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What is Dialysis?
What is Dialysis and Which Modality is Best for Me?
Reprinted with permission from DaVita, Inc.
Dialysis helps to do some of the work of healthy kidneys. There are two types of dialysis: hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis. Dialysis patients who choose hemodialysis have a choice between traditional in-center hemodialysis, in-center self care hemodialysis, in-center nocturnal hemodialysis and home hemodialysis. Peritoneal dialysis patients have a choice between continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD), which is performed manually and automated peritoneal dialysis (APD), which is performed with a cycler machine.
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) occurs when the kidneys are not able to function at normal levels. Kidney function can deteriorate rapidly or over time. The degree to which you have CKD is determined by how well your kidneys are working.
Dialysis is a treatment that performs some of the functions diseased kidneys are not able to do. Healthy kidneys work to filter waste products from your blood. They also help to maintain fluid and chemical balances.
Today, dialysis is allowing more than 350,000 Americans to live full lives. Because their own kidneys are no longer healthy, they undergo regular dialysis treatments to help regulate the amount of excess fluid in their bodies. Dialysis also removes waste products from the bloodstream. If allowed to build up, these waste products can cause an individual to feel tired and sick. This condition is called uremia, because it occurs when the amount of urea in the blood stream is elevated. Urea is the waste product that results when you eat protein. Healthy kidneys eliminate it, but unhealthy kidneys are not able to rid your body of it.
Some symptoms of uremia and chronic kidney disease are:
- loss of appetite
I Have Kidney Disease - Will I Need Dialysis?
Your health care providers will run laboratory tests on a regular basis to monitor the extent of your kidney disease and to make a decision about the use of dialysis. There are two main blood chemical levels that are typically checked to make a diagnosis about the stage of your disease:
- blood urea nitrogen (BUN) level
- creatinine level
Your BUN level shows the amount of urea left in your blood. Creatinine, which is the waste product that results from muscle metabolism, is measured in both your blood and your urine. A rise in BUN and creatinine levels indicates the progression of CKD. As the numbers go up, kidney function is likely going down.
Along with your BUN and creatinine levels, your health care team will be looking at other indicators of deteriorating kidney function. Some of these include:
- retaining excess water in your body
- difficulty breathing
- experiencing sensations in your legs
- metallic taste in your mouth
Dialysis is usually indicated when a person reaches end stage renal disease; that is, when you have lost 85 to 90 percent of your kidney function.
Savory Broccoli Salad Chicken Papadoris Curried Winter Squash Root Vegetable Soup Orange Banana Frosty Garlic Lima Bean Soup Bombay Pork Skillet Sesame Salmon Roma Tomatoes with Chevre and Basil Pesto Pepper, Mushroom and Goat Cheese Omelet
As I mentioned in an earlier post, one of the benefits that made it cost-effective for me to go with the real healthcare (HSA) plan rather than the phony (HRA) plan is that my company is now covering "preventative" medicines at $0 copay. The formulary for these, as stated by CVS/Caremark (my pharmacy benefits provider), covers all test strips, lancets, and control solutions. I dutifully get my doctor to write up prescriptions for all of my testing needs, submit... | <urn:uuid:00d15761-7237-4406-8b50-baa11ed0cee8> | CC-MAIN-2017-09 | http://www.dlife.com/diabetes/complications/kidney/what-is-dialysis | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-09/segments/1487501172018.95/warc/CC-MAIN-20170219104612-00527-ip-10-171-10-108.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947252 | 814 | 3.359375 | 3 | 1.973587 | 2 | Moderate reasoning | Health |
We've been asking ourselves one universal question since the dawn of modern science: Are we alone? In the early days of astronomy, scientists thought the Earth was the center of everything. But when that Earth-centric view eventually changed and we realized that we orbit but one star among countless millions, we couldn't help but wonder what else might be out there.
It wasn't until 1992, when scientists discovered a planet around Pulsar PSR B1257+12, that astronomers were able to confirm what many had suspected—planets exist outside of our solar system. But how many?
Fast forward 25 years, and we now know of over 5,000 extrasolar planets, or exoplanets, thanks mostly to the Kepler space telescope. Not only that, but there are around 3,000 with their own atmospheres. Now astronomers work tirelessly to answer the tantalizing question—are some of the planets out there similar to our own?
A number of SETI researchers committed to answering this question recently gathered at Stanford University for the Breakthrough Discuss conference, an event hosted by the Breakthrough Initiatives founded by Russian billionaire Yuri Milner. Breakthrough is supported by the likes of Stephen Hawking, Mark Zuckerberg, Jill Tarter, and Frank Drake. The goal is simple and yet far reaching: They want to determine whether or not alien life exists not just in our solar system, but anywhere in the entire galaxy.
The first step is to learn all we can from ground-based telescopes. While we can't see whether or not distant exoplanets actually harbor life, we can look for clues to help us determine whether they might be habitable. If there are other Earth-like planets out there with oceans, mountains, and active geology, then there's a reasonable chance that life has managed to take hold. There's a short list of about a dozen planets that scientists refer to as "Earth-like," though nothing we've found so far even comes close to the serendipitous combination of surface liquid, a protective atmosphere, and the correct distance from a star that created our world.
For exoplanet hunters, distance is the biggest hurdle. The search for life beyond our solar system has turned to analyzing the compositions of alien atmospheres with telescopes at home, which is an incredibly difficult task. It's hard to resolve Pluto from Earth, let alone a small body billions of miles farther away.
We know there are other planets out there that are roughly the same mass as Earth, have an atmosphere, and reside in the so-called "Goldilocks" zone of their solar systems, meaning there could be liquid water on those planets—the main conduit for life as we know it. A sort of misnomer in the exoplanet world, however, is the word "habitable." While it might conjure images of a lush landscape with meandering rivers, sandy beaches, and the convenience of breathable air, astronomers have a different idea of the word. In astronomy, "habitable" really only means two things: The planet is rocky, and it orbits in the Goldilocks zone.
If we really want to think about a habitable world though, we need to understand what's happening in an exoplanet's atmosphere. "We have to look for the oxygen," said Mercedes Lopez-Morales in her Breakthrough Discuss presentation.
Lopez-Morales is a staff scientist at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, and she gave a talk about the ways we can begin probing these atmospheres for signs of life. "Right now we know that we need water for life to exist. But we don't know if the planet is going to have water, but life has not kicked in yet. However, oxygen tells you about life. In the past, even though the Earth had water, there was no oxygen found until life appeared."
She proposes looking for oxygen in these atmospheres using a technique called high-resolution spectroscopy, which is essentially collecting high-resolution data of the light passing through a planet's atmosphere. When an exoplanet passes in front of it's parent star, the starlight baths the planet, curving around and through the atmosphere.
If a really large telescope is watching that happen, it can collect enough of those transient photons to create an entire spectrum of the light filtered through the atmosphere. Certain elements and molecules absorb specific frequencies of light, creating gaps in the spectrum—a sort of thumbprint of the planet's atmospheric composition. Depending on where those gaps fall, astrophysicists can deduce what elements are present in the atmospheres of alien worlds. (The same technique is used to identify the composition of stars).
The problem is that there are no instruments available to perform this type of alien-hunting spectroscopy, especially not for the more distant Earth-sized bodies.
"We know that one out of every four small stars should have a planet. Based on those numbers, there's around 250 [stars nearby], so by that count there will be around 60 Earth-like planets within 32 light-years from Earth, " says Lopez-Morales. And while these are close on the cosmic map, detecting oxygen in atmospheres that sit dozens of light-years away is still just too difficult. "There is no telescope that we have today that can do this in a reasonable amount of time," explains Lopez-Morales. "It could take 60 years."
Fortunately, a few telescopes currently under construction could solve the problem. Astronomers are planning to use the Giant Magellan Telescope when it is completed in Chile, and the future 30-meter telescope in Hawaii, but multiple scopes would need to work in unison in order to collect enough data—an expensive feat. "We just need bigger photon buckets," says Lopez-Morales. "If we can collect enough of the photons from these stars then we can pick up the signatures of molecules like oxygen."
At the moment, many are focused on better understanding our closest extrasolar neighbor, Proxima Centauri b, which is only 4.2 light-years away orbiting the closest star to us. It doesn't transit its host star Proxima Centauri, however, so scientists are unsure whether the planet has an atmosphere, much less what its chemical composition is.
Dr. Victoria Meadows is a professor of astronomy and Director of the Astrobiology Program at the University of Washington working to find biomarkers at places like Proxima b. "Depending on Proxima's evolutionary history, it could have a temperature range of anywhere between 254 Kelvin, too cold for life, up to 640 Kelvin, which is more of a Venus," says Meadows. "This is a planet in a habitable zone. What happens to the planet matters in its evolution. Potentially habitable, and a 'great place for life,' might not be the best place for the 'origin of life.'" Or in other words, just because conditions are good for life to exist now doesn't necessarily mean that the conditions were ever right for life to spark in the first place.
Another of Breakthrough's ambitious projects is called Breakthrough Starshot, and it aims to send a fleet of nano-sized spacecraft to Proxima b, considering it is the closest exoplanet to us. But in order to make that 25 trillion-mile journey worth the trip, the team needs to know if there's anything worthy to explore, so determining an atmosphere for the planet is a must.
Much of this field is still a mystery given that only five years ago, little was yet known about exoplanets. Now researchers around the world are trying to find evidence of life. In five more years, there's no telling how much the science will have advanced. They no doubt have a long way to go and face a slew of technical challenges considering the cosmic distances. But with initiatives like Breakthrough working with the finest research institutions in the world, there's a chance we'll be able to pinpoint a beam of light coming from a far off world with a marker that reads "oxygen."
But for now, the question that's as old as astronomy remains unanswered. | <urn:uuid:f684dc0f-75ff-4312-96fd-e98e4248087a> | CC-MAIN-2018-30 | https://www.popularmechanics.com/space/deep-space/a26365/probing-atmospheres-alien-life/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-30/segments/1531676589470.9/warc/CC-MAIN-20180716213101-20180716233101-00593.warc.gz | en | 0.956826 | 1,657 | 3.171875 | 3 | 2.986255 | 3 | Strong reasoning | Science & Tech. |
Social transformation is the process of positive progressive growth of the transpersonal collective consciousness of humanity. By changing one’s self, an individual changes society as a whole, thanks largely to the reality of interconnected oneness in which everything and everyone affects everything and everyone else. We transform society by transforming ourselves. Social transformation on a global transpersonal level can only come about if we all work together to achieve such goals.
At the very least, there must be a passionate and extropically-mindful group of individuals who see that humanity is still very young and is just now pushing out of the Stone Age of Consciousness and into a yet-to-be-determined future where the principles of oneness and unity are truly felt and expressed by humanity.
Social transformation can come in small and frequent shifts or in massive quantum leaps. No matter in what manner such positive and progressive change occurs, one can rest assured that the transformative process has been occurring ever since humanity began and most recently has been seen to be progressing faster than ever before. A college-aged individual today, when told of the existence of segregation of different races in America only five decades ago, will be dumbfounded that such an era even existed in such recent history where some elements of humanity believed in such peculiar things.
It’s as if time is speeding up, or perhaps slowing down but we feel more is occurring in less time. The transformative process is constant, like the flow of a river. Those who see that there is so much more in store for the human consciousness than what is currently in existence; those who see humanity is still a toddler in the cradle of consciousness, can envision how much more can be changed, shifted, and evolved.
From Carl Jung’s research all the way to post-modern scientific studies on consciousness, it is seen that humans, the environment, the entire universe and perhaps multiverse is interconnected, both in seen and unseen ways. Whatever affects one aspect of Reality, affects the whole of reality. In this way, when even one person’s position of awareness is shifted, or just a handful of individuals’ perceptions of reality are modified, then these will directly affect the global human consciousness, as a whole.
Each individual, no matter who he or she is, can influence the future of our timeline. There is no cause that does not effect. Influence is constant. No person should feel that he or she is unable to assist in the process of social transformation. Everyone is able to do his or her part. With ignorance being replaced with awareness, more and more people can become understanding of the current state of humanity and the positive and progressive potential that it has.
Our actions and reactions are like ripples in an infinite ocean, spreading out and affecting all that is beyond them. In this same way, even the simple existence within happiness, or the feeling of joy, can positively affect others and make others feel happy or joyful, as a Harvard University and UC San Diego study has demonstrated. As Dr. Nicholas A. Christakis, a physician and medical sociologist at Harvard who co-wrote the study said, “your emotional state depends not just on actions and choices that you make, but also on actions and choices of other people, many of which you don’t even know.”
Not only happiness, but also ecstasy, love, and other higher states of consciousness directly affect others around us in positive ways, because of the universal reality that everything is ultimately One. The interconnected nature of all things and beings means that the higher the energy fields and consciousness states experienced by those around us, the higher our own energy fields and state of consciousness will be.
If you can shift global consciousness through things such as intention meditations or focuses towards higher states of consciousness, these raised states in you will be reflected in the rest of humanity, because of the reality that we are all interconnected and so we all affect each others’ state of being.
With the awareness of cymatics, it has become quite apparent that perhaps one of the greatest and most powerful tools for a social transformation is music. It has the power to move a person’s being like very few other forces. It is something that can transcend mere words and talk and express itself directly through feelings, emotions, and sensations.
For faster and grander social transformation, more music and dance events should exist that are centered around peace, love, happiness, and all-round positive energy. A way in which one can use music to assist in positive and progressive social transformation is to be a part of music festivals, raves, concerts, and other demonstrations of positive musical harmonics. By attending and being a part of such gatherings, one is able to stream the positive energy from one’s consciousness into the coherent global unified Whole.
By being selective in what one buys, social transformation can occur at record speeds in capitalist societies. Capitalism “makes the world go ’round” these days. Since this is still the case, one way to promote positive social transformation is to be selective with what companies, groups, business, and corporations one buys products and services from.
If there is a business that you have found evidence of doing things that are against the interests of society as a collective whole or displays actions that go against the reality of Oneness, where they willfully or knowingly are harming people, then this is your cue to stop supporting that business but ceasing all purchases of any goods or services they provide. This is capitalism in action with we the consumers being the benefactors. If nobody purchases their products or services, then they will go out of business in a truly capitalist economy.
To illustrate this using an example, let’s say Company X produces clothes that are made with child slave labor with harm being committed towards the laborers, then ceasing to buy clothes from Company X will generate less profit. If a significant quantity of individual are mindful that purchasing a product of service from such a business monetarily supports that company, then social transformation will definitely occur on this front. | <urn:uuid:203ce68b-3854-4a1e-8632-9cb921c1bad7> | CC-MAIN-2018-09 | http://www.shift.is/social-transformation/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-09/segments/1518891812556.20/warc/CC-MAIN-20180219072328-20180219092328-00407.warc.gz | en | 0.95447 | 1,235 | 2.78125 | 3 | 2.892234 | 3 | Strong reasoning | Religion |
|Compiling to and from Fortran [email protected] (1995-10-17)|
|From:||[email protected] (William B. Clodius)|
|Keywords:||Fortran, C, performance|
|Date:||Tue, 17 Oct 1995 01:21:34 GMT|
[email protected] (Norman L. Reitzel ) wrote:
> [email protected] (Dan Pop) writes:
> >In <[email protected]> [email protected] (Gordon
> >>You can do anything in one language that you can do in another, if they
> >>are compiling to the same target machine... Sometimes it is a pain, but
> >>it is possible (look at ZEBRA from CERN as a memory manager (and more)).
> >Yeah? Could you point me to a C to Fortran converter?
> Shame on you! C had it's semantic roots in RatFor, which is precisely
> the kind of thing you are talking about. Gordon is precisely correct. I
> once spent some time working on a distillation simulation, and some parts
> were easier in C (C++ actually) while others were more natural in Fortran.
More precisely I believe RatFor has its roots in C and Fortran. It
implements some of the structured concepts Ritchie had already used
in C, but otherwise had the semantics of Fortran. This allowed it to
be compiled to Fortran and have good efficiency.
The above topic is really related to several questions
1. Can you do anything in a general programming language?
A. Yes, all languages are Turing complete. However, being Turing
complete is not the same as being able to do the same thing with equal
efficiency in any language. Some things are so difficult to do in one
language than it would be to do in another that it would never be done
in the first language.
2. Can you write a compiler in Fortran?
A. Yes. The first attempt at a LISP interpreter was done in FORTRAN II.
The first PROLOG interpreter was done in FORTRAN IV. Several Fortran
compilers are still implemented in Fortran, and some public domain
Fortran pretty printers, etc., which perform lexical analysis, etc. on
Fortran code, are also written in Fortran..
However, FLISP had so many problems that LISP 1-1.3 were not written in
Fortran. (LISP 1.3 served as the first full implementation of LISP.)
While the first PROLOG interpreter was efficient and portable, the lack
of a standardized IF ... THEN ... ELSE ... structure in the FORTRAN IV
language resulted in difficult to maintain code. Further,
the lack of recursion, pointer data structures, or recursive types
made it very difficult to implement in F77 certain common compilation
and lexical analysis techniques that can be easilly implemented in
other languages. Therefore, Fortran has not been commonly used for
this task at least since the mid-70s, when other languages with better
capabilities became more widely available. Typically, C (or C++)
are now used becaus of their wide availability and the availability of
YACC, LEX, and other related tools, or other, speciallized lanugages
and tools are used, e.g., see
Tools alone don't make C perfect for this task.
F90 has recursion and pointers, and with the right tools could serve
as a replacement for C and C++ (the Fortran equivalent of YACC, etc.
do not exist in a non-proprietary form), but it does not have the
capabilities of the specialized languages. At least some F9x compilers
will continue to be written at least partially in F9x as a test of the
compilers performance immediately apparent to the developers. Whether
compilers for other languages, or other specialized Fortran lexical
analysis tools, will be written in Fortran remains to be seen. Who is
going to create and make available the tools necessary for that task?
3. Can Fortran be the target language of a compiler?
A. Yes, see the SISAL project, http://www.llnl.gov/sisal/ It is
also the target language of many Fortran extensions.
4. Can Fortran be the target language for the full C language?
A. No, not unless you want horrible performance. A few syntactical
constructs in C, in particular the potential of aliasing, can only
be correctly mapped to the Fortran 90 language by accepting large
performance penalties. Some constructs, e.g., function pointers,
require libraries with at least a small performance penalty.
5. Can Fortran (90) be the target language for a useable subset of C?
A. Possibly. In most of their structure C and Fortran are similar
enough that translation could be relatively automatic. Care would need
to be taken with Fortran's lack of short circuiting, libraries would be
needed for function pointers, etc. Macros would be another source of
difficulty in the tranlation, although they might be translated to other
Fortran compatible macro processors. A bigger problem would be that
while most scientific code does not have aliasing, if yours is the
code with that property, then it will be impractical for the compiler
to determine the existence of aliasing, and hence rare, potentially
subtle, and Fortran compiler dependent errors will be introduced in the
translated code. In effect, an unsafe optimization switch would be
used. Finally, I/O syntax is sufficiently different in the two
languages that the I/O part of the resulting code will probably be
unmaintainable (See F2C output).
Given the above, would anyone want to use F90 as a target language for
C or most other commonly used languages?
I am cross posting this to comp. compilers for more knowledgeable
Note: This thread started on comp.lang.fortran and two other Macintosh
newsgrous. It covered amy other points before C to Fortran translation
came up. I cross posted this first without sending it as email to
[email protected], and it is appearing on my news server. I hope this
doesn't cause problems.
William B. Clodius Phone (505) 665-9370
Los Alamos Natl. Lab. NIS-1 FAX (505) 665-7395
PO Box 1663, MS-D466 Group Office (505) 667-2701
Los Alamos, NM 87545 email [email protected]
NIS-1: Nonproliferation and International Security Div./
Space and Atmospheric Physics Group
Return to the
Search the comp.compilers archives again. | <urn:uuid:544aefcb-3471-4997-ab4a-fb0c0bbcfc03> | CC-MAIN-2015-18 | http://compilers.iecc.com/comparch/article/95-10-088 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-18/segments/1429246651471.95/warc/CC-MAIN-20150417045731-00265-ip-10-235-10-82.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.90848 | 1,524 | 2.78125 | 3 | 2.75294 | 3 | Strong reasoning | Software Dev. |
The monsoon season ushers in rainfall for 4 months from June to September in this country. For an agriculturally dominant developing country, rainfall is extremely important. This in turn affects the stock market for better or worse, accordingly. While a majority of the population of India depends on agriculture for their daily living expenses, the agricultural sector in turn depends on the monsoons.
Even though you cannot find any direct link between monsoons with the stock market, however there is an indirect link that exists and affects it. A bad monsoon will usher in a bad year for agriculture and this is extremely problematic for an agriculturally dominant country. Similarly a good monsoon will mean good produce and it will affect the stock market in a different way.
Why is the Monsoon Season so Important?
As you already know, India’s predominant industry is agriculture, so a lot rides on the erratic monsoons. More than 55% of India’s cultivable land depends solely on monsoons and 15% of the entire Indian economy is based on products derived from agriculture. So, a good monsoon will ensure high production in the agricultural sector, which in turn accelerates economic growth. If there is less rainfall then there is an evident delay in crop production.
Impact on Stock Market
The production of crops gets a boost when the monsoon is normal. Even if the monsoon rains get delayed by a few days, it can have a pretty adverse effect on the economy. On the other hand, if the rains are on time, a good crop will curb inflation in the country. Production of crops receive a much needed boost if the monsoon arrives on time. This reduces the prices of vegetables and other farm products up to a certain extent because of an increased supply. The monsoon rains are the key to understanding how agricultural output, inflation, consumer behavior and economic growth will change. Normal rainfall will usher in growth for the nation while anything below that will only cause trouble. If the rainfalls are late, farmers cannot do anything but to push back the date of sowing seeds. The country is able to maintain a good GDP if the monsoons are good, which in turn gives a boost to the NSE stock market. Not only that, surplus food production will enable the government to export it, leading to gain of foreign currency that will boost the stock markets further. Good monsoon also ensures that people of our country are able to buy goods, thereby pushing demand for industrial produce. In fact, many sectors like gold, farm equipment, fertilizers are directly linked to the success of monsoon whereas other sectors are indirectly linked to the success or failure of the monsoons.
The agricultural sector is the most vulnerable when it comes to the erratic rain patterns. The Indian economy is highly dependent on the rains, and that makes the stock market dependent on it too, indirectly. Indian companies look forward to the monsoon for respite. Good monsoons definitely improve the economic scenario in India which involves falling rupee, high fiscal deficit, poor earnings etc. Good monsoons mean greater purchasing power for people in the rural areas and that will increase their demand of certain consumer products. | <urn:uuid:42ca80fb-2c40-42ac-ac27-bebec1438140> | CC-MAIN-2018-22 | http://www.angelbroking.com/blog/what-does-a-bad-monsoon-mean-for-the-stock-market | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-22/segments/1526794867041.69/warc/CC-MAIN-20180525043910-20180525063910-00328.warc.gz | en | 0.934502 | 650 | 2.703125 | 3 | 2.715106 | 3 | Strong reasoning | Finance & Business |
There is a remarkable group of individuals that operate each month without receiving nearly the amount of attention that they deserve. These wonderful individuals are our Adopt-A-Stream (AAS) monitors. They fight the elements every month to collect all kinds of water quality data in order to help us keep an eye on our rivers as a part of our Watershed Watch program. In order to shine more light on their incredibly valuable work, we are proud to begin a semi-annual review of water quality data while also highlighting the incredible volunteers that help us collect that data. Welcome to River Recap.
You can check out the exact water quality data from any monitoring site by visiting the Georgia Adopt-A-Stream website. Here, we’ll take a look at recent trends and discuss the importance of each measure.
Temperature: Over this last winter, average temperatures were quite a bit higher throughout our river basin. While this lead to some very pleasant outdoor weather in winter months, large temperature changes can have a significant impact on our waterways. Aquatic organisms adapt to narrow temperature ranges and water temperature can impact nearly all life functions such as respiration, metabolism, feeding, and development. Temperature is also intimately bound to dissolved oxygen.
Dissolved Oxygen: All aquatic life (other than the plants) depend on oxygen in the water to respire. Oxygen levels can be impacted by nutrient loading as well as whether or not the waterway has any turbulent mixing (like rapids). Additionally, dissolved oxygen levels have an inverse relationship to temperatures. So when one goes up, the other goes down. This brings us back to our uncharacteristically warm winter. Average dissolved oxygen readings in specific regions were typically 15-25% lower than the previous two winters. While this drop could be created by nutrient loading (fertilizer running off into waterways), it seems more likely that temperature is the main culprit since the drop applies to our entire river basin.
It’s important to remember how scarce dissolved oxygen truly is. Although you can’t truly compare gas concentrations to liquid concentrations, we’ll take a general look to visualize some fundamental differences. Our atmosphere is made up of around 21% oxygen. As a result, you and I breath somewhere around 210,000 ppm (parts per million) oxygen. To put that in comparison with aquatic systems, oxygen-rich waterways will contain around 10 ppm oxygen and averages across GA are around 5 ppm. We humans use only 1-2% of our daily energy pulling in oxygen. Fish on the other hand must use around 15% of their daily energy in order to respire. Their gills must also be a lot more efficient at trapping oxygen than our lungs. With all of this in mind, it’s clear that levels of dissolved oxygen are really important – especially to those tired fish!
pH: This test measures the acidity of our water, or more specifically, the concentration of hydrogen ions. On a scale from 0 to 14, 7 is neutral. Anything above 7 is considered basic and anything below is acidic. pH measurements throughout the basin have been where we would expect them. Upstream, most measurements fall between 5.75 and 6.75, or slightly acidic. Blackwater rivers and creeks typically have acidic water due to the tannic acids that pour into these waterways from surrounding swamps as plant material breaks down. Blackwater rivers, incidentally, get their “tea-stained” coloration the same way tea gets that coloration – by the release of tannins. Our brackish and saltwater monitoring sites typically had pH readings of 7.25 to 8 which is also very typical. The types of salts found in saltwater lead to more basic water.
Conductivity: It’s difficult to draw any universal conclusions from conductivity as measurements are very site-specific. Conductivity measures the water’s ability to pass an electric current and it indicates the concentration of ions in the water. Heavy rainfall tends to dilute this concentration and cause conductivity to drop. Other than that, there are not too many natural reasons for conductivity to change quickly (other than perhaps a giant flock of migratory birds hanging out somewhere upstream). Thus, conductivity is a very useful indicator for human impact as conductivity can be elevated by mining operations, agriculture (fertilizers), sewage leaks, and runoff from our streets. Generally, none of our monitoring sites experienced any kind of dramatic spike in conductivity which is a very good sign.
Bacteria: Our testing specifically targets E.coli as an indicator species for the presence of pathogenic bacteria in our waterways. Currently, we only regularly test a handful of sites (and would love to expand this part of our monitoring – see below to get involved). Our most recent monitoring showed bacterial readings that were well within normal and healthy ranges on Rocky Comfort Creek near Louisville, the Canoochee River at Hwy 169 near Claxton, the Ogeechee River at Dasher’s Landing, and the Casey Canal at Eisenhower Dr in Savannah.
Macroinvertebrates: Or aquatic critters. We use macroinvertebrates to teach us a little history about water quality conditions. Chemical and bacterial monitoring give us a snapshot of what is happening in an instant, but macroinvertebrates can teach us about what’s been going on over the last several months since they live in the water full-time and have various degrees of pollutant sensitivity. We have very few sites with macroinvertebrate data because this is the most time-consuming form of monitoring that AAS has to offer (if you want to get wet, muddy, and up-close-and-personal with some aquatic insects, see below for ways you can get more involved). We have two major monitoring sites with macroinvertebrate data that are immediately upstream and downstream from the Longleaf textile plant (formerly King America Finishing). Both sites reported Water Quality Index scores this winter in the “Fair” range which is pretty common for those sites, especially when we consider the warmer temperatures and lower oxygen levels.
We are incredibly grateful for all of our AAS volunteers. The work that they do is vital in helping us to understand what is “normal” for our waterways and to identify when something has gone wrong. Here are just a few of the people involved in this important work.
Matthew Harris, a graduate of Georgia Southern University, joined our monitoring team back in 2014. Since then, he has faithfully monitored sites near Oliver and Millen on his weekends. Matthew has also participated in and volunteered at several other ORK events including last summer when he gamely helped manage the canoes in our Canoe Tug-of-War competition in downtown Statesboro. We are incredibly grateful for Matthew’s dedication and work ethic.
At last year’s Annual Meeting and Riverkeeper Awards, we recognized two of our wonderful volunteers for the Excellence in Monitoring Award, Monique Gordon and Rochelle Coatney. These wonderful ORK supporters joined our organization first by monitoring one site once a month, but quickly grew that relationship to include monitoring additional sites, helping out with clean-ups, running booths at festivals, and volunteering for practically every event that we hosted.
And finally, I was humbled and honored last month at the Georgia Adopt-A-Stream Conference in Buford, GA when they awarded me the 2015 New Trainer of the Year Award. During 2015, I personally doled out 186 AAS certifications during monitoring workshops and got to meet some incredible individuals along the way. Out of all of my official duties, few have been easier to complete than my work with Adopt-A-Stream. I genuinely enjoy hosting workshops and helping people to dig a little deeper into how our waterways work.
There are several ways that you can get involved with Adopt-A-Stream.
Do you have free time on the weekends and do you want to join our elite group of water quality monitors? Do you already monitor a site but want to add bacterial and macroinvertebrate monitoring as well? Contact Jesse Demonbreun-Chapman at [email protected] to express your interest in the program and learn about upcoming opportunities.
We are always in need of funding for this program in order to purchase equipment and chemical reagents. To lend your support, head over to our donate page to help us keep this program going and keep our workshops free. If you have a business, CONTACT US to learn how you can sponsor a chemical monitoring kit or this program as a whole. | <urn:uuid:b1ab80c1-5bbf-436e-840b-f7fe138cfc0a> | CC-MAIN-2017-39 | http://ogeecheeriverkeeper.org/river-recap-look-back-water-data/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-39/segments/1505818689775.73/warc/CC-MAIN-20170923194310-20170923214310-00079.warc.gz | en | 0.951495 | 1,774 | 3.140625 | 3 | 2.697568 | 3 | Strong reasoning | Science & Tech. |
A while ago we reported on the discovery of the Higgs particle at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in Europe. On March 14, CNN and other news outlets reported some new information to coincide with both pi day (3.14) and Albert Einstein's birthday.
So what's it all about?
Back in July of 2012, scientists at the LHC reported that they'd found a particle that behaves very much like the Higgs particle. The Higgs particle is not so important in itself, but it gives us clues about the Higgs field, which is the field that gives you and me (and the particles that make us up) mass. They were able to find the Higgs particle ahead of schedule because of a surprising way in which the particle was decaying.
The best way to think of the Higgs particle is a disturbance (a wave or a wiggle) in the Higgs field. But this disturbance is very unstable. The Higgs particle survives in our world only a tiny fraction of a second, such a short time that we never see the particle itself – we only see the things it decays into. One of those "decay paths" is into two photons – two very high-energy pieces of light. The experiments at the LHC detected lots and lots of these two photon decays. In fact, it was because there were so many of them that the Higgs discovery could be announced so early in the experiment, long before many expected it.
This surprising result was exciting news for physicists. They were actually hoping to be wrong about the Higgs. They were hoping that some feature of the Higgs – such as its likelihood to decay into two photons – would be wrong. This would point them toward new physics, new ideas, new experiments to try. No one knew if this excess of two photon decays really was new physics, or if it was just luck, a little like rolling doubles three times in a row in Monopoly. Sure it's rare, but rare things do happen (that's what makes them rare and not impossible.)
The announcement on March 14 of this year was that the extra photon decays really were like rolling doubles three times. If you keep rolling, eventually the doubles streak goes away. That's what happened at the LHC. As they analyzed more and more data, the scientists found that the extra photon decay signal blended into the background. As far as that particular decay is concerned, the Higgs particle seems to behave just as theory would suggest. That's good, it means our theory works, but it's also disappointing, because physicists really, really want to be wrong. It'll tell them what to do next.
All is not lost, however. We know that our current theories of the world are far, far from complete. We know there are mysteries out there, such as dark matter and dark energy. We have no idea what they are, but we know they exist. We don't understand the mass of neutrinos, or of the Higgs particle itself. We don't yet know what caused the universe to suddenly expand over 13 billion years ago. And of course there's always the mystery of what is a "Q" and why do they only use the tip. There's lots more to learn, so keep watching!
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cosi.org powered by WOW Business Enterprise Cloud. | <urn:uuid:48a851eb-2ad2-42f7-832b-b4fe7be2d1e8> | CC-MAIN-2015-18 | http://cosi.org/cosi-blog/item/a-higgs-update | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-18/segments/1429246656747.97/warc/CC-MAIN-20150417045736-00100-ip-10-235-10-82.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.980801 | 699 | 3.609375 | 4 | 2.897424 | 3 | Strong reasoning | Science & Tech. |
Today Drainage, ventilation, and waste systems typically use PVC piping material in the garden. Despite their reputation for long-term reliability, they are prone to leaks and breaks even when adequately cared for. A subterranean PVC pipe needs some attention, and you’d want to know how to fix it. If the repair is too complicated or you don’t feel confident in your ability to make a proper repair, you may also replace the pipe. Fiberglass resin or cloth, rubber-and-silicone tape, epoxy, hose clamps, and rubber tape are a few options.
Read more on how to repair PVC pipe in the Ground. If the repair is too complicated or you don’t feel confident about your ability to finish it properly. You must speak with a specialist before beginning any repairs.
You can repair a burst pipe by excavating the line and installing a new one. Use the exact pipe sizes that fit into the existing fittings. If the repair is not suitable and you think the repair solves the issue, you may replace the pipe.
Why it is important to know How to repair PVC pipe in the Ground
We recently learned that Drainage, ventilation, and waste pipes are all common uses for PVC pipes in the yard. It has an extraordinarily long life and is resistant to rust. If you know how to repair PVC pipes buried underground, you can save a lot of money on plumbing repairs. We usually think repair work of PVC pipe is challenging, but with proper knowledge and tools, you can do it early without getting help from a plumber.
Following these steps on how to repair PVC pipe in the ground
- Turn off the water, as stated at the beginning of this post.
- Using a hacksaw or ratchet cutter, cut the pipe about an inch to the left and right of the damaged area.
- Let it air dry once you’ve wrung out any extra moisture with a towel.
- Check that the fitting on the replacement pipe is secured correctly after performing a dry fit in the hole. The technique is explained in this article.
- Apply PVC priming solvent to the inside and outside of the fittings on the new and existing pipe.
Finally, apply PVC pipe glue to the exposed PVC pipe and the region around the interior of the replacement fitting.
You must first insert the existing pipe into the replacement fittings and then twist the line to get the new fittings to operate with the present line.
The glue should dry in ten seconds, so hold on to the line for that period to ensure a strong connection. Hold it for at least two hours before you let go.
Afterward, the water main should be switched back on to ensure that the sealant has been set.
Return the dirt to its original position over the conduit after confirming that the line is operational.
Read More:- How to Repair PVC Pipe in Tight Spaces
When you’ll benefit from the Services of an Expert?
I hope you are understood how to repair PVC pipe in the Ground. It’s best to call a professional if you notice water pooling in your yard and don’t know what’s causing it. When a line is leaking, but you don’t know where it’s coming from or whether or not you can fix it yourself, it’s time to call a plumber. Because pipes are a crucial part of the plumbing system, hiring a professional plumber is your best bet if you’re unfamiliar with them.
How do you fix a cracked underground pipe?
Look for any leakage signs on the line. If there are any leakage signs, first see if they can be repaired. If not, you should replace the damaged underground pipe.
Small cracks can be repaired rather than replaced. The best way to repair damage in an underground pipe is to use an epoxy repair kit. Another option is the use of a plumber’s tape.
After the repair work is completed, verify with running water that there are no more leaks.
How do you repair underground PVC conduit?
The best way to repair an underground PVC conduit is to replace it with a new one. However, if it is damaged and needs to be fixed, you can repair it using a few methods.
Firstly remove the old PVC conduit. Next, you can install a new piece of PVC conduit into the ground using a digging tool. You can also add extra protection to the new conduit by installing cement around the outside.
Another way to repair an underground PVC conduit is to use epoxy glue on the damaged area. Finally, you can wrap the repaired area with tape to provide additional protection.
How do you know if a pipe has burst in the Ground?
There are a few tell-tale signs that can indicate if a pipe has burst in the Ground:
- You may notice water leaking or rising from the Ground.
- Water may gather nearby and become saturated.
- The Ground may make a hissing or bubbling noise.
- You may see wet or sunken areas of grass in the area.
- You may see water spilling from cracks in the ground or sidewalk.
- You may notice wet ceilings or walls in nearby buildings or homes.
- Another way to check for a burst pipe is to check your water bill and see if it has suddenly increased.
- You may notice Water flow has decreased.
How do you fix a broken pipe under a slab?
A water pipe under a slab is usually harder to reach and fix. A broken pipe under the slab can be frustrating because it is not easy to fix. However, there are some things that you can do to fix this problem.
1. The first thing you can do is turn off the water supply.
2. Next, you can try to find where the pipe is located. If possible, you can try to repair the line. Otherwise, you can start looking for another way to fix the problem.
3. After finding the pipe’s location, you need to figure out how to get access to it. One way to do this is by cutting a hole in the slab with a saw or jackhammer. Another way is by drilling through the floor above using an auger or borehole. You need to do this carefully so that you do not cause any more damage or spill water onto the floor below.
4. Once you can access the pipe, you can start working on repairing it or replacing it with a new one.
Does Flex Seal work on PVC?
The short answer is yes, and Flex Seal can be applied to PVC. It does not fix any persistent link in your PVC pipe.
Flex Seal is only a sealant, meaning it works by filling up gaps in the materials that create the leak. The product is flexible and can be used to seal cracks along the baseboard, windows, and even in your plumbing. Do not expect this product to fix any persistent problem.
If you want to seal up cracks, I would advise using a Mighty Putty product. Mighty Putty is made specifically for sealing up holes and cracks in PVC pipes. I recommend using this product because it won’t discolor or damage your pipes like a chemical solvent.
How do you fix a hole in a pressurized PVC pipe?
Fixing the hole in a pressurized PVC pipe some time very difficult because it needs masterful understanding. If the hole is small, it’s easy to fix, but for a large gap, it’s always recommended to contact a plumber. You may be able to patch it with duct tape and epoxy. This works best with a small pipe puncture; not a whole section ripped out.
If the hole is more extensive, you can repair it with a plastic joining plug in various sizes. You cut out a piece of pipe with an appropriate size, glue on the joining plug, and fit it back together.
How long does it take PVC glue to dry?
The drying time for most types of PVC glue varies from 30 minutes to one hour, depending on the thickness of the glue layer and the temperature of your environment. Wait 24 hours before applying additional layers after the glue has dried.
Source: – https://www.wikihow.com/Repair-PVC | <urn:uuid:a230f62d-2216-446c-9c74-e84d9ad79cfc> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://toolsgears.com/how-to-repair-pvc-pipe-in-the-ground-a-comprehensive-guide/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233510358.68/warc/CC-MAIN-20230928031105-20230928061105-00355.warc.gz | en | 0.921049 | 1,712 | 2.6875 | 3 | 1.814813 | 2 | Moderate reasoning | Home & Hobbies |
Molecularly imprinted supermacroporous cryogels for myoglobin recognition because of its relatively small molecular weight, myoglobin is target molecule is. How do you calculate the molecular weight of a compound times your molecular weight by 166 x10^-27 to get the weight of the atom/molecule in kg. Separate one molecule from a mixture of molecules for columns is useful for molecular separations within the molecular weight range of ~3000 experiments. What would happen as each molecule interacted with molecular weight range instead and the weight is size exclusion chromatography separations module. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy monica difiori the purpose of the experiment the molecular ion peak represents the molecular weight of the molecule.
Myoglobin is an oxygen-binding globular protein which is vital in facilitating the acquisition and utilization of oxygen in animals myoglobin was isolated and. Determining the molecular weight of amylase by gel filtration/size exclusion chromatography purifying and determining the molecular weight of a molecule that. Molecular weight: 7507 myoglobin, and hemoglobin according to computer simulations and lab-based experiments, glycine was probably formed when ices. One way in which the shapes of molecules manifest themselves experimentally is through molecular dipole moments a molecule which has one or more polar covalent bonds. An introduction to molecular biology/function and structure reproducible molecular weight and by a three-dimensional model of the myoglobin molecule.
molecular weight determination of peptides and proteins by esi and maldi by kerstin strupat abstract several topics are covered, namely, general aspects important. Proteins used as molecular-weight standards molecular weight protein relative calculated native myoglobin 17,000 17,080 hemoglobin 16,000 64,000 lysozyme. Mass spectrometry has a number of applications the experiment’s conclusion was that “neon m is the molecular ion (un-fragmented molecule minus one.
Projects & experiments we were given the molecular weight of the molecule (2017, august 4) calculating compound empirical & molecular formula. Myoglobin gene mb organism bos taurus (bovine) status molecular function i molecule processing feature key position(s. Experimental molecular weight of myoglobin literature molecular weight of from chem 241l at unc. To find molecular weight in this experiment, you will first find the freezing temperature of the pure using freezing-point depression to find molecular weight.
How to find the molecular weight of a given gas in that case, what is the molecular weight of gas x well what i've done up to now is this. The molecular weight of a particular polymer molecule is a product of the degree of polymerization and the molecular weight of the repeating unit. Section 35 purifying, detecting, and characterizing proteins any molecule, whether protein the molecular weight of a protein can be estimated by comparing.
Hemoglobin is a protein a molecule contains four polypeptide which accounts for only 4 percent of the weight of the molecule compared to myoglobin in. Determining the molecular mass of an unknown acid by titration page 1 of 7 in this part of the experiment you will prepare and standardize a sodium hydroxide. What is the molar mass of myoglobin (there is one fe atom per molecule) chemistry: using mass percentage to find molar molecular weight of myoglobin. Lesson 1: molecular weights we'll study how to determine the molecular weight of a gas and there are a few notes about this week's main lab experiment at the. Experiments on denaturation and the binding of a molecule to a binding site separate proteins exclusively on the basis of molecular weight. Materials and methods, we can get a pretty reasonable approximation of the size of a molecule first, though like the molecular formula.
Projects & experiments atomic masses of each atom in the molecule it is easy to find the molecular mass of a to find molecular mass (molecular weight). About the myoglobin molecule myoglobin is an iron- and oxygen-binding protein found in the muscle tissue it has a molecular weight of. Myoglobin (symbol mb or mb) is molecular orbital description of fe-o 2 interaction in myoglobin this is an image of an oxygenated myoglobin molecule. Guided practice in performing empirical formula calculations from molecular weight or some other molecule with finding empirical formula from molecular. What is the molecular weight of caffeine determination of chemical formulas how would you find the chemical formula of a substance in an experiment. | <urn:uuid:5df1de32-4818-42b6-a81f-986c2834a8a6> | CC-MAIN-2018-22 | http://hqassignmentkpdk.voteforthegirls.us/an-experiment-on-finding-the-molecular-weight-of-a-myoglobin-molecule.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-22/segments/1526794864657.58/warc/CC-MAIN-20180522092655-20180522112652-00011.warc.gz | en | 0.89056 | 916 | 2.75 | 3 | 2.605218 | 3 | Strong reasoning | Science & Tech. |
Forests & Land Use
For too long, decisions affecting our environment and communities have been made in corporate boardrooms far from home resulting in clear-cut logging, mining and oil and gas development that have had devastating effects on land and water.
West Coast Environmental Law seeks to transform the way rights and responsibilities about land use are understood in BC –creating new legal mechanisms for resource tenures (licences) and land use decision-making that are more democratic, sustainable and just.
We work to reform resource and environmental decision-making to incorporate:
- Ecosystem-based management.
- Cumulative impact assessment.
- Climate change impacts mitigation and adaptation.
- Recognition and respect of Aboriginal Title and Rights.
- Meaningful public participation.
Together with our allies, we have had an impact. For example:
- In the wake of our Forest Solutions for Sustainable Communities initiative which advanced citizen-driven solutions to the softwood lumber dispute the provincial government took back approximately 20 per cent of timber rights in BC for redistribution to First Nations, communities and small businesses.
- West Coast Environmental Law was one of the principal drafters of the Forest Stewardship Council BC Regional Standards for Forest Management. These rigorous standards assure consumers that certified wood they purchase from BC comes from forests managed to stringent ecological and social standards.
- We were part of the team that negotiated amendments to the Park Act to create a new “Conservancy” designation that provides strong environmental protection while respecting Aboriginal Title and Rights.
- First Nations land use planning - Developing land use plans can be a powerful way for a First Nation to communicate their indigenous laws, which embody environmental stewardship, and the wisdom of their Elders in order to protect the lands and resources of their territory and eventually transform mainstream laws as well.
- Forests and climate change - Handled correctly, new laws and policies that harness market forces to address climate change have the potential to both dramatically reduce our emissions of greenhouse gases and help native species of plants and animals survive and adapt.
- Forest certification - Forest certification harnesses market power to change forest management by promoting products that use wood harvested in an ecologically and socially responsible manner.
- Tenure reform - Control over the vast majority of British Columbia’s land base is held by timber, mining and other resource companies through various forms of tenure (leases, licences etc.). British Columbia’s laws about resource tenure have been in place since before the term climate change had even been coined – they are antiquated and are a major barrier to conservation and self-determination in BC.
For all West Coast publications related to our Forests and Land Use program, please click here. | <urn:uuid:41eed5f6-b593-4559-8ec0-a8ffe7559db3> | CC-MAIN-2014-49 | http://www.wcel.org/our-work/forests-land-use | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-49/segments/1416400380638.30/warc/CC-MAIN-20141119123300-00135-ip-10-235-23-156.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940248 | 550 | 2.953125 | 3 | 3.013488 | 3 | Strong reasoning | Politics |
How Etzel Made Kriemhild His Bride.
Until the fourth day she stayed at Zeisenmauer. The while the dust upon the highway never came to rest, but rose on every side, as if it were burning, where King Etzel's liegemen rode through Austria. Then the king was told aright how royally Kriemhild fared through the lands; at thought of this his sorrows vanished. He hasted to where he found the lovely Kriemhild. Men saw ride before King Etzel on the road many bold knights of many tongues and many mighty troops of Christians and of paynims. When they met the lady, they rode along in lordly wise. Of the Russians and the Greeks there rode there many a man. The right good steeds of the Poles and Wallachians were seen to gallop swiftly, as they rode with might and main. Each did show the customs of his land. From the land of Kiev (1) there rode many a warrior and the savage Petschenegers. (2) With the bow they often shot at the birds which flew there; to the very head they drew the arrows on the bows.
By the Danube there lieth in the Austrian land a town that men call Tulna. (3) There she became acquaint with many a foreign custom, the which size had never seen afore. She greeted there enow who later came through her to grief. Before Etzel there rode a retinue, merry and noble, courtly and lusty, full four and twenty princes, mighty and of lofty birth. They would fain behold their lady and craved naught more. Duke Ramung (4) of Wallachia, with seven hundred vassals, galloped up before her; like flying birds men saw them ride. Then came Prince Gibeek with lordly bands. The doughty Hornbog, (5) with full a thousand men, wheeled from the king away towards the queen. Loudly they shouted after the custom of their land. Madly too rode the kinsmen of the Huns. Then came brave Hawart (6) of Denmark and the doughty Iring, (7) free of guile was he, and Irnfried (8) of Thuringia, a stately man. With twelve hundred vassals, whom they had in their band, they greeted Kriemhild, so that she had therefrom great worship. Then came Sir Bloedel, (9) King Etzel's brother, from the Hunnish land, with three thousand men. In lordly wise he rode to where he found the queen. Then King Etzel came and Sir Dietrich, too, with all his fellowship. There stood many worshipful knights, noble, worthy, and good. At this Dame Kriemhild's spirits rose.
Then Sir Rudeger spake to the queen: "Lady, here will I receive the high-born king; whomso I bid you kiss, that must ye do. Forsooth ye may not greet alike King Etzel's men."
From the palfrey they helped the royal queen alight. Etzel, the mighty, bode no more, but dismounted from his steed with many a valiant man. Joyfully men saw them go towards Kriemhild. Two mighty princes, as we are told, walked by the lady and bore her train, when King Etzel went to meet her, where she greeted the noble lording with a kiss in gracious wise. She raised her veil and from out the gold beamed forth her rosy hue. Many a man stood there who vowed that Lady Helca could not have been more fair than she. Close by stood also Bloedel, the brother of the king. Him Rudeger, the mighty margrave, bade her kiss and King Gibeek, too. There also stood Sir Dietrich. Twelve of the warriors the king's bride kissed. She greeted many knights in other ways.
All the while that Etzel stood at Kriemhild's side, the youthful warriors did as people still are wont to do. One saw them riding many a royal joust. This Christian champions did and paynim, too, according to their custom. In what right knightly wise the men of Dietrich made truncheons from the shafts fly through the air, high above the shields, from the hands of doughty knights! Many a buckler's edge was pierced through and through by the German strangers. Great crashing of breaking shafts was heard. All the warriors from the land were come and the king's guests, too, many a noble man.
Then the mighty king betook him hence with Lady Kriemhild. Hard by them a royal tent was seen to stand; around about the plain was filled with booths, where they should rest them after their toils. Many a comely maid was shown to her place thereunder by the knights, where she then sate with the queen on richly covered chairs. The margrave had so well purveyed the seats for Kriemhild, that all found them passing good; at this King Etzel grew blithe of mood. What the king there spake, I know not. In his right lay her snow-white hand; thus they sate in lover's wise, since Rudeger would not let the king make love to Kriemhild secretly.
Then one bade the tourney cease on every side; in courtly wise the great rout ended. Etzel's men betook them to the booths; men gave them lodgings stretching far away on every side. The day had now an end; they lay at ease, till the bright morn was seen to dawn again, then many a man betook him to the steeds. Ho, what pastimes they gan ply in honor of the king! Etzel bade the Huns purvey all with fitting honors. Then they rode from Tulna to the town of Vienna, where they found many a dame adorned. With great worship these greeted King Etzel's bride. There was ready for them in great plenty whatever they should have. Many a lusty hero rejoiced at prospect of the rout.
The king's wedding feast commenced in merry wise. They began to lodge the guests, but quarters could not be found for all within the town. Rudeger therefore begged those that were not guests to take lodgings in the country round about. I ween men found all time by Lady Kriemhild, Sir Dietrich and many another knight. Their rest they had given over for toil, that they might purvey the guests good cheer. Rudeger and his friends had pastime good. The wedding feast fell on a Whitsuntide, when King Etzel lay by Kriemhild in the town of Vienna. With her first husband, I trow, she did not win so many men for service. Through presents she made her known to those who had never seen her. Full many among them spake to the guests: "We weened that Lady Kriemhild had naught of goods, now hath she wrought many wonders with her gifts."
The feasting lasted seventeen days. I trow men can no longer tell of any king whose wedding feast was greater. If so be, 'tis hidden from us. All that were present wore brand-new garments. I ween, she never dwelt before in Netherland with such retinue of knights. Though Siegfried was rich in goods, I trow, he never won so many noble men-at-arms, as she saw stand 'fore Etzel. Nor hath any ever given at his own wedding feast so many costly mantles, long and wide, nor such good clothes, of which all had here great store, given for Kriemhild's sake. Her friends and the strangers, too, were minded to spare no kind of goods. Whatever any craved, this they willingly gave, so that many of the knights through bounty stood bereft of clothes. Kriemhild thought of how she dwelt with her noble husband by the Rhine; her eyes grew moist, but she hid it full well, that none might see it. Great worship had been done her after many a grief. Whatever bounty any used, 'twas but a wind to that of Dietrich,. What Botelung's son had given him, was squandered quite. Rudeger's lavish hand did also many wonders. Prince Bleedel of Hungary bade empty many traveling chests of their silver and their gold; all this was given away. The king's champions were seen to live right merrily. Werbel and Swemmel, (10) the minstrels of the king, each gained at the wedding feast, I ween, full thousand marks, or even better, when fair Kriemhild sate crowned at Etzel's side.
On the eighteenth morning they rode forth from Vienna. Many shields were pierced in tilting by spears, which the warriors bare in hand. Thus King Etzel came down to the Hunnish land. They spent the night at ancient Heimburg. (11) No one might know the press of folk, or with what force they rode across the land. Ho, what fair women they found in Etzel's native land! At mighty Misenburg (12) they boarded ship. The water which men saw flowing there was covered with steeds and men, as if it were solid earth. The wayworn ladies had their ease and rest. Many good ships were lashed together, that neither waves nor flood might do them harm. Upon them many a goodly tent was spread, as if they still had both land and plain.
From thence tidings came to Etzelburg, (13) at which both men and wives therein were glad. Helca's meiny, that aforetime waited on their mistress, passed many a happy day thereafter at Kriemhild's side. There many a noble maid stood waiting, who had great grief through Helca's death. Kriemhild found still seven royal princesses there, through whom all Etzel's land was graced. For the meiny the high-born maiden Herrat (14) cared, the daughter of Helca's sister, beseen with many courtly virtues, the betrothed of Dietrich, a royal child, King Nentwin's (15) daughter; much worship she later had. Blithe of heart she was at the coming of the guests; for this, too, mighty treasures were prepared. Who might tell the tale of how the king held court? Never had men lived better among the Huns with any queen.
When that the king with his wife rode from the shore, the noble Kriemhild was told full well who each one was; she greeted them the better. Ho, how royally she ruled in Helca's stead! She became acquaint with much loyal service. Then the queen dealt out gold and vesture, silk and precious stones. Whatever she brought with her across the Rhine to Hungary must needs be given all away. All the king's kinsmen and all his liegemen then owned her service, so that Lady Helca never ruled so mightily as she, whom they now must serve till Kriemhild's death. The court and all the land lived in such high honors, that all time men found the pastimes which each heart desired, through the favor of the king and his good queen.
(1) "Kiev" (M.H.G. "Kiew") is now a government in the southwestern part of Russia. Its capital of the same name, situated on the Dnieper, is the oldest of the better known cities of Russia, and in the latter Middle Ages was an important station of the Hanseatic league.
(2) "Petschenegers", a Turkish tribe originally dwelling to the north of the Caspian. By conquest they acquired a kingdom extending from the Don to Transylvania. They were feared for their ferociousness and because they continually invaded the surrounding countries, especially Kiev.
(3) "Tulna (M.H.G. "Tulne") is the modern Tulln, a walled town of Lower Austria, seventeen milos northwest of Vienna on the Danube.
(4) "Ramung and Gibeck" (M.H.G. "Gibeche") appear only in our poem, nothing else is known of them.
(5) "Hornbog" is frequently mentioned in the "Thidreksaga", but nothing otherwise is known of him.
(6) "Hawart" is perhaps identical with the Saxon duke Hadugot, who is reputed to have played an important part in the conquest of Thuringia. He evidently comes from the Low German version.
(7) "Iring" is considered by Wilmanns to have been originally an ancient deity, as the Milky Way is called "Iringe straze" or "Iringi". He occurs in a legend of the fall of the Thuringian kingdom, where he played such a prominent role that the Milky Way was named after him. See W. Grimm, "Heldensage", p. 394, who thinks, however, that the connection of Iring with the Milky Way is the result of a confusion.
(8) "Irnfried" is considered to be Hermanfrid of Thuringia, who was overthrown and killed in A.D. 535 by Theuderich with the aid of the Saxons. See Felix Dahn, "Urgeschichte", iii, 73-79. He, too, comes from the Low German tradition.
(9) "Bloedel" is Bleda, the brother of Attila, with whom he reigned conjointly from A.D. 433 to 445. In our poem the name appears frequently with the diminutive ending, as "Bloedelin".
(10) "Werbel and Swemmel", who doubtless owe their introduction to some minstrel, enjoy special favor and are intrusted with the important mission of inviting the Burgundians to Etzel's court, an honor that would hardly be accorded to persons of their rank. Swemmel appears mostly in the diminutive form "Swemmelin".
(11) "Heimburg" lies on the Danube near the Hungarian border.
(12) "Misenburg" is the modern Wieselburg on the Danube, twenty-one miles southeast of Pressburg.
(13) "Etzelburg" was later identified with the old part of Budapest, called in German "Ofen", through the influence of Hungarish legends, but, as G. Heinrich has shown, had no definite localization in the older M.H.G. epics. See Bleyer, PB. Belt. xxxi 433 and 506. The name occurs in documents as late as the fifteenth century.
(14) "Herrat", the daughter of King "Nentwin" is frequently mentioned in the "Thidreksaga" as Dietrich's betrothed. She is spoken of as the exiled maid.
(15) "Nentwin" is not found in any other saga, and nothing else is known of him. See W. Grimm, "Heldensage", 103.
Sorry, no summary available yet. | <urn:uuid:ef72a125-e8f2-427b-8556-acf72a8046e5> | CC-MAIN-2019-13 | http://www.online-literature.com/anonymous/nibelungenlied/22/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-13/segments/1552912202510.47/warc/CC-MAIN-20190321092320-20190321114320-00320.warc.gz | en | 0.980006 | 3,264 | 2.5625 | 3 | 2.662888 | 3 | Strong reasoning | History |
People in Iceland have lived off fishing for many centuries, and in the past decade aluminum production has carved out almost an equal stake in the economy. But both have recently been outpaced by tourism.
Two million tourists are expected to have poured into the island nation in 2016 – more than four times the country’s population – says Guðrún Þóra Gunnarsdóttir, director of the Icelandic Tourism Research Centre.
That’s the result of dizzying, double-digit growth in annual tourist visits in recent years. In 2013, Iceland welcomed 781,000 visitors who spent in 275 billion Icelandic króna ($2.4 billion) – outpacing for the first time the economic mainstays of fish and aluminum exportation. And the tourism industry expects strong growth to continue: by 2017 the year-on-year increase in tourists is predicted to reach more than 30 percent.
Iceland’s booming tourism industry may be the envy of Arctic nations, but it has had its costs. The country’s rising cost of living, deteriorating infrastructure and lack of government services have left some residents unhappy. While much can be learned from the success of tourism in Iceland, there is also a lot to be gleaned from the challenges it has posed.
The Crisis and the Fix
Change in the economy was already afoot after the 2008 recession led to the collapse of Iceland’s three major private banks. Bankruptcy rippled across the island. Along with it all came the collapse of the Icelandic króna.
While the recession rocked the stability of most Western countries, Iceland had a more literal shake-up just two years later. In April 2010, the Eyjafjallajökull volcano erupted, showering ash and preventing air travel both in Iceland and some other parts of Europe. Not only was it the largest interruption to flights since World War II, but it also singed Iceland’s appeal as a tourist destination – despite the still-recovering króna making it a cheap place to visit. Tourism was projected to decline by 20 percent from earlier predictions for the summer of 2010.
The government and the tourism industry responded by creating a marketing organization, called Inspired by Iceland, to reassure travelers that Iceland was safe. The effort is believed to have helped turn-around a modest decline in tourism visits following the recession.
While other Arctic nations vie for tourists, there are a few factors working in Iceland’s favor. For one, its location: Iceland is conveniently located between Europe and North America, the two continents from which the vast majority of its visitors come.
Iceland’s airlines are capitalizing on this factor, offering stopovers of up to a week in Iceland at no additional cost for travelers en route to either side of the pond. Icelandair, the largest airline and biggest publicly tradable company in the country, even has a promotion to lend out one of its staff members as a local tour guide for a day.
And if Iceland is the final destination, a flight from New York City in March on Wow Air (another Icelandic airline seeing major growth) can come in at under $400 for a round-trip. By comparison, a flight from New York to Iqaluit, Nunavut, at the same time is around $2,300 and to Nuuk, Greenland, about $1,700.
Iceland also has more than its share of items on a northern bucket list. With images of aurora, wildlife, landscapes and lagoons, Iceland has become so good at marketing itself as a tourism product that tourists are now selling it themselves.
This year, Icelandair asked visitors to share their own images and stories of Iceland on social media using the hashtag #MyStopover. So far on Instagram the hashtag has been used 187,500 times, the photographs encouraging other travelers to follow in the same footsteps.
For northern nations, tourism is a hard sell for nearly half the year. While summer remains the more popular season for travel to Iceland, an Inspired by Iceland campaign to sell the idea of winter visits has been successful at balancing the scales.
“In terms of making Iceland a whole year-round destination, that has been successful,” says Gunnarsdóttir. “There’s a huge increase in winter tourism – growth in the winter months is much higher than the summer months.”
However, some of the challenges of winter visits exacerbate the issue of deteriorating infrastructure and broadening travel outside the capital region. One reason for this is that winter visits tends to be shorter than summer, no more than about four days, says Gunnarsdóttir. With the vast majority of tourists flying in through Keflavik International Airport in Reykjavik in the southwest, it’s unlikely that these travelers will venture far with such limited time.
An added challenge of travel outside of the capital is road conditions. It isn’t uncommon for routes to be closed for a day or two, says Gunnarsdóttir, or for road clearance to be granted only every other day. A good portion of Iceland’s road system outside of major centers is gravel – including more than 30km (19 miles) of ring road that circumnavigates the country.
The tourism boom has also raised worries about the lack of infrastructure and government services needed to support the industry. “Due to the economic crisis, there was a lot of cut-down in terms of funding for infrastructure development, like roads, and the healthcare sector related to health centers. There’s less services than there used to be,” says Gunnarsdóttir. “The same applies to if we look at the number of police working around the countryside and in Iceland in general. There’s fewer police working now than before the crisis but the number of tourists have gone up and up.”
As well as basic infrastructure, there’s the services that contribute to tourism growth, which are largely managed by local municipalities that – as many have complained – do not receive an equal share of the funds from tourism. Community pools, for example, are a major draw for tourists and some municipalities have recognized the need to extend hours. But the additional costs for staffing and maintenance aren’t necessarily covered by entrance fees.
The pressure on local governments, Gunnarsdóttir says, has come under discussion this past year in particular. “Tourist attractions like waterfalls, natural wonders within the municipality – you need a toilet, car parks, there’s a demand for information signs and things like that,” she says. “The increased number of people going to places often increases demands on municipal governments that don’t have big budgets.”
Growing Pains and Potential
Icelanders are already experiencing some challenges from the boom: The younger generation can no longer afford to live in downtown Reykjavik, as entire buildings are bought up for temporary housing such as AirBnB, says Gunnarsdóttir.
Criticism of tourism within Iceland, Gunnarsdóttir says, has largely been directed at government and industry representatives, as the tourism industry at times seems to grow faster than the country is able to prepare for it.
“People in general, Icelanders, are very positive toward tourists, even in the communities where they have a lot of tourists, they are positive toward tourists,” she says. “But they are less positive toward the way tourism development has happened.”
Iceland is well on its way to paying back a loan of $4.5 billion borrowed from the International Monetary Fund and neighboring countries following the recession. Unemployment is back down to pre-recession levels of just over 3 percent and the GDP has increased every year since 2013. The opportunity for tourism is clear, but so are the growing concerns. At the Arctic Circle assembly in Reykjavik in October, Halldór Benjamín Þorbergsson, a senior vice president with Icelandair Group, spoke to delegates about tourism in Iceland and the importance of cooperation between government, industry and communities.
One takeaway, he says, is that governments should not hesitate to protect certain areas with restricted visitorship and impose fees on tourism – Iceland has no entry fee and the hotel tax is less than a dollar. But if done right, he says, there is certainly potential for growing tourism across the Arctic.
“Responsible Arctic tourism allows visitors both to appreciate and respect Arctic nature and cultures and provide additional income to local communities while allowing them to preserve traditional lifestyles,” says Þorbergsson. “Tourism acts as a catalyst to preserve the way of life of the Indigenous people of the Arctic region and in tourism there’s a premium being paid for authenticity.”
With preservation and sustainability a focus of tourism, it can be the balance between other drivers of the economy, he says. “I believe tourism in the Arctic can offer a creative alternative to the industrial activity that is so often the backdrop of Arctic discussions.” | <urn:uuid:1b869ccb-e1b4-4322-b8f0-96d03c75d8b0> | CC-MAIN-2019-51 | https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/articles/2017/01/04/icelands-tourism-boom-offers-lessons-to-arctic-nations | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-51/segments/1575540536855.78/warc/CC-MAIN-20191212023648-20191212051648-00149.warc.gz | en | 0.961196 | 1,889 | 2.734375 | 3 | 3.002865 | 3 | Strong reasoning | Travel |
The quality of outdoor air gets a lot of attention, especially in the media. Individuals and organizations are constantly on a quest to improve air quality and hopefully alleviate many health issues as a result. Although it is important to improve the quality of outdoor air, it is just as important to make sure your indoor air is as healthy as possible by using air purifiers and practicing clean habits. If you think about it, your home is supposed to be a place of refuge and safety from the world, but if your indoor air quality is bad it could cause even more significant damage to your health than outdoor air.
Factors that Affect the Indoor Air Quality
There are many different factors that affect indoor air quality, including cleanliness, environmental factors, pet dander, inadequate venting, presence of mold and other airborne contaminants, and habits of occupants (such as smoking). Some homes have relatively clean indoor air, while others may be full of pollutants that can negatively affect the health of the occupants. Although poor-quality indoor air is unhealthy for everyone, there are some individuals who are much more susceptible to polluted indoor air, including:
- Individuals with asthma
- Elderly individuals
- Pregnant women
- People with cardiovascular disease
- Those with compromised immune systems due to sickness, lifestyle, or nutrition deficiencies
Here is a brief explanation of why the first three groups of people on this list are particularly vulnerable to pollutants in the air.
Individuals With Asthma
People who suffer from asthma are more vulnerable to air-borne pollutants because their lungs are already compromised in their ability to function properly in the best conditions. Asthma is a chronic lung disease that causes the airways to become inflamed and narrowed. This leads to mild, moderate, or severe difficulty with breathing. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for people with the most severe forms of asthma to die from lack of oxygen during an asthma attack. If indoor air is filled with pollutants, it can cause further irritation to the lungs and may trigger an asthma attack or worsen the symptoms.
If anyone in your family has asthma, it is very important to keep the air as clean as possible. Air purifiers can help significantly in making the air in your home more pure and safe for asthmatics to breathe.
Children are frequently more sensitive to many different environmental toxins than adults. Some air pollutants may cause children’s lungs to develop improperly, depending on the age of the child and their unique health conditions. Specific pollutants to worry about include tobacco smoke, lead, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, pesticides, and particulate matter. Air purifiers should be placed directly in the bedrooms of children who have asthma, immune system deficiencies, bronchitis, allergies, or any other illness or condition that makes them especially susceptible to air pollution.
People who are age 65 and older are often more vulnerable to a wide variety of illnesses and diseases because their aged bodies do not work as effectively as younger bodies. As the body declines, it is less effective at eliminating chemicals and impurities, which makes older individuals particularly vulnerable to harmful pollutants in indoor air. Older individuals may have a more difficult time recognizing when indoor air is harmful, because they are less likely to experience common effects to irritation from air-borne irritants, including runny noses and itchy eyes.
If your grandparents are living with you, or if you are an older individual yourself, it is advised that you set up at least one air purifier in your home. An air purifier removes impurities and particles from the air and causes them to become trapped in its filter. If you suspect that your indoor air is not as clean as it could be, you should invest in an air purifier as soon as possible.
Let us help you select the perfect air purifier for your needs. Our knowledgeable, friendly and honest customer service representatives are available to you 24 hours a day. Just contact us or call 888.866.8862. | <urn:uuid:048a0da6-e18a-4a70-b0c9-59fd79b27d1c> | CC-MAIN-2018-51 | https://www.rabbitair.com/blogs/air-purifier/tagged/pregnant-women | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-51/segments/1544376825728.30/warc/CC-MAIN-20181214114739-20181214140239-00418.warc.gz | en | 0.960117 | 800 | 3.21875 | 3 | 2.350376 | 2 | Moderate reasoning | Health |
Listening to the bureaucrats at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and in other transnational organizations like the European Union, it appears that the most pressing issues about globalization is the impact upon governments’ ability to collect taxes. Of course, these international civil servants incomes depend upon tax revenues raised by member countries. Their anguish is focused upon an expected round of so-called tax competition where countries engage in a competitive process of internecine tax reductions in order to attract wayward capital.
In posing the problem this way, it is obvious that they correctly see that the primary agent and effect of expanding global markets is the increased mobility of resources, especially capital.
However, there is a false presumption that such competition will involve a mutually destructive “race to the bottom” where governments and citizens alike are helpless before the might of global capital. The most likely result of competition among governments is that they will be forced to become more efficient providers of a better mix of publicly-funded goods and services. Faced with the prospects of having to downsize themselves, it is no wonder that bureaucrats are squealing like stuck pigs.
But what would be so wrong about drastic cuts in taxes? Families in countries burdened by the welfare state will find advantages from tax competition. While many women eagerly joined the labor force to pursue careers, rising taxes in the post-World War II period meant that households must have more than one income earner.
In the end, labor and owners of other less mobile resources are least able to avoid the burdens of taxes. For example, residents of remote, nonurban areas are disadvantaged by high levies on gasoline. At the same time restrictions on dismissals will mean that companies are more likely to locate in urban areas where they can hire part-time workers.
Amid such hysterical outbursts, owners of footloose capital are often portrayed to be feckless patriots or evil conspirators. Instead, the real traitors to national patrimony are incompetent bureaucrats and politicians who do not understand the consequence of their own actions in pushing capital offshore. Businesses usually move only after there is a significant change in the treatment of their income earned from one of their areas of competence. (And high-income individuals are usually driven away when tax rates become punitive.)
When it comes to capital flows, the push factor is likely to be more important than the pull of low taxes. On their own, low tax rates are no more attractive than are cheap wages. Both of these are definitely important considerations that capital owners weigh, but they are but a few among a constellation of many others. Just as important is the reliability and transparency of the regulatory environment as well whether the courts in the jurisdiction are guided by the rule of law. Were cheap wages or low taxes the deciding factors, capital would be flooding into much of Africa and parts of the Middle East. Instead, more interest is shown in offshore locales like Bermuda, Ireland, Switzerland or Hong Kong where governments work hard so their countries are more attractive to quicksilver capital. In so doing, there are few visible sacrifices in the amenities of life available to their respective citizens.
Suggestions that capital movements as a method to avoid taxes are the acts of an exclusive and exploitative class of capitalists seem to be derived from a logic emanating from a Marxian time warp. Unlike at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, owners of capital are just as likely to be workers. And their interests as worker-capitalists are best served when their pension or mutual fund managers put their assets to work where they generate the highest net yield.
If the discussion is truly to consider taxation from a global perspective, it should be noted that a small number of the very rich already pay the lion’s share of taxes in emerging as well as developed economies. This is true despite their best efforts to avoid taxes by hiring accountants who aid them in taxing advantage of loopholes or deductions.
Meanwhile, skilled workers can be as mobile as is capital, especially those in the information industry who can be virtually mobile in plying their trade over the Internet. At the same time, it will become even less important that skilled workers or those employed in bricks-and-mortar industries are geographically immobile as long as their capital is. Global capital flows aided by the Internet revolution will actually democratize access to tax havens that were once the exclusive domain of the very rich and the well connected.
A dominant concern among more humanitarian critics of globalization is the threat to the ability of governments to provide social safety nets. Yet this too is exaggerated. Public provision of social security assistance could become less important if governments remove policies that inhibit innovation and restrain economic growth. Restraints on competition or rigidities in labor markets create rigidities in markets and are caused by imprudent government mandates. Greater prudence in policy making can remove the basis of many economic maladies that lead to a demand for social security.
There will be costs, as there are in the wake of any major economic and social transformation like that of globalization. And these costs will motivate resistance to this change. However, motives of naysayers should be examined to see if they are protecting some clique of special interests or truly taking the best interests of the global community to heart.
Discussions of the impact of globalization must be made in a dynamic context so that the prospects of net benefits likely to accrue to most actors in most economies can be seen. After all, international capital movements lifted more people out of poverty and improved global well being better than all the well-intentioned aid given over the past three decades.
In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.
By subscribing, you can help us get the story right. | <urn:uuid:7e2db604-ed25-423c-b8b8-e182f286c4fb> | CC-MAIN-2021-17 | https://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2000/10/16/commentary/world-commentary/globalization-proves-a-taxing-issue/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-17/segments/1618039503725.80/warc/CC-MAIN-20210421004512-20210421034512-00043.warc.gz | en | 0.961215 | 1,167 | 2.53125 | 3 | 2.979093 | 3 | Strong reasoning | Finance & Business |
|Birth Date:||7 March 1678|
|Birth Place:||Messina, Italy|
|Death Date:||31 January 1736 (aged 57)|
|Death Place:||Madrid, Spain|
He was born in Messina, Sicily, to a family of goldsmiths and engravers. After spending his formative years with his family in Sicily where he designed Messina's festive settings for the coronation of Philip V of Spain and Sicily (1705), Juvarra moved to Rome in 1704. There he studied architecture with Carlo and Francesco Fontana.
The first phase of his independent career was occupied with designs for ceremonies and celebrations, and especially with set designs for theatres. Juvarra's set designs incorporate the scena per angolo, literally 'scenes at an angle.' The exact origin of this style is unclear. Ferdinando Galli Bibiena claims to have invented it in his treatise Architettura Civile (1711). However, the style was clearly in use before then, including in the works of Juvarra. This style differed from the one-point perspective sets that had been developed in the sixteenth century and had reached their apogee in the seventeenth century; see, for example, the work of Giacomo Torelli. A couple of early drawings by Juvarra, dated 1706, are associated with the Teatro S. Bartolomeo, Naples (1706), though whether he actually completed the set designs for the theatre is unknown. The majority of his work in theatre and set design was in Rome under the patronage of Cardinal Ottoboni. He assisted in the rebuilding of the Cardinal's private theatre in the Palazzo della Cancelleria and also designed sets for operas performed within the theatre. The first opera for which Juvarra designed all the sets was Costantino Pio. The libretto was by Cardinal Ottoboni and the music was by Carlo Francesco Pollarolli (c.1653–1723). The opera was premiered in 1709 and was one of the first operas to appear after the lifting of papal bans on secular theatre; it also inaugurated Ottoboni’s newly renovated private theatre. He also worked on set designs for performances sponsored by Ottoboni at the Teatro Capranica. His other main patron in Rome was Queen Maria Casimira, the widowed Queen of Poland, for whom Juvarra produced set designs for the operas performed in her small domestic theatre in the Palazzo Zuccari. In 1713 a theatre project took him to Genoa.
In 1706 Juvarra won a contest for the new sacristy at the St. Peter's, organized by Pope Clement XI, and became a member of the prestigious Accademia di San Luca. In 1708 he created his first important non-theatrical architectural work, and the only one realized in Rome: the small but superbly executed Antamoro Chapel in the church of San Girolamo della Carità which he conceived in intimate cooperation with his close friend, the French sculptor Pierre Le Gros, who was responsible for carrying out the sculptural components. Juvarra was also an engraver: his book of engravings of sculpted coats-of-arms appeared in 1711, Raccolta di varie targhe fatte da professori primarii di Roma http://members.tripod.com/romeartlover/Juvarra.html.
After some time in Rome, Juvarra spent some time in his native Messina where he developed ambitious plans (never completed) for building along the harborside with a massive curved palace facade for residences and businesses. He was engaged in some projects in Lombardy, including a monumental altar for the Sanctuary Church of Caravaggio (never built, and substituted by a smaller work by architect Carlo Giuseppe Merlo), and the altar for the Bergamo Cathedral. He also designed the decorative belltower (now leaning) for the cathedral of Belluno.
thumb|right|140px|Church of San Gregorio, Messina
Juvarra's period of most intensive activity as an architect began in 1714, when he was recruited to Piedmont where Victor Amadeus II of Savoy first employed him in a scenographic project, then elevated Juvarra to the position of chief court architect. The fame obtained in Piedmont led to demand for his talent and capacities at some of the richest noble and royal courts of Europe: in 1719 he was in Portugal, planning the palace at Mafra for King John V (1719 - 20), after which he travelled to London and Paris.
