country to adjust to the changing foreign - exchange value of its currency — and vice versa. though our modern monetary managers and secretaries of commerce seem to know nothing about this, the purchasing power theory of the exchanges was first explained a century and a half ago by ricardo. in other words, the alleged foreign trade " advantages " of a devaluation last for merely a brief transitional period. depending on specific conditions, that period may stretch over more than a year or less than twenty - four hours. it tends to become shorter and shorter for any given country as depreciation of its currency continues or devaluations are repeated. internal currency depreciation usually lags behind external depreciation, but the lag tends to diminish. statistical studies have been made of the relationships of the internal and external purchasing power of a currency under extreme conditions — for instance, the german mark during the 1919 - 1923 inflation. ( see the economics of inflation, by constantino bresciani - turroni, 1937. ) it would not be too hard for any competent statistician, with the help of a copy of international financial statistics, published monthly by the imf, to put together revealing comparisons of foreign - exchange rates and internal prices for any country that publishes reasonably honest wholesale or consumers price indexes. it is instructive to recall, incidentally, that at the height of the german hyperinflation, which eventually brought the mark to one - trillionth of its former value, monthly exports, measured in tonnages, fell to less than half of what they had previously been, while the tonnage of imports doubled or tripled. in brief, the pursuit of a more " favorable " balance of payments, or a trade " advantage, " through depreciation or devaluation of one ’ s own currency, is the pursuit of a will - o - the - wisp. any gain of exports it brings to the devaluating nation is temporary and transient, and is paid for at an excessive cost — an internal price rise and all the economic distortions and social discontent and unrest this brings about. the usual criticism of currency devaluation is that it will provoke reprisals ; that other countries will try the same thing, and the world may be plunged into competitive devaluations and trade wars. this objection is, of course, both a valid and a major one. but what i have been trying to emphasize here is a point that few of our monetary managers have grasped — that even if


plunged into competitive devaluations and trade wars. this objection is, of course, both a valid and a major one. but what i have been trying to emphasize here is a point that few of our monetary managers have grasped — that even if there is no retaliation, devaluation as a deliberate policy pursued for the sake of a foreign trade gain is self - defeating and stupid. the two american devaluations, for example, were monumental blunders. if the world ’ s monetary managers can be brought to learn this one lesson, the economic and political gain will be immense. what steps should be taken to halt the present world inflation and return the world to sound money? the immediate steps are simple and can be briefly stated. the united states — and for that matter every country — should forthwith allow its citizens to buy, sell, and make contracts in gold. this would be immediately followed by free gold markets, which would daily measure the real depreciation in each paper currency. gold would immediately become a de facto world currency, whether " monetized " or not. the metal itself would not necessarily change hands with each transaction, but gold would become the unit of account in which prices would be stated. exporters would be insured against the depreciation of the currencies in which they were being paid. the second ( and preferably simultaneous ) step can be stated more briefly still. every nation should refrain from further increase in its paper money and bank credit supply. for the united states a special measure would also be needed. a hundred billion dollars or more are held by foreign central banks and foreign citizens. most of these are no longer wanted. they dangerously overhang the market, and constantly threaten to bring sudden and sharp declines in the dollar. the u. s. government must do two things. it must follow monetary policies that will assure foreign dollar holders that they are not holding an asset that is likely to depreciate still further but, on the contrary, one that is likely to keep its value or even to appreciate a little. secondly, the u. s. government should volunteer to fund the dollar overhang. it could do this by offering foreign central banks interest - bearing long - term obligations for their liquid dollar holdings — say, bonds that would be repayable and retirable, principal and interest, in equal installments over a period of twenty - five or thirty years. it should preferably negotiate with each country separately, and should guarantee its bonds by making principal and interest repayable


