Families and Communities understands the importance of reading aloud and has several innovative programs in place to help serve the community, especially children from low socioeconomic backgrounds and minorities.
Along with faculty from the UCLA Department of Pediatrics, the center has helped Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA to launch the Community Health and Advocacy Training Program in Pediatrics (CHAT). CHAT uniquely enhances the traditional education of young pediatricians by training pediatric residents to work with community partners at schools and clinics to emphasize the importance of school-readiness activities in the home, including reading aloud.
UCLA pediatricians and residents also partner with Reach Out and Read, a national organization that helps promote reading aloud by providing information to parents about the importance of reading to their children every day and by giving children a free, age-appropriate book at each of their 10 well-child visits between the ages of six months and 5 years. Dr. Alice Kuo, director of the CHAT program and a researcher at the Center for Healthier Children, Families and Communities, found in a recent national study that parents whose child health providers discussed reading at a well-child visit were almost twice as likely to read every day with their young child.
Reach out and Read has a strong presence in Southern California, with more and more pediatric practices joining this national effort, which has received support and endorsements from Congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle.
"I have seen firsthand the valuable contribution Reach out and Read is making in Southern California. It's an innovative program that gets results," said Rep. Henry A. Waxman, D-Calif.
"Of all child-parent activities, reading aloud provides the richest exposure to language and represents an important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success in reading," said Dr. Victor Perez, assistant professor of pediatrics at Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA. "As physicians, we are on the front line to encourage parents to read to their kids."
Recommendations for reading aloud to children include:
|Contact: Amy Albin|
University of California - Los Angeles | <urn:uuid:8ca7336f-817a-4eba-a543-a79b76d01215> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.bio-medicine.org/medicine-news-1/Report-shows-less-than-half-of-kids-in-California-are-being-read-to-daily-5266-1/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396106.25/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00154-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962073 | 870 | 2.8125 | 3 |
Definition of drawbridge
n. - A bridge of which either the whole or a part is made to be raised up, let down, or drawn or turned aside, to admit or hinder communication at pleasure, as before the gate of a town or castle, or over a navigable river or canal. 2
The word "drawbridge" uses 10 letters: A B D D E G I R R W.
No direct anagrams for drawbridge found in this word list.
Words formed by adding one letter before or after drawbridge (in bold), or to abddegirrw in any order:
s - drawbridges
All words formed from drawbridge by changing one letter
Browse words starting with drawbridge by next letter | <urn:uuid:1a4690bc-5201-48aa-a424-7018abaddca5> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.morewords.com/word/drawbridge/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397213.30/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00175-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9192 | 154 | 2.65625 | 3 |
Celestial Eyes/ Scribner III. Celestial Eyes ò from Metamorphosis to Masterpiece by Charles Scribner III 1.
Francis Cugat’s jacket for The Great Gatsby. Impressionism. The impressionist style of painting is characterized chiefly by concentration on the general impression produced by a scene or object and the use of unmixed primary colors and small strokes to simulate actual reflected light.
Impressionism, French Impressionnisme, a major movement, first in painting and later in music, that developed chiefly in France during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Impressionist painting comprises the work produced between about 1867 and 1886 by a group of artists who shared a set of related approaches and techniques.
Murals of France and Europe. Edito Welcome on THE Biggest Mural DATABASE in the world.
You can look 5000 murals around the world. Unfortunately, only this page is written in English, the rest of the website is in French. On the bright side, you don't need to speak French to look at pictures. On this website, there is nothing to sell, or to buy, however it does promote the Artists who created, and still create murals. | <urn:uuid:e84b0ba5-48d4-42a5-aa43-26ed298e6f30> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.pearltrees.com/t/leslie-alex-patrick/peinture/id4487498 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395621.98/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00079-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953059 | 256 | 2.703125 | 3 |
Revista chilena de infectología
versión impresa ISSN 0716-1018
LEDERMANN D, Walter. In homage to Lister. Rev. chil. infectol. [online]. 2008, vol.25, n.5, pp.351-356. ISSN 0716-1018. http://dx.doi.org/10.4067/S0716-10182008000500006.
Joseph Lister, who disputes with Klebs the third place as the Father of Microbiology, was just about to remain without a bacteria immortalizing his ñame. Thanks to Seeliger, now Listeria is used for identifying the genus that Pirie had already named Listerella in 1927. Through a quick review of the history of Listeria monocytogenes, we get to know the principal facts in the lives of Pirie and Seeliger, investigators with absolutely different characters. We also review a brief history of the life of the great researcher Lister, whose profound human qualities are described.
Palabras clave : Listeria; Lister; Pirie; Seeliger. | <urn:uuid:43b02bb8-7f7a-4105-846d-51185b401984> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.scielo.cl/scielo.php?script=sci_abstract&pid=S0716-10182008000500006&lng=es&nrm=iso&tlng=en | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396459.32/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00106-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.81584 | 244 | 2.734375 | 3 |
Statistics and Probability Dictionary
Select a term from the dropdown text box. The online statistics
glossary will display a definition, plus links to other
related web pages.