One of Juvarra's masterworks, the basilica church of Superga, was built in 1731 and rises at the top of a mountain overlooking the city of Turin. It was part-picturesque monument and part-royal mausoloeum for the family of Savoy. Reputedly, the site was chosen because of a vow taken here by the then duke, and future king, Victor Amadeus II of Savoy, as he surveyed the field of operations while defending the city from the besieging French armies during the Battle of Turin. Construction was arduous, and took over fourteen years, including two years to flatten the mountaintop; and at incredible cost and effort to bring the stones and supplies to the peak. Behind the church was a monastery. The classical portico is appended to a centralized church with a highly vertical, seventy five meter, baroque dome; the latter creates a mountain atop a mountain effect.
Juvarra also designed the facade of the church of Santa Cristina (1715–1718), the church of San Filippo, the church of Santa Croce, the Basilica della Natività, and the chapel of San Giuseppe (1725) in the church of Santa Teresa in Turin. He also built in Turin the church of the Blessed Virgin of the Carmine (1732-1736), where the space is concentrated around the central hall with the scenographic effect of light falling from above. He also helped decorate the interior of many churches in Turin.
|Palazzina di Caccia of Stupinigi|
|Plan|| Central Pavilion||Interior of Pavilion|
The Palace of Stupinigi (1729 - 1731) was built to be the royal hunting lodge some 6 miles outside of Turin, the huge layout and highly decorated interiors made this palace a grand setting for summer retreats. The massive oval central pavilion, topped by a bronze stag, fronted with large arched windows, and extending into angled wings, is the mixture of classicism and whimsy that describes the ornamented delights of Italian Rococo. Juvarra fulfills the needs of his patron for classical grandeur, but with the baroque urge to decorate, to construct buildings as if they were made with curling ribbons. The pavilion interior, highly decorated with stucco and gilded details, fulfils the expectations further. Juvarra also received a commission to restore and refurbish the massive palace complex of the Savoy monarchy at Venaria Reale, called the Reggia di Venaria Reale, and its church of Sant’Uberto. The latter, in its unfinished state, sports eclectic influences, with an octagonal dome and embracing wings arching outward.
One of his masterworks in palace construction is the façade (1718–21) of the Palazzo Madama in central Turin. It recalls the formality of Andrea Palladio|Palladio’s Palazzo Chiericati but with the enhancement of detail and windows. While the facade appears to house an airy piano nobile, it in fact is merely a scenic, almost theatrical gesture, sheltering a grandiose entry stairway entrance to a medieval castle. But this work was also part of an ambitious program to recast the crowded, medieval layout of central Turin into a more open and planned set of connected plazas. He also designed the Royal Gate of the Sanctuary of Oropa, near Biella.
|Palazzo Madama in Turin|
|Frontal view of facade||Side view of facade||Interior Staircase|
On Christmas eve in 1734, the ancient Royal Residence of the Alcazar in Madrid was destroyed by fire. This prompted the Bourbon king of Spain, Philip V to request Juvarra to supervise the construction of a new Palace. By April 1735 the architect had moved to Madrid, and began planning for the construction. The plans we have would have created an even larger structure than the present one with ample gardens. The linear facade has a formal rigidity lacking in some of his other works. He additionally executed designs for the façade of the summer palace of Granja de San Ildefonso and for some portions of Palacio Real de Aranjuez. Juvarra however died suddenly by January of 1736, less than nine months after arriving to Spain. While a wooden mockup was built of his plans for the Royal Palace, all his designs there were executed after his death by his pupils, including Giovanni Battista Sacchetti.
|Spanish Royal Palaces by Juvarra|
|Royal Palace Madrid||La Granja Palace|
Some writers noting that Juvarra’s early training was in Rome, attribute his style to the instruction of Carlo Fontana, but Juvarra is eclectic in production and seems to have imbibed many other influences, including the more adventurous architecture of Pietro da Cortona and Francesco Borromini. He also was likely influenced by the works of Guarino Guarini. Baroque architects strongly influenced by Juvarra include Bernardo Vittone and Benedetto Alfieri. Juvarra and Johann Fischer von Erlach influenced one another through the medium of engravings. Juvarra's work, along with much of Baroque art and architecture, fell out of favour with the rise of Neoclassicism. In 1994, a major exhibition of his designs was held in Genoa and Madrid. | <urn:uuid:0e770b80-d652-4809-9525-b1be763fed8b> | CC-MAIN-2018-43 | http://everything.explained.today/Filippo_Juvarra/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-43/segments/1539583508988.18/warc/CC-MAIN-20181015080248-20181015101748-00260.warc.gz | en | 0.966314 | 2,148 | 2.59375 | 3 | 2.712379 | 3 | Strong reasoning | Art & Design |
In this tutorial we will explain you how Pentium 4 works in an easy to follow language. You will learn exactly how its architecture works so you will be able to compare it more precisely to previous processors from Intel and competitors from AMD.
Pentium 4 and new Celeron processors use Intel’s seventh generation architecture, also called Netburst. Its overall look you can see in Figure 1. Don’t get scared. We will explain deeply what this diagram is about.
In order to continue, however, you need to have read our tutorial “How a CPU Works”. In this tutorial we explain the basics about how a CPU works. In the present tutorial we are assuming that you have already read it, so if you didn’t, please take a moment to read it before continuing, otherwise you may find yourself a little bit lost. Actually we can consider the present tutorial as a sequel to our How a CPU Works tutorial.
Here are the basic differences between Pentium 4 architecture and the architecture from other CPUs:
- Externally, Pentium 4 transfers four data per clock cycle. This technique is called QDR (Quad Data Rate) and makes the local bus to have a performance four times its actual clock rate, see table below. In Figure 1 this is shown on “3.2 GB/s System Interface”; since this slide was produced when the very first Pentium 4 was released, it mentions the “400 MHz” system bus.
|Real Clock||Performance||Transfer Rate|
|100 MHz||400 MHz||3.2 GB/s|
|133 MHz||533 MHz||4.2 GB/s|
|200 MHz||800 MHz||6.4 GB/s|
|266 MHz||1,066 MHz||8.5 GB/s|
- The datapath between the L2 memory cache (“L2 cache and control” in Figure 1) and L1 data cache (“L1 D-Cache and D-TLB” in Figure 1) is 256-bit wide. On previous processors from Intel this datapath was of only 64 bits. So this communication can be four times faster than processors from previous generations when running at the same clock. The datapath between L2 memory cache (“L2 cache and control” in Figure 1) and the pre-fetch unit (“BTB & I-TLB” in Figure 1), however, continues to be 64-bit wide.
- The L1 instruction cache was relocated. Instead of being before the fetch unit, the L1 instruction cache is now after the decode unit, with a new name, “Trace Cache”. This trace cache can hold up to 12 K microinstructions. Since each microinstruction is 100-bit wide, the trace cache is of 150 KB (12 K x 100 / 8). On of the most common mistakes people make when commenting Pentium 4 architecture is saying that Pentium 4 doesn’t have any instruction cache at all. That’s absolutely not true. It is there, but with a different name and a different location.
- On Pentium 4 there are 128 internal registers, on Intel’s 6th generation processors (like Pentium II and Pentium III) there were only 40 internal registers. These registers are in the Register Renaming Unit (a.k.a. RAT, Register Alias Table, shown as “Rename/Alloc” in Figure 1).
- Pentium 4 has five execution units working in parallel and two units for loading and storing data on RAM memory.
Of course this is just a summary for those who already has some knowledge on the architecture from other processors. If all this look like Greek to you, don’t worry. We will explain everything you need to know about Pentium 4 architecture in an easy to follow language in the next pages.
- 1. Introduction
- 2. Pentium 4 Pipeline
- 3. Memory Cache and Fetch Unit
- 4. Decoder
- 5. Allocator and Register Renamer
- 6. Scheduler
- 7. Dispatch and Execution Units | <urn:uuid:4f07afa9-e22a-4218-b5c8-0ae047c198cf> | CC-MAIN-2017-22 | http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/inside-pentium-4-architecture/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-22/segments/1495463608956.34/warc/CC-MAIN-20170527152350-20170527172350-00340.warc.gz | en | 0.91683 | 879 | 3.671875 | 4 | 2.385611 | 2 | Moderate reasoning | Hardware |
Table of Contents
When we think of birds, their beaks might not be the first thing that comes to mind. However, these remarkable appendages are not only essential for their survival but also come in a stunning variety of shapes and sizes.
In this article, we will explore ten fascinating bird species with the longest beaks in the avian world.
From the impressive Sword-billed Hummingbird to the magnificent Australian Pelican, each of these birds exhibits unique adaptations that make their long beaks a crucial part of their lives.
1. Sword-billed Hummingbird (Ensifera ensifera)
The Sword-billed Wonder
The Sword-billed Hummingbird hails from the high-altitude forests of South America, particularly the Andes. What sets this bird apart is its beak, which can grow to be longer than its body. This incredible adaptation allows it to access nectar from flowers that other hummingbirds cannot reach.
2. Australian Pelican (Pelecanus conspicillatus)
The Giant’s Scoop
The Australian Pelican boasts a beak that is not only long but also impressively large. It’s a versatile tool that helps this bird catch fish and other aquatic prey. With its massive wingspan and distinctive beak, the Australian Pelican is a true icon of Australian waterways.
3. Northern Bald Ibis (Geronticus eremita)
The Ancient Oddity
The Northern Bald Ibis sports a long, slender beak with a distinctive curve. These birds use their beaks to probe soft ground for insects and other small prey. Their unique appearance and behavior have earned them a place in ancient mythology and art.
4. Keel-billed Toucan (Ramphastos sulfuratus)
The Tropical Beauty
Found in the lush rainforests of Central and South America, the Keel-billed Toucan is known for its vibrant colors and, of course, its long, colorful beak. This beak is both striking and practical, helping the toucan reach fruit on tree branches that are otherwise out of reach.
5. Long-billed Curlew (Numenius americanus)
The Coastal Forager
The Long-billed Curlew is a shorebird with a beak that resembles a curving sword. It uses this lengthy tool to probe into the sand and mud in search of crabs, clams, and other aquatic delicacies. These birds are a common sight along the North American coastline.
6. Black Skimmer (Rynchops niger)
The Low-Flying Fisherman
The Black Skimmer is known for its unusual beak, which features a longer lower mandible than upper mandible. This adaptation allows it to skim the water’s surface while in flight, catching small fish with precision. It’s a remarkable example of nature’s ingenuity.
7. American Woodcock (Scolopax minor)
The Timberdoodle’s Snipe
The American Woodcock has a long, slender beak that it uses to probe into soft ground for earthworms and insects. Its unique courtship display, known as the “sky dance,” is a sight to behold, making this bird a favorite among birdwatchers.
8. Eurasian Spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia)
The Spoonbill Specialist
The Eurasian Spoonbill’s beak is flat and spoon-shaped, perfectly designed for sweeping through shallow water and capturing small aquatic creatures. These elegant birds can be found in wetlands and estuaries across Europe, Asia, and Africa.
9. Roseate Spoonbill (Platalea ajaja)
The Pink Beauty
Similar to the Eurasian Spoonbill, the Roseate Spoonbill sports a distinctive spoon-shaped beak. Its vibrant pink plumage and unique bill make it a captivating sight in the wetlands of the Americas.
10. Toco Toucan (Ramphastos toco)
The King of Toucans
The Toco Toucan is the largest member of the toucan family and is easily recognized by its enormous, brightly colored beak. While it might seem heavy, this beak is surprisingly lightweight and is used primarily for reaching fruit in the treetops of South American rainforests.
Birds with long beaks are a testament to the incredible diversity of life on our planet. Each of these species has evolved unique adaptations that allow them to thrive in their respective environments. From feeding to courtship displays, their beaks play a vital role in their daily lives.
Now that you’ve learned about these remarkable birds, you may be wondering how you can support their conservation efforts and learn more about them. Here are some frequently asked questions:
1. How can I help conserve these birds?
You can support organizations dedicated to bird conservation, donate to wildlife sanctuaries, and spread awareness about these incredible species.
2. Are these birds found in captivity?
Some of these birds, like toucans, can be found in aviaries and zoos, but many are best observed in their natural habitats.
3. Can I attract these birds to my backyard?
Providing bird-friendly habitats in your yard with suitable food sources and water features can attract a variety of bird species, although these long-beaked birds might be less common.
4. What is the role of these birds in the ecosystem?
These birds play vital roles in their ecosystems by helping control insect populations, dispersing seeds, and contributing to the overall health of their habitats.
5. Where can I find more information about these birds?
You can explore field guides, visit birdwatching websites, and join local birdwatching groups to learn more about these fascinating creatures. | <urn:uuid:80354320-026b-4422-8c14-7d18ed7cf572> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://www.coolastro.com/10-birds-with-the-longest-beaks/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233510481.79/warc/CC-MAIN-20230929022639-20230929052639-00527.warc.gz | en | 0.920515 | 1,218 | 3.796875 | 4 | 1.755541 | 2 | Moderate reasoning | Science & Tech. |
What are health inequities or inequalities?
Health inequities are avoidable inequalities in health between groups of people within countries and between countries. These inequities arise from inequalities within and between societies. Social and economic conditions and their effects on people’s lives determine their risk of illness and the actions taken to prevent them becoming ill or treat illness when it occurs.
Examples of health inequities between countries:
- the infant mortality rate (the risk of a baby dying between birth and one year of age) is 2 per 1000 live births in Iceland and over 120 per 1000 live births in Mozambique;
- the lifetime risk of maternal death during or shortly after pregnancy is only 1 in 17 400 in Sweden but it is 1 in 8 in Afghanistan.
Examples of health inequities within countries:
- in Bolivia, babies born to women with no education have infant mortality greater than 100 per 1000 live births, while the infant mortality rate of babies born to mothers with at least secondary education is under 40 per 1000;
- life expectancy at birth among indigenous Australians is substantially lower (59.4 for males and 64.8 for females) than that of non-indigenous Australians (76.6 and 82.0, respectively);
- life expectancy at birth for men in the Calton neighbourhood of Glasgow is 54 years, 28 years less than that of men in Lenzie, a few kilometres away;
- the prevalence of long-term disabilities among European men aged 80+ years is 58.8% among the lower educated versus 40.2% among the higher educated.
What is meant by social gradient?
The poorest of the poor, around the world, have the worst health. Within countries, the evidence shows that in general the lower an individual’s socioeconomic position the worse their health. There is a social gradient in health that runs from top to bottom of the socioeconomic spectrum. This is a global phenomenon, seen in low, middle and high income countries. The social gradient in health means that health inequities affect everyone.
For example, if you look at under-5 mortality rates by levels of household wealth you see that within counties the relation between socioeconomic level and health is graded. The poorest have the highest under-5 mortality rates, and people in the second highest quintile of household wealth have higher mortality in their offspring than those in the highest quintile. This is the social gradient in health.
What are the social 'determinants' of health?
The social determinants of health are the circumstances in which people are born, grow up, live, work and age, and the systems put in place to deal with illness. These circumstances are in turn shaped by a wider set of forces: economics, social policies, and politics.
What are the drivers of health inequities?
The global context affects how societies prosper through its impact on international relations and domestic norms and policies. These in turn shape the way society, both at national and local level, organizes its affairs, giving rise to forms of social position and hierarchy, whereby populations are organized according to income, education, occupation, gender, race/ethnicity and other factors. Where people are in the social hierarchy affects the conditions in which they grow, learn, live, work and age, their vulnerability to ill health and the consequences of ill health.
- The benefits of the economic growth that has taken place over the last 25 years are unequally distributed. In 1980 the richest countries, containing 10% of the world’s population, had gross national income 60 times that of the poorest countries, containing 10% of the world’s population. By 2005 this ratio had increased to 122.
- International flows of aid – grossly inadequate in themselves, and well below the levels promised – are dwarfed by the scale of many poor countries’ debt repayment obligations. The result is that, in many cases, there is a net financial outflow from poorer to richer countries – an alarming state of affairs.
- The trend over the last 15 years has been for the poorest quintile of the population in many countries to have a declining share in national consumption. In Kenya, for example, at current economic growth rates and with the present levels of income inequality, the median family in poverty would not cross the poverty line until 2030. Doubling the share of income growth enjoyed by Kenya’s poor would mean that reduction in poverty would happen by 2013.
- Gender biases in power, resources, entitlements, norms and values, and the way in which organizations are structured and programmes are run damage the health of millions of girls and women. The position of women in society is also associated with child health and survival – of boys and girls.
- Health equity depends vitally on the empowerment of individuals to challenge and change the unfair and steeply graded distribution of social resources to which everyone has equal claims and rights. Inequity in power interacts across four main dimensions – political, economic, social, and cultural – together constituting a continuum along which groups are, to varying degrees, excluded or included.
What is primary health care?
As stated at Alma Ata Conference: "Primary health care is essential health care based on practical, scientifically sound and socially acceptable methods and technology made universally accessible to individuals and families in the community through their full participation and at a cost that the community and country can afford to maintain at every stage of their development in the spirit of self-reliance and self-determination." The WHO World Health Report of 2008 will further elaborate on this definition.
What is health equity in all policies?
Every aspect of government and the economy has the potential to affect health and health equity – finance, education, housing, employment, transport, and health, to name just six. While health may not be the main aim of policies in these sectors, they have strong bearing on health and health equity.
Policy coherence is crucial – different government departments’ policies must complement rather than contradict each other in relation to health equity. For example, trade policy that actively encourages the production, trade, and consumption of foods high in fats and sugars to the detriment of fruit and vegetable production is contradictory to health policy
Obesity is becoming a real public health challenge in transitioning countries, as it already is in high-income nations. Obesity prevention requires approaches that ensure a sustainable, adequate, and nutritious food supply; a habitat that lends itself to easy uptake of healthier food; participation in physical activity; and a family, educational, and work environment that positively reinforces healthy living. Very little of this action sits within the capabilities or responsibilities of the health sector. Positive advances have been made – for example, bans on advertisements for foods high in fats, sugars, and salt during television programmes aimed at children. However, a significant challenge remains: to engage with the multiple sectors outside health in areas such as trade, agriculture, employment, and education, if we are to redress the global obesity epidemic. | <urn:uuid:0a77acd5-b1c5-47ed-a854-26ce9e3ea452> | CC-MAIN-2016-18 | http://www.who.int/social_determinants/thecommission/finalreport/key_concepts/en/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-18/segments/1461860113553.63/warc/CC-MAIN-20160428161513-00169-ip-10-239-7-51.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957255 | 1,414 | 3.796875 | 4 | 2.930352 | 3 | Strong reasoning | Health |
India in Primitive Christianity, by Arthur Lille, , at sacred-texts.com
Fine mysticism of BuddhismThe man who was born blindThe Tevigga SuttaThe SinnerThe Penitent Thief"God revealed in the form of mercyDeath of Buddha.
If the Roman Catholics were told that St. Francois de Salis, or St. Jerome, "altogether ignored in nature any spiritual aspirations," * they would feel a little astonished. This is the view taken of Buddha by the Boden Professor of Sanskrit at Oxford. And yet the word "Buddha" means, he "who has attained the complete spiritual awakening." And Buddha's Dharma has for an alternative exponent the words Prajñâ Pâramitâ (the Wisdom of the Other Bank).
There are two states of the soul, say the Buddhists, call them ego and non-egothe plane of matter and the plane of spirit,what you will. As long as we live for the ego and its greedy joys, we are feverish, restless, miserable. Happiness consists in the destruction of the ego by the Bodhi, or Gnosis. This is that interior, that high state of the soul, attained by Fenelon and Wesley, by Mirza the Sufi, and Swedenborg, by Spinoza and Amiel.
"The kingdom of God is within you," says Christ. "In whom are hid the treasures of sophia and gnosis," says St. Paul.
"The enlightened view both worlds," says Mirza, the Sufi, "but the bat flieth about in the darkness without seeing."
"Who speaks and acts with the inner quickening," says Buddha, "has joy for his accompanying shadow. Who speaks and acts without the inner quickening, him sorrow pursues as the chariot-wheel the horse."
Let us give here a pretty parable, and let Buddha speak for himself:
"Once upon a time there was a man born blind, and he said, 'I cannot believe in a world of appearances. Colours bright or sombre exist not. There is no sun, no moon, no stars. None have witnessed such things.' His friends chid him; but he still repeated the same words.
"In those days there was a Rishi, who had the inner vision; and he detected on the steeps of the lofty Himalayas four simples that had the power to cure the man who was born blind. He culled them, and, mashing them with his teeth, applied them. Instantly the man born blind cried out, 'I see colours and appearances. I see beautiful trees and flowers. I see the bright sun. No one ever saw like this before.'
"Then certain holy men came to the man who was born blind and said to him, 'You are vain and arrogant and nearly as blind as you were before. You see the outside of things, not the inside. One whose supernatural senses are quickened sees the lapis-lazuli fields of the Buddhas of the Past, and hears heavenly conch shells sounded at a distance of five yoganas. Go off to a desert, a forest, a cavern in the mountains, and conquer this mean thirst of earthly things.'"
The man who was born blind obeyed; and the parable ends with the obvious interpretation. Buddha is the old Rishi, and the four simples are the four great truths. He weans mankind from the lower life and opens the eyes of the blind.
I think that Sir Monier-Williams fancy, that Buddha ignored the spiritual side of humanity, is due to the fact that by the word "knowledge" he conceives the Buddhists to mean knowledge of material facts. That Buddha's conceptions are nearer to the ideas of Swedenborg than of Mill is, I think, proved by the Cingalese book, the Samanna Phala Sutta. Buddha details, at considerable length, the practice of the ascetic, and then enlarges upon their exact object. Man has a body composed of the four elements. It is the fruit of the union of his father and mother.
It is nourished on rice and gruel, and may be truncated, crushed, destroyed. In this transitory body his intelligence is enchained. The ascetic, finding himself thus confined, directs his mind to the creation of a freer integument. He represents to himself in thought another body created from this material bodya body with a form, members, and organs. This body, in relation to the material body, is like the sword and the scabbard, or a serpent issuing from a basket in which it is confined. The ascetic, then, purified and perfected, commences to practise supernatural faculties. He find himself able to pass through material obstacles, walls, ramparts, etc.; he is able to throw his phantasmal appearance into many places at once; he is able to walk upon the surface of the water without immersing himself; he can fly through the air like a falcon furnished with large wings; he can leave this world and reach even the heaven of Brahma himself.
Another faculty is now conquered by his force of will, as the fashioner of ivory shapes the tusk of the elephant according to his fancy. He acquires the power of hearing the sounds of the unseen world as distinctly as those of the phenomenal world, more distinctly, in point of fact. Also by the power of Manas he is able to read the most secret thoughts of others, and to tell their characters. He is able to say, "There
is a mind that is governed by passion." "There is a mind that is enfranchised. This man has noble ends in view. This man has no ends in view." As a child sees his earrings reflected in the water, and says, "Those are my earrings," so the purified ascetic recognises the truth. Then comes to him the faculty of "divine vision," and he sees all that men do on earth and after they die, and when they are again reborn. Then he detects the secrets of the universe, and why men are unhappy, and how they may cease to be so.
I will now quote a conversation between Buddha and some Brahmins, which, I think, throws much light on his teaching. It is given in the Tevigga Sutta.
When Buddha was dwelling at Manasâkata in the mango grove, certain Brahmins, learned in three Vedas, come to consult him on the question of union with the eternal Brahma. They ask if they are in the right pathway towards that union. Buddha replies at great length. He suggests an ideal case. He supposes that a man has fallen in love with the most beautiful woman in the land. Day and night he dreams of her, but has never seen her. He does not know whether she is tall or short, of Brahmin or Sûdra caste, of dark or fair complexion; he does not even know her name.
The Brahmins are asked if the talk of that man about that woman be wise or foolish. They confess that it is "foolish talk." Buddha then applies the same train of reasoning to them. The Brahmins versed in the three Vedas are made to confess that they have never seen Brahma, that they do not know whether he is tall or short, or anything about him, and that all their talk about union with him is also foolish talk. They are mounting a crooked staircase, and do not know whether it leads to a mansion or a precipice. They are standing on the bank of a river and calling to the other bank to come to them.
Now it seems to me that if Buddha were the uncompromising teacher of atheism that many folks picture him, he has at this point an admirable opportunity of urging his views. The Brahmins, he would of course contend, knew nothing about Brahma, for the simple reason that no such being as Brahma exists.
But this is exactly the line that Buddha does not take. His argument is that the Brahmins knew nothing about Brahma, because Brahma is purely spiritual, and they are purely materialistic.
Five "Veils," he shows, hide Brahma from mortal ken. These are:
1. The Veil of Lustful Desire.
2. The Veil of Malice.
3. The Veil of Sloth and Idleness.
4. The Veil of Pride and Self-righteousness.
5. The Veil of Doubt.
Buddha then goes on with his questionings:
"Is Brahma in possession of wives and wealth?"
"He is not, Gautama!" answers Vâsettha, the Brahmin.
"Is his mind full or anger, or free from anger?"
"Free from anger, Gautama!"
"Is his mind full of malice, or free from malice?"
"Free from malice, Gautama."
"Is his mind depraved or pure?"
"It is pure, Gautama!"
"Has he self-mastery, or has he not?"
"He has, Gautama!"
The Brahmins are then questioned about themselves.
"Are the Brahmins versed in the three Vedas in possession of wives and wealth, or are they not?"
"They are, Gautama!"
"Have they anger in their hearts, or have they not?"
"They have, Gautama!"
"Do they bear malice, or do they not?"
"They do, Gautama."
"Are they pure in heart, or are they not?"
"They are not, Gautama!"
"Have they self-mastery, or have they not?"
"They have not, Gautama!"
These replies provoke, of course, the very obvious retort that no point of union can be found between such dissimilar entities. Brahma is free from malice, sinless, self-contained, so, of course, it is only the sinless that can hope to be in harmony with him.
Vâsettha then puts the question: "It has been told me, Gautama, that Śramana Gautama knows the way to the state of union with Brahma?"
"Brahma I know, Vâsettha!" says Buddha in reply, "and the world of Brahma, and the path leading to it!"
The humbled Brahmins, learned in the three Vedas, then ask Buddha to "show them the way to a state of union with Brahma."
Buddha replies at considerable length, drawing a sharp contrast between the lower Brahminism and the higher Brahminism, the "householder," and the "houseless one." The householder Brahmins are gross, sensual, avaricious, insincere. They practise for lucre, black magic, fortune-telling, cozenage. They gain the ear of kings, breed wars, predict victories, sacrifice life, spoil the poor. As a foil to this he paints the recluse, who has renounced all worldly things and is pure, self-possessed and happy.
To teach this "higher life," a Tathâgatha, "from time to time is born into the world, blessed and worthy, abounding in wisdom, a guide to erring mortals." He sees the universe face to face, the spirit world of Brahma and that of Mâra, the tempter. He makes his knowledge known to others.
The houseless one, instructed by him, "lets his mind pervade one quarter of the world with thoughts of pity,
sympathy, and equanimity; and so the second, and so the third, and so the fourth. And thus the whole wide world, above, below, around, and everywhere, does he continue to pervade with heart of pity, sympathy and equanimity, far-reaching, grown great, and beyond measure." *
"Verily this, Vâsettha, is the way to a state of union with Brahma," and he proceeds to announce that the Bhikshu, or Buddhist beggar, "who is free from anger, free from malice, pure in mind, master of himself, will after death, when the body is dissolved, become united with Brahma." The Brahmins at once see the full force of this teaching. It is as a conservative in their eyes that Buddha figures, and not an innovator. He takes the side of the ancient spiritual religion of the country against rapacious innovators.
"Thou hast set up what was thrown down," they say to him. In the Burmese life he is described more than once as one who has set the overturned chalice once more upon its base.
The word Dharma means much in Buddhism.
Obey the eternal law of the heavens. Who keeps this law lives happily in this world and in the next.
"For the enfranchised soul human suffering no longer exists."
"In the darkness of this world few men see clearly. Very few soar heavenwards like a bird freed from a net."
No doubt the discipline of extasia was expected to give vitality to this inner quickening. When actual visions of the Buddhas of the ten regions were before the eyes of the fasting visionary, it was judged that he would have a more practical belief in their lapis-lazuli domains. The heart of the eastern nations has
been truer to its great teacher than their learned metaphysicians have been. The epoch of Buddha is called the "Era when the Milken Race (immortality) came into the world." * This certainty of a heavenly kingdom was not to be confined, as in the orthodox Brahminism, to a priestly caste. A king had become a beggar that he might preach to beggars. In the Chinese Dhammapada there is a pretty story of a very beautiful Magdalen, who heard of Buddha, and who started off to hear him preach. On the way, however, she saw her beautiful face in a fountain near which she stopped to drink, and she was unable to carry out her good resolution.
As she was returning she was overtaken by a courtesan still more beautiful than herself, and they journeyed together. Resting for a while at another fountain. the beautiful stranger was overcome with sleep, and placed her head on her fellow-traveller's lap. Suddenly the beautiful face became livid as a corpse, loathsome, a prey to hateful insects. The stranger was the great Buddha himself, who had put on this appearance to redeem poor Pundarî. "There is a loveliness that is like a beautiful jar full of filth, a beauty that belongs to eyes, nose, mouth, body. It is this womanly beauty that causes sorrow, divides families, kills children."
The penitent thief, too, is to be heard of in Buddhism. Buddha confronts a cruel bandit in his mountain retreat and converts him. All great movements, said St. Simon, must begin by working on the emotion of the masses.
Another originality of the teaching of Buddha was the necessity of individual effort.
Ceremonial, sacrifice, the exertions of others, could have no possible effect on any but themselves. Against
the bloody sacrifice of the Brahmins he was specially remorseless.
"How can the system which requires the infliction of misery on others be called a religious system? . . How having a body defiled with blood will the shedding of blood restore it to purity? To seek a good by doing an evil is surely no safe plan!" *
Even a Buddha could only show the sinner the right path. "Tathâgatas are only preachers. You yourself must make the effort."
Buddha's theology made another great advance on other creeds, a step which our century is only now attempting to overtake. He strongly emphasised the remorseless logic of cause and effect in the deteriorating influences of evil actions on the individual character. The Judas of Buddhism, Devadetta, repents and is forgiven. But Buddha cannot annul the causation of his evil deeds. These will have to be dealt with by slow degrees in the purgatorial stages of the hereafter. He knows no theory of a dull bigot on his deathbed suddenly waking up with all the broad sympathies and large knowledge of the angel Gabriel. Unless in the next life a being takes up his intellectual and moral condition exactly at the stage he left it in this, it is plain that logically his individuality is lost. This teaching of Buddha has been whimsically enforced by some of his followers. His own words are trenchant and clear: "A fault once committed is like milk, which grows not sour all at once. Patiently and silently, like a smothered ember, shall it inch by inch devour the fool." "Both a good action and an evil action must ripen and bear their inevitable fruit." §
This teaching has been powerfully inculcated in one or two fine parables in which the consequences of sin are imaged as an iron city of torment and the sins themselves figure as beautiful women luring man to his ruin. On the surface all is as bewitching as a scene of the "Arabian Nights." The palm trees of a soft island rustle gently and in a delicious palace the mean seeker of gold, the bad son, is fanned by women of a beauty unknown to earth. He has sought the unworthy prizes of the Kâmaloca, and he enjoys them for a time, because with Buddha the full basket and store of the Brahmin and the old Jew are not deemed the rewards of heaven, but of quite another region. From island to island the wanderer goes, each island being more delicious than the preceding one, but each being nearer to the iron-walled city of expiation. But the furies are cause and effect, and not an eternal Ahriman. There is no devil that Buddha cannot soften. *
This suggests another great advance made by Buddha. In his day the beneficent God was deemed the god of a nation, a tribe; and all the gods of other nations were deemed evil demons. This creed is the real "agnosticism" and "atheism," because its main postulate implies that the reason and conscience of humanity for thousands and thousands of years have been unable to discover God, and that if He has been found at all, it is to accident alone that the discovery is due; even if the discovered god should not upon examination be found to be composed of very poor clay. But the missionaries of Tathâgata were sent to every nation, and he proclaimed that even in the hell Avîchi was no recess sheltered from Tathâgata's all-pervading love.
But the crowning legacy to humanity of this priceless benefactor was his boundless compassion. "Buddha,"
says his disciples, "was God revealed in the form of Mercy." The theory that Buddha was a myth seems to break down here, for some such character must have existed, that ideas so far in advance even of modern days could have been conceived. His majestic gentleness never varies. He converts the Very Wicked One. He speaks gently to the Daughters of Sin. He clears out even the lowest of hells when he visits earth, and makes devils as well as good men happy. A fool outrages and insults him. "My son," he replies, "outrage addressed to heaven is like spittle aimed into the skies: it returns upon the author of the outrage." * And he explained to his disciples that Tathâgata could never be made angry by foul actions and invectives. Such can only make him redouble his mercy and love. When we reflect that the principle of retaliation was the rude policy of the day in which he lived, and that aggregations of men were obliged to foster a love of revenge, war, plunder, and bloodshed in their midst, prompted by the mere instinct of self-preservation, such great sentences as the following of Buddha are indeed noteworthy:
"By love alone can we conquer wrath. By good alone can we conquer evil. The whole world dreads violence. All men tremble in the presence of death. Do to others that which ye would have them do to you. Kill not. Cause no death."
"Say no harsh words to thy neighbour. He will reply to thee in the same tone." §
"I am injured and provoked, I have been beaten and plundered! They who speak thus will never cease to hate."
"That which can cause hate to cease in the world is not hate, but the absence of hate." *
"If, like a trumpet trodden on in battle, thou corn-plainest not, thou hast attained Nirvâna."
"Silently shall I endure abuse, as the war-elephant receives the shaft of the bowman."
"The awakened man goes not on revenge, but rewards with kindness the very being who has injured him, as the sandal-tree scents the axe of the woodman who fells it."
I will now copy down a few miscellaneous sayings of Buddha:
"The swans go on the path of the sun. They go through the air by means of their miraculous power. The wise are led out of this world when they have conquered Mara and his train."
"A man is not a Śramana by outward acts."
"Not by tonsure does an undisciplined man became a Śramana."
"There is no satisfying of lusts with a shower of gold pieces."
"A man is not a Bhikshu simply because he asks others for alms. A man is not a Muni because he observes silence. Not by discipline and vows, not by much spiritual knowledge, not by sleeping alone, not by the gift of holy inspiration, can I earn that release which no worldling can know. The real Śramana is he who has quieted all evil."
"If one man conquer in battle a thousand thousand men, and another conquer himself, the last is the greatest conqueror."
"Few are there amongst men who arrive at the other shore. Many run up and down the shore."
"Let the fool wish for a false reputation, for precedence amongst the Bhikshus, for lordship in the convents, for worship amongst other people."
"A supernatural person is not easily found. He is not born everywhere. Wherever such a sage is born that race prospers."
"Call not out in this way as if I were the god Brahma" (Chinese parable).
"Religion is nothing but the faculty of love."
"The house of Brahma is that wherein children obey their parents."
"The elephant's cub, if he find not leafless and thorny creepers in the greenwood, becomes thin."
"Beauty and riches are like a knife smeared with honey. The child sucks and is wounded."
Certain subtle questions were proposed to Buddha, such as: What will best conquer the evil passions of man? What is the most savoury gift for the alms-bowl of the mendicant? Where is true happiness to be found? Buddha replied to them all with one word, Dharma (the heavenly life).
Some eighty miles due east of Buddha's birthplace, Kapilavastu, now stands a modest village called Mâthâ Küar (the "Dead Prince"). At the date of the pilgrimage of Hiouen Thsiang, there was a reason for this. Under a splendid temple-canopy reposed in marble a "Dead Prince," and this circumstance is still remembered by the natives. The ruins of this temple can still be traced. Exactly four hundred and seventy years before Christ the spot was a jangal of Śala-trees, and beneath the shade of two of these lay calm and rigid the gentle teacher whom Indians call the "Best Friend of all the World." Buddha was
journeying from Râjâgriha when he reached this resting place. Its name was Kuśinagara. At Beluva, near Vaiśâlî, he was attacked with a severe illness. Violent pains seized him. He was very nearly dying. Ânanda was disconsolate, but Buddha comforted him.
"What need hath the body of my followers of me now, Ânanda? I have declared the doctrine, and I have made no distinction between within and without. He who says, 'I will rule over the Sangha!' or 'Let the Sangha be subjected to me!' he, Ânanda, might declare his will in the church. The Tathâgata, however, does not say, 'I will rule over the church.' . . . I am now frail, Ânanda; I am aged, I am an old man who has finished his pilgrimage and reached old age. Eighty years old am I.
"Be to yourselves, Ânanda, your own light, your own refuge. Seek no other refuge. Let Dharma be your light and refuge. Seek no other refuge. . . Whosoever now, Ânanda, or after my departure, shall be his own light, his own refuge, and seek no other refuge, will henceforth be my true disciple and walk in the right path."
Buddha journeyed on until he reached a place called Pâvâ. There he was attacked with a grievous sickness. Weary, the old pilgrim reached a stream, the Kakutthâ (the modern Badhi, according to General Cunningham). Buddha bathed and sipped some of the water; carts were passing and they thickened it with mud. A little farther on, by the side of the river Hâranyavatî (Chota Gandak), was a grove of Śala trees. Between two of these blossoming trees was the Nirvâṇa that the sick and weary pilgrim was sighing for.
Under these two famous trees, with his head lying towards the north, the old man was laid. "Weep not, sorrow not, Ânanda," he said. "From all that man loves and enjoys he must tear himself.
"My existence is ripening to its close. The end of my life is near. I go hence. Ye remain behind.
"The place of refuge is ready for me." *
Before expiring, the teacher entered into the extasia of Samâdhi; and mighty thunders and earth-rockings announced the passing away of a great Chakravartin. Buddha's last words were:
"Hearken, O disciples, I charge you. All that comes into being passes. Seek your salvation without weariness."
69:* Sir Monier Monier-Williams, "Buddhism," p. 149.
75:* Rhys Davids, "Buddhist Suttas," p. 201.
75: "Dhammapada" v. 90.
75: Ibid, v. 174.
76:* Upham, "Hist. Buddhism," p. 48.
76: "Chinese Dhammapada," p. 35.
76: Ibid, p. 159.
77:* "Romantic History," p. 159.
77: Ibid, v. 71.
77: "Dhammapada," v. 71.
77:§ Burnouf, Introd., p. 87.
78:* Beal, "Romantic History." Comp. "Story of the Five Hundred Merchants," p. 332, and "the Merchant," p. 342.
79:* "Sutra of Forty-two Sections," Sect. VIII.
79: Ibid, sect. VII.
79: Sutra of Forty-two Sections, Sect.. VII., v. 129. M. Léon Feer gives here the very words of Luke vi. 31.
79:§ Ibid, v. 133.
80:* Sutra of Forty-two Sections v. 4, 5.
80: This is claimed by the Brahmins likewise, but it is quite foreign to their genius. Vide Hodgson, "Essays," p. 74.
83:* Oldenburg, "Buddha," p. 199. | <urn:uuid:c02e517b-aa5a-420f-9a65-09da7a93888e> | CC-MAIN-2021-39 | https://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/ipc/ipc07.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-39/segments/1631780056900.32/warc/CC-MAIN-20210919190128-20210919220128-00181.warc.gz | en | 0.971769 | 5,967 | 2.734375 | 3 | 2.882532 | 3 | Strong reasoning | Religion |
Certain ideas are “inevitable” over time. Paul Graham calls them “[squares] in the periodic table” — if they don’t exist now, they’ll be created shortly. It’s only a matter of when, not if.
I believe that Atlastory is one of those ideas. The following is a long post about a project I’ve been passionate about for some time now and am currently in the process of winding down.
Atlastory is an open source project to create an interactive map that chronicles the history of life on earth. It’s a “Google Maps” for history. The ultimate goal is the ability to see what the world looked like 50, 200, 1000+ years ago. It was inspired by OpenStreetMap & Wikipedia: combining historic maps with cultural & statistical data.
I started Atlastory at first because I’m a fan of both history and good data visualizations. I was surprised something like this didn’t already exist and thought that it would be an amazing educational tool.
Maps are one of the best ways to clearly show an enormous amount of information. Since everything in the past took place at a certain time and location, maps are an obvious choice to visualize that knowledge. Understanding history requires seeing changes and interactions over time, and a four-dimensional map allows this.
To envision information—and what bright and splendid visions can result—is to work at the intersection of image, word, number, art.” — Edward Tufte
Good design will be a key aspect of the final product. Good information design can communicate a huge amount of knowledge in a small window of time or space. Great information design has a high amount of density and complexity while remaining completely understandable.
The Vision (version ∞)
Atlastory’s purpose is to improve understanding of the past by organizing and visualizing historic knowledge.
My vision for Atlastory was that one day it would become a tool like Wikipedia that’s used regularly around the world. A journalist could use it to go back 20 years to see the geography and timeline of a major world event. A student could use it to go back 20,000 years to see the expansion of human culture across the globe. A climatologist could use it to visualize the historic overlap of population growth with changes in global climate patterns.
Wikipedia organizes information by creating a searchable network of interconnected articles that combine text and other multimedia. Atlastory can be the first medium that allows completely visual navigation, displaying information at a much higher density and level of interactivity.
Imagine students in a classroom learning about World War II. You’d be able to see the country borders of Europe as they existed in 1942. Drag the timeline, and see the borders change as the years go on. Turn on an overlay of population density or GDP per capita and see the flow of activity throughout the war. Zoom in and see the troop movements of a pivotal battle.
The visual interactivity would make it much more enticing for people, young and old. Almost game-like in terms of exploration and discovery.
Eventually, the timeline could go back far enough that you’re able to see continental drift and other pre-historic geographic or environmental changes.
Maps can be broken down into a few different types:
- Physical — shows the physical landscape including mountains, rivers, lakes.
- Political — sovereign, national and state boundaries, with cities of all sizes. The typical world map you see will be political with some physical features.
- Road — shows roads of various sizes along with destinations and points of interest. Google Maps & other navigation apps fall into this category.
- Statistical — shows statistics about human populations such as economic stats, population density, etc.
- Scientific — thematic maps that can show climate, ecological regions, etc. (see the climate map below)
- Events — shows how a specific event played out geographically, like WWII or Alexander the Great’s conquests.
Any map type that has enough data to span long periods could eventually go into the Atlastory system. Event, thematic, statistical, and scientific maps could all seamlessly layer on top of the main “base map”.
The Atlastory base map should be an elegant combination between 3 map types: physical (basic landscape features), political (sovereign and administrative boundaries), and cultural (see below). Major roads and infrastructure would be added only after a worldwide “structure” of the base map was created.
Importantly, map creation should be top down, from global to local. The purpose of an Atlastory map is not navigation, it is understanding of history. Creating a global structure will also provide context and make it easier to interest other users/contributors.
Most world maps made today (of the present time or of the last few hundred years or so) are of the political variety. But what happens when you go back a few thousand years? What about areas of the world where, even now, aren’t necessarily defined by geopolitical boundaries?
The solution is mapping cultural regions. Culture, in this case, being human societies with common language, belief systems, and norms. “A cultural boundary (also cultural border) in ethnology is a geographical boundary between two identifiable ethnic or ethno-linguistic cultures.”
A cultural map would have different levels, just like political maps: from dominant cultural macroregions to local divisions between subcultures or classes within a society (blue collar vs. white collar, etc.).
Combining cultural cartography with typical map types allows for a much better understanding of both modern and ancient history. Culture plays a major role in world events & limiting the map to only defined borders paints an inaccurate view of history.
(Notice any overlap between cultural regions and the climate regions in the map above it?)
The technical infrastructure behind Atlastory has a few basic components:
- A database of nodes (latitude/longitude points) organized into shapes, layers, types, and time periods.
- An API that manages, imports and exports data from the database.
- A crowdsourced map editor interface (like iD for OpenStreetMap, but designed specifically for top-down time-based editing).
- A map rendering service that turns raw map data from the database into vector tiles that can be styled for viewing.
- The map itself: a web interface to view and navigate the maps.
Most of the components would be built from existing open-source tools created by organizations like OpenStreetMap, MapBox, and CartoDB. There has been a lot of technical innovation in this field over the past few years which is one of the main reasons something like Atlastory is now possible to build. (Although given what I known about the requirements still very challenging.)
Read more about the technical requirements…
The current status and future of Atlastory
I’ve been working on this as a side project for more than 3 years now. Originally I imagined being able to quickly find a way to profit from the service. But as development dragged on and other commitments began taking up more of my time, I realized I’d never be able to finish it alone.
Earlier this year I joined Mashgin, a startup in the Bay Area, as a full-time “Generalist.” My spare time completely dried up and I decided everything needed to be completely open sourced and distributed to anyone interested in the project.
Due to personal time constraints, I can’t continue with it so I’m looking for others who are interested. This could mean taking over / adapting the codebase or using other means to pursue the idea. See below for more details on what’s currently done. Although many of the back-end components are functional, the infrastructure is in a rather unusable state right now.
Please contact me or leave a comment below if this strikes your curiosity or you know anyone else who would be interested. I’m happy to answer any questions. | <urn:uuid:4badaccd-326d-489a-aec8-43021caa3212> | CC-MAIN-2018-17 | https://futureblind.com/author/maxprogram/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-17/segments/1524125944682.35/warc/CC-MAIN-20180420194306-20180420214306-00165.warc.gz | en | 0.925947 | 1,683 | 2.5625 | 3 | 2.905456 | 3 | Strong reasoning | Software Dev. |
A person that has a problem with substance abuse is suffering from a disease where the treatment is very complex in nature. In the U.S., roughly 22.7 million people have an addiction, but of them, only 10% receive treatment. Addiction recovery involves several steps for effective treatment. A person with addiction or the loved one of someone addicted might wonder, what are the stages of addiction recovery?
Therapists who are trained in helping others with their addiction recovery will determine the stage of addiction. This assessment will enable the creation of strategies and tools to guide you or your loved one through the stages of addiction recovery.
The 5 Stages of Addiction Recovery
The definition of addiction by the American Psychiatric Association is defined as, “a complex condition, a brain disease that is manifested by compulsive substance use despite harmful consequence.” There are five stages involved with addiction recovery: Precontemplation, Contemplation, Preparation, Action, and Maintenance.
Recognizing where the client is will determine the strategies should be used to treat them. For example, a person who is in the maintenance stage should be given tools that help them remain engaged in living a sober life. That could mean that they attend regular Alcoholics Anonymous meetings after completing a treatment plan.
Acknowledging There is a Problem
In the first stage of addiction recovery, the person is in the precontemplation stage where they usually haven’t admitted to themselves that they have a problem. The severity of their situation doesn’t weigh on them; instead, they are doing what they feel they have to do, whether that’s due to legal trouble or pressure from loved ones.
Commonly, the person will avoid conversations about their addiction, even avoiding people in their lives who tend to bring it up. An intervention at this stage would likely end in failure because the person still denies the reality of their situation. It’s common for the person to blame a stressful home life, job, or other external factors for their addiction.
Recovered addicts usually remember this time as a very dark period where they often have reached their rock bottom. Once the person acknowledges that they do in fact have a problem, they can move on to the next stage of addiction recovery.
Accepting That Help is Needed
A person who now knows that they have a problem still is uncertain about why or what to do about it. At the contemplation stage, they are deciding that they must get help. This is a huge step and may last for several months.
During this time, they will usually continue to abuse alcohol or drugs. Their feelings of hopelessness can increase, as well as their hopes when they think about changing. It’s this feeling of both anxiety and excitement that are found at the end of the contemplation stage.
Preparing For The Recovery Process
Once someone suffering with addiction has decided to make a change, they move on to the preparation stage. The plans may consist of entering a rehabilitation clinic or trying on their own to abstain from drugs and alcohol, although this is generally more difficult and more prone to relapses. The act of deciding on when to start their road to recovery is a sign that they are getting ready to move on to the next stage.
Beginning the Recovery Process
During the action stage, the person starts the process of recovery. This is when the person starts to change their behavior and may check into a rehabilitation clinic. They will start to feel a sense of accomplishment as they take the action that’s necessary to their recovery.
This is probably one of the most important stages out of the five. It’s also the one in which the person must make the greatest amount of effort, building the foundation for achieving the goal of long-term sobriety. It’s often that the person experiences a lot of vulnerability in this stage but also the feeling of satisfaction.
Maintaining Addiction Recovery
Recovery is a process that requires a great deal of dedication and strength to achieve. After the action stage, they move to maintenance. That could be brought on by the person’s treatment at a rehabilitation clinic coming to an end. It’s important to note that relapse is a common part of recovery. Approximately 40-60% of individuals in recovery have a relapse in the first year. However, a relapse does not mean that the recovery process is a failure. Recovery is a process, and individuals who have relapsed should take time to reflect and reaffirm their commitment to staying healthy. Having support systems in place during recovery is a strong factor in preventing relapses and continuing to maintain their sobriety.
Speak to the Professional Addiction Treatment
If you or a loved one is ready to begin the road to recovery, reach out for professional help to get started from a place of strength. Our compassionate team at Aquila Recovery is happy to talk to you and tell you how we can help. Contact Aquila Recovery today to talk about your situation and start working to create a treatment plan that’s right for you. | <urn:uuid:de98a8af-d807-4e74-9028-172143e4fa31> | CC-MAIN-2020-40 | https://www.aquilarecovery.com/blog/what-are-the-stages-of-addiction-recovery/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-40/segments/1600400238038.76/warc/CC-MAIN-20200926071311-20200926101311-00198.warc.gz | en | 0.965436 | 1,033 | 2.515625 | 3 | 2.398339 | 2 | Moderate reasoning | Health |
|German Literature and Film of the Weimar Republic
Marion Gerlind, Ph.D.
In this interactive seminar we will read and reflect on literature as well as watch and discuss films of the Weimar Republic (1919–33), one of the most creative periods in German history, following the traumatic Word War I and revolutionary times. Many of the critical issues and challenges during these short 14 years are still relevant today.
The Weimar Republic was not only Germany’s first democracy, but also a center of cultural experimentation, producing cutting-edge art. We’ll explore some of the most popular works: Hermann Hesse’s Indian poem Siddhartha, Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill’s musical play, The Threepenny Opera, Irmgard Keun’s bestseller The Artificial Silk Girl, Leontine Sagan’s classic film Girls in Uniform, Joseph von Sternberg’s original film The Blue Angel, Anna Seghers’ novel The Revolt of the Fishermen, as well as compelling poetry by Else Lasker-Schüler, Gertrud Kolmar, and Mascha Kaléko.
This course will be conducted in English. Active participation and preparation is highly encouraged! Participants are asked to study text(s) in preparation for each session. Your instructor will provide study questions and introduce the (con)texts in short lectures; the class will have the opportunity to discuss the literature/film in small and large groups. Authors’ biographies will be considered in the socio-historical background of their work.
A course reader (hard copy) can be acquired for $35 + tax.
Works are in English translation.
Week 1 - Literature: Siddhartha (1922) - “Wisdom cannot be passed on.” This famous novel recounts the spiritual journey of a Brahmin’s son named Siddhartha living in India at the time of Buddha. Hesse began writing Siddhartha in exile in 1919, only one year after the end of World War I, which had devastated Europe.
Week 2 - Literature/Play: The Threepenny Opera (Die Dreigroschenoper). “Borrowing” from John Gay’s The Beggar’s Opera, dramatist Bertolt Brecht and composer Kurt Weill’s play became a huge success in Berlin in 1928, commonly regarded as the first play of the so-called epic theatre (which Brecht later called dialectical theatre). “Food is the first thing — morals follow on.”
Week 3 - Film: The Blue Angel (1930) - An adaptation of Heinrich Mann’s 1905 novel Professor Unrat (Professor Garbage), The Blue Angel is transposed into the Weimar Republic at the end of its “wild” years. “Falling in love again ... I can't help it.”
Week 4 - Literature: The Artificial Silk Girl (1932) - This novel, published in 1932, became a bestseller right away. Will Doris, the young protagonist, succeed in starting a new life and becoming ein Glanz (a glamour) in the “golden twenties” as she ventures out to the big city: Berlin? “I’m going to be a star, and then everything I do will be right...”
Week 5 - Film: Mädchen in Uniform (Girls in Uniform) - Fourteen-year old Manuela von Meinhardis (Hertha Thiele), who lost her mother at a young age, is sent to a boarding school for girls where authoritarian Prussian discipline stifles the students. Drama unfolds when Manuela falls in love with a kind and affectionate teacher. “Don’t think! Obey!”
Week 6 - Literature/Novel: The Revolt of the Fishermen of Santa Barbara - In Anna Seghers’ novel, the fishermen are resisting their employers’ exploitative working conditions. However, looking deeper into their and their families’ impoverished lives, the fishermen are fighting desperately not only for livable wages but also for humanity. “A three-fifths share and a new tariff rate!”
Week 7 - Literature/Poetry: Multiple works - Despite their prominence in Germany, Mascha Kaléko, Gertrud Kolmar and Else Lasker-Schüler’s works are not well known in the English-speaking world. All three lived in Berlin during the Weimar Republic, making a name for themselves as German poets of Jewish heritage (Kaléko as a Polish-Jewish immigrant). "You hear me speak. But do you hear me feel?"
Marion Gerlind, Ph.D., is the founder and executive director of the Gerlind Institute for Cultural Studies, a community-based and community-supported educational organization in Oakland. Originally from Hamburg, Germany, Marion has taught courses in German and English language, literature and culture at college and community settings for more than 20 years. She is especially interested in gender and diversity studies, oral history, popular culture, and film of the 20th and 21st centuries. An experienced facilitator, she creates, and thrives in, interactive classrooms where everyone’s participation is encouraged. | <urn:uuid:13212394-2d3d-41b7-b48e-d8f647d531b8> | CC-MAIN-2019-26 | https://www.campusce.net/sfsu/course/course.aspx?C=445&pc=102&mc=&sc | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-26/segments/1560627999620.99/warc/CC-MAIN-20190624171058-20190624193058-00285.warc.gz | en | 0.921972 | 1,115 | 3.03125 | 3 | 2.829997 | 3 | Strong reasoning | Literature |
Too Much Sitting? 5 Movement Strategies That Get Kids Thinking
contributed by Kenny McKee
Each day more research confirms the link between movement and learning.
Brain researcher David Sousa claims that physical activity increases the amount of oxygen in our blood, and this oxygen is related to enhanced learning and memory. A Washington Post article suggests that many student behaviors we associate with ADHD may stem from an overall lack of physical movement – both in and out of school. In addition, a phenomenally popular blog post by Alexis Wiggins touched upon how much sitting students actually do every day, and how all that sitting affects energy levels and learning.
However, many secondary teachers struggle to integrate movement into the classroom. I know that as a former English teacher, movement found its way into many of my “special” lessons, but it was often a missing ingredient of daily instruction. For example, when students created commercials, searched for books in the library, or carried out debates, movement was inevitable. However, when the main focus of a lesson was reading and writing (as many are in the English classroom), movement was minimal.
I’ve included some strategies that teachers of any content area can use to integrate movement into lessons. When you have a lesson that looks “sedentary,” integrating one of these strategies will surely increase students’ learning and engagement.
1. Gallery Walks/Chalk Talks
In some lessons, students may need to analyze multiple texts. Why not post those texts on the walls, and have students rotate through them in small groups? I have used this strategy with students analyzing primary and secondary documents for DBQ’s (document-based questions) in history classes. One colleague has students analyze magazine ads for rhetorical techniques in her English class.
Gallery walks can also feature student-created texts, even digital ones. A colleague who teaches earth science once had student groups create informational Animoto videos on different geographic formations. She then had students participate in a digital gallery walk where they watched the student-created videos on laptops, and took notes on each geographic formation.
Chalk Talks are gallery walks where students are asked to respond to texts. For example, quotes could be posted, and student could post their reactions to them. In a math class, students could solve a problem on chart paper, and explain their process. Other students could then use Post-Its to write comments or critiques of their solution and process.
2. White Board Meetings
White Board Meetings are a strategy I have seen two science teachers use often. Essentially, students will investigate a situation (often using a data set). Students will then make sense of the problem in a group. They will display their findings on a mini-whiteboard. Usually, students are required to show information in graphs, pictures, mathematics, and writing. Once students post their information on whiteboards, they present their findings. Students can then receive feedback and answer questions about their information.
3. North Pole-South Pole/Continuum
This strategy is great for formative assessment or assessing background knowledge. Essentially, one side of the room represents one idea, and the other side of the room represents an opposing idea.
For example, I used the strategy while teaching in a statistics class recently. My “North Pole” was “I feel extremely confident in how well I can comprehend and remember information in the statistics textbook.” My “South Pole” was “I feel NO confidence in how well I can comprehend and remember information in the statistics textbook.” Students were asked to align themselves with how they felt. If they had a more moderate response, they positioned themselves more closely to the center of the room, showing a continuum of student confidence. Their responses affected how I presented an array of note-taking strategies and which students I worked with more closely during the lesson.
4. Musical Mingle
This strategy works along the same lines as Musical Chairs, but you simply ask students to stand. I often develop a series of questions that I want to ask students before the lesson begins (to assess background knowledge) or after the lesson (to assess learning). I ask all of the students to stand. When I play the music, they will meander around. When the music stops, I announce a question and they will discuss responses with a person close to them. Once students have had the opportunity to talk, we then repeat the process.
One caveat to this strategy is limiting your questions. Generally, any more than three or four questions results in diminished focus. Once the activity is completed, students to share some of their discussion points with the whole class. Most students feel confident sharing in the whole class because they have had an opportunity to clarify their thinking with a partner earlier.
Most educators view stations as a staple of the elementary school classroom, but they are also extremely effective in middle and high schools. Stations can be utilized for differentiation. For example, based upon students’ current writing trends, a teacher could place students at stations based upon areas they need to practice. Activities can be on paper, or they can be embedded digitally using QR Codes. Other stations may be rotational, such as short writing prompts, differing math problems, selected poems to analyze, or different activities for new vocabulary or concepts.
Kenneth McKee is a high school literacy coach for Buncombe County Schools in Asheville, NC. His interests include teacher leadership, disciplinary literacies, and partnership approaches to instructional coaching. He is a 2014 ASCD Emerging Leader. Connect with him on his blog (kennycmckee.com) or on Twitter (@kennycmckee); image attribution flickr user flickeringbrad; *previously published at TeachThought.com | <urn:uuid:5c24c2c1-49da-472b-b462-d8bc687c73ab> | CC-MAIN-2022-49 | https://wegrowteachers.com/too-much-sitting-5-movement-strategies-that-get-students-thinking/?fbclid=IwAR25hX6CluqBSVt2Xpf_SajrSOlI2TZezLjND6Xhgpmq1cOSMjTmygzFgBY | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-49/segments/1669446711232.54/warc/CC-MAIN-20221208014204-20221208044204-00715.warc.gz | en | 0.962392 | 1,177 | 3.28125 | 3 | 2.722146 | 3 | Strong reasoning | Education & Jobs |
BLITS (Ball Lens In The Space) retroreflector satellite has been developed and manufactured by the NII Pretsizionnogo Priborostroeniya (NIIPP) in accordance with the Federal Space Program of Russia and Agreement between the Federal Space Agency of Russia and International Laser Ranging Service from 10 January 2006. The purpose of the mission is experimental verification of the spherical glass retroreflector satellite concept as well as obtaining SLR data for solution of scientific problems in geophysics, geodynamics, and relativity by millimeter and submillimeter accuracy SLR measurements. The "target error" (uncertainty of reflection center relative to the CoM position) is less than 0.1 mm, and the Earth magnetic field does not affect the satellite orbit and spin parameters. SLR is the only source of POD information.
The 170 mm diamerer BLITS nanosatellite consists of two outer hemispheres made of a low-refraction-index glass (LK6 type) and an inner ball lens made of a high-refraction-index glass (TF105 type). The ball lens radius is 53.52 mm, the total radius of the spherical retroreflector is 85.16 mm. The hemispheres are glued over the ball lens; the external surface of one hemisphere is covered with an aluminum coating protected by a varnish layer. All spherical surfaces are concentric. The satellite total mass is 7.53 kg. A small spherical retroreflector of the same type (6 cm in diameter) was fastened to the Meteor-3M spacecraft and tested during its space flight (2001-2006).
BLITS since 22 January 2013 the BLITS satellite was tracked as two objects, indicating some fragmentation. A reported collision with a debris particle of the FY-1C satellite, which was destroyed in a Chinese ASAT test, could not be confirmed.
A second BLITS satellite was manufactured as a replacement.
|Type / Application:||Technology, geodesy|
|Operator:||NII Pretsizionnogo Priborostroeniya (NIIPP)|
|Contractors:||NII Pretsizionnogo Priborostroeniya (NIIPP)|
|Orbit:||814 km × 820 km, 98.8°|
|BLITS||2009-049G||17.09.2009||Ba LC-31/6||Soyuz-2-1b Fregat||with Meteor-M 1, Sterkh 2, Universitetsky 2, UGATUSAT, Sumbandila, IRIS|
|BLITS 2||-||with ?| | <urn:uuid:2608b699-a7a9-440e-a7c0-ba94b7f9fe89> | CC-MAIN-2019-22 | https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/blits.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-22/segments/1558232257481.39/warc/CC-MAIN-20190524004222-20190524030222-00202.warc.gz | en | 0.864579 | 561 | 3 | 3 | 2.412974 | 2 | Moderate reasoning | Science & Tech. |
Jesus teaches that anxious people have two treasures and two visions, because they try to serve two masters (see Matt. 6:19-34). He also teaches in this passage that double-minded people worry about tomorrow. Treasures on earth have two characteristics. First, there is the decay of all things physical, which is the law of entropy. The second law of thermodynamics says that all systems become progressively more disorderly and will eventually decay. If rust doesn’t destroy it, then moths or termites will. Second, possessing earthly treasures cause others to covet and steal, therefore a concern for security. It is hard to be anxiety free if we are worried about our possessions. Secure peoples have meaningful relationships, which physical possessions cannot provide. The critical question is; “What do you treasure in your heart?”
There is nothing inherently wrong with having material possessions. It is the love of money, not money itself, that is the root of all sorts of evil (1 Tim. 6:10). The apostle Paul said, “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way, they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life” (1 Tim. 6:17-19). There will be no peace trying to serve two masters. Whichever master we choose to serve, by that master we shall be controlled.
Jesus dealt first with our possessions, then He turned to the matter of our provision. Trusting God for tomorrow is a question of worth. Birds are not created in the image of God, but we are! Birds will not inherit the kingdom of God, but we will! If God takes care of the birds, so much more will He take care of us. Observe the lilies of the field: “If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith” (vs. 30). God lays His own reputation on the line. It is our responsibility to trust and obey. It is His responsibility to provide. This is a question of God’s integrity. Does He care for us, and will He provide for our needs? Your Heavenly Father knows what you need, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (vs. 34).
For Spanish, see http://www.ficmm.org/blog | <urn:uuid:41beb12d-f313-4049-930b-61a0992b2662> | CC-MAIN-2022-27 | https://www.ficm.org/neilsblogs/anxiety/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-27/segments/1656103943339.53/warc/CC-MAIN-20220701155803-20220701185803-00629.warc.gz | en | 0.961587 | 596 | 2.671875 | 3 | 2.856646 | 3 | Strong reasoning | Religion |
A New York Times article last month about the Jewish community of Istanbul contained a description of its oldest synagogue, the Ahrida, which was untouched by the recent bombings. The synagogue’s “main feature,” the Times observed, “is its teva, or pulpit, which is shaped like an ark. Some people say it was built to commemorate the ships that brought the Sephardim [to Turkey] from Spain.”
My first, Ashkenazi reaction to this was to think the Times had made a mistake, since in Yiddish-speaking Eastern Europe the Hebrew-derived word teive was an infrequently used synonym for the aroyn-koydesh (Hebrew aron ha-kodesh), the “holy ark” in which the Torah scrolls are kept. Tevah in biblical Hebrew means “ark” and is a term that occurs in two places in the Bible, once to designate Noah’s ark and once for the floating cradle in which the infant Moses was hidden by his mother. It never refers to the biblical Ark of the Covenant, which is called aron ha-b’rit.
Post-biblically, however, the use of tevah to signify the ark in the synagogue is old, going back to early rabbinic times, in which the word also meant “box.” (As it does today in such contemporary words as tevat-do’ar, or “mailbox.”) We know this not only from the Talmud, but also from the more exotic evidence of Ge’ez, the ancient sacred language of the Ethiopian Christian church, in which tabot means “holy ark,” too. This usage has, according to the scholars, no indigenous Ge’ez derivation and must have entered Ge’ez in the early centuries C.E. from a Hebraic source. (The old legend that the original Ark of the Covenant was taken to Ethiopia after the destruction of the Temple may be related to this.)
And yet after checking with Sephardic friends, I realized that I was wrong and the Times was right. The word teva does designate the pulpit in Sephardic synagogues, i.e., the table or stand on the bima or platform from which prayers are recited and the Torah is read. The ark, on the other hand, is called by Sephardic Jews the hehal (pronounced “HEY-khal”), from the Hebrew heykhal, “temple.” This usage, too, is old and can be found as far back as the 12th-century writings of Maimonides, although it was never adopted by Ashkenazim.
Why did teva go from meaning “ark” to meaning “pulpit” in the Sephardic world? I can think of two possible and by no means mutually exclusive explanations. The first is architectural. In synagogues from the talmudic period, the ark or tevah was placed in a niche or apse in the wall facing Jerusalem and prayers were led from directly in front of it, sometimes from a lowered space at its feet to which the prayer leader descended. Hence the common rabbinic expression “to pass before the tevah” or “to descend before the tevah,” meaning to lead the prayer.
Starting with medieval times, however, the location of the ark and of the prayer leader were often separated, particularly in Sephardic synagogues, the ark remaining in the wall facing Jerusalem while prayers were led from a pulpit on an elevated bima in the synagogue’s center. “To pass before the tevah” in the sense of leading the prayer was therefore no longer logical. Reinterpreting tevah to mean “reader’s stand” instead of “ark” would have been a way of adopting the expression to the changed layout of the synagogue.
The second explanation bears on the Times’s description of the Ahrida’s teva as “shaped like an ark.” Although I have not been in the Ahrida Synagogue, other Sephardic synagogues that I am familiar with have reader’s stands built in the form of chests, on the flat top of which the prayer book or Torah scroll is placed while below, behind cabinet doors, are kept prayer books, prayer shawls, kiddush cups and other items. (Some Ashkenazic synagogues have a similar arrangement.) Possibly, this box-like construction also encouraged the use of teva for “reader’s stand.”
The explanation given by the Times, on the other hand, that Sephardim call the reader’s stand the tevah because it resembles the waterborne arks or ships that brought their ancestors to Turkey after the 1492 expulsion from Spain is clearly sheer fancy. What it shows is that Sephardic Jews themselves were puzzled by the changed meaning of the word and tried to make sense of it. The fact of the matter is that teva meaning “pulpit” was most likely in use in Spain before the expulsion, as is testified to by the word’s having the same meaning in Hakitia, the Judeo-Spanish of the Jews of Morocco. This would seem to indicate that all Jews leaving Spain, both those heading for North Africa and those heading in the opposite direction for Turkey, already took this use of teva with them to their new homes.
Questions for Philologos can be sent to [email protected].
B Y P H I L O L O G O S
Ben Katchor’s Hotel & Farm | <urn:uuid:d18ded98-82b2-4346-a082-f540ee6ba970> | CC-MAIN-2022-21 | https://forward.com/news/6047/sephardic-arks/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-21/segments/1652662546071.13/warc/CC-MAIN-20220522190453-20220522220453-00143.warc.gz | en | 0.974927 | 1,233 | 2.921875 | 3 | 2.968126 | 3 | Strong reasoning | Religion |
GENOCIDES OF CALIFORNIA
If this be the policy [genocide] of this government toward - Anonymous letter to the editor
this people, it will form a dark page of history, if it does not
bring the vengeance of heaven upon us as a nation.
Los Angeles Star (1853)
- Anonymous letter to the editor
Yahi | Tongva | Chumash | Modoc | Wintu | Wiyot | Pomo Pre-holocaust map of California
Sinkyone | Karuk | Yokuts | Cupeño | Shasta
Pre-holocaust map of California
Today here are more than 500 federally recognized indigenous nations in the US comprising nearly three million people. These are descendants of the circa fifteen million native people who once inhabited this continent. The centuries-long genocidal program of the United States has largely been omitted from history. The documentation is readily available, but is for the most part ignored. Each of the fifty states has its own traumatic indigenous history. California‘s “other” history is an epic tragedy still ongoing.Despite his uneasiness over this military operation, the officer nevertheless felt the desire to continue serving and obeying the authors of this “unexampled horror”, when Henry David Thoreau, at about the same time as this atrocity, wrote: “A man cannot without disgrace be associated with [this American government].”
At the time of Columbus, California had the highest population density on the continent: circa 60 nations, 500 tribelets, 120 languages. Such variety and congestion of languages in such a small geographic area is only known in Sudan and New Guinea. One of the world's largest cities appeared in Southern California in (historically speaking) a very short period of time. The ancient race of ocean-faring sorcerers upon whose realm Los Angeles sprawls today, when their genocide was a bitter fact, left behind subtle emanations on this place of power which the invaders tapped into without even being aware of it. This might also be the reason that many of the other big cities on the continent appeared where they appeared – tapping into emanations already existing on ultra-ancient sites that for time immemorial had been places of power. The Americans are living in the aboriginal world without knowing it. They founded their cities on sites already used as settlements by the tribes. They paved routes over which the tribes carried on trans-continental trade for centuries. They navigated the same rivers, climbed the same mountains, stood in awe before the same oceans.
Genocide is such a strong word that people find it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to accept as a part of the history of their country. No one in California whom I have met, including family, is willing to do this. Many narratives resemble those of Auschwitz and the Soviet gulags. Such is the history of the Yelamu people when mission San Francisco was built on their peninsula in 1776. On one side of the continent a successful war of independence was being waged. On the other side a successful war of subjection and genocide. And yet, in this year the Spanish were oddly the veritable protectors of the Yelamu. The war-like Ssalson, located twelve miles south on the peninsula, attacked the Yelamu, who were their traditional enemies. According to the priest Francisco Palóu, “there were many dead and wounded on both sides.” The Yelamu fled to the other shore of what is today the Golden Gate and to the eastern Oakland side of the bay:Apparently the Indians of this vicinity [Yelamu] were defeated, and so fearful were they of the others [Ssalson] that they made tule rafts and all moved to the shore opposite the [San Franciso] presidio, or to the mountains on the east side of the bay. We were unable to restrain them, even though we let them know by signs that they should have no fear, for the soldiers would defend them. (Francisco Palóu, Journal 1773-1783, as cited in A Time of Little Choice: The Disintegration of Tribal Culture in the San Francisco Bay Area, 1769-1810 by Randall T. Milliken, Ballena Press Anthropological Papers, 2009.)
The threat to their culture came not from the Europeans in the beginning, but from fellow Native Americans. Eventually however, the “protection” provided by the Spaniards turned into wretched servitude at the missions that were being constructed along the coast, from San Diego to Sonoma. The Native Californians were afflicted by the three muchos that would provoke armed revolts: “much work, much punishment, much hunger.” While the United States of America celebrated its victory over the British tyranny on the east coast, on the west coast the Spanish tyranny was victorious and all-powerful over peoples who had inhabited California for thousands of years. The scope of the genocides all over California, all over North America, is too vast to comprehend. The map below of the San Francisco Bay Area in the 1770s is a microcosm of the continent, teeming with tribal groups with different languages and dialects, as was the other central area for genocides in California: Los Angeles and environs. Today sixty-nine indigenous tribal groups from all over North America have their home in California, with a population over 300,000. What follows are some of the tragic stories that led to California becoming a state.
map from A Time of Little Choice
Randall Milliken (1946-2018)
The most well-known Native Californian is the Yahi man known as Ishi. The Yahi, like hundreds of other peoples across the continent, were victims of Amerika's “final solution”, extermination and genocide the scope and efficacity of which far surpassed that of the Third Reich. Ishi’s story is to be found in Theodora Kroeber's Ishi in Two Worlds. Ishi spent forty of his fifty-odd years of life hiding in the hills of northern California to avoid such massacres as happened in Kingsley Cave, which left only thirteen members of the once-flourishing Yahi tribe alive, among whom was the boy Ishi. His last three years before becoming a captive were spent in desperate solitude. His little band of Yahi villagers had made one of the most defiant last stands of any other tribe, held out longer than any other, against impossible odds.
The United States’ Army, citizen vigilante groups, scalp-hunters and other proud-to-be-Americans hunted them down and massacred men, women, children and babies with Anglo-saxon efficiency and “endowment of mind” of which Thomas Jefferson was so proud. Thousands of women and children were lawfully abducted to be used as slaves, often subjected to repeated rape, or forced into prostitution and concubinage.
West of the Mississippi, in the last half of the nineteenth century, it was a pandemonium of massacres. When the aboriginal peoples were not killed off outright like the Yahi and so many others, the straggling remnants of once great nations were sent off to reservations as efficiently as Jews being sent to nazi concentration camps. Californian immigrants created “volunteer armies” that swooped down upon native villages, killing men, women, and children indescriminately. After such raids the men presented expense vouchers to the state and federal governments for a bounty on each killed soul. Ancestral homelands were seized and sold to the invaders. Along with the vouchers, native scalps were often presented as proof of a kill.
Captain Good was a sheriff in the region of Ishi’s sacred mountain Waganupa (Mount Lassen). Captain Good was considered by all the inhabitants of his town as a “good” man, a man who protected the settlers from murderous savages and who stood for “law and order”. His honored position in California society allowed him special privileges of a man of esteem and political fame: “The captain was always entitled to the scalps. At one time Good had forty hanging in the poplar tree by his house.” (Sim Moak, injun-killer) Captain Good liked to stroll through town with strings of Yana and Yahi scalps fastened at his belt and ankles of both legs instead of buckskin tassles. It became quite fashionable for the other men to imitate Captain Good. Oh, but mind you well indeed, this was nevertheless quite a civilized form of head-hunting, and the Californians of today have no more respect and admiration for their governor than they had at the turn of the century for evil Captain Good.
The photograph taken of the captured Ishi (“man” in the Yahi language) on August 29, 1911 in the Oroville jail shows an exhausted and dazed man, dressed in rags, emaciated, his hair burnt as a sign of mourning for his dead family and annihilated tribesmen. Bewildered by the photographer's sulphurous explosion, he appears as if stopped by hecklers on the way to Golgotha Hill to be crucified. He may even have experienced this strange new thing, the camera, as the manner by which he was to be executed. The photographer was thinking of all the money he would make with the picture of the “wild man”, like one of the pleasure-seeking spectators of Jesus’ final trudge up the slope of Golgotha. Unable to speak any language but Yahi, Ishi could very well have been crucified by the zealous Americans who wanted to exploit this “wild man” for all he was worth, had not blessed fate brought Thomas T. Waterman, Dr. Saxton Pope and Alfred Louis Kroeber to his aid. Kroeber was director of the newly formed San Francisco Museum of Anthropology, which was to be Ishi's home for the remaining five years of his life. It was here that Ishi was "employed" as a janitor for $25 a month, sweeping around installations, artifacts and reconstructed native huts like those in which he lived in the remote wilderness of Deer Creek.
During their unbelievably long and artful concealment in which they walked only on stones and left not the slightest broken twig or trampled blade of grass as evidence of their presence, the remaining Yahi were, however, not living a natural existence. Many people have romantic notions of Ishi as a “natural man”, when in truth he and his fellow Yahi who had survived terrifying American atrocities, lived in an unnatural manner, even while hiding in a natural wilderness for decades. Ironically, Ishi may have had the most stress-free existence as a captive of the Americans for almost five years, in which, thanks to Kroeber and his other friends, he no longer suffered the anguish of running, hiding and worrying about being captured and put to death by Americans as happened to so many of his tribesmen.
Ishi lived five years in captivity among scholars, calling the museum which housed the booty of his and other other tribes “home”. All hope for his people and culture had been snuffed out by the American Dream. And yet, he remained cheerful to the very end, when the last word ever uttered on earth by a Yahi man in his own language evaporated forever into the poisoned air of America. Ishi, as Theodora Kroeber writes, was unimpressed by modern technology, and looked upon occidentals as clever children who had gone astray of the Way. At his death Ishi’s brain, was removed “in the interest of science”, and sent to Washington D.C.