would be repayable and retirable, principal and interest, in equal installments over a period of twenty - five or thirty years. it should preferably negotiate with each country separately, and should guarantee its bonds by making principal and interest repayable, at the option of the central bank holding them, in either the face value of the dollars or in the currency of the country holding them, at the same ratio to the dollar as of the market rate on the day the agreement was reached. thus, the bank of japan would be paid off, at its option on any payment date, either in dollars or in yen ; the bundesbank either in dollars or in marks ; and so on. ricardo ’ s recommendations of a full gold standard of course, the world should eventually return to a full gold standard. a gold standard is needed now for the same reason that david ricardo gave for it in 1817 : though it ( paper money ) has no intrinsic value, yet, by limiting its quantity, its value in exchange is as great as an equal denomination of coin, or of bullion in that coin …. experience, however, shows that neither a state nor a bank ever have had the unrestricted power of issuing paper money without abusing that power ; in all states, therefore, the issue of paper money ought to be under some check and control ; and none seems so proper for that purpose as that of subjecting the issuers of paper money to the obligation of paying their notes either in gold coin or bullion. a return to gold will involve some difficult but not insuperable problems, which we shall not attempt to discuss in detail here. the main immediate requirement is that individual countries stop increasing their paper money supplies. but my topic here is the future of the dollar — not what it ought to be, but what it is likely to be. and i am obliged to say that the outlook for the dollar — or, for that matter, of national currencies anywhere — is hardly bright. the world ’ s currencies will be what the world ’ s politicians and bureaucrats make them. and the world ’ s politcians and bureaucrats are still dominated everywhere by an inflationary ideology. whatever they say publicly, whatever fair assurances they give, they still have a mania for inflation, domestic and international. they are convinced that inflation is necessary to maintain " full employment " and to continue " economic growth. " they will probably continue to " fight " inflation only with false remedies, like " income policies


a mania for inflation, domestic and international. they are convinced that inflation is necessary to maintain " full employment " and to continue " economic growth. " they will probably continue to " fight " inflation only with false remedies, like " income policies " and price controls. the international monetary fund is the central world factory of inflation. nearly all the national bureaucrats in charge of it are determined to continue it. having destroyed the remnants of the gold standard by printing too much paper money, they now propose to substitute special drawing rights, or sdr ’ s, for gold — in other words, they propose to print more international paper money to serve as the " reserves " behind still more issues of national paper monies. the first international step toward sound money, to repeat, would be to abolish the imf entirely. in august, 1973, the present american secretary of the treasury, george p. schultz, named fourteen men as members of a new advisory committee on reform of the international monetary system. these included three former treasury secretaries, all of whom pursued the very monetary policies that brought the united states and the world to its present crisis. the whole list of men in this committee included only two professional economists. i don ’ t want to attack individuals, but to my knowledge not a single man appointed to the new panel believes in the gold standard, has ever advocated its restoration, or has ever spoken out in clear and unequivocal terms even against the chronic increase in paper money issues. but the climate of opinion is now such in the united states that i must confess i would find myself hard put to it to name as many as fourteen qualified americans who could be counted on to recommend a sound international monetary reform. the truth is that everybody is afraid of a return to sound money. nobody in power wants to give up inflation altogether because he fears its abandonment would be followed by a recession. it ’ s true that if we stopped inflation forthwith we might have a recession, for much the same reasons as a heroin addict, deprived of his drug, might suffer agonizing withdrawal symptoms. but such a recession, even if it came, would be a very minor and transient evil compared with the catastrophe toward which the world is now plunging. this article is from a paper delivered at a regional meeting of the mont pelerin society in guatemala, september 4, 1973.


within christianity there are a range of different churches which are better known as denominations. each of these denominations has slightly different values and beliefs in regards to christianity – although they all have the holy bible at the centre of their beliefs. essentially they all have different interpretations of the bible and as such teach different values at church. in this guide we shall look at some of the most popular and common type of christian churches. roman catholic church the roman catholic church is by far the most prominent in the world accounting for approximately one sixth of the world ’ s population and over 75 percent of christians in the usa. the roman catholic church is run by the pope and it identifies its mission as spreading the gospel of jesus christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity. within the roman catholic global community not only are there thousands of churches but a huge network of catholic schools, hospitals, universities and missions. the catholic church believes itself to be the original church that was founded by jesus and his apostles and that their bishops are successors of the apostles through apostolic succession. the roman catholic church dates back almost two thousand years and as such has played a vital role in the shaping of western society. while the roman catholic church has the largest number of worldwide members, in recent years it has undergone criticism for its outdated teachings on abortion, euthanasia, birth control and sexual ethics. the lutheran church is a sub - denomination of protestantism and is one of the major churches of christianity in the usa. the church bases its teachings on those of the 16th century german reformist – martin luther. due to martin luther ’ s views and disagreements over the doctrine of justification – the roman catholic church split apart from the lutheran church to become two now very separate churches. the lutheran church maintains a very traditional view of christianity and retains many of the liturgical practices and sacramental teachings of the early church, prior to the reformation. the central teaching of the lutheran church is justification. they believe that humans are saved from their sins by god ’ s grace alone and through faith alone. they are trinitarians meaning that they believe there are three people making up the trinity – the father, the son and the holy spirit. the restorationist church is based on the belief that that a purer form of christianity should be restored by way of using the early church as a model to base it on. one of the major denominations of restorationism is the church of jesus christ latter day saints – otherwise known as mormons. they believe that joseph smith jr. was the person chosen to restore the church back to how it