A statistic is a characteristic of a sample. Generally, a statistic is used
to estimate the value of a population
For instance, suppose we selected a random sample of 100 students from a school
with 1000 students. The average height of the sampled students would be an
example of a statistic. So would the average grade point average. In fact, any
measurable characteristic of the sample would be an example of a statistic. | <urn:uuid:041467ac-2bba-40e9-989e-4dfbc5d55a73> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://stattrek.com/statistics/dictionary.aspx?definition=Statistic | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783392069.78/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154952-00198-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.881841 | 126 | 3.640625 | 4 |
Library Open Repository
Youth migration and social advancement: How young people manage emerging differences between themselves and their hometown
Gabriel, M (2006) Youth migration and social advancement: How young people manage emerging differences between themselves and their hometown. Journal of Youth Studies, 9 (1). pp. 33-46.
741511257_conte...pdf | Download (142kB)
Available under University of Tasmania Standard License.
The phenomenon of youth out-migration from rural areas has attracted renewed governmental attention in the context of recent rural economic adjustment and decline across advanced industrial nations. While this trend is well documented in demographic and economic research, youth researchers have sought to extend this analysis beyond descriptive patterns of migration to an understanding of how rural-urban migration is positioned within a complex of youth transitions, as well as an understanding of the subjective experiences of youth migration. This paper contributes to this literature in its focus on young people's experiences of geographical out-migration and social advancement. Based on in-depth interviews with young people from rural Tasmania, this paper draws attention to the emerging differences between young people and their peers, their family and their community on leaving their hometown, and the strategies employed by young people to manage these spatial and cultural differences.
|Journal or Publication Title:||Journal of Youth Studies|
|Page Range:||pp. 33-46|
|Identification Number - DOI:||10.1080/13676260500523622|
|Additional Information:||Definitive version available online at http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/titles/13676261.asp|
|Date Deposited:||18 Oct 2007 00:50|
|Last Modified:||18 Nov 2014 03:23|
|Item Statistics:||View statistics for this item|
Actions (login required)
|Item Control Page| | <urn:uuid:28a7be9a-10fe-4b2d-a227-6643a17fe9a2> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://eprints.utas.edu.au/2124/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783399117.38/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154959-00116-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.891911 | 391 | 2.625 | 3 |
When NSA whistle-blower Edward Snowden first emailed Glenn Greenwald, he insisted on using email encryption software called PGP for all communications. But this month, we learned that Snowden used another technology to keep his communications out of the NSA’s prying eyes. It’s called Tails. And naturally, nobody knows exactly who created it.
Tails is a kind of computer-in-a-box. You install it on a DVD or USB drive, boot up the computer from the drive and, voila, you’re pretty close to anonymous on the internet. At its heart, Tails is a version of the Linux operating system optimized for anonymity. It comes with several privacy and encryption tools, most notably Tor, an application that anonymizes a user’s internet traffic by routing it through a network of computers run by volunteers around the world.
Snowden, Greenwald and their collaborator, documentary film maker Laura Poitras, used it because, by design, Tails doesn’t store any data locally. This makes it virtually immune to malicious software, and prevents someone from performing effective forensics on the computer after the fact. That protects both the journalists, and often more importantly, their sources.
“The installation and verification has a learning curve to make sure it is installed correctly,” Poitras told WIRED by e-mail. “But once the set up is done, I think it is very easy to use.”
An Operating System for Anonymity
Originally developed as a research project by the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Tor has been used by a wide range of people who care about online anonymity: everyone from Silk Road drug dealers, to activists, whistleblowers, stalking victims and people who simply like their online privacy.
Tails makes it much easier to use Tor and other privacy tools. Once you boot into Tails — which requires no special setup — Tor runs automatically. When you’re done using it, you can boot back into your PC’s normal operating system, and no history from your Tails session will remain.
The developers of Tails are, appropriately, anonymous. All of WIREDS’s questions were collectively — and anonymously — answered by the group’s members via email.
They’re protecting their identities, in part, to help protect the code from government interference. “The NSA has been pressuring free software projects and developers in various ways,” the group says, referring to a a conference last year at which Linux creator Linus Torvalds implied that the NSA had asked him to place a backdoor in the operating system.
But the Tails team is also trying to strike a blow against the widespread erosion of online privacy. “The masters of today’s Internet, namely the marketing giants like Google, Facebook, and Yahoo, and the spying agencies, really want our lives to be more and more transparent online, and this is only for their own benefit,” the group says. “So trying to counterbalance this tendency seems like a logical position for people developing an operating system that defends privacy and anonymity online.”
But since we don’t know who wrote Tails, how do we now it isn’t some government plot designed to snare activists or criminals? A couple of ways, actually. One of the Snowden leaks show the NSA complaining about Tails in a Power Point Slide; if it’s bad for the NSA, it’s safe to say it’s good for privacy. And all of the Tails code is open source, so it can be inspected by anyone worried about foul play. “Some of us simply believe that our work, what we do, and how we do it, should be enough to trust Tails, without the need of us using our legal names,” the group says.
According to the group, Tails began five years ago. “At that time some of us were already Tor enthusiasts and had been involved in free software communities for years,” they says. “But we felt that something was missing to the panorama: a toolbox that would bring all the essential privacy enhancing technologies together and made them ready to use and accessible to a larger public.”