POSTSCRIPT: For unexplainable reasons, Ishi was not allowed a final sacred rest by the anthropologists - even in death. Does it matter that this ghoulishness excuses itself because it is carried out "in the name of science"? At his death in 1916, Ishi's brain was removed and sent to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC. The scientific information thus obtained (whatever that may have been) was regarded as more important than the most rudimentary respect granted the dead all over the world. Anthropologist Orin Starn's research eventually led him to the Smithsonian's Natural History Museum where he beheld Ishi's brain: "Ishi's brain was right there in Tank 6 of the Wet Collection...There were thirty-two other brains floating in the stainless steel tank, each in a cheesecloth sack tied with a plastic accession tag." (American Indian Quarterly Summer/Fall 2005) It took almost one hundred years for Ishi's remains to be released by the scientists for a proper burial by Native Californians. This criminal betrayal of a friend is perhaps the greatest shame Alfred Kroeber's memory shall have to bear. (Excerpt from Anthropology Answerable)
The proud-to-be-Americans are unable to acknowledge the truth about themselves. Nor was King Oedipus. When the seer Teiresias unwillingly came to the king, he refused to tell the king the truth about himself, since the seer knew it would destroy the asker. But the king was enraged and called the seer an “insolent scoundrel”. To defend himself, Teiresias told the truth: “Your enemy is yourself.” On hearing the truth, the king at first called it a lie, and was going to put the seer to death. The seer put this question to the king, a question which all Americans should also ponder: “Have you eyes, and do not see your own damnation?” (Sophocles, King Oedipus)
The ancient Tongva village called Puvungna ("gathering place") near Long Beach, was the birthplace of Chinigchinich where he later revealed himself as lawgiver, avenger, healer and solar deity. Further north, on the Porciuncula river where once a patch of poison oak grew, was a medium-sized Tongva village named Yangna. They say it means “place of the poison oak”.
Alfred Louis Kroeber wrote that the Tongva were considered “the enlightened ones” by the surrounding tribes, and he himself referred to them in his Handbook of the Indians of California as “the wealthiest and most thoughtful of all the Shoshoneans.” The sites of their villages and holy places now lie buried beneath the concrete and asphalt of Los Angeles and environs. Identified by anthropologists with the misnomer "Gabrielino" (because they were enslaved by Mission San Gabriel), their descendants today call themselves Tongva. Despite the overwhelming metropolis which sprawls over much of coastal Southern California, and despite what seems to be veritable genocide, remnants of this culture, and others kin to it, exist today and the ancient arts and ceremonies are still being kept alive. Almost no one in Los Angeles is aware of this genocidal crime that resulted in the founding of "the city of angels."
Indigenous nations of southern California
The people of Yangna were robust, healthy and happy, finding food in abundance in the nearby forests, marshlands and ocean. But the poison oak of Yangna, but a small patch, omened more poison, much more than the most lucid of seers could ever imagine in the depths of his horror. With the first Europeans came small-pox, diphtheria, syphilis and christianity. Mass shootings, forced migrations and hangings were the American way of interpreting the Biblic phrase: “love thy neighbor”. The once happy people of Yangna were afflicted with great sorrow and their lamentations were many.
Next came alcohol, which the people of Yangna received as “salary” for their slave labor in the vineyards around the mission built on their plundered land. When they got drunk on the poison they had been given, they were imprisoned for “loitering” and sold to the highest bidder, although it was called “paying a fine. The priests had been alternately harsh and sympathetic to the broken villagers of Yangna, only using the whip, branding-iron and garrot when they thought it necessary, at other times seeing them as “children”. But the Americans showed them nothing but contempt and brutality, treating their dogs and livestock better than the dying Ocean People. The new laws of the land stated that no Indian (sic) could testify in court, even in his own defense. They were denied all rights of citizenship, all rights of human beings. The poisons kept flowing and along with the toxic effects of greed, perversity, and irreverence, the first automobile rolled through the streets laid out over Yangna, emitting poisonous gases into the air.
And yet there was still more poison to come that would clog the very skies with soot and infect the rivers and even the ocean with the vile excrement of industry. The tribe was in the death throes. All hope had died. Their primitive magical power and cheerfulness was sucked out of them by their degradation. They no longer lay naked on the beach, basking in the sun as before, happy with their lot. They were stripped of everything. They were looked upon by the Americans as stray dogs. Yangna was now a shanty town in turn-of-the-century Los Angeles, near Union Station. It was a favorite place for soldiers and citizens to go whoring. The Indian (sic) women were easy. And cheap. Their husbands were too drunk on their “salary” to protest. Children were a thing of the past. Mothers killed them rather than to force them to endure their misery. Food was no longer hanging on trees or running in the forest as before. It cost money now.
The women sold themselves for food in downtown Los Angeles. Now the poison of concrete covered the earth everywhere like a scab and vile poisons hung in the air, oozed from the ground as greedy men groveled for oil to burn in their automobiles to fill the air with more, still more, ever more poison. The invaders have faith in poison. Their dreams of the future depend on poison. Their fondest desires have led us stupidly to this horrid Age of Assassins and glorified each of our eras with halos of radioactive smog.
There was great woe among the straggling few inhabitants of Yangna left. The great Ocean People were dying, their subtle sorcery lost forever. In the past they commanded respect throughout the realm as “the enlightened ones”. And now they were dying like dogs. J. Ross Brown, a Dubliner who became Inspector of Indian Affairs in 1855, wrote:The inhabitants of Los Angeles are a moral and intelligent people, and many of them disapprove of the custom [genocide], and hope it will be abolished as soon as the Indians are all killed off.101
As in an evil fairy tale, the ancient Tongva culture was wiped off the planet – it was most convenient for Los Angeles this way. At the beginning of the 20th century, an old man of the Ocean People, Jose Zalvidea, spoke some of the last syllables of his language ever uttered into the ear of John P. Harrington: “Wikumimuk taraxat we” (When the people died the villages ended.)102
And before you could hum one refrain of “Amerika the Beautiful” Yangna was no more. The genocide of the Ocean People was a fact. And with the obliteration of Yangna, a vast cancerous growth (as seen from the objective lens of a camera from outer space) scatters its lewd neighborhoods over the once serene landscape, while boisterous barbarians raise Hell, all convinced that Los Angeles is an improvement over that which was.
101. Robert F. Heizer, Alan J. Almquist, The Other Californians, University of California Press, Berkeley, 1971.
102. Bernice Eastman Johnson, California’s Gabrielino Indians, Southwest Museum, Los Angeles, 1962.
see The Chumash as the Keepers of the Western Gate
(After Anatole and I "trespassed" on the beach near Big Sur) According to American law, the Modoc people were also “trespassing” in the region of Klamath Lake, on the California-Oregon border, “trespassing” on their own homeland as they had done for countless generations. An envoy from Washington D.C. came one day with a piece of paper and informed the Modoc people that they were, indeed, in violation of American law, whereunto they were illegally and with intent “trespassing” on federal property and would have to leave. The Modoc people were forcefully removed from their ancestral homelands by the US army and squeezed into the Klamath reservation in Oregon.
Living with the Klamath tribe proved to be intolerable, and soon the Modoc began leaving the reservation and returned to their own land. In 1872, after long nights of dancing the forbidden Ghost Dance which had swept over California from the Paiute in Nevada, the Modoc War began. This was the final stand of a fierce and heroic people against the devastators of their culture. They fought all the more fiercely knowing that destiny had condemned them to extermination - they had nothing to lose.
Sixty Modoc warriors were able to hold off the United States’ army for seven long months, winning nearly every battle thanks to ingenious cunning and odyssean wits. The sixty warriors were led by Kientpoos, although Stephen Powers seemed to think him a “cowardly man” who “rather followed than led the bolder spirits.” (Indeed, Kientpoos at first did not want to fight, and along with thirteen other Modoc warriors, voted to surrender. Thirty-seven voted to fight to the death, and so it seems that in agreeing Kientpoos did follow “the bolder spirits”.)
The Modoc War became an item of idle gossip back in New York, a sort of gladiator arena for over-fed, bored city dwellers. On the front page of the Illustrated Newspaper for July 12, 1873, Chief Kientpoos was referred to as “Captain Jack”. Other derogatory Anglo-saxon names were used to identify other courageous Modoc warriors, names like “Boston Charley”, “Scar-faced Charley”, “Steamboat Frank” and “Shacknasty Jim”.
The Modoc band had their stronghold in the rugged lava beds of Tule Lake where they met the first attack made by a division of three hundred soldiers with howitzers and repeating rifles. After two days of fighting, nine soldiers had been killed and twenty-eight wounded. And yet, not one single Modoc warrior was even sighted during this time! And then, as happened in the Vietnam war, pampered, over-fed diplomats like Henry Kissinger offered to “negociate”. The commissioners wanted the Modoc captain “Hooker Jim” and several of his warriors for having killed twelve white settlers in retaliation for the massacre of unarmed (even sleeping) Modocs.
Kientpoos was astonished over this hypocrisy and from his stronghold in the lava beds he sent a message to the commissioners: “I have a bad heart about those murders. I have got but a few men and I don’t see how I can give them up [to be hanged]. Will they [the commissioners] give up their people who murdered my people while they were asleep?” Even while the government’s forked tongues wagged promising a truce, the army was being reinforced to one thousand able-bodied men to destroy the sixty warriors. The white flag waved by the “peace commission” from the nation’s capital was seen by the alert warriors as just what it was: more American treachery. Without warning the Modoc warriors opened fire on the “peace commission”, killing General E.R.S. Canby, who had waged war against the Navajos in New Mexico twelve years earlier. Also killed was reverend H.T.T (“Holier-Than-Thou”) Thomas, who proclaimed that Modoc sacred rituals were “unlawful”.
And then the crafty warriors disappeared in a flash into the lava beds, hiding among the jagged volcanic rocks, the ledges and caves of which they knew in all their topographical detail. The thousand soldiers moved in and pressed an attack for two days, supported by massive artillery fire. Using the meagerest of resources the Modoc warriors deployed themselves with uncanny efficiency. On one flank of the battlefield eight Modoc warriors held four hundred troopers to an advance of half a mile during the six hours of fighting. These were impeccable warriors making their last stand, waging war against a horde of clumsy boys led by commanders who had ordered the massacre of sleeping villagers, and who, like those who laid waste Vietnam, had no idea of the evil for which they and coming generations would be answerable. The troopers finally penetrated Kientpoos’ stronghold, but the Modoc had disappeared again!
By this time, mock photographs of the war were being printed in the Illustrated Newspaper back in New York to accompany the mock journalism reporting the Modoc War. Peaceful reservation “injuns” who were not Modoc were posed behind rocks holding rifles and photographed to represent the real warriors. The New Yorkers were as amused as any Roman public gloating at gladiators fighting in the Coliseum. The over-fed citizens of California were also amused. A certain reader of the Yreka Journal even contributed a pome for the jolly occasion:
In truth it was a gallant sightThere were more skirmishes in the lava beds. During one of these, the slaughter of the army patrol was so extreme that by midday Kientpoos’ field commander (named “Scar-faced Charley” by the newspapers) called off the Modoc warriors, shouting to the soldiers like Nestor taunting the Trojans:
To see a thousand men of might
With guns and canons, day and night
Fight sixty [crafty] Indians.
-All you fellows that ain’t dead had better go home. We don’t want to kill you all in one day.
But soon the sixty were reduced to thirty-eight fighting against a thousand. “Hooker Jim” and his band, who had found refuge with Kientpoos when the commissioners wanted them handed over for hanging, abandoned his chief and surrendered to the whites, volunteering to track down Kientpoos in exchange for amnesty, illustrating that treachery and cowardice are not only European traits.
At the battle of Sorass Lake the luck of the Modoc warriors ran out. In spite of heavy casualties and the extreme odds against them, the remaining warriors continued to out-maneuver the army for another month. Kientpoos and his warriors surrendered on June 1, 1873. He and three of his commanders (“Skonchin John”, “Black Jim” and “Boston Charley”) were sentenced to be hanged. The remaining Modoc captives were put aboard a Central Pacific Railroad train bound for banishment in a tiny reservation in Oaklahoma, half-way across the continent from their homeland. The killing of the commissioners (which Powers called “perfidious butchery”) was an act of vengeance in retaliation for the massacre perpetrated by Ben Wright years before when Kientpoos’ father and many others were brutally murdered under a flag of truce. An eye or an eye.
Stephen Powers claimed that “Boston Charley”, although a “mere boy”, was the bravest warrior, going to the scaffold with “cool and reckless unconcern”. Before dying he said:
- Although I am a boy, I feel that I am a man. When I look at the others, I feel that they are women. When I die and go to the other world I don’t want them to go with me. I am not afraid to die. I am the only man in this room today.
Before the hangings “official” photographs were taken of the captives. In spite of Powers’ derogatory remarks concerning Kientpoos, I see the calm features of a courageous warrior ready for death in one of these photographs, beneath my gaze at this very moment. Perhaps death by hanging was a better option than seeing his homeland overrun by barbarians, his women folk raped and turned into concubines, his children sold into slavery, his people banished to a distant and hostile land, and his ancient language and culture exterminated.
The elegant photographic document is in the oval carte de visite style (3¼ x 5 inches), printed following the regulations of the Library of Congress, signed and witnessed by two officers of the United States army, with fashionable shading effects by the photographer, and proudly offered to the public “with the courtesy of Watkins’ Yosemite Art Gallery”. And with routine protocol, chief Kientpoos, “Skonchin John”, “Black Jim” and “Boston Charley” were hanged.107
A brief postscript to this tragic tale: after the hangings the heads of the Modoc leaders were cut off and shipped to the Army Medical Museum in Washington D. C. where science would begin its evil monkey-business. (In what dark jungle could one fine more gruesome head-hunters?) Kientpoos’ headless cadaver was secretly disinterred by American grave-robbers, who took it to Yreka for a taxidermist to stuff like a game animal. It became a carnival attraction in eastern cities for 10¢ admission.
I would suppose that if the curious historian inquires around in the nation’s capital, he may even be able to locate the four severed heads today, pickled in bottles of formaldehyde in a scientific museum, gazing out through the curved glass with a silent curse for the Excited States of Amerika still moist on their lips.
107.Peter Palmquist, “Imagemakers of the Modoc War”, The Journal of California Anthropology, winter 1977.
It went no better for the Wintu people of central California. When Jedediah Smith entered Sacramento Valley in 1826, neither he nor the Wintu could foresee the epic tragedy that would result from this first contact with Euro-Americans. Four years later the long chain of calamities - which have not ended to this day - began with a malaria epidemic introduced from Oregon by trappers, wiping out three-fourths of the entire Wintu population in upper and central Sacramento Valley. With such a disadvantage, they, like young Telemachus before the brawling and drunken suitors of his mother and queen, were hard put to fight off their enemies.
Armed to the teeth with the newest firearms, the proud-to-be-Americans were known to go on night rampages, slaughtering sleeping families, taking scalps, burning villages. For the Wintu, mass murder was their introduction to western thought, and the warriors still left alive were therefore at a great disadvantage when settlers came into the area, overrunning the land with their cattle and sheep (thereby destroying vital food sources in nature on which the tribes depended), damming and polluting ancient waterways, defiling the dead, massacring the living and bringing eternal disgrace upon mankind.
The Wintu left alive after such onslaughts by proud patriots were hardy and ever alert in the midst of their lamentations. Such small bands of keen warriors among the Cupeño, Modoc, Yuki, Yahi, Yokuts and other peoples made valiant and hopeless last stands against the devastators of their ancient homelands, struggling against impossible odds. The Wintu had it no better. Their warriors were few. The greater part of their people were dead. When they least needed another visit from the proud-to-be-Americans, Captain John C. Fremont and his troops invaded California in 1846, slaughtering one hundred and seventy-five Yana and Wintu.
[Note: The so-called “annexation” of California by the United States was in truth an armed invasion as that of Palestine, in which the rightful inabitants were pushed aside and those not killed outright were forced into remote regions to live desperate lives as fugitives or as peons and slaves of the rich invaders. These latter stole all of the land comprising California, land which was legally part of the sovereign nation of Mexico. Of course, the huge ranchos and land grants stolen from the Spanish-speaking Californios had been stolen by these latter from the original Native Californians. As with the current war in Iraq, the president and his advisors concocted a shameful lie in order to invade California and other portions of Mexico. President Polk wailed: “American blood has been shed on American soil!“ A certain skeptical congressman from Illinois, Abraham Lincoln, introduced the “spot bill” asking the president to identify the “spot” where American blood had been shed. Lincoln meant that the blood spilling, whether in Texas, Arizona or California, was not officially in the United States and therefore no reason to go to war. The war with Mexico (1846-1848) began nonetheless.]
And yet, gentle reader, the woes of the Wintu had only just begun...Two years later gold was discovered on Wintu land and the entire nation went insane. Disease, pestilence, calamity, atrocity - that is all the friendly Wintu people ever knew of European civilization. The settlers took the best land and shipped the People off to reservations, justifying the desecration of sacred shrines by pointing to pages in the Bible. The rivers were quickly polluted by mining operations, and the delicate cycle of returning salmon was done violence. Gold! That was all the proud barbarians coveted - gold!
The remaining stragglers of the devastated Wintu nation were used as slave labor in the mines, although the patriots did not refer to it as slave labor since the People were given scraps of paper after a hellish day of misery and anguish in the mines. But even more calamities awaited the Wintu still alive in Sacramento Valley. Much more. In 1850 Shasta County was founded as one of the first official acts of California’s new statehood. The proud-to-be-Americans held a “friendship feast” in honor of the Trinity Wintu, poisoning the food and killing one hundred souls. Survivors of the “friendship feast” tried to warn the neighboring Wintu triblet. They were too late: at least forty-five were killed in the same manner. And thus, the First Thanksgiving feast in Plymouth two centuries earlier was repaid by the Dinner of Death given the Wintu people by the Excited States of Amerika.
There remained several Wintu groups living on either side of Clear Creek, a sacred waterway in their cosmogony, a living element in their myths and song-cycles. A natural rock bridge spanned the creek over which the People crossed. The rock bridge was one of the most sacred elements of Wintu cosmogony, and many spirits and gods had crossed over it in the past. The last surviving Wintu, weary and traumatized by the American Dream, were consoled by the murmur of Clear Creek in the shadow of their sacred bridge. They had already survived ordeals that can only be compared to the ordeals of the Jews at the hands of the nazis, or millions of Russians and other Slavs in the Kolyma death camps and the whole gulag archipelago. They still could look on the rock bridge in reverence, by it linked to something clean and good which proud Americans, for some reason, wished to deny them.
The patriots were not satisfied with the bloody results of Fremont’s massacre, nor with the “friendship feast” which also claimed many innocent lives. They wanted to control all the land and tried to force the surviving Wintu to the west side of Clear Creek. All the nasty “legal” methods were exhausted and the Americans were again getting ready to draw blood and make the genocide of the Wintu people a historic fact. Ignorant of “legal” matters, the People continued crossing their sacred stone bridge to the forbidden east side of Clear Creek. The invaders planted a charge of dynamite on the sacred stone bridge and blew it up.
However, the end of the Wintus’ woes was still far away... In the town of Old Shasta, miners burned down the sacred ceremonial house where Wintu medicine people and holy men would gather in desperation like the Jewish leaders in the ghettos of Warsaw. All was lost. In a patriotic frenzy the miners went on a rampage and killed three hundred innocent people. When corrurpt officials from Sacramento thrust papers at the surviving Wintu who could not read, they had no other choice than to put their mark on the “Cottonwood Treaty”, as disgraceful a smear as ever soiled papier hygiènique. The treaty “allotted” them thirty-five square miles of their own homeland. This “Treaty of Peace and Friendship” was duly ratified by the state congress in 1852 with all the fine forma1ities and polite rhetoric which came from similar mouths at the “friendship feast”.
A proud and vain man was named “agent” and a fort built in his name with federal funds amounting to $25,000, a tiny drop which fell unnoticed into the ocean of misfortune which was that of the remaining Wintu people. Despite the money (thirty pieces of silver after inflation) the Wintu could only look ahead to worse times. Three years after Fort Reading was built, miners-again invaded their “allotted” land, polluted the streams and attacked the People, who tried in vain to defend themselves. But, believe it or not, incredulous reader, this was only a prelude to more, ever more misfortune. Three years after the attack by the miners, citizen vigilantes and army troops waged an all-out war of extermination against the tenacious Wintu people. The year-long war resulted in one hundred dead and three hundred survivors sent forcefully to the Mendocino reservation. During and after the Civil War, Wintu stragglers were hunted down, murdered or marched to coastal reservations. As with the African and Jewish peoples, great suffering awoke great inner spiritual strength among the aboriginal inhabitants of the New World.
At the turn of the century the Wintu revived forgotten rites (rites forbidden them by christendom), a revival which is taking place on a massive scale among the aboriginal groups of the continent at this very moment. But the proud-to-be-Americans were able to produce poisons, prisons and calamities at a much faster pace than the medicine people could perform the delicate and complex rites of purification and world renewal. First gold was their misery and now it was copper. Copper-processing plants poisoned and destroyed natural vegetation and large groves of trees vital to the Wintu as food sources. And then, as a final stroke of bitterest irony, the remaining Wintu, survivors of unimaginable carnage and All-American ill-will, were granted “citizenship” in 1929!
But, of course, citizenship did not guarantee them any happiness in the unending tempest of sorrows which was theirs. What was the American flag to them other than a symbol of everything they considered evil? Citizenship did not efface the racist hatred directed at them, and Wintu children were not permitted in American public schools until the year before they were granted “citizenship”. Now they were to be educated to be modern slaves toiling at the mills of Idiocy’s Industry for a few wrinkled bills, as do I.
If the reader should now deign to believe that the troubles of the Wintu were over, she will be sadly mistaken. One year before the outbreak of World War II, Shasta dam was built, destroying huge areas of Wintu territory along with three other dams. Almost the entire tribal domains of the two communities were inundated, and the last remaining concentrations of Wintu people were dispersed. Government “land-parceling” produced even greater havoc. Today the remaining mixed and full-blood Wintu live widely over the Excited States, incorporated into the American Inferno. Many remaining Wintu suffer from unemployment, indecent housing and apathy, although still lodged in their hearts is the sting of the obscene injustice which proud Amerika inflicted on their culture. Despite centuries of woe, some still maintain delicate contact with ancient traditions, still trying to salvage the Golden Age which was theirs from the Hell which is ours.108
108. Frank R. LaPena, “Wintu”, Handbook of North American Indians, vol. 8 (California), Smithsonian Institution, Washington, 1978. (Note: Frank LaPena is a well-known Wintu artist and spiritual leader.)
As the reader can see, the history of California since the Conquest is a story of gruesome atrocities and carnage. The more I delve into the available material, the more I am struck by the horror of it all. And after all the written accounts of atrocities committed against the indigenous nations have been exhausted, there remain the silent atrocities unrecorded by history and unknown to all except the avenging spirits. The Forty-niners and those who followed them casually slaughtered the People, often for amusement, as if hunting jackrabbits. The slaughter went from the hands of vigilante groups to the hands of the army in blatant wars of extermination like the Modoc War.
When a warrior retaliated for his people being murdered in their sleep by taking revenge on one of the salaried scalp-hunters, the white society became outraged and went on the rampage. Such was the case in 1860 at Hayfork on the Trinity River, when white vigilantes attacked a village and killed one hundred and fifty people. No mercy was shown to women and children. At the fork of this very same Trinity River and the Klamath there once existed one of the most carefully balanced cultural regions on the continent, and it was here that the carnage was exceptionally intense.
Alfred Kroeber writes that on the three arms of these converging rivers were assembled three nations representing three of the five great linguistic families of the continent: Algonquian (Yurok), Hokan (Karuk) and Athabascan (Hupa). The coastal Wiyot and Yurok comprised the only Algonquians in California, a distant and rare outpost on the Pacific of a great racial family concentrated east of the Mississippi and along the northern Atlantic coast. What unknown, epic migrations do these two remote Algonquian tribes represent? With the aid of the science of glottochronology, it is said that the Yurok and Wiyot languages diverged from a common parent languge over two thousand years ago. The origin of the Algonquian languages, as all the other languages of the continent, is unknown. Some region in the heart of pre-historic Asia gave root to them, where today, perhaps some remotely related language is spoken, its link with Algonquian unknown to linguists.
The Wiyot people on the northwestern coast of California were the victims of one of the most evil atrocities in the history of the state. When the white vigilantes (all well-respected citizens of the region) had finished their work on February 26, 1860, one hundred and eighty-eight people lay dead on Gunther Island. The dead were mostly women and children. An army officer who participated in the carnage wrote an official report revealing how babies were slaughtered as they suckled at their mothers’ breasts, who as well were slashed with bayonets as their milk mingled with rivers of blood.
The Yurok were the only ones from surrounding tribes to help the desperate Wiyot people from rampaging American patriots. Although the Yurok story-teller Che-na-wah Weitch-ah-wah (Lucy Thompson) wrote that the Yurok looked down on their linguistic kinsfolk, her father sheltered an influential Wiyot man during the terrible massacre. (One is reminded of Anne Frank and her family hiding from rampaging nazis.) Mrs. Thompson wrote in her memoirs: “Sometimes it seems hard to think of man’s inhumanity, but as sure as the sun goes down, the white man will suffer for his wicked treatment of the Humboldt Indians.”109
Nine days after the massacre on Gunther Island, the weekly newspaper Northern Californian from Union (now Arcata) wrote: “Some had their heads split in twain by axes, others beaten into jelly with clubs, others pierced or cut to pieces with Bowie knives… others had almost reached the water when overtaken and butchered.” It required half the day to murder the people on that fated island in Humboldt Bay. Today it is peaceful and calm with forests, meadows and houses (one owned by the mayor of Eureka), as the citizens sail their pleasure boats past it, most ignorant what happened there such a short while ago. This terrible crime against humanity went unpunished. No one was even charged with these murders. Those guilty of this crime were most certainly known, and were just as certainly protected by people in power. Like certain men who docilely participated in the massacres in Vietnam, an officer who viewed the scene was a little uneasy as he filed his report:
I beheld a spectacle of horror, of unexampled description - babes, with brains oozing out of their skulls, cut and hacked with axes, and squaws exhibiting the most frightful wounds in death which imagination can paint.110
The Wiyot people came within a hair’s breadth of being totally exterminated as a result of this genocidal crime sanctioned by the federal government. Only a baby survived the massacre on the island, Jerry James. This was not the only massacre that took place that night. Two other village sites were attacked - one on the Eel River and another on the South Spit. These crimes abruptly ended centuries of ceremonial dancing and celebration. (The murdered Wiyot men, women and children were sleeping when the atttack began, exhausted from a week of ceremonial dance.) Today, both the descendants of the survivors of this massacre and the killers live in close proximity, with a certain tension still existing between the two groups.
The Wiyot people today hold a yearly memorial gathering for the massacre victims on or around February 26. Following the massacres, the vitality of the Wiyot people suffered greatly. U.S. troops collected the surviving Wiyot from other villages ranging between the Mad and Eel Rivers, confining them to the Klamath River Reservation. Today there are 300 enrolled tribal members. It is difficult being a Euro-American citizen of the “land of the free” and maintain allegiance in the face of many such atrocities committed all over the continent of Turtle Island with the benediction of the American government. Such shame as ours is impossible for ordinary people to endure. And so they blot it out of their minds forever, and continue with their patriotic nightmare, still refusing to respect the rights of the Native Americans. One of the organizers of the yearly memorial said recently: “The Wiyot are no longer invisible. We’re here. They tried killing us off in the 19th century. We’ve survived the 20th century. And we’re going into the 21st century.”111
Although the Native Californians suffered terribly under the Spanish and Mexicans, their sufferings increased tenfold with the coming of the Americans. In 1849 the gold rush began and massacres like the “friendship feast” given the Wintu were to increase dramatically. In the year of the gold rush one hundred and thirty-five Pomo people were massacred at Clear Lake. They had been previously kept as slaves by a man named Kelsey and his partner Stone. The Stone and Kelsey massacre resulted from the enslavement, starvation, torture and killings of the Pomo by these two newly arrived Americans, who fed their livestock better than their slaves.
The Pomo story-teller William Ralganal Benson, born in 1862, learned about this massacre directly from some of its survivors, and related the story in English when he was seventy. His mother tongue was Pomo, but he taught himself to read and write English. The Pomo who were enslaved on Stone and Kelsey’s ranch in 1849 were being starved to death. They were given small rations of cooked wheat, and if they begged a house servant for more to save a dying relative, they were tortured, whipped or shot dead, as happened to a boy who, in an attempt to save his dying mother, was discovered with more than his ration of wheat.
In total desperation over the sadistic treatment, five Pomo warriors went to the ranch house and killed the two wretches who were responsible for this agonizing misery. A military expedition was sent by the U.S. government to avenge the killings, and the Stone and Kelsey massacre was a fact. State and federal governments subsidized these killings on a large scale, for such military operations (killing innocent civilians - including babies) were very costly. In 1932 William Ralganal Benson wrote the story, of which the following is only a small part:
one old man said that he was aboy at the time he said the solders shoot his mother, she told him to climb high up in the tree, so he did and from there he said he could see the solders running about the camp and shooting the men and women and stabing boys and girls. he said mother was not yet dead and was telling him to keep quit. two of the solders heard her talking and ran up to her and stabed her and child. and a little ways from his mother, he said laid a man dieing, holding his boy in his arms the solders also stabed him, but did not kill the boy, they took the boy to the camp, crying, [...] it was aboy about three years of age, when the solders were getting redy to move camp, they raped [wrapped] the boy up in ablanket and was stell crying, and that boy is alive today, his name is bill ball, now lives in boonville...112The straggling survivors of the massacre went on forced marches, had salt rubbed into the sores and cuts on their feet and bayonet wounds, and those who could not keep up were shot and left for scavenging wild animals to devour. One old man told Benson that after narrowly escaping the rampaging American soldiers, he finally made it back home, constantly looking over his shoulder to see if soldiers were following him. His mother and sister lay slaughtered on the ground before his home. "he said he sat down under a tree and cryed all day."
The violently deranged sociopolitical organization of California under the newly arrived Americans can be compared to that of developing countries in Africa and Asia today, where the random enslavement and killing of women, children and non-combattant men is routine. The nazi defendants at the Nuremburg trials rationalized their executions of innocent children by arguing that such children would grow up to hate those who killed their parents. Such arguments were used 100 years earlier by the vigilantes in California to rationalize the killing of native children: “because a nit would make a louse.”
One summer morning in 1969 five people were sadistically murdered in a mansion located within an exclusive Los Angeles neighborhood known as Benedict Canyon. Among those found dead the following morning was the actress Sharon Tate, eight months pregnant. Later that night a wealthy couple, Rosemary and Leno LaBianca, were also stabbed to death in their home near Hollywood. When the lunatic killing spree of Charles Manson and his followers ended, modern Californians were horrified over such barbarity and did not hestitate to condemn the killers as demented monsters. And yet, the founding of their state was made possible by such people commiting such crimes over and over again to such a point that now any famous weight-lifter from any town in Austria can now be their governor, without possessing any true merit. As a final bit of of bitterest irony, the remaining Pomo today must endure seeing the city that grew, profited and prospered from the massacre of their ancestors bearing the name "Kelseyville", as the American Dream elevates yet again a vile wretch to the highest status.
The Sinkyone were among the Athapaskan-speaking peoples of northern California. Along with neighboring tribes, they were the target of subsidized "ethnic cleansing" and mass murder, as shamefully manifest in the massacre at Needle Rock. One Sinkyone survivor of this massacre, who was only a girl at the time, watched in horror from her hiding place as an American cut out the heart of her baby sister and threw it in the brush. Later, as a married woman, she told her story.
"My little sister was just a baby, just crawling around. I didn’t know what to do. I was so scared that I guess I just hid there a long time with my little sister’s heart in my hands." This Sinkyone girl and the other survivors of the Needle Rock massacre fled into the cold forest with no food or clothes, unable to light a fire for fear of the white men finishing them off. Malcolm Margolin, publisher of the highly regarded News from Native California, has described the mood in California that preceded this and other massacres:
Supported by a community fearful of the "Indian menace" and greedy for Indian land, legitimized by newspapers that extolled the "manifest destiny" of the white race, groups of men throughout northwestern California formed "volunteer armies" that swooped down upon Indian villages, killing men, women, and children indescriminately. After such raids the men – often a ragtag group of unemployed miners – would present expense vouchers to the state and federal governments for actions against the "hostile Indians." In 1851 and 1852 California authorized over one million dollars for such excursions. It was nothing short of subsidized murder.
Along with the vouchers, native scalps were often presented as proof of a kill. Margolin observes that while the Native Californians had a place (albeit a miserable one) in the social structure of Spanish and Mexican California, they had no place whatsoever in Anglo-American California, and were hardly considered human. He continues: "Atrocities against the Native Californians were not just the result of a few demented individuals; atrocities were built into the social structure, even written into the laws. [...] An Indian could not bear witness against a white in court; thus whites who entered Indian villages and committed rape, mayhem, and murder could not be prosecuted on the witness of Indians alone."
Those who believe that these evil deeds belong to our past, and that Americans have been reformed, should confront the facts of the Vietnam war, and such crimes as the massacre of 504 innocent villagers of My Lai, where even babies were machine-gunned by American soldiers. Far from being punished for their war crimes, they live comfortable suburban lives today. And yet, the government that pardons their war crimes avidly seeks the prosecution of war crimes committed in Bosnia and Hercegovina, threatening economic sanctions if the criminals are not extradited to the Hague trubunal.
Living today as they have for thousands of years along the banks of the Klamath river in northern California, the Karuk people experienced this catastrophic violation of their homeland like the Deluge – like the Apocalypse. As gold finds after 1849 spread to distant corners of California, more and more tribes felt the full evil impact of the gold rush. Hydralic mining was introduced by the gold-rushers, huge high-pressure water nozzles that swiftly washed away the topsoil of the river gorges and valleys to reveal the gold. The muddied river interfered with the cycle of returning salmon, a vital food source to the Karuk. Fifty years after the gold rush, only twenty-five percent of the Karuk were left alive. Other neighboring cultures didn’t have as much luck, and were exterminated to the last man, woman and child. But the Karuk survived against impossible odds.
Today they still dance the White Deerskin Dance and keep their language and ceremonies alive. This was very difficult when school children were punished for speaking Karuk, and their ceremonial regalia and sacred objects were looted and sent to museums in San Francisco or back east. Common everyday household utensils were usurped, scientifically catalogued and packaged for shipment. Even the chairs were removed from their houses to be sent to the Smithsonian Institution! The Karuk singer, dancer and writer, Julian Lang, has recently written that his son’s generation is the first of five generations not to be forced to attend government-sponsored boarding schools. He continues:
The destruction occurring during the first fifty years of contact in northwestern California was as pervasive and horrific as the modern-day nuclear holocaust would have been if it actually had happened. [...] The problems caused by the Forty-Niners’ thirst for gold at all costs, both human and environmental, are only now beginning to be resolved, one hundred and forty-four years later.
In 1850, the year of California’s statehood, the US government began rounding up native Californians by force to be placed on reservations on the King and Fresno rivers. Reading of the atrocities that resulted from this federal policy, one automatically thinks of the nazis rounding up Jews to be sent to concentration camps.
In 1854 there was a white man named Mann living near Tulare Lake who had a Yokuts wife. They had been living there for years. The United States calvary rode up to their home and their commanding officer demanded the woman, for, like the Jewish wife of a non-Jewish man confronted by nazi soldiers, she was seen as inferior and unworthy of the common rights of a citizen. Mann protested, saying the woman was his wife, that he had provided for her for several years, and was quite able to continue doing so in the future.
The army officer ordered Mann to bring out his wife, and when he refused, the door to his home was broken open and his wife, who was hiding under the bed, was dragged out. She cried out to her husband for help. Mann ran to her aid, and was shot in the back by a soldier and killed. His wife was led off to another of the many American concentration camps called reservations.
This account comes from Thomas Jefferson Mayfield, who lived among the Yokuts between the ages of 6 and 16. Not until he was 84, months before his death, would he speak of his life among them “because I had very little to tell that the white people liked to hear.”81 The terrible frequency of such events in California and the rest of the nation made wars of self-defence inevitable. Such was the Garra uprising, the failed attempt of a Cupeño warrior chieftain to ward off the genocide of his race.
In 1852 (the year of the Garra uprising) the Senate Standing Committee sat down to business and quickly passed a law denying any recognition of Indian [sic] rights to California land. After millennia of habitation, a man in Washington signed his name to a paper, and they were homeless, forced to beg from the invaders to survive, humiliated as few people on earth have been humiliated.
J.J. Warner had a ranch about four miles south of the Cupeño village Kupa (Agua Caliente , one of the several places where dying Mukat was taken to bathe in the hot springs). Warner had sympathy for them, although his allegiance was never once in question during the Garra uprising: he was on the mormons’ side. Cahuilla warriors initiated an attack on his ranch, led by the chieftan Chapuli (who was later to be killed in a battle in Coyote Canyon), Panito, and Mocate. And yet, I have the impression that Warner understood that their grievance was justified as he awaited the attack at his rancho, having been warned ahead of time by Lázaro. He had already sent his family to San Diego and was preparing to follow.
Twenty warriors attacked, and after being awakened by their war-cries he managed to escape on horseback after shooting two of them. At the same time, other warriors raided two other ranchos in the area killing four Americans. Juan Verdugo’s life was spared. Warner rode back to his rancho later that day, on the way seeing a straggler from the raiding party carrying some of his belongings. When he tried to draw an arrow, Warner shot him. His rancho had been stripped of everything when he got back, and all his cattle had been driven off. (Only the work-horses and breeding mares were left.) And still Warner understood their grievances against the invaders of Guachama when he wrote:
Will it be said that the land is not broad enough for them and us or that while our doors are open to the stranger from the uttermost parts of the earth, we have not spare room for the residence of the once sole inhabitants of our magnificent empire? Shall future generations seek in vain for one remaining descendant of the sons of the forest? Has the love of gold blotted from our minds all feelings of compassion or Justice? 82I don’t know if this was written before or after Warner’s rancho was raided by the Cahuilla war-party, his cattle driven off and his belongings seized. But such refined sentiment was a rare thing among the pioneers, who were otherwise massacring villagers and encouraging betrayal among the native warriors, as they encouraged the Mountain Cahuilla chief Juan Antonio to betray his comrades-in-arms in the Garra uprising of 1852. The betrayals among the southern California tribes were many, as they were among the Sioux after they had learned the white man’s ways. Several great warriors betrayed Tatanka Iyotake (Sitting Bull), which resulted in his own people treacherously riddling him wih bullets, fulfilling Meadowlark’s prophecy to the great medicine man: “The Sioux will kill you.”
In a like manner, Tomás el Diegueño betrayed the rebel Kamia chieftain Gerónimo (not to be confused with the Apache chieftain of the same name). Gerónimo was one of the last warriors to be killed in the uprising of 1852, along with Antonio Garra. The latter led the fierce but short-lived revolt (they planned to slaughter as many whites in southern California as possible and drive out the rest).
Tomás el Diegueño was put on the US-army payroll, his tendancy for cowardice and betrayal well appreciated. Through treachery alone he was able to murder Gerónimo and was prompt to deliver to his US-army superiors the Kamia chieftain’s scalp along with one ear (an army custom that would be continued in the Vietnam war). With one scalp and one ear of a courageous warrior, Tomás purchased for himself a fine government appointment. In thanks for his cowardice and treachery, the United States government awarded him with a brand new American flag and appointed him “general” of all southern California Indians [sic].
But the People could not stomach such a wretch, doomed as well to be food for the avenging spirits of Chinigchinich. The government had no other choice but to dismiss their “general” when it became known that those whom he was supposed to command only had contempt for him. It was the Cupeños under the leadership of Antonio Garra who stayed on the war-path to the bitter end. Their war-cries resounded with those of forty years before, when Taqwus shook the mountains and valley violently, and the settlement of San Bernardino was first attacked, in el año de los temblores. (1812)
The plan of attack for the initial uprising was a vast, hopeless scheme for justice, with all the millennia-old intelligence and craftiness of the aboriginal Californians. But the three weird sisters who weave the fate of all things and Shakespeare’s thirty-eighth play had already decided that the great peoples should perish. No amount of sorcery could stop that which was meant to be. After the rebellion had started, dissention appeared among the united tribes of southern California. It was centered around the same issues which were debated in all the tribal councils over the entire continent: whether to fight or negociate with the forked tongues of minadistrators. Either way was doomed. The debate was archetypal, reminiscent of Arjuna arguing against fighting (even from his war chariot), and Krishna arguing for it, in the Baghavad Gita. A tiny but fierce minority among them fought to the death, as did Gerónimo, Chapuli and Garra.
As the uprising in southern California unfolded, Antonio Garra began spending too much time bickering with other chieftains over the dividing of rustled sheep and cattle, or other booty of war. Garra valiantly attempted to unite all the southern California tribes in one last effort to regain their plundered homelands. Many courageous warriors made their last stand as fiercely as did those of Troy. Antonio Garra’s vision was as vast as the dream of Pontiac, chief of the Ottawas who sent the war-belt of wampum and the red tomahawk of war to all the Algonquin tribes scattered along the Mississippi. Unlike Garra, Pontiac united all the tribes under his command, and then set to work with his strategy. They would slay their way to the Atlantic seabord, taking no prisoners and driving any Englishman or Dutchman left alive into the sea. As in Garra’s case, the conspiracy of Pontiac was a reaction against evil legislation from an invading horde, “God’s chosen people.” In 1763, the king of France ceded all of Pontiac’s country to the king of England - without even informong Pontiac!
But Antonio Garra’s dream of justice was much less organized than that of Pontiac. When Garra appealed to the Cahuilla chief Juan Antonio for aid, he got a treacherous ally, who would soon bring about Garra’s betrayal, arrest, imprisonment and execution. Juan Antonio could be compared to the “hangers-around-the-fort” of Lakota history, too friendly with the enemy. Garra had, like Pontiac, sent out his envoys to the tribes in the vast area of southern California. As a gesture of his willingness to fight, Juan Antonio sent envoys to the Yokuts in the San Joaquin valley to gather warriors. The plan of attack was established. The Yokuts and Chumash were to attack Santa Barbara, the Cahuilla and Cupeño would attack Los Angeles, and the Yuma (“sons of the river”) and Kamia (“those from the cliffs”) would strike San Diego, assisted by tribes from Baja California. Only Americans would be killed. Garra said this to Juan Antonio just before his betrayal:
- If we lose this war, all will be lost - the world. If we win this war, then it is forever. Never will it stop. This war is for a whole life.
It was then that Juan Antonio went weak in the knees. All of a sudden, he went about declaring himself a “friend” of the mormons, promising to deliver the renegade Garra into their hands. Antonio Garra was a learned man, raised as a Luiseño but chief of the Cupeño. He was known to have many books. He had the gift of eloquent oratory, and was crafty enough to make certain of his warriors believe that he had charmed the bullets of the white men so that they would fall off the skin like drops of water in a spring rainstorm.
He was very likely a former initiate in the toloache (datura) rite of the Luiseño people, and aware of the all-powerful god Chinigchinich and his avenging spirits. It is uncertain that he had influence on tribes other than the Luiseño and Cupeño. But he failed to forge an alliance with all the southern Californian tribes, as was his wish. The tribes wished the same thing. But there was no one with enough power like Pontiac or Sitting Bull to unite them under one commander - at least he never came forward.
Juan Antonio was a traitor even before he betrayed Garra. In 1847, five years before the uprising, Juan Antonio and his followers slaughtered thirty-eight Luiseño and Cupeño tribesmen, to get in good with the mormons of San Bernardino. His course was determined by the hope of gain and calculations of which side would reward him best. He had a reputation for dishonesty. He boasted to the whites that he was a “good Indian”, but after his betrayal of Antonio Garra, whites and natives alike looked upon him as a traitor.
As he was plotting to capture Garra, a cold winter came to the valley. In thatched huts somewhere between the Inland Center Shopping Mall and Palm Springs tramway, the people were starving and freezing. They huddled around the hot-springs of the area, weeping and in despair as was the dying Mukat when he came to seek a cure in the warm water. The women more and more resorted to prositution to feed their families. (Yes, they had adopted European ways as the padres insisted.) Many unwary men were intoxicated on the liquor of their conquerers. They gambled with the dishonest white men and lost all their belongings, or sold their $100 horse for $15 which was then sucked up in a poker game. Many natives worked on ranchos like Warner’s for slave wages and received repeated floggings, perhaps right where the Mall Bookstore stands today. Thievery where ever they turned.
Once before, Juan Antonio had captured Garra’s brave son and had insulted him. Young Garra stabbed the Cahuilla chief in a rage, saying,
- I am your prisoner, but I will not permit you to insult me!
Now the treacherous man was out after the father. He wrote a letter to Garra as a friend, requesting a meeting in the desert. Unsuspecting, Garra went to the place agreed upon. Juan Antonio ordered him seized. The renegade was stripped of his clothes and Juan Antonio cursed him, calling him Isil (Coyote or “devil”). He hated Garra for his courage, and had a grudge against him ever since young Garra stabbed him that time. (Garra’s son was also to die before an American firing squad.)
Juan Antonio was a veritable Shakespearian fiend. When one of his Mountain Cahuilla killed a white settler, he would appease his mormon “friends” by burying the murderer alive in the same grave as the victim. He accused Garra of being Isil (Coyote), the mistrusted outcast and trickster, and shuddered at the sight of Garra standing naked before him, calm and unafraid on the desert with Cosme, his comrade in arms, also taken prisoner and stripped of his clothes.
Juan Antonio did not have the nerve to himself kill his rival, so he ordered one of his men to murder Garra. Juan Bautista intervened and convinced the Cahuilla chief that Garra was as good as dead already, as soon as they delivered him to the Americans. The prisoners were led off to Coyote Canyon, ill-fated place since de Anza’s first arrival there seventy-seven years before. There, Garra and his remaining warriors (he said he never had command over more than forty) were to stand trial before a kangaroo court à la Américaine (Fr., amer = bitter).
The Cupeño people, for whom Antonio Garra was chief, are a unique case in California’s ethnography. From Alfred Kroeber’s Handbook we learn that they were one of the smallest distinct groups in California and only possessed two villages: Wilakal (San Ysidro) and Kupa (Agua Caliente), which was burned down after the uprising. “Cupeño” is a mongrel word which means “Kupa-people”.
Although related to the Shoshonean Cahuilla and Luiseño, the tiny culture was distinct and possessed a unique language of its own, but, as with the surrounding tribes, shared the myth of the bewitched god cremated on a funeral pyre. It is interesting that such a tiny culture was so fierce, fighting tooth and nail to the last as did Ishi’s band of crafty Yahi warriors in central California, and Kientpoos’ band of crafty Modoc warriors in northern California. The smaller tribes were extra skillful at surviving among the violent invaders from the east.
The past hides many things of a frightening nature in the history of the Cupeño people. The legend says that long ago the Cupeño were exterminated by a neighboring tribe. Only one baby boy, Hubuyak, survived, escaping south with his Diegueño mother like Mary and Joseph fleeing Palestine. When he grew up to be a man, Hubuyak returned to Kupa and slaughtered those who had destroyed his people, settling there with two Luiseño wives, fathering the modern Cupeño people.
Antonio Garra must have known this story well, perhaps seeing his own role as that of Hubuyak, avenger of his plundered and murdered people... Garra stood before the army officers conducting the trial as alone as any just man can be. The ruler of the empire was not emperor Tiberius but president Buchanan. The judge was not named Pontus Pilatus, but general Joshua Bean: Los verdugos. (Twenty-five years later, Tasuke Witko - Crazy Horse - was to confront similar American verdugos who murdered him after he unwittingly responded to another “friendly” meeting with the authorities.)
But Antonio Garra would not receive a bayonet in the back from an American soldier while being held by three men, as happened to the great Oglala warrior. He would die before a military firing squad as did his own son, with a curse for all European culture unuttered on his lips. When the council of war at Coyote Canyon reached its verdict, Garra was escorted to the spot of his execution by a ten-man squad. He seemed unconcerned. A reporter from the San Diego Herald wrote that his whole bearing was that of a courageous man prepared to meet his death with dignity. Gerónimo, his Kamia ally, was dead. Chapuli, chief of the warring Los Coyotes Cahuilla, had been slain in Coyote Canyon in a battle with captain Heintzelman’s troops.
After the battle, Heintzelman ordered five remaining chiefs to dig their own graves in Coyote Canyon at ten o’clock on Christmas morning, into which they all fell after the volley of rifle fire from the firing squad. More than 100 years later, in a skimpy sleeping bag, I went coldly to sleep in Coyote Canyon, hearing the coyotes howl and the ghosts tread softly. Howling at the verdugos. With Garra’s execution the uprising of 1852 ended. A catholic priest hovered around him, urging him to seek forgiveness for his sins. Smiling, with a steady and calm voice, Garra responded to the pestering padre and all the other proud-to-be-Americans gathered to murder him:
- Gentlemen, I ask your pardon for all my offenses. Now you must ask my pardon!
Blindfolded, kneeling at the head of his grave, Antonio Garra was shot to death.82
(Note: the following updates are not excerpts from my book Theophany.)
There are two traditional sources when considering "history": written documents and the oral tradition. In both falsehood and truth are mixed, but western tradition craves documented proof to verify a historical event. Without documentation a historical event from the oral tradition will always be open to suspicion to western observers. Such is the case with the alleged mass poisoning of the Shasta. “Shasta” refers to this northern Californian people as well as to a sacred extinct volcano in their homeland. Alfred Kroeber states that this name is “veiled in doubt and obscurity. It seems most likely to have been the appellation of a person, a chief of some consequence, called Sasti.” (Handbook of the Indians of California)
The Shasta oral tradition tells of a massacre of some 3,000 Shasta people being fed strychnine-laced beef and bread during a feast at a peace treaty signing ceremony at Fort Jones on November 4, 1851. (Coincidentally, I am presently writing on November 4, 2007.) This story was handed down through the generations along with the rest of Shasta oral tradition. In 2001 Paul Fattig spoke with the believers and the doubters of this massacre and wrote of it in the Mail Tribune for southern Oregon. He quoted the 67-year-old Shasta descendent Betty Hall from Fort Jones: “I've heard about this all my life. They try to say that Auschwitz didn't happen, either, but we know it did. Our oral tradition is very strong. We are still very close to this. We know it happened.” She added that her great aunt knew people who witnessed the poisoning.
What they believe occurred 156 years ago today is reminiscent of the September 11 terrorist attack, noted Roy Hall Jr., the son of Betty and her husband, Roy. “We know what the New Yorkers and the Washingtonians and all of the United States feels,” he wrote in an e-mail to Fattig. “We have been there, too. After 10 generations, we are still struggling to live with the knowledge that our people and culture were destroyed for the ‘good’ of the country.” Many historic scholars are not convinced there was such a massacre. The Shastas, whose members live largely in Southern Oregon and Northern California, never have been recognized as an official tribe by the federal government. “That remains a goal of the tribe,” Betty Hall said.
Yreka resident Keith Arnold, a retired California Highway Patrol officer and vice president of the historical society, found out about the allegation in the mid-1990s. He did an exhaustive study on the subject, and told Fatttig: “I've always been interested in this kind of stuff, but I had never heard of this before. It had to be written down someplace.” He studied countless historic documents at libraries. While he found evidence of other atrocities by whites upon Native Californians, he found nothing about a massacre on November 4, 1851: “None of the letters or diaries or newspapers from that time period mention it. Even the Sacramento Union, which was very friendly to the Indians, fails to mention it.” After four years of research, Arnold concluded it didn't happen.
Ashland anthropologist Nan Hannon told Fattig that oral histories handed down through the generations often prove true. She observed there are verifiable incidents of militia volunteers and settlers intentionally poisoning Native people during the mid-1800s. However, poisoning innocent people was not something that was duly noted for posterity: “I think that a devastating event did happen around the time of the signing of the treaty that has persisted strongly in the cultural memory of the Shasta. Just because CNN or the Associated Press wasn’t there to document it in a way considered legitimate by some historians doesn’t mean that it didn't happen. I would no more dismiss the Shasta oral tradition of a devastating event contemporaneous with the McKee (1851) treaty than I would the Jewish oral tradition of exile in Egypt.”
Betty Hall and her supporters continue to point to their oral history as evidence of a massacre. But she intends to continue searching for documents to prove to those who want to see it in black and white. “I will continue looking. There has to be something out there.”
sacred Lakota mountain ..................... sacred Lakota mountain defiled
This famous mountain, blown apart in the 1930s and misnamed after an insignificant New York lawyer, is really called Tunkasila Sakpe (Six Grandfathers), one of the sites on the legendary vision quest of Lakota medicine man Hehaka Sapa (Black Elk). Which version truly possesses beauty?
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New research has shown that the last surviving flightless species of bird, a type of rail, in the Indian Ocean had previously gone extinct but rose from the dead thanks to a rare process called ‘iterative evolution’.
The research, from the University of Portsmouth and Natural History Museum, found that on two occasions, separated by tens of thousands of years, a rail species was able to successfully colonise an isolated atoll called Aldabra and subsequently became flightless on both occasions. The last surviving colony of flightless rails is still found on the island today.
This is the first time that iterative evolution (the repeated evolution of similar or parallel structures from the same ancestor but at different times) has been seen in rails and one of the most significant in bird records.
The white-throated rail is a chicken-sized bird, indigenous to Madagascar in the south-western Indian Ocean. They are persistent colonisers of isolated islands, who would have frequent population explosions and migrate in great numbers from Madagascar. Many of those that went north or south drowned in the expanse of ocean and those that went west landed in Africa, where predators ate them. Of those that went east, some landed on the many ocean islands such as Mauritius, Reunion and Aldabra, the last-named is a ring-shaped coral atoll that formed around 400,000 years ago.
With the absence of predators on the atoll, and just like the Dodo of Mauritius, the rails evolved so that they lost the ability to fly. However, Aldabra disappeared when it was completely covered by the sea during a major inundation event around 136,000 years ago, wiping out all fauna and flora including the flightless rail.
The researchers studied fossil evidence from 100,000 years ago when the sea-levels fell during the subsequent ice age and the atoll was recolonised by flightless rails. The researchers compared the bones of a fossilised rail from before the inundation event with bones from a rail after the inundation event. They found that the wing bone showed an advanced state of flightlessness and the ankle bones showed distinct properties that it was evolving toward flightlessness.
This means that one species from Madagascar gave rise to two different species of flightless rail on Aldabra in the space of a few thousand years.
Lead researcher Dr Julian Hume, avian paleontologist and Research Associate at the Natural History Museum, said: “These unique fossils provide irrefutable evidence that a member of the rail family colonised the atoll, most likely from Madagascar, and became flightless independently on each occasion. Fossil evidence presented here is unique for rails, and epitomises the ability of these birds to successfully colonise isolated islands and evolve flightlessness on multiple occasions.”
Co-author Professor David Martill, from the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Portsmouth, said: “We know of no other example in rails, or of birds in general, that demonstrates this phenomenon so evidently. Only on Aldabra, which has the oldest palaeontological record of any oceanic island within the Indian Ocean region, is fossil evidence available that demonstrates the effects of changing sea levels on extinction and recolonisation events.
“Conditions were such on Aldabra, the most important being the absence of terrestrial predators and competing mammals, that a rail was able to evolve flightlessness independently on each occasion.”
The study is published in the latest issue of the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.
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In July of this year, the writer, lecturer, and activist, Ash Sarkar, appeared on the breakfast television programme, Good Morning Britain, describing herself as ‘literally a communist’ in a hot-tempered exchange with the show’s host – the Trump-apologist and former editor of the News of the World and Daily Mirror, Piers Morgan. Sarkar’s comments provoked discussion in some seemingly unlikely places, including Teen Vogue and Elle magazine. But they also generated discussion in some more conventional settings: the meaning of the word communism was debated on the BBC’s Daily Politics show, controversy raged on Twitter, and the incident provided copy for a variety of magazine and newspaper columns. ‘Communism is hip again – but until it means liberty, count me out, comrade’, ran a headline in The Guardian. ‘Does Teen Vogue understand what it means to be ‘literally a communist’?’, The Spectator enquired. ‘Communism isn’t cool, it’s a murderous creed’, proclaimed a headline in The Times. What, then – away from the hype and political point-scoring – is one to make of these claims and the attempted rehabilitation of the word communism which prompted them?
The word ‘communism’ was born in 1840. It was coined by leaders of the secret societies which grew up in Paris under the July Monarchy of Louis Philippe (1830-1848). It was preceded by the word ‘socialism’ – first used in an Owenite periodical in 1827 – and both terms were antedated by a host of others, forming a primitive socialist vocabulary: radicalism, agrarianism, harmonisme, uniteism, synthesism, associationism, phalensterianism.
Because of its militant, revolutionary connotations, the word was adopted by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, who set out their own communist programme in their manifesto of 1848. By the 1880s however, Engels had ceased to use the term, opting instead for ‘socialism’ in describing the new model of society he envisioned. In any case, the revolutionary meaning belonging to the word in the middle decades of the nineteenth century applied only in Continental Europe. In Britain and America self-described communists were peaceful and often religious, preoccupied with the formation of intentional communities, rather than the conquest of state power. In fact, between 1880 and 1918, the word communism was almost entirely expunged of its revolutionary content, meaning simply a community of property.
It was only when the Russian Social-Democratic Labour Party decided to alter its name to the Russian Communist Party in March 1918 that the meaning conferred to the term by Marx and Engels in 1848 was revived. This is also the current meaning given to the term by journalists and politicians, unfamiliar with Friedrich Nietzsche’s dictum that ‘it is only that which has no history which can be defined.’ Popular critics have essentialised the word, establishing its indelible connection with Marx, the Soviet Union, and state planning. But if the critics of communism are historically ignorant, failing to note the different uses to which the word has been put over time, are they mistaken philosophically? Is Marx’s communism congenitally illiberal, or even totalitarian?
The idea that Marx envisaged a permanent role for the state in his harmonious society of the future is plainly not right. The state was conceived instrumentally. It was destined to ‘wither away’, gradually ceding ground to ‘the administration of things’. At the same time, however, Marx was never strong on political theory, dismissing out of hand writing recipes for ‘the cookbooks of the future’.
Preoccupied with the problem of who rules, Marx did not consider the problem of how, supposing the relationship between democracy and socialism to be automatic. Marx had not heard, apparently, that power corrupts. Marx was not interested in the individual as an agent in history. Nor was he interested in political rights, disregarding the security furnished by the state as merely ‘the insurance of egoism’.
Marx’s description of capitalist dynamism, his analysis of commodity fetishism, and his advocacy of cooperation remain relevant and important. But tyranny, as some contemporaries sympathetic to socialism anticipated, is by no means antithetical to Marx’s theory. As John Stuart Mill observed in his unfinished Chapters on Socialism (1869), ‘rivalry for reputation and for personal power’ would not cease under communism. In the absence of private property, it would betake itself, instead, to the domain still open to it, namely influence in management. Mill happily acknowledged that paucity of ‘public and social feelings’ was not inevitable. But it remained for communism to prove by practical experiment (i.e. by the formation of intentional communities) that a high standard of moral and intellectual life was possible. To act in advance, ‘substituting the new rule for the old at a single stroke’, was arrogant and reckless.
Marx’s communism was poorly attuned to securing the liberty of the individual. There is, however, no direct relationship between Marx and the gulag. Communism has, indeed, been murderous, but that is not true of the tradition as a whole – a tradition including bible communists, shakers, and communitarians, who were motivated, above all, by the ideal of equality. Moreover, however much one might wish to chastise Marx for failing to consider unintended consequences, his intentions, too, were benign. Yet, given its twentieth-century history, to rehabilitate the word communism is still perhaps not wise.
Seamus Flaherty is a Teaching Associate at Queen Mary University of London and a Lecturer in modern European history at the University of East London. His research focuses on the intellectual history of British socialism, and he is currently preparing a book on the reception of Karl Marx’s thought in Britain during the 1880s and 1890s. | <urn:uuid:62fb5471-636d-45d6-bd72-cf6e624b2565> | CC-MAIN-2019-22 | http://www.historyworkshop.org.uk/communism-an-intellectual-genealogy/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-22/segments/1558232257002.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20190523023545-20190523045545-00526.warc.gz | en | 0.968971 | 1,257 | 2.578125 | 3 | 2.975572 | 3 | Strong reasoning | Politics |
The Anglo-Irish Treaty
Annals Britannica attempts to record events involved in the political separation of Ireland from the rest of the British Isles in 1921. The hundredth anniversary of the Anglo-Irish Treaty is remembered this year: it marked a fundamental change in a stormy relationship which had endured for 750 years and is discussed in nearly every section of the Annals.
In 1801, Ireland was fully integrated into the Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It had formerly been ruled as a separate kingdom by the English monarchy and was usually administered by British office-holders with a parliament which excluded Catholics. After 1801 the Irish parliament was abolished and Ireland sent a substantial number of MPs to the Westminster parliament. After many years of political activity, Irish nationalists finally persuaded the Liberal Government to pass a bill granting Home Rule to Ireland in 1914, but the bill was shelved until the Great War was ended.
The religious and ethnic divide in Ireland
Irish nationalists won increasing support for complete independence after The Easter Rising was put down by British troops in 1916. However Ireland was itself divided between the Gaelic and Roman Catholic population which had an overwhelming majority in the three southern provinces of Leinster, Munster and Connaught, and a Protestant Unionist majority in the northern province of Ulster. The Unionists were mostly descendants of Anglo-Scots migrants who established plantations in much of Ulster in the seventeenth century. In 1912, many thousands had signed The Ulster Covenant, organised by Sir Edward Carson and James Craig, to resist any attempt to deprive them of British citizenship.
The IRA and the Black and Tans
After the war, many nationalists were no longer satisfied with home rule and demanded complete independence. Sinn Féin MPS won a majority of parliamentary seats in Ireland and refused to take their seats in Westminster. They formed their own parliament, the Dáil, in Dublin, under the leadership of Éamon de Valera. The British government outlawed the Dáil and Sinn Féin, and a violent struggle broke out between the nationalist Irish Republican Army (IRA) and the Royal Irish Constabulary, strengthened by the para-military ‘Black and Tans’.
The Anglo-Irish Treaty 1921
In 1921 the British government and Irish nationalist representatives led by Michael Collins signed the Anglo-Irish Treaty which split the Island of Ireland into the Irish Free State, which was to remain a British Dominion, and Northern Ireland with its own Parliament at Stormont in Belfast, which chose to remain part of the United Kingdom. The three westernmost counties of Cavan, Donegal and Monaghan with Catholic majorities were shorn from Ulster and became part of the Free State.
The Dáil narrowly approved the Treaty, but De Valera would not accept that Ireland should remain a part of the British Empire. A brief civil war broke out in the Free State involving opposing elements of the IRA and the Irish National Army. Collins was assassinated, but the IRA was eventually subdued after losing many of its experienced commanders. De Valera reluctantly accepted the Treaty as a fait accompli on the way to complete independence, and called for an end to hostilities. A new election confirmed a majority in support of the Treaty.
In 1926 de Valera left Sinn Féin and formed a new party Fianna Fáil which became dominant in the Dáil. A new constitution was approved in 1937 with no declaration of allegiance to the British monarch; it also included a territorial claim to Northern Ireland. The Free State remained neutral throughout WWII. In 1948 it became the Republic of Ireland and gave up its few remaining elements of Commonwealth membership. The IRA continued to exist but was largely non-operational until the troubles flared up in Northern Ireland. An off-shoot known as the Provisional IRA was formed in 1969 which was declared an illegal organisation in the Republic and a terrorist organisation in the UK. Provos were responsible for most of the anti-Unionist violence during ‘The Troubles’, which were paused by The Good Friday Agreement signed by a range of Northern Ireland organisations and the governments of the UK and the Republic in 1998. | <urn:uuid:3488317a-a9a9-4c08-a1f4-3456dd942d3a> | CC-MAIN-2023-06 | https://blissworks.uk/2021/12/09/the-uk-and-ireland-1921/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-06/segments/1674764500215.91/warc/CC-MAIN-20230205032040-20230205062040-00653.warc.gz | en | 0.976896 | 842 | 4.1875 | 4 | 3.102764 | 3 | Strong reasoning | History |
You've seen them, perhaps you've used one. Each day something like 100,000 people around the world sign up for and start using a cellular phone. Therefore it is likely that you or someone you know has a cell phone and uses it on a regular basis. They are such great gadgets - with a cell phone you can talk to anyone on the planet from just about anywhere (80% of the U.S. has coverage).
But have you ever wondered how a cell phone works? Or what happens when you talk on one? Or how a call gets routed to a regular phone? we will discuss the technology behind cell phones so that you can see how amazing they really are.
One of the most interesting things about a cell phone is that it is really a radio - an extremely sophisticated radio, but a radio nonetheless. A good way to understand the sophistication of a cell phone is to compare it to a CB radio or a walkie-talkie. A CB radio is a simplex device. That is, two people communicating on a CB radio use the same frequency, so only one person can talk at a time. A cell phone is a duplex device, so it uses one frequency for talking and a second, separate frequency for listening. A CB radio has 40 channels. A cell phone can communicate on 1,664 channels. Cell phones also operate within cells and they can switch cells as they move around. Cells give cell phones incredible range. A walkie-talkie can transmit perhaps a mile. A CB radio, because it has much higher power, can transmit perhaps 5 miles. Someone using a cell phone, on the other hand, can drive clear across a city and maintain a conversation the entire time. Cells are what give a cell phone its incredible range.
Always remember: a cell phone is a radio !!
A cellular telephone is basically a two-way walkie-talkie that acts like a telephone. With a walkie-talkie, you either talk or you listen; with a cell phone, you can talk and listen at the same time. You can dial a number to place a call. You can receive calls. You can do fancy things like three-way calls, conference calls, call hold, and voice mail.
All conversations on cell phones are unprotected and can be intercepted. Don't think of a cell phone as a telephone, think of it as a radio. Sure, there are laws to protect you against illegal eavesdroppers, but obviously these laws are hard to enforce since it's hard to catch someone listening in on your call. Be careful of what you say (or transmit with a modem) on a cell phone!
Cellular phone systems can be "analog" or "digital". Older systems are analog and newer systems are digital.
Each cell phone identifies itself to the cellular system each time it places or receives a call so that the cellular system can verify it is a valid paying customer. The cell phone's identity includes the phone number that is assigned by the service provider.
Many different types of systems have provided city-wide two-way communications, such as radio systems for taxis or the police. In these systems, a single antenna is located near the center of the city. Each two-way conversation occupied one channel so if there were 100 channels in the city, only 100 simultaneous conversations could be held. To cover the entire city, the antenna is placed on a tall building and emits a very strong signal.
In the cellular phone system, the city is divided into smaller sections, or cells. Each cell contains its own antenna and uses only a subset of all the channels. Each antenna is lower in height and emits a much weaker signal so that the same subset of channels can be used in a cell somewhere else within the city. For example, within a typical cellular system, every seventh cell uses the same set of channels.
There are three variations of the analog cellular system in operation in the US:
AMPS - Advanced Mobile Phone System
Original system that had 666 channels (42 control, 624 voice)
EAMPS - Extended AMPS
Current system that has 832 channels (42 control, 790 voice) and has replaced AMPS as the US standard
NAMPS - Narrowband AMPS
New system that has three times as many voice channels as EAMPS with no loss of signal quality
All three systems have 42 control channels that are for setting up calls; the remaining channels are for voice conversations. All three systems are also analog systems. The systems are listed in chronological order and are backward compatible; that is, the infrastructure is designed so that older phones work on the newer systems.
The UK TACS system was based on the US AMPS system.
The NAMPS system was designed to increase the number of calls that can be handled by the system. This is intended as an interim solution until a digital cellular system is agreed upon.
The predominant cellular system operating in the US is the Advanced Mobile Phone System, AMPS. There are two minor variations of AMPS: EAMPS and NAMPS. They are all basically the same and were the basis for the European analog cellular system, TACS (and its variants).
There are several variations of analog cellular systems in operation outside the US that were originally based on the US AMPS cellular system:
TACS - Total Access Communications System
Original UK system that has either 600 or 1000 channels (42 control, 558 or 958 voice)
ITACS - International TACS
Minor variation of TACS to allow operation outside of the UK by allowing flexibility in assigning the control channels
ETACS - Extended TACS
Current UK system that has 1320 channels (42 control, 1,278 voice) and has replaced TACS as the UK standard
JTACS - Japan TACS
A version of TACS designed for operation in Japan
IETACS - International ETACS
Again, a minor variation of ETACS to allow operation outside of the UK by allowing flexibility in assigning the control channels
NTACS - Narrowband TACS
New system that has three times as many voice channels as ETACS with no loss of signal quality
All systems have 42 control channels that are for setting up calls; the remaining channels are for voice conversations. All these systems are also analog systems. The systems are listed in chronological order and are roughly backward compatible; that is, the infrastructure is designed so that older phones work on the newer systems.
The European cellular systems were originally based on the US AMPS system and are being replaced by GSM systems which is a new digital cellular system.
Full specifications of the over-the-air interfaces for the cellular systems are available from the appropriate standards body.
Approved: April 19, 1989
"Mobile Station - Land Station Compatibility Specification"
ANSI/EIA/TIA-PN-2925 DD>October 5, 1992
"Mobile Station - Land Station Compatibility Standard for Dual-Mode Narrowband Analog Cellular Technology"
"Total Access Communication System Mobile Station - Land Station Compatibility Specification"
Note: The versions listed might not be the most recent.
Each cell phone identifies itself to the cell system with two unique values:
A ten-digit number that is similar to a landline phone number in that it has a three-digit area code and a seven-digit phone number. The MIN is assigned by the cellular service provider and can be changed, such as when changing service providers.
A 32-bit binary number. The ESN is assigned by the manufacturer and can never be changed.
When a cell phone is signed up for service, the service provider assigns a new MIN to the phone and updates its customer database to associate that MIN with the phone's ESN. Then, every time the cell phone places or receives a call, the customer database is searched and the call is allowed if the transmitted MIN-ESN pair is found (and you've paid your bill).
Cellular telephone systems can be "analog" or "digital". Older systems (AMPS, TACS, NMT) are "analog" and newer systems (GSM, PCS) are "digital".
The major difference is in how the audio signals, e.g. your voice, is transmitted between the phone and base station. "Analog" and "digital" refer to this transmission mechanism. Think of it as audio casettes versus CDs - audio casettes are analog and CDs are digital.
In either system, the audio at the microphone always starts out as a voltage level that varies continuously over time. High frequencies (high pitch) cause rapid changes and low freqs cause slow changes.
With analog systems, the audio is modulated directly onto a carrier. This is very much like (if not identical to) FM radio where the audio signal (in that case music) is translated to the RF signal.
With digital systems, the audio is converted to digitized samples at about 8000 samples per second or so. The digital samples are numbers that represent the time-varying voltage level at specific points in time. These samples (numbers) are now transmitted as 1s and 0s. At the other end, the samples are converted back to voltage levels and "smoothed out" so that you get about the same audio signal. (There is some loss, but it may be unnoticable - depending on how it's done.)
With analog transmissions, interference (RF noise or some other anomaly that affects the transmitted signal) gets translated directly into the recovered signal - there is no "check" that the signal makes sense. The neat thing about digital is that the 1s and 0s can not be easily confused or distorted during transmission, plus extra data is typically included in the transmission to help detect and correct any errors.
Let's say you've just entered a phone number into your cell phone and pressed the [SND] key. Here's what happens next:
In 1981, the FCC adopted rules creating a commercial cellular radio telephone service. The FCC set aside 50 MHz of spectrum in the 800 MHz frequency band for two competing cellular systems in each market (25 MHz for each system). From the beginning, the FCC has encouraged competition in the cellular radio market by dividing the available spectrum into two channel blocks, one for the local wireline telephone companies and the other for the nonwireline companies, e.g., Radio Common Carriers (RCC).
The FCC established rules and procedures for licensing cellular systems in the United States and its Possessions and Territories. These rules designated 305 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) defined by counties according to the 1980 census. The FCC revised the MSAs in some of the top 30 markets. The Gulf of Mexico Service Area was added as Market 306. From the remaining counties that were not included in the MSAs the Commission created 428 Rural Service Areas (RSAs) for a total of 734 cellular markets. The Commission used comparative hearings to select the licensees in the top 30 markets in cases where there was more than one applicant. In the remaining markets (31 through 734), where there was more than one applicant, lotteries were used to select applications to process where there was more than one applicant.
A cellular system operates by dividing a large geographical service area into cells and assigning the same channels to multiple, nonadjacent cells. This allows channels to be reused, increasing spectrum efficiency. As a subscriber travels across the service area the call is transferred (handed-off) from one cell to another without noticeable interruption. All the cells in a cellular system are connected to a Mobile Telephone Switching Office (MTSO) by landline or microwave links. The MTSO controls the switching between the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and the cell site for all wireline-to-mobile and mobile-to-wireline calls. The MTSO also processes mobile unit status data received from the cell-site controllers, switches calls to other cells, processes diagnostic information, and compiles billing statistics.
Each cell is served by its own radio telephone and control equipment. Each cell is allocated a set of voice channels and a control channel with adjacent cells assigned different channels to avoid interference. The control channel transmits data to and from the mobile/portable units. This control data tell the mobile/portable unit that a call is coming from the MTSO or, conversely, tells the controller that the mobile/portable unit wishes to place a call. The MTSO also uses the control channel to tell the mobile/portable unit which voice channel has been assigned to the call. The 25 MHz assigned to each cellular system presently consists of 395 voice channels and 21 control channels.
Low powered transmitters are an inherent characteristic of cellular radio systems. As a cellular system matures, the effective radiated power of the cell site transmitters is reduced so channels can be reused at closer intervals, thereby increasing subscriber capacity. There are over 30 million mobile/portable cellular units and more than 20 thousand cell sites operating in the United States and its Possessions and Territories. In order to insure nationwide compatible service, all cellular systems must operate in accordance with the technical specifications in the Commission's Rules. However, present analog FM cellular systems are fast approaching system capacity in many of the larger cellular markets.
In order to meet the future demands for service, the cellular industry is developing new standards using various digital modulation techniques that will increase system capacity. Licensees using new digital technology will continue to also use analog equipment to serve those customers who have not purchased new digital phones.
Each initial cellular licensee in the MSAs and RSAs were given 5 years from the date of their initial authorization to build and expand their cellular system within their market. During this 5-year fill-in period no applications from anyone other than the licensee were accepted within the market on their channel block without their consent. Amy remaining area within the market not covered by the licensee is considered an "unserved area." The Commission recently completed rules for the acceptance and processing of applications for unserved areas within a channel block after the 5-year build-out period expires. Cellular station files, maps, pending applications and related documents are available from the Commercial Wireless Division Reference Room located in Room 5608, at 2025 M Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. The room is open to the public, Monday through Thursday, 9 AM to 4 PM and Friday 9 AM to 2 PM. Copy machines are available for public use for 8-10 cents per page.
The rules governing cellular radio are found in the Code of Federal Regulations Volume, 47 CFR, Parts 20 to 39. They can be ordered from: E-mail at [email protected]
1. Does the FCC regulate or approve tower locations for cellular companies? How do I get a list of all cellular tower sites? Does the FCC have this information ?
No. This is a local matter that is handled by state and local zoning boards. The new Telecommunications Act instructs the Commission to insure that the state and local zoning boards do not unreasonably delay the construction of towers or the approval of sites. Tower siting and antenna registration is also contained on this web site.
The FCC does not maintain a data base with all cellular cell sites. The FCC only maintains a data base of the external cell sites of each cellular system. These are the cell sites whose contours make up the outer boundary of the cellular system. These external cell sites are listed on the authorization for each cellular system.
You may review or make copies of cellular authorizations in the Public Reference Room of the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau's Commercial Wireless Division which is located on the fifth floor of 025 M Street, NW, Washington DC 20554, telephone (202) 418-1350. On-line dababase searches can also be accomplished in the Public Reference Room.
The FCC does not duplicate these records, but has contracted with International Transcription Service, Inc. to provide this service. Requests for copies of information should be addressed to International Transcription Service, Inc. (ITS, Inc.) 2100 M St., NW, Suite 140, Washington, DC 20037, Telephone (202) 857-3800.
2. Can a subscriber have multiple phones with the same telephone number?
Yes, but there are restrictions. Each individual phone must have a unique Electronic Serial Number (ESN). The ESN is a unique number programmed into each cellular telephone at the time it is manufactured and is the means by which a cellular carrier identifies a telephone to determine whether the user of that phone is entitled to obtain service and to insure that the proper accounting is made of all activity. Most cellular phone emulators or extension services simply "clone" cellular phones, duplicating not only the telephone number but also the ESN. This activity is in violation of current Commission rules.
