Anarchism is a political philosophy which considers the state undesirable, unnecessary and harmful, and instead promotes a stateless society, or anarchy. It seeks to diminish or even abolish authority in the conduct of human relations. Anarchists may widely disagree on what additional criteria are required in anarchism. "The Oxford Companion to Philosophy" says, "there is no single defining position that all anarchists hold, and those considered anarchists at best share a certain family resemblance."
There are many types and traditions of anarchism, not all of which are mutually exclusive. Strains of anarchism have been divided into the categories of social and individualist anarchism or similar dual classifications. Anarchism is often considered to be a radical left-wing ideology, and much of anarchist economics and anarchist legal philosophy reflect anti-statist interpretations of communism, collectivism, syndicalism or participatory economics. However, anarchism has always included an individualist strain supporting a market economy and private property, or morally unrestrained egoism. Some individualist anarchists are also socialists.
Differing fundamentally, some anarchist schools of thought support anything from extreme individualism to complete collectivism. In the end, for anarchist historian Daniel Guerin "Some anarchists are more individualistic than social, some more social than individualistic. However, one cannot conceive of a libertarian who is not an individualist." The position known as anarchism without adjectives consists on "recognising the right of other tendencies to the name "anarchist" while, obviously, having their own preferences for specific types of anarchist theory and their own arguments why other types are flawed."
The central tendency of anarchism as a mass social movement has been represented by anarcho-communism and anarcho-syndicalism, with individualist anarchism being primarily a philosophical or literary phenomenon. Some anarchists fundamentally oppose all forms of aggression, supporting self-defense or non-violence (anarcho-pacifism), while others have supported the use of some coercive measures, including violent revolution and terrorism, on the path to an anarchist society.
Etymology and terminology.
The term "anarchism" derives from the Greek ἄναρχος, "anarchos", meaning "without rulers", from the prefix ἀν- ("an-", "without") + ἀρχή ("archê", "sovereignty, realm, magistracy") + -ισμός ("-ismos", from the suffix -ιζειν, "-izein" "-izing"). There is some ambiguity with the use of the terms "libertarianism" and "libertarian" in writings about anarchism. Since the 1890s from France, the term "libertarianism" has often been used as a synonym for anarchism and was used almost exclusively in this sense until the 1950s in the United States; its use as a synonym is still common outside the United States. Accordingly, "libertarian socialism" is sometimes used as a synonym for socialist anarchism, to distinguish it from "individualist libertarianism" (individualist anarchism). On the other hand, some use "libertarianism" to refer to individualistic free-market philosophy only, referring to free-market anarchism as "libertarian anarchism".
Origins.
Some claim anarchist themes can be found in the works of Taoist sages Laozi and Zhuangzi. The latter has been translated, "There has been such a thing as letting mankind alone; there has never been such a thing as governing mankind [with success]," and "A petty thief is put in jail. A great brigand becomes a ruler of a Nation." Diogenes of Sinope and the Cynics, and their contemporary Zeno of Citium, the founder of Stoicism, also introduced similar topics.
Modern anarchism, however, sprang from the secular or religious thought of the Enlightenment, particularly Jean-Jacques Rousseau's arguments for the moral centrality of freedom. Although by the turn of the 19th century the term "anarchist" had lost its initial negative connotation, it first entered the English language in 1642 during the English Civil War as a term of abuse used by Royalists to damn those who were fomenting disorder. By the time of the French Revolution some, such as the "Enragés", began to use the term positively, in opposition to Jacobin centralisation of power, seeing "revolutionary government" as oxymoronic.
From this climate William Godwin developed what many consider the first expression of modern anarchist thought. Godwin was, according to Peter Kropotkin, "the first to formulate the political and economical conceptions of anarchism, even though he did not give that name to the ideas developed in his work", while Godwin attached his anarchist ideas to an early Edmund Burke. Benjamin Tucker instead credits Josiah Warren, an American who promoted stateless and voluntary communities where all goods and services were private, with being "the first man to expound and formulate the doctrine now known as Anarchism." The first to describe himself as an anarchist was Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, a French philosopher and politician, which led some to call him the founder of modern anarchist theory.
Social movement.
Anarchism as a social movement has regularly endured fluctuations in popularity. Its classical period, which scholars demarcate as from 1860 to 1939, is associated with the working-class movements of the 19th century and the Spanish Civil War-era struggles against fascism.
The First International.
In Europe, harsh reaction followed the revolutions of 1848, during which ten countries had experienced brief or long-term social upheaval as groups carried out nationalist uprisings. After most of these attempts at systematic change ended in failure, conservative elements took advantage of the divided groups of socialists, anarchists, liberals, and nationalists, to prevent further revolt. In 1864 the International Workingmen's Association (sometimes called the "First International") united diverse revolutionary currents including French followers of Proudhon, Blanquists, Philadelphes, English trade unionists, socialists and social democrats.
Alain Connes.
Alain Connes (born 1 April 1947) is a French mathematician, currently Professor at the Collège de France, IHÉS and Vanderbilt University.
Work.
Alain Connes is one of the leading specialists on operator algebras. In his early work on von Neumann algebras in the 1970s, he succeeded in obtaining the almost complete classification of injective factors. Following this he made contributions in operator K-theory and index theory, which culminated in the
Baum-Connes conjecture. He also introduced cyclic cohomology in the early 1980s as a first step in the study of noncommutative differential geometry.
Connes has applied his work in areas of mathematics and theoretical physics, including number theory, differential geometry and particle physics.
Awards and honours.
Connes was awarded the Fields Medal in 1982, the Crafoord Prize in 2001 and the gold medal of the CNRS in 2004. He is a member of the French Academy of Sciences and several foreign academies and societies, including the Danish Academy of Sciences, Norwegian Academy of Sciences, Russian Academy of Sciences, and US National Academy of Sciences.
Allan Dwan.
Allan Dwan (April 3, 1885 – December 28, 1981) was a pioneering Canadian-born American motion picture director, producer and screenwriter.
Early life.
Born Joseph Aloysius Dwan in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, his family moved to the United States when he was 11 years old. At the University of Notre Dame, he trained as an engineer and began working for a lighting company in Chicago. However, he had a strong interest in the fledgling motion picture industry and when Essanay Studios offered him the opportunity to become a scriptwriter, he took the job. At that time, some of the East Coast movie makers began to spend winters in California where the climate allowed them to continue productions requiring warm weather. Soon, a number of movie companies worked there year-round and, in 1911, Dwan began working part time in Hollywood. While still in New York, in 1917 he was the founding president of the East Coast chapter of the Motion Picture Directors Association.
Career.
After making a series of westerns and comedies, Dwan directed fellow Canadian Mary Pickford in several very successful movies as well as her husband, Douglas Fairbanks, notably in the acclaimed 1922 "Robin Hood".
Following the introduction of the talkies, in 1937 he directed child-star Shirley Temple in "Heidi" and "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm" the following year.
Over his long and successful career spanning over 50 years, he directed over 400 motion pictures, many of them highly acclaimed, such as the 1949 box office smash, "Sands of Iwo Jima". He directed his last movie in 1961.
He died in Los Angeles at the age of ninety-six, and is interred in the San Fernando Mission Cemetery, Mission Hills, California.
Allan Dwan has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6263 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood.
Algeria.
Algeria (Arabic:, "al-Jazā’ir", Berber: Dzayer, French: Algérie), officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria (also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria), is a country in North Africa. In terms of land area, it is the largest country on the Mediterranean Sea, the second largest on the African continent after Sudan, and the eleventh-largest country in the world.
Algeria is bordered in the northeast by Tunisia, in the east by Libya, in the west by Morocco, in the southwest by Western Sahara, Mauritania, and Mali, in the southeast by Niger, and in the north by the Mediterranean Sea. Its size is almost, and it has an estimated population of about 35.7 million (2010). The capital of Algeria is Algiers.
Algeria is a member of the Arab League, United Nations, African Union, and OPEC. It is also a founding member of the Arab Maghreb Union.
Etymology.
The name of the country is derived from the city of Algiers. A possible etymology links the city name to الجزائر "Al-jazā’ir", a truncated form of the city's older name of جزائر بني مازغان jazā’ir banī mazghanā, the Arabic for "the islands of Mazghanna", as used by early medieval geographers such as al-Idrisi and Yaqut al-Hamawi.
In classical times northern Algeria was known as Numidia, which included parts of modern day western Tunisia and eastern Morocco.
Ancient history.
In Antiquity Algeria was known as the Numidia kingdom and its people were called Numidians. The kingdom of Numidia had early relations with Carthaginians, Romans and Ancient Greeks, the region was considered a fertile area, and Numidians were known for their fine cavalry.
The indigenous peoples of northern Africa eventually coalesced into a distinct native population, the Berbers.
After 1000 BCE, the Carthaginians began establishing settlements along the coast. The Berbers seized the opportunity offered by the Punic Wars to become independent of Carthage, and Berber kingdoms began to emerge, most notably Numidia.
In 200 BCE, they were once again taken over, this time by the Roman Republic. When the Western Roman Empire collapsed in 476 AD, Berbers became independent again in many regions, while the Vandals took control over other areas, where they remained until expelled by the Byzantine general Belisarius under the direction of Emperor Justinian I. The Byzantine Empire then retained a precarious grip on the east of the country until the coming of the Arabs in the 8th century.
Middle Ages.
Berber people controlled much of the Maghreb region throughout the Middle Ages. The Berbers were made up of several tribes. The two main branches were Botr and Barnès, who were themselves divided into tribes, and again into sub-tribes. Each region of the Maghreb contained several tribes (for example, Sanhadja, Houaras, Zenata, Masmouda, Kutama,Awarba, and Berghwata). All these tribes had independence and made territorial decisions.
Several Berber dynasties emerged during the Middle Ages in the Maghreb, Sudan, Andalusia, Italy, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Egypt, and other nearby lands. Ibn Khaldun provides a table summarizing the Berber dynasties: Zirid, Banu Ifran, Maghrawa, Almoravid, Hammadid, Almohad, Merinid, Abdalwadid, Wattasid, Meknassa and Hafsid dynasties.
Arrival of Islam.
The Muslim Arab armies arrived in Algeria in the mid-7th century, they conquered Algeria from its former Berber rulers and the Byzantines. After the fall of the Umayyad Arab Dynasty 751, numerous local dynasties emerged. Amongst those dynasties were the Aghlabids, Almohads, Abdalwadid, Zirids, Rustamids, Hammadids, Almoravids, and the Fatimids.
Having converted the Kutama of Kabylie to its cause, the Shia Fatimids overthrew the Rustamids, and conquered Egypt, leaving Algeria and Tunisia to their Zirid vassals. When the latter rebelled, the Shia Fatimids sent in the Banu Hilal, a populous Arab tribe, to weaken them.
Spanish enclaves.
The Spanish expansionist policy in North Africa began with the Catholic monarchs Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon and their regent Cisneros, once the "Reconquista" of the Iberian Peninsula was completed. Several towns and outposts on the Algerian coast were conquered and occupied by the Spanish Empire: Mers El Kébir (1505), Oran (1509), Algiers (1510) and Bugia (1510). On 15 January 1510 the King of Algiers, Samis El Felipe, was forced into submission to the king of Spain. King El Felipe called for help from the corsairs Hayreddin Barbarossa and Oruç Reis who previously helped Andalusian Muslims and Jews escape from Spanish oppression in 1492. In 1516, Oruç Reis conquered Algiers with the support of 1,300 Turkish soldiers on board 16 Galliots and became ruler, with Algiers joining the Ottoman Empire.
The Spaniards left Algiers in 1529, Bujia in 1554, Mers El Kébir and Oran in 1708. The Spanish returned in 1732 when the armada of the Duke of Montemar was victorious in the Battle of Aïn-el-Turk; Spain recaptured Oran and Mers El Kébir. Both cities were held until 1792, when they were sold by King Charles IV of Spain to the Bey of Algiers.
Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) are organisms whose genetic material has been altered by genetic engineering techniques generally known as recombinant DNA technology. Genetic engineering has expanded the genes available to breeders to utilize in creating desired germlines for new crops. After mechanical tomato-harvesters were developed in the early 1960s, agricultural scientists genetically modified tomatoes to be more resistant to mechanical handling. More recently, genetic engineering is being employed in various parts of the world, to create crops with other beneficial traits.
Herbicide-tolerant GMO Crops.
"Roundup Ready" seed has a herbicide resistant gene implanted into its genome that allows the plants to tolerate exposure to glyphosate. "Roundup" is a trade name for a glyphosate-based product, which is a systemic, nonselective herbicide used to kill weeds. "Roundup Ready" seeds allow the farmer to grow a crop that can be sprayed with glyphosate to control weeds without harming the resistant crop. Herbicide-tolerant crops are used by farmers worldwide. Today, 92% of soybean acreage in the US is planted with genetically modified herbicide-tolerant plants.
With the increasing use of herbicide-tolerant crops, comes an increase in the use of glyphosate-based herbicide sprays. In some areas glyphosate resistant weeds have developed, causing farmers to switch to other herbicides. Some studies also link widespread glyphosate usage to iron deficiencies in some crops, which is both a crop production and a nutritional quality concern, with potential economic and health implications.
Insect-resistant GMO Crops.
Other GMO crops used by growers include insect-resistant crops, which have a gene from the soil bacterium "Bacillus thuringiensis" (Bt), which produces a toxin specific to insects. These crops protect plants from damage by insects; one such crop is Starlink. Another is cotton, which accounts for 63% of US cotton acreage.
Some believe that similar or better pest-resistance traits can be acquired through traditional breeding practices, and resistance to various pests can be gained through hybridization or cross-pollination with wild species. In some cases, wild species are the primary source of resistance traits; some tomato cultivars that have gained resistance to at least nineteen diseases did so through crossing with wild populations of tomatoes.
Costs and benefits of GMOs.
Genetic engineers may someday develop transgenic plants which would allow for irrigation, drainage, conservation, sanitary engineering, and maintaining or increasing yields while requiring fewer fossil fuel derived inputs than conventional crops. Such developments would be particularly important in areas which are normally arid and rely upon constant irrigation, and on large scale farms.
However, genetic engineering of plants has proven to be controversial. Many issues surrounding food security and environmental impacts have risen regarding GMO practices. For example, GMOs are questioned by some ecologists and economists concerned with GMO practices such as terminator seeds, which is a genetic modification that creates sterile seeds. Terminator seeds are currently under strong international opposition and face continual efforts of global bans.
Another controversial issue is the patent protection given to companies that develop new types of seed using genetic engineering. Since companies have intellectual ownership of their seeds, they have the power to dictate terms and conditions of their patented product. Currently, ten seed companies control over two-thirds of the global seed sales. Vandana Shiva argues that these companies are guilty of biopiracy by patenting life and exploiting organisms for profit Farmers using patented seed are restricted from saving seed for subsequent plantings, which forces farmers to buy new seed every year. Since seed saving is a traditional practice for many farmers in both developing and developed countries, GMO seeds legally bind farmers to change their seed saving practices to buying new seed every year.
Locally adapted seeds are an essential heritage that has the potential to be lost with current hybridized crops and GMOs. Locally adapted seeds, also called land races or crop eco-types, are important because they have adapted over time to the specific microclimates, soils, other environmental conditions, field designs, and ethnic preference indigenous to the exact area of cultivation. Introducing GMOs and hybridized commercial seed to an area brings the risk of cross-pollination with local land races Therefore, GMOs pose a threat to the sustainability of land races and the ethnic heritage of cultures. Once seed contains transgenic material, it becomes subject to the conditions of the seed company that owns the patent of the transgenic material.
There is also concern that GMOs will cross-pollinate with wild species and permanently alter native populations’ genetic integrity; there are already identified populations of wild plants with transgenic genes. GMO gene flow to related weed species is a concern, as well as cross-pollination with non-transgenic crops. Since many GMO crops are harvested for their seed, such as rapeseed, seed spillage in is problematic for volunteer plants in rotated fields, as well as seed-spillage during transportation.
Modern agriculture.
Modern agriculture is a term used to describe the wide majority of production practices employed by America’s farmers. The term depicts the push for innovation, stewardship and advancements continually made by growers to sustainably produce higher-quality products with a reduced environmental impact. Intensive scientific research and robust investment in modern agriculture during the past 50 years has helped farmers double food production while essentially freezing the footprint of total cultivated farmland.
Safety.
The agriculture industry works with government agencies and other organizations to ensure that farmers have access to the technologies required to support modern agriculture practices. Farmers are supported by education and certification programs that ensure they apply agricultural with care and only when required.
Sustainability.
Technological advancements help provide farmers with tools and resources to help reduce their environmental footprint and to make farming more sustainable.
New technologies have given rise to innovations like conservation tillage, a farming process which helps prevent land loss to erosion, water pollution and enhances carbon sequestration.
The World Bank, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and others have noted that integrated crop management is based on agro-ecological principles and can increase yields while reducing environmental damage.
Affordability.
Modern agriculture practices help farmers to provide an affordable supply of nutritious food to meet the demands of a growing population. With modern agriculture, more crops can be grown on less land allowing farmers to provide an increased supply of food at an affordable price.
Food safety, labeling and regulation.
Food security issues also coincide with food safety and food labeling concerns. Currently a global treaty, the BioSafety Protocol, regulates the trade of GMOs. The EU currently requires all GMO foods to be labeled, whereas the US does not require transparent labeling of GMO foods. Since there are still questions regarding the safety and risks associated with GMO foods, some believe the public should have the freedom to choose and know what they are eating and require all GMO products to be labeled.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) leads international efforts to defeat hunger and provides a neutral forum where nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and debate food policy and the regulation of agriculture. According to Dr. Samuel Jutzi, director of FAO's animal production and health division, lobbying by "powerful" big food corporations has stopped reforms that would improve human health and the environment. The "real, true issues are not being addressed by the political process because of the influence of lobbyists, of the true powerful entities," he said, speaking at the Compassion in World Farming annual forum. For example, recent proposals for a voluntary code of conduct for the livestock industry that would have provided incentives for improving standards for health, and environmental regulations, such as the number of animals an area of land can support without long-term damage, were successfully defeated due to large food company pressure.
Tautologies.
If claims "P" and "Q" express the same proposition, then the argument would be trivially valid, as it would beg the question.
This is also the case for definitions. For example.
In everyday discourse, however, such cases are rare. The validity of such definitions is due to the fact that definitions can be expressed as an if and only if (see below).
Clearly if the definition of "bachelor" is "an unmarried male", then the propositional statement: "A is a bachelor" if and only if "A is an unmarried male", must be true.
In normal speech it is awkward to use the phrase "if and only if", so we substitute the valid but less complete "if", giving the conventional form which is similar to the form of the formal fallacy.
If and only if.
The above argument may be valid, but only if the claim "if he's outside, then he's not inside" follows from the first premise. More to the point, the validity of the argument stems not from affirming the consequent, but affirming the antecedent.
Such if and only if statements often make their way into detective mysteries.
Here, P is "entering through the window" and Q is "leaving no marks in the hall".
Use of the fallacy in science.
However, such reasoning is still affirming the consequent and logically invalid (e.g., Let "P" = geocentrism and "Q" = sunrise and sunset). The strength of such reasoning as an inductive inference depends on the likelihood of alternative hypotheses, which shows that such reasoning is based on additional premises, not merely on affirming the consequent.
Andrei Tarkovsky.
Andrei Arsenyevich Tarkovsky () (April 4, 1932–December 29, 1986) was a Soviet and Russian filmmaker, writer, film editor, film theorist and opera director.
Tarkovsky's films include "Andrei Rublev", "Solaris", "The Mirror", and "Stalker". He directed the first five of his seven feature films in the Soviet Union; his last two films were produced in Italy and Sweden, respectively. They are characterized by spirituality and metaphysical themes, long takes, lack of conventional dramatic structure and plot, and distinctively authored use of cinematography.
Ingmar Bergman said of him: "Tarkovsky for me is the greatest [director], the one who invented a new language, true to the nature of film, as it captures life as a reflection, life as a dream".
Childhood and early life.
Tarkovsky was born in the village of Zavrazhye in Ivanovo Oblast, the son of poet and translator Arseny Alexandrovich Tarkovsky, native of Kirovohrad, Ukraine, and Maria Ivanova Vishnyakova, a graduate of the Maxim Gorky Literature Institute.
Tarkovsky spent his childhood in Yuryevets. He was described by childhood friends as active and popular, having many friends and being typically in the center of action. In 1937, his father left the family, subsequently volunteering for the army in 1941. Tarkovsky stayed with his mother, moving with her and his sister Marina to Moscow, where she worked as a proofreader at a printing press. In 1939, Tarkovsky enrolled at the Moscow School № 554. During the war, the three evacuated to Yuryevets, living with his maternal grandmother. In 1943, the family returned to Moscow. Tarkovsky continued his studies at his old school, where the poet Andrey Voznesensky was one of his classmates. He learned the piano at a music school and attended classes at an art school. The family lived on Shshipok Street in the Zamoskvorechye District in Moscow. From November 1947 to spring 1948, he was in a hospital with tuberculosis. Many themes of his childhood - the evacuation, his mother and her two children, the withdrawn father, the time in the hospital - feature prominently in his film "The Mirror".
Following high school graduation, from 1951 to 1952, Tarkovsky studied Arabic at the Oriental Institute in Moscow, a branch of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR. Although he already spoke some Arabic and was a successful student in his first semesters, he did not finish his studies and dropped out to work as a prospector for the Academy of Science Institute for Non-Ferrous Metals and Gold. He participated in a year-long research expedition to the river Kureikye near Turukhansk in the Krasnoyarsk Province. During this time in the Taiga Tarkovsky decided to study film.
Film school student.
Upon return from the research expedition in 1954, Tarkovsky applied at the State Institute of Cinematography (VGIK) and was admitted to the film-directing-program. He was in the same class as Irma Raush, whom he married in April 1957.
The early Khrushchev era offered unique opportunities for young film directors. Before 1953, annual film production was low and most films were directed by veteran directors. After 1953, more films were produced, many of them by young directors. The Khrushchev Thaw opened Soviet society and allowed, to some degree, Western literature, films and music. This allowed Tarkovsky to see films of the Italian neorealists, French New Wave, and of directors such as Kurosawa, Buñuel, Bergman, Bresson,
Andrzej Wajda (whose film Ashes and Diamonds was a true experience for him) and Mizoguchi. Tarkovsky absorbed the idea of the auteur as a necessary condition for creativity.
Tarkovsky's teacher and mentor was Mikhail Romm, who taught many film students who would later become influential film directors. In 1956, Tarkovsky directed his first student short film, "The Killers", from a short story of Ernest Hemingway. The short film "There Will Be No Leave Today" and the screenplay "Concentrate" followed in 1958 and 1959.
An important influence on Tarkovsky was the film director Grigori Chukhrai, who was teaching at the VGIK. Impressed by the talent of his student, Chukhrai offered Tarkovsky a position as assistant director for his film "Clear Skies". Tarkovsky initially showed interest, but then decided to concentrate on his studies and his own projects.
During his third year at the VGIK, Tarkovsky met Andrei Konchalovsky. They found much in common as they liked the same film directors and shared ideas on cinema and films. In 1959, they wrote the script "Antarctica - Distant Country", which was later published in the "Moskovskij Komsomolets". Tarkovsky submitted the script to Lenfilm, which was rejected. They were more successful with the script "The Steamroller and the Violin", which they sold to Mosfilm. This film became Tarkovsky's diploma film, earning him his diploma in 1960 and winning first prize at the New York Student Film Festival in 1961.
Film career in the Soviet Union.
Tarkovsky's first feature film was "Ivan's Childhood" in 1962. He had inherited the film from director Eduard Abalov, who had to abort the project. The film earned Tarkovsky international acclaim and won the Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival in 1962. In the same year, on September 30, his first son Arseny (called Senka in Tarkovsky's diaries) Tarkovsky was born.
In 1965, he directed the film "Andrei Rublev" about the life of Andrei Rublev, the 15th century Russian icon painter. "Andrei Rublev" was not immediately released after completion due to problems with Soviet authorities. Tarkovsky had to cut the film several times, resulting in several different versions of varying lengths. A version of the film was presented at the Cannes Film Festival in 1969 and won the FIPRESCI prize. The film was officially released in the Soviet Union in a cut version in 1971.
In his paper on "mass–energy equivalence", which had previously been considered to be distinct concepts, Einstein deduced from his equations of special relativity what has been called the 20th century's best-known equation: "E" = "mc"2. This equation suggests that tiny amounts of mass could be converted into huge amounts of energy and presaged the development of nuclear power.
Einstein's 1905 work on relativity remained controversial for many years, but was accepted by leading physicists, starting with Max Planck.
Photons.
In a 1905 paper, Einstein postulated that light itself consists of localized particles ("quanta"). Einstein's light quanta were nearly universally rejected by all physicists, including Max Planck and Niels Bohr. This idea only became universally accepted in 1919, with Robert Millikan's detailed experiments on the photoelectric effect, and with the measurement of Compton scattering.
Einstein's paper on the light particles was almost entirely motivated by thermodynamic considerations. He was not at all motivated by the detailed experiments on the photoelectric effect, which did not confirm his theory until fifteen years later.
Einstein considers the entropy of light at temperature "T", and decomposes it into a low-frequency part and a high-frequency part. The high-frequency part, where the light is described by Wien's law, has an entropy which looks exactly the same as the entropy of a gas of classical particles.
Since the entropy is the logarithm of the number of possible states, Einstein concludes that the number of states of short wavelength light waves in a box with volume "V" is equal to the number of states of a group of localizable particles in the same box. Since (unlike others) he was comfortable with the statistical interpretation, he confidently postulates that the light itself is made up of localized particles, as this is the only reasonable interpretation of the entropy.
This leads him to conclude that each wave of frequency "f" is associated with a collection of photons with energy "hf" each, where "h" is Planck's constant. He does not say much more, because he is not sure how the particles are related to the wave. But he does suggest that this idea would explain certain experimental results, notably the photoelectric effect.
Quantized atomic vibrations.
Einstein continued his work on quantum mechanics in 1906, by explaining the specific heat anomaly in solids. This was the first application of quantum theory to a mechanical system.
Since Planck's distribution for light oscillators had no problem with infinite specific heats, the same idea could be applied to solids to fix the specific heat problem there. Einstein showed in a simple model that the hypothesis that solid motion is quantized explains why the specific heat of a solid goes to zero at zero temperature.
Einstein's model treats each atom as connected to a single spring. Instead of connecting all the atoms to each other, which leads to standing waves with all sorts of different frequencies, Einstein imagined that each atom was attached to a fixed point in space by a spring. This is not physically correct, but it still predicts that the specific heat is 3"Nk"B, since the number of independent oscillations stays the same.
Einstein then assumes that the motion in this model is quantized, according to the Planck law, so that each independent spring motion has energy which is an integer multiple of hf, where f is the frequency of oscillation. With this assumption, he applied Boltzmann's statistical method to calculate the average energy of the spring. The result was the same as the one that Planck had derived for light: for temperatures where "k"B"T" is much smaller than "hf", the motion is frozen, and the specific heat goes to zero.
So Einstein concluded that quantum mechanics would solve the main problem of classical physics, the specific heat anomaly. The particles of sound implied by this formulation are now called phonons. Because all of Einstein's springs have the same stiffness, they all freeze out at the same temperature, and this leads to a prediction that the specific heat should go to zero exponentially fast when the temperature is low. The solution to this problem is to solve for the independent normal modes individually, and to quantize those. Then each normal mode has a different frequency, and long wavelength vibration modes freeze out at colder temperatures than short wavelength ones. This was done by Peter Debye, and after this modification Einstein's quantization method reproduced quantitatively the behavior of the specific heats of solids at low temperatures.
This work was the foundation of condensed matter physics.
Adiabatic principle and action-angle variables.
Throughout the 1910s, quantum mechanics expanded in scope to cover many different systems. After Ernest Rutherford discovered the nucleus and proposed that electrons orbit like planets, Niels Bohr was able to show that the same quantum mechanical postulates introduced by Planck and developed by Einstein would explain the discrete motion of electrons in atoms, and the periodic table of the elements.
Einstein contributed to these developments by linking them with the 1898 arguments Wilhelm Wien had made. Wien had shown that the hypothesis of adiabatic invariance of a thermal equilibrium state allows all the blackbody curves at different temperature to be derived from one another by a simple shifting process. Einstein noted in 1911 that the same adiabatic principle shows that the quantity which is quantized in any mechanical motion must be an adiabatic invariant. Arnold Sommerfeld identified this adiabatic invariant as the action variable of classical mechanics. The law that the action variable is quantized was the basic principle of the quantum theory as it was known between 1900 and 1925.
Wave-particle duality.
Although the patent office promoted Einstein to Technical Examiner Second Class in 1906, he had not given up on academia. In 1908, he became a "privatdozent" at the University of Bern.
In "über die Entwicklung unserer Anschauungen über das Wesen und die Konstitution der Strahlung" ("The Development of Our Views on the Composition and Essence of Radiation"), on the quantization of light, and in an earlier 1909 paper, Einstein showed that Max Planck's energy quanta must have well-defined momenta and act in some respects as independent, point-like particles. This paper introduced the "photon" concept (although the name "photon" was introduced later by Gilbert N. Lewis in 1926) and inspired the notion of wave-particle duality in quantum mechanics.
Theory of critical opalescence.
Einstein returned to the problem of thermodynamic fluctuations, giving a treatment of the density variations in a fluid at its critical point. Ordinarily the density fluctuations are controlled by the second derivative of the free energy with respect to the density. At the critical point, this derivative is zero, leading to large fluctuations. The effect of density fluctuations is that light of all wavelengths is scattered, making the fluid look milky white. Einstein relates this to Raleigh scattering, which is what happens when the fluctuation size is much smaller than the wavelength, and which explains why the sky is blue.
Zero-point energy.
Einstein's physical intuition led him to note that Planck's oscillator energies had an incorrect zero point. He modified Planck's hypothesis by stating that the lowest energy state of an oscillator is equal to "hf", to half the energy spacing between levels. This argument, which was made in 1913 in collaboration with Otto Stern, was based on the thermodynamics of a diatomic molecule which can split apart into two free atoms.
Principle of equivalence.
In 1907, while still working at the patent office, Einstein had what he would call his "happiest thought". He realized that the principle of relativity could be extended to gravitational fields.
He thought about the case of a uniformly accelerated box not in a gravitational field, and noted that it would be indistinguishable from a box sitting still in an unchanging gravitational field. He used special relativity to see that the rate of clocks at the top of a box accelerating upward would be faster than the rate of clocks at the bottom. He concludes that the rates of clocks depend on their position in a gravitational field, and that the difference in rate is proportional to the gravitational potential to first approximation.
for each "item" in the list "(Length(L)≥1)", do
if the "item" > "largest", then
For a more complex example of an algorithm, see Euclid's algorithm for the greatest common divisor, one of the earliest algorithms known.
Algorithmic analysis.
It is frequently important to know how much of a particular resource (such as time or storage) is theoretically required for a given algorithm. Methods have been developed for the analysis of algorithms to obtain such quantitative answers (estimates); for example, the algorithm above has a time requirement of O("n"), using the big O notation with "n" as the length of the list. At all times the algorithm only needs to remember two values: the largest number found so far, and its current position in the input list. Therefore it is said to have a space requirement of "O(1)", if the space required to store the input numbers is not counted, or O("n") if it is counted.
Different algorithms may complete the same task with a different set of instructions in less or more time, space, or 'effort' than others. For example, a binary search algorithm will usually outperform a brute force sequential search when used for table lookups on sorted lists.
Formal versus empirical.
The analysis and study of algorithms is a discipline of computer science, and is often practiced abstractly without the use of a specific programming language or implementation. In this sense, algorithm analysis resembles other mathematical disciplines in that it focuses on the underlying properties of the algorithm and not on the specifics of any particular implementation. Usually pseudocode is used for analysis as it is the simplest and most general representation. However, ultimately, most algorithms are usually implemented on particular hardware / software platforms and their algorithmic efficiency is eventually put to the test using real code.
Empirical testing is useful because it may uncover unexpected interactions that affect performance. For instance an algorithm that has no locality of reference may have much poorer performance than predicted because it 'thrashes the cache'. Benchmarks may be used to compare before/after potential improvements to an algorithm after program optimization.
Classification.
There are various ways to classify algorithms, each with its own merits.
By implementation.
One way to classify algorithms is by implementation means.
By field of study.
Every field of science has its own problems and needs efficient algorithms. Related problems in one field are often studied together. Some example classes are search algorithms, sorting algorithms, merge algorithms, numerical algorithms, graph algorithms, string algorithms, computational geometric algorithms, combinatorial algorithms, medical algorithms, machine learning, cryptography, data compression algorithms and parsing techniques.
Fields tend to overlap with each other, and algorithm advances in one field may improve those of other, sometimes completely unrelated, fields. For example, dynamic programming was invented for optimization of resource consumption in industry, but is now used in solving a broad range of problems in many fields.
By complexity.
Algorithms can be classified by the amount of time they need to complete compared to their input size. There is a wide variety: some algorithms complete in linear time relative to input size, some do so in an exponential amount of time or even worse, and some never halt. Additionally, some problems may have multiple algorithms of differing complexity, while other problems might have no algorithms or no known efficient algorithms. There are also mappings from some problems to other problems. Owing to this, it was found to be more suitable to classify the problems themselves instead of the algorithms into equivalence classes based on the complexity of the best possible algorithms for them.
By computing power.
Another way to classify algorithms is by computing power. This is typically done by considering some collection (class) of algorithms. A recursive class of algorithms is one that includes algorithms for all Turing computable functions. Looking at classes of algorithms allows for the possibility of restricting the available computational resources (time and memory) used in a computation. A subrecursive class of algorithms is one in which not all Turing computable functions can be obtained. For example, the algorithms that run in polynomial time suffice for many important types of computation but do not exhaust all Turing computable functions. The class of algorithms implemented by primitive recursive functions is another subrecursive class.
Burgin (2005, p. 24) uses a generalized definition of algorithms that relaxes the common requirement that the output of the algorithm that computes a function must be determined after a finite number of steps. He defines a super-recursive class of algorithms as "a class of algorithms in which it is possible to compute functions not computable by any Turing machine" (Burgin 2005, p. 107). This is closely related to the study of methods of hypercomputation.
Legal issues.
Algorithms, by themselves, are not usually patentable. In the United States, a claim consisting solely of simple manipulations of abstract concepts, numbers, or signals does not constitute "processes" (USPTO 2006), and hence algorithms are not patentable (as in Gottschalk v. Benson). However, practical applications of algorithms are sometimes patentable. For example, in Diamond v. Diehr, the application of a simple feedback algorithm to aid in the curing of synthetic rubber was deemed patentable. The patenting of software is highly controversial, and there are highly criticized patents involving algorithms, especially data compression algorithms, such as Unisys' LZW patent.
Additionally, some cryptographic algorithms have export restrictions (see export of cryptography).
Etymology of the word Algorithm.
The word "Algorithm" or "Algorism" in some other writing versions, comes from the name Al-Khwārizmī (c. 780-850), a Persian mathematician, astronomer, geographer and a scholar in the House of Wisdom in Baghdad, whose name means "the native of Kharazm", a city that was part of the Greater Iran during his era and now is in modern day Uzbekistan He wrote a treatise in Arabic language in the 9th century, which was translated into Latin in the 12th century under the title "Algoritmi de numero Indorum". This title means "Algoritmi on the numbers of the Indians", where "Algoritmi" was the translator's Latinization of Al-Khwarizmi's name. Al-Khwarizmi was the most widely read mathematician in Europe in the late Middle Ages, primarily through his other book, the Algebra. In late medieval Latin, "algorismus", the corruption of his name, simply meant the "decimal number system" that is still the meaning of modern English algorism. In 17th century French the word's form, but not its meaning, changed to "algorithm", following the model of the word "logarithm", this form alluding to the ancient Greek "arithmos" = arithmetic. English adopted the French very soon afterwards, but it wasn't until the late 19th century that "Algorithm" took on the meaning that it has in modern English.
Discrete and distinguishable symbols.
Tally-marks: To keep track of their flocks, their sacks of grain and their money the ancients used tallying: accumulating stones or marks scratched on sticks, or making discrete symbols in clay. Through the Babylonian and Egyptian use of marks and symbols, eventually Roman numerals and the abacus evolved (Dilson, p. 16–41). Tally marks appear prominently in unary numeral system arithmetic used in Turing machine and Post–Turing machine computations.
Mechanical contrivances with discrete states.
The clock: Bolter credits the invention of the weight-driven clock as "The key invention [of Europe in the Middle Ages]", in particular the verge escapement that provides us with the tick and tock of a mechanical clock. "The accurate automatic machine" led immediately to "mechanical automata" beginning in the 13th century and finally to "computational machines" – the difference engine and analytical engines of Charles Babbage and Countess Ada Lovelace.
A possible etymology is a derivation from the Greek word ' – "aiges" = "waves" (Hesychius of Alexandria; metaphorical use of ("aix") "goat"), hence "wavy sea", cf. also (aigialos = aiges "(waves)" + hals "(sea)"), hence meaning "sea-shore".
History.
The current coastline dates back to about 4000 BC. Before that time, at the peak of the last ice age (c. 16,000 BC) sea levels everywhere were 130 metres lower, and there were large well-watered coastal plains instead of much of the northern Aegean. When they were first occupied, the present-day islands including Milos with its important obsidian production were probably still connected to the mainland. The present coastal arrangement appeared c. 7000 BC, with post-ice age sea levels continuing to rise for another 3000 years after that.
The subsequent Bronze Age civilizations of Greece and the Aegean Sea have given rise to the general term "Aegean civilization". In ancient times the sea was the birthplace of two ancient civilizations – the Minoans of Crete and the Mycenean Civilization of the Peloponnese.
Later arose the city-states of Athens and Sparta among many others that constituted the Athenian Empire and Hellenic Civilization. Plato described the Greeks living round the Aegean "like frogs around a pond". The Aegean Sea was later invaded by the Persians and the Romans, and inhabited by the Byzantine Empire, the Venetians, the Seljuk Turks, and the Ottoman Empire. The Aegean was the site of the original democracies, and its seaways were the means of contact among several diverse civilizations of the Eastern Mediterranean.
Economics and politics.
Many of the islands in the Aegean have safe harbours and bays. In ancient times, navigation through the sea was easier than traveling across the rough terrain of the Greek mainland (and to some extent the coastal areas of Anatolia). Many of the islands are volcanic, and marble and iron are mined on other islands. The larger islands have some fertile valleys and plains. Of the main islands in the Aegean Sea, two belong to Turkey – Bozcaada (Tenedos) and Gökçeada (Imbros); the rest belong to Greece. Between the two countries, there are political disputes over several aspects of political control over the Aegean space, including the size of territorial waters, air control and the delimitation of economic rights to the continental shelf.
A Clockwork Orange.
"A Clockwork Orange" is a 1962 dystopian novel by Anthony Burgess. Burgess gave three explanations for the origins of the title. In a prefatory note to "A Clockwork Orange: A Play with Music", Burgess wrote that the title was a metaphor for "...an organic entity, full of juice and sweetness and agreeable odour, being turned into an automaton." In his essay, "Clockwork Oranges" ², Burgess asserts that "this title would be appropriate for a story about the application of Pavlovian or mechanical laws to an organism which, like a fruit, was capable of colour and sweetness". This title alludes to the protagonist's positively conditioned responses to feelings of evil which prevent the exercise of his free will. With this technique, the subject’s emotional responses to violence are systematically paired with a negative stimulation in the form of nausea caused by an emetic medicine administered just before the presentation of films depicting violent, and "ultra-violent" situations. Written from the perspective of a seemingly biased and unapologetic protagonist, the novel also contains an experiment in language: Burgess creates teenage slang of the not-too-distant future.
Part 1: Alex's world.
Alex, living in near-future England, leads his gang on nightly orgies of opportunistic, random violence; which he refers to as "ultraviolence". Alex's friends ("droogs" in the novel's Anglo-Russified slang, Nadsat) are Dim, a slow-witted bruiser who is the gang's muscle, Georgie, and Pete. Alex, who is quick-witted and possessing an often disconcerting sense of humour, is the leader of the group and seemingly very cultured.
The novel begins with the droogs sitting in their favorite milkbar, drinking drugged milk to hype themselves for the night's mayhem. They assault a scholar walking home from the library, stamp on a panhandling derelict, scuffle with a rival gang led by Alex's enemy Billyboy, rob a newsagent and leave its owners unconscious, then steal a car. Joyriding in the countryside, they break into an isolated cottage and maul the young couple living there, beating the husband and raping his wife. The husband was a writer working on a book he entitled "A Clockwork Orange" - the strange name stayed with Alex for the rest of his life. Shortly after the droogs ditch the car and return to the bar, Alex reprimands Dim for some crude behavior, and Georgie, thinking Alex is over-stepping boundaries, makes his dissatisfaction with Alex's leadership clear. At home in his dreary flat, Alex plays classical music thunderously while bringing himself to climax with fantasies of even more orgiastic violence.
Alex skips school the following morning and is visited by P. R. Deltoid, a "post-corrective advisor" assigned to remediate his juvenile delinquency. Deltoid voices that he feels Alex will end up in jail shortly if he does not change his ways, but this falls upon a deaf ear. Visiting his favourite music shop, Alex meets a pair of underage girls and takes them back to his parents' flat, where he gives them alcohol and sexually assaults them while they are intoxicated.
Alex later chats with his parents, who are skeptical of his claims about having a night job, yet too intimidated to press the issue. Arriving late to meet the droogs, who have already pumped themselves up with "the old knifey moloko" (drugged milk). Georgie challenges Alex for leadership of the gang, demanding that they pull a "man-sized" job by robbing a wealthy old woman who lives alone with her cats. Alex quells the rebellion by slashing Dim's hand and fighting with Georgie, then in a show of generosity takes them to a bar for some fortifying drinks. Georgie and Dim are ready to call it a night, but Alex bullies them into proceeding with the burglary. At the woman's house, she's reluctant to open the door and calls the police. His droogs lift Alex through a second-floor window and, after a farcical struggle, he knocks the old woman unconscious. With sirens in the distance Alex flees. His droogs await him at the front door, and Dim hits Alex across the face with a milk bottle, causing him extreme pain and temporary blindness. They leave Alex to fend for himself, and the police find and arrest him. At the police station they ask him questions about the invasion. P.R. Deltoid shows up and renounces Alex, spitting in his face and telling him that he can't intercede on his behalf any longer. Alex is later summoned from his jail cell and learns that his victim has died and he is now guilty of murder.
Final works and last years (1987–1998).
For his next movie, Kurosawa chose a subject very different from any that he had ever filmed before. While some of his previous pictures (for example, "Drunken Angel" and "Kagemusha") had included brief dream sequences, "Dreams" was to be entirely based upon the director's own dreams. Significantly, for the first time in over forty years, Kurosawa, for this deeply personal project, wrote the screenplay alone. Although its estimated budget was lower than the films immediately preceding it, Japanese studios were still unwilling to back one of his productions, so Kurosawa turned to another famous American fan, Steven Spielberg, who convinced Warner Bros. to buy the international rights to the completed film. This made it easier for Kurosawa's son, Hisao, as co-producer and soon-to-be head of Kurosawa Production, to negotiate a loan in Japan that would cover the film's production costs. Shooting took more than eight months to complete, and "Dreams" premiered at Cannes in May 1990 to a polite but muted reception, similar to the reaction the picture would generate elsewhere in the world.
Kurosawa now turned to a more conventional story with "Rhapsody in August"—the director's first film fully produced in Japan since "Dodeskaden" over twenty years before—which explored the scars of the nuclear bombing which destroyed Nagasaki at the very end of World War II. It was adapted from a Kiyoko Murata novel, but the film's references to the Nagasaki bombing came from the director rather than from the book. This was his only movie to include a role for an American movie star: Richard Gere, who plays a small role as the nephew of the elderly heroine. Shooting took place in early 1991, with the film opening on May 25 that year to a largely negative critical reaction, especially in the United States, where the director was accused of promulgating naïvely anti-American sentiments.
Kurosawa wasted no time moving onto his next project: "Madadayo", or "Not Yet". Based on autobiographical essays by Hyakken Uchida, the film follows the life of a Japanese professor of German through the Second World War and beyond. The narrative centers on yearly birthday celebrations with his former students, during which the protagonist declares his unwillingness to die just yet—a theme that was becoming increasingly relevant for the film's 81-year-old creator. Filming began in February 1992 and wrapped by the end of September. Its release on April 17, 1993, was greeted by an even more disappointed reaction than had been the case with his two preceding works.
Kurosawa nevertheless continued to work. He wrote the original screenplays "The Sea is Watching" in 1993 and "After the Rain" in 1995. While putting finishing touches on the latter work in 1995, Kurosawa slipped and broke the base of his spine. Following the accident, he would be confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life, putting an end to any hopes of him directing another film. His longtime wish—to die on the set while shooting a movie—was never to be fulfilled.
Death and posthumous works.
Following his accident in 1995, Kurosawa's health began to deteriorate. While his mind remained sharp and lively, his body was giving up, and for the last half year of his life, the director was largely confined to bed, listening to music and watching television at home. On September 6, 1998, Kurosawa died of a stroke in Setagaya, Tokyo, at the age of 88.
Following Kurosawa's death, several posthumous works based on his unfilmed screenplays have been produced. "After the Rain", directed by Takashi Koizumi was released in 1998, and "The Sea is Watching", directed by Kei Kumai, premiered in 2002. A script created by the Yonki no Kai ("Club of the Four Knights") (Kurosawa, Keisuke Kinoshita, Masaki Kobayashi, and Kon Ichikawa), around the time that "Dodeskaden" was made, finally was filmed and released (in 2000) as "Dora-Heita", by the only surviving founding member of the club, Kon Ichikawa. To coincide with the 100th anniversary of Kurosawa's birth, an unfinished documentary about the Noh theater that the filmmaker had started in the 1980s, "Gendai no No", is scheduled to be completed and released in 2010.
Working methods.
All biographical sources, as well as the filmmaker’s own comments, confirm that Kurosawa was a completely “hands-on” director, passionately involved in every aspect of the filmmaking process. As one interviewer summarized, “he (co-)writes his scripts, oversees the design, rehearses the actors, sets up all the shots and then does the editing.” His active participation extended from the initial concept to the editing and scoring of the final product.
Script.
Kurosawa emphasized time and again that the screenplay was the absolute foundation of a successful film and that, though a mediocre director can sometimes make a passable film out of a "good" script, even an excellent director can never make a good film out of a "bad" script. During the postwar period, he began the practice of collaborating with a rotating group of five screenwriters: Eijirō Hisaita, Ryuzo Kikushima, Shinobu Hashimoto, Hideo Oguni, and Masato Ide. Whichever members of this group happened to be working on a particular film would gather around a table, often at a hot-springs resort, where they would not be distracted by the outside world. ("Seven Samurai", for example, was written in this fashion.) Often they all (except Oguni, who acted as “referee”) would work on the exact same pages of the script, and Kurosawa would choose the best-written version from the different drafts of each particular scene. This method was adopted "so that each contributor might function as a kind of foil, checking the dominance of any one person’s point-of-view."
In addition to the actual script, Kurosawa at this stage often produced extensive, fantastically detailed notes to elaborate his vision. For example, for "Seven Samurai", he created six notebooks in which he created (among many other things) detailed biographies of the samurai, including what they wore and ate, how they walked, talked and behaved when greeted, and even how each tied his shoes. For the 101 peasant characters in the film, he created a registry consisting of 23 families and instructed the performers playing these roles to live and work as these “families” for the duration of shooting.
Shooting.
For his early films, although they were consistently well-photographed, Kurosawa generally used standard lenses and deep-focus photography. Beginning with "Seven Samurai" (1954), however, Kurosawa's cinematic technique changed drastically, through his extensive use in that film of telephoto lenses (or long lens) and multiple cameras. The director claimed that he used these lenses and several cameras rolling at once to help the actors—allowing them to be photographed at some distance from the lens, and without any knowledge of which particular camera's image would be utilized in the final cut—making their performances much more natural. (In fact, Tatsuya Nakadai agreed that the multiple cameras greatly helped his performances with the director.) But these changes had a powerful effect as well on the look of the action scenes in that film, particularly the final battle in the rain. Says Stephen Prince: "He can use the telephoto lenses to get under the horses, in between their hooves, to plunge us into the chaos of that battle in a visual way that is really quite unprecedented, both in Kurosawa’s own work and in the samurai genre as a whole."
With "The Hidden Fortress", Kurosawa began to utilize the widescreen (anamorphic) process for the first time in his work. These three techniques—long lenses, multiple cameras and widescreen—were in later works fully exploited, even in sequences with little or no overt action, such as the early scenes of "High and Low" that take place in the central character's home, in which they are employed to dramatize tensions and power relationships between the characters within a highly confined space.
For all his films, but particularly for his "jidaigeki", Kurosawa insisted on absolute authenticity of sets, costumes and props. Numerous instances of his fanatical devotion to detail have been recorded, of which the following are only a few examples.
For "Throne of Blood", in the scene where Washizu (Mifune) is attacked with arrows by his own men, the director had archers shoot real arrows, hollowed out and running along wires, toward Toshirō Mifune from a distance of about ten feet, with the actor carefully following chalk marks on the ground to avoid being hit. (Some of the arrows missed him by an inch; the actor, who admitted that he was not merely "acting" terrified in the film, suffered nightmares afterward).
For "Red Beard", to construct the gate for the clinic set, Kurosawa had his assistants dismantle rotten wood from old sets and then create the prop from scratch with this old wood, so the gate would look properly ravaged by time. For the same film, for teacups that appeared in the movie, he ordered his crew to pour fifty years’ worth of tea into the cups so they would appear appropriately stained.
Non-arable land.
Land which is unsuitable for arable farming usually has at least one of the following deficiencies: no source of fresh water; too hot (desert); too cold (Arctic); too rocky; too mountainous; too salty; too rainy; too snowy; too polluted; or too nutrient poor. Clouds may block the sunlight plants need for photosynthesis, reducing productivity. Plants can starve without light. Starvation and nomadism often exists on marginally arable land. Non-arable land is sometimes called "wasteland", "badlands", "worthless" or "no man's land".
However, non-arable land can sometimes be converted into arable land. New arable land makes more food, and can reduce starvation. This outcome also makes a country more self-sufficient and politically independent, because food importation is reduced. Making non-arable land arable often involves digging new irrigation canals and new wells, aqueducts, desalination plants, planting trees for shade in the desert, hydroponics, fertilizer, nitrogen fertilizer, pesticides, reverse osmosis water processors, PET film insulation or other insulation against heat and cold, digging ditches and hills for protection against the wind, and greenhouses with internal light and heat for protection against the cold outside and to provide light in cloudy areas. This process is often extremely expensive.
Aluminium.
Aluminium () or aluminum () is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances.
Aluminium is the most abundant metal in the Earth's crust, and the third most abundant element, after oxygen and silicon. It makes up about 8% by weight of the Earth's solid surface. Aluminium is too reactive chemically to occur in nature as a free metal. Instead, it is found combined in over 270 different minerals. The chief source of aluminium is bauxite ore.
Aluminium is remarkable for the metal's low density and for its ability to resist corrosion due to the phenomenon of passivation. Structural components made from aluminium and its alloys are vital to the aerospace industry and are very important in other areas of transportation and building. Its reactive nature makes it useful as a catalyst or additive in chemical mixtures, including ammonium nitrate explosives, to enhance blast power.
Characteristics.
Aluminium is a soft, durable, lightweight, ductile and malleable metal with appearance ranging from silvery to dull gray, depending on the surface roughness. Aluminium is nonmagnetic and nonsparking. It is also insoluble in alcohol, though it can be soluble in water in certain forms. The yield strength of pure aluminium is 7–11 MPa, while aluminium alloys have yield strengths ranging from 200 MPa to 600 MPa. Aluminium has about one-third the density and stiffness of steel. It is easily machined, cast, drawn and extruded.
Corrosion resistance can be excellent due to a thin surface layer of aluminium oxide that forms when the metal is exposed to air, effectively preventing further oxidation. The strongest aluminium alloys are less corrosion resistant due to galvanic reactions with alloyed copper. This corrosion resistance is also often greatly reduced when many aqueous salts are present, particularly in the presence of dissimilar metals.
Aluminium atoms are arranged in a face-centered cubic (fcc) structure. Aluminium has a stacking-fault energy of approximately 200 mJ/m2.
Aluminium is one of the few metals that retain full silvery reflectance in finely powdered form, making it an important component of silver paints. Aluminium mirror finish has the highest reflectance of any metal in the 200–400 nm (UV) and the 3,000–10,000 nm (far IR) regions; in the 400–700 nm visible range it is slightly outperformed by tin and silver and in the 700–3000 (near IR) by silver, gold, and copper.
Aluminium is a good thermal and electrical conductor, having 62% the conductivity of copper. Aluminium is capable of being a superconductor, with a superconducting critical temperature of 1.2 kelvins and a critical magnetic field of about 100 gauss (10 milliteslas).
Creation.
Stable aluminium is created when hydrogen fuses with magnesium in either large stars or in supernovae.
Isotopes.
Aluminium has nine isotopes, whose mass numbers range from 23 to 30. Only 27Al (stable isotope) and 26Al (radioactive isotope, 2 = 7.2×105 y) occur naturally; however, 27Al has a natural abundance above 99.9%. 26Al is produced from argon in the atmosphere by spallation caused by cosmic-ray protons. Aluminium isotopes have found practical application in dating marine sediments, manganese nodules, glacial ice, quartz in rock exposures, and meteorites. The ratio of 26Al to 10Be has been used to study the role of transport, deposition, sediment storage, burial times, and erosion on 105 to 106 year time scales. Cosmogenic 26Al was first applied in studies of the Moon and meteorites. Meteoroid fragments, after departure from their parent bodies, are exposed to intense cosmic-ray bombardment during their travel through space, causing substantial 26Al production. After falling to Earth, atmospheric shielding drastically reduces 26Al production, and its decay can then be used to determine the meteorite's terrestrial age. Meteorite research has also shown that 26Al was relatively abundant at the time of formation of our planetary system. Most meteorite scientists believe that the energy released by the decay of 26Al was responsible for the melting and differentiation of some asteroids after their formation 4.55 billion years ago.
Natural occurrence.
In the Earth's crust, aluminium is the most abundant (8.3% by weight) metallic element and the third most abundant of all elements (after oxygen and silicon). Because of its strong affinity to oxygen, however, it is almost never found in the elemental state; instead it is found in oxides or silicates. Feldspars, the most common group of minerals in the Earth's crust, are aluminosilicates. Native aluminium metal can be found as a minor phase in low oxygen fugacity environments, such as the interiors of certain volcanoes. It also occurs in the minerals beryl, cryolite, garnet, spinel and turquoise. Impurities in Al2O3, such as chromium or cobalt yield the gemstones ruby and sapphire, respectively. Pure Al2O3, known as corundum, is one of the hardest materials known.
Although aluminium is an extremely common and widespread element, the common aluminium minerals are not economic sources of the metal. Almost all metallic aluminium is produced from the ore bauxite (AlO"x"(OH)3-2"x"). Bauxite occurs as a weathering product of low iron and silica bedrock in tropical climatic conditions. Large deposits of bauxite occur in Australia, Brazil, Guinea and Jamaica but the primary mining areas for the ore are in Ghana, Indonesia, Jamaica, Russia and Surinam. Smelting of the ore mainly occurs in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Norway, Russia and the United States. Because smelting is an energy-intensive process, regions with excess natural gas supplies (such as the United Arab Emirates) are becoming aluminium refiners.
Production and refinement.
Although aluminium is the most abundant metallic element in the Earth's crust, it is never found in free, metallic form, and it was once considered a precious metal more valuable than gold. Napoleon III, Emperor of France, is reputed to have given a banquet where the most honoured guests were given aluminium utensils, while the others made do with gold. The Washington Monument was completed, with the 100 ounce (2.8 kg) aluminium capstone being put in place on December 6, 1884, in an elaborate dedication ceremony. It was the largest single piece of aluminium cast at the time, when aluminium was as expensive as silver. Aluminium has been produced in commercial quantities for just over 100 years.
Aluminium is a strongly reactive metal that forms a high-energy chemical bond with oxygen. Compared to most other metals, it is difficult to extract from ore, such as bauxite, due to the energy required to reduce aluminium oxide (Al2O3). For example, direct reduction with carbon, as is used to produce iron, is not chemically possible, since aluminium is a stronger reducing agent than carbon. However there is an indirect carbothermic reduction possible by using carbon and Al2O3, which forms an intermediate Al4C3 and this can further yield aluminium metal at a temperature of 1900–2000°C. This process is still under development. This process costs less energy and yields less CO2 than the Hall-Héroult process, the major industrial process for aluminium extraction. Aluminium oxide has a melting point of about. Therefore, it must be extracted by electrolysis. In this process, the aluminium oxide is dissolved in molten cryolite with calcium fluoride and then reduced to the pure metal. The operational temperature of the reduction cells is around. Cryolite is found as a mineral in Greenland, but in industrial use it has been replaced by a synthetic substance. Cryolite is a chemical compound of aluminium and sodium fluorides: (Na3AlF6). The aluminium oxide (a white powder) is obtained by refining bauxite in the Bayer process of Karl Bayer. (Previously, the Deville process was the predominant refining technology.)
To honour her many literary works, she was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1956 New Year Honours. The next year, she became the President of the Detection Club. In the 1971 New Year Honours she was promoted Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire, three years after her husband had been knighted for his archeological work in 1968. They were one of the few married couples where both partners were honoured in their own right. From 1968, due to her husband's knighthood, Christie could also be styled as Lady Agatha Mallowan, or simply Lady Mallowan.
From 1971 to 1974, Christie's health began to fail, although she continued to write. Recently, using experimental, computerised, textual tools of analysis, Canadian researchers have suggested that Christie may have begun to suffer from Alzheimer's disease or other dementia. In 1975, sensing her increasing weakness, Christie signed over the rights of her most successful play, "The Mousetrap", to her grandson.
Agatha Christie died on January 12, 1976 at age 85 from natural causes at her Winterbrook House in the north of Cholsey parish, adjoining Wallingford in Oxfordshire (formerly part of Berkshire). She is buried in the nearby churchyard of St Mary's, Cholsey.
Christie's only child, Rosalind Margaret Hicks, died, also aged 85, on October 28, 2004 from natural causes in Torbay, Devon. Christie's grandson, Mathew Prichard, was heir to the copyright to some of his grandmother's literary work (including "The Mousetrap") and is still associated with Agatha Christie Limited.
Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple.
Agatha Christie's first novel "The Mysterious Affair at Styles" was published in 1920 and introduced the long-running character detective Hercule Poirot, who appeared in 33 of Christie's novels and 54 short stories.
Her other well known character, Miss Marple, was introduced in "The Tuesday Night Club" in 1927 (short story) and was based on women like Christie's grandmother and her "cronies".
During the Second World War, Christie wrote two novels, "Curtain" and "Sleeping Murder", intended as the last cases of these two great detectives, Hercule Poirot and Jane Marple, respectively. Both books were sealed in a bank vault for over thirty years and were released for publication by Christie only at the end of her life, when she realised that she could not write any more novels. These publications came on the heels of the success of the film version of "Murder on the Orient Express" in 1974.
Like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle with Sherlock Holmes, Christie was to become increasingly tired of her detective Poirot. In fact, by the end of the 1930s, Christie confided to her diary that she was finding Poirot “insufferable," and by the 1960s she felt that he was "an ego-centric creep." However, unlike Conan Doyle, Christie resisted the temptation to kill her detective off while he was still popular. She saw herself as an entertainer whose job was to produce what the public liked, and the public liked Poirot.
In contrast, Christie was fond of Miss Marple. However, it is interesting to note that the Belgian detective’s titles outnumber the Marple titles more than two to one. This is largely because Christie wrote numerous Poirot novels early in her career, while "Murder at the Vicarage" remained the sole Marple novel until the 1940s.
Christie never wrote a novel or short story featuring both Poirot and Miss Marple. In a recording, recently rediscovered and released in 2008, Christie revealed the reason for this: "Hercule Poirot, a complete egoist, would not like being taught his business or having suggestions made to him by an elderly spinster lady".
Poirot is the only fictional character to have been given an obituary in "The New York Times", following the publication of "Curtain" in 1975.
Following the great success of "Curtain", Dame Agatha gave permission for the release of "Sleeping Murder" sometime in 1976 but died in January 1976 before the book could be released. This may explain some of the inconsistencies compared to the rest of the Marple series — for example, Colonel Arthur Bantry, husband of Miss Marple's friend Dolly, is still alive and well in "Sleeping Murder" despite the fact he is noted as having died in books published earlier. It may be that Christie simply did not have time to revise the manuscript before she died. Miss Marple fared better than Poirot, since after solving the mystery in "Sleeping Murder" she returns home to her regular life in St. Mary Mead.
On an edition of "Desert Island Discs" in 2007, Brian Aldiss claimed that Agatha Christie told him that she wrote her books up to the last chapter and then decided who the most unlikely suspect was. She would then go back and make the necessary changes to "frame" that person. The evidence of Christie's working methods, as described by successive biographers, contradicts this claim.
Formula and plot devices.
Almost all of Agatha Christie’s books are whodunits, focusing on the British middle and upper classes. Usually, the detective either stumbles across the murder or is called upon by an old acquaintance, who is somehow involved. Gradually, the detective interrogates each suspect, examines the scene of the crime and makes a note of each clue, so readers can analyze it and be allowed a fair chance of solving the mystery themselves. Then, about halfway through, or sometimes even during the final act, one of the suspects usually dies, often because they have inadvertently deduced the killer's identity and need silencing. In a few of her novels, including "Death Comes as the End" and "And Then There Were None", there are multiple victims. Finally, the detective organises a meeting of all the suspects and slowly denounces the guilty party, exposing several unrelated secrets along the way, sometimes over the course of thirty or so pages. The murders are often extremely ingenious, involving some convoluted piece of deception. Christie’s stories are also known for their taut atmosphere and strong psychological suspense, developed from the deliberately slow pace of her prose.
Twice, the murderer surprisingly turns out to be the unreliable narrator of the story.
In five stories, Christie allows the murderer to escape justice (and in the case of the last three, implicitly almost approves of their crimes); these are "The Witness for the Prosecution", "The Man in the Brown Suit", "Murder on the Orient Express", "Curtain" and "The Unexpected Guest". After the dénouement of "Taken at the Flood", her sleuth Poirot has the guilty party arrested for the lesser crime of manslaughter. (When Christie adapted "Witness" into a stage play, she lengthened the ending so that the murderer was also killed.) There are also numerous instances where the killer is not brought to justice in the legal sense but instead dies (death usually being presented as a more 'sympathetic' outcome), for example "Peril at End House", "Death on the Nile", "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd", "Crooked House", "Appointment with Death", "The Hollow", and "Secret Adversary". In some cases this is with the collusion of the detective involved. "Five Little Pigs", and arguably "Ordeal by Innocence", end with the question of whether formal justice will be done unresolved.
Critical reception.
Agatha Christie was revered as a master of suspense, plotting, and characterisation by most of her contemporaries. Fellow crime writer Anthony Berkeley Cox was an admitted fan of her work, once saying that nobody can write an Agatha Christie novel but the authoress herself.
However, she does have her detractors, most notably the American novelist Raymond Chandler, who criticised her in his essay, "The Simple Art of Murder", and the American literary critic Edmund Wilson, who was dismissive of Christie and the detective fiction genre generally in his "New Yorker" essay, "Who Cares Who Killed Roger Ackroyd?".
Others have criticized Christie on political grounds, particularly with respect to her conversations about and portrayals of Jews. Christopher Hitchens, in his autobiography, describes a dinner with Christie and her husband, Professor Sir Max Mallowan, which became increasingly uncomfortable as the night wore on, and where "The anti-Jewish flavour of the talk was not to be ignored or overlooked, or put down to heavy humour or generational prejudice. It was vividly unpleasant..." Twenty-five years after her death, critic Johann Hari notes "In its ugliest moments, Christie’s conservatism crossed over into a contempt for Jews, who are so often associated with rationalist political philosophies and a ‘cosmopolitanism’ that is antithetical to the Burkean paradigm of the English village. There is a streak of anti-Semitism running through the pre-1950s novels which cannot be denied even by her admirers."
Stereotyping.
Christie occasionally inserted stereotyped descriptions of characters into her work, particularly before the end of the Second World War (when such attitudes were more commonly expressed publicly), and particularly in regard to Italians, Jews, and non-Europeans. For example, in the first editions of the collection "The Mysterious Mr Quin" (1930), in the short story "The Soul of the Croupier," she described "Hebraic men with hook-noses wearing rather flamboyant jewellery"; in later editions the passage was edited to describe "sallow men" wearing same. To contrast with the more stereotyped descriptions, Christie often characterised the "foreigners" in such a way as to make the reader understand and sympathise with them; this is particularly true of her Jewish characters, who are seldom actually criminals. (See, for example, the character of Oliver Manders in "Three Act Tragedy".)
Portrayals.
Christie has been portrayed on a number of occasions in film and television.
Several biographical programs have been made, such as the 2004 BBC television programme entitled ', in which she is portrayed by Olivia Williams, Anna Massey, and Bonnie Wright.
Christie has also been portrayed fictionally. Some of these have explored and offered accounts of Christie's disappearance in 1926, including the 1979 film "Agatha" (with Vanessa Redgrave, where she sneaks away to plan revenge against her husband) and the "Doctor Who" episode "The Unicorn and the Wasp" (with Fenella Woolgar, her disappearance being the result of her suffering a temporary breakdown due to a brief psychic link being formed between her and an alien). Others, such as 1980 Hungarian film, "Kojak Budapesten" (not to be confused with the 1986 comedy by the same name) create their own scenarios involving Christie's criminal skill. In the 1986 TV play, "Murder by the Book", Christie herself (Dame Peggy Ashcroft) murdered one of her fictional-turned-real characters, Poirot. The heroine of Liar-Soft's 2008 visual novel "Shikkoku no Sharnoth ~What a beautiful tomorrow~", Mary Clarissa Christie, is based on the real-life Christie.
Christie has also been parodied on screen, such as in the film "Murder by Indecision", which featured the character "Agatha Crispy".
List of works.
"See List of works by Agatha Christie"
Plays adapted into novels by Charles Osborne.
These three novels are now available in the collection "Murder In Three Stages".
Television adaptations.
"Agatha Christie's Poirot" television series
Graphic novels.
Euro Comics India began issuing a series of graphic novel adaptations of Christie's work in 2007.
HarperCollins independently began issuing this series also in 2007.
Animation.
In 2004 the Japanese broadcasting company Nippon Hōsō Kyōkai turned Poirot and Marple into animated characters in the anime series "Agatha Christie's Great Detectives Poirot and Marple", introducing Mabel West (daughter of Miss Marple's mystery-writer nephew Raymond West, a canonical Christie character) and her duck Oliver as new characters.
The Plague.
One of the most fascinating and intriguing aspects of Ancestral Puebloan infrastructure is at Chaco Canyon and is the Chaco Road, a system of roads radiating out from many great house sites such as Pueblo Bonito, Chetro Ketl and Una Vida, and leading towards small outlier sites and natural features within and beyond the canyon limits.
Through satellite images and ground investigations, archaeologists have detected at least 8 main roads that together run for more than 180 miles (ca 300 km), and are more than 30 feet (10 m) wide. These were excavated into a smooth leveled surface in the bedrock or created through the removal of vegetation and soil. The Ancestral Puebloan (Anasazi) residents of Chaco Canyon cut large ramps and stairways into the cliff rock to connect the roadways on the ridgetops of the canyon to the sites on the valley bottoms.
The largest roads, constructed at the same time as many of the great house sites (between AD 1000 and 1125), are: the Great North Road, the South Road, the Coyote Canyon Road, the Chacra Face Road, Ahshislepah Road, Mexican Springs Road, the West Road and the shorter Pintado-Chaco Road. Simple structures like berms and walls are found sometimes aligned along the courses of the roads. Also, some tracts of the roads lead to natural features such as springs, lakes, mountain tops and pinnacles.
The longest and most famous of these roads is the Great North Road. The Great North Road originates from different routes close to Pueblo Bonito and Chetro Ketl. These roads converge at Pueblo Alto and from there lead north beyond the Canyon limits. There are no communities along the road's course, apart from small, isolated structures.
The Great North Road does not connect Chacoan communities to other major centers outside the canyon. Also, material evidence of trade along the road is scarce. From a purely functional perspective, the road seems to go nowhere.
Archaeological interpretations of the Chaco road system are divided between an economic purpose and a symbolic, ideological role linked to ancestral Puebloan beliefs.
The system was first discovered at the end of the 19th century, and first excavated and studied in the 1970s. Archaeologists suggested that the roads main purpose was to transport local and exotic goods inside and outside the canyon. Someone also suggested that these large roads were used to quickly move an army from the canyon to the outlier communities, a purpose similar to the road systems known for the Roman empire. This last scenario has long been discarded because of the lack of any evidence of a permanent army.
The economic purpose of the Chaco road system is shown by the presence of luxury items at Pueblo Bonito and elsewhere in the canyon. Items such as macaws, turquoise, marine shells, and imported vessels prove the long distance commercial relations Chaco had with other regions. A further suggestion is that the widespread use of timber in Chacoan constructions--a resource not locally available--needed a large and easy transportation system.
Ancient Religion and Road Building.
Other archaeologists think instead that the main purpose of the road system was a religious one, providing pathways for periodic pilgrimages and facilitating regional gatherings for seasonal ceremonies. Furthermore, considering that some of these roads seem to go nowhere, experts suggest that they can be linked--especially the Great North Road--to astronomical observations, solstice marking, and agricultural cycles.
This religious explanation is supported by modern Pueblo beliefs about a North Road leading to their place of origin and along which the spirits of the dead travel. According to modern pueblo people, this road represents the connection to the shipapu, the place of emergence of the ancestors or a dimensional doorway. During their journey from the shipapu to the world of the living, the spirits stop along the road and eat the food left for them by the living.
Astronomy certainly played an important role in Chaco culture, as it is visible in the north-south axis alignment of many ceremonial structures. The main buildings at Pueblo Bonito, for example, are arranged according to this direction and probably served as central places for ceremonial journeys across the landscape.
Sparse concentrations of ceramic fragments along the North Road have been related to some sort of ritual activities carried out along the roadway. Isolated structures located on the roadsides as well as on top of the canyon cliffs and ridge crests have been interpreted as shrines related to these activities.
Finally, features such as long linear grooves were cut into the bedrock along certain roads which don't seem to point to a specific direction. It has been proposed that these were part of pilgrimage paths followed during ritual ceremonies.
Archaeologists agree that the purpose of this road system may have changed through time and that the Chaco Road system probably functioned for both economic and ideological reasons. Its significance for archaeology lies in the possibility to understand the rich and sophisticated cultural expression of ancestral Puebloan societies.
Ceremonial Infrastructure - Fajada Butte and Solar alignment.
Astronomy played an important role in the Chacoan culture, and support elements were dedicated to the role of solar movement and the skies. Earlier research showed that the Chacoans marked the solstices, the equinoxes, solar noon and the standstill positions of the moon in thirteen light markings on petroglyphs on Fajada Butte (Sofaer et al. 1979, 1982; Sofaer and Sinclair 1987). Recent studies show that eleven of the major Chacoan buildings are oriented to the sun and moon (Sofaer et al. 1989); and that each of the major buildings also has an internal geometry that corresponds to the relationships of the solar and lunar cycles (Sofaer 1994). In addition, most of the major buildings are organized in a solar-and-lunar pattern that is ordered about Chaco Canyon (Sofaer 1995). Pueblo Bonito, which is located at the approximate center of Chaco Canyon, plays a central role in this pattern.
In recent years evidence has been uncovered that a large ramp had been built on the SW face of Fajada Butte at Chaco Canyon, to facilitate the butte's ascent. The ramp, long and rising almost above the valley floor, was apparently constructed in three sections. The first followed an erosional ridge to the first prominent cliff band on the butte. The second was a heavy masonry structure that extended from the top of the first cliff band to the second cliff band, along which ruins of numerous small cliff dwellings are to be found. The final part of the ramp was likely a combination of carved steps and scaffolding structures. Even by Chacoan standards, this represents a construction project of a significant magnitude, and suggests that the butte might have played an important ceremonial role at Chaco. The 3-slab so-called Sun Dagger site is located at the foot of the uppermost high cliff band.
The three sandstone slabs are 2 to 3 meters high, 0.7 to 1 meter wide, and 20 to 50 centimeter thick. They are estimated to weigh around 2 metric tons (2000 kg). Geologic evidence indicates that the slabs were originally part of a single large block which broke off from the cliff face to the left of their present position and toppled over, fracturing along two weaker bedding planes upon impact. The three slabs do not touch, being separated from each other by narrow gaps about 10 centimeter wide. The solar marker nature of the site was discovered serendipitously in 1977 in the course of a survey of petroglyphs on the Butte.
The slabs rest almost vertically against the smooth cliff face, fanning out to the south. They form the side wall wall and roof an elongated triangular niche which remains shaded except around midday when sunlight shine through the openings between the slabs. The cliff wall is illuminated in this way for about 25 minutes near summer solstice, and up to three hours near winter solstice when the sun is lower in the sky. A large rock overhang situated above the site shades the slabs when the sun's elevation climbs to high as it does in the summer months.
Considerable controversy regarding the possible man-made nature of the 3-slab site developed following the first reports of its operation as a solar calendar. Further studies yielded several lines of evidence indicating that the site is the result of a natural rockfall, rather than an Anasazi construct. The Anasazi were not in the habit of using large stones for their constructions, except as foundation for the large roof posts of their great kivas. Even then, the slabs are some five times heavier than the heaviest such foundation stones unearthed in Chaco Canyon's great kivas. The Chacoans were clearly very adept at masonry work, and have been known to construct supporting walls to buttress large rocks perched in positions posing a threat to their dwelling, most notably behind Pueblo Bonito. Yet no sign of any such reinforcement work is to be found around the 3-slab site. It has also been noted that geological formation resembling the 3-slab site are common throughout the canyon, and examination of the base of the slab indicates that a piece of one of the slab broke on impact, arguing against the slabs being artificially positioned by human hands. Yet, the sun dial is an example of the manner in which the contemporaries of this ancient culture used the natural geographic layout to their advantage to build this sophisticated solar calender.