The developers initially called their project Amnesia and based it on an existing operating system called Incognito. Soon the Amnesia and Incognito projects merged into Tails, which stands for The Amnesic Incognito Live System.
And while the core Tails group focuses on developing the operating system for laptops and desktop computers, a separate group is making a mobile version that can run on Android and Ubuntu tablets, provided the user has root access to the device.
Know Your Limitations
In addition to Tor, Tails includes privacy tools like PGP, the password management system KeePassX, and the chat encryption plugin Off-the-Record. But Tails doesn’t just bundle a bunch of off the shelf tools into a single package. Many of the applications have been modified to improve the privacy of its users.
But no operating system or privacy tool can guarantee complete protection in all situations.
Although Tails includes productivity applications like OpenOffice, GIMP and Audacity, it doesn’t make a great everyday operating system. That’s because over the course of day-to-day use, you’re likely to use service or another that could be linked with your identity, blowing your cover entirely. Instead, Tails should only be used for the specific activities that need to be kept anonymous, and nothing else.
The developers list several other security warnings in the site documentation.
Of course the group is constantly working to fix security issues, and they’re always looking for volunteers to help with the project. They’ve also applied for a grant from the Knight Foundation, and are collecting donations via the Freedom of the Press Foundation, the group that first disclosed Tails’s role in the Snowden story.
That money could go a long way toward helping journalists — and others — stay away from the snoops. Reporters, after all, aren’t always the most tech-savvy people. As Washington Post reporter Barton Gellman told the Freedom of the Press Foundation, “Tails puts the essential tools in one place, with a design that makes it hard to screw them up. I could not have talked to Edward Snowden without this kind of protection. I wish I’d had it years ago.”Go Back to Top. Skip To: Start of Article. | <urn:uuid:6d7a3e14-0675-4112-8835-d913bb001a2e> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.wired.com/2014/04/tails | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783403826.29/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155003-00197-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947761 | 1,370 | 2.84375 | 3 |
Aderol to Help with ADHD
The medication Aderol is a central nervous system stimulant used to treat ADHD in kids. The generic name for Aderol is amphetamine-dextroamphetamine. What is the difference between Ritalin and Aderol since Ritalin is also a stimulant. The difference is that Aderol, instead of being made of methylphenidate, it is a mixture of different amphetamine salts. It can help to reduce or improve the symptoms of ADHD, including having a short attention span and/or being hyperactive and impulsive. Aderol comes in 2 forms, Aderol and Aderol XR. The difference being Aderol is a short acting stimulent which is usually taken twice a day while Aderol XR is a long acting stimulant that can be given just once a day. It usually lasts 10-12 hours in many children. How old or how young can children start to take Aderol? Aderol is said to be approved for use in children over 3 years of age. However, the Aderol XR is approved for children over age 6 and it is available as a once a day capsule.
Some stimulants have caused sudden death in children and adolescents with serious heart problems or congenital heart defects. Before using Aderol, tell your doctor if your child is allergic to any drugs, or if your child has a congenital heart defect, high blood pressure, heart failure, heart rhythm disorder, or recent heart attack, a personal or family history of mental illness, psychotic disorder, bipolar illness, depression or suicide attempt, epilepsy or other seizure disorder.
As with any drugs, side effects will come to play and you are advised to monitor your child when he is on any medication. Although generally well tolerated, the main side effects of Aderol and Aderol XR include loss of appetite, insomnia, weight loss, emotional lability, abdominal pain stomachache and depression. If side effects don't improve with time, your child's pediatrician may have to lower your child's dosage or consider changing to another medication. | <urn:uuid:59bf97ce-b92a-4eb9-8733-80f877f0fd2f> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://aderol.blogspot.com/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397842.93/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00190-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936851 | 436 | 2.59375 | 3 |
U.S. Department of State Background Note
Sponsored LinksTravel reviews & great deals at TripAdvisor:
Originating in what is now southern China and northern Vietnam, the Vietnamese people pushed southward over 2 millennia to occupy the entire eastern seacoast of the Indochinese Peninsula. Ethnic Vietnamese constitute about 90% of Vietnam's population.
Vietnam's approximately 2.3 million ethnic Chinese, concentrated mostly in southern Vietnam, constitute Vietnam's largest minority group. Long important in the Vietnamese economy, Vietnamese of Chinese ancestry have been active in rice trading, milling, real estate, and banking in the south and shop keeping, stevedoring, and mining in the north. Restrictions on economic activity following reunification of the north and south in 1975 and the subsequent but unrelated general deterioration in Vietnamese-Chinese relations sent chills through the Chinese-Vietnamese community. In 1978-79, some 450,000 ethnic Chinese left Vietnam by boat as refugees (many officially encouraged and assisted) or were expelled across the land border with China.
The second-largest ethnic minority grouping, the central highland peoples (formerly termed Montagnards or mountain people), comprise two main ethnolinguistic groups--Malayo-Polynesian and Mon-Khmer. About 30 groups of various cultures and dialects are spread over the highland territory.
The third-largest minority, the Khmer Krom (Cambodians), numbering about 600,000, is concentrated near the Cambodian border and at the mouth of the Mekong River. Most are farmers. Other minority groups include the Cham--remnants of the once-mighty Champa Kingdom, conquered by the Vietnamese in the 15th century--Hmong, and Thai.