a model to base it on. one of the major denominations of restorationism is the church of jesus christ latter day saints – otherwise known as mormons. they believe that joseph smith jr. was the person chosen to restore the church back to how it was in the early days of the religion as founded by jesus rather than reform to a modern church. the church of latter day saints was first organized in 1830 and is one of the newest denominations of christianity – yet has grown rapidly since. the final type of christian church we shall look at today is the orthodox church. the orthodox church is the second largest christian church communion in the world with approximately 225 million members worldwide. the goal of the orthodox church is to draw yourself continually closer to god – right from the time of baptism as an infant. the process of becoming closer to god is called theosis – and each member of the church strives to become more “ christ like ” throughout their lifetime. they believe in the trinity and they believe that jesus christ was both god and man and that he was born, lived and died. an interesting belief of orthodox christians is that when a person dies the soul is temporarily separated from the body. they believe that after this separation it lingers for a while until it is sent either to paradise or the darkness of hades – this follows the temporary judgment. the final judgment is when the soul and the body will reunite.


the natural rights republic by michael zuckert university of notre dame press 304 pp. $ 34. 95 in the natural rights republic, michael zuckert takes up a question that has long divided american historians and political philosophers : “ was the american founding inspired by classical republican, christian, whig historical, scottish enlightenment, or modern liberal conceptions? ” zuckert unambiguously chooses the latter : america, he says, is the “ natural rights republic ” - not in the sense that liberalism was the only element present at the creation, but in the sense that it was the dominant one, and showed a power to “ make peace with and indeed assimilate important aspects of classical antiquity and christianity. ” nor is zuckert ’ s argument merely descriptive - he is very much an advocate of the natural rights republic. the first part of the book develops the author ’ s account of the natural rights philosophy of the american founding. he offers a painstaking analysis ( textual and structural ) of the declaration of independence, a detailed discussion and critique of other interpretations of the founding ( e. g., garry wills ’ and morton white ’ s ), and a close reading of jefferson ’ s notes on the state of virginia. the declaration is interpreted particularly in conjunction with locke ’ s second treatise on government and with contemporaneous expressions of the “ american mind, ” especially the virginia and massachusetts bills of rights. zuckert ’ s analysis of the declaration is generally convincing : he seems to me correct in his “ structural ” reading of the declaration as a fundamentally “ lockean ” or liberal document. at the same time, his tendency to minimize the importance of religion in the american political tradition as anything more than a useful prop of politics at times appears excessive, as in the quick move, in his analysis of jefferson ’ s handiwork, from “ creator ” to “ nature ” : “ jefferson himself in the declaration traced... rights to the creator, that is, nature. ” the very use of jefferson as the touchstone for understanding natural rights philosophy magnifies the tendency to minimize religion. it tilts the board in favor of a certain understanding of american republicanism that would not have been acceptable to a majority of the people jefferson was writing for when he penned the declaration. on the whole, however, zuckert is very persuasive in making his case for the natural rights republic. his critiques of alternative views are particularly powerful. zuckert confronts his opponents head - on, portraying them fairly, but