This glossary entry is a part of the About.com guide to the Anasazi and the Dictionary of Archaeology.
Cordell, Linda 1997 The Archaeology of the Southwest. Second Edition. Academic Press
Soafer Anna, Michael P. Marshall and Rolf M. Sinclair 1989 The great North Road: a cosmographic expression of the Chaco culture of New Mexico. In World Archaeoastronomy, edited by Anthony Aveni, Oxford University Press. pp: 365-376
Vivian, R. Gwinn and Bruce Hilpert 2002 The Chaco Handbook. An Encyclopedic Guide. The University of Utah Press, Salt Lake City.
1999, P. Charbonneau, O.R. White, and T.J. Bogdan
Cliff Palace Communities and design.
Indonesia 70%, Australia 6.7%, Japan 6.7%, Samoa 6.7% (2002)
"country comparison to the world:" 195
materials for canneries 56%, food 8%, petroleum products 7%, machinery and parts 6% (2004)
Australia 36.6%, New Zealand 20.3%, South Korea 16.3%, Mauritius 4.9% (2002)
$NA; note - important financial support from the US, more than $40 million in 1994
US dollar (USD)
Transport in American Samoa.
"country comparison to the world:" 206
Aunu‘u, Auasi, Faleāsao, Ofu, Pago Pago
"country comparison to the world:" 195
Airports - with paved runways:Pago Pago International Airport
Avicenna.
, known as Abū Alī Sīnā () or, more commonly, Ibn Sīnā or Pour Sina, but most commonly known in English by his Latinized name Avicenna (, "Avitzianós"), (c. 980 - 1037) was a polymath of Persian origin and the foremost physician and philosopher of his time. He was also an astronomer, chemist, geologist, Hafiz, Islamic psychologist, Islamic scholar, Islamic theologian, logician, paleontologist, mathematician, Maktab teacher, physicist, poet, and scientist.
Ibn Sīnā studied medicine under a physician named Koushyar. He wrote almost 450 treatises on a wide range of subjects, of which around 240 have survived. In particular, 150 of his surviving treatises concentrate on philosophy and 40 of them concentrate on medicine. His most famous works are "The Book of Healing", a vast philosophical and scientific encyclopaedia, and "The Canon of Medicine", which was a standard medical text at many medieval universities. The "Canon of Medicine" was used as a text-book in the universities of Montpellier and Louvain as late as 1650.
Ibn Sīnā's "Canon of Medicine" provides a complete system of medicine according to the principles of Galen (and Hippocrates).
Circumstances.
Avicenna created an extensive corpus of works during what is commonly known as Islam's Golden Age, in which the translations of Graeco-Roman, Persian and Indian texts were studied extensively. Graeco-Roman (Mid- and Neo-Platonic, and Aristotelian) texts by the Kindi school were commented, redacted and developed substantially by Islamic intellectuals, who also built upon Persian and Indian mathematical systems, astronomy, algebra, trigonometry and medicine. The Samanid dynasty in Greater Khorasan and central Asia as well as Buwayhid in the western part of Persia and Iraq could provide a thriving atmosphere for scholarly and cultural development. Under the Samanids, Bukhara rivalled Baghdad as a cultural capital of Islam.
The study of Quran and Hadith thrived in such a scholarly atmosphere. Philosophy, Fiqh and theology (kalam) were further developed, most noticeably by Avicenna and his opponents. Al-Razi and Al-Farabi had provided methodology and knowledge in medicine and philosophy. Avicenna could use the great libraries of Balkh, Khwarezm, Gorgan, Rey, Isfahan and Hamedan. As various texts, such as the 'Ahd with Bahmanyar show, he debated philosophical points with the greatest scholars of the time. As Aruzi Samarqandi describes in his four articles before Avicenna left Khwarezm he had met Abu Rayhan Biruni (a famous scientist and astronomer), Abu Nasr Iraqi (a renowned mathematician), Abu Sahl Masihi (a respected philosopher) and Abu al-Khayr Khammar (a great physician).
Early life.
Avicenna was born c. 980 in Afshana, near Bukhara, in Greater Khorasan, present day Uzbekistan. His father, Abdullah, was a respected Ismaili scholar from Balkh, an important town of the Samanid Emirate, in what is today Balkh Province, Afghanistan. Prominent theologian Henry Corbin believed that Ibn Sina himself was a good ismaili. His mother was named Setarah. His father was at the time of his son's birth the governor in one of the Samanid Nuh ibn Mansur's estates. He had his son very carefully educated at Bukhara. Ibn Sina's independent thought was served by an extraordinary intelligence and memory, which allowed him to overtake his teachers at the age of fourteen. As he said in his autobiography, there was nothing that he had not learned when he reached eighteen.
Ibn Sīnā was put under the charge of a tutor, and his precocity soon made him the marvel of his neighbours; he displayed exceptional intellectual behaviour and was a child prodigy who had memorized the Qur'an by the age of 10 and a great deal of Persian poetry as well. He learned Indian arithmetic from an Indian greengrocer, and he began to learn more from a wandering scholar who gained a livelihood by curing the sick and teaching the young. He also studied Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) under the Hanafi scholar Ismail al-Zahid.
As a teenager, he was greatly troubled by the "Metaphysics" of Aristotle, which he could not understand until he read al-Farabi's commentary on the work. For the next year and a half, he studied philosophy, in which he encountered greater obstacles. In such moments of baffled inquiry, he would leave his books, perform the requisite ablutions (wudu), then go to the mosque, and continue in prayer (salah) till light broke on his difficulties. Deep into the night he would continue his studies, and even in his dreams problems would pursue him and work out their solution. Forty times, it is said, he read through the "Metaphysics" of Aristotle, till the words were imprinted on his memory; but their meaning was hopelessly obscure, until one day they found illumination, from the little commentary by Farabi, which he bought at a bookstall for the small sum of three dirhams. So great was his joy at the discovery, thus made by help of a work from which he had expected only mystery, that he hastened to return thanks to God, and bestowed alms upon the poor.
He turned to medicine at 16, and not only learned medical theory, but also by gratuitous attendance of the sick had, according to his own account, discovered new methods of treatment. The teenager achieved full status as a qualified physician at age 18, and found that "Medicine is no hard and thorny science, like mathematics and metaphysics, so I soon made great progress; I became an excellent doctor and began to treat patients, using approved remedies." The youthful physician's fame spread quickly, and he treated many patients without asking for payment.
Adulthood.
His first appointment was that of physician to the emir, who owed him his recovery from a dangerous illness (997). Ibn Sina's chief reward for this service was access to the royal library of the Samanids, well-known patrons of scholarship and scholars. When the library was destroyed by fire not long after, the enemies of Ibn Sina accused him of burning it, in order for ever to conceal the sources of his knowledge. Meanwhile, he assisted his father in his financial labours, but still found time to write some of his earliest works.
When Ibn Sina was 22 years old, he lost his father. The Samanid dynasty came to its end in December 1004. Ibn Sina seems to have declined the offers of Mahmud of Ghazni, and proceeded westwards to Urgench in the modern Uzbekistan, where the vizier, regarded as a friend of scholars, gave him a small monthly stipend. The pay was small, however, so Ibn Sina wandered from place to place through the districts of Nishapur and Merv to the borders of Khorasan, seeking an opening for his talents. Qabus, the generous ruler of Dailam and central Persia, himself a poet and a scholar, with whom Ibn Sina had expected to find an asylum, was about that date (1012) starved to death by his troops who had revolted. Ibn Sina himself was at this season stricken down by a severe illness. Finally, at Gorgan, near the Caspian Sea, Ibn Sina met with a friend, who bought a dwelling near his own house in which Ibn Sina lectured on logic and astronomy. Several of Ibn Sina's treatises were written for this patron; and the commencement of his "Canon of Medicine" also dates from his stay in Hyrcania.
Ibn Sina subsequently settled at Rai, in the vicinity of modern Tehran, (present day capital of Iran), the home town of Rhazes; where Majd Addaula, a son of the last Buwayhid emir, was nominal ruler under the regency of his mother (Seyyedeh Khatun). About thirty of Ibn Sina's shorter works are said to have been composed in Rai. Constant feuds which raged between the regent and her second son, Shams al-Daula, however, compelled the scholar to quit the place. After a brief sojourn at Qazvin he passed southwards to Hamadãn where Shams al-Daula, another Buwayhid emir, had established himself. At first, Ibn Sina entered into the service of a high-born lady; but the emir, hearing of his arrival, called him in as medical attendant, and sent him back with presents to his dwelling. Ibn Sina was even raised to the office of vizier. The emir consented that he should be banished from the country. Ibn Sina, however, remained hidden for forty days in a sheikh Ahmed Fadhel's house, until a fresh attack of illness induced the emir to restore him to his post. Even during this perturbed time, Ibn Sina persevered with his studies and teaching. Every evening, extracts from his great works, the "Canon" and the "Sanatio", were dictated and explained to his pupils. On the death of the emir, Ibn Sina ceased to be vizier and hid himself in the house of an apothecary, where, with intense assiduity, he continued the composition of his works.
Meanwhile, he had written to Abu Ya'far, the prefect of the dynamic city of Isfahan, offering his services. The new emir of Hamadan, hearing of this correspondence and discovering where Ibn Sina was hidden, incarcerated him in a fortress. War meanwhile continued between the rulers of Isfahan and Hamadãn; in 1024 the former captured Hamadan and its towns, expelling the Tajik mercenaries. When the storm had passed, Ibn Sina returned with the emir to Hamadan, and carried on his literary labors. Later, however, accompanied by his brother, a favorite pupil, and two slaves, Ibn Sina escaped out of the city in the dress of a Sufi ascetic. After a perilous journey, they reached Isfahan, receiving an honorable welcome from the prince.
Other comparanda are Armenian Astghikand Etruscan Turan.
Hans Georg Wunderlich further connects Aphrodite with the Minoan snake goddess.
The Egyptian snake goddess Wadjet was asocciated with the city known to the Greeks as "Aphroditopolis" (the city of Aphrodite).
Lucian of Samosata ("De Dea Syria".4) identifies Aphrodite with Europa, the Phoenecian princess who Zeus transformed into a white bull abducted and carried to Crete.
Pausanias states that the first to establish a cult of Aphrodite were the Assyrians, after the Assyrians the Paphians of Cyprus and then the Phoenicians at Ascalon. The Phoenicians in turn taught her worship to the people of Cythera.
An origin of (or significant influence on) the Greek love goddess from Near Eastern traditions was seen with some skepticism in classical 19th century scholarship. Authors like A. Enmann ("Kypros und der Ursprung des Aphroditekultes" 1881) attempted to portray the cult of Aphrodite as a native Greek development.
Scholarly opinion on this question has shifted significantly since the 1980s, notably due to Walter Burkert (1984), and the significant influence of the Near East on early Greek religion in general (and on the cult of Aphrodite in particular) is now widely recognized as dating to a period of Orientalization during the 8th century BC, when archaic Greece was on the fringes of the Neo-Assyrian Empire.
An important parallel between Ishtar and Aphrodite is their identification as the evening star. Babylonian astrology associated the planet Venus with Ishtar. This presumably follows a yet earlier Sumerian tradition identifying Inanna with the planet Venus.
Scholars such as Bendt Alster have suggested that this identification may go back to the Early Bronze Age.
This identification is later than the archaic period of "Orientalization". In native Greek tradition, the planet had two names, "Hesperos" as the evening star and "Eosphoros" as the morning star. The Greeks adopted the identification of the morning and the evening star as well as its identification as Ishtar/Aphrodite during the 4th century BC, along with other items of Babylonian astrology such as the zodiac (Eudoxus of Cnidus).
The Ancient Greeks and Romans often equated their deities with foreign ones in a process known as "interpretatio graeca". Aphrodite was equated by the Greeks to Egyptian Hathor, Assyrian Mylitta, Phoenician Astarte and Arabian Alilat.
Comparison with the Indo-European dawn goddess.
It has long been accepted in comparative mythology that Aphrodite (regardless of possible oriental influences) preserves some aspects of the Indo-European dawn goddess *Hausos (properly Greek Eos, Latin Aurora, Sanskrit Ushas).
Janda (2010) etymologizes her name as "she who rises from the foam [of the ocean]" and points to Hediod's account of Aphrodite's birth as an archaic reflex of Indo-European myth. Aphrodite rising out of the waters after Cronus defeats Uranus as a mytheme would then be directly cognate to the Rigvedic myth of Indra defeating Vrtra, liberating Ushas.
Roman Venus was in origin a genuinely Italic reflex of the dawn goddess (besides Aurora), but she became identified with Aphrodite at such an early time that it is now difficult to recover elements of her native cult.
Aphrodite Ourania and Aphrodite Pandemos.
By the late 5th century BC, philosophers might separate Aphrodite into two separate goddesses, not individuated in cult: "Aphrodite Ourania", born from the sea foam after Cronus castrated Uranus, and "Aphrodite Pandemos", the common Aphrodite "of all the folk," born from Zeus and Dione. Among the neo-Platonists and eventually their Christian interpreters, Aphrodite Ourania figures as the celestial Aphrodite, representing the love of body and soul, while Aphrodite Pandemos is associated with mere physical love. The representation of Aphrodite Ourania, with a foot resting on a tortoise, was read later as emblematic of discretion in conjugal love; the image is credited to Phidias, in a chryselephantine sculpture made for Elis, of which we have only a passing remark by Pausanias.
Thus, according to the character Pausanias in Plato's "Symposium", Aphrodite is two goddesses, one older the other younger. The older, Urania, is the "heavenly" daughter of Uranus, and inspires homosexual male (and more specifically, ephebic) love/eros; the younger is named Pandemos, the daughter of Zeus and Dione, and all love for women comes from her. Pandemos is the common Aphrodite. The speech of Pausanias distinguishes two manifestations of Aphrodite, represented by the two stories: Aphrodite Ourania ("heavenly" Aphrodite), and Aphrodite Pandemos ("Common" Aphrodite).
Cult of Aphrodite.
The epithet "Aphrodite Acidalia" was occasionally added to her name, after the spring she used to bathe in, located in Boeotia (Virgil I, 720). She was also called "Kypris" or "Cytherea" after her birth-places in Cyprus and Cythera, respectively, both centers of her cult. She was associated with Hesperia and frequently accompanied by the Oreads, nymphs of the mountains. Her festival, "Aphrodisia", was celebrated across Greece but particularly in Athens and Corinth. At the temple of Aphrodite on the summit of Acrocorinth (before the Roman destruction of the city in 146 BC) intercourse with her priestesses was considered a method of worshiping Aphrodite. This temple was not rebuilt when the city was reestablished under Roman rule in 44 BC, but it is likely that the fertility rituals continued in the main city near the agora.
Aphrodite was associated with, and often depicted with, the sea, dolphins, doves, swans, pomegranates, sceptres, apples, myrtle, rose trees, lime trees, clams, scallop shells, and pearls.
One aspect of the cult of Aphrodite and her precedents that Thomas Bulfinch's much-reprinted "The Age of Fable; or Stories of Gods and Heroes" (1855 etc.) elided was the practice of ritual prostitution in her shrines and temples. The euphemism in Greek is "hierodule", "sacred servant." The practice was an inherent part of the rituals owed to Aphrodite's Near Eastern forebears, Sumerian Inanna and Akkadian Ishtar, whose temple priestesses were the "women of Ishtar," "ishtaritum". The practice has been documented in Babylon, Syria and Palestine, in Phoenician cities and the Tyrian colony Carthage, and for Hellenic Aphrodite in Cyprus, the center of her cult, Cythera, Corinth and in Sicily (Marcovich 1996:49). Aphrodite is everywhere the patroness of the "hetaira" and courtesan. In Ionia on the coast of Asia Minor, hierodules served in the temple of Artemis. The practice however is not attested in Athens and can be considered a foreign import.
Birth.
"Foam-arisen" Aphrodite was born of the sea foam near Paphos, Cyprus after Cronus severed Uranus' genitals and threw them behind him into the sea, while the Erinyes emerged from the drops of blood. Hesiod's Theogony described that the genitals "were carried over the sea a long time, and white foam arose from the immortal flesh; with it a girl grew" to become Aphrodite. Aphrodite floated in on a scallop shell. When she arose, she was hailed as "Cyprian," and is referred to as such often, especially in the poetic works of Sappho. This myth of a fully mature Venus (the Roman name for Aphrodite), "Venus Anadyomene" ("Venus Rising From the Sea") was one of the iconic representations of Aphrodite, made famous in a much-admired painting by Apelles, now lost, but described in the "Natural History" of Pliny the Elder.
Thus Aphrodite is of an older generation than Zeus. "Iliad" (Book V) expresses another version of her origin, by which she was considered a daughter of Dione, who was the original oracular goddess ("Dione" being simply "the goddess, the feminine form of Δíος, "Dios," the genitive of Zeus) at Dodona. Aphrodite herself was sometimes referred to as "Dione." Once the worship of Zeus had usurped the oak-grove oracle at Dodona, some poets made him out to be the father of Aphrodite.
In Homer, Aphrodite, venturing into battle to protect her son, Aeneas, is wounded by Diomedes and returns to her mother, to sink down at her knee and be comforted. "Dione" seems to be an equivalent of Rhea, the Earth Mother, whom Homer has relocated to Olympus, and refers to a hypothesized original Proto-Indo-European pantheon, with the chief male god (Di-) represented by the sky and thunder, and the chief female god (feminine form of Di-) represented as the earth or fertile soil.
Aphrodite's chief center of worship remained at Paphos, on the south-western coast of Cyprus, where the goddess of desire had been worshipped from the early Iron Age as Ishtar and Ashtaroth. It was said that, as "Kythereia", she first tentatively came ashore at Cythera, a stopping place for trade and culture between Crete and the Peloponesus. Thus perhaps we have hints of the track of Aphrodite's original cult from the Levant to mainland Greece.
In other tales, Aphrodite was a daughter of Thalassa and Zeus.
Adulthood.
Aphrodite had no childhood: in every image and each reference she is born as an adult, nubile, and infinitely desirable. Aphrodite, in many of the late anecdotal myths involving her, is characterized as vain, ill-tempered and easily offended. Though she is one of the few gods of the Greek Pantheon to be actually married, she is frequently unfaithful to her husband. Hephaestus is one of the most even-tempered of the Hellenic deities; in the narrative embedded in the "Odyssey" Aphrodite seems to prefer Ares, the volatile god of war, as she was attracted to his violent nature. She is one of a few characters who played a major part in the original cause of the Trojan War itself: not only did she offer Helen of Troy to Paris, but the abduction was accomplished when Paris, seeing Helen for the first time, was inflamed with desire to have her—which is Aphrodite's realm.
Due to her immense beauty, Zeus was frightened that she would be the cause of violence between the other gods. He married her off to Hephaestus, the dour, humorless god of smithing. In another version of this story, Hera, Hephaestus' mother, had cast him off Olympus; deeming him ugly and deformed. His revenge was to trap her in a magic throne, and then to demand Aphrodite's hand in return for Hera's release. Hephaestus was overjoyed at being married to the goddess of beauty and forged her beautiful jewelry, including the cestus, a girdle that made her even more irresistible to men. Her unhappiness with her marriage caused Aphrodite to seek out companionship from others, most frequently Ares, but also Adonis.
Aphrodite and Psyche.
Aphrodite figures as a secondary character in the Tale of Eros and Psyche, which first appeared as a digressive story told by an old woman in Lucius Apuleius' novel, "The Golden Ass", written in the second century A.D.. In it Aphrodite was jealous of the beauty of a mortal woman named Psyche. She asked Eros to use his golden arrows to cause Psyche to fall in love with the ugliest man on earth. Eros agreed, but then fell in love with Psyche on his own, by accidentally pricking himself with a golden arrow.
Dogs (male): Melampus, Ichnobates, [Echnobas], Pamphagos, Dorceus, Oribasus, Nebrophonus, Laelap, Theron, Pterelas, Hylaeus, Nape, Ladon, Poemenis, [Therodanapis], Aura, Lacon, Harpyia, Aello, Dromas, Thous Canache, Cyprius, Sticcte, Labros, Arcas, Agriodus, Tigris, Hylactor, Alce, Harpalus, Lycisca, Melaneus, Lachne, Leucon.
Bitches (female): Melanchaetes, Agre, theridamas, Oreistrophos.
Dogs (male): Acamas, Syrus, Leon, Stilbon, Agrius, Charops, Aethon, Corus, Boreas, Draco, Eudromus, Dromius, Zephyrus, Lampus, Haemon, Cyllopodes, Harpalicus, Machimus, Ichneus, Melampus, Ocydromus, Borax, Ocythous, Pachylus, Obrimus;
Bitches (female): Argo, Arethusa, Urania, Theriope, Dinomache, Dioxippe, Echione, Gorgo, Cyllo, Harpyia, Lynceste, Leaena, Lacaena, Ocyptete, Ocydrome, Oxyrhoe, Orias, *Sagnos, Theriphone, *Volatos, *Chediaetros.
The "bed of Actaeon".
In the second century CE, the traveller Pausanias was shown a spring on the road in Attica leading to Plataea from Eleutherae, just beyond Megara "and a little farther on a rock. It is called the bed of Actaeon, for it is said that he slept thereon when weary with hunting, and that into this spring he looked while Artemis was bathing in it.
Parallels in Akkadian and Ugarit poems.
You loved the herdsman, shepherd and chief shepherd
Who was always heaping up the glowing ashes for you,
And cooked ewe-lambs for you every day.
But you hit him and turned him into a wolf,
His own herd-boys hunt him down
And his dogs tear at his haunches.
Actaeon, torn apart by dogs incited by Artemis, finds another Near Eastern parallel in the Ugaritic hero Aqht, torn apart by eagles incited by Anath who wanted his huntings bow.
The virginal Artemis of classical times is not directly comparable to Ishtar of the many lovers, but the mytheme of Artemis shooting Orion, was linked to her punishment of Actaeon by T.C.W. Stinton; the Greek context of the mortal's reproach to the amorous goddess is translated to the episode of Anchises and Aphrodite. Daphnis too was a herdsman loved by a goddess and punished by her: see Theocritus' First Idyll.
Anglicanism.
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. Anglicanism forms one of the principal traditions of Christianity, together with Protestantism, Roman Catholicism, Oriental Orthodoxy and Eastern Orthodoxy.
The word "Anglican" originates in "ecclesia anglicana", a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 meaning "the English Church". Adherents of Anglicanism are called "Anglicans". The great majority of Anglicans are members of churches which are part of the international Anglican Communion. There are, however, a number of churches outside of the Anglican Communion which also consider themselves to be in the Anglican tradition, most notably those referred to as Continuing Anglican churches.
The faith of Anglicans is founded in the scriptures, the traditions of the apostolic church, the apostolic succession – "historic episcopate" and the early Church Fathers. Anglicanism forms one of the branches of Western Christianity; having definitively declared its independence from the Roman pontiff at the time of the Elizabethan Religious Settlement, in what has been otherwise termed the British monachism. Many of the new Anglican formularies of the mid sixteenth century corresponded closely to those of contemporary Reformed Protestantism; but by the end of the century, the retention in Anglicanism of many traditional liturgical forms and of the episcopate was already seen as unacceptable by those promoting the most developed Protestant principles. In the first half of the 17th century the Church of England and associated episcopal churches in Ireland and in England's American colonies were presented by some Anglican divines as comprising a distinct Christian tradition, with theologies, structures and forms of worship representing a middle ground, or "via media", between Reformed Protestantism and Roman Catholicism; a perspective that came to be highly influential in later theories of Anglican identity, and expressed in the description "Catholic and Reformed". Following the American Revolution, Anglican congregations in the United States and Canada were each reconstituted into an independent church with their own bishops and self-governing structures; which, through the expansion of the British Empire and the activity of Christian missions, was adopted as the model for many newly formed churches, especially in Africa, Australasia and the regions of the Pacific. In the 19th century the term "Anglicanism" was coined to describe the common religious tradition of these churches; as also that of the Scottish Episcopal Church, which, though originating earlier within the Church of Scotland, had come to be recognised as sharing this common identity.
The degree of distinction between Reformed and western Catholic tendencies within the Anglican tradition is routinely a matter of debate both within specific Anglican churches and throughout the "Anglican Communion". Unique to "Anglicanism" is the "Book of Common Prayer", the collection of services that worshippers in most Anglican churches used for centuries. While it has since undergone many revisions and Anglican churches in different countries have developed other service books, the "Prayer Book" is still acknowledged as one of the ties that bind the "Anglican Communion" together. There is no single "Anglican Church" with universal juridical authority, since each national or regional church has full autonomy. As the name suggests, the "Anglican Communion" is an association of those churches in full communion with the Archbishop of Canterbury. With over eighty million members the Anglican Communion is the third largest Christian communion in the world, after the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church.
Terminology.
The word "Anglicanism" is a neologism from the 19th century; constructed from the older word "Anglican". The word refers to the teachings and rites of Christians throughout the world in communion with the see of Canterbury. It has come to be used to refer to the claim of those Churches to a unique religious and theological tradition apart from all other Christian churches, be they Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, or Protestant; and is entirely distinct from the allegiance of some of these churches to the British Crown.
The word "Anglican" originates in, a Medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 meaning "the English Church". As an adjective, "Anglican" is used to describe the people, institutions, and churches as well as the liturgical traditions and theological concepts developed by the Church of England. As a noun, an "Anglican" is a member of a Church in the Anglican Communion. The word is also used by followers of dissenting groups which have left the communion or have been founded separately from it, though the Anglican Communion considers this to be misuse.
Although the term "Anglican" is found referring to the Church of England as far back as the 16th century, its use did not become general until the latter half of the 19th century. In British parliamentary legislation referring to the English Established Church, it is described as the "Protestant Episcopal Church", thereby distinguishing it from the counterpart established "Protestant Presbyterian Church" in Scotland. High Churchmen, who objected to the term "Protestant", initially promoted the form "Reformed Episcopal Church"; and it remains the case that word "Episcopal" is preferred in the title of The Episcopal Church (the province of the Anglican Communion covering the United States) and the Scottish Episcopal Church. Outside of the British Isles, however, the word "Anglican Church" came to be preferred; as it distinguished these churches from others that claimed an episcopal polity; although some churches, in particular the Scottish Episcopal Church, the Church of Ireland and the Church in Wales continue to use the term only with reservations.
Anglicanism defined.
Anglicanism, in its structures, theology, and forms of worship, is commonly understood as a distinct Christian tradition representing a middle ground between what are perceived to be the extremes of the claims of 16th century Roman Catholicism and the Calvinism of that era and its contemporary offshoots, and as such, is often referred to as being a "via media" (or "middle way") between these traditions. The faith of Anglicans is founded in the Scriptures and the Gospels, the traditions of the apostolic Church, the historic episcopate, the first seven ecumenical councils, and the early Church Fathers. Anglicans understand the Old and New Testaments as "containing all things necessary for salvation" and as being the rule and ultimate standard of faith. Anglicans understand the Apostles' Creed as the baptismal symbol, and the Nicene Creed as the sufficient statement of the Christian faith.
Anglicans believe the catholic and apostolic faith is revealed in Holy Scripture and the catholic creeds, and interpret these in light of the Christian tradition of the historic Church, scholarship, reason, and experience.
Anglicans celebrate the traditional sacraments, with special emphasis being given to the Holy Eucharist, also called Holy Communion, the Lord's Supper or the Mass. The Eucharist is central to worship for most Anglicans as a communal offering of prayer and praise in which the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ are proclaimed through prayer, reading of the Bible, singing, and the offering of the bread and wine, giving God thanks over them for the innumerable benefits obtained through the passion of Christ, the breaking of the bread, and reception of the body and blood of Christ as instituted at the Last Supper. Whilst many Anglicans celebrate the Eucharist in similar ways to the predominant western Catholic tradition, a considerable degree of liturgical freedom is permitted, and worship styles range from the simple to elaborate.
Unique to Anglicanism is the Book of Common Prayer (BCP), the collection of services that worshippers in most Anglican churches used for centuries. It was called "common prayer" originally because it was intended for use in all Church of England churches which had previously followed differing local liturgies. The term was kept when the church became international because all Anglicans used to share in its use around the world. In 1549, the first Book of Common Prayer was compiled by Thomas Cranmer, who was then Archbishop of Canterbury. Whilst it has since undergone many revisions and Anglican churches in different countries have developed other service books, the Prayer Book is still acknowledged as one of the ties that bind the Anglican Communion together.
Antarctic Treaty System.
The Antarctic Treaty and related agreements, collectively called the Antarctic Treaty System or ATS, regulate international relations with respect to Antarctica, Earth's only continent without a native human population. For the purposes of the treaty system, Antarctica is defined as all of the land and ice shelves south of 60°S latitude. The treaty, entering into force in 1961 and eventually signed by 47 countries, sets aside Antarctica as a scientific preserve, establishes freedom of scientific investigation and bans military activity on that continent. The treaty was the first arms control agreement established during the Cold War. The Antarctic Treaty Secretariat headquarters have been located in Buenos Aires, Argentina, since September 2004.
The Antarctic Treaty System.
The main treaty was opened for signature on December 1, 1959, and officially entered into force on June 23, 1961. The original signatories were the 12 countries active in Antarctica during the International Geophysical Year (IGY) of 1957–58 and willing to accept a US invitation to the conference at which the treaty was negotiated. The twelve countries had significant interests in Antarctica at the time: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Chile, France, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and the United States. These countries had established over 50 Antarctic stations for the IGY. The treaty was a diplomatic expression of the operational and scientific cooperation that had been achieved "on the ice".
Articles of the Antarctic Treaty.
The main objective of the ATS is to ensure in the interests of all humankind that Antarctica shall continue forever to be used exclusively for peaceful purposes and shall not become the scene or object of international discord. The treaty forbids any measures of a military nature, but not the presence of military personnel.
Meetings.
The Antarctic Treaty System's yearly "Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings (ATCM)" are the international forum for the administration and management of the region. Only 28 of the 46 parties to the agreements have the right to participate in decision-making at these meetings, though the other 18 are still allowed to attend. The decision-making participants are the "Consultative Parties" and, in addition to the 12 original signatories, include 16 countries that have demonstrated their interest in Antarctica by carrying out substantial scientific activity there.
Members.
Note: The table can be sorted alphabetically or chronologically using the icon.
, there are 46 treaty member nations: 28 consultative and 18 acceding. Consultative (voting) members include the seven nations that claim portions of Antarctica as national territory. The 21 non-claimant nations either do not recognize the claims of others, or have not stated their positions.
Antarctic Treaty Secretariat.
The Antarctic Treaty Secretariat was established in Buenos Aires, Argentina in September 2004 by the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM). Mr. Jan Huber (from the Netherlands) served as the first Executive Secretary for five years until August 31, 2009. He was succeeded on September 1, 2009 by Mr. Manfred Reinke (Germany), appointed for a four-year term.
There are 46 countries that own bases in Antarctica.
Legal system.
Antarctica has no permanent population and hence no citizenship or government. All personnel present on Antarctica at any time are citizens or nationals of some sovereignty outside of Antarctica, as there is no Antarctic sovereignty. The majority of Antarctica is claimed by one or more countries, but most countries do not explicitly recognize those claims. The area on the mainland between 90 degrees west and 150 degrees west, combined with the interior of the Norwegian Sector (the extent of which has never been officially defined), is the only major land on Earth not claimed by any country.
Governments that are party to the Antarctic Treaty and its Protocol on Environmental Protection implement the articles of these agreements, and decisions taken under them, through national laws. These laws generally apply only to their own citizens, wherever they are in Antarctica, and serve to enforce the consensus decisions of the consultative parties: about which activities are acceptable, which areas require permits to enter, what processes of environmental impact assessment must precede activities, and so on. The Antarctic Treaty is often considered to represent an example of the Common heritage of mankind principle.
Argentina.
According to Argentine regulations, any crime committed within 50 kilometers of any Argentine base is to be judged in Ushuaia (as capital of Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica, and South Atlantic Islands). In the part of Argentine Antarctica that is also claimed by Chile and UK, the person to be judged can ask to be transferred there.
Australia.
Since the designation of the Australian Antarctic Territory pre-dated the signing of the Antarctic Treaty, some of the complex suite of Australian laws that relate to Antarctica date from more than two decades before the Antarctic Treaty era. In terms of criminal law, the laws that apply to the Jervis Bay Territory (which follows the laws of the Australian Capital Territory) apply to the Australian Antarctic Territory. Key Australian legislation applying Antarctic Treaty System decisions include the "Antarctic Treaty Act 1960", the "Antarctic Treaty (Environment Protection) Act 1980" and the "Antarctic Marine Living Resources Conservation Act 1981".
United States.
The law of the United States, including certain criminal offenses by or against U.S. nationals, such as murder, may apply to areas not under jurisdiction of other countries. To this end, the United States now stations special deputy U.S. Marshals in Antarctica to provide a law enforcement presence.
Some U.S. laws directly apply to Antarctica. For example, the Antarctic Conservation Act,
Violation of the Antarctic Conservation Act carries penalties of up to US$10,000 in fines and one year in prison. The Departments of the Treasury, Commerce, Transportation, and the Interior share enforcement responsibilities.
The Act requires expeditions from the U.S. to Antarctica to notify, in advance, the Office of Oceans and Polar Affairs of the State Department, which reports such plans to other nations as required by the Antarctic Treaty. Further information is provided by the Office of Polar Programs of the National Science Foundation.
New Zealand.
In 2006, the New Zealand police reported that jurisdictional issues prevented them issuing warrants for potential American witnesses who were reluctant to testify during the Christchurch Coroner's investigation into the death by poisoning of Australian astrophysicist Rodney Marks at the South Pole base in May 2000. Dr. Marks died while wintering over at the United States' Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station located at the geographic South Pole. Prior to autopsy, the death was attributed to natural causes by the National Science Foundation and the contractor administering the base. However, an autopsy in New Zealand revealed that Dr. Marks died from methanol poisoning. The New Zealand Police launched an investigation. In 2006, frustrated by lack of progress, the Christchurch Coroner said that it was unlikely that Dr. Marks ingested the methanol knowingly, although there is no certainty that he died as the direct result of the act of another person. During media interviews, the police detective in charge of the investigation criticized the National Science Foundation and contractor Raytheon for failing to co-operate with the investigation.
Alfred Lawson.
Alfred William Lawson (March 24, 1869 – November 29, 1954) was a professional baseball player, manager and league promoter from 1887 through 1916 and went on to play a pioneering role in the U.S. aircraft industry, publishing two early aviation trade journals. In 1904, he also wrote a novel, "Born Again", clearly inspired by the popular Utopian fantasy "Looking Backward" by Edward Bellamy, an early harbinger of the metaphysical turn his career would take with the theory of Lawsonomy. He is frequently cited as the inventor of the airliner and was awarded several of the first air mail contracts, which he ultimately could not fulfill. He founded the Lawson Aircraft Company in Green Bay, Wisconsin, to build military training aircraft and later the Lawson Airplane Company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to build airliners. The crash of his ambitious "Midnight Liner" during its trial flight takeoff on May 8, 1921, ended his best chance for commercial aviation success.
Lawsonomy.
In the 1920s, he promoted health practices including vegetarianism and claimed to have found the secret of living to 200. He also developed his own highly unusual theories of physics, according to which such concepts as "penetrability", "suction and pressure" and "zig-zag-and-swirl" were discoveries on par with Einstein's Theory of Relativity. He published numerous books on these concepts, all set in a distinctive typography. Lawson repeatedly predicted the worldwide adoption of Lawsonian principles by the year 2000.
He later propounded his own philosophy—Lawsonomy—and the Lawsonian religion. He also developed, during the Great Depression, the populist economic theory of "Direct Credits", according to which banks are the cause of all economic woe, the oppressors of both capital and labour. Lawson believed that the government should replace banks as the provider of loans to business and workers. His rallies and lectures attracted thousands of listeners in the early 30s, mainly in the upper Midwest, but by the late 30s the crowds had dwindled.
In 1943, he founded the unaccredited University of Lawsonomy in Des Moines to spread his teachings and offer the degree of "Knowledgian," but after various IRS and other investigations it was closed and finally sold in 1954, the year of Lawson's death. Lawson's financial arrangements remain mysterious to this day, and in later years he seems to have owned little property, moving from city to city as a guest of his farflung acolytes. A 1952 attempt to haul him before a Senate investigative committee and get to the bottom of his operation ended with the old man leaving the senators baffled and unimpressed.
Martin Gardner devoted an entire chapter of "Fads and Fallacies in the Name of Science" to Lawsonomy.
A farm near Racine, Wisconsin, is the only remaining university facility, although a tiny handful of churches may yet survive in places such as Wichita, Kansas. The large sign, formerly reading "University of Lawsonomy", was a familiar landmark for motorists in the region for many years and was visible from I-94 about 13 miles north of the Illinois state line, on the east side of the highway. Although the sign still exists, the "of" has now been replaced by the URL of their website. As of a storm in spring 2009, the sign is no longer there although the supporting posts are still visible. Driving north on I-94 a sign on the roof of the building nearest the freeway says "Study Natural Law."
Ames, Iowa.
Ames is a city located in the central part of the U.S. state of Iowa in Story County, and approximately north of Des Moines. It is the principal city of the Ames, Iowa
Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Story County, and which, when combined with the Boone, Iowa Micropolitan Statistical Area, comprises the larger Ames-Boone Combined Statistical Area. As of the 2000 Census, the city population was 50,731. While Ames is the largest city in Story County, the county seat is in Nevada which is east of Ames.
Redox properties of liquid ammonia.
The range of thermodynamic stability of liquid ammonia solutions is very narrow, as the potential for oxidation to dinitrogen, "E"° (N2 + 6NH4+ + 6e− 8NH3), is only +0.04 V. In practice, both oxidation to dinitrogen and reduction to dihydrogen are slow. This is particularly true of reducing solutions: the solutions of the alkali metals mentioned above are stable for several days, slowly decomposing to the metal amide and dihydrogen. Most studies involving liquid ammonia solutions are done in reducing conditions: although oxidation of liquid ammonia is usually slow, there is still a risk of explosion, particularly if transition metal ions are present as possible catalysts.
Detection and determination.
Ammonia and ammonium salts can be readily detected, in very minute traces, by the addition of Nessler's solution, which gives a distinct yellow coloration in the presence of the least trace of ammonia or ammonium salts. Sulfur sticks are burnt to detect small leaks in industrial ammonia refrigeration systems. Larger quantities can be detected by warming the salts with a caustic alkali or with quicklime, when the characteristic smell of ammonia will be at once apparent. The amount of ammonia in ammonium salts can be estimated quantitatively by distillation of the salts with sodium or potassium hydroxide, the ammonia evolved being absorbed in a known volume of standard sulfuric acid and the excess of acid then determined volumetrically; or the ammonia may be absorbed in hydrochloric acid and the ammonium chloride so formed precipitated as ammonium hexachloroplatinate, (NH4)2PtCl6.
Interstellar space.
Ammonia was first detected in interstellar space in 1968, based on microwave emissions from the direction of the galactic core. This was the first polyatomic molecule to be so detected.
The sensitivity of the molecule to a broad range of excitations and the ease with which it can be observed in a number of regions has made ammonia one of the most important molecules for studies of molecular clouds. The relative intensity of the ammonia lines can be used to measure the temperature of the emitting medium.
The detection of triply-deuterated ammonia was considered a surprise as deuterium is relatively scarce. It is thought that the low-temperature conditions allow this molecule to survive and accumulate. The ammonia molecule has also been detected in the atmospheres of the gas giant planets, including Jupiter, along with other gases like methane, hydrogen, and helium. The interior of Saturn may include frozen crystals of ammonia. It is naturally found on Deimos and phobos; the moons of Mars.
Since its interstellar discovery, NH3 has proved to be an invaluable spectroscopic tool in the study of the interstellar medium. With a large number of transitions sensitive to a wide range of excitation conditions, NH3 has been widely astronomically detected – its detection has been reported in hundreds of journal articles. Listed below is a sample of journal articles that highlights the range of detectors that have been used to identify ammonia.
Single antenna detections.
Radio observations of NH3 from the Effelsberg 100-m Radio Telescope reveal that the ammonia line is separated into two components – a background ridge and an unresolved core. The background corresponds well with the locations previously-detected CO. The 25 m Chilbolton telescope in England detected radio signatures of ammonia in H II regions, HNH2O masers, H-H objects, and other objects associated with star formation. A comparison of emission line widths indicates that turbulent or systematic velocities do not increase in the central cores of molecular clouds.
Microwave radiation from ammonia was observed in several galactic objects including W3(OH), Orion A, W43, W51, and five sources in the galactic centre. The high detection rate indicates that this is a common molecule in the interstellar medium and that high-density regions are common in the galaxy.
Interferometric studies.
VLA observations of NH3 in seven regions with high-velocity gaseous outflows reveal condensations of less than 0.1 pc in L1551, S140, and Cepheus A. Three individual condensations were detected in Cepheus A, one of them with a highly elongated shape. They may play an important role in creating the bipolar outflow in the region.
Extragalactic ammonia was imaged using the VLA in IC 342. The hot gas has temperatures above 70 K inferred from ammonia line ratios and appears to be closely associated with the innermost portions of the nuclear bar seen in CO. NH3 was also monitored by VLA towards a sample of four galactic ultracompact HII regions: G9.62+0.19, G10.47+0.03, G29.96-0.02, and G31.41+0.31. Based upon temperature and density diagnostics, it is concluded that in general such clumps are likely to be the sites of massive star formation in an early evolutionary phase prior to the development of an ultracompact HII region.
Infrared detections.
Absorption at 2.97 micrometres due to solid ammonia was recorded from interstellar grains in the Becklin-Neugebauer Object and probably in NGC 2264-IR as well. This detection helped explaining the physical shape of previously poorly understood and related ice absorption lines.
A spectrum of the disk of Jupiter was obtained from the Kuiper Airborne Observatory, covering the 100 to 300 cm−1 spectral range. Analysis of the spectrum provides information on global mean properties of ammonia gas and an ammonia ice haze.
A total of 149 dark cloud positions were surveyed for evidence of 'dense cores' by using the (J,K) = (1,1) rotating inversion line of NH3. The cores are not generally spherically shaped, with aspect ratios ranging from 1.1 to 4.4. It is also found that cores with stars have broader lines than cores without stars.
Ammonia has been detected in the Draco Nebula and in one or possibly two molecular clouds, which are associated with the high-latitude galactic infrared cirrus. The finding is significant because they may represent the birthplaces for the Population I metallicity B-type stars in the galactic halo which could have been borne in the galactic disk.
Astronomical observations and research applications.
The study of interstellar ammonia has been important to a number of areas of research in the last few decades. Some of these are delineated below and primarily involve using ammonia as an interstellar thermometer.
Observations of nearby dark clouds.
By balancing and stimulated emission with spontaneous emission, it is possible to construct a relation between excitation temperature and density. Moreover, since the transitional levels of ammonia can be approximated by a 2-level system at low temperatures, this calculation is fairly simple. This premise can be applied to dark clouds, regions suspected of having extremely low temperatures and possible sites for future star formation. Detections of ammonia in dark clouds show very narrow lines — indicative not only of low temperatures, but also of a low level of inner-cloud turbulence. Line ratio calculations provide a measurement of cloud temperature that is independent of previous CO observations. The ammonia observations were consistent with CO measurements of rotation temperatures of ~10 K. With this, densities can be determined, and have been calculated to range between 104 and 105 cm−3 in dark clouds. Mapping of NH3 gives typical clouds sizes of 0.1 pc and masses near 1 solar mass. These cold, dense cores are the sites of future star formation.
UC HII regions.
Ultra-compact HII regions are among the best tracers of high-mass star formation. The dense material surrounding UCHII regions is likely primarily molecular. Since a complete study of massive star formation necessarily involves the cloud from which the star formed, ammonia is an invaluable tool in understanding this surrounding molecular material. Since this molecular material can be spatially resolved, it is possible to constrain the heating/ionising sources, temperatures, masses, and sizes of the regions. Doppler-shifted velocity components allow for the separation of distinct regions of molecular gas which can trace outflows and hot cores originating from forming stars.
Extragalactic detection.
Ammonia has been detected in external galaxies, and by simultaneously measuring several lines, it is possible to directly measure the gas temperature in these galaxies. Line ratios imply that gas temperatures are warm (~50 K), originating from dense clouds with sizes of tens of pc. This picture is consistent with the picture within our Milky Way galaxy — hot dense molecular cores form around newly-forming stars embedded in larger clouds of molecular material on the scale of several hundred pc (giant molecular clouds; GMCs).
Safety precautions.
The U. S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has set a 15-minute exposure limit for gaseous ammonia of 35 ppm by volume in the environmental air and an 8-hour exposure limit of 25 ppm by volume. NIOSH recently reduced the IDLH from 500 to 300 based on recent more conservative interpretations of original research in 1943. IDLH (Immediately Dangerous to Life and Health) is the level to which a healthy worker can be exposed for 30 minutes without suffering irreversible health effects. Other organizations have varying exposure levels. U.S. Navy Standards [U.S. Bureau of Ships 1962] maximum allowable concentrations (MACs):continuous exposure (60 days): 25 ppm / 1 hour: 400 ppm Ammonia vapour has a sharp, irritating, pungent odour that acts as a warning of potentially dangerous exposure. The average odour threshold is 5 ppm, well below any danger or damage. Exposure to very high concentrations of gaseous ammonia can result in lung damage and death. Although ammonia is regulated in the United States as a non-flammable gas, it still meets the definition of a material that is toxic by inhalation and requires a hazardous safety permit when transported in quantities greater than 13,248 L (3,500 gallons).
Toxicity and storage information.
The toxicity of ammonia solutions does not usually cause problems for humans and other mammals, as a specific mechanism exists to prevent its build-up in the bloodstream. Ammonia is converted to carbamoyl phosphate by the enzyme carbamoyl phosphate synthetase, and then enters the urea cycle to be either incorporated into amino acids or excreted in the urine. However, fish and amphibians lack this mechanism, as they can usually eliminate ammonia from their bodies by direct excretion. Ammonia even at dilute concentrations is highly toxic to aquatic animals, and for this reason it is classified as "dangerous for the environment". Ammonium compounds should never be allowed to come in contact with bases (unless in an intended and contained reaction), as dangerous quantities of ammonia gas could be released.
Household use.
Solutions of ammonia (5–10% by weight) are used as household cleaners, particularly for glass. These solutions are irritating to the eyes and mucous membranes (respiratory and digestive tracts), and to a lesser extent the skin. Caution should be used that the chemical is never mixed into any liquid containing bleach, or a poisonous gas may result. Mixing with chlorine-containing products or strong oxidants, for example household bleach can lead to hazardous compounds such as chloramines.
Laboratory use of ammonia solutions.
The hazards of ammonia solutions depend on the concentration: "dilute" ammonia solutions are usually 5–10% by weight (25% by weight. A 25% (by weight) solution has a density of 0.907 g/cm3, and a solution which has a lower density will be more concentrated. The European Union classification of ammonia solutions is given in the table.
The ammonia vapour from concentrated ammonia solutions is severely irritating to the eyes and the respiratory tract, and these solutions should only be handled in a fume hood. Saturated ("0.880") solutions can develop a significant pressure inside a closed bottle in warm weather, and the bottle should be opened with care; this is not usually a problem for 25% ("0.900") solutions.
There are similarities and differences between such figures in reports about Basilides' teaching, ancient Gnostic texts, the larger Greco-Roman magical traditions, and modern magical and esoteric writings. Opinions abound on Abraxas, who in recent centuries has been claimed to be both an Egyptian god and a demon. The Swiss Psychologist Carl Jung wrote a short Gnostic treatise in 1916 called "The Seven Sermons to the Dead", which called Abraxas a God higher than the Christian God and Devil, that combines all opposites into one Being.
Sources.
It is uncertain what the actual role and function of Abrasax was in the Basilidian system, as our authorities often show no direct acquaintance with the doctrines of Basilides himself.
As an archon.
In the system described by Irenaeus, "the Unbegotten Father" is the progenitor of "Nous", and from "Nous Logos", from "Logos Phronesis", from "Phronesis Sophia" and "Dynamis", from "Sophia" and "Dynamis" principalities, powers, and angels, the last of whom create "the first heaven." They in turn originate a second series, who create a second heaven. The process continues in like manner until 365 heavens are in existence, the angels of the last or visible heaven being the authors of our world. "The ruler" ["principem, i.e.". probably "ton archonta"] of the 365 heavens "is Abraxas, and for this reason he contains within himself 365 numbers."
As a god.
Epiphanius ("Haer". 69, 73 f.) appears to follow partly Irenaeus, partly the lost Compendium of Hippolytus. He designates Abrasax more distinctly as "the power above all, and First Principle," "the cause and first archetype" of all things; and mentions that the Basilidians referred to 365 as the number of parts ("mele") in the human body, as well as of days in the year.
The author of the appendix to Tertullian "De Praescr. Haer". (c. 4), who likewise follows Hippolytus's Compendium, adds some further particulars; that 'Abraxas' gave birth to Mind ("nous"), the first in the series of primary powers enumerated likewise by Irenaeus and Epiphanius; that the world, as well as the 365 heavens, was created in honour of 'Abraxas;' and that Christ was sent not by the Maker of the world but by 'Abraxas.'
Nothing can be built on the vague allusions of Jerome, according to whom 'Abraxas' meant for Basilides "the greatest God" ("De vir. ill". 21), "the highest God" ("Dial. adv. Lucif". 23), "the Almighty God" ("Comm. in Amos" iii. 9), and "the Lord the Creator" ("Comm. in Nah". i. 11). The notices in Theodoret ("Haer. fab". i. 4), Augustine ("Haer". 4), and 'Praedestinatus' (i. 3), have no independent value.
It is evident from these particulars that Abrasax was the name of the first of the 365 Archons, and accordingly stood below Sophia and Dynamis and their progenitors; but his position is not expressly stated, so that the writer of the supplement to Tertullian had some excuse for confusing him with "the Supreme God."
As an Aeon.
With the availability of primary sources, such as the those in Nag Hammadi library, the identity of Abrasax remains unclear. The "Holy Book of the Great Invisible Spirit", for instance, refers to Abrasax as an Aeon dwelling with Sophia and other Aeons of the Pleroma in the light of the luminary Eleleth. In several texts, the luminary Eleleth is the last of the luminaries (Spiritual Lights) that come forward, and it is the Aeon Sophia, associated with Eleleth, who encounters darkness and becomes involved in the chain of events that leads to the Demiurge's rule of this world, and the salvage effort that ensues. As such, the role of Aeons of Eleleth, including Abrasax, Sophia, and others, pertains to this outer border of the Pleroma that encounters the ignorance of the world of Lack and interacts to rectify the error of ignorance in the world of materiality.
Abrasax stones.
A vast number of engraved stones are in existence, to which the name "Abrasax-stones" has long been given. One particularly fine example was included as part of the Thetford treasure from fourth century Norfolk, UK. The subjects are mythological, and chiefly grotesque, with various inscriptions, in which ΑΒΡΑΣΑΞ often occurs, alone or with other words. Sometimes the whole space is taken up with the inscription. In certain obscure magical writings of Egyptian origin ἀβραξάς or ἀβρασάξ is found associated with other names which frequently accompany it on gems; it is also found on the Greek metal "tesseræ" among other mystic words. The meaning of the legends is seldom intelligible: but some of the gems are amulets; and the same may be the case with nearly all.
Anguipede.
In a great majority of instances the name Abrasax is associated with a singular composite figure, having a Chimera-like appearance somewhat resembling a basilisk or the Greek primordial god Chronos (not to be confused with the Greek titan Cronus). According to E. A. Wallis Budge, "as a Pantheus, i.e. All-God, he appears on the amulets with the head of a cock (Phœbus) or of a lion (Ra or Mithras), the body of a man, and his legs are serpents which terminate in scorpions, types of the Agathodaimon. In his right hand he grasps a club, or a flail, and in his left is a round or oval shield." This form was also referred to as the Anguipede. Budge surmised that Abrasax was "a form of the Adam Kadmon of the Kabbalists and the Primal Man whom God made in His own image."
Some parts at least of the figure above mentioned are solar symbols, and the Basilidian Abrasax is manifestly connected with the sun. J. J. Bellermann has speculated that "the whole represents the Supreme Being, with his Five great Emanations, each one pointed out by means of an expressive emblem. Thus, from the human body, the usual form assigned to the Deity, forasmuch as it is written that God created man in his own image, issue the two supporters, "Nous" and "Logos", symbols of the inner sense and the quickening understanding, as typified by the serpents, for the same reason that had induced the old Greeks to assign this reptile for an attribute to Pallas. His head—a cock's—represents "Phronesis", the fowl being emblematical of foresight and vigilance. His two hands bear the badges of "Sophia" and "Dynamis", the shield of Wisdom, and the scourge of Power."
Hebraic names.
These Abrasax-stones often bear Hebraic names of God: Iao, Sabaoth, Adonai, Eloai. The name ΙΑΩ, to which ΣΑΒΑΩΘ is sometimes added, is found with this figure even more frequently than ΑΒΡΑΣΑΞ, and they are often combined. Beside an Abrasax figure the following, for instance, is found: IAΩ ABPAΣAΞ AΔΩN ΑΤΑ, "Iao Abrasax, thou art the Lord". With the Abrasax-shield are also found the divine names Sabaoth Iao, Iao Abrasax, Adonai Abrasax, etc.
Magical papyri.
The magic papyri reflect the same ideas as the Abrasax-gems. The following example will suffice: "Iao Sabaoth, Adonai... Abrasax". The patriarchs are sometimes addressed as deities; for which fact many instances may be adduced. In the group "Iakoubia, Iaosabaoth Adonai Abrasax," the first name seems to be composed of Jacob and Ya.
Origin.
Incantations by mystic names were characteristic of the hybrid Gnosticism planted in Spain and southern Gaul at the end of the fourth century and at the beginning of the fifth, which Jerome connects with Basilides, and which (according to his "Epist"., lxxv.) used the name Abrasax.
It is therefore not unlikely that some Gnostics used amulets, though the confident assertions of modern writers to this effect rest on no authority. Isaac de Beausobre properly calls attention to the significant silence of Clement in the two passages in which he instructs the Christians of Alexandria on the right use of rings and gems, and the figures which may legitimately be engraved on them ("Paed". 241 ff.; 287 ff.). But no attempt to identify the figures on existing gems with the personages of Gnostic mythology has had any success, and "Abrasax" is the only Gnostic term found in the accompanying legends which is not known to belong to other religions or mythologies. The present state of the evidence therefore suggests that their engravers and the Basilidians received the mystic name from a common source now unknown.
Having due regard to the magic papyri, in which many of the unintelligible names of the Abrasax-stones reappear, besides directions for making and using gems with similar figures and formulas for magical purposes, it can scarcely be doubted that many of these stones are pagan amulets and instruments of magic.
Etymology.
Gaius Julius Hyginus ("Fab". 183) gives "Abrax Aslo Therbeeo" as names of horses of the sun mentioned by 'Homerus.' The passage is miserably corrupt: but it may not be accidental that the first three syllables make Abraxas.
The proper form of the name is evidently "Abrasax", as with the Greek writers, Hippolytus, Epiphanias, Didymus ("De Trin". iii. 42), and Theodoret; also Augustine and 'Praedestinatus'; and in nearly all the legends on gems. By a probably euphonic inversion the translator of Irenaeus and the other Latin authors have "Abraxas", which is found in the magical papyri, and even, though most sparingly, on engraved stones.
Greek.
Perhaps the word may be included among those mysterious expressions discussed by Adolf von Harnack, “which belong to no known speech, and by their singular collocation of vowels and consonants give evidence that they belong to some mystic dialect, or take their origin from some supposed divine inspiration.”
Yet we may with better reason suppose that it came originally from a foreign mythology, and that the accident of its numerical value in Greek merely caused it to be singled out at Alexandria for religious use. It is worth notice that ΜΕΙΘΡΑΣ and ΝΕΙΛΟΣ have the same value. The Egyptian author of the book "De Mysteriis" in reply to Porphyry (vii. 4) admits a preference of 'barbarous' to vernacular names in sacred things, urging a peculiar sanctity in the languages of certain nations, as the Egyptians and Assyrians; and Origen ("Contra Cels". i. 24) refers to the 'potent names' used by Egyptian sages, Persian Magi, and Indian Brahmins, signifying deities in the several languages.
Carl Jung (Seven Sermons to the Dead).
Abraxas is an important figure in "Seven Sermons", a representation of the driving force of individuation (synthesis, maturity, oneness), referred with the figures for the driving forces of differentiation (emergence of consciousness and opposites), Helios God-the-Sun, and the Devil.
Aleister Crowley.
Crowley's "Gnostic Mass" contains highly sexual material, as well as references to the author's modern religion of Thelema. This mass is mainly taken from Epiphanius' account of a Phibionite mass ("Haer." 25, 26), from which Crowley borrowed liberally in writing this rite. The hostile accounts of heresiologists often attempted to characterize Gnostic rituals as orgiastic; many contemporary scholars only peripherally utilize the church fathers' accounts of the Gnostics, as primary sources such as the Nag Hammadi Library are now available.
Books.
In the novel "Utopia" by Thomas More, the island with the same name of the novel once had the name "Abraxas".
Abraxas is one of the subjects of Hermann Hesse's novel Demian.
In Hugo Pratt's story "Favola di Venezia - Sirat Al-Bunduqiyyah" ("Fable of Venice"), Corto Maltese encounters several Abraxas in Venice.
Aachen.
Aachen (is also known in English by its French name Aix-la-Chapelle, see "Names" below) has historically been a spa city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
Aachen was a favoured residence of Charlemagne, and the place of coronation of the Kings of Germany. Geographically, Aachen is the westernmost city of Germany, located along its borders with Belgium and the Netherlands, west of Cologne.
RWTH Aachen University, one of the Germany's Universities of Excellence, is located in the city. Aachen's predominate economic focus is on science, engineering, information technology and related sectors. For innovation, Aachen is currently ranked 8th among cities in Germany.
History.
A quarry on the Lousberg which was first used in Neolithic times attests to the long occupation of the site of Aachen.
No larger settlements, however, have been found to have existed in this remote rural area, distant at least 15 km from the nearest road even in Roman times, up to the early medieval period when the place is mentioned as a king's mansion for the first time, not long before Charlemagne became ruler of the Franks.
Since Roman times, the hot springs at Aachen have been channeled into baths. There are currently two places to "take the waters", at the Carolus Thermen complex and the bathhouse in Burtscheid.
There is some documentary proof that the Romans named the hot sulfur springs of Aachen "Aquis-Granum", and indeed to this day the city is known in Spanish as Aquisgrán and in Polish as Akwizgran. The name "Granus" has lately been identified as that of a Celtic deity.
In French-speaking areas of the former Empire, the word "aquis" evolved into the modern "Aix".
The Middle Ages.
After Roman times, Einhard mentions that in 765–6 Pippin the Younger spent both Christmas and Easter at "Aquis villa" ("), which must have been sufficiently equipped to support the royal household for several months. In the year of his coronation as King of Franks, 768, Charlemagne came to spend Christmas at Aachen for the first time. He went on to remain there in a mansion which he may have extended, although there is no source attesting any significant building activity at Aachen in his time apart from the building of the Palatine Chapel in Aachen (since 1929, cathedral) and the palatial presentation halls. Charlemagne spent most winters between 792 and his death in 814 in Aachen, which became the focus of his court and the political center of his empire. After his death, the king was buried in the church which he had built; his original tomb has been lost, while his alleged remains are preserved in the shrine where he was reburied after being declared a saint; his saintliness, however, was never very widely acknowledged outside the bishopric of Liège where he may still be venerated by tradition.
In 936, Otto I was crowned king of the kingdom in the collegiate church built by Charlemagne. Over the next 500 years, most kings of Germany destined to reign over the Holy Roman Empire were crowned "King of the Germans" in Aachen. The last king to be crowned here was Ferdinand I in 1531. During the Middle Ages, Aachen remained a city of regional importance, due to its proximity to Flanders, achieving a modest position in the trade in woollen cloths, favoured by imperial privilege. The city remained a Free Imperial City, subject to the Emperor only, but was politically far too weak to influence the policies of any of its neighbors. The only dominion it had was over Burtscheid, a neighboring territory ruled by a Benedictine abbess and forced to accept that all of its traffic must pass through the "Aachener Reich". Even in the late eighteenth century, the Abbess of Burtscheid was prevented from building a road linking her territory to the neighbouring estates of the duke of Jülich; the city of Aachen even deployed its handful of soldiers to chase away the road-diggers.
From the early sixteenth century, Aachen lost power. A fire devastated the city in 1656. Aachen became attractive as a spa by the middle of the seventeenth century, not so much because of the effects of the hot springs on the health of its visitors but because Aachen was then — and remained well into the nineteenth century — a place of high-level prostitution in Europe. Traces of this hidden agenda of the city's history is found in the eighteenth century guidebooks to Aachen as well as to the other spas; the main indication for visiting patients, ironically, was syphilis; only by the end of the nineteenth century had rheuma become the most important object of cures at Aachen and Burtscheid. This explains why Aachen was chosen as site of several important congresses and peace treaties: the first congress of Aachen (often referred to as "Congress of Aix-la-Chapelle" in English) in 1668, leading to the First Treaty of Aachen in the same year which ended the War of Devolution. The second congress ended with the second treaty in 1748, finishing the War of the Austrian Succession. The third congress took place in 1818 to decide the fate of occupied Napoleonic France.
The nineteenth century.
By the middle of the nineteenth century, industrialization swept away most of the city's medieval rules of production and commerce, although the entirely corrupt remains of the city's mediæval constitution was kept in place (compare the famous remarks of Georg Forster in his "Ansichten vom Niederrhein") until 1801, when Aachen became the "chef-lieu du département de la Roer" in Napoléon's First French Empire. In 1815 after the Napoleonic Wars, the Kingdom of Prussia took over and the city became one of its most socially and politically backward centres until the end of the nineteenth century. Administered within the Rhine Province, by 1880 the population was 80,000. Starting in 1840, the railway from Cologne to Belgium passed through Aachen. The city suffered extreme overcrowding and deplorable sanitary conditions up to 1875 when the mediæval fortifications were finally abandoned as a limit to building operations and new, less miserable quarters were built to the eastern part of the city where drainage of waste liquids was the easiest. In the nineteenth century and up to the 1930s, the city was important for the production of railway locomotives and carriages, iron, pins, needles, buttons, tobacco, woollen goods, and silk goods.
The twentieth century.
Aachen was heavily damaged during World War II. It was taken by the Allies on 21 October 1944; the first German city to be captured. Aachen was destroyed partially — and in some parts completely — during the fighting, mostly by American artillery fire and demolitions by Waffen-SS defenders. Damaged buildings included the mediæval churches of St. Foillan, St. Paul and St. Nicholas, and the Rathaus (city hall), although the Aachen Cathedral was largely unscathed. Only 4,000 inhabitants remained in the city; the rest had followed evacuation orders. Its first Allied-appointed mayor, Franz Oppenhoff, was murdered by an SS commando unit.
While the emperor's palace no longer exists, the church built by Charlemagne is still the main attraction of the city. In addition to holding the remains of its founder, it became the burial place of his successor Otto III. Aachen Cathedral has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Main sights.
The Aachen Cathedral was erected on the orders of Charlemagne in 786 AD and was on completion the largest dome north of the Alps. On his death Charlemagne's remains were interred in the cathedral and can be seen there to this date. The cathedral was extended several times in later ages, turning it into a curious and unique mixture of building styles.
The fourteenth-century city hall lies between two central places, the "Markt" (market place) and the "Katschhof" (between city hall and cathedral). The coronation hall is on the first floor of the building. Inside you can find five frescoes by the Aachen artist Alfre Rethel which show legendary scenes from the life of Charlemagne, as well as Charlemagne's signature.
The "Grashaus", a late medieval house at the Markt, is one of the oldest non-religious buildings in downtown Aachen. It hosts the city archive. The Grashaus was the former city hall before the present building took over this function.
The "Elisenbrunnen" is one of the most famous sights of Aachen. It is a neoclassical hall covering one of the city's famous fountains. It is just a minute away from the cathedral. Just a few steps in southeastern direction lies the nineteenth century theatre.
Also well known and well worth seeing are the two remaining city gates, the "Ponttor", one half mile northwest of the cathedral, and the "Kleinmarschiertor", close to the central railway station. There are also a few parts of both medieval city walls left, most of them integrated in more recent buildings, some others visible. There are even five towers left, some of which are used for housing.
There are many other places and objects worth seeing, for example a notable number of churches and monasteries, a few remarkable seventeenth- and eighteenth-century buildings in the particular Baroque style typical of the region, a collection of statues and monuments, park areas, cemeteries, amongst others. The area's industrial history is reflected in dozens of nineteenth- and early twentieth-century manufacturing sites in the city.
Economy.
Aachen has a large number of spin-offs from the university's IT-technology department and is a major centre of IT development in Germany. Due to the low level of investment in cross-border railway projects, the city has preserved a slot within the Thalys high-speed train network which uses existing tracks on its last 70 km from Belgium to Cologne.
The airport that serves Aachen, Maastricht Aachen Airport, is located about 40 km away in Dutch territory, close to the town of Beek.
Aachen was the administrative centre for the coal-mining industries in neighbouring places to the northeast; it never played any role in brown coal mining, however, neither in administrative or industrial terms.
Products manufactured in or around Aachen include electronics, chemicals, plastics, textiles, glass, cosmetics, and needles and pins. Its most important source of revenue, the textile industries, have been dead for almost half a century now.
Robert Browning's poem "How they brought the good news from Ghent to Aix" refers to Aachen, but not to any historical fact.
The Lombards penetrated into Italy without meeting any resistance from the border troops ("milities limitanei"). The Byzantine military resources available on the spot were scant and of dubious loyalty, and the border forts may well have been left unmanned. What seems certain is that archaeological excavations have found no sign of violent confrontation in the sites that have been excavated. This agrees with Paul the Deacon's narrative, who speaks of a Lombard takeover in Friuli "without any hindrance".
The first town to fall into the Lombards' hands was Forum Iulii (Cividale del Friuli), the seat of the local "magister militum". Alboin chose this walled centre close to the frontier to be capital of the Duchy of Friuli and made his nephew and shield bearer Gisulf duke of the region with the specific duty of defending the borders from eventual Byzantine or Avar attacks from the east. Gisulf obtained from his uncle the right to choose for his duchy those "farae", or clans, that he preferred.
Alboin's decision to create a duchy and designate a duke were both important innovations; until then, the Lombards had never had dukes or duchies based on a walled town. The innovation adopted was part of Alboin's borrowing of Roman and Ostrogothic administrative models, as in Late Antiquity the "comes civitatis" (city count) was the main local authority, with full administrative powers in his region. But the shift from count ("comes") to duke ("dux") and from county ("comitatus") to duchy ("ducatus") also signalled the progressive militarization of Italy. The selection of a fortified town as the centre for the new duchy was also an important change from the time in Pannonia, for while urbanized settlements had previously been ignored by the Lombards, now a considerable part of the nobility settled itself in Forum Iulii, a pattern that was repeated regularly by the Lombards in their other duchies.
Conquest of Milan.
From Forum Iulii, Alboin next reached Aquileia, the most important road junction in the northeast, and the administrative capital of Venetia. The imminent arrival of the Lombards had a considerable impact on the city's population; the Patriarch of Aquileia Paulinus fled with his clergy and flock to the island of Grado in Byzantine-controlled territory.
From Aquileia, Alboin took the Via Postumia and swept through Venetia, taking in rapid succession Tarvisium (Treviso), Vicentia (Vicenza), Verona, Brixia (Brescia) and Bergomum (Bergamo). The Lombards faced difficulties only in taking Opitergium (Oderzo), which Alboin decided to avoid, as he similarly avoided tackling the main Venetian towns closer to the coast on the Via Annia, such as Altinum, Patavium (Padova), Mons Silicis (Monselice), Mantua and Cremona. The invasion of Venetia generated a considerable level of turmoil, spurring waves of refugees from the Lombard-controlled interior to the Byzantine-held coast, often led by their bishops, and resulting in new settlements such as Torcello and Heraclia.
Alboin moved west in his march, invading the region of Liguria (north-east Italy) and reaching its capital Mediolanum (Milan) on September 3, 569, only to find it already abandoned by the "vicarius Italiae" (vicar of Italy), the authority entrusted with the administration of the diocese of Annonarian Italy. Archbishop Honoratus, his clergy, and part of the laity accompanied the "vicarius Italiae" to find a safe haven in the Byzantine port of Genua (Genoa). Alboin counted the years of his reign from the capture of Milan, when he assumed the title of "dominus Italiae" (Lord of Italy). His success also meant the collapse of Byzantine defences in the northern part of the Po plain, and large movements of refugees to Byzantine areas.
Several explanations have been advanced to explain the swiftness and ease of the initial Lombard advance in northern Italy. It has been suggested that the towns' doors may have been opened by the betrayal of the Gothic auxiliaries in the Byzantine army, but historians generally hold that Lombard success occurred because Italy was not considered by Byzantium as a vital part of the empire, especially at a time when the empire was imperilled by the attacks of Avars and Slavs in the Balkans and Sassanids in the east. The Byzantine decision not to contest the Lombard invasion reflects the desire of Justinian's successors to reorient the core of the Empire's polices eastward.
Impact of the migration on Annonarian Italy.
The impact of the Lombard migration on the Late Roman aristocracy was disruptive, especially in combination with the Gothic War; the latter conflict had finished in the north only in 562, when the last Gothic stronghold, Verona, was taken. Many men of means (Paul's "possessores") either lost their lives or their goods, but the exact extent of the despoliation of the Roman aristocracy is a subject of heated debate. The clergy was also greatly affected. The Lombards were mostly pagans, and displayed little respect for the clergy and Church property. Many churchmen left their sees to escape from the Lombards, like the two most senior bishops in the north, Honoratus and Paulinus. However, most of the suffragan bishops in the north sought an accommodation with the Lombards, as did in 569 the bishop of Tarvisium Felix when he journeyed to the Piave river to parley with Alboin, obtaining respect for the Church and its goods in return for this act of homage. It seems certain that many sees maintained an uninterrupted episcopal succession through the turmoil of the invasion and the following years. The transition was eased by the hostility existing among the northern Italian bishops towards the papacy and the empire due to the religious dispute involving the "Three-Chapter Controversy". In Lombard territory, churchmen were at least sure to avoid imperial religious persecution.
In the view of Pierre Riché, the disappearance of 220&nbnsp;bishops' seats indicates that the Lombard migration was a crippling catastrophe for the Church. Yet according to Walter Pohl the regions directly occupied by Alboin suffered less devastation and had a relatively robust survival rate for towns, whereas the occupation of territory by autonomous military bands interested mainly in raiding and looting had a more severe impact, with the bishoprics in such places rarely surviving.
Siege of Ticinum.
The first attested instance of strong resistance to Alboin's migration took place at the town of Ticinum (Pavia), which he started to besiege in 569 and captured only after three years. The town was of strategic importance, sitting at the confluence of the rivers Po and Ticino and connected by waterways to Ravenna, the capital of Byzantine Italy and the seat of the Praetorian prefecture of Italy. Its fall cut direct communications between the garrisons stationed on the Alpes Maritimae and the Adriatic coast.
Careful to maintain the initiative against the Byzantines, by 570 Alboin had taken their last defences in northern Italy except for the coastal areas of Liguria and Venetia and a few isolated inland centres such as Augusta Praetoria (Aosta), Segusio (Susa), and the island of Amacina in the Larius Lucus (Lake Como). During Alboin's kingship the Lombards crossed the Apennines and plundered Tuscia, but historians are not in full agreement as to whether this took place under his guidance and if this constituted anything more than raiding. According to Herwig Wolfram, it was probably only in 578–579 that Tuscany was conquered, but Jörg Jarnut and others believe this began in some form under Alboin, although it was not completed by the time of his death.
Alboin's problems in maintaining control over his people worsened during the siege of Ticinum. The nature of the Lombard monarchy made it difficult for a ruler to exert the same degree of authority over his subjects as had been exercised by Theodoric over his Goths, and the structure of the army gave great authority to the military commanders or "duces", who led each band ("fara") of warriors. Additionally, the difficulties encountered by Alboin in building a solid political entity resulted from a lack of imperial legitimacy, as unlike the Ostrogoths, they had not entered Italy as "foederati" but as enemies of the Empire.
The king's disintegrating authority over his army was also manifested in the invasion of Frankish Burgundy which from 569 or 570 was subject to yearly raids on a major scale. The Lombard attacks were ultimately repelled following Mummolus' victory at Embrun. These attacks had lasting political consequences, souring the previously cordial Lombard-Frankish relations and opening the door to an alliance between the Empire and the Franks against the Lombards, a coalition agreed to by Guntram in about 571. Alboin is generally thought not to have been behind this invasion, but an alternative interpretation of the transalpine raids presented by Gian Piero Bognetti is that Alboin may actually have been involved in the offensive on Guntram as part of an alliance with the Frankish king of Austrasia, Sigebert I. This view is met with scepticism by scholars such as Chris Wickham.
The weakening of royal authority may also have resulted in the conquest of much of southern Italy by the Lombards, in which modern scholars believe Alboin played no role at all, probably taking place in 570 or 571 under the auspices of individual warlords. However it is far from certain that the Lombard takeover occurred during those years, as very little is known of Faroald and Zotto's respective rise to power in Spoletium (Spoleto) and Beneventum (Benevento).
Earliest narratives.
Ticinum eventually fell to the Lombards in either May or June 572. Alboin had in the meantime chosen Verona as his seat, establishing himself and his treasure in a royal palace built there by Theodoric. This choice may have been another attempt to link himself with the Gothic king.