Vietnamese is the official language of the country. It is a tonal language with influences from Thai, Khmer, and Chinese. Since the early 20th century, the Vietnamese have used a Romanized script introduced by the French. Previously, Chinese characters and an indigenous phonetic script were both used.
Vietnam's identity has been shaped by long-running conflicts, both internally and with foreign forces. In 111 BC, China's Han dynasty conquered northern Vietnam's Red River Delta and the ancestors of today's Vietnamese. Chinese dynasties ruled Vietnam for the next 1,000 years, inculcating it with Confucian ideas and political culture. In 939 AD, Vietnam achieved independence under a native dynasty. After 1471, when Vietnam conquered the Champa Kingdom in what is now central Vietnam, the Vietnamese moved gradually southward, finally reaching the rich Mekong Delta, encountering there earlier settled Cham and Cambodians. While Vietnam's emperors reigned ineffectually, powerful northern and southern families fought civil wars in the 17th and 18th centuries.
French Rule and the Anti-Colonial Struggle
In 1858, the French began their conquest of Vietnam starting in the south. They annexed all of Vietnam in 1885, but allowed Vietnam's emperors to continue to reign, although not actually to rule. In the early 20th century, French-educated Vietnamese intellectuals organized nationalist and communist-nationalist anti-colonial movements.
Japan's occupation of Vietnam during World War II further stirred nationalism. Vietnamese communists under Ho Chi Minh organized a coalition of anti-colonial groups, the Viet Minh, though many anti-communists refused to join. After Japan stripped the French of much power in Indochina in March 1945, Ho Chi Minh announced the independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam on September 2, 1945.
North and South Partition
France's post-World War II unwillingness to leave Vietnam led to failed talks and an 8-year guerrilla war between the communist-led Viet Minh on one side and the French and their anti-communist nationalist allies on the other. Following a humiliating defeat at Dien Bien Phu in May 1954, France and other parties, including Britain, China, the Soviet Union, and the United States, convened in Geneva, Switzerland for peace talks. On July 29, 1954, an Agreement on the Cessation of Hostilities in Vietnam was signed between France and the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. The United States observed, but did not sign, the agreement. French colonial rule in Vietnam ended.
The 1954 Geneva agreement provided for a cease-fire between communist and anti-communist nationalist forces, the temporary division of Vietnam at approximately the 17th parallel, provisional northern (communist) and southern (noncommunist) zone governments, and the evacuation of anti-communist Vietnamese from northern to southern Vietnam. The agreement also called for an election to be held by July 1956 to bring the two provisional zones under a unified government. However, the South Vietnamese Government refused to accept this provision. On October 26, 1955, South Vietnam declared itself the Republic of Vietnam.
After 1954, North Vietnamese communist leaders consolidated their power and instituted a harsh agrarian reform and socialization program. In the late 1950s, they reactivated the network of communist guerrillas that had remained behind in the south. These forces--commonly known as the Viet Cong--aided covertly by the north, started an armed campaign against officials and villagers who refused to support the communist reunification cause.
American Assistance to the South
In December 1961, at the request of South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem, President Kennedy sent U.S. military advisers to South Vietnam to help the government there deal with the Viet Cong campaign. In the wake of escalating political turmoil in the south after a 1963 generals' coup against President Diem, the United States increased its military support for South Vietnam. In March 1965, President Johnson sent the first U.S. combat forces to Vietnam. The American military role peaked in 1969 with an in-country force of 534,000. However, the Viet Cong's surprise Tet Offensive in January 1968 deeply hurt both the Viet Cong infrastructure and American and South Vietnamese morale. In January 1969, the United States, governments of South and North Vietnam, and the Viet Cong met for the first plenary session of peace talks in Paris, France. These talks, which began with much hope, moved slowly. They finally concluded with the signing of a peace agreement, the Paris Accords, on January 27, 1973. As a result, the south was divided into a patchwork of zones controlled by the South Vietnamese Government and the Viet Cong. The United States withdrew its forces, although U.S. military advisers remained.
In early 1975, North Vietnamese regular military forces began a major offensive in the south, inflicting great damage to the south's forces. The communists took Saigon on April 30, 1975, and announced their intention of reunifying the country. The Democratic Republic of Vietnam (north) absorbed the former Republic of Vietnam (south) to form the Socialist Republic of Vietnam on July 2, 1976.
After reunification, the government confiscated privately owned land and forced citizens into collectivized agricultural practices. Hundreds of thousands of former South Vietnamese Government and military officials, as well as intellectuals previously opposed to the communist cause, were sent to re-education camps to study socialist doctrine.
While Vietnamese leaders thought that reunification of the country and its socialist transformation would be condoned by the international community, this did not happen. Besides international concern over Vietnam's internal practices, the Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia in 1978 and its growing tight alliance with the Soviet Union appeared to confirm suspicions that Vietnam wanted to establish hegemony in Indochina.
Vietnam's invasion of Cambodia also heightened tensions that already existed between Vietnam and China. Beijing, which had long backed the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia, retaliated in early 1979 by initiating a border war with Vietnam.