on the whole, however, zuckert is very persuasive in making his case for the natural rights republic. his critiques of alternative views are particularly powerful. zuckert confronts his opponents head - on, portraying them fairly, but then going effectively ( if always politely ) for the jugular. zuckert speaks of “ convergences ” in the american political tradition. but for him this means not so much a convergence of equal strands as an assimilation by the natural rights tradition of other traditions : old whig constitutionalism, puritan political theology, and the progressive realization of democracy understood as a variant of classical republicanism. america was indeed, zuckert says, an amalgamation of these views, but “ the natural rights philosophy remains america ’ s deepest and so far most abiding commitment, and the others could enter the amalgam only so far as they were compatible, or could be made so, with natural rights. ” take, for example, the argument that traces american political thought to its puritan roots. zuckert surveys various versions of this position : strong continuity ( the major principles of the founding can be found in the puritans ), minimal continuity ( while accommodating themselves to a christian citizenry, the leading founders held ideas incompatible with puritan political thought ), secularized continuity ( there is continuity through a secularization of christian concepts, e. g., covenant ), and eclectic continuity ( political and social theories of puritanism are one of several major sources for the founding ). zuckert ’ s mode of argument here is essentially negative : his demolition of the strong, secularized, and eclectic continuity theses leaves only minimal continuity in place. the “ lockeanized protestantism ” of the eighteenth century represented a “ substantial break with the reigning political theology of the previous century, ” the god of supernature giving way to the god of nature. the protestant impulse to deny magistrates the power to serve “ the good of the soul, ” which led to a dissociation of the political realm and the spiritual realm, thereby prepared the way for the liberal focus on rights as the central category of politics. having dissected the puritan continuity thesis, zuckert goes on to the “ whig constitutionalism ” thesis of john phillip reid and the “ classical republican ” thesis of scholars such as j. g. a. pocock and gordon wood and shows them to be equally subordinated to natural rights philosophy. over time, zuckert argues, america has developed


of john phillip reid and the “ classical republican ” thesis of scholars such as j. g. a. pocock and gordon wood and shows them to be equally subordinated to natural rights philosophy. over time, zuckert argues, america has developed a successful synthesis of jeffersonian and madisonian republicanism. the large and less strenuously republican madisonian constitutional system is the fundamental frame, but it has become more infused with a jeffersonian spirit ( by, for example, political parties, formal modification of the constitution, and the mass media ), so that it is not so far removed from the people. there are tensions, of course, between the “ expressive ” ( participatory ) and the “ instrumental ” ( rights - protecting ) elements of jefferson ’ s republicanism. zuckert joins madison in criticizing jefferson on two grounds : 1 ) his insufficient attention to the tension between the popular right to control government and the rights to be protected by government, and 2 ) the unlikelihood that jefferson ’ s localized “ ward republics ” would supply the energy, competence, and prudence necessary for effective national government. nonetheless, zuckert says, the validity of jefferson ’ s ideals is reinforced by our persistent concern about the quality of democratic life. we live in a tension between the expressive and instrumental dimensions of republicanism. current debates between liberals and communitarians are simply one manifestation of this tension - a tension that cannot and probably should not be resolved. a question that zuckert needs to take up more explicitly is whether one can move from careful textual analysis of the declaration and other major public documents to such a conclusive characterization of the nature of the american regime. how much do the views of those who are not leading founders, and of the citizenry at large, deserve to be weighed? how much do the premodern elements imbedded in american institutions - e. g., the common law and much state legislation ( including, in many states, religious establishments ) - count? perhaps zuckert would argue that time has told the story : it is the leading founders and the natural rights philosophy they adopted that won out, and those elements have transformed and decisively subordinated the other, nonliberal elements. but an historical argument is not entirely sufficient, since one might view that victory as unfortunate in important ways, as zuckert would think unfortunate some twentieth - century developments away from the natural rights philosophy. zuckert would, i think, argue that the natural rights philosophy is a superior form of


since one might view that victory as unfortunate in important ways, as zuckert would think unfortunate some twentieth - century developments away from the natural rights philosophy. zuckert would, i think, argue that the natural rights philosophy is a superior form of political thought and practice. but that is an argument that requires much more than this book, which is more a detailed explication of natural rights philosophy and its influence than it is a compelling argument for its superiority. some of us who harbor more serious doubts about the liberal / natural rights / republicanism synthesis, and who believe that many contemporary problems cannot find effective solutions in either contemporary liberalism or in an older liberal amalgam, will remain convinced of the need for a healthier dose of religion and of ( non - lockean ) “ natural law ” in some form. whatever one ’ s view of what america needs, however, it is important to understand the general character of the american founding, and zuckert ’ s book is a powerful exposition of the most central political principles of that founding. its elegant articulation of its own thesis, together with its insightful analysis and critique of a wide variety of alternative views, makes it an extremely important contribution to debates on our national origins, which all serious students of the founding and of liberalism will have to confront. christopher wolfe is professor of political science at marquette university.