It was in this palace that Alboin was killed on June 28, 572. In the account given by Paul the Deacon, the most detailed narrative on Alboin's death, history and saga intermingle almost inextricably. Much earlier and shorter is the story told by Marius of Aventicum in his "Chronica", written about a decade after Alboin's murder. According to his version the king was killed in a conspiracy by a man close to him, called Hilmichis (Paul's Helmegis), with the connivance of the queen. Helmegis then married the widow, but the two were forced to escape to Byzantine Ravenna, taking with them the royal treasure and part of the army, which hints at the cooperation of Byzantium. Roger Collins describes Marius as an especially reliable source because of his early date and his having lived close to Lombard Italy.
Also contemporary is Gregory of Tours' account presented in the "Historia Francorum", and echoed by the later Fredegar. Gregory's account diverges in several respects from most other sources. In his tale it is told how Alboin married the daughter of a man he had slain, and how she waited for a suitable occasion for revenge, eventually poisoning him. She had previously fallen in love with one of her husband's servants, and after the assassination tried to escape with him, but they were captured and killed. However, historians including Walter Goffart place little trust in this narrative. Goffart notes other similar doubtful stories in the "Historia" and calls its account of Alboin's demise "a suitably ironic tale of the doings of depraved humanity".
Skull cup.
Salmon farming currently leads to a high demand for wild forage fish. Fish do not actually produce omega-3 fatty acids, but instead accumulate them from either consuming microalgae that produce these fatty acids, as is the case with forage fish like herring and sardines, or, as is the case with fatty predatory fish, like salmon, by eating prey fish that have accumulated omega-3 fatty acids from microalgae. To satisfy this requirement, more than 50 percent of the world fish oil production is fed to farmed salmon.
In addition, as carnivores, salmon require large nutritional intakes of protein, protein which is often supplied to them in the form of forage fish. Consequently, farmed salmon consume more wild fish than they generate as a final product. To produce one pound of farmed salmon, products from several pounds of wild fish are fed to them. As the salmon farming industry expands, it requires more wild forage fish for feed, at a time when seventy five percent of the worlds monitored fisheries are already near to or have exceeded their maximum sustainable yield. The industrial scale extraction of wild forage fish for salmon farming then impacts the survivability of the wild predator fish who rely on them for food.
Fish can escape from coastal pens, where they can interbreed with their wild counterparts, diluting wild genetic stocks. Escaped fish can become invasive, out competing native species.
Coastal ecosystems.
Aquaculture is becoming a significant threat to coastal ecosystems. About 20 percent of mangrove forests have been destroyed since 1980, partly due to shrimp farming. An extended cost–benefit analysis of the total economic value of shrimp aquaculture built on mangrove ecosystems found that the external costs were much higher than the external benefits. Over four decades, of Indonesian mangroves have been converted to shrimp farms. Most of these farms are abandoned within a decade because of the toxin build-up and nutrient loss.
Salmon farms are typically sited in pristine coastal ecosystems which they then pollute. A farm with 200,000 salmon discharges more fecal waste than a city of 60,000 people. This waste is discharged directly into the surrounding aquatic environment, untreated, often containing antibiotics and pesticides." There is also an accumulation of heavy metals on the benthos (seafloor) near the salmon farms, particularly copper and zinc.
Genetic modification.
Salmon have been genetically modified for faster growth, although they are not approved for commercial use, in the face of opposition. One study, in a laboratory setting, found that modified salmon mixed with their wild relatives were aggressive in competing, but ultimately failed.
Prospects.
Global wild fisheries are in decline, with valuable habitat such as estuaries in critical condition. The aquaculture or farming of piscivorous fish, like salmon, does not help the problem because they need to eat products from other fish, such as fish meal and fish oil. Studies have shown that salmon farming has major negative impacts on wild salmon, as well as the forage fish that need to be caught to feed them. Fish that are higher on the food chain are less efficient sources of food energy.
Apart from fish and shrimp, some aquaculture undertakings, such as seaweed and filter-feeding bivalve mollusks like oysters, clams, mussels and scallops, are relatively benign and even environmentally restorative. Filter-feeders filter pollutants as well as nutrients from the water, improving water quality. Seaweeds extract nutrients such as inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus directly from the water, and filter-feeding mollusks can extract nutrients as they feed on particulates, such as phytoplankton and detritus.
Some profitable aquaculture cooperatives promote sustainable practices. New methods lessen the risk of biological and chemical pollution through minimizing fish stress, fallowing netpens, and applying Integrated Pest Management. Vaccines are being used more and more to reduce antibiotic use for disease control.
Onshore recirculating aquaculture systems, facilities using polyculture techniques, and properly sited facilities (e.g. offshore areas with strong currents) are examples of ways to manage negative environmental effects.
Recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) recycle water by circulating it through filters to remove fish waste and food and then recirculating it back into the tanks. This saves water and the waste gathered can be used in compost or, in some cases, could even be treated and used on land. While RAS was developed with freshwater fish in mind, scientist associated with the Agricultural Research Service have found a way to rear saltwater fish using RAS in low-salinity waters. Although saltwater fish are raised in off-shore cages or caught with nets in water that typically has a salinity of 35 parts per thousand (ppt), scientists were able to produce healthy pompano, a saltwater fish, in tanks with a salinity of only 5 ppt. Commercializing low-salinity RAS are predicted to have positive environmental and economical effects. Unwanted nutrients from the fish food would not be added to the ocean and the risk of transmitting diseases between wild and farm-raised fish would greatly be reduced. The price of expensive saltwater fish, such as the pompano and combia used in the experiments, would be reduced. However, before any of this can be done researchers must study every aspect of the fish’s lifecycle, including the amount of ammonia and nitrate the fish will tolerate in the water, what to feed the fish during each stage of its lifecycle, the stocking rate that will produce the healthiest fish, etc.
Kolmogorov complexity.
In algorithmic information theory (a subfield of computer science), the Kolmogorov complexity of an object, such as a piece of text, is a measure of the computational resources needed to specify the object.
Kolmogorov complexity is also known as descriptive complexity, Kolmogorov-Chaitin complexity, stochastic complexity, algorithmic entropy, or program-size complexity.
The first string has a short English-language description, namely "ab 32 times", which consists of 11 characters. The second one has no obvious simple description (using the same character set) other than writing down the string itself, which has 64 characters.
More formally, the complexity of a string is the length of the string's shortest description in some fixed universal description language. The sensitivity of complexity relative to the choice of description language is discussed below. It can be shown that the Kolmogorov complexity of any string cannot be more than a few bytes larger than the length of the string itself. Strings whose Kolmogorov complexity is small relative to the string's size are not considered to be complex.
The notion of Kolmogorov complexity is considered surprisingly deep and can be used to state and prove impossibility results akin to Gödel's incompleteness theorem and Turing's halting problem.
Definition.
To define Kolmogorov complexity, we must first specify a description language for strings. Such a description language can be based on any programming language, such as Lisp, Pascal, or Java Virtual Machine bytecode. If P is a program which outputs a string "x", then P is a description of "x". The length of the description is just the length of P as a character string. In determining the length of P, the lengths of any subroutines used in P must be accounted for. The length of any integer constant "n" which occurs in the program P is the number of bits required to represent "n", that is (roughly) log2"n".
We could alternatively choose an encoding for Turing machines, where an "encoding" is a function which associates to each Turing Machine M a bitstring . If M is a Turing Machine which on input "w" outputs string "x", then the concatenated string  "w" is a description of "x". For theoretical analysis, this approach is more suited for constructing detailed formal proofs and is generally preferred in the research literature. The binary lambda calculus may provide the simplest definition of complexity yet. In this article we will use an informal approach.
Any string "s" has at least one description, namely the program
If a description of "s", "d"("s"), is of minimal length—i.e. it uses the fewest number of characters—it is called a minimal description of "s". Then the length of "d"("s")—i.e. the number of characters in the description—is the Kolmogorov complexity of "s", written "K"("s"). Symbolically,
We now consider how the choice of description language affects the value of "K" and show that the effect of changing the description language is bounded.
Theorem. If "K"1 and "K"2 are the complexity functions relative to description languages "L"1 and "L"2, then there is a constant "c" (which depends only on the languages "L"1 and "L"2) such that
Proof. By symmetry, it suffices to prove that there is some constant "c" such that for all bitstrings "s",
Thus if P is a program in "L"2 which is a minimal description of "s", then InterpretLanguage(P) returns the string "s". The length of this description of "s" is the sum of
This proves the desired upper bound.
See also invariance theorem.
History and context.
Algorithmic information theory is the area of computer science that studies Kolmogorov complexity and other complexity measures on strings (or other data structures).
The concept and theory of Kolmogorov Complexity is based on a crucial theorem first discovered by Ray Solomonoff who published it in 1960, describing it in "A Preliminary Report on a General Theory of Inductive Inference" (see ref) as part of his invention of Algorithmic Probability. He gave a more complete description in his 1964 publications, "A Formal Theory of Inductive Inference," Part 1 and Part 2 in "Information and Control" (see ref).
Andrey Kolmogorov later independently published
this theorem in "Problems Inform. Transmission", 1, (1965), 1-7.
Gregory Chaitin also presents this theorem in J. ACM, 16 (1969).
Chaitin's paper was submitted October 1966, revised in December 1968
and cites both Solomonoff's and Kolmogorov's papers.
The theorem says that among algorithms that decode strings from their descriptions (codes) there exists an optimal one. This algorithm, for all strings, allows codes as short as allowed by any other algorithm up to an additive constant that depends on the algorithms, but not on the strings themselves. Solomonoff used this algorithm, and the code lengths it allows, to define a string's `universal probability' on which inductive inference of a string's subsequent digits can be based. Kolmogorov used this theorem to define several functions of strings: complexity, randomness, and information.
When Kolmogorov became aware of Solomonoff's work, he acknowledged Solomonoff's priority (IEEE Trans. Inform Theory, 14:5(1968), 662-664). For several years, Solomonoff's work was better known in the Soviet Union than in the Western World. The general consensus in the scientific community, however, was to associate this type of complexity with Kolmogorov, who was concerned with randomness of a sequence while Algorithmic Probability became associated with Solomonoff, who focused on prediction using his invention of the universal a priori probability distribution.
There are several other variants of Kolmogorov complexity or algorithmic information. The most widely used one is based on self-delimiting programs and is mainly due to Leonid Levin (1974).
An axiomatic approach to Kolmogorov complexity based on Blum axioms (Blum 1967) was introduced by Mark Burgin in the paper presented for publication by Andrey Kolmogorov (Burgin 1982). This approach was further developed in the book (Burgin 2005) and applied to software metrics (Burgin and Debnath, 2003; Debnath and Burgin, 2003).
Some consider that naming the concept "Kolmogorov complexity" is an example of the Matthew effect.
Basic results.
In the following discussion let "K"("s") be the complexity of the string "s".
It is not hard to see that the minimal description of a string cannot be too much larger than the string itself: the program GenerateFixedString above that outputs "s" is a fixed amount larger than "s".
Theorem. There is a constant "c" such that
Ambrosius in fiction.
The novel Coalescent by Stephen Baxter depicts Aurelianus as a General to Artorius, Briton, and basis for the legend of King Arthur. In Baxter's novel Aurelianus is a minor character who interacts with the book's main Roman-era protagonist, Regina, founder of an (literally) underground matriarchal society. In the text, he is credited with winning the battle of Mount Badon.
In Marion Zimmer Bradley's "The Mists of Avalon", Aurelianus is depicted as the aging High King of Britain, a "too-ambitious" son of a Western Roman Emperor. His sister's son is Uther Pendragon, but Uther is described as not having any Roman blood. Aurelianus is unable to gather the leadership of the native Celts, who refuse to follow any but their own race.
In Alfred Duggan's "Conscience of the King", a historical novel about Cerdic, founder of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex, Ambrosius Aurelianus is a Romano-British general who rose independently to military power, forming alliances with various British kings and setting out to drive the invading Saxons from Britain. Cerdic, who is of both Germanic and British descent and raised as a Roman citizen, served in his army as a young man. In the novel Ambrosius is a separate character from Arthur, or Artorius, who appears much later as a foe of Cerdic.
In Stephen R. Lawhead's "Pendragon Cycle", Aurelianus (most often referred to as "Aurelius") figures prominently, along with his brother Uther, in the second book of the series, "Merlin". He is poisoned soon after becoming High King of Britain, and Uther succeeds him. Lawhead alters the standard Arthurian story somewhat, in that he has Aurelius marry Igraine and become the true father of King Arthur (Uther does marry his brother's widow, though).
In Valerio Massimo Manfredi's "The Last Legion", Aurelianus (here called "Aurelianus Ambrosius Ventidius") is a major character and is shown as one of the last loyal Romans, going to enormous lengths for his boy emperor Romulus Augustus, whose power has been wrested by the barbarian Odoacer. In this story, Romulus Augustus marries Igraine, and King Arthur is their son, and the sword of Julius Caesar becomes the legendary Excalibur in Britain. In the 2007 film version of the novel, he is played by Colin Firth and his name becomes "Aurelianus Caius Antonius". In both he is called "Aurelius" for short.
Mary Stewart's "The Crystal Cave" follows Geoffrey of Monmouth in calling him Aurelius Ambrosius and portrays him as the father of Merlin, the elder brother of Uther (hence uncle of Arthur), an initiate of Mithras, and generally admired by everyone except the Saxons. Much of the book is set at his court in Brittany or during the campaign to retake his throne from Vortigern. Later books in the series show that Merlin's attitude toward Arthur is influenced by his belief that Arthur is a reincarnation of Ambrosius, who is seen through Merlin's eyes as a model of good kingship.
In Rosemary Sutcliff's "The Lantern Bearers" Prince Ambrosius Aurelianus of Arfon drives out the Saxons by training his British army with Roman techniques and making effective use of cavalry. By the end of the novel, the elite cavalry wing is led by a dashing young warrior prince named Artos, whom Sutcliff postulates to be the real Arthur.
In Jack Whyte's "Camulod Chronicles", Ambrosius Aurelianus is the half-brother of Caius Merlyn Britannicus (Merlin) and helps him lead the people of Camulod (Camelot).
In Stargate SG-1, Ambrosius and Arthur are one and the same. Merlin was an Ancient, fleeing from Atlantis and later Ascends, then comes back in order build the Sangraal, or Holy Grail, to defeat the Ori. Daniel Jackson also comments that it would mean that Ambrosius was 74 at the Battle of Mount Badon.
Ammon.
Ammon (;), also referred to as the Ammonites and children of Ammon, was an ancient nation which, according to the Old Testament and other sources, occupied an area east of the Jordan River, Gilead, and the Dead Sea, in present-day Jordan. The chief city of the country was "Rabbah" or "Rabbath Ammon", site of the modern city of Amman, Jordan's capital. Milcom and Molech (perhaps one and the same) are named in the Bible as the gods of Ammon.
In the Bible.
According to the biblical account, both Ammon and Moab were born of an incestuous relationship between Lot and his two daughters in the aftermath of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and the Bible refers to both the Ammonites and Moabites as the "children of Lot". Throughout the Bible, the Ammonites and Israelites are portrayed as mutual antagonists. During the Exodus, the Israelites were prohibited by the Ammonites from passing through their lands. In the Book of Judges, the Ammonites work with Eglon, king of the Moabites against Israel. Attacks by the Ammonites on Israelite communities east of the Jordan were the impetus behind the unification of the tribes under Saul.
According to both and, Naamah was an Ammonite. She was the only wife of King Solomon to be mentioned by name in the Tanakh as having borne a child. She was the mother of Solomon's successor, Rehoboam.
The Ammonites presented a serious problem to the Pharisees because many marriages with Ammonite (and Moabite) wives had taken place in the days of Nehemiah. The men had married women of the various nations without conversion, which made the children not Jewish. The legitimacy of David's claim to royalty was disputed on account of his descent from Ruth, the Moabite.
Relation to Assyria.
Ammon maintained its independence from the Assyrian empire through tribute to the Assyrian king, at a time when nearby kingdoms were being raided or conquered. Inscriptions describe the Ammonite king Baasha ben Ruhubi's army fighting alongside Ahab of Israel and Syrian allies against Shalmaneser III at the Battle of Qarqar in 853 BC, possibly as vassals of Hadadezer, the Aramaean king of Damascus. In 734 BC the Ammonite king Sanipu was a vassal of Tiglath-Pileser III, and Sanipu's successor Pudu-ilu held the same position under Sennacherib and Esarhaddon. An Assyrian tribute-list exists from this period, showing that Ammon paid one-fifth of Judah's tribute.
Somewhat later, the Ammonite king Amminadab I was among the tributaries who suffered in the course of the great Arabian campaign of Assurbanipal. Other kings attested to in contemporary sources are Barakel (attested to in several contemporary seals) and Hissalel, the latter of whom reigned about 620 BCE. Hissalel is mentioned in an inscription on a bottle found at Tel Siran, Jordan along with his son, King Amminadab II, who reigned around 600 BCE.
In the Persian, Maccabbee, and Roman eras.
Little mention is made of the Ammonites through the Persian and early Hellenistic periods. Their name appears, however, during the time of the Maccabees. The Ammonites, with some of the neighboring tribes, did their utmost to resist and check the revival of the Jewish power under Judas Maccabaeus.
The last notice of the Ammonites is in Justin Martyr (second century) "Dialogue with Trypho" (§ 119), where it is affirmed that they were still a numerous people, concentrated in the south of Palestine.
Language.
The few Ammonite names that have been preserved also include Nahash and Hanun, both from the Bible. Their language is believed to be Semitic, closely related to Hebrew and Moabite. Ammonite may have incorporated certain Aramaic influences, including the use of "‘bd", instead of commoner Biblical Hebrew "‘śh", for "work". The only other notable difference with Biblical Hebrew is the sporadic retention of feminine singular "-t" (e.g. "’šħt" "cistern", but "‘lyh" "high (fem.)".)
Economy.
Like its sister-kingdom of Moab, Ammon was the source of numerous natural resources, including sandstone and limestone. It had a productive agricultural sector and occupied a vital place along the King's Highway, the ancient trade route connecting Egypt with Mesopotamia, Syria, and Anatolia. As with the Edomites and Moabites, trade along this route gave them considerable revenue. Circa 950 BCE Ammon showed rising prosperity, due to agriculture and trade, and built a series of fortresses. Its capital was located in what is now the Citadel of Amman.
Ammonius Hermiae.
Ammonius Hermiae (; c. 440-c. 520) was a Greek philosopher, and the son of the Neoplatonist philosophers Hermias and Aedesia. He was a pupil of Proclus in Athens, and taught at Alexandria for most of his life, writing commentaries on Plato, Aristotle, and other philosophers.
Life.
Ammonius' father, Hermias, died when he was a child, and his mother, Aedesia, raised him and his brother, Heliodorus, in Alexandria. When they reached adulthood, Aedesia accompanied her sons to Athens where they studied under Proclus. Eventually, they returned to Alexandria, where Ammonius, as head of the Neoplatonist school in Alexandria, lectured on Plato and Aristotle for the rest of his life. According to Damascius, during the persecution of the pagans at Alexandria in the late 480's, Ammonius made concessions to the Christian authorities so that he could continue his lectures. Damascius, who scolds Ammonius for the agreement that he made, does not say what the concessions were, but it may have involved limitations on the doctrines he could teach or promote. He was still teaching in 515, since Olympiodorus heard him lecture on Plato's "Gorgias" in that year. He also taught Asclepius of Tralles, John Philoponus, Damascius and Simplicius.
Writings.
Of his reputedly numerous writings, only his commentary on Aristotle's "De Interpretatione" survives intact. A commentary on Porphyry's "Isagogue" may also be his, but it is somewhat corrupt and contains later interpolations.
In "De Interpretatione," Ammonius contends that divine foreknowledge makes void the contingent. Like
Boethius in his second "Commentary" and "The Consolation of Philosophy," this argument maintains the effectiveness of prayer. Ammonius cites Iamblichus who said "knowledge is intermediate between the knower and the known, since it is the activity of the knower concerning the known."
He was also an accomplished astronomer; he lectured on Ptolemy and is known to have written a treatise on the astrolabe.
Ammonius Saccas.
Ammonius Saccas (3rd century AD) () was a Greek philosopher from Alexandria who was often referred to as one of the founders of Neoplatonism. He is mainly known as the teacher of Plotinus, whom he taught for eleven years from 232 to 243. He was undoubtably the biggest influence on Plotinus in his development of Neoplatonism, although little is known about his own philosophical views. Later Christian writers stated that Ammonius was a Christian, but it is now generally assumed that there was a different Ammonius of Alexandria who wrote biblical texts.
Life.
In his twenty-eighth year he [Plotinus] felt the impulse to study philosophy and was recommended to the teachers in Alexandria who then had the highest reputation; but he came away from their lectures so depressed and full of sadness that he told his trouble to one of his friends. The friend, understanding the desire of his heart, sent him to Ammonius, whom he had not so far tried. He went and heard him, and said to his friend, "This is the man I was looking for." From that day he stayed continually with Ammonius and acquired so complete a training in philosophy that he became eager to make acquaintance with the Persian philosophical discipline and that prevailing among the Indians.
[Porphyry] plainly utters a falsehood (for what will not an opposer of Christians do?) when he says that... Ammonius fell from a life of piety into heathen customs.... Ammonius held the divine philosophy unshaken and unadulterated to the end of his life. His works yet extant show this, as he is celebrated among many for the writings which he has left.
However we are told by Longinus that Ammonius wrote nothing, and if Ammonius was the principal influence on Plotinus, then it is unlikely that Ammonius would have been a Christian. One way to explain much of the confusion concerning Ammonius is to assume that there were two people called Ammonius: Ammonius Saccas who taught Plotinus, and an Ammonius the Christian who wrote biblical texts.
To add to the confusion, it seems that Ammonius had two pupils called Origen: Origen the Christian, and Origen the Pagan. It is quite possible that Ammonius Saccas taught both Origens. Among Ammonius' other pupils there were Herennius and Cassius Longinus.
Philosophy.
Schwarzenegger gained worldwide fame as a Hollywood action film icon, noted for his lead role in such films as "Conan the Barbarian" and "The Terminator". He was nicknamed the "Austrian Oak" and the "Styrian Oak" in his bodybuilding days, "Arnie" during his acting career, and more recently the "Governator" (a portmanteau of "Governor" and "Terminator").
As a Republican, he was first elected on October 7, 2003, in a special recall election to replace then-Governor Gray Davis. Schwarzenegger was sworn in on November 17, 2003, to serve the remainder of Davis's term. Schwarzenegger was then re-elected on November 7, 2006, in California's 2006 gubernatorial election, to serve a full term as governor, defeating Democrat Phil Angelides, who was California State Treasurer at the time. Schwarzenegger was sworn in for his second term on January 5, 2007.
Schwarzenegger is married to journalist Maria Shriver. The two have four children (two girls and two boys).
Early life.
Schwarzenegger was born in Thal, Austria, a small village bordering the Styrian capital Graz, and was christened Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger. His parents were the local police chief Gustav Schwarzenegger (1907–1972), and his wife, Aurelia Jadrny (1922–1998). His father served in World War II with the German Army as a Hauptfeldwebel of the Feldgendarmerie and was discharged in 1943 after contracting malaria. They were married on October 20, 1945 – Gustav was 38, and Aurelia was a 23-year-old widow with a son named Meinhard. According to Schwarzenegger, both of his parents were very strict: "Back then in Austria it was a very different world, if we did something bad or we disobeyed our parents, the rod was not spared." He grew up in a Roman Catholic family who attended church service every Sunday.
Gustav had a preference for Meinhard, the elder of the two sons. His favoritism was "strong and blatant," which stemmed from unfounded suspicion that Arnold was not his child. Schwarzenegger has said his father had "no patience for listening or understanding your problems... there was a wall; a real wall." Schwarzenegger had a good relationship with his mother and kept in touch with her until her death. In later life, Schwarzenegger commissioned the Simon Wiesenthal Center to research his father's wartime record, which came up with no evidence of atrocities despite Gustav's membership in the Nazi Party and SA. At school, Schwarzenegger was apparently in the middle, but stood out for his "cheerful, good-humored and exuberant" character. Money was a problem in the household; Schwarzenegger has recalled that one of the highlights of his youth was when the family bought a refrigerator.
As a boy, Schwarzenegger played many sports, heavily influenced by his father. He picked up his first barbell in 1960, when his football coach took his team to a local gym. At the age of fourteen, Schwarzenegger chose bodybuilding over football (soccer) as a career. Schwarzenegger has responded to a question asking if he was 13 when he started weightlifting: "I actually started weight training when I was 15, but I'd been participating in sports, like soccer, for years, so I felt that although I was slim, I was well-developed, at least enough so that I could start going to the gym and start Olympic lifting." However, his official website biography claims: "At 14, he started an intensive training program with Dan Farmer, studied psychology at 15 (to learn more about the power of mind over body) and at 17, officially started his competitive career." During a speech in 2001, he said, "My own plan formed when I was 14 years old. My father had wanted me to be a police officer like he was. My mother wanted me to go to trade school." Schwarzenegger took to visiting a gym in Graz, where he also frequented the local movie theaters to see bodybuilding idols such as Reg Park, Steve Reeves and Johnny Weissmuller on the big screen. "I was inspired by individuals like Reg Park and Steve Reeves." When Reeves died in 2000, Schwarzenegger fondly remembered him: "As a teenager, I grew up with Steve Reeves. His remarkable accomplishments allowed me a sense of what was possible, when others around me didn't always understand my dreams... Steve Reeves has been part of everything I've ever been fortunate enough to achieve." In 1961, Schwarzenegger met former Mr. Austria Kurt Marnul, who invited him to train at the gym in Graz. He was so dedicated as a youngster that he was known to break into the local gym on weekends, when it was usually closed, so that he could train. "It would make me sick to miss a workout... I knew I couldn't look at myself in the mirror the next morning if I didn't do it." When Schwarzenegger was asked about his first movie experience as a boy, he replied, "I was very young, but I remember my father taking me to the Austrian theaters and seeing some newsreels. The first real movie I saw, that I distinctly remember, was a John Wayne movie."
In 1971, his brother Meinhard died in a car accident. Meinhard had been drinking and was killed instantly, and Schwarzenegger did not attend his funeral. Meinhard was due to marry Erika Knapp, and the couple shared a 3-year-old son, Patrick. Schwarzenegger would pay for Patrick's education and help him to emigrate to the United States. Gustav died the following year from a stroke. In "Pumping Iron", Schwarzenegger claimed that he did not attend his father's funeral because he was training for a bodybuilding contest. Later, he and the film's producer both said this story was taken from another bodybuilder for the purpose of showing the extremes that some would go to for their sport, and to make Schwarzenegger's image more cold and machine-like in order to fan controversy for the film. Barbara Baker, his first serious girlfriend, has said he informed her of his father's death without emotion and that he never spoke of his brother. Over time, he has given at least three versions of why he did not attend his father's funeral.
Early adulthood.
Schwarzenegger served in the Austrian army in 1965 to fulfill the one year of service required at the time of all 18-year-old Austrian males. He won the Junior Mr. Europe contest in 1965. Schwarzenegger went AWOL during basic training so he could take part in the competition and spent a week in an army jail: "Participating in the competition meant so much to me that I didn't carefully think through the consequences." He won another bodybuilding contest in Graz, at Steirer Hof Hotel (where he had placed second). He was voted best built man of Europe, which made him famous.
"The Mr. Universe title was my ticket to America – the land of opportunity, where I could become a star and get rich." Schwarzenegger made his first plane trip in 1966, attending the NABBA Mr. Universe competition in London. He would come in second in the Mr. Universe competition, not having the muscle definition of American winner Chester Yorton.
Charles "Wag" Bennett, one of the judges at the 1966 competition, was impressed with Schwarzenegger and offered to coach him. As Schwarzenegger had little money, Bennett invited him to stay in his crowded family home above one of his two gyms in Forest Gate, London, England. Yorton's leg definition had been judged superior, and Schwarzenegger, under a training program devised by Bennett, concentrated on improving the muscle definition and power in his legs. Staying in the East End of London helped Schwarzenegger improve his rudimentary grasp of the English language. Also in 1966, Schwarzenegger had the opportunity to meet childhood idol Reg Park, who became his friend and mentor. The training paid off and, in 1967, Schwarzenegger won the title for the first time, becoming the youngest ever Mr. Universe at the age of 20. He would go on to win the title a further three times. Schwarzenegger then flew back to Munich, training for four to six hours daily, attending business school and working in a health club (Rolf Putzinger's gym where he worked and trained from 1966–1968), returning in 1968 to London to win his next Mr. Universe title. He frequently told Roger C. Field, a friend in Munich at that time, "I'm going to become the greatest actor!"
Amalric.
Amalric is a personal name derived from the tribal name "Amal" (referring to the Gothic Amali) and "ric" (Gothic "reiks") meaning "ruler, prince".
Amalric I of Jerusalem.
Amalric I of Jerusalem (also Amaury or Aimery) (1136 – 11 July 1174) was King of Jerusalem 1162–1174, and Count of Jaffa and Ascalon before his accession. Amalric was the second son of Melisende of Jerusalem and Fulk of Jerusalem. He was the father of three rulers of Jerusalem, the eldest Sibylla, the second Baldwin IV and then Isabella I, who ruled after the Siege. He was also the father of two other children. One, with his first wife Agnes de Courtenay, a child named Alix, who suffered an infant death, and the other with his second wife Maria Comnena, a stillborn.
Youth.
After the death of Amalric's father, the throne passed jointly to his mother Melisende and his older brother Baldwin III. Melisende did not step down when Baldwin came of age, and by 1150 the two were becoming increasingly hostile towards each other. In 1152 Baldwin had himself crowned sole king, and civil war broke out, with Melisende retaining Jerusalem while Baldwin held territory further north. Amalric, who had been given the County of Jaffa as an apanage when he reached the age of majority in 1151, remained loyal to Melisende in Jerusalem, and when Baldwin invaded the south, Amalric was besieged in the Tower of David with his mother. Melisende was defeated in this struggle and Baldwin ruled alone thereafter. In 1153 Baldwin captured the Egyptian fortress of Ascalon, which was then added to Amalric's fief of Jaffa (see Battle of Ascalon).
Amalric married Agnes of Courtenay in 1157. Agnes, daughter of Joscelin II of Edessa, had lived in Jerusalem since the western regions of Edessa were lost in 1150. Patriarch Fulcher objected to the marriage on grounds of consanguinity, as the two shared a great-great-grandfather, Guy I of Montlhéry, and it seems that they waited until Fulcher's death to marry. Agnes bore Amalric three children: Sibylla, the future Baldwin IV (both would come to rule the kingdom in their own right), and Alix, who died in childhood.
Succession.
Baldwin III died in 1162 and the kingdom passed to Amalric, although there was some opposition among the nobility to Agnes; they were willing to accept the marriage in 1157 when Baldwin III was still capable of siring an heir, but now the "Haute Cour" refused to endorse Amalric as king unless his marriage to Agnes was annulled. The hostility to Agnes, it must be admitted, may be exaggerated by the chronicler William of Tyre, whom she prevented from becoming Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem decades later, as well as from William's continuators like Ernoul, who hints at a slight on her moral character: "car telle n'est que roine doie iestre di si haute cite comme de Jherusalem" ("there should not be such a queen for so holy a city as Jerusalem"). Nevertheless, consanguinity was enough for the opposition. Amalric agreed and ascended the throne without a wife, although Agnes continued to hold the title Countess of Jaffa and Ascalon and received a pension from that fief's income. Agnes soon thereafter married Hugh of Ibelin, to whom she had been engaged before her marriage with Amalric. The church ruled that Amalric and Agnes' children were legitimate and preserved their place in the order of succession. Through her children Agnes would exert much influence in Jerusalem for almost 20 years.
Conflicts with the Muslim states.
As a Crusader state Jerusalem was constantly in a state of war. Since the failure to defeat the Zengids during the Second Crusade in 1147, the northern frontier was exposed to Nur ad-Din, whose own power continued to grow from his bases in Mosul, Aleppo, and later Damascus when that city fell under his control. Jerusalem lost influence to Byzantium in northern Syria when the Empire imposed its suzerainty over the Principality of Antioch, although Byzantium was increasingly beset by its own conflicts, particularly with the Normans in Sicily.
The main theatre of conflict of Amalric's reign was Fatimid Egypt, which was suffering from a series of young caliphs and civil wars. The crusaders had wanted to conquer Egypt since the days of Baldwin I, and even Godfrey of Bouillon had promised to cede Jerusalem to the Patriarch Dagobert of Pisa if he could capture Cairo. The capture of Ascalon by Baldwin III made the conquest of Egypt more feasible, and the Knights Hospitaller began preparing maps of the possible invasion routes.
Invasions of Egypt.
Amalric led his first expedition into Egypt in 1163, claiming that the Fatimids had not paid the yearly tribute that had begun during the reign of Baldwin III. The vizier, Dirgham, had recently overthrown the vizier Shawar, and marched out to meet Amalric at Pelusium, but was defeated and forced to retreat to Bilbeis. The Egyptians then opened up the Nile dams and let the river flood, hoping to prevent Amalric from invading any further. Amalric returned home but Shawar fled to the court of Nur ad-Din, who sent his general Shirkuh to settle the dispute in 1164. In response Dirgham sought help from Amalric, but Shirkuh and Shawar arrived before Amalric could intervene and Dirgham was killed. Shawar, however, feared that Shirkuh would seize power for himself, and he too looked to Amalric for assistance. Amalric returned to Egypt in 1164 and besieged Shirkuh in Bilbeis until Shirkuh retreated to Damascus.
Amalric could not follow up on his success in Egypt because Nur ad-Din was active in Syria, having taken Bohemund III of Antioch and Raymond III of Tripoli prisoner at the Battle of Harim during Amalric's absence. Amalric rushed to take up the regency of Antioch and Tripoli and secured Bohemund's ransom in 1165 (Raymond remained in prison until 1173). The year 1166 was relatively quiet, but Amalric sent envoys to the Byzantine Empire seeking an alliance and a Byzantine wife, and throughout the year had to deal with raids by Nur ad-Din, who captured Banias.
In 1167, Nur ad-Din sent Shirkuh back to Egypt and Amalric once again followed him, establishing a camp near Cairo; Shawar again allied with Amalric as well and a treaty was signed with the caliph al-Adid himself. Shirkuh encamped on the opposite side of the Nile. After an indecisive battle, Amalric retreated to Cairo and Shirkuh took his troops to capture Alexandria; Amalric followed and besieged Shirkuh there, aided by a fleet from Jerusalem. Shirkuh negotiated for peace and Alexandria was handed over to Amalric. However Amalric could not remain there forever, and after exacting an enormous tribute, returned to Jerusalem.
Byzantine alliance.
After his return in 1167 he married Maria Comnena, a great-grandniece of Byzantine emperor Manuel I Comnenus. The negotiations had taken two years, mostly because Amalric insisted that Manuel return Antioch to Jerusalem. Once Amalric gave up on this point he was able to marry Maria in Tyre on August 29, 1167. During this time the queen dowager, Baldwin III's widow Theodora, eloped with her cousin Andronicus to Damascus, and Acre reverted back into the royal domain of Jerusalem. It was also around this time that William of Tyre was promoted to archdeacon of Tyre, and was recruited by Amalric to write a history of the kingdom.
In 1168 Amalric and Manuel negotiated an alliance against Egypt, and William of Tyre was among the ambassadors sent to Constantinople to finalize the treaty. Although Amalric still had a peace treaty with Shawar, Shawar was accused of attempting to ally with Nur ad-Din, and Amalric invaded. The Knights Hospitaller eagerly supported this invasion and may have even been responsible for convincing the king to do it, while the Knights Templar refused to have any part in it. In October, without waiting for any Byzantine assistance (and in fact without even waiting for the ambassadors to return), Amalric invaded and seized Bilbeis. The inhabitants were either massacred or enslaved. Amalric then marched to Cairo, where Shawar offered Amalric two million pieces of gold. Meanwhile Nur ad-Din sent Shirkuh back to Egypt as well, and upon his arrival Amalric retreated.
Rise of Saladin.
In January of 1169 Shirkuh had Shawar assassinated. Shirkuh became vizier, although he himself died in March, and was succeeded by his nephew Saladin. Amalric became alarmed and sent Frederick de la Roche, Archbishop of Tyre, to seek help from the kings and nobles of Europe, but no assistance was forthcoming. Later that year however a Byzantine fleet arrived, and in October Amalric launched yet another invasion and besieged Damietta by sea and by land. The siege was long and famine broke out in the Christian camp; the Byzantines blamed the crusaders for the failure and vice versa, and a truce was signed with Saladin. Amalric returned home.
Now Jerusalem was surrounded by hostile enemies. In 1170 Saladin invaded Jerusalem and took the city of Eilat, severing Jerusalem's connection with the Red Sea. Saladin, who was set up as Vizier of Egypt, was declared Sultan in 1171 with the death of the last of the Fatimid dynasty. Saladin's rise to Sultan was an unexpected reprieve for Jerusalem, as Nur ad-Din was now preoccupied with reining in his powerful vassal. Nevertheless, in 1171 Amalric visited Constantinople himself and envoys were sent to the kings of Europe for a second time, but again they were uninterested. Over the next few years the kingdom was threatened by not only Saladin and Nur ad-Din, but also the Hashshashin; in one episode, the Knights Templar murdered some Hashshashin envoys, leading to further disputes between Amalric and the Templars.
Death.
Nur ad-Din died in 1174, upon which Amalric immediately besieged Banias. On the way back after giving up the siege he fell ill from dysentery, which was ameliorated by doctors but turned into a fever in Jerusalem. William of Tyre explains that "after suffering intolerably from the fever for several days, he ordered physicians of the Greek, Syrian, and other nations noted for skill in diseases to be called and insisted that they give him some purgative remedy." Neither they nor Latin doctors could help, and he died on July 11 1174.
In 1864, Carnegie invested $40,000 in Story Farm on Oil Creek in Venango County, Pennsylvania. In one year, the farm yielded over $1,000,000 in cash dividends, and petroleum from oil wells on the property sold profitably. The demand for iron products, such as armor for gunboats, cannon, and shells, as well as a hundred other industrial products, made Pittsburgh a center of wartime production. Carnegie worked with others in establishing a steel rolling mill and steel production and control of industry became the source of his fortune. Carnegie had some investments in the iron industry before the war.
After the war, Carnegie left the railroads to devote all his energies to the ironworks trade. Carnegie worked to develop several iron works, eventually forming The Keystone Bridge Works and the Union Ironworks, in Pittsburgh. Although he had left the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, he remained closely connected to its management, namely Thomas A. Scott and J. Edgar Thomson. He used his connection to the two men to acquire contracts for his Keystone Bridge Company and the rails produced by his ironworks. He also gave stock to Scott and Thomson in his businesses, and the Pennsylvania was his best customer. When he built his first steel plant, he made a point of naming it after Thomson. As well as having good business sense, Carnegie possessed charm and literary knowledge. He was invited to many important social functions—functions that Carnegie exploited to his own advantage.
1880–1900: Scholar and activist.
Carnegie continued his business career; some of his literary intentions were fulfilled. He befriended English poet Matthew Arnold and English philosopher Herbert Spencer as well as being in correspondence and acquaintance with most of the U.S. Presidents, statesmen, and notable writers.
Carnegie erected commodious swimming-baths for the people of his hometown in Dunfermline in 1879. In the following year, Carnegie gave $40,000 for the establishment of a free library in Dunfermline. In 1884, he gave $50,000 to Bellevue Hospital Medical College (now part of New York University Medical Center) to found a histological laboratory, now called the Carnegie Laboratory.
In 1881, Carnegie took his family, including his 70 year-old mother, on a trip to the United Kingdom. They toured Scotland by coach, and enjoyed several receptions en-route. The highlight for them all was a triumphal return to Dunfermline, where Carnegie's mother laid the foundation stone of a Carnegie Library for which he donated the money. Carnegie's criticism of British society did not mean dislike; on the contrary, one of Carnegie's ambitions was to act as a catalyst for a close association between the English-speaking peoples. To this end, in the early 1880s, he purchased numerous newspapers in England, all of which were to advocate the abolition of the monarchy and the establishment of "the British Republic". Carnegie's charm aided by his great wealth meant that he had many British friends, including Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone.
In 1886, Andrew Carnegie's younger brother Thomas died at age 43. Success in the business continued, however. While owning steel works, Carnegie had purchased at low cost the most valuable of the iron ore fields around Lake Superior. The same year Carnegie became a figure of controversy. Following his tour of the UK, he wrote about his experiences in a book entitled "An American Four-in-hand in Britain". Although still actively involved in running his many businesses, Carnegie had become a regular contributor to numerous magazines, most notably the "Nineteenth Century", under the editorship of James Knowles, and the influential "North American Review", led by editor Lloyd Bryce.
In 1886, Carnegie wrote his most radical work to date, entitled "Triumphant Democracy". Liberal in its use of statistics to make its arguments, the book argued his view that the American republican system of government was superior to the British monarchical system. It gave a highly favorable and idealized view of American progress and criticized the British royal family. The cover depicted an upended royal crown and a broken scepter. The book created considerable controversy in the UK. The book made many Americans appreciate their country's economic progress and sold over 40,000 copies, mostly in the U.S.
In 1889, Carnegie published in the June issue of the "North American Review". After reading it, Gladstone requested its publication in England, where it appeared as "The Gospel of Wealth" in the "Pall Mall Gazette". The article was the subject of much discussion. Carnegie argued that the life of a wealthy industrialist should comprise two parts. The first part was the gathering and the accumulation of wealth. The second part was for the subsequent distribution of this wealth to benevolent causes. The philanthropy was key to making the life worthwhile.
Carnegie was also known to be a great journalist. This came about from his experience in constantly writing to newspapers and to their editors. His knowledge in reading newspapers stems from a habit from his childhood. He also would go on to publish three books on travel. One of them entitled "Round the world" he began writing while traveling England and Scotland.
In 1898, Carnegie tried to arrange for independence for the Philippines. As the end of the Spanish American War neared, the United States bought the Philippines from Spain for $20 million USD. To counter what he perceived as imperialism on the part of the United States, Carnegie personally offered $20 million USD to the Philippines so that the Filipino people could buy their independence from the United States. However, nothing came of this gesture and the Philippine-American War ensued.
Carnegie opposed the annexation of Cuba by the United States and in this, was successful with many other conservatives who founded an anti-imperialist league that included former presidents of the United States, Grover Cleveland and Benjamin Harrison, and literary figures like Mark Twain.
1885–1900: Empire of Steel.
Carnegie made his fortune in the steel industry, controlling the most extensive integrated iron and steel operations ever owned by an individual in the United States. One of his two great innovations was in the cheap and efficient mass production of steel rails for railroad lines. The second was in his vertical integration of all suppliers of raw materials. In the late 1880s, Carnegie Steel was the largest manufacturer of pig iron, steel rails, and coke in the world, with a capacity to produce approximately 2,000 tons of pig metal per day. In 1888, Carnegie bought the rival Homestead Steel Works, which included an extensive plant served by tributary coal and iron fields, a 425-mile (685 km) long railway, and a line of lake steamships. Carnegie combined his assets and those of his associates in 1892 with the launching of the Carnegie Steel Company.
By 1889, the U.S. output of steel exceeded that of the UK, and Carnegie owned a large part of it. Carnegie's empire grew to include the J. Edgar Thomson Steel Works, (named for John Edgar Thomson, Carnegie's former boss and president of the Pennsylvania Railroad), Pittsburgh Bessemer Steel Works, the Lucy Furnaces, the Union Iron Mills, the Union Mill (Wilson, Walker & County), the Keystone Bridge Works, the Hartman Steel Works, the Frick Coke Company, and the Scotia ore mines. Carnegie, through Keystone, supplied the steel for and owned shares in the landmark Eads Bridge project across the Mississippi River at St. Louis, Missouri (completed 1874). This project was an important proof-of-concept for steel technology, which marked the opening of a new steel market.
1901: U.S. Steel.
In 1901, Carnegie was 66 years of age and considering retirement. He reformed his enterprises into conventional joint stock corporations as preparation to this end. John Pierpont Morgan was a banker and perhaps America's most important financial deal maker. He had observed how efficiently Carnegie produced profit. He envisioned an integrated steel industry that would cut costs, lower prices to consumers, produce in greater quantities and raise wages to workers. To this end, he needed to buy out Carnegie and several other major producers and integrate them into one company, thereby eliminating duplication and waste. He concluded negotiations on 2 March 1901, and formed the United States Steel Corporation. It was the first corporation in the world with a market capitalization over $1 billion.
The buyout, secretly negotiated by Charles M. Schwab (no relation to Charles R. Schwab), was the largest such industrial takeover in United States history to date. The holdings were incorporated in the United States Steel Corporation, a trust organized by Morgan, and Carnegie retired from business. His steel enterprises were bought out at a figure equivalent to twelve times their annual earnings—$480 million (approximately $10.3 billion in 2003 prices- according to Gale Virtual Reference Library)—which at the time was the largest ever personal commercial transaction.
Carnegie's share of this amounted to $225,639,000, which was paid to Carnegie in the form of 5%, 50-year gold bonds. The letter agreeing to sell his share was signed on 26 February 1901. On 2 March, the circular formally filing the organization and capitalization (at $1,400,000,000—4% of U.S. national wealth at the time) of the United States Steel Corporation actually completed the contract. The bonds were to be delivered within two weeks to the Hudson Trust Company of Hoboken, New Jersey, in trust to Robert A. Franks, Carnegie's business secretary. There, a special vault was built to house the physical bulk of nearly $230,000,000 worth of bonds. It was said that "...Carnegie never wanted to see or touch these bonds that represented the fruition of his business career. It was as if he feared that if he looked upon them they might vanish like the gossamer gold of the leprechaun. Let them lie safe in a vault in New Jersey, safe from the New York tax assessors, until he was ready to dispose of them..."
1901–1919: Philanthropist.
Carnegie spent his last years as a philanthropist. From 1901 forward, public attention was turned from the shrewd business acumen which had enabled Carnegie to accumulate such a fortune, to the public-spirited way in which he devoted himself to utilizing it on philanthropic projects. He had written about his views on social subjects and the responsibilities of great wealth in "Triumphant Democracy" (1886) and "Gospel of Wealth" (1889). Carnegie bought Skibo Castle in Scotland, and made his home partly there and partly in New York. He then devoted his life to providing the capital for purposes of public interest and social and educational advancement.
"Alpha Centauri" is the name given to what appears as a single star to the naked eye and the brightest star in the southern constellation of Centaurus. With the aid of a telescope, Alpha Centauri can be resolved into a binary star system in close orbit. This is known as the Alpha Centauri AB system, often abbreviated as α Centauri AB or α Cen AB.
Alpha Centauri A (α Cen A) and Alpha Centauri B (α Cen B) are the individual stars of the binary system, usually defined to identify them as the different component of the binary α Cen AB. As viewed from Earth, there is an additional companion located 2.18° away from the AB star system, a distance much greater than the observed separation between stars A and B. This companion is called Proxima Centauri, Proxima, or α Cen C. If it were bright enough to be seen without a telescope, Proxima Centauri would appear to the naked eye as a star separate from α Cen AB. Alpha Centauri AB and Proxima Centauri form a "visual double" star, and they are assumed to be gravitationally associated with each other. Direct evidence that Proxima Centauri has an elliptical orbit typical of binary stars has yet to be found.
Together all three components make a triple star system, referred to by double-star observers as the triple star (or multiple star), α Cen AB-C.
Nature of the system.
At −0.27v visual magnitude, Alpha Centauri appears to the naked eye as a single star and is fainter than Sirius and Canopus. The next brightest star in the night sky is Arcturus. When considered among the individual brightest stars in the sky (excluding the Sun), Alpha Centauri A is the fourth brightest at −0.01 magnitude, being only fractionally fainter than Arcturus at −0.04v magnitude. Alpha Centauri B at 1.33v magnitude is twenty-first in brightness.
Alpha Centauri A is the principal member or "primary" of the binary system, being slightly larger and more luminous than our Sun. It is a solar-like main sequence star with a similar yellowish-white color, whose stellar classification is spectral type G2 V. From the determined mutual orbital parameters, Alpha Centauri A is about 10% more massive than our Sun, with a radius about 23% larger. The projected rotational velocity ( "v"·sin "i" ) of this star is 2.7±0.7 km·s−1, resulting in an estimated rotational period of 22 days, which gives it a slightly faster rotational period than our Sun's 25 days.
Alpha Centauri B is the companion star or "secondary," slightly smaller and less luminous than our Sun. This main sequence star is of spectral type of K1 V, making it more an orangish-yellow color than the whiter primary star. Alpha Centauri B is about 90% the mass of the Sun and 14% smaller in radius. The projected rotational velocity ( "v"·sin "i" ) is 1.1±0.8 km·s−1, resulting in an estimated rotational period of 41 days. (An earlier estimate gave a similar rotation period of 36.8 days.) Although it has a lower luminosity than component A, star B's spectrum emits higher energies in X-rays. The light curve of B varies on a short time scale and there has been at least one observed flare.
Alpha Centauri C, also known as Proxima Centauri, is of spectral class M5Ve or M5VIe, suggesting this is either a small main sequence star (Type V) or sub-dwarf (VI) with emission lines, whose B-V color index is +1.90. Its mass is about 0.12 Mʘ, only 12.3% of a solar mass, or 129 Jupiter masses.
Together, the bright visible components of the binary star system are called Alpha Centauri AB (α Cen AB). This "AB" designation denotes the apparent gravitational centre of the main binary system relative to other companion star(s) in any multiple star system. "AB-C" refers to the orbit of Proxima around the central binary, being the distance between the centre of gravity and the outlying companion. Some older references use the confusing and now discontinued designation of A×B.
Since the distance between the Sun and Alpha Centauri AB does not differ significantly from either star, gravitationally this binary system is considered as if it were one object.
Alpha Centauri A and B are believed to have formed around the same timeframe, and are estimated to be approximately 4.85 billion years old, around 250 million years older than the Sun.
Observation.
The Alpha Centauri AB binary is too close to be resolved by the naked eye, as the angular separation varies between 2 and 22 arcsec, but through much of the orbit, both are easily resolved in binoculars or small telescopes.
In the southern hemisphere, Alpha Centauri is one of the stars of "The Pointers" or "The Southern Pointers" with Beta Centauri or Hadar / Agena. Both stars directly point towards the constellation Crux—the Southern Cross. The Pointers easily distinguish the true Southern Cross from the fainter asterism known as the False Cross. Beta Centauri lies some 4.5° west, mid-way between the Crux and Alpha Centauri.
South of about −29° S latitude, Alpha Centauri is circumpolar and never sets below the horizon. Both stars, including the Crux, are too far south to be visible for mid-latitude northern observers. Below about +29° N latitude to the equator during the northern summer, Alpha Centauri lies close to the southern horizon. The star culminates each year at midnight on 24 April or 9 p.m. on 8 June.
As seen from Earth, Proxima Centauri lies 2.2° southwest from Alpha Centauri AB. This is about four times the angular diameter of the Full Moon, and almost exactly half the distance between Alpha Centauri AB and Beta Centauri. Proxima usually appears as a deep-red star of 13.1v visual magnitude in a poorly populated star field, requiring moderately sized telescopes to see. Listed as V645 Cen in the "General Catalogue of Variable Stars (G.C.V.S.) Version 4.2", this UV Ceti-type flare star can unexpectedly brighten rapidly to about 11.0v or 11.09V magnitude. Some amateur and professional astronomers regularly monitor for outbursts using either optical or radio telescopes.
Observational history.
According to the renowned double star observer Robert Aitken (1961), Father Richaud discovered Alpha Centauri AB's duplicity from the Indian city of Pondicherry in December 1689 while observing a comet. By 1752, French astronomer Abbé Nicolas Louis de Lacaillé made astrometric positional measurements using a meridian circle while John Herschel, in 1834, made the first micrometrical observations. Since the early 20th Century, measures have been made with photographic plates.
By 1926, South African astronomer William Stephen Finsen calculated the approximate orbit elements close to those now accepted for this system. All future positions are now sufficiently accurate for visual observers to determine the relative places of the stars from a binary star ephemeris. Others, like the Belgian astronomer D. Pourbaix (2002), have regularly refined the precision of any new published orbital elements.
Alpha Centauri is the closest star system to our Solar System. It lies about 4.37 light-years in distance, or about 41.5 trillion kilometres, 25.8 trillion miles or 277,600 AU. Astronomer Thomas James Henderson made the original discovery from many exacting observations of the trigonometric parallaxes of the AB system between April 1832 and May 1833. He withheld the results because he suspected they were too large to be true, but eventually published in 1839 after Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel released his own accurately determined parallax for 61 Cygni in 1838. For this reason, Alpha Centauri is considered as the second star to have its distance measured because it was not formally recognized first.
R.T.A. Innes from South Africa discovered Proxima Centauri in 1915 by blinking photographic plates taken at different times during a dedicated proper motion survey. This showed the large proper motion and parallax of the star was similar in both size and direction to those of Alpha Centauri AB, suggesting immediately it was part of the system and slightly closer to us than Alpha Centauri AB. Lying 4.22 light-years away, Proxima Centauri is the nearest star to the Sun. All current derived distances for the three stars are presently from the parallaxes obtained from the Hipparcos star catalog (HIP).
Binary system.
With the orbital period of 79.91 years., the A and B components of this binary star can approach each other to 11.2 astronomical units, equivalent to 1.67 billion km or about the mean distance between the Sun and Saturn, or may recede as far as 35.6 AU (5.3 billion km—approximately the distance from the Sun to Pluto). This is a consequence of the binary's moderate orbital eccentricity "e" = 0.5179  From the orbital elements, the total mass of both stars is about 2.0 "M"☉—or twice that of the Sun. The average individual stellar masses are 1.09 "M"☉ and 0.90 "M"☉, respectively, though slightly higher masses have been quoted in recent years, such as 1.14 "M"☉ and 0.92 "M"☉, or totalling 2.06 "M"☉. Alpha Centauri A and B have absolute magnitudes of +4.38 and +5.71, respectively. Stellar evolution theory implies both stars are slightly older than the Sun at 5 to 6 billion years, as derived by both mass and their spectral characteristics.
Viewed from Earth, the "apparent orbit" of this binary star means that the separation and position angle (P.A.) are in continuous change throughout the projected orbit. Observed stellar positions in 2010 are separated by 6.74 arcsec through the P.A. of 245.7°, reducing to 6.04 arcsec through 251.8° in 2011. Next closest approach will be in February 2016, at 4.0 arcsec through 300°. Observed maximum separation of these stars is about 22 arcsec, while the minimum distance is 1.7 arcsec. Widest separation occurred during February 1976 and the next will be in January 2056.
In the "true orbit", closest approach or periastron was in August 1955, and next in May 2035. Furthest orbital separation at apastron last occurred in May 1995 and the next will be in 2075. The apparent distance between the two stars is presently rapidly decreasing, at least until 2019.
Companion: Proxima Centauri.
The much fainter red dwarf star named Proxima Centauri, or simply "Proxima", is about 12,000 to 13,000 A.U. away from Alpha Centauri AB. This is equivalent to 0.21 light years or 1.94 trillion kilometres—about 5% the distance between the Sun and Alpha Centauri AB. Proxima may be gravitationally bound to Alpha Centauri AB, orbiting it with a period between 100,000 and 500,000 years. However, it is also possible that Proxima is not gravitationally bound and thus is moving along a hyperbolic trajectory around Alpha Centauri AB. The main evidence for a bound orbit is that Proxima's association with Alpha Centauri AB is unlikely to be accidental, since they share approximately the same motion through space. Theoretically, Proxima could leave the system after several million years. It is not yet certain whether Proxima and Alpha are truly gravitationally bound.
Proxima is an M5.5V spectral class red dwarf with an absolute magnitude of +15.53, which is considerably less than the Sun. By mass, Proxima is presently calculated as 0.123±0.06 "M"ʘ (rounded to 0.12 "M"ʘ) or about one-eighth that of the Sun.
High proper motion star.
All components of Alpha Centauri display significant proper motions against the background sky, similar to the first magnitude stars Sirius and Arcturus. Over the centuries, this causes the apparent stellar positions to slowly change. Such motions define the "high proper motion stars." These stellar motions were unknown to ancient astronomers. Most assumed that all stars were immortal and permanently fixed on the celestial sphere, as stated in the works of the philosopher Aristotle.
Edmond Halley in 1718 found that some stars had significantly moved from their ancient astrometric positions. For example, the bright star Arcturus (α Boo) in the constellation of Boŏtes showed an almost ½° difference in 1800 years, as did the brightest star, Sirius, in Canis Major (α CMa). Halley's positional comparison was Ptolemy's catalogue of stars contained in the Almagest whose original data included portions from an earlier catalog by Hipparchos during the 1st century BCE. Halley's proper motions were mostly for northern stars, so the southern star Alpha Centauri was not determined until the early 19th century.
Scottish-born observer Thomas James Henderson in the 1830s at the Royal Observatory at the Cape of Good Hope discovered the true distance to Alpha Centauri. He soon realised this system displayed an unusually high proper motion, and therefore its observed true velocity through space should be much larger. In this case, the apparent stellar motion was found using Abbé Nicolas Louis de Lacaille's astrometric observations of 1751–1752, by the observed differences between the two measured positions in different epochs. Using the Hipparcos Star Catalogue (HIP) data, the mean individual proper motions are −3678 mas/yr or −3.678 arcsec per year in right ascension and +481.84 mas/yr or 0.48184 arcsec per year in declination. As proper motions are cumulative, the motion of Alpha Centauri is about 6.1 arcmin each century, and 61.3 arcmin or 1.02 ° each millennium. These motions are about one-fifth and twice, respectively, the diameter of the full moon. Spectroscopy has determined the mean approaching radial velocity of Alpha Centauri AB as −25.1 ± 0.3 km/s.
A more precise calculation involves taking into account the slight changes in the stellar distance by the star's own motion. Alpha Centauri at present is slowly increasing the measured proper motion and trigonometric parallax as the stars approach us. Changes are also observed in the size of the semi-major axis 'a' of the orbital ellipse increase by 0.03 arcsec per century as the stars currently approach us. Also the orbital period of Alpha Centauri AB is slightly shorter by some 0.006 years per century, caused by the reduced time required for the light to travel to Earth as the distance reduces. Consequently, the observed position angles of the stars are subject to changes in the orbital elements over time, as first determined by W. H. van den Bos in 1926. Some slight differences of about 0.5% in the measured proper motions are caused by Alpha Centauri AB's orbital motion.
Based on these observed proper motions and radial velocities, Alpha Centauri will continue to slowly brighten, passing just north of the Southern Cross or Crux, before moving northwest and up towards the celestial equator and away from the galactic plane. By about 29,700 AD, in the present-day constellation of Hydra, Alpha Centauri will be 1.00 pc or 3.26 ly away. Then it will reach the stationary radial velocity (RVel) of 0.0 km/s and the maximum apparent magnitude of −0.86V — similar to present day Canopus. Soon after this close approach, the system will begin to move away from us, showing a positive radial velocity.
The young provincial won the job and headed north to take up his position in late 384. At age thirty, Augustine had won the most visible academic chair in the Latin world, at a time when such posts gave ready access to political careers. During this time, although Augustine showed some fervor for Manichaeism, he was never an initiate or "elect" but remained an "auditor", the lowest level in that sect's hierarchy.
While he was in Milan, Augustine's life changed. While still at Carthage, he had begun to move away from Manichaeism, in part because of a disappointing meeting with the Manichean Bishop, Faustus of Mileve, a key exponent of Manichaean theology. In Rome, he is reported to have completely turned away from Manichaeanism, and instead embraced the skepticism of the New Academy movement. At Milan, his mother pressured him to become a Christian. Augustine's own studies in Neoplatonism were also leading him in this direction, and his friend Simplicianus urged him that way as well. But it was the bishop of Milan, Ambrose, who had most influence over Augustine. Ambrose was a master of rhetoric like Augustine himself, but older and more experienced.
Augustine's mother had followed him to Milan and he allowed her to arrange a society marriage, for which he abandoned his concubine. It is believed that Augustine truly loved the woman he had lived with for so long. In his "Confessions," he expressed how deeply he was hurt by ending this relationship, and also admitted that the experience eventually produced a decreased sensitivity to pain over time. However, he had to wait two years until his fiancee came of age, so despite the grief he felt over leaving "The One" as he called her, he soon took another concubine. Augustine eventually broke off his engagement to his eleven-year-old fiancee, but never renewed his relationship with "The One" and soon left his second concubine. It was during this period that he uttered his famous prayer, "Grant me chastity and continence, but not yet" ("da mihi castitatem et continentiam, sed noli modo").
Christian conversion.
I cast myself down I know not how, under a certain fig-tree, giving full vent to my tears; and the floods of mine eyes gushed out an acceptable sacrifice to Thee. And, not indeed in these words, yet to this purpose, spake I much unto Thee: and Thou, O Lord, how long? how long, Lord, wilt Thou be angry for ever? Remember not our former iniquities, for I felt that I was held by them. I sent up these sorrowful words: How long, how long, "to-morrow, and tomorrow?" Why not now? why not is there this hour an end to my uncleanness?
So was I speaking and weeping in the most bitter contrition of my heart, when, lo! I heard from a neighbouring house a voice, as of boy or girl, I know not, chanting, and oft repeating, "Take up and read; Take up and read. " Instantly, my countenance altered, I began to think most intently whether children were wont in any kind of play to sing such words: nor could I remember ever to have heard the like. So checking the torrent of my tears, I arose; interpreting it to be no other than a command from God to open the book, and read the first chapter I should find. For I had heard of Antony, that coming in during the reading of the Gospel, he received the admonition, as if what was being read was spoken to him: Go, sell all that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven, and come and follow me: and by such oracle he was forthwith converted unto Thee. Eagerly then I returned to the place where Alypius was sitting; for there had I laid the volume of the Apostle when I arose thence. I seized, opened, and in silence read that section on which my eyes first fell: Not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying; but put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, in concupiscence. No further would I read; nor needed I: for instantly at the end of this sentence, by a light as it were of serenity infused into my heart, all the darkness of doubt vanished away.The Confessions of Saint Augustine, Book VIII, Paragraphs 28 and 29.
Augustine had heard a childlike voice singing from a nearby house. He paused to give thought to how and why such a child would sing those words and then left his garden and returned to his house. At his house he picked up a book written by the Apostle Paul Epistle to the Romans, and opened it and instantly read: (Romans 13: 13-14) "Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying; but put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, in concupiscence." He would detail his spiritual journey in his famous "Confessions", which became a classic of both Christian theology and world literature. Ambrose baptized Augustine, along with his son, Adeodatus, on Easter Vigil in 387 in Milan, and soon thereafter in 388 Augustine returned to Africa. Also in 388 he completed his apology "On the Holiness of the Catholic Church". On his way back to Africa his mother died, as did his son soon after, leaving him alone in the world without family. This was a very difficult process for Augustine and he did not know how he would do on his own.
Priesthood.
Upon his return to north Africa he sold his patrimony and gave the money to the poor. The only thing he kept was the family house, which he converted into a monastic foundation for himself and a group of friends. In 391 he was ordained a priest in Hippo Regius (now Annaba, in Algeria). He became a famous preacher (more than 350 preserved sermons are believed to be authentic), and was noted for combating the Manichaean religion, to which he had formerly adhered.
In 395 he was made coadjutor bishop of Hippo (assistant with the right of succession on the death of the current bishop), and became full bishop shortly thereafter. He remained in this position at Hippo until his death in 430. Augustine worked tirelessly in trying to convince the people of Hippo, who were a diverse racial and religious group, to convert to Christianity. He left his monastery, but continued to lead a monastic life in the episcopal residence. He left a rule (Latin, "regula") for his monastery that has led him to be designated the "patron saint of regular clergy", that is, clergy who live by a monastic rule.
Much of Augustine's later life was recorded by his friend Possidius, bishop of Calama, in his "Sancti Augustini Vita". Possidius admired Augustine as a man of powerful intellect and a stirring orator who took every opportunity to defend Christianity against all detractors. Possidius also described Augustine's personal traits in detail, drawing a portrait of a man who ate sparingly, worked tirelessly, despised gossip, shunned the temptations of the flesh, and exercised prudence in the financial stewardship of his see.
Teaching philosophy.
Along with being a prominent figure in the religious spectrum, Augustine was also very influential in the history of education. He introduced the theory of three different categories of students, and instructed teachers to adapt their teaching styles to each student's individual learning style. The three different kinds of students are: the student who has been well-educated by knowledgeable teachers; the student who has had no education; and the student who has had a poor education, but believes himself to be well-educated. If a student has been well educated in a wide variety of subjects, the teacher must be careful not to repeat what they have already learned, but to challenge the student with material which they do not yet know thoroughly. With the student who has had no education, the teacher must be patient, willing to repeat things until the student understands, and sympathetic. Perhaps the most difficult student, however, is the one with an inferior education who believes he understands something when he does not. Augustine stressed the importance of showing this type of student the difference between "having words and having understanding," and of helping the student to remain humble with his acquisition of knowledge.
Another radical idea which Augustine introduced is the idea of teachers responding positively to the questions they may receive from their students, no matter if the student interrupted his teacher.
Augustine also founded the "restrained" style of teaching. This teaching style ensures the students' full understanding of a concept because the teacher does not bombard the student with too much material; focuses on one topic at a time; helps them discover what they don't understand, rather than moving on too quickly; anticipates questions; and helps them learn to solve difficulties and find solutions to problems.
Yet another of Augustine's major contributions to education is his study on the styles of teaching. He claimed there are two basic styles a teacher uses when speaking to the students. The "mixed style" includes complex and sometimes showy language to help students see the beautiful artistry of the subject they are studying. The "grand style" is not quite as elegant as the mixed style, but is exciting and heartfelt, with the purpose of igniting the same passion in the students' hearts.
Augustine balanced his teaching philosophy with the traditional Bible-based practice of strict discipline. For example, he agreed with using punishment as an incentive for children to learn. He believed all people tend toward evil, and students must therefore be physically punished when they allow their evil desires to direct their actions.
Death.
Shortly before Augustine's death, Roman Africa was overrun by the Vandals, a warlike tribe with Arian sympathies. They had entered Africa at the instigation of Count Boniface, but soon turned to lawlessness, plundering private citizens and churches and killing many of the inhabitants. The Vandals arrived in the spring of 430 to besiege Hippo, and during that time Augustine endured his final illness.
Possidius records that one of the few miracles attributed to Augustine took place during the siege. While Augustine was confined to his sick bed, a man petitioned him that he might lay his hands upon a relative who was ill. Augustine replied that if he had any power to cure the sick, he would surely have applied it on himself first. The visitor declared that he was told in a dream to go to Augustine so that his relative would be made whole. When Augustine heard this, he no longer hesitated, but laid his hands upon the sick man, who departed from Augustine's presence healed.
Possidius also gives a first-hand account of Augustine's death, which occurred on August 28, 430, during the siege of Hippo by the Vandals. Augustine spent his final days in prayer and repentance, requesting that the penitential Psalms of David be hung on his walls so that he could read them. He directed that the library of the church in Hippo and all the books therein should be carefully preserved. Shortly after his death, the Vandals raised the siege of Hippo, but they returned not long thereafter and burned the city. They destroyed all of it but Augustine's cathedral and library, which they left untouched.
According to Bede's True Martyrology, Augustine's body was later removed to Cagliari, Sardinia by the Catholic bishops whom the Arian Vandal Huneric had expelled from north Africa. Bede tells that the remains were subsequently redeemed out of the hands of the Saracens there— by Peter, bishop of Pavia and uncle of the Lombard king Liutprand— and deposited in the church of San Pietro in Ciel d'Oro (Italian for "Saint Peter in the Sky of Gold") in Pavia, Italy, about the year 720.
In January 1327 Pope John XXII issued the papal bull Veneranda Santorum Patrum, in which he appointed the Augustinians guardians of the tomb of Augustine (the Arca di Sant'Agostino), which was remade in 1362 and elaborately carved with bas-reliefs of scenes from Augustine's life. The actual remains of Augustine, however, were no longer identified. Then, illiterate stonemasons working in the crypt altar removed paving blocks and discovered a marble box. Within it were other boxes; in the third box were fragments of wood, numerous bones and bone fragments, and glass vials. Some of the workers later claimed to have seen the name "Augustine" written in charcoal on the top of the box. A factor complicating the authentication of the remains was that San Pietro in Ciel d'Oro was shared by the two Augustinian religious orders in bitter rivalry. The controversy on the authenticity of the bones resulted in broadsides, pamphlets and books.
The Augustinians were expelled in 1700, taking refuge in Milan with the relics of Augustine, and the disassembled Arca, which were removed to the cathedral there. The erstwhile cathedral in Pavia fell into disrepair; it was a military magazine under the Napoleonic occupation. It was not reconstructed until the 1870s, under the urging of Agostino Gaetano Riboldi, later Cardinal Riboldi, and reconsecrated in 1896 when the relics of Augustine and the shrine were once again reinstalled.
Works.
There is no one treatment proven to be effective for all types of aphasias. Melodic intonation therapy is often used to treat non-fluent aphasia and has proved to be very effective in some cases.
History.
The first recorded case of aphasia is from an Egyptian papyrus, the Edwin Smith Papyrus, which details speech problems in a person with a traumatic brain injury to the temporal lobe.
Aorta.
The aorta (; from Greek ἀορτή - aortē, from ἀείρω - aeirō "I lift, raise") is the largest artery in the body, originating from the left ventricle of the heart and extending down to the abdomen, where it branches off into two smaller arteries (the common iliacs). The aorta distributes oxygenated blood to all parts of the body through the systemic circulation.
In other animals.
All amniotes have a broadly similar arrangement to that of humans, albeit with a number of individual variations. In fish, however, there are two separate vessels referred to as aortas. The "ventral aorta" carries de-oxygenated blood from the heart to the gills; part of this vessel forms the ascending aorta in tetrapods (the remainder forms the pulmonary artery). A second, "dorsal aorta" carries oxygenated blood from the gills to the rest of the body, and is homologous with the descending aorta of tetrapods. The two aortas are connected by a number of vessels, one passing through each of the gills.
Amphibians also retain the fifth connecting vessel, so that the aorta has two parallel arches.
Embryological development.
In mammalian and avian embryological development, the pharyngeal arch (aortic arches) arteries contribute to the normal pattern of the great arteries. The fourth aortic arch vessel survives in vertebrates as the arch of the aorta, the third aortic arch vessel persists as the brachiocephalic artery or the root of the internal carotid, and the six arch contributes to the pulmonary arteries. The smooth muscle of the great arteries and the population of cells that form the aorticopulmonary septum that separates the aorta and pulmonary artery is derived from cardiac neural crest. This contribution of the neural crest to the great artery smooth muscle is unusual as most smooth muscle is derived from mesoderm. In fact the smooth muscle within the abdominal aorta is derived from mesoderm, and the coronary arteries, which arise just above the semilunar valves, possess smooth muscle of mesodermal orgin. A failure of the aorticopulmonary septum to divide the great vessels results in persistent truncus arteriosus.
Features.
The aorta is an elastic artery, and as such is quite distensible. The blood pressure is highest (normal blood pressure is a reflection of aortic blood pressure) and most pulsatile in the aorta as blood pressure decreases and becomes more smooth (and less pulsatile) as you travel from aorta to arteries to arterioles to capillaries where metabolic exchange occurs. The aorta consists of a heterogeneous mixture of smooth muscle, nerves, intimal cells, endothelial cells, fibroblast-like cells, and a complex extracellular matrix. The vascular wall consists of several layers known as the tunica adventitia, tunica media, and tunica intima. The thickness of the aorta encourages an extensive network of tiny blood vessels called vaso vasorum which feed the layers of the aorta. The aortic arch contains baroreceptors and chemoreceptors which relay information concerning blood pressure and blood pH and carbon dioxide levels to the medulla oblongata of the brain. This information is processed by the brain and the autonomic nervous system mediates the homeostatic responses.
Within the tunica media, smooth muscle and the extracellular matrix are quantitatively the largest components of the aortic vascular wall. The fundamental unit of the aorta is the elastic lamella, which consists of smooth muscle and elastic matrix. The medial layer of the aorta consist of concentric musculoelastic layers (the elastic lamella) in mammals. Functionally the smooth muscle component doesn't dramatically alter the diameter of the aorta but serves to increase the stiffness and viscoelasticity of the aortic wall when activated. The elastic matrix dominates the biomechanical properties of the aorta. The elastic matrix forms lamella consisting of elastic fibers, collagens(predominately type III), proteoglycans, and glycoaminoglycans. When the left ventricle contracts to force blood into the aorta, the aorta expands. This stretching gives the potential energy that will help maintain blood pressure during diastole, as during this time the aorta contracts passively. This Windkessel effect of the great elastic arteries has important biomechanical implications. The elastic recoil helps conserve the energy from the pumping heart and smooth out the pulsatile nature created by the heart. Aortic pressure is highest at the aorta and becomes less pulsatile and lower pressure as blood vessels divide into arteries, arterioles, and capillaries such that flow is slow and smooth for gases and nutrient exchange.
Blood flow and velocity.
Clinically, the pulsatile nature of blood flow creates a pulse wave that is propagated down the arterial tree, and at bifurcations reflected waves rebound to return to semilunar valves and the origin of the aorta. These return waves create the dicrotic notch displayed in the aortic pressure curve during the cardiac cycle as these reflected waves push on the aortic semilunar valve. With age the aorta stiffens such the pulse wave is propagated faster and reflected waves return to the heart faster before the semilunar valve closes and this raises the blood pressure. The stiffness of the aorta is associated with a number of diseases and pathologies, and noninvasive measures of the pulse wave velocity are an independent indicator of hypertension. Measuring the pulse wave velocity (invasively and non-invasively) is a means of determining arterial stiffness. Maximum aortic velocity may be noted as Vmax or less commonly as AoVmax.
Abimelech.
Abimelech or Avimelech () was a common name of the Philistine kings.
Abimelech was most prominently the name of a king of Gerar who is mentioned in two of the three wife-sister narratives in Genesis. The Haggada identifies them as separate people, the second being the first Abimelech's son, and that his original name was Benmelech ("son of the King") but changed his name to his father's. At the time of Abimelech, there was an Egyptian governor of Tyre named Abimilki. They could possibly be the same person. Abimilki's name appears on the Amarna tablets.