Vietnam's tensions with its neighbors and its stagnant economy contributed to a massive exodus from Vietnam. Fearing persecution, many Chinese in particular fled Vietnam by boat to nearby countries. Later, hundreds of thousands of other Vietnamese nationals fled as well, seeking temporary refuge in camps throughout Southeast Asia.
The continuing grave condition of the economy and the alienation from the international community became focal points of party debate. In 1986, at the Sixth Party Congress, there was an important easing of communist agrarian and commercial policies.
A new state constitution was approved in April 1992, reaffirming the central role of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) in politics and society, and outlining government reorganization and increased economic freedom. Though Vietnam remains a one-party state, adherence to ideological orthodoxy has become less important than economic development as a national priority.
The most important powers within the Vietnamese Government--in addition to the Communist Party--are the executive agencies created by the 1992 constitution: the offices of the president and the prime minister. The Vietnamese President, presently Nguyen Minh Triet, functions as head of state but also serves as the nominal commander of the armed forces and chairman of the Council on National Defense and Security. The Prime Minister of Vietnam, presently Nguyen Tan Dung, heads a cabinet currently composed of three deputy prime ministers and the heads of 26 ministries and commissions, all confirmed by the National Assembly.
Notwithstanding the 1992 constitution's reaffirmation of the central role of the Communist Party, the National Assembly, according to the constitution, is the highest representative body of the people and the only organization with legislative powers. It has a broad mandate to oversee all government functions. Once seen as little more than a rubber stamp, the National Assembly has become more vocal and assertive in exercising its authority over lawmaking, particularly in recent years. However, the National Assembly is still subject to party direction. More than 80% of the deputies in the National Assembly are party members. The assembly meets twice yearly for 7-10 weeks each time; elections for members are held every 5 years, although its Standing Committee meets monthly and there are now over 100 "full-time" deputies who function on various committees. There is a separate judicial branch, but it is still relatively weak. Overall, there are few lawyers and trial procedures are rudimentary.
The present 14-member Politburo, elected in April 2006 and headed by Communist Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh, determines government policy, and its Secretariat oversees day-to-day policy implementation. In addition, the Party's Central Military Commission, which is composed of select Politburo members and additional military leaders, determines military policy.
A Party Congress, which most recently was comprised of 1,176 delegates at the Tenth Party Congress in April 2006, meets every 5 years to set the direction of the party and the government. The 160-member Central Committee (with an additional 21 alternate members), was elected by the Party Congress and it usually meets at least twice a year.
Principal Government Officials
President--Nguyen Minh Triet
Prime Minister--Nguyen Tan Dung
National Assembly Chairman--Nguyen Phu Trong
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs--Pham Gia Khiem
Ambassador to the United States--Nguyen Tam Chien
Ambassador to the United Nations--Le Luong Minh
(Tenth Party Congress Politburo, named April 25, 2006; listed in the order it was announced, including the individuals’ current positions.)
General Secretary of CPV Central Committee, 10th Party Congress--Nong Duc Manh
Minister of Public Security--Le Hong Anh
Prime Minister--Nguyen Tan Dzung
State President--Nguyen Minh Triet
Standing Secretariat Member--Truong Tan Sang
National Assembly Chairman--Nguyen Phu Trong
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs--Pham Gia Khiem
Minister of Defense, General Chief of Staff--Phung Quang Thanh
Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman, Party Internal Affairs Commission--Truong Vinh Trong
Secretary of HCMC Party's Committee--Le Thanh Hai
Standing Deputy Prime Minister--Nguyen Sinh Hung
Secretary of Hanoi Party's Committee--Pham Quang Nghi
Chairman, Party Organization and Personnel Commission--Ho Duc Viet
Chairman, Party Control Commission--Nguyen Van Chi
Vietnam maintains an embassy in the U.S. at 1233-20th Street, NW, #400, Washington DC 20036 (tel. 202-861-0737; fax 202-861-0917); Internet home page: www.vietnamembassy-usa.org/. There is also a consulate general located in San Francisco at 1700 California Street, Suite 430, San Francisco, CA 94109 (tel. 415-922-1707; fax 415-922-1848; Internet homepage: http://www.vietnamconsulate-ca.org/home.asp.
Land reform, de-collectivization, and the opening of the agricultural sector to market forces converted Vietnam from a country facing chronic food shortages in the early 1980s to the second-largest rice exporter in the world. Besides rice, key exports are coffee, tea, rubber, and fisheries products. Agriculture's share of economic output has declined, falling as a share of GDP from 42% in 1989 to 20.4% in 2006, as production in other sectors of the economy has risen.
Paralleling its efforts to increase agricultural output, Vietnam’s industrial production has grown. Industry contributed 41.5% of GDP in 2006, up from 27.3% in 1985. State-owned enterprises are marked by low productivity and inefficiency, the result of a command-style economic system applied in an underdeveloped country. Foreign direct investment (FDI) is a dynamic feature of Vietnam's industrializing economy. As of the end of 2005, cumulative implemented foreign direct investment totaled over $34 billion, helping to transform the industrial landscape of Vietnam.