your teenage “ kids ” are probably a lot more competent than they seem, according to psychologist robert epstein. but a raft of laws and regulations ( compulsory education, labor restrictions, a separate juvenile justice system ) and an ever - growing consumer sector have needlessly delayed their entry into the adult world. historically, he points out in an interview about his recent book the case against adolescence, this is not the norm : we have completely isolated young people from adults and created a peer culture. we stick them in school and keep them from working in any meaningful way, and if they do something wrong we put them in a pen with other “ children. ” in most nonindustrialized societies, young people are integrated into adult society as soon as they are capable, and there is no sign of teen turmoil. many cultures do not even have a term for adolescence. but we not only created this stage of life : we declared it inevitable. in 1904, american psychologist g. stanley hall said it was programmed by evolution. he was wrong. rejecting the stereotype of the teenager as immature and incompetent, epstein argues that adolescents are fully capable of cognitive and moral reasoning, maintaining long - term relationships, and being responsible for themselves. while teens “ have too much freedom ” in certain senses, they ’ re nevertheless “ not free to join the adult world, and that ’ s what needs to change ” : i believe that young people should have more options — the option to work, marry, own property, sign contracts, start businesses, make decisions about health care and abortions, live on their own — every right, privilege, or responsibility that an adult has.... when we dangle significant rewards in front of our young people — including the right to be treated like an adult — many will set aside the trivia of teen culture and work hard to join the adult world. naturally i disagree with him about abortion, and i ’ m not convinced that we should roll back child labor laws or institute the competency tests that he favors. broadly, however, i think he ’ s right that the myth of the shallow, irresponsible teenager is a self - fulfilling prophecy. parents may not be able to give their teenage sons and daughters all the rights and responsibilities of adulthood, but they can at least encourage teens to find a job and give them enough freedom to learn from their mistakes, just like adults do. don ’ t assume they ’ re incapable of making good decisions unless they ’ ve proven by their behavior that they ’ re


the capital required to construct a tidal barrage has been the significant stumbling block too. it is not an attractive proposition to an investor due to long payback periods. this problem could be solved by government funding or large organisations getting involved with tidal power. in terms of long term costs, once the construction of the barrage is complete, there are very low maintenance and operating costs and the turbines only need replacing once around every 30 years. the life of the plant is indefinite and for its entire life it will receive free fuel from the tide. few tidal barrages have been constructed. the largest tidal power station in the world ( and the only one in europe ) is in the rance estuary in northern france. la rance was completed in 1966 and has operated reliably ever since. so too has the barrage at the bay of fundy in canada - though this had an adverse effect on marine life. there have been plans for a " severn barrage " from brean down in somerset to lavernock point in wales. every now and again the idea gets proposed, but nothing has been built yet. it could have over 200 large turbines, and provide over 8, 000 megawatts of power ( over 12 nuclear power station ' s worth ). it would take 7 years to build, and could provide 7 % of the energy needs for england and wales. there would be a number of benefits, including protecting a large stretch of coastline against damage from high storm tides, and providing a ready - made road bridge. however, the drastic changes to the currents in the estuary could have huge effects on the ecosystem so it is unlikely ever to be built due to the major environmental impact that it would cause. a major drawback of tidal power stations is that they can only generate when the tide is flowing in or out - in other words, only for 10 hours each day. however, tides are totally predictable, so we can plan to have other power stations generating at those times when the tidal station is out of action.