Andrew Tridgell.
Andrew "Tridge" Tridgell (born 28 February 1967) is an Australian computer programmer best known as the author of and contributor to the Samba file server, and co-inventor of the rsync algorithm.
He is known for his analysis of complex proprietary protocols and algorithms, to allow compatible free and open source software implementations.
Projects.
Tridgell was a major developer of the Samba software, analysing the Server Message Block protocol used for workgroup and network file sharing by Microsoft Windows products. He developed the talloc hierarchical memory allocator, originally as part of Samba.
For his PhD thesis, he co-developed rsync, including the rsync algorithm, a highly efficient file transfer and synchronization tool. He also was the original author of rzip, which uses a similar algorithm to rsync.
He is the author of, a reinforcement-learning based chess engine.
Tridgell was also a leader in hacking the TiVo to make it work in Australia, which uses the PAL video format.
In April 2005, Tridgell tried to produce free software (now known as SourcePuller) that interoperated with the BitKeeper source code repository. This was cited as the reason that BitMover revoked a license allowing Linux developers free usage of their BitKeeper product. Linus Torvalds, the creator of Linux, and Tridgell were thus involved in a public debate about the events, in which Tridgell stated that, having not bought or owned BitKeeper and agreed to its license, he couldn't violate it, and was merely analysing the protocol ethically, as he had done with Samba. Tridgell's involvement in the project resulted in Linus accusing him of playing dirty tricks with BitKeeper.
Tridgell claimed his analysis started with simply telneting to a BitKeeper server and typing codice_1.
Academic achievements.
Attending Barker College Hornsby, NSW, Tridgell completed his Higher School Certificate in 1984. Tridgell completed a degree with majors in applied mathematics and physics at the University of Sydney in 1988, before moving to Canberra to complete an Honours degree at the Australian National University, in which he received first class honours in theoretical physics.
Tridgell completed a PhD at the Computer Sciences Laboratory of the Australian National University. His original doctorate work was in the area of speech recognition but was never completed. His submitted thesis 'Efficient Algorithms for Sorting and Synchronization' was based on his work on the rsync algorithm.
Employment.
Tridgell started his career working for Efam Resources from 1987 to 1988, designing computer models of financial markets. His work led to a product named The Options Analyst, which he marketed and sold for five years.
From 1988 to 1989, Tridgell worked as a software developer for a company named Sonartech Pty Ltd (now Sonartech Atlas), which developed sonar technologies for Australian submarines. He worked on passive sonar technology.
Between 1989 and 1990, Tridgell was employed at the Research School of Biological Sciences in the Australian National University, making computer models of physical and biological events and environments such as bushfire spread and population dynamics.
From 1991 to 1999, Tridgell held various other positions at the Australian National University, such as UNIX administration, satellite control, and supercomputer research. During this period he was seconded to the Cooperative Research Centre for Advanced Computational Systems, where he headed the PIOuS (Parallel Input/Output System) project - later HiDIOS (High-performance Distributed Input/Output System) - for parallel file systems on the Fujitsu AP1000 and AP+ supercomputers. Tridgell also went on to lecture, first as an associate lecturer, and then as a casual lecturer, in the university's Computer Science division. He remains a Visiting Fellow of the University.
In mid-1999, Tridgell joined the LinuxCare company's office in Canberra as their first Australian employee. He helped to assemble 14 staff for a research and development team known as OzLabs. Linux and open-source companies were quite a new concept at this stage. Tridgell was made a research fellow of Linuxcare in 2000.
In March 2001, Tridgell joined VA Linux Systems. He worked in the network attached storage division for VA Linux Systems, making enhancements to Samba and the Linux kernel to provide enhanced performance for their network-attached storage device range.
Tridgell continued his work with network-attached storage technologies when he joined Quantum Corporation as a Senior Engineer in the Storage Systems Group. His role once again involved developing functionality and efficiency modifications into Samba to enhance Quantum's GuardianOS-powered Snap Server network-attached storage device. One of the features that he added to Samba at this time was support for Microsoft's Active Directory technology, a new authentication system introduced with Microsoft's Windows 2000 Server product range.
In 2004, Tridgell was employed by IBM working remotely for the Almaden Research Center. In January 2005, he joined the OSDL on a one-year fellowship; he then returned to IBM.
In 2009 and 2010, Andrew Tridgell (with Bob Edwards) taught a course titled COMP8440 Free and Open Source Software Development at the Australian National University.
Applesoft BASIC.
Applesoft BASIC was a dialect of BASIC supplied with the Apple II series of computers. It superseded Integer BASIC and was the BASIC in ROM in all Apple II series computers after the original Apple II model. It was also referred to as FP (from "floating point") because of the command used to invoke it instead of INT for Integer BASIC. Applesoft BASIC was supplied by Microsoft and its name is derived from the names of both Apple and Microsoft. Apple employees, including Randy Wigginton, adapted Microsoft's interpreter for the Apple II and added several features. The first version of Applesoft was released in 1977 only on cassette tape and lacked proper support for high-resolution graphics. Applesoft II, which was made available on cassette and disk and in the ROM of the Apple II Plus and subsequent models, was released in 1978. It is this latter version, which has some syntax differences from the first as well as support for the Apple II high-resolution graphics modes, that most people mean by the term "Applesoft."
Background.
Apple's customers were demanding a version of BASIC that supported floating point calculations. As Steve Wozniak, the creator of Integer BASIC and the only person who understood it well enough to add floating point features, was busy with the Disk II drive and controller and with Apple DOS, Apple turned to Microsoft, who was the BASIC vendor of choice after their success with Altair BASIC, and licensed a 10 KB assembly language version of BASIC dubbed "Applesoft." Apple reportedly obtained an eight-year license for Applesoft BASIC from Microsoft for a flat fee of $21,000, renewing it in 1985 through an arrangement that gave Microsoft the rights and source code for Apple's Macintosh version of BASIC.
Conversely, Applesoft lacked the codice_6 (remainder) operator that had been present in Integer BASIC.
Sample code.
"This article includes text from, licensed under GFDL."
Apple Business BASIC.
Apple Business BASIC shipped with the computer. Donn Denman ported Applesoft BASIC to SOS and reworked it to take advantage of the extended memory of the Apple ///. Following the trend of avoiding absolute addresses, the PEEK and POKE commands were replaced with INVOKE and PERFORM statements that loaded and executed separately-assembled code modules.
Asterix.
In 1976, the team was purchased by media magnate Ted Turner, owner of superstation WTBS, as a means to keep the team (and one of his main programming staples) in Atlanta. The financially-strapped Turner used money already paid to the team for their broadcast rights as a down-payment. It was then that Atlanta Stadium was re-named Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. Turner quickly gained a reputation as a quirky, hands-on baseball owner. On May 11, 1977, Turner appointed himself manager, but because MLB passed a rule in the 1950s barring managers from holding a financial stake in their teams, Turner was ordered to relinquish that position after one game (the Braves lost 2–1 to the Pittsburgh Pirates to bring their losing streak to 17 games).
Turner used the Braves as a major programming draw for his fledgling cable network, making the Braves the first franchise to have a nationwide audience and fanbase. WTBS marketed the team as "The Atlanta Braves: America's Team", a nickname that still sticks in some areas of the country, especially the South. Among other things, in 1976 Turner suggested the nickname "Channel" for pitcher Andy Messersmith and jersey number 17, in order to promote the television station that aired Braves games. Major League Baseball quickly nixed the idea.
1978–1990.
After three straight losing seasons, Bobby Cox was hired for his first stint as manager for the 1978 season. He promoted 22-year-old slugger Dale Murphy into the starting lineup. Murphy hit 77 home runs over the next three seasons but he struggled on defense, unable to adeptly play either catcher or first base. In 1980, Murphy was moved to center field and demonstrated excellent range and throwing ability, while the Braves earned their first winning season since 1974. Cox was fired after the 1981 season and replaced with Joe Torre, under whose leadership the Braves attained their first divisional title since 1969. Strong performances from Bob Horner, Chris Chambliss, pitcher Phil Niekro, and short relief pitcher Gene Garber helped the Braves, but no Brave was more acclaimed than Murphy, who won both a Most Valuable Player and a Gold Glove award. Murphy also won a Most Valuable Player award the following season, but the Braves began a period of decline that defined the team throughout the 1980s. Murphy, excelling in defense, hitting, and running, was consistently recognized as one of the league's best players, but the Braves averaged only 65 wins per season between 1985 and 1990. Their lowest point came in 1988, when they lost 106 games. The 1986 season saw the return of Bobby Cox as general manager. Also in 1986, the team stopped using their Native American-themed mascot, Chief Noc-A-Homa.
1991–1994.
Cox returned to the dugout as manager in the middle of the 1990 season, replacing Russ Nixon. The Braves finished the year with the worst record in baseball, at 65–97. They traded Dale Murphy to the Philadelphia Phillies after it was clear he was becoming a less dominant player. Pitching coach Leo Mazzone began developing young pitchers Tom Glavine, Steve Avery, and John Smoltz into future stars. That same year, the Braves used the number one overall pick in the 1990 MLB Draft to select Chipper Jones, who has become one of the best hitters in team history. Perhaps the Braves' most important move was not on the field, but in the front office. Immediately after the season, John Schuerholz was hired away from the Kansas City Royals as general manager.
The following season, Glavine, Avery, and Smoltz would be recognized as the best young pitchers in the league, winning 52 games among them. Meanwhile, behind position players Dave Justice, Ron Gant and unexpected league Most Valuable Player and batting champion Terry Pendleton, the Braves overcame a 39–40 start, winning 55 of their final 83 games over the last three months of the season and edging the Los Angeles Dodgers by one game in one of baseball's more memorable playoff races. The "Worst to First" Braves, who had not won a divisional title since 1982, captivated the city of Atlanta (and the entire southeast) during their improbable run to the flag. They defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates in a very tightly contested seven-game NLCS only to lose the World Series, also in seven games, to the Minnesota Twins. The series, considered by many to be one of the greatest ever, was the first time a team that had finished last in its division one year went to the World Series the next; both the Twins and Braves accomplished the feat.
Despite the 1991 World Series loss, the Braves' success would continue. In 1992, the Braves returned to the NLCS and once again defeated the Pirates in seven games, culminating in a dramatic game seven win. Francisco Cabrera's two-out single that scored David Justice and Sid Bream capped a three-run rally in the bottom of the ninth inning that gave the Braves a 3–2 victory. It was the first time in post season history that the tying and winning runs had scored on a single play in the ninth inning. The Braves lost the World Series to the Toronto Blue Jays however. In 1993, the Braves signed Cy Young Award winning pitcher Greg Maddux from the Chicago Cubs, leading many baseball insiders to declare the team's pitching staff the best in baseball then. The 1993 team posted a franchise-best 104 wins after a dramatic pennant race with the San Francisco Giants, who won 103 games. The Braves needed a stunning 55–19 finish to edge out the Giants, who led the Braves by nine games in the standings as late as August 11. However, the Braves fell in the NLCS to the Philadelphia Phillies in six games.
In 1994, in a realignment of the National League's divisions following the 1993 expansion, the Braves moved to the Eastern Division. The player's strike cut short the 1994 season, prior to the division championships, with the Braves six games behind the Montreal Expos with 48 games left to play.
1995–2004.
The Braves returned strong the following strike-shortened (144 games instead of the customary 162) year and beat the Cleveland Indians in the 1995 World Series. This squelched claims by many Braves critics that they were the "Buffalo Bills of Baseball" (January 1996 issue of "Beckett Baseball Card Monthly"). With this World Series victory, the Braves became the first team in Major League Baseball to win world championships in three different cities. With their strong pitching as a constant, the Braves appeared in the 1996 and 1999 World Series (losing both to the New York Yankees), and had a streak of division titles from 1991 to 2005 (three in the Western Division and eleven in the Eastern) interrupted only in 1994 when the strike ended the season early. Pitching was not the only constant in the Braves organization — Cox was the Braves' manager, while Schuerholz remained the team's GM until after the 2007 season when he was promoted to team president. Terry Pendleton finished his playing career elsewhere, but returned to the Braves system as the hitting coach.
A 95–67 record in 2000 produced a ninth consecutive division title. However, a sweep at the hands of the St. Louis Cardinals prevented the Braves from reaching the National League Championship Series. In 2001, Atlanta won the National League East division yet again, swept the Houston Astros in the NLDS, then lost to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League Championship Series four games to one. In 2002, 2003 and 2004, the Braves won the Eastern division again, but lost in the NLDS in all three years in the same fashion: 3 games to 2 to the San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs, and Houston Astros.
2005: A new generation.
In 2005, the Braves won the Division championship for the fourteenth consecutive time from 1991 to 2005. Fourteen consecutive division titles stands as the record for all major league baseball. The 2005 title marked the first time any MLB team made the postseason with more than 4 rookies who each had more than 100 ABs (Wilson Betemit, Brian McCann, Pete Orr, Ryan Langerhans, Jeff Francoeur). Catcher Brian McCann, right fielder Jeff Francoeur, and pitcher Kyle Davies all grew up in the suburbs of Atlanta. The large number of rookies to debut in 2005 were nicknamed the "Baby Braves" by fans and became an Atlanta-area sensation, helping to lead the club to a record of 90–72.
However, the season would end on a sour note as the Braves lost the National League Division Series to the Astros in four games. In Game 4, with the Braves leading by 5 in the eighth inning, the Astros battled back with a Lance Berkman grand slam and a two-out, ninth inning Brad Ausmus home run off of Braves closer Kyle Farnsworth. The game didn't end until the 18th inning, becoming the longest game in playoff history at 5 hours 50 minutes. Chris Burke ended the marathon with a home run off of Joey Devine.
After the 2005 season, the Braves lost their long-time pitching coach Leo Mazzone, who left to go to the Baltimore Orioles. Roger McDowell took his place in the Atlanta dugout. Unable to re-sign shortstop Rafael Furcal, the Braves acquired shortstop Edgar Rentería from the Boston Red Sox.
2006: Struggles.
In 2006, the Braves did not perform at the level they had grown accustomed to. Due to an offensive slump, injuries to their starting rotation, and subpar bullpen performances, the Braves compiled a 6–21 record for the month of June, the worst month ever in the city of Atlanta, and just percentage points better than the Boston Braves of May 1935 (4–20).
The Braves made their move in July, going 14–10. However, the team remained in the bottom half of the NL East and trailed the Mets by a double-digit deficit for much of the season (13 games at the All-Star Break). However, despite their struggles, the Braves entered the break down by only six and a half games to the Dodgers for the NL Wild Card slot after winning seven of their last ten games.
After the break, the Braves came out with their bats swinging, setting many franchise records. They won five straight, sweeping the Padres and taking two from the Cardinals, tallying a total of 65 runs in that span. The 65 runs in five games is the best by the franchise since 1897, when the Boston Beaneaters totaled 78, including 25 in one game and 21 in another, from May 31 – June 3; the 2006 Braves also became the first team since the 1930 New York Yankees to score ten runs or more in five straight games. The Braves had a total of 81 hits during their five-game run and 98 hits in their last six games, going back to an 8–3 victory over Cincinnati on July 9, the last game before the All-Star break. Additionally, Chipper Jones was able to maintain a 20 game hitting streak and tie Paul Waner's 69 year old Major League record with a 14 game extra-base hit streak.
The Braves made their first trade of the season on July 20 to shore up the bullpen, sending Class A Rome catcher Max Ramirez to Cleveland for closer Bob Wickman. He served as the Braves' closer for the remainder of the season, taking over for an embattled Jorge Sosa, who was subsequently traded on the July 31 trade deadline for St. Louis minor league pitcher Rich Scalamandre.
On July 29, the Braves traded reserve third baseman/shortstop Wilson Betemit to the Los Angeles Dodgers for reliever Danys Baez and infielder Willy Aybar. The move came on the night that starting third baseman Chipper Jones went on the 15-day disabled list with a strained oblique muscle. With Betemit gone, the Atlanta called up infielder Tony Pena Jr. from AAA Richmond to supplement Pete Orr.
Before the expansion of rosters on September 1, the Braves acquired Daryle Ward from the Washington Nationals for Class A Myrtle Beach pitcher Luis Atilano, in hopes that he would be a valuable pinch-hitter in the postseason.
However, on September 18, the New York Mets' win over the Florida Marlins mathematically eliminated the Braves from winning the NL East, ending the Atlanta Braves eleven year reign over the NL East. On September 24, the Braves' loss to the Colorado Rockies mathematically eliminated the Braves from winning the NL Wild Card, making 2006 the first year that the Braves would not compete in the postseason since 1990, not counting the strike-shortened 1994 season.
Also, a loss to the Mets on September 28 guaranteed the Braves their first losing season since 1990. Although the Braves won two of their last three games against the Astros, including rookie Chuck James besting Roger Clemens, Atlanta finished the season in third place, one game ahead of the Marlins, at 79–83.
After the season, the Atlanta coaching staff underwent a few changes. Brian Snitker became the third base coach after Fredi Gonzalez left to become the manager for the Florida Marlins. Chino Cadahia replaced Pat Corrales as bench coach and former catcher Eddie Perez became the new bullpen coach, replacing Bobby Dews.
Sale to Liberty Media.
In December 2005, team owner Time Warner, who inherited the Braves after purchasing TBS in 1996, announced it was placing the team for sale. Liberty Media began negotiations to purchase the team.
In February 2007, after more than a year of negotiations, Time Warner agreed to a deal that would sell the Braves to Liberty Media Group (a company which owned a large amount of stock in Time Warner, Inc.), pending approval by 75 percent of MLB owners and the Commissioner of Baseball, Bud Selig. The deal included the exchange of the Braves, valued in the deal at $450 million, a hobbyist magazine publishing company, and $980 million cash, for 68.5 million shares of Time Warner stock held by Liberty Media, then worth approximately $1.48 billion. Team President Terry McGuirk anticipated no change in the current front office structure, personnel, or day-to-day operations of the Braves. Liberty Media is not expected to take any type of "active" ownership in terms of day to day operations.
On May 16, 2007, Major League Baseball's owners approved the sale of the Braves from Time Warner to Liberty Media.
2007: More struggles.
Israeli Arabs.
During a speech in 2007, Israeli Arab Raed Salah, the leader of the northern branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel, accused Jews of using children's blood to bake bread. "We have never allowed ourselves to knead [the dough for] the bread that breaks the fast in the holy month of Ramadan with children's blood," he said. "Whoever wants a more thorough explanation, let him ask what used to happen to some children in Europe, whose blood was mixed in with the dough of the [Jewish] holy bread."
Egypt.
Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohammed Mahdi Akef has denounced what he called "the myth of the Holocaust" in defending Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's denial of it.
With regard to the fraud of the Holocaust… Many French studies have proven that this is no more than a fabrication, a lie, and a fraud!! That is, it is a 'scenario' the plot of which was carefully tailored, using several faked photos completely unconnected to the truth. Yes, it is a film, no more and no less. Hitler himself, whom they accuse of Nazism, is in my eyes no more than a modest 'pupil' in the world of murder and bloodshed. He is completely innocent of the charge of frying them in the hell of his false Holocaust!!
The entire matter, as many French and British scientists and researchers have proven, is nothing more than a huge Israeli plot aimed at extorting the German government in particular and the European countries in general. But I, personally and in light of this imaginary tale, complain to Hitler, even saying to him from the bottom of my heart, 'If only you had done it, brother, if only it had really happened, so that the world could sigh in relief [without] their evil and sin.'
Cartoons appearing in the daily "Al-Wafd" in 2003 depict Jews as Satanic figures with hooked noses and equates them with Nazis.
In an article in October 2000 columnist Adel Hammoda alleged in the state-owned Egyptian newspaper "al-Ahram" that Jews made Matza from the blood of (non-Jewish) children. Mohammed Salmawy, editor of "Al-Ahram Hebdo", "defended the use of old European myths like the blood libel" in his newspapers.
Jordan.
Jordan does not allow entry to Jews with visible signs of Judaism or even with personal religious items in their possession. The Jordanian ambassador to Israel replied to a complaint by a religious Jew denied entry that security concerns required that travelers entering the Hashemite Kingdom not do so with prayer shawls (Tallit) and phylacteries (Tefillin). Jordanian authorities state that the policy is in order to ensure the Jewish tourists safety.
In July 2009, six Breslov Hasidim were deported after attempting entry into Jordan in order to visit the tomb of Aaron / Sheikh Harun on Mount Hor, near Petra, because of an alert from the Ministry of Tourism. The group had taken a ferry from Sinai, Egypt because they understood that Jordanian authourities were making it hard for visible Jews to enter from Israel. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs is aware of the issue.
Saudi Arabia.
A Saudi government website initially stated that Jews would not be granted tourist visas to enter the country.
It has since removed this statement, and apologized for posting "erroneous information". Members of religions other than Islam, including Jews, are not permitted to practice their religion publicly in Saudi Arabia; according to the U.S. State Department, religious freedom "does not exist" in Saudi Arabia. Islam is the official religion of Saudi Arabia, and the tenets of that religion are enforced by law.
Saudi Arabian media often attacks Jews in books, news articles, at their Mosques and with what some describe as antisemitic satire. Saudi Arabian government officials and state religious leaders often promote the idea that Jews are conspiring to take over the entire world; as proof of their claims they publish and frequently cite "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion" as factual.
One Saudi Arabian government newspaper suggested that hatred of all Jews is justifiable. "Why are they (the Jews) hated by all the people which hosted them, such as Iraq and Egypt thousands years ago, and Germany, Spain, France and the UK, up to the days they gained of power over the capital and the press, in order to rewrite the history?"
Saudi textbooks vilify Jews (and Christians and non-Wahabi Muslims): according to "The Washington Post", Saudi textbooks claimed by them to have been sanitized of anti-Semitism still call Jews apes (and Christians swine); demand that students avoid and not befriend Jews; claim that Jews worship the devil; and encourage Muslims to engage in Jihad to vanquish Jews.
Syria.
Former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke visited Syria in November 2005 and made a speech which was broadcast live on Syrian television.
In 1984 Syrian Defense Minister Mustafa Tlass published a book called "The Matzah of Zion", which claimed that Jews had killed Christian children in Damascus to make Matzas (see Damascus affair). His book inspired the Egyptian TV series "Horseman Without a Horse" (see below) and a spinoff, "The Diaspora", which led to Hezbollah's al-Manar being banned in Europe for broadcasting it.
Tunisia.
At each crisis, with every incident of the slightest importance, the mob would go wild, setting fire to Jewish shops. This even happened during the Yom Kippur War. Tunisia's President, Habib Bourguiba, has in all probability never been hostile to the Jews, but there was always that notorious "delay", which meant that the police arrived on the scene only after the shops had been pillaged and burnt. Is it any wonder that the exodus to France and Israel continued and even increased?
Palestinian territories.
The Hamas, an offshoot of the Egyptian Moslem Brotherhood, has a foundational statement of principles, or "covenant" which claims that the French revolution, the Russian revolution, colonialism and both world wars were created by the Zionists. It also claims the Freemasons and Rotary clubs are Zionist fronts and refers to the Protocols of the Elders of Zion.
Claims that Jews and Freemasons were behind the French Revolution originated in Germany in the mid-19th century.
Mahmoud Abbas, leader of the PLO, published a Ph.D. thesis (at Moscow University) in 1982, called "The Secret Connection between the Nazis and the Leaders of the Zionist Movement".
"It seems that the interest of the Zionist movement, however, is to inflate this figure [of Holocaust deaths] so that their gains will be greater. This led them to emphasize this figure [six million] in order to gain the solidarity of international public opinion with Zionism. Many scholars have debated the figure of six million and reached stunning conclusions—fixing the number of Jewish victims at only a few hundred thousand."
Arab newspapers.
Many Arab newspapers, such as "Al-Hayat Al-Jadidah", the Palestinian Authority's official newspaper, often write that "the Jews" control all the world's governments, and that "the Jews" plan genocide on all the Arabs in the West Bank. Others write less sensational stories, and state that Jews have too much of an influence in the United States government. Often the leaders of other nations are said to be controlled by Jews.
Articles in many official Arab government newspapers claim that "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion", reflects actual facts, and thus points to an international Jewish conspiracy to take over the world.
Lebanon.
Hizbullah's Al-Manar TV channel has often been accused of airing antisemitic broadcasts, blaming the Jews for a Zionist conspiracy against the Arab world, and often airing excerpts from the "Protocols of the Elders of Zion", which the "Encyclopædia Britannica" describes as a "fraudulent document that served as a pretext and rationale for anti-Semitism in the early 20th century."
Al-Manar recently aired a drama series, called "The Diaspora", which is based on historical anti-Semitic allegations. BBC reporters who watched the series said that: Correspondents who have viewed "The Diaspora" note that it quotes extensively from the "Protocols of the Elders of Zion", a notorious 19th-century publication used by the Nazis among others to fuel race hatred.
In another incident, an Al-Manar commentator recently referred to "Zionist attempts to transmit AIDS to Arab countries". Al-Manar officials deny broadcasting anti-Semitic incitement and state that their position is anti-Israeli, not anti-Semitic. However, Hezbollah has directed strong rhetoric both against Israel and Jews, and it has ooperated in publishing and distributing outright anti-Semitic literature. The government of Lebanon has not criticized continued broadcast of anti-Semitic material on television.
Due to protests by the CRIF umbrella group of French Jews regarding allegations of anti-Semitic content, French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin called for a ban on Al-Manar broadcasting in France on December 2, 2004; just two weeks after al-Manar was authorised to continue broadcasting in Europe by France's media watchdog agency. On December 13, 2004, France's highest administrative court banned Hizbullah's Al-Manar TV station on the grounds that it consistently incites racial hatred and antisemitism.
"Horseman Without a Horse".
In 2001-2002, Arab Radio and Television produced a 30-part television miniseries entitled "Horseman Without a Horse", which contains dramatizations of "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion". The United States and Israel criticized Egypt for airing the program, which includes racist falsehoods that have a history of being used "as a pretext for persecuting Jews."
Arcology.
Arcology, a portmanteau of the words "architecture" and "ecology", is a set of architectural design principles aimed toward the design of enormous habitats (hyperstructures) of extremely high human population density. These largely hypothetical structures would contain a variety of residential, commercial, and agricultural facilities and minimize individual human environmental impact. They are often portrayed as self-contained or economically self-sufficient.
The concept has been primarily popularized, and the term itself coined, by architect Paolo Soleri, and appears commonly in science fiction.
Development.
As vast as our planet is, we continue to fill it up with people and overtake its lands with sprawling development. One day, it's conceivable that we might possibly run out of space here on Earth in which to live as we have become accustomed. Many ideas have been proposed to solve this future problem, including: ocean colonization; space colonization; rigidly enforced societal birth control like that practiced in China; rigidly enforced societal death control as seen in the movie "Logan's Run" or on the television series Star Trek. All these ideas have merit, though some seem infringing on basic human freedoms, and all have been seriously explored to some extent.
An elegant, but little practiced option, is simply to use what land we have more wisely. Many architects and scientists have given serious thought to solutions.
Frank Lloyd Wright pondered it in "An Organic Architecture" with his Usonian city idea, called Broadacre city. His image involved dividing all of America's land equally for each American family, and he goes on to describe transportation, agriculture, and commerce systems that would support this idea. While this is an appealing concept, there are problems with Wright's solution. It doesn't take into account real and rapid population growth that essentially shrinks the amount of dividable land we have to use in this way. He pre-assumes a more rigid type of democracy than that in which we live. Also, he assumes a more levelled societal playing field where all of us, regardless of wealth or lack thereof, have roughly the same amount of home space or business space as everyone else.
A further solution for this problem, though with some difficulties of its own, is that of Paolo Soleri, who coined the term 'arcology'. In "Arcology: The City in the Image of Man", Soleri describes ways of compacting our city structures in three dimensions to combat two-dimensional urban sprawl. While this led to many science fiction interpretations of domed cities, Soleri's ideas aren't just the "human beehive" model popular in sci-fi. They also encompass vast differences in societal thinking regarding some of the same things that Wright touched upon in transportation, agriculture, and commerce. Soleri deepened Wright's ideas of what might specifically need to be done by exploring resource consumption and duplication, land reclamation, elimination of most private transportation in favor of public transport, and greater use of social resources like public libraries.
The concept of arcology can also be attributed as a SCUB (Self Contained Urban Developments) such as Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle's "Oath of Fealty" or as elements in video games, such as "SimCity 2000", "Escape Velocity Nova", ', "Call to Power II", ', "Shadowrun", and "Mass Effect".
The first mention of an arcological structure can be found in H. G. Wells's "When the Sleeper Wakes", published in 1899. A more in-depth description of arcology's design principles can be found in "The Last Redoubt" from "The Night Land" by William Hope Hodgson, first published in 1912. In it Hodgson envisions structures complete with a full artificial ecology, agriculture, and public transport by mobile roadways.
Also, another version of what an arcology could be is depicted in the 1968 futuristic novel "The World Inside", by [R. Silverberg] Robert Silverberg, where in the year 2381 the human race lives in 1000 stories high towers, providing all necessary to the society(nutrition, energy, entertainment, jobs, etc.). these buildings seem like a mutation between a building and a living organism nourishing and sheltering this futuristic dystopian society.
J.G. Ballard wrote a dystopian take on a self contained building which is much like an arcology in his 1975 novel "High Rise".
Yet another mention of the term can be found in William Gibson's 1986 novel "Count Zero". Moreover, the structure Fiddler's Green from George A. Romero's 2005 film "Land of the Dead" is a possible arcology.
Similar real-world projects.
Arcosanti is an experimental town under construction in central Arizona. Designed by Paolo Soleri, its primary purpose is to demonstrate principles of arcology.
Many cities in the world have proposed projects adhering to the design principles of the arcology concept, like Tokyo, and Dongtan near Shanghai. The Dongtan project however seems to have collapsed, and its original goal of opening its first stage for the Shanghai World Expo in 2010 was not met.
Certain cities and urban projects exhibit some characteristics that reflect the design principles of arcology. Pedestrian connection systems, like the +15 system in downtown Calgary, or the Minneapolis Skyway System are examples. They are self-contained apparatuses, with interconnected supermarkets, malls and entertainment complexes. The +15 is the world's most extensive pedestrian skywalk system with a total length of 16 km (10 miles), and Minneapolis possesses the longest continuous system, with eight miles (13 km) of length.
The Creation took six days, where the "evening and the morning" began and ended each day. The first day, the god of the Flat Earth, created light and divided if from darkness.
"And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day." Genesis 5-6.
The second day the Jewish god created a solid (firm) cover over the water of the Flat Earth; the third day, he separated water from the dry land, and vegetation was created; the fourth day, the Sun, Moon and stars were created; the fifth day, all the "creatures " of the seas and fowls that fly were created; the sixth day, the animals, were created, after which the god of the Flat Earth after which the god of the Flat Earth "formed man of the dust of the ground."
The Bible makes Adam the "first man," and there had been no humans before him; and after Adam, the first woman, Eve, was created, "the mother of all living." These "humans" were immortal and the god of the Flat Earth, placed them in the Garden of Eden, where they disobeyed their god's commandment by eating of the "fruit of knowledge of good and evil." The punishment for that first Sin, (original sin) was to become mortal, to be cast out of the garden (paradise), and cast out of the presence of the god of the Flat Earth.
Genesis, as the revealed words of the Jewish god, was rarely questioned openly, except by intellectuals and scientists, until 1859 when Charles Darwin published, On the Origin of Species , and the Theory of Evolution brought open rejection of the literal interpretation of the Bible.
The "flat earth," however, seemed to have morphed out of the Bible with barely a whisper of it being the word of the Jewish god and Allah.
Most cultures believed the in a flat Earth when Genesis was written in the 5th -7th century BCE. A hundred years later, the Pythagoreans postulated a spherical earth, and the Greek astronomer, Eratosthenes (276–194 BCE) estimated the Earths circumference, long before the Jewish Septuagint (Greek translation of the Bible) was completed in 132 BCE. But the god-given flat earth remained dogma of the Jews, Christians and later Muslims until the Catholic St. Thomas Aquinas, (1225-1274 CE) followed a line of previous Catholic monks and postulated that the Earth was round. Half a century later Muslim scholar, Ibn Taymiyah (d. 1328 CE) also argued that "all celestial bodies are round." And while the flat earth died with barely a whimper among Christians, there are still many Muslims who hold to the numerous Quran surah that state the earth is flat.
The "Flat Earth" dogma of the Catholic Church may have died in near silence, but th Earth centered (geocentric) universe remained an absolute fact for the Catholic Church.
Copernicus had postulated an heliocentric (sun-centered) solar system in 1514, but in 1633, when Galileo proved the Copernican theory of the solar system, he was summoned to the Inquisition in Rome where he was given the choice of recanting his findings as "abjured, cursed and detested," or be burned at the stake. Galileo recanted, and spent the remaining eight years of his life in house arrest. In 1992, after a 13 year investigation as to whether the sun was in fact the center of the solar system, the Catholic Church, on October 31, 1992, essentially admitted that the Bible, and Catholic dogma, were wrong; and the lie, the pious fraud, morphed into a simple mistake, and forgotten.
While it is axiomatic that Catholics believe many things they know are not true, the "religious right" in America, like all Muslims, are compelled by their faith to believe things that are not true. They, therefore, must reject science and accept the absurdities of the Bible as fact.
Science began pushing the creation back from 6,000 years to thousand of years, in the 18th century, then as science gained credibility, the Earth was shown to be millions of years. But the True Believer, knew from the Bible, what science did not, that the Earth was only 6,000 years old, and scientific theory, was just that, only theory. Science, however, has progressed to where radiometric techniques now give reasonably accurate dating of rocks, and the Earth to be at least 4 billion years. Likewise the age of the Universe, can now be shown with mathematical certainty to be more than 13 billion years.
Faith for the Christian becomes a Fraud when it is used in an attempt to persuade others that their "young Earth" claim is not an absurd lie.
Unlike Judaism and Islam, Christianity cannot exist without the biblical "First Man" Adam. Christian dogma requires that Adam have sinned (the Original Sin) and became mortal about 4004 BCE, which is the date calculated by James Ussher, Archbishop of Armagh (Church of Ireland) in Annals of the World , 1650. (Other dates are calculated, but are within a few years.) Christianity also requires that the biblical worldwide Flood of Noah ended about 2348 BCE.
For Christians, the flood was a baptism of the Earth (See: 1 Peter 3:20-22), when the Earth was completely covered with water, and every living creature on land died, except for the animals and eight people on Noah's Ark. Christian dogma has a messiah (savior) Jesus of Nazareth, being born 2,348 after the biblical flood, who saved mankind from the "physical death" which was caused by biblical Adam's Original Sin. Christian dogma also has the messiah (Jesus) save mankind from the "spiritual death" when Adam was cast out of the presence of the biblical god. However, that salvation from "Sin" is only for those who believe in Jesus as the Christ, and comply with Christian dogma.
Christians know that if there was no Adam, there was no sin, and that Jesus could not save them from a sin that never happened.
That same reasoning also makes Noah's Flood essential to Christianity because it divides the antediluvian (before deluge) world from the world in which Noah, his wife, their three sons, Shem, Japheth, Ham and their wives were the only survivors. To the seventy-fifth century BCE Jews who wrote the Flood Narrative, the flood was more than making everyone descendant of those three sons of Noah, it made the Jews the only people who could lay claim to being the direct descendants of Adam through an invented genealogy of Noah, that makes Abraham his direct descendant of the ninth generations.
The most obvious problem with the biblical flood is it never happened. There was no flood in which the Earth was under nearly four miles of water, water high enough to cover Mt. Ararat's nearly 17,000 feet or the nearly six miles of Mt.
The Fourth Egyptian Dynasty Pharaoh Pepi I Meryre, who reigned from 2332 – 2283 BCE, was building his pyramid at the time the god of the Flat Earth caused the flood. But no Egyptian was covered by water, let alone killed by the biblical flood. Nor were any ancient Egyptian or other monuments inundated by the claimed flood.
But the most damning evidence against Noah's Flood is DNA. There were ten generations from Adam to Noah, and the three sons of Noah would all have had the same Y chromosome, making every human living today a descendent of one of three males, each of whom would have an identical Y chromosome DNA markers, that originated less than 3,700 years ago; and, it would mean that every civilization from China, Africa, Europe, Australia, and the Americas did not exist 3,700 years ago; and, because all previous humans were killed during the flood, all of mankind had its origin on the area of Mt. Ararat in modern Turkey.
Modern researchers have been trying to associate the local flooding on the Black Sea with the biblical flood, but the Bible makes Noah's Flood universal, one which covered the entire earth; and the fact is, the biblical flood, like the biblical Adam is a fraud, a lie which Christian, Jews and Muslims mask as pious frauds. But the flood is essential for Christians because it is the beginning of the Abraham Fraud.
The Jews invention of the biblical Abraham was "The Great Lie." What made it a "pious fraud" was making Abraham the first to worship "one god," (the Jewish god of the Flat Earth), who promised Abraham land for his posterity's inheritance.
But there was no biblical Abraham; and, with no Abraham, there was no Ishmael, his first born by an Egyptian slave, and the first Arab, and no Isaac; and with no Isaac, there was no Esau, his first born, and no Jacob/Israel. With no biblical Israel, there was no slavery in Egypt, no Exodus; and with no Exodus, there was no Moses, and no god to reveal the Five Books of Moses.
More importantly, however, is Jesus, the Christian savior of mankind, was a descendant of the biblical Abraham - a man who never existed.
The Abraham fraud began after the Jews had returned from the Chaldean-Babylonian captivity in the 6th - 4th centuries BCE. But those Jews made a fatal mistake by having Abraham come from "Ur of the Chaldee," one thousand years before the Chaldean people even existed. However, neither the Jews who created Abraham, nor the later Christians knew that. Nor was it know until the about a hundred years ago that the Chaleans did not exist until about 900 BCE. And that has caused Christians to morph the "Chaldean Ur Fraud" into making Abraham come a different "Ur." But it is the "Chaldean Fraud," not "Ur" which dates when the Jews wrote the Bible and created Abraham.
Ur was a Sumerian city (c. 3800 BCE) in the southeast area of present Iraq near the Arabian Gulf. Ur was an important religious center from its founding until the Sumer was conquered by the Eastern Semite Akkadian's c. 2334 BCE, that was followed by the Eastern non-Semite Elamites who destroyed Ur c 2015 BCE. The city was rebuilt c. 2000 BCE prior to becoming part of Eastern Amorite Babylonia c. 1894-1595 BCE. Ur was then ruled by the Kassite Dynasty 1595–1155 BCE, then the Second Isin Dynasty 1156-1026 BCE. This was followed by the Period of Chaos 1026-911 BCE, then Assyrian rule from 911-619 BCE.
It was during the early Period of Chaos (1000 BCE) that the Western Semites Suteans and Arameans peoples began moving into the area around Ur. About a hundred years later, after the beginning of the Assyrian Empire, (after 900 BCE) the Western Semite group who would call themselves Chaldeans, began migrating from Syria to the area of Ur at the head of the Persian Gulf. However there is no record of their existence until c. 850 BCE.
A Chaldean tribal leader, Marduk-apla-ur, seized the Babylonian throne around 780 BCE and ruled for about ten years. This was during a time when infighting and intrigue kept the Assyrians, who ruled Babylon, in a state of chaos. Two other Chaldeans ruled Babylon, as subjects of the Assyrians, from 769-748 BCE. After the Chaldeans were deposed, they allied themselves with non Semite Elam and again seized control of Babylon from 721-710 BCE. The Chaldeans ceased to be a distinct people after that, but continued as a political movement, to follow in the Chaldean tradition of seizing power.
That happened about 626 BCE when Nabopolassar, came to power in Babylon and founded the Chaldean Dynasty. He then began a conquest of Syria and Palestine and was followed by his son, Nebuchadnezzar II in 605 BCE. Nebuchadnezzar conquered Judah in 597 BCE, and took the King and many of the nobles captive to Babylon. He appointed a new King, who paid tribute for four years then rebelled in 587. The rebellion was put down and the King was taken to Babylon with his children who were killed in front of him. The walls of Jerusalem were destroyed, and the Jews claim the Chaldeans burned Solomon's temple. That, however, may be a Jewish invention, as that temple most likely never existed.
The kingdom of Judah ended, and modern researchers have found that Jerusalem, which was left with about 500 people, may have been the only place of battale. The Babylonians then relocated other peoples from other conquered areas into the area, and it is now estibated that the total population of Judah was fewer than 30,000 over the next 200 years.
The last Babylonian king, Nabonidus (reigned 556-539 BC), worshiped the moon-god Sin over Marduk, who was the primary god in Babylon. Nabonidus rebuilt Ehulhul, the temple of Sin in Harran where his Assyrian mother, Addagoppe, (who was more famous than her son) was High Priestess. He also appointed his eldest daughter, Ennigaldi-Nanna, High Priestess, Bel-Shalti-Nannarat, of the Moon-god Sin, at Ur, embellished the temples and entirely remodeled the ziggurat of Nanna, to make it rival the temple of Marduk at Babylon.
Babylon was conquered by the Persians in 539 BCE, who allowed all of the captives of the various conquered nations to return to their native countries. Most of the Jews stayed in Babylon, and those that returned to Jerusalem did so over several decades. It was during the period between 530 and 400 BCE that the Jews first wrote the Torah/Bible. And it was during this period that the biblical Abraham was created.
There are various dates calculated from the Bible for the birth of Abraham. These range from 2002 BCE to 1813 BCE, and the only agreement seems to be that he was the 10th generation after the Flood.
Genesis 11:28-32, relates that Abraham's brother Haran died "in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees." And Abraham and his family, "went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees," and went to Haran (Harran), where Abraham's father died.
The obvious problem is the fact that the Chaldeans were not a people until a thousand years later, (c. 850 BCE) and it would be nearly 200 years (626 BCE) before Ur would be know as a Chaldean city.
This was unknown to the Jews who wrote the Bible. and because the Chaldeans had originated from near the same area as the "Israelites" 300-400 years earlier, the Jews who wrote the Bible may have used that kinship to give the Chaldeans their origin as coming from Noah. However, what the Jews who wrote the Bible did know, was Ur was a famous Chaldean city where Sin was worshiped. They also knew that Harran was the center of Sin worship, along with his consort, Ningal, the Arabian Goddess Allat, and the Syrian goddess, Atargatis.
The writers of the Bible made Abraham to be the first to worship "one god," which makes the entire line of "patriarchs" from Noah to Abraham's father, Terah, polytheistic. The Bible has the god of the "Flat Earth" tell Abraham to leave "Ur," and later "Haran," which were to seats of "Sin" and all the "false" (to the Jews) gods, and wander without a country.
The Bible later has its god tells Abraham, "I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it." Genesis 15:7.
As Missouri’s Foundation for Child Abuse Prevention, CTF provides grants to community-based agencies and organizations throughout the state that focus on child abuse and neglect prevention by investing in and supporting children and their families. As part of the proposal, applicants must describe how they will incorporate the five protective factors known to prevent or reduce child abuse into their program. Protective factors include parental resilience, social connections, knowledge of parenting and child development, concrete support in times of need, and children’s social and emotional development.
An informational meeting regarding the application will be held Friday, January 20, 2012 from 10 am – Noon in Room 500 of the Truman State Office Building, Jefferson City.  The meeting is open to anyone interested in learning more about the grant program and application process.  Registration is not required.  The Truman Office Building is located at 301 W. High Street, Jefferson City.
Download Powerpoint Presentation, Informational Meeting 1/20/12 Note:  This link is no longer available.
To be considered, applications must be postmarked by Monday, March 12, 2012.  Grant award recipients will be announced after June 6, 2012.
FY2013 CTF Grant Application for New Proposals (PDF) Note:  This link is no longer available. FY 2013 CTF Grant Application for New Proposals (Word) Note:  This link is no longer available.
For further information please contact CTF Program Coordinator Laura Malzner or by calling the CTF office at (573) 751-5147.
December 16, 2011 by Kirk Schreiber
During the Children’s Trust Fund (CTF) annual fall Board meeting the Board approved the release of the Application for Prevention Funds for Fiscal Year 2013.  CTF’s General Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Program Gr ant Application will be released on Friday, January 13, 2012. An informational meeting regarding the application will be held January 20, 2012 from 10 am – Noon in Room 500 of the Truman State Office Building, Jefferson City.  The meeting is open to anyone interested in learning more about the grant program and application process.  It is not necessary to RSVP.  The Truman Office Building is located at 301 W. High Street, Jefferson City.  The CTF Application for Funding will be available via the CTF website on January 13.  For further information please contact CTF Program Coordinator Laura Malzner at laura.malzner@oa.mo.gov.
In other business, the Board elected and welcomed Tom Vansaghi, Ph.D., Kansas City, as the new CTF Board Chair, and Charmaine Smith, St. Louis, as the new Chair-elect.   Vansaghi replaces outgoing Chair Patrice Mugg of Kirkwood.  Vansaghi is the Associate Vice-chancellor of Metropolitan Community College of Kansas City, and Smith is the Executive Director for Discovering Options in St. Louis.  Both will serve in this capacity for a two-year term.
As Missouri’s Foundation for Child Abuse Prevention, CTF provides grants to community-based organizations throughout the state that focus on child abuse prevention and the support of children and families.
September 1, 2011 by Kirk Schreiber
The Children’s Trust Fund (CTF) Board of Directors recently approved and awarded 70 grants and over $1.6 million in funding for Fiscal Year 2012 to 65 community-based organizations throughout Missouri for the prevention of child abuse and neglect.
The funded prevention grants focus on home visitation and parent education, including safe crib and safe sleep education, and mentoring programs that help pregnant and parenting teens.  Others programs focus on parenting classes, support children whose parents are incarcerated,  grandparent support, fatherhood initiatives, the Strengthening Families framework, crisis nurseries, early childhood education, professional development training, bullying and sexual abuse prevention.  CTF also invests in programs that support families of medically fragile babies and other special needs children who are at-risk of abuse.
In addition, CTF supports 41 community-based organizations that market the CTF ‘prevent child abuse’ license plate .  These grantees specifically promote and sell the license plate to increase prevention awareness and raise funds that are returned directly back into the community to provide prevention programs that help children and families.  Nearly $200,000 in additional prevention funds were distributed to license plate partners in Fiscal Year 2011 with over $150,000 projected to be distributed this year.
As Missouri’s Foundation for Child Abuse Prevention, CTF has awarded over $45 million in prevention funds since its inception in 1983.  Funding is obtained from dedicated fees on marriage licenses and vital records, volunteer contributions designated on Missouri State Income Tax Returns, sales of the specialty CTF license plate, general donations, interest income from the Fund, and other grants.
Currently the Children’s Trust Fund (CTF) is accepting grant applications for discretionary funding for Fiscal Year 2012 (July 1, 2011 – June 30, 2012).  Discretionary funding is designed to be responsive to low-cost prevention projects or needs identified by individual communities, organizations or agencies.  Up to $50,000 in discretionary funds are available with a maximum award of $5,000 per application.  For additional information, questions or technical assistance please contact Laura Malzner, CTF Program Coordinator, at (573) 751-6511 or laura.malzner@oa.mo.gov .
St. Charles County gives back to the community…in a big way.  Recently the Community and Children’s Resource Board (CCRB) of St. Charles County awarded more than $20,000 in mini-grants to seven local agencies that prevent child abuse and support families.  All of the funds distributed resulted from sales of the Children’s Trust Fund (CTF) Prevent Child Abuse specialty license plate .
CCRB is one of 39 community CTF License Plate Prevention Partners throughout the state that market the popular kid-friendly plate. The donation to CTF of $25 per year ($50 for a two-year tag) is credited back to the partner, who then distributes the funds locally for prevention programming. [ Read ‘Giving Back’ St. Louis Suburban Journal ]
“ The CTF license plate serves as a mini-billboard that generates awareness about the importance of prevention.  Purchasing a plate is a great way to show one’s commitment to children and keeping them safe, ” said Kirk Schreiber, CTF executive director.  “ The CCRB of St. Charles County has been a strong and valued partner over the years, and the model they’ve chosen…distributing community grants…continues to be a proven formula for success. ”
Last year CTF distributed $161,758.50 to its community license plate partners who directly served more than 22,000 children and parents as a result.  Though overall sales of the plates have decreased statewide from reaching a high of 10,000 in 2008, CTF is  hopeful that sales will once again be on the increase as the economy rebounds.  For more information or to purchase a CTF plate click here or call toll free at 1-888/826-5437 .
February 19, 2010 by Kirk Schreiber
Community Based Child Abuse Prevention (CBCAP) is a federal grant initiative administered in Missouri by the Children’s Trust Fund (CTF).  In this podcast, CTF Executive Director Kirk Schreiber is joined by several guests to discuss the innovative “Missouri model” of family support.
Guests include CBCAP Community Coordinators Beverly Wilburn (Pemiscot County Initiative Network – Caruthersville); Nancy Corley and Kari Clements (Alliance of Southwest Missouri – Joplin); and the CBCAP evaluation team of Jamie Myers (Prevention Consultants of Missouri – Rolla); William Holcomb, Ph.D. (Behavioral Health Concepts – Columbia); and Kenneth Bopp, Ph.D. (University of Missouri – Columbia).
Pictured left to right – Kirk Schreiber, Kari Clements, Jamie Myers, Beverly Wilburn, Ken Bopp, William Holcomb, and Nancy Corley)
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Your resource for all things heirloom seeds
I wasn’t able to do the round up for a couple weeks, so there are tons of links here today And please like us on Facebook, we just started our Facebook page and it’s looking pretty lonely :)  We are also now on Twitter @heirloomseedsdb and we follow back our followers
Passion for Green went to the Seed Savers Exchange in Iowa (jealous!) and posted pics of their demonstration garden as well as how Seed Savers Exchange does trellising in their gardens.  I really hope there will be more posts about this trip!
Mavis from One Hundred Dollars a Month shows off her amazing garden now that summer is upon us .   Be sure to take a look around the site as well, she has a ton of helpful posts on lots of gardening things.  Her goal is to grow 2,000 pounds of food this growing season - she is already up to 55lbs harvested.
Lucy’s Garden did an update on her wonderful heirloom gardening - definitely check out her artistic plant markers.
Here We Gro did an amazing post that comes from the recent Nature tomato study about how they believe a meteorite caused the stressful conditions and the red hue of most tomatoes we know today, with lots of pics to go along with it.
Such a big genome expansion points to extremely stressful conditions. We suspect that the meteorite crash and the resulting solar eclipse had created conditions difficult for plants to survive. A distant ancestor of the tomato plant then reacted by expanding its genome considerably in order to increase its chances of survival.
And here is a link to the Nature article if you missed it.
Sense of Home Kitchen did a post about her Kitchen Garden with some great photos – the strawberries in the first photo make me want to bend down and pick the ripe ones.
Balking at the cost of tomato cages? Giant Veggie Gardener shows how to make your own tomato cages – I love the idea of making a “u” on one end to make it so much easier to place in the garden, especially if the tomatoes have already reached that unwieldy stage where trying to fit a tomato cage over from the top is a challenge to the patience of any gardener.
Healthy SF did a quick post on the importance of heirloom veggies (and those carrots are amazing!)
Lifescapes did a post on some history of tomatoes .  And found an amazing article on Porter & Son seeds , a company which unfortunately closed in the 1990s.  Susan Wittig Albert is also an author with many published books and a podcast you should definitely check out.
There is a new book out The Seed Underground: A Growing Revolution to Save Food by Janisse Ray.  About to be released soon, here is a review about it .  I will definitely add a book review if I manage to get a copy. Janisse Ray also has her own webpage and includes a list of the many events she will be speaking at.
Another new gardening book came out a couple of months ago, Heirloom Gardening in the South: Yesterday’s Plants for Today’s Gardens.
Another issue which is so disappointing to see, Reason.com did a roundup of where gardeners have been subjected to fines for running afoul with city ordinances with their gardening.
Urban Expressions did an article about Savouring our Heritage and includes information on a workshop for those in the Montreal area.
Christopher Sisca of The Cabinet shows off his amazing garden photos including a before and after .  Amazing how fast plants grow.  And if you are wondering how to turn those forgotten potatoes that began sprouting to good use in the garden, he shows how to plant those too!
Now for some cooking goodness!
Zabar’s has a recipe for Marinated Heirloom Tomato Salad .  I love tomatoes, especially anything that includes fresh basil too and I will definitely be making this over the summer.
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Bear with us while we upload all our heirloom seeds information onto our new site!
We are NOT owned/connected/partnered with any heirloom seed company!
Some of our happy adoptees in their new homes!
Basil was finally adopted! He is now named Merlin and living in pig heaven with Lucy (a THF graduate from Feb. 2010).
Merlin and Lucy (above, adopted 11/11 and 2/10) and their spacious spread (below).
Elmo and Coconut are loving their spacious new home! They were adopted in March 2013.
Abby, who is blind in one eye,  is loving life in her new home. Abby was adopted in March 2013.
Abby was picked on by every companion we tried her with so she is living as a single with lots of extra human attention.
Katniss and Muggins were adopted January 2013.
Ava and Ella, adopted April 2010
Rosie and Miss Jingles, adopted May 2010
Parsnip, adopted September 2010, and dog friend Shiloh
Parsnip and Pumpkin, adopted September 2010
Bella and Maisie, adopted September 2009
Millie, adopted January 2011, and her new friend Magic
Petey and Selma, adopted February 2011 (now known as Bob and Belle!)
Snowflake (renamed Presley), adopted February 2011, with new friend Elvis.
Elvis and Presley in their C & C cage.
Pepper, adopted May 2011, now known as Benedick, with his new lady love Beatrice! Benedick had a very dominant personality at THF, but he met his match with Beatrice and the two have clearly bonded.
Snickers, adopted July 2011, with new friend Millie, adopted in January 2011.
Mr. Piggles in his new home! Mr. Piggles was adopted in July 2011 to a wonderful couple who wanted a senior to dote on. He is living in the lap of luxury and finally getting the love and attention he missed out on for the first 5 years of his life.
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• How the Green Goblin knew who Peter Parker was when he captures and unmasks him is not explained. He is also aware of Peter’s relationships with M.J. and Aunt May, also unexplained. That info was all given in the movie, so I’m guessing the script was counting on its audience having seen that film. If so, that’s lazy scriptwriting at its most egregious.
• The ludicrous and much-decried Swiss Miss is only in it for maybe four or five minutes and she has no lines.
• Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, John Romita Sr., and J. Michael Straczinski are all name-checked as scientists on staff at OsCorp. For those not in the know, the first two are the co-creators of Spider-Man, the third defined the character’s more polished and romantic look once Ditko left drawing the comics (odds are if you’re familiar with Spider-Man’s signature image over the past four-plus decades, you know Romita’s take on the character), and J.M. Straczinski wrote the character in recent years. A wee nod for the geeks in the audience.
• During some of the fight scenes in the first act, the tired trope of “Pow/Biff/Thwack” sound effects a la the classic Adam West Batman TV series from the 1960’s are seen. That gag was tired by 1972 and does not hold water in the 2000’s.
• Most obnoxious moment in the entire show: a dance club scene where the song the crowd is dancing to is U2’s 2004 hit “Vertigo.” Dudes, you wrote the music for the entire show. Do you really need to do product placement for your own records as well? Majorly douchey move.
• The only memorable thing about any of the show’s music is the guitar hook that thankfully dominates “The Boy Falls from the Sky.”
Based on your review, Looks to me like Julie threw this one on purpose because of all the fanboy nay sayers, The Geek Chorus (intentional Freudian slip) was her fuck you to the fans. Swiss Miss was an excuse to waste money and piss off the fans too. After this I don't wanna hear even one word about a Batman on Broadway...EVER!
But they are talking about more comic based musicals! Oh no! What can we do to stop it? I'm guessing this is what would happen if Craig Mazin (Director of Superhero Movie) would do if he had $65mm and a stage.
Go see Pee-wee, Steve! You'll feel so much better about Broadway afterward, I promise!
So...Marvel finally has gotten creative control of their characters on TV and in film so they went out and found a whole new media to F up their characters. Once again this would have been a good opportunity to get people to say "Maybe I'll go buy a Spider-man comic!" and they put a turd out there.
&lt;&lt; After this I don't wanna hear even one word about a Batman on Broadway...EVER!&gt;&gt;
A bit of historical trivia and Batman lore...
In addition to pulp influences, Bob Kane cited two films for providing his inspiration for Batman: "The Mark of Zorro" (1920) and "The Bat Whispers" (1930).
"The Bat Whispers", interesting and humorous fare for the nostalgic black and white mystery film connoisseur, was itself, you guessed it, based on a popular Broadway play of the 1920s.
"The Greek chorus of comic book geeks is annoying and unnecessary, eventually getting literally chased off the stage during the “Deeply Furious” number (more on that shortly), never to return."
- Sounds like they were ripping off a similar incident with the narrator in "Into the Woods"
This sounds truly awful. I must admit, after reading your description of it, I now want to see the "shoe chop" number -- though I'm ashamed to admit it -- as clearly I'm driven by the same urge that draws people to rubberneck at train wrecks and house fires.
If you watch the official commercial for the show on Youtube you can actually see a split second of the "shoe chop" scene around the seven second mark. It looks even more preposterous than what I imagined in my head.
the show seems to be written in a "right here, right now" sort of way. nobody involved in the show expected this thing to have a long shelf life. they were cramming this thing with little cultural references to keep the kids and the geeks and the tourists engaged in the show, rather than create a lasting piece of art. nobody (except maybe the very green to this world guys from U2) ever expected this script to go into the textbooks and be revived and reinvisioned every couple of decades for the next 100 years. i'm sure that they were telling themselves this is at best an attempt to get new groups and a new generation of people interested in live theater (a noble cause), or possibly that they'd be the first out of gate with some just over the horizon theater movement that uses circ style acrobatics.
as for the script-in-previews thing; i work in theater and i have personally seen major playwrites, Tony and Pulitzer winners, almost completely re-write shows in the second to last preview for a world premiere. it actually happens a lot. granted it's a lot harder and a lot less often in big musicals like this. once you get out of tech, any big sweeping changes will usually take re-writing, re-composing, and re-teching of the show. that, and cutting characters simply doesn't happen this close to opening. that person might not be there after the initial run is over, but they aren't going to lay off actors who have been hired to do this job. that sort of thing almost never happens.
Total train wreck. And with the upcoming "relaunch" of the movies, Spidey's got no chance. Where's Christopher Nolan when you need him?
I had not planned on seeing this anyway, but your review only confirms my suspicions. U2 hasn't done anything worth listening to in 25 years and the hope that they might do this right is laughable. Plus SPIDERMAN as a musical just sounds retarded. I hope this vanishes as fast as Anne Rice's Broadway shit storm, Lestat. Also ill-conceived.
I'm still waiting for someone to produce "Electra Woman and Dyna Girl- The Musical"
Sounds like someone thought The Producers was a documentary...
Well, there's aloways the reasonably successful Superman Musical frrom the late 60s...
Thank you. I was struggling and speachless after seeing it last night. You have articulated my every flabergasted response. I can only add: why did we go from 2 dimensional black and white cut outs to millions of dollars of LED in Act 2?
Steve this was a terrific observation of what really appears to be many levels of dreadful in terms of a production. While the Marvel legends and even the DC ones are perfect for the big screen one has to assume before even planning it, that Broadway is just not the place for their tales. It sounds as if Taymor is living off the accolades from "Lion King" which she of course deserves, but let's come up with something else cool already.
It's not a surprise that the music didn't interest you and I read how U2 was out on tour and not available to work the tunes into the script better. I also got a kick out of your description of the second act and felt that perhaps the idea was for the audience to let their imagination put the action together. I am sorry but at those kind of prices I require my imagination to remain as it is in my head and let those producers of entertainment keep my senses amused.
This sounds like a "Must Miss" event. I wonder how long this will run and if it's dismal reviews will find future similar productions getting the kibosh put on them.
From your description it seems really awful, worse than even Michael Riedel's NY Post costumes would lead one to believe. As I feared, it seems as if Taymor simply has no feel for the superhero genre or a real understanding of the Spider-Man mythos: changing how Uncle Ben died is just inexplicable, as is Marvel's apparent approval of the change. The "Geek Chorus," alas, is not going away, because their scenes are used to cover the time needed for scenery changes. I'll be seeing the show myself in a few weeks, but as a comics historian, I feel it's my duty to witness this for myself.
Words fail me. How could they have left it without an ending? A dreadful thought occurred to me. They ran out of money and decided to make the rest of it a sequel. I know they aren't supposed to have sequels of plays, but this is a comic book play.
I am so sorry you and Thaytia sat through that.
I'm not sorry I saw it, for purely historical reasons, but it was quite dire.
Saw Spiderman Saturday night. Did I hate it NO. Is it my favorite NO. Would I take my kids, uhmmmmm, yes if that was the show they choose to see. Am I suggesting it to people who know I saw it. YES, sure why not. It was not horrible by any means. In my opinion: The flying was AMAZING. The dancers were fantastic. Costumes really great. Music was by Bono for sure. Peter Parker I really liked, saw Arachne's u/s yea not so much,and MJ lacked something. Green Goblin FANTASTIC. Sets really great. Comic costumes fantastic. The show just ended. No end,, just sort of stopped. Or as I said that night, "that was a odd ending or lack of." We have to remember the show is being told as a story by a group of teen agers, try sinking to that level a bit, and seeing it from there. I was told that before and went with zero expectations and did not dislike the show. Do they need to tweek several thing? YUP, but I don't want to put the show down. I think it has potential, and if people go see it and continue to comment maybe some where they will see some suggestions and take them. I do think it has taken a lot of time to get this up and running, but the technicals are out of control amazing. I now understand the taking a lot of time, safety is a HUGE factor. We saw it in previews and it went off without a hitch and never stopped until the end. Technicals seem under control. Bashing the shows are a part of what is keeping people away from BW and that is one reason (of many) why BW is dying. It needs to be alive and not handed death notices. SO in my little opinion, go see the show, support BW be honest, but be positive.
Sorry, but that excuse of the story being told by comic book geeks (who are rather suddenly jettisoned from the proceedings) does not make up for the fact that there is no ending. As was made clear from my review (or so I thought), I am a Broadway supporter, so when people spend the frequently exorbitant ticket prices for shows I think they should at least be given a story that features a proper conclusion of any kind, which this show did not possess. If indeed we were supposed to interpret the lack of an ending as the result of the kids' interpretation, I'm even more offended because that is insulting to the intelligence of kids and would have been the very nadir of lazy storytelling. Speaking as a person who remembers their pre-adult years with considerable clarity and who also worked professionally with kids ranging in age from pre-school through grade 10 for years, I have witnessed kids tell stories countless times and they always managed to conclude the stories they told with an actual conclusion, be they related verbally or drawn as elementary comics.
Also, at no point did I make mention of there being any technical glitches in the show when I saw it because there were none; the producer who introduced the show that night said to the audience that "tonight may be the night when we pull this off without any stoppage," and indeed it was.
Lastly, I agree that Broadway needs to to be kept alive, but as long as the producers keep trotting out expensive soulless dreck — which this show certainly was, its technical excellence and a few okay performances notwithstanding — the onus of failure is on them, not audiences who would like nothing more than to experience some worthwhile theater. Most Broadway shows these days rely on the convenience of brand name recognition, thus unleashing a plethora of lazy, heartless crap like "jukebox" musicals (the real thrust of which could be obtained for one-tenth the ticket price by buying the subject's "greatest hits" CD), Disney pap (THE LION KING being the sole worthy screen-to-stage translation of that lot) and questionable adaptations of movies. Broadway appears to have lost its soul in an age of "entertainment by committee," and that, if you ask me, is the real cancer that is slowly killing it as a viable creative medium.
OOPSIE! We am going to see this towards the end of December....do you think that they will be able to come up with an alternate ending by then? we spent close to $500.00 USD to see this show, and we are taking two people who have never been to Broadway before. Ddo you think they will kill us? if so - please look for us near Jones Beach.
Bunche, my friend. Go see "Next to Normal" before it closes!! A rock musical about bi-polar disorder and the pharmaceutical industry, and it's very good! A damn shame it never found it's audience.
I had the unfortunate luck to see this show tonight. If it actually opens on Broadway i will be amazed. While the sets, costumes and visual effect are impressive, this is the worst show I have ever seen, ever. I have been to high school musicals that would put this shoe to shame. Stay away!!!!!!!!!!!!
yes but if you go know they have completely rewritten the story the greek chorus is out and arachne is no longer a main character shes just one of peter visions also there is an ending know
I'm the scribing seneschal of several blogs including this one and I am here to keep you entertained and informed. Have fun!
The National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health
The National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health provides national leadership to the maternal and child health community in three key areas--systems-wide program development, education, and state-of-the-art knowledge--to improve the health and well-being of the nation's children and families. NCEMCH has been recognized by MCHB leadership as "a shining example of applying the academic orientation of the university to the needs of community and state-based health care programs" and as "an absolutely essential component of the nation's MCH program.
Rochelle Mayer, Ed.D. Research Professor & Director, NCEMCH, Georgetown University More about the Director
Recognizing that high-quality maternal and child health (MCH) services are vital to the health of the nation, NCEMCH was established in 1982 at Georgetown University as a national resource to the MCH community. The Center's multidisciplinary staff collaborates with a broad range of federal agencies, corporate and philanthropic partners, professional organizations, and academic institutions to:
Develop and disseminate culturally competent child health and development materials for families and professionals.
At the January 2012 NITOP, four participant posters were presented with awards. All awards were decided by Institute faculty and announced at the closing session on January 6, 2012. The Frank Costin Memorial Award for Excellence (including a certificate, a check for $250, and a complimentary registration at a future NITOP conference), for the poster judged by Institute faculty as best promoting quality teaching methods, was presented to Vicki Sheafer for her poster entitled "Using Drama to Enhance Learning of Classic Experiments in Social Psychology." The NITOP faculty also recognized the runner-up for the Costin Award: "Development of an Introductory Psychology Assessment Inventory" by Sarah Hagedorn, Richard Stephens, Robert Bubb, and Bill Buskist. The Doug Bernstein Award (a certificate, a check for $250, and a complimentary registration at a future NITOP conference), for the poster judged by the NITOP conference committee (not including Doug Bernstein) as the most humorous, creative, or original poster, was presented to Jeremy Newton for his poster entitled "Using Social Networking to Teach and Mentor Psychology Majors." The Society for the Teaching of Psychology Award (a certificate, a check for $250, and a year's membership in STP), for the poster judged by Institute faculty as best incorporating new or innovative content into psychology courses, was presented to Rebecca Singer for her poster entitled "Study Abroad Courses Serve as Alternative 'Animal Laboratories.'" The NITOP faculty also recognized the runner-up for the STP Award: "Pharmaceutical Company Print Advertising as a Teaching Tool in Abnormal Psychology" by Sarah Hall. The Society for the Teaching of Psychology also supported the STP Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Award, which included a certificate, a check for $250, and a complimentary one-year membership in STP. This award was given to the poster judged by the NITOP conference committee to be outstanding in terms of (a) the importance of the research question addressed, (b) the soundness of the research methodology employed, (c) the use of appropriate qualitative and/or statistical analyses, and (d) the clarity with which the implications of the research findings for teaching and learning are expressed: "Practice Tests and Knowledge Surveys: A Comparison of Review Activities," by Heather Mitchell. The abstracts of these posters follow.
Using Drama to Enhance Learning of Classic Experiments in Social Psychology
Psychology has a long history of using drama as an active learning technique (Brooks, 1985; Sheldon, 1996; Toner, 1978; Wann, 1993). It has been used in conjunction with many different kinds of psychology courses (Introductiory, Developmental, History, Social) and for many different purposes (demonstrations, active learning exercises, extra-credit). Wann (1993) had students in an undergraduate social psychology class select interesting experiments, develop a dramatic script to describe the research, and perform the play for class. I adapted Wann's (1993) technique for use in my own Social Psychology course. The class was split into six four- or five-person groups. Each of the groups chose an experiment from a list of 15 classic experiments in the history of social psychology included in the course syllabus. Each group was responsible for writing a script and performing their play in class. Each play had to be at least 15 minutes in length. After the completion of the assignment, a 17-question evaluation survey was filled out by twenty-eight class members. The questionnaire used a 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree) likert scale. Results show that the students enjoyed enjoyed both participating in the activity and also watching the plays of others, that it allowed them to be creative, caused them to work hard, was interesting and helpful, and recommended that the professor continue to use the assignment in the future. The poster explains the assignment in more detail, including a discussion of requirements, the experiment list, and sample scripts developed by the class.
Development of an Introductory Psychology Assessment Inventory
Sarah Hagedorn, Richard Stephens, Robert Bubb, and Bill Buskist Auburn University email: srh0009@tigermail.auburn.edu
The American Psychological Association Assessment Task Force was established with a charge to standardize and integrate psychological curriculum across institutions (APA, 2008). To meet this charge, valid assessments of student learning, based on learning objectives, are necessary. Valid assessments can be used to guide student learning, evaluate student success, research and develop effective teaching strategies and techniques, and provide useful teacher evaluations and program appraisals. The purpose of the current study was to develop a valid introductory psychology assessment for use at the course and department level across universities. Learning objectives were developed using the "top" terms and concepts from ten subfields of psychology identified by Boneau (1990) and the level of proficiency for learning objectives at the introductory psychology level (APA, 2008). Assessment items were generated from the resulting learning objectives and pilot tested. Items deemed psychometrically sufficient were administered to a national sample of seven colleges and universities. The final assessment inventory consists of 42 items. Psychometric properties such as difficulty and discrimination indices are provided. The results demonstrate a significant correlation between the current assessment inventory and final course grades and suggest that the developed assessment inventory is a valid and reliable measure of students' knowledge of introductory psychology.
Using Social Networking to Teach and Mentor Psychology Majors
Social networking websites have permanently altered the way that people communicate. While much of this communication is personal, the impact of social networking websites can have both intentional and unintentional effects on a student's academic and professional pursuits. Students can do real harm to their careers by simply posting pictures or information that present them in a less than professional light. At the same time, however, social networking has demonstrable power as an information resource. It is surprisingly easy to share information with many people at one time. Given this power as a communication tool, there is a real opportunity to reach students and provide them with accurate information about psychology and other topics.
With this in mind, college level instructors have not necessarily mapped out best practice for use of social networking websites to reach students. This poster presentation covers how to use social networking as a reliable way to provide information to students in a manner that allows for enhancement of their academic experience. Further, details are offered about the best way to "approach" students via social networking websites that allow for the students to protect their own privacy. The entire mentoring process is covered, including classroom use, advising, career mentoring, and professional communications
Rebecca A. Singer Georgetown College and University of Phoenix email: rebecca_singer@georgetowncollege.edu
Students intending to continue their education in graduate school often need to show research competency, a skill sometimes difficult to obtain at a small, liberal arts college. This is especially true of the animal learning and cognition field. Animal laboratories require time commitments and monetary investments that may not be readily available. While there are some virtual animal lab manuals, these do not replace the hands-on experience so vital for graduate work. This poster describes how a study abroad course can provide an alternative to the traditional laboratory experience. Two study abroad courses were designed to allow students to develop skills in understanding peer-reviewed journal articles, training marine mammals, and research methodology. The first course allows students to travel to the Roatan Institute of Marine Sciences (RIMS) in Roatan, Honduras to work with a group of captive bottlenose dolphins on three different research projects. Students learn how research questions guide the experimental design. In the second course, students travel to the Bahamas to engage in naturalistic observation of wild dolphin populations (Bimini) as well as to collect data on a captive dolphin population (Nassau). Students are able to compare and contrast research methodologies appropriate for wild and captive populations. Specific readings, descriptions of research projects, and assignments are presented. In addition, qualitative data on student satisfaction with the course is presented.
Pharmaceutical Company Print Advertising as a Teaching Tool in Abnormal Psychology
This poster presents an in-class activity involving analysis and discussion of magazine advertisements for psychotropic medications to treat mood disorders. This activity has been successfully employed by the author in several Abnormal Psychology courses as a teaching technique to expand and challenge students' thinking and create class discussion. The purpose of the activity is fourfold: 1) to raise students' awareness of the public portrayal and perception of mental illness and of those who experience it; 2) to facilitate students' critical thinking about media materials; 3) to facilitate students' understanding of the many influences on treatment decisions; and 4) to enhance students' persuasion skills through debate about whether drug companies should be allowed to advertise directly to prescribers and/or consumers. Students are asked to look over and read a variety of print advertisements for antidepressants and mood stabilizers and discuss several topics related to the portrayal of the medication and disorder as well as pharmaceutical company advertising and its implications. A description of the small and large group components of the activity is presented along with discussion questions and prompts. Finally, possible adaptations and expansions of the activity are offered.
Practice Tests and Knowledge Surveys: A Comparison of Review Activities
From cooperative to experiential learning, research suggests that students learn best when they actively participate in learning environments (e.g., Anderson, Reder, & Simon, 1996; Cobb & Bowers, 1999). The precious 50 or 80 minutes of class instruction time is invaluable, so professors may want to introduce participatory, effective review activities outside of the classroom. Additionally, students typically begin introductory psychology with several misconceptions, and they often successfully complete the course with many of the same misconceptions (Kowalski & Taylor, 2009). This poster will present an empirical comparison of two review activities designed to improve exam performance and decrease psychological misconceptions: practice tests and knowledge surveys.
Over the course of four semesters, students' performance on the first exam as well as their beliefs in common psychological misconceptions were assessed. During the first of the four sessions, no specific review activity was suggested. In subsequent sessions, students were strongly encouraged to complete the tests at the end of the chapters. Testing effects have been shown to significantly increase learning and retention (Karpicke & Blunt, 2011). However, the benefit of the testing effects on exam performance and reducing misconceptions was not reliable. So, reviews involving a course knowledge survey have been incorporated in this current study in an effort to improve learning. Knowledge surveys include questions covering the content of an entire course and introduce metacognition as students are asked to rate how well they understand the course information. Such surveys appear to significantly improve course outcomes. This poster presents details and data for both review activities.
The City of Mount Rainier administers Code Enforcement to assure compliance with local ordinances concerning residential and commercial property standards, rental housing, and apartment licensing, as well as business licensing.