Vietnam has successfully increased exports of manufactured goods, especially labor-intensive manufactures, such as textiles and apparel and footwear. Subsidies have been cut to some inefficient state enterprises. The Government is also in the process of "equitizing" (e.g., transforming state enterprises into share holding companies and distributing a portion of the shares to management, workers and private foreign and domestic investors) a significant number of state enterprises. However, to date the government continues to maintain control of the largest and most important companies. Despite reforms, the state share of GDP has remained relatively constant since 2000, at 38-39%.
Trade and Balance of Payments
From the late 1970s until the 1990s, Vietnam was heavily dependent on the Soviet Union and its allies for trade and economic assistance. To compensate for drastic cuts in Soviet-bloc support after 1989, Vietnam liberalized trade, devalued its exchange rate to increase exports, and embarked on a policy of regional and international economic re-integration. Vietnam has demonstrated its commitment to trade liberalization in recent years, and integration with the world economy has become one of the cornerstones of its reform program. Vietnam has locked in its intention to create a more competitive and open economy by committing to several comprehensive international trade agreements, including the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Free Trade Area (AFTA) and the U.S.-Vietnam Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA). Vietnam's accession to the World Trade Organization will further integrate Vietnam into the global economy.
As a result of these reforms, exports expanded significantly, growing by as much as 20%-30% in some years. In 2005, exports accounted for 63% of GDP. Imports have also grown rapidly, and Vietnam has a significant trade deficit (forecast to be $4.8 billion in 2006). Vietnam’s total external debt, accounting for 32.5% of GDP in 2005, was estimated at around $17.2 billion.
During the second Indochina war (1954-75), North Vietnam balanced relations with its two major allies, the Soviet Union and China. By 1975, tension began to grow as Beijing increasingly viewed Vietnam as a potential Soviet instrument to encircle China. Meanwhile, Beijing's increasing support for Cambodia's Khmer Rouge sparked Vietnamese suspicions of China's motives.
Vietnamese-Chinese relations deteriorated significantly after Hanoi instituted a ban in March 1978 on private trade, mostly affecting Sino-Vietnamese. Following Vietnam's December 1978 invasion of Cambodia, China launched a retaliatory incursion over Vietnam's northern border. Faced with severance of Chinese aid and strained international relations, Vietnam established even closer ties with the Soviet Union and its allies in the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (Comecon). Through the 1980s, Vietnam received nearly $3 billion a year in economic and military aid from the Soviet Union and conducted most of its trade with that country and with other Council for Mutual Economic Assistance countries. However, Soviet and East bloc economic aid ceased after the breakup of the Soviet Union.
Vietnam did not begin to emerge from international isolation until it withdrew its troops from Cambodia in 1989. Within months of the 1991 Paris Agreements, Vietnam established diplomatic and economic relations with ASEAN as well as with most of the countries of Western Europe and Northeast Asia. China reestablished full diplomatic ties with Vietnam in 1991, and the two countries continue their joint efforts to demarcate their land and sea borders, expand trade and investment ties, and build political relations.
In the past decade, Vietnam has recognized the increasing importance of growing global economic interdependence and has made concerted efforts to adjust its foreign relations to reflect the evolving international economic and political situation in Southeast Asia. The country has begun to integrate itself into the regional and global economy by joining international organizations. Vietnam has stepped up its efforts to attract foreign capital from the West and regularize relations with the world financial system. In the 1990s, following the lifting of the American veto on multilateral loans to the country, Vietnam became a member of the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the Asian Development Bank. The country has expanded trade with its East Asian neighbors as well as with countries in Western Europe and North America. Of particular significance was Vietnam's acceptance into the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in July 1995. Vietnam joined the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum (APEC) in November 1998 and hosted the ASEAN summit in 2001 and APEC in 2006. Vietnam is seeking to join the United Nations Security Council as a non-permanent member for the 2008 and 2009 term.
While Vietnam has remained relatively conflict-free since its Cambodia days, tensions have arisen in the past between Vietnam and its neighbors (especially China). Vietnam and China each assert claims to the Spratly Islands (as does Taiwan), an archipelago in a potentially oil-rich area of the South China Sea. Over the years, conflicting claims have produced small-scale armed altercations in the area; in 1988 more than 70 people were killed during a confrontation between China and Vietnam. China's assertion of control over the Spratly Islands and the entire South China Sea has elicited concern from Vietnam and its Southeast Asia neighbors. The territorial border between the two countries is being definitively mapped pursuant to a Land Border Agreement signed in December 1999, and an Agreement on Borders in the Gulf of Tonkin signed in December 2000. Vietnam and Russia declared a strategic partnership in March 2001 during the first visit ever to Hanoi of a Russian head of state, largely as an attempt to counterbalance the People's Republic of China's (P.R.C.) growing profile in Southeast Asia.
After a 20-year hiatus of severed ties, President Clinton announced the formal normalization of diplomatic relations with Vietnam on July 11, 1995. Subsequent to President Clinton's normalization announcement, in August 1995, both nations upgraded their Liaison Offices opened during January 1995 to embassy status. As diplomatic ties between the nations grew, the United States opened a consulate general in Ho Chi Minh City, and Vietnam opened a consulate in San Francisco.