The Code of Federal Regulations Title 47, Section 22.915, entitled Cellular System Compatibility Specifications, generally sets forth the standards of cellular operation as reflected in the Cellular System Mobile Station-Land Station Compatibility Specification (April 1981 ed.), Appendix D to the Report and Order in CC Docket No. 79-318, 86 FCC 2d 469, 567 (1981). It is a violation of Section 22.915 of the Commission's rules for an individual orcompany to alter or copy the ESN of a cellular telephone so that the telephone emulates the ESN of any other cellular telephone. Moreover, it is a violation of the Commission's rules to operate a cellular telephone that contains an altered or copied ESN.
Part 22 of the Commission's rules was recently revised to add a new rule Section 22.919, to further clarify the issue of ESNs. Pursuant to subpart (c) of the referenced section, it is a violation to remove, tamper with, or change the ESN chip, its logic system, or firmware originally programmed by the manufacturer.
It currently is possible to obtain two cellular phones with the same telephone number if the cellular carrier in the market has the software in place to handle the billing and its fraud detection system has been notified not to be triggered by the use of two phones with the same phone number in suspicious circumstances.
3. How do I get a cellular license?
The Commission divided the United States up into 734 different markets where it licensed two entities for each market. The largest 306 markets are Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) and the remaining 428 markets are smaller Rural Service Areas (RSAs). The majority of these markets have been licensed and all that remains to possibly be licensed is what the Commission has defined as "unserved area". Each of the MSA and RSA licensees was provided five years to build out their systems within their designated market area. At the end of the five year buildout period, licensees are required to notify the Commission of what area they actually cover within the market area. This covered market area is called their Cellular Geographic Service Area or CGSA. Any area within their MSA or RSA that is not their CGSA or covered service area after five years is available for unserved area licensing. The unserved area licensing process is two-fold.
Phase I is a one-time process that provides an opportunity for eligible parties to file competing applications for authority to operate a new cellular system in, or to expand an existing cellular system into, unserved areas as soon as these new areas become available. Phase I initial applications must be filed on the 31st day after the expiration of the five year build-out period of the authorized system(s) on the channel block requested in the market containing the unserved area. Each Phase I application must request authorization for one and only one CGSA in one and only one cellular market. Additionally, each licensee whose Phase I initial application is granted is afforded one opportunity during the Phase I process to file an application proposing major modifications to the cellular system authorized by that grant, without being subject to competing applications.
Phase II is an ongoing filing process that allows eligible parties to apply for any unserved areas that may remain in a market after the Phase I process is complete. If a Phase I initial application is granted for a market and channel block, Phase II applications (applications for authority to operate a cellular system in any remaining unserved area) for that market and channel block may be filed on or after the 121st day after the Phase I application was granted. If no Phase I initial applications are granted for a market and channel block, Phase II applications for that market and channel block may be filed on or after the 31st day after the FCC dismissed the last pending Phase I application. If no Phase I initial applications are received for a market and channel block, Phase II applications for that market and channel block may be filed on or after the 32nd day after the expiration of the relevant five year build-out period. There is no limit to the number of Phase II applications that may be granted on each channel block in each market. Consequently, Phase II applications are mutually exclusive only if the proposed CGSAs would overlap. Mutually exclusive applications are processed using the general procedures in § 22.131. Phase II applications may propose a CGSA covering more than one cellular market. Each Phase II application must request authorization for one and only one CGSA.
Competing applications that are mutually exclusive (i.e. both cannot be granted) are resolved by auction. Prospective applicants must research the Commission's files to determine whether or not there is any unserved area in markets that they might be interested. Applicants may review or make copies of cellular authorizations or coverage maps in the Public Reference Room of the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau's Commercial Wireless Division which is located on the fifth floor of 025 M Street, NW, Washington DC 20554, telephone (202) 418-1350. On-line dababase searches can also be accomplished in the Public Reference Room.
The FCC does not duplicate these records, but has contracted with International Transcription Service, Inc. to provide this service. Requests for copies of information should be addressed to International Transcription Service, Inc. (ITS, Inc.) 2100 M St., NW, Suite 140, Washington, DC 20037, Telephone (202) 857-3800.
4. How can I determine the cellular licensees in certain markets or for all the cellular markets?
A list of all cellular providers is provided on the WTB web site . As mentioned in the answer to question 3 above, other licensing information may be obtained from our Public Reference Room or from ITS.
5. Where can I find the rules and regulations that pertain to cellular providers?
47 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 22 contains the specific technical rules and requirements governing cellular providers. The CFR can be obtained from the Government Printing Office or from any local library.
6. What sort of regulations exist concerning the radiation hazards associated with cellular?
The Office of Engineering and Technology (OET), an office within the Federal Communications Commission, works closely with the scientific industry on this issue and releases periodic reports on human exposure to radiation. The latest is from December 1994, entitled Information on Human Exposure to Radiofrequency fields from Cellular Radio Transmitters and can be obtained through OET's radiation information line at 202-418-2464. Additionally, other technical questions concerning radiation can be answered at this information number or at the OET web site.
7. What kind of regulation is there concerning reselling cellular service? Do I need a license to become a reseller?
The Commission does not actively regulate resale of cellular service, only mandates that it must occur. Section 20.12(b) of the Commission's Rules, 47 CFR Part 20, provides that each cellular system licensee must permit unrestricted resale of its service and that this requirement shall cease to be effective five years after the last group of initial licenses for broadband PCS spectrum in the 1850-1910 and 1930-1990 MHz bands is awarded. The Commission does not regulate resellers rates or any other obligations; these are all considered private contracts and negotiations.
8. Where can I file a complaint about cellular service, coverage or billing.
You may contact our Enforcement Division at 202-418-0569 or if you wish to file an informal or formal complaint in writing these should be filed to:
Federal Communications Commission
Wireless Telecommunications Bureau
Washington, DC 20554
9. Can I use my cellular phone in aircraft (to include hot air balloons, etc.)
Section 22.925 of the Commission's rules, 47 CFR Part 22, provides that cellular telephones installed in or carried aboard airplanes, balloons or anyother type of aircraft must not be operated while such aircraft are airborne (not touching the ground). When any aircraft leaves the ground, all cellular telephones on board that aircraft must be turned off. The following notice must be posted on or near each cellular telephone installed in any aircraft:
"The use of cellular telephones while this aircraft is airborne is prohibited by FCC rules, and the violation of this rule could result in suspension of service and/or a fine. The use of cellular telephones while this aircraft is on the ground is subject to FAA regulations."
10. How do I obtain data on cellular systems, such as number of subscribers, number of calls on the system, number of cell sites, etc.
The Commission does not collect data of this type, with much of the information considered proprietary by cellular carriers. Cellular data is collected by two associations in the Washington, DC, area. The two associations are: CTIA, its phone number is 202-785-0081 and the second is PCIA, its phone number is 703-739-0300. These associations can provide some but probably not all information of this nature.
Last Updated: 12/22/98
The NACN is a network that interconnects wireless systems (switches, home location registers, visitor location registers, service control points, and other intelligent peripherals).
A wireless roaming network has five components that make it work:
These five components interact to validate a cellular phone when it is powered on and to deliver calls to and from the subscriber anywhere in the network.
THE REGISTRATION CYCLE:
A registration cycle keeps track of a phone as it travels around the network. It begins when a wireless user powers on their phone. The general steps for this process are:
1. When the phone is powered on, it sends a data message to the cellsite. This data message contains the Mobile Identification Number (MIN or phone number) and the Electronic Serial Number (ESN). The cellsite forwards this information to the switch.
2. The switch compares the MIN with a table of all MINs in the network. It will determine if the MIN belongs to a home customer, or to a visiting customer. In either case, the switch will request the subscriber's feature profile from the Home Location Register (HLR). The HLR for home customers may be integrated into the same switch or stored on a separate platform.
3. If the HLR is a separate platform, or if the customer is visiting from another system, the switch then sends a data message to the HLR across the signaling network. Routing specifications stored at Signaling Transfer Points (STPs) provide the necessary information to direct the message to the home location register.
4. When the Home Location Register (HLR) receives the message, it checks the MIN & the ESN. If the numbers are valid, the HLR records the location of the phone and returns a message containing the subscriber's feature list and calling restrictions to the visited switch.
5. Once the visited switch receives the return message, it creates a Visitor Location Register (VLR) to store information about the roamer, including the MIN, ESN, features, etc... This register will be used by the roamer as long as they are registered in the visited system.
Once the subscriber is properly registered in the visited system, they can place outgoing calls to whatever numbers they are authorized to dial. This may include local numbers, long-distance numbers, and international numbers. Be aware that many wireless service providers restrict the dialing of international numbers for visiting roamers. For some outgoing calls, the switch may re-validate the subscriber with another message to the HLR.
Feature code dialing strings are usually sent back to the HLR for processing. For example, if a subscriber dials *71-555-555-1211 to initiate call-forwarding, a message will go to the HLR. The HLR will record the forward-to number string and send an updated feature list back to the visited switch.
Call Delivery occurs when someone calls to a cellular phone. This example assumes that the person is roaming in a system away from their home system. The general steps for this process are:
1. Someone dials the phone number of the cellular phone.
2. The call is routed to the subscriber's home switch. The home switch sends a query to the Home Location Register (HLR) to determine the location of the phone. The HLR recorded the location of the phone when the phone registered in the visited system.
3. The HLR sends a data message across the signaling network to the visited system requesting a temporary local directory number (TLDN) for routing the call.
4. The visited switch returns a data message with a TLDN to the HLR. The HLR sends the TLDN to the home switch for routing across the public telephony network.
5. When the visited switch receives a call to that TLDN, it associates it to the phone, sends out a regular cellular page and delivers the call to the phone.
The TLDN is a regular telephone number that is routable through the public network. The visited switch usually assigns TLDNs on a per-call basis, when it receives the routing request from the home system. The visited switch uses a timer to determine how long it keeps the TLDN associated with that subscriber. The timer lasts long enough for the home switch to route a call to that number across the public network.
How Long Does This Process Take?
These procedures take only 2 seconds. When the visited switch becomes aware that the customer has turned off his phone, the home switch is notified and the customer is "de-registered" in the visited market. The next time the customer turns on his/her phone, the registration procedure is repeated.
If a customer moves to another service area, the new system will go through the registration process with the HLR. When the HLR sees that the phone has moved into a new system, it sends a "registration cancellation" to the previous system and records the new location. This way, the HLR can always keep track of a phone anywhere in the network.
The network operates on a combination of network hardware and software to operate.
Mobile Base Stations - otherwise known as the cell site. The radio signal of each cell site covers a portion of a service area. A service area can have hundreds of cell sites.
Mobile Switching Centers (MSC) - The MSC connects the voice path for a call. The MSC and cell site work together to determine which radios the mobile phone will use when delivering calls. It interprets the digits entered by the mobile phone user and delivers the call accordingly. As the mobile subscriber moves to new cell site areas, the MSC reconnects the call to a new radio in that cell. It provides the path to the public switched telephony network (PSTN), for delivering calls to land-line phones or to long-distance numbers. There can be many MSCs in a single service area.
Home Location Register (HLR) - The HLR is a database where the subscriber's feature profile is stored. It will keep information on the subscribers phone number, the electronic serial number of the mobile phone, and the features the customer has (call forwarding, call waiting, 3-way calling, voice mail, etc.). The HLR also knows of any dialing restrictions. The HLR is a software element. It can be an integral part of the MSC, or stored on a separate platform.
Service Control Point (SCP) - The SCP holds databases that control customer features and services. The HLR is a primary example of a database on the SCP. Some other examples include 800-number lookup services, calling card services, calling number identification, short message service, message waiting indicator, and debit card services.
Signal Transfer Point (STP) - The STP is a network routing element. It takes a message in, checks the routing information, and sends the message toward its destination. STPs use the signaling system seven (SS7) protocol to transport messages.
Protocols - Data messages are formatted in a way that allows switches and network elements to understand them. The formatting follows certain rules and these rules are called a protocol. The predominant protocols used in roaming networks are signaling system seven (SS7), and interim standard-41 (IS-41). We also use X.25 packet switched data, global system for mobile communications (GSM), Ethernet, and the transmission control protocol/internet protocol (TCP/IP) for messaging :
SS7 - SS7 is an out-of-band signalling mechanism used in telephony. More information on SS7 can be found on this page.
IS-41 - IS stands for "interim standard." Standards such as IS-41 are created by the Electronics Industry Association (EIA) and the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA). IS-41 defines a set of messages to manage wireless mobility between cell sites and switching systems. The registration cycle and call delivery mechanisms described above use IS-41 messaging.
X.25 - A packet switched public data network protocol.
GSM - Global System for Mobile communications. This is an entire set of standards governing a particular type of mobile phone system used throughout the world. It also defines how mobility is managed in GSM systems.
TCP/IP - If you're viewing this page over the world wide web, you are using the TCP/IP protocol. It is the primary protocol used between internet elements. We use it to get information from one intelligent peripheral to another. | <urn:uuid:517f45a1-2960-4e8f-a57c-70f03d1dc1b5> | CC-MAIN-2015-06 | http://peacecraft.tripod.com/infomining/cellphon.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-06/segments/1422122691893.34/warc/CC-MAIN-20150124180451-00188-ip-10-180-212-252.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932352 | 7,068 | 3.25 | 3 | 2.493044 | 2 | Moderate reasoning | Hardware |
The prevalence and treatment of mental illness
The first large survey of mental illness and its treatment in the
United States since the early 1990s shows that almost half of adults
at some time, and nearly a quarter in any given year, have had a psychiatric
disorder. More of them are getting treatment today than in the early
1990s, but the treatment is still usually delayed and inadequate. Let’s
take a closer look at the results below.
The study, called the National Comorbidity Survey Replication, was conducted
in 2001–2003. Interviewers questioned more than 9,000 adults. At
some time in their lives, nearly 46% had at least one psychiatric disorder.
The rate was highest for anxiety disorders (29%). Next came impulse control
disorders (25%). Twenty-one percent had had a mood disorder and 15% had
been dependent on or an abuser of alcohol or other drugs.
Within the larger categories named above, the most common individual
psychiatric disorders were major depression (17%), alcohol abuse (13%),
social anxiety disorder (12%), and conduct disorder (9.5%). It is important
to note that different disorders often went together, especially anxiety
and depression. And, about 28% of the population suffered more than one
Some of these illnesses were not short lived. In the previous year,
26% of participants had had a psychiatric disorder. Again, anxiety disorders
were the most common (18%), followed by mood (9.5%) and impulse control
disorders (9%). The research also found that disorders began early in
life — in half of cases before age 14 and in three-fourths of cases
before age 24.
Twenty-two percent of disorders were severe (i.e. involving a suicide
attempt, psychosis, serious violence, or inability to function normally)
and 6% of the population had a severe psychiatric disorder in the previous
The time frame for seeking treatment varied. About 80% of people with
a psychiatric disorder had eventually sought treatment, but often after
a long delay. Major depression and panic disorder were usually treated
fairly quickly, but fewer than 7% sought treatment for social anxiety
disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and attention deficit disorder
within the first year. And nearly half of those with impulse control
or drug problems had never sought help at all.
The type of provider varied as well. About 17% of the interviewees,
including 41% of those with a psychiatric disorder, said they had used
mental health services in the previous year. General medical professionals
provided treatment for 23%; psychiatrists for 12%; other mental health
professionals such as social workers and psychologists for 16%; counselors
or spiritual advisers for 8%; and complementary and alternative practitioners
for 7%. (The total is more than 41% because some people received treatment
from more than one source.)
A comparison with the original National Comorbidity Survey, conducted
in 1991–1992, showed that Americans have been increasing their
use of mental health services. Treatment has become more widespread because
of greater public awareness, more effective diagnosis, less stigma, more
outreach programs, and greater availability of medications. Most important,
according to the survey researchers, has been the growing willingness
to prescribe psychoactive medications, especially antidepressants.
Still, nearly 60% of people with psychiatric disorders were getting
no treatment. And the overall rate of mental illness did not change between
1991–92 and 2001–2003. According to survey researchers, one
reason may be that many physicians lack the time and training.
Some researchers point out that the problem may not be as serious as
it seems. People often recover spontaneously from psychiatric disorders,
as they do from physical illnesses. And, sometimes there is no reliable
treatment. Survey researchers also suggest that we need more outreach
and education for the public and physicians, and more effort to treat
substance abuse and impulse control disorders.
December 2005 Update
Back to Previous | <urn:uuid:2c7a5e3e-5049-4b8c-9b43-b85e3b667b6b> | CC-MAIN-2013-48 | http://www.health.harvard.edu/fhg/updates/update1205b.shtml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-48/segments/1386163048129/warc/CC-MAIN-20131204131728-00013-ip-10-33-133-15.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962802 | 832 | 3.25 | 3 | 2.930214 | 3 | Strong reasoning | Health |
Animals of the Mayan rainforest (Guatemala, Belize, Mexico), tapir, Tapirus bairdii
Tapir, Tapirus bairdii, can be studied at AutoSafari Chapin, Guatemala
We have been doing research on mammals, birds, reptiles, and other animals of the Mayan areas of Mesoamerica for several years at the open-air zoo AutoSafari Chapin. This August we spent two days here (en route to Monterrico, Pacific Ocean, to study water birds there).
Since I have never seen a tapir in the wild in Guatemala, I wish to learn more about tapirs by studying them at AutoSafari Chapin. Several months ago Francois Berger kindly took me “backstage” to where the mothers who had babies were kept. He showed me that the mothers and the young tapirs were used to having people in their living area. So today I returned, to see whether I could have the tapir mother and baby interact with me.
The baby tapir was more or less curious, but not like a cat or dog whatsoever. It enjoyed attention but was quite independent. So I decided to see if I could interact with the mother.
When I noticed that the mother tapir was closing her eyes in peaceful relaxation, I realized quickly that the mother tapir loves being rubbed just behind its jowls. She got so relaxed that I sensed she was getting ready to lay down to get rubbed even more. The baby tapir likes it also but was too active to receive full massage.
Pancho the peccary however, got literally so relaxed he lay down on the ground with his feet in the air, just like a dog. Pancho was totally happy with me, as was the tapir. However two days later, when we were with the 6 month old jaguar cub, I quickly learned that his personality was very different than that of a peccary or tapir.
Tapir habitat is endangered
Dams for hydroelectric projects are one potential cause of habitat destruction. Strip mining is equally damaging to the eco-systems of Guatemala. Another major cause of destruction is bulldozing vast areas for planting Brazilian rubber trees, or teak.
Even more destructive is African oil palm plantations, since the noxious chemicals used in this industry cause near total destruction of all creatures in the river: the fish die first, then the water birds that feed on the fish; then the crocodiles and caimans.
A few tapir are killed for their meat, but I estimate a major headache for herds of tapir is the above mentioned destruction of their habitat.
Our long-term interest is the work to encourage the development of protected eco-systems where native plants and animals have a better chance for survival.
Public education is a helpful first step. So we are ourselves working to understand the different animals, to understand them as personalities. Each species has a different personality (though both the peccary and the tapir really like direct personal interaction as a form of communication).
After this initial interaction with both the mother tapir and her young, I definitely have a closer feeling for these animals. It is so much more encouragement to have a close encounter with the animals you seek to protect.
Auto Safari Chapin
The tapirs have several areas at AutoSafari Chapin. If you are a visitor you will see a tapir in a large area which includes a pool for the tapir to wade and swim in.
For our research we went to a separate area where the mother tapirs are kept with their young. About four or five months ago there were several young tapirs with their childhood coloring (white spots on a deer-colored brown fur).
The area where the mother tapirs are kept would potentially be accessible to groups of university biology students, zoologists, etc, subject to prior request for permission.
Some visits are best when a zoo is “closed” on Monday, though since this is a day off for most workers, be sure to ask for a visit far in advance. For other visits it is best from Tuesday through Friday. Weekends may have too many tourists to handle a research group. But this will vary on the season, and the needs of the research group.
Posted late August 2015 after our umpteenth educational research visit to AutoSafari Chapin, en route to Canal de Chiquimulilla, Monterrico, Guatemala. | <urn:uuid:c859ccdb-10cf-4497-a17f-bed852d5acda> | CC-MAIN-2017-39 | http://www.maya-ethnozoology.org/where-to-photograph-sacred-mayan-animals-mayan-guatemala-mexico-belize-honduras/tapir-tapirus-bairdii-autosafari-chapin-edible-hence-endangered-animal.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-39/segments/1505818687711.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20170921082205-20170921102205-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.970398 | 930 | 2.875 | 3 | 2.832244 | 3 | Strong reasoning | Science & Tech. |
What are some good research topics?
Other great research paper topics : Technology. Religion. Social media. Music. Education. Health. Social issues. Environment.
What are the topics in philosophy?
Movements & Philosophical Concepts Empiricism. Ethics & Moral Philosophy . Existentialism. Feminism. Logic & Argumentation. Philosophy of Race & Racism. Stoicism.
What is a good topic for a philosophy paper?
Philosophy and Ethics Essay Topics Are people good or evil by nature? Does free will exist? Does the belief in God change a person? Is science compatible/incompatible with religion? ( Argue for or against utilitarianism. Argue for or against psychological/ethical egoism. Are morals relative to culture or society?
What are the best topic for quantitative research?
50+ Interesting Quantitative Research Topics The relationship between crime statistics and immigration . The impact of education on obesity. The relationship between electoral results and consumer confidence. What are the issues faced by Uber? The link between competitive risk assignment and estimated target market.
What are some interesting topics?
Random topics to talk about Cars. What was the first car you owned? Holidays. What were your favorite holidays when you were a child? Coffee. Do you like coffee? Photography. Do you take a lot of pictures? The beach. Do you like going to beaches? Hiking. How often do you go on hikes? Aliens. Change.
How do I choose a research topic?
Selecting a Topic brainstorm for ideas. choose a topic that will enable you to read and understand the literature. ensure that the topic is manageable and that material is available. make a list of key words. be flexible. define your topic as a focused research question. research and read more about your topic .
What are the 5 types of philosophy?
Aesthetics. Epistemology. Ethics. Logic. Metaphysics. Political philosophy .
What are the 8 branches of philosophy?
Contents 1.1 Epistemology . 1.2 Metaphysics . 1.3 Logic. 1.4 Ethics. 1.5 Aesthetics . 1.6 Other Branches.
What is the first philosophy?
Aristotle. In Aristotle: Physics and metaphysics. … metaphysics: he calls it “ first philosophy ” and defines it as the discipline that studies “being as being.”
What is a good ethical topics to write about?
In the meantime, we’ve prepared a list with 20 ethical argument essay topics that might pique your interest. Human Cloning – A Far-Fetched Idea or Just a Genetic Disaster? Should Teens Consider Abortion without Their Parents’ Approval? To Vote or Not to Vote on Election Day: Can Your Vote Make a Difference?
What are some good ethics topics?
10 Most Provocative Ethical Topics for Essay 1) Should Capital Punishment be allowed? 2) Ethnic Adoption. 3) The Pharmaceutical Industry. 4) Should patriotism be considered a virtue? 5) Human Cloning is Genetic Disaster? 6) Social Media and Its Effects on Human Perception and Socialization. 7) Should euthanasia be legal? 8) Are people good or evil by nature?
What are ethical topics?
12 Interesting Ethical Topics for Essay Papers Should Teens Have Plastic Surgery? Would You Tell If You Saw a Popular Kid Bullying? Would You Speak Up If Your Friend Abused an Animal? Would You Tell If You Saw a Friend Cheating on a Test? Should News Stories Slant Toward What People Want to Hear? Would You Tell If Your Best Friend Had a Drink at the Prom?
What is the best research title?
Below are the three most important factors to consider to make sure you choose the best research paper topics. Health. History. Religion. Science/Environment. Technology. #1: Figure Out Your Thesis Early. #2: Back Every Statement Up With Research. #3: Do Your Research Before You Begin Writing.
What is a good research question?
In general, however, a good research question should be: Clear and focused. In other words, the question should clearly state what the writer needs to do. Not too broad and not too narrow.
What are some communication topics?
During the semester you will study the following topics: Definition communication and interpersonal communication . Language and verbal codes. Nonverbal communication and behavior. Culture, gender, and personality in interpersonal communication . Perception. Listening. Emotion. Social cognition and the self. | <urn:uuid:ec6542a2-44ba-4816-87db-c239aa9b6332> | CC-MAIN-2021-39 | https://www.castela.net/philosophy/philosophy-research-topics.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-39/segments/1631780060677.55/warc/CC-MAIN-20210928092646-20210928122646-00301.warc.gz | en | 0.887036 | 939 | 2.546875 | 3 | 2.109932 | 2 | Moderate reasoning | Education & Jobs |
1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Saxe-Coburg-Gotha
|←Saxe-Altenburg||1911 Encyclopædia Britannica, Volume 24
|See also Saxe-Coburg and Gotha on Wikipedia; and our 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica disclaimer.|
SAXE-COBURG-GOTHA (Ger. Sachsen-Koburg-Gotha), a sovereign duchy of Germany, in Thuringia, and a constituent member of the German empire, consisting of the two formerly separate duchies of Coburg and Gotha, which lie at a distance of 14 m. from each other, and of eight small scattered exclaves, the most northerly of which is 70 m. from the most southerly. The total area is 764 sq. m., of which about 224 are in Coburg and 540 in Gotha. The duchy of Coburg is bounded on the S.E., S., and S.W. by Bavaria, and on the other sides by Saxe-Meiningen, which, with part of Prussia, separates it from Gotha. The considerable exclave of Königsberg in Bavaria, 10 m. south, belongs to Coburg. Lying on the south slope of the Thuringian Forest, and in the Franconian plain, the duchy of Coburg is an undulating and fertile district, reaching its highest point in the Senichshöhe (1716 ft.) near Mirsdorf. Its streams, the chief of which are the Itz, Biberach, Steinach and Rodach, all find their way into the Main. The duchy of Gotha, more than twice the size of Coburg, stretches from the south borders of Prussia along the northern slopes of the Thuringian Forest, the highest summits of which (Der grosse Beerberg, 3225 ft.; Schneekopf, 3179 ft.; and Inselsberg, 2957 ft.) rise within its borders. The more open and level district on the north is spoken of as the “open country” (das Land) in contrast to the wooded hills of the “forest” (der Wald}. The Gera, Hörsel, Unstrut and other streams of this duchy flow to the Werra, or to the Saale. The climate is that of the other central states of Germany, temperate in the valleys and plains and somewhat inclement in the hilly regions.
Industries and Population. — In both duchies the chief industry is agriculture, which employs about 30% of the entire population. According to the returns for 1905, about 50% of the area was occupied by arable land, 10% by meadow-land and pasture and 30% by forest. In the same year the chief crops were oats, barley, rye, wheat, potatoes and hay. A small quantity of hemp and flax is raised, but a considerable quantity of fruit and vegetables is annually produced, and some wine, in the Coburg district of Königsberg. Cattle-breeding is important, especially in Gotha and the Itz valley in Coburg. Beehives are numerous and produce excellent honey, and poultry is reared in large numbers for export. The mineral wealth of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha is insignificant, small quantities of coal, lignite, ironstone and millstone being annually raised. There are also salt-works, and some deposits of potter's day.
The manufactures of the duchies, especially in the mountainous parts less favourable for agriculture, are tolerably brisk, but there is no large industrial centre in the country. Iron goods and machinery, glass, earthenware, chemicals and wooden articles, including large quantities of toys, are produced; and various branches of textile industry are carried on. Coburg (pop. 1905, 24,289) and Gotha (36,893) are the chief towns of the duchies, to which they respectively give name; the latter is the capital of the united duchy. There are nine other small towns, and 320 villages and hamlets. Friedrichroda and Ruhla, the Inselsberg and the Schneekopf and other picturesque points, annually attract an increasing number of summer visitors and tourists. The population in 1905 was 242,432 (117,224 males and 123,208 females), or about 290 to the square mile. Of these 71,512 were in Coburg and 170,920 in Gotha; the relative density in either duchy being about equal. In Coburg the people belong to the Franconian and in Gotha to the Thuringian branch of the Teutonic family, and, according to religious confessions, almost theentire population is Lutheran, Roman Catholics only numbering some 3000 and Jews about 700.
Constitution and Administration. — Saxe-Coburg-Gotha is a limited hereditary monarchy, its constitution resting on a law of 1852, modified in 1874. For its own immediate affairs each duchy has a separate diet, but in more important and general matters a common diet, formed of the members of the separate diets and meeting at Coburg and Gotha alternately, exercises authority. The members are elected for four years. The Coburg diet consists of eleven members and the Gotha diet of nineteen. The franchise is extended to all male taxpayers of twenty-five years of age and upwards. The ministry has special departments for each duchy, but is under a common president. There is a sub-department for the control of ecclesiastical affairs, which are locally managed by ephories, twelve in number. The united duchy is represented in the imperial Bundesrat by one member and in the Reichstag by two members, one for each duchy. By treaty with Prussia in 1867 the troops of the duchy are incorporated with the Prussian army. The budget is voted in either duchy for four years, a distinction being made between domain revenue and state revenue. Taking both together the receipts into the exchequer on behalf of Coburg were estimated for 1909-1910 at about £100,000 and those for Gotha at about £200,000, while the common state expenditure amounted to about the same sum. The civil list of the reigning duke is fixed at £15,000 a year, in addition to half the proceeds of the Gotha domains, after £5000 has been deducted and paid into the state exchequer, and half the net revenue of the Coburg domains. Besides the civil list the duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha enjoys a very large private fortune, amassed chiefly by Ernest I., who sold the principality of Lichtenberg, which the congress of Vienna had bestowed upon him in recognition of his services in 1813, to Prussia for a large sum of money.
History. — The district of Coburg came into the possession of the family of Wettin in the 14th century, and after the Wettins had become electors of Saxony this part of their lands fell at the partition of 1485 to the Ernestine branch of the house. In 1572 Gotha was given to John Casimir, a son of the Saxon duke John Frederick, but when he died childless in 1633 it passed to another branch of the family. In 1680, as Saxe-Coburg, it was formed into a separate duchy for Albert, one of the seven sons of Ernest I., duke of Saxe-Gotha (d. 1675), but he died childless in 1699, when his possessions were the subject of vehement contentions among the collateral branches of the Saxon house. Eventually it was assigned to Albert's youngest brother, John Ernest (d. 1729), who called himself duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, and who left two sons, Christian Ernest and Francis Josiah, who ruled the land together, the principle of primogeniture being introduced by the survivor of the two, Francis Josiah. Under this duke and his son and successor, Ernest Frederick, the land was plunged into bankruptcy and a commission was appointed to manage its finances. The measures adopted to redeem the country's credit were successful, but they imposed much hardship on the people and a rising took place which was only quelled by the aid of troops from electoral Saxony. Duke Francis died in December 1806 and was succeeded by his son Ernest, although the country was occupied by the French from 1807 to 1816.
Also an early possession of the Wettins, Gotha fell at the partition of 1485 to the Albertine branch of the family, but was transferred to the Ernestine branch by the capitulation of Wittenberg of 1547. In 1554 it became a separate duchy, its line of rulers being founded by Duke John Frederick, a son of the dispossessed elector of Saxony, John Frederick, and becoming extinct in 1638. In 1640 Saxe-Gotha came into the possession of Ernest the Pious, and after his death in 1675 its duke was his eldest son Frederick (d. 1691), whose family, having inherited Altenburg, became extinct in February 1825 with the death of Duke Frederick IV. This event was followed in 1826 by a redistribution of the Saxon lands. Ernest, duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, exchanged Saalfeld for Gotha, took the title of duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha and became the founder of the present ruling house.
Ernest II. (1818-1893) succeeded to the duchy in 1844, and during his long reign various reforms were achieved and the union of the two parts of the duchy was made closer. This duke had no issue, and the succession passed to the children of his brother Albert, the English prince consort. In 1855 his second son, Prince Alfred, had been declared heir to the duchy, and he succeeded his uncle in 1893. When he died without sons in July 1900, the succession having been renounced by his brother, the duke of Connaught and his issue, Saxe-Coburg passed to Charles Edward, duke of Albany (b. 1884), a nephew of the late duke. For many years there had been trouble between the ruler and the people over the ownership of the extensive crown lands, it being evidently feared at one time that an English prince might renounce the throne and yet claim the lands. The matter was settled by a law of 1905, on the lines mentioned in the earlier section of this article.
See Fleischmann, Zur Geschichte des Herzogtums Sachsen- Coburg (Hildburghausen, 1880); A. Lotz, Koburgische Landesgeschichte (Coburg, 1892). | <urn:uuid:d2e0b9d3-ee0a-409a-9966-99a8e716e9d8> | CC-MAIN-2014-42 | http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Saxe-Coburg-Gotha | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-42/segments/1413507446943.4/warc/CC-MAIN-20141017005726-00366-ip-10-16-133-185.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970879 | 2,314 | 3.21875 | 3 | 2.61737 | 3 | Strong reasoning | History |
Solar power is one of the cleanest, greenest forms of energy. As many Aussies look to reduce their carbon footprint and do their bit for the environment, the number of homes with solar panels has skyrocketed.
Solar is an effective renewable energy source here in sunny Australia thanks to our warm climate, but what happens after the sun sets? Do solar panels work at night? And if not, how can you still access clean energy? Let’s find out.
Do solar panels work at night? Here’s the answer
Technically, solar panels do not work at night. Photovoltaic cells in solar panels require access to sunlight to produce electricity. No sunlight means no electricity – It is that simple.
While solar panels do not produce energy at night, you can still utilise solar energy harvested during the day at all hours. How? By using a battery storage system.
How does solar battery storage work?
A solar battery storage system that recharges during the day and delivers power during the night is a great way to use your solar power when you need it most. When your solar panels produce electricity during the day, this is used for your home energy needs.
If your system produces more electricity than you use, excess power is then used to charge your batteries to power your home during the night.
In general, stored solar power will keep its charge for 1-5 days, depending on the type of batteries you have, which means that you can store any surplus energy that’s generated and use it when the sun goes down. This empowers you to live off the grid!
Do solar panels work in low-light conditions?
Solar panels do not work at night, but they do produce electricity in other low-light conditions.
Solar panels require a very small number of photons to produce electricity and deliver reliable, environmentally-friendly power to your home. If you have invested in high-quality panels, they will likely become active before the sun rises above the horizon.
Solar systems continue to generate energy on cloudy days and in wet weather, too. The sun’s powerful rays can penetrate through clouds, giving your solar panels continuous access to the photons needed to produce electricity. Plus, if your panels are installed on a pitched roof, the rain helps keep them clean and effective.
Do keep in mind that your solar power production will likely be lower on cloudy days and during other low-light conditions, such as early morning and late afternoon. The time of day your solar panels perform at their peak will depend on their orientation.
Ready to make the switch to solar?
Fantastic. Embracing clean, renewable energy is one of the best ways you can play your part in shaping a happy, healthy future. Even better? You will save money on your electricity bills in the process.
If you are ready to get the ball rolling, reach out to our friendly team of solar experts today. We are more than happy to answer your questions and provide honest, personalised advice. | <urn:uuid:9d362c77-e1a0-4aca-b979-e18632746aae> | CC-MAIN-2022-21 | https://g-solar.com.au/do-solar-panels-work-at-night/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-21/segments/1652662526009.35/warc/CC-MAIN-20220519074217-20220519104217-00560.warc.gz | en | 0.944611 | 620 | 3.5 | 4 | 1.941546 | 2 | Moderate reasoning | Science & Tech. |
After verifying the great advantages of solid-state drives (SSD), there has been a huge trend among computer users toward obtaining this superb flash-based drive to configure their computers with. Some users who have the affordability would solely depend on this blazing speed drive for all their tasks, including storage and backups, whereas the majority prefer to get an SSD for their primary operating system and favorite software applications, while keeping the rest of their files stored in their old traditional hard drive after making it a secondary storage subsystem, while their new SSD is the primary one.
This article illustrates why hard disk drives are indispensable and why you have to use one alongside with an SSD if you need an ideal computer system.
Storage vs. memory
Explaining the difference between the storage and system memory in a computer in details is hard and complicated, but we can try though to simplify this matter and provide a basic and plain explanation.
In a nutshell, storage is where the information (such as Word documents, photos, movie clips, programs, and so on) is stored. In a computer, the whole operating system itself, such as Windows 7 or Mac OS, is also stored on the internal storage device.
Storage is nonvolatile, meaning that the information is still there when the host device (a computer, for example) is turned off and becomes ready again when the device is turned back on. It’s like a book or a paper notebook that’s always there, ready for you to read or write on.
System memory, on the other hand, is where information is being processed and manipulated. Data in the system memory is volatile, meaning when the computer is turned off, it’s gone; the memory becomes blank as if nothing had been there before. It’s somewhat like the short-term memory part of your brain, where images or ideas are being formed and processed when you read a book–those that disappear the moment you stop reading.
There’s a strong relationship between system memory and storage. The Word document that you’re working on, for example, is in the computer’s memory. When you save it, a copy of it now resides on the computer’s storage (the hard drive). When you close Microsoft Word completely, the document now only resides on the hard drive (storage) and no longer in the memory, until you open it again.
All this means, you generally never experience storage. Everything, including the operating system, that’s presented to you on a computer’s screen or via the speakers actually take place in the system memory. Before it gets there, however, it needs to be loaded from the computer’s storage device into the system memory. So the larger and faster system memory the computer is equipped with, the more quickly the information becomes ready and the more you can do with a computer at a time (multitasking).
Of course, memory is just one of many factors that decide a computer’s performance. Another factor is the storage itself, which mostly likely is either a hard drive (aka, hard disk) or a solid-state drive.
Hard drive vs. solid-state drive
A modern hard drive is very different from earlier generations, which dated back to the late 1950s. However, essentially, the basics remain the same. It’s a box that contains a few magnetic disks (known as platters) attached to a spindle, very similar to a spindle of blank CDs or DVDs. Each of the platters has a reading/writing head hovering on top. As the spindle spins, the head moves in and out to write or read data to and from any part of the platter, on tiny information-recording unit called “data track.” This type of access to information is called “random access,” as opposed to the inefficient “sequential access” found in the old and obsolete types of storage, such as tape.
While the concept is rather simple, the inside of a modern hard drive is a world of advanced nanotechnology. This is because as hard drives’ storage capacities increase while their physical sizes remain the same, the density of information written on the platters becomes so great that if we use measurement units, such as foot or inch, to talk about certain parts of a hard drive, we’ll have to deal with decimal numbers of unimaginable proportions. Instead, we need to use nanometers. One nanometer equals 1 billionth of a meter (a meter is about 3.3 feet for those of you in the nonmetric countries).
You have to know that inside a regular 2.5-inch laptop hard drive, the Western Digital WD7500BPKX laptop hard drive, for example, the gap between the head and the platter is just a few nanometers. The two can never touch each other–or else the drive will be “bricked”–and note that when a hard drive is at work, its platters spins at 5,400rpm. Desktop and high-end laptop hard drives spin even faster at 7,200rpm or 10,000rpm.
To put this in context, if we enlarged the Western Digital WD7500BPKX laptop hard drive by 13,000 times, the platter would look like a circular race track about 3.3 miles in diameter; a data track would be about 0.4 inch in length, and the head would be about the size of a go-cart. When the hard drive is in operation, this go-cart would be flying on the track less than the thickness of a human hair above it, at the speed of some 3.4 million miles per hour.
It’s just amazing how hard drives don’t crash every day. Most of them actually last for about five years of continuous usage.
An SSD, on the other hand, has no moving parts. Similar to system memory, SSDs are microchips designed to store information. However, these are nonvolatile memory chips that can retain information the way hard drives do.
On the outside, a standard SSD looks just like a regular 2.5-inch hard drive and it also works in any applications where hard drives are used. The fact that it has no moving parts means that an SSD is much more efficient in terms of energy usage, more durable, quiet, and much faster than a hard drive. In laboratory testing, the SATA 3 Seagate Barracuda XT, one of the fastest consumer-grade hard drives, offered real-world copy speeds of around 115MBps or little more, while the OCZ Vertex 3, which is considered now an old-fashioned SSD, easily offers around 260MBps.
For this reason, a computer that uses an SSD as the main storage device boots and shuts down very fast and can resume from sleep mode instantly. Software applications, including heavy ones like a 3D game or video-editing application, also take significantly less time to start and operate, compared with when the computer uses a hard drive as the main storage.
There’s a big catch, however: SSDs are currently much more expensive than a regular hard drive of the same capacity, disproportionately more expensive than they are faster. The Crucial MX100 256GB SSD, for example, costs around $105, whereas the 1TB Western Digital Desktop Hard Drive Black, one of the best desktop hard drives, costs just around $75. As for laptop hard drives, the price of HGST Travelstar 1TB laptop hard drive, which is one of the best hard drive for laptop computers, costs around $75 too. On top of that, SSDs are very limited in terms of storage space, with the top drives capping at around 1000GB [For example: Samsung SSD 850 Evo 1TB] (these cost close to $500, by the way).
Why SSDs could make the most affordable upgrade for your computer
Now you probably don’t want to spend almost $500 on a 1TB SSD. However, spending around $250 for a 500GB SSD might make the most economical upgrade in many cases. This is because it can easily be the single component in your computer that most significantly increases the system’s overall performance.
If you run Windows 7, take a look at the Windows Experience Index: more often than not, you’ll see that the subscore of either the graphics card or the hard disk is the lowest and the one that determines the base-score of the computer. While the graphics card’s power is mostly an issue when you play 3D games–meaning it makes almost no difference in general usage, such as Web surfing, video playback, word processing, and so on–the hard drive’s performance affects almost all aspects of a computer’s performance, from starting up, shutting down, application loading, and file editing. Basically any computing operations that require accessing the storage will be affected by the hard drive.
This means that when a fast Core i7-based computer is equipped with a regular hard drive, the hard drive will bottleneck the machine’s performance. Most of the time this gap is very large: a fast Core i 7 processor will have a subscore of 7.9, whereas the fastest hard drive will have a subscore of 5.9 in the Windows Experience Index. Now the best way to get the most out of a computer is to have its components offer similar levels of performance. This way you know that you don’t overspend on expensive parts just to have them bogged down by other slower ones.
In other words, it’s better to upgrade your current Core 2 Duo or Core 2 Quad computer to an SSD than getting a new computer that supports the new Core i architecture. The latter would likely cost more than $500, not to mention the time you have to spend setting up the new computer, moving data over, and so on.
Note that while most SSDs come in the 2.5-inch design (for laptops), some of them, such as the Vertex 3, include a drive bay converter to fit in a desktop computer. You can also buy these converters separately or even get away with having the SSD hanging inside the chassis, as it has no moving parts and is very light.
In laboratory testing, an SSD would bring the subscore of hard drive within the Windows Experience Index to 7.0 or higher. In a system that supports SATA 3 (6Gbps), an SATA 3 SSD would bring this up to even 7.8 or 7.9, which is currently the highest for Windows 7.
And in real-world usage, replacing your current computer’s main hard drive with an SSD indeed makes the computer’s overall performance much better. The upgrade process is actually very fast, using disk-cloning software such as Acronis True Image.
This is the kind of change that once you’ve got it, you’ll never want to go back.
Why you should still keep your hard drive
Though SSDs are very fast, when it comes to storage, capacity is very important. With the proliferation of user-generated content–photos, music, videos, recorded TV shows–it seems we never have enough storage space. This is the area where SSDs can hardly, if at all, compete with hard drives.
For a laptop computer, 240GB might be enough, but for a desktop, that can hardly hold a person’s entire digital library. This is when you still want to use a hard drive as a secondary storage device to increase storage space. The good news is that most of the read-only content doesn’t require fast performance for playing back, and hard drives, though significantly slower than SSDs, are more than fast enough to host them.
Other network storage solutions, such as NAS servers, don’t require superfast storage devices, either, mostly because their throughput performance is determined by the network connection speed, which currently caps at 1,000Mbps (around 100MBps). External hard drives also depend on the speed of the peripheral ports, and 100MBps is also currently the cap speed of USB 3.0. For this reason, most of the longterm and high-capacity storage solutions still use hard drives and will still use them for a long time.
Those of you who have just decided to upgrade the computer’s main hard drive to an SSD might want to keep the old hard drive as the secondary drive in the computer, at least for backup purposes. After all, it still holds a copy of your entire system. | <urn:uuid:720ab729-24c2-405f-a39c-9965d65208b5> | CC-MAIN-2018-05 | http://www.ryli.net/the-best-to-do-get-an-ssd-and-keep-your-hdd/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-05/segments/1516084889917.49/warc/CC-MAIN-20180121021136-20180121041136-00632.warc.gz | en | 0.953749 | 2,610 | 3.25 | 3 | 2.458604 | 2 | Moderate reasoning | Hardware |
Human-on-a-chip Model Enables Simultaneous Testing of Cancer Drug Efficacy and Off-Target Toxicity t
Wednesday, June 19, 2019
Human-on-a-chip Model Enables Simultaneous Testing of Cancer Drug Efficacy and Off-Target Toxicity to Enable Determination of Therapeutic Index
Orlando, FL, June 19, 2019 -- A reconfigurable “body-on-a-chip” model could transform drug development by simultaneously measuring compound efficacy and toxicity, for both target cells and other organs, such as the heart and liver. These findings, published in Science Translational Medicine, demonstrate the ability of a body-on-a-chip model to truly revolutionize biomedical research and personalized medicine through more accurate and efficient preclinical testing without the use of animal studies.
Florida biotech firm Hesperos, Inc., in collaboration with pharmaceutical giant Roche and the University of Central Florida (UCF), has shown that one of its innovative multi-organ in vitro (out of body) model systems is able to realistically replicate in vivo (in body) responses to anticancer therapies for both the parent drugs and their metabolites to determine therapeutic index for both single drugs and drug-drug combinations.
The therapeutic index measures relative safety of a drug and the range in which a drug dose is determined to have a therapeutic effect before significant toxicity begins to occur. The initial determination of efficacy at the same time can currently only be done at the preclinical stage in animals, and animal models are not always a good guide to how a drug will perform in humans.
“This is a game changer in the preclinical drug development process, which normally requires an animal model to measure therapeutic index, and in the case of many rare diseases requires testing in humans as there are no animal models available,” said Hesperos Chief Scientist James J. Hickman, who is a Professor at UCF’s NanoScience Technology Center. “In addition, our system will allow testing of different therapies on small samples of a specific cancer patient’s tissue to help inform doctors about which treatment works best for each individual.”
“With this system, medicinal chemists can test multiple variations of a drug candidate with milligram quantities of the compound, at the pre-animal stage. Normally to go into animals, scale-up needs to occur to manufacture grams to kilograms of a compound, which generally limits animal trials to one candidate because it is expensive,” stated CEO and President Michael Shuler, also Professor Emeritus at Cornell University.
As reported in the prestigious peer-reviewed scientific journal, the Hesperos team tested their device in two scenarios: on cancer-derived human bone marrow cell lines for anti-leukemia drug analysis, and on vulva and breast cancer cell lines to test multi-drug treatments in a multi-drug resistant cancer.
For both configurations, a body-on-a-chip system was developed with the capacity to house multiple human-derived organ-like tissue constructs grown on an array of biological microelectromechanical systems (bio-MEMS) modules in a single recirculating serum-free medium that allows non-invasive measurements of responses in the human surrogate.
For the leukemia model, two bone marrow components were incorporated with liver tissue to measure the cytostatic effects of two anticancer drugs -- diclofenac and imatinib -- on bone marrow–derived cells and off-target effects on the liver. Testing showed that liver viability was not affected by imatinib, but was reduced by 30% with diclofenac in the first configuration.
In the second configuration, one multi-drug resistant vulva cancer cell line and one breast cancer cell line without multi-drug resistance were incorporated into the system with a liver compartment to determine metabolic effects, and with functional cardiac models to measure electrical and mechanical deficits from off-target toxicity. The common breast cancer drug tamoxifen reduced viability of the breast cancer cells only after being processed by the liver. Tamoxifen did not affect the vulva cancer cells except when co-administered with verapamil, a permeability-glycoprotein (Pgp) inhibitor. Both tamoxifen alone and co-administration with verapamil produced off-target cardiac effects, as indicated by a reduction of contractile force, beat frequency, and conduction velocity, but did not affect viability.
These results were consistent with what has been reported in human trials. But they were done in a lab, without the need of animal studies and with no risk to humans.
Hesperos, Inc. is the first company spun out from the Tissue Chip Program at NCATS (National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences), which was established in 2011 to address the long timelines, steep costs and high failure rates associated with the drug development process. Hesperos currently is funded through NCATS’ Small Business Innovation Research program to undertake these studies and make tissue chips technology available as a service based company.
“One of the many uses of tissue chip technology is to make clinically relevant assessments of the effectiveness of candidate drugs,” said Danilo Tagle, Ph.D., associate director for special initiatives at NCATS.
The ability of these systems to assess cardiac function non-invasively and monitor biomarkers over time, using multiplexed and repeat drug dosage regimes, provides an opportunity to run long-term studies for chronic administration of cancer drugs or drug-drug combinations.
Hesperos, Inc. is a leader in efforts to characterize an individual’s biology with human-on-a-chip microfluidic systems. Founders Michael L. Shuler and James J. Hickman have been at the forefront of every major scientific discovery in this realm, from individual organ-on-a-chip constructs to fully functional, interconnected multi-organ systems. With a mission to revolutionize toxicology testing as well as efficacy evaluation for drug discovery, the company has created pumpless platforms with serum-free cellular mediums that allow multi-organ system communication and integrated computational PKPD modeling of live physiological responses utilizing functional readouts from neurons, cardiac, muscle, barrier tissues and neuromuscular junctions as well as responses from liver, pancreas and barrier tissues. Created from human stem cells, the fully human systems are the first in vitro solutions that accurately utilize in vitro systems to predict in vivo functions without the use of animal models, as featured in Science. More information is available at http://www.hesperosinc.com
Notes to Reporters: More information, including a copy of the paper, can be found online at the Science Translational Medicine press package at http://www.eurekalert.org/jrnls/scitransmed. You will need your user ID and password to access this information. | <urn:uuid:4db1f134-4020-44c2-a4b3-cdf1cde8a67b> | CC-MAIN-2019-39 | https://www.bioflorida.com/news/457027/Human-on-a-chip-Model-Enables-Simultaneous-Testing-of-Cancer-Drug-Efficacy-and-Off-Target-Toxicity-t.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-39/segments/1568514573368.43/warc/CC-MAIN-20190918213931-20190918235931-00055.warc.gz | en | 0.934048 | 1,425 | 2.734375 | 3 | 2.962426 | 3 | Strong reasoning | Science & Tech. |
We all experience scary events, some are traumatic, terrifying, and shake us to our core. If it was a traumatic event, it literally reshapes both body and brain.
A small way to address this reaction is to change your relationship or the way that you think about the traumatic event.
Trauma can be treated a number of ways. One way is by talking. Talk with a professional, reconnecting with others, and allowing ourselves to know and understand what is going on with us.
Another way to treat trauma is by taking medications that shut down inappropriate alarm reactions, or utilizing other technologies that change the way our brains organize information.
A third way is by allowing our bodies to have experiences that deeply and viscerally contradict the helplessness, rage, or collapse that result from trauma.
Our bodies can physically carry the effects of trauma or fear of the event reoccurring, causing symptoms for years to come. It’s vital to seek treatment from a mental health professional who has experience working with trauma.
An incredibly helpful book to read about how trauma marks the brain, mind, and body is The Body Keeps the Score. The author, Bessel Van Der Kolk, M.D., has over three decades of experience working with trauma survivors. He has done incredible work and this book is eye-opening.
“The title underscores the book’s central idea: Exposure the abuse and violence fosters the development of a hyperactive alarm system and molds a body that gets stuck in fight/flight, and freeze. Trauma interferes with the brain circuits that involve focusing, flexibility, and being able to stay in emotional control.
A constant sense of danger and helplessness promotes the continuous secretion of stress hormones, which wreaks havoc with the immune system and the functioning of the body’s organs. Only making it safe for trauma victims to inhabit their bodies, and to tolerate feeling what they feel, and knowing what they know, can lead to lasting healing. This may involve a range of therapeutic interventions (one size never fits all), including various forms of trauma processing, neurofeedback, theater, meditation, play, and yoga.
Readers will come away from this book with awe at human resilience and at the power of our relationships—whether in the intimacy of home or in our wider communities—to both hurt and heal.”The Body Keeps the Score
This article isn’t going to dive deep into the full topics of trauma or fear (read The Body Keeps the Score), I’m only going to cover this topic in general terms, focusing on one aspect, and that’s how I changed my relationship with something negative that happened to me.
I’m going to share a traumatic experience that happened to me while trail running and how I’m striving towards changing my relationship with what happened, so that I can continue to do what I love without lugging around fear and physical symptoms.
My goal of sharing my story with you is that something will be relatable and something I say you can take with you. Everyone has had something scary happen to them, we need to have some understanding of our reaction, we need to know what to do with this information, how to process it, and how to grow from it.
This is not medical or mental health advice. This is my personal experience.
Cougar encounter on the trail
06/21 I was running on the North Country Trail: Here’s my story
On this day, I was doing a Fastest Known Time (FKT) attempt, as there was no women’s record for this section of the North Country Trail (NCT).
To give some background, I was doing this run unsupported, meaning that I carried everything that I needed for the day on me and I couldn’t have supportive contact with anyone, including sending a text message to my husband to let him know how I was doing. Doing an unsupportive FKT is the most challenging way to approach setting a record.
Here are my overall stats (I officially hold the record, verified by Fastest Known Time):
Avg pace 18:42 min/mi
Best mi 13:13 min/mi
Elevation gain 8442 ft
Elevation loss 8337 ft
The run was going well, however, slower than anticipated due to the amount of times I had to stop to refill for water from a creek. I ended up running during the night.
While running at night, I saw different wildlife and one I didn’t wish to stumble across. There were many deer, toads, and colorful moths. My run almost ended with about 3 miles left… cougar (I was too frightened to look. It was definitely a large, angry cat).
It was probably less than 10 feet to my left, just behind my back. It gave a long low growl, followed by high pitched ARAWER!! Then, low growl.
I’ve only ever heard recordings of a big cat roar before, there was no question what it was. Have never been so terrified in my life.
I thought I was going to die, I thought my life was over, I let out this big death yelp, which echoed in the trees. An uneasy, warm, numbing sensation that I’ve never felt before overtook my body, starting at my feet and worked the way up. I think my body was physically preparing to be attacked. Everything happened so fast, but in slow motion at the same time.
I blew the whistle on my vest twice, as I was in a panic and hoped it would scare off the cat. I struggle to believe that I remembered carrying the whistle, it’s good to have one, it came with my vest.
It was night, but I was sort of near a road and a campground, I pictured their estimated locations in my mind. I was afraid to run, worried I’d trigger the cat to attack. I also worried my bright light might also make it attack. I hiked pretty fast, wondering what I should do.
Thoughts of how stupid this run was kicked in. Shaking, I thought of reaching for my phone to call my husband and possibly get picked up at the next road.
Reasoning, I felt that I shouldn’t throw away all of the day’s effort with 3 miles left. I also thought that it might be a low chance I see another cat or bear, or that the cat follows me for 3 miles (my worst nightmares of being on the trail).
I kept picturing the video that went viral of the cougar following the man in Utah. No. Thank. You.
I then stopped eating until I finished the run, my adrenaline and survival kicked in. I still drank water. The 3 miles took a very long time and I was feeling unwell-ish, sick, mostly terrified. I gripped my whistle between my fingers, ready to blow again for the remainder of the journey.
I decided to turn on my heavy rock music through my phone speakers to let animals know I was coming. It was the first time I had on music all day. The music was a part of survival, I didn’t even enjoy it.
As the music was spottily playing due to connection issues, I repeated out loud to myself, “Get to Jennings, please more traffic, people.”
I only received relief knowing a person was driving on the road nearby or was partying a far from the campground.
Repeating this affirmation, I was practically out of breath and having to drink because my mouth was getting dry. I hope that I never go through that again. I might just stick with races (more people around) if I’m going to be running at night.
Another mile or two passed and I felt the presence of a large shadow approaching my back left side, again. I think I was imagining it because of the cougar encounter, but that didn’t stop my body from reacting in the same way as when the cat growled.
The freak-out from the shadow caused me to turn off of the NCT and onto another trail at Jenning’s Environmental Center.
My watch alerted me that I was 200 feet off route. I was scared to turn around and go back, but knew I had to. It was hard to be brave.
I was fearful for the rest of the route. When I finished, I was out of it. I didn’t feel as excited as I thought I would, I was relieved and happy to be alive.
While my husband was driving me home, I had to have him pull over, so I could throw up. I threw up again when I got home, it wasn’t pretty, it was blood.
Waking up post run morning, I was feeling “off” about the run. I wasn’t feeling excited about it, I felt neutral. I also think that doing this run was stupid of me, I think because it went drastically different than I imagined it would, taking me into the night, I underestimated the difficulty, and I was fearing for my life with 3 miles left.
All of this comes from my commonsense. The more I reflect on the run, the more proud and accomplished I feel. I’m glad I did it and finished.
I’m grateful for the experience and accomplishments. Grateful for the “me time,” the trail, and benefits of nature and exercise. I’m grateful for what my body can do. I’m grateful for this reflection.
Actually, I’m kind of grateful that I had the rare experience with the cougar and that I was the bigger predator. Grateful to see my family again. Grateful for an answered prayer of safety.
What trail running was like afterwards
After getting my FKT record, I was hesitant about going back on a trail, including the short local trails around town. Anxious thoughts of what might happen if I went on a trail catastrophized, causing me to run sidewalks for weeks.
If you knew me, you’d know that I’m a trail runner, I identify as a trail runner, it is a part of my lifestyle. My continual reaction to the cougar encounter continued to influence where I ran and how my body reacted for weeks. I couldn’t allow this to happen. I couldn’t lose trail running, it makes me happy, keeps me sane, my friends are trail runners, and the races I do are usually on trail.
I needed to face my fears and figure out how to get myself back out there, but this was challenging.
What my body was experiencing during trail runs (and examples)
- Racing heart.
- Hands slightly trembling.
- Jumpy at falling leaves and small critters rustling about.
- Hearing faint growling, but not noticing anything actually present.
- Imagining a mountain lion or bear, some times this was caused by seeing a log or shadow off in the distance before I my mind could make out what it was.
- Feeling paranoid. Occasionally, checking behind me to make sure I wasn’t being stalked by a mountain lion, sometimes I imagined the mountain lion coming up behind me.
- A large bird was startled in brush next to me, causing me to instinctively yell at it, my face became hot and tingled, my hands tingled, and my heart raced.
- I came across a few hundred black birds flying wildly from tree to tree and dive bombing towards the ground. It seemed odd, like something was off. You know how birds will stick together to protect a nest from a predator, this was what I was thinking. Of course, I was immediately looking for a predator.
- Stopping dead in my tracks, my arms and hands were shaking as I began examining the terrain for what was causing the birds behavior. No idea, I couldn’t find anything. I thought to myself, I’m about two miles away from the Jeep, I need to either get past these birds, or turn around and go all the way back to Eckert Bridge and call a ride.
- It was also getting dark, so it could possibly take longer if I turned back. I chose to continue towards the birds and the Jeep. I sang and talked to myself out loud, knowing that animals could hear me coming and can be scared off by the human voice. The last two miles seemed very long.
- A pile of Hawk feathers, meaning one might have been attacked by a predator, causing anxious thoughts.
- Strong odor of scat, causing anxious thoughts.
- Anxious thoughts catastrophized and made the situation seem worse.
- Avoiding trail running every once and a while due to anxiety or fear.
These are things I experienced during trail runs, but I also had a few reactions when I wasn’t on the trail. I was weary of the dark, even in my house. My mind pictured a cougar.
If I heard a recording of a big cat, my body felt sick and tingly. I had nightmares. If there was a dark figure, my brain told me to freeze until it figured out that it was an inanimate object.
Returning to the spot of the encounter 10/10/21
I returned to where I came across the mountain lion back in June and I ran that section twice (because out and back).
My mind was on high alert, telling me that it was too dangerous to be out there. My heart raced, I experienced tingling and warmness on and off in my legs, hands and face.
Anxious and catastrophizing thoughts occurred, but were well-managed. I replaced the thoughts with realistic ones and was mindful of my actual environment. – It was a beautiful day, I was blessed to be out there, hikers were enjoying the trail (not freaking out like I was), and keeping my goals in mind.
I knew I had to be out there, in that spot, facing my fears. I was doing it for myself and doing it for Oil Creek 100, which was the next Saturday. [This was helpful for Oil Creek, I wasn’t fearful of the dark and wild animals attacking me until about midnight or so, and that was just because I was tired.]
After being with my feelings and thoughts, I then took notes on my environment. I was present with it and noticed how pleasant it was. As I looked around, I searched for a mountain lion.
Yes, terrifying, but I reminded myself that it would be an extremely small chance that I’d see one. My reasoning for not seeing one even though the last time I was there there was one?
It was not around 1:00 AM; there were a few hikers out and they were not concerned; I was wearing a bear bell and making other noise, which would help scare it off; I had trekking poles in case I needed a weapon or something to wave around and make myself look big. These were my facts and I was sticking to them.
The next thing was rewriting the story or script of what’s happening. The current story was that I could never return to that spot until Glacier Ridge Ultra (the race course covered the exact spot of the cougar, twice), which was almost a year away.
I could also never fully enjoy trail running as I once did because all trails equaled danger, since that’s where the wild things are.
To go deeper into the story, I was almost beginning to believe that this was my new norm, being afraid. I needed to squash these beliefs that my mind was creating and recreate good memories at the spot where I ran into the mountain lion.
As I rewrote my story, I acknowledged my feelings and thoughts; managed my symptoms by saying positive affirmations out loud; I took deep breathes; kept running and slowed to look around to notice the environment better; I reframed the faulty thinking and replaced it with positivity; practiced mindfulness and gratitude; told myself how lovely it was to be on the trail.
Lastly, I told myself that back in June, I got to experience something very rare and powerful. I came across a mountain lion and it had a good ending. I was not hurt and now have the most ridiculous trail story. Heck yeah.
Reshaping / finding healing
- Noticing my anxious thoughts and reframing them into more realistic ones.
- Steady, deep breathes
- Being in-tune with my body and try to develop understanding.
- Practicing mindfulness
- Reading trusted resources to learn more about trauma and stress-related events.
- Connecting with colleagues and getting resources from those who specialize in trauma and stress-related events.
- Hitting the trail, not avoiding them
- Sharing my story and experience with people I trust.
- Coping and distracting when appropriate (Like videoing the run made me feel safe and not alone.)
Doing all of this helped me practice coping, changing my thoughts, and recreate new, better memories. It was a lot of work, it was scary, but it was worth it. I might never fully recover, I might still experience stress symptoms when I trail run, but I know how to manage them and how to continually heal.
Healing has been a process, slower than I expected. I don’t know if I’ll ever fully recover, but that’s alright because I can continue to overcome it and anything else that comes my way. By the way, you can continue to overcome anything, too.
Thank you for reading my story.
This is what helped me, if you’ve experienced trauma and are showing symptoms of stress from a scary event, don’t try what I do because it might not be right for you, instead, seek professional help.
We can all experience and heal from trauma differently, so keep this in mind.
Meet with a professional who specializes in treating trauma, and they will guide you based off of their expert knowledge, your needs, and the up-to-date research on trauma.
Fantastic resources to learn more about trauma
The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma By Bessel van der Kolk, MD
Somatic Psychotherapy Toolbox: 125 Worksheets and Exercises to Treat Trauma & Stress By Manuela Mischke-Reeds, MA, LMFT
Transforming the Living Legacy of Trauma: A Workbook for Survivors and Therapists By Janina Fisher, PhD
— Cool fact: a while back, I took an online course on trauma taught by Janina Fisher, PhD.
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X-rays are a form of radiation, like light or radio waves that can be focused into a beam, much like a flashlight beam. Unlike a beam of light, however, X-rays can pass through most objects, including the human body.
When X-rays strike a piece of photographic film, they can produce a picture. Dense tissues in the body, such as bones, block (absorb) many of the X-rays and appear white on an X-ray picture. Less dense tissues, such as muscles and organs, block fewer of the X-rays (more of the X-rays pass through) and appear in shades of gray. X-rays that pass only through air appear black on an X-ray picture.
Ultrasound is a test that uses reflected sound waves to produce an image of organs and other structures in the body. It does not use X-rays or other types of possibly harmful radiation.
For ultrasound testing, gel or oil is applied to the skin to help transmit the sound waves. A small, handheld instrument called a transducer is passed back and forth over the area of the body being examined. The transducer sends out high-pitched sound waves (above the range of human hearing) that are reflected back to the transducer. A computer analyzes the sound waves and converts them into a picture that is displayed on a TV screen. The picture produced by ultrasound is called a sonogram, echogram, or ultrasound scan. Pictures or videos of the ultrasound images may be made for a permanent record.
CT or CAT scan
A computed tomography (CT) scan uses X-rays to make detailed pictures of structures inside of the body.
During the test, you will lie on a table that is hooked to the CT scanner, which is a large doughnut-shaped machine. The CT scanner sends X-ray pulses through the body. Each pulse lasts less than a second and takes a picture of a thin slice of the organ or area being studied. One part of the scanning machine can tilt to take pictures from different positions. The pictures are saved on a computer.
A CT scan can be used to study any body organ, such as the liver, pancreas, intestines, kidneys, adrenal glands, lungs, and heart. It also can study blood vessels, bones, and the spinal cord.
An iodine dye (contrast material) is often used to make structures and organs easier to see on the CT pictures. The dye may be used to check blood flow, find tumors, and look for other problems. Dye can be put in a vein (IV) in your arm, or you may drink the dye for some tests. CT pictures may be taken before and after the dye is used.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a test that uses a magnetic field and pulses of radio wave energy to make pictures of organs and structures inside the body. In many cases MRI gives information that cannot be seen on an X-ray, ultrasound, or computed tomography (CT) scan.
For an MRI test, the area of the body being studied is placed inside a special machine that is a strong magnet. Information from an MRI can be saved and stored on a computer for more study. Photographs or films of certain views can also be made. In some cases, a dye (contrast material) may be used during the MRI to show pictures of organs or structures more clearly.
MRI can be used to find problems such as bleeding, tumors, infection, blockage, or injury in the brain, organs and glands, blood vessels, and joints. | <urn:uuid:1231637a-1312-456e-9a46-93da15e38fc7> | CC-MAIN-2014-52 | http://www.pvhmc.org/Heart-Vascular-Center/Heart-Services/Diagnostic-Testing-Details.asp?RID=3 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-52/segments/1418802770860.97/warc/CC-MAIN-20141217075250-00045-ip-10-231-17-201.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937794 | 753 | 4 | 4 | 1.180622 | 1 | Basic reasoning | Health |
Sulawesi is the world's eleventh-largest island, covering an area of 174,600 km². The island is surrounded by Borneo to the west, by the Philippines to the north, by Maluku to the east, and by Flores and Timor to the south. It has a distinctive shape, dominated by four large peninsulas: the Semenanjung Minahasa; the East Peninsula; the South Peninsula; and the South-east Peninsula. The central part of the island is ruggedly mountainous, such that the island's peninsulas have traditionally been remote from each other, with better connections by sea than by road.
According to reconstruction of plate tectonics, the island is believed to have been formed by the collision of terranes from the Asian Plate (forming the west and southwest), from the Australian Plate (forming the southeast and Banggai), and from island arcs previously in the Pacific (forming the north and east peninsulas).
The island is subdivided into six provinces: Gorontalo, West Sulawesi, South Sulawesi, Central Sulawesi, Southeast Sulawesi and North Sulawesi. West Sulawesi is a new province, created in 2004 from part of South Sulawesi. The largest cities on the island are Makassar, on the southwestern coast of the island, and Manado on the northern tip.
Flora and Fauna
Sulawesi straddles Wallace's Line meaning that it has a mix of both Asian and Australasian species. However, the majority of Sulawesi's wildlife belongs to the Australasia region. 2,290 km² of the island is devoted to Lore Lindu National Park.
There are 127 known mammalian species in Sulawesi. A large percentage of these mammals, 62% (79 species) are endemic, meaning that they are found nowhere else in Indonesia or the world. The largest native mammal in Sulawesi is the dwarf buffalo, locally known as the anoa. Other mammalian species inhabiting Sulawesi are the babirusa, a pig-like animal, the Sulawesi palm civet, several species of cuscus, and primates such as the spectral tarsier and several species macaque; including the crested black macaque, the moor macaque and the booted macaque.
By contrast, because many birds can fly between islands, Sulawesian bird species tend to be found on other nearby islands as well, such as Borneo; only 34% of Sulawesi's birds are found nowhere else. One endemic bird is the largely ground-dwelling, chicken-sized maleo, which reproduces like no other bird: taking advantage of the hot sand produced by the island's volcanic vents, they dig holes in the sand, lay their eggs and promptly leave the scene. There are known 1450 bird species in Sulawesi. The Togean White-eye is another endemic that was described in 2008. An international partnership of conservationists, donors and local people have formed the Alliance for Tompotika Conservation, in an effort to raise awareness and protect the nesting grounds of these birds on the central-eastern arm of the island.
Sulawesi also has several endemic species of freshwater fish, such as those in the genus Nomorhamphus, a species flock of livebearing freshwater halfbeaks containing at least 19 distinct species, most of which are only found on Sulawesi.
The island was recently the subject of an Ecoregional Conservation Assessment, coordinated by the Nature Conservancy. Detailed reports about the vegetation of the island are available. The assessment produced a detailed and annotated list of 'conservation portfolio' sites . This information was widely distributed to local government agencies and nongovernmental organizations. Detailed conservation priorities have also been outlined in a recent publication.
The lowland forests on the island are, unfortunately, almost gone. Because of the relative geological youth of the island and its dramatic and sharp topography, the lowland areas are naturally limited in their extent. The past decade has seen dramatic conversion of this rare and endangered habitat. The island also possesses one of the largest outcrops of Serpentine soil in the world, which support an unusual and large community of specialized plant species. Overall, the flora and fauna of this unique center of global biodiversity is very poorly documented and understood and remains critically threatened.
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Sulawesi Overland Tour
Perumahan Griya Bumi Asih Blok B No.5 Jl. Raya Sawangan - Kembes - Minahasa
North Sulawesi - INDONESIA | <urn:uuid:f0f464ca-f528-406d-af91-0ee78d0a77a4> | CC-MAIN-2019-09 | http://matahatikitatour.com/sulawesi-overland-tour/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-09/segments/1550247479729.27/warc/CC-MAIN-20190216004609-20190216030609-00290.warc.gz | en | 0.943841 | 966 | 3.625 | 4 | 2.51756 | 3 | Strong reasoning | History |
In the final event of an on-campus human rights lecture series, government professor Paula Newberg said, despite the efforts of Pakistan’s human rights activists, the country still faces significant security risks.
“You look at a place like Pakistan, which is really my second home, in a way, and a place that I care about very deeply,” said Newberg, the chair in Pakistan studies and a former special advisor to the United Nations. “You’ll find a society where politicians now die for defending the rights of others, where journalists are in danger for telling the truth, where militancy has overtaken the capacity of the state to enforce legitimate order and where compromise has overtaken a clear view of the protectant mission of the state.”
Newberg said states cannot succeed when they commit human rights violation against their own people.
“I have worked across Asia and Africa and Europe, and I have yet to find a state that can sustain itself and flourish when it persecutes or starves or ignores its own people,” Newberg said.
Newberg’s lecture was part of the White Rose Society’s series “Overcoming Hatred: A Human Rights Symposium.” The society was founded in World War II by a group of German students resisting Nazi Germany with non-violent intellectual methods, which ultimately led to the executions of many of its members.
History professor Sumit Guha said the original members of the society stood against Nazi Germany despite the possible consequences.
“It’s an example to all of us in our time — I think [the members] just felt they needed to make a stand regardless of what the ultimate outcome was,” Guha said. “For all that they could calculate about the future, they could have perished completely unknown, so it’s one of those gestures of resistance that doesn’t even necessarily assume that there’s success.”
Kolby Lee, government senior and co-president of STAND, a student organization advocating against genocide, said the organization takes after the mission of the White Rose Society.
“We’ve really kind of taken from [the White Rose Society’s] message and so a lot of what our organization at UT does is A, Holocaust remembrance but B, more broadly, genocide awareness,” Lee, who introduced Newberg at the lecture, said. “We’re a core chapter of a large national student lead movement called STAND, and STAND really focuses on issues — mass atrocities all over the world.”
Newberg said that human rights violations can be precursors to larger governmental collapse.
“If you think about it, any country that abuses the rights of free expression or the rights of free association, you find that it is a country that may well be on the verge of imploding,” Newberg said. | <urn:uuid:0e3d2f44-3ecb-4793-aa4f-b78edbbb6f03> | CC-MAIN-2019-47 | http://www.dailytexanonline.com/news/2014/04/02/government-professor-discusses-human-rights-issues-in-pakistan | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-47/segments/1573496667260.46/warc/CC-MAIN-20191113113242-20191113141242-00073.warc.gz | en | 0.952412 | 606 | 2.671875 | 3 | 2.896985 | 3 | Strong reasoning | Politics |
The claim that raw milk has no benefits over pasteurized milk is, on its face, false. Does anyone contend that cooked strawberries or spinach are no different than raw strawberries or spinach? It’s well-accepted that heating foods not only changes the taste, but destroys enzymes and certain nutrients.
In addition, there are published, peer-reviewed scientific studies showing health benefits from raw milk. Several recent studies in Europe have found that drinking “farm” (raw) milk protects against asthma and allergies.
- Riedler, J. et al. 2001. “Exposure to farming in early life and development of asthma and allergy: a cross-sectional survey.” Lancet 358:1129-33.
- Perkin, M.R. and D.P. Strachan. 2006. “Which aspects of the farming lifestyle explain the inverse association with childhood allergy?” Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 117(6):1374-8.
- Waser, M. et al. 2006. “Inverse association of farm milk consumption with asthma and allergy in rural and suburban populations across Europe.” Clinical and Experimental Allergy 37:661-670.
- Perkin, M.R. 2007. “Unpasteurized milk: health of hazard?” Clinical and Experimental Allergy 37:627-630.
Raw milk retains higher levels of Vitamins A, B, C, and D than pasteurized.
- Haug, A., A.T. Hostmark, and O.M. Harstad. 2007. “Bovine milk in human nutrition—a review.” Lipids Health Disease 6:25 (“Proteins and peptides are heat sensitive, and their bioactivity may be reduced by pasteurization of milk. Heating of milk may also result in the formation of potentially harmful new products, i..e. when carbohydrates in milk react with proteins.”).
- Wong, D.W.S. and W.M. Camirand. 1996. “Structures and functionalities of milk proteins.” Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition 36(8): 807-844.
- Runge, F.E. and R. Heger. 2000. “Use of microcalorimetry in monitoring stability studies. Example: Vitamin A Esters.” Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 48(1):47-55.
- Kilshaw, P.J., L.M. Heppell, and J.E. Ford. 1982. “Effects of heat treatment of cow’s milk and whey on the nutritional quality and antigenic properties.” Archives of Disease in Childhood 57: 842-847 (heat treatment destroyed all of the Vitamin B12, about 60% of the thiamin and Vitamin B6, 70% of the ascorbic acid, and about 30% of the folate).
- Gregory, J.F. 1982. “Denaturation of the folacin-binding protein in pasteurized milk products.” Journal of Nutrition 112: 1329-1338. and “Effect of several heat treatments and frozen storage on thiamine, riboflavin, and ascorbic acid content of milk.” Journal of Dairy Science. 66: 1601-6.
- Rajakumar, K. 2001. “Infantile scurvy: a historical perspective.” Pediatrics 108(4):E76.
- Hollis, B.W. et al. 1981. “Vitamin D and its metabolites in human and bovine milk.” Journal of Nutrition 111:1240-1248.
- Levieux, D. 1980. “Heat denaturation of whey proteins: comparative studies with physical and immunological methods.” Ann Rech Vet. 11(1): 89-97 (“Nutritionists believe that high losses of nutritive value occur in heated proteins following cross-linking since high cross-linked proteins cannot be degraded by digestive enzymes.”)