Staff There are two full-time inspectors that work from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday.
City & Civilian Cooperation The City works with residents to correct conditions that violate City of Mount Rainier Code. Residents who receive either a Notice of Violation or Citation are encouraged to contact the issuing Code Enforcement Officer to discuss the matter.
Reporting Code Violations Residents who see conditions in their neighborhood that may be violations of the City Code are urged to contact the Office of Code Enforcement.
Often the resident may find that the City is aware of the problem and action is pending. If not, an inspector will respond to the property and take appropriate action. Staff in the Office of Code Enforcement will provide residents with the status of a condition as requested.
Confidentiality of Reports Callers reporting possible code violations may identify themselves, but identification is not required. All concerns reported will be investigated in confidence and appropriate action taken.
City of Mount Rainier Trash Publication
Standards for Property Maintenance
Boards, Committees and Commissions
License and Permits (Municipal Infractions)
Grading, Draining and Erosion Control
Violation of Ordinances – Misdemeanor and Municipal Infractions (Procedures)
City of Mount Rainier City Hall 1 Municipal Place, Mount Rainier MD 20712
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In today’s foodie culture creativity is the trend in cooking and baking. Meal inspiration can come from recipe websites, food blogs and social media (especially Pinterest !). This Thanksgiving we’re trying some twists on classic sides and adding a new dish to the lineup! See our recommendations for a fresh take on Thanksgiving below. Don’t forget Miss Lilly’s cookies for dessert !
In a medium nonstick saucepan, combine port, sugar, and cranberries. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Lower heat and cook until liquid reaches a syrupy consistency, about 20 minutes.
Remove from heat, pour into a serving dish, and cool to room temperature before serving. For a smoother texture, press sauce through a strainer, pour into a serving dish, and refrigerate before serving.
Place sweet potatoes on a baking sheet and bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until sweet potatoes have softened.
Once sweet potatoes have cooled enough to handle, slice each potato in half and carefully scoop the flesh out into a mixing bowl (be sure not to tear the skins).
Begin mashing warm sweet potatoes with butter, milk and garlic until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in egg until fully incorporated.
Fold in feta and thyme until fully combined. Scoop mixture into a piping bag, fitted with a large star tip, and pipe potatoes back into the sweet potato “shells.”
Bake sweet potatoes for an additional 10-15 minutes, top with crumbled feta and chopped pecan and serve.
Brussel Sprouts With Bacon and Raisins
Heat oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat.
Add bacon and cook, turning occasionally, until crisp, about 5 minutes.
Using tongs, transfer bacon to paper towels to drain. Let cool. Coarsely crumble. (Make sure crumbled bacon is unreachable by children, or it will disappear before you need it again.)
While bacon cools, add brussel sprouts to drippings in skillet; season with salt and pepper.
Cook, stirring often, until well browned in spots and beginning to soften, 5–7 minutes.
Reduce heat to low and add raisins, shallot, and butter; cook, stirring often, until shallot is soft, about 3 minutes.
Add broth to skillet; increase heat and bring to a boil, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pan.
Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until broth has evaporated, 1–2 minutes. Stir in vinegar and crumbled bacon.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Made just in time for Holidays 2013, these Keep Calm and Eat Cookies mugs feature one of our favorite sayings and are filled with Miss Lilly’s Butter Bones sugar cookies (for humans). They’re so new they’re not even in our online stores yet, so please contact us to place an order, mugs are $12.50 each.  Our friends have been stocking up for teacher gifts, to say thanks to their mail carriers, and to give as party favors.
For the first time, Miss Lilly’s gift tins and cookies are now also available on Amazon , where it’s really easy to order using your Amazon account.
From large round tins for an office party to a chocolate-only tin, Miss Lilly’s gourmet cookies and brownies are elegantly packaged in festive silver foil, presented in our signature silver or white tins, and tied with a grosgrain ribbon. Send a few tins and keep some on hand for hostess gifts.
Just like you see on the shelves of our 100+ fine retailers in Southern California and Arizona, you can purchase 8oz bags of each cookie in the Miss Lilly’s line: Lilly Oats, Savory Chocolate Chunks, Miss Lilly’s Secrets, Peanut Butter & Dark Chocolate
Don’t forget a gift for your favorite pups! Our new line of dog treats, Diggy’s Beg-o-Bones and Lilly’s Squirrels and Hydrants, are all-natural and popular with furry, four-legged friends.
The markets are starting to get busier with pre-holiday shopping!  Here’s our cookie demo and sampling schedule for November 8-15. Please come by as you stock your shelves and say “hello!”
We’re ramping up our branding, marketing and digital/social media efforts and are thrilled to have hired H+R PR, a Los Angeles-based marketing communications agency to help.  We’re updating our collateral materials, the web site, and even have signage on our delivery and demo vehicles now. H+R will be supporting all our consumer, retailer and trade outreach, all in an effort to help bring Miss Lilly’s to the next level.
I’ve been networking like crazy, working with a) a consultant in Texas whose helping me get into the next five regions of Whole Foods, b) the Women Chefs and Restaurateurs; and speaking on a panel about entrepreneurship at my alma mater, Hollins College, where I’m also selling Miss Lilly’s products on their alumnae entrepreneurs web site.
Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter – we’ve resurrected and check out our Pinterest page.
Once the cobwebs have lifted from last night’s celebrations, please stop by our in-store demo tables if we’re in your neighborhood!  We’d love to meet you. Here’s our cookie demo and sampling schedule for the first couple days of November. We’ll continue to update you with more dates and locations as they’re scheduled.
There are many ways to contact us, depending on your preference.
Email : To request a quote, please email your name, location, requested product and questions to esales@rpsimaging.com For general questions, please email rpsinfo@rpsimaging.com
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RPS Imaging has been awarded VAWD Accreditation by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP).
New : EdgeSounds RatHole v. 3.6.1 for MAC OS X
EdgeSounds' RatHole (former GenieSys RatHole) is a free unique nondestructive universal compression utility. Its function is based on a principle of self-training neural networks.
EdgeSounds RatHole was especially designed for nondestructive compression of any files containing audio data in PCM 8/16/24 bit or IEEE_FLOAT 32 bit format.
A new EdgeSounds compression algorithm makes it possible to efficiently reduce the size of packed audio data and later unpack exactly same bits, with no difference to the original data. The compression algorithm compresses audio data, considering the bit depth of the digital data contained in the audio file (8/16/24/32 bit). The algorithm is proven to be equally effective on compressing the following file types:
any other formats containing audio data
The compression ratio of  the algorithm depends on the size of audio data, the balance between the tone and noise component, bit depth and other factors, and usually varies from 36% to 78% or even more, with an average of 48-56%. The higher is the bit depth and the fidelity of audio data, the better is the compression ratio.
The RatHole can be successfully used as a common archiving utility for any other file types as well.
EdgeSounds RatHole v3.1.0 for Windows
EdgeSounds RatHole has a very simple user interface. All you have to do is to anchor files that you want to compress or decompress with the mouse, drag and drop them onto the RatHole's screen .
Windows version : Drag and drop files to the Drop Target pane. Alternatively, you can press the Add Files button and select files you want to process. To remove files from the Input Queue you have to select files in the Drop Target list and press the Remove Files button.
When you press the Start button, all files in the Input Queue will be processed - RatHole archive files (with file extension *.RHL) will be decompressed, but all other file types compressed to rhl-file. The resulting files will be created either in the same directory as the source files (if To Same Directory check box is checked) or in any directory of your choice (if To Defined Directory check box is checked). If Delete Source check box is checked, source files will be deleted after successful processing. You can immediately terminate current process by pressing Stop button.
Note : for security reasons any hidden and system files can not be placed into the Input Queue.
Bit-depth Optimization combo Box is intended for a manual control over the optimization mode of the compression. When the mode is set to Auto, the application will choose the best optimization type automatically.
The results of the processing are displayed in the Report panel. You can clear the previous report by pressing Clear Report button.
Mac: Mac OS X v 10.4.4 or later
The latest version of the EdgeSounds RatHole is available for download from the Downloads page.
The use of the software is subject to the License Agreement .
The Revolutionary Science: Nanotechnology
Throughout the middle ages, philosophers took attempts at alchemy, transmuting base materials to gold. Their efforts turned futile but nonetheless led to the discovery of chemistry, a real science that has led the world to atoms. And in a spectacular turn of scientific study, chemistry introduced the concept of nanotechnology.
Nanotechnology is the multidisciplinary science focusing on how matter can be manipulated at the atomic and molecular level. For this to be possible, there is a need to work on a nanoscale. This is a scale so small that vision isn’t possible without the help of a microscope.
A nanometer is sized a billionth of a meter. However, atoms remain much smaller, still. Quantifying the size of one atom is difficult as atoms don’t really hold a specific shape but generally, their diameter should be about a tenth of a nanometer.
The Significance of Nanotechnology
Being able to manipulate molecules at a nanoscale can lead to the production of interesting materials. However, this doesn’t include making gold out of other substances as gold is a type of basic element that cannot be broken into a much simpler form.
One such example of a material with amazing properties is the carbon nanotube. When rolled the proper way, this material comes a hundred times much stronger than steel although coming only a sixth of its weight.
After countless of studies, researchers have discovered that materials viewed at nanoscale aren’t always as they are at the larger scale. For instance, gold shines very differently at nanoscale than in bulk. In addition, researchers have also noticed that when viewed at nanoscale, every material appears to possess a different property of temperature and magnetism.
Because this science is all about matter’s basic building blocks, applications are vast. Some of them come off as mundane such as with the production of transparent lotion. Others sound more like scientific fiction such as doctors attempting to utilize virus protein casings to deliver cancer treatments. But every attempt to find out more about how molecular substances work is a step to change the world. Big revelations almost always come from small sources after all.
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2013 Report on Activity and Impact
All in all, in its second year of operational activity, the Stresemann Foundation experienced a distinct qualitative increase in its profile, which, in its turn, increased its quantitative reach and influence, as measured by regular requests from politicians, authorities and media for specialist essays and analyses, as well as lectures.
Our Greatest Successes in 2013:
In Warsaw, in September, the Stresemann Foundation presented the discussion paper, Freedom of Speech is a Human Right at the human rights conference of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). This publication, available in German and English, discusses how Islamic protagonists are threatening our basic rights by attempting to criminalize criticism of Islam and Muslims in Europe and the USA. This meeting made it possible for the Stresemann Foundation to call attention to the anti-human rights efforts of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and to discuss the foreseeable consequences with numerous international human rights organizations. Further, it was possible to present and hand in interventions in all relevant meetings of the OSCE assembly.
Furthermore, a new format was developed in the framework of the Stresemann Foundation’s activities at the OSCE, for the purpose of preparing other NGOs for the strategic agenda setting in the international arena. The NGO manuals provide pragmatic, goal-oriented solutions for a vital civil society. They support organizations and initiatives in independent and effective work, so that they can achieve greater societal benefit.
As early as March, the discussion paper Islam and Violence appeared, in which contemporary discussions about the Islamic religious legitimization of violence and terrorism are taken up and discussed against the background of the Koran and the biography of the Prophet. Besides historical and theological classification, the essay points out the path to an open discussion, freed of previous relativizing and generalizations.
In 2013, the foundation magazine, Citizen Times , which has shown a stable growth in readership, was supplemented with two research and documentary projects for the internet. In March, Islam Debate Germany went online; in June followed the first version of Leftist Extremism in Germany . Both projects contribute to the providing of background information on ideologies which pose an acute danger to our democracy and liberal democratic constitution. That is how our readers are empowered to develop their own comprehensive understanding of long-term and basic processes.
Download the full „2013 Report on Activity and Impact“ as PDF.
Ronald McDonald House Calgary The new house was completed in Spring of 2007
Alberta Siding Projects believes Ronald McDonald House Charities is a good cause. They help families be with their sick children aiding in their comfort and recovery. They were proud to supply the materials and labour for the exterior of the new Calgary Ronald McDonald House for Clark Builders in Calgary.
The new Calgary Ronald McDonald House
History of the Calgary Ronald McDonald House.
The first Ronald McDonald House in Calgary was constructed in 1985 in the community of Killarney - approximately six blocks from the previous Alberta Children's Hospital.
Call 999 in an emergency. Chest pains and / or shortness of breath constitute an emergency.
Children and Baby Photography by Naomi Lloyd
Would you love to capture some relaxed, true reflections of you baby or toddler/young child as they are right now! Does it also feel like  a daunting prospect having to organise a time with a studio to coordinate with a sleep/feeding time?
As a mother of two small boys i know how difficult this can be and i am lucky that i can fill my own house with images of my children as i take them. I would love to be able to do the same for you in a photo shoot that suits your lifestyle. For smaller children it can be it be incredibly useful to have a studio style portrait in the convenience of your own home. I know only too well how much more relaxing it is if you know you can put the baby down for a sleep before or after a shoot or to let a toddler play freely whilst i take images of him/her in their happy/relaxed state.
My portable studio equipment can be set up in most living rooms using a black and /or white back drop and we can use comfortable props for babies where needed.
Alternatively, in warmer weather a lifestyle location shoot can be a lovely way to capture the smiles and laughter as your child plays on the beach and using my portrait lens and post editing skills the end result can be truly stunning!
I am more than happy to meet with you on an evening or afternoon to discuss what you would like to achieve from your portrait shoot, whether it is a beautiful image of you and your baby on canvas or a lovely photo canvas keepsake box with mounted images.
Feel free to get in touch for more info or to discuss your requirements... Tel: 02392 298 028   - Make an online enquiry -   E-Mail: naomi@naomilloyd.co.uk
by MaatRaAh High Priest of The Goddesses Update: December 2014
The last Shaman died on December 23, 2014, ending a line that existed for over 15,000 years.
There are still people claiming to be shaman, but they never were; and you can still get an online shaman certificate, which is as authentic as a $3 bill. But there is not a Shaman who can traverse The Way, nor even one who can Walk the Path. And there are few Pathwalkers left.
They are gone, and another Shaman will not be called until one is needed.
The term, shaman, comes to us by way of the Russian language, from the Siberian Tungus, "Saman", and refers to the religious phenomenon of "sacred" medicine men who were found in all primitive societies except those in sub Sahara Africa. ( Primitive is used in its strict sense, meaning the first of its kind, and has no connection with backwards, uncivilized or savage.) The word originated in 1698, when Christian anthropologists studying the culture of Siberia considered "shame" to be an appropriately similar pronunciation for this non Christian religion. The pronunciation "shame-an" persists in "scientific" jargon to this day, despite the fact that there is no "long a" in the Russian language; and in its native culture the word is pronounced "Sah-mun". As a further insult to this religious form, social scientists spell Shaman without a capital S, "shaman". Shaman, is, however, a proper noun and should be spelled Shaman. As for its pronunciation, all the native American medicine men I have met pronounce the word, Shah-men.
Although Shaman were "technically" only found in central and arctic Asia, where they are called Shaman, the phenomenon, "Shamanism", is found throughout Asia, the Pacific and the indigenous peoples of North American. Native societies of South America retain some of the shamanistic features, but the phenomena were significantly different. There were as many variations of Shamanism as there are variations of Christianity. Shamanism in southern Asia is as different in outward form from that of Siberia as Roman catholicism is from Greek or Russian Orthodox catholicism; while Shamanism among the peoples of Oceania differs as much in form from the Siberian practice as Protestants differ in form from Roman Catholics. The Eskimo Shaman, of course, was not called Shaman, but Angakot, and his practices were as markedly different from his brothers across the Bearing Straits as they are from the practices in lower North America. And all these practices were quite different from the Nordic, (Shaman) Volva, who existed until 200 years ago. Thus, "Shaman" is not a "universal order", but rather, a general religious phenomenon, which differs in its outward forms, but retains certain common (key) elements which make it the same wherever it is found. Like Hinduism, which was never a religion, but the name the British gave to all the non Islamic religions of India, Shaman is accepted by most Native Americans as a term that best describes and represents their religious phenomenon.
Shamanism is Primitive, that is, "the first of its kind", and either existed unchanged with its original characteristics or in some cases has devolved into "lesser" religions that lack the shamanistic phenomenon. In other instances it evolved into a Priesthood. Because Shamanism retains the Primitive, "the first of its kind", communication or communion with the Spiritual, Shamanism did not evolve from a lower form as Western religions have done. However once Shamanism originates as "the first of its kind" it soon finds imitators or devolves, losing some or all of its original characteristics. The devolution of Shaman will be evident first in the myth it conveys, which will relate how the Spirits were once close to the people, but have gone, leaving other methods of oracle for the Shaman. One such myth tells how the Great Spirit of the Night Eagle fled the North American continent about 200 years before the coming of the white man, leaving the peyote cactus for spiritual guidance in its stead.
Other evidence of devolution is found in Shamanism as a brotherhood. Originally Native American Shaman were woman who practiced the craft much as did the Volva, the female Shaman of the Norse. However, women ceased to be Shaman in North America about 600 years ago, while the Volva, the last (known) Sisterhood to survive, became extinct shortly after 1800 CE. It was a rare exception to find women Shaman today, though most Shaman rely heavily on the spiritual power of the women with whom they surround themselves. And this bring us to the question, "what is Shaman?"
Seventy years ago there would have been a general agreement on that question. But a great deal of controversy has arisen in the past six decades, mostly due to the Euro-American creation of neo-shamanistic religions and "white men" who now claim to be Shaman. It is a case of religious fascination begetting cheap counterfeits where virtually anyone who has the requisite amount of money can become a "certified" Shaman; and not only a Shaman, but a "Shawoman", as though Shaman is gender specific, which it is not; and making it so shows gross ignorance. Calling shaman, "shawoman", is like the "politically correct movement" calling a hymen a hywoman.
Unfortunately, what scientists and neo-shaman call shamanism has been greatly influenced by Christianity; and many former witch doctors, healers, and diviners now take on the titles of "priest" and occasionally, "priestess", because that's how Christians refer to religious leaders. "Priest" is technically a Christian term, being derived from "presbytery" (the elders of the early Christian church). The Greek word for what would later become "priest" was Para, while in Egypt a "Para" or "pa-ray" was the temple or "Grand House" (meaning the linage of the king) from which the Greeks derived, "Pharaoh". Christian priests originally served the same purpose as the Pagan para, that is, they performed sacred rituals and acted as intermediator between man and the Christian god. However, it should be noted that most protestant sects do not have priests, but rather employ ministers as "ritual" and intermediator are usually lacking in most protestant cults. (Cult means an offshoot or branch of the main body of religion, e.g. Christianity, is a Jewish cult, while all protestant religions are cults of the Roman Catholic Church, while the Greek, Russian and various other catholic-universal-Christian sects are either Jewish cults or cults of their mother Christian church.)
Probably the best example of a "Christianization" of shaman is found in the clothing of the Volva. These once powerful women wore skins of newly killed animal - usually a polar bear - turned inside out so the red blood stained skin was exposed to the weather while the fur rested against the nude body of the Volva. Tufts of the fur were exposed around the edges, and she wore a pointed inside-inside out skin hat and boots. However, the boots were put on when the Volva became Shaman and were never replaced, thus they became black with age. Christianity eliminated the Volva, but retained her garb as that worn by Saint Nicholas of Santa Clause, who was originally a Catholic priest.
It is impossible for Shaman to be priests. This is because "priesthood" is specific to a God, Goddess, Demigod or Demigoddess who bestows authority to act in that God's or Goddess's behalf and grants control of the lesser demigods and spirits. Shaman uses the power of the Spirits, but do not control them.
Thus, to use "western" terms, Shaman is not a priest but an "Initiate Mystic", who has been guided by another mortal to a knowledge that touches on the universe, its cause and effect and the Spiritual.
Thought it should be noted that technically, Shaman do not belong to the Mysteries, from which mystic is derived, but their initiation is so similar to that of the Mysteries as to make Shaman and the Mysteries separated only by oceans, mountains and time, not by the phenomenon.
Shaman is in touch with the Spirits of the "Way" or the "Path", but cannot compel those Spirits except by the Spirit's consent. A Priestess on the other hand has absolute control over the Spirits. (I say priestesses, because priests are rare.)
Which bring us to a point which would be well to remember. The mystical is not a democracy. It is not subject to mortal commands. One cannot chose to rule over the Gods, or even to be their servants. Nor can one chose to rule over the Spirits or be subject to them. Thus, either one is a Priestess and is chosen by the Gods or Goddesses to rule the Spirits, or one is Shaman and is guided by, or led by the Spirits. One can never be both.
Despite ridiculous claims of being Shaman priests, or spiritual guides, as we find in New Age, whatever else Shaman may be, she or he is first and foremost a psychopomp. That is, the Shaman conducts the souls of the dead through the "Way of the Spirits" to the nether world.
(The Way, not ways, are the spiritual corridors that lead from earth to the underworld, nether world, or more correctly, "other world." It differs from the Path of the Spirits which are the spiritual corridors which extend throughout the earth.)
No matter what pseudo "Shamans" may claim, if he or she is not a psychopomp, that person is not Shaman; and, in the devolution of Shaman, the first phenomenon to be lost is that of the psychopomp.
Secondly, all Shaman preserve the body of their deceased clansmen-women (to be politically correct) for ritualistic mummification, burial in the earth or at sea, cremation, or for vultures or other birds or animals to devour. It is not the method of interment but the purpose for the preparation that is determinative of Shamanism. These preparations are for the sacred interment of the spirit-soul.
In Egypt the bodies of the sacred dead were mummified, while in the Egyptian colony of Colchis only the bodies of women were mummified--the bodies of the men were hung out on willow trees for the birds to devour. We find this also in early Greek myth where the body of Phirixus (who flew to Colchis on the Golden Ram) had been wrapped in cowhide and hung on a willow for the birds to devour. Jason and the Argonauts went to Colchis to retrieve the Golden Fleece whereby they could communicate with Phirixus whose soul had not been properly conducted to the underworld by a psychopomp.
However, because many cultures ritualistically bury their dead, or burn their bodies on funeral pyres, this does not make them Shaman.
The third requirement for Shaman is to convey myth. Not only can Shaman rehearse myth which has been handed down from the most ancient times, but they understand myth and, when the occasion arises, they convey new myth.
If one is able to convey myth and prepare the body of the dead for soul-preservation, but is not a psychopomp, she is not Shaman. Likewise, if one is a psychopomp (as with the Order of the Dionysus Mysteries) but cannot convey myth, she is not Shaman.
However, what Shaman "is" becomes confused by three other practices in which some Shaman function: acting as mediums of the spirits (not of the dead); directing communal ritual and sacrifice; and healing. Most Shaman perform, or are trained to perform these functions, but they are not "necessary" elements of Shaman phenomena.
Observable practices of healing and ritual, has led some authorities to believe that the most important function of Shaman is to heal -- to be a medicine man. It is not. Life is short. Eternity is, eternity. Healing the sick or injured only preserves the body for a minuscule time. The body will then deteriorate with age, die and decay or be destroyed. It is the soul that must be preserved, and it is only those ailments of the body which effect the spirit that involve Shaman. A spirit which is not whole cannot be conducted on the Way. It will be destroyed on the Way. This is why it is with maladies of the spirit, that Shaman employ their "numen" or spiritual power to heal.
Healing by medicine and herbs is the calling of a medicine man, not the Shaman; and while few medicine men are Shaman, all Shaman can heal the spirit without knowing a single herbal remedy. This is healing the spirit, not the body. However, it should be noted that while learning the traditions of the clan, most Shaman are instructed in diagnosing illnesses and in healing herbs, and many Shaman are also medicine men/women, which is often (though not always) the first step to becoming Shaman, as it prepares them to be called by the Spirits.
It is evident that healing is not Shaman by the custom of those Shaman who remained isolated from their clan and never entered their village to conduct a ritual, sacrifice, or healing. Some Shaman never healed, and some clans had both Healers and Shaman, so that when Shaman heal, it is not as a medicine man, but as an conveyor of spiritual power - numen as the Romans called it, or nu-manna as it is called in the Pacific Islands.
Some time ago, Sabrina and I were at a party where the host introduced us to a Native American, whom the host said was a Shaman. After listening to the man talk about herbs and Native American remedies for about five minute, it was obvious to me that he was not Shaman. However, I didn't want to be confrontational, as it was the host and not the man who had said he was Shaman. When the opportunity arose, I asked him whether he was a healer or Shaman. This caught him by surprise, but he didn't hesitate to tell me that he was a healer and had not been called to be Shaman. He was surprised, as he told me, because I was the first white-man he had met who knew there was a difference. He called himself a Healer, but others (white men) called him a Shaman and he never bothered to correct them as they wouldn't understand the difference anyway.
These three phenomenon, psychopomp, preservation of the body or resting place of the soul, and conveying myth, are the essence of Shamanism. And because Shamanism is primitive, "the first of its kind", wherever the phenomena exists, it will always have these three elements along with some form of Initiation. Unlike Christianity, which originated in the area around Jerusalem, and Judaism, which has its roots in the same (wider) area, or Islam, which originated around Medina and Mecca, or Buddhism which began in India (not Nepal), Shaman originates wherever it is "the first of its kind".
Shamanism is not a transported religion. The primitive Shaman phenomenon originating in Siberia, was the first of its kind, just as Shaman in the Pacific Islands was the first of its kind, and Scandinavia, or wherever it is the first of its kind. It is renewed as the first of it's kind with each Shaman.
Shaman is not learned, it is experienced. Yet it is the same religion, or at least the same religious phenomenon. Its myth and motivation may be different, as the South Sea Islanders will have no concept of a polar bear, or a bison or a caribou; and the stars seen in the heavens on the equator will be in different places than they are seen by Shaman living near the north pole. But the message of Shaman myth will always relate the same elements - how the spirits deal with mortals. Because Shaman is primitive, it would be the same today as it was 200 years ago, or even 7,000 years ago.
This is disturbing to Christian anthropologists, and for good reason. Before mass communication, when Christians could, and did, destroy the native religions in "primitive cultures," Shaman could not compete with the technology of the Christian invaders. Medicine, food, clothing, shelter and education overcame disease, starvation and cold which the natives had been forced to endure. The Shaman could offer none of these, and became a quirk of culture, existing as the local "priest" of a "demon." Christianity, on the other hand, was promoted as the universal religion with a god who was worshiped all over the world--which of course was a lie.
But things have changed over the last eighty years. Anthropologists, and even the primitive and once isolated Shaman, began to find that the Shaman were not alone. They were isolated to be sure, but there were hundreds of them, all unrelated, yet all practicing the same thing; all experiencing the same phenomena without being aware of most other Shaman. They were as surprised as the Christians were perplexed to find that they were not unique to a local area. As it turned out, Shamanism, not Christianity, was the universal religion. It existed all over the world, as the first of its kind, while Christianity turns out be nothing more than a religious cult that developed in one isolated area, and spread from there - by force.
As one Shaman told me, "If rain which falls all over the world, is higher than our precious stones and silver, then we must accept that rain must be higher than the sandstone pebbles which are brought to us from a single rock found only in a desert, far away."
Simple logic would dictate that if a religious phenomenon is universal, in that it appears over most of the world with only slight variations, it would be far more compelling than religions which exist only in the minds of their followers.
We need only look at the earliest forms of Shamanism to see that the phenomenon was the same today as it was anciently. When Shamanism is compared with the Egyptian religion the only "apparent" difference is that of the priesthood, which relegates the roll of psychopomp to the Neters. The Egyptian priest (of the dead) is always depicted as wearing the Shamanistic leopard's skin, and holding instruments that had their counterpart among Shaman today. Like Shaman, the most fundamental tenet of the Egyptian religion is the preservation of the body and soul, (Kah) of the righteous dead and conducting its spirit (Ba), to the other world.
The priestesses of Isis and Hathor are psychopomp who conduct the spirit (Ba) of the dead safely to the Tuat, or othet world. In Shamanism, this is where the role of the psychopomp's ends. The Priestess psychopomp, however, continues to officiate in the other world where she leads the righteous dead through the "Hours of the Tuat", past the Guardians of the Way and the demons who would destroy the unaccompanied Ba-spirit. In the Tuat, it is the Goddess Aset (Greek, Isis) and Her sister, Nebhet (Greek, Nephthys) who stand for the righteous dead before the Gods, Thoth and Anubis, who weigh the deceased's heart in a delicate balance against the weight of the feather of the Goddess Maat, who stands for Divine Justice. These rituals begin at the time of death and end 70 days later, after which the rituals of rejuvenation are performed by the Priestesses and may take years, sometimes centuries as one generation of priestess after another performed ordinances to assure that the Kah-soul, will live again.
The same principle that lead Shaman to prepare the body of the dead for burial, that is to preserve the soul in a sacred setting, is found among the Egyptians. The Egyptian Priests and Priestesses prepared the body of the deceased for ritualistic embalming and mummification and they prepare the tomb where the "soul", or Kah, would be kept safe from man and demons, while the spirit (Ba) is absent; and they performed rituals to insure the soul's safety.
The Priest and Priestesses of the Egyptian Gods and Goddesses keep the myth of their people alive and add to it when the Gods and Goddesses dictate. The Priestesses of Isis work magic to diagnose disease and to heal. And while they keep the three essential elements of Shamanism, they are not Shaman as they have evolved to the Priesthood of their Gods and Goddesses.
Although the Initiation rituals of the Mysteries of Isis, Hathor, Inanna, and the later Greek Mysteries are far more complex than those of Shaman, they still follow a similar pattern. In the Descent and Ascent of the Sumerian Goddess Inanna, Queen of Heaven and Earth, we find not only the elements of Initiation, but the archetype of the Egyptian Isis and Osiris and the Greek Persephone and Hades, Orpheus and Eurydice, and the Lapis Psychopomp, Theseus. It is also in the Trial of Gilgamesh that we find the Trial of Shaman, while it is in the Trial of Inanna that we find the difference between Shaman and Priestess.
In preparation for his "Trial" the aspirant Shaman placed a head band or head dress on his forehead; put on a beaded collar, put a pectoral of animal claws, teeth, or herbs around his neck; placed a copper or silver bracelet on his arm; put on his sacred animal skin; painted his face, and sometimes his body; put on a beaded breast plate; took his pipe or wand; and had an Initiate Shaman who would assist him in his preparation (and where drums were used) beat the drum and wait for him to return. This preparation is strikingly similar to the descent of Inanna.
Five thousand years before Christianity, Inanna heard the Great Below and abandoned heaven and earth to descend to the underworld, abandoning Her seven temples in Uruk, Babtibira, Zabalam, Adab, Nippur, Kish and Akkad. She gathered Her seven "me", the seven gifts of the Gods, and prepared Herself. She put the crown of the Steppe on Her head and arranged Her hair across Her forehead; She tied the small lapis beads about Her neck, and placed the long double strand of lapis beads so they fell on Her breasts; She put a gold bracelet around her arm, (The Shaman places the copper or silver bracelet on his arm) wrapped the royal robe around Her body, daubed Her eyes with ointment and bound the alluring breastplate around Her chest. She then took the lapis measuring rod and line in Her hand and set out for the underworld accompanied by Her sukkal adviser, Ninshubur, who was Her faithful servant and had fought by Her side. Inanna instructed Ninshubur in what to do if She did not return.
The earliest writings we have of the "Descent of Inanna" are nearly five thousand years old, and are copies of much older writings that are least 1,700 years before the copies. But even the 5,000 year old record shows that preparation and Descent of Inanna and the Trial of Shaman has remained virtually unchanged over five millennia.
Inanna arrived at the outer gates of the underworld, knocked and spoke to Neti, the guardian of the way from which no traveler returns. She told Neti that She had come to see her older sister, Ereshkigal, whose husband Gugalanna, the Bull of Heaven, had died. (In Sumerian astrology Gugalanna died 6700 years ago). When Ereshkigal, Queen of the Underworld, heard this She "slapped Her thighs and bit Her lip with vengeance". She ordered Neti to bolt the seven gates of the underworld. When Neti opened the First Gate he removed Inanna crown and when She asked, "What is this?"
Inanna arrived at the outer gates of the underworld, knocked and spoke to Neti, the guardian of the way from which no traveler returns. She told Neti that She had come to see her older sister, Ereshkigal, whose husband Gugalanna, the Bull of Heaven, had died. (In Sumerian astrology Gugalanna died 6700 years ago). When Ereshkigal, Queen of the Underworld, heard this She "slapped Her thighs and bit Her lip with vengeance". She ordered Neti to bolt the seven gates of the underworld. When Neti opened the First Gate he removed Inanna crown and when She asked, "What is this?"
Neti told Inanna to be quiet, "the ways of the underworld are perfect, They may not be questioned."
At each gate she asked the same question and was given the same answer, "the ways of the underworld are perfect, They may not be questioned."
At the Second Gate he removed Her lapis beads, at the Third Gate Her double strand beads, at the Fourth Gate the breastplate, at the Fifth Gate, the gold ring from her arm, at the Sixth Gate he took Her lapis measuring rod and at the Seventh Gate he removed her royal robe so she entered naked and bowed low.
In the throne room of her older sister, Ereshkigal, (Lady of Kigal) the Annuna, the judges of the underworld, surrounded Inanna and passed judgment against Her. Ereshkigal, fastened the "eye of death" on Her, spoke in wrath against Her and pronounced Her guilty. When Ereshkigal struck Her, Inanna turned into a corpse, a piece of rotting meat and was hung from a hook on the wall.
Shaman Initiation follow a similar course in which the aspirant Shaman descends to the underworld very much as did Inanna, though the role of Ninshubur, who can go to an Enki - God of Wisdom, evolved from the Primitive to the Priesthood of the God or Goddess who helps.
The aspirant Shaman goes into an ecstatic state, delirium caused by an illness, sensory depravation, a form of madness or an induced trance. She experiences death; demons degrade her, take her worldly possessions, torture her and cut her in pieces or hang her on hooks. She may descend to the underworld or ascends to the heavens and returns to life. This Trial enables her to see the Spirits and to communicate with them. But that is where Shaman and Priesthood part. Shaman, like Gilgamesh, Orpheus, Hercules, Sisyphus and Odysseus goes to the Underworld but not to its darkest pit. Nor do Shaman confront the Gods and Goddesses of the Underworld as Inanna did. Instead they meet or confront the "Guardians of the Way", and though they travel the path from which "no man returns", they do return, Shaman.
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Pagan Gods and Goddess of the Oracle of Mopsus
Vortices Notes by MaatRaAh High Priest of The Goddesses
There are two Pagan oracles called Mopsus [moschos (calf)]. The first Mopsus, was one of two seers who made up the 49 man and one woman (Atalanta) crew of the Argonauts, who sailed the Argo in the pre Troy epic to retrieve the Golden Fleece (from which the Jews get their story of Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac). The other Argonaut soothsayer was Idmon (knowing), the son of Apollo and Asteria or some say Cyrene.
"Mopsus prophesied From lots and omens, and with gladsome heart Bade them God-speed to sea,"
as Pindar said, Pythian Ode, 4: 169-171. But Mopsus also, "understood the speech of birds," and when the Argonauts were weather-bound at Arcton, a halcyon hovered over Jason's head, then perched on the prow of the Argo where it chirped a message which Mopsus understood. This Mopsus is said to have been a Lapithe, (Lapithae) from Thessalia (Thessaly) in northern Greece and king of Thrace at the time the Amazons crossed over to Europe from Asia Minor. His father was Ampycus but his mother was an unnamed Nymph. Mopsus with the help of Sipylus [the Scythian] defeated the Amazon invaders and killed Queen Myrine in single combat. However, this may have been a later invention by Apollonians who wanted to take authority away from the Thessalian priestesses and their male devotees, the Centaurs. So powerful were the priestesses of Thessalia that it is said that Orpheus was killed by the magic of Aglaonice, who became famous for drawing down the moon.
Whatever his actual origin and kingship, Mopsus was considered great enough to have participated in the Calydonian boar hunt (even though the hunt took place after the Argonauts' return) and was prominent in the battle between the Lapithae and the Centaurs. He was with the Argonauts on their return from Colchis when they were driven into the shoal waters of Syrtis in Libya. He died there after being bitten on the heel by one of the vipers that had grown out of the blood which had dropped from the head of Medusa (the Gorgon) when Perseus flew over the Libyan desert.
"As [Perseus] flew over the Libyan sands, drops from the Gorgon's head Fell bloody to the ground, and earth received them Turning them into vipers. Metamorphoses iv 618- 621.
A thick mist spread over Mopsus' eyes, his hair fell out and he died in agony. This was at the salt Lake Tritonis, near the Spring of Heracles, which is near the Hesperides and the Atlas Mountain--inland from the Sytrian gulf of Libya. The Spring of Heracles was formed when he struck a rock and water sprang from the ground. It is from this myth that the Jews get their tale of Moses striking a rock to give water to the Israelites.
Homer calls the ship Argo, built by Argos, which is also the name Homer gives as Odysseus's dog who recognized his master after twenty years absence. (Odysseus XVII:300) But it is Pindar, the Greek poet of Thebes who (300 years after Homer) gives the heros and heris the name, Argonauts.
The oracle of Mopsus in Libya followed that of casting lots in which stones, marked by the participants, were placed in a helmet and bounced up and down until one of the lots jumped out, giving a "yes" or "no" answer. Omens were also practiced, and as a Hero of the Jason Epic, oracle was given at Mopsus' shrine (near the island on Lake Tritonis) after the aspirant had sacrificed a sheep and slept on the fleece overnight to received oracle--the power of oracle being derived from the authority of Jason who had gained it from the Golden Fleece.
However, there was another Mopsus, also a seer, who was the son of Apollo and Manto, the daughter of the blind Theban prophet, Teiresias. His shrine was at Mallus in the Asia Minor provence of Cilicia, while that of his namesake was in Libya. Mopsus fought with the Trojans at the battle of Troy and as a seer gave his prophesies with his eyes closed [in emulation of his grandfather, Teiresias]. The connection between Oracle and the demise of Zeus has two of its roots in two Mopsus'.
Calches (Calchas--brazen), the son of the Argonaut, Thestor, was the famous oracle for the Achaeans at Troy. Homer said he was the "most excellent of augurs, who knew of things that were and that should be and that had been before." (Iliad 1:68) He was a priest of Apollo, who sided with the Greeks--Apollo sided with the Trojans. Three important prophesies center around Calches. The first was the prophesy of Gaea (Mother Earth), at the beginning of time. Zeus, before he deposed of his father, Chronus (Saturn) was in love with, or at least having sex with the Oceanid, Metis (counsel), who advised him how to dethrone his father. After Zeus became the Supreme God, Gaea again prophesied that Metis was pregnant with a girl child, and that if the child were born, she would give birth to a son who would dethrone Zeus and rule in his stead. This was told to Zeus by Prometheus, who further warned Zeus, "the child of Metis will end to the worship of Zeus."
Knowing Prometheus to always be correct, Zeus convinced Metis to make love with him one more time, and quickly devoured her when she was racked in orgasm. Later, when Zeus was walking by Lake Tritonis in Libya, he was seized upon with a great headache and called upon Prometheus to deliver him from his pain. Prometheus warned Zeus, "the pain you suffer is exquisite compared to the numbness which will come from relief." Zeus, not understanding the portend of what Prometheus said, had him split open his head with a three-man beetle and wedge. Out sprang Athena, full grown and fully armored. Athena was also called Tritonis, and had male priests instead of priestesses. And while Athena was loved by Zeus and the Greeks, it was she, the daughter of Metis, who set the stage for the demise of Zeus.
In later generations, the Cretan prince, Scamander, immigrated to Phrygia during a famine. There his wife, the Nymph, Idaea, gave birth to Teucer, who founded Troy. Scamander later fell into the River Xanthus, who was a God--son of Oceanus and Tethys, and the river was thereafter called Scamander. Teucer's daughter, Batia, married Dardanus, the son of Zeus and the Pleiade, Electra, who built a city near Mount Ida, which he named Dardania. Dardanus introduced the worship of Athena by giving the Phrygians the Palladium (a statue of Athena). Dardania would later became part of the city of Troy. When Agamemnon first devised war against Troy--ten years after Helen had been taken by Paris--he called for the Phrygian seer, Calches, who advised him in all of his important decisions, three of which are relevant here. First, he foretold that the war against Troy could not be won except with the help of Achilles. Then, when the Achaeans were stranded at Aulus by unfavorable winds, he foretold that the Argives would not be able to go to Troy unless Agamemnon first offered one of his three virgin daughters as a sacrifice to Artemis, in propitiation for Agamemnon having killed her favorite stag.
The daughter offered was Iphigenia. And while the romanticists would have Iphigenia being replaced by a stag at the time the murderous blow was struck and carried away to Tauris on the Black Sea, Iphigenia was in fact killed as a sacrifice to Artemis. This set the stage for the third prophesy of Calches which played a part in the dethronement of Zeus.
After Achilles had killed Hector, and himself had been killed by Paris (Apollo first shot Achilles in the heel), Calches foretold that Troy could not fall unless a virgin was offered as sacrifice. Sinon, the son a Sisyphus, and a loyal friend of Odysseus, entered into the intrigue which was the cause of the fall of Troy. He was bound as a false sacrifice, and left by the Achaeans along with the Wooden Horse. The Trojans found Sinon and brought him before King Priam who questioned him as to why he was bound and left behind. Sinon--having learned from Odysseus how to stretch the truth, told him that the Greeks had departed because he had been the virgin selected by the Greeks as a sacrifice. When he escaped, the Achaeans became disheartened and left for home. This of course was a lie, as the Achaeans were nearby on the Isle of Tenos, and it was Sinon who, that night, would let the Achaeans out of the Wooden Horse so they could attack the city from within.
After the fall of Troy, the Achaeans were again stranded by unfavorable winds, and the prophesy of Calches that a virgin must be sacrificed, came to pass. This time, Achilles appeared in a dream to his son Neoptolemus and announced that Polyxena (the daughter of King Priam and Hecuba) must be sacrificed to him.
Helenus, the brother of Polyxena and twin of Cassandra, had fortold the fall of Troy and that Troy would not fall unless a bone of Pelop was brought to the Achean camp, Pyrrhus (later called Neoptolemus), the twelve year old son of Achilles and Deidamia, must join the fight in his father's place, and the Palladium which protected Troy, must be stolen. All of which took place
When Polyxena was led to the sacrificial pyre, Neoptolemus was to act as executioner-priest. However Neoptolemus hesitated, and Polyxena, who had been fated with a long life and status as a queen, threw open her garment, and raised her head, offering either her heart to be pierced or throat to be cut.
The Goddess, Destiny, had come to Polyxena the night before and begged her to relinquish the pattern the Fates had woven, in order to bring about the destruction of those who had killed her father and brothers and destroyed her nation. Polyxena willingly released Destiny from Her promise of long life and queenship, and when offered as a sacrifice, grabbed the faltering hand of Neoptolemus and held his blade to her throat. When he again hesitated, she chided him for being a coward.
"What craven hand now stays that Fate, when unwavering it did thrust clean through my brother, who in gasps of death shrank before his father's eyes in the hollowed chamber of my home. Then you did shout your curse aloud, `Out, out, thou strumpet, Fate! All you gods, in general synod, take away her power; break all the spokes and fellies from her wheel, and bowl the round nave down the hill of heaven, as low as to the fiends!' Behold now, this one who recants his curse, ashamed of life and fearful of Death's darkened halls where none here shall escape because of my blood. Strike you coward, shrinking vine, or return to the woman's quarters where your sire, Issa, once did hide in fear of life and fate. Here, I'll uplift my breast if you should choose to give my heart your cold blades depth, and send me quickly to my doom. Or here, with uplifted head, take my throat that you may stop the words which condemn you and your host to the depth of Tartarus' pit, where pusillanimous souls like yours do dwell forever..."
In anger Neoptolemus drew the blade across her throat, stopping her word in mid sentence. Polyxena lunged forward, her crimson blood flowing over the hand and arm of Neoptolemus who dropped the short sword next to her dying body.
The soul of Polyxena was taken by Hermes directly to the House of Hades where Polyxena was established as a foster daughter of Persephone, along with Iphigenia. Neither death was ever atoned, and in time the Achaean all but forgot Polyxena.
What did you notice?  Most people are far more stable when their attention is lightly placed on their center of gravity.  Notice that this increased stability requires no physical work whatsoever – no stiffening, holding, or tensing – just an awareness of where your center of gravity is located.
As time passes, many students have a tendency to forget the location of their center of gravity, incorrectly shifting it upward. It’s very important to correct this and remember where your center of gravity is actually located  – two inches below your navel.
Reminding yourself a few times a day of where your center of gravity is located can make a significant difference in how you function. The mental images I’ve suggested can greatly assist in that process. Simply placing the palm of one hand on your belly, centered about three finger widths below your navel, is another quick and easy way to do that.
In the Lesson 2, you’ll start exploring how to use those images to make active use of your center of gravity.
For the anatomically inclined, your center of gravity is approximately at the level of your 2nd sacral vertebra, and just in front of it.
I’ve talked a great many students through this process, in person or over the phone, but this is the first time I’ve described the process in writing and I want to make the explanation as clear as possible.  So please use the comments box to let me know how well my explanation has worked for you.
Hi robert, Was a real good read. I can totally relate to what your saying. Small things trigger anxiety in me. Iv been suffering with posture related issues( atleast i think) for a long time. Its funny when i tell.ppl that my body is Not aligned and my acis point is not where it should be. They dont get it. My upper body leans forward, shoulders rolled in forward, and anterior pelvic tilt..oh yes, neck going forward as well. Lately, iv been feeling lightheaded and sometimes severyl depressed when i lean forward while sitting down or bend down or just engage my diaphram in some simple physical activity. Am i straining my neck or am i jamming the diaphram. Its worse when i sleep ( with my head bent). Causes gastric and completely lose my balance. What do u think this is. Can changing the cg helpand will alexander technique work. Pls help. Thanks.
Something that i discovered while i explored cg.When i lie down and just put my finger on the cg, it deepens my breathing all the way up to there and takes the pressure of my upperbody.
This is really interesting. I’ve being trying to learn golf for 4 years and have been getting nowhere. I hit the occasional good shot and it occurs to me that happens when I deliberately try to keep my focus on forcing ‘down’ my hips on the back-swing. A similar feeling I think to being conscious of the centre of gravity! I’d like to learn more. Thanks again Robert.
thanks! I’m a new in this but when i read, i feel that it’s easy to understand.thanks again!:)
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I am a physical therapist. As such, I consider myself a student of movement. This was a beautifully simple explanation with ubiquitious application to mmovement. Thank you.
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I have a 6 month pregnant pupil who is having difficulty with back pain and walking. I think this work could be very useful. I assume her centre of gravity is now higher and more forward. Is that correct? How do you suggest finding it for her and any other thoughts to help move in this way?
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after years of back pain, neck pain and now arm numbness was so glad to find this info – I have avoided RX medicine knowing it could be life long, so any alternative is helpful. I have a family member who just went to first grade and has balance problems with muscle issues. He could benefit also! I just worry where is the fine line with teaching him these things and what we demand him to do, if in fact he is plagued with a developmental problem. Thanks!
Thanks for the lesson and self practice exercises. Don’t women and men’s center of gravity vary b/c men are typically top heavy (more muscular upper body) and women are typically bottom heavy ( bigger hips relatively)?
Whenever the center of gravity of patient require, I use a balance of lever It is just similar to Children Garden “T” the stem of T is vertical and the lever is fulcrum at top of stem where the horizontal left and right equal arms float. I keep the patient over horizontal arms approximately sacrum touching the fulcrum and if the patient stay horizontal the point of lever at the top of stem of T gives most accurate CG. of the patient. Dr. Visal A. Khan (dr_visal@yahoo.com)
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great publish, very informative. I ponder why the opposite experts of this sector do not realize this. You must proceed your writing. I’m sure, you’ve a huge readers’ base already!
What an encouraging site! I live in rural Australia with no AT teachers nearby. This first lesson has been a great find for both myself and my hypermobile 9yo daughter. I am keen to play with the training you give and would love to develop AT skills and ease of movement. About to go take a detailed look at your pages. Thank you, Maggie
I’m so glad the process is proving useful for you and your daughter!
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Hi Robert, Fantastically clear writing and a very applicable and practical tool for all organisms that have a spine! In my experience with learning Aikido (Japanese Martial Art) they refer to CG as ‘the one point’. Effective execution of techniques depend on moving the ‘one point’, or lowering it as the procedure may require. Also in Aikido CG is related to timing and space as well, both in relation to one’s partner and gravity. Very useful, looking forward to using this in day to day activity and reading up on the future lessons!
Is the center of gravity at the spot for everyone? I find it hard to believe that the desciption here is fit for both a scrawny young man and a very fat person, or for exampel- I’d imagine that breasts have an effect on a persons center of gravity. thnx
It’s actually a pretty consistent location. Of course there are variations for size, sex etc, but they are surprisingly small and, in my experience, make no difference is using these ideas.
Actually the center of gravity varies a lot. Women have a lower center of gravity then men which allows them to do things that men can’t.
hello. this imagery is interesting and working. i am aware of this lines right now, and something is shifting, my weight, mental states, etc..
1. how this location point was drawing out?
2. i was thinking about “torus” since the beginning of 2013. do you know this geometrical form and do you think any connection between them?
thank you for interesting and helpful instruction.
oh, that torus geometrical pattern is so beautiful and appear at everywhere in nature include human body. so i thought we would combine this natural pattern with your brilliant idea.
CG is like a center of apple in our body. and our energy circulate from there — upwardly. this is just my theoretical application anyway, upward thinking “from CG” is very powerful.
Hello Robert. Thank you for your time and wisdom. My question is, are all humans unconsciously aware of a CG in themselves whether the location is correct or not?
I.E. For a person who’s never read about this before, has never been told where their CG is, must the unconscious mind still be aware of a “center of gravity” in the body in order to walk and move?
Likewise, is what you’ve just explained about the CG location merely a way of making ourselves conscious of what the unconscious already knows? When babies are born, and first learn to walk, is awareness of the CG instinctual – and only through the years of poor posture habits does it become lost from conscious awareness or skewed inefficiently?
I hope I make sense. Thank you.
Good questions Wes. I doubt that most people have any explicit idea of where the CG is located. And I don’t think one has to have any awareness of one’s CG in order to move – but of course there has not been any research about this!
I had a student last week who, when I asked him where he thought his CG was, pointed to his navel and said it was right there, on the front surface of his body. I told him it was a little lower and deep inside him and he immediately lost part of his habitual forward leaning stance.
Thanks for sharing this website Robert.
Do you know if this centre of gravity point is the same point Tai Chi practicioners talk about?
Hi Jecek, If they have it mapped correctly, it’s exactly the same point. They may talk about “moving from your center” whereas I’m talking about “move your center” – much more direct and, I think, practical.
I would also be interested in knowing how Alexander Techqnique can help stage fright, anxiety, panic attacks etc.. Do you have any good sources on that address those topics? Any specific sources you could recommend? (I’ve read a chapter in Indirect Procedures but I would like to know more) Given your breadth of knowledge on A.T. and A.T. resources I’m sure you can recommend something.
My main website at http://alexandertechnique.com is the best place to find that info.
I visit day-to-day some blogs and sites to read content, however this website presents quality based articles.
I would just make a small addition in your written instructions let people know the center of gravity is a very small point.
Also, I look forward to your next lessons. How does this dovetail into Alexander Technique? How does it relate to neck free, head forward and up, and back lengthening and widening (ie the primary control directions?)
The next set of lessons will integrate UpWithGravity with the AT.
Yes the center of gravity is indeed an infintesimally (sp?) tiny point – which is why, as a practical matter, it’s very useful to use mental imagery of the sort described in these lessons to access it.
First I want to tell you I’m enjoying your site. It explains things well and I’ll be trying out these ideas. Second, I have a question about semi-supine and where the center of gravity is located when in that position. Is it 2 inches under the navel or located more towards the sternum or some where in between?
Thanks Jon – and good question! Your center of gravity doesn’t change when you lie down, but your whole relationship with gravity does – and this is one of the great advantages of Constructive Rest – http://alexandertechnique.com/constructive rest
In terms of using your CG when lying down, that’s a topic for exploration at this point. Tentatively, I think you can usefully explore using it the same way you do when standing as a kind of “pre activity” preparation. Of course the direction in space is rotated 90 degrees.
Let me know what you discover – this is brand new experimental territory!
Hi robert, thanks for this remarkable experimentation satisfying the alexander thoughts.
Iam sure thinking and imagining the static postural images in a movement leads to doing and end-gain. This i had experience.
But, you are saying dynamic images in an activity following meanswhereby?
Please collect as many details and experiences from the total alexander teachers, and post it here.
I think your concept can be done by only experienced fm students and teachers.
For doing your concept of gravity requires, principles of FM.
I wont think a common man with out a teacher achieves this by doing on his own.
I cant say my experiences of your such a difficult concept of gravity based on dynamic images as a whole thinking ‘one after the other all together in sequence with stimulus’.
But, i will try this and i say thanks to you and i hope and wish that it works for any one.
Thanks for commenting – but I’m afraid I don’t understand your question. Perhaps after you experiment with all 3 of the first set of lessons, it will make better sense to you.
Thank you for answering my question. It’s very interesting how for example walking changes quite radically when being aware of the center of gravity. Standing also becomes more stable. It’s very useful thought when people feel themselves wobbly after freeing their legs, I suppose.
Thanks a lot for this Robert. This first lesson is really useful, and I’m looking forward to more. I like the experiential aspect to this. You’re providing another great service. I’ll try the experiment tomorrow with my students. Up With Gravity! Mark
I haven’t encountered this myself. I would think think that unless the difference is very large, they can still use this process. Start by using it yourself a bit first. Then, when you work with the student, feel free to modify the location for their center of gravity towards the side that is larger if that seems useful. It’s all about experimenting!
Hi, What about, when a person has this conditon named “hemihyperplasia”, where the other half of the body is bigger than the other?I’m asking this, because I’m going to have such a pupil soon.
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Robert H. Dugger, Ph.D. delivered the opening keynote at the Children’s Trust Fund Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention recently held in Jefferson City.  More than 275 providers, social workers, educators, and other child advocates were on hand to hear Dr. Dugger make the business case for investing in America’s children.  He is the founder and managing partner for the Hanover Investment Group, LLC, an Advisory Board Chair for the Partnership for America’s Economic Success and Chairman of the Invest in Kids Working Group.
Dr. Dugger says early childhood education has become a growing area of concern for investors, the business community and banking industry. Research has proven that before age five, children establish the building blocks of their academic and social skills.  By improving children’s lives in their earliest years, they are more likely to become a productive member of society.  Dr. Dugger says early investment will literally pay off for generations to come and is essential if the U.S. is to be globally competitive in the future.  He makes these and other informed points in the following video:
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It is with great sadness to inform you that Colin Barker passed away on 25th June 2014.
I first met Colin when he was General Manager of Ling Systems, the conveyor company that he later went on to become Managing Director. For the past few years he has been managing Aetna UK, establishing the company as the market leader in pallet stretchwrapping and shrinkwrapping equipment.
Alongside his business activities, Colin was heavily involved in the British Bottlers' Institute, having been on the Council for many years and National Chairman for five years. Colin was also active in the PPMA and was appointed President some years ago.
Colin had a tremendous sense of humour and he made many friends within the industry and in his personal life. He was one of those guys who you really looked forward to seeing as his presence would always light up a room. He was a devoted father to his three children Paul, Andrew and Sara, together with his grandchildren, taking them regularly to watch his lifelong favourite team, Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.
The industry has sadly lost a key leader, all his friends will mourn his passing but, as he would have wished, we remember him for all those great moments we spent in his company.
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I am writing about this topic because of Halloween of course, but it applies to eating well all year!  Still not sure what I am talking about? OK, the kids get dressed as their […]
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No, I am not talking about a prescription, and if you haven’t seen the movie ‘The Matrix’, let me explain: In the movie, the two main characters are meeting for the first time.  Morpheus […]
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Last year is in the books and done, nothing we can change or do differently, but 2014 lies ahead of us – perfect and unwritten! This year will feature comedy and tragedy, just like […]
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For those of you interested in following Scott’s Ultraman World Championship race, just click here to see the daily blog and race updates! The blog is located on www.yourbodycar.com The website for his book. […]
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I am writing about this topic because of Halloween of course, but it applies to eating well all year!  Still not sure what I am talking about? OK, the kids get dressed as their […]
Salt and light in politics and government
Susa booklet 'A City on a Hill'
We believe that Christian engagement in politics and government is Biblical, Missional, and Possible. This booklet is your essential guide to being 'salt and light' in the political world. A short, easy-to-read introduction which covers all the essentials including:
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Desmond is a graduate of William Mitchell College of Law.  During law school he worked as a research assistant at the Public Health Law Center where he helped draft publications and provide legal technical assistance.  Desmond received a CALI award in Public Health Law at William Mitchell College of Law.
Education B.A., Augsburg College, cum laude J.D., William Mitchell College of Law
Jay Kelly is responsible for creating and implementing the national marketing communications strategy for the Public Health Law Center. He is tasked with strengthening the Public Health Law Center brand, and increasing awareness of the Center as an accessible partner for local, state, national, and international health organizations.
Jay began his career in the advertising world, and transitioned into marketing and communications management roles at large nonprofits, most recently at Fraser, and at Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota. He has extensive experience in online marketing and communications, web site creation and optimization, email marketing, social media, branding, and media relations.
Education B.A., University of Minnesota M.B.A., University of Minnesota
Scott Kelly is a staff attorney with the Public Health Law Center at William Mitchell College of Law.  Scott provides legal technical assistance to Minnesota communities through the Statewide Health Improvement Program (“SHIP”) and federal Community Transformation Grants (“CTG”) on healthy eating, active living, and tobacco control initiatives.  Prior to joining the Public Health Law Center, Scott worked with the League of Minnesota Cities, providing assistance to local governments on a wide range of issues. Scott clerked for the Honorable David C. Higgs with Minnesota’s Second Judicial District, and has served as a lead exam grader with the Minnesota State Board of Law Examiners.  Scott serves as chair of the City of Lakeville Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Committee.  He is also working towards his Masters of Public and Nonprofit Administration through Metropolitan State University.
Education B.A., St. John's University J.D., Hamline University College of Law
Tammy Kempf provides day-to-day administrative support for the Public Health Law Center, including assistance with event planning and grant preparation.  She has broad and diverse experience in customer service, computer applications, and administrative support.  Prior to joining the Public Health Law Center, Tammy worked at 3M Company for over 19 years, managing auto and general liability claims and corporate insurance.  She also worked at the First Judicial District Court in Hastings, Minnesota.
Jon Lee is the Program Manager at the Public Health Law Center where he is responsible for general program operations, including fiscal management, grants and contracts compliance and reporting, program development, human resources management, and special projects.
Prior to joining the Public Health Law Center Jon served as the Office Manager and Project Manager at the Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College where his responsibilities included management of the center’s finances, including the finances of the National Association of Geoscience Teachers, grants and contract administration, assisting in grant proposal submissions, student worker management, occasional web page writing and editing, and various other writing and editing projects.  Before working at the Science Education Resource Center Jon was the manager of River City Books, an independent trade book store owned and operated by Carleton College in Northfield, MN.
Jon is a graduate of the University of Minnesota Law School, where he was a Student Director at the Legal Assistance to Minnesota Prisoners clinic and a clerk at the Office of the Minnesota State Public Defender.
Education B.A., University of Minnesota J.D., University of Minnesota Law School
Joelle Lester is a staff attorney with the Public Health Law Center. Joelle is working to support and encourage the Food and Drug Administration to enact the strongest possible tobacco regulations under the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. Joelle coordinates and mobilizes the public health community to engage with the Food and Drug Administration and provides technical assistance to public health advocates. Joelle also provides litigation support to defend the federal tobacco regulations against challenges from the tobacco industry.
Prior to joining the Public Health Law Center, Joelle worked as a litigation associate at the firm of McGrann Shea Carnival Straughn & Lamb. Before attending law school, Joelle was a grassroots organizer and executive director of the Oregon Student Association, a non-profit higher education advocacy group. Joelle also worked as a lobbyist for the Wisconsin Association of School Boards, advocating for public K-12 education.
B.A., University of Wisconsin – Madison J.D., University of Minnesota Law School, cum laude
Anna Ayers Looby is a policy analyst with the Public Health Law Center. She works with Minnesota communities and across the country to increase opportunities for healthy food and physical activity through local, regional, and statewide strategies in early childcare, school, healthcare, and community settings.
Anna is a member of Born to Thrive, Minnesota’s early childhood health coalition; is a member of the Minnesota Department of Education’s Child Nutrition and Wellness Advisory Group; and has participated in state-level policy advocacy as a volunteer America Cancer Society Advocacy Fellow. Anna's work in health is informed by her experience as an international health volunteer in India, Peru, and Argentina. She now serves local immigrant populations as a clinical health researcher for Aqui Para Ti, a Minneapolis-based clinic for Latino youth.
Maggie Mahoney is a staff attorney with the Public Health Law Center.  She serves as executive director of the Tobacco Control Legal Consortium, a program of the Public Health Law Center, which supports tobacco control policy change throughout the United States.  Maggie coordinates the Consortium's provision of legal technical assistance, and personally provides direct, legal technical assistance on tobacco control issues to public health professionals and organizations, legal professionals, and advocates.  She oversees preparation of friend-of-the court ( amicus curiae ) briefs in key cases; provides and coordinates litigation support to city and county attorneys, state attorneys general and legal counsel representing advocacy organizations and individual citizens; assists with development of educational materials; and provides educational and training presentations at state, regional and national conferences.
Maggie has been an Adjunct Professor of Law since 2005, teaching public health law and an appellate advocacy skills course, and recently completed a graduate- level public health certificate program through the University of Minnesota School of Public Health.  After earning her law degree, Maggie researched and drafted opinions for the Minnesota Court of Appeals and then supervised a team of attorneys that issued appellate decisions on behalf of a court-appointed neutral in a major national civil rights class action settlement.
In 2015, Maggie was awarded the 2015 C. Everett Koop Unsung Hero Award by the American Lung Association and the C. Everett Koop Institute for her outstanding contributions to tobacco control. In 2008, Minnesota Lawyer selected Maggie as one of its “Up & Coming Attorneys."
Education B.I.S., University of Minnesota J.D., William Mitchell College of Law, cum laude
Kameron Markworth is primarily responsible for maintaining and enhancing the digital face of the Public Health Law Center through the management of publichealthlawcenter.org, cultivation of a robust social media presence, and creation of compelling assets that disseminate the valuable tools produced by staff attorneys.
Prior to joining the Public Health Law Center, Kameron was a founding partner of a happy hour-finding web start-up in Philadelphia, an interactive designer for a financial services training firm on Wall Street, and an internet marketing specialist for Fraser. He has also performed music professionally since 2001 and is an adjunct music instructor at Augsburg College.
Education A.A.S. McNally-Smith College of Music B.M. Augsburg College M.M. Indiana University
Mary Marrow, a staff attorney with the Public Health Law Center, is working on legal and policy initiatives to increase access to healthy food and physical activity nationally.  Prior to joining the Public Health Law Center, Mary was a public interest practitioner for over twelve years, focusing her efforts on poverty law, international human rights, and environmental advocacy.  During the summer of 2010, Mary worked with the Center for Public Interest Law in Accra, Ghana, through a fellowship sponsored by the Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide, conducting a comparative study of mining practices and the effectiveness of environmental regulations in the United States and Ghana.  Mary has also served in the Peace Corps in Togo, West Africa and managed a crisis shelter for the homeless in Alaska.  Mary is an avid gardener and outdoor enthusiast.
Education B.A., St. Olaf College J.D., City University of New York School of Law
Nasimah works closely with the program manager coordinating the center’s financial, budgetary, and grants and contracts reporting functions.  In addition to holding a bachelor of commerce degree and a post graduate diploma in accountancy from the University of Natal, South Africa, she is also a qualified chartered accountant. Nasimah was born, raised and educated in South Africa. She has lived in the Twin Cities for just over six years.
Education B.Commerce, University of Kwazulu Natal, South Africa Postgraduate Diploma in Accountancy, University of Kwazulu Natal, South Africa
Mark Meaney, a staff attorney with the Public Health Law Center, works primarily with the Tobacco Control Legal Consortium.  Mark provides legal technical assistance on tobacco control issues and other public health law issues to public health professionals and organizations, attorneys, and advocates throughout the United States.  Mark also provides training on the development and implementation of tobacco control policies in state and local communities.
Prior to joining the Public Health Law Center, Mark worked as a public finance associate at the law firms of McGrann Shea Carnival Straughn & Lamb, Chartered, and Faegre & Benson LLP. Before attending law school, Mark worked as a senior health policy analyst for Metropolitan Health Plan working on compliance issues and a variety of public health initiatives focused on individuals enrolled in safety net programs.  Mark also worked as a health services researcher at Central DuPage Health System, a community health system, where he developed and implemented programs to measure and improve the health status of the community.
Education B.A., Creighton University M.A., University of Wisconsin-Madison J.D., University of Minnesota Law School, cum laude
Nicole Mejia is the Health Communications Specialist for WorkSHIFTS , a community-academic partnership with Minnesota labor leaders to promote increased use of tobacco cessation services. Nicole holds a Master’s degree in Health Journalism from the University of Minnesota and received her Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist Certification (CPS) through the State of Oregon Addictions and Mental Health Division.
Prior to joining the Public Health Law Center, Nicole worked as the Health Promotion Supervisor for a non-profit social service agency serving predominantly migrant farmworker Latino families and youth in the Mid-Columbia Gorge region of Oregon. Nicole has been active in multiple areas of health promotion and prevention including diabetes and obesity prevention; breast cancer awareness and education; alcohol, tobacco and other drugs prevention; and domestic violence perpetrator treatment.  Nicole enjoys promoting wellness in her personal life through healthy eating and outdoor recreation.
Education B.A., Wellesley College M.A., University of Minnesota CPS, State of Oregon Addictions and Mental Health Division
Maureen O’Brien is a staff attorney with the Public Health Law Center. She works with the Tobacco Control Legal Consortium to provide legal technical assistance to public health professionals and organizations, legal professionals, and advocates throughout the United States. Maureen also teaches public health law as an adjunct professor at William Mitchell College of Law. Before joining the Public Health Law Center, Maureen was an Assistant City Attorney for the City of Madison, Wisconsin, where she drafted ordinances and provided legal advice to the Common Council, prosecuted civil violations of the City code, and provided advice and legal representation to the local Public Housing Authority and City Planning Department.
Education B.A., Boston University, magna cum laude J.D., University of Wisconsin Law School
Sarah Paige is an Administrative Assistant providing day-to-day administrative support at the Public Health Law Center, including travel arrangements and event planning. She brings extensive knowledge in computer applications and administrative support. Prior to joining the Public Health Law Center, Sarah worked as a Legislative Assistant for Senator Kathy Sheran (District 19 – Mankato) in the Minnesota State Senate, where her responsibilities included scheduling, taking phone calls and planning travel. Prior to the working at the Minnesota Senate, she was a Community Organizer for All Parks Alliance for Change.
Sarah is a graduate of Hamline University, where she studied Political Science and Women Studies.
Education B.S., Hamline University
Julie Ralston Aoki has over ten years of experience working in the areas of consumer protection law and public policy development at the state level.  In the public health law area, she has experience in providing legal technical assistance to local governments and public health advocacy groups on tobacco control issues and legal strategies and policies designed to promote healthy eating and active living for children, with a focus on marketing practices.  She works with the National Policy and Legal Analysis Network to Prevent Childhood Obesity (NPLAN) on children’s food marketing issues, and is conducting a research project funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Healthy Eating Research Program to study the effectiveness of self-regulation of food marketing to children. Julie is also an adjunct professor, and currently teaches public health law at William Mitchell.
Before joining the Public Health Law Center, Julie served as an assistant attorney general with the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office for nine years, in the Antitrust and Consumer Enforcement Divisions.  She has presented at National Association of Attorneys General conferences, conferences, webinars and CLEs on a variety of issues, including e-commerce, antitrust enforcement, predatory lending issues, food marketing to children, and the impact of preemption of state and local control.
Julie has been named a “Rising Star” Lawyer by Minnesota Law & Politics. As a law student, she helped to establish, and served as the first editor-in-chief for, the Iowa Journal of Gender, Race & Justice , a law journal.  Her volunteer work includes serving as a commissioner of the Robbinsdale Human Rights Commission, and serving as vice-chair (chair-elect) of the board for the East Metro Women’s Council, a program which provides housing and supportive services to homeless families.
Education B.A., Yale College, cum laude J.D., The University of Iowa College of Law, summa cum laude
As Program Coordinator of the Public Health Law Center, Mani Vannavong works closely with the Program Manager to provide overall management and administration of the Center's grants and contracts.  She comes to us from the Metropolitan Council where she held a similar position and was responsible for overseeing the use of federal and local governmental funds to support various transportation projects and related services.  Her past projects include the Hiawatha Light Rail, Northstar Commuter Rail, and Central Corridor Light Rail.
Education B.A., University of Minnesota, Morris
“There’s a really cute little ice cream shop that’s basically on campus called Yum-Yums that has really good ice cream and is very inexpensive. (You can get a good amount of ice cream for under $2). There’s a cute restaurant called Elizabeth’s Pizza that’s pretty inexpensive and has great food.”
What’s the weather like in Greensboro?
“Greensboro weather is weird, and its warmer here than where I’m from. You don’t need that many winter clothes, but the weather changes often and sometimes daily.”
“I was not prepared for the humidity here at all. If you freak out when your hair starts to frizz in the humidity, that’s something you’re going to have to get over. Bring lighter clothes than you would have if you’re from somewhere cooler, but don’t let the summer fool you… you will need a good coat in the winter! We’re not in the tropics here!”
“I would say, don’t bring too many heavy sweaters, because you wont need them, but do make sure you have rain boots, and umbrella, and a heavy jacket for when it does decide to get cold.  And of course, make sure you have lots of summer/warm clothing!  I had to buy more!”
If you are not from the South, how is the South different from your home region?
“I was extremely frustrated by these differences at first, and found it discouraging to encounter so many people that were unfamiliar to me. This feeling will pass, I promise. The more you open your mind when you come here, the better experience you will have. Expect people’s opinions to differ from yours in some pretty extreme ways. If you’re prepared ahead of time, it won’t be as frustrating.”
“The South is a lot slower but sometimes nicer.  It’s not hard to fit in, the South feels very homey to me and I feel like people welcome you.  When people give you a hard time about being a ‘Yankee’ and stuff, it’s all just in good fun; embrace your Northern background and stand by it.  People are just as curious and interested in you being from somewhere new as you are with where they are from.”
What are some of the regional slang words that you weren’t familiar with when you arrived?
“There wasn’t much…just getting used to southern slang, which is so weird.  They say “soda” or “Coke” and I say “pop.”  If you’re from the north you’ll get made fun of what you say, but hopefully in a joking way!”
“Y’all!! No one says ya’ll up North! Some people say ‘over-yonder’… which is very different for me also! A lot of ways people down here word things is very different from where I grew up. For example, when people go shopping, someone will say, ‘What all did you buy?’ No one in Massachusetts would ever say that. Up north we would say, ‘What did you get?'”
New Student & Spartan Family Programs The University of North Carolina at Greensboro Suite 245, Elliott University Center Greensboro, NC 27402-6170 VOICE 336.334.5231 FAX 336.256.2586 EMAIL soar@uncg.edu
Websites for Alexander Technique Teachers
Many thanks to Adrian Farrell for allowing us to evaluate his site publicly. Both Robert Rickover and I hope this will be helpful not only to Adrian, but to other teachers as well, and to that end we will be completely honest in our assessment. Using my general tips as a broad guide, I will take the points in order (any additional comments from Robert are included in red italics).
Adrian’s location features prominently in the header of his website, which is excellent. There will be no doubt for visitors to his site where to find him! When I searched for “Alexander Technique North London” on Google his site made it to the first page, albeit toward the bottom, which is great when you consider the number teachers in London and the fact that Adrian has only been teaching since last summer!
Robert: I‘m very impressed that Adrian has the location information taken care of so nicely – fairly rare with Alexander Technique websites.
Adrian’s contact information also appears prominently on every page at the top of the sidebar, so it’s also visible without any scrolling. On some pages this information is repeated at the bottom of the page too. This is great – there’s no problem finding out how to reach him quickly and easily, and the email link works properly too!
Adrian’s use of language is also very good – there is little or no use of jargon AT terminology, which is pretty much meaningless to anyone who hasn’t studied the Alexander Technique.
Adrian has some nice photos on his site. I’d only caution him on a couple in his gallery which show him with his hands around his students neck. Unfortunately to anyone without AT experience shots like this can look uncomfortably close to strangulation (!), so Adrian might want to remove those two. The alternative is to include a caption with them which explains a little about what is going on. These are not displayed anywhere prominently.
I wonder if it might be useful to add another image to your home page. I like the picture of Adrian and the older man, but it might give a false impression of Adrian’s target market. One of Adrian with his female student would make a nice addition.
Over time it would be useful for Adrian to get more photos of him working with a variety of students.
Robert: I think most of the photos are fine, but I agree the ones of him with his hands on a student’s neck can easily be misinterpreted. Also, there are a couple on his Gallery page where a hand is pretty close to an inappropriate area – and the student’s facial expression seems to show a bit of discomfort. I’d definitely ditch those. I agree with Imogen that one might get a false impression of his target market from just one photo on the homepage. You never get a second chance to make a first impression.
I also question the illustration of 2 versions of getting out of a chair.  I think it means something to AT folks, but I can imagine the average visitor being puzzled. My suggestion would be to replace it with another nice quote or two.
The site has a nice, straight forward layout, and you land directly on the home page which gives some useful information right away. Each page has the same layout with consistent header, sidebar and footer. This all makes for an easy experience for the visitor.
Robert: I like this a lot – very, very easy for the visitor to find out what he/she might be interested in.
All Adrian’s pages are of an appropriate length. Paragraphs of text are of reasonable size so the visitor is not presented with reams of text.
It’s very easy to navigate around the pages in Adrian’s site, which has a nice menu bar of page links horizontally underneath the header – a preferred format these days and one that his visitors will be used to.