U.S. relations with Vietnam have become deeper and more diverse in the years since political normalization. The two countries have broadened their political exchanges through regular dialogues on human rights and regional security. They signed a Bilateral Trade Agreement in July 2000, which went into force in December 2001. In 2003, the two countries signed a Counternarcotics Letter of Agreement (amended in 2006), a Civil Aviation Agreement, and a textile agreement.
As of November 2, 2006, the U.S. Government listed 1,796 Americans unaccounted for in Southeast Asia, including 1,373 in Vietnam. Since 1973, 850 Americans have been accounted for, including 608 in Vietnam. Additionally, the Department of Defense has confirmed that of the 196 individuals who were "last known alive" (LKA), the U.S. Government has determined the fate of all but 31. The United States considers achieving the fullest possible accounting of Americans missing and unaccounted for in Indochina to be one of its highest priorities with Vietnam.
Since entry into force of the U.S.-Vietnam Bilateral Trade Agreement on December 10, 2001, increased trade between the U.S. and Vietnam, combined with large-scale U.S. investment in Vietnam, evidence the maturing U.S.-Vietnam economic relationship. In 2006, the United States exported $1.1 billion of goods to Vietnam and imported $8.6 billion of goods from Vietnam. Similarly, U.S. companies continue to invest directly in the Vietnamese economy. During 2006, the U.S. private sector committed $444 million to Vietnam in foreign direct investment. This number is expected to rise dramatically following Vietnam's accession into the WTO.
Another sign of the expanding bilateral relationship is the signing of a Bilateral Air Transport Agreement in December 2003. Several U.S. carriers already have third-party code sharing agreements with Vietnam Airlines. Direct flights between Ho Chi Minh City and San Francisco began in December 2004. Vietnam and the United States also signed a bilateral Maritime Agreement in March 2007 that opened the maritime transport and services industry of Vietnam to U.S. firms.
Cooperation in other areas, such as defense, nonproliferation, counterterrorism, and law enforcement, is also increasing at a measured pace.
Principal U.S. Embassy Official
Ambassador-- Michael W. Marine
The U.S. Embassy in Vietnam is located at 7 Lang Ha, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi, Socialist Republic of Vietnam (tel. 84-4-850-5000; fax 84-4-850-5010).
Principal U.S. Consulate General Official
Consul General--Seth Winnick
The U.S. Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City is located at 4 Le Duan, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Socialist Republic of Vietnam (tel. 84-8-822-9433; fax 84-8-822-9434).
TRAVEL AND BUSINESS INFORMATION
The U.S. Department of State's Consular Information Program advises Americans traveling and residing abroad through Consular Information Sheets, Public Announcements, and Travel Warnings. Consular Information Sheets exist for all countries and include information on entry and exit requirements, currency regulations, health conditions, safety and security, crime, political disturbances, and the addresses of the U.S. embassies and consulates abroad. Public Announcements are issued to disseminate information quickly about terrorist threats and other relatively short-term conditions overseas that pose significant risks to the security of American travelers. Travel Warnings are issued when the State Department recommends that Americans avoid travel to a certain country because the situation is dangerous or unstable.
For the latest security information, Americans living and traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department's Bureau of Consular Affairs Internet web site at http://www.travel.state.gov, where the current Worldwide Caution, Public Announcements, and Travel Warnings can be found. Consular Affairs Publications, which contain information on obtaining passports and planning a safe trip abroad, are also available at http://www.travel.state.gov. For additional information on international travel, see http://www.usa.gov/Citizen/Topics/Travel/International.shtml.
The Department of State encourages all U.S citizens traveling or residing abroad to register via the State Department's travel registration website or at the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate abroad. Registration will make your presence and whereabouts known in case it is necessary to contact you in an emergency and will enable you to receive up-to-date information on security conditions.
Emergency information concerning Americans traveling abroad may be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll free in the U.S. and Canada or the regular toll line 1-202-501-4444 for callers outside the U.S. and Canada.
The National Passport Information Center (NPIC) is the U.S. Department of State's single, centralized public contact center for U.S. passport information. Telephone: 1-877-4USA-PPT (1-877-487-2778). Customer service representatives and operators for TDD/TTY are available Monday-Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 midnight, Eastern Time, excluding federal holidays.
Travelers can check the latest health information with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia. A hotline at 877-FYI-TRIP (877-394-8747) and a web site at http://www.cdc.gov/travel/index.htm give the most recent health advisories, immunization recommendations or requirements, and advice on food and drinking water safety for regions and countries. A booklet entitled "Health Information for International Travel" (HHS publication number CDC-95-8280) is available from the U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402, tel. (202) 512-1800.
Further Electronic Information
Department of State Web Site. Available on the Internet at http://www.state.gov, the Department of State web site provides timely, global access to official U.S. foreign policy information, including Background Notes and daily press briefings along with the directory of key officers of Foreign Service posts and more. The Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) provides security information and regional news that impact U.S. companies working abroad through its website http://www.osac.gov
Export.gov provides a portal to all export-related assistance and market information offered by the federal government and provides trade leads, free export counseling, help with the export process, and more.STAT-USA/Internet, a service of the U.S. Department of Commerce, provides authoritative economic, business, and international trade information from the Federal government. The site includes current and historical trade-related releases, international market research, trade opportunities, and country analysis and provides access to the National Trade Data Bank.