Moreover, there are numerous testimonials about the benefits of drinking raw milk. While these do not provide scientific evidence of benefits, it is clear that individuals choose to expend significant time and money to drink raw milk because they see a benefit. | <urn:uuid:5ed16f7e-24e8-472d-85bb-ee45de5ac81a> | CC-MAIN-2020-29 | http://farmandranchfreedom.org/raw-milk/benefits/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-29/segments/1593655906214.53/warc/CC-MAIN-20200710050953-20200710080953-00467.warc.gz | en | 0.863718 | 917 | 3.0625 | 3 | 3.032664 | 3 | Strong reasoning | Health |
What is a Dislocated Shoulder?
A Dislocated Shoulder is one that has come out of the socket joint. The shoulder (glenohumeral joint) is a ball and socket joint. The shoulder blade bone (scapula) extends up to the top of the shoulder ending in what is known as the glenoid cavity, or the socket. At the top end of the upper arm bone, the humerus, is the humeral head which is shaped like a ball. The humeral head fits nicely into the glenoid cavity socket. It is held in place by a series of ligaments and the joint capsule, which is a fibrocartilaginous bubble-like structure that surrounds the entire joint. Overuse, trauma, and other conditions may cause the humerus to come out of the socket and not go back in, as sometimes happens. This is when a diagnosis of a Dislocated Shoulder will be given.
What Causes a Dislocated Shoulder?
A shoulder can dislocate for a number of reasons. It is usually a trauma that will cause this to happen, but there are other causes as well. These can be:
- Trauma from a car or motorcycle accident
- A high impact sports-related injury
- Falling on outstretched hand (called a FOOSH injury)
- Complication after a stroke or another cause of paralysis of the body
- Repetitive strain to the shoulder and its ligaments
- In a small number of cases, a person may experience chronic instability of the shoulder joint leading to frequent dislocations
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Dislocated Shoulder Symptoms | How to Tell if Shoulder is Dislocated
The symptoms of a dislocated shoulder involve significant, intense shoulder pain, but the following may also be present when a shoulder is dislocated:
- A visibly deformed shoulder joint
- Pain with movement or complete lack of ability to move the shoulder joint
- Numbness, weakness, and tingling sensations that travel down your arm if nerves were damaged when the shoulder dislocated
If You Are Experiencing Symptoms, Schedule an Appointment with Dr. Burke Orthopedics Immediately.
How to Treat a Dislocated Shoulder
Treatment of a dislocated shoulder must involve seeking help from a doctor. There is little to no chance of your arm going back into the socket and healing on its own. The muscles surrounding the shoulder joint are most likely spasming as a result of the trauma. These muscles need to be calmed down and you will likely be sedated to accomplish this. Then, your then your doctor can gently place the arm bone back in the socket. After this is accomplished a sling must be worn for 4-6 weeks in order to allow surrounding structures to heal. This is referred to as a closed reduction of the shoulder joint.
During your time in the sling, some movement is necessary so that full range of motion will likely be restored. A course of physical therapy will most likely be ordered in order to educate on proper movements and gentle range of motion exercises. After some time and enough healing has occurred, strengthening muscles around the shoulder will be the goal of therapy, with focus on the rotator cuff muscles.
If after closed reduction and physical therapy, you continue to experience severe pain in your shoulder, you may require surgery in order to put everything back in place or if the damage to the surrounding muscles, ligaments, tendons, and nerves is severe. | <urn:uuid:32c68790-93e8-42c8-98af-2658c7ac4ddc> | CC-MAIN-2020-45 | https://drburkeortho.com/orthopedic-conditions/shoulder-conditions/dislocated-shoulder/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-45/segments/1603107892710.59/warc/CC-MAIN-20201026234045-20201027024045-00266.warc.gz | en | 0.9406 | 737 | 2.609375 | 3 | 1.34501 | 1 | Basic reasoning | Health |
Two white dwarfs circle around one other, locked in a fatal tango. With an intimate orbit and a hefty combined mass, the pair is ultimately destined to collide, merge, and erupt in a titanic explosion: a Type Ia supernova. Or so goes the theory behind the infamous “standard candles” of cosmology. Now, in a paper published in today’s issue of […]
Huge disks of dust and gas encircle many young stars. Some contain circular gaps — likely the result of forming planets carving out cavities along their orbital paths — that make the disks look more like ripples in a pond than flat pancakes. But astronomers know only a few examples, including the archetypal disk surrounding Beta […]
This picture shows it is possible to look at Rosetta’s comet from Earth, but what a lot of work it requires! The picture you see above is a composite of 40 separate images taken by the Very Large Telescope (removing the background stars). Despite the fact that Rosetta is right next to Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, ground-based […]
What’s it like to spend a night at a huge telescope observatory? Jordi Busque recorded a brilliant timelapse of the Very Large Telescope (VLT) and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). What makes this video unique is not only the exotic location in Chile, but the use of sound in the area rather than music.
The Universe is overflowing with cosmic dust. Planets form in swirling clouds of dust around a young star; Dust lanes hide more-distant stars in the Milky Way above us; And molecular hydrogen forms on the dust grains in interstellar space. Even the soot from a candle is very similar to cosmic carbon dust. Both consist […]
Dust clouds on a brown dwarf or “failed star” are making it appear redder than its counterparts, new research reveals. Better studying this phenomenon could improve the weather forecast on these objects, which are larger than gas giant planets but not quite big enough to ignite nuclear fusion processes to become stars. “These are not […]
Some 160,000 light years away towards the constellation of Dorado (the Swordfish), is an amazing area of starbirth and death. Located in our celestial neighbor, the Large Magellanic Cloud, this huge stellar forge sculpts vast clouds of gas and dust into hot, new stars and carves out ribbons and curls of nebulae. However, in this […]
As the chill of winter settles into the northern hemisphere, fantasies of down-south travel pervade a lot of people’s dreams. Well, here’s a virtual journey to warm climes for astronomy buffs: a beautiful, music-filled timelapse of several European Southern Observatory telescopes gazing at the heavens in Chile. Uploaded in 2011 (but promoted this morning on […] | <urn:uuid:d3d62acd-7ad3-480d-8a0a-8c85fa8d0c38> | CC-MAIN-2018-30 | https://www.universetoday.com/tag/very-large-telescope/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-30/segments/1531676591455.76/warc/CC-MAIN-20180720002543-20180720022543-00338.warc.gz | en | 0.911028 | 603 | 3.03125 | 3 | 2.76306 | 3 | Strong reasoning | Science & Tech. |
America's oldest hospital. Another of Benjamin Franklin's legacies.
It seems a trifle peculiar to send someone on a walking tour of a medical facility. But in the case of Pennsylvania Hospital, the oldest such institution in the land, history, architecture, and landscaping combine in making yet another of Benjamin Franklin's legacies a singular destination.
The indefatigable Franklin raised money to help found the hospital in 1751, in conjunction with Dr. Thomas Bond. When the United States declared independence from Great Britain, the hospital was already 25 years old. Franklin also served on the hospital's original Board of Managers, as well as being its first secretary and second president.
The hospital's original home was the Pine Building, still a section of the hospital, which was built in three sections over 50 years. The primary architect, Samuel Rhodes, a member of the Carpenters' Company, took his inspiration from the Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh.
Initially, the basement was used to house the insane (Pennsylvania Hospital being a pioneer in the humane treatment of the mentally ill). The first floor of the Pine Building was the men's ward; the second floor the women's ward; the third floor was reserved for servants and for isolation cases of both sexes.
The first floor of the center building features the Great Court, an antique fire pump, a Thomas Sully portrait of former Board president Samuel Coates, and the President's office. Inside the office one can see a chair owned by William Penn, a grandfather clock built by the noted astronomer-scientist David Rittenhouse, and a Thomas Eakins portrait of Dr. Jacob DaCosta.
The second floor of the center building houses a historic library whose beauty will make any bibliophile's heart beat faster. Upon stepping inside one feels transported into a rarefied atmosphere (the room is climate controlled) and into another era. First one's eyes fall upon the darkly patinaed bookcases enclosed with hand-blown glass panes which accent the over 13,000 medical tomes and herbal and horticultural volumes contained within. The collection includes many outstanding works in anatomy, surgery, internal medicine, national history, science, and botany.
Upstairs, a graceful catwalk girds the room. Cases featuring hospital memorabilia and temporary book exhibits are also featured. The only discordant note for the non-anatomist is in the form of three plaster casts of a uterine dissection, which were used to instruct the medical students.
Though the bibliophile might be tempted to read at the great room-sized table another remarkable room awaits right above. Outside the library, portraits of doctors bearing solemn countenances give the area an art museum atmosphere. Seek out the portrait of the Declaration signing, yellow-fever fighting Dr. Benjamin Rush also painted by Thomas Sully. Sully, after Charles Willson Peale, was the leading portraitist of his time, and his legacy lives on in his many works on display at the National Portrait Gallery.
Follow the large double staircase up to the Surgical Amphitheatre. Here, under a skylight, surrounded by rows of medical students above, surgical procedures were performed from 1804 to 1868. This period was prior to the antisepsis movement, and the hospital surgeons limited their procedures to amputations, extractions (tumor, stone, and cataract), and the repair of aneurysms and hernias. Hospital cofounder Dr. Thomas Bond performed the first lithotomy (stone extraction) in the 13 Colonies at the hospital on November 29, 1756.
To the left of the Amphitheatre, in the West Wing, is the Museum of Nursing History. Nursing uniforms, pins, caps, and other memorabilia are on display.
North of the Pine Building is the Gallery Pavilion, where one will find Benjamin West's extraordinary 1817 painting "Christ Healing the Sick in the Temple." The hospital asked West to donate one of his works. He executed a painting in London, but it proved so popular that West was forced to leave it there and paint a similar work. When the second painting was hung in Philadelphia, overflow crowds paid to view it.
Before leaving, tour the grounds on the Pine Street side of the hospital. While strolling through the gardens, stop to appreciate the fine merging of Georgian and Federal architecture. The rotunda will put one in mind of Jefferson's Monticello. An 18th Century statue of William Penn presides over the gracious setting. A well-tended "physic" (an early term for "medicine") garden features herbs that were once used for therapeutic purposes. Azaleas and wisteria encountered on your walk date to the last century.
The grounds also contain the unmarked grave of Mary Girard, the wife of Stephen, who was one of the richest men in the country when he died. Mary was committed to the hospital as a "lunatic" in 1790, gave birth to a daughter a year later, and was a patient here until 1815. Stephen Girard's endowments to the hospital were substantial.It is the oldest hospital in America.
The hospital logo is based on the Good Samaritan parable. The hospital was founded to take care of the "sick poor" and the insane.
The first patient was admitted in 1752.
Basement cells were originally reserved for mentally ill patients.
The hospital has had fire insurance longer than any other building in the country.
The president's office housed the first pharmacy in the Colonies.
Location: Between Eighth and Ninth on Pine. (Map)
Built: East wing 1755. West wing 1796. Center 1804.
Architect: Samuel Rhoads (with Joseph Fox)
Style: East Wing: Georgian. Central pavilion and west wing: Federal.
Commissioned by: The Hospital's Board of Managers, including Thomas Bond and Benjamin Franklin
Tourism information: Self-guided tour (inquire at the Welcome Desk, located first floor, Preston Building, at 8th and Spruce). Guided tours are also available Mo-Fr 9am-4:30pm. 215-829-8796
Facilities: indoor/outdoor seating, garden
Official website: www.pahosp.com | <urn:uuid:a78559ca-fe20-4f8c-a45c-122a73aca696> | CC-MAIN-2015-14 | http://www.ushistory.org/tour/pennsylvania-hospital.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-14/segments/1427131298889.70/warc/CC-MAIN-20150323172138-00124-ip-10-168-14-71.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957443 | 1,305 | 3.015625 | 3 | 1.994473 | 2 | Moderate reasoning | Travel |
Hacking the end users’ valuable online accounts, data and information has become a big business for the cybercriminals, and is now one of the fastest growing cybercrimes type around the globe. It (hacking) is a low risk, high reward game malicious activity, and targets every end user. Therefore, it is must to keep your system, network and the online accounts secure from all sorts of hacking incidents or security breaches that occur over the internet. Step up your user authentication, and stay ahead of the hackers. Use the latest security techniques, so that all your digital assets get protected from different types of malicious activities. One ideal security method that protects all your valuable online accounts from getting compromised is Two Factor Authentication. Move ahead with this security method, and get a secure login experience.
What is Two Factor Authentication?
Weak passwords are the preferred weapons used by the hackers or intruders when looking to gain access to your online accounts. Logging in to the account with using just only password as a means of authentication, increases the chances of your account to get hacked easily. Due to this major shortcoming of password-only verification in the login procedure, Two Factor Authentication came into being, and is working well regarding security of the online accounts. It is being used in different internet services such as emailing, instant messaging, online shopping, net banking, and many more.
Two Factor Authentication, also known as Two Step Verification or 2FA, is a method to increase security of the online accounts by validating & verifying the identity of the user using two different components in the login procedure. This security method adds an extra layer or step to make the login secure. 2FA requires two factors – secret password (something you know) and a mobile device to receive unique verification code (something you have), to check whether the user is authentic or not. If you lack any one of these factors, then accessing the account will be impossible. It reflects that Two Factor Authentication security method is highly secure.
What factors 2FA combine?
>> The knowledge factor (something you know)
- It includes username, password, PIN, a secret question and answer.
>> The possession factor (something you have)
- It includes credit & debit card, mobile device.
>> The inherence factor (something you are)
- It includes biometric characteristics of the user such as iris, retina, face scan, voice recognition, fingerprint, etc.
>> Time and Location factors
- These factors include geographic location.
Two Factor Authentication security method combines any two of the above-listed possible four authentication factors in the login process. This method secures online accounts, data and information of the end users. Two Factor Authentication provides protection against basic threats such as key loggers, and cracked or stolen passwords. | <urn:uuid:fa37359e-bfce-4a7b-8fb0-5ec4e2885c87> | CC-MAIN-2020-16 | https://revesecure.com/blog/two-factor-authentication-an-ideal-way-to-stop-the-online-accounts-hacking/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-16/segments/1585370511408.40/warc/CC-MAIN-20200410173109-20200410203609-00132.warc.gz | en | 0.908774 | 571 | 2.84375 | 3 | 2.005393 | 2 | Moderate reasoning | Software |
In a spectacular display of science, technology and imaginative innovation, a balloon will blow up into a three-story tall planetarium at the Evansville Museum.
If all goes according to schedule, the dome for a new immersive planetarium and auditorium will take shape in a matter of hours sometime Tuesday inside the framed-in skeleton for the museum's new entrance addition.
A pair of industrial blowers will inflate a 60-mil, two-ton fabric membrane that will balloon into what looks like the top half of a sunken globe, stretching to about 65 feet wide and about 36 feet tall. It will arise in the western half of the new museum entrance, under construction on the south end of the building.
The membrane, made of a tough, weather-impermeable material, will serve as the airform for the dome, which will be built from the inside by workers entering through an airlock door, explained Tom Dixon, project superintendent for Dome Technology of Idaho Falls, Idaho.
Using the company's patented technology, the team will begin by spraying 1½ inches of polyurethane foam inside the dome balloon. When that hardens, they'll form and fasten a skeleton of ½-inch steel rebar to the dome, then spray 5 inches of concrete slurry, called shotcrete, inside of that.
All of that should take about five weeks, said Dixon. During that time, the museum has invited engineering students from both of Evansville's universities to come see the process, developed by Dome Technology in the 1970s.
Since then the company has used the airform technique to build nearly 600 monolithic concrete structures around the world, said Dixon. At 65 feet in diameter, the immersive planetarium is one of the smallest he's worked on, he said.
The company has used the dome technology to build schools and churches more than 100 feet in diameter, and storage structures up to 256 feet across and 127 feet tall.
Once the museum's dome is finished, fans and other equipment will come out, setting the stage for the completion of the immersive auditorium.
More insulation, ductwork and other equipment will go between the steel-reinforced concrete bubble and the dome-shaped screen that will wrap around the audience in the auditorium, said Jeff Williams, project manager for Danco Construction, general contractor for the project.
Add a layer of terra cotta tile to its exterior, and the distance between the inside screen and the exterior tile surface should measure about 4 feet, said Williams.
Once fully outfitted, the immersive auditorium will reach 40 feet in diameter with seating for 68. Two digital projectors will cover the 360-degree dome with seamless moving images.
The new entrance and immersive planetarium theater are part of the final phase of a $14.1 million expansion begun several years ago.
Plans call for the new entrance hall and the immersive auditorium to open in January 2014, said Mary Bower, the museum's interim director.
For more on the planetarium and the new entrance plans, click on the "Reaching for the stars" link at emuseum.org online.
For more on Dome Technology, visit www.dometech.com.
Need Help? Call us at 1-877-304-7771.
Monday-Friday: 6am-5pm / Saturday: 6am-11am / Sunday: 7am-Noon | <urn:uuid:920cfbcf-4051-426f-9f4d-4672c9a82362> | CC-MAIN-2015-32 | http://www.courierpress.com/entertainment/imagine-a-dome-of-8230 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-32/segments/1438042987135.9/warc/CC-MAIN-20150728002307-00190-ip-10-236-191-2.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.921362 | 702 | 2.796875 | 3 | 1.930708 | 2 | Moderate reasoning | Science & Tech. |
Prison camp at Ervik
The camp for POWs at Ervik was one of the biggest ones in the county of Sogn og Fjordane. The prisoners were used in the work of building German military installations on the westernmost point of Stadlandet. There were about 120 prisoners at the camp.
Olga Barmen gives her account
Olga Barmen lived close to the camp. In the book Krigsår. she tells about the war years at Ervik:
¿The prisoners came by groups to Ervik. Many died at Ervik, some from diseases, starvation and exhaustion, whereas others were shot. Sometimes we saw dead Russians being transported out of the camp on a hand wagon to be buried at Sanden just below the camp. (..) I can clearly remember one night when nine Russians, maybe more, managed to cut through the barbed wire and escape. Three of them were quickly captured and shot the next morning."
After the war 21 corpses were found, but local people were of the opinion that more prisoners had been buried by the Germans. Some maintain that about 30 Russian prisoners lost their lives at Stadlandet. The 21 bodies were buried in a mass grave on the churchyard at Ervik on a Thursday evening in September, 1945. Many people from Stadlandet attended the ceremony. The vicar Tungesvik officiated at the ceremony and the Selje male choir sang many beautiful songs, conducted by the cantor Ervik. Shortly afterwards, a white-painted wooden cross was erected on the grave site with the following inscription:
¿Here lie 21 Russians" and below, the abbreviation ¿42-43" for the period 1942-1943
Later on, the corpses were transferred to a churchyard at Laksevåg along with the bodies of dead Russian POWs from Florø, Askvoll, Solund and Fjell.
The bell tower was redecorated into a memorial room
On 8 May, 2005, a separate room in the bell tower of the Ervik churchyard was opened to commemorate the 21 Russian POWs. The wooden cross previously placed on the mass grave is fastened to one of the walls. In addition, a few pictures and some information also hang on the walls. Candles can also be lit in the memorial room.
This room in the bell tower was previously used to store various tools.
The memorial ceremony
During the memorial ceremony Bjørn Jensen spoke about the Russian camp. Nobody knows how many prisoners who had been at the camp throughout the years, nor how many who were killed or died because of the wretched living conditions. When the war was over, there were 19 prisoners in the camp.
Nobody knows the names of any of the prisoners, nor what happened to the survivors. What we do know is that there were prisoners from many nationalities - Russians, Ukrainians, and possibly also Poles.
In the service a Ukrainian melody on the invocation Kyrie eleison was used, and a Russian melody on the song ¿Eg har høyrt om ein stad i det høge". The viar also sang a song about a yearning for the Ukraine.
On the churchyard Bjørn Jensen played a Russian melody and the vicar read a prayer before the hymn ¿Guds kjærleik er som stranda og som graset" was sung. | <urn:uuid:f95b1dfd-ceaf-4a7b-b2b0-29ec01158b63> | CC-MAIN-2019-47 | https://encyclopedia.fylkesarkivet.no/article/bb9fd4d0-0979-427a-9a97-329903b11f30/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-47/segments/1573496670255.18/warc/CC-MAIN-20191119195450-20191119223450-00523.warc.gz | en | 0.968206 | 713 | 2.9375 | 3 | 2.362003 | 2 | Moderate reasoning | History |
|Scientific Name:||Danio choprai Hora, 1928|
Brachydanio choprai (Hora, 1928)
Danio choprae Hora, 1928
|Taxonomic Notes:||Hora (1928) described Brachydanio choprae. As Brachydanio has been considered junior synonym of Danio (Fang 2003), the species is now valid as Danio choprai.
|Red List Category & Criteria:||Least Concern ver 3.1|
|Reviewer(s):||Britz, R., Rema Devi, K.R. & Juffe Bignoli, D.|
Danio choprai is found in a remote area in Myanmar where no major threats have been identified. It is beleived to be fairly common although more research is needed to confirm total range. The species is assessed as Least Concern.
|Range Description:||Danio choprai is known from Irrawady drainage, Upper Myanmar.|
Native:Myanmar (Myanmar (mainland))
|Range Map:||Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.|
|Population:||No information available. The species is fairly common (R. Brtiz pers. comm. 2010) although more research is needed to know its distribution and population trends.|
|Current Population Trend:||Unknown|
|Habitat and Ecology:||Most specimens have been collected from small rocky streams.|
|Use and Trade:||This species is used as ornamental fish in aquariums.|
|Major Threat(s):||No threats have been identified.|
|Conservation Actions:||Further survey work is needed to determine whether or not this species is experiencing a decline, or is undergoing extreme population fluctuations.|
Fang, F. 2003. Phylogenetic analysis of the Asian cyprinid genus Danio (Telostei, Cyprinidae). Copeia 2003(4): 714-728.
Hora, S. L. 1928. Notes on fishes in the Indian Museum. Records of the Indian Museum v(30): 37-40.
IUCN. 2010. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (ver. 2010.4). Available at: http://www.iucnredlist.org. (Accessed: 27 October 2010).
|Citation:||Vishwanath, W. 2010. Danio choprai. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2010: e.T168588A6520445.Downloaded on 18 February 2018.| | <urn:uuid:63835d9c-a67b-4ba4-8922-f68c933da809> | CC-MAIN-2018-09 | http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/full/168588/0 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-09/segments/1518891811243.29/warc/CC-MAIN-20180218003946-20180218023946-00749.warc.gz | en | 0.716736 | 555 | 2.796875 | 3 | 2.716996 | 3 | Strong reasoning | Science & Tech. |
At the end of the seventeenth century this was to change. More and more regents bought up the rights of noble families that were dying out, and assumed the title of ‘lord’. They began to wear wigs, communicated in French and formed a closed social rank. A regent’s son did not want to marry beneath his station and therefore he chose to marry a regent’s daughter, so that a closed governing caste, as it were, came into being. This did not enhance the quality of town administration, because from then on, it was who you were and not what you were that became the main criterion for becoming a magistrate. In town consultation bodies, in the Regional States and in the States-General, the same people put forward the same points of view again and again. Dissenting voices grew silent, and the Republic slowly became weighed down by a suffocating form of group thinking.
In the Golden Age it had not yet come to this. In that period, the regent class was still an open group of professional administrators, committed to the freedom of the towns and to freedom of conscience for everyone. They were not quibblers who suppressed another’s opinion. The principle that an offence should not be punished purely and simply because it was forbidden, stems from them. They held that some slip-ups are so innocent that they ought to be ignored. To use a modern term: sometimes, they pursued a policy of looking the other way.
Not that they were the first to do this. The spread of Calvinism in the sixteenth century could only have been possible because the town authorities did not keep to the letter of the law. The law laid down that heretics were to be handed over to the Inquisition, but, as we have seen, this law was usually circumvented. In the sixteenth century, Holland already had a consultation culture and the necessary condition for this was freedom of conscience; first and foremost, freedom of conscience for Calvinists and after that for Catholics, Jews, Lutherans, Baptists, and free thinkers, such as Descartes, Spinoza, and Voltaire. When Amsterdam had become a truly capitalist town in the Golden Age and people realized that the town was doing very well out of its tolerant attitude, only then did toleration become deliberate policy.
Although Sir William Temple considered Jan de Witt ‘the greatest statesman of our century’, the Dutch politician could not possibly have foreseen what would happen in 1672. The French King, Louis XIV, was sick and tired of that upstart country in the north where every subversive tract could be published with impunity. Moreover, opponents of his reign cited the prosperity of the Republic as evidence that there were alternatives to an absolute monarchy. Louis hated Holland. That was not new. On the other hand, the fact that England had allowed itself to be drawn into an alliance with France came as a great shock. Certainly for Johan de Witt and William Temple, it was a bolt from the blue: it was completely illogical that England would permit its arch-rival France, to dominate the Flemish and Holland coasts.
Be that as it may, in 1672, the Third Anglo-Dutch War was a fact. Johan de Witt had to resign and was lynched. While the English fleet prepared for a landing on the Dutch coast and the French crossed the Rhine, the population of Holland forced the States-General to appoint William III of Orange as Stadtholder. Meanwhile, the war did not proceed half as disastrously as had been feared. Three times Admiral de Ruyter forced the enemy fleet to abandon an invasion, after which England withdrew from the war altogether, nineteen months after the war had broken out. (England lost parts of Guyana and gained New Amsterdam, which today is called New York.) The French came up against flooded areas which were very difficult to penetrate, and although the Dutch talked of a ‘Year of Disaster’, at the end of the day, they came out of it almost unscathed.
Ironically, the King of France had helped a formidable opponent into the saddle who would otherwise never have come to power. Asthmatic and hunch-backed, William III in no way resembled the gallant diplomats of his time, but he was indeed the architect of Louis’ decline. Again and again, William succeeded in negotiating coalitions between European states, thus checking French expansion. In this way, he continued Johan de Witt’s balance-of-power politics.
However, William III had more success with this policy than De Witt. The unknown factor in all the anti-French coalitions up to then had been England. But as a son and husband of English princesses, the stadtholder could stake his claim to the British throne, and in 1688, he got himself invited to England by a small Calvinist minority. With five-hundred ships, borrowed from the Dutch state, he sailed across the Channel, landed in Devon, captured London and demanded that the English pay the occupation forces. Finally, he made his rule acceptable to his subjects by ratifying the rights of Parliament.
For William III, recognizing these rights was not such a huge step, since, as stadholder in the Netherlands, he had been accustomed to sharing power with the States-General. For England this action broke new ground, because earlier monarchs had disbanded Parliament rather than consider its rights. The British called the conquest the ‘Glorious Revolution’.
For the King-Stadtholder, taking control of Britain formed the basis for a great alliance against France; one which remained intact after his death and eventually forced Louis XIV to back down. The power of the Republic of the United Netherlands seemed to have reached an absolute pinnacle. On many occasions, however, William III was compelled to put the interests of the anti-French alliance before those of the Republic. He would not allow the Dutch to trade with France, for example: an action which would have consequences for Dutch trade in the eighteenth century. But around 1700, Amsterdam still seemed to be ‘like an empress wearing the crown of Europe’.
>> to the next chapter >> | <urn:uuid:aba3acd7-8068-47f7-8279-56937c6c0fc5> | CC-MAIN-2018-13 | https://consensusandcrises.wordpress.com/7-2/7-7/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-13/segments/1521257651820.82/warc/CC-MAIN-20180325044627-20180325064627-00155.warc.gz | en | 0.985552 | 1,273 | 3.15625 | 3 | 2.978674 | 3 | Strong reasoning | History |
Very Warm March...Are We Done with Wintry Weather?
In recent days at Topeka, much above normal temperatures have been common. Record high values of both high temperatures and low temperatures have been set on multiple days. Specifically, record high temperatures were set on March 14 with 84 degrees and March 16 with 81 degrees. Record warm low temperatures were set on March 14, 16, 17, and 18 with 63, 60, 64, and 69 degrees, respectively. The low temperature of 69 degrees was the warmest March low temperature on record. Weather records for Topeka date back to the summer of 1887.
As of March 19, there have been 11 days this month with high temperatures over 70 degrees. Based on historical data, the average number of such days that usually occur in March is just over four. For this March, there have been eight consecutive days with highs over 70.
Low temperatures above 55 degrees have also been much more common than normal for March. This March has included seven days with these warm temperatures, including six days in a row. On average, low temperatures greater than 55 degrees occur on less than one day in March. Plant life has responded to these warm temperatures with leaves emerging on many trees, flowers blooming, and grasses greening up.
After the somewhat cooler and wet pattern ends late this week, a return to above normal temperatures is forecast for the end of the month. This graphic is produced by the Climate Prediction Center ( http://www.ncdc.ncep.noaa.gov ) .
Very warm March temperatures also occurred in 2007. In that month, there were 12 days with highs over 70 degrees, which tied for the second most on record (including six in a row), and eight days with lows over 55, which is the most on record. The warmth ended in early April as low temperatures dropped to below 30 degrees on six consecutive days. Plants suffered as they reacted to the March warmth and then dealt with the consistent nighttime freezes. More information on this event can be found at http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/special-reports/2007-apr-cold-event.html .
There are two other years on record with similar March temperatures that are noteworthy. The highest frequency of days with highs over 70 in March is 1910 with 17, including 11 such days in row. Lows above 55 were also rather frequent, with seven such days occurring, trailing only 2007. Although freezing temperatures were not measured in April or May of that year, light snow fell on four days in April and the mercury reached 33 degrees on four days, the latest day for both occurring on April 24. In March 1907, there were nine consecutive March days with highs over 70 (the most consecutive on record) and a total of 10 such days. There were also five days with lows above 55 degrees, which was the third highest number for March. The following May, the latest snowfall of at least an inch on record fell, with 3.2 inches falling on May 3, and temperatures fell to the freezing point on May 15.
The outlook for April is for better than equal chances for tempeatures to be above normal for the area (see below), but this will not rule out the possibility of at least brief cold spells, as seen in other years with warm Marches. | <urn:uuid:ffa03355-de42-437f-972f-cce479088351> | CC-MAIN-2014-35 | http://www.crh.noaa.gov/news/display_cmsstory.php?wfo=top&storyid=80889&source=2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-35/segments/1408500829210.91/warc/CC-MAIN-20140820021349-00015-ip-10-180-136-8.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975334 | 681 | 2.5625 | 3 | 1.997653 | 2 | Moderate reasoning | Science & Tech. |
Brussels, 2 June 2010
Environment: Calls for taxation regimes to reflect impacts on the environment
Today the European Commission, together with the UN Environmental Programme, launched a major new report highlighting the need for a radical change in the way major economies are using scarce resources. The report provides science-based priorities for world environmental efforts, ranking products, materials and economic and lifestyle activities according to their environmental and resource impacts. Major findings include the news that over half of all world food crops are now fed to animals, and that a doubling of wealth leads typically to an increase of environmental pressure by 60 to 80 per cent. The 149-page report, put together by the International Panel for Sustainable Resource Management, indicates that legislators and policymakers looking to make the most impact on the Earth’s well-being should use taxes and other incentives to encourage more eco-friendly agricultural practices and reduce the use of fossil fuels.
Environment Commissioner Janez Potočnik said: "This report drives home the urgent need for a switch to a resource-efficient economy. It will be a titanic task, but one that is essential for our future prosperity and quality of life. If we really want to change the way we use resources, altering price signals through taxation is among the most efficient and effective approaches.."
“We can achieve both sustainability economic growth and environmental well-being,” said Angela Cropper, Deputy Executive Director of UNEP. “It starts by putting emphasis on those efforts that do the biggest good in reducing humanity’s harm of ecosystems. In that regard, this report makes an important contribution to thinking for policy-makers. And for individuals, it reinforces familiar advice: Put down the steak knife, flip off lights, insulate homes, turn down the thermostat or air conditioner, avoid air travel and park the car as much as possible -- these actions offer the biggest environmental ‘bang for the buck’ and make the greatest difference to Mother Earth.”
The report "Environmental Impacts of Consumption and Production: Priority Products and Materials", is the latest in a series from the International Panel for Sustainable Resource Management. Using life-cycle analyses, it catalogues the materials and energy required for production, consumption and disposal, and identifies the processes, products and materials most responsible for environmental harm around the globe. At the top of the list are agricultural goods, particularly products from animals, which are fed more than half of all world crops. Fossil fuel users are also under fire, especially electrical utilities and other and energy-intensive industries, residential heating, and transportation. Materials with the greatest impact across their life cycle include plastics, iron, steel, and aluminium.
The Panel cites the following pressures on the environment as priorities for reduction: climate change, habitat change, nitrogen and phosphorus pollution, overexploitation of fisheries, forests and other resources, invasive species, unsafe drinking water and sanitation, household combustion of solid fuels, lead exposure, urban air pollution and occupational exposure to particulate matter.
The perils of affluence
Worryingly, the Panel produces an array of evidence to show that prosperity and humanity’s environmental impact grow in tandem, contrary to the popular belief that greater wealth leads to a lighter environmental footprint.
The report indicates that while greater affluence can lead to relatively simple process changes and devices to control local sources of conventional air and water pollution, rising wealth also results in the growth of wider-scale problems such as energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. Regarding CO2, “a doubling of wealth leads typically to an increase of environmental pressure by 60 to 80 per cent, and in emerging economies this is sometimes even more,” the report says.
Background: International Panel for Sustainable Resource Management
The Resource Panel was set up to provide independent scientific insight into the use of natural resources and their environmental impacts, in an effort to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation. It draws on the views of environmental experts from around the world. The Panel is co-chaired by IUCN President Ashok Khosla and Professor Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker, former Chairman of the Bundestag Environment Committee.
Full report available at: http://www.unep.fr/scp/rpanel/producsandmaterials.htm | <urn:uuid:a4077deb-c3e6-4ef6-b826-dea1410e1423> | CC-MAIN-2017-13 | http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-10-657_en.htm?locale=en | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-13/segments/1490218189771.94/warc/CC-MAIN-20170322212949-00457-ip-10-233-31-227.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.908676 | 877 | 3 | 3 | 2.975337 | 3 | Strong reasoning | Science & Tech. |
The production of yet another outline history of English may seem to be presumptuous and pointless", wrote an author some quarter of a century ago. Yet such outlines are still being produced, as with this new offering from the professor of English language at the University of Sheffield.
A new history might be written because an author wishes to present the existing data in new ways, to incorporate recent findings, or to extend coverage in novel directions. All of these are true of the current book, even though it is largely written in a traditional way.
N.F. Blake's data presentation is new in that he divides the historical period differently from the norm. Most books adopt the divisions proposed in 1873 by Henry Sweet into Old, Middle and Modern English. In theory, these correspond to periods of full, levelled and lost inflections. In practice, political dates are usually used, since inflections do not show sharp chronological boundaries: Old English is generally taken to be prior to 1066, Middle English is assumed to end in 1485 when the Tudors took power, and Modern English is divided into Early Modern and Late Modern with a transition in the late 17th century.
Instead, this book splits the history of English into episodes which, Blake suggests, more accurately reflect the development of the variety known as Standard English.
Consequently, he dates the beginning of English from the ninth century with the establishment of the West Saxon variety as the standard. After a brief interregnun in the 13th century, he identifies a single form of English as emerging around 1400, based on that used in the Chancery in London, and notes that a unified spelling system was mostly in place by the end of the 17th century. He characterises the period which followed as one seriously concerned with the regulation of the language, and the attempt to establish "correct English".
He regards the year 1798 as the symbolic end date of this era, with the publication of the Lyrical Ballads, a collection of poetry which attacked the idea of a prescriptive language.
Finally, he describes the decades following 1914 as ones of fragmentation and uncertainty.
This novel way of dividing up the language reflects the second new aspect of this book, the inclusion in particular of the work of John Fisher (1996), who has demonstrated the process by which the standard spread. It was not just general osmosis, as assumed by some earlier writers, but the conscious adoption of the English used by the Chancery clerks between 1500 and 1700. The language was therefore standardised primarily by business and government, though some influential political figures were prominent also in the literary world, as with Jonathan Swift.
Blake's coverage is innovative also in that he deals both with the language, and with attitudes towards the language, a currently trendy topic, as documented in, for example, Richard Bailey's Images of English (1991).
These new directions are welcome, and focus attention on aspects of the language often ignored by historical linguists. Yet much of the text is in a well-worn format.
Discussions of major topics such as the Great Vowel Shift are handled atomistically with little reference to modern linguistic findings on change. No diagrams are included, just the occasional table. In addition, chunks of earlier English are quoted, though not translated.
Overall, the book's plan is commendable, and the first chapter is admirably clear.
Also useful is the lucid distinction between a written standard, and the "standardised" language to which it leads. But the pedestrian account of changes is disappointing. Any student is recommended to use this book as an outline, but to get the details from some more user-friendly and more linguistically sophisticated source.
Jean Aitchison is professor of language and communication, University of Oxford.
A History of the English Language
Author - N. F. Blake
ISBN - 0 333 60983 2 and 60984 0
Publisher - Macmillan
Price - £40.00 and £12.99
Pages - 382 | <urn:uuid:d152d62a-455f-4f0a-98ad-d152a9173c62> | CC-MAIN-2018-39 | https://www.timeshighereducation.com/books/an-atomised-history-of-the-great-vowel-shift/159921.article | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-39/segments/1537267156901.47/warc/CC-MAIN-20180921072647-20180921093047-00047.warc.gz | en | 0.960462 | 826 | 3.234375 | 3 | 2.900801 | 3 | Strong reasoning | Literature |
EEG stands for electroencephalogram, a test commonly used to detect electrical activity in the brain. Detecting, recording, and interpreting “brain waves” began in the late 1800s with the discovery and exploration of electrical patterns in the brains of mammals, and the technology has evolved to enable applications ranging from the medical detection of neurological disorders to playing games controlled entirely by the mind.
To fully understand how EEG works, you must first understand how the human body conveys information between cells using electricity.
Electricity: The Language of the Brain (and Body)
Every function carried out by our brains and bodies is enabled by electrical signals. Everything is made up of atoms, which in turn are made up of protons, electrons, and neutrons. They all have different electrical charges:
- Protons have a positive electrical charge
- Electrons have a negative electrical charge
- Neutrons have a neutral electrical charge
Here’s a simplified explanation of how cells communicate: when the electrical charge in an atom is unbalanced, the atom becomes either positively or negatively charged and allows electrons to flow from one atom to another to maintain equilibrium. This flow of electrons is what we all refer to as electricity. With about seven billion billion billion atoms in each human body, we have the capacity to generate significant and measurable amounts of electricity.
These electrical signals (or “impulses”) from atom to atom are what enable human cells to communicate with each other. Our nervous system conducts these impulses, allowing them to jump from cell to cell until they reach their intended destination. There are varying speeds of impulse transmission—the fastest impulses can travel at speeds of about 250 miles per hour. This is why (for example) if you burn your hand, your brain is able to quickly remove it from the heat source before the pain even fully registers.
Brain cells work the same way as, say, the cells in your left pinky toe or your tongue. There is nothing “special” about brain cells—it’s the programming which allows humans to think, feel, and communicate. Just as a calculator can’t actually do math without programming and the external entry of numbers, the physical structure of your brain can’t do these things without a layer of sensory input and the context of past experiences and learnings.
However, when the brain—an infinitely intricate computer which has evolved over millions of years to be able to program and re-program itself in real time—works its magic, the basic components of brain function are still electrical signals, and they can be observed and measured.
History of EEG
Although the electrical impulses of mammalian brains were not observed until the late 1800s, you could say that EEG got its start in the 1700s. It was then that Italian biologist Luigi Galvani noticed a dissected frog’s legs appeared to come to life when electricity was applied to its muscles. He first theorized that electrical currents cause muscles to contract.
Nearly a century later, English scientist Richard Caton used electrodes to record electrical signals in the brains of various animals, including cats and monkeys. Since his method required the brain to be exposed, he could not experiment on humans. Although his measuring device was rudimentary (not to mention painfully invasive) by today’s standards, he was the first to record differences in EEG signals which were associated with sleep, alertness, sedation, and death.
In 1924, German psychiatrist Hans Berger became the first researcher to record a human EEG. His subject was a 17-year-old boy who already had a hole drilled in his skull in order to treat a suspected tumour. Following this experiment, he devised methods of recording the electrical signals without drilling holes in anyone’s head—he used non-invasive electrodes attached to his son’s scalp, and tried silver needles on himself. Berger’s work was either ignored or ridiculed by his peers until 1934, when a pair of British electrophysiologists confirmed his findings, and Berger became widely known as the father of EEG.
Modern EEG Applications
Medical Uses of EEG
EEG testing is used to diagnose and evaluate various neurological conditions, such as epilepsy. The monitoring of a patient’s brain waves can give their doctor insight into any abnormalities in brain function. Other conditions which may be tested for using EEG include Alzheimer’s disease and narcolepsy.
EEG is also used to monitor brain activity when a patient is in a coma. If the coma is natural and the patient is on complete life support, EEG can detect brain death. If a patient is in a medically induced coma, EEG is used to determine the appropriate amount of sedation needed to keep the patient in the coma.
If extensive brain damage is suspected due to physical trauma, drug abuse, or any other factor, EEG testing can help determine the actual extent of the damage.
EEG cannot measure the performance of the brain beyond its electrical activity, and cannot be used to determine intelligence or to diagnose most mental health conditions (with the exception of certain kinds of psychoses which affect electrical activity in the brain).
Modern EEG tests, unlike the invasive procedures of the 18th and 19th centuries, are completely painless and safe. No electricity is actually administered to the patient—it is simply measured.
EEG Technology and Research
EEG technology enables research in a variety of fields, from medicine to marketing. Recent research into sports-related concussions has used EEG testing to determine the short- and long-term results of sustaining multiple concussions or other head traumas. EEG has also played an important role in recent sleep studies, helping researchers learn the true effects of various lengths and qualities of sleep on the human brain.
EEG testing is also being used in advertising. Researchers who observe eye movement, facial expressions, and brain waves to determine the effectiveness of various pieces of media are pioneering a field called neuromarketing, which seeks to use biometrics to better the odds of advertising success in a world already oversaturated by media.
These are just a few examples of new and growing fields of research enabled by EEG technology—the measuring of human engagement and brain activity has nearly universal applications.
Controlling a prosthetic limb with your mind was the stuff of science fiction until 1999, when a collaboration between researchers at the MCP Hahnemann School of Medicine in Philadelphia and Duke University in Durham (North Carolina) reported that they were successful in getting rats to control a simple robot using the rats’ brain activity alone. The field of neuroprosthetics is young, but promising.
15 years later, a paraplegic wearing a robotic exoskeleton controlled by his own brain signals kicked off the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. In 2015, researchers from the University of Houston developed an algorithm which allowed an amputee to grasp objects using a robotic hand which he controlled with his own mind.
Early research in the field of neuroprosthetics required more invasive methods of recording brain signals (much like the early work of Richard Caton and Hans Berger). However, the robotic hand at the University of Houston was enabled by EEG alone, signalling a drastic advancement in neuroprosthetic technology and a new hope for people living with loss of limbs or mobility.
EEG-Enabled Communication Devices
Most people are familiar with the story of theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, who lost the ability to speak after gradually becoming paralyzed due to ALS. His speech deteriorated rapidly in the late 70s, at which point he required a translator of sorts to communicate clearly with others. In the 80s, a serious bout of pneumonia necessitated a tracheotomy, which rendered him completely unable to speak.
Hawking used a computer program to help him speak for several years, which was fairly high-tech for the late 1980s and early 90s. In 2005 he began using a program which allowed him to communicate via computer using only the movement of his cheek muscles, and in 2012 he began experimenting with brainwave-powered communication devices.
A communication device powered by brain activity alone would restore speech to patients even with complete paralysis. The technology has yet to be perfected, but new research is promising, and may one day lead to perfect technology-enabled communication for patients with ALS and other degenerative illnesses.
EEG and Education
Learning about how someone’s brain works is an incredible educational tool. The education system suffers from a lack of resources and understanding, which hurts teachers’ ability to effectively instruct students who have learning disabilities or simply don’t learn well from conventional instruction methods.
Some connections have been made between ADHD diagnoses and EEG readings showing dysregulated cortical electrical activity. While diagnostics are not the responsibility of a teacher, applications of EEG technology which monitor focus and concentration could lead to a greater understanding of which educational techniques work best for individual students. Additionally, educational EEG-enabled games requiring intense focus could help unfocused students train their brains to concentrate better.
What if you could play video games with your mind? It may not carry the scientific gravity of neuroprosthetics, but it sure is fun. Neurogaming (are you starting to get the hang of this naming convention?) is another new tech field—and definitely the most exciting growth area for the gaming industry—enabled by EEG.
Game development company Crooked Tree Studios used NeuroSky’s EEG technology to build “Throw Trucks With Your Mind”, the objective of which is probably self-explanatory. Players focus their thoughts on a single object, and the NeuroSky MindWave Mobile 2 Headset interprets the electrical activity of their brains to pick up and hurl objects at opponents.
Lat Ware, the creator of “Throw Trucks With Your Mind”, explains that the inspiration for the game came from his own experience with experimental neurofeedback therapy to treat his Attention Deficit Disorder. Learning that his brain activity could be fed into and interpreted by a computer fascinated Ware, eventually leading him to pitch his idea to Johnny Liu, the Director of NeuroSky’s Developer Program. Ware then raised nearly $50,000 via Kickstarter to get his project off the ground.
The technology to support more applications of neurogaming exists but, until recently, it was too expensive to appeal to the average consumer of video games. Now that EEG headsets can be purchased for less than the cost of the newest traditional gaming console, neurogaming is poised to be the next big thing in video game entertainment.
The Future of EEG for Device Manufacturers
As more exciting developments are made with EEG applications and the cost of hardware decreases, the future of EEG for device manufacturers seems full of promise. Consumers increasingly turn to mobile apps and wearable devices (such as MyFitnessPal, Clue, MySugr, orthe LifeBeat™ fitness tracking wristband) to gain insight into their health and wellness metrics, and help them meet their personal health goals. As EEG data can be interpreted to measure biometrics such as focus, attention, mental fatigue, stress, and more, it presents a new opportunity to give consumers insight into their personal wellness metrics.
As mentioned above, with personal EEG devices becoming affordable for the average consumer, the neurogaming applications are virtually endless. Augmented and virtual reality games which can be controlled with the mind may seem like science fiction, but are solidly within the reach of modern game developers. Combined with other biometrics such as heart rate, pupil dilation, and facial expression analysis, it seems anything is possible–if you can observe, measure, and interpret it, you can make a game of it.
NeuroSky’s MindWave Mobile 2 Headset
We’re passionate about the development of new EEG-enabled technologies—that’s why we engineer biosensors which are both affordable and easy to use.
The MindWave Mobile 2 EEG Headset is accessible to startup game devs and advanced researchers alike, and provides data which is precise enough for either application (and any application in between).
The MindWave Mobile 2 safely measures EEG power spectrums, NeuroSky eSense meters (mediation and attention), and eye blinks. MindWave Mobile 2 physically consists of a headset, a sensor arm, and an ear clip. The headset’s reference and ground electrodes are located on the ear clip, and the EEG electrode is on the sensor arm where it rests on the forehead just above the eye (FP1 position). It is powered by a single AAA battery, which provides 8 hours of battery life. It also comes with free developer tools for top platforms. Click here to learn more about the resources available to you via the NeuroSky Developer Program.
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If you’re ready to break new ground in EEG research or tech development, we want to help you bring it to market. NeuroSky has integrated EEG solutions which will help you develop innovative products and bring them to market before the competition finishes learning the technology.
To learn more about our integrated EEG biosensor solutions, including the MindWave Mobile 2 Headset, get in touch with one of our EEG experts today. | <urn:uuid:d4a5f9bf-1ebe-4ca7-8228-24b8ac3c7001> | CC-MAIN-2021-31 | http://neurosky.com/biosensors/eeg-sensor/ultimate-guide-to-eeg/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-31/segments/1627046154042.23/warc/CC-MAIN-20210731011529-20210731041529-00579.warc.gz | en | 0.951268 | 2,692 | 3.953125 | 4 | 2.859231 | 3 | Strong reasoning | Science & Tech. |
Top 10 Health Benefits Of Papaya
The papaya, pawpaw or papaw is sweet fleshy fruit which have amazing health benefits. Papaya or so called “Carica papaya” is known by distinct names in different parts around the world in Hindi it is known as “Papita”. It is a fruit that is native to Central America and south Mexico region. It is now grown worldwide and in India to.
Fruit Papayas are spherical or pear-shaped in shape, and size can be up to 6 to 20 inch in length and about 4 to 8 inch and can weigh up to about 20 lbs (nine kg). The flesh of a papaya fruit is rich orange in color, sometimes yellow or pink hues. The inner cavities of the fruit have round black seeds encased in a jelly-like substance.
The Papaya seeds are edible and often used as a spice; it has a peppery flavor with little bitter taste. The Papaya fruit can be eaten as raw as well as ripen. It has multi vitamins such as “vitamin-A,” “vitamin-C and “vitamin-E'” and other photochemical called “beta-cryptoxanthin” that can promote health benefits. Papaya also contains “papain” a proteolytic enzyme extracted that makes this fruit so unique for different health benefits.
Nutrition Facts of Papayas : % Daily Value*
Note : Amounts per 1 cup, cubes (140g)
• Vitamins : Amounts Per Selected Serving
• Vitamin A : 31%
• Vitamin C :144%
• Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol): 5%
• Vitamin K :5%
• Thiamin : 3%
• Riboflavin :3%
• Niacin: 2%
• Vitamin B6:1%
• Folate :13%
• Pantothenic Acid :3%
Papaya Healing Properties
• Calcium Ion
• Ferrous Ion
• Ascorbic Acid
• Calcium Ion
• Ferrous Ion
• Ascorbic Acid
• Vitamin E
• Pectinous Matter
• Malic Acid
• Fatty Oil
• Crude Fiber
• Volatile Oil
Carica Papaya Health Benefits
1. It is full of life vitamins
Papayas is a fruit that not only have a mouth-watering taste but also have rich sources of “antioxidant nutrients” such as vitamin C, B vitamins, flavonoids, carotenes, pantothenic acid, folate and the minerals such as copper, potassium and magnesium. These together properties can boost the health of the cardiovascular system and moreover, provide protection against colon cancer.
2.It prevents Heart disease
Papaya fruits are very useful in the prevention of atherosclerosis and diabetic heart disease. The Folic acid found in papaya is needed to maintain “Homocysteine,” it is an amino acid in the blood. The high stages of amino acid can increase complications of cardiovascular. Homocysteine if unconverted can right away weaken blood vessel walls and can have a serious risk for stroke or heart attack.
3. It prevents Cancer
Papaya fruits have fiber can help to fight cancer-causing toxins in the colon and keep colon cells healthy. In addition to that, papaya has vitamins and minerals such as folate, beta-carotene, vitamin C and vitamin E that have also been associated with a reduced risk of colon cancer. These nutrients provide synergistic protection of colon cells from free-radical damage in their DNA.
4. It reduces Inflammation
There is much anti-inflammatory food that can be beneficial in this condition, especially raw foods. Papaya is one among them that have a special digestive enzyme called “papain,” that is known to boost the digestive system.
An increase in the digestion system can additionally help the body to detox and finally help the body to heal wounds, to reduce inflammation. Eating fresh papaya daily in general improves to reduce inflammation within one week.
5. It reduces High cholesterol
An increase in high level of cholesterol in the blood can invite a biggest risk for heart diseases such as coronary thrombosis disease. There are many ways to reduce the risk of heart disease; the safest way is by consuming papaya.
According to health experts, Papayas are rich in fiber that can help to reduce high-cholesterol levels within the blood. Besides this it had been dietary like Vitamins E and C, and the other compound called paraoxonase, which are an essential, an enzyme that inhibits LDL cholesterol and HDL cholesterol oxidation.
6. It boost Immunity system
Papaya has a great source of vitamin A, B, C, and K that are known to be an excellent immunity booster. Papaya contain beta-carotene are necessary for the proper functioning of a healthy immune system.Many studies have stated papaya has antioxidant’s properties that play an important role in enlightening the immunity of people.
Our immunity system acts as a shield against various infections that causes colds and flu. Eating a single papaya can give you about 200% of Vitamin C which we require on our daily regime, which is crucial for making it great for your immunity.
7.It prevents Toothache
Papaya leaf and bark extract can be the best home remedy that can be helpful in gums and toothache. It is a traditional remedy that is actually being practiced in many cultures around the world. Take a paste of fresh papaya roots and rubbed on to the teeth and gums to get relief from toothaches.
Bark of papaya plants primarily the inner bark, is also an excellent remedy for tooth problems. The fresh leaves of papaya have significant properties that are effective in reducing tooth infection and inhibiting the growth of bacteria.
8. Good for an upset stomach
The papaya seeds and leaves are useful in treatment of intestinal parasites found within the body. Papaya helps to prevent constipation and boost the digestive system. Papaya contains papain, a protein a digestive enzyme that aids to the digestion process naturally. The studies have shown that only eating papaya for 3 to 4 days can have a beneficial tonic effect upon the stomach along with intestines and cleanse the stomach.
9. It prevents Period Irregularities
Consumption of unripe papaya is considered to be a best home remedy for regulating a menstrual flow; it helps contract muscle fibers in the uterus. It is remarkably beneficial in situations of menstruation cessation in young women due to cold or distress.
Eating raw papayas can generate within the body empowers to stimulate the formation of estrogens in the body, which results in normalizing periods. Eating raw papaya also increases the blood flow during menstruation, which enables the proper function in the uterus muscles. So it can be an ideal remedy for menstruation naturally.
10. It prevents signs of ageing
We all love to stay young forever, but no one has managed to do so. We, however, can make the process of ageing slow by eating papaya. Eating papaya regularly can make us look five years younger than we are. It is due to its properties like Vitamin C and Vitamin E; the other antioxidant’s properties like “beta-carotene”.
These properties in helps to prevent your skin from free-radical damage keeping wrinkles and other signs of ageing at bay. Regular application of papaya on a face can help to lighten the skin and reducing the appearance of age spots. It is the enzyme papain; papaya is a natural exfoliate and moisturizer that help to make look younger. | <urn:uuid:dafe0d0d-25e9-4826-aac6-4a84c07ba98a> | CC-MAIN-2018-13 | http://www.ayurvedicindia.info/9-best-benefits-of-papaya/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-13/segments/1521257647660.83/warc/CC-MAIN-20180321141313-20180321161313-00259.warc.gz | en | 0.917225 | 1,626 | 2.5625 | 3 | 1.508232 | 2 | Moderate reasoning | Health |
Matthew Durdin, director at Johnson Controls UK&I explores applications for digital twins in the built environment, how they can be implemented, and how building systems can be dramatically improved with a digital twin
A digital twin is a connected, virtual replica of something physical – be it an asset, product, or system. The technology helps create an interface that bridges the digital and physical worlds, for example in construction and building management. Digital twins enable architects, constructors and building managers to “predict the future” of their building – and to answer difficult questions that might otherwise hinder construction projects or reduce the lifetime of a building.
Where building information modelling (BIM) generates and manages digital reproductions, twins hold BIM data alongside building automation systems and sensor networks to bring a whole building together in one place. This creates a constantly evolving, collaborative version of the physical twin.
In modelling building systems, the twin uses myriad data points to bring all its knowledge together under one digital roof: from construction data and floor plans, to data from real-time sensors in a building management system (BMS), to all the data coming out of lighting, HVAC, fire, and security systems. Brought together, a digital twin can know everything about the assets of a building and its occupants – and can predict its every move.
Building a twin
In an ideal world, the digital twin is “born” before its physical counterpart, long before construction begins. Throughout the planning stages, an architect can remodel and update the building plans, and the twin can update and recompute itself. In this process, it can evaluate the building’s physical characteristics – such as modelling airflow or energy use – as well as its role in the wider environment, such as the building’s impact on traffic in the local area. A digital twin can go through thousands of changes before it is finalised and used to construct its physical twin.
If a digital twin is created for an existing building, it can only represent an approximation of the physical twin. However, the two become more alike every day as it collects more data from the building and its real-time sensors. Either way, having a digital twin ensures better decision-making and enables real-time visibility of a building and all its moving parts.
The impact of digital twins
So what exactly can a twin do that a well-planned construction project couldn’t? Before and during construction, a digital twin can improve system interactions and integrations, help select the right providers for the job, make data-driven cost and maintenance predictions, and even spot and assess installation obstacles and major construction risks. While construction professionals have long made these assessments themselves, the ability to do so while working full-time on the construction itself leads to a more cost- and time-efficient project.
Once built, a digital twin can make predictions that help to extend the lifetime of the building. This can include predicting security risks, parts replacement schedules, inefficiencies across all the different inter-operating systems, and even the impact of process integration as a building matures. This helps building owners and managers to know when action needs to be taken on their building, again streamlining costs and creating the best possible environment for its occupants.
Moreover, a twin brings together all the data necessary for predictive algorithms and artificial intelligence (AI) systems, from equipment fault predictions to building optimisation. Running simulations on a twin also reduces risk, helping system engineers make better business cases for system changes. By experimenting on a digital twin, equipment downtime can be reduced, just one way in which digital twins drive cost-efficiency. Cost reduction is a major application of twins: by helping predict and avoid unexpected costs, they help buildings operate more efficiently and avoid unexpected costs, by identifying system inefficiencies, and better estimating when new parts and upgrades are needed.
Alongside these applications, twins also streamline and improve the day to day operations of a building. A digital twin gives building managers a real-time view of a building’s integrated systems: from top-line dashboards for building health to specific applications like asset and people tracking, hot desking, parking, and condition-based building operations. There is also an impact on security: the real-time view offered by a digital twin takes historic trend data into account, which is then able to highlight unusual or abnormal actions that might predict security issues and help managers take action more quickly and accurately.
The challenge of data collection
While the data collected for digital twins can come from a variety of sources, a true digital twin must be a ‘system of systems’ integration. This includes the use of embedded sensors, wireless sensor networks, digitised building lifecycle data and systems, and integration with other cloud services and data providers. Wireless sensor networks, for example, collect data on temperature, lighting, occupancy, humidity, and many other factors from sensors installed throughout a building. These systems can easily be expanded or altered as needs change, making them a flexible investment for the future.
Other opportunities to channel data into a digital twin include data from BIM systems, smart HVAC systems, digitised pneumatic thermostats, smart plugs and smart elevator controls – but this is often only possible in modern, “smart” buildings, rather than older buildings.
The concerns around digital twins
As with every new technology, there are some concerns in the industry around the use of digital twins. Data standards have long been seen as something lacking in this area, meaning companies aren’t making smart technology investments. However, the Brick schema consortium is now working to standardise a unified approach to building representation to tackle this problem.
Cybersecurity is another key issue, as cyber “intruders” could potentially use a digital twin to gain access to confidential information about a building, though cybersecurity measures are generally built into a twin to avoid this. There is also the problem of tech ‘overkill’ – or a twin for twin’s sake – but creating a partnership with the tech provider who is right for your project will ensure that twins help, not hinder. Finally, BIM often came under scrutiny for systems not being kept up to date – and while a twin will also need to be kept up to date, it’s possible to build the digital twin with the capability to self-update, eradicating this problem.
Implementing a digital twin to innovate
If implemented correctly, twin technologies can have a major impact on building management and operations. Across the entire value chain, a digital twin enables the movement of a project from ideation, to visualisation of processes, to service and management at an ever-growing scale. Done right, digital twins enable decision support across a whole construction project or living building, as well as real-time visibility of products, assets, facilities and manufacturing.
The many applications from the planning stage to when the building is up and running – from the ability to predict maintenance and security risks to cost efficiency and better operational oversight – mean that digital twin technology is a must. Put simply, a modern smart building cannot be truly smart without a digital twin.
LinkedIn: Johnson Controls | <urn:uuid:b3566522-c9b8-489e-9c88-5c8edd41e81b> | CC-MAIN-2020-34 | https://www.pbctoday.co.uk/news/bim-news/innovating-the-built-environment-with-digital-twins/56875/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-34/segments/1596439735963.64/warc/CC-MAIN-20200805153603-20200805183603-00382.warc.gz | en | 0.934783 | 1,472 | 3.234375 | 3 | 3.02044 | 3 | Strong reasoning | Industrial |
Optical depth, or optical thickness, is a measure of transparency. Optical depth is defined as the negative natural logarithm of the fraction of radiation (e.g., light) that is not scattered or absorbed on a path. Hence optical depth is dimensionless, and in particular is not a length, though it is a monotonically increasing function of path length, and approaches zero as the path length approaches zero.
The optical depth expresses the quantity of light removed from a beam by scattering or absorption during its path through a medium. If is the intensity of radiation at the source and is the observed intensity after a given path, then optical depth is defined by the following equation:
Calculation from fundamental principles
In atomic physics, the optical depth of a cloud of atoms can be calculated from the quantum mechanical properties of the atoms. It is given by
Atmospheric science
In atmospheric sciences, one often refers to the optical depth of the atmosphere as corresponding to the vertical path from Earth's surface to outer space; at other times the optical path is from the observer's altitude to outer space. Since τ refers to a vertical path, the optical depth for a slant path is τ′ = m τ, where m is called the relative airmass, and for a plane-parallel atmosphere it is determined as m = sec θ, where θ is the zenith angle corresponding to the given path. Therefore
The optical depth of the atmosphere can be divided into several components, ascribed to Rayleigh scattering, aerosols, and gaseous absorption. The optical depth of the atmosphere can be measured with a sun photometer.
Stellar physics
Another example occurs in astronomy where the photosphere of a star is defined as the surface where its optical depth is 2/3. This means that each photon emitted at the photosphere suffers an average of less than one scattering before it reaches the observer. At the temperature at optical depth 2/3, the energy emitted by the star (the original derivation is for the sun) matches the observed total energy emitted.
Note that the optical depth of a given medium will be different for different colors (wavelengths) of light.
For planetary rings, the optical depth is the proportion of light blocked by the ring when it lies between the source and the observer. This is usually obtained by observation of stellar occultations.
See also
- Kitchin, Christopher Robert (1987). Stars, Nebulae and the Interstellar Medium: Observational Physics and Astrophysics. CRC Press. | <urn:uuid:4a7c0eba-c599-47e4-a606-a924cfa3a46f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optical_thickness | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00088-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.909716 | 525 | 4.09375 | 4 | 2.372664 | 2 | Moderate reasoning | Science & Tech. |
Do you have the feeling you don’t have enough hours in your day? Do you keep procrastinating and forgetting stuff? Having trouble completing tasks? Take control and start using time management! But is it really that simple? Does time management even exist?
If you are interested in time management you have probably heard of the famous ‘Rock, Pebbles and Sand’ analogy. The story comes in many forms and shapes and I personally was first introduced to it by Stephen Covey’s book “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People”.
Rock, Pebbles and Sand analogy
This is the analogy in short: when you fill an empty glass jar with large rocks, it will look full. But if you add a handful of pebbles and shake the jar, the pebbles will also find a place between the rocks. The jar will look full but you can still add quite some sand to the rocks and pebbles before it is completely filled.
The glass jar stands for all the time you have available. The rocks are the most important things in your life, like spending time with your family and maintaining your health. The pebbles are things that matter but that you can really live without and the sand is all the unimportant stuff that you can easily do without.
For proper time management you should start filling the jar with the really important things, the big rocks. Then you should add the pebbles and last the sand. The other way round is not possible. When you start with the sand and you want to add the pebbles and the big rocks later, it will not fit.
I used to believe in this theory and live by it. But now I have several problems with it.
Time is not a jar
First of all, the time we have available can never be represented by a jar. Time is not rigid, it is flexible. That also means it can never be fully managed. I guess most of us have read the Einstein quote: “Put your hand on a hot stove for a minute, and it seems like an hour. Sit with a pretty girl for an hour, and it seems like a minute.” Time is relative. You can do more with 30 minutes of focused work than you can do in 8 hours when you are not focused and distracted. A boring, but really important job we have to do will last ages where a really fun job seems to be done in minutes.
What is important?
Second, how do we distinguish between the: large rocks, small pebbles and the sand? Who decides what is really important or not? How can we even know? Don’t all important things in our lives start small, like sand? And where do we fit in the really important, unimportant things like: relaxing and laziness? I guess it is considered sand but being lazy from time to time is actually quite important.
The best things come unexpected
Third, trying to manage time like this totally kills creativity and the element of surprise. The best things come unexpected, when you are open, ready and available (lazy, relaxing?). When you are messing around with a jar with rocks, pebbles and sand all the time you are not open to new, unexpected elements and you will totally miss them even when they are right in front of you.
Use your head
So, what should we do? Just use your head, it will know what to do. If not, ask people close to you for advice. Last but not least: meditate, practice mindfulness and learn to focus. That will direct you to the important things in life and give you the focus, energy and creativity to be successful in them. | <urn:uuid:84baf191-e9ad-4fa2-98fc-ba77a58763f9> | CC-MAIN-2019-04 | https://www.trainyourfocus.com/focus-at-work/time-management/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-04/segments/1547583662863.53/warc/CC-MAIN-20190119074836-20190119100836-00061.warc.gz | en | 0.958497 | 764 | 2.625 | 3 | 2.327531 | 2 | Moderate reasoning | Education & Jobs |
- OB-GYN or Midwife
- Fertility specialist
- Lactation Counselor, or IBCLC
- Pre-natal Yoga instructor
- Spiritual Guide
- Your partner
- Your family and friends
- And if you decide, also your Doula
Why build a Birth Ensemble?
Ensemble Definition: noun, plural ensembles
1.all the parts of a thing taken together, so that each part is considered only in relation to the whole.
I used to think of my self as a team member. But team also brings up images of competition, of "winning," of someone "sitting on the bench" or a "most valuable player."
During pregnancy and birth, it is absolutely inappropriate to have a "winning" and "losing" side. Unfortunately, that is not what some women take away from their birth.
As doulas, part of our role is to help the entire birth space be calm. That includes the medical staff, your partner, and anyone else that enters your space.
When a laboring woman has the intimate connection from her partner, the medical training and expertise of her care provider, and the emotional and attuned care from her doula, they all work to bring about a unique setting that is appropriate from that woman.
Having a birth "ensemble" gives a woman the reassurance, freedom, and knowledge to make decisions that will be best for her, and the ability to take ownership of her birth.
Doulas are NOT medically trained professionals
Because doulas are not medically trained professionals, doulas do not provide clinical or medical care. This means doulas do not provide examinations. They do not provide assessments. They do not provide recorded monitoring.
- No vaginal exams
- No blood pressure checks
- No diagnosis
- No suggestions for treatment
When doulas and doctors work together:
The result is a better birth
The reality is that an efficient system of patient care management may not allow for the amount of attention a woman feels she needs in labor.
A doctor's main concern is healthy mom, healthy baby. A doula's main concern is healthy mind, healthy bond. Neither of these is more important than the other.
This is how doulas can help birth at hospitals:
- By encouraging increased conversation and understanding, the mother will understand or ask for clarification ensuring that informed consent has been reached.
- Important factors influencing patient satisfaction during labor are the quality of the caregiver-patient relationship, involvement in decision-making, and amount of support from caregivers. Having a doula present can greatly increase the chance that a mother will remember her birth as a positive experience.
- The recent Cochrane Collaboration review of over 15,000 mothers in 22 studies confirmed that births with trained doulas present are less likely to have certain interventions. Thus, certain complications that may occur as a result of their use do not happen. (*This does not mean that having a doula present will result in a certain outcomes.)
- Influences of family structure, language, culture, exhaustion and personality can mean various challenging social situations. When the doula is aware of the mother’s desires she can intercept or smooth over interpersonal problems between hospital staff and the patient. Although the mother employs the doula, the doula increases communication, understanding and respect between the physician and the family.
When a laboring woman has the intimate connection from her partner, the medical training and expertise of her care provider, and the emotional and attuned care from her doula, they work together to bring about a unique setting that is appropriate from that woman.
Having a birth "ensemble" gives the mother the reassurance, freedom, and knowledge to make decisions that will be best for her, and the ability to take ownership of her birth.
Healthy mom, healthy baby, healthy mind, healthy bond. When doulas and doctors work together, families benefit.
Authored by A Swift Doula | <urn:uuid:4bc5b67e-7aa6-4073-9092-5605677e17e2> | CC-MAIN-2020-40 | https://www.aswiftdoula.com/blog/doulas-and-doctors-very-different-roles | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-40/segments/1600400234232.50/warc/CC-MAIN-20200926040104-20200926070104-00195.warc.gz | en | 0.943142 | 820 | 2.578125 | 3 | 2.68046 | 3 | Strong reasoning | Health |
Improving strawberry yield with a recycled food waste-based liquid compost
Synthetic or chemical or inorganic fertilizers are commonly used in many conventional crop production systems providing essential nutrients necessary for optimal plant growth and yields. While these fertilizers provide plants with readily available nutrients, excessive application could lead to leaching into the ground water or increase the attractiveness of plants to pests and diseases. Organic fertilizers, on the other hand, are generally made from plant or animal sources. Compared to synthetic fertilizers where nutrients are readily available, nutrients are slowly released from organic fertilizers and thus have a lower risk of nutrient leaching. Organic fertilizers add organic matter to the soil, which improves soil structure, water holding capacity, and root growth. Organic matter also supports beneficial microbial communities in the soil that improve nutrient availability to the plant and protect plants from plant pathogens and other stress factors.
Organic fertilizers, especially those made from food waste, have a significant environmental benefit by recycling valuable nutrient and energy resources that would have, otherwise, been wasted (Senesi, 1989). Several studies emphasized the importance of soil organic matter and its positive impact on soil fertility, crop productivity, and environmental sustainability (Tisdall and Oades, 1982; Baldock and Nelson, 2000; Johnston et al., 2009). However, a balanced used of both synthetic and organic fertilizers is a good strategy both to meet plant needs and environmental sustainability (Chen, 2006).
In the United States, food waste at consumer and retail levels was estimated to be about 30% of the food supply, which is equal to 133 billion pounds valued at $161 billion (USDA-ERS, 2016). Food waste is the largest part what goes into landfills and is the third largest source of methane in the United States. Converting food waste into a fertilizer will have a major impact on agriculture and environment.
To evaluate the efficacy of a recycled food waste-based liquid compost on strawberry yield, a study was conducted during the spring of 2013 on a conventional strawberry field at DB Specialty Farms, Santa Maria.
Materials and Methods
Harvest-to-Harvest (H2H), made by hydrolysis of freshly expired produce, meat, and other food items collected from grocery stores, was evaluated alone and in combination with the grower standard. The formulation of H2H used in the study had NPK at 1-1-0, 5-7% of amino acids, 6-8% of lipids, 8-10% carbohydrates, and 20-25% organic matter according to the label. Treatments included i) Grower standard or GS (proprietary fertilizer regimen), ii) H2H at 73 gallons/acre, and iii) H2H:GS at 50:50. H2H was administered through the drip irrigation system 28 March, 9 and 18 April. Each treatment had a block of about 1.6 acre that were adjacent to each other. On six randomly selected beds within each block, a 40-plant section was marked as a sampling plot. Yield data were collected from these plots from 4 April to 20 May on 10 sampling dates following grower's harvest schedule.
Data were analyzed using analysis of variance and significant means were separated using Tukey's HSD test.
Andres Tapia administering treatments through a special pump built by Joe Coelho (above) and observation plots (below).
Results and Discussion
Compared to the yield in GS plots, marketable strawberry yield was significantly higher (P < 0.05) for H2H treatment on four of the harvest dates and for GS:H2H combination on two of the harvest dates (Table 1). The average marketable berry yield was significantly higher (P = 0.0003) in both H2H and GS:H2H treatments compared to the GS treatment (Fig. 1). There was no difference (P = 0.283) in the weight of unmarketable berries and their proportion of the total yield was 18.7, 15.5, and 16.2 for GS, H2H, and GS:H2H, respectively.
Table 1. Marketable berry yield on different harvest dates. Means followed by the same letter within the same column are not statistically different based on Tukey's HSD test.
Fig. 1. Average marketable and unmarketable yield during the observation period.
This first commercial field study using H2H shows promising results in improving strawberry yield with recycled food waste. Manufacturer made changes to the H2H formulation and recommendation rates after the study was conducted. Additional studies in different fields with different application rates from the beginning of the production season are essential to make valid conclusions. Soil conditions and nutrient management practices vary among various fields and additional studies will add value to the results obtained in this preliminary study.
Acknowledgements: Thanks to Daren Gee for the collaboration, California Safe Soils for financial support, and Joe Coelho and Andres Tapia for their technical assistance.
Baldock, J. A. and P. N. Nelson. 2000. Soil organic matter. In: Sumner, M. E. (Ed.) Handbook of Soil Science. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, USA, pp. B25-B84.
Chen, J.-H. 2006. The combined use of chemical and organic fertilizers and/or biofertilizer for crop growth and soil fertility. International workshop on sustained management of the soil-rhizosphere system for efficient crop production and fertilizer use. Vol. 16. p. 20. Land Development Department Bangkok, Thailand.
Johnston, A. E., P. R. Poulton, and K. Coleman. 2009. Soil organic matter: its importance in agriculture and carbon dioxide fluxes. Adv. Agronomy 101: 1-57.
Senesi, N. 1989. Composted materials as organic fertilizers. Science of the Total Environment 81: 521-542.
Tisdall, J. M. and J. M. Oades. 1982. Organic matter and water-stable aggregates in soils. European J. Soil Sci. 33: 141-163.
United States Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service (USDA-ERS). 2016. US Food Waste Challenge FAQ's. Accessed on 9 December, 2016 from http://www.usda.gov/oce/foodwaste/faqs.htm | <urn:uuid:e27d2271-4678-4fb4-b3c5-8d834ed81426> | CC-MAIN-2017-47 | http://cesantabarbara.ucanr.edu/?blogasset=26598&sharebar=email&blogpost=22769 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-47/segments/1510934806310.85/warc/CC-MAIN-20171121021058-20171121041058-00709.warc.gz | en | 0.914938 | 1,328 | 3.421875 | 3 | 2.969794 | 3 | Strong reasoning | Industrial |
FDA issues warning of anesthesia use in children and pregnant women
The FDA warns against the repeated or prolonged use of anesthesia in pregnant women and in children younger than 3 years of age.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released a warning to inform clinicians, parents and caregivers of children younger than 3 years of age, and pregnant women in their third trimester that the repeated or lengthy use of general anesthetic and sedation drugs during surgeries may affect the development of children's brains.
Recent data have shown that a single, relatively short exposure to general anesthetic and sedation drugs in infants is unlikely to have adverse effects on behavior or learning, but further research is needed to determine how early in life anesthetic exposure affects the development of a child's brain.
“To better inform the public of the risks, we are requiring warnings to be added to the labels of these drugs,” stated Janet Woodcock, MD, director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “We recognize that in many cases these exposures may be medically necessary and these new data regarding the potential harms must be carefully weighed against the risk of not performing a specific medical procedure.”
The FDA notes that healthcare professionals should balance the benefits and potential risks of appropriate anesthesia in children and pregnant women, especially for procedures that will last more than 3 hours or for multiple procedures that are required in children younger than 3 years of age.
In addition, parents and caregivers should discuss the potential adverse effects of anesthesia with their child's healthcare professional, as well as the appropriate timing of procedures that can be delayed without jeopardizing their child's health. Pregnant women should also discuss the potential adverse effects of anesthesia with their healthcare professionals.
Studies conducted in pregnant animals and young animals have shown that the general use of general anesthetic for more than 3 hours has caused loss of nerve cells in the brain. Some studies conducted in children support findings from the studies conducted with animals, particularly after repeated or prolonged exposure to anesthesia later in life. However, more research is required to provide additional information about the safety of these drugs in young children and pregnant women.
The FDA is urging healthcare professionals, patients, parents, and caregivers to report side effects involving anesthetic and sedation drugs to the FDA MedWatch program.
- US Food and Drug Administration. FDA Drug Safety Communication: FDA review results in new warnings about using general anesthetics and sedation drugs in young children and pregnant women [press release]. Published December 14, 2016. Accessed December 16, 2016.