Adrian makes good use of key words and phrases – from Alexander Technique to back pain. He makes good use of bullet points, bold, headings, etc. which all help visitors to the site easily pick out what they’re looking for.
Adrian makes good use of links on his site. There is a Links page with listed resources, and he also nicely integrates links as appropriate within other pages of his site, including a link the BMJ study right from the sidebar. In addition links are easy to recognize as they stand out from the text in a different color and are underlined as is common practice.
Adrian offers a sixth lesson free if you book five. He also offers free recommendations and links to articles about the Technique.
Adrian has one video (one I include on my own site!) – the one from the BMJ study. If he wants to improve in this area there are many others available, but it would be even better for him to record a video of himself talking about the Technique or demonstrating some work and include that right on the home page. This should be very short – no more than a couple of minutes. Judy Stern, an AT teacher in New York, has done a fabulous video intro to the Technique which is under one minute!
Robert: And/or a short audio interview would be nice – could be slightly longer, but not more than 5 minutes or so.
Imogen: Yes, I agree. Audio is also very popular on the web.
The only thing on this website I would fix as soon as possible is the coding which appears in the page source with a description of the site. This is what Google and other search engines pick up and put with your listing in a search. Currently your description reads “ Alexander Technique , East Finchley, Muswell Hill, Highgate, North London . Backache, back pain, neck and shoulder pain and RSI.” This is actually just a repeat of a list of key words (which is also included in the site’s code). It would be better to have your description read something like, “Alexander Technique in East Finchley and Highgate Village in North London with Adrian Farrell. Effective for helping back, neck and shoulder problems, RSI and more…”
Robert: Key words on the source page are useful, but not as important as they once were.  But the source page “description” is another matter altogether – that’s what Google puts (at least the first couple of lines) as the description that shows up under the site’s title in search results.  The source page description is very, very important.  One other point: Adrian’s site is smart-phone compatible which is a particularly important feature in a sophisticated – and very crowded! – Alexander Technique market like London.  He’s using Jimdo as his platform which, like WordPress, seems to be easily set up to have a smart phone version. Adrian told me he has “only” got four new students from his website in the half year or so that his site’s been up. I think that is actually pretty impressive given that it takes awhile for Google to “find” new sites and that he’s in a very, very crowded market for AT teachers.
Imogen: I agree! It’s important to remember that as well as students that come directly from your site, there are others who visit it after meeting you, seeing an advertisement or flyer, etc. They are not coming directly from the site, but having the website has backed up and validated the other information.
All in all Adrian has a pretty effective site. Any improvements would really be to take it to the next level! If he wants to do that I suggest looking into creating video or audio content, and into starting a blog (which I think would be easy to do with his content management system). Blogging with any regularity is so useful for gaining more visibility for you and your website. Google loves new content and you’d be supplying it regularly. This would be an effective way to organically improve your ranking in the search engines, and another way for people to find Adrian online.
Robert: That’s a great suggestion Imogen.  I have to say that Adrian’s website is the most effective in attracting students of all those we’ve looked at so far.  Nice job Adrian!
Adrian’s Response: Thank you so much for the feedback, it’s given me confidence that I’m heading in the right direction.
Alexander Technique Website Hosting Personalized web hosting for Alexander Technique teachers is provided by Robert Rickover. Let Robert handle all the details - no technical knowledge required!
Visit AlexTechHost.com for more information.
This website was designed by Imogen Ragone using WordPress.
We do not display data about individual children on our website. All graphs, charts and tables include aggregrated data concerning groups of children. The Data Resource Center complies with all local, state, and federal laws and regulations.
Any information you have provided on our site will not be sold or given to any third parties. All information will be used only to help improve the site or to provide a customized experience of the site.
This project of the Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative ( CAHMI ) supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) , Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under Cooperative Agreement U59MC27866 , The National Maternal and Child Health Data Resource Center. This information, content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government. Additional support for DRC-related projects has come from other funding agencies, including the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) of the National Institutes of Health and Autism Speaks . The surveys that are the original sources of the data were conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ’s National Center for Health Statistics . CAHMI is responsible for the analyses, interpretations, presentations and conclusions included on this site.
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State of Delaware - Search and Services/Information
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Renewal Permanent Class D* (5yr) -effective December 11, 2011 (8yr) * Effective August 1, 2007, no more new permanent driver licenses shall be issued.
CDL (5yr) *-effective December 11, 2011 (8yr) * HazMat not eligible for 8 yrs.
CDL each Additional Endorsement
Penalty Fee for Uninsured Motorist (* PLUS $5.00 per day after the 31st day from mailing date of notice)
DMV will accept personal checks; however, if you present an uncollectible check, a penalty of $25.00 is charged. If the original amount plus the penalty fee is not paid within 10 days, your driver's license will be suspended.
Driver's license fees also include the costs of learner's permits (motorcycle, class D &CDL) that precede the issuance of the licenses.
Delaware law allows a vehicle owner who trades in a Delaware-titled vehicle when purchasing another vehicle, to deduct the value of the trade-in vehicle from the purchase price of the new vehicle. Certain limitations apply to this credit. Refer to the Trade-In Credit Section of this website.
This week’s Mascots of the Week are Arwen & Coco – submitted by current student Wendy Wilson. To submit your pet for Mascot Monday, simply send a photo, a blurb about your pet, and your affiliation to Brandman University to social@brandman.edu.
This week’s Mascot of the Week is Sismo – submitted by Brandman University alumni Monica Ricardez. To submit your pet for Mascot Monday, simply send a photo, a blurb about your pet, and your affiliation to Brandman University to social@brandman.edu.
This week’s Mascot of the Week is Kip – submitted by School of Education Associate Dean Lynn Larsen. “Kip, a Boston Terrier, just turned 8 years old yesterday. He’s happiest when his whole family is home and he can snuggle up.” To submit your pet for Mascot Monday, simply send a photo, a blurb about your pet, and your affiliation to Brandman University to social@brandman.edu.
Military service: I served in the U.S.  Navy from May 2000 to September 2012 as an aviation electronics technician. This photo is from March 31, 2011.  I was standing on the starboard side of the USS Carl Vinson, a nuclear aircraft carrier on deployment to the Gulf. The ships in the distance are supplying our ship during what is called an underway replenishment.
What does Veterans Day mean to you? I have always seen Veterans Day as a day of mourning. It is not a day to find deals in stores and restaurants or to have a paid day off of work. It is certainly not a day of celebration. It is a day for the dead. It is a day that is best spent attending a memorial service, singing the national anthem, and waving the national ensign in remembrance of those who paid the ultimate price for freedom that so many of us living today take for granted. It is a day to hear “Taps” being played in the cool breeze of the morning by your local veterans’ organization and remember silently the ocean of blood that was shed to end tyranny and liberate the world from evil, time after time unending.
Most of all it is a time that I am incredibly thankful that I was not asked to lay my life down for this country even though I was ready and willing to every day of my Navy service.
This week’s mascot is Domino, submitted by current student Sandy Pantaleoni. To submit your pet for Mascot Monday, send a photo, a blurb about your pet, and your affiliation to Brandman University to social@brandman.edu .
ABC-7 reporter Greg Lee visited Brandman for this story about MyPath, the new competency-based education platform. The story features interviews with Chancellor Gary Brahm, faculty member Dr. Carrie Perry and student Amanda Harvey.
Sheree and Joshua Corbett turned to Brandman University in Roseville to achieve their dream of a bachelor’s degree. For both of them, the Brandman experience went so well that they decided to pursue MBA degrees. In this story they discuss how they are changing their family legacy to emphasize the importance of higher education. Congrats to the Corbetts!
Angela Haugh, director of Brandman's Teacher Accreditation Department, and Dr. Annie Hough-Everage, a professor in the School of Education and state … [Read More...]
The Online Writing and Math Community has added a series of math workshops to its list of offerings. The live, online workshops are:  … [Read More...]
Brandman University's marketing department put together the following infographic to help potential MBA students understand the benefits and costs of … [Read More...]
by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn
In this book, the authors focus on innovative solutions to the pressing issues identified in Half the Sky. With fascinating stories, the book encourages each of us to do our part. For example a majority of children in many developing countries have parasites in their intestinal tracts. Treating this, for as little as 50 cents per student per year, can raise school attendance by 25%. And in hundreds of villages in Africa and India, 20 or more women bring 10 cents to the weekly meeting of their savings society and then borrow from the pool to start a business. On page 258, Global Grandmothers is cited as one promising new idea!
In its first ten years, non-profit Room to Read grew from providing books to one small school in Nepal, to founding 10,000 libraries in ten countries. Founder John Wood describes this exciting, world-changing trajectory and attributes it to applying business practices, like goal-setting and program assessment, to non-profit administration. Now Room to Read aims to see that children everywhere have access to literacy and books in their mother tongue from a young age. After you read this you will think it is possible.
This gorgeous photographic book documents the new international women’s movement of activist grandmothers. It focuses on groups in 15 different countries on 5 continents tackling tough problems to enhance the future of children everywhere. The author, one of Global Grandmothers’ advisors, is donating the royalties from the book to the Stephen Lewis Foundation’s Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign, which benefits grandmothers in Africa who are raising children orphaned by AIDS.
by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn
The premise of the book is that the most effective way to fight poverty and extremism is to educate and empower women and girls. Sex trafficking, forced prostitution and gender-based violence are closely examined and exposed while charities and organizations that effectively address these situations are noted.
Leaving Microsoft to Change The World
This autobiography tells the amazing tale of Wood leaving a significant and lucrative corporate position to pursue his passion to build libraries and schools in remote Nepal. From 1999 to present day, his simple first request for children’s books has now become a global fundraising network and an employer of dedicated educational and business teams. His nonprofit organization, Room to Read, is serving millions of children.
This biographical portrait of Dr. Paul Farmer is both inspiring and challenging. The story follows the tireless persistence of Farmer as he addresses the medical needs of the poorest of Haiti’s citizens. Infectious diseases compounded by crippling poverty is the impetus for founding the non-profit, Partners In Health, which serves the voiceless and powerless by providing health care and justice for the world’s poorest and most vulnerable.
Revolution: From Food Aid To Food Assistance
The United Nations frontline agency responds to emergencies and works to prevent hunger in the future. This publication documents new food assistance innovations and sets a new strategy to overcome world hunger. – Available for free download at www.WFP.org
Professor of Bioethics at the Center for Human Values at Princeton, Peter Singer writes a very readable book on the ethical reasons for individuals in the “have” nations to share with those in the poor parts of the planet. This book explains the statistics behind assertions that hunger can be eradicated in our time – and offers ideas on how each of us can participate in that great goal.
“Effective altruism” is the new movement that noted ethicist Peter Singer examines here. Expect this book to challenge your preconceptions about the way you should live your life and spend your money.
Jenny and Richard Bowen decided to adopt a Chinese girl because they were moved by her plight and their own children had left home. But one thing led to another, which for Jenny Bowen is a lot different from the rest of us! The Bowens adopted a second girl, and then Jenny set about partnering with the Chinese government to reform the Chinese orphanage system. In this book she tells how she did it, with great humor and compassion.
The Grandmothers Campaign is an initiative of
The Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign exists to support the indomitable African grandmothers and the resourceful community-based organizations that care for them and for the millions of children in their care who have been orphaned by AIDS.
“It’s quite extraordinary to see the bond that has developed between grandmothers on both sides of the ocean. In a dramatic way, it helps to redefine the chasm between developed and developing nations. It goes without saying that the chasm exists in the realms of poverty, conflict and disease, but in the realms of sophistication, intelligence and fundamental human decency, nothing separates the African grandmothers from the Canadian grandmothers. They are as one.” – Stephen Lewis
Members of the Grandmothers Campaign share three goals. They work to:
Raise funds in Canada to support the Stephen Lewis Foundation’s work with African grandmothers and the children in their care. The Foundation collaborates with community-based organizations that provide grandmothers with support such as food, school fees, income generating activities, counselling and home visits.
Raise awareness in Canada about the expertise and leadership of Africa’s grandmothers and their struggle to secure a hopeful and healthy future for generations of children orphaned or made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS.
Build solidarity among African and Canadian grandmothers in order to better understand and sustain the vital work being done to turn the tide of AIDS in Africa.
The Grandmothers Campaign has been marked and transformed by a number of key moments. Click here to read about some of those key moments led by the Stephen Lewis Foundation.
Come check out the Royal City Gogos’ 4th Annual Artisan Crafts for Africa Event! This two-day craft fair is a great time to see beautiful hand-made crafts, celebrate creativity, and support these works of art by Grandmothers. Friday, November 6, … Continue reading →
The Market for Africa returns for its eighth year in Kingston. Admission is free. Enjoy a delicious soup luncheon and shop for gifts from Africa and beyond. Sewing, baking, preserves, jewellry, art, books for children, gently used clothing, special treasures … Continue reading →
Come check out the Royal City Gogos’ 4th Annual Artisan Crafts for Africa Event! This two-day craft fair is a great time to see beautiful hand-made crafts, celebrate creativity, and support these works of art by Grandmothers.
Abebech Gobena’s Life and Work Celebrated: Figurine Put in National Museum of Ethiopia
An exhibition entitled “Mother of Thousands” that ran from March 7 – 14, 2012, was opened at the National Museum in Addis Ababa in honor of Dr. Abebech Gobena, a prominent philanthropist and founder of Abebech Gobena Yehetsanat Kebekabena Limat Mahber, showcasing her life and work.
The exhibition was opened by Ato Yonas Desta, Director General of Authority for Research and Conservation of Cultural Heritage (ARCCH) and Ato Hassen Tahir representative of His Excellency Ato Kuma Demeksa, Mayor of Addis Ababa in commemoration of the International Women’s Day on March 8, celebrated in our country for the 36th time this year.
The organization has been receiving support from different donors, partners and interested individuals to finance projects and carry out activities. The assistances rendered are vital to save life of children. So the organization extends its gratitude and appreciation to institutions, groups, individuals and associations who forward their unreserved support. This humanitarian and developmental activity would not be realized without your continual help.
Abebech Gobena Yehetsanat Kebekabena Limat Mahber fulfills the needs of vulnerable and orphaned children to equip them with skills, knowledge and assertiveness in the society. So, to bring about substantial change in their lives, donate today. We need your help to help others.
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Military to College Transition
Whether you are moving directly from high school to college, military to college, or whether it has been several years since you have been in a formal education environment, being a college student may be a major transition for you.
The resources below can help you gain a better understanding of what you can expect during this time and what you can do to ease the impact of these changes in your life.
Military to College Transition Resources
The transition to college can be both exciting and challenging. Recognizing what issues you may encounter and learning how to balance all aspects of your life can help ease this transition. Serving in the military exposes individuals to many different life situations that their non-military peers may not have the opportunity to experience. This "disconnect" is a normal occurrence and is important to understand when transitioning from military to college life. Below are some tips to help. Be sure to connect with your Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs Higher Education Veterans Programs Regional Coordinator who is a great resource during this time of transition. Below are some tips to help with this transition:
Start with a few courses to ease into the transition. If possible, choose a mix of courses that tap different skills and have varying amounts of reading and written assignments (e.g., math and English; science, music, social science).
Take notes during class and consider recording lectures. Helps to ensure that you stay on top of the material.
Studying: take notes, lots of breaks, find a study partner. Find a quiet and comfortable location and take notes while reading. This will help you to retain the information. Be sure to build in several short breaks, more if you find yourself easily distracted. Visit your college's academic services for more tips on studying.
Take advantage of the school's resources such as academic services, tutoring, counseling, and Veterans Resource Center. If it's been several years since you were in school seek out the many academic and counseling resources available at your college.
Consider joining a student organization as a way to break down barriers to you and other students. In addition to joining the local student veterans club, you might consider getting involved in other on-campus activities. Such involvement may help you to feel more connected to other students and the larger campus community.
Recognize that others may not agree with you or understand your service in the military. Agree to disagree - nearly everyone has an opinion about the war and the military. Respectfully decline to answer any question that makes you feel uncomfortable.
Exercise - it will help reduce anxiety
Learn to recognize your own signs of stress - seek help before you are overwhelmed.
Get plenty of rest, exercise, and eat right - these habits will help keep you strong physically and mentally.
Adapted from the Military to College Guide for Student Veterans from Student Veterans of America .
Review the goal setting workshop and complete the goal templates below:
Review the goal setting workshop and complete the goal templates below:
Review the goal setting workshop and complete the goal templates below:
Review the goal setting workshop and complete the goal templates below:
Review the goal setting workshop and complete the goal templates below:
A questionnaire is defined as a series of questions which is used for a written survey or an oral survey. This survey is done to obtain some useful information from any individual about any topic. If the questionnaire is properly constructed and it is administered responsibly then it can become a very important tool to make statements about any group, some people or about the overall population.
The questionnaire or the surveys can be easily and wisely constructed with the help of some questionnaire templates which can be found on many websites. The questionnaire template which is available on the websites will provide you some instructions and information about the construction of any questionnaire. They will provide you the knowledge about how to put up the questions before any person and in which order. The best way of asking questions is from general to specific.
Overview Dr. Greger reviews the latest cutting-edge science in this 2 hour digital presentation. ..
Overview Dr. Greger reviews the latest cutting-edge science in this 2 hour digital presentation. ..
Overview Dr. Greger reviews the latest cutting-edge science in this 2 hour digital presentation. ..
Overview Dr. Greger reviews the latest cutting-edge science in this 2 hour digital presentation. ..
Overview Dr. Greger reviews the latest cutting-edge science in this 1 1/2 hour digital presentati..
Overview Dr. Greger reviews the latest cutting edge science in this 2 hour digital presentat..
Overview Dr. Greger reviews the latest cutting edge science in this 90-minute digital presentatio..
Overview Dr. Greger reviews the latest cutting edge science in this 90-minute digital presentatio..
Overview Dr. Greger reviews the latest cutting edge science in this 3 hour digital presentat..
Overview Dr. Greger reviews the latest cutting edge science in this 90-minute digital presentatio..
Overview Dr. Greger reviews the latest cutting edge science in this 90-minute digital presentatio..
Overview Dr. Greger reviews the latest cutting edge science in this 90-minute digital presen..
Overview Ten-disc set containing over 18 hours of cutting-edge nutritional science!   ..
Village in the Woods ...Living Well at Home and in Community
To understand more about the components that make up our cells and how exercise affects aging, read the full article here.
** To RSVP - click on "Events" above,
click on the event and then click
or call our office at 248-592-5041**
We had our first Member's Only Planning Meeting to
discuss future programming and activities.
We have grown significantly since we first
opened our doors and are ready and able to turn the
Village in the Woods into a truly member-led organization.
With Berkley High School, we have been arranging
teen volunteers to help members with dog walking,
With help from our friends at Arcadia Home Care and Staffing ,
we offered a clean up for Village Members
needing a little help getting their yards ready for summer.
We've been to the theatre (Motown the Musical, Kinky Boots,
Once and Pippin).  And, we toured Detroit Old and New,
with our Friend, Linda Yellin and Feet on the Street.
For the most recent statistics on HIV/AIDS in Africa , visit www.unaids.org .
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TICKETS for the Taste of Uganda Saturday October 17th 2015
Check us out in Penzey’s Magazine!!
“How will we ever explain what we have wrought? What a universe this is. We came out of the Holocaust asking ourselves how we could ever live with the recognition that much of the world knew what was in those trains rumbling down the tracks to Auschwitz. We came out of Rwanda asking ourselves how it was possible that the world was inert in the face of a hideous genocide that everyone knew was taking place. It is my contention that years from now, historians will ask how it was possible that the world allowed AIDS to throttle and eviscerate a continent, and overwhelmingly the women of that continent, and watch the tragedy unfold, in real time, while we toyed with the game of reform.”
-Stephen Lewis Co-Director, AIDS-Free World
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YAY Gallery, based in Baku, Azerbaijan, is delighted to announce its participation in the inaugural START Art Fair presented by Prudential. Held at the Saatchi Gallery, London, START will mark Yay Gallery’s first UK art fair.
It is likely that only a few are familiar with START, and there is good reason for that – START is a new player among the international art fairs. Its inaugural show opened for the public on Thursday, June 26, in an unusual location for an art fair – at the Saatchi Gallery, on King’s Road in Chelsea. For five days the Saatchi Gallery has provided space for the fair, which is rather an unconventional settings for an art fair; they traditionally take place in huge and rarely charming exhibition halls, with a large number of participating galleries and enormous amounts of artworks crammed together into small exhibition booths. At START, the galleries are spread out across the three floors of the Saatchi Gallery, and they have a considerably larger space at their disposal than in regular fair booths.
START is distinctive in several ways; there are only 46 international galleries participating from 21 different countries, making the fair much more manageable compared to the other large fairs – which are often an exhausting and confusing experience for a visitor. Here there are no signs of the large, established galleries or flashy names. Most of the galleries are emerging, and no more than a decade old. Some of the youngest galleries have only existed for a year or two, and the presented artists are relatively new on the international art scene – with the exception of a few galleries that are beginning to be recognised internationally.
On Sound Cloud Azerbaijani artists Nazrin Mammadova & Farkhad Farzaliyev discuss the local art scene in Baku, and their work on show at Saatchi Gallery with YAY Gallery.
A project of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women's Health
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Content last updated: February 16, 2012.
Vapor King E-Cigs Electroniccigarette.net 5 out of 5 stars 5
Overall – 5/5 – Electronic Cigarettes, Inc offers a number of different electronic cigarettes to choose from. Most importantly, as per their website, their latest Amerismoke electronic cigarette is made primarily in the US. With plenty of choice, great packaging and flavor – this electronic cigarette brand gets a 5/5 overall score from us.
Packaging and Presentation – 5/5 – Each model available from Electronic Cigarettes, Inc. is packaged in a way that makes the cigarettes discrete. Users can easily place the e-cigs in their pockets or purses, and you can even get the Vapor King Luxury Carrying Case to help protect your e-cigs from any damages. The starter kits have everything you need, including batteries, cartridges, liquid, carrying cases and more.
Flavor – 5/5 – The Vapor King and Amerismoke models both use eliquid, which is available in tobacco, menthol, coffee, apple, strawberry, chocolate and vanilla flavors. Many customers find that they try out most of the flavors, and use a variety depending on their moods. The Vapor King and Amerismoke models from Electronic Cigarettes, Inc. are some of the best e-cigs available on the market today, and offer smokers great value. They come in high, medium and low nicotine levels, and you can also get e-cigs that are nicotine-free. One of the features that customers really like about the Vapor King is the fact that it has the manual button that allows them to take long draws.
Flavor Variety – 5/5 – If you are interested in trying one of the many models offered by Electronic Cigarettes, you are probably wondering which type would be best for you. All of these e-cigs are available at reasonable prices, but no two types are totally alike. While some people like the taste of one, others may enjoy using different types with different flavors and strengths. Here is a rundown of the e-cigs available from Electronic Cigarettes, Inc:
Amerismoke: This is a two-piece set that comes in a variety of flavors and strengths. Customers find that they can get a really good puff when they inhale, and the Amerismoke is available in a model that is similar in size and weight to a traditional cigarette, known as the “micro”, whereas other e-cigs are larger and just don’t look right.
Vapor King Series: If you like the three-piece systems, the e-cigs in the Vapor King series are a good choice for you. This e-cig has won awards due to its similarity to traditional cigarettes, and was one of the first e-cigs to provide customers with refillable cartridges. The Vapor King has a manual button so smokers can enjoy long draws, and is available in a variety of great colors. The only downside to this model is that it does have three pieces, which may make some customers find it inconvenient.
Duo Pro: This is another two-piece model that comes in a variety of flavors and colors. Smokers find that they get plenty of vapors from the Duo Pro, and the vaporizer is top-of-the-line. This is one of the most popular of all of the Electronic Cigarettes, Inc. models, because it is very much like a traditional cigarette, without all of the harmful additives included.
SmokePass: Many customers prefer the convenience of disposable e-cigs. The SmokePass is completely disposable, and you can use it anywhere when you need to have a cigarette, even in places where smoking is not allowed. At a low cost of $13, this is an extremely economical way for people to try out e-cigs. Although it is not as high quality as non-disposable e-cigs from Electronic Cigarettes, Inc. it is better than most of the other non-disposable brands available on the market today. A charger pack is even available so your charge never runs out before you are done with the e-cig.
Battery Life – 5/5 – The battery life of the various models from Electronic Cigarettes, Inc. varies depending on the model you choose, and how often you use it. If you are a heavy smoker, you can expect to recharge your batteries daily. If you are a light smoker, you can probably get away with changing the batteries every two to four days. You will have a better idea of your battery life once you start using your own e-cigs regularly. Most customers find that they get at least two days from each battery.
Value – 5/5 – The price of the various models from Electronic Cigarettes, Inc. really depends on the individual models, and the products you are buying. For instance, if you are going to get a complete starter kit for the Amerismoke, you can expect to pay around $90, plus $15 for cartridgesAll of these products are available in a wide array of colors. You can reach the Electronic Cigarettes, Inc. toll-free customer service line Monday through Friday during regular business hours. You can also use email to contact the company. Your questions will be asked quickly, and any concerns you have will be dealt with when you call. This company wants to make sure that all customers are completely satisfied with their purchases, and agents are ready to help you with all of your questions and purchases.
Shipping – 4/5 – All orders from Electronic Cigarettes, Inc. are shipped within 48 hours of being placed, at no cost, unlike other e-cig manufacturers that charge both shipping and handling costs. US customers can expect their orders to be delivered right to their doors anywhere from one to seven days, and international customers receive their orders within one to two weeks. There is also a 30-day warranty against any defects from the manufacture, and all customers have the convenience of a 14-day money back guarantee. Electronic Cigarettes, Inc. does not ship nicotine products to Canada or Australia.
6 Responses to Vapor King E-Cig Reviews
I’ve been using it for a while now, and over 5 stars…love it, no complaints!!
2 people found this review helpful.
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E-Cigs Inc. was definitely the way for me to go. As I generally found that I was only smoking during business meetings, I did not want something that I was going to continually need to take care of. This meant charging it. I did not need to do that with this product. In fact, I found that I only needed to charge it every other day or so because I did not use it that much. I was pleased with this.
3 people found this review helpful.
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They had me at free shipping and I am glad I made the choice. I have been pleased with everything about this product, even the battery life!
2 people found this review helpful.
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I wanted an e-cig for its convenience. I had read many reviews on different sites. Of course some were good and others not so good. I think that E-cigs Inc lived up to their name as their site was helpful and easy to navigate.
3 people found this review helpful.
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The Vapor King Storm 2.0 starter kit rocks. It works awesome, the price was great for everything you get and the taste is great. You can find kits that cost less but not with this much stuff included.
I love it and would recommend it
1 person found this review helpful.
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I’m a not so happy camper. My wife and I travel around the US in our RV stopping at a lot of camp grounds. These grounds almost always have wi-fi so we are on our laptops a lot. The one thing most of them do not allow is smoking. I bought one of the devices a month ago only to find out that the states we were traveling through do not even allow tobacco less products. I returned my device and got my money back.
1 person found this review helpful.
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Check out this latest adventure from In Femdom! Ariel is a brunette beauty who loves to be called Miss, as in “yes Miss” and when she got together for some hot lesbian fun with Laura and Laura forgot to call her Miss, well things got a little interesting. Before Laura could get the word “Miss” out of her mouth it was too late and Ariel had a collar on her quicker than she could refuse. Strapped in to a collar and cuffs Laura was thrown on to the bed where she lay helplessly as Ariel tugged down her bustier and pulled out her melons. Laura couldn’t help but get slick when Ariel grabbed her nipples and twisted them until it hurt.
For more information about mahimahi, including its status, biological information, and a description of the fishery and how it's managed, see NOAA’s FishWatch.gov .
Louisiana (dollars and pounds)
Mississippi (dollars and pounds)
West Florida (dollars and pounds)
Coconut oil based power generation (PIN)
The project will use locally abundant coconut to produce coconut oil as fuel for a new 1 MW power plant.
Description: A significant part of Samoa’s power generation depends on imported diesel fuel. The Electric Power Corporation is looking into local resources as alternative to diesel oil. The project will include the building and operation of a coconut oil processing plant and 1 MW coconut oil-based power generation plant. The project will process around 5 million coconuts and produce 660,000 litres of coconut oil per year
CERs/Year: VER output: tCO2e per year (17710 tCO2e in the period 2016-2025)
Disclaimer This website has been produced with the assistance of the European Union
The next SecAppDev course will be held at the Faculty Club , Leuven, from March 7 th to 11 th 2016.
SecAppDev courses are run by secappdev.org, a non-profit organization that aims to broaden security awareness in the development community and advance secure software engineering practices. Katholieke Universiteit Leuven and Solvay Brussels School  of Economics and Management are founding partners.
When we ran our first annual course in 2005, emphasis was on awareness and security basics, but as the field matured and a thriving security training market developed, we felt it was not appropriate to compete as a non-profit organization. Our focus has hence shifted to providing a platform for leading-edge and experimental material from thought leaders in academia and industry. We look toward academics to provide research results that are ready to break into the mainstream and attract people with an industrial background to try out new content and formats.
To succeed in our mission to raise the bar for software security, we believe in giving the broadest possible access to quality information. We distribute course handouts via this web site as well as recordings of lectures up to 2012. Recordings of the courses since 2013 are to be found on our YouTube channel .
We do not target security experts nor developers of security products, but rather developers whose main focus not being security, nonetheless need to be sufficiently security-savvy to deliver reliable applications.
We believe that learning requires active engagement with the topic. We therefore promote interactivity, both in the classroom as well as outside - the courses are run in the inspiring surroundings of an outstanding béguinage in Leuven, and we have a well-attended social program.
Experiential learning sessions, including hands-on sessions and workshops, have been a much appreciated addition of the last couple of years.
Salt and light in politics and government
Getting involved: in community work
The Church is the largest voluntary and community organisation in the UK. Serving in this way enables us to 'love our neighbours' in practise, and also makes a powerful political statement about the kind of society we want to see. Mike Andrea of Global Generation started a small  project with local kids and ended up running a multi-million pound regional youth service. He offers insight and advice on:
The role of the 'third sector' in providing services;
how to get involved as a church or individual;
how to get funding for your project or idea;
common pitfalls and practical advice.
GPS LifePlan strives to keep the website updated with current information. Due to changes in conditions beyond the control of GPS LifePlan, it may be necessary to modify, amend, and/or delete statements appearing in this website without prior notice.
Programs and courses will be offered as listed, however, GPS LifePlan reserves the right to modify any statement herein in accordance with current conditions. Information presented in this website should not be considered as an irrevocable contract.
The GPS LifePlan Web Site maintains a number of outside links to other organizations. These links to non-System websites do not imply endorsement of any particular product, service, organization, company, information provider, or content. For more details, view the Web Link Policy Document .
This site is best viewed with the latest versions of Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, or Macintosh Safari at a screen resolution of 1024x768. Users with older browsers or extreme settings may experience viewing problems.
The GPS LifePlan website includes some Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) PDF and Microsoft Word (.doc) files for the convenience of its users.
The GPS LifePlan Web site follows both the MnSCU and other national guidelines for web accessibility. If you have concerns about web accessibility, submit a comment to the Webmaster .
Review the goal setting workshop and complete the goal templates below:
Review the goal setting workshop and complete the goal templates below:
Review the goal setting workshop and complete the goal templates below:
Review the goal setting workshop and complete the goal templates below:
Review the goal setting workshop and complete the goal templates below:
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onlinecasino911.com may from time to time update this policy. We will notify you about any significant changes in the way we treat personal information by sending you a notice to the primary email address specified in your onlinecasino911.com account or by placing a prominent notice on our site.
onlinecasino911.com wants you to enjoy all of the savings discounts that are available to you as a member of onlinecasino911. However, just as importantly, we want you to be assured that the information that you entrust to us stays private and confidential.
Thank you for coming to our web site. We hope to have the honour of serving you as a member of onlinecasino911.com for many years to come. Please also refer to Your Security about other privacy and security issues you may be interested in.
Try to decrease the quantity of caffeine you take in. Caffeine may prevent you from burning off stored body fat.
If you cut down on the amount of food you eat and drink at least half a gallon of water a day for a week, you start to lose water weight. This is only temporary weight loss, but is a quick way to get the first five pounds off and quick-start your weight loss program.
Finding a workout partner will assist you motivated provided by Jason Hope .
You could illustrate the progress that you take photos of yourself before and after you started losing weight. This way you get perspective about your progress even when the scale says you haven’t lost any weight.
If you’re following your diet, you shouldn’t feel guilty about eating some cake or drinking some wine every so often. Doing so does not mean you’ve fallen off the wagon. It just means you are rewarding yourself for a job well done. Of course this does not mean that you should give yourself a reward with each meal; don’t overdo it in the rewards department. Take a look at this FAT LOSS ADVISOR VIDEO to uncover a systematic way of slimming down.
A pedometer can keep track of your walking when you are taking. You should consider walking roughly 10,000 steps each day. If you’re aware of how many you walk on average, then you can challenge yourself to do more. Every step you take will help you closer towards reaching your goals.
Rely on healthy eating and exercise to slim down. Don’t take shortcuts by using pills.
Reduce the consumption of deep-fried foods in your diet.
You can improve your health easily just by using smaller portions of food. Studies show that smaller meals it helps you to achieve and maintain weight loss. This will have you feel and improve your overall well being. You will notice increased energy and experience fewer health problems in the long run.
You should aim to get the majority of your daily calories from breakfast and breakfast.
Avoid taking high calorie foods if you are serious about slimming down.
Try filling up on three bean salad if you’re trying to shed weight. You could create a low-calorie version of it that is low in calories at home. Mix three different types of beans together with a light Italian dressing.
Instead of drinking alcohol, you will be better off drinking water since it has no calories.
Drink a glass of water before you eat each meal. It is easier to eat too much when you are hungry because your brain doesn’t realize your belly is full until after you’ve already eaten.
Eat foods that are filling but do not have a lot of calories.
You can learn new life skill and enjoy yourself while you burn off calories by joining a dance class. You can check with your Parks and Recreation buildings.
Use smaller dinnerware to control your portion size.
Doing this will help you save money on everything from produce to healthy foods.
An odometer is a great tool to track of how much you take during the day in an effort to lose weight. Experts as well as self made man and Philanthropist Jason Hope recommend 10,000 steps every day for weight loss and improved health, so don’t go anywhere without an odometer. If you are not walking enough each day, get up and move. Go to my FAT LOSS ADVISOR DOT ORG website to uncover a proven plan of action for slimming down.
Before going on your shopping trip, write down a list of things that you want to buy so that you do not pick up things that you don’t need.
Most individuals start with a pounds loss goal in mind that is hard to aim for. While goals may be a very significant part of the process, if you set them too high, this may cause you to give up. You will be setting yourself up to fail when you set an unrealistic goal.
Write down your goals on a piece of paper so that you can focus on your goals and not be deterred to achieve your desired body weight.
The inforgraphic below illustrates some stats and gives the very large benefits of what the car of the future could do for the economy and for the environment. Bring it on I say.
Saw this infographic in the past but got reminded about it last week. It illustrates how much data is illustrated and added to the internet by some of the main social networking sites on the internet. I know there are probably other sites you know of that are missing. I remember seeing one on just Strava last year. If you know of more link to them in the comments or email me and I will add them. One that I would like an estimate on is how much data is generated and saved to memory cards from digital cameras every minute. Almost impossible to measure but I am sure it would be massive.
Intel have come up with a cool little mash up. It takes your YouTube, Facebook and Twitter data and makes a social media infographic on how you use social media. Mine is a little off because I share most of my actions through Foursquare and path. So all they are getting are my tweets feed into facebook. So a bit of duplication going on. However its a nifty tool and looks like you can return and regenerate it at a later date.
On November 5, 2015 7:04 pm rode 2.49 km during 00:05:08 hours climbing 0.00 meters
On November 5, 2015 6:03 pm rode 35.96 km during 01:00:14 hours climbing 0.00 meters
On November 4, 2015 5:26 pm rode 60.96 km during 02:15:04 hours climbing 338.00 meters
On November 2, 2015 5:20 pm rode 60.01 km during 02:12:39 hours climbing 180.00 meters
On October 29, 2015 5:32 pm rode 60.28 km during 02:12:17 hours climbing 182.00 meters
Greetings from VAM SYSTEMS ….. VAM SYSTEMS is a Business Consulting, IT Solutions and Services company with operations in UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, USA, Australia, Singapore & India.We offers a comprehensive list of IT services such as IT infrastructure management, Cloud services,...
Greetings from VAM SYSTEMS…..VAM SYSTEMS is a Business Consulting, IT Solutions and Services company with operations in UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, USA, Australia, Singapore & India. We offers a comprehensive list of services in the field of IT infrastructure management, Cloud services,...
We create a safe place to explore the abundance of generosity.
We'll never tell you how or where to give.
Honest conversations about generosity with our peers are rare but valuable.
Welcome to NCEA’s Online Library!
Commonly requested compilations of Statistics/Data related to abuse, neglect and exploitation of elders and adults with disabilities
Research Reviews and summaries to help practitioners, students and researchers to access recent and past research studies and highlights of findings
Public Policy overviews of laws, regulations and other efforts by government in the U.S. to address the problem of abuse, neglect and exploitation
Government Reports from federal agencies including Congressional reports and surveys, the Centers for Disease Control, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, and the Office for Victims of Crime
Free Webinars & Podcasts presented by the NCEA, sub-grantees, and allies, designed to educate and bring professionals together to collaborate on targeted issues
Related Sites with links to government and nonprofit organizations, and educational institutions providing additional information on the topics described above
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This diary was found in a wrecked house:
I don't know where I am, but its perfect. I decided, after hearing a lot of stories about it, to search for Herobrine. Some stories say that we can see him in the fog or in some mine. Also, its said that he create some weird construction. Anyway I need to build my house.
Its almost night. I build a little house so i can stay away from the monster.
I think I will go to sleep, I can hear the zombie. Tomorrow I will start the search.
I found some creeper this morning, they were 3. They are no-match against my diamond sword. Good thing I brought it. I'll eat and I will go for the hunt.
This is odd. I took a look outside from one of my window and I found a weird tower of sand ON the water. I can't explain how it got there so I will put a torch on it.
During my search I found some weird hole in the sand. There were at least 7 of them, but I could just took a picture of two of them. The search continue....
on Mon Sep 05, 2011 4:11 am by AwesomeMedic
Everything in this blog is real. These are real pictures from my actual game "Herobrine".
on Mon Sep 05, 2011 5:32 am by Gorgro
Did anyone else read this title as "the hunt for heroin" or was that just me? Needless to say I was disappointed pleasantly surprised .
on Mon Sep 05, 2011 5:17 pm by Hollyღ
I read that as well, Gorgro! My expectations were high but sobered up when I realized the T.R.U.T.H
on Tue Sep 06, 2011 5:37 am by Tacoline
lol keep looking, i want to c if you find him.
on Tue Sep 06, 2011 5:52 am by JT_the_Ninja
In a hole in the sand, there lived a hobbit...[]
on Tue Sep 06, 2011 8:38 am by Tacoline
JT_the_Ninja wrote: In a hole in the sand, there lived a hobbit...[]
i swear to notch it wasnt me! (get it? my character in dnd is a halfling/hobbit)
on Tue Sep 06, 2011 9:30 am by Travelcube
I totally forgot to post my Herobrine experiences! AM, do you mind if I hijack the comments for a bit?
on Tue Sep 06, 2011 9:55 am by AwesomeMedic
This blog is about so Herobrine so yup.
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European  Commission Environment
Environment Action Programme to 2020
Over the past decades the European Union has put in place a broad range of environmental legislation. As a result, air, water and soil pollution has significantly been reduced. Chemicals legislation has been modernised and the use of many toxic or hazardous substances has been restricted. Today, EU citizens enjoy some of the best water quality in the world and over 18% of EU's territory has been designated as protected areas for nature.
However, many challenges persist and these must be tackled together in a structured way.
The 7th Environment Action Programme (EAP) will be guiding European environment policy until 2020. In order to give more long-term direction it sets out a vision beyond that, of where it wants the Union to be by 2050:
"In 2050, we live well, within the planet’s ecological limits. Our prosperity and healthy environment stem from an innovative, circular economy where nothing is wasted and where natural resources are managed sustainably, and biodiversity is protected, valued and restored in ways that enhance our society’s resilience. Our low-carbon growth has long been decoupled from resource use, setting the pace for a safe and sustainable global society."
It identifies three key objectives:
to protect, conserve and enhance the Union’s natural capital
to turn the Union into a resource-efficient , green, and competitive low-carbon economy
to safeguard the Union's citizens from environment-related pressures and risks to health and wellbeing
Four so called "enablers" will help Europe deliver on these goals:
better implementation of legislation
better information by improving the knowledge base
more and wiser investment for environment and climate policy
full integration of environmental requirements and considerations into other policies
to make the Union's cities more sustainable
to help the Union address international environmental and climate challenges more effectively .
The programme entered into force in January 2014. It is now up to the EU institutions and the Member States to ensure it is implemented, and that priority objectives set out are met by 2020.
A weekly news and discussion show about the world of iPhone, iPad, iOS, and mobile web development.
December 17, 2012 at 12:45PM • 1 hour 35 minutes
December 10, 2012 at 7:15PM • 1 hour 23 minutes
Dan and Marco discuss testing and logging, formal programming, Core Data versus other datastore techniques, and developers knowing basic terminal operation and server administration.
December 3, 2012 at 12:30PM • 1 hour 26 minutes
Dan and Marco discuss the Mac Pro's relevance, the effects of RAM and FileVault on performance, the App Store Volume Purchase discount, how well Instapaper for Android is doing, why The Daily failed, deciding whether articles belong on blogs or in The Magazine, and how to collaborate with a designer when you don't agree with all of their choices.
November 26, 2012 at 12:00PM • 1 hour 6 minutes
On this happy Cyber Monday, Dan and Marco discuss journalists mangling quotes, the decline of upgradeable hardware, how to tell if a price is negotiable, why many publications don't take full advantage of Newsstand, protecting assets inside app bundles, and deciding whether to burn an expedited review.
November 19, 2012 at 12:30PM • 1 hour 17 minutes
Dan and Marco discuss the upcoming end of the show, Scott Forstall and MC Hammer, Passbook apps and promotion, how to decide when to start a new project, PayPal's subscription problems, and the economics of one-time app payments.
November 12, 2012 at 12:15PM • 1 hour 13 minutes
Dan and Marco discuss music under podcast ads, TextMate 2 activity, the costs of pagination in Instapaper and The Magazine, scientific support of "low-acid" coffee benefits, every cure for male hair loss and baldness, and affiliate-marketing spam.
November 5, 2012 at 12:30PM • 1 hour 17 minutes
Dan and Marco discuss settings in the Settings app, full-screen modes, text adjustment options in Instapaper and The Magazine, choosing fonts for apps, building a custom CMS versus customizing an existing one, white-labeling The Magazine, and over-roasted coffee.
November 2, 2012 at 3:30PM • 60 minutes
Dan and Marco discuss "Superstorm" Sandy aftermath, Scott Forstall's forced exit from Apple, the iPad Mini and iPad "4", the Microsoft Surface and Windows RT, Disney's plans for Lucasfilm, and hosting servers in natural-disaster-prone datacenters.
October 22, 2012 at 11:30AM • 1 hour 15 minutes
Dan and Marco discuss the Microsoft Surface commercial and its likely launch challenges, writing apps that align with Apple's incentives, The Magazine's naming and design decisions, and recognizing and fixing a poor design choice.
October 15, 2012 at 7:45PM • 1 hour 30 minutes
Dan and Marco discuss Marco's new app, The Magazine.
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Have you created an online tutorial for Grails or found one that you would like to share? Submit it now so that the whole Grails community can benefit! Submit Tutorial for Approval.
Tags: seo , url submitted by wickramben 2 years ago
Having SEO friendly URL is very important for your ranking on Google and other search engines. This step by step tutorial will show you how to generate and handle SEO URLs for your Grails website.
The Grails Framework repository is hosted by Artifactory Website hosting is provided by Pivotal YourKit supports Grails with its Java Profiler
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This resolution wants AI UK to conduct a campaign addressing impunity for human rights abuses in Guatemala, including: the addressing of indigenous rights (socio-economic, land & cultural rights). We support the actions taken by AIUK to raise awareness of this issue through its May 2014 conference and its facilitation of a network of allied organisations for Guatemala, including the TUC. Over the last twenty years the ILO supervisory mechanisms have found detailed evidence of extremely serious and systematic attacks on the right to freedom of association. These include murder, death threats, attempted murder, torture, kidnappings, which have created a culture of fear and violence where the exercise of trade union rights becomes impossible.
Since 2007, there have been at least 64 documented assassinations of trade unionists. To date, only a small fraction of these incidents have been investigated and not a single murderer has been successfully prosecuted.
Summary: The resolution calls for a campaign for the release of political prisoners in Colombia, and to adopt the case of trade union leader, Huber Ballesteros.
Human and labour rights in Colombia have long been under attack. Murder, death threats and false public accusations are all used to intimidate and silence activists. The practice of ‘false positives’, where the Army murders civilians and then dresses them in guerrilla clothing to bolster stats, has left thousands dead and continues to occur. Huber Ballesteros is one of Colombia’s most well respected trade union leaders, and has been imprisoned without trial since August 2013 accused of ‘rebellion’ and ‘financing terrorism’.
We call on Amnesty International UK to advocate for Amnesty International to: 1. Campaign for the release of political prisoners in Colombia; 2. Adopt the case of Huber Ballesteros; 3. Consider sending observers to the trial of Huber Ballesteros when it eventually takes place.
Summary: This Resolution seeks to raise awareness of the Justice and Security Act 2013 and also the need to have a judge-led enquiry into UK involvement in rendition and torture through increased campaigning, particularly by AIUK membership.
This AGM DECIDES: that AIUK will commit staff and membership resources to ensure that British complicity in rendition and torture since 9/11 is subject to a fully independent judgeled inquiry which meets international human rights standards. AIUK will also seek to raise awareness of the Justice and Security Act 2013 and its implications for those seeking legal redress.
The UK has a well documented history of torture and rendition since WW2 (Ian Cobain, Cruel Britannia: A Secret History of Torture, 2012). Some who have been subjected to torture and other ill-treatment in Guantanamo Bay and elsewhere have alleged that UK officials knew of their ill-treatment ( http://bit . ly/164TzmQ). This has been investigated amongst others by the Council of Europe (http:bit.ly/1KmGKD5) and suggests that the UK is not complying with international and domestic law including; the UN Convention against Torture 1984, the European Convention on Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights 1966, and the European Union’s Guidelines on Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment 2001. The Justice and Security Act 2013 means that anyone making a claim for damages for rendition and torture cannot see the evidence held by the State, nor cross-examine witnesses, nor even have the lawyer of his or her choice.
This resolution welcomes the considerable work that AIUK has already undertaken to try and bring the subject of torture and rendition to the attention of the membership, parliament, the press and others. However, in the light of Amnesty’s global ‘Stop Torture’ campaign, it is felt that renewed efforts must be made by AIUK, and particularly the membership, in more than ‘one-off’ campaigns, to try and ensure that the UK is held to account and prevented from further cover up of British complicity in rendition and torture.
This received no dissenting voices and passed very easily.
Summary: To highlight and take action against the denials of basic human rights resulting from the UK’s current practice of detaining asylum seekers for largely administrative purposes.
This AGM CALLS ON AIUK to strengthen its position on asylum detention and to work towards bringing about tangible changes in such practices by making representations to the UK government and calling for public campaigns by AIUK activists on the following:
• An immediate moratorium on the current expansion plans of the detention estate;
• A complete end to Detention Fast Track and Detained Non Suspensive Appeals Process;
• Widening implementation of the alternatives to detention as outlined in Amnesty’s 2009 publication Irregular Migrants and Asylum Seekers: Alternatives to Immigration Detention;
• Improved access to publicly funded legal support relating to the right and ability of detainees to challenge the legality of their detention.
This AGM further instructs AIUK to campaign for those directly experiencing human rights abuses in the UK detention estate through the adoption (where appropriate) of asylum detainees as Individuals at Risk.
Summary: Campaign against anti-Semitism in the UK.
• Campaign against anti-Semitism in the UK.
• Lobby the UK Government to do more to tackle the rise in anti-Semitic attacks in Britain, whether physical or verbal, online or in person. The UK Government should monitor antisemitism closely and periodically review the security of Britain’s Jewish population.
The debate took almost 2 hours on the Saturday with a further debate on the Sunday. There were many speakers for and against and amendments put forward. The debate was concerned with definitions of anti Semitism and issues relating to the singling out of Jewish populations. An All-Party Parliamentary report into AntiSemitism found that there was a 221% increase in hate crimes directed at Jews during the 2014 conflict between Israel and Gaza, when compared with the same period in 2013.
Some felt that this could be covered under ‘discrimination’ and did not require a specific resolution. A catalogue of intolerance and abuse from anti-Semites was listed and reference was made to the Charlie Hebdo massacre in Paris and the Jewish man shot outside Copenhagen’s main synagogue in February.
Following a recount this resolution was defeated by 8 votes.
Summary: This AGM urges AIUK to undertake research into the frequency of wrongful immigration detention in the UK and assess the impact of the 2014 Immigration Act on victims of torture and trafficking.
Following amendments this resolution was passed quite easily.
Our 2014 AGM took place from Fri 11 to Sun 13 April 2014 at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh.
Back in January at our group AGM I was given the task of attending the national AGM and conference. As I had only actively been involved with AI since February 2013 and joined Colwyn Bay Group in the April I was in the world of the unknown. It's a big organisation with democracy at the heart of how things are done, this is what Kate Allen, AIUK Director told us at the start of the conference.
Travelled from Colwyn Bay to Edinburgh by car, leaving 5.45am on the Saturday stopping for a very tasty cooked breakfast at Tebay Services M6 North , arriving at Heriot-Watt University Campus at 10.30am, a pleasant site with a lighthouse at the front of the conference centre (reminded me of the AI candle, unfortunately it was never lit).
Already quite a number of delegates had arrived, registered and was given details of my accomodation and a name badge to wear hanging from a lanyard, this became a bit of a joke as when ever I looked down to check if my name was visible the damn thing at swung round to the back.
There was a meeting titled "Get to know your way around the AGM", so as a first timer this drew my attention. We were given an insight into what to expect over the weekend and having a "mock resolution" on chocolate!
A cold buffet lunch was served that was quite acceptable, bit short on seating but enjoyed chatting with Andy from Leeds Group .
After lunch the conference was opened by the lighting of a candle by Reem al-Assil from Syrian Non Violent Movement ( You Tube video of speech ) with introductions from Alex Pool, AGM Chair; Sarah O'Grady, Chair of the Board and Kate Allen, AIUK Director. Dealt with some business of the AGM then broke off into smaller groups for workshops.
STOP TORTURE was the workshop I chose, as this global campaign was about to start in May. We were given the personal account of Perico Rodriguez from Patagonia, Argentina who worked as a town clerk in the 1970's and also presented with details of the five countries and the five specific cases that we would be concentrating on over the next two years.
Tea and coffee, then back together for our keynote speaker Mark Thomson , Secretary General of the Association for the Prevention of Torture (APT ), the speech gave the conference more encouragement to tackle the Stop Torture campaign.
Working Parties was next, a new oxymoron that I had not come across before. We were divided into smaller groups to consider the proposed resolutions.
Working Party D: International Secretariat (IS) and Policy Issues
I attended Working Party C, chaired by David Ford. Governance may seem a bit of a dull subject to choose, but as newly involved with AIUK I thought this would help with how the organisation get things done. The methods we use to run the campaigns, policies, etc..
The Working Party finished a little sooner than expected, so I thought it was an opportune moment to book into my hotel the Edinburgh Marriott . The roads got a bit jumbled, and it took a lot longer than I expected, but after eventually finding the hotel and a quick change I returned to the conference for dinner, well just made it.
After dinner was the presentation of Awards for Outstanding Activism, presented by the very personable Dan Jones and his little helpers.
The day finished with a ceilidh (Scottish Gaelic cēilidh ), I was now feeling a bit worse for wear after starting out so early from Colwyn Bay, so a glass of wine then home to bed, the hotel's bed was outstandingly comfortable.
Sunday started with a mammoth breakfast, which was very well received.
There were less delegates present for the Sunday session, more reports presented and then voting on the resolutions and amendments made at the Working Parties.
Full details of the resolutions passed are linked below. The Sex Work resolutions had the most controversy, as to be expected, Alex our Chair gave a warning prior to voting not to vote for opposing resolutions. His warning was not heeded as two opposing resolutions were passed, one of them a very close thing only five votes in it. Not a very acceptable position for the AIUK Board to provide the UK perspective to the global movement.
We were given a moving presentation of "Even if We Loose Our Lives" by Ice&Fire a script for use by groups within Amnesty to highlight the plight of women in Afghanistan.
The journey home usually always seems quicker, not on this occasion!
So a weekend of democracy, where not everything made sense, but overall a company of people who are here to advocate for Universal Human Rights . Long may we fight our corner.
The Annual Report 2013 gives details of work done by AIUK last year.
National Conference and Annual General Meeting 2014 documents..
Reports from others who attended the AGM.
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In the 1890s, when Alexander first developed his Technique, very little was known about the nervous system. However, during his life significant advances were made in the infant science of neurophysiology and Alexander derived great satisfaction from the fact that, as new understanding developed in this field, his own observations were confirmed and more fully explained.
Over the years, the work of a handful of pioneering scientists has become associated with the Alexander Technique.
British physiologist, 1857-1952.
In many ways the father of modern neurology, Sherrington discovered and named such fundamental structures of the nervous system as the neurone and the synapse, and was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1932. Sherrington established the classification of the sensory organs, including the proprioceptors. He also discovered the process of reciprocal inhibition, whereby the excitation of one muscle group causes a simultaneous predisposition to release in the opposing muscles. This demonstrates, in a simple way, the fundamental necessity of muscular release in the initiation of movement.
Appreciating the neurological complexity of the simplest of movements, Sherrington wrote:
Mr Alexander has done a service to the subject by insistently treating each act as involving the whole integrated individual, the whole psychophysical man. To take a step is an affair, not of this or that limb solely, but of the total neuromuscular activity of the moment – not least of the head and neck. 1
American neurologist, 1872-1941.
The first researcher to demonstrate the direct correlation between the physical structure of the nervous system, and the range of behaviour available to an animal. He carried out his observations on the salamander Amblystoma, in which he discovered that the movements of swimming and walking emerge in the growing embryo as part of a generalised development of the nervous system’s capacity to direct movement through-out the body. This generalised development expresses itself through movements, initially of the head, which progress tailwards throughout the spine before radiating out into the limbs. Coghill saw that this Total Pattern of behaviour remained dominant even when, at a later stage, Partial Patterns of behaviour (for example, the isolated movement of one limb) became available, and that,
In the interest of the welfare of the organism as a whole, partial patterns must not attain complete independence of action; they must be held under control by the process of total integration. 2
Coghill’s hopes that his findings might, at least partly, be applicable to human development were fulfilled through later research, in which,
Every bit of evidence ... indicates that the responses of human foetuses to tactile stimulation follow a Coghillian sequence . 3
The practice of Mr F Matthias Alexander in treating the human body is founded, as I understand it, on … well established biological principles. ... These principles I have established through forty years of anatomical and physiological study of Amblystoma of embryonic and larval stages, and they appear to hold for other vertebrates as well . 4
German neurologist, 1873-1927.
Magnus worked on the neurology of mammalian posture. He discovered the location (in the brain stem) of the main nervous centres for the postural reflexes. He named the integrating function of this part of the nervous system the zentralapparat (central apparatus), a concept which been linked to Alexander’s primary control. Of all of Magnus’ research, perhaps the most interesting to the Alexander student is that concerning the righting reflexes. These reflexes tend to return the body to “neutral” in between voluntary movements towards a specific purpose. The appropriate “allowing” of the righting reflexes seems to be part of the Alexandrian skill of non-doing.
Dutch zoologist, 1907-1988, pioneer of modern ethology. Tinbergen refined Coghill’s ideas, noting that many patterns of behaviour more complex than the early development of locomotion do not “crystallise out” of the Total Pattern but appear to arise separately, to be harmonised with the Total Pattern only later. Towards the end of his life Tinbergen became a keen student of the Alexander Technique. In 1973, when he shared the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine with two other ethologists, Tinbergen devoted part of his acceptance speech to Alexander, pointing out the similarity between his own observational methodology and that of Alexander. Both Tinbergen’s own work, and Alexander’s (he said) showed the scientific importance of “watching and wondering”. 5
1 The Endeavour of Jean Fernel , 1946.
2 Science , August 1933, “The Neuro-embryologic Study of Behaviour”.
In the monitor mode the high-pass filter can be set higher at 0.5-1.0 Hz and the low-pass filter on 40 Hz. This is the strongest filter setting (only a narrow frequency range is passed by the filter). This setting is especially useful for rhythm monitoring where noise can be distracting and ST segment interpretation is not very important. In this mode, pacemakerspikes are sometimes invisible while filtered out.
In the diagnostic mode the high-pass filter is set at 0.05 Hz and the low-pass filter at 40, 100 or 150 Hz. This improves the diagnostic accuracy of the ST semgent. On the downside a base line drift occurs more easily.
Increasing movement artifacts in a Parkinson's patient. The patient was in sinus rhythm (which doesn't show on this short recording)!
Baseline drift. The amplifier in the ECG machine has to re-find the 'mean'. This often occurs right after lead connection and after electric cardioversion.
Cardioversion from atrial fibrillation to sinus rhythm, with clear baseline drift.
Electrical interference from a nearby electrical appliance. A typical example is a 100 Hz background distortion from fluorescent lights. Not to be confused with atrial fibrillation .
Another example of an artifact caused by an electrical appliance. The patients rhythm is regular. This strip shows 10 QRS complexes.
An artifact that was originally diagnosed as a VT
This page was last modified on 24 April 2013, at 20:57.
One in five Americans, Black and White, die from obesity
Obesity is a lot more deadly than previously thought. Across recent decades, obesity accounted for 18 percent of deaths among black and white Americans between the ages of 40 and 85, according to scientists. This finding challenges the prevailing wisdom among scientists, which puts the deaths at around 5 percent.
“Obesity has dramatically worse health consequences than some recent reports have led us to believe,” says first author Ryan Masters, PhD, who conducted the research as a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health & Society Scholar at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. “We expect that obesity will be responsible for an increasing share of deaths in the United States and perhaps even lead to declines in U.S. life expectancy.”
While there have been signs that obesity is in decline for some groups of young people, rates continue to be near historic highs. For the bulk of children and adults who are already obese, the condition will likely persist, wreaking damage over the course of their lives.
In older Americans, the rising toll of obesity is already evident. Dr. Masters and his colleagues documented its increasing effect on mortality in white men who died between the ages of 65 and 70 in the years 1986 to 2006. Grade-one obesity (body mass index of 30 to less than 35) accounted for about 3.5 percent of deaths for those born between 1915 and 1919—a grouping known as a birth cohort. For those born 10 years later, it accounted for about 5 percent of deaths. Another 10 years later, it killed off upwards of 7 percent.
When the obesity epidemic hit in the 1980s, it hit across all age groups, so older Americans have lived through it for a relatively short period of time. But younger age groups will be exposed to the full brunt for much longer periods.
“A 5-year-old growing up today is living in an environment where obesity is much more the norm than was the case for a 5-year-old a generation or two ago. Drink sizes are bigger, clothes are bigger, and a greater number of a child’s peers are obese,” explains co-author Bruce Link, PhD , professor of epidemiology and sociomedical sciences at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. “And once someone is obese, it is very difficult to undo. So it stands to reason that we won’t see the worst of the epidemic until the current generation of children grows old.”
A New Way of Looking at a Growing Problem
This study is the first to account for differences in age, birth cohort, sex, and race in analyzing Americans’ risk for death from obesity. “Past research in this area lumped together all Americans, but obesity prevalence and its effect on mortality differ substantially based on your race or ethnicity, your age, and when you were born,” says Dr. Masters. “It’s important for policymakers to understand that different groups experience obesity in different ways.”
The researchers analyzed 19 waves of the National Health Interview Survey linked to individual mortality records in the National Death Index for the years 1986 to 2006, when the most recent data are available. They focused on ages 40 to 85, to exclude accidental deaths, homicides, and congenital conditions that are the leading causes of death for younger people. The study builds on earlier research by Dr. Masters that found, contrary to conventional wisdom, that risk for death from obesity increases with age . The current study is also influenced by previous work by co-authors Eric Reither, PhD, associate professor at Utah State University, and Claire Yang, PhD, associate professor at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, which showed significant cohort differences in U.S. obesity rates.
Obesity’s Varying Effects by Sex and Race
In the groups studied, black women had the highest risk of dying from obesity or being overweight at 27 percent, followed by white women at 21 percent. Obesity in black women is nearly twice that of white women. White men fared better at 15 percent, and the lowest risk for dying from being obese was 5 percent, for black men. While white men and black men have similar obesity rates, the effect of obesity on mortality is lower in black men because it is “crowded out” by other risk factors, from high rates of cigarette smoking to challenging socioeconomic conditions. There were insufficient data to make estimates for Asians, Hispanics, and other groups because of the highly stratified nature of the methodology.
In sum, by using a new, more rigorous approach, the current research shows that obesity is far more consequential than previously recognized, that the impact of the epidemic is only beginning to be felt, and that some population groups are affected much more than others.
Daniel Powers of the University of Texas at Austin and Andrew E. Burger of Utah State University also contributed to the paper.
The study, “The Impact of Obesity on U.S. Mortality Levels: The Importance of Age and Cohort Factors in Population Estimates,” was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and published online in the American Journal of Public Health .
Journalists may submit queries online for fastest response or call 212-305-3900 to reach a member of the CUMC news office team anytime.
A study is looking at over 100,000 people in 21 countries to determine the physical and mental effects of retirement https://t.co/ccrGkSKxer 08:05:21 PM November 01, 2015 Reply Retweet Favorite
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and keep up to date with all the latest news and developments from Nominet Trust.
Written Medicine translates dispensing labels for pharmacists who would otherwise struggle to communicate this vital medical information to their customers.
According to the most recent census, 5 million people in the UK speak English as a second language, with 200,000 not speaking it at all and 1 million speaking it ‘badly’. Academics estimate that as a result as many as half of ethnic minority patients fail to adhere to medical treatment, costing £140M a year in worsening health conditions and wasted medicines.
Written Medicine’s pharmacy- specific translation software, allows the pharmacist to print bilingual pharmacy dispensing labels for patients who do not read English. This includes important medical information, instructions  and warnings. Labels and phrases were initially trialled in Arabic, with Polish, Punjabi, Somali and Bengali recently added.
Nominet Trust funding is to move the software tool, which pharmacists can access via any web browser, from an invention collaboration platform to commercial software. The team hopes to soon confirm a year-long trial of the service with a network of up to 60 pharmacies to monitor patient’s usage data and identify to what degree their choice of language impacts adherence and health outcomes.
Currently, pharmacies in ethnically diverse areas tend to rely on a patchwork quilt of informal translation support to educate patients about treatment: bilingual staff, family or friends. However these oral instructions are often forgotten after the patient leaves the pharmacy.
Written Medicine has been approved for funding from Nominet Trust. Funding is subject to successfully completing our project initiation process.
On this page of the consumer area of the website, you will be able to find a MCS Certified Product, along with further information about the technologies.
Some MCS products may not be eligible for financial incentives. Therefore it is important to check before purchasing a new microgeneration technology. OFGEM has also published a list of eligible products for the domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (domestic RHI product eligibility list available here ). As a minimum products must hold MCS certification, however additional criteria have been applied to determine eligibility for the domestic RHI. It is important to ensure that the MCS certified product that you use is also listed on the domestic RHI Product Eligibility List if the installation is intended for application to the domestic RHI.
The CEN Solar Keymark certification scheme is recognised by the UK government as an equivalent certification scheme for solar thermal collectors. Please click here to be directed to the CEN Solar Keymark product database.
PLEASE NOTE: MCS Products that have been withdrawn from certification are available for reference here . Installers please check this sheet on a weekly basis against your inventory to ensure your MCS products are still certified. Please note the last date you can register a certificate using one of the products, is listed on the spreadsheet in Column I .
If a product on this list has been removed it may have been recertified by a different Certification Body, you can check by searching for the product by manufacturer and model name below. Please note you are only able to register the version purchased with the Certification Bodies listing.
Please note that heat pump installations commissioned on or after 26/03/2016 must comply with new MCS product requirements aligning the scheme with the Energy related Products Directive. For further information click here .
A Biomass product designed to burn biofuel in order to produce heat for space heating and/or domestic hot water. MCS covers Biomass products designed and tested to burn solid biofuels only.
SISMEC Bulletin- February 25, 2011
Libya: Qadafi’s  u-turn to the West - a final gamble?
Lebanon: A model for stability?  No, seriously.
Qadafi: Resurrecting the Rhetoric of the War on Terror
Muammar Qadafi’s Tuesday speech was characteristically aggressive and weird, vowing to cleanse Libya from the ‘few rats’ that managed to turn Libya’s youth into drug-crazed lunatics. But it was also more than ranting or raw defiance: by repeatedly invoking al-Qaeda he hoped to link his struggle to the larger "War on Terror" and win Western, Russian and even Israeli support.
Egypt’s Mubarak and Tunisia’s Ben Ali (whose fall Qadafi publicly mourned ) made similar appeals to no avail, but Qadafi’s case is special. This very late search for legitimacy in Western eyes signals his acknowledgment of the utter and irretrievable loss of Libyan, Arab and Muslim mass support, and the increasingly all-out struggle between pro and anti-Qadafi forces.
Qadafi started anew with the West after the 2003 fall of Baghdad by surrendering his nuclear program to the Anglo-Americans, becoming both an important trading partner and, yes, an ally in the War on Terror. Despite this Qadafi had hitherto maintained the post-1969  rhetoric of al-tha’ir al-Muslim , the Muslim revolutionary standing in the face of Western imperialism.
However, Qadafi’s use of airpower against his own people on Monday the 21st was a turning point. In response, Shaykh Yusif al-Qardawi, a former Muslim Brotherhood member and perhaps the most prominent living Sunni cleric issued a fatwa on Al-Jazeera , saying that Qadafi must be killed and that supporting the demonstrators and fighting the regime is fard ‘ayn , an obligatory jihad, to which the thoroughly secular Al-Jazeera anchor responded “Amen”.
Qadafi’s own rambling speech came at least partially in reaction to Qardawi. With many of Libya’s tribes and security forces in revolt , and stinging condemnation from religious and secular Arabs alike, Western and Israeli wars have now turned overnight from sources of condemnation to legitimacy. Qadafi approvingly cited cities attacked with American benediction. Kabul, Baghdad, Falluja, and even Gaza drew close comparisons; “Americans can’t protest against you when you destroy a person like the one [ruling] in Derna. They themselves would have done the same.”
Of course Bush and Cheney are no longer in the White House, and Blair has left 10 Downing Street. Qadafi can find solace in the fact that at least one world leader buys his message: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev declared that the Middle East is being taken over by extremists.
Qadafi did fight a long and ugly war with Salafi “Afghan Arabs” in the 1990s centred around Benghazi, but at that point accused the West, and the British in particular, of supporting Al Qaeda. Although Libya was proportionately the largest source of foreign fighters in the Iraqi insurgency, the regime itself helped send them off . The failure of jihad in Iraq played a part in many former extremists comprehensive rejection of violent political change. In 2009 Saif al-Islam Qadafi had orchestrated a dog and pony show for CNN to claim credit for this re-evaluation, and last year former jihadist leader Noman Benotman sent an open letter to Bin Laden condemning him and his methods.
The real danger here is that Qadafi’s bloody escalations may turn his threats of radicalisation in to a self-fulfilling prophecy if the struggle is prolonged much further.
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I had a problem with my battery and got ready to have to fight to get this situation fixed even though I knew Premium had a one year warranty. To my surprise it was easy as pie to take care of and the customer service rep I worked with, Juli I think, was apologetic and took care of everything. You couldn’t pay me to switch brands.
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I admit it. I am a fashionista. I like to match my makeup to my handbag. I once bought a pair of sunglasses to match a summer dress and wore them twice. It would come as no surprise at all then to any of my friends that I chose the Premium electronic cigarette so that I could have a few colors that coordinated with some of my favorite looks. I even get to choose the flavors that I want with those colors which makes this not only a great product but a fashion forward one as well.
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~~~ Wide range of flavors, with a few issues. ~~~
I was impressed with the twenty flavor options with the Premium electronic cigarette and started sampling away. While I was pleased with most of them, there were a few issues along the way. I thought that the clove flavor was going to knock me out of the chair and a few of the other “lighter” flavors were so mild they were barely worth having. I like to sample the flavors but I also like to actually taste and enjoy them. Overall, I was pleased with most that I have had.
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The CNI is delighted to announce our first class of CNI Fellows! Vijay Singh, PhD in physics from Emory University, under the supervision of Ilya Nemenman; and Gaia Tavoni, PhD in physics from the École Normale Supérieure in Paris, under the supervision of Rémi Monasson and Simona Cocco. Welcome, Vijay and Gaia!
Gawaine Powell Davies discusses the experience of collaborating with a major consulting firm as academic lead for the National Evaluation of Medicare Locals.
The PHC Search Filter is an efficient search strategy giving you easy access to the primary health care literature you need.
The top 3 people with the most research activities featured on the PHRCIS website.
Communication as the key to successful knowledge exchange
PHCRIS has produced a series of video resources to assist researchers and research users with the skills they need for effective knowledge exchange. Click on the image to view the clip for Research Dissemination – Reporting and sharing your research.
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The Top Ten: Using Lists to Power Up Your Writing
The virtual world is full of attention traps lying in wait for the unsuspecting surfer. Click on some link and you can end up losing great chunks of your day. “Sticky” sites can be black holes in an otherwise productive schedule, as you glance up from the screen to realize that many minutes, even hours, have simply vanished.  But you can salvage something useful from these sites (or at least rationalize your loss of time) by identifying their tricks of the trade. Then apply these techniques to add interest to any business writing you’re doing online or for social media.
As Julie Andrews once sang, let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start. What first drew your attention to the time-wasters you most recently visited? Along with catchy titles, chances are good that at least a few of them promised to organize some subject into a list of the best, worst, cutest or oddest. Content creators know that a list that selects and organizes almost anything is likely to draw an audience, regardless of the topic.
Part of the appeal of a list, of course, is that everyone wants to revise it to reflect their own preferences and pet peeves. The 100 Best Movies Ever Made or the Ten Worst Moments in Baseball are perfect candidates for any list of Top Ten Topics to Debate. And the debate doesn’t depend upon having any deep knowledge of the subject at hand: most of us have more opinions than we have expertise.
Ask around and almost everyone will be more than happy to offer their picks for the Ten Coolest American Cars, the Ten Most Over-Rated Novels, or the Ten Best Star Wars Quotes. Part of the fun is the almost endless options that emerge when you start to think about any list. Should Microsoft Vista, along with cold fusion and frontal lobotomies, be included as one of the Top Ten Failures of Modern Science? How about Eleanor Roosevelt versus Ayn Rand as one of the Top Ten Women of the 20 th Century?
Are you now engaged in an internal argument regarding for your own picks for these lists? Our brains seem wired to enjoy isolating any area of interest – beers, world leaders, you name it - and then organizing that content into the good, the bad and the ugly. So put this wiring to productive use in your writing and engage your potential audience with your own lists.
What questions can you answer or what advice can you give that would attract readers to your site? Identify a topic that 1) you can write about credibly and that 2) relates to a finite and rankable set of people, places, events, concepts or things. Then draw upon your expertise to sort this material into a list.
Make sure to explain the rationale for your list with accurate information and intelligent arguments, but prepare to be questioned and contradicted by your readers. That’s part of the process of engagement that this type of writing encourages: you present well-articulated arguments in favor of your choices and your audience shoots them down. When you propose a list, the key is to be bold, be persuasive and be provocative. And then you’ll be read.
Now to see this all in action, click on http://listverse.com for the mother of all list sites. Warning: you may lose the rest of your day.
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1099-OID 1 is accounting & finance software developed by 1099FIRE.com. Automates preparation and printing of 1099-OID. Detach and insert Copy A of an IRS form into your printer and the software will print your data on top of the IRS form. You can adjust the left and top margins so that the data prints perfectly on the form every time. Copy B and Copy C can be printed on letter size paper. Visit us on the web at www.1099FIRE.com for more information. business software is demo, which means you can download and use this limited edition of 1099-OID 1 for free. To use full version of 1099-OID 1 you have to buy the accounting & finance product for $49.95. 1099-OID 1 is available at regnow and 1099FIRE.com website. 1099-OID 1 supports different languages (including English). It works with Windows 98/XP/Vista. We have tested 1099-OID 1 for spyware and adware modules. The software is absolutely safe to install. We has completely tested accounting & finance software 1099-OID 1 many times, written and published the interesting article and uploaded installation file (817K) to our fast server. Downloading 1099-OID 1 will take several seconds if you use fast ADSL connection.
1099-DIV Dividends and Distributions
1099-CAP Changes in Corporate Control and Capital Structure
Tuesday, 30 December 2014 01:13
Jim Barry, "The Digital Answer Man" is media spokesperson for the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA). He has appeared on countless radio and television programs and Webinars educating people about consumer electronics technology and products.
Tim’s Weblog Tim Strehle ’s links and thoughts on Web apps, managing software development and Digital Asset Management, since 2002.
“As far as we know Asset Bank is the first vendor of enterprise business software to offer crowdfunding as an option for clients who request the development of a product feature. Crowd Feature is intended for clients who want a new feature, can be flexible about time scales, and have a limited budget to spend on it.
[…] Crowd Feature is a SaaS website, available to any software vendor who is interested in doing the same for their clients.”
Great idea! For add-on features that don’t need changes in the core product, I’d go one step further and add an option to collaboratively develop the feature as open source, or ask a third party to implement it. That way, instead of having to give money to the vendor and wait for him to build it, you (a customer or partner) could invest the time of your own developers or pay someone else. Suddenly you have a core product as a common platform, and a market place where anyone can add value…
Workshops on community and labor organizing, voter registration, healthcare reform, affordable housing campaigns, and more.  FREE for members of ACV and Local 100 ULU.