Revised: Jun. 2007 | <urn:uuid:7884c36c-29c5-4d64-b613-44d7407592d7> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.factmonster.com/country/profiles/vietnam.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396106.25/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00131-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944182 | 5,544 | 3.265625 | 3 |
Definition of Extremely low birth weight (ELBW) baby
Extremely low birth weight (ELBW) baby: A baby born very prematurely weighing between 401 and 1000 grams (about 14 to 35 ounces) at birth. Extremely low birth weight (ELBW) babies are at the lower limits of viability.
If ELBW babies survive, they are at elevated risk for neurological abnormalities, hearing and visual impairment, and developmental delay in infancy. The lower a baby's weight at birth, the more likely the child is to be subject to such problems.Source: MedTerms™ Medical Dictionary
Last Editorial Review: 6/9/2016
Find out what women really need. | <urn:uuid:de643f13-6108-4921-ab76-79f00736708d> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.rxlist.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=13414 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783392099.27/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154952-00119-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.903822 | 138 | 2.5625 | 3 |
- About Us
- Local Savings
- Green Editions
- Legal Notices
- Weekly Ads
Connect with Us
Kids build cob playhouse at Tilth Campus
After two months of hauling rocks, constructing walls and mixing cob with their feet, these students’ efforts have yielded a cob playhouse at the Tilth Sustainability Campus, with just one part remaining. The kids of Calyx Community Arts School need to put a roof on their playhouse, and to do that, they’re asking for donations of cedar shingles.
The goal is to create a kids’ art garden at Tilth, with the cob playhouse as its nucleus.
“The desire is to create a magical space where kids can learn practical skills for growing food and a way to build the mind and spirit,” explained Lisa Kois, a founder for Calyx.
Eli Adadow, a natural builder, guided the children through the process of design and building the cob playhouse, which is a round structure 12 feet in diameter.
“They studied bird nests and natural structures in nature,” Kois said, adding that then the children experimented with clay to see which structures worked.
The kids chose the location for the playhouse, broke ground and mixed the cob with their feet. Cob is a mixture of clay, sand, straw and water.
“We had these kids just covered from mixing with their feet,” Kois laughed.
Since the area is used as an outdoor classroom for Calyx and other students, the playhouse will serve as protection from the elements, Kois said. It will be the center of the sensory section of the art garden, which will feature stations for children to explore the five senses. There will be nature sounds, colorful, scented flowers and stations for experiential learning like an insect atrium. Work is also being done to create a food garden nearby for children to gain experience gardening. Hanson’s Building Supply donated the posts for the garden.
Calyx staff hope to develop curriculum for other home school groups to visit and use the garden, Kois said.
“We’re creating a space that encourages kids to be out in nature and experimenting with nature. To be outside and get dirty and wet and learning, playing and creating,” Kois said, adding that that’s a goal of Calyx.
Twenty-five adult mentors have been working with 33 children over the summer to build the cob house.
“The process of creating it is as important as creating it,” Kois said.
There’s a shift away from outdoor play in this society, Kois said, but projects like this seek to bring it back. Projects like this also support Calyx’s “community village” model of teaching, which brings generations together to teach and learn, Kois said.
“It’s how villages existed and thrived for centuries, but we’ve moved away from that,” Kois said. “It’s such an amazing process that they’re part of and they’re really excited about it.”
A grant from the Whidbey Island Garden Tour supports the art garden.
“It’s exciting; it’s our first grant!” Kois said, adding that is was “very validating” to receive.
The materials for the cob have only cost a couple hundred dollars, Kois said, but since the grant has to fund the rest of the garden, donations of cedar shingles or money from the community would be a huge help. They’ve had some community responses but the more shingles the better.
“I know we need a lot!” Kois said.
To donate or for more information, call 331-7621. | <urn:uuid:cad0d4c8-c632-45f3-b52a-9849aa7be488> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.southwhidbeyrecord.com/news/168981006.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395160.19/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00192-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95406 | 815 | 2.578125 | 3 |
The cart is empty
Diagnostic Online Reading Assessment (DORA) is a K-12 measure that provides objective, individualized assessment data across eight reading measures that together profile each student’s reading abilities and prescribe individual learning paths.
based on 11 reviews
Learn more about DORA - Diagnostic Online Reading Assessment
DORA Phonemic Awareness, ideal for non-readers or struggling readers, measures nine phonemic awareness skills using audio and picture-only items, for a thorough assessment of oral phonemic awareness skills.
based on 2 reviews
Learn more about DORA - Phonemic Awareness
DORA Spanish/EDELL is a powerful, diagnostic online assessment of student Spanish reading abilities. DORA Spanish/EDELL provides an effective means of comparing students’ first language Spanish abilities with their developing second language English reading skills, and allows parents and teachers to best utilize those Spanish reading skills to further develop English reading skills.
Learn more about DORA - Spanish
Your browser does not support iframes. | <urn:uuid:08b7e4ff-bed6-4988-bcde-11b69802e1f4> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | https://www.letsgolearn.com/shop/store/category/assessment-only-reading/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783404382.73/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155004-00030-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.901199 | 217 | 3.0625 | 3 |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.