- US Food and Drug Administration. FDA statement from Dr Janet Woodcock, director of FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, on new safety information on anesthesia use in young children and pregnant women [press release]. Published December 14, 2016. Accessed December 16, 2016. | <urn:uuid:cf94b897-d2b4-4d56-b3f6-18c995a0a380> | CC-MAIN-2018-43 | http://www.clinicaladvisor.com/pediatrics-information-center/fda-warning-issued-for-anesthesia-use-in-children-and-pregnant-women/article/579864/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-43/segments/1539583512161.28/warc/CC-MAIN-20181018235424-20181019020924-00092.warc.gz | en | 0.948463 | 574 | 2.59375 | 3 | 3.141867 | 3 | Strong reasoning | Health |
Geology Cross-Training: Evaporites on Earth and Mars and Its Significance for Astrobiology
*By Dr Jonathan Clarke, Annalea Beattie and Anushree Srivastava*
It is Sol 10. Our Crew Geologist Dr Jonathan Clarke started a cross training session with rest of the team members. He began his talk by first
explaining how deposits of salt are formed by evaporation of sea water. He first used diagrammatic explanations to illustrate cyclic salt layering which is about how water evaporates and in turn salinity increases. The primary concentration of sea water is 3.5 % with the precipitated salt being calcium carbonate (CaCo3). As water keeps evaporating it becomes more salt saturated as gypsum (CaSO4.2H2O) begins precipitating once salinity passes 6%, then sodium chloride (NaCl) being deposited once salinities of 25% are passed. When salinities pass 45% bittern salts start forming many different minerals such potassium chloride (KCL), sodium sulphate (NaSO4..H2O), calcium chloride (CaCl2.6H2O), and magnesium chloride (MgCl2) with salinity up to more than 40%.
*Limestone (calcium carbonate) CaCO3*
3.5% – 6%
*Gypsum (calcium sulphate) CaSO4.2H2O*
6% – 25%
*Halite (sodium chloride) NaCl*
*Bitterns (complex minerals)*
Figure 1. Diagram of Salt Cyclic Layering (Credit: Jon Clarke)
The physicochemical characteristic of the salt lake is highly dependent on the drainage from its surroundings which is complex and local factors play a great role. Generally, salt lakes are small compared to the ocean and are basic. Dry climate forms a salt lake. Catchment areas are rich in calcium that might have calcium carbonate. When it is low in halite, rich in sodium but low in carbonate you might end up with sodium sulphate. If it is rich in sodium and carbonate it will end up with sodium carbonate (baking soda). Another source of salt is purely cyclic salt from rainfall. The third type of salt comes from a salt lake that is fed by ground water. The water table crops out in the lower part of the depression and most salt lake are someway in combination of all of this, in most cases.
When it comes to evaporite deposits on Mars, calcium carbonate is rare but gypsum is common. Other complex minerals (bittern salts) are present such as epsomite (MgSO4.7H2O), hexahydrite (MgSO4.6H2O), Meridianite (MgSO4.11H2O) – the last known only from Mars. Fluid inclusions which are characterised as small amount of fluid or brine are entrapped inside the salt crystals during evaporation event. These fluid inclusions are significant from the astrobiological point of view because they contain minerals. Multiple studies have been conducted that propose that the minerals encased inside fluid inclusions provide the source of energy for halophilic microorganism to survive over prolonged period of time.
It is very difficult to detect halite on Mars because of it is transparent in the near infra-red wavelengths usually used to detect minerals from orbit. The other minerals were detected due to short wave length but halite can only be detected with spectroscopy at longer wave lengths which needs special instruments and which is hard to bring to Mars. Usually, absorption is looked for at the near infra-red to thermal infra-red wavelengths on the electromagnetic spectrum. Most minerals are visible in near Infra- red. Halite and Quartz are two prominent examples that cannot be detected near Infra-red and need to be detected in Thermal Infra-red.
Now why is gypsum more important for extracting water on Mars than from ice or soil? Three comparative studies have been recently conducted on water extraction on Mars. Soil is not a highly efficient resource for water extraction because the amount of energy required to do it is too much. And then ice on Mars is hard as granite as well as the complexity in the process is also a factor that discounts ice as a source of water, although it is better than soil. We know that gypsum is present on the surface of Mars. To extract water from gypsum, it is heated at the temperature as high as 150 degrees centigrade that first gives calcium sulphate and hemi H2O and releases another molecule of water. This reaction further continues when high temperature is applied that gives anhydrite and releases another molecule of water. So gypsum seems to be the most efficient medium to obtain water on Mars.
Figure 3. Close-up of the Martian gypsum vein. NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell/ASU
Figure 4. Locations of chloride-bearing deposits (black) overlain on a Mars
Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) elevation map (grayscale). Inset is of a
region in Terra Sirenum investigated by Davila et al. (2011).
Finally, at MDRS astrobiological exploration of gypsum is important because they present an ideal shelter for microorganisms to survive. The capacity of gypsum to entrap water content facilitates these microhabitats with prevention from desiccation. Gypsum prevents microorganisms from high dose of UV radiation as well as its transparency allows the sunlight to enter into the crystals for photosynthetic organisms to survive. As MDRS is an excellent Martian analogue site and gypsum microbiology at MDRS is still poorly studied, the science objectives of our MARS 160 mission would address this area of astrobiological research and equip us with further knowledge of the possibility of microbial life inside gypsum deposits.
Davila, Alfonso; et al. (2011). “A large sedimentary basin in the Terra
Sirenum region of the southern highlands”. Icarus. 212: 579–589. | <urn:uuid:21a11f5d-95b4-45f3-9f7f-2d35c05efb70> | CC-MAIN-2018-39 | http://mars160.marssociety.org/2016/10/10/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-39/segments/1537267155702.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20180918205149-20180918225149-00397.warc.gz | en | 0.922572 | 1,290 | 3.34375 | 3 | 2.841855 | 3 | Strong reasoning | Science & Tech. |
Every year, around 360,000 people are diagnosed with the disease in the UK — only about two or three in every 100 of these cases are linked to inherited gene faults. In fact, experts estimate that around four in 10 cancer cases could be prevented through a combination of simple lifestyle changes. That’s why, in honour of World Cancer Day on February 4th, we have put together five tips to reduce your risk of cancer.
1. Maintain a healthy weight
Obesity has been linked to an increased risk of cancer, so it’s important to work to maintain a healthy weight by eating a lean diet and exercising regularly. Not sure if you are a healthy weight? Use the NHS BMI calculator, which is free to use on their website. While not the most reliable method of determining whether you’re a healthy weight, BMI calculators do provide us with an easy and helpful guideline to follow.
2. Avoid tobacco
This should go without saying but we couldn’t exclude it from the list. Smoking is the most preventable cause of cancer worldwide. Smoking and passive smoking not only puts your lungs at risk, but tobacco has also been linked to cancer of the mouth, throat, larynx, pancreas, bladder, cervix and kidney.
If you would like to quit smoking, contact your local GP to discuss treatment options.
3. Fill your diet with cancer-busting foods
We all know that eating a balanced diet is the key to a healthy body and mind, so we won’t bore you with the basics. Instead, we are going to highlight our top 3 cancer-busting foods.
Numerous studies have linked lycopene, the compound that is responsible for the vibrant red colour of tomatoes, with a reduced risk of prostate cancer. Pureed, sun-dried, canned, cooked or raw — however you like your tomatoes, make sure to add them to your diet daily to reap their anti-cancer benefits.
Olive oil has been linked with a reduced risk of breast cancer in women and may even protect you from cancer of the digestive system. Try swapping out your other cooking oils for this anti-cancer alternative to easily incorporate olive oil into your everyday meals.
Broccoli contains sulforaphane, a plant compound that could kill off prostate cancer cells and reduced tumour volume. In 2010, researchers conducting a test-tube study at the University of Michigan found that sulforaphane reduced the size and number of breast cancer cells by up to 75%.
4. Apply SPF daily
Protecting your skin from sun damage should not be reserved for your summer holidays. Even on extremely overcast days, the sun’s UVA and UVB rays can penetrate the skin and cause lasting damage to your skin cells. Apply an SPF of 15+ to any areas of the skin that are exposed to the sun, every day. Not only will this reduce your risk of developing melanoma, but it will also keep your skin looking healthy and youthful for longer.
5. Reduce alcohol
Drinking alcohol causes 11,900 cases of cancer a year in the UK. It doesn’t matter what type of alcohol you drink, when you consume it, you’re increasing your risk of developing breast, mouth, throat, voice box, oesophagus, liver, colon and rectal cancer.
To lower your risk, make sure you are dinking within the new recommended low-risk guidelines (no more than 14 units a week on a regular basis). We know it can be rough sticking to this but trust us. It’s worth it. Evidence shows cutting back on the booze is one of the best things you can do for your health. It can aid weight-loss, improve the look and feel of skin, lower blood pressure and reduce your risk of heart disease and diabetes.
“Obesity has been linked to an increased risk of cancer, so it’s important to work to maintain a healthy weight”
Written by Samantha Allaker | <urn:uuid:6112618f-c4da-45ae-92ea-63d85729321e> | CC-MAIN-2019-18 | http://aspect-county.co.uk/blog/post.php?s=five-cancer-prevention-tips | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-18/segments/1555578528058.3/warc/CC-MAIN-20190419201105-20190419223105-00218.warc.gz | en | 0.947468 | 830 | 2.828125 | 3 | 1.773317 | 2 | Moderate reasoning | Health |
Definition of the adjective boxlike
What does boxlike mean as an attribute of a noun?
adjective - degrees: -
- resembling a box in rectangularity
Alternative definition of the adjective boxlike
- Similar to a box
Printed dictionaries and other books with definitions for Boxlike
Click on a title to look inside that book (if available):
Flip Dictionary (2002)
by Barbara Kipfer
extra folding: jump seat seat in nook by fireplace: inglenook seat on rowboat: thwart seat or sofa, backless upholstered: ottoman seat, boxlike (horizontal), for carrying with poles by litter bearers: palanquin seat, boxlike (upright), for carrying ...
by POCKET BOOKS STAFF, Pocket Books
a boxlike covering or mold. Boxing Day, in England, Canada, etc, the first weekday after Christmas, when Christmas boxes are given to postmen, employees, etc. boxing glove, a padded leather glove or mitten worn in the sport of boxing.
Abridged from Webster's New International Dictionary. 1000 Illustrations by Noah Webster
A boxlike shed ; as, a sentry box. 6. Mach. A receptacle like, or suggestive of, a box, ...
by Ian V. Hogg
Based on a chassis derived from commercial Holt tractor parts, it weighed 30 tons , had a boxlike hull mounting a single 57 mm gun and six machine guns (q.v.), two Daimler engines and a crew of 18 men. Due to shortages of armor steel only ...
Encyclopedia of Jewish Food (2010)
by Gil Marks
After the adventofthe bell pepper, people throughouteastern Europeand theMiddleEast discoveredits boxlike structure madethem idealfor stuffing.Cooks eventuallybegan stuffingthem withgroundmeat, grains,andother mixtures and simmering ...
The Indispensable Resource for Every Gardener by Fern Marshall Bradley, Barbara W. Ellis, Ellen Phillips
Cold frames are rectangular, boxlike structures, usually made from boards, plywood, or concrete blocks, and covered with glass tops that are often made from old windows. Instead of glass win— dows, you can substitute fiberglass, Plexiglas, ...
by Francis D. K. Ching
leader head The boxlike head ofa downspout connected to a scupperorgutter. downspout A vertical pipe for conveying rainwaterdown from a roofor gutterto the ground. Also called drainspout, leader. shoe The base ...
Online dictionaries and encyclopedias with entries for Boxlike
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Video about Boxlike
Video shows what boxlike means. similar to a box. Boxlike Meaning. How to pronounce, definition audio dictionary. How to say boxlike. Powered by marytts, Wik.
Scrabble value of B3O1X8L1I1K5E1
The value of this 7-letter word is 20 points. It is included in the first and second editions of the Official Scrabble Players Dictionary.
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Go to the thesaurus of Boxlike to find many related words and phrases! | <urn:uuid:a92d3e84-b7ab-4338-8891-5562382b2b6b> | CC-MAIN-2015-35 | http://www.omnilexica.com/?q=boxlike | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-35/segments/1440645339704.86/warc/CC-MAIN-20150827031539-00188-ip-10-171-96-226.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.854846 | 715 | 2.703125 | 3 | 1.084919 | 1 | Basic reasoning | Literature |
What instruments are good for ensemble playing?
The harpsichord has an
exquisitely delicate and beautiful sound.
It's great for ensemble playing, as long as
other solo instruments with high energy
levels do not smother it. The harpsichord is
best suited for soloing or for inclusion in
small ensemble groups. It especially fits in
well with the recorder, woodwind, and other
quiet instruments. It can also provide
effective accompaniment for the violin and
What kind music is the C-30 best used for?
During the 15th to 18th centuries, in the
era before the piano appeared, the harpsichord was the
pivotal keyboard instrument in Western music.
In much the same way as the piano is today, the harpsichord
was used back then as a solo instrument in ensembles and for
accompanying singing and various instruments. It is the
ideal instrument for playing music up to the baroque period
(until J.S. Bach). On it's five-octave FF-f''' range,
you can play anything written for the harpsichord, except
for the Scarlatti sonatas and one Haydn piece that go up to
I teach the piano. Is the C-30 of any use for piano
When playing various
pieces of music on the piano, it is very
important to understand which phrases were
used in which generation and on what kind of
instrument. Consequently, the touch and
sound produced while playing are liable to
change depending on who is playing.
For example, the actual instrument the
keyboard music of Bach or Handel was
composed for was the harpsichord. If piano
players have the opportunity to try and
achieve legato expression on a harpsichord
without using a pedal, or to vary the
expressive strength of phrase units, or add
trills and ornamentation, they will discover
expressive possibilities that would not
occur to them by practicing solely on the
Used in conjunction with a grand piano, the
C-30 will help students obtain a deeper
understanding of expression, the ultimate
goal of music
What kinds of temperament (traditional tuning) are
available, and how are they used?
The C-30 has the following five types of
temperament built in, and a button push is all that is
required to switch from one to another.
[Selection and use]
As with present-day pianos, each octave is divided into 12
tones. Free rein is given to transposition and, when used,
transposition does not alter the harmonics.
This well-balanced temperament enables use of all tones, and
the harmonies of each tone are distinct. Relatively easy to
use, this temperament was mainstream during Bach's lifetime.
Similar to Werckmeister, but the harmonies are even more
defined. Transposition is possible but quite difficult
(after Bach's time).
As Werckmeister, it is close to equal temperament and does
not restrict transposition. Vallotti is also often used with
Commonly used for European pipe organs. While it produces
beautiful thirds, the number of musical keys is limited.
This restricts transposition.
Is it hard to operate the C-30?
Sound selection, volume control, switching
between different tunings, and other basic functions have
their own dedicated control buttons and knobs on the
operation panel. All the controls are logical and easy to
understand. If you are unsure how to do something, a look at
the Quick Manual will soon get you back on track.
What is the USB port for?
It can be used for future internal
programming (firmware) upgrades and function expansion.
Is a music stand included?
A detachable music stand is included.
You can remove it when it is not required.
Can the tuning be changed? Can the C-30 be tuned to
baroque pitch (415 Hz)?
If you hold the Function button you can
adjust the pitch using the Tone knob.
Using the Function button and Tone knob together, you can
set up the C-30 to match the pitch of other instruments.
The function controls of the C-30 also enable one-touch
switching. Beside the semitone lower baroque pitch (415 Hz,
you can use Versailles pitch (392 Hz), which is nearly one
whole tone lower. To accompany other instruments tuned to
just about any other pitch, all you have to do is use the
settings in conjunction with the tuning function.
How powerful are the speakers and what kind of space can
The C-30 has two 13 W speakers.
The C-30 can produce a more powerful sound than an acoustic
harpsichord. The built-in speakers have enough output to
reach all the listeners in halls that seat several hundred
people. The previous C-80 model has been used in the
orchestra pit of an actual opera and has been judged to
perform well alongside an actual orchestra.
How does the C-30 differ from the C-80?
The C-30 is smaller and lighter than the
C-80. Taking up less space, it can easily be moved around.
The C-80 has just a single (Flemish-type) harpsichord on
board. In addition, it cannot provide an 8 + 8 + 4 string
The C-80 has a click-action keyboard with the color of the
sharp and natural keys reversed.
In the C-30, the keys have a longer distance to the pivot.
Other differences include the shape of the sharp keys, the
click sensation, and the weight of the keys. These and other
fine details have been improved in this newly developed
How much space does the C-30 need?
Taking up less space than an electric
piano, the C-30 will fit just about anywhere. It is not
heavy and can easily be moved around. The compact dimensions
are listed below.
External dimensions (including the stand)
1,100 (W) x 450 (D) x 1,170 (H) mm/ 43-5/16 (W) x 17-3/4 (D)
x 46-1/16 (H) inches
Width:1,100 (W) x 380 (D) x 830 (H) mm/ 43-5/16 (W) x 15 (D)
x 32-11/16 (H) inches
Weight (unit and stand)
25 kg (55 lbs 2 oz) unit + 13 kg (28 lbs 11 oz) stand = 38
kg (83 lbs 13 oz) in total
At 38 kg (83 lbs 13 oz), the weight of the unit and stand is
relatively light. No floor reinforcement is necessary. The
C-30 can be placed on a carpet and other floor coverings, or
even on tatami mats.
easily be placed upstairs in a child's room without the
worry of excessive sound.
How much electricity does it use?
The C-30 uses about 25 W of power. This is
almost insignificant, less than a dim 40 W light bulb
lighting a hall or stairway.
Is the C-30 likely to fall over if there is an
The design conforms to stability safety
standards. The cabinet will not fall over if tilted by up to
10°. However, along with other furniture and household
appliances, if there is a powerful earthquake, it may fall
The ideal solution, where possible, would be to use
commercially available stays or fixing devices to lock the
unit to the wall or floor.
Is the C-30 easily affected by humidity, dryness, and
As with fine furniture, the C-30 should
not be placed in direct sunlight.
As far as the sound is concerned, the pitch (tuning) and
playability are unaffected by heat or humidity. The sound of
the C-30 is much more dependable than the sound of acoustic
instruments. However, the fine wooden cabinet does require
the same care that you give to high-quality furniture. If
kept in extreme environments, such as exposed to direct
sunlight or in very damp or dry conditions, discoloration,
surface deformation, and even warping of the lid may occur.
Is tuning necessary?
Whereas guitars, violins, and other
acoustic instruments have to be tuned before playing, the
C-30 uses a digital sound source that provides perfect and
consistent pitch. Tuning is not necessary.
Is the C-30 made of wood?
The cabinet is made of wood.
Using an environmentally friendly process, the cabinet is
finished in high-quality, attractive veneer made from
Japanese wood. The finish is a luxurious mahogany grain.
What materials are the picture board and decorative panel
The picture board consists of a sheet
applied to a wooden panel. A large industrial printer
manufactured by Roland DG is used to print the sheet.
The decorative panel is made of transparent PET
(polyethylene teraphthalate) and is printed by same Roland
What do the Latin words on the picture board mean?
This Latin proverb says, "Music is a
companion to joy and a comfort in sorrow."
It is one of a number of mottos that are often found written
on the inside of the lids of Flemish harpsichords.
How is the C-30 different than harpsichord sounds on
While many electric pianos provide a
harpsichord sound, it is just one sound among many others,
and the piano keyboard does not do justice to the subtle
expressivity of the harpsichord. Neither can you select or
layer strings or change registration.
Compared to the C-30, the keyboard action is considerably
heavier, and the piano action does not do justice to the
harpsichord. Music played on the C-30 is significantly
closer to the authenticity of the genuine harpsichord sound,
feel, and expressiveness.
What sounds are onboard? What are the characteristics of
You can switch between six onboard
instruments on the C-30: French harpsichord, Flemish
harpsichord, fortepiano, dynamic harpsichord, positive
organ, and celesta.
[Characteristics of each type]
The French harpsichord has a gentle, fluid sound that
displays its charm particularly in solo playing.
The Flemish harpsichord has a crisp sound with enough
presence for ensemble playing.
The fortepiano is the same early piano sound heard by Mozart
The dynamic harpsichord lets you play the French harpsichord
with more dynamic expression and also allows the use of the
damper pedal. With this sound-set you can explore new
territories of harpsichord expression.
For these four instruments, the following four buttons
provide different sound coloration to chord and combination
8-foot pitch I: Known as the "back eight," the tone is
gentle and thick, and provides an underlying sound. Often
called "front eight," the bright and distinctive sound
results from plucking the string near the end of its
4-foot pitch: An octave above 8-foot, it is usually played
together with 8-foot.
Lute: When a buff of felt or similar material is applied to
8-foot strings, the sound resembles the lute, the ancestor
of the guitar.
To vary the positive organ sound, the following two buttons
are used for selecting the pipes. These can also be used
Organ I: Wooden pipes (lower flute, 8-foot)
Organ II: Metal pipes (principal, 8-foot plus 4-foot)
The organ button is also used for selecting celesta.
Celesta: The charming sounds are made by hammers hitting
What kind of harpsichord has been used as the source for
The harpsichord in the C-30 was sampled
from a French Blanchet instrument. The charm of its gentle,
fluent sound is particularly apparent in solo playing.
The other instrument, a fine Ruckers Flemish harpsichord, is
already familiar from the C-80. However, the onboard memory
has been expanded so you get a set of new high-quality
sounds that are responsive to playing technique. The new
sounds provide more vivid reality with richness in the
mid-range and a high-end that is crisp and penetrating, with
enough distinctiveness even for ensemble playing.
Are the keys of the C-30 responsive to different key
pressure? Does the tone and expression change according to how the keys are
In the development of the C-30 keyboard
and sound source, Roland's engineers gave the highest
priority to improving the way that touch affects sound and
musical expression. In particular, by implementing the
points described below, you can both subtly change the sound
depending on touch and let your playing sparkle with
articulation and nuance.
How hard you press the keys subtly affects the resulting
sound. A heavy touch produces a thick, strong sound, while a
lighter touch brings out brightness and beauty in the tone.
Forceful pressure on a key also changes the wooden-box sound
of the jack rail being struck by the jack, which holds the
plectrum. The mechanics of pressing a piano key and pressing
a harpsichord are different, and the difference in touch is
reflected in the way the sound is produced. When playing
multiple choirs of strings with the harpsichord, the timing
of the plucking of each string is slightly offset
(staggered) to prevent the need for extremely heavy
This staggering is reproduced, so that pressing the keys in
subtly different ways allows delicately nuanced changes in
the way sounds are produced. The slight lag that occurs
after the jack is raised is also reproduced. This enables a
more cohesive sound during trill and legato playing. When
the key is released, a distinctive noise is made when the
plectrum scrapes the string on its return. You can
immediately release the key or, before release, you can
pause and wait for the string to stop vibrating. This
decision affects the character of the noise that is
produced. Paying attention to even key release timing raises
expression to whole new level.
All these fine details of the harpsichord's action are
important features that have been realized to enable you to
play with authentic technique and expressive articulation.
The C-30 is a particularly effective means of developing a
subtle and accurate feel for the way the harpsichord is
Does the C-30's keyboard feel the same as an acoustic
Differences in the mechanism mean that the
feel is not exactly the same.
Keyboard features that strongly resemble the acoustic
• Key travel (stroke)
• Click feel (the sensation of strings being plucked)
• Initial weight (the resistance when a key is first pushed)
• Shape and size of the sharp (black) keys
Keyboard features that differ from the acoustic harpsichord:
• Octave pitch – same as the piano, wider range than
• Length of natural (white) keys – similar to piano and
organ, longer than most traditional harpsichords
• Change in key resistance when multiple strings are plucked
– with the C-30, key pressure remains the same and playing
is easy regardless of how many strings are played. For each
key, large acoustic harpsichords have multiple choirs of
strings. When more than one string is plucked, resistance
increases and playing feels heavier.
• When the key is pressed past the plucking position, the
click sensation lingers a little, owing to the response of
No standards were agreed upon for the keys and keyboards of
acoustic harpsichords. Different instruments may have keys
of different form and feel. Normally, once a player gets
used to a particular instrument, a different instrument
feels strange and it takes practice to get accustomed to the
special characteristics of the keyboard. To become an
assured harpsichord player, it is necessary to become
familiar with the peculiarities of a number of instruments.
The C-30 does not try to emulate the murkier aspects of the
harpsichord keyboard. Putting effort into getting an
authentic touch and genuine harpsichord expressiveness,
Roland designed an original keyboard especially for the
harpsichord. Rather than blindly copying the features that
make some harpsichords difficult to play, the designers
looked at things from the player's point of view and chose
to enable easier phrasing and articulation. Because of this,
if you come to the C-30 from the piano, you should find it
much easier to play than an acoustic harpsichord.
Conversely, once you get used to playing the C-30, you
should not expect to be able to sit at an acoustic
harpsichord and casually play with the same level of skill.
After all, the feel when strings are plucked, the shorter
length of the white keys, the different key width, the
increased resistance when a single key press plucks two
strings, and other characteristics will not be the same.
Compared with other keyboard instruments, such as piano,
organ, and electric keyboard, however, the C-30 lets you
practice the most important techniques of phrasing and
articulation with a keyboard that very closely approximates
the traditional feel of the harpsichord. After playing the
C-30, playing an acoustic harpsichord will also feel much
less strange than after practicing on one of the other
So, as a step on the road to playing an acoustic
harpsichord, practice on the C-30 is exceptionally
How large is the C-30 keyboard?
The dimensions of the C-30 keyboard are
White key pitch (edge-to-edge width of adjacent white keys):
23.6 mm/ 15/16 inches
White key size (visible part): width 22.0 mm/ 7/8 inches,
length 120 mm/ 4-3/4 inches
Black key size (visible part): width 11.2 mm/ 1/2 inches,
length 70 mm/ 2-13/16 inches
Acoustic harpsichords that are made today have narrow keys.
This is traced back to the 18th century remodeling (grand
ravalement) of esteemed Ruckers Flemish-style harpsichords,
which were made in the previous generation. To extend the
pitch range, more keys had to be added, and it was necessary
to reduce the width of each key. In one way, this was
beneficial: in the absence of a damper pedal, it is better
to keep the keys as narrow as possible to facilitate legato
playing, which is more effective if keys can be spanned and
held more easily. At the same time, narrow keys can make
playing harder for people with large hands or thick fingers.
Harpsichord makers were unable to agree on standard
dimensions. From generation to generation and from place to
place, workshops used different dimensions and color schemes
for keyboards. This gave the instruments a great deal of
To make it possible to enjoy playing the C-30 expressively
both as a harpsichord and as a piano, the keys have been
made the same width as conventional piano keys.
Why, even when the lid is down, are the keys visible from
Most harpsichords were made so the front
remained unenclosed and visible. The C-30 has a similarly
open design that reveals, even with the lid down, that it is
a musical instrument. Using a lid that completely enclosed
the top posed design problems, and it was found that a
simple, overhanging lid yielded a simple and elegant look.
On the C-30, why hasn't the color of the black and
white keys been reversed as in the previous C-50 and C-80 electric
Harpsichord keyboards were never
standardized. The colors and materials of the sharp keys
(ebony on the piano) and natural keys (ivory on the piano)
varied depending on the maker and instrument.
Using black for the natural keys was a very distinctive
feature of certain harpsichords, and is found in late-period
French harpsichords and on many Flemish instruments. Various
reasons have been given for this. At the time, women were
the primary players of harpsichords, and some say that a
dark background accentuated a woman's hands. Others say that
precious ebony wood was used to increase the luxuriousness
of the instruments. On the other hand, Italian harpsichords
almost always followed the light and dark pattern of the
piano. Even so, the materials and coloration of the keys of
different instruments was often very distinctive.
In the current development of the C-30, as a statement that
the sound and expressivity of the instrument are equal to
the piano, the color pattern of the keys has been made the
On the C-50 and C-80 the key colors were reversed, but the
keys did not have a great feel. This time, using the
conventional piano coloration, the black keys have also been
made matte and have an improved feel. The styling of the
instrument has also been redesigned in a virginal format. To
go with the simpler design, a simple, conventionally
patterned color layout was adopted.
How does the keyboard of the C-30 work?
A special harpsichord keyboard was
developed for the C-30.
The keys sensitively reproduce the feeling of plectrums
working against strings. The depth of travel (stroke) when
you press a key and the initial weight (resistance to being
pushed) are also faithfully reproduced. Moreover, great
attention has been paid of the sharp keys (black) — their
length and form is true to the harpsichord and this provides
improved playability, particularly of sharps.
Why does it look different than a usual harpsichord?
The form of the C-30 is borrowed from a
small, rectangular type of harpsichord known as the
"virginal." To reduce the size of the larger triangular
harpsichord, the virginal was designed with the strings
arranged parallel to the keyboard. This enabled a more
compact design that was suitable for personal and home use.
For the acoustic instrument, however, the size and design
restrictions made the instrument even quieter and reduced
the range and variety of sounds.
Designing the C-30, Roland gave priority to making the
instrument easy to move around and install. So the form of
the virginal was chosen. Even so, it provides two large
manuals for the full variety of harpsichord sounds
(registers) and a full 61-key range. If you want to play
more loudly, it has power to spare.
Is there any difference between the cembalo and the
These are different names for the same
type of instrument. The Germans have used "cembalo," the
name that originated in Italy. The English-speaking world
knows it by the name "harpsichord." Meanwhile, the French
know it as the "clavecin." These names all apply to keyboard
instruments that make sounds with a mechanism for plucking
strings when keys are pressed.
Roland uses the English name "digital harpsichord" on the
control panel, but the instructions and other literature use
whatever name is appropriate in the local language.
Why develop an electronic harpsichord now?
In terms of both form and sound, the
harpsichord is an exceptionally attractive instrument.
Acoustic harpsichords, however, are prohibitively expensive.
Owners also have to constantly adjust them to ensure that
they stay in tune. Because acoustic harpsichords require so
much care, only the most dedicated musicians have been able
to regularly experience the joy of playing the enchanting
instrument. Even then, there is another drawback: The
acoustic sound has limited dynamic range. There is no great
difference when notes are played quietly or loudly. Because
it is quieter than other modern instruments, the harpsichord
fell out of favor with mainstream music. Nowadays, it is
used almost exclusively for playing baroque and earlier
pieces. Most people rarely get a glimpse of a harpsichord or
get to hear its wonderful sound.
While preserving the sound, intact with all its charm,
Roland has overcome the drawbacks of the acoustic
harpsichord by creating the C-30, an instrument that can be
enjoyed as conveniently as an electric piano. The electric
harpsichord was made especially for people who relish a
different kind of musical challenge. Providing fascinatingly
authentic sound and creating a special atmosphere, the C-30
will let you find your way deep into the heart of music.
A classical instrument, yet utterly new: The C-30 provides
what today's discriminating music lovers have been waiting
What kind of musical instrument is the C-30?
The C-30 is an electronic version of the
harpsichord, which has given pre-classical music a new lease
on life as a more accessible musical instrument.
The harpsichord is also known as the "cembalo" in German and
Italian. Until the development of the piano in the late 18th
century, the harpsichord and the pipe organ shared honors as
the major keyboard instruments. In the baroque era, up to
the time of J.S. Bach, and even in the early years of
Mozart, the harpsichord was a mainstream instrument for
composing and performance.
Be aware that the C-30 is an electronic instrument and must
be plugged into an electrical outlet.
Just as with an electric piano, the C-30 can be played any
time once it is put in place, plugged in, and turned using
the On/Off button on the control panel. When you play, the
built-in speakers produce an authentic harpsichord sound.
Moreover, you can adjust the volume. This means that, better
than an acoustic harpsichord, you can play loud enough to
fill a large hall. Or, for practice at home, you can plug in
headphones. That way, only you can hear what you are
playing, and you won't disturb others.
Another advantage of using a digital instrument is that
pitch and tone remain stable. You can confidently move the
C-30 around or transport it, knowing that it will always
stay in tune. It is also not adversely affected by changes
in temperature and humidity. Because it needs no more care
than a piece of furniture or an electrical appliance, you
can enjoy playing the harpsichord at any time.
I only have a piano. Will I be able to play the C-30?
While the feel of the keyboard is
different than the piano, the musical notation for the keys
is the same.
Coming to the harpsichord from the piano, you have the great
benefit of being able to read music and to properly use both
hands. You can use these skills to start playing the
harpsichord. Soon, you will become aware that the
harpsichord demands a different touch to do justice to the
sound, and that the phrasing and playing techniques are
different from the piano. Once you start exploring this new
instrument, you will discover a deeper level of musical
satisfaction and creativity.
Practice on the C-30 will enable you to acquire the touch,
release timing, special legato techniques, and other skills
you need for playing the harpsichord. | <urn:uuid:8460b9a3-8f5f-4134-bf8d-6e6e4dfe0e65> | CC-MAIN-2016-50 | http://lazarsearlymusic.com/RolandClassic/C-30/Roland_FAQ.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-50/segments/1480698541321.31/warc/CC-MAIN-20161202170901-00233-ip-10-31-129-80.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.920298 | 6,060 | 2.515625 | 3 | 2.476125 | 2 | Moderate reasoning | Entertainment |
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tipo de documento Francés-Lengua extranjera - Secuencia didáctica
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Counting was one of the first mathematical activities that primitive man had to learn how to do. Expressing a quantity with symbols meant a great step forward as they were the first number systems. However, they were awkward to work with. The decimal system and place-value notation, which we use nowadays, was thought up in India (VI - IX Century) and the Arabs introduced it to the Western world (X century) where it started to be used in the XIII century. We use the decimal number system as we have 10 fingers (the hand was the first calculator in history). The main advantage of this system is that it uses place-value notation (or positional notation) as the value of each figure depends on its position. However, there are other number systems too. For example, the theoretical mechanism which is used to make computers work is based on the binary number system. This unit is based on a game called Nim. The strategy used to win the game is to make certain calculations in base 2. The game is used as a way of introducing some initial concepts about number systems. Many scientific calculators used these days (including the one which comes with the operating system in your computer) can be used to work with other number systems: in binary (base 2), in octal (base 8) and in hexadecimal (base 16). You could investigate them when you have finished this unit.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES * To investigate by playing. * To understand the concept of a base in a number system. * To count using different number systems. * To understand the principle of the relative value * To express any number written in base 10 in another base. * To express a number written in any other base in base 10. * To express a number written in base m in base n. * To use base 2 as a strategy to win at Nim.
KNOWLEDGE TYPE: procedural
PRIOR KNOWLEDGE The contents required are explained in this course
The use of the following contents is universal, free of charge and open, provided that it is for non-commercial educative use. The actions, products and utilities derived from its use may therefore not generate any profit. Moreover, a reference to the source is required.
Installation is not required
Install and enable the Java interpreter and Plug-in of the Applet Descartes on local
Fecha publicación: 28.3.2015
En DIDACTALIA tu privacidad es lo más importante para nosotros. Hemos modificado nuestra política de privacidad.
Para poder seguir utilizando nuestros servicios debes leer y aceptar nuestra política. | <urn:uuid:c8d40141-98da-42ee-b51c-9c9d9488e8cc> | CC-MAIN-2018-26 | https://didactalia.net/comunidad/materialeducativo/recurso/nim-game/ff848a93-2b6c-44ad-b332-1422a987ee13 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-26/segments/1529267864795.68/warc/CC-MAIN-20180622201448-20180622221448-00488.warc.gz | en | 0.81146 | 609 | 4.3125 | 4 | 2.027621 | 2 | Moderate reasoning | Science & Tech. |
The Birth of the Dorset KnobThis is the story of a Dorset woman who founded and ran a bakery in Litton Cheney where the first Dorset Knobs were baked and sold.William Pitcher, the first son of Samuel and Mary Pitcher, was born at Powerstock, where he was baptised on Christmas Day 1789. Maria Longman, his wife, was born in 1795 at Rimpton Mill, near Yeovil, Somerset. They were married at St. Georges Church, Fordington, Dorchester on the 22nd of March 1815 and soon after moved to Litton Cheney.Their 10 children were all baptised in Litton’s St Mary’s Church. Li Jesse on 11th of August 1816; Mary Brown on 31st of May 1818, John on 5th of March 1820, Nimshi on 13th of October 1822, Levi on 26th of March 1824, Daniel on 9th of September 1826, Maria Brown on 11th of August 1828, Elizabeth Martha Longman on 25th of July 1830, William Longman Brown on 19th of May 1833 and Jane on 18th of December 1834.Their 7th child, Maria, was said to be a formidable woman with striking looks and great strength. She could handle a sack of flour as well as any man and was known for getting her own way.Early in 1852 Maria married John Bligdon, a man born and raised in Litton Cheney, where he was a boot and shoe maker. Soon after their marriage, Maria, who until then had been working as a servant, persuaded her husband to let her start a bakery business in the village known as White Cross Bakers.The business started in a small way with one assistant but quickly prospered. In 1881 Maria Bligdon employed three bakers and two servants, all living on the premises. Her husband continued his business as a cordwainer. One of these bakers, a Mr Moores, brought with him a recipe for Dorset Knobs, a round savoury biscuit that quickly became popular with the customers. It is named after the Dorset knob button. The recipe consists of bread dough to which extra sugar and butter are added. The dough is then shaped into round balls by hand and baked three times, the end product being crumbly and similar to a rusk. Thus, Maria Bligdon could not claim to have conceived the recipe for the delicacy but she was certainly instrumental in its birth and growth in popularity, particularly in West Dorset where it is still produced.Maria BligdonNellie Titterington, Thomas Hardy’s parlour maid, revealed that the author “would most enjoy a cup of soup, followed by two boiled eggs. He finished his meal with Dorset knobs and Stilton cheese, both favourites of Mr Hardy, Dorset knobs especially.”With fat bacon the Dorset Knob formed the main diet of the men employed by Maria Bligdon at her Litton Cheney bake house and the biscuits were despatched to Dorset soldiers fighting in Africa during the Boer Wars.Pound Cake was another speciality of the bakery and sold for sixpence a pound. Her gooseberry tart was also very popular as was the making of dough cake. The dough was supplied by the bakery to the villagers who made it into cakes which were then baked at the bake house.Those living off parish relief and seeking employment were given penny bread tickets which the bakery accepted towards the cost of a loaf of bread, at that time about four pence. The bakery accepted about £5 worth of tickets every month. With two hundred and forty pence to the pound, Mrs Bligdon’s bakery was obviously extremely busy.Maria Bligdon was buried at Litton Cheney on 8th of January 1891 aged 63. Her husband John died in 1896. As there were no recorded offspring, it is believed that a nephew took over the business and closed it in 1916.When Mr Moores left the bakery he went to Morcombelake where his sons started a business and produced Dorset Knobs. That business still exists today and, during January and February, continues to bake Dorset Knobs.
C G FRY & SON
The firm which is now C G Fry & Son was started in Litton Cheney not long after the First World War. More than 90 years on, the company still has its base in the village, though its operations are spread across the south-west of England.In 1918, nineteen-year-old Charles George Fry came out of the army and started work with his father George, who was the village undertaker in Litton Cheney as well as doing general house and building repairs.Before going into the army Charlie had been apprenticed as a wheelwright and wagon builder – a skill he now brought to his father’s business. At that time just one other person, Neddy Pye, was employed.The 1930s saw Dorset farmers starting to use tractors and mass-produced trailers. The wheel and wagon business faded away and the company concentrated solely on building work. In 1935 Charlie Fry built his first house – a stone house in Chalk Pit Lane at Litton Cheney constructed for a chemist from Weymouth. The firm was growing, and before the outbreak of the Second World in 1939 there were five employees. Most, however, were called up for war service, leaving only one.After the war the labour force was restored to its former size, augmented by its first apprentices. In 1950 Eddy Fry, Charlie’s son, was apprenticed to a Dorchester building company, George Tate Ltd, as a bricklayer. After completing his apprenticeship and then his National Service he became increasingly involved in the running of the company, overseeing refurbishment work, new buildings and general repairs, working on most of the large houses in West Dorset.In the mid-1970s came Eddy Fry’s first speculative development – a single house built on a site in Puncknowle. In 1980 the company was formed as C G Fry & Son Ltd. At that time Charlie Fry retired from the firm. A site of eight houses was developed in Litton Cheney, and while the contracting work was maintained, the house building side was gradually increased at other small sites in West Dorset.In 1991 Eddy was joined by his son Philip, who had completed a degree in Quantity Surveying, subsequently working for a building contractor in London. Together they expanded the development side of the company, with award-winning developments in Abbotsbury and Broadwindsor.In 1992 C G Fry & Son won a tender from the Duchy of Cornwall for the first phase of the building of Poundbury, and the firm has since been responsible for the construction at Poundbury of more than 600 new homes, offices and shops. Poundbury helped put the name of C G Fry & Son on the map as a leading regional construction firm, and the company now operates in Devon, Cornwall, Somerset, Wiltshire and Hampshire. | <urn:uuid:b9614e60-f7ef-40a1-8ef1-1d4aff223d70> | CC-MAIN-2019-43 | http://littoncheney.org.uk/historic%20archive%206.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-43/segments/1570987829458.93/warc/CC-MAIN-20191023043257-20191023070757-00532.warc.gz | en | 0.98892 | 1,463 | 2.578125 | 3 | 2.370442 | 2 | Moderate reasoning | History |
Stories from across the “Great Lakes State.”
A collection of fifteen stories from across the “Great Lakes State.” Chosen to give the reader an insight into Michigan’s rich and varied historical heritage, each of these tales relates a different aspect of the state’s past.
Among others, stories in this book include:The life of George N. Smith, a pioneering missionary, who, along with his family, endured years of hardship living with the Native Americans. A man with a common name, but an uncommon life. The story of Detroit’s once proud status as “Stove Capital of the World.” The fiery head-on collision of two passenger trains at Battle Creek caused when one of the crews ignored their instructions.
The tale of William Bryce, a Union soldier that returned home following the Civil War only to succumb to injuries resulting from his experiences as a prisoner of the Confederacy. The struggle to build a bridge across the Straits of Mackinac that lasted nearly seventy-five years before the Mackinac Bridge was finally completed. A freighter’s crew that entered into a life-and-death struggle with the Storm of 1913, the most destructive storm to strike the Great Lakes in modern history.
Regardless of their subsequent actions, all of the men in the mine, with the exception of the party actually fighting the fire, received warning of the blaze and were therefore given ample time to escape. As the fire intensified, Shaft No. 3 continued to fill with smoke and toxic gases. Men working in the mine were advised to go to the Opechee, the southernmost shaft, to affect their escape, as that shaft was clear of smoke. To assist in helping the miners escape, mine skips in Shafts No. 4 and 5 remained in constant use. While many escaped by this method, others were able to exit the mine by climbing ladders.
During 1890s, the Detroit Stove Works earned a reputation as being one of the best-equipped stove manufacturing establishments in the United States. Of the products produced by this firm, the best known was its line of “Jewel” stoves and ranges. Contemporary writing tells us that there were 800 different styles of “Jewel” stoves being produced by the Detroit Stove Works during this period, with an annual volume of 60,000 units.3 Furthermore, the “Jewel” line of stoves was remodeled on a yearly basis to meet the changing demands of their customers while incorporating the latest advancements in technology. As such, “Jewel” stoves and ranges were in demand the world over.
Having but $1.06 to his credit, George Smith was faced with a severe financial hardship upon his arrival at Detroit, a situation made somewhat better following the sale of his watch for $5.50. The small group of travelers was fortunate in meeting in an old acquaintance from Vermont who helped them in obtaining a room at a nearby hotel. Later, when George Smith had found a lumber wagon willing to transport him and his family across the territory to Gull Prairie, this same friend guaranteed the $20 charged by the teamster.
A lifelong resident of Michigan, Constance M. Jerlecki has written four books concerning the history of the state she calls home. | <urn:uuid:d32de1df-b773-4448-8d20-2b7bc8dae12c> | CC-MAIN-2021-25 | http://inlandexpressions.com/talesofmichigan.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-25/segments/1623487623596.16/warc/CC-MAIN-20210616093937-20210616123937-00555.warc.gz | en | 0.974576 | 686 | 3.015625 | 3 | 2.663745 | 3 | Strong reasoning | History |
We hear about climate change from the media, but the information can be confusing and politically charged. WSU soil scientist Craig Cogger presented a two-part webinar series to cut through the confusion and understand the science of climate change. View Part 1, What does the science really tell us about past and current climate trends? HERE. View Part 2, Climate models, skepticism, and our response to climate disruption HERE.
Assessing the Impact of Climate Change on Columbia River Basin Agriculture through Integrated Crop Systems, Hydrologic, and Water Management Modeling
Rajagopalan, K., K. Chinnayakanahalli, J.C. Adam, C.S. Stockle, R. Nelson, M. Brady, M.E. Barber, S. Dinesh, K. Malek, G. Yorgey, C. Kruger, T. Marsh, and J. Yoder, 2011. AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts, San Francisco, CA, Dec. 6.
Vegetable crop production and alternative crop development such as edamame, wasabi, bamboo, and organic seed production. Work is targeted for both small-scale and large commercial growers, with emphasis on organic production. Links include new fact sheets and information on grafted vegetables http://vegetables.wsu.edu/graftingVegetables.html .
Stability of anthocyanins in frozen and freeze-dried raspberries during long-term storage: In relation to glass transition
Syamaladevi, R. M., Sablani, S. S., Tang, J., Powers, J. and Swanson, B. G. 2011. Journal of Food Science 76: 414-421.
Galinato, Suzette P., David Granatstein and Mykel R. Taylor. 2011. 2010 Cost Estimates of Establishing and Producing Organic Apples in Washington. Washington State University Extension Fact Sheet FS041E. Excel workbook (enterprise budgets) available http://extecon.wsu.edu/pages/Enterprise_Budgets. Select “apples” for access to the FS041E workbook.
(Recorded Webinar) Andrews, Preston. WSU. 2011.
WSU scientist Lynne Carpenter-Boggs is working with an international group of scientists to help find bean varieties and microbial inoculates that will improve yields on the ancient soils that farms in many parts of Africa must contend with. Dr. Carpenter-Boggs took a Flip camera to Africa and shot some wonderful footage of farms, people and animals.
Galinato, S., J. Yoder and D. Granatstein. 2011. Energy Policy, 39(10):6344-6350.
Burrows, C. 2011. WSU Whatcom County Extension. This article is an update on potential aminopyralid residue in manure, composted manure and silage. Mitigation actions include bioassay tests by composting facilities, outreach and education to prevent export of manure from operations where aminopyralid was applied, and proposed product label changes.
WSU scientists have conducted extensive research on Anaerobic Digestion (AD) as a technology for recovery of methane (energy), stable carbon, and nutrients from organic wastes such as manure, food processing wastes and the organic fraction of municipal solid wastes (OFMSW). Our research has evaluated the technical and economic performance of commercially available systems, developed improved AD reactors, and commercialized WSU patented nutrient recovery technology. This webinar, presented by CSANR director Chad Kruger and CSANR scientist Craig Frear, will provide an update on the latest results from the WSU Climate Friendly Farming Project’s AD research.
Frear, C., W. Liao, T. Ewing, and S. Chen. Clean – Soil, Air, Water 2011,39 (7), 697–704.
Schnepf, C., J. Creighton, A. Grotta, S. Kantor. 2011. Full report available here.
Grotta, A., J. Creighton, C. Schnepf, S. Kantor. 2011.
Creighton, J., C. Schnepf, A. Grotta, S. Kantor. 2011.
Schnepf, C., J. Creighton, A. Grotta, S. Kantor. 2011. Executive summary available here.
Kantor, S., J. Creighton, C. Schnepf, A. Grotta. 2011.
The Northwest Biocarbon Initiative aims to galvanize farmers, foresters, community leaders, and thinkers to demonstrate the essential role that natural systems can play in ensuring long-term climate stability. The Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources is part of this collaboration with several of the Northwest’s leading conservation organizations who see this effort as a logical extension of our region’s rich natural resource heritage and our history of groundbreaking innovation and stewardship.
Private forest landowners in the Pacific Northwest and elsewhere face the same challenges as public land managers with regard to changing forest conditions. However, little is known regarding the understanding family forest landowners have about climate change and the potential impacts on how they manage their forests. Consequently, the degree to which private landowners are prepared to respond effectively is unknown. To make sure new research and extension programming related to climate change and western forests is as useful as possible for family forest owners, researchers at three universities conducted a needs assessment in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington to determine family forest owners’ perceptions, understanding, and educational needs regarding the impact of climate change on their forests. The Oregon, Washington, Alaska and Idaho reports are linked here, as well as an executive summary of the Idaho report.
Smith, T. 1995-1997. This WSU Chelan-Douglas County Extension website summary features results from in-orchard compost trials in North Central Washington. Report includes an overview of compost materials and use in orchards.
Managed grazing update provided by Extension Educator Steve Van Vleet. Sept 2011.
Steury, 2011. Article highlighting CSANR soil research in Washington State Magazine.
Sudermann, 2011. Article highlighting CSANR climate change research in Washington State Magazine.
WSU Extension Fact Sheet FS040E. Yorgey, G., C. Kruger, K. Steward, C. Frear, & N. Mena. August 2011. This fact sheet is part of the AD Systems Series.
Methods for Producing Biochar and Advanced Biofuels in Washington State Part 1: Literature Review of Pyrolysis Reactors
Garcia-Perez, M., T. Lewis, C. Kruger. 2011. Funding for this study is provided by the Washington State Department of Ecology with the intention to address the growing demand for information on the design of advanced pyrolysis units. This is the first of a series of reports exploring the use of biomass thermochemical conversion technologies to sequester carbon and to produce fuels and chemicals.
Goldberger, J. 2011. Journal of Rural Studies 27(3):288-296.
Biogas potential and microbial population distributions in flushed dairy manure and implications on anaerobic digestion technology
Frear, C., Wang, Z., Li, C., Chen, S., (2011). Journal of Chemical Technology & Biotechnology, 86:145-152.
July, 2011. Tables of organic cropland acres and county distribution for 2005-2010. Livestock numbers and farmgate sales are not included.
Mullinix, K. and Granatstein, D. 2011. Intl. J. Fruit Sci. 11:74-87.
Research on apple and strawberry by Dr. Preston Andrews, Dr. John Reganold, and Dr. Neil Davies.
An Integrated Pathogen Control, Ammonia and Phosphorus Recovery System for Manure and/or Organic Wastes
Q. Zhao, A. Jiang, L. Yu, C. Frear, and S. Chen. Poster presented June 2011.
Western Rural Development Center’s Rural Connections Newsletter Climate Change issue June 2011 contains three articles written by CSANR faculty and staff members. View the entire issue here (6 MB), or view the individual articles by clicking the titles here: Anaerobic Digestion in the Pacific Northwest; Climate Change and Family Forest Landowners in the Pacific Northwest: Attitudes & Understanding; Climate Change and Agriculture in the Pacific Northwest.
This WSU Master Gardeners website provides information for home gardeners on backyard composting, kitchen waste composting, and livestock manure composting.
This WSU Small Farms Team website provides links to various resources on compost science, operations and equipment, compost tea, and vermicomposting.
WSU operates a full scale composting facility on the Pullman campus to recycle organic waste, while providing teaching and research opportunities.
The WSU Puyallup Research Center faculty have conducted extensive work on compost, manure and biosolids. This website provides information on yard waste and food waste composts, clopyralid, calculating bulk density, nutrient management for organic systems and compost facility operator training events. The site has links to the Compost Mix Calculator the Organic Fertilizer Calculator and Center research publications.
An archive of digital photos of various aspects of agricultural composting and compost use to assist agricultural professionals and others in their education programs. Produced as part of the Compost Education and Resources for Western Agriculture project with funding from the Western SARE Program.
WSU Viticulture and Enology Research and Extension. Contains links to articles, publications and posters.
WSU Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center webpage. Contains links to additional resources and presentations.
An Integrated Pathogen Control, Ammonia and Phosphorus Recovery System for Manure and/or Organic Wastes
C. Frear. May 2011. PowerPoint presentation at 2011 AgSTAR Conference.
Overview of Biomass Pyrolysis Technologies – Historical developments and potential for the production of bio-char, advances fuels and high value chemicals
Recorded webinar (online presentation) from June 1st, 2011 by Manuel Garcia-Perez, PhD; Assistant Professor, Biological Systems Engineering. The reactors used for biomass pyrolysis can be classified into slow and fast pyrolysis. While slow pyrolysis reactors are mainly used to produce charcoal, fast pyrolysis is the technology of choice to maximize bio-oil yields. Yields as high as 80 wt can be obtained with this technology. During the webinar historical developments and potential of pyrolysis technologies for the production of bio-char, advanced fuels and high value chemicals are discussed.
A powerpoint created by Dr. K. Killinger, WSU.
WSU Food Safety website.
Types of mustard for green manures, contacts for WA seed and estimates for mustard acreage by year.
Yoder, J., S. Galinato, D. Granatstein and M. Garcia-Perez. 2011. Biomass and Bioenergy, 35(5):1851-1862.
PowerPoint presentation on certified crop and livestock trends.
Hulbert,S., S. Guy, B. Pan, T. Paulitz, B. Schillinger, D. Wysocki, and K. Sowers. 2011. DRAFT Extension Fact Sheet.
Sowers, K., D. Roe, and B. Pan. 2011. Extension Bulletin EM037E.
Three oilseed crop production workshops were held the last week of January 2011 at Okanogan, Reardan and Colfax, Washington. Presenters included regional producers, university researchers, agency personnel, and industry representatives. Attendance surpassed 250 during the three days, indicating a renewed interest in utilizing oilseed crops for rotation benefits, potential economic advantages, high quality meal for livestock, and ‘home-grown’ biodiesel.
Beginning in 2002, organic amendments, cover crops, and soil quality have been investigated in our farming systems experiment. An interdisciplinary team is studying a range of issues important to smale scale, direct-market, and organic agriculture, including nutrient management, soil quality, weed management, economics, marketing, and on-farm research.
(Revised Feb. 7, 2012)
Recorded webinar (online presentation) from Jan 2011 by Craig Cogger, Crop and Soils Scientist and Extension Educator. This seminar discusses research and guidelines on soil amendment choices based on use, nitrogen availability, carbon sequestration potential, handling nutrient imbalances in organic amendments, and an update on herbicide issues in some composts.
Digests and agendas from yearly WSU Extension High Residue Farming under Irrigation workshops in Moses Lake, Washington. 2004 to present.
Andy McGuire, Agricultural Systems Educator WSU Extension. Program website.
WSU Organic Fruit Production website at the Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center.
A worksheet to facilitate preliminary planning for a biogas plant on a small farm.
With support from USDA Western Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education Program (Western SARE), CSANR developed a project to explore options for developing improved technology for applications in small farm settings in the US. Resources developed in the project are available on this site.
Bipolar effects of settling time on active biomass retention in anaerobic sequencing batch reactors digesting flushed dairy manure
Z. Wang, J. Ma, S. Chen. Bioresource Technology. Volume 102, Issue 2, January 2011, Pages 697–702. | <urn:uuid:e482d373-ade6-4b4c-b8a6-af684ab66a4b> | CC-MAIN-2018-22 | http://csanr.wsu.edu/publications/2011/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-22/segments/1526794864622.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20180522014949-20180522034949-00193.warc.gz | en | 0.874901 | 2,831 | 3.046875 | 3 | 3.051496 | 3 | Strong reasoning | Science & Tech. |
Half a million pounds awarded to study sustainable food sources and human-health in Africa
Major funding body awards half a million pounds to the University of St Andrews to develop cutting-edge collaborative research on fisheries and human-health on Lake Victoria in Africa.
The Royal Society has awarded Professor Andrew Brierley from the School of Biology the grant for a period of 30 months to conduct research in collaboration with the Tanzanian National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR) and the Lake Victoria Fisheries Organisation (LVFO). The research will develop and improve methods for fish stock assessment, in the hope that well managed fisheries can be a sustainable food source and explore the possibility that fish play a role in reducing human infection from parasites in the Lake. The multi-disciplinary research will explore the vital connection between human-health and fisheries, tackling infection and sustainability on Lake Victoria.
Lake Victoria is the world’s second largest lake and has one of the largest freshwater fisheries globally. Some 35 million people in the Lake Victoria basin depend directly and indirectly on fish and fishing for food and livelihood. LVFO coordinates fisheries research between the three countries that border Lake Victoria: Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.
Schistosomiasis, or bilharzia, is a parasitic infection of humans that is prevalent in communities living in poverty in close connection with insanitary water. Infection occurs when the tiny larval stage of the parasitic worm, which lives in fresh water, emerges from host snails and burrows through human skin. The infection is not immediately fatal to humans but is debilitating and can prevent people from working. Infected people excrete parasite eggs and, if sewage treatment is lacking, the eggs enter the lake, hatch and enable reinfection of host snails. Schistosomiasis is classified as a Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD), a diverse group of tropical infections which are common in low-income populations in developing regions of Africa, Asia, and the Americas. It infects millions of people globally and is second in sub-Saharan Africa only to malaria. Because it is a disease of poverty it has not received the attention, or funding, it deserves.
Professor Brierley said: “Fish eat the snails that are the host to part of the schistosomiasis life cycle. It is possible that fishing on Lake Victoria has reduced fish numbers and that that in turn has reduced fish-predation on snails and led to increasing snail abundance. More snails may cause higher human infection.
“The idea of the newly-funded research is to look for associations between snail numbers, fish stocks, and rates of human schistosomiasis infection amongst communities living beside Lake Victoria in Tanzania.”
The research will be conducted in conjunction with the Vine Trust, an Edinburgh-based charity that operates a medical support ship on Lake Victoria, the ‘Jubilee Hope’, that has long-standing connections to remote Tanzanian villages with different levels of schistosomiasis infection.
If the research determines that there are lower infection rates in villages on the shore next to parts of the Lake that have higher fish abundance, this might be a route to ‘biocontrol’ of snails. By increasing fish numbers, through establishment of zones closed to fishing, snail numbers may therefore be reduced.
In Senegal boosting populations of river prawns, that are predators of schistosomiasis snails, has had a dramatic improvement on human infection. An additional potential benefit of a proposed fish biocontrol for Lake Victoria is that increased fish in closed areas may lead to more widespread fish abundance, which will be a contribution to food security. In the marine realm, ‘spill over’ of fish from no-take Marine Protected Areas has improved fish catches outside MPAs.
Professor Brierley and his team have been working for the past 18 months with colleagues from LVFO to improve methods for fish stock assessment, in the hope that well managed fisheries can be a sustainable food source. This has included running training sessions for African researchers in Jinja, Uganda, and in St Andrews.
The research grant is part of the UK’s Global Challenge Research Fund (GCRF). The GCRF objective is to deliver overseas aid via cutting-edge research, and to address the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The goals include ending poverty and hunger, promoting good health and well-being, and addressing consequences of climate change.
Top: Professor Andrew Brierley (right, sunglasses) teaching at Lake Victoria
Bottom: Dr Robert Kayanda (left) and Professor Safari Kinung'hi examine snails
Issued by the University of St Andrews Communications Office. | <urn:uuid:2c8a4c2d-dcdc-42cf-a9c6-8b5fc8580e93> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://news.st-andrews.ac.uk/archive/half-a-million-pounds-awarded-to-study-sustainable-food-sources-in-africa/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100593.71/warc/CC-MAIN-20231206095331-20231206125331-00574.warc.gz | en | 0.942023 | 966 | 2.578125 | 3 | 3.015925 | 3 | Strong reasoning | Science & Tech. |
Ask any newcomer to recount his or her first day of school, and you will find that the student is able to do so with amazing clarity and vivid detail even years after being in the US. While not the majority of English Language Learners, newcomers include the many immigrants who first enroll in US schools at the middle or high school level, often with limited English proficiency. Armed with notions of what school in America is like based on movies, music, or correspondence from relatives, most newcomers find that no amount of studying could've prepared them for this monumental leap into a strange new world.
During my seven years as a high school newcomer teacher at John B. Connally High School, I urged my students to commit to paper their first year memories as a newcomer, certain that they would appreciate reading their recollections in years to come. Time and time again students would recall with ease their shock at the vastness of their new school, their surprise when a series of bells signaled students to move from class to class instead of the teachers, or the fear that overcame them when they realized they didn't know which stop on the bus route would lead them home. I remember reading about one student who admitted that he spent the first several weeks of school saying “Yes” in response to every question or comment someone directed at him. Another student frantically Googled “Where buy thinking cap” when her teacher told everyone to bring theirs for the test!
Not only did reading my newcomers’ writing prove to be an entertaining and often emotional experience, it was also educational. Indeed, it is through their writing that I fully understood what an important impression the first day of school makes on these newcomers, and how the preparedness of staff impact their perceptions of school in the US and their initial feelings of success or failure. I realized that my own brief tour of the school and introduction to the campus principal was not the most effective way to welcome these recently arrived immigrants and their families. To better prepare these students for success, I began to work closely with classroom teachers to build a collaborative school community that strived to welcome and support these students academically, socially, and emotionally. In an effort to help others commit to collaboration, I’ve included some advice and best practices below from my experience at Connally High School.
The first day of school: Because ELL newcomers enroll throughout the school year, the first day of school can be a relative term. No doubt the majority of newcomers feel overwhelmed by a wave of new faces, new customs, and new words. While it might be tempting to provide the students with all of the important information they need, much of this information will not be absorbed, let alone understood, at the time of their arrival. Instead, information will be more memorable if explained in small chunks during the coming weeks. What students will understand and remember from their first day is that the members of the school community greeted them and their families with warmth, kindness, and respect.
Beyond the first day: Your newcomers survived their first day of school and feel excited about coming back a second day. Now what? Whether students are scheduled with a team of ESL-certified teachers or a team of teachers with varying levels of ESL training and experience, it is important to ensure that the academic and emotional support students felt on their first day continues into the classroom. As your school’s ESL expert, you serve as a rich source of knowledge and can help your school community work through some of the challenges your newcomers are likely to face.
The most effective ways to identify and teach newcomers may not always be clear, but we can all agree that any method, solution, or initiative requires collaboration among many different stakeholders in order for it to be successful and long-lasting. Committing to a school-wide effort in the support of your school’s ELL newcomers will make these students feel valued and nurtured as they take that monumental leap into this strange new world. | <urn:uuid:781dc903-288c-4cdf-96a3-f71ef3ba0940> | CC-MAIN-2017-22 | http://blog.ellevationeducation.com/creating-a-culture-of-collaboration-to-support-ell-newcomers | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-22/segments/1495463607848.9/warc/CC-MAIN-20170524152539-20170524172539-00258.warc.gz | en | 0.976705 | 803 | 2.53125 | 3 | 2.739609 | 3 | Strong reasoning | Education & Jobs |
Latin name: Araneae
Diet: more are carnivores
Average lifespan: depending on the species they can live up to 20 years.
Size: The world largest spider was 28 cm (11 in).
Group name: cluster or clutter
What does a spider look like?
Spiders have a head and an abdomen (belly). They have 8 legs and up to 8 eyes. Spiders have tiny hairs and claws on their legs that help them feel when a bug is in their web. The little claws also help to cut the silk when they are weaving their web. Spiders come in many colors, from clear to yellow to green to black. Female spiders are much bigger than male spiders.
Where do spiders live?
At least 40,000 species of spider have been described by science, but this number only accounts for one-third to one-fifth of all spider species on earth. Spiders can be found in just about every terrestrial habitat and some water ones as well, from tropical rain forests, woodlands, caves and gardens to your home.
What does a spider eat?
Spiders have evolved numerous ways to catch their prey, which is mostly insects but can also be frogs, fish, lizards, snakes, and birds. Some spiders are masters of disguise, blending into their background so that they look like parts of a flower or a leaf. Others hide under "trapdoors," jumping out of their hiding places to snatch a passing meal. Still others can leap many times their body length, covering great distances to grab their prey.
What are the natural enemies of the spider?
Frogs, toads, lizards, birds, shrews, beetles, ants, centipedes, wasps, and bigger spiders like to eat them. Other dangers to spiders include people, storms and cold weather.
Did you know this about spiders?
The Goliath birdeater tarantula, the world's largest spider, can grow to the size of a dinner plate. As its name suggests, it's been known to prey on birds.
The silk of the orb weaver spiders rivals the tensile strength of high-grade steel, but is much less dense. It would make a great substitute for Kevlar in bullet-proof vests — if only spiders could produced enough silk.
To match their eight legs, most spiders have eight eyes that are arranged in a variety of ways depending on the species. Some spiders have six, four, two or even — in the case of cave-dwelling species — no eyes.
Spiders have 8 legs while insects have 6.
There are around 40000 different species of spider.
Download free Spider wallpapers, click on the image to open the large version.
Spider wallpaper 1
Spider wallpaper 2
Spider wallpaper 3
Spider wallpaper 4
Spider Coloring pages
Print free Spider coloring pages, click on the image to open the large version. | <urn:uuid:31d70025-e838-4b70-bc06-e449bf211181> | CC-MAIN-2019-13 | https://www.animalstown.com/animals/s/spider/spider.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-13/segments/1552912204790.78/warc/CC-MAIN-20190326034712-20190326060712-00539.warc.gz | en | 0.949608 | 602 | 3.3125 | 3 | 1.310993 | 1 | Basic reasoning | Science & Tech. |
Fort Griffin State Historic Site
Wander the ruins of the rowdy frontier town where Wyatt Earp first met Doc Holliday.
If Fort Worth is “where the West begins,” as its boosters proclaim, then one might argue that old Fort Griffin, near Albany, is “where the West ended” on May 31, 1881, when U.S. troops abandoned the frontier post that gave rise to a bawdy boomtown of the same name.
More than a century later, only the partial remains of a handful of the stone facades preserved within Fort Griffin State Historic Site serve as a visible reminder of Wild West days, when the lives of settlers, soldiers, Indians, buffalo hunters and cattle drovers collided, often violently, in the dusty streets of the town of Fort Griffin that sprung from the plains below the bluff-top presidio.
Lester Galbreath reigns as one of Fort Griffin’s most articulate ambassadors. The West Texas native manages the site and oversees the Official Texas Longhorn Herd descended from the rugged Spanish stock introduced to Texas centuries ago. He has spent the last 30 years researching, mapping and documenting historical events that unfolded near Fort Griffin from 1850 to 1880 along 25 miles of the Clear Fork of the Brazos River.
“One of the major draws of Fort Griffin,” Galbreath says, “is that over a 30-year period there’s a wealth of historical events that happened around here that suggests Fort Griffin was a true Wild West town that rivaled places like Dodge City. Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday met in Fort Griffin, and Billy the Kid and Bat Masterson caroused here. Major trails went through the frontier outpost, and the town of Fort Griffin was a vital supply depot for buffalo hunters, cattle drovers and Indian fighters.”
What remains of the site might have been swallowed up by a modern city except the rowdy town of Fort Griffin lost out to its more law-abiding neighbor, Albany, which attracted the railroad and became the Shackelford County seat.
Nonetheless, the town of Fort Griffin — also known in the 1800s as The Flats, Under the Hill and Hidetown — continued to serve as the commercial hub for area ranchers until the last store closed in the 1950s.
Fort Griffin wasn’t a stockade fort, but rather a cantonment from which soldiers staged campaigns against the Comanches and Kiowas. The fort, established by Col. Samuel D. Strugis and four companies of the 6th Cavalry after the Civil War, averaged about 450 soldiers.
Most structures, such as the soldiers’ barracks, officers’ quarters, mess hall and hospital, were constructed of wood. Over the years, the mess hall and bakery have been completely reconstructed by volunteers based on written accounts of the fort’s appearance. The partial rock remnants of a chimney, the Administration Building and Sutler’s Store have been shored up and prove popular with photographers.
Campers and day users can enjoy birdwatching, canoeing, biking and hiking on two different trails accessed in the campground. Anglers can try their luck for crappie, perch, catfish and bass. White-tailed deer, waterfowl, raccoons, squirrels and armadillos share the creek bottom habitat with campers.
— Rob McCorkle
The park is located 15 miles north of Albany on U.S. Highway 283. For more information about Fort Griffin, call (915) 762-3592, or visit <www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/fort_griffin>. | <urn:uuid:a1ef9b5a-84b2-40f2-bb24-82bff51bacb5> | CC-MAIN-2014-52 | http://www.tpwmagazine.com/archive/2005/nov/getaways1/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-52/segments/1418802768529.27/warc/CC-MAIN-20141217075248-00001-ip-10-231-17-201.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946609 | 772 | 2.5625 | 3 | 2.686151 | 3 | Strong reasoning | History |
In Cyprus, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Sudan peace seems closer at hand than at any time in recent history. After more than two decades of conflict in each of these countries – why is peace being given a chance now? What criteria must be met before serious peace talks can take place? What role should the international community play in mediating such talks?
Time and evenhandedness are the two most important factors in resolving civil conflicts, say a group of academics and crisis management experts.
In Cyprus, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Sudan these two dynamics have combined to bring about tenuous peace. While it is far too early to say whether or not a lasting peace will be achieved in any of these countries, analysts say in each case the opposing sides are closer than ever to reaching some sort of resolution.
In Sudan, a tentative cease-fire has been in place since October to stop the bloodshed from a two-decade long civil war between the predominantly Muslim north and the animist and Christian south.
David Shinn is adjunct professor at George Washington University’s Elliot School of International Affairs. He says one and a half million Sudanese have died in the fighting, or more commonly as a result of the war-related famine.
“People are beginning to realize that this is almost an endless situation,” he says. “And I think both sides concluded actually some time ago that it cannot be won militarily. And you reach a point where you have a mutually hurting stalemate, and it may be that they’ve reached that point. Now having said that, there’s no guarantee that this is going to end it. There is an awful lot of hard work to do yet to bring it to a conclusion.”
Mr. Shinn says there are some lessons to be learned from Sudan. First and foremost is that all sides to a dispute must be ready to accept a third-party mediator.
“Third parties, whatever role they’re playing in trying to resolve a dispute, is that they absolutely must avoid the impression that they’re favoring one side or the other. If they ever do that, then they’ve just killed all ability to play a meaningful role in the dispute,” Mr. Shinn says. “It’s imperative that third parties or mediators never let up on the pressure that they bring against all the parties to the dispute. Because once you let up on the pressure, there will be a real tendency for progress to either slow down or even come to an end. The pressure has got to be meaningful and constant, and it must be brought against both sides continuously.”
In northern Indonesia, the province of Aceh is another area enjoying the first signs of peace. On December 9th, 2002, the Indonesian government and the Free Aceh Movement rebels signed a cease-fire agreement ending a 26 year long separatist movement that has claimed up to 30 thousand lives.
For the past two years the Swiss-based Henry Dunant Center or H-D-C has taken the lead role in bringing both sides of the conflict to the negotiating table. They have worked out a cease-fire that provides for free and fair elections in 2004 and the progressive demilitarization of Aceh. The pact also puts international monitors on the ground to make sure both sides stick to the terms of the agreement.
Sidney Jones, Indonesia Project Director for the International Crisis Group in Jakarta, says Aceh is closer to a solution now because of direct international involvement and pressure on both sides from the international community to reach an agreement. The citizens of Aceh also played a fundamental role.
“After so many failed efforts, the Achenese people themselves have decided that they’ve had it with conflict. That now is the time to put pressure on both sides for peace,” she says. “And the whole atmosphere has changed. It’s as though after the ninth of December agreement the Achenese just decided that things had changed so dramatically – even though they really hadn’t – that they started living their lives as though the conflict had ended, and it’s made an incredible difference in the atmospherics.”
Ms. Jones says the H-D-C’s role as a facilitator was essential. So too was support from other countries like the United States.
She says, “One of the big breakthroughs came about last year when the H-D-C got the Indonesian government’s agreement to bring in wise men or outside people with a lot of influence and clout, who could help bring both sides to some understanding and force them to compromise. One of the wise men was General Anthony Zinni, who played a role in Middle East negotiations for the United States. The fact that he was a military man made him more acceptable to the Indonesian army, but he also very quickly got an understanding of what was at stake and was able to bang heads when necessary to reach an agreement.”
In Sri Lanka a 20-year separatist war between ethnic Tamil rebels and Sri Lanka’s Sinhalese government has claimed more than 65 thousand lives. Journalist and author William McGowan praises the role the Norwegians have played as an honest broker. But he says it took the global war on terrorism to jumpstart peace talks.
“The international war against terrorism has kind of made terrorist groups like the Tamil Tigers somewhat anathema, and I think they saw that they needed to make a good faith effort or they were going to lose any understanding or support at all in the international community. And that the Sri Lankan government was going to be able to get anti-terrorist aid, anti-insurgency aid under the guise of the war against terrorism,” he says.
Mr. McGowan, who lived in Sri Lanka in the late 1980’s, says all Sri Lankans are simply tired of the violence.
He says it’s “exhaustion, sheer exhaustion. This is a conflict that has killed upwards of 70 thousand people. This country’s not a very big country, I think there are 18 million people in Sri Lanka. And there’s just a great deal of impatience and fatigue with the war. I mean, this is an entire generation that has been raised in the shadow of this really violent conflict.”
It’s this generational change that is often the impetus for restarting long-stalled peace talks. Doug Bandow, senior fellow at the Cato Institute in Washington, says this is the case in Cyprus, where settlement talks on how to reunite the divided island have picked up the pace in recent months.
Young Turkish Cypriots don’t want to be left out of the European Union’s decision to include a united Cyprus as one of the 10 nations slated for membership. However, if the Greek and Turkish Cypriots are unable to reach some type of reunification deal, then the E.U. has said it will just take the Greek side of the island.
Mr. Bandow says, “What you’re seeing now is kind of rising up of a lot of younger people saying, “We want in. We want to be part of the E.U. We’re tired of economic isolation.” They’ve had demonstrations with 30, 40 thousand people, and you’re talking about a population in the north of about 200 thousand. So that’s a huge number.”
Mr. Bandow warns that economic benefits may not be enough to win over the old-guard Turkish Cypriots, who remember the violence and repression the Greek Cypriots carried out against them.
“The people closest to a conflict often have the hardest time dealing with it,” he says. “Somebody like (President) Denktash remembers what happened to people of his generation in terms of secretarian fighting. Younger Turkish Cypriots don’t. They have a different vision. They’re able to look more at what they think the prospects are, say for joining the E.U., than looking backwards at how things were.”
These four nations – and the third parties involved in talks – have shown the world how conflict resolution can work. What is clear, say observers, is that when all else is failing, a neutral outside mediator can play an important role. They hope more balanced mediation can put an end to the strife afflicting so much of the globe. | <urn:uuid:e5175ca9-f676-4376-a18c-49af43a2e8a3> | CC-MAIN-2017-30 | https://www.voanews.com/a/a-13-a-2003-01-27-37-1-66298617/541891.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-30/segments/1500549424154.4/warc/CC-MAIN-20170722222652-20170723002652-00025.warc.gz | en | 0.969364 | 1,771 | 2.90625 | 3 | 2.962457 | 3 | Strong reasoning | Politics |
Cyphotilapia frontosa or Lake Tanganyika queen cichlid (earlier named Paratilapia frontosa) is a very beautiful fish and it’s very popular among cichlid-fans.
Etymology of the fish name Cyphotilapia is the following: Cypho from Greek means a “hunchback” and Tilapia when translated from the local dialect means “fish”.
The translation of the specific name frontosa from Latin means “with a big forehead”.
Burundi frontosa are perfect for the experienced aquarists. Frontosa fish is large with very nice, deep and contrastive coloring.
Cyphotilapia frontosa is a slow fish which doesn’t keep it from being Lake Tanganyika queen cichlid and raptorial feeder. In the wild frontosa cichlid spends a little energy to stalk its prey. These fish advantage is that they are nocturnal feeders and they don’t need a lot of light.
Habitation in the wild
Lake Tanganyika queen cichlid was first described in 1906. Blue frontosa inhabits in Lake Tanganyika in Africa where the fish is rather spread. Unlike other cichlid fish which like living in covers and rocks frontosa fish prefers to live in a big colonies along the sandy coasts of the lake.
The fish inhabits almost trough all Lake Tanganyika but they always prefer depth about 10-50 meters, which is rather deep in the water. This fact made blue zaire frontosa fishing not such an easy task, therefore during several years the fish was rather rare and expensive.
Nowadays forntosa cichlid can be easily found on sale due to its successful fish-farming. Blue zaire frontosa feeds on fish, shellfish and other spineless species.
Zaire blue frontosa has a high and elongated body, flat on both sides. In a tank frontosa fish max size can be up to 30 cm, however the female size is rather small – about 25 cm long.
In the nature frontosa cichlid is larger with an average size 35 cm, though there are species over 40 cm long. Frontosa cichlid lifespan can be about 20 years.