Email info@acommunityvoice.com for more information.
Submitted by Gregory Heller on July 18, 2007 - 11:52pm
It's been a while since we have talked about RIAA's legal strategy of suing folks for alleged infringement, but this week brough some good news. Ray Beckerman reports on his block hat the Judge in Capitol v. Foster has awarded the defendant legal fees to the tune of $68 thousand dollars after tossing out the RIAA's case with prejudice, and subsequent appeal.
Submitted by Gregory Heller on July 18, 2007 - 11:43pm
Wired and others are carrying the story that Microsoft's ZUNE DRM has been cracked. Proving again, that just about any DRM scheme will be cracked sooner or later.
Submitted by Gregory Heller on July 11, 2007 - 10:12pm
This afternoon Information Week published a great article by Cory Doctorow about how big corporations and shadowy associations and working groups collude to develop DRM schemes and the laws that mandate them.
The piece is very long, and very good. Everyone who is interested in this sort of thing should give it a read and then tell your friends and family about it.
Here is a choice excerpt from the beginning:
Submitted by Gregory Heller on July 3, 2007 - 12:48pm
HMV seems like the latest big name to join the DRM Free MP3 sales market . Looks like they plan to undercut iTMS in an attempt to increase sales.
HMV and other bricks and mortar music stores haven't been doing so well of late as sales of physical CDs have been dropping.
Submitted by Gregory Heller on June 29, 2007 - 7:59am
The iPhone hype hides a basic problem with the product – Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) inside the iPhone means that it wont be under your control. Apple has built this “smart” phone to dumb you down. They also want you to switch your cell phone service to AT&T – who collaborated with the National Security Agency (NSA) in its massive, illegal program to wiretap and data­ mine Americans' communications.
Submitted by Gregory Heller on June 29, 2007 - 7:50am
Today the FSF announces the release of the GPLv3 . The announcement coincidentally is on the same day as Apple's much awaited iPhone release.
As the GPLv3 press release states: “Tivoization” is a term coined by the FSF to describe devices that are built with free software, but that use technical measures to prevent the user from making modifications to the software—a fundamental freedom for free software users—and an attack on free software that the GPLv3 will put a stop to.
Submitted by Gregory Heller on June 20, 2007 - 8:45pm
ArsTechnica reports that EMI's DRM Free tracks on iTMS Plus are selling VERY well with double and triple digit percentage increases. As ArsTechnica points out, some of the increase could be a result of users looking to upgrade already purchased tracks, but that still means that users are willing to pay the extra 30 cents to loose the DRM.
EMI execs are expressing confidence that the trend will continue, and other labels are considering joining them, probably when more data has come in.
Submitted by Gregory Heller on June 11, 2007 - 8:57am
On this date many thousands of free software projects will start to switch to this license. And GPLv3 is squarely aimed at defeating DRM.
Many corporations use GPL covered works to build their products. The successful adoption of GPLv3 will help limit DRM to those products built with proprietary software. Those products will be less attractive to consumers, more expensive, and less useful.
Submitted by Gregory Heller on June 9, 2007 - 5:08pm
Binary Freedom just launched FreeTheBBC.info with an open letter to the BBC regarding their decision to use proprietary formats and DRM despite overwhelming public comment early this year in support of open formats and content free of DRM.
Submitted by Gregory Heller on June 8, 2007 - 7:24am
A few months back, AnywhereCD launched offering a new service, buy a physicals cd AND get the digital download immediately. Anywhere made deals with numerous record companies, including Warner. Shortly after launch, Warner cried foul. The lawsuits started flying.
This week brings news of a settlement . Under the terms, you can get your warner CDs and MP3 from AnywhereCD until September.
Submitted by Gregory Heller on June 7, 2007 - 1:56pm
Procedures for Delaware Residents for Vehicle Titling
Delaware law requires the following vehicles to be titled in Delaware prior to the vehicle being registered to operate on Delaware highways: All motor vehicles, truck tractors, trailers, motorcycles, mopeds, mobile homes and house trailers. Off-highway vehicles and all-terrain vehicles are required to be registered at the Division of Motor Vehicles but not titled. Boat registrations are handled by the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control . Boat trailers must be titled and registered at the Division of Motor Vehicles. Snowmobiles are not required to be titled or registered.
Delaware law requires all buyers of Delaware-registered vehicles to make application for a new certificate of title immediately following the purchase of the vehicle; but in no case, more than 30 days after the purchase of the vehicle. A $25 penalty fee is charged for the issuance of a new certificate of title when the application is received more than 30 days after the vehicle was purchased.
The Division of Motor Vehicles recommends the seller transfer the title of the vehicle to the buyer at a Division facility.  This will ensure the buyer actually obtains a new title on the vehicle, ensures the seller’s name is removed as the vehicle owner and allows a Motor Vehicle Title Specialist to review the paperwork and provides the ability to correct any errors with the paperwork. If the seller and buyer cannot meet at DMV for the title transfer, Delaware law requires the registered owner to notify DMV of the sale or transfer of a vehicle. The seller must complete the Seller's Report of Sale and registration card and mail them to DMV except when the vehicle is sold/transferred to a dealer. In that case, provide the registration card to the dealer and mail the Seller's Report of Sale to DMV. All documents presented to DMV, such as, title application, power of attorney, estate executor document, etc. must be the original document. Photocopies are not accepted.
Select from the title option that applies to your specific situation:
Largely quiescent for decades, the Arab world has experienced a surprising—and surprisingly powerful—wave of revolutionary activity beginning in January 2011 and continuing ever since then.  So far, the “Arab Spring,” as it is popularly known, has resulted in the downfall of Tunisia’s Zene el-Abidine Ben Ali and Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak.  Although his regime still hangs on for now, an explosion injured Yemen’s Ali Abdallah Saleh so severely that he had to be taken to Saudi Arabia for medical treatment, where he has remained.  As for Libya, Muammar Qaddafi has been unable to suppress his NATO-backed opponents.  Even more impressively, Syria’s Bashar Al-Assad—despite assistance from Iran—has been unable to suppress his opponents, who are not receiving support from NATO or, apparently, anyone else.  The powerful opposition movement that arose in Bahrain has been suppressed, but still smolders.  Opposition activity in Morocco, Jordan, and Oman has resulted in the monarchs of these countries announcing various concessions and changes in an effort to contain and assuage it.
What is remarkable about the Arab uprisings of 2011 is that they are mass movements which are calling for democratization and modernization in their countries.  Radical Islamists appear to have been caught off guard by them just as much as the West and the authoritarian regimes they are aimed at.  This has led to hope both in Arab countries and the West that the Arab Spring resembles the wave of democratic revolutions that swept through Eastern Europe in 1989, ushering in successful democratization and economic growth in the Middle East and North Africa.
Yet while such an outcome would be highly desirable, it is by no means guaranteed.  Indeed, there is the possibility that the Arab uprisings of 2011 may turn out like the wave of revolutions seeking democratization that swept across Europe in 1848.  Revolutionary activity then spread across most of the continent.  As George Mason University provost and historian Peter N. Stearns noted—long before he came to GMU—in his 1974 book, 1848:  The Revolutionary Tide in Europe ,
…for the most part these various risings were interconnected, linked by economic causation, ideology, and by the fascination of revolution itself.  Knowledge that a regime elsewhere had been shaken seemed a valid reason to try the same thing in one’s own backyard (p. 1).
A similar process of revolutionary activity in one country contributing to its occurrence elsewhere appears to be very much at work in the Arab uprisings of 2011 as well.
Almost all the revolutions of 1848, though, were defeated by the forces of autocracy.  In France, the forces of democratic revolution did succeed in establishing the Second Republic.  But the man elected president by a wide margin at the end of 1848—Louis Napoleon—would go on to overthrow the republic in 1851 and rule autocratically as Emperor Napoleon III until his, and his regime’s, downfall in 1870.  The European democratic revolutionary wave that burst forth so hopefully in 1848, then, largely failed while autocracy prevailed.  A similar outcome to the Arab uprisings of 2011 is a distinct possibility.
How, then, will the Arab uprisings of 2011 turn out?  We cannot know for sure until they are over—and perhaps not even then.  However, what happened in Europe in 1848 and in Eastern Europe in 1989 appears to have set the bounds for what the outcome of a region-wide democratic revolutionary wave can be:  either complete failure, or complete success.  Of course, there can be an outcome in between these two extremes, with democratic revolution succeeding in some cases and failing in others.  Indeed, the Arab Spring already appears to have a mixed outcome with democratic revolutions apparently having succeeded in Tunisia and Egypt, apparently having failed in Bahrain, and as yet undecided in Libya, Yemen, and Syria.
A mixed outcome would imply that the individual, idiosyncratic factors at work in each country are of paramount importance.  And indeed, it is possible that what we may be witnessing in the Arab World is several, separate attempts at revolution that just happen to all be occurring simultaneously.  But this seems unlikely in that we know that, with the help of Facebook, Twitter, and other social media not available in 1989 (much less 1848), the revolution in Tunisia inspired the one in Egypt, and that both inspired democratic revolutionary activity elsewhere.  And since the origins of these Arab uprisings of 2011 were linked, this raises the possibility that their outcomes might also be linked—and that something similar to the region-wide, albeit starkly different, outcomes to the revolutionary waves of 1848 and 1989 might occur in 2011 or shortly thereafter.
But which will it be—1848 or 1989?  We will know for certain if and when the results of the Arab Spring more resemble one or the other.  Until then, one way to address this question is to try to assess whether and to what extent factors similar to those that led to the failure of the 1848 democratic revolutionary wave and the success of the 1989 one may be at work now in the Arab World.
While an outcome to the Arab Spring resembling what happened in Eastern Europe in 1989 would be highly desirable, there were two unusual factors present then that are not present now.  First:  in 1989, not only was there growing popular opposition to the communist regimes of Eastern Europe, but this occurred right at the time when their external patron, the Soviet Union, was in the process of retreating from its costly Cold War era overextension.  Specifically, Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev’s making clear in July 1989 that the USSR would not defend the East European communist regimes (Garthoff 1994, 400) greatly encouraged their opponents—both inside and outside of these regimes—as well as prevented the East European communist leaderships from even trying to make use of their increasingly unreliable security services for suppression. 1 Second:  the willingness of East European publics to embrace democracy, the West, and capitalism was facilitated by the sense that doing so was a reassertion of their nations’ independence and a repudiation of their erstwhile occupiers.
Neither of these factors is present in the Arab Spring.  Unlike Eastern Europe in 1989, the countries experiencing the Arab Spring in 2011 are not being occupied by a great power rival of the United States.   Instead, the U.S. has been the patron of some—but not all—of the Arab countries where uprisings have occurred and, of course, has itself been occupying Iraq.  Thus, Arabs now are not as inclined—as East Europeans in 1989 were—to see America and the West as saviors.  Indeed, while the protesters in the Arab uprisings of 2011 genuinely seem to want democratization, they are much warier of the West than their East European counterparts were in 1989 both as a result of American support for Israel and Western support for most authoritarian Arab regimes.  In addition, the protesters in the Arab Spring do not have the same enthusiasm for rapid capitalist transformation that their East European counterparts of 1989 did.  Indeed, the unpopularity of the admittedly corrupt and inegalitarian efforts to pursue capitalist economic development by the authoritarian regimes in Tunisia and Egypt appear to have contributed to the outburst of opposition against them.
By contrast, two factors present in 1848 that helped crush the democratic revolutionary wave in Europe then also appear to be present in the Arab world now.  One is that internal authoritarian forces in each country experiencing widespread democratic opposition remained strong both in 1848 and now.  At present, the authoritarian regimes in Yemen, Syria, and Libya are all clearly both willing and so far able to defend themselves against even widespread, sustained opposition.  Even in Tunisia and Egypt where two authoritarian rulers were ousted, it is the leaders of their respective armies who have remained in charge, will decide when elections will be held, and perhaps who will be permitted to contest them.  And even when elections are held, it is unclear how much authority these army leaders will allow the newly elected presidents—much less parliaments—to have over them.
Another is that both in 1848 and now, certain external powers have acted vigorously to suppress democratic revolution in other countries.  In 1848-49, this was Tsarist Russia while now it is Saudi Arabia.  Neither attempted to intervene everywhere to suppress democratic revolution, but concentrated its efforts on nearby countries especially important to each.  Back then, Tsarist Russia intervened militarily in the Hungarian part of the Austrian Empire and in the Romanian lands.  At present, Saudi Arabia has intervened militarily along with the United Arab Emirates in Bahrain, reportedly given billions of dollars to the beleaguered Sultan of Oman, attempted to orchestrate a transfer of power in Yemen from the reviled Ali Abdallah Saleh to someone more acceptable to Yemenis but also compliant with Riyadh, and counseled King Abdallah II of Jordan not to follow the Obama Administration’s call for him to allow democratic reform.  And so far, these Saudi efforts have been successful—just as Tsarist Russia’s were in the mid-19 th century.
Imogen Cunningham quickly followed by Annie Leibovitz. No explanation really other than my subconscious popped two respected photographers’ (whose work I admire) names into my head.
What (or who) has been the biggest influence on your career?
Technically - photoshoots. I learn best by doing. During every shoot I learn something that helps me to do an even better job on future work. There’s nothing like first-time technical glitches to sharpen your skill set in a hurry. That and watching videos online, reading photography magazines, and listening to successful photographer interviews. Inspirationally – my husband, immediate family and close friends.
What advice do you have for amateurs wanting to become professional?
Don’t talk yourself out of following your passion. I was working full time in corporate America and running my photography business part time for a number of years. It took being part of a mass corporate layoff to give me the kick in the pants that I needed to turn professional. It’s incredibly fulfilling. I constantly look at everyday things around me and end up either photographing them, or envisioning them as a photograph.
And the last question, something you’re still learning….
How to edit. I’ve gotten better over time at selecting quality images vs. presenting clients with a higher quantity of images. That can be challenging with certain clients. For example, when it comes to working with new families who are overcome with emotions about how their lives have changed sometimes, I’m asked if I can deliver more images of them with their kids. When all is said and done, I’m only as good as my worst image. Now. I keep that in the forefront of my mind as I sort through images from any given shoot.
For more information on Nata, visit nataworry.com .
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Saskatchewan Needs a New Surface Rights Act
Miles Vass is an important member of CAEPLA’s Board of Policy Advisors. Miles farms in southeast Saskatchewan where he has been involved in landowner issues and surface rights processes for more than 30 years. A short while back, he sent a commentary about the state of landowner rights in Saskatchewan to the CAEPLA Landowner Journal. It is a thoughtful and pointed look into the state of affairs in Saskatchewan with regard to surface rights provisions and the rights of landowners. It appears below:
Saskatchewan Needs a New Surface Rights Act
Time has proven that whenever agriculture is forced to share land with the oil industry, situations will arise that need to be addressed and resolved. The Saskatchewan Surface Rights Acquisition and Compensation Act was brought in many years ago to do exactly that. Today this piece of legislation is outdated. There have been many changes in farming since it was passed, and in the oil patch.
Anybody familiar with this type of legislation will be quick to point out that the regulatory framework that defines the interaction between landowners and the energy sector in Saskatchewan is almost 50 years behind the times. There was a Royal Commission back in the 1960’s that at great expense, carefully looked into the issues. Key recommendations were made, but successive governments never acted upon them. Today that report sits on a shelf at the Legislative Library in Regina, collecting dust. It is not the only government-sponsored report in Saskatchewan that looked at the problems landowners face in light of energy development, and was never acted upon.
Some of the problems landowners have to deal with in Saskatchewan have been identified and addressed by neighbouring provinces. Alberta has had a forced taking fee for years that is over and above any annual rent, adverse effect, or compensation for damages.* It’s called an entry fee, and was established in the early 1980’s.
Alberta requires that to become an energy company land agent—a person who is attempting to obtain an interest in land—an individual must have post-secondary education, write and pass an exam, then purchase a license and renew it every two years. In Saskatchewan, anybody can work for an energy company as a land agent. There is no minimum standard of education or basic knowledge required when it comes to the person who shows up at a farmer’s door to get an easement agreement or surface lease signed.
What’s especially problematic in Saskatchewan is if a landowner receives notice that a right of entry application has been filed. When that happens, the farmer has only seven days to respond or the order will be automatically granted. And the seven days start counting the minute the notice receives a postmark from wherever it’s mailed.
(The landowner can lose any right to even reply to the situation if the mail doesn’t get through in a week, or if it does get through, and he or she happens to be away to a wedding or funeral somewhere and doesn’t pick up the mail.)
No reasonable person, including our elected MLA’s, can continue to ignore the inequalities that exist in this province when it comes to surface rights, and the legitimate need landowners have to engage in good stewardship practices. Saskatchewan needs new surface rights legislation, and a new unbiased provincial regulator that acts in the public interest.
If members of the Wall government blow the dust off the 1960’s Royal Commission on landowner rights, they’ll see that the proposals back then were way ahead of where Saskatchewan’s surface rights legislation is today. ________________________________ * The Alberta entry fee, for almost 30 years, has been $500 per acre, per contract, up to a maximum of $5,000. Today, there is general agreement in the province that it should be changed to $1,000, or even $1,500 per acre with no maximum. (This is compensation that is over and above annual rent, adverse effect, etc.)
A graduate of Ridgetown College of Agriculture ( a campus of the University of Guelph), Dave Core has been a grain farmer, commercial poultry producer, and for many years operated his own trucking business. He is past-president of the Ontario Pipeline Landowners Association (OPLA), and founding president of CAEPLA.
Dave currently serves as CAEPLA's Director of Federally Regulated Projects. He is a much sought after public speaker, consultant and negotiator, and is considered by many to be one of Canada's foremost and leading landowner advocates.
Law of the Lands - Farm, Energy and Enviro Law
John Goudy, Lawyer London, Ontario, Canada John is a partner at Scott Petrie LLP with a practice focused in the areas of landowner and environmental litigation, expropriation law, energy regulation, and regulatory offences. He is particularly interested in agricultural issues and the regulation of agricultural land use, and lives and works on his family’s cash crop farm north of London, Ontario with his wife and three children. Landowner Law Blog &gt;&gt;
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What should you expect from a multi-agancy meeting
Multi-agency meetings provide an opportunity for children, families and practitioners to discuss how needs identified in the Common Assessment can be scheduled and met.
The purpose of the meeting is to:
Share Common Assessment information (with the consent of the young person/family) so it can be analysed and understood
Identify how support can be offered to the child and family to meet needs assessed through use of a CAF assessment
Jointly agree possible solutions and appropriate actions, including actions for the family and child to undertake where appropriate
Record these actions and timescales on a CAF Action Plan
Provide copies of the plan to all TAF members (including the family of the child/young person, as appropriate)
Arrange as necessary, additional requests for involvement/referrals, supported by a Common Assessment, as a pathway to other targeted and specialist services
Decide if a Lead Professional is needed to coordinate the actions of agencies and to liaise with the family. If a Lead Professional is needed, to agree who this should be.
Consideration must be given to the views of the child/young person and/or family
Record the actions agreed by the meeting on the Common Assessment Action Plan
Provide copies of the Action Plans to the relevant agencies
Sharing information at a multi-agency meeting
With the informed consent of family and young person/child you will be expected to share information about the young person/child from your contact with them.  Information that would be useful to share for the purpose of the meeting is the kind of contact you have with the child/young person, their level of engagement in the activities your group offers and any reflections or concerns you have about the child/young person and their family.
You will not be expected to share any confidential information unless it relates to any risk of failure to safeguard the child/young person.  You should talk with the child/young person and their family about the kind of information you will want to share at the meeting to support their participation and views about the kinds of support they would like to receive.
Are you concerned about a child?
In the last year of our work, many have helped make our vision become a reality for grandmothers in Africa. A major donation came because of entertainer/actor, RuPaul.
Now, because of Ru’s recommendation of The Nyanya Project to a donor, we have been able to give direct training and assistance to more than 120 grandmothers. From there, the new income generated by our grandmothers extends directly to help many, many hundreds more in their families. The positive influence that TNP grandmothers have on other women – daughters, granddaughters, neighbors, relatives, other grandmothers – is incalculable .
Ru, a friend of TNP Founder, Mary Martin Niepold, first heard about her dream in the summer of 2007.  Niepold had just returned from her first trip setting up programs for grandmothers in Kenya and Tanzania and bumped into Ru on a Sunday morning in New York.
Ru lit up when he heard that the vision was specifically for grandmothers who were raising grandchildren orphaned by the AIDS pandemic.
He and Niepold chatted over coffee in a Starbucks shop on 14 th Street in Manhattan. Ru was wearing a loose cotton shirt, khakis and sandals. He had arrived by bicycle, and despite looking like anybody else having coffee in the city, at least three people came up to him and said, “You are fabulous.”
As we talked, Ru asked the one question that keyed in on everything that was motivating TNP.
“What are you really giving the grandmothers?” he asked.
Niepold was silent for a bit, thought over what Ru had just asked her and then replied,
And there it was. The intangible benefit that informs all of TNP efforts.  Ru understood instantly.
“I don’t know exactly how I can help,” he said. “But I want to.”
He recommended us to a donor, whose contribution covered a large portion of our program expenses during the last year. We have given direct assistance to more than 1,000 family members in the AIDS Crisis in Africa and have initiated expansion of our programs in Kenya and Tanzania. This summer we will also be able to launch plans for programs in business skills training and HIV-home health care for grandmothers of AIDS orphans in Rwanda.
RuPaul has long been a person who walks the walk and is as beautiful as he looks. Because of him, many grandmothers in Africa now have hope.
Please watch his new televison show, “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” and when you see Ru, know that behind all that beauty is a person with a very, very big heart.
And from grandmothers and orphans in Africa and from TNP friends in America – we say thank you – asante – from the bottom of our hearts.
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U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey Title: USGS Water-Quality Historical Instantaneous Data for the Nation URL: http://nwis.waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?
Crash sensors collect the data necessary to make decisions about air bag deployment.
Crash sensors measure how quickly a vehicle slows down in a frontal crash or accelerates to the side in a side-impact crash. Some vehicles are equipped with a sensing system designed to detect the onset of a rollover crash.
Frontal crash sensors may be located in the front of the vehicle near the engine, in the passenger compartment, or sometimes in the electronic control unit (ECU).
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Severe or panic braking alone cannot cause an air bag to deploy; air bags deploy only in crashes.
Steps in the Grandmother Project approach  to promote social change in communities in partnership with grandmothers
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Anti-Violence Project (AVP) Hotline . Crisis intervention and support for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and HIV-affected people who are victims and survivors of violence, including dating violence. The bilingual (English and Spanish) hotline is available 24 hours a day and is staffed by trained volunteers and professional counselors. Telephone: (212) 714-1141.
National Center for Victims of Crime (NCVC): Help for Crime Victims . Contact information for local services for victims of all types of crime. Search by type of crime (e.g., dating violence) or special need (e.g., language, disability), among other criteria.
National Dating Abuse Helpline . Support and resource referrals by trained peer advocates 24 hours a day for adolescents and young adults experiencing dating abuse. Telephone: (866) 331-9474; (866) 331-8453 (TDD); chat online; or text loveis to 77054.
National Domestic Violence Hotline . Crisis intervention, safety planning, information about domestic violence, and referrals to local services to victims of domestic violence and those calling on their behalf. Help is available in English and Spanish, with access to more than 170 languages through interpreter services. Telephone: (800) 799-SAFE (799-7233); (800) 787-3224 (TDD).
Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN): National Sexual Assault Hotline . Free, confidential counseling 24 hours a day in partnership with rape crisis centers across the country. Telephone: (800) 656-HOPE (656-4673). The hotline also offers an online interface . Or search by state or zip code to find a local crisis center .
For an in-depth overview with definitions of dating violence and brief descriptions of the scope of the problem, risk factors, its correlation with risky, unhealthy behaviors, and approaches to prevention, including state examples, see the Children's Safety Network fact sheet Teen Dating Violence as a Public Health Issue (2012).
Websites for Professionals and Parents
Break the Cycle . Curricula, policy recommendations, outreach materials, and other tools to prevent and end dating abuse among adolescents and young adults, including those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ). Describes dating violence, warning signs, and effects. Presents state law report cards with information about the civil domestic violence protection order laws in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Break the Silence: Stop the Violence . (2008). [Video clip]. Parents talk with adolescents about developing healthy, respectful relationships before they start dating.
Domestic Violence Prevention Enhancement and Leadership Through Alliances (DELTA) . Initiative to prevent intimate partner violence in communities by promoting strategies aimed at preventing first-time victimization and perpetration.
Rape Prevention and Education (RPE) Program . Initiative to strengthen sexual violence prevention efforts in communities, states, and the nation.
Futures Without Violence: Tweens and Teens . Resources and initiatives for adolescents, parents, schools, and communities to address dating violence. Recognizing adolescent dating abuse, creating an adolescent safety plan, the connection between dating violence and unhealthy behaviors, sexting, sexual coercion, bullying, and engaging coaches to help shape the attitudes and behaviors of young male athletes are among the topics addressed.
Start Strong: Building Healthy Teen Relationships . Initiative to prevent adolescent dating violence and abuse by teaching middle school students about healthy relationships. Resources for parents address how to prepare their child for healthy relationships, parenting in a digital age, teaching their child to be a good friend, and recognizing unhealthy relationships.
Healthy Teen Network (HTN): Healthy and Unhealthy Relationships . Links to resources for health professionals, educators, advocates, and families about dating violence and helping adolescents develop healthy relationships.
National Institute of Justice: Teen Dating Violence . Information about creating an adolescent-dating-violence research agenda, the prevalence of adolescent dating violence, and two intervention strategies, one school-based and one family-based, that proved effective in reducing the incidence of adolescent dating violence. Includes a recommended reading list.
National Online Resource Center on Violence Against Women (VAWnet): Preventing and Responding to Teen Dating Violence . Online library of resources to support dating-violence prevention, education, intervention, and public policy. Presents information for adolescents, parents, men and boys, teachers and school-based professionals, health professionals, and domestic violence and sexual violence service providers. Also includes documents about laws and legislation and national prevention programs.
Office of Adolescent Health: Talking with Teens . Tips for parents about talking more easily with their adolescents about difficult issues, including healthy relationships .
GirlsHealth.gov: Relationships . Information for girls about forming healthy relationships, working through problems in relationships, and safe and healthy dating.
loveisrespect . Information about dating, healthy relationships, and abusive relationships. Topics include digital abuse, the power and control wheel, why people stay in abusive relationships, abuse in LGBTQ relationships, and how to get help and help others. Also see the National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline .
That's Not Cool . Website for adolescents that uses examples of pressure and control that occur in the digital world (online and via cell phone) to encourage adolescents to draw their own lines about what's okay, or not okay, in relationships.
Young Men's Health: Dating Violence . Information for boys and young men about the warning signs of dating violence, the differences between a healthy relationship and an abusive relationship, what might cause a person to be violent in a relationship, and what to do if you or a friend is causing or experiencing dating violence.
Children and Adolescents Exposed to Violence resource brief
These resources are provided to address language barrier issues.
TRANSLATION DISCLAIMER: Automatic translations provide the sense of a translated document, but they are not as reliable as translations by a trained professional. Therefore, any automatic translations should be used with caution.
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Hoopa High Warriors Football will be playing Willits High Wolverines in Willits tonight. Kick off time for JV 5:30pm and Varsity 7:30pm. Come out and support our local football players.
Get Feed for iCal (Google Calendar). This is for subscribing to the events in the Calendar. Add this URL to either iCal (Mac) or Google Calendar, or any other calendar that supports iCal Feed.
How we change what others think, feel, believe and do
Before meeting in a group, members of the group will develop arguments to support their positions. To sway others, the arguments will tend to be more extreme. In the end, one argument will win and the group will find itself supporting an extreme decision.
Company strategists often frame competitors and the general business environment in very alarming terms in order to shock managers into accepting their radical ideas.
Before the meeting, meet with others and persuade them to your point of view.
Before the meeting, meet with others to learn their point of view and encourage moderation.
Krones UK Ltd donated the BBI Achievement Award to the British Bottlers' Institute. It is presented annually to a company or individual who, in the view of the BBI Council, merits some special recognition for contribution to the bottling industry during the year.
Wyllie Woodburn introduced this year's winner of the BBI Achievement Award, Mark Tyne, Director of Esterform Ltd. Mark started his career in the plastics industry working for Shell and after a number of positions in the fledgling PET industry started Esterform. As a private entrepreneur Mark has been at the format of this growing industry and thoroughly deserves his award.
Accepting the award Mark gave a very amusing and heartfelt revue of his time in the industry, proudly showing the very first Esterform bottle produced, which is just one of the many billions his company has produced over the years.
Together we can and will make a difference in the lives of our children
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Access to Cancer Drugs in Canada: Looking Beyond Coverage Decisions
[This article was originally published in Healthcare Policy 6(3) ]
Objective: To examine variation in patients' access to a set of cancer drugs through publicly funded provincial drug programs.
Data Sources/Study Design: We surveyed provincial drug program managers about their highest-expenditure intravenous and oral cancer drugs. We then investigated whether the same cancer drugs account for the highest expenditures across the provincial programs. We also compared the rates at which these drugs are accessed through these programs.
Principal Findings: While there is moderate consistency in the selection of cancer drugs that account for the highest provincial expenditures, considerable differences were found in the rates at which some drugs are accessed across provincial programs.
Conclusions: The study demonstrates the existence of interprovincial variation in publicly funded access to cancer drugs even after these drugs have been approved for public coverage.
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Advance ticket purchases will be able to enter the venue prior to anyone else. Likewise, advance ticket buyers will automatically be entered into drawings for free CD's and passes to attend soundcheck.
Your ticket will be emailed to you and can be printed on your home printer.
New Heights is a band from Federal Way, WA. The band, made of lead Travis Graham, guitarist Chris Kwak, bassist Tyler Carroll, and drummer Bobby Walker, has released three studio EP's to their credit, and recently, their first full-length album, “Something to Believe,” released on Sept. 25, 2011. Their first single "Peaches" gained fame when it was featured in a short film by the Jubilee Project titled "Love Language." The film went viral and led to many different variations by other film makers, all featuring the track. All together, the "Love Language" inspired videos featuring "Peaches" has nearly 6,000,000 views on YouTube, and led to their first official music video. Recently, they were a part of the International Secret Agents (ISA) Seattle, San Francisco, and Los Angeles show lineups that included such names as Far East Movement, Wong Fu Productions, B.O.B., Sean Kingston, Jay Park, David Choi, Dumbfoundead, and many other YouTube stars. They are currently in the midst of a seven-city Fall tour with Clara C., making stops on both the West and East Coast, promoting their new album. The new album features the works of well-regarded names of the industry such as Jon Howard, guitarist for the band Paramore, Chad Howat of the band Paper Route, and producer Aaron Sprinkle. The album will also feature collaborations with artists such as Clara C., Jennifer Chung, and South Korean pop star sensation Brian Joo.
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Common Good—and dangerous for Australia
Australians are trying to fight the go-ahead of mosques in Bendigo and elsewhere on “planning grounds”. When the fact of the matter is that objectors fear being labelled a “racist” for contesting them on the one true ground for stopping any mosque—the threat to Australia’s sovereignty as a nation.
By Islam’s own admission the West is the land of War responsible for all remaining evil in the world and must be brought into submission by whatever means possible under Islamic rule. This mandate is mainly due to our societal beliefs in personal sovereignty through Democracy (man-made laws) and the heresy of our beliefs in Capitalism and Christianity
It is in the removal of these three basic pillars of the West—of democracy, capitalism and Christian values —that Islam has now found a most unlikely ally—the Cultural Marxists—who also want to see the removal individual sovereignty on all levels to ensure our society’s complete submission to the “common good” (one world government, one religion, shared wealth, and so on).
The “Common Good” philosophy of Cultural Marxism wants a global communal raising of children, the reduction of powers of parents and the redistribution of wealth as part of its global mandate. You can read it all in the United Nation’s Agenda 21 which has now infiltrated the majority of Local Councils in Australia including Bendigo, under the guise of “Local Governments for Sustainability” through I.C.L.E.I. You will find the same Agenda 21 language and principals even through Bendigo’s latest Development Strategy.
Disclaimer : I am not affiliated with the subject of CSI - Miami in any way nor I own it. I'm just running a small and completely non-profit fansite. No copyright infringement intended.
These Best Practice Guidelines for accommodating older gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans and intersex (GLBTI) people are a result of the GRAI research project which resulted in the report We Don't Have Any of Those People Here. It provides management and staff with a practical tool to assist in adopting practices to create an inclusive, rather than an exclusive, environment which is accepting and welcoming of all GLBTI people. It highlights the issues specific to older GLBTI people. Practical strategies are provided to assist in a greater understanding, and better accommodation and services for GLBTI elders. (PDFattached)
Baby-Friendly USA, Inc. is the accrediting body for the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative in the United States.
Baby-Friendly USA, Inc. (BFUSA) is the accrediting body and the national authority for the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative in the United States.  In this capacity, BFUSA is responsible for coordinating and conducting all of the activities necessary to confer the Baby-Friendly designation.
BFUSA is a not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) organization incorporated in 1997 the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Since 2011, the corporate headquarters has been located in Albany, NY.
The Limits of Stabilization (Ed.)
The Limits of Stabilization: Infrastructure, Public Deficits, and Growth in Latin America
Latin America’s macroeconomic crises of the 1980s and ‘90s forced a severe fiscal adjustment across the region. More often than not, fiscal stability was achieved at the cost of a drastic compression of public infrastructure spending, accompanied by the hope that the private sector would take the leading role in infrastructure provision.
This book documents the major trends in infrastructure provision in Latin America over the past two decades in order to assess the consequences of this changed public-private partnership from the perspective of economic growth, public finances, and the quantity and quality of infrastructure services. It will be of particular interest to those in the fields of infrastructure, fiscal policy, and economic growth, and anyone concerned with Latin America’s development.
Dani Rodrik, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University “This fascinating book highlights a neglected cost of two decades of fiscal austerity in Latin America. The authors’ careful analysis reveals that the decline in public investment in infrastructure may have been expensive not only for growth but for long-term fiscal solvency as well. Deserves to be read by every IMF economist (and many others besides).”
Sergio Rebelo, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University “The lessons from this research are likely to be valuable not only for developing countries but also for the European countries that are part of the Euro zone.”
Read the book on the World Bank website (pdf).
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BEAVERCREEK, Ohio (PNN) - October 6, 2014 - Gun enthusiasts openly carried firearms Sunday in to an Ohio Wal-Mart store where terrorist pig thug cops murdered a black man holding a toy rifle.
About 40 open-carry activists protested the Aug. 5 terrorist pig thug cop shooting of 22-year-old John Crawford III at the Beavercreek retailer after a grand jury declined last month to charge the terrorist pig thug cop who murdered him.
Submitted by Freedomman on Wed, 09/17/2014 - 16:33
JERUSALEM, Israel (PNN) - September 12, 2014 - Dozens of reserve soldiers from an elite Israeli intelligence unit publicly declared Friday that they refuse to operate in the Palestinian territories, citing moral reasons.
Submitted by Freedomman on Wed, 09/17/2014 - 16:27
WASHINGTON (PNN) - September 10, 2014 - Class is back in session for most colleges and universities across the country. Last year, I had the privilege of teaching college economics courses for the first time. We discussed many issues, from the economics of the so-called War on Drugs and the so-called War on Terror, to the minimum wage, to why airlines offer discounts to grandmothers but not businessmen. It was during one of these discussions, when analyzing a particularly nefarious but common policy, that one of my students raised his hand. His question was simple.
Submitted by Freedomman on Wed, 08/27/2014 - 15:45
When we say Bitcoin, we mean the idea: the birth of cryptocurrency. We know it's not perfect. But we're not after perfection, we're after progression. We're after a way out. And we will not stop. Bitcoin is sovereign currency.
Submitted by Freedomman on Wed, 08/27/2014 - 15:35
SUFFIELD, Connecticut (PNN) - August 22, 2014 - Even in the wake of a town-issued cease-and-desist order, Kathleen Mormino - the self-proclaimed “Chicken Chick” - isn’t about to give up her chickens despite not possessing the required acreage on which to raise them.
Submitted by Freedomman on Wed, 08/20/2014 - 17:39
CINCINNATI, Ohio (PNN) - August 5, 2014 - Terrorist pig thug officials in Cincinnati, Ohio, were tired of seeing prostitutes take over parts of the city. The city council's solution to the problem was to put up barriers that block off key roads. Although the city recently backed down in the light of a resident revolt, terrorist pig thug officials released a report Monday trumpeting the blockade's success.
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LONDON, England (PNN) - August 5, 2014 - An entrepreneur has gambled his home on building a toll road after becoming frustrated at council delays in clearing a commuter route blocked by a landslip.
Mike Watts is charging motorists £2 per journey to use his bypass made from rolled chippings and avoid the closed section of the A431 between Bath and Bristol.
Submitted by Freedomman on Wed, 08/20/2014 - 17:34
Mothers resist government efforts to draft their children.
KIEV, Ukraine (PNN) - August 4, 2014 - The Ukrainian government is desperate for more men on the eastern front to fight the separatists. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has announced yet a third round of general military mobilization, and draft orders are being delivered across Ukraine. Scores of young men from as far off as the Romanian border face conscription into the military and being sent to fight fellow Ukrainians in the east.
Submitted by Freedomman on Wed, 08/06/2014 - 17:45
MELBOURNE, Australia (PNN) - July 31, 2014 - They were warned not to share it, but share it they did.
Australians, intrigued by the latest revelation from WikiLeaks, took to social media to pass on a document they were never meant to see.
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Eight delegates from Guatemala, Malawi, Uganda and Liberia – including 12-year old Jimena and 13-year old Tisungeni – will join the LGL team for a week of high-level meetings and events. Our collective goal will be to amplify the voices and forces of girls as the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals are finalized.
This is a one page description of Let Girls Lead's work and mission.
The 2013 annual report highlights the ways in which the advocacy work done through Let Girls Lead is transforming the lives of adolescent girls in Liberia, Guatemala, Malawi, and Honduras.
This case study examines how Let Girls Lead and the Girls Empowerment Network are eliminating child marriage in southern Malawi through girl-led advocacy with village chiefs.
This case study examines how Let Girls Lead partners HOPE and THINK advocated for passage of the National Children’s Law, guaranteeing comprehensive protection for the health, education, and rights of girls and boys in Liberia.
This case study examines how Let Girls Lead partner Asociacion IDEI advocated for increased government funding for adolescent girls’ health and education programs by engaging indigenous adolescent girls as leaders in their own advocacy campaign.
This case study examines how Let Girls Lead partner CONACMI (The National Association Against Child Abuse) successfully advocated for the approval and implementation of a National Protocol for the Comprehensive Treatment of Victims of Sexual Violence, guaranteeing specific attention to the needs of adolescent girl survivors.
This report analyzes adolescent girls’ economic empowerment strategies, highlighting key findings, successful case studies, and recommendations for organizations and funders working in the field.
Executive Summary - Commissioned by the United Nations Foundation, this independent evaluation demonstrates that Let Girls Lead has contributed to improving the health, education, livelihoods, and rights of over 7 million girls globally.
The 2013 annual report highlights the ways in which the advocacy work done through Let Girls Lead is transforming the lives of adolescent girls in Liberia, Guatemala, Malawi, and Honduras.
This case study examines how Let Girls Lead and the Girls Empowerment Network are eliminating child marriage in southern Malawi through girl-led advocacy with village chiefs.
Champions for Change and Let Girls Lead are based at the Public Health Institute, a leader in global health and development for over 30 years.
Village in the Woods ...Living Well at Home and in Community
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Bring a game and bring a friend or two (or just bring yourself) and join Village Members for some fun.
** To RSVP - click on "Events" above,
click on the event and then click
or call our office at 248-592-5041**
We had our first Member's Only Planning Meeting to
discuss future programming and activities.
We have grown significantly since we first
opened our doors and are ready and able to turn the
Village in the Woods into a truly member-led organization.
With Berkley High School, we have been arranging
teen volunteers to help members with dog walking,
With help from our friends at Arcadia Home Care and Staffing ,
we offered a clean up for Village Members
needing a little help getting their yards ready for summer.
We've been to the theatre (Motown the Musical, Kinky Boots,
Once and Pippin).  And, we toured Detroit Old and New,
with our Friend, Linda Yellin and Feet on the Street.
For Want of a Nail For want of a nail the shoe was lost. For want of a shoe the horse was lost. For want of a horse the rider was lost. For want of a rider the battle was lost. For want of a battle the kingdom was lost. And all for the want of a horseshoe nail…Ancient Proverb
I spoke to Larry Sinclair last night. He reminded me that the deadline for his receiving contributions for the Florida district 24 congressional election filing fee is April 19, 2010. He also wanted everyone to know that without the filing fee, there will be no running for Congress in November. Larry is receiving coverage from some of the big MSM players now. If you cannot contribute, help spread the word. There is strength in numbers. Larry Sinclair has done as much as anyone to expose the truth about Barack Obama. He has been doing so for well over 2 years. His continued presence in the Florida congressional race will bring even more attention to Obama’s past. Imagine the possibilities. Imagine Larry Sinclair in Congress. All of you who want Obama impeached. Sinclair will do what he says. Larry will do everything in his power to get Obama removed from office. Contributing a few dollars seems like a small price to pay for this. Larry has paid the ultimate price.
To help Larry Sinclair and this country, donate here.
More info on Larry Sinclair and his run for Congress
If one battle had changed. British general John Burgoyne receives reinforcements. The British win the Battle of Saratoga in 1777. American General Horatio Gates flees with his men. France and Spain withdraw support. Colonies surrender…. “For Want of a Nail”, alternate history, by Robert Sobel
January 2008 Version Citizen Wells and millions of Americans know little about Barack Obama. Some journalists are asking questions of Obama. Obama is hiding his past. Larry Sinclair decides to remain silent about his story. Americans remain mostly clueless about Obama until after the election. A few lawsuits are filed but no one takes them seriously. The Rezko, Blagojevich corruption connections remain hidden from the public. (even more than now)
March 2010 For want of a messenger.
Whether or not you believe Larry Sinclair’s allegations of a drug and sex encounter with Obama in November 1999 (and how could you possibly not believe it now). Whether or not you like or agree with Larry Sinclair. Larry Sinclair was a huge catalyst for questioning Obama at a time when Obama was getting little scrutiny. Larry Sinclair is running for Congress, unaffiliated, in Florida District 24. Larry Sinclair has done as much as anyone on this planet to expose the truth about Barack Obama. Sinclair has not backed down from incessant attacks and death threats from the Obama camp. Sinclair has had his Social Security Disability benefits threatened twice and was even arrested on trumped up charges by Joe Biden’s son, Beau. The arrest happened at the conclusion of Larry Sinclair’s press conference at the National Press Club in 2008.”
I hope Larry can come and greet us here and tells us an update of how things are going, where he stands with an account of donations and what we can to help. Thanks
The “help wanted” ad in the newspaper didn’t mince words:
“Wanted. Young, skinny, wiry fellows. Not over 18. Must be expert riders. Willing to risk death daily. Orphans preferred.”
Through this and similar advertisements, several hundred riders were recruited for a remarkable venture that began 150 years ago this week. On April 3, 1860, the Pony Express began delivering mail and other vital documents from St. Joseph, Mo., to San Francisco. The service charged $5 to carry a half-ounce letter across the continent, a price that was later reduced to $1.
The logistics were impressive. Relay stations—190 in all—were established an average of 10 miles apart across the West. Ten miles is the most a horse can gallop without pause. Riders, who could not weigh more than 125 pounds, were permitted 20 pounds of personal gear (most of it water, plus a rifle and pistol) and carried 20 pounds of mail.
The riders raced all-out to the next station, changed mounts on the run, and continued on for nine more stations, or another 90 miles. It took nearly 100 horses and a dozen riders to cover the 1,966 miles from the Missouri River to the Pacific Ocean. But with the advent of the Pony Express, mail delivery that previously took 25 days by stagecoach (and prior to that, nearly six months by ship) took just 10 days.
A mere 19 months after the Pony Express began, it ceased to exist. It was forced out of business when telegraph wires linked California with the East. As a result, messages could be transmitted for pennies instead of dollars and arrive in minutes instead of days. The Pony Express name and facilities were sold to Wells Fargo, a bank that used the symbol for most of the next century.
In the 19 months that it existed, the Pony Express suffered the loss of only one rider and one mail pouch. But the achievements of those incredibly brave riders became a legendary part of the settlement of the West.
Russians to explore our oil BUT we can’t WHY???
Come on folks and let’s get Larry Sinclair on the Florida ballot. That $6000.00 cost is the least expensive bomb we can drop on the USURPER. Everyday it gets harder to remove him. THE MSM WILL HAVE TO COVER HIS BEING ON THE BALLOT.
“Larry Sinclair has made a contract with the voters of the 24th district and has included his promises to reduce his salary from the $169,300 to $60,000 per year, as well as to decline any federal pension for which he would be eligible, unless he has served for fifteen years or more. This translates into 100,000+ very good”
NOW if I was his manager I would promise the first 1000 contributors of $25.00 to the campaign a return of investment of $100.00 at the end of the first year and the same for the second 1000 contributions at the end of the second year. This would give him 2000 solid voters, I didn’t run a business for 38 years for nothing without learning some tricks. I sent a contribution folks. Let’s Roll
When we STAND UP and SHOUT They Erosionists loose & backout.
There is no CIVIL RIGHTS…it is a Corporation Farse what we have is INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS.
HOTDAMM – Mandy Connell (The Female Rush) is on the air in Louisville. 9 -12 am Eastern.
On Wednesday, March 31, 2010 at 9:00 PM ET, I will make another appearance on drkate’s REVOLUTION RADIO to update everyone on ongoing efforts to redress the ballot fraud that tainted the 2008 Presidential (Electors) election, with particular focus on shenanigans in the great state of Texas. jbjd ELECTION FRAUD – ALIVE AND WELL (AND LIVING IN TEXAS) http://www.blogtalkradio.com/drkate/2010/04/01/revolution-radio-constitutional-governance
(My first 3 (three) appearances are still available on podcast; links are in the sidebar on my blog. As anyone who has listened to these can tell you, they fly by!) ******************************************************
NEXT PROPAGANDA for the Corporate Gov’t to Rip US Off:
Where is that fraud and Saudi puppet Glenn Beck now?
Beck and Obama BOTH belong in prison next to each other….
In a news release today, Army Lt. Col. Terrence Lakin said he is willing to risk a court-martial in order if that’s what it takes to determine whether or not President Barack Obama is eligible to serve as president of the United States. Not your average officer, Colonel Lakin is the lead flight surgeon charged with caring for Army Chief of Staff General George W. Casey’s pilots and air crew.
[link to theconservativemonster.com]
Today, according to the news release, Colonel Lakin said he had informed his superiors that he cannot understand how his oath of office to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution” does not permit him, as a military officer, to pursue proof of eligibility from his commander-in-chief. In addition, he noted that his efforts have been rebuffed with legal evasions. Given the Obama Administration’s “transparency” initiative, the colonel believes many U.S. citizens are also demanding release of the original birth certificate.
Colonel Lakin’s numerous awards and decorations include the Army Flight Surgeon’s Badge, Combat Medical Badge, the Bronze Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, the Army Achievement Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the National Defense Service Medal with Bronze Service Star, the Armed Forced Expedition Medal, the Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon and the NATO service medal.
Now compare that to Obamaliar’s Sealed Records, 39 Social Security #s, forged COLB, Fake Selective Service Registration and a Fraudulent Nobel Peace Prize (while the wars go on)…. who would you TRUST? Who’s side are you on a Neo-Commie Usurper or an American Patriot?
Can a Biz or Corporation run for office???
No getting into Ed Hales forum….you must have a password…..he is selling a look at the BC for $100 a pop……what a scam…..there have been so many BC out there that even if this is the real thing who is going to buy it??? We need National Inquirer on this story!
Chicago Tribune having “regrets” about the Neo-Commie they placed in Our House.
Debt dangers When Warren Buffett looks safer than Uncle Sam
Late last night Homeland Security managed to get their hands on some of the packs on the West Coast. It was enough to interrupt deliveries scheduled last night. These packs were returned to D.C. where they were “retaken” and sent back out for delivery today.
Certain members of HLS were informed last night their names are on BOTH LISTS, the Stolen Stimulus Funds Accounts AND the Trading Accounts. There are in excess of 500 names on the two lists including certain elements of the Military, HLS, The House, The Senate and The Executive. The list were still being compiled yesterday and is the reason why they have not yet been released. WE hear that job is now complete.
Each one on the list are to be charged with 13 counts of law breaking. It appears certain elements of Homeland Security including its leader have been brainwashed saying “we can’t be charged with anything, Congress has authorized us to do anything”. This is what HITLER told his ‘Goon Squads’.
The packs are in the hands of the Military for delivery today. ALL packs, ALL programs WE hear.
OBAMA says NO, CHINA says NO and says they and Obama have signed “DEALS” all of which are ILLEGAL.
There is more WE can’t report right now.
I don’t understand why Ed would have colleges decide if the BC is legit….wouldn’t you get forensic specialists or someone like that…..do colleges have special equipment that tells if a BC is real or fake???
I never paid attention to a site with rumor in it’s title…LOL
Greg…..looks like it’s let the games begin!!!!
I have been reading that o’s recent, sudden trip was to meet with China, could it be this was the reason.
Received from Wendy via email – discernment is advised:
Word now arrives the Top Brass in the Pentagon has ordered all packs returned to D.C., they have now arrived back in D.C. and currently reside at the Pentagon.
They are “on the list”. They are trying to negotiate their removal from the list and the dropping of the 13 charges against each of them and no Prosecution.
The answer given is no, absolutely not. The packs are being retrieved from the Pentagon right now.
j.b. – I agree 100% with you about the PR that Barky is up to these days. We have the “visit to the troops” and now “the opening up of oil drilling offshore”, another gimmick.
I was just ready to post Michelle Malkin’s article, but see that you have already done so. GOOD!
He talks out of both sides of his mouth. The sound bite is that there will be “oil drilling”, but the devil is in the details. It “aint’t” goin’ to happen – You can take that to the bank! Read j.b.’s reference.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010 Casper 3-31-10 #2 Word now arrives the Top Brass in the Pentagon has ordered all packs returned to D.C., they have now arrived back in D.C. and currently reside at the Pentagon. They are “on the list”. They are trying to negotiate their removal from the list and the dropping of the 13 charges against each of them and no Prosecution. The answer given is no, absolutely not. The packs are being retrieved from the Pentagon right now. More when possible. casper 3-31-10 #2
Who is that Casper person on there? I keep seeing “Casper.”
Prosecution? Who is doing the prosecuting and why are no reputable sources reporting this? Casper and Ed may just be setting us up for tomorrow?
Greg I just checked….nothing! Did you send me something?
Citizen Don in California says:
Cabby – AZ // March 31, 2010 at 2:38 pm
j.b. – I agree 100% with you about the PR that Barky is up to these days. We have the “visit to the troops” and now “the opening up of oil drilling offshore”, another gimmick. /////////////// A quick question, doesn’t congress have to vote to permit the drilling?
Jacqlyn Smith // March 31, 2010 at 2:44 pm
Greg I just checked….nothing! Did you send me something?
Isn’t this ‘casper’ person, the same one who’s been throwing out all this same sort of crazy talk from the ‘fourwinds’ site?
Kitty, Casper “The ghost”. I came across his/her/it last year. Apparently seems to be connected in DC somehow. He post these snippets on Rumormillnews.com
You’re right. I remember that Casper now.
Okay…..so this Casper person has some inside information….also….what I am wondering is how these packets Casper speaks of is related to the Declarations that the Governor’s were served yesterday or today…..I remember them saying that once served they will have 72 hours to decided if they want to take a new oath and swear it under the republic of the USA…If they don’t agree to take they oath then they will be gone!
Governor’s were served yesterday and no one has said a word about it? This just doesn’t add up. I’m sorry
Governor’s were served yesterday and no one has said a word about it? This just doesn’t add up. I’m sorry
Eagle…..from what I understand the state coordinators have said you will not hear or notice much for a while and asked to be patient….it is going to take a while and there is stuff they can’t reveal yet!
Jacqlyn Smith may I have an email address for you? mine is admin @ iratenation . com thank you
I don’t know who Casper is, but I do not trust this person. They told something before BO took office that was totally untrue. Can’t remember now what it was. It was something related to the eligibility issue.
Prairie @ 12:50 pm good suggestions: I forgot something-everything got so swollen doors would not shut/open, make sure you can get out just in case.
This is one his/her/it’s post from last year!
After overnight confrontations involving Obama, JAG, HLS, The Generals, The World Court and the Countries the outcome is that the packs are still in The Pentagon this morning with OBAMA, JAG and HLS saying they will not be released under any circumstances.
The World Court and the Countries are being threatened and intimidated by OBAMA’S Generals.
The Court has, WE hear, issued orders that unless OBAMA’S resignation is announced by 3 p.m. today arrests will begin.
Someone needs to check out Henry Waxman to see what is in his closet.
It never fails the guys yelling the most are guilty of something or a secret life
Eagle // March 31, 2010 at 3:07 pm
Jacqlyn Smith may I have an email address for you? mine is admin @ iratenation . com thank you ***********************************
Hi Eagle….just sent it to you!
This doesn’t sound good….they are saying the top brass is corrupt too….I don’t know what these packets are that they are sending out from DC….or if they are related to the Guardians….I haven’t been able to discern that yet????
Go to that Casper Fourwinds place. Look under “About” at the top. Look at this, #6:
“6. NESARA -Click on “NESARA” under News and Information. NESARA is an acronym for National Economic Security and Reformation Act. This is a law that by order of both the U.S. Supreme Court and the World Court the U.S. Congress passed on March 9, 2000 by U.S. President, Bill Clinton. This law must be implemented by an official public announcement to the people via mass media. For years bankers, politicians, judicial and military personnel and others have had a covert battle over implementing this law. Divine Intervention is now causing NESARA to soon be announced and enforced. be enforced. NESARA declares world peace immediately that it is announced, and includes the following requirements in the US of A. These requirements will eventually spread to all countries of our world. ”
If you’ll read on, it also talks about forgiveness of debts, etc., the stuff that GOFR talks about.
But it also has stuff about spaceships. No joke!
“3. The Phoenix Journals: Click on “Phoenix Journals” or “Phoenix Archives” at the top of the Homepage. All of the published and un-published Phoenix Journals are archived on http://www.phoenixarchives.com . They can also be accessed through Fourwinds by clicking on either “Phoenix Journals” or “Phoenix Archives” menu at the top of our Homepage. These are writings of Truth for the people of our world, received during the 1990’s from Creator God via radio transmission from the Phoenix Starship, under the command of Gyeorgos Ceres Hatonn, Commander of the Pleiadian Star Fleet. The Phoenix Journals are known as The Holy Books of the Lighted Realms, and are for our guidance through these “end times” on our planet. For the new reader of Fourwinds we recommend reading first Phoenix Journals numbers 2, 27, 47, 3, 5, and 7 and in that order.”
Follow the Constitution over at AGJ says these packets are completely different from what the Guardians are doing and that these packs have been in the works for a while…..WOW…..what are we the people in for??? This is getting scary to say the least!
* Rep. Gohmert Calls for Amendment Convention by States: What is an Article V Convention?
Have you known Follow the Constitution person very long over at AGJ?
j.b. @ 1:19 pm jb-I looked at the pictures-the ones from the left were very disturbing and hate filled. The worst, I must defend my Jewish brothers and sisters/fellow Americans -I would call it a hate crime to me it was that bad. To infer that 9/11 was committed by the Jewish people and they started all the Wars is criminal in my mind. They used to show documentaries in Chicago re: Nazi Germany and I did see Dr. Goebbels propaganda films re: Jewish people-they were disgusting and so was this poster. Many of the others were just as disgusting and hate filled. Go Tea Party.
I honestly don’t know what to think folks. I am having a hard time wrapping my brain around this one…
Here’s what FTC says about these packets that the Casper person keeps reporting on…..
# Follow the Constitution Says: March 31st, 2010 at 4:22 pm
The prosperity packages thing is completely different from the restore america plan. They have nothing to do with each other.
There was one of the people that signed onto the R.A.P and was contacted today. Apparently they are getting warning calls from their “superiors” to leave their homes for the time being since the States are using their law enforcement agencies to “visit” the people who signed all these declarations.
I hope this ‘casper’ character isn’t in anyway associated with Tim Turner or the AGJ.
The ‘casper’ person has been posting crazy crap like this for 2 years, and not one single bit of it has ever come to fruition.
Kittycat // March 31, 2010 at 3:28 pm
Have you known Follow the Constitution person very long over at AGJ? *****************************************
I know him like everyone else over there….they post because they are involved or know about the Grand juries…..I’m not sure how long the person has been posting there but I don’t believe FTC is leading us astray!
Well, watch out for the Casper person, though. I was just curious if FTC had been there very long. If so, then fine.
The ‘casper’ person has been posting crazy crap like this for 2 years, and not one single bit of it has ever come to fruition.
That’s my problem with all this. Could be a prankster and he/she/it has latched onto this RAP and is running with it….He/she/it was all over t he eligibility issue and we were told that the Prime minister was going to out him, bla bla bla
Last year I had a thought or could say a vision. That there were 100 of the most scholary men and women who were defenders of the constitution and new everything thing about the history of laws and everything. They were a secret group but highly respected. Seems to me this could be true
From FTC’s link and what he said, looks like it’s true. But the media will try to twist it all, as usual.
Hopefully you’re right, and ‘casper’ is just piggy-backing on the RAP as a joke or side show.
Like I said: I hope he’s in NO WAY affiliated with Tim Turner or Kennedy, because if that’s the case, this whole thing is bunk.
I’ve watched a few video of Tim, and he seems to be on the up and up.
Beware of ‘casper’ the jokester/fraud.
Howard Dean Admits Health Care Bill is Redistribution Of Wealth. He pretty much says it’s no big deal.
This is the entire post from FTC…as the Guardians warned….the media will try to make this out as some extremist group…..don’t fall for the BS….parts of the report are true…all 50 Governors were issued their declarations……
# Follow the Constitution Says: March 31st, 2010 at 4:30 pm
Well now those that thought this might be some kind of joke, now you can know it is no junk!
The media is already trying to claim this is an extremist group demanding the governors resignations! The Feds are going to try and twist this around claiming something it isn’t!
“The Capitol was locked down late Tuesday after the FBI advised the governors of all 50 states they would be receiving letters from an extremist group demanding their resignations.”
FTC gets his information through email…..he has an inside track somehow and this is what he is saying now……of course the Corporation is trying to make these people out as bad guys….don’t fall for it folks…their backs are against the wall and they will pull out all of the tricks!
# Follow the Constitution Says: March 31st, 2010 at 4:34 pm
Oh brother! Now they are going to try and associate this with Timothy McVeigh. The sad part is many people will believe it just because they heard from the media!
I guess now we will soon find out if the military is actually going to back this or not or if they were just setting these people up!
Well, I hope the military is backing them and no one gets hurt.
And I’m not trying to be rude, it’s just that I’m not going to willy-nilly accept anything that comes along because through the last couple of years, there has been so much crud with the liberals, then court cases not being heard, no justice, then I also remember the April Fool’s joke last year about Obama that was very well written. Then, of course, all the birth certificates that have been out. These are crazy times that we’re in.
thanks for the Friends Of the Article V Convention (FOAVC) site!!
Regarding the time Obama spent in Afghanistan, I specifically remember the Fox News coverage – because it did not add up.
The reporter with him said that he had a 2 hour dinner with Karzai and spent 20 minutes with our troop.
My DH and I instantly started yelling things like, “Only 20 minutes?” “This was just a photo-op” and “What sis he do the rest of the time.” That is why I remember it so clearly.
I agree…sounds like the making of a good novel I would bet someone, somewhere is whooping themself right now…
This is just my opinion, no disrespect to the others
LM, It’s ironic how that ties into this whole discussion.
Sorry, I meant to type “What did he do the rest of the time?”
Remember the media is not on our side!Just have patience and pray!The best thing we could do now is pray for our Republic!They will try to munipulate everything,let them do there jobs.I have listened and followed this for sometime now,in my opinion,this could be our answered prayers to have our country back.(Again my opinion) God Bless America!
I do not know what to think – but it sure feels like something is happening.
It seems strange to me that suddenly Rush Limbaugh, Tom Sullivan and Glenn Beck are on vacation. Is Beck doing his radio show this week?
GBAmerica // March 31, 2010 at 4:10 pm
I have a friend in Hawaii who contacted me in Feb and ask if I would be interested in the Obama long form BC. I said yes but under certain conditions. It must be proven to be legit. They agreed and sent me the BC. I had 3 major Colleges test this document. All test prove that this is the real deal.
How this document was removed from the State of Hawaii vault? A supervisor retired a few months back, on their last day on the job, about 15 minutes before closing time, they walk into the vault, folded it up and then stuck it in their shirt and walked out with it. The reason that did this was because the director had lied to the American people about Obama place of birth and he was a NBC. They wanted to set the record straight. Now we have the document with the supporting document from these colleges that proves beyond any doubt that this is real and it is legit…”
UPDATE: Ed Hale reported tonight(3/31/10) that a sitting U.S. Congressman was at his home this morning to view the document. The Congressman is now in possession of the document and was headed to Washington D.C. with the document.
Ed Hale then reports that the Congressman contacted him this evening and said he showed the Republican leadership the document and they all agree the document is legit.
The Congressman also told Ed Hale that he and the others involved will have immunity from criminal prosecution due to the criminal nature of obtaining the birth certificate. Ed reports the Congressman promised to have Obama removed.
Ed Hale says the Congressman will be on his radio show tonight(4/1) to reveal himself and the birth certificate. Ed reported that Fox News called him yesterday and offered him a million dollars for the birth certificate… Fox News wanted full control of the document and its release… He turned Fox News down…
Obama’s Birth Certificate Will Be Released To The Public! Congressman Headed to DC with BC Now, No Joke!?
That’s great Jacqlyn Smith! I am so skeptical of Ed Hale. Bitten too many times. I still hope!
Here another article I just found: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=134881 Why Obama is ineligible – regardless of his birthplace
The following discussion assumes President Obama was born in Hawaii and is a United States citizen.
What happened to the part where everyone who donated would meet in a secret location to veiw the document? LOL Watch, now he will claim the congressman stole it. What a hustler…
I’ll be out today. Hopefully, good news will fill the day! Zach
Wait and see I guess….everyone has reason to be skeptical about it…..we have been here before….I pray to God it is true though!
Looks like good news to report today….
SENTINEL INTELLIGENCE SERVICES, LLC LYLE J. RAPACKI, Ph.D. CONSULTANT AT: Protective Intelligence and Assessment – Behavioral Analysis and Threat Assessment – Independent Intelligence and Information Warfare Email Briefing Bulletin: Wednesday – March the 31st, 2010 – 1730Hrs, m.s.t. (Arizona) – – – FLASH TRAFFIC – – – CLASSIFICATION: NOT-CLASSIFIED – FOR PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION The following information was provided to me at the date and time mentioned above by one of the members of the Grand Jury in accordance with The Restore America Plan. After intensive planning the past couple of years, with broad ranging cooperation, the Declaration of Orders have been served to all 50-governors; 36-on Monday, March the 29th, and the balance on Tuesday, March the 30th. These documents were signed by 1,350 de jure Grand Jurors – 27 from each state within America. These de jure Grand Juries were seated per military and Supreme Court counsel. The same documents hand-delivered to each governor shall be delivered to the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Supreme Court Justices tomorrow, or Friday at the latest. The Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Justices of the United States Supreme Court are anticipating these documents. Reports that 3-governors (CA, NY, FL) did not execute the documents are not true. Following the anticipated acceptance by all Governors, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Justices of the Supreme Court: 1. Within 30 to 60 days, ALL mortgages for homes and small businesses will be “zeroed out” – eliminated and title transferred. 2. Social Security payments will not be interrupted. 3. The Health Care Plan WILL NOT be implemented. 4. All property taxes will cease. Schools and other historically tax-driven needs will be funded by alternate means. 5. IRS is terminated. Operations will stop in their present form. Therefore do not sign any IRS forms or agreements. IRS will continue to function in accounting capacities, but NOT AS A TAX COLLECTION OR ENFORCEMENT body of any kind. 6. All current infrastructures will continue to operate. The fundamental change will come with change in the form of governance that will again allow WE THE PEOPLE to chart our future without intrusion from intrusive federal government. 7. DO NOT expect conventional media announcements to be made. This entire process will be low-key, peaceful, discrete, having been well thought out. I was briefed that much, more will follow. Quoting the Grand Juror who briefed me personally, and with whom I have reviewed documents…” Personally,” he said, “I believe the America – under God, that we have trusted and enjoyed is being given another chance. Or more pointedly, WE THE PEOPLE are being given another chance, and I hope and pray that God is gracious towards us and we are up to the task of restoration.” (END OF BRIEFING) LYLE J. RAPACKI, Ph.D. Protective Intelligence and Assessment Specialist Consultant at Behavioral Analysis and Threat Assessment Independent Intelligence and Information Warfare Analysis
IT IS REAL. i’m involved personally (tho not [yet] a grand jury member). this ‘movement’ is intentionally *not* being publicly broadcast.
ALL 50 GRAND JURIES ARE NOW IN PLACE. pray for the restoration of our nation.
On Tim Turner call tonight, it was said that most of the Gov’s have been served and that there have been NO problems as may have been reported. The Louisana Gov (Bobby Jindal I think) actually called one of the guardians or a close associate personally and is “on board” with this. As to FBI shutting things down in Nevada, they were just being cautious and are now aware of the peaceful mission of Restore America. Military and Supreme Court have supposedly been served also. Will have to wait till Friday or Monday to get a better feel on more of this.
Thursday, April 1, 2010 DISARMING THE AMERICAN PEOPLE IS “WITHOUT CONSTITUTIONAL AUTHORITY and WITHOUT CONSTITUTIONAL JURISDICTION” DISARMING THE AMERICAN PEOPLE IS “WITHOUT CONSTITUTIONAL AUTHORITY and WITHOUT CONSTITUTIONAL JURISDICTION” by those in the representig of Corporate and Company representing of the United States of America. The Constitution of/for the United States of America is the SUPREME LAW OF THE LAND.. for those who take the Oath to Uphold, Protect and Defend the Constitution of/for the United States of America, Against All Parties, Foreign and Domestic.” Those taking the Oath “False Swear”.. having no intention of compliance with the Oath of Public Officials in Public Offices holding “public trust”.. The “False Swearing” allows these individuals who are voted into office by “computers” not the People by “Paper Ballot” with the required information printed upon the ballot’s.. which would be about the size of a news paper page [the last time I saw one at the Reagan election]. All people do is punch a card for this one and that one..not having a single idea as to who the individual is, or what his political agenda is about. These individuals know nothing about the Constitution of/for the United States of America which has a purpose of Conducting International Trade and Commerce, Collecting Duties, Tax’s and Imposts, and Common Defense-General Welfare. They became ‘hijacked’ in the International Trade and Commerce.. Representing the U.S. Company and CORPORATION business.. the ‘pay was better with the kick-backs’.. That Constitution means more than “Corporations and Company ‘boys’ representing the Corporations and Company rather than do that for which the Constitution is really for i.e.; PROTECT THE CONSTITUTIONS AND BILL OF RIGHTS OF THE 50 STATES OF THE REPUBLICS in Union. In other words.. PROTECT “WE, THE SOVEREIGN PEOPLE OF THE SOVEREIGN 50 STATES; THE TAX PAYER’S PUBLIC BOND FUNDED SCHOOLS, HIGHWAYS, BRIDGES, HOSPITALS, HOUSING PROJECTS, HEALTH CARE, AND OTHER INFRA-STRUCTURES. There is NO Constitutional Grant of Selling off and Privatizing the “Tax Supported Infra-Structures of the Sovereign People’s “tax bond” paid “Infra-Structure” [above]. Ronald Reagan and G.H.W. Bush.. “Re-Invented Government” and sold this nation out to Foreign Owned ‘Corporations’ and ‘Company’s’ giving these entities i.e., NON GOVERNMENTAL AGENCIES aka QUASI federal agencies the “Appearance of being federal agencies, cloaked with federal powers” which remains ‘subject to: The Constitution of the United States of America’s LAW OF THE LAND. Don’t believe it..!? Check out the last statements in the Executive Orders of these Presidents prior to Ronald Reagan and G.H.W. Bush presidencies. In other words.. they are Acting in Color of All Law.. buffaloing and shoving their way into “Overthrowing the Sovereign Xth Amendment Governments of the States of the Union” through “Treaties international agreements other than treaties” which ‘VIOLATE THE RULES OF TREATY international agreements other than treaties” .. which states: Quote: “Treaties international agreements other than treaties entered into with the deceptive, malicious intent of overthrowing the Xth Amendment Government, once discovered, shall be NULL AND VOID and of no Lawful Effect.” This is the reason “NO SCHOOL TEACHS THE CONSTITUTION” or BILL OF RIGHTS, State and federal in their ‘nature’.. Two friends of mine.. Chief Justice Thurgood Marshall, and Chief Justice William Rehmquist ..if alive would be the very first to shout: THE CONSTITUTION IS NOT TO BE INTERPRETED! IT IS AS IT IS WRITTEN.. But.. there-in lies the problem.. every Chief Justice today.. has his/her own interpretation of the Constitution.. The Constitution is one of the finest documents I have ever read [even if I have been studying it from the time I was 21 to the age of 74 studying exactly what I took an Oath to Uphold, Protect and Defend].. Sadly none of us can say the same about our ‘leaders’ or those Chief Justices sitting on the Bench’s of the Courts of We the People.. adjudicating “legal activities” instead of “Lawful Frauds and Criminal Activities” of Bribery, Coercion, Fraud, Intimidation, accompanies by “Sedition and Treason”.. We have a good Constitution.. It certainly does not allow Hillary and her Hellions to “Enter into Treaties to Disarm the American People, or to Kill off 3 to Six Billion of the Worlds Population.” What surprises me.. these individuals alleged to be “Constitutional Attornies” instead of Constitutional Lawyers? But.. most of the People do not have the foggiest idea as to the difference between “Attornies” and LAWYERS. There is a difference. Check it out.
Does anyone have an update on the Hillary Clinton lawsuit over her SOS position? Seems to be taking quite an aweful long time for something so simple.
I can only imagine all the April fools joke taking place today with the Obots. This will be a day of disbelief and misinformation..
William….the good thing will be that the joke is on them!!
Hey Greg…..yes it is a good morning….I have a feeling great things are about to happen!!
I never turned my laptop on last night. Had dinner with the family and then watched TV, slept well.
Ed Hale then reports that the Congressman contacted him this evening and said he showed the Republican leadership the document and they all agree the document is legit.
So the Republican leadership did not go on recess? Ya right.
JS, If you hear anything at all regarding the release of the political prisoners and our beloved troops please let us know!
Until the alleged Ed Hale BC document is in the U.S. Court and a U.S. Court appointed Document Expert proclaims it is Authentic and matches the records on the Hawaii DOH systems, then this has 0% credibility.
William….if a Congressman has it then that is where we start…..if that person is willing to stand and say the FRAUD needs to go and many agree then by all means you bet there will be an investigation…..but it does need to start with our Congress and Senate!
So the Republican leadership did not go on recess? Ya right.
Greg…..I can’t remember where I read it but someone said they had a friend in Congress and that yesterday they were told they all needed to return to DC……something is coming down!!! I know the Guardians said once the Governors, military and Supreme Court took a new oath under the republic then they would have to swear in the Senate and Congress….Patience is a virtue and I am having a hard time waiting for all of this to play out!!
JS, If it was my post that you remember, that was a state rep. It was something I stated as “curious.” The water is muddied enough, I don’t want to add to it so I am clarifying, in case it was me you drew this conclusion from.
Prairie…..I can’t remember where I read it….did you post something yesterday to that effect?? I read a lot of comments yesterday at various sites so I can’t recall where it was. Either way I just get the idea that things are starting to happen….we will see in due time!
Greg….I just have this for Ed……
JS, Yes, I have a friend who is a state rep. who on just returning from the Dominican on vacation, headed back to the state capital the day after her return. Having spoke to her before her trip, it seemed curious. Our state is in heated budget debates, however.
I agree, time will tell. I keep the faith and pray. If true, we will regain our country. If false, we are still here to fight and swallow some crow- big deal, done that for last 2 years now.
Prairie…..I agree…..my own husband doesn’t believe big things are happening….he thinks I’m nuts and spend too much time on the computer!
I agree, much information if coming to light in the past couple weeks as to the deep corruption and “red flag” activities of our government/corporation. I can’t help but believe that SWHTF soon.
JS, My husband could not tell you who the speaker of the house is. LOL.
Did anyone here listen to Ed Hale’s show last night???
I was only able to catch the last half hour last night and at that point he wasn’t willing to tell who he gave the BC to. I heard no mention of a Congressman or any hint other than he was waiting for word from back East and that people would be surprised who had it. If anyone else heard the show and can confirm he said it was a congressman then let me know but right now be wary that the Congressman story could be a Obot set up as an April Fools joke.
As I said the way Ed was talking he hadn’t given any info like that out even though wanted to.
Right now there’s nothing about it even on his website and I’m sure his followers would be chatting the congressman story up if it had been said on the show. Still I didn’t hear the whole show.
BE WARY. The April Fool Obots abound.
Anyone from Ohio? Can ya call Bohner and see if he is still in DC? (513) 779-5400
Jerome, can give me the link to Hales website? Thanx
gain they were out for delivery.
Again they were forced back to D.C. by Obama and the Generals in the Pentagon.
Jerome, FWIW I got the information regarding the Congressman from Ed’s postings in his chat room after his radio show last nite. The Congressman is supposed to be on Ed’s radio show tonight. We’ll see. . . it is April Fool’s Day.
Like I said I didn’t hear any clue that a congressman was mentioned and there’s nothing on his site. He wanted to tell but he didn’t. I’m really thinking the Congressman story is someone making a guess or Obots trying to set up a Punk.
Still I didn’t hear the whole show.