The cranial hump develops on the fish forehead once the fish is more then 10 cm long. Blue frontosa male has a larger hump then the male.
With aging the forehead bump becomes larger and it also indicates fish age and strength.
The blue cichlid body color can vary between grey blue and grey white, also there is a black colored type of frontosa fish.
The fish head and fins have bluish coloring and there are 6-7 vertical black stripes of different width on the fish body sides.
The older the fish is, the darker is its coloring and the longer are its fins. The mature zaire blue frontosa male dorsal and pectoral fin have kind of stings at their ends. The female fins are relatively short.
- Types of coloring:
- Burundi — the fish body is pale blue with 5 vertical black bands, the 6th one goes from the forehead along the fish eye to the opercle insertion.
- Blue Zaire Kapampa — the fish has saturated moderately blue colored fins. The body upper part and nape are opalescent. The dark band between the eyes reaches the fish mouth. The fish pelvic fin and light vertical bands are also moderately blue colored.
- Kavalla — the fish has 5 bands and yellowish membranes on the dorsal.
- Kigoma — has 6 bands, dark blue cheeks which can transform to almost black. The dorsal is yellowish. The vertical bands are white or white and blue. The band going over the eye is rather stumped and it looks almost like a stain. Dorsal and fluke membranes are yellowish.
- Kipili – is a 5-striped type of burundi frontosa that simultaneously has black opercles just like Kigoma has and a horizontal stripe between the eyes – just like Blue Sambia has.
- Blue Mpimbwe — its head and fins are blue, besides with aging the color becomes more saturated and bright. Blue color of these collective species is something in the middle between Burundi and Nord Congo fish types color.
- Nord Congo — the body color is pale blue with 5 vertical bands, the 6th one goes from the forehead along the fish eye to the opercle insertions.
- Blue Sambia — the head and fins are blue, the bands on the body are light colored set off with blue. There is a distinct dark band between the eyes.
- Moba Zaire — the fish color varies from ultramarine to light violet.
Difficulties when keeping the fish in a tank
Frontosa african cichlid is a fish for experienced aquarists, since the fish requires a spacious tank with clean water and frequent water renew and also frontosa cichlid tank mates should be chosen correctly.
This is one of the most calm cichlids that can be even kept with other large fishes, however as any large raptorial feeder and it’ll feed on small fish.
Cichlid frontosa is a carnivore fish type, but in a tank it can be fed with dry feed. Of course, live food is preferable. Frontosa diet can consist of prawns, earthwarm, artemia, small fish (fresh or frozen one), but don’t feed it with a bloodwarm.
When being fed with a bloodwarm frontosa fish bowel gets inflated, motion coordination suffers and the fish floats to the water surface.
Granules and flakes can serve as an additional feed, though flakes are better for juveniles, since large mature fish may ignore such feed type.
African cichlids frontosa tends to overfeed and lipotrophy, that’s why it’s desirable to introduce a hunger day for it once a week. Also the fish is rather demanding as for the feed quality.
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Extreme Color enhancement and vitality in your fish
Made in the USA
|Hikari 8.8-Ounce Cichlid Excel Floating Pellets||Floating pellets allow easy monitoring of amount eaten|
High wheat-germ content
High in pure-cultured spirulina
High vitamin E content promotes long-term health and vigor
Linolenic acid promotes healthy organs and active reproduction
|Northfin Food Cichlid Formula||Only the highest marine grade proteins and additives are used|
Artificial pigment free and has no added hormones
Manufactured in a CFIA /USDA/FDA
|Hikari Freeze Dried Tubifex Worms||Convenient, Small Cubes Of Tubifex Worms|
Will not cloud the water
Multi-vitamin rich to reduce stress and stress related diseases
Free of parasites and harmful bacteria
Nitrogen charging reduces oxidation prior to opening
|Python No Spill Clean and Fill Aquarium Maintenance System||Will not disturb fish or decor during routine aquarium maintenance|
Adapts easily to most faucets
Complete ready-to-use system
|KEDSUM Aquarium Gravel Vacuum Siphon||Fish Tank Sand Cleaner Water Filter with 2.11Gal /min|
|Aquarium Water Treatments|
|Cichlid Lake Salt||Replicates the natural environment of all Rift Valley Lake African Cichlids|
Designed to replicate the natural environment of cichlids
Contains magnesium, potassium, calcium, and sodium
Also contains trace elements such as iron, aluminum, and iodide
Does not contain harmful or unnecessary elements
250 grams treats up to 675 gallons
|Seachem Cichlid Trace Elements||Cichlid specific|
Restores necessary trace elements
Safe and easy to use
Detoxifies heavy metals
Promotes natural slime coat
Will not overactivate protein skimmers
|Fluval Canister Filter||Multi-stage filter pumps out 700 US Gal (2650 L) of water per hour|
Self-starting – just add water, plug in and Smart Pump will take over
Trapped air auto-evacuated every 12 hours to ensure maximum efficiency
Easy water changes eliminate
Simply attach hosing
Media baskets eliminate water bypass and hold a total of 1 US Gal (3.9 L) of media
|Marineland Penguin Power Filter||Certified flow rate of 350GPH|
Perfect for all aquariums up to 70-gallon
Uses two Rite-Size C” filter cartridges
Delivers easy, three stage mechanical, chemical, and biological filtration
Convenient Penguin Rite Size Cartridges come ready to use with each filter
|Aquarium Test Kits|
|API FRESHWATER MASTER TEST KIT 800-Test||Includes Freshwater pH, High Range pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate. |
Kit features computer-analyzed laminated color cards, instruction booklet, 4 test tubes, a holding tray and test tube rac
Made in USA
Accurately monitors 5 most vital water parameters levels in freshwater aquariums: pH, nitrite, nitrate, carbonate and general water hardness
Designed for use in freshwater aquariums only
Use for weekly monitoring and when water or fish problems appear
|Tetra EasyStrips 6-in-1 Test Strips||With Tetra EasyStrips Now More Convenient to Test Your Water|
More accurate hardness test
Reaction stops in 60 seconds to prevent false higher readings
|Stone Replica Aquarium Decoration Realistic Granite Look||This 8 piece set of granite stone replicas has a realistic shape in shades of grey and black|
Set includes 3 small stones, 3 medium stones, and 2 large stones
Holes provide a hideaway for your fish to rest or hide reducing stress and aggression
Made of safe durable resin, this aquarium decoration is safe for use in both freshwater and saltwater aquariums
Additional stones can be purchased separately to create even larger displays.
|Cichlid Stones||This product is easy to use|
This product adds a great Value
This product is Manufactured in ChinaUnderwater Galleries
Cichlid StoneGravel was added to barely coat the bottom
The African Cichlids actually behave better with new arrangements
Fish keeping in a tank
Fish frontosa is a large and slow fish that swims around all the tank and needs it to be rather spacious. For one frontosa cichlid the tank capacity should be 300 liters, but it’s better to keep them in groups of 4 fish.
For such a group the required tank capacity is 100 callons and more.
Apart from the fact that a frequent water renew is needed also a powerful external filter should be installed on a tank, since all types of cichlid fish are rather sensitive to water purity and parameters.
All these measures increase water breathing and saturate the water with oxygen which is important for frontosa fish that in the wild inhabits in the water rich with dissolved oxygen. So, even though you have a good powerful filter the additional aeration won’t hurt.
Besides, it’s necessary to check the water quality using tests and to avoid overfeed and overpopulation of the fish.
Lake Tanganyika is considered to be the second largest lake in the world which means that its water temperature ans pH changes are rather small and the environment is a rather stable one. All Lake Tanganyika cichlids require a stable temperature and high amount of oxygen dissolved in the water.
The ideal temperature for keeping frontosa fish is 79-82 F (26-27 C). Also the water in the lake is rather hard (12 – 14° dGH) and acidulous (ph: 8.0-8.5 ).
Such parameters are troublesome to maintain for aquarists who live in the areas with very low hardness water and therefore they have to take some measures to make the water more hard, for example, they add coral pebbles into the tank or TANGANYIKA BUFFER or Kent Marine A F Cichlid Buffer.
Frontosas fish survives rather good in a tank if the water is close to all above mentioned parameters.
At that it’s important that water parameters don’t change abruptly, water should be renewed frequently with small portions.
Plants in frontosa aquarium are of little importance, but you can put some stiff-leaved and large types of plants in it. Sand is the best choice for the bottom layer, also some covers are required in a tank, for example, big rocks or snags. Despite frontosa cichlid size it’s a bit timid and it likes to hide. So, make sure that all rocks are hard enough and when this large fish tries to hide using them they won’t fall.
|Scientific Name||Cyphotilapia frontosa|
|Tank size||150 gallon tanks (550 L) and more|
|Temperature||79-82 F (26-27 C)|
|Size||10-14 inches(25–35 cm)|
Frontosa fish compatibility with other fish
In general the fish isn’t very aggressive. But it’s a territory-dependent one so it guards its territory rather fervently, therefore it’s better to keep frontosa fish alone in a tank without any tank mates. Of course, it shouldn’t be forgotten that it’s a raptorial feeder and it’ll feed on any fish that it can swallow.
Also it’s a slow fish and it eats slow, too. Quite often Malawi fish can be frontosa cichlid tank mate, but such tank mates for frontosa are very stressful ones.
They are active, fast, and they scurry everywhere. So, still it’s perfect to keep frontosa separately from other fishes, in a small school – one male and three females or in a big school – 8-12 fish.
Although it’s rather difficult to differ frontosa cichlid male from a female, their size is helpful in this case – frontosa cichlid male size is larger and the hump on its forehead is more
Frontosa fish breeding
One should be patient enough to make frontosa fish breed, since the fish becomes reproductive only at the age of 3. Spawning pond should be large in capacity – 400 liters and more, with rocks and covers for the male to find a territory.
However, frontosa fish can also spawn in a community tank. Water рН should be about 8, hardness 10° dGH, temperature 25 – 28 C. During the breeding process burundi frontosa male moves his fluke down and so in fact he shows a female where to breed. After laying the egg the female takes it into her mouth and gets some milt from the male. The egg is fertilized in the mouth.
Frontosa cichlid breeds around the whole tank and this makes it different from Malawi cichlids, which spawn around the one chosen area. Frontosa cichlid female can lay up to 80 eggs 6-7 cm in diameter.
The egg stage is from 40 to 54 days. In 40 days juveniles start leaving their mother’s mouth since by this time they are rather large and independent. Frontosa fish juveniles have the same coloring as the mature fish but it’s a bit lighter. The juveniles can be fed with baby brine shrimp. | <urn:uuid:1a0a1f89-4f03-4720-a827-294bcc04ba37> | CC-MAIN-2017-34 | http://meethepet.com/welcome-lake-tanganyika-queen-cichlid-cyphotilapia-frontosa/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-34/segments/1502886103891.56/warc/CC-MAIN-20170817170613-20170817190613-00226.warc.gz | en | 0.895719 | 3,380 | 2.96875 | 3 | 1.692225 | 2 | Moderate reasoning | Home & Hobbies |
WALNUT CREEK -- When Honor Jackson played in the NFL, most players didn't refer to head-jarring hits as concussions, or imagine that the impacts could permanently damage their brains.
But now research has shown that concussions, if not treated properly or repeated, can cause traumatic brain injuries that at the very least can cause dizziness, memory loss and an inability to concentrate, and may later lead to more severe physical and mental limitations.
"We used to call it a little buzz, or a few dings," said Jackson, a defensive back for the New York Giants and New England Patriots in the 1970s. "We used to really laugh when somebody got the snot got knocked out of them. When somebody was laid out on the ground, I felt great. But now, I realize they were hurt."
In response to recent studies that revealed more than 140,000 student athletes each year suffer concussions, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a fact sheet to help teachers understand the effects of a concussion and help students recover by easing their workload and schedule. The new prevention and treatment guidelines are being distributed to high schools nationwide.
Reps. George Miller, D-Martinez, and Timothy Bishop, D-N.Y., also introduced new federal legislation this week that would set minimum safety standards for concussion management in public schools with plans to educate students, parents and school staff in recognizing and responding to concussions.
A similar bill was introduced in the U.S. Senate in September.
Miller joined Jackson, sports trainers, federal health officials and Northgate High School students and faculty at the school Friday to highlight the campus's concussion prevention and treatment efforts, which include training students in the school's sports medicine program how to recognize the head injuries.
The National Athletic Trainers Association presented the school with a Safe Sports School Award for its program.
Jackson told students that when he played football, he sometimes got "knocked silly," but he didn't call such injuries "concussions." He explained the importance of recognizing the signs of a concussion and said athletes should stop playing until they have recovered.
"Make sure when you're my age, that you can remember who you are," said the 65-year-old, a star at the University of the Pacific who grew up in Marin City. "We know that a concussion can affect you the rest of your life."
One way to minimize concussions is to tackle with your eyes open, keeping your head up and grabbing the person, not putting your head down and leaning into the person like a projectile, he said.
"If you can't see it," Jackson said, "it's a bad tackle."
Northgate sports medicine teacher Glen Barker said about 25 student athletes have received concussions in all sports since August. All student athletes are given concussion impact tests before the season begins, then reassessed after a head injury to compare the results, which helps family doctors assess the athlete's condition, Barker said.
Student football trainer Riley Barnes, 17, said he and others in the school's sports medicine program watch players closely after they are hit on the field to assess whether they have concussions and help them off the field and through rehab if they do. Before a student can return to action, the sports medicine program also puts athletes through a battery of physical exertion tests to make sure they are physically ready, said student trainer Monica Cunanan, 17.
Miller praised Northgate's program and said other schools can learn from it.
"Northgate is like the vanguard," Miller said. "It creates an atmosphere where these kids, if they're injured, don't have to put up a front. The pressure on kids is so great to keep playing if they're hurt. But evidence shows that is dangerous."
Additional details about concussions are available at www.cdc.go/concussion.
To see video from the Northgate High event, go to www.contracostatimes.com. | <urn:uuid:1f1cdd41-efc9-4b73-a69f-460d5032e20b> | CC-MAIN-2015-22 | http://www.insidebayarea.com/news/ci_24582827/concussion-guidelines-distributed-schools-new-legislation-is-introduced?source=most_emailed | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-22/segments/1432207928015.28/warc/CC-MAIN-20150521113208-00123-ip-10-180-206-219.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973502 | 820 | 2.671875 | 3 | 2.664043 | 3 | Strong reasoning | Health |
You sit down at the dinner table, but you don’t know what fork to use, which bread plate is yours, and whether it’s OK to start filling your wine glass. The correct etiquette at the table can be very stressful. But don’t worry. We quizzed El Gaucho’s etiquette specialist Cortney Anderson-Sanford on everything you need to know to feel comfortable and confident while dining. Have more questions? They offer classes.
What is the single most important thing to remember at the table?
Discretion is the key to dining success at any type of meal. No one will blame you for eating with the incorrect fork if you are not being blatantly rude.
How do you know where your drink is and where your bread is on the table?
There is a trick called B&D. Remember B for “bread” on the left, and D for “drink” on the right. Make a B with your thumb, index finger, and middle finger of your left hand, and make a D with your thumb, index finger, and middle finger of your right hand. This tells you that your bread plate is on your left, and your water and drinks are on your right. Please, just do this in your head!
At what point do you put your napkin in your lap?
Always follow the lead of the host — unfold your napkin after your host. If there is no defined host, wait until two or three other diners unfold their napkin.
With silverware, what fork and knife do you start with?
Looking down at your place setting, start from the outside and work your way in throughout the meal. Just remember not to gesticulate using your flatware as batons.
When should you start eating?
The level of formality and group size really define when it is OK to start eating your own food. But, the standard rule of thumb is that no one should eat alone. Even if you are enjoying casual sandwiches, it is polite to wait until everyone has at least unwrapped their sandwich before you scarf yours down. At a seated meal with a small group, six or less, always wait until everyone has their food. If there is an obvious host, always wait to pick up your fork until the host has picked up theirs or they have told the group to dig in. At large gatherings or a banquet, you should typically wait until at least five people at your table have their food.
What if you notice food stuck in a fellow diner’s teeth?
Put yourself in other people’s shoes — would you want to know if you had a piece of spinach the size of Texas in your teeth? Of course you would. Just think about the least noticeable way to let them know. It is human nature to mirror the gestures of those around you, so if your dining companion has something in their teeth or on their face, gesture silently as though you were cleaning your teeth with your tongue or patting your mouth with your napkin. If silent cues do not work, discreetly lean over and let them know.
What do you do if you have an inedible food — like a pit or a bone — in your mouth?
The rule of thumb with problem items in your mouth is: however an item goes into your mouth, is how it comes out. An olive goes in with your fingers, and as such comes out with your fingers. An unpleasant bite of bone or gristle that has been eaten with a fork is therefore removed with your fork and placed on the side of your plate.
What do you do if something is served that you really don’t want to eat?
If you do not have an anaphylactic allergy and you just don’t like the food — suck it up, buttercup. A good host always asks their guests if they have any dietary restrictions for safety and general enjoyment, and a good guest always lets the host know if they have severe allergies.
Is it ever acceptable to spit something out in your napkin?
Your napkin is not a receptacle; it is merely an instrument to keep your face and lap clean. Therefore never spit food into your napkin.
When you pass a dish around the table, do you hold it while someone serves herself? Or set it on the table? What if there isn’t room on the table?
I prefer to place bread baskets or platters directly on the table instead of holding them for the person next to you. Setting the item down prevents spills and also takes the pressure off of your dining companion while they serve themselves. If there is no room on the table, you can rest the item on the table, keeping it stable for serving. Make sure to always place the handle of the pitcher, gravy boat, or serving utensil facing toward the recipient of the item.
Is it rude to refill your own wine glass?
Wine is wrapped in historical allegory, and the tradition is that you should never pour your own wine, it is the host’s job to make sure that everyone has a full glass at all times. If you must have another glass, make sure to offer first to those around you, and then pour your own. Just pour for everyone, about one-third full, or 5 ounces. Don’t polish off the bottle for your own enjoyment.
Can you sip wine before the head of the table or before a toast?
It is proper to wait until the host makes a toast to welcome their guests to the table at the beginning of the meal. That being said, if you notice the host immersed in conversation, pouring and drinking the wine with no intent of making a toast, then sip away. Just make sure to leave some wine in your glass in case the toast comes later.
What if you find an etiquette tradition sexist?
I believe that etiquette has absolutely evolved over time, and the construct I live by is the gender-neutral rule of kindness. If the intent of action is based in compassion for another person, then I have no issue with it.
Should you always have a drink limit?
I am a strong believer in moderation, no matter the event. You never know what you will say after too much libation.
How do you signal you’re done with a meal?
Let’s start by saying you never, ever, push your plate away, and sit back in your chair. When you are finished with a course, you place both your fork, tines up, and knife, blade toward you, together, on the right side of your plate. The handles are at 4 o’clock and tips at 11 o’clock.
What if a food, like chicken, is very undercooked?
You and your host do not want to deal with food poisoning. Discreetly inform your host that there is a problem with the food, and help the host fix the problem.
What do you do when someone is talking politics at the table?
I like to use place cards, even for small family gatherings. Diversion is key, and if the discussion takes a downturn, have some interesting topics in your pocket. Social media is a great way to research before a meal, and pick some positive events that have just happened in your guests’ lives. That way you can redirect the conversation.
What if you spill your drink?
Accidents happen. If you, or someone else, spills their drink, use your napkin to stop the waterfall, and then help to clean up the mess.
How do you include kids in holiday meals without it being a big disturbance?
I feel that it is very important to make children feel part of the event. I always have my kids set a really fun, themed kids table. In the past, we have used butcher paper and given each child a drawing party pack of their own — no fights over sharing. I also like to make sure the kids have place settings just like the adults, maybe with different glassware, as well as a special nonalcoholic drink. This makes them feel like part of the table, and they are learning at a young age how to navigate a meal, not shoved in a corner and not recognized. | <urn:uuid:1e1d91b7-3acc-47cb-8b34-84d50672c793> | CC-MAIN-2020-05 | https://425magazine.com/etiquette-tips-pro/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-05/segments/1579250590107.3/warc/CC-MAIN-20200117180950-20200117204950-00551.warc.gz | en | 0.959505 | 1,706 | 2.578125 | 3 | 1.796709 | 2 | Moderate reasoning | Food & Dining |
Secrets of the Immune System: The Unsung Heroes of Immune Health
Your immune system is powerful on its own, and even more impressive with the tools that surround it. Understanding the secrets of the immune system will paint a complete picture of what takes place inside your body to keep you healthy. Know this—your immune system anatomy is perfectly poised to neutralize threats to maintain health.
Explore the parts of your anatomy that work hand-in-hand with your immune cells to maintain your health. And learn the secrets of the immune system. Your genes, bone marrow, gut, and skin assist the cells of your immune system in protecting you. From smallest to largest, these helpers offer the support your immune system needs to keep you on your feet.
Genes: Immunity at the Most Basic Level
The secrets of the immune system start where all your traits do—your genetic code. When it comes to adaptive immunity (the part of your immune system that changes over time), genes play a central role. Through a group of genes called the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), the adaptive immune system catalogs information about what enters your body. It remembers what your body’s seen before and instructs white blood cells in a proper, healthy immune response.
MHC is a genetic code that is unique to every individual. Through this code, proteins on the surface of cells are created in response to stimulus by potential pathogens. When a germ is consumed and broken down by macrophages (a type of white blood cell), surface proteins are made. These MHC proteins are then stitched together with fragments of the destroyed pathogen and presented to the cells of the adaptive immune system. Those pieces of the destroyed pathogen help your immune cells remember.
Now adaptive immunity cells like B and T cells know what to do when the same invader shows up again. MHC proteins have flagged that microbe and made it a target of a future, healthy immune response. With instructions to divide and conquer, adaptive immunity cells can multiply and attack next time the germ is detected in the body.
The genes that control the MHC make your immune system efficient and effective. MHC keeps antibody production under control, only creating antibodies after the first exposure to a germ. So, your immune system can divert all its attention to unique and novel potential pathogens, noting each in its genetic memory.
Bone Marrow: Creating Blood and Immunity
The thick gel on the inside of your bones is called marrow. It does a lot of work for your immune system that you may never see. So, it’s hiding some secrets of the immune system.
Bone marrow is an organ that manufactures blood cells (the big science word for that is hematopoietic). Red and white blood cells get their start in bone marrow. Other powerful immune system players do, too.
There are two kinds of bone marrow in your body—red and yellow. Your yellow marrow is a precursor to the red marrow. It’s held in reserve to replenish stores of red marrow should significant blood loss occur.
That’s because red marrow is really important. It produces:
- Red blood cells
- Neutrophils (a type of white blood cells)
- T cells (lymphocyte, or white blood cell, that acts in immune reactions not needing antibodies)
- B cells (lymphocyte responsible for producing antibodies, which are immune proteins that bond to potential pathogens)
The role of these white blood cells in immune health is a popular topic—and you can find more in this immune system overview. But bone marrow produces other cells that work alongside these cellular giants.
Scientific research points to red marrow as the origin of natural killer cells and dendritic cells. Natural killer cells are also types of lymphocytes (white blood cells) that are close relatives of T and B cells. They can help protect you without priming antibodies. Dendritic cells act as immune-system messengers, tying your innate (the immune system you’re born with) and adaptive immunity together. They occur in the skin and digestive tract, and send messages to T cells.
There’s also a symphony of cellular communication going on in your bone marrow between all these developing and mature immune cells. So, your bone marrow is a buzzing central hub of activity for your immune protection.
Since bone marrow is so important to immunity, protecting it is imperative. Ensure you get enough vitamin D, calcium, magnesium, and other trace mineral in your diet. Take care of your bones, and they will help take care of you, too.
Gut: Germs That Help You
Ironic as it may seem, your gut is full of bacteria. Your intestinal bacteria reside there inconspicuously—without causing much trouble. It may seem hard to understand, but these microbes play a crucial role in your immune system.
Your intestines encounter more antigens (foreign material that starts an immune response) than any other part of your body. While sifting through the plethora of microbes that reside inside, the intestinal mucosa (lining) must respond appropriately. That’s a big job for a barrier that is only one cell thick.
Potentially harmful microbes that try to break through the lining are stopped dead in their tracks. The cells lining your intestines secrete proteins that recruit white blood cells to the affected area. And, as you know, white blood cells pack a punch of protection. These epithelial cells also produce anti-microbial peptides and mucus that trap bacteria.
But not all bacteria pose a threat. Commensal microbes (those commonly called your gut microbiome) digest compounds and extract nutrients that your body can’t process on its own. Some intestinal bacteria also synthesize certain B vitamins and vitamin K. B vitamins, like vitamin B12, are also linked to supporting healthy immune system function. Vitamin K is an important component in maintaining the production of blood-clotting factors.
The community of helpful bacteria that lives in your gut starts developing at birth. A baby’s gut microbiome is colonized by any and all microorganisms they are exposed to during the first days of life. Through dietary and environmental factors, the microbiome in your belly is further shaped. Eating foods that contain bacteria generally thought to be beneficial—like yogurt and other fermented foods—help maintain a balance of healthy bacteria in your gut.
Skin: Protection That Surrounds You
Your skin doesn’t seem like one of the secrets of the immune system. Every day you look at this barrier between your internal organs and the outside world. As the largest organ of the body, skin’s primary role is to protect you from physical danger and invasion.
The first line of defense is a thick layer of dead cells. That’s right. The tough, protective nature of skin is made possible by dead skin cells called keratinocytes. The name comes from the fact that these cells are brimming with a protein called keratin. It’s a protein also in hair and fingernails. Keratin is tough and is a great shield for your vulnerable internal organs.
The top, dead layer isn’t all. Your skin is comprised of multiple layers of functional cells. When your skin generates new cells in the bottom layers, older cells die and are pushed to the top. When potential invaders come to make a home in your body, the top layers of dead keratinocytes block their entry.
Not all of the keratinocytes in your skin are dead, though. Those that are living reside just below the surface of your skin and help your immune system in another way. Living keratinocytes produce anti-microbial proteins. This defense mechanism works alongside other immune cells to keep your body healthy.
Inevitably, your skin gets wounded. Nicks and cuts, though harmless overall, open the door to the outside world. Luckily, your skin is equipped to handle just this sort of issue.
Without hesitation, an army of cells with specific tasks line up to seal the breach.
Scabs are the common term for hemostasis (the stopping a flow of blood). They are created when platelets (blood cells that form clots) surround the wound and start clotting. While clotting and forming a temporary cover over the broken skin, platelets request help from other immune cells via chemical signaling.
White blood cells—like neutrophils and macrophages—join the wound-healing effort after being recruited by platelets. These immune cells help protect the damaged skin. Then they pick up debris from the affected area and lay the groundwork for normal, healthy cell growth and division. Immune cells ensure that your skin has a clean slate on which it can build new, healthy tissue.
Without a secure barrier surrounding your body, you’re left unprotected. Good thing your skin is there to ward off unwanted guests. That’s why skin is a remarkable, dynamic organ that supports a powerful immune system.
It’s true that your immune system is unique to you. Everyone has the same basic foundation of immunity, but your experiences define how your body responds. Your immune system is constantly learning and adapting. Each time it comes in contact with something new, it creates new defenses that are filed away for next time, too.
Your job is to provide a safe environment for your immune system in which to thrive. Washing your hands, getting adequate sleep, and practicing good personal hygiene will help keep your immunity in shape. Also take care of your body by eating a healthy, nutrient-filled diet and living a healthy lifestyle. Support your immune system so it can be ready to defend you. | <urn:uuid:72cf11a1-0208-4abc-a216-1d69cbfed9c0> | CC-MAIN-2020-40 | https://askthescientists.com/immune-system-secrets/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-40/segments/1600402124756.81/warc/CC-MAIN-20201001062039-20201001092039-00505.warc.gz | en | 0.93286 | 1,994 | 3.640625 | 4 | 2.204571 | 2 | Moderate reasoning | Health |
Difference Between Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Access
Microsoft Excel vs Microsoft Access
Excel and Access are two applications from the software giant, Microsoft, to deal with tabular data efficiently and conveniently. Access is a Relational Database Management Software or RDBMS that is used to create tables where data can be stored and related to each other. Each of these applications have their own purpose to serve, which they do sufficiently.
Excel is used for paperworks where you can arrange and tabulate data properly for printing or presentations. For this reason, Excel is a staple in offices where a lot of data needs to be collated and tabulated. Access is used as a system of storing data so that it can be retrieved later. It is often set-up so that employees can access it from a few locations and do queries or enter new data when needed. A part of how access works makes this possible. Access does not lock the whole database when it is accessed, it merely locks certain records to prevent the occurrence of errors in the database. Excel locks the whole spreadsheet once it is accessed. Making other people unable to edit other entries or even to add new ones. Because of this, Access can be used by a lot of people at the same time without even noticing any difference.
Excel is also a lot easier to learn since it is meant to be used by a lot of people. The learning curve for Excel is not really that steep as most of the things you would need to learn are related to word processing. Even the more advanced controls and options do not require a lot of learning. Access is also easy to use when it has been set-up beforehand. But unlike Excel, the learning curve of Access gets pretty steep quickly. To implement the more advanced capabilities of Access, the person who would set-up the database and interfaces would need to know programming. Knowledge of Visual Basic and SQL is of great help when creating new Access databases.
1.Excel is a spreadsheet application while Access is an RDBMS
2.Excel is usually used for paperwork while Access is used in storing information that can be accessed by a lot of people
3.Access locks data at the record level while Excel locks the entire spreadsheet
4.Most users of excel do not really know any programming while you need that to take full advantage of Access
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Lesson 136—November 6, 2016
Audio commentary by David Daniel
Lesson Goal: To better understand how Jesus responded and what He meant when He answered the Pharisees’ accusation that He was of satan.
[The question of Matthew 12:23] forced the first public showdown in the growing rift between Jesus and the Jewish authorities. Son of David was a much used title for Messiah. So the antagonistic representatives of Jewish leadership in Jerusalem (Mark 3:22) were forced to speak out strongly against this identification of Jesus. So tense was the confrontation that Jesus’ own family wondered about His sanity (Mark 3:21). This encounter was a major turning point in Jesus’ ministry (Thomas).
The fact that Jesus had healed a man who was demon-possessed, blind and mute could not be denied. The religious leaders did not attempt to deny; rather, they sought an alternate explanation of how it happened. They declared it was not the power of God, but rather it was the power of satan.
Pentecost explains that to us a single well-ascertained miracle would form irrefutable evidence of the claims of Christ; to the Pharisees and religious leaders, it would not. They would believe in the miracles yet not in the Christ (Messiah). The fact that a miracle occurred was not the point of the Pharisees’ and religious leaders’ argument. Their argument was in what name the miracle occur? The Pharisees can only offer this alternate explanation—it is in the power and name of satan that Jesus did these things.
Have you ever known someone who always tried to offer an alternate reason for the working of the power of God?
Have you ever heard someone try to explain away the power of God? Please explain.
Why did the Pharisees have such a difficult time understanding the power of God in Jesus Christ?
In the Pharisees’ minds, what was at stake by the answer to the question: “Could this be the Son of David”?
According to J. Dwight Pentecost and based upon the Scriptures Matthew 12:25-29 and Mark 3:23-27, Jesus offered three proofs to show that the Pharisees’ explanation was false. The first proof was that division leads to destruction and that unity is necessary for preservation. If He received power from satan and used that power against satan, then satan’s kingdom ultimately must fall (Matthew 12:25-26). Satan would not confer authority to be used for his own destruction.
The second reason recognized the existence of exorcists in the nation of Israel. Some in Israel could cast out demons, and Israel deemed those people to be God’s gifts to the nation. Even the Pharisees acknowledged this manifestation of God’s power and thanked Him for the gifts of exorcists. Christ’s argument was that since the Pharisees recognized the ability to drive out demons as coming from God, they should not charge Him with being demon-possessed when He drove out demons (Matthew 12:27). The implication of Christ’s words was that if He casts out demons by satan’s power, He could not be offering the prophesized Kingdom of God to them. “But, if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the Kingdom of God has come upon you” (v. 28). Since Christ did cast out demons by God’s power, it must be concluded that His offer of the Kingdom was genuine and He was its bona fide King.
The third refutation pointed out that before a robber can enter a guarded citadel, the robber must have sufficient power to subdue the guard (Matthew 12:29). The inference was that if Christ can enter satan’s stronghold and deliver people from his control as He had just done (v. 22), then it is evident that He is stronger than satan. Satan could not give Christ a power greater than what he himself possessed.
With these three proofs, Christ sought to show the multitudes that the pharisaic explanation of this miracle was false.
What are some evidences that Jesus is the Messiah?
As we close today’s lesson, may I remind you that we are less than 48 hours from Election Day 2016? I hope that if you have not already taken advantage of early voting opportunities you will go to the polls Tuesday and exercise this great privilege you have been given as an American.
I can honestly say that no presidential election in my lifetime has beckoned me to prayer like election 2016. I have never faced more questions in my own heart concerning an election. For me, the questions are many and the answers are few. As I seek the wisdom of God, I find myself not only praying for His will for an election but His will for a nation. I do not pretend to be either a historian or a prophet, but I believe that the decisions that will be made Tuesday, November 8, 2016, will have far, far reaching effects. Most likely, the president we elect will appoint one, perhaps two, judges to the United States Supreme Court. This fact alone drives me to the war room of prayer for our nation. I believe the results of the 2016 election could potentially be viewed on the pages of history and by the test of time as the election that reshaped America. For I believe that the possibility certainly exists for the loss of our basic rights and freedoms which have been a part of our heritage for over two-hundred years. When you vote on Tuesday, you will be helping to shape the future of America. I ask that you please vote wisely, because you are shaping America for my grandchildren.
Not ironic, but three days after the election we recognize our veterans. Veterans Day is the day we honor all the brave men and women who have served this great nation protecting and defending our freedoms. Freedoms that I fear many of us have taken for granted. There’s an old country saying: “You don’t miss the water ‘til the well runs dry.” Could it be that our well of blessings, graces, and favors, granted to us by Almighty God, is on the brink of running dry? This Wednesday may find us entering the greatest drought in the history of our nation. Somewhere along the way, we have forgotten that God, the great and only God, the God of the Bible, is the God upon which this nation was founded. As a nation, we found our early dependence upon Him, and if we shall continue, we must once again find our dependence upon Him. In the words of the prophet Isaiah: “Look to the rock from which you were cut.”
What will America be like in 10 years, 20 years, 50 years? To personalize this question, what will America be like when my Sofia is 15, 25, or 55 years old? I pray for her sake that we don’t try to reshape American, but rather that we see God reshape the hearts of Americans. Please God send revival! Please God bring revival!
Because you were allowed to vote on Tuesday, please say thank you to a veteran this Friday.
Please say thank you to God today, because He blessed you with a veteran who made it possible for you to vote. | <urn:uuid:03831bb5-78c5-472a-9be7-973c33a15a7e> | CC-MAIN-2019-04 | https://mymarshill.org/lesson-136-jesus-answers-the-pharisees/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-04/segments/1547583730728.68/warc/CC-MAIN-20190120184253-20190120210253-00449.warc.gz | en | 0.965366 | 1,521 | 2.765625 | 3 | 3.000476 | 3 | Strong reasoning | Religion |
English to Spanish Translation—Learn Which Spanish Is Best for Your Audience
Because it is one of the world’s most popular languages, Spanish presents huge opportunities to reach new audiences with translated materials. Spoken by over a half-billion people, Spanish is a rich, expressive language with an extensive geographic reach. It is one of the six official languages of the United Nations and has been designated as an official language of 21 countries. The U.S. has the second-largest Spanish-speaking population in the world (after Mexico), with 41 million people ages five or older who speak Spanish at home.
However, because it is such a diverse language, it can be unclear how to approach translation. The Spanish language has different written and spoken variants, and it may be difficult to determine which form is best for your audience. Of course, a translated message should always sound as natural as possible to readers. It should be smooth and comfortable, like the language they might use at home. But at the same time, you may need to reach a wider audience of Spanish speakers. How do you know which form of Spanish is best? In this article, we shed some light on the differences between Spanish variants and offer tips to help you plan your Spanish-language translation strategy.
the origins of the Spanish language
Like other Romance languages, Spanish is a descendant of the informal form of Latin spoken in the Roman Empire. In the 3rd century BC, the Romans conquered the Iberian Peninsula (comprising present-day Spain and Portugal), bringing with them their language. The Arabic-speaking Moors later invaded the region, adding Arabic influences to the developing language. Over the centuries, Spanish continued to evolve on the Iberian Peninsula before making its leap across the ocean.
In 1492, Christopher Columbus and those who followed brought the language to the Americas, where it was propagated by the Spanish colonizers. Latin-American Spanish began developing independently of the Spanish spoken in Spain. Today, there are significant differences in the ways the languages are expressed, both in the written and spoken forms.
LATAM versus European (or Peninsular) Spanish
The two most distinctive strains of the modern-day language are Spanish for Spain (also referred to as Castilian, European, or Peninsular Spanish) and Latin-American Spanish (LATAM). The differences, while important, are not enough to prevent communication. People from Spain can understand people from Latin American countries. However, it just doesn’t sound natural, much in the same way British English does not sound natural to an American.
Spanish speakers on both sides of the ocean take pride in their language and cultures. Naturally, when translating materials for Europeans, Spanish for Spain would be used. Likewise, a version of LATAM Spanish would be selected when translating for Latin-American audiences.
The key differences between Spanish for Spain and LATAM Spanish are outlined below.
the plural version of you: vosotros vs. ustedes
One of the most obvious differences between Spanish for Spain and LATAM Spanish is pronoun usage. Spanish second-person pronouns have different levels of formality, and the means of addressing people can vary depending on location and dialect.
Spanish has three words for “you” in the singular, with varying degrees of formality: tú, vos and usted. The plural forms of these pronouns are vosotros (casual) and ustedes (formal). In Spain, you can choose either vosotros or ustedes when addressing two or more people, depending on the degree of formality, respect, and context. However, vosotros is not used in LATAM Spanish. There, only ustedes is used as the plural form of “you,” even in casual situations.
tú, vos and usted
The singular form of “you” is also handled differently across the ocean. In Spain, tú (casual) is used in most situations, while usted (formal) is strictly reserved for formal situations. It’s a little different in LATAM Spanish, where tú is strictly reserved for friends and family, and the usage of usted is much more common. However, vos has been traditionally used instead of tú, in Argentina and Uruguay where people speak a variety called Rioplatense Spanish or River Plate Spanish. Vos is also used by Paraguayans, Chileans, Peruvians, Ecuadorians, Salvadorans, and some Colombians.
simple past versus present perfect
Spanish for Spain and LATAM differ in the way they describe the past. A quick grammar lesson: simple past and present perfect both refer to events that happened in the past. Simple past is used to describe things that happened at any point in the past, such as I completed the project or She walked the dog. Alternately, present perfect refers to something that happened or began in the past, but whose effects continue into the present. Now that Jane has completed the project, she can walk the dog. (That is, she completed the project, so now she has time to walk the dog.)
In Spain, people prefer to use the present perfect tense when describing recent actions. In Latin America, however, the more direct form of speaking is preferred, and simple past tense is more commonly used. When a friend says “¡Comamos!” (Let’s go eat!), someone from Latin America might reply, “No, ya comí.” (No, I already ate.) In Spain, they would be more apt to say, “No, ya he comido.” (No, I have already eaten.)
wildly divergent vocabularies
Each Spanish-speaking country has its own slang and makes up its own rules when it comes to vocabulary. Even within Latin America, totally different words sometimes mean the same thing. Certain words are different in every country. Others might be used consistently, with the exception of one or two locales. In LATAM Spanish, “cake” is pastel, but in Spain, you would go to the bakery and order a torta. Of course, in Mexico, the word torta refers to a sandwich. While pastel is the neutral LATAM term for cake, there are plenty of different terms used throughout Latin America. Ponqué is the Colombian word for cake, kéi is used in Cuba, bizcocho in the Dominican Republic, queque in Perú, and torta in Argentina. Throughout the Spanish-speaking world, there are countless such examples.
Spanish in the Americas
Even though Spanish was born in Europe, Latin Americans have developed their own form of the language, and they represent the vast majority of Spanish speakers on the planet today. However, even throughout the LATAM-speaking Americas, individual countries have their own flavor of the language, with differences in vocabulary, grammatical features, and pronunciation.
Despite the differences, any Latin American country’s dialect will sound more natural to other LATAM speakers than will Spanish for Spain. People throughout the Americas share more common cultural elements. They are more likely to watch Mexican telenovelas, listen to Colombian rock, or read Argentinian novels, rather than consume TV, music, and literature from Spain. Popular culture influences the way people across Latin-American countries communicate and understand each other.
LATAM: selecting the right Spanish for translation
When translating for a general audience of Latin-American Spanish speakers, neutral LATAM Spanish is often recommended. The neutral (universal) form of LATAM does not use Spanish words that are specific to any one country. It avoids colloquialisms. When spoken, it is expressed with a neutral accent that is similar to what is used in TV dubbing, commercials, news, and movies. “Universal Spanish” diction is even taught at a school in Miami, for people aspiring to work at Latin-American media companies like Univisión or Telemundo.
In translation, it’s true that a localized message with regional nuances will resonate well with a specific audience. However, when you must reach a wide audience of Spanish speakers originating in different locales, the non-localized version is the most practical.
When translating for Spanish speakers in the U.S., we advise U.S. Spanish, which is similar to neutral LATAM Spanish, but uses U.S. units of measurement and conventions for punctuation to make it more familiar to U.S. audiences. It also avoids the most obvious colloquialisms and sticks to the Spanish terminology that is most commonly used in the U.S.
- Dating conventions typically follow the U.S. format, MM/DD/YYY, whereas the rest of Latin America (and most of the world) uses DD/MM/YYYY.
- U.S. Spanish uses commas to separate groups of thousands, as opposed to decimal points, which are the standard in Latin America.
- In U.S. Spanish, certain familiar words will be kept in English, such as smartphone, PC, or streaming, whereas in LATAM Spanish, these words are typically translated.
U.S. Spanish and LATAM will not sound totally natural to people from all Spanish-speaking countries. However, the message will be understood by all Spanish speakers. For this reason, these variants are the most inclusive choice for the majority of U.S. communities.
the right Spanish for your audiences
Despite the many variants, translating for Spanish speakers does not have to be a daunting task. Here are some key pieces of advice to keep in mind:
- Always aim to make your message sound natural to people living in your target locale.
- When you must reach a wide audience of Spanish speakers originating in different locales, a non-localized, neutral variant is the most practical.
- However, when targeting a highly specific audience, consider a localized message that includes regional nuance.
Work closely with your translation company, and discuss your audience and intent. A good translation agency will help you pinpoint the right form of Spanish for your audience. | <urn:uuid:3ffcf198-0155-4259-bac2-12694e48f81a> | CC-MAIN-2021-25 | https://eriksen.com/language/english-to-spanish-phrase-translation-variants/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-25/segments/1623487612154.24/warc/CC-MAIN-20210614105241-20210614135241-00231.warc.gz | en | 0.948312 | 2,096 | 3.328125 | 3 | 2.488642 | 2 | Moderate reasoning | Finance & Business |
Information about .dll File Extension
DLL file is a Windows Dynamic Linked Library. A DLL is a file of code containing functions that can be called from other executable code (either an application or another DLL). Programmers use DLLs to provide code that they can reuse and to parcel out distinct jobs.
Common .dll file type descriptions:
- Application extension
- Расширение приложения
- Extensão de aplicativo
- Extension de l’application
Applications, associated with .dll files
|Resource viewer, decompiler & recompiler.|
Resource Hacker is a freeware utility to view, modify, rename, add, delete and extract resources in 32bit & 64bit Windows executables and resource files (*.res). It incorporates an internal resource script compiler and decompiler and works on all (Win95 - Win7) Windows operating systems.
|Common File Format Explorer by Daniel Pistelli|
The CFF Explorer is a free tool designed to make PE editing as easy as possible, but without losing sight on the portable executable's internal structure. This application includes a series of tools which might help not only reverse engineers but also programmers.
|Notepad by Microsoft Corporation|
Notepad is a simple text editor for Microsoft Windows. It has been included in all versions of Microsoft Windows.
|PE Explorer by Heaventools Software|
PE Explorer is a feature-packed program for inspecting the inner workings of your own software, and more importantly, third party Windows applications and libraries for which you do not have source code. PE Explorer lets you open, view and edit a variety of different 32-bit Windows executable file types (also called PE files) ranging from the common, such as EXE, DLL and ActiveX Controls, to the less familiar types, such as SCR (Screensavers), CPL (Control Panel Applets), SYS, MSSTYLES, BPL, DPL and more (including executable files that run on MS Windows Mobile platform).
|Dependency Walker by Microsoft Corporation|
Dependency Walker is a free program for Microsoft Windows used to list the imported and exported functions of a portable executable file. It also displays a recursive tree of all the files it requires to work (dependencies) along with all this information.
|Windows Wordpad Application by Microsoft Corporation|
WordPad is a basic word processor that is included with almost all versions of Microsoft Windows from Windows 95 upwards. It is more advanced than Notepad but simpler than Microsoft Works Word Processor and Microsoft Word.
|Internet Explorer by Microsoft Corporation|
Internet Explorer is a browser produced by the Microsoft Corporation and supplied together with the Windows operating system.
|Resource viewer, decompiler & recompiler by Angus Johnson|
|Adobe Reader by Adobe Systems®, Incorporated|
Adobe Reader software is the free global standard for reliably viewing, printing, and commenting on PDF documents. It can open and interact with all types of PDF content, including forms and multimedia.
|ILSpy by ic#code|
|Resource Tuner by Heaventools Software|
Resource Tuner lets you view, extract, replace, edit, and delete the embedded resources of executable files: icons, strings, images, sounds, dialogs, menus - all that make up the visual part of Windows programs. In fact, it allows you to add your own custom branding to an application, change dialog messages, customize toolbar actions, and so on without having access to the actual source code. Resource Tuner offers exciting possibilities even if you aren't a programmer. It's perfect for translators, tweakers, and anyone else who wants a different look and feel for an application.
|BeCyIconGrabber (Tool for extracting program symbols) by Benjamin Bentmann|
|Windows Photo Viewer by Microsoft Corporation|
|Notepad++ by Don HO [email protected]|
Notepad++ is a free source code editor and Notepad replacement that supports several languages | <urn:uuid:78ff03bd-9d3d-4fd1-a98b-3d3c51f1debd> | CC-MAIN-2017-22 | http://extensions.frieger.com/extinfo.php?ext=dll | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-22/segments/1495463608665.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20170526124958-20170526144958-00041.warc.gz | en | 0.849325 | 843 | 2.6875 | 3 | 1.535944 | 2 | Moderate reasoning | Software Dev. |
A genethics debate within an interdisciplinary curriculum
Article first published online: 20 OCT 2009
© Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2009
Volume 43, Issue 11, page 1107, November 2009
How to Cite
Aultman, J. M. (2009), A genethics debate within an interdisciplinary curriculum. Medical Education, 43: 1107. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2923.2009.03504.x
- Issue published online: 20 OCT 2009
- Article first published online: 20 OCT 2009
Context and setting Approximately 200 Year 1 medical and pharmacy students are required to take a course entitled ‘Molecules to Cells’, for 8 weeks. This interdisciplinary medical and pharmacy course combines lectures in molecular biology, cell biology, genetics and biochemistry, in addition to genethics, which identifies ethical issues surrounding eugenics, genetic counselling and engineering, and gene therapy. Appealing to student interest, the Genethics Debate was introduced last year to identify and strengthen the intersection between genetics and ethics.
Why the idea was necessary Because both pharmacy and medical students participate in Molecules to Cells, it was important to provide team-building activities and lessons to develop skills which will prove valuable when these future pharmacists and doctors work together in the clinical setting. Furthermore, because all students undertook a foundation course in bioethics prior to this course, it was necessary to evaluate students’ ethical knowledge in more fruitful ways beyond standardised testing. By introducing a Genethics Debate, students are challenged to organise and work within interdisciplinary teams, explore controversial issues at the intersection of medicine, science and ethics through self-directed learning, and build upon leadership, communication, critical thinking and organisational skills.
What was done A cohort of 200 medical and pharmacy students were divided into 10 teams. Each team was responsible for a particular position, affirming or refuting one of five issues within genethics, including: Having a Child to Save a Child; Genetic Testing of Children for Late-Onset Genetic Conditions; Targeting College Students for Egg Donation; Genetic Engineering to Increase Bone Density (to Prevent Osteoporosis), and Claiming Property Rights for Genetic Material. A total of 3 hours was designated in the Molecules to Cells curriculum for the Genethics Debate; each topic, debated between two teams, was expected to take approximately 30–35 minutes. Following each of the five debates, students anonymously voted on which teams were more persuasive using TurningPoint technologies, which automatically calculate and reveal the polling results on a PowerPoint slide.
To effectively manage approximately 20 students in each team, up to two leaders were appointed by individual teams, who organised students’ roles and levels of contribution to the debate. Although up to four students actively participated as speakers, presenting arguments and rebutting the opposition, the majority of students were responsible for researching the topic, identifying opposing arguments, organising and participating in a mock or practice debate, and writing a required paper (3–5 pages). The assigned paper, an evaluative measurement of students’ critical thinking skills and ethical, scientific and medical knowledge, is intended to support each group’s topic and position as presented in the formal debate.
Evaluation of results and impact Team performance is evaluated by the graded paper assignment and debate presentation; individual students are assigned grades based on team performance and self-reported evaluations. Students also complete a course evaluation. Students’ evaluations have been very positive; most students comment on how they have been able to see previously unconsidered and different perspectives because of the debates. Because faculty members and the administration recognise how team-based and self-directed learning impacts students’ education, the Genethics Debates have become an integral part of the curriculum. | <urn:uuid:9b86f0b0-800f-48c8-b8f3-cfb1481b35e5> | CC-MAIN-2016-07 | http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2923.2009.03504.x/full | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-07/segments/1454701166222.10/warc/CC-MAIN-20160205193926-00181-ip-10-236-182-209.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948515 | 771 | 3 | 3 | 2.984861 | 3 | Strong reasoning | Education & Jobs |
In the Garden:
These leaves in the walkways will decompose over time, yielding a rich compost that can be screened to make potting soil.
Garden Recycling: Chips and Leaves to Potting Soil
There are many great ways to recycle and repurpose various items for use in the garden. I've mentioned the idea of making homemade paper pots for growing your own transplants. Another favorite of mine is recycling organic materials. I know most readers are already familiar with traditional composting methods but there are many ways to use organic materials.
Our city and some local tree trimming companies are busy trimming trees and shredding the branches into chips. I have found that they will often be happy to dump a truckload of chipped up branches at your place for no charge. This stuff makes wonderful walkway materials and mulch around shrubs and trees. I use it for pathway materials because it makes for an all weather pathway even in the rainy season. Trees and shrubs like it because it helps create a forest floor environment over time as the materials decompose into the soil.
The chipped materials I put in our walkways breaks down slowly and I just add more to the surface every year or two to replenish that which has decomposed. In the vegetable garden I pile leaves down the walkways between raised beds. As they mash down with moisture and foot traffic, I'll add more several times over the coming few months. In the moist environment near the bottom of the trench the leaves turn to leaf mold and then compost.
I "harvest" these garden walkways once or twice a year. The wood chip pathways are harvested every two years or more. Harvesting involves raking back the surface materials and then shoveling the lower decomposing materials into a homemade screening box. You can make your own by using 2X4's to build a square box. I like to leave two of the boards sticking out on each of two opposite sides to serve as handles. It helps to make it large enough to sit over a wheelbarrow with the handles reaching over the sides to suspend it on top of the wheelbarrow. Attach 1/2" hardware cloth (wire mesh) to the bottom.
So back to harvesting; I shovel the mostly composted walkway material into the square and then shake the thing to cause the smaller composted pieces to fall through into the wheelbarrow. The larger undecomposed chunks are tossed back into the pathway or garden row to continue decomposing. If the walkways have decomposed quite a bit you will have a wheelbarrow full of wonderful, screened compost in no time.
This material can be mixed with a little sand, perlite or rich garden soil to create the particular blend of potting soil you want. This stuff is great for when you move growing transplants up into a larger container.
Sometimes I will run the screened, composted organic matter through a 1/4" mesh hardware cloth or one of the soil sifting rings to create a very fine textured compost for seed starting. It is good to add a little sand or fine textured perlite or vermiculite to this mix but best to avoid garden soil .
Sometime diseases that can destroy seedlings can come in with compost and garden soil. I seldom have this problem, but to avoid it you can pasteurize your potting soil by moistening it and heating it in an oven to raise the soil temperature to a target level for 30 minutes. Some gardeners use one of the large bags used for cooking a turkey, while others use a pan covered with aluminum foil. Use a meat thermometer poked through a hole in the bag or foil to monitor the internal temperature of the soil. Thirty minutes at 140 degrees kills most fungi, 160 most harmful bacteria and insects, and 180 degrees most weed seeds.
Don't overdo it, however. Overheating not only kills the good soil organisms as well the harmful ones, but can create compounds that are toxic to plants. Overheating soil in an open container in the oven can also create quite a smell that takes a while to go away. The plastic turkey bag or foil cover, along with heating to the proper temperature, will help minimize such odor.
We are busy starting seeds for transplants and have some rooted cuttings that will soon need to be potted up. With the ongoing process of starting seeds and moving them into larger pots you can end up needing a LOT of potting soil. Making your own is easy and, in my opinion, fun too.
Care to share your gardening thoughts, insights, triumphs, or disappointments with your fellow gardening enthusiasts? Join the lively discussions on our FaceBook page and receive free daily tips! | <urn:uuid:f738c4ae-2cc0-465c-b766-2a7883c739a0> | CC-MAIN-2015-06 | http://www.garden.org/regional/report/arch/inmygarden/3684 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-06/segments/1422115855561.4/warc/CC-MAIN-20150124161055-00033-ip-10-180-212-252.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94127 | 972 | 3 | 3 | 2.216037 | 2 | Moderate reasoning | Home & Hobbies |
The Ausable watershed is home to a diverse array of amphibians, including frogs, toads, and salamanders, and, though they may not be thought of as terrestrial animals, many spend most of their adult lives in the woods and waterway edges. Some utilize water for mating, egg laying, and juvenile development. In spring, on wet rainy nights, many species are on the move in large numbers migrating to vernal pools, ponds, and streams to mate with others. On these, 'big nights', you may see hundreds or thousands of frogs and salamanders on the roads. It is important to drive carefully on these warm rainy nights, or better yet, avoid unnecessary travel altogether.
Frogs and toads use vocalizations to find other members of their species at these breeding areas. Learn how to identify them by sight and sound here.
Salamanders don't vocalize but we can rely on visual cues to identify them. Take some time to learn these and you'll know who is sharing the pond and streambanks in the evenings. First, we'll look at the two salamanders who may be travelling by roadway or streambank to reach their breeding areas and find mates. Then we'll look at two lungless salamanders who spend much of their time in and around water.
Eastern Newt (Red Eft)
Many of you have probably seen the Eastern Newt (Notophthalmus viridescens) while hiking, fishing, or playing with children near streams. Some of you may know them as a Red Eft. These salamanders have two distinct life stages. The eft stage of the Eastern Newt is the juvenile, terrestrial form. They inhabit moist forest floors and are often found at varying elevations.
When they are fully mature, at about 2 to 3 years, they migrate to the stream, beaver pond, or vernal pool where they were hatched to find a mate. When they arrive, they undergo a transformation to their aquatic adult stage. Their color changes from orange to green, but their feet become webbed, they regain the ability to breathe underwater, and their tail turns back into a tadpole-like tail for enhanced swimming abilities. They enter the water to breed and lay eggs, which later hatch into a tadpole form of this salamander. They retain their red spots along their back during this time. Eastern Newts are carnivorous and live on a diet of insects and small crustaceans. Adults produce 200-375 eggs over the course of a breeding season and wrap each egg individually in living or dead leaves underwater. The eggs incubate for about a month, then live as tadpoles in the pond for 3 to 5 months before emerging as terrestrial efts. Adults in ponds can grow to 5 inches or more and they can live up to 15 years. Their skin contains a neurotoxin that wards off most predators including crayfish, birds, and most mammals, but racoons are their most common predators.
The Spotted Salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) spends most of its time buried in leaf litter on forest floors or in underground tunnels but is often found with other migrating wood frogs, spring peepers, and toads on those warm rainy 'big nights', migrating to vernal breeding pools, preferably without fish. After 4 to 7 weeks, the eggs hatch and the tadpoles have red feathery gills and front legs only. After 3 to 5 months, they transform into a terrestrial form and move from pond to forest. This salamander can grow up to 10 inches long, and its long stout body is a dark blue to purplish-black in color and is covered in two rows of bright orange or yellow spots along its back and tail. They typically lay about 200 eggs and in our northern latitudes, it can take from 3 to 7 years before they become sexually mature. Spotted Salamanders can also release a mildly toxic substance when threatened by predators, and have been known to live to between 20 and 30 years of age. They eat insects, earthworms, and smaller salamanders.
Spring Salamanders (Gyrinophilus porphyriticus) are one of the largest of the lungless salamanders and more elusive in nature. They do not have lungs and need to absorb oxygen through their moist skin. Therefore, these salamanders are semi-aquatic and live most of their lives in or very close to water, especially cold springs. Young salamanders are more purple in color, and adults grow to about 8 inches long. As per the photo below, they have a stout orange-red to coral pink body with a prominent keel on their tails that enable a strong swimming ability. They live in forest and wet stream habitats, and find mates and lay eggs in late fall and early winter. Like the other salamanders, they eat crustaceans, earthworms, and small frogs and salamanders. This species relies on intact riparian habitats with many shade trees and is threatened by sedimentation and upstream development.
Northern Two-Lined Salamander
We have another species of lungless salamander that lives in the Adirondacks and Ausable River watershed. Pictured below, the Northern Two-Lined salamander (Eurycea bislineata) can grow from 2.5 to 5 inches long and is yellowish to red with a yellow underbelly. Young and adults have a characteristic stripe from their head to tail, with outer narrow, dark, solid lines and black dots or dashes between the two lines. Adults spend much of their time in the forest on and under leaf litter and near running water for much of their life. This salamander also lacks lungs and requires moist skin to be able to perform respiration. Northern Two-Lined salamanders become sexually mature at one year from metamorphosis, and their breeding season can last from October to May. Females lay their eggs in clutches of 15 to 100 eggs on the underside of rocks in streams and rivers. Females guard eggs and eat little during this period, which can take up to 8 weeks. Juveniles stay in the water for up to three years before emerging as semi-terrestrial adults. Adults eat mayflies, beetles, and spiders. When threatened by a predator, Northern Two-Lined salamanders have the ability to drop their tail, which continues to move on the ground while they flee to safety.
The reappearance of frogs, toads, and salamanders means spring to many of us who live in the Adirondacks and Ausable watershed.
The excellent salamander photos above are from Larry Master, used with permission. For more of Larry's photos, visit www.masterimages.org | <urn:uuid:64814e84-35a6-4878-ae63-584576061563> | CC-MAIN-2020-34 | https://www.ausableriver.org/blog/adirondack-salamanders | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-34/segments/1596439737289.75/warc/CC-MAIN-20200808051116-20200808081116-00522.warc.gz | en | 0.958944 | 1,388 | 3.90625 | 4 | 1.715752 | 2 | Moderate reasoning | Science & Tech. |
Correlation and Application of Statistics to Problems of Heredity 87
Galton's interest in Discontinuous Evolution was further manifested in the same year by a circular which will be found in the 1 ransactions of the Entomological Society of London, 1895 (April 3rd). It consists of three questions addressed to breeders and others, not only entomologists but to those who pursue any branch of natural history. The questions are for information on the following topics
"(i) Instances of such strongly-marked peculiarities, whether in form, in colour, or in habit, as have occasionally appeared in a single or in a few individuals among a brood; but no record is wanted of monstrosities, or of such other characteristics as are clearly inconsistent with health and vigour.
"(ii) Instances in which any one of the above peculiarities has appeared in the broods of different parents. [In replying to this question, it will be hardly worth while to record the sudden appearance of either albinism or melanism, as both are well known to be of frequent occurrence.]
"(iii) Instances in which any of these peculiarly characterised individuals have transmitted their peculiarities, hereditarily, to one or more generations. Especial mention should be made whether the peculiarity was in any case transmitted in all its original intensity, and numerical data would be particularly acceptable that showed the frequency of transmission: (a) in an undiluted form, (b) in one that was more or less diluted, and (c) of its non-transmission in any perceptible degree."
The context attached to the questions shows that Galton was still troubled by the question of regression : "Regressiveness and stability are contrasted conditions and neither of them can be fully understood apart from the other." As I have endeavoured to indicate regression is merely a statistical result, which holds for a population, not for an individual, when we table the former with a knowledge of only a limited number of the kinsfolk of individuals and assume the mean of each generation to remain the same*. The biological problem is to determine how this mean changes and is quite independent of the statistical idea of regression. As I have indicated above (p. 83) the offspring of selected ancestry on Galton's own theory do not regress to the population mean, and in this respect the only contrast that could be drawn between the offspring of a "sport" and of such selected ancestry is the question of the extent to which a sport breeds true without having even a limited amount of selected ancestry. This is really the point which Galton's third question would tend to answer'.
K. Eugenics as a Religious Faith. I have already pointed out that a very fundamental characteristic of Galton's mind was his desire that our progressive knowledge of natural law should at once be turned to practical service in attempts to elevate the race of man. He could not think of the doctrine of
* This assumption is made by Galton, but it is not in the least needful to the statistical theory of regression, which measures each generation from its own mean.
t I am not certain whether it was in reply to this circular that Galton received information about a singular family of lunatic cats. He described the family in a letter to The Spectator (April 11, 1896), entitled: Three Generations of Lunatic Cats. The sires of the kittens were unknown, but may be assumed to have been normal. Nevertheless the lunacy, which may be considered as a sport, was transmitted by the mother to all her offspring and grandchildren with undiluted strength. The only doubt that can be raised is whether the sire of "Phyllis," who was brought from Ewart Park, Northumberland, might possibly have been a wild cat. It is a pity the family could not have been preserved for the study of hereditary lunacy. | <urn:uuid:b8a8cc51-d377-4c95-bcc7-b6702ca99059> | CC-MAIN-2016-18 | http://galton.org/cgi-bin/searchImages/galton/search/pearson/vol3a/pages/vol3a_0106.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-18/segments/1461860121776.48/warc/CC-MAIN-20160428161521-00081-ip-10-239-7-51.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972311 | 798 | 2.703125 | 3 | 2.924009 | 3 | Strong reasoning | Science & Tech. |
Easy Indoor Rainbow Experiments
Children love spotting rainbows, and seeing one gives you an opportunity to discuss the science behind the atmosphere and optics. Since natural rainbows appear only on days when the sun shines through droplets of rain, find ways to make your own. Kids like using markers to draw their own, but with a few simple household items, you can make fun rainbow magic that allows you to experiment with indoor rainbows, day or night.
Rainbow in the Dark
To easily make your own rainbow, you need a small mirror that will fit inside a clear glass or jar. The mirror needs to tilt at a slight angle, so you can place a marble, bead or other object beneath it to create the angle. Next, fill the glass with water, then place it on a table in a dark room or simply hold it. With the lights off, shine a flashlight onto the mirror to create your indoor rainbow. Change the angle of the flashlight and predict whether this will change the location of the rainbow.
This easy but messy rainbow experiment requires a plastic water or sports drink bottle, an old sock, a rubber band, liquid dish soap and liquid food coloring. Begin by removing the bottom of the plastic bottle and place the open end of the sock over the cut end of the bottle. Secure the sock with a rubber band. Next, pour dish soap into a bowl and add a small amount of water to thin the soap. Use the liquid food coloring to create stripes of colors the length of the sock. Once you color the sock, dip it into the dish soap mixture until you cover the whole surface of the sock. Blow into the open end of the plastic bottle, creating a thick rainbow of bubbles.
You can experiment with rainbows using a bowl of milk and a few other items. Fill a cereal bowl with milk halfway and allow it to come to room temperature. Next, add about four drops of different food colors to the bowl of milk. Be careful not to mix the colors unless you want to create a new color. Place one drop of dish soap in the middle of the bowl, and the colors will start to swirl, forming a rainbow. This results from the dish soap separating the milk fats, which pushes and swirls the food coloring.
The Disappearing Rainbow
Kids will enjoy making rainbows, but they also will love making them disappear. Cover a compact disc with a white piece of paper cut to the size of the CD. Use a glue stick to adhere it to the CD. Using the colors red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet to represent the rainbow, fill in seven pie-shaped segments on the paper. Leave a white segment between each color of the rainbow. Use a pen, pencil or other object to poke through the hole of the CD. Spin the CD as hard as you can and the rainbow will disappear.
Kate Beck started writing for online publications in 2005. She worked as a certified ophthalmic technician for 10 years before returning to school to earn a Masters of Fine Arts degree in writing. Beck is currently putting the finishing touches on a novel. | <urn:uuid:2e31c2c1-4052-4bb4-a9d8-84df5f2fcdc7> | CC-MAIN-2021-17 | https://education.seattlepi.com/easy-indoor-rainbow-experiments-4288.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-17/segments/1618038069133.25/warc/CC-MAIN-20210412175257-20210412205257-00429.warc.gz | en | 0.892996 | 634 | 3.5 | 4 | 1.476843 | 1 | Basic reasoning | Science & Tech. |
Girl Scouts are always aiming for the stars—literally! On July 24, 2019, Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) held a congressional briefing to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first lunar landing and share our commitment to ensuring that every girl has the chance to explore and build her interest in space science.
Sydne Jenkins, an Ambassador Girl Scout and Girl Scout Space Academy alum; Cole Grissom, of GSUSA; and Pamela Harman of the SETI Institute took part in a panel discussion about the importance of fostering girls’ interest in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) at an early age.
According to recent studies, girls develop their “STEM identity” by third grade. By the time they reach middle school and high school, they’re at risk of opting out of STEM entirely—and that’s a major contributor to the STEM gender gap. But Girl Scouts has both the reach and proven programming to motivate a new generation of girls to explore STEM and become confident leaders. At every grade level, girls can engage in fun, hands-on activities that ignite their curiosity and strengthen their STEM identities.
The panelists also discussed Girl Scouts’ three new Space Science badges, which were announced this July. These stellar new badges allow girls to explore topics such as the universe and their place in it, properties of light, and inspirational space science careers. These badges, combined with Girl Scouts’ larger suite of STEM programming, provide a seamless pathway for girls to develop a lifetime love of the cosmos and its endless possibilities.
Among the congress members who gave remarks at the briefings was all-star Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee Chair, Kendra Horn (D-OK). Horn, a Gold Award Girl Scout, shouted out GSUSA’s mission to close the STEM gender gap.
“As we work here…to make sure that we’re building the programs and continuing to work toward [space] exploration, we are also intentionally building pathways for STEM education, to bring more people of different backgrounds in—more women, more individuals from different communities—and that is why the work you’re doing is so important,” said Rep. Horn.
It’s no surprise that many female astronauts in the United States are Girl Scout alums. With the new Space Science badges, more Girl Scouts have the opportunity to shoot for the moon and blaze new trails in STEM! | <urn:uuid:a1848779-00df-4e3c-a66a-924b7b2509b1> | CC-MAIN-2023-06 | https://gsgcfblog.org/2019/09/04/new-girl-scout-space-science-badges-are-ready-for-takeoff/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-06/segments/1674764499890.39/warc/CC-MAIN-20230131190543-20230131220543-00797.warc.gz | en | 0.94284 | 502 | 2.765625 | 3 | 2.683656 | 3 | Strong reasoning | Science & Tech. |
Church records include parish registers, recorded marriages, baptisms, christenings, confirmations, and burials. Other church records document the church history - its organizational structure, the clergy, meeting minutes, financial records, and membership lists (including admissions and dismissals).
Church records are especially important because they "provide the best source of vital records information" from the earliest times, before civil (county and city) records existed. Church records are often more complete and accurate than civil records. For example, baptism and christening records may include the date and place of birth, the parents' names and residence, the sponsors'/godparents' names, the officiating clergy, and the mother's maiden name. In some cases church records are the only place wives' names appear.
"Church records are among the earliest evidence of ethnic groups in a particular locale." As in their native countries, immigrants' lives "centered upon their religious activities" and they depended on their churches to record "the vital records of their lives." "Church death registers have been the single most valuable source for tracing an immigrant's place of birth."
Genealogical researchers should also check this website's Vital Records and Marriage Records sections. The compilers of these sources and of town histories frequently used church records for their work.
The W.E.B. Du Bois Library's rich historical collections include a number of published church records and histories as well as an interesting selection of assorted sources.
Ancient burying-grounds of the town of Waterbury, Connecticut, together with other records of church and town - Prichard, Katharine Adelaid
Call Number: F 104 W3 P7
Includes burials from Gunntown Episcopal Church records (1801-1857), burials and marriages (1742-1875) from the Parish of Northbury, and Congregational Church records (1765-1809) of Northbury Parish (later Plymouth).
Churches of old New England, their architecture and their architects, their pastors and their people - Marlowe, George Francis
Call Number: BR 530 M3
The colonial clergy and the colonial churches of New England - Weis, Frederick Lewis
Call Number: BR 520 W4
Special Collections BR 520 W4 1936
"For the first time a complete list of New England colonial churches and clergymen of all denominations is herein presented" (1620-1776). Alphabetically arranged by surname. Includes the individual's birthplace, date of birth, parents' names, education, death date, career, publications (sermons), dates of installation and dismissal, etc. Also offers a geographical index.
Early Connecticut marriages as found on ancient church records prior to 1800 - Bailey, Frederic William
Call Number: F 93 B16
The "most complete collection extant of printed Connecticut church marriage records" to 1800. A seven-volume work solely of church records. Each volume contains a surname index. "The first settlers of Connecticut came from Massachusetts Bay and Plymouth Colonies and located at Windsor, Hartford, and Wethersfield"
Guide to church vital statistic records in the state of Rhode Island. Supplement to Guide to public vital statistics, births, marriages, deaths. Prepared by the Historical Records Survey, Division of Service Programs, Work Projects Administration.
Call Number: CD 3481 H52
"The purpose of the compilation is to offer an actual guide to all extant records of births, marriages, and deaths located in the churches throughout the State or in the custody of church officials."
A history of the Episcopal church in Narragansett, Rhode Island, including a history of other Episcopal churches in the state - Updike, Wilkins
Call Number: Special Collections BX 5980 N2 P3 1847
The first entry in the church records was made in 1718. Includes a name and subject index.
History of the First Church in Hartford, 1633-1883 (First Church of Christ) - Walker, George Leon
Call Number: Special Collections BX 7255 H4 F57 1884
History of the Second Church of Christ in Hartford - Parker, Edwin Pond
Call Number: Special Collections F 104 H3 P2 1892
This church was established in 1670. Volume contains a "Catalogue of the early members of the church, and the record of baptisms, marriages, and deaths."
Inventory of the church archives of Connecticut. Lutheran. Prepared by the Connecticut Historical Records Survey, Division of Community Service Programs, Work Projects Administration.
Call Number: BX 8042 C8 H5
Another WPA project which provides a history of the church, describes the church records, and notes the locations of those records. Includes chronological, geographical, and church name indexes.
Inventory of the church archives of Vermont. Prepared by the Vermont Historical Records Survey, Division of Professional and Service Projects, Work Projects Administration.
Call Number: CD 3550 H48 Number 1
"In this inventory one can readily find what the records are and where they are located. It also provides a survey of source material for the history of the Episcopal Church in Vermont." This volume is the first of the WPA's Vermont series. Contains church, clergy, and location indexes.
Les Mariages de Notre-Dame, Central Falls, R.I. (1873-1979).
Call Number: F 89 C33 M37 1982
Memorial. Genealogy, and ecclesiastical history [of First Church, New Britain, Conn.] To which is added an appendix, with explanatory notes, and a full index - Andrews, Alfred
Call Number: F 104 N5 A5
Highlights all members "who have been communicants of the first Church of Christ in New Britain, from its organization, April 19, 1758, to 1867." Provides very complete biographical information including lists of members' children. Also contains a name index.
New England Yearly Meeting of Friends Records, 1654-2016.
Call Number: Special Collections MS 902
Quaker records which include business meeting minutes, newsletters, financial records, some personal papers, printed books and serials, and an assortment of photographs. Of particular note are the vital statistics recorded by the Monthly Meetings, including general information on births, deaths, marriages, membership, and specifically-Quaker information on removals (formal letters written as members moved from one meeting to another), denials, testimonies (beliefs and convictions), and sufferings (penalties suffered by Quakers for following testimonies). The collection includes several thousand Quaker books and pamphlets.
The New Hampshire churches; comprising histories of the Congregational and Presbyterian churches in the state, with notices of other denominations: also containing many interesting incidents connected with the settlement of towns - Lawrence, Robert F.
Call Number: BR 555 N4 L3
Arranged by county and thereunder by city or town. Contains indexes of towns and clergymen.
Records of the Congregational church in Canterbury, Connecticut, 1711-1844, published jointly by the Connecticut Historical Society and the Society of Mayflower Descendants in the State of Connecticut.
Call Number: F 104 C18 C2
"Many of the early settlers of Canterbury were descendants of passengers who came to Plymouth on the 'Mayflower' in 1620."
Records of the Congregational Church in Turkey Hills, now the town of East Granby, Connecticut, 1776-1858.
Call Number: Special Collections F 104 E1 E13 1907
The church was organized in 1737. Records include births, baptisms, marriages, and deaths, admissions, meeting minutes, church votes, excommunications, and names of members. Has a name and subject index.
The two hundredth anniversary of the First Congregational Church of Haddam, Connecticut, October 14th and 17th, 1900. Church organized, 1696. Pastor installed, 1700.
Call Number: F 104 H14 H3
Includes baptisms, marriages, deaths as well as a name index to the church records.
The Special Collections and University Archives Department of the W.E.B. Du Bois Library houses a collection of more than 7,500 community cookbooks. The Beatrice McIntosh Cookery Collection includes cookbooks prepared by a variety of churches and synagogues from the 1880s to the present. "These cookbooks document important aspects of the lives of families and women in the region, as well as ethnic groups and their adaptation of traditional foods to New England. The collection is focused primarily on New England, but includes cookbooks from other states for comparative purposes." Many of the community cookbooks offer an historical introduction to the organization and most of the recipes are signed by the contributing members.
Search the Five College Catalog by Subject. Examples of subject searches: | <urn:uuid:a8ea37c6-d5bd-45ed-97fe-58f8ecde232e> | CC-MAIN-2021-49 | https://guides.library.umass.edu/c.php?g=672399&p=4737803 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-49/segments/1637964363445.41/warc/CC-MAIN-20211208053135-20211208083135-00035.warc.gz | en | 0.925233 | 1,845 | 2.921875 | 3 | 2.506025 | 3 | Strong reasoning | Religion |
The name Kewley arrived in England
after the Norman Conquest
of 1066. The Kewley family lived in Norfolk
. Their name, however, is derived from the family's place of residence prior to the Norman Conquest
in 1066, Quilli, near Falaise, Normandy.
Early Origins of the Kewley family
The surname Kewley was first found in Norfolk
where they held a family seat
from very early times and were granted lands by Duke William of Normandy
, their liege Lord, for their distinguished assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D.
Early History of the Kewley family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kewley research.Another 76 words (5 lines of text) covering the year 1086 is included under the topic Early Kewley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Kewley Spelling Variations
A multitude of spelling variations
characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England
also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Kewley, Quilly, Kewlay and others.
Early Notables of the Kewley family (pre 1700)
More information is included under the topic Early Kewley Notables in all our PDF Extended History products
and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Kewley family to the New World and Oceana
Many English families left England
, to avoid the chaos of their homeland and migrated to the many British colonies abroad. Although the conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and some travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute, once in the colonies, many of the families prospered and made valuable contributions to the cultures of what would become the United States and Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Kewley or a variant listed above:
Kewley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- John Kewley and his family, who arrived at the Port of New York in 1832
- Philip Andrew Kewley, who was on record in Colorado in 1880
Kewley Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
- Edmund Kewley, who was on record in the census of Ontario, Canada of 1871
Kewley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- George H. Kewley, aged 24, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Emigrant" CITATION[CLOSE]
South Australian Register Wednesday 25th October 1854. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Emigrant 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/emigrant1854.shtml.