Bankroller // April 1, 2010 at 9:40 am
Jerome, FWIW I got the information regarding the Congressman from Ed’s postings in his chat room after his radio show last nite. The Congressman is supposed to be on Ed’s radio show tonight. We’ll see. . . it is April Fool’s Day. ———————————————————–
Unfortunately I only just started paying attention to Plains Radio. For a while things got crazy and I Tuned out. So I don’t have access to the Chat room.
It could very well be an “April Fool” but If he really collected hundreds of $100 donations and he used Paypal he’ll be sued out of existence.
I’m taking all of this with a grain of salt but a hopeful heart.
Ten days ago API received the first request to accept 2 million US dollars by Mr Ed Hale, President of Plains Radio, Texas – USA, in an effort to suppress the information from reaching the public before the coming US Presidential elections.
This is a sentence from an Oct 08 story. Why would Ed Hale be willing to pony 2mil to keep a bad story about Obama out of the public eye and then today be looking for $100 donations to look at a document that would bring Obama down? Now that is fuzzy math.
Stunner. Obama Has Refused All Israeli Military Requests Since Entering Office in 2009
Vatican Blasts New York Times For Scurrilous Attack on Pope During Holy Week
Believe the facts. Believe the Constitution. Stop believing Barry. He is not our president. Charge him with the crimes he has committed. Charge the “Yes” voters as well.
Let’s weed out the corrupt and raise up the upright. +++++++++++ When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan. Proverbs 29:2
Walter Francis Fitzpatrick, III, United States Navy Retired attempted a Citizens arrest today in Monroe County, TN.
I was told by Carl Swensson that early low-res video will be available to stream from here:
Report is that Sheriff refused to accept paperwork. Local police were called and refused to arrest Petway, the Grand Jury Foreman.
Fitzpatrick is currently sitting in jail as a political prisoner and has yet to be charged.
More later as details become available.
SueK // April 1, 2010 at 1:54 pm
Yikes, Suey! Please be careful…mkay?
I sure hope you can save your neighbors some distress. What a thing to happen while they are away presumably enjoying themselves!
Am praying for all who are “under water” and hoping they can manage to “rise above” this catastrophe!
PS We’re having a 3-day “heat wave” here; could break some records, but this is not normal for our area this time of year.
Did Soetoro get birth from 2 American Parents on American Soil? if yes a natural born American citizen, if not only a citizen not natural born.
Announcing Our Second FREE National Webcast Conference Sponsored by American Congress for Truth
Posted on Thursday, April 01, 2010 2:39:47 PM by CatherineMartin07
Pixel Patriot // April 1, 2010 at 1:57 pm
I did not know Fitzpatrick was a political prisoner…when did this happen?
I hope they are not planning on arresting Lt. Col. Lakin, too, for speaking out!
My post at 1:03 should read The 20th amendment addresses the succession issue as it pertains to eligibility but it seems to be in terms of a time frame of the electoral college and the certification process by CONgress.
Does the 20th amendment apply under a tyrannical rule or ?????. Just asking.
VIDEO: No Retreat on Opposition to ObamaCare
Posted on Thursday, April 01, 2010 3:10:09 PM by Welshman007
Posted on Thursday, April 01, 2010 3:10:18 PM by Biggirl
This is Hank Johnson (D-GA). This is what was elected by the good citizens of GA.
I think he’s been smoking the same junk Barky’s been smoking, probably in the same room.
This made me snort Hawaiian Punch. Be sure to read the comments:
I just talked to Nancy Peacock and she said LT Commander Fitzpatrick has been arrested this morning in Madisonville, Tenn. No charges have been filed as of now, but they will be when his booking is complete. They will not let anyone see him and he does not have an attorney. If anyone knows a senator or representative in Tenn. the need to be aware of this. He can be held indefinitely. You can go to http://qik.com/video/5791955 to watch arrest.
Fortunately for me I was only IN one flood in my life here in INDY. But that one we found ourselves smack dab in the middle of about what turned into about a 80 acre lake. Water about 6.5′ deep. Had to evacuate. We rented then,and the owner was forced to eventually tear it down. There was massive damage. After that we paid a little more attention to where we lived. We have two rivers that converge into one right in the middle of town which then flows into Lake Erie. I would suspect that there is no difference anywhere. A flood is just that. My heart really goes out to anybody caught in a flood,and especially to those who have children,and/or are buying their homes. It is really a difficult thing to get through psychologically, as well. Very painful in every aspect! I am praying for all of you!
SueK // April 1, 2010 at 2:14 pm
Suey, what’s in that punch? I know you are a “busy bee,” but you are the 3rd post…lol
However, in your defense, who has the time to read 300 some-odd posts before posting?
I am sure most people are glad they had an empty mouth when they read that story.
How do these guys get elected? I realize those who live in the South are a little “slow on the draw,” but this guy is unbelievably ignorant!
My advice to you…”no drinking before reading!”
Just pulling your good leg…Linda
The Obama BC will not be released
After much thought and pain. I have decided to sell this document. So I am sorry but money talks and bull**** walks. One of the reason for my decision is like what the American Grand Jury said about me. These people have done nothing to help the cause of removing Obama. The show tonight will be nothing but music and I will not talk about it. Obama has won and it is over. I will take my money and ride off into the sunset. So after tonight show, it will just be Joe Saebi. Goodbye and goodluck
Radar Ziva // April 1, 2010 at 2:19 pm
We just got Leo Haffey out! Isn’t Leo a lawyer, CW? If so, can he help?
I have kind of a funny flood story. It was one of those hurricane deals. The basement was taking on water, we had about a 1″ or 2″ when I went down there. We also have a drain in one corner. When I inspected the drain it seemed that was not water flowing into the drain. So I got a screwdriver and took the plate off. Gt a stick and then a plunger and all of sudden whooooosh the drain cleared and I had this three foot high steam of water coming up from the drain….”honey I fixed the drain!”
Posted on Thursday, April 01, 2010 3:29:26 PM by george76
oldsalt78 // April 1, 2010 at 2:21 pm
Hi OldSalt and thanks for the prayers!
I’m getting call after call – people totally wiped out; nothing left to salvage. Upper floors of houses underwater. Evacuations ongoing.
This is a ‘500 year flood’- one which, on average occurs every 500 years.
I remember last year when the Red River in Fargo, ND, topped its banks; the local humane society was very close and they had to move all the animals to an emergency shelter. I did what I could to help from here; the Director was crying when I called.
As you know, there’s not a blessed thing you can do-rivers eventually reclaim their land-but it’s your possessions you’ve worked so hard for and tragically, the memories from photos and special items passed on to you. None of those things can ever be replaced.
The National Guard is here helping out and we’re so glad to see them!
We’ll get through this with a little help. I pray for everyone affected by this catastrophe and am trying to help where I can.
Radar Ziva……………………………… How can anyone be illegally on a Grand Jury. This sounds a little like the crap that the MMMSSS. IMPORTANT judge tried against trhe lawyer a few months back. The political machine in Tennesee seems to be as corrupt as Chicago. It wouldn’t suprise me if everybody who has served on these grand juries in all of the states will be arreasted. If this happens and the states do it they will have violated both Federal,and Constitutional law.
With regard to Hank Johnson (D-GA), it is important to point out the fastidious degree of discipline and character of which our fine men in women in uniform can muster up in situations of great distress. A lesser man would have bust a gut in laughter far exceeding the measured decorum usually expected within such solemn and stately proceedings.
Unfortunately, it also unabashedly typifies why the socialists are in control. Until common sense is restored to our political process, gerrymandering out stupidity is our only hope.
Citizen Don in California says:
Radar Ziva // April 1, 2010 at 2:19 pm /////////////////// I’m confused. Doesn’t Tenn citizens have the right to make a citizens arrest? When I worked as a security guard, that was the only authority I had to make arrests. I had to sign the complaint form and the police were required to receive my prisoner and file the proper charges. Is Tenn any different from Calif and Okla???
Linda from NY // April 1, 2010 at 2:25 pm
Awww, Linda, I can’t keep up! I hadn’t seen it.
Regular Hawaiian Punch from the cafe. Maybe Peggy snuck something in there on me? I’ll have to have a chat with that young lady…
Don, apparently not if you watched the video Lt. Commander Fitzpatrick told the gentleman that he had the right to. They did not arrest him until he was on the sidewalk. This is all I know as of now.
I believe that the name of the last person to get this treatment in Tennessee was Mr. Haffey…….everybody remember? Allegedly this guy is being charged with DISORDERLY conduct. In addition he appears to be a SENIOR CITIZEN. Real bunch of BAD ASSES taking down a senior citizen who didn’t appear to be doing anything against the law. Typical behavior of COWARDS. They must be running scared. As somebody said this is a REAL TRAVESTY, and MISCARRIAGE OF JUSTICE.
Old Salt, I am not sure, I bleive Nancy Peacock will be able to let everyone know more when she arrives home.
What the hell does disorderly conduct have to do with being illegally on a grand jury. I think somebody is full of YOU KNOW WHAT.
Citizen Don in California says:
Radar Ziva // April 1, 2010 at 2:19 pm
I just talked to Nancy Peacock and she said LT Commander Fitzpatrick has been arrested this morning in Madisonville, ////////////////////// I just watched the video and the officers kept telling him to stop resisting. I didn’t see any resisting. They appeared to be manhandling him and say things to justify their actions.
I have family in Tenn and half of my family were from Tenn and I am ashamed of the actions of the law enforcement officers I just watched.
My prayers go out to LT Commander Fitzpatrick.
Did anyone download and read what was stated in the natural born citizen site…I tried but was taking a long time. It was …Alexander Porter Morse eesay on natural born citizen in America..dated early 1900’s if anyone did, can they post it here for us to read?
By William Murchison on 4.1.10 @ 6:09AM
Citizen Don in California says:
Margie // April 1, 2010 at 2:54 pm /////////////// Is this what you wanted? ///////
A few years after Wong Kim Ark was decided, the Albany Law Journal published an article by Alexander Porter Morse entitled, “NATURAL-BORN CITIZEN OF THE UNITED STATES: ELIGIBILITY FOR THE OFFICE OF PRESIDENT” (Albany Law Journal Vol. 66 (1904-1905)):
If it was intended that anybody who was a citizen by birth should be eligible, it would only have been necessary to say, “no person, except a native-born citizen”; but the framers thought it wise, in view of the probable influx of European immigration, to provide that the president should at least be the child of citizens owing allegiance to the United States at the time of his birth. It may be observed in passing that the current phrase “native-born citizen” is well understood; but it is pleonasm and should be discarded; and the correct designation, “native citizen” should be substituted in all constitutional and statutory enactments, in judicial decisions and in legal discussions where accuracy and precise language are essential to intelligent discussion.
Tennessee judges at work again! Tells me a lot! Have you heard anymore about Haffey?
What I can see LT Commander Fitzpatrick tried to make a citizens arrest.
In Tennessee, it has been held that a private citizen has the right to arrest when a felony has been committed and he has reasonable cause to believe that the person arrested committed it. Reasonable grounds will justify the arrest, whether the facts turn out to be sufficient or not. (See Wilson v. State, 79 Tenn. 310 (1833).
When asked to leave , he didn’t .
That’s what he was arrested for.
Posted on Thursday, April 01, 2010 4:02:37 PM by Gene Eric
Citizen Don in California says:
* My campus has non-clinical professionals/departments directing students, faculty, and/or staff to the recreation center for health and fitness counseling?
* My campus has a computer-based system to track patient participation in physical activity interventions?
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Silver level campuses must be engaged in at least (3) of the following: * My campus hosts classes that teach students the fundamentals of EIM on Campus and their potential role in fulfilling the mission of EIM?
* My campus trains students to educate campus community members on EIM and the importance of physical activity as medicine?
* My campus works with campus health services so that every health care provider discusses physical activity with every patient or client?
Bronze level recognition is the first step in creating the EIM initiative on Campus. These campuses bring attention to the growing need for physical activity and take action in helping to create a healthier, more active campus environment.
Bronze level campuses create awareness of the importance of exercise and regular physical activity for health and promote exercise to students, faculty, staff and the community through engagement in any of the following activities. Bronze level campuses must engage in at least (3) of the following:
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News and Commentary for CAD and DCC Professionals
Autodesk 360 is a cloud-based suite for product lifecycle management that represents a new strategic direction and a significant about-face.
Last week Autodesk introduced a new product lifecycle management (PLM) suite called Autodesk 360; it will ship in the first half of 2012. Autodesk is tapping into the cloud to deliver a new approach to PLM, which it says will enable companies “to capture and manage product information and processes to continuously improve the products they manufacture.” Autodesk is using a combination of existing products and new technology to deliver PLM, in one of the biggest about-faces in the history of design software. We think it will cause competitors to react with new cloud-based initiatives, and bring long-overdue disruptive change to PLM.
In 2007 a video of Autodesk CEO Carl Bass was a minor hit on YouTube , as he presented a self-titled “Anti-PLM Rant” at a press event. “There are only three customers in the world who have ever had a PLM problem. One is Dassault, one is PTC, and one is UGS [now Siemens PLM Software]. All competitors. There is no company that I know of that wakes up and says ‘I have a PLM problem.’ PLM is an artifact, it is a marketing slogan, to satisfy a financial community.”
In 2010 Bass and his lieutenants started adjusting the official Autodesk stance on PLM. In an interview with blogger and software developer Deelip Menezes , Bass said things had changed since 2007. “I think people have had a more pragmatic approach to PLM. You can now find working implementations of PLM systems. I think one of the problems with PLM when used in the press is that it is not a very clear term. People mean different things.”
It seems every PLM company explains its product line with some sort of swirling circle. Autodesk VP Steven Bodner explains Autodesk 360 with a swirl simpler than most. (Source: Autodesk)
Putting an end to PLM confusion
Last week at Autodesk University the company set about to not only introduce Autodesk 360 but to also set straight the misconceptions and confusion it says exists regarding PLM. “Our approach to PLM is a sharp contrast to the decades-old technology in the market today,” said Robert “Buzz” Kross, senior vice president, Manufacturing Industry Group at Autodesk.
Most PLM-specific analysts and third-party implementation vendors define PLM in the broadest possible terms, as all technology used to create products including CAD. Most end users mistake PLM as PDM, and use the terms interchangeably. The Autodesk definition—which got most of the press and business analysts in the room nodding in agreement—is that PLM should be defined as PDM plus software for managing processes.
In the 1990s and 2000s, enterprise-class manufacturers customers invested heavily in enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, primarily from SAP and Oracle. Companies that did invest in PLM were the ones able to spend millions of dollars to deploy the software to thousands of users; to the vast majority of smaller manufacturers, PLM was seen as an unobtainable extravagance. Most turned to homegrown alternatives using Microsoft Excel or SharePoint, or used project management solutions designed for real estate asset management. It is such deployments that Autodesk sees as its initial competitors.
Nexus will initially ship with five modules:
Process and Program Management
In doing its homework before developing Nexus and Autodesk 360, the company commissioned a survey of attitudes among potential customers who do not currently use Autodesk products. The top five reasons cited for not realizing true value in PLM were (in order):
The amount of internal and external process change required
A full three-quarters of those surveyed said they were considering cloud technology for both economies of scale and strategic benefits.
Autodesk said the survey results led them to focus on five key elements:
PLM is much more than engineering plus PDM.
PDM and CAD should be tightly coupled.
PDM and PLM users are NOT the same people; they should not use the same tool.
Users demand easy ubiquitous access. They want their business software to work like their personal software; they want apps that work like Facebook.
Uses want rapid deployment that works with their existing practices.
On a user-interface level, Autodesk is aiming to provide:
A contemporary user experience;
Pre-installed Apps that deliver value in days, not weeks or months
Autodesk 360 is a three-legged PLM stool, with two legs already in place. For CAD data management (aka product data management, PDM) Autodesk has Vault, a popular PDM product that customers deploy on local servers. For supplier collaboration Autodesk has the cloud-based Buzzsaw, which it has sold into AEC for years; modifications are coming to better support product development. The new leg is Nexus, a cloud-based solution that will become the anchor technology for Autodesk 360. It will ship with what the company says will be an intuitive way to view business information, collaborate, manage and share data throughout product lifecycles, while integrating with existing systems and software.
The key differentiators separating Autodesk 360 and existing PLM solutions from Siemens PLM, Dassault Systèmes, and PTC are the cloud-based deployment and the low cost of deployment and ongoing use. In a presentation to press and analysts at Autodesk University, the “typical” deployment cost of a 200-seat new PLM installation from one of the Big Three was compared with a similar deployment of Autodesk Nexus:
Sue the NESARA are certainly connected with the Guardians…..from all the audios I have listened to you come to that understanding….our economic security is certainly at high risk and the FRAUD and his cronies are only making it worse…..that has been their goal all along….the audio I listened to yesterday that that the industry has been sucked out of our country for a reason…..they want to weaken us and leave us vulnerable…..I would say they accomplished that mission!!!
From the first story at the link you provided, from 3/29:
“Russian Foreign Ministry sources are reporting in the Kremlin today that President Obama has been summoned by Chinese Communist leader Hu Jintao [both pictured top photo left] to an extraordinary meeting in Beijing where the American leader was told that the planned destruction of the United States must be accelerated before all out Global war begins. According to these reports, Obama was secreted into Beijing yesterday while using a ‘surprise visit’ to his troops in neighboring Afghanistan as ‘cover’ and was given a dire warning that China will soon have “no choice” but to expand into the American heartland as massive drought and desertification have ravaged their Nation and civil war is feared neared as millions begin to starve.”
# Follow the Constitution Says: March 31st, 2010 at 12:54 pm
Buck, They are being served with..
The unanimous Declaration of the sovereign People of the united States of America to restore and reinhabit the free American republics
It is a 79 page declaration where the governors will have 72 hours to take a new oath to office or step down and the next person in line will be given the chance to take the oath and serve as governor and they will go down the line in proper order to each public official that is next in line for serving as governor.
Sue….I don’t think the Fraud went to Afganastan to see the troops…..that is a sleight of hand trick again….he also made a stop in London….WHY….to refuel….I doubt it!!!
By all accounts it appears to me that the military are indeed involved in serving up these declarations and are behind the Guardians…..anyway that is what I am getting from every site discussing this information!
Isn’t d2i connected to her governor in some way?
Isn’t d 2 i connected to her governor in some way?
Ky Attn Gen. saif today will not file suit against HC due to tax burden on people. Form reply.
Maybe he is in the know. Heard last might by Restore people healthcare is dead, will not be funded..
Rocknee // March 31, 2010 at 12:21 pm
Ky Attn Gen. saif today will not file suit against HC due to tax burden on people. Form reply.
Maybe he is in the know. Heard last might by Restore people healthcare is dead, will not be funded.. ******************************************
That bill is a piece of CRAP…..anyone in their right mind would know there is NO money to cover another 40 million people without drastic changes to everyone’s health care!!
Greg….I saw your question and response from John on that blog…..I did read the letter and posted it here….for some reason it is still in moderation….don’t know why CW put it in moderation??
Greg…..Here’s the post he took down…let’s see if it will come out of moderation now…. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yesterday I received a call from an old friend that I’ve known for over 30 years. Prior to a 28 year career as a merchant marine officer I was an Army Ranger. My friend is on the security detail for a State Governor.
Today is Wednesday March 31, 2010. On Monday the security staff was briefed by FBI to be alert to any groups attempting to arrest the Governor.
My friend called asking if I knew anything – he knows I’m “into this shit”. After laughing a little I explained about arresting the bonds, and the Governor being served by Provost Marshal General personnel.
I told him not to worry about crowds of peasants with pitchforks and shotguns – but do be alert to a visit by U.S. Army.
BTW, the security staff knows about false flags, demonization of “militias”, etc. They listen to Alex Jones and Lyndon LaRouche. My friend told me that the security staff had made a conscious decision to “chill out” (his words) and to not buy into hysteria.
So use this information as you will, keep me private, but be advised at least one Governor’s security staff is standing by for a visit from the Provost Marshal’s office.
All of this waiting, keeping me in suspense may cause ulcers.
Prairie @ 11:01 am Sad to say I’m experienced with “flash floods” too. Very good advise, for all these folks I’m sure they will need it. I would add don’t let the kids play in the water, can be very germy.
Greg…..Here’s the post he took down…let’s see if it will come out of moderation now…. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yesterday I received a call from an old friend that I’ve known for over 30 years. Prior to a 28 year career as a merchant marine officer I was an Army Ranger. My friend is on the security detail for a State Governor.
Today is Wednesday March 31, 2010. On Monday the security staff was briefed by FBI to be alert to any groups attempting to arrest the Governor.
My friend called asking if I knew anything – he knows I’m “into this sh**”. After laughing a little I explained about arresting the bonds, and the Governor being served by Provost Marshal General personnel.
I told him not to worry about crowds of peasants with pitchforks and shotguns – but do be alert to a visit by U.S. Army.
BTW, the security staff knows about false flags, demonization of “militias”, etc. They listen to Alex Jones and Lyndon LaRouche. My friend told me that the security staff had made a conscious decision to “chill out” (his words) and to not buy into hysteria.
So use this information as you will, keep me private, but be advised at least one Governor’s security staff is standing by for a visit from the Provost Marshal’s office.
You see folks, the very first sentence is a dead giveaway. What declaration? What people? What unanimous?
Even if this is theoretically 100% righteous and 100% per the constitution, not 1 in a million people even know of this, let alone “voted” or “polled”.
Again, ask yourself – if you were somebody important and you got a document from somebody or some organization you had never heard of, and with this as the first sentence, what would you do.
Exactly one of two things: 1) toss it, or 2) give it to a staffer, who would in-turn toss it.
NOTHING is going to happen unless the will of a vast majority of the people is exercised through a widely known approved traditional constitutional process, or somebody handcuffs somebody and drags them away.
Otherwise to quote a wise student of human nature: ” … it is a tale, told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing”.
CW seems to have certain filters that automatically place certain comments in moderation. For instance my question about d 2 i when I first typed it without spaces went into mod for some unknown reason…lol
Ya’ll, I’m nervous as a mouse in a cat house. Trying to understand everything. don’t quite understand China and France blocking deliveries of packets. ?????????????????
With all due respect; This reads like a (bad) Tom Clancy novel. I imagine Obots (prolly paid) sitting at their ‘puters putting all this “out there” as they rotfltcao! But that’s just me…I got lots of S&P for the crow (grilled, please, w/o the feathers)I am more than willing to eat if this fantasy pans out.
Jacqlyn Smith // March 31, 2010 at 12:12 pm
Sue….I don’t think the Fraud went to Afganastan to see the troops…..that is a sleight of hand trick again….he also made a stop in London….WHY….to refuel….I doubt it!!!
In this you are correct. Something VERY fishy is going on. There was no reason whatsoever for him to visit Afghanistan at this particular time. The president, the airplane, and the inevitable entourage, do not go half way around the world just for a pleasant outing.
He was out and about for a very specific reason – but Afghanistan wasn’t it. Does anybody know for sure how long he was gone and what stops he made?
SueK @ 11:20 am Thanks for the info. I’m glad the states are shutting down, too darn dangerous for the citizens. I was a flood victim in Illinois myself. It is horrible-in our suburbs thousands affected-homes, businesses-everything. They must build sewage treatment plants in outlying area’s, they always have a problem. When all the help starts arriving and the water starts receding folks will be able to figure stuff out. Don’t go in a car if you can help it, you don’t want to drown, you lose perspective of where the heck the road is. Important: take pictures of any damage for insurance/other purposes.
Beautiful and appropriate….hopefully we will all be going home to our republic sooner than later…
Citizen Carlyle // March 31, 2010 at 12:32 pm
You see folks, the very first sentence is a dead giveaway. What declaration? What people? What unanimous?
SueK/Kidmon: This one’s for you!
Pig’s blood in cigarette filters? Devout may find this ‘very offensive’
The Money Times ^ | March 31, 2010 | Natalie James
Posted on Wednesday, March 31, 2010 7:28:33 PM by myknowledge
“Here’s one more reason to quit smoking. Cigarettes may contain pigs’ blood. A new research has found that cigarettes may contain traces of pig’s blood, which can spark concerns among religious groups.”
Tea Party Finds Its Motivation In Constitution
Posted on Wednesday, March 31, 2010 7:32:24 PM by Kaslin
“Over the past 14 months, our political debate has been transformed into an argument between the heirs of two fundamental schools of political thought, the Founders and the Progressives. The Founders stood for the expansion of liberty and the Progressives for the expansion of government.”
Latest from that Nasara place, and this is weird:
“Wednesday, March 31, 2010 Breaking up this set of inter-connected organisations can make it possible for deliveries to be achieved. Wednesday, March 31, 2010 AltNews3 http://alcuinbramerton.blogspot.com/ Alcuin Bramerton profile ….. Index of blog contents ….. Home Each one of our protracted sessions with a part of the dark cabal has taught us how similar these denizens of the dark resemble their former compadres on other worlds in distant star nations. We have seen that as their numbers dwindle, the dark become more pliable to our various demands. Our intent is to have this old and quite formidable set of global financial institutions dismantled in the very near future. Breaking up this set of inter-connected organisations can make it possible for deliveries to be achieved. Then the temporary regimes can follow and your new reality can move closer to manifesting.”
Well, here’s a clue, the word “organisations” over here in the US is spelled Organizations, with a “z.” In the UK, they spell it with an “s.” Maybe in Canada too.
Notice these words from above: “…on other worlds in distant star nations.”
So what do we make of distance star nations?
Swine Smoke? HAHAHAHA How the Mooselums will love that! You always see them smoking with their dirty hands.
Looks as if Clinton announced Barky will be working on an arms treaty with the UN. This would be one that ends our sovereignty as the RAP states.
Jerome // March 31, 2010 at 6:21 pm
And it better have an iron-clad, bullet-proof “chain of custody”.
The house panel has approved the Health Freedom act in Tennessee. We won’t be forced to join the Federal Health Plan.
Kittycat // March 31, 2010 at 6:35 pm
Snowbird neighbors are flooded, but I did what I could with their basement.
Rivers in MA are due to crest either tomorrow or Friday…it’s gonna be rough. The National Guard has been activated and they’re helping evacuate people and sandbag.
I’ve never seen anything like this in all my years here.
The petlets and their mom are safe, secure and dry!
Guys, I haven’t read down but half way. ANYTHING to do with NESARA is BS. Now they may have jumped onto this T.R.A.P. plan but I repeat: anything to do with NESARA is junk.
Citizen Carlyle // March 31, 2010 at 6:49 pm
Jerome // March 31, 2010 at 6:21 pm
And it better have an iron-clad, bullet-proof “chain of custody”.
If the Government tried to prosecute Ed for stealing or buying Obama’s BC then they themselves would be verifying it as authentic wouldn’t they??? That would put it all over the media where we want it.
Jerome, What time is Ed to unveil the BC. I must admit I’m curious.
Sue, I’m so glad that you’re okay. Please keep us up-to-date when you can. I was concerned today when I saw Drudge and y’alls flooding up in that area.
If anyone here paid the $100 dollars to see what Hale has to offer I know you won’t be able to capture the image from your computer. If you have a good digital camera and a tripod or something stable to set your camera on, please take some photos of the images on your monitor.
SueK @ 7:00 pm Thank goodness that you are ok, snowbirds might be here in Florida, they usually leave after Easter. News is reporting worst in 100 years. I believe it. Reminder 1/2 hour from now. jbjd also in MA group that had flooding troubles, check her web-site for page 2 for new info if you can read before broadcast. jbjd’s been a typing and soaking up flood troubles all day. Great way to spend passover huh? http://www.blogtalkradio.com/drkate Join drkate and jbjd tonite as we continue the discussion of 2008 election fraud. In tonight’s episode, jbjd reports on the latest developments in the campaign to redress that fraud in applicable states and provide guidance as to how to forestall such fraud from re-occurring in the election of 2012. Find out why pursuing the election fraud case against Nancy Pelosi is just as important to undoing the Obama administration. Without Pelosi’s fraud, Obama never would have been elected. Don’t miss this exciting show! http://jbjd.wordpress.com/2010/03/24/open-letter-ag-abbott-tx/
I guess Ed Hale will show the people who paid the money tonight on his Show at 8:00pm Central. Plainsradio.com ————————————————- Tonight I will release Obama Birth Certificate that was in the vault in the State of Hawaii. This is his orginal BC that the director stood up and said ” I have seen his BC and he is a NBC”. Well now I am about to prove that woman lie to America with the same document that she claims he was a NBC with. If you want to help Caren and myself pay for this, please click on the blue button above that says “Request a Password”. You will be given a password if you donate at least $100.00 and your name will be included in those that help to get this document. Tongiht at 8:00 PM Central, Be listening
Linda from NY // March 31, 2010 at 6:06 pm
Well, what the hell did the skank expect? A ticker tape parade?
Kittycat // March 31, 2010 at 7:19 pm
I’ll be taking some pics over the next few days and will send them along when they’re ready. It ain’t gonna be pretty, but we’re tough in these parts…we’ll get through it!
Michelle // March 31, 2010 at 7:31 pm
Yup, snowbird neighbors heading back after Easter. I’m doing the best I can with their house, but they have a mess.
It’ll get worse before it gets bettah…
Linda from NY @ 6:06 pm On a certain level this is really the height of ridiculous. They run for office to represent WE THE PEOPLE, the people tell them we HATE this bill. They vote for it anyway in defiance of WE THE PEOPLE. Then the gutless wonders can’t face their constituency-that’s pathetic. Then they are going to have the nerve to run for office and expect to get re-elected. The people will never get over these insults. What a bunch of jerks. If I really believed in my vote, I would defend it to the death.
SueK // March 31, 2010 at 7:38 pm
Hey, Suey! Glad to hear you and the “petlets” are okay. What a mess!
They sure have the ba{{s to run their mouths far away from their constituents, but when they have to meet them face-to-face, they are nothing but cowards.
When “Slaughter the Slug” returned home for August recess, she said she did not need to have any Town Halls because her constituents were all behind her…like Hell they were! Wonder if the brick through her office window gave her any idea they were not “behind” at all. Don’t know when she is up for re-election, but I do know she is no longer popular in her district.
“Throw the Bums Out!” I was wondering just how many would be left…I am only able to count them on my fingers; toes not included.
Linda from NY // March 31, 2010 at 7:56 pm
Ya, the petlets have no concept of what’s happening; their only focus is food! All are fine and safe.
I agree with Michelle’s post @ 7:55…gutless wonders, indeed!
Our own Congresswoman, Tricky Niki Tsongas is also doing the phone thing (tonight, in fact). She mistakenly thought that a face-to-face with the Seniors would be a safe bet last week. Well, she miscalculated a bit…the Seniors chewed her up and spit her out!
It seems that once they get into office, they feel it’s *their* little club, and to hell with the people who put them there.
I think they’re in for a bit of a surprise come November; few will be left standing, IMO. Let’s just hope the elections will be held; that’s my fear right now!
“Tim Barello writes to us from New York City: This article is currently the #1 article on the entire NY hyperlocal site, meaning that hundreds of thousands and possibly millions of unique viewers are seeing it right now at http://www.examiner.com/new_york . Editor’s Note: Tim has done a first-rate job of summarising the essential points of the CMKM Case for the general reader.”
***This is the largest fraud case in history and it is against our government.
Ed Hale is delaying the release of whatever he has for 48 hours. . . His typical BS. . .
Prairie, which article at the examiner?
Jacqlyn Smith // April 1, 2010 at 11:08 am
…..what I do know is that Ed is in a whole heap of trouble if this is all bogus!!!! *******************************************
Very true for what following believers he still has remaining, I happen not to be one of them.
Assuming the Congressman does have it, how will he verify a Stolen State Document from Hawaii? Call them and ask if it’s missing?
* William // April 1, 2010 at 8:12 am
Until the alleged Ed Hale BC document is in the U.S. Court and a U.S. Court appointed Document Expert proclaims it is Authentic and matches the records on the Hawaii DOH systems, then this has 0% credibility. ==================
Is this an April Fools Video? Why didn’t those people START LAUGHING?? Is this guy been hanging out with the First Crackpipe President and hitting the pipe with him?
There are illiterate homeless winos that have more common sense than this MORON.
The jails are full ?????. A better question would be why is Soetoro still running around.
Army….We here all know why the FRAUD is still running around free!!
Well I must admit either he thinks he can get away with it as an April fools joke, or he is just plain crazy. I would never proclaim on the internet that I am co-conspirator in a Crime, which he did do. Could one only imagine that a person claims they have hacked into U.S. Customs website and are in possession of Obama’s records? Knock knock….who’s there……FBI….
I Love It! Thanks for sharing!
I’ll take plain crazy for a hundred dollars.
That photo is too funny… On my fridge it goes…
** William // April 1, 2010 at 10:36 am
**************************************** Assuming a Congressman in fact posses the allege BC, he/she would be very wise to Authenticate/verify it ‘Prior” to exposing it to anyone as the real deal. Otherwise, it would be a career ending move and humiliating to say the least.
I cannot imagine a Congressman taking the word of anyone and runing off to gather the other Congressional committee members touting “Here it is” this time it’s real….
We’ll see I guess. hope it’s real, but not much faith in it. ==================
CONgress doesn’t necessarily have to say it is authentic or not what they have to say is in light of this new Document we are asking for an investigation into the allegation and ask Obamaliar to submit his documents into the investigation.
They could ask for a Grand Jury Investigation.
SueK: This one’s for you! You won!
Report: More Than 70 Million Doses of H1N1 Vaccine May Have to Be Discarded
Posted on Thursday, April 01, 2010 12:54:43 PM by CatherineMartin07
Obamaliar Census from AP. Race info not disclosed.
2 hrs 6 mins ago WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama has filled out and turned in his family’s census form, making sure to include an entry for the First Grandma.
The White House said Friday that Obama supplied information for himself, first lady Michelle Obama and their daughters Malia and Sasha, as well as for Mrs. Obama’s mother, Marian Robinson, who lives with the family.
In a blog post, Census Director Robert Groves noted that living with members of extended families “often causes confusion” on the form.
The White House didn’t immediately respond to questions about how Obama had identified his race. America’s first black president is the child of a white mother and a black father; the form offers options for white, black and “some other race.”
Michelle Malkin: It’s Time For a Spartacus-Type Revolt!
ARMY D.A.V. // April 1, 2010 at 11:56 am
I’ll take plain crazy for a hundred dollars. *******************************************
I figured by now that either China or Russia (possibly Israel) would have hacked into the database systems of U.S. passports, Customs, Immigrations, colleges, U.S. foreign student loan programs and Hawaii DOH. I also thought by now that citizens would attempt break-ins to a few of these places, neither have happened. I personally believe that every physical document has been removed from their location long ago and are most likely in a secure place. As for the PC accessibility, one can imagine the security programs surrounding access to such files, most likely the same that protects our Nuclear program. Therefore, only a Chinese customer rep. is capable of accessing them.
CONgress doesn’t necessarily have to say it is authentic or not what they have to say is in light of this new Document we are asking for an investigation into the allegation and ask Obamaliar to submit his documents into the investigation.
They could ask for a Grand Jury Investigation.
Peter….exactly…..this is what we have wanted from the get go….with all the corruption in our government the good guys that have nothing to do with the corruption should be screaming from the top of their lungs that there needs to be an investigation!!!
ARMY D.A.V. // April 1, 2010 at 11:56 am
I see your “sense of humor” has returned.
“Army ‘ShowDown’ At Eligibility Corral”
Portuguese Revolutionary War Hero – Peter Francisco // April 1, 2010 at 12:01 pm
They could ask for a Grand Jury Investigation. *******************************************
This is true, however, put yourself in the position of a current congress member and ask yourself a few questions. The first in my mind is “Is this real”? secondly, “Is it stolen as you claim”, third, how is this different than the other 6 BC forgeries that were sent to me in which I did absolutely nothing about?
I personally believe you could take every real document straight to a Senator or Congress person and they would absolutely not do a dang thing about it except tell you it’s for the Courts to decide, not us.
Until Obama’s handlers are ready to cut him loose, whatever Ed does isn’t going to matter.
Interestingly enough, if definitive evidence surfaces that Obama is indeed a usurper, even if it gets to this level, Democrats still hold the majority and could vote down removal by impeachment. Is there a double jeopardy statute with regard to impeachable offenses by the president and attempts to try him for them? If so, if faced with incotrovertible evidence that Obama is a fraud, Democrats may move to hold impeachment hearings and a vote quickly before the Republicans gain back the majority, so that they can avoid later impeachment proceedings against Obama led by the Republicna majority. But if there are no double jeopardy statutes regarding impeachment of a sitting president, then of course this would be moot.
Actually it is Madisonville, Tenn.
American flag on floor at White House… Posted by: ender | Wednesday, March 31, 2010 at 10:49 PM
Appears as if the White House no longer exists either. It is now the Animal House.
So, my friends, I believe we have gotten the message. Obama must be removed and quickly.
Gianni // April 1, 2010 at 12:18 pm
Interestingly enough, if definitive evidence surfaces that Obama is indeed a usurper, even if it gets to this level, Democrats still hold the majority and could vote down removal by impeachment. Is there a double jeopardy statute with regard to impeachable offenses by the president and attempts to try him for them? If so, if faced with incotrovertible evidence that Obama is a fraud, Democrats may move to hold impeachment hearings and a vote quickly before the Republicans gain back the majority, so that they can avoid later impeachment proceedings against Obama led by the Republicna majority. But if there are no double jeopardy statutes regarding impeachment of a sitting president, then of course this would be moot. ***************************************
At that point I think we could go to election fraud like jbjd has worked on and show that the DNC put him on the ballot without any proof of citizenship!!
BTW…..Nathan Deal would not be afraid of confronting the Congress with the info….he has already sent a letter to the White House asking for the proof to show his constituents and Deal is running for Governor…..the FRAUD doesn’t have any control over him!
Greg, now THAT’S a thing of beauty!
Cabby – AZ // April 1, 2010 at 11:17 am
Thank you for posting the link to the article for all to read and ponder…
IMHO, Netanyahu is no fool; we all know who the fool is…
Radar Ziva // April 1, 2010 at 12:19 pm
I need to go back to Sweetwater, Tenn. soon. From time to time I take the family to the indoor flea market there, is quite large and they have the best darn foot long corn dogs you can eat.
I always get the best of it. I walk around eating fresh made foot long corn dogs and the family shops..
Linda from NY @ 10:27 am Obama again shows he’s obsessed with “Birthers” His guilty mind is driving him insane. Did you hear jbjd on drkates last night really good. http://jbjd.wordpress.com/ Jokers Part One and Two “Well, remember, there’s always §161.009, which subjects the party chair to the legal cause of action called mandamus. http://law.onecle.com/texas/election/161.009.00.htmls (I mentioned this on drkate’s Revolution Radio, Part III.) Mandamus allows the court – the judicial branch of government – to order members of the executive branch of government – and, in Texas, political party Chairs – to perform their ministerial functions, as spelled out in law – legislative branch – which law, in this case, says Mr. Richie must declare Mr. Obama ineligible.”
I found something on the NESARA. Let me just post here what I posted at AGJ. Greg, let me know what you think about it, please.
“Now NESARA has been renamed by the Galactic Federation as GESARA, General Economic Security And Reformation Action
Warning: nesara.com and NESARA.org are phony website with disinformation. The http://www.quatloos.com website is an FBI/CIA DISinformation website which has been confirmed as ‘disinformation’ by numerous people with intelligence agency connections.” Dove Report of August 24, 2003.”
I also found one of the Nesara places where someone in Jan. asked that Casper point blank is he CIA. I’ll see if I can find it.
“Thursday, January 7, 2010 Question for Casper – Was Nesara created by the CIA? I just submitted this question to Casper on Fourwinds and asking for his comments. =================================================== Now 1/9/10 — 2 days – STILL NO COMMENT FROM CASPER.
Per Chris Story and his latest posting about Stillpoint.
NESARA was created by the CIA as a cover for Operation Stillpoint. A lot of the language describing the two different programs was the same: Whenever anything came out into the open about Operation Stillpoint, people would assume it was just more info about NESARA. There were never any plans, even in the REAL ‘new financial system’ to pay individuals anything. Of course, you cannot blame the folks involved with this. It was a very well done scam at the highest levels of government using unlimited funds to make it seem real.
CASPER – Care to comment? Posted by John MacHaffie at 2:44 PM”
William @ 12:33 pm I listened to jbjd last night, time just flies by when she starts explaining. If you know of one or more Texas Tea Party groups-I would e-mail Joker to the Left and Right, Out of the Mouth of Babes to them and request they forward to other Tea Party groups in Texas. jbjd-1,000 to 100,000 citizens in Austin-they would have to pay attention. There was a lot of documented election fraud in Texas last election cycle and I’m sure the citizens are still steamed. This will provide a way for them to do something about it. jbjd was correct on this point also, the Republicans should be screaming bloody murder re: this issue.
What a day it has been in Tennessee. Lt. Commander Walter Fitzpatrick III filed his paperwork in the court clerk’s office and attempted to effect a citizen’s arrest on Grand Jury Foreman Gary Pettway. I believe the Tennessee Constitution states that a person may serve as Grand Jury Foreman for twenty-four months. Mr. Pettway has been there for 27 years. Needless to say, all of the indictments that have been handed down for the past 25 years are suspect, having been decided by the same person.
Lt. Commander Fitzpatrick called Madisonville Police several times for assistance. Sheriff Bivens arrived and Lt. Commander Fitzpatrick attempted to arrest him for not doing his job. We were escorted from the building and were told that the judge had said that we could not come back in (a public building). Lt. Commander Fitzpatrick called the Madisonville Police again and was told that they were on site, so we went back into the courthouse to find them. At this time, Sheriff Bivens once again told us to leave and escorted us outside. The whole time, the Lt. Commander requested to speak with him and he kept telling him that he would speak to him outside. Once we were outside, he went back inside and slammed the door on one of the Oathkeepers.
Someone from the Madisonville Police Department came out of the courthouse a short while later and told the Lt. Commander that if he did not leave the premises that he would be arrested. We were all standing on the steps of the courthouse. Lt. Commander Fitzpatrick told the policeman that we were leaving, but would like to ask him a question. The officer told him to leave, and he said, “I am, but I’d like to ask you a question.” The officer then said, “That’s it. You’re under arrest.” This was on the courthouse steps. He escorted the Lt. Commander to the sidewalk where he was handcuffed.
I listened for his Miranda, but I didn’t hear it. Lt. Commander Fitzpatrick refused to speak to them at the jail, so they said that they could not file charges against him until they finished booking him. Then, they told us that they couldn’t finish booking him until Lt. Commander Fitzpatrick talked to them. I then asked how long he could be held without being arraigned. They said that he could be held indefinitely. When I left Madisonville, no charges had been filed, so I could not get a copy of them, and Lt. Commander Fitzpatrick is still in jail. It seems that the corruption in Monroe County, Tennessee must run a lot deeper than we thought.
Crystal @ 12:59 pm Pelosi is out-she is up to her neck with voter fraud that was used to install Obama.
Kitty, Greg, let me know what you think about it, please.
I did some searches and I found a ton of info. Need to go through it but lets just say for now it reads like one big ass novel.
Nancy, was that you saying all that? Were you there, or was that Mr Swensson’s account you were passing on?
I feel very sorry for Mr Fitzpatrick, he served his country well for many years and then blew it all with one mistake.
I hope this doesn’t get too much attention, because his Court Martial, other unflattering activities, and and the fact that he has recently been actively been seeking to get arrested will all come to light.
If Mr Swensson is involved in all this, as he seems to be, because he is there in the videos, then I say shame on him, for using Walter Fitzpatrick in this way!
Nancy Peacock // April 1, 2010 at 3:55 pm
Well, Greg, if they (Nesara) are FBI or CIA, then maybe this RAP is part of their project too. I keep seeing that NESARA has put forth a lot of this information, and if so, just theoretically speaking, then they would have the money to make it an elaborate disinformation piece and make it look or seem real.
Michelle // April 1, 2010 at 3:38 pm
Hey, Chelley! Of course, pp is obsessed with “birthers!” They have been hounding him for the past year and a half.
So he tells his “Thugocracy” to “Alinsky” them! What other defense does he have? He knows if he doesn’t not discredit and silence them, they just might “uncover” his “fraudulent farce.”
Remember the first attempt to discredit? They called the Tea Party Movement “teabaggers.” Every MMM [SueK’s name for the LSM] host on every talk show was told to discredit “birthers,” “teabaggers,” and “truthers.”
Up until the time Apuzzo’s recent court case came into being, his DOJ lawyers were able to get other cases dismissed on the grounds of “jurisdiction” and “standing.” Apuzzo’s case has stopped them “dead in their tracks” so pp is getting nervous. When he gets nervous, he “belittles,” “discredits,” and “discounts.”
So the very fact that he is even mentioning it leads me to believe he is VERY NERVOUS.
Now, Chelley, I know you have great compassion, but I don’t want you to feel sorry for the “Fraud in the WH.” The truth will set us free and for most of us here, it cannot be revealed soon enough.
To Linda from NY; SueK; Prairie; and Michelle; I want to thank you for your concern and advice as to how to handle a flood. We are drying out; no additional ruin from damages 2 (two) weeks ago. Phew!
Glad y’all are okay, jbjd. That’s some terrible stuff to be going through flooding.
Linda from NY @ 4:28 pm Linda you can take this to the bank I will NEVER feel sorry for the Fraud in the WH. To me he is just a common ordinary South Side Pimp and worse 20 years a slum-lord with that other evil woman Jarrett-20 years of taxpayers (fed, state and local) money stolen-disgusting how the people (who have no power) have been treated by this “well-meaning” (think thieves and robbers) politicians. Obama could have said many times to whoever is behind this garbage I am NOT eligible therefore I cannot run. Well he did, voter fraud since he entered the scene with many other crimes. He deserves justice, along with all the others in on the felonious treason. Nixon did his crimes against the Constitution, what is the difference between him and Obama the same rules should apply. I remember how the Dems screamed during that time, the Republicans should return the favor and it is all about the Constitution, this group of pick and choose which law you want to obey/disobey on any given day. Makes no sense. No one can have it both ways. Glad to hear all of you all are somewhat ok, what a mess. Hope everyone has insurance, I guess they will have to update all the flood maps. Did you listen to jbjd last night, she was so good as usual, she had been fighting the flood all day too. She must have been exhausted, but she came through great. Read her blog especially part 2 of Jokers to the left/right-stuck in the middle with you-there is a hot paragraph in there that I know you will love.
Michelle // April 1, 2010 at 3:38 pm
Chelley, I read jbjd’s critique Part I before I listened with great interest to her presentation on drkate last night. All I can say is she is one amazing lady; so smart and so articulate!
The illustrations of Chiara Batista are definitely are something else. I suggest you to take some time to look and get inspired from all the…
I’m always mesmerised by beautiful combinations of old wood furniture and digital stuff. This particular set of white-on-black, well-shaped letters and a scratched table is particularly inspiring.
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These are good websites to use when reviewing the effectiveness of a charity.
www.charitywatch.org The American Institute for Philanthropy evaluates 500 charities and their evaluation includes the cost of fundraising and the percentage of funds that support programs.
www.charitynavigator.org The group analyzes the finances of over 5000 charities and awards between 1 and 4 star rating based on the cost of fundraising and the cost of administration.
www.give.org ( The BBB Wise Giving Alliance) Standards for accountability assist donors to make informed decisions.  Standards include willingness to disclose information to the public, governance of the organization, way money is spent and truthfulness in representation.
www.greatnonprofits.org This is a social networking site where donors and volunteers can comment on their experience with a charity.  They have over 12,000 charities in their system.
www.guidestar.org This is an information-based service that collects and posts information about nonprofits.
Full functionality of this website requires the use of JavaScript. Please enable it in your browser to continue.
Home &gt; News and Reports &gt; Health Foundation in the News
Resources for homelessness services
CASE MANAGEMENT – Case Management Resources kit for Indigenous Supported Accommodation Assistance Program (SAAP) Services { This program is now known as National Affordability Housing Agreement (NAHA) }
SERVICE STANDARDS - SAAP Service Standards for Western Australia 2002 (please note that this document refers to the former Department for Community Development and the document s currently being updated)
POLICIES AND PROCEDURES - Sample Policy and Procedure Manual for Supported Accommodation Assistance Program (SAAP) Services (please note this program is now known as the National Affordability Housing Agreement (NAHA)
PROTOCOLS - Supported Accommodation Assistance Program (SAAP) Protocols between the Department for Child Protection and other Government Agencies (please note that these protocols are currently being updated)
Western Australian National Partnership Agreement Homelessness Annual Report - (FaHCSIA)
Information about New Services
Passenger Vehicle Diesel Engines for the U.S.
HSDI diesel engines have become increasingly popular in Europe over the last 20 years to the extent that market penetration now exceeds 40%. The situation is very different in the US where diesel accounts for only 4.5% of the light vehicle total at present. This paper provides a perspective on the technological, economic and societal issues associated with the large scale introduction of passenger vehicle diesels to the US.
Members save up to 39% off list price.
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Rural Electrification and energisation in Malawi and Mozambique (PIN)
The PoA aims at supplying electricity and energy in off-grid areas. Sources will mainly be solar, biomass and hydro.
Description: The PoA will cover electrification and energisation of in off-grid areas in Malawi and Mozambique. The pilot CPA will be a district in Malawi. The supply of energy will mainly be to households, dispensaries, health centers, schools, kindergartens, small market areas including grinding mills, village street lighting, water supply and also the development of local business especially in the agricultural sector The new renewable energy will mainly be solar, biomass and hydro.
Country: Malawi and Mozambique
Disclaimer This website has been produced with the assistance of the European Union
Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
If your doctor thinks that you might have a soft tissue or bone sarcoma, you will be referred to the Sarcoma Unit at the RNOH for further diagnostic tests . Once the Cancer Coordinator has received the referral letter, you will be contacted with appointments which may include scans and a biopsy. When all the results are available, your case will be discussed at the weekly Sarcoma Multidisciplinary Team Meeting and treatment decisions will be made. You will then be given an appointment to meet one of the consultants to be given your results and a treatment plan. This will be at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital outpatient department, either at Stanmore, or in the RNOH's Central London Outpatient Assessment Clinic at Bolsover St.
To view leaflets and videos about your appointment and diagnostic tests at RNOH please see the patient information section.
If you already have a diagnosis of sarcoma, you may be referred directly to one the sarcoma oncologists at University College Hospital where you will be seen in the out-patient clinic in the UCH Macmillan Cancer Centre to discuss the diagnosis and treatment options.
Workshop for CDM project reviewers at national level
The workshops aimed at improving the capacity of national reviewers of CDM projects.
Representatives from Fiji, Tonga, PNG, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Samoa were invited to participate in the workshops.
Expert review process in the CDM project approval process in Fiji
Disclaimer This website has been produced with the assistance of the European Union
The University Catalog is the authoritative source for information on courses. The Schedule of Classes is the authoritative source for information on classes scheduled for this semester. See the Schedule for the most up-to-date information and see Patriot web to register for classes.
Course Information from the University Catalog
Designed for students who have some communicative ability in Spanish, normally acquired in the home, who want to improve their reading and writing abilities while developing a critical understanding of Latin American, Latino, and/or Spanish histories and cultures. Course components include orthography and vocabulary activities, grammar review and practice, assigned readings in a variety of genres, critical cultural analysis, in-class discussions, written essays, and the viewing of films.
Appropriate placement score or permission of instructor.
Students cannot receive credit for both SPAN 315 and SPAN 305, 306, or 309.
George Mason University 4400 University Drive Fairfax, VA 22030
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Having a child diagnosed with autism is a devastating and life changing event for parents. It immediately places them in an informational and emotional “No-man’s land” bounded on all sides by daunting challenges. They understand implicitly that time is of the essence. Early intervention is key to their child’s development. Their immediate dilemma is determining what interventions to consider. Some are soundly based on research; others, sometimes making claims akin to “miracle cures,” are not. One way or the other, all roads lead to research in some form. What do we know? What can we trust for our child? How do I learn more?
This Web site and this section in particular aim to help answer those questions by introducing you to the domain of autism research and providing some tools for understanding, evaluating and applying research findings to your child’s autism.
Mormonism and politics/Abortion
What is the Church's stance on abortion?
What is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints's stance on abortion?
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints responds to these questions
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believes in the sanctity of human life. Therefore, the Church opposes elective abortion for personal or social convenience, and counsels its members not to submit to, perform, encourage, pay for, or arrange for such abortions.
The Church allows for possible exceptions for its members when:
Pregnancy results from rape or incest, or
A competent physician determines that the life or health of the mother is in serious jeopardy, or
A competent physician determines that the fetus has severe defects that will not allow the baby to survive beyond birth.
The Church teaches its members that even these rare exceptions do not justify abortion automatically. Abortion is a most serious matter and should be considered only after the persons involved have consulted with their local church leaders and feel through personal prayer that their decision is correct.
The Church has not favored or opposed legislative proposals or public demonstrations concerning abortion.
Except in certain circumstances, the LDS Church opposes abortion and denounces it as a serious sin. However, unlike some movements, the Church does not equate abortion with murder. Further, the Church acknowledges that women and men who have been involved in abortions can be forgiven and become members in good standing. The exceptions to the commandment prohibiting abortion highlight the Church’s commitment to women’s rights and to our intrinsic value apart from our biological roles as mothers.
Question: Are there exceptions where abortion may be appropriate? Answer: Yes.
The Church has not adopted a simple, all-or-nothing approach to abortion. While the Church stands firmly by the commandment “Thou shalt not . . . kill, nor do anything like unto it” DC 59:6 and Church members are cautioned that participating in abortion will usually bring their membership under scrutiny, allowances are made for situations where abortion may be appropriate.
The Church recognizes there are cases when abortion is medically necessary. When a woman or girl’s health would be severely threatened by carrying a pregnancy to term, the Church offers counsel and support while mothers themselves decide how to proceed. The same approach is taken even when the mother's life is not at risk but a pregnancy is medically deemed to have no chance of being viable. In such cases, the Church leaves the final choice of whether an abortion will be performed to the parents themselves. There is no universal formula for how the exceptions to the Church's usual stance on abortion must be applied.
The list of situations where abortion may be appropriate showcases the Church’s commitment to women’s rights to make choices. In cases of rape or incest (crimes sometimes known by other names but likely meant to describe any non-consensual sexual intercourse brought on by force or by the abuse of a position of power), the Church does not require victims to accept pregnancies arising from someone else’s abusive choices. If a woman does not consent to sexual contact, the Church does not consider her morally obliged to accept the consequence of it.
At a gathering of university students, Member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Dallin H. Oaks quoted the following:
The woman’s right to choose what will or will not happen to her body is obviously violated by rape or incest. When conception results in such a case, the woman has the moral as well as the legal right to an abortion because the condition of pregnancy is the result of someone else’s irresponsibility, not hers. She does not have to take responsibility for it. To force her by law to carry the fetus to term would be a further violation of her right. [1]
The fact that an impending threat to the mother’s health is accepted by the Church as a valid reason for opting for abortion suggests that the Church prefers the life of the adult woman to the life of the unborn fetus -- especially if there is no chance the fetus would be able to live if the pregnancy took its natural course. This preference is controversial to many in the mainstream Pro-Life movement. However, it is a strong indication of the value the Church places on individual women. Clearly, we are not valued solely for our reproductive abilities. We are free to protect and preserve our own lives even if doing so directly compromises our reproductive abilities.
Question: Is abortion considered to be equal to murder Answer: No.
In a revelation given to Joseph Smith, the ancient Biblical commandment “Thou shalt not kill” Ex 20:13 was expanded to read “Thou shalt not…kill nor do anything like unto it.” D&C 59:6 Abortion seems to fall into the category of “anything like unto it.” Though denounced by the Church, abortion is not considered murder. It is a less serious sin and one for which men and women can be forgiven.
Member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Russell M. Nelson has said:
So far as is known, the Lord does not regard this transgression as murder. And “as far as has been revealed, a person may repent and be forgiven for the sin of abortion.” Gratefully, we know the Lord will help all who are truly repentant. [2]
This doctrine sets the Church apart from some of the other organizations that denounce abortion. The Church does not persecute or demonize people involved in abortion. Instead, it reaches out to them with compassion and the promise of a possible redemption.
Question: How does the Church treat abortion as a political issue? Answer: The Church does not get involved in the politics surrounding abortion.
As explained in the Church’s official statement on abortion, the Church itself has not been involved in the politics of abortion. However, Church members are free to express their own opinions and to be involved as individuals in political causes including abortion legislation.
The Church has come under criticism from conservative groups for not taking a stronger stance against abortion. At the same time, the Church is criticized by “pro-choice” groups for its extremely limited tolerance for abortion. Both sides of the argument accuse the Church of trying too hard to please the opposite side. Clearly, the Church’s stance on abortion cannot be the result of political pandering. If it's meant as a compromise, it would be a poor one that leaves both sides of the abortion argument angry and unsatisfied. In an argument as polarized as the abortion debate, no compromise would ever be acceptable. Rather than crafting a position that fully pleases either side of the debate, the Church position is a tempered one – one based in a real, complicated world where difficult situations must be reckoned with on careful, individual bases.
Despite its lack of direct engagement in abortion politics, some Church leaders have warned members against aligning with movements that would promote the use of abortion beyond the circumstances of rape, incest, and catastrophic health outcomes accepted by the Church.
Pro-choice slogans have been particularly seductive to Latter-day Saints because we know that moral agency, which can be described as the power of choice, is a fundamental necessity in the gospel plan. All Latter-day Saints are pro-choice according to that theological definition. But being pro-choice on the need for moral agency does not end the matter for us. Choice is a method, not the ultimate goal. …In today’s world we are not true to our teachings if we are merely pro-choice. We must stand up for the right choice. [3]
Question: What is the Church's stance on adoption? Answer: It is encouraged as an alternative to abortion.
Wrote the First Presidency in 1999:
“Every effort should be made in helping those who conceive out of wedlock to establish an eternal family relationship. When the probability of a successful marriage is unlikely, unwed parents should be encouraged to place the child for adoption, preferably through LDS Social Services. Adoption through LDS Social Services helps ensure that the baby will be reared by a mother and father in a faithful Latter-day Saint family.
“Unwed parents who do not marry should not be counseled to keep the infant as a condition of repentance or out of an obligation to care for one’s own. Generally, unwed parents are not able to provide the stable, nurturing environment so essential for the baby’s well-being.
“When deciding to place the baby for adoption, the best interests of the child should be the paramount consideration. Placing the infant for adoption enables unwed parents to do what is best for the child and enhances the prospect for the blessings of the gospel in the lives of all concerned.” [4]
↑ Cited in "Policies and Announcements," Ensign (April 1999), 80.
Any opinions expressed, implied or included in or with the goods and services offered by FairMormon are solely those of FairMormon and not those of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. No portion of this site may be reproduced without the express written consent of FairMormon.
This page was last modified on 7 June 2014, at 16:13.
Posted on 07. Oct, 2015 by Marlene Theberge
Join GNOFHAC staff and friends as we walk and run for Fair Housing in the Crescent City Fall Classic 5k (3.1 miles) on Saturday, November 7!
Team Fair Housing runs and walks the 3 mile course in City Park each year to promote awareness of housing issues in New Orleans while raising much-needed funds to address segregation and inequality in our city.  The larger our team, the more money we win to fight discrimination, so we need you to come out and join us!
When :  Saturday, November 7, 2015 at 8:30 AM
Where :  City Park in New Orleans (race starts on Golf Dr .; stay tuned for info about GNOFHAC’s meeting place!)
What’s in it for you :  Free t-shirt and giveaways; free beer, snacks, and entertainment at the Classic after party in the park; and a chance to make a difference while spending time outside with folks who are committed to keeping our city open for all families.
Fundraising :  Win exciting prizes by creating a personal fundraising page to help raise money for fair housing in New Orleans! We’ll make it easy by sending you everything you need, including sample emails, social media tools, and tools to make your own personal fundraising page .
To join Team Fair Housing and register for the 5k : Sign up for the 5k online by October 30 .  Select “Grant Program Participants” and choose GNO Fair Housing Action Center on the next page to join Team Fair Housing and get the $15 discounted registration.
Questions? :  Contact Marlene Theberge at mtheberge@gnofairhousing.org or 504.708.2109, and remember, the deadline to join Team Fair Housing is October 30.  See you out there!
The Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center (GNOFHAC) is a private, non-profit civil rights organization that was established in the summer of 1995 to eradicate housing discrimination throughout the greater New Orleans area through education, investigation, and enforcement activities. GNOFHAC is dedicated to fighting housing discrimination not only because it is illegal, but also because it is a divisive force that perpetuates poverty, segregation, ignorance, fear and hatred.
Together we can and will make a difference in the lives of our children
By ZooKeeper - November 16th, 2009
Most marketing experts agree, advertising during tough economic times is not only important, it is essential for the long-term success of your business. Studies have shown that companies that increase their marketing spend during recessionary times will recover three times quicker than their competitors who wait in the shadows for the climate to improve. Just like the old proverb that says, “the best time to fish is during the storm,” – the best time to advertise your company and increase your market share is when your competitors are securing the doors and boarding up the windows to weather the storm. Here are some excellent tips for advertising effectively to ensure your business shines like a beacon during these tumultuous economic times.
1. The Message – Make sure that your message is simple, direct and easy to understand. Capture your audience’s attention in the first few seconds.
2. The Demographic – Know your target audience and ensure your message speaks to them directly.
3. The Medium – Choose your advertising medium carefully to ensure you are maximizing the exposure to your target audience and not the masses.
4. Quality – Make sure you speak to your audience with a quality message, both in words and in imagery. Represent your business professionally.
5. Value Added Incentives – Sure, an eye-catching ad is great, but consumers want value (especially in today’s economy).  What can you offer your customers?
6. Longevity – Make sure your advertising is consistent with your brand and ensure your message is relevant for long-term applications.
Seem like a tall order?  That’s where ZOO Media Group can help.  With our expertise in branding, copywriting, graphic design, media buying and market research, we will ensure your message gets out to your specific target audience in a voice that is clear, concise and impactful. Don’t forget, when times are good, you should advertise. But when times are tough, you must advertise. The long-term health and viability of your business depends on it.
Efficient, responsive and adaptable are all words used to describe successful businesses. So when atWork Office Furniture, a leader in office furniture design understood it [Read on]
Worried that your web design and marketing plan will fall short in 2014? Well, what if we told you that we knew some secrets [Read on]
Operating a small or midsized business isn’t easy. Your margins are slim, your resources are maxed and, more often than not, you’re the one [Read on]
Dear Sandra and Chris: Thanks to you and your genius team. I noticed that the issues we contacted you about late in the business day were resolved by very early evening. We appreciate the quick response and fix! Your support has been second to none from our initial Sutton Group – Select Realty Inc. website design and build, to the launch and modifications required by our industry.
All names and logos included on this website may be registered trademarks of their respective owners.
6 references related to the following plant
The Mbuti Pygmies in the Ituri forest of north-eastern Zaire, around Katala and Mawambo village (N 1.0', E 29.10', alt. c. 1000 m), Zone de Mambasa, Region de Haut-Zaire in : AFLORA on the Web (http://130.54.103.36/aflora.nsf) The database of traditional plant utilization in AfricaCenter for African Area Studies, Kyoto University
H(027y), according some Mbuti, the bark is used as medicine for a woman just after delivery H(095), the flowers are nector source.
Vernacular name: not registered
Kenyan medicinal plants used as antivenin: a comparison of plant usage. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine Vol. 2 (7) (2006)
Country: Kenya (rural areas of Nyanza and Makueni)
Kenyan medicinal plants used as antivenin: a comparison of plant usage. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine Vol. 2 (7) (2006)
Vb(020, 3) snake, livestockbitten are drenched with leaves or barks decoction + infusion and the mucilaginous crushed leaves used to wipe the bitten area
Country: Kenya (rural areas of Nyanza and Makueni)
Vernacular name: not registered
thank you all for your effort to translate WassUp in your preferred language, we got a lot of fans who helped us. Thank you very much!
This new version has very few changes in the core but a lot of changes in the language files, here is a little changelog:
Here is the list of WassUp translations and the current status as you can see it on the Launchpad official WassUp translations page.
WassUp 1.8.5 - October 1, 2014 - Hello there, here we are with a new version of our statistics plugin for Wordpress. Download WassUp Version 1.8.5 Thank you all for your support and feedbacks Changelog: = 1.8.5 = = Im
WassUp 1.8.4 - January 12, 2014 - Hello there, here we are with a new version of our statistics plugin for Wordpress. Download WassUp Version 1.8.4 Thank you all for your support and feedbacks Changelog: = 1.8.4 = = Im
WassUp 1.8.3.1 - May 17, 2012 - Hello wassupers! Long time you didn't hear from me, but here we are. Unfortunately (or luckily you choose) JPCERT/CC discovered a security issue on almost every WassUp version since this new one
WassUp 1.8.3 - September 27, 2011 - Here we are with the new release of WassUp 1.8.3 Download WassUp Version 1.8.3 Thank you all for your support and feedbacks Changelog: added 3 new top stats option settings: 1) "top_limit"
WassUp 1.8.2 - September 5, 2011 - Here is the new version 1.8.2 which fixes some bugs from previous versions Download WassUp Version 1.8.2 Thank you all for your support and feedbacks Here is 1.8.2 changelog: renamed "$pagevi
By Nancy Heltman Posted November 04, 2015
Virginia State Parks will offer free parking for everyone along with special programs in honor of Veterans Day on Wednesday November 11, 2015.
By Guest Blogger Posted November 03, 2015
A family volunteers their time to decorate The Jones-Steward Mansion at Chippokes Plantation State Park for the holidays.
By Pat Eastwood Posted November 02, 2015
The Park of the Month for November is a great getaway for the whole family, conveniently located just off I-81.
By Jennifer Saik Posted November 01, 2015
Shenandoah River State Park volunteer offers a new program to learn about birding. The next program will be held on Saturday, November 14th, 2015 from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
By Shellie Anne Posted October 31, 2015
Join us on this crisp fall eve for a unique historical experience at Sky Meadows State Park. You are invited out to Cavaliers, Courage, and Coffee, a living history program on Saturday November 7, 2015.
By Adam Daniel Posted October 30, 2015
From fog blanketing the valley to an assortment of animals, fall's crisp decor is out in full force at Virginia State Parks.
By Zoe Rogers Posted October 29, 2015
Belle Isle State Park hosted a Wildlife Center of Virginia Bald Eagle release.
By Guest Blogger Posted October 28, 2015
Virginia State Parks offers the perfect location for family gatherings.
By Adam Daniel Posted October 27, 2015
A story and short video of fascinating dragonfly behavior at one Virginia State Park.
By Guest Blogger Posted October 26, 2015
Bear Creek Lake State Park is our Park of the Month for October and is also the perfect place to spend time in nature to help reduce stress.
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Click here (PDF) to download this year's 24-page booklet about Virginia State Parks.
Click here to watch this year's Virginia State Parks TV spot.
Virginia State Parks are managed by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation 600 E. Main St., 24 th Floor | Richmond, VA 23219 | 804-692-0403
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Apple recently sent a frivolous copyright complaint to Something Awful by email. Apple has a history of using their copyright agent to send out frivolous complaints (e.g. when they tried to get FairPlay support removed from VLC ). If a company has a complaint that is even remotely legitimate, they’ll have an actual lawyer send you a cease and desist letter by postal mail.
This comment over in the Ars forums:
The need for backups was more of an issue back in the days of magnetic media, where the originals could and did degrade over time to the point of being useless.
reminded me of this comment by Jack Valenti , former president of the MPAA:
Where did this backup copy thing come from? A digital thing lasts forever.
A while ago I bought GoldenEye on DVD. New discs of this Bond movie are not being made anymore so I bought it used. The disc did not have any noticable scratches yet all my DVD players were unable to play the last 30 minutes of the movie. Most likely a bad case of DVD rot .
Jack, DVDs do not last forever, but comments such as this one probably will:
I say to you that the VCR is to the American film producer and the American public as the Boston strangler is to the woman home alone. — Jack Valenti, “Home Recording of Copyrighted Works,” Committee on the Judiciary, United States House of Representatives, April 12, 1982
I recently discussed Sony BMG’s infringement of my copyright with a lawyer. I have not taken any action against Sony BMG so far for the following reasons:
Statutory damages are only available if the work was registered with the U.S. Copyright Office before the infringement occurred.
Proving actual damages of any substantial amount will be very difficult due to the fact that the work was licensed under the GPL.
I will be registering my future works with the Copyright Office and releasing my works under a different license (possibly GPL + a liquidated damages clause).
AACS , like CSS , will be a success. Not at preventing piracy. That’s not the primary objective of any DRM system. Anyone who has read the CSS license agreement knows that the primary objective is to control the market for players. Don’t you just love when your DVD player tells you “This operation is prohibited” when you try to skip the intro?
6 years ago I didn’t think of registering decss.com. Not intending to make the same mistake twice, a while ago I registered deaacs.com .
The Sony DRM rootkit saga just keeps getting better. Sony is infringing the copyright of several open source projects. Matti Nikki who has been doing research into this mailed me to let me know that some of the code Sony has ripped off is the FairPlay code that I wrote for VLC .
Lawrence Lessig was in Norway last week and spoke about “creative econom ies “ at the 25th anniversary celebration of Kopinor . Herman Robak has put MPEG1 video of parts of the event online: Lessig’s talk . Tarja Koskinen-Olsson’s talk . Questions & Answers .
Cory Doctorow was in Norway this week and gave a talk on “ The Economics of Openness “. Herman Robak has put MPEG1 video of the event online: Part 1 . Part 2 . Cory is a great speaker and the work he’s doing for the EFF is vital in the fight for balanced copyright legislation. If you haven’t already done so, you should read the talk he gave on DRM to Microsoft.
What : Rally for digital rights and press conference at the EU Parliament Plenary Session to urge the MEPs to reject the EU IP Enforcement Directive
When : Monday March 8, 2004, 16:30 – 18:30 (4:30 pm – 6:30 pm) as MEPs arrive for the evening debate
Thanks to Andrew Sitzer for forwarding me this:
A US Federal Judge has rejected a claim under the DMCA to outlaw a competing garage door opener. Judge Pallmeyer ruled against Chamberlain Group’s argument that Skylink’s universal garage door opener was an illegal circumvention device, stating that a homeowner has a legitimate expectation that she will be able to open the garage door if her Chamberlain transmitter is missing or malfunctions. The Court noted amici briefs filed by CCIA and Consumers Union, which pointed out the stifling effect the DMCA has on innovation and competition under Chamberlain’s theory. The Court’s Order, which denied part of Chamberlain Group’s motion for Summary Judgment, is available at: http://www.ipjustice.org/skylink/082903_ORDER.pdf
This is very good news. This case and Lexmark vs. Static Control are the most blatant examples of companies invoking the DMCA to stifle legitimate competition.
During oral arguments on this motion, Plaintiff acknowledged that under its interpretation of DMCA, a garage owner violates the Act if he or she loses the transmitter that came with its Chamberlain rolling code GDO, but manages to operate the opener by somehow circumventing the rolling code. This court agrees with Defendant that the DMCA does not require such a conclusion.
What if I lose my DVD CCA sanctioned player, but manage to access the content by somehow circumventing CSS? 😀
Glenn Otis Brown , Executive Director of Creative Commons , will be speaking at a seminar in Oslo next month.
Baked hake in a Mediterranean crust
This simple hake recipe from Nathan Outlaw can be thrown together in less than 20 minutes, but makes a delicious supper or lunch dish. The Mediterranean-style crust has plenty of flavour from black olives and sun-dried tomatoes , a slight crunch from pine nuts, and is bound with good quality cheddar .
For the Mediterranean crust...
1. First, make the crust by blending the black olives, sun-dried tomatoes, pine nuts, chervil and saffron to a rough paste. Transfer to a bowl and mix in the cheese and butter until combined
2. For the salad, mix together the rapeseed oil, white wine vinegar and chervil to make a dressing. Season with salt and pepper to taste
3. Add the tomatoes and red onion and mix to coat in the dressing and set aside until ready to serve
4 large vine tomatoes, cut in half and then into quarters
4. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4 and grease a baking tray
5. Top the hake fillets with some of the crust, spreading it out to cover each piece of fish. Place these on the baking tray and bake for 6-8 minutes (they may need a little longer if thick fillets)
6. Divide the salad between serving plates and top with the baked hake to serve
Created by Nathan Outlaw for Davidstow, courtesy of www.greatbritishchefs.com
Primary Times - the definitive what’s on and where to go family guide of activities and events for children of primary school age. Things to do with your kids during the school holidays including arts and craft activities, music and theatre for children, parties, competitions, days out, and family attractions along with term time drama schools, dance classes, after school clubs and sports activities. Things to do at a place near you!
Gov. Jay Nixon today appointed Mary Patrick Seigfreid , of Mexico , to the Mental Health Commission. The commission appoints the director of the Missouri Department of Mental Health and assists the director in establishing, maintaining and reviewing plans, practices, rules and regulations, facilities, programs and services operated, funded or licensed by the Department.
Seigfreid operated her own law practice in Mexico from 1987 to 2014. She is a former assistant prosecuting attorney in Audrain County as well as a former assistant attorney general. Seigfreid also served as the executive director of the Audrain Medical Center Charitable Foundation from 1985 to 1989. She has been active in numerous charitable, community, education and religious organizations in Audrain County, and was a member of the Audrain County Domestic Violence Task Force.
The Governor has appointed Seigfreid for a term ending June 28, 2017.
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Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council
A publication of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, 2010
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Adults with consistent attitudes toward health insurance in both 2010 and 2011 had coverage and utilization behaviors in accordance with their expressed preferences. Those who consistently said they were healthy and did not need coverage were more than three times as likely not to have any medical expenditures in both years, relative to those who consistently disagreed with that classification.
Rockville (MD): Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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If you need immediate assistance and are located outside of the Greater Kansas City Area, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-(SAFE) (7233) or TTY 1-800-787-3224. Rose Brooks Center uses our 24-hour crisis hotline (816-861-6100) to connect with individuals and families experiencing domestic violence. You can also receive online assistance at the National Domestic Violence Hotline webpage at www.thehotline.org
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