Contemporary Notables of the name Kewley (post 1700)
Historic Events for the Kewley family
- Mr. Ernest Alexander Kewley, English First Waiter from Edge Hill, Liverpool, England, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania and died in the sinking and was recovered CITATION[CLOSE]
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/
Kewley Family Crest Products
- ^ South Australian Register Wednesday 25th October 1854. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Emigrant 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/emigrant1854.shtml.
- ^ Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/ | <urn:uuid:59577c9e-51ce-4224-9aff-4c0ee81bc97d> | CC-MAIN-2018-51 | https://www.houseofnames.com/kewley-family-crest | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-51/segments/1544376823895.25/warc/CC-MAIN-20181212134123-20181212155623-00500.warc.gz | en | 0.928865 | 860 | 2.84375 | 3 | 2.29569 | 2 | Moderate reasoning | History |
As you might be aware, API stands for Application Program Interface. As the name suggests, it acts like an interface between the user and the application. APIs are mainly responsible for the data exchange services between the two different software.
Software testing is complicated and challenging. It is therefore essential to understand best practices and considerations before jump starting testing.
Outlined below are the 5 key considerations before you kick start API testing:
1) REST vs SOAP
REST stands for Representational state transfer. These are web services that provide interoperability between computer systems over the internet. RESTful Web services provide a predefined set of stateless operations and allow requesting systems to access and manipulate textual representations of web resources.
SOAP stands for Simple Object Access Protocol. It helps in exchanging structured information between computer networks. SOAP allows communication between different operating systems using XML.
Nowadays, RESTful API is preferred over SOAP because of the following reasons :
- REST uses Json architecture which is comparatively easier than the XML architecture used in SOAP
- REST can use SOAP web services as it is an architecture and not a protocol like SOAP
- Speed of REST API is faster as compared to SOAP
- REST is not that strict and inherits security measures while SOAP has its own strict standards and defined security measures
2) Commonly used HTTP Methods
There are 4 main HTTP methods that are frequently used during API testing :
- GET Method
The HTTP GET method is used to retrieve data. It is a read only call and data cannot be modified. If it is a successful request, without any errors, then a status of code of 200(OK) will be received along with the data requested in the particular format which is generally JSON or XML.
GET method is considered a safe method to call as no corruption or modification of data will be done. It gives the same response everytime called.
- POST Method
The HTTP POST method is a write method. It is mainly used to create a new resource by providing the input in Json or XML format. When a POST request is made, a new resource is created with the values provided along with it. If it is an error free call, the status returned will be 201.
POST methods are responsible for modification of data and should be carefully handled.
These methods are not idempotent and thus can result in errors or duplicate records if called more than one time.
- PUT Method
The HTTP PUT method is more like an update command. It is used to change the value of any resource whose original value was something else.
PUT methods can also be used to create resources but only if the the request is from the client and not the server.
PUT methods are also not safe as these are responsible for resource modification but if we call the same PUT request again then no changes are made i.e it is idempotent.
- DELETE Method
The HTTP DELETE method, as the name suggests, is used to delete a resource. If the request is made successfully then the status code returned is 200 (OK). These are also idempotent as if a resource is deleted once it cannot affect it. At times, the resource is not deleted completely and in such cases it is not a safe method and can cause modification of resources if called again.
3) HTTP Response codes
The HTTP response codes are divided broadly in five categories :
- 1xx – Informational codes
- 2xx – Success codes
- 3xx – Redirect codes
- 4xx – Client error codes
- 5xx – Server error codes
Some of the most common HTTP response codes used with REST are as follows :
200 (OK): This code indicates that the request was made successfully.
201 (Created): This response code indicates that request was successful and a resource was created. It is used to confirm success of a PUT or POST request.
400 (Bad Request) : This code indicates that the data is in incorrect format.
401 (Unauthorized) : This code indicates an authentication error.
405 (Method Not Allowed) : This code indicates that HTTP method used is not supported for this resource.
409 (Conflict) : This code indicates that there is a conflict request to create the same resource twice.
404 (Not Found) :This code indicates that the required resource could not be found.
500 (Internal Server Error) : This code indicates that there is some error on Server side.
4) What kind of tests are performed using API testing?
Following things can be tested using an API :
- Discovery Testing : API testing helps in identifying APIs where the resources are not exposed.
- Functional Testing : In API testing, by giving input parameters(in Json) it is very easy to test the functionalities. It gives a response code within a few milliseconds which makes it fast and efficient.
- Usability Testing : It is easy to hit the APIs on different platforms and test the usability of a software.
- Security Testing : This helps to know whether the data is encrypted in HTTP and requiring any authentication. It also includes penetration testing.
- Load Testing : This includes validating functionality and performance under load, often by reusing functional test cases.
5) Different tools available for API Testing
Different tools available for API testing are :
- Postman with jetpacks
- Postman with Newman
Testing is really crucial. We hope this blog is able to provide you a lot of knowledge about API testing. API testing is certainly more helpful as compared to UI testing. Moreover, API testing is also advantageous as it is easy and quick. The applicability of API testing is again one more aspect that makes it all the more attractive. Hope you will now be able to perform API testing easily. | <urn:uuid:c830ba6e-6e28-4a08-8c0a-02d3c26d7fa7> | CC-MAIN-2021-39 | https://www.tothenew.com/blog/5-things-to-know-before-you-start-api-testing/?replytocom=213856 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-39/segments/1631780056476.66/warc/CC-MAIN-20210918123546-20210918153546-00002.warc.gz | en | 0.928096 | 1,197 | 3.125 | 3 | 1.487117 | 1 | Basic reasoning | Software Dev. |
Egyptian Proverbs (2) أمثال مصرية Posted by Fisal on Aug 19, 2011 in Arabic Language, Culture, Language, Literature, Pronunciation, Vocabulary
Arabic proverbs reflect the beauty of the Arabic Language and the wisdom of the Arabs and the richness of their culture. In Egypt, these proverbs are part of everyone’s daily routine. There is no one single situation that would not have the perfect proverb tailored for it. Just for the sake of fun, I am going to share some of these famous proverbs. If you are living in Egypt, you will probably recognize them right away, but if you live outside Egypt, most likely you will have a smile on your face. These proverbs are in the Egyptian dialect.
يصوم يصوم و يفطر على بصلة
/ Yessoom, yessoom wi yeftar a’la basalah /
Literal translation: After fasting for so long, he feasts on an onion.
Hidden meaning: Said when someone’s hard work is not paid or not successful.
Applicability: Expression of disappointment at an unexpectedly weak response!
/ Al-a’ql zeenah /
Literal translation: Having a brain makes a person look good.
Hidden meaning: Wisdom is beautiful; foolishness is ugly!
Applicability: Said to praise a wise man/woman.
السلف تلف و الرد خسارة
/ Assalaf talaf wi ar’radd khossarah /
Literal translation: Borrowing is bad, and paying back is a loss.
Hidden meaning: Borrowing is not preferable.
Applicability: Said as an advice given to discourage borrowing
ابعد حبة تزيد محبة
/ ib’id habbah, tizeed mahabbah /
Literal translation: Go away for a while and you’ll be loved more.
Hidden meaning: The far-away friend is loved more.
Applicability: Comment on somebody’s love for a far-away friend
الكذب مالوش رجلين
/ Al-kath’ib maloosh regleen /
Literal translation: lying has no legs.
Hidden meaning: Lies will be discovered.
Applicability: Said to comment on the fate of a liar.
الطيور على أشكالها تقع
/ Attoyoor ala ashkaliha taqa’a /
Literal translation: Birds of all kinds will end up landing.
Hidden meaning: Don’t be fooled by appearance.
Applicability: Same as the English saying; “Birds of a feather flock together.”
القرش الأبيض ينفع في اليوم الأسود
/ Al-qirsh Al-abyad yanfa’ fi al-yawm al-aswad. /
Literal translation: A white piaster will be of benefit on a black day.
Hidden meaning: You never know when savings might be needed.
Applicability: Every penny counts!
المركب اللى فيها ريسين تغرق
/ El-markib elli feeha rayseen teghra’q /
Literal translation: A boat with two captains will sink.
Hidden meaning: You can’t have two leaders for a group.
Applicability: Same as the English saying; “Too many cooks spoil the soup.”
عصفور فى اليد أحسن من عشرة على الشجرة
/ ‘Osfooron fi al-yadd ahsan min asharah ala ash’agarah. /
Literal translation: A bird in hand is better than ten on a tree.
Hidden meaning: Don’t give up what you have for what is promised.
Applicability: Said as an advice for people to be careful or not to be selfish.
ابن الوز عوام
/ ibn el-wizz awaam. /
Literal translation: The goose’s (or swan’s) son is a good swimmer.
Hidden meaning: Like father like son (in a good sense or as a praise).
Applicability: said when a son is as gifted as his father in a certain aspect.
* This is my second post on Egyptian Proverbs. To view the first post click this link:
To listen to these proverbs in Egyptian Arabic, visit our Youtube Arabic Channel at
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Peace سلام / Salam/ | <urn:uuid:5d8e9988-4df0-469a-ade7-cb2388c5bf57> | CC-MAIN-2019-26 | https://blogs.transparent.com/arabic/egyptian-proverbs-2-%D8%A3%D9%85%D8%AB%D8%A7%D9%84-%D9%85%D8%B5%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A9/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-26/segments/1560627999041.59/warc/CC-MAIN-20190619204313-20190619230313-00367.warc.gz | en | 0.814448 | 1,112 | 2.84375 | 3 | 1.964735 | 2 | Moderate reasoning | Literature |
Previous articles have talked about a handful of different ways to mathematically model data and use those models to make predictions. I’ve shown a few back of the napkin tests, basic curve fitting and the like, and those tests are fine for getting a sense of how an algorithm works or tracking down major bugs. They don’t, however, tell us how well an algorithm is going to work in “the real world”.
The real world is a messy place, or more specifically a noisy place. The measurements we use as inputs to our models are not perfectly accurate. The outputs may be partially random or dependent on factors we don’t consider. Sometimes the relationship between what we know and what we want to predict just isn’t in the data at all. In that case we won’t get good results no matter what algorithm we use. Validation is as much about testing your data as it is about testing your model.
In the “real world” the data-set will usually be given to you as part of the problem you’re tasked with solving. Since this blog is about machine learning algorithms we’ll be using existing data-sets from the UCI Machine Learning Repository. For our first set of tests we’ll use US congressional voting records from 1984. The problem is straightforward: given the voting record of a congressman on 16 bills, predict which political party they belong to.
The first step is to split our data into two sets: a training set and a testing set. Since we’re interested in our ability to make predictions for future data it’s not very meaningful to test on the data we used for training. Especially since a lot of algorithms can build models sufficiently complex to effectively memorize the training data. Heck, nearest neighbor algorithms literally just memorize the training data.
How should you go about splitting your data-set into training and testing sets? First, I would recommend shuffling the order of your data points. It’s not uncommon for data-sets to be sorted on the output, which can completely throw off your modeling. For example: what if our congressional voting records data-set had all of the democrats at the top and all of the republicans at the bottom. If we split in the middle we’ll end up training on a set of almost all democrats. We’ll get a model that just always predicts democrat. Then we’ll test it against the testing set of mostly republicans and get very low accuracy. We want to avoid sampling bias whenever possible, and the best way to do that is to draw random samples.
As for the relative sizes, the training set is usually much larger than the testing set (90/10 is common). In general we get a better model when we train on more data. Each data point has some amount of random noise, and that randomness tends to cancel itself out as you average over more points. The only time this might not be the case is if we have ALOT of data with a relatively simple pattern. If you’re target function is a parabola it’s not going to make a difference whether you train on 1,000 or 1,000,000 data-points.
Receiver Operating Characteristics
Ok, so we can download a data-set, split it into two parts, train on one of them and test on the other. Since we’re talking about classification today, what we’d ultimately get is a percentage accuracy: what fraction of our test population did we classify correctly. That’s fine for something like voting records, but let’s consider something else: a cancer screening. Maybe something like this one. This is a case where even if I probably don’t have cancer (my overall prediction comes back negative) if I have a non-negligible chance I still want to get further tests.
If we’re only looking at total accuracy we’re missing a big part of the picture. In the case of a life or death screening the difference between a misclassified healthy patient and a misclassified sick patient can be very significant. To resolve this discrepancy, rather than considering only two test outcomes (correct and incorrect) we consider four possible outcomes (true positive, true negative, false positive, and false negative). Considering our correct and incorrect separately depending on the true value we now have two accuracy values: sensitivity (aka true positive rate or recall) which is our accuracy for positive cases, and specificity (aka true negative rate) which is our accuracy for negative cases. In the cancer example above it’s clear that sensitivity is more important to us than specificity. If our specificity is low we may tell patients to get unnecessary tests, but if our sensitivity is low we may have more patients die of cancer.
So, given these concepts how can we build a model that prioritizes one over the other? Well, we can vary the threshold for what we consider a positives case, for instance we could say anyone with a 20% cancer risk should be checked instead of the default 50%. This isn’t a problem since almost all of the models we use output not just a yes or no prediction, but some sort of probability or numerical likelihood. We could run a test to see how well we do with a 20% threshold, but what if we’re not sure what threshold we want to use? This is where receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC curvers) come in.
A ROC curve is a graph of true positive rate vs false positive rate (which is 1-specificity) as threshold varies. Each point on the curve shows the results you could expect if you used a certain threshold, which can help us pick a threshold in the case where sensitivity and specificity are not equally important. The overall shape of the curve, specifically the area under the curve AUC (aka C-statistic) can be used to generally measure how well the model works for ALL thresholds.
AUC is equivalent to the probability that the classifier will rank a randomly chosen positive instance higher than a randomly chosen negative one. It’s debatable how meaningful this is as a measure of classifier quality, but it is used quite frequently. If you know what threshold you want to use I’d say you’re better off using accuracy as the one true number of model quality, but for practical purposes if a model has higher AUC then it’ll probably have higher accuracy as well.
Generating a ROC curve doesn’t actually add much overhead to our testing procedure. We run the test once per test data point and store the model output along with that data-point. Then we sort all the test data points on their model output. We walk through the data points in order keeping track of true positives (TP), false positives (FP), true negatives (TN), and false negatives (FN) as we go . Use those to calculate the true positive rate, true positives/ (true positives+false negatives), and false positive rate, false positives/ (false positives + true negatives), periodically, which allows us to draw the line on the chart. Those four numbers (TP, FP, TN, and FN) can also be used to calculate a variety of other statistical measures if desired. Without further ado, let’s take a look at some ROC curves for our congressional voting data-set.
That curve is a bit disappointing. There were only 435 data-points in that voting record set. I trained on 392 of them, which only left 43 for testing. It’s also a pretty easy data-set. None of the algorithms missed more than one. The RBF network didn’t miss any! That’s probably a fluke, but it’s hard to tell with so few test samples. We definitely need more test examples, but with so little data we don’t want to take any points away from the training either. The solution? Run more tests.
We could simply reshuffle the data and run the test again, averaging the results (repeated random sub-sampling validation). This isn’t a terrible idea, but there’s a better way. We shuffle the data once, then split it into k equal sized partitions. We run k tests using each partition as a test set for a run and all the other partitions as the training set for that run. Then we average the results of these k tests. This is called k-fold cross validation. The advantage of k-fold cross validation over repeated random sampling is that every data point is guaranteed to be in a test set exactly once. Your tests are guaranteed to be diverse and thus, intuitively at least, more representative of what will happen with new data.
Ten is a pretty good and commonly used value for k. You could do less, but then your training sets get smaller. On the opposite extreme you could do “leave one out validation”, setting k equal to the number of data points and retraining with all but one point at a time to give your algorithm as much training data as possible. Ten-fold cross validation is what I’ll be using for the rest of this article. Test results from cross validation are likely to be more accurate, reliable, and informative, but there is a down side. You have to run the test 10 times! It can be quite a pain for the impatient, especially if your algorithms are slow or you have a lot of data. Let’s take another look at the congressional voting ROCs generated using ten-fold cross validation.
Under-Fitting and Over-Fitting
That last ROC curve is a bit more informative, but it’s still a relatively easy problem. When it comes right down to it, it doesn’t really matter which of those algorithms you decide to use for that problem. Obviously, this isn’t always going to be the case, or we wouldn’t bother with anything beyond naive Bayes. Let’s take a look at a slightly more interesting problem. In this data-set we’re taking US census data, and trying to predict whether an individual’s income is above $50k/year.
This data set has a number of categorical variables, which I’ve converted to numerical variables, but kept as single columns (probably not the ideal way to pre-process this data, but for the sake of example let’s say it came this way). There are columns like “occupation” where different numbers represent different occupations with no specific ordering. This information is certainly relevant for estimating income, but the relationship is also likely to be highly nonlinear. In a case like this it matters quite a bit which algorithm you choose.
The results here seem to show the two neural network algorithms (RBF network and multilayer perceptron) are just about tied with each other and the polynomial, while the rotation forest is a bit lower by itself, and the Naive Bayes is a bit lower than that. Why is that? Since three very different algorithms are essentially tied for first, it’s a relatively safe bet that’s about as good as you’re likely to get with this data (preprocessed in this way).
So, why is the Naive Bayes classifier performing worse than the others? The short answer: the model it builds (which is just 2 normal distributions, one for each class) is not complex enough to accurately model the underlying signal. It can’t model highly nonlinear relationships. It still does “ok”, but it’s never going to do as well as those other algorithms here because it’s under-fitting the data.
What about the rotation forest? The rotation forest algorithm here is the one presented in the previous article. It splits to an arbitrary complexity, so it doesn’t make sense to say it’s not complex enough. However, this particular tree design has a weakness for fitting to “junk variables” that don’t actually matter. It’s actually fitting to noise in the training data that doesn’t generalize to the testing data. It’s not doing well because it’s over-fitting the data. However, unlike under-fitting, over-fitting can often be resolved by changing the parameters of the algorithm. In this case I can improve the results of the rotation forest simply by increasing the number of trees or reducing the tree depth.
Under-fitting and over-fitting are related problems, and different algorithms deal with them in different ways. It’s possible to have both problems within the same algorithm just depending on the parameter settings. For example take a look at fitting polynomials to a small noisy data-set:
Receiver Operating characteristics are great for binary classification problems, but they don’t really work for multi-class problems. Let’s consider a new problem: recognizing hand written digits from 0 to 9. You could model this as 10 separate binary classification problems, and that often works well for training the models (the decision forest was trained that way below). The computer has no trouble dealing with 10 separate models, but it’s not very intuitive for a human to try to understand 10 separate ROC curves. It’s much more intuitive for us to look at a list of what is getting mixed up with what. A confusion matrix is just a grid of tallies where the first axis is which output was predicted and the second axis is the correct answer. Thus amounts along the diagonal (prediction = truth) are correct answers and everything else is incorrect.
That last data-set has much more complex patterns than the previous two sets, and it’s also a problem where we expect a very high accuracy. In this case I think it’s fair to say the naive Bayes classifier is no good at all. It only recognizes a little over half of the 5s. 78% accuracy on optical character recognition is hardly worth implementing. The polynomial also does quite poorly at 92% with the others clustered around 98%.
Accuracy and relative accuracy of different algorithms will vary wildly with different data-sets, so it’s always, always a good idea to run validation on a new model with an appropriately representative data sample before putting it into practice. It’s also a bit misleading to just look at accuracy as we’ve done thus far. Even just the 5 algorithms used in the examples in this article differ dramatically in their complexity to write and their run-times.
Pen Digit run-times in milliseconds:
Naive Bayes = 961
Rotation Forest = 88173
Polynomial = 2470
Multilayer Perceptron = 2055532
RBF Network = 240420
So, while the neural network models perform similarly accuracy-wise they are much slower and much more complex algorithms to code than the rotation forest. Decision forests are, in my opinion, the 20% effort that will solve 80% of the problems…As long as those problems don’t involve regression. We will get to the various neural network designs as well as a number of others (support vector machines come to mind), but we’ll have to cover the basics of nonlinear optimization before we can have any sort of meaningful discussion about those algorithms.
I’ve got quite a few potential articles in the pipeline both machine learning, computer vision, and a few other things with no particular required order. If there’s something specific you want to see let me know in the comments. Until next time, happy sciencing. | <urn:uuid:2ebfc9f2-f7d6-4aa3-84be-9314cf341104> | CC-MAIN-2020-45 | http://inductivebias.com/Blog/classification-validation/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-45/segments/1603107863364.0/warc/CC-MAIN-20201019145901-20201019175901-00201.warc.gz | en | 0.93822 | 3,263 | 2.796875 | 3 | 2.826518 | 3 | Strong reasoning | Science & Tech. |
||This article may contain excessive, poor, or irrelevant examples. (February 2010)|
Coastal management is defense against flooding and erosion and techniques that allow erosion to claim land.
- 1 Historical background
- 2 Current challenges in coastal management
- 3 Planning approaches
- 4 Construction techniques
- 4.1 Hard engineering methods
- 4.2 Soft Engineering methods
- 5 Monitoring coastal zones
- 5.1 Event warning systems
- 5.2 Shoreline mapping
- 5.2.1 Shoreline indicator
- 5.2.2 Importance and application
- 5.2.3 Data sources
- 6 See also
- 7 References
- 8 External links
|This section does not cite any references or sources. (February 2010)|
Docks, breakwaters, and other harbour works were built by hand and often in a grand scale. Basic source of modern literature on coastal engineering is the "European Code of Conduct for Coastal Zones" issued by the European Council in 1999. This document was prepared by the Group of Specialists on Coastal Protection and should be used 'as a source of inspiration for national legislation and practice' by decision makers.
The Group of Specialists on sarvesh singhs Coastal Protection for example sarvesh Singh who is truly PE-S-CO), set up in 1995, pursuant to a decision by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, met for the first time on 6 and 7 June 1996. It noted that a great deal of technical and scientific research had been carried out in the field of coastal protection and that various principles and legal texts had been drawn up. It also noted that all of the work undertaken highlighted the need for integrated management and planning of coastal areas, but that, despite all the efforts already made, the situation of coastal areas continued to deteriorate. The Group had acknowledged that this was due to difficulties in implementing the concept of "integrated management", and that it was becoming necessary to provide instruments which would make it easier to apply the principles of integrated coastal management and planning, which had to be pursued to ensure sustainable management of coastal areas. The Group therefore proposed that the Council of Europe, in close co-operation with the Coastal & Marine Union (EUCC) and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The final version of the Code as well of the a MODEL LAW to be used as a guide for modefying local and national legislation, can be free downloaded from the web.
Ancient harbour works are still visible in a few of the harbours that exist today, while others have recently been explored by underwater archaeologists. Most of the grander ancient harbor works have disappeared following the fall of the Roman Empire.
Most ancient coastal efforts were directed to port structures, with the exception of a few places where life depended on coastline protection. Venice and its lagoon is one such case. Protection of the shore in Italy, England and the Netherlands can be traced back at least to the 6th century. The ancients understood such phenomena as the Mediterranean currents and wind patterns and the wind-wave cause-effect link.
The Romans introduced many revolutionary innovations in harbor design. They learned to build walls underwater and managed to construct solid breakwaters to protect fully exposed harbors. In some cases wave reflection may have been used to prevent silting. They also used low, water-surface breakwaters to trip the waves before they reached the main breakwater. They became the first dredgers in the Netherlands to maintain the harbour at Velsen. Silting problems here were solved when the previously sealed solid piers were replaced with new "open"-piled jetties.
The threat of attack from the sea caused many coastal towns and their harbours to be abandoned. Other harbours were lost due to natural causes such as rapid silting, shoreline advance or retreat, etc. The Venetian Lagoon was one of the few populated coastal areas with continuous prosperity and development where written reports document the evolution of coastal protection works.
- Modern Age
Although great strides were made in the general scientific arena, little improvement was done beyond the Roman approach to harbour construction after the Renaissance. In the early 19th century, the advent of the steam engine, the search for new lands and trade routes, the expansion of the British Empire through her colonies, and other influences, all contributed to the revitalization of sea trade and a renewed interest in port works.
- Twentieth century
Evolution of shore protection and the shift from structures to beach nourishment. Prior to the 1950s, the general practice was to use hard structures to protect against beach erosion or storm damages. These structures were usually coastal armoring such as seawalls and revetments or sand-trapping structures such as groynes. During the 1920s and '30s, private or local community interests protected many areas of the shore using these techniques in a rather ad hoc manner. In certain resort areas, structures had proliferated to such an extent that the protection actually impeded the recreational use of the beaches. Erosion of the sand continued, but the fixed back-beach line remained, resulting in a loss of beach area.
The obtrusiveness and cost of these structures led in the late 1940s and early 1950s, to move toward a new, more dynamic, method. Projects no longer relied solely on hard coastal defence structures, as techniques were developed which replicated the protective characteristics of natural beach and dune systems. The resultant use of artificial beaches and stabilized dunes as an engineering approach was an economically viable and more environmentally friendly means for dissipating wave energy and protecting coastal developments.
Over the past hundred years the limited knowledge of coastal sediment transport processes at the local authorities level has often resulted in inappropriate measures of coastal erosion mitigation. In many cases, measures may have solved coastal erosion locally but have exacerbated coastal erosion problems at other locations -up to tens of kilometers away- or have generated other environmental problems.
Current challenges in coastal management
|This section does not cite any references or sources. (February 2010)|
The coastal zone is a dynamic equilibrium area of natural change and of increasing human use. They occupy less than 15% of the Earth's land surface; yet accommodate more than 40% of the world population (it is estimated that 3.1 billion people live within 200 kilometres from the sea). With three-quarters of the world population expected to reside in the coastal zone by 2025, human activities originating from this small land area will impose an inordinate amount of pressures on the global system. Coastal zones contain rich resources to produce goods and services and are home to most commercial and industrial activities. In the European Union, almost half of the population now lives within 50 kilometres of the sea and coastal zone resources produce much of the Union's economic wealth. The fishing, shipping and tourism industries all compete for vital space along Europe's estimated 89 000 kilometres of coastline, and coastal zones contain some of Europe's most fragile and valuable natural habitats. Shore protection consists up to the 50's of interposing a static structure between the sea and the land to prevent erosion and or flooding, and it has a long history. From that period new technical or friendly policies have been developed to preserve the environment when possible. Is already important where there are extensive low-lying areas that require protection. For instance: Venice, New Orleans, Nagara river in Japan, the Netherlands, Caspian Sea Protection against the sea level rise in the 21st century will be especially important, as sea level rise is currently accelerating. This will be a challenge to coastal management, since seawalls and breakwaters are generally expensive to construct, and the costs to build protection in the face of sea-level rise would be enormous.
Changes on sea level have a direct adaptative response from beaches and coastal systems, as we can see in the succession of a lowering sea level. When the sea level rises, coastal sediments are in part pushed up by wave and tide energy, so sea-level rise processes have a component of sediment transport landwards. This results in a dynamic model of rise effects with a continuous sediment displacement that is not compatible with static models where coastline change is only based on topographic data.
|This section needs additional citations for verification. (February 2010)|
There are five generic strategies for coastal defense:
- inaction leading to eventual abandonment
- Managed retreat or realignment, which plans for retreat and adopts engineering solutions that recognise natural processes of adjustment, and identifies a new line of defence where to construct new defences
- Hold the line, shoreline protection, whereby seawalls are constructed around the coastlines
- Move seawards, this happens by constructing new defenses seaward the original ones
- Limited intervention, accommodation, by which adjustments are made to be able to cope with inundation, raising coastal land and buildings vertically
The decision to choose a strategy is site-specific, depending on pattern of relative sea-level change, geomorphological setting, sediment availability and erosion, as well a series of social, economic and political factors.
Alternatively, integrated coastal zone management approaches may be used to prevent development in erosion- or flood-prone areas to begin with. Growth management can be a challenge for coastal local authorities who often struggle to provide the infrastructure required by new residents seeking seachange lifestyles. Sustainable transport investment to reduce the average footprint of coastal visitors is often a good way out of coastal gridlock. Examples include Dongtan and the Gold Coast Oceanway.
The 'Managed Retreat' option, involving no protection, is cheap and expedient. The coast takes care of itself and coastal facilities are abandoned to coastal erosion, with either gradual landward retreat or evacuation and resettlement elsewhere. This is the usual response when land of little value will be lost. The only pollution produced is from the resettlement process. Where endangered property has high value, it is less often applied.
Managed retreat is an alternative to constructing or maintaining coastal structures. Managed retreat allows an area to become flooded. This process is usually in low lying estuarine or deltaic areas and floods land that has at some point in the past been reclaimed from the sea. Managed retreat is often a response to a change in sediment budget or to sea level rise. The technique is used when the land adjacent to the sea is low in value. A decision is made to allow the land to erode and flood, creating new shoreline habitats. This process may continue over many years and natural stabilization will occur.
The earliest managed retreat in the UK was an area of 0.8 ha at Northey Island in starfish island flooded in 1991. This was followed by Tollesbury and Orplands in Essex, where the sea walls were breached in 1995. In the Ebro delta (Spain) coastal authorities have planned a managed retreat in response to coastal erosion (MMA 2005, Sitges, Meeting on Coastal Engineering; EUROSION project).
Cost – The main cost is generally the purchase of land to be flooded. Compensation for relocation of residents may be needed. Any other human made structure which will be engulfed by the sea may need to be safely dismantled to prevent sea pollution. In some cases, a retaining wall or bund must be constructed inland in order to protect land beyond the area to be flooded, although such structures can generally be lower than would be needed on the existing coast. Monitoring of the evolution of the flooded area is another cost. Costs may be lowest if existing defenses are left to fail naturally, but often the realignment project will be more actively managed, for example by creating an artificial breach in existing defences to allow the sea in at a particular place in a controlled fashion, or by pre-forming drainage channels for created salt-marsh.
Hold the line
Human strategies on the coast have been heavily based on a static engineered response, whereas the coast is in, or strives towards, a dynamic equilibrium (Schembri, 2009). Solid coastal structures are built and persist because they protect expensive properties or infrastructures, but they often relocate the problem downdrift or to another part of the coast. Soft options like beach nourishment, while also being temporary and needing regular replenishment, appear more acceptable, and go some way to restore the natural dynamism of the shoreline. However in many cases there is a legacy of decisions that were made in the past which have given rise to the present threats to coastal infrastructure and which necessitate immediate shore protection. For instance, the seawall and promenade of many coastal cities in Europe represents a highly engineered use of prime seafront space, which might be preferably designated as public open space, parkland and amenities if it were available today. Such open space might also allow greater flexibility in terms of future land-use change, for instance through managed retreat, in the face of threats of erosion or inundation as a result of sea-level rise. Foredunes areas represent a natural reserve which can be called upon in the face of extreme events; building on these areas leaves little option but to undertake costly protective measures when extreme events (whether amplified by gradual global change or not) threaten. Managed retreat can comprise 'setbacks', rolling easements and other planning tools including building within a particular design life. Maintenance of those structures or soft techniques can arrive at a critical point (economically or environmental) to change adopted strategy.
- Structural or hard engineering techniques, i.e. using permanent concrete and rock constructions to "fix" the coastline and protect the assets locate behind. These techniques--seawalls, groynes, detached breakwaters, and revetments—represent a significant share of protected shoreline in Europe (more than 70%).
- Soft engineering techniques (e.g. sand nourishments), building with natural processes and relying on natural elements such as sands, dunes and vegetation to prevent erosive forces from reaching the backshore. These techniques include beach nourishment and sand dune stabilization.
The futility of trying to predict future scenarios where there is a large human influence is apparent. Even future climate is to a certain extent a function of what humans choose to make of it, for example by restricting greenhouse gas emissions to control climate change. In some cases - where new areas are needed for new economic or ecological development - a move seaward strategy can be adopted. Examples from erosion include: Koge Bay (Dk) Western Scheldt estuary (NI), Chatelaillon (F), Ebro delta (E)
There is an obvious downside to this strategy. Coastal erosion is already widespread, and there are many coasts where exceptional high tides or storm surges result in encroachment on the shore, impinging on human activity. If the sea rises, many coasts that are developed with infrastructure along or close to the shoreline will be unable to accommodate erosion. They will experience a so-called "coastal squeeze" whereby the ecological or geomorphological zones that would normally retreat landwards encounter solid structures and are squeezed out. Wetlands, salt marshes, mangroves and adjacent fresh water wetlands are particularly likely to suffer from this squeeze.
An upside to the strategy is that moving seaward (and upward) can create land of high value which can bring the investment required to cope with climate change.
Limited intervention is an action taken whereby the management only solves the problem to some extent, usually in areas of low economic significance. Measures taken using limited intervention often encourage the succession of haloseres, including salt marshes and sand dunes. This will normally result in the land behind the halosere being more sufficiently protected, as wave energy will be dissipated by the accumulated sediment and additional vegetation residing in the newly formed habitat. Although the new halosere is not strictly man-made, as many natural processes will contribute to the succession of the halosere, anthropogenic factors are partially responsible for the formation as an initial factor was needed to help start the process of succession. This must not be confused with 'accommodate' which is about property e.g. effective insurance, early warning systems and not about habitat.
|This section needs additional citations for verification. (February 2010)|
The following is a catalogue of relevant techniques that could be employed as coastal management techniques. The costs given are very rough estimates made during 2005, based on UK Pound sterling.
Hard engineering methods
Groynes are barriers or walls perpendicular to the sea often made of greenharts , concrete, rock and/or wood. Beach material builds up on the downdrift side, where littoral drift is predominantly in one direction, creating a wider and a more plentiful beach, therefore enhancing the protection for the coast because the sand material filters and absorbs the wave energy. However, there is a corresponding loss of beach material on the updrift side, requiring that another groyne to be built there. Moreover, groynes do not protect the beach against storm-driven waves and if placed too close together will create currents, which will carry sand material offshore.
Groynes are extremely cost-effective coastal defence measures, requiring little maintenance, and are one of the most common coastal defence structures. However, groynes are increasingly viewed as detrimental to the aesthetics of the coastline, and face strong opposition in many coastal communities.
Many experts consider groynes to be a "soft" solution to coastal erosion because of the enhancement of the existing beach.
But groyne construction creates a problem known as terminal groyne syndrome. The terminal groyne prevents longshore drift]] from bringing material to other nearby places. This is a common problem along the Hampshire and Sussex coastline in the UK; a perfect example is Worthing.Beach material does not get washed away beacause of these groins but can cause damage to other parts of the coast
Walls of concrete or rock, built at the base of a cliff or at the back of a beach, or used to protect a settlement against erosion or flooding. They are usually about 3–5 metres high. Older style vertical seawalls reflected all the energy of the waves back out to sea, and for this purpose were often given recurved crest walls which also increase the local turbulence, and thus increasing entrainment of sand and sediment. During storms, sea walls help longshore drift.
Modern seawalls aim to re-direct most of the incident energy, resulting in low reflected waves and much reduced turbulence and thus take the form of sloping revetments. Current designs use porous designs of rock, concrete armour (Seabees, SHEDs, Xblocs) with intermediate flights of steps for beach access, whilst in places where high rates of pedestrian access are required, the steps take over the whole of the frontage, but at a flatter slope if the same crest levels are to be achieved.
Care needs to be taken in the location of a seawall, particularly in relation to the swept prism of the beach profile, the consequences of long term beach recession and amenity crest level. These factors must be considered in assessing the cost benefit ratio, which must be favorable in order to justify construction of a seawall.
Sea walls can cause beaches to dissipate rendering them useless for beach goers. Their presence also scars the very landscape that they are trying to save.
Modern examples can be found at Cronulla (NSW, 1985-6), Blackpool (1986–2001), Lincolnshire (1992–1997) & Wallasey (1983–1993). The sites at Blackpool and Cronulla can be visited both by Google Earth and by local webcams (Cronulla, Cleveleys).
A most interesting example is the seawall at Sandwich, Kent, where the Seabee seawall is buried at the back of the beach under the shingle with crest level at road kerb level.
Sea walls are probably the second most traditional method used in coastal management.
Sea walls cost £10,000 per metre (depending on material, height and width)£10,000,000 per km (depending on material, height and width)
Wooden slanted or upright blockades, built parallel to the sea on the coast, usually towards the back of the beach to protect the cliff or settlement beyond. The most basic revetments consist of timber slants with a possible rock infill. Waves break against the revetments, which dissipate and absorb the energy. The cliff base is protected by the beach material held behind the barriers, as the revetments trap some of the material. They may be watertight, covering the slope completely, or porous, to allow water to filter through after the wave energy has been dissipated. Most revetments do not significantly interfere with transport of longshore drift. Since the wall greatly absorbs the energy instead of reflecting, it erodes and destroys the revetment structure; therefore, major maintenance will be needed within a moderate time of being built, this will be greatly determined by the material the structure was built with and the quality of the product.
The Cost – Confirmed by material used; est. $2340–$4000. Average $10 per meter built – around £6 GBP.
Also known as riprap, rock armour are large rocks piled or placed at the foot of dunes or cliffs with native stones of the beach. This is generally used in areas prone to erosion to absorb the wave energy and hold beach material. Although effective, this solution is unpopular due to the fact that it is unsightly. Also, longshore drift is not hindered. Rock armour has a limited lifespan, it is not effective in storm conditions, and it reduces the recreational value of a beach. The cost is around £3000 per metre, depending on the type of rocks used.
Boulders and rocks are wired into mesh cages and usually placed in front of areas vulnerable to heavy erosion: sometimes at cliffs edges or jag out at a right angle to the beach like a large groyne. When the seawater breaks on the gabion, the water drains through leaving sediments, also the rocks and boulders absorb a moderate amount of the wave energy.
Gabions need to be securely tied to prevent abrasion of wire by rocks, or detachment of plastic coating by stretching. Hexagonal mesh distributes overloads better than rectangular mesh.
Downsides include wear rates and visually intrusiveness.
Cost – est. £11 per m
Enormous concrete blocks and natural boulders are sunk offshore to alter wave direction and to filter the energy of waves and tides. The waves break further offshore and therefore reduce their erosive power. This leads to wider beaches, which absorb the reduced wave energy, protecting cliff and settlements behind. The Dolos which was invented by a South African engineer in East London has replaced the use of enormous concrete blocks because the dolos is much more resistant to wave action and requires less concrete to produce a superior result. Similar concrete objects like the Dolos are the A-jack, Akmon, Xbloc and the Tetrapod, Accropode. See also artificial reef.
Cost – est. £2,000 per m. Water depth may increase the cost.
Cliff stabilisation can be accomplished through drainage of excess rainwater of through terracing, planting, and wiring to hold cliffs in place. Cliff drinage is used to hold a cliff together using plants, fences and terracing, this is used to help prevent landslides and other natural disastrs
Entrance training walls
Rock or concrete walls built to constrain a river or creek discharging across a sandy coastline. The walls help to stabilise and deepen the channel which benefits navigation, flood management, river erosion and water quality but can cause coastal erosion due to the interruption of longshore drift. One solution is the installation of a sand bypassing system to pump sand under and around the entrance training walls.
Cost – Expensive – Gold Coast Seaway was a A$50M project in the 1980s and the adjacent sand bypassing project costs A$3M per year to pump 500,000 cubic meters of sand across the trained entrance.
Storm surge barriers, or floodgates, were introduced after the North Sea Flood of 1953 and are a prophylactic method to prevent damage from storm surges or any other type of natural disaster that could harm the area they "protect". They are habitually open and allow free passage, but close when the land is under threat of a storm surge. The Thames Barrier is an example of such a structure.
Soft Engineering methods
Beach replenishment or nourishment is one of the most popular soft engineering techniques of coastal defence management schemes. This involves importing sand off the beach and piling it on top of the existing sand. The imported sand must be of a similar quality to the existing beach material so it can integrate with the natural processes occurring there, without causing any adverse effects. Beach nourishment can be used alongside the groyne schemes. The scheme requires constant maintenance: 1 to 10-year life before first major recharge. Cost – est. £5,000-£200,000 per 100-metre, plus control structures, ongoing management and minor works.
Sand dune stabilization
Vegetation can be used to encourage dune growth by trapping and stabilising blown sand.
Cost – est. of £1.1 million per annum
Grant (1946) – the elevation of the beach watertable had an important bearing on deposition and erosion across the foreshore. A high watertable coincided with periods of accelerated beach erosion, and conversely, a low watertable coincided with pronounced aggradation of the foreshore A lower watertable (unsaturated beach face) facilitates deposition by reducing flow velocities during backwash and prolonging laminar flow. In contrast, a high watertable results in condition favoring beach erosion. With the beach in a saturated state, Grant proposed that backwash velocity is accelerated by the addition of groundwater seepage out of the beach within the effluent zone.
Turner and Leatherman (1997) moving from the origins and development of the dewatering concept to field and laboratory studies available at the time of writing concluded that there was too little evidence for being convinced that the systems had a positive effect. None of the case studies provide full scientific evidence of indisputable positive results regarding beach stabilisation although in some cases an overall positive performance was reported. In many cases no adequate long-term monitoring was undertaken at a frequency high enough to discriminate the response to high energy erosive events.
A useful side effect of the system is that the collected seawater is very pure because of the sand filtration effect. It may be discharged back to sea but can also be used to oxygenate stagnant inland lagoons /marinas or used as feed for heat pumps, desalination plants, land-based aquaculture, aquariums or seawater swimming pools.
Beach drainage systems have been installed in many locations around the world to halt and reverse erosion trends in sand beaches. Twenty four beach drainage systems have been installed since 1981 in Denmark, USA, UK, Japan, Spain, Sweden, France, Italy and Malaysia.
The costs of installation and operation per meter of shoreline protection will vary due to
- system length (non-linear cost elements)
- pump flow rates (sand permeability, power costs)
- soil conditions (presence of rock or impermeable strata)
- discharge arrangement /filtered seawater utilization
- drainage design, materials selection & installation methods
- geographical considerations (location logistics)
- regional economic considerations (local capabilities /costs)
- study requirements /consent process.
The costs associated with a beach drainage system are generally considerably lower than hard engineered structures. They also compare very favorably with beach nourishment projects, particularly when long-term project economics are considered (nourishment projects often have a limited life or a program of re-nourishment).
Monitoring coastal zones
Coastal zone managers are faced with difficult and complex choices about how best to reduce property damage in the shorelines. One of the problems they face is error and uncertainty in the information available to them on the processes that cause erosion of beaches. Video-based monitoring lets collect data continuously at low cost and produce analyses of shoreline processes over a wide range of averaging intervals.
Event warning systems
Event warning systems, such as tsunami warnings and storm surge warnings, can be used to minimize the human impact of catastrophic events that cause coastal erosion. Storm surge warnings can also be used to determine when to close floodgates to reduce the physical impact of such events.
Wireless sensor networks can be deployed quickly to set up a coastal erosion monitoring system, and scaled accordingly.
Defining the shoreline is a difficult task due to the dynamic nature of the coast and the intended application of the shoreline (Graham et al. 2003; Boak & Turner 2005). Given this idea the shoreline must therefore be considered in a temporal sense whereby the scale is dependent on the context of the investigation (Boak & Turner 2005). The following definition of the coast and shoreline is most commonly employed for the purposes of shoreline mapping. The coast comprises the interface between land and sea, and the shoreline is represented by the margin between the two (Woodroffe, 2002). Due to the dynamic nature of the shoreline coastal investigators adopt the use of shoreline indicators to represent the true shoreline position (Boak & Turner 2005).
The choice of shoreline indicator is a primary consideration in shoreline mapping. According to Leatherman (2003) it is important that indicators are easily identified in the field and on aerial photography. Shoreline indicators may be physical beach morphological features such as the berm crest, scarp edge, vegetation line, dune toe, dune crest and cliff or the bluff crest and toe. Alternatively, non-morphological features may also be used. These indicators are based on water level including the high water line, mean high water line, wet/dry boundary, and the physical water line (Pajak & Leatherman 2000). Figure 1 provides a sketch of the spatial relationship between many of the commonly used shoreline indicators.
The high water line (HWL), defined as the wet/dry line (H in Figure 1) is the most commonly used shoreline indicator because it is visible in the field, and can be interpreted on both colour and grey scale aerial photographs (Leatherman, 2003; Crowell et al. 1991). The HWL represents the landward extent of the most recent high tide and is characterised by a change in sand colour due to repeated, periodic inundation by high tides. The HWL is portrayed on aerial photographs by the most landward change in colour or grey tone (Boak & Turner 2005).
Importance and application
The location of the shoreline and its changing position over time is of fundamental importance to coastal scientists, engineers and managers (Boak & Turner 2005; Pajack & Leatherman 2002). Present day shoreline monitoring campaigns provide information about historic shoreline location and movement, and about predictions of future change (Appeaning Addo et al. 2008). More specifically the position of the shoreline in the past, at present and where it is predicted to be in the future is useful for in the design of coastal protection, to calibrate and verify numerical models to assess sea level rise, map hazard zones and formulate policies to regulate coastal development. Accurate and consistent delineation of the shoreline is integral to all of these tasks. The location of the shoreline also provides information regarding shoreline reorientation adjacent to structures, beach width, volume and rates of historical change (Boak & Turner 2005; Pajack & Leatherman 2002).
A variety of data sources are available for examining shoreline position however, the availability of historical data is limited at many coastal sites and so the choice of data source is largely limited to what is available for the site at a given time (Boak & Turner 2005). Shoreline mapping techniques applied to data sources have moved towards automation in association with technological advances and the need to reduce uncertainty. Although these changes have resulted in improvement in coastal data processing and storage capabilities, the frequent change in technology has prevented the emergence of one standard method of shoreline mapping. This has occurred because each data source and associated method have their own unique capabilities and shortcomings (Moore 2000). A number of the data sources used for shoreline mapping and their associated advantages and disadvantages are discussed below.
In the event that a study requires the shoreline position to be mapped before the development of aerial photographs, or if the location has poor photograph coverage it is necessary to employ historical maps in order to detail shoreline position (Moore 2000). The main advantage and reason for using historical maps is that they are able to provide a historic record that is not available from other data sources. Many potential errors however are associated with historical coastal maps and charts. Such errors may be associated with scale, datum changes, distortions from uneven shrinkage, stretching, creases, tears and folds, different surveying standards, different publication standards, and projection errors (Boak & Turner 2005). The severity of these errors depends on the accuracy standards met by each map and the physical changes that have occurred since the publication of the map (Anders & Byrnes 1991). The oldest reliable source of shoreline data in the United States dates back to the early-to-mid-19th century and is the U.S Coast and Geodetic Survey/National Ocean Service T-sheets (Morton 1991). In the United Kingdom, many maps and charts were deemed to be inaccurate until around 1750. The founding of the Ordnance Survey in 1791 has since improved the accuracy of the mapping.
Aerial photographs have been used since the 1920s to provide topographical information about an area. They are therefore a good database for compilation of historical shoreline change maps. Aerial photographs are the most commonly used data source in shoreline mapping because many coastal areas have extensive aerial photo coverage therefore providing a valuable record of shoreline position (Moore 2000). In general, aerial photographs provide good spatial coverage of the coast however temporal coverage is very much site specific depending on the flight path of the aeroplane. A second disadvantage associated with aerial photography is that the interpretation of the shoreline position is subjective given the dynamic nature of the coastal environment. This combined with various distortions inherent in aerial photographs can lead to significant error levels (Moore 2000). The minimisation of further errors is discussed below.
Object space displacements
Relief displacement is prominent when photographing a variety of elevations. This situation causes objects above ground level to be displaced outward from the centre of the photograph and objects below ground level to be displaced toward the centre of the image (Figure 2). The severity of the displacement is affected negatively with decreases in flight altitude and as radial distance from the centre of the photograph increases. This distortion can be minimised by photographing numerous swaths and creating a mosaic of the images. This technique will create a focus for the centre of each photograph where distortion is minimised. It is important to note that this error is not common in shoreline mapping is the relief is fairly constant. It is however important to consider when mapping cliffs (Moore 2000).
Ideally aerial photographs are taken so the optical axis of the camera is perfectly perpendicular to the ground surface thereby creating a vertical photograph. Unfortunately this is not often the case and virtually all aerial photographs experience tilt whereby up to 3° is not uncommon (Camfield et al. 1996). In this situation the scale of the image will be larger on the upward side of the tilt axis and smaller on the downward side. Moore, (2000) notes that many coastal researchers have not realised the severity of this error and therefore do not consider it in their methods.
Radial lens distortion
Lens distortion varies as a function of radial distance from the iso-centre of the photograph meaning that the centre of the image is relatively distortion free, but as the angle of view increases the distortion becomes more prominent. This is a significant source of error in earlier aerial photography but as technology has increased and camera lens have become more refined it has become less of an issue with later photographs. Such a distortion is impossible to correct for without knowing the make and model of the lens used to capture the image. However if overlapping images have been acquired one can digitize the centre portions of the aerial photographs (Crowell et al. 1991).
Delineation of the shoreline
The dynamic nature of the coast has meant that accurate mapping of an instantaneous shoreline position has been associated with significant uncertainty. This uncertainty arises because at any given time the position of the shoreline is influenced by the short-term effect of the tide and a wide variety of long term effects such as relative sea-level rise and along shore littoral sediment movement. Not only does this affect the accuracy of computed historic shoreline position but also any predicted future positions (Appeaning Addo et al. 2008). As mentioned earlier the HWL is most commonly used as a shoreline indicator. This can usually be seen as a significant tonal change on aerial photographs. There are however many errors associated with using the wet/dry line as a proxy for the HWL and shoreline. The errors of largest concern are the short term migration of the wet/dry line, interpretation of the wet/dry line on a photograph and measurement of the interpreted line position (Leatherman 2003; Moore 2000). Systematic errors such as the migration of the wet/dry line may arise from tidal and seasonal changes. Storm-induced erosion is another factor which may cause the wet/dry line to migrate landward. Field investigations have shown that these changes can be minimised by using only summertime data (Moore 2000; Leatherman 2003). Furthermore, the error bar can be significantly reduced by using the longest record of reliable data to calculate erosion rates (Leatherman 2003). Finally it is important to note that errors may arise due to the difficulty of measuring a single line on a photograph. For example where the pen line is 0.13 mm thick this translates to an error of ±2.6 m on a 1:20000 scale photograph.
Beach profiling surveys
Beach profiling surveys are typically repeated at regular intervals along the coast in order to measure short-term (daily to annual) variations in shoreline position and beach volume. (Smith & Zarillo 1990). Beach profiling is a very accurate source of information however measurements are generally subject to the limitations of conventional surveying techniques. Shoreline data derived from beach profiling is often spatially and temporally limited due to the high cost associated with such a labour-intensive activity. Shorelines are generally derived by interpolating between a series of discrete beach profiles. It is important to note however that the distance between the profiles is usually quite large and so the accuracy of the interpolating becomes compromised. In contrast to aerial photographs, survey data is limited to smaller lengths of shoreline generally less than ten kilometres (Boak & Turner 2005). Beach profiling data is commonly available in from regional councils in New Zealand such as those compiled by the Hawkes Bay Regional Council.
Technological advancement over the last decade has led to the development of a range of airborne, satellite and land based remote sensing techniques (Smith & Zarillo 1990). Some of the remotely sensed data sources are listed below:
- Multispectral and hyperspectral imaging
- Microwave sensors
- Global positioning system (GPS)
- Airborne light detection and ranging technology (LIDAR)
Remote sensing techniques are attractive as they are cost effective, reduce manual error and remove the subjective approach of conventional field techniques (Maiti et al. 2009).Remote sensing is a relatively new concept and so extensive historical observations are unavailable. Given this idea, it is important that coastal morphology observations are quantified by coupling remotely sensed data with other sources of information detailing historic shoreline position from archived sources (Appeaning Addo et al. 2008).
Video analysis provides quantitative, cost-effective, continuous and long-term monitoring beaches (Turner et al. 2004). The advancement of coastal video systems over the past 15 years has resulted in the extraction of large amounts of geophysical data from images. Such data includes that about coastal morphology, surface currents and wave parameters. The main advantage of video analysis lies in the ability to reliably quantify these parameters with high resolution and coverage in both space and time. This in particular highlights their potential importance as an effective coastal monitoring system and an aid to coastal zone management (Van Koningsveld et al. 2007). Interesting case studies have been carried out using video analysis. Turner et al. (2004) used a video-based ARGUS coastal imaging system to monitor and quantify the regional-scale coastal response to sand nourishment and construction of the world-first Gold Coast artificial (surfing) reef in Australia. In addition, Smit et al. ( 2007) demonstrated the added value of high resolution video observations for making short-term predictions of near shore hydrodynamic and morphological processes, at temporal scales of meters to kilometres and days to seasons.
- Coastal erosion
- Coastal geography
- Detention basin
- Integrated coastal zone management
- Coastal Development
- Beach evolution
- Longshore transport
- List of countries by length of coastline
- Sand dune stabilization
- Cuspate foreland
- Coastal sediment supply
- Coastal Zone Management Act
- Seachange Taskforce
- Shoreline erosion table
- Armour Units – Random Mass or Disciplined Array, – C.T.Brown ASCE Coastal Structures Specialty Conference, Washington, March 1979; The Design & Construction of Prince St. Seawall, Cronulla, EHW Hirst & D.N.Foster – 8th CCOE, Nov 1987, Launceston, Tasmania
- Blackpool South Shore Physical Model Studies, ABP Research Report R 526, December 1985
- Mablethorpe to Skegness, Model tests of three design options, P Holmes et al.,Imperial College, September 1987
- M. N. Bell, P. C. Barber and D. G. E. Smith. The Wallasey Embankment. Proc. Instn Civ. Engrs 1975 (58) pp. 569—590.
- Gabion Report, WRL Research Report No 156, October 1979
- Ciria-CUR (2007) - Rock Manual - The use of rock in hydraulic engineering.
- N.W.H. Allsop (2002) - Breakwaters, coastal structures and coastlines.
- Appeaning Addo, K., Walkden, M., & Mills, J. P. 2008, ‘Detection, measurement and prediction of shoreline recession in Acccra, Ghana’ Journal of Photogrammetry & Remote Sensing, 63, pp. 543–558.
- Anders, F. J, and Byrnes, M. R. 1991, ‘Accuracy of Shoreline change rates as determined from maps and aerial photographs’, Shore and Beach, 59, 1, pp. 17–26.
- Boak, E. H., & Turner, I. 2005, ‘Shoreline Definition and Detection: A Review’, Journal of Coastal Research, 21, 4, pp. 688–703.
- Camfield, F. E., & Morang, A. 1996. ‘Defining and interpreting shoreline change’, Ocean and Coastal Management, 32, 3, pp. 129–151.
- Crowell, M., Leatherman, S. P., and Buckley, M. K. 1991, ‘Historical Shoreline Change: Error Analysis and Mapping Accuracy’, Journal of Coastal Research, 7, 3, pp. 839–852.
- Graham, D., Sault, M., and Bailey, J. 2003, ‘National Ocean Service Shoreline – Past, Present and Future’, Journal of Coastal Research, 38, pp. 14–32.
- Leatherman, S. P. 2003, ‘Shoreline Change Mapping and Management Along the U.S. East Coast’, Journal of Coastal Research, 38, pp. 5–13.
- Maiti, S., Bhattacharya, A. K. 2009, ‘Shoreline change analysis & its application to prediction: A remote sensing and statistics based approach’, Marine Geology, 257, pp. 11–23.
- Moore, J. 2000, ‘Shoreline Mapping Techniques: Journal of Coastal Research’, 16, 1, pp. 111–124.
- Morton, R. A. 1991, ‘Accurate shoreline mapping: past, present, and future. Proceddings of the Coastal sediments ’91, pp. 997-1010.
- Pajak, M.J. and Leatherman, S. P. 2002, ‘The High Water Line as Shoreline Indicator’, Journal of Coastal Research, 18, 2, pp. 329–337.
- Smit, M. W. J., Aarninkhof, S. G. J., Wijnberg, K. M., Gonzalez, M.m Kingstong, K. S., Southgate, H. N., Ruessink, B. G., Holman, R. A., Segle, E., Davidson, M., and Medina, R. 2007, ‘The role of video imagery in predicting daily to monthly coastal evolution’, Coastal Engineering, 54, pp. 539–553.
- Turner, I.L., Leatherman, S.P. (1997). Beach Dewatering as a ‘Soft’ Engineering Solution to Coastal Erosion-A History and Critical Review. Journal of Coastal Research, 13 (4), 1050-1063.
- Turner, I. L., Aarninkhof, S. G., Dronkers, T. D. T., and McGrath, J. 2004, ‘CZM Applications of Argus coastal imaging at the Gold Coast, Australia’, Journal of Coastal Research, 20, 3, pp. 739–752.
- Van Koningsveld, M., Davidson, M., Huntly, D., Medina, R., Aarninkhof, S., Jimenez, J. A., Ridgewell, J., and de Kruif, A. 2007, ‘A critical review of the CoastView project: Recent and future developments in coastal management video systems;, Coastal Engineering, 54, pp. 567-576.
- Woodroffe, C. D 2002, Coasts. Form Process and evolution, Cambridge University press, Cambridge.
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- Social & Economic Benefits of Coastal Resource Management from "NOAA Socioeconomics" website initiative
- Coastal Resources Center, University of Rhode Island
- Free Educational Videos about Coastal Policy and Zone Management
- The Future of Coastal Policy textbook overview
- ‘What is Remote Sensing’, [Image] n.d. Retrieved 1 April 2010 from http://www.amesremote.com/images/nasa/LongBeach.jpg | <urn:uuid:35798b78-8277-458b-9e3c-333103c115e1> | CC-MAIN-2014-10 | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coastal_management | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-10/segments/1394010216492/warc/CC-MAIN-20140305090336-00078-ip-10-183-142-35.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.922203 | 9,779 | 3.484375 | 3 | 2.992368 | 3 | Strong reasoning | Science & Tech. |
Sean Connaughty oil on panel 2007 36x48" in 1992 an experimental space craft was launched by a private corporation called (censored)Due to the risky nature of the venture the (censored) decided to keep the launch a secret. The large spherical craft was a self sustaining biosphere made of transparent, super-dense glass. Much like a terrarium, the rotating spheroid is an organic environment carrying a selection of plants, insects and biota. The astronauts aboard serve as stewards to the delicate ecosystem. Harvesting when necessary, managing a closed feedback loop system and replenishing or recycling elements when necessary or possible. This allows the astronauts on board to sustain an oxygen environment, grow food and produce water as well as carrying a collection of genetic material for a potential terraforming effort. The craft is "propelled" by experimental super-magnet technology, activated once the craft was well outside the earth's gravitational field. The massive iron core of the gas giant Jupiter served as the intended draw for the super powerful magnets shielded within the ship. The craft experienced difficulties shortly after the launch. Tragically, the ship was drawn off course by an unknown and unexpectedly strong magnetic source. Navigational control failed and the ship was soon lost to earthbound sensors. However, evidence suggests the life support systems remained intact. All contact was soon lost as the astronauts were drawn out of the solar system and away into deep space. In 2006 a coded transmission was captured by radio astronomers. It contained various compressed data apparently compiled by the outbound astronauts. The content of these transmissions is fragmentary and quite baffling. On the initial and superficial decoding astronomers were astonished to discover an image imbedded within this massive string of seemingly random code. It was a series of jpegs with coordinates for placement of the images within a larger grid. When assembled in the grid the image appears to be one of the astronauts in protective gear in an environ which does not appear to be the interior of the craft. The image is accompanied by instructions for the manual creation of this image using specific pigments. This astonishing revelation seems to indicate that the lost astronauts have visited a planetary body. Instructions included the use of three pigments: Complex silicate of sodium and aluminum with sulfur (PB 29) Ultramarine Blue, 10G(PY 3) Hansa Yellow Light,Titanium Dioxide (PW 6), Anthraquinone Red The image was assembled into a gridded quadrants.The artist followed the instructions for pigment ratios rendered with oil paint on panel 48x36" 2007The artist has created four new paintings based on these instructions. They can be seen at Gallery Co in Minneapolis, MN 400 first avenue north 2nd floor. After a cursory decoding of the transmission, which revealed the primary image, a secondary and tertiary set of data were found within the code. The secondary set revealed audio transmissions of a peculiar nature. Stream of consciousness recitals, apparently improvised music. See "Papa don't you drop it tonight" here: http://www.myspace.com/seanconnaughtyA sample of a large body of audio recordings.Most recently decoders have begun exploration of a tertiary set of data which seems to carry video data. | <urn:uuid:48dfbfda-9df8-4801-8745-d2b806f7c44f> | CC-MAIN-2015-48 | http://s149.photobucket.com/user/vnc333/media/1992%20Project/Incident1copy-1.jpg.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-48/segments/1448398459214.39/warc/CC-MAIN-20151124205419-00127-ip-10-71-132-137.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953887 | 662 | 2.71875 | 3 | 2.818018 | 3 | Strong reasoning | Art & Design |
1. Major Introduction
Materials Chemistry is a discipline that delivers fundamental theoretical knowledge of chemistry (inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, physical chemistry, and analytical chemistry), and further teaches professional polymer material and mineral material insights, as well as cultivating experimental skills. This package of knowledge is to be applied in material design, synthesis, preparation, and processing. The Material Chemistry in CUGB is developed based on the university resources of geology and mineralogy, and features in mineral/polymer composite materials. The program emphasizes on not only concrete fundamental theoretical knowledge, but also broad professional skills in material chemistry applications. Students are expected to meet the requirements of material sciences and engineering and relative domains.
2. Academic Objectives
In adaptation of the fast developing society, this discipline trains students that hold strong sense of professional and social responsibility, possess spirit of teamwork, and good moral characters. The students should master fundamental theories as well as professional skills of related disciplines, and are able to fulfill requirements from scientific research, production, management, and teaching positions in the field of material chemistry, and will be potentially suitable for further education in this field.
3. Academic Requirements
The students will mainly study material component, preparation, processing, structure, properties and their applications. They will be trained to carry out material research and technology development by utilizing fundamental chemical and materials chemical knowledge, and master basic experimental skills. The students will comprehend the development trends of cutting-edge research and application potentials of the new materials, and familiarize with literature research skills and thus be able to collect data, analyze experimental results, write research papers, and participate in academic exchanges.
4. Length of Schooling and Degree
The length of schooling is four years of full-time study. Students will be awarded the Bachelor Degree of Engineering when they have completed the required minimum credits and have met all other requirements.
5. Core Courses
Specialized Core Courses: Materials Chemistry, Materials Physics, Structural Chemistry, Polymer Chemistry, Polymer Physics, Polymer Materials, Instrumental Analysis, Composite Materials Sciences, Fundamentals of Materials Engineering, Colloids and Interfaces Chemistry, Fine Chemicals Chemistry, Specialty English for Materials Chemistry.
Practice Courses: Physics Experiments, Chemistry Experiments, Experiment and Practice Safety, Crystal Optics Experiments, Teaching Practice, Metalworking Practice, Course Design for Basis of Material Engineering, Preparation of Materials, Professional Practice, Specialty Comprehensive Experiments, Graduation Design (Thesis). | <urn:uuid:cf6c7525-8bde-4ca8-a37d-0450d6e49c81> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://en.cugb.edu.cn/SMST/40977.jhtml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679102469.83/warc/CC-MAIN-20231210123756-20231210153756-00132.warc.gz | en | 0.896348 | 506 | 3.03125 | 3 | 2.421238 | 2 | Moderate reasoning | Science & Tech. |
Online education is turning into a commonplace. About 5.3 million U.S. students took at least one online course in recent fall, in line with a recent study. Yet, whereas online education is growing in quality, myths and misconceptions abound. Once online learning was first projected as a viable alternative to in-class learning, many folks were skeptical. Moreover, at the time, their suspicions were sensible. However, with the rise in online school courses, you may be inquisitive about your choices. The convenience and adaptability of online learning are appealing, however, is that format even effective? You don’t need a degree worth solely the paper it’s written on, you would like the knowledge and also the qualifications that escort a good educational program. Moreover, if you’re studying online and facing trouble while writing your assignment and start asking yourself maybe if someone can Take My Online Class For Me, don’t worry. You can hire online academic services to get your work done within the due date. Unfortunately, while the quality of online learning has progressed enormously over the years, numerous of these early misinterpretations have however to blur away. Here are a few more myths many individuals have about online learning.
Online Classes Aren’t As Effective As In-Class Learning.
There are certainly numerous ineffectual online courses, fair as there are poor classroom experiences. The medium utilized to convey the lesson content isn’t about as imperative as to how it’s executed and assessed. Over a long time, numerous online courses have demonstrated themselves to be just as compelling as their traditional partners when it comes to learning. In truth, online instruction benefits from analytics tools that help instructors pinpoint issue zones in their courses. In like manner, online courses have progressed at a fast rate, and are presently fitting options to classroom courses.
Online Classes Are Easier Than Traditional Classes.
Some students sign on for online courses within the belief that they’ll be ready to sail through coursework. But, as anyone who has ever received a take-home test is aware of, instructors typically make amends for the availability of resources by increasing expectations. Online classes demand as much time and a focus as in-class lessons. They typically embrace a lot of written correspondence with lecturers and classmates, also as additional quizzes or written work to measure progress. Students who under-estimate the work risk falling behind.
Online Classes Aren’t Accredited.
Since online education got to be more acknowledged, numerous authorized institutions have included online courses as a portion of their educational modules. In reality, it is progressively unordinary for today’s college students to graduate without ever having taken a web course. But it’s not just higher education that provides authorized courses. More private teachers have taken steps to pick up accreditation for their courses, thereby increasing their esteem. Besides, the courses these teachers got to take to pick up accreditation are rigorous—a reminder that just because it’s online doesn’t mean it’s simple to get.
Online Classes Are Not Valued By Firms Or Educational Institutions.
Part of the matter with this myth is that it treats all online courses as basically an equivalent. Some online courses don’t seem to be respected, but then, neither are some institutions. It’s up to the scholar to do their analysis to find out whether or not a course is credible. Luckily, the rising variety of authorized online courses indicates a growing reputability and acceptance among employers and educators alike. Some businesses even need certain online certification as part of employee development. As for academic institutions, students who decide to transfer should discuss with the school or university to examine if their credits can carry over. This is often true of online and in-class credits alike.
It’s Easier To Cheat In An Online Course.
Online cheating was a major concern for numerous years, but innovation has advanced to address this criticism. From browser blocking capacities amid test sessions to keystroke tracking, numerous online courses have superior cheat-proof capacities than traditional classrooms. Online education moreover tends to assess students in an unexpected way. When the course requires interaction in classroom talks, visiting micro-quizzes, or indeed video presentations, finding ways to cheat can frequently end up more of a hassle than just doing the coursework.
Lack Of Interaction With The Instructor.
Again, this is often up to the teachers. There certainly are courses where the instructor works within the background and students basically follow the formula and learn on their own. However, online classrooms moreover give the opportunity for instructors to connect in on discussion room chats, offer webinars, or indeed conduct video chats with students who need more individual guidance. For private instructors, these are moreover interesting offering points that can be utilized to boost the esteem of the course.
Online Courses Offer No Interaction With Fellow Students.
It’s true that several students have found online courses to be a lot more analytic than school rooms. However, this can be often the result of the course style, instead of an inherent flaw in online education. Discussion forums, online cooperative projects, and cluster webinars are all positive ways in which fellow students will act with one another throughout a web course. Whereas it will be awkward for scholars to break the ice, with the correct incentives several students notice a lot of confidence expressing themselves in writing than in words. This might build online education as an easier approach for introverts to bond with their classmates than traditional school rooms.
Good Computer Knowledge Necessary To Take Online Courses.
It’s hard to mention how correct this myth is, as what it means that to be “good with computers” will vary greatly from user to user. For some, a “computer person” is somebody who writes code for a living. For others, even basic interactions on a laptop are foreign and antagonistic. That said, several online educators have worked inexhaustibly to form accessible, easy online courses, with the goal of making an intuitive interface that doesn’t interfere with the learning method. This implies that the majority of online education courses need no additional special laptop skills than shopping on Amazon.
Subsequently, online education continues to be a developing field, and intrinsically, there’s continuous room for improvement. In many ways, this creates a chance for innovation, permitting instructors to look for newer, higher ways to teach now that they’ll work outside the constraints of the standard schoolroom model. However, maybe the best accomplishment of online education is that it’s accessible to people that previously wouldn’t have been able to attend a standard course. This includes those with busy schedules who may well be juggling work and family commitments, those that live in geographically remote areas, and even those for whom travel is prohibitively tough because of injury or disability.
Eventually, presently you’ve got a much better thought of what online learning is really like. In case you treat your program choice with careful thought, just as you would do for a traditional school, you’ll have an incredible experience at a convenience that fits your life. Opportunities like these are as well great to pass by. So, rather than permitting myths about online education to hold the field back, let’s learn from these misguided judgments to form better learner experiences. Online classes adaptability is a gigantic plus for anyone attempting to manage working full time while returning to school. Furthermore, in the present time, many individuals are studying online but aren’t able to write their assignments properly and facing difficulties while writing their assignments. Because of this, they start wondering themselves perhaps if someone can Take My Online Class For Me well no worries. With the help of services available on the web, you can wind up your work before the deadlines. | <urn:uuid:957d386e-40ca-4ff2-9072-d6a33d1873eb> | CC-MAIN-2020-40 | https://premiumonlineclasses.com/blog/2020/07/09/most-common-myths-associated-with-online-classes/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-40/segments/1600401617641.86/warc/CC-MAIN-20200928234043-20200929024043-00701.warc.gz | en | 0.959193 | 1,609 | 2.59375 | 3 | 2.723333 | 3 | Strong reasoning | Education & Jobs |
I wrote in Part 1 that medical care is an economic good. More specifically, it is a consumer good delivered directly to patients, primarily in the form of services. Experience has taught us that the most effective, efficient, and fair way to create and distribute consumer goods and services is through open consumer markets that allow each customer to determine a product’s value before deciding whether to purchase it with her limited available funds. Such value assessments require consumers to consider the answers to two fundamental questions:
- Which sellers’ are offering me products and services that will provide the best quality for my needs?
- Of those best sellers, which offers the lowest price?
In (slightly) technical terms, value equals quality divided by price, meaning that the higher the quality and/or the lower the price, the higher the resulting value. The challenge in getting higher quality, lower priced health care, therefore, lies in creating a consumer market for it. Actually, it means creating two markets, one for health insurance and one for medical services. But if we do the insurance market right, the second will naturally follow.
How do we do this? We start by redefining health insurance so that it must cover only health care that is both medically necessary and normally unaffordable. We don’t expect car insurance to pay for oil changes, so we shouldn’t require health insurance to cover $4 prescriptions, $65 doctor visits, or $90 massage therapy sessions. Such coverage would still be allowed, but most people wouldn’t find it worth the higher premiums. That’s because we have just created a consumer market for normally-affordable medical services in which providers compete for consumers’ dollars the old-fashioned way: by delivering better, more appropriate care for ever lower prices.
Now we have to create an insurance market that overcomes the fundamental market failure (see Part 1) that prevents so many people from having open access to affordable health insurance. To do that, we need national regulatory reform to create a set of rules under which such a market would emerge and operate. Here are the rules:
- Universal Access to Individual, Private Insurance. All American residents will be able to buy individual health insurance from participating private insurers. After a phase-in period, employers will no longer provide employee insurance or health benefits, but will give the money directly to their employees to make their own purchases. Federal and state governments will no longer regulate medical prices and will likewise stop directly providing health insurance and medical benefits (also after a phase-in period), but will instead give the money directly to their constituents in the form of restricted payments with which they can purchase their own health insurance and services. The primary government role in this regard will become one of providing financial assistance to people who are unable to afford care on their own.
- Voluntary Participation, But Without Free Riders. No one will be required to buy health insurance. However, enrollment controls (e.g., limited open-enrollment periods, intra-year lockouts, late-enrollment penalties, provider payment requirements, imposition of individual financial responsibility) will ensure that virtually no one will be able to game the system to its detriment by remaining uninsured until they get sick. Many health reform proponents want to mandate coverage for all consumers in the belief that the two policy goals of voluntary participation and prevention of free riders are mutually exclusive. They are most definitely not.
- Benefit Requirements. Private insurers will be free to offer whatever kinds of coverage at whatever premium levels in whatever markets they wish. Covered benefits, however, will have to meet minimum requirements that, in essence, provide comprehensive, medically necessary care that is normally not affordable by individuals.
- Premiums. Insurers will not be allowed to adjust premiums based on individual health status or history. Instead, insurers will set premiums according to highly-modified community rating rules that allow premium variations based on each consumer’s behavior (i.e., control of personally controllable health risk factors, such as smoking and obesity), age, gender, residence location, and employment risks.
- Tax equity. Everyone will receive equal tax treatment, regardless of employment status or eligibility for government medical assistance. My preferred method is via individual, tax-advantaged Health Funding Accounts (HFAs) that are conceptually similar to Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), but more comprehensive in scope. HFAs would become the central funding mechanism for all individual health insurance and medical care purchases.
Under this health reform package, the consumer will reign supreme. The government’s roles would be appropriately limited to those of rule maker, fair referee, enforcer, and safety net of last resort—not insurer or regulator of actual prices or benefits (beyond the above requirements).
If there is a fundamental problem with this approach, it is not technical, actuarial, or financial—it is political. Although we know markets work in practice, too many influential politicians and policy wonks don’t believe they work in theory—at least not for health care. The difficult task will be to transcend that way of thinking.
In Part 3, I’ll talk about how and why these changes will actually fix our broken health care system. | <urn:uuid:a1a0f69a-cd61-4cb1-a844-edbf81af0559> | CC-MAIN-2018-13 | http://www.hydeonhealthcare.com/role-government-health-care-reform.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-13/segments/1521257646875.28/warc/CC-MAIN-20180319101207-20180319121207-00028.warc.gz | en | 0.94893 | 1,062 | 2.625 | 3 | 2.917512 | 3 | Strong reasoning | Politics |
: Lonicera sibirica, Lonicera tatarica L. var. latifolia
: Bush honeysuckle
: Common in urban areas and also occurs in rural areas where it was recommended for wildlife until its invasive traits became apparent; forms dense thickets; reduces tree and shrub regeneration, decreases overall plant diversity.
: Deciduous upright to spreading shrub growing to 4 m (12 ft) tall; shallow roots.
: Simple, opposite, oval to oblong, short, hairless, leaves with pointed tips, 3-6 cm long and 2-4 cm wide with smooth margins, dark green above and paler beneath, early leaf out, long growing season.
: Twigs are slender, brown to reddish with brown pith; multiple stems; numerous arching branches; older branches often hollow; bark is light gray, somewhat exfoliating.
: Small, pink to white in color, even red occasionally; tubular, fragrant, paired flowers on long (1.5-2.5 cm) stalks arising from the leaf axils; blooms May through June.
Fruit and seeds
: Abundant, red or orange paired berries.
: Sun and shade tolerant; occurs in a variety of soil and moisture conditions; commonly found along roadsides and on disturbed sites; invades forest, savannas and prairies.
: By seeds dispersed by birds.
: Natives Canadian fly honeysuckle (L. canadensis
), Twinberry honeysuckle (L. involucrate
), Swamp fly honeysuckle (L. oblongifolia
) and Mountain fly honeysuckle (L. villosa
) are relatively short and sparse in comparison with non-native species and lack hollow stems on older branches.
Monitoring and rapid response
: Monitor sunny, upland sites and open forests in spring as non-native honeysuckle leafs out before natives. Begin control efforts in highest quality areas; hand pull or dig small plants, removing all roots; target large, fruit-bearing plants for control/removal; foliar spray may be effective for large populations where few natives are present; treat cut stumps with herbicide; basal bark treatment is also effective, spray bottom 18 inches of all stems. Where fuel is present, prescribed fire may provide effective control of seedlings in fire adapted communities.
: The Michigan Natural Features Inventory
(MNFI) has partnered with MISIN to provide the information in this fact sheet. Species images and/or information were used with permission from "A Field Identification Guide to Invasive Plants in Michigan's Natural Communities
" and "A Field Guide to Invasive Plants of Aquatic and Wetland Habitats for Michigan | <urn:uuid:760f501e-5beb-45cd-8ebc-0f374d09750f> | CC-MAIN-2019-43 | http://www.misin.msu.edu/facts/detail/?project=misin&id=11&cname=Tatarian%20honeysuckle | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-43/segments/1570986660829.5/warc/CC-MAIN-20191015231925-20191016015425-00373.warc.gz | en | 0.895549 | 566 | 3.15625 | 3 | 2.306659 | 2 | Moderate reasoning | Science & Tech. |
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