a federal government website managed by the u. s. department of health & human services 200 independence avenue, s. w. - washington, d. c. 20201 h1n1 ( originally referred to as swine flu ) the h1n1 flu virus caused a world - wide pandemic in 2009. it is now a human seasonal flu virus that also circulates in pigs. - although the world health organization ( who ) announced the pandemic was over in august 2010, h1n1 is still circulating. - getting the flu vaccine is your best protection against h1n1. - you cannot get h1n1 from properly handled and cooked pork or pork products. - symptoms of h1n1 are similar to seasonal flu symptoms. what is h1n1 flu? h1n1 is a flu virus. when it was first detected in 2009, it was called “ swine flu ” because the virus was similar to those found in pigs. the h1n1 virus is currently a seasonal flu virus found in humans. although it also circulates in pigs, you cannot get it by eating properly handled and cooked pork or pork products. is h1n1 still a threat? on august 10, 2010 who announced that the world is in a post - pandemic period. however, h1n1 is still circulating. h1n1 is included in the 2011 - 2012 seasonal flu vaccine. what are the symptoms of h1n1 flu? the symptoms of h1n1 are the same as seasonal flu symptoms. how does h1n1 flu spread? the h1n1 flu virus spreads between people in the same way that seasonal flu viruses spread. how can i prevent h1n1 flu? the best way to prevent the h1n1 flu is to get the seasonal flu vaccine. the 2011 - 2012 flu vaccine includes protection against the h1n1 flu virus. you should also follow our everyday steps to keep yourself healthy during flu season. vietnam has begun a phase 1 clinical trial for the first h1n1 pandemic influenza vaccine developed entirely in vietnam with support from the u. s. department of health and human services ’ biomedical advanced research and development authority ( barda ). this is the first step in testing the new vaccine in humans. the study and data analysis is expected to be complete by the end of 2012. i have h1n1. what should i do? if your health care provider has diagnosed you with h1


cause for concern ( church / state ) what jefferson intended as an explanation of the first amendment ' s protection of the free exercise of religion was misapplied by the supreme court to the establishment clause, a mix - up that has resulted in the very interference with religious free exercise that jefferson argued against. the so - called " wall of separation between church and state " has done more damage to america ' s religious and moral tradition than any other utterance of the supreme court. while the first amendment was originally intended to prevent the establishment of a national religion and thus ensure religious liberty, the supreme court ' s misuse of the " separation of church and state " phrase has fostered hostility toward, rather than protection of, religious freedom. this phrase has been used by the court to outlaw ten commandments displays in public buildings, prayer and bible reading in schools, clergy and even student invocations at school events, and other public acknowledgements of god. such decisions clearly negate the founding father ' s presupposition of america ' s christian identity. it is time to return the first amendment back to its original meaning and revive the rich faith - filled heritage of america ' s public life. many of the state legislatures that ratified the constitution conditioned their approval on the further inclusion of a guarantee of individual liberties such as the freedom of religion. some of those states already had taxpayer - supported " establishments " of religion. the new congress took up these calls for action and drafted the bill of rights for further approval by the states. james madison, a major participant in the debate and drafting of what ultimately became the first amendment, introduced the initial draft on june 8, 1789 as discussions began in the house : the civil rights of none shall be abridged on account of religious belief or worship, nor shall any national religion be established, nor shall the full and equal rights of conscience be in any manner, or on any pretext, infringed. after further discussion, other versions of the amendment were offered, including : " no religion shall be established by law, " " no religious doctrine shall be established by law, " " no national religion shall be established by law " and " congress shall make no laws touching religion. " finally, the house sent back to the senate this version : " congress shall make no law establishing religion. " the senate took the house version under advisement, but then offered its own version : " congress shall make no law establishing articles of faith or a mode of worship, or prohibiting the free exercise of religion.


congress shall make no law establishing religion. " the senate took the house version under advisement, but then offered its own version : " congress shall make no law establishing articles of faith or a mode of worship, or prohibiting the free exercise of religion. " when the house and senate met to resolve their differing versions, they settled on the ultimate version of " congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion. " 1 what is clear from the records of the first amendment debates, as well as jefferson ' s own " wall of separation " language, is the founders ' aversion to congress establishing a national religion, not the religion - scrubbing tool the supreme court has made of it over the last 60 years. a few supreme court justices have resisted the current perversion of jefferson ' s " wall " metaphor and its effect on the establishment clause. in his 1985 dissent from yet another supreme court decision invoking jefferson ' s " wall " to strike down alabama ' s " moment of silence " statute, chief justice rehnquist had this to say : " it is impossible to build sound constitutional doctrine upon a mistaken understanding of constitutional history, but unfortunately the establishment clause has been expressly freighted with jefferson ' s misleading metaphor for nearly 40 years. " in another by - product of the everson decision, the supreme court decreed that the first amendment, which begins " congress shall make no law …, " would henceforth apply to the states as well as the federal government. that ' s how the supreme court gained authority over religious expression in local schoolrooms, graduation ceremonies, football games, courthouses, city councils and thousands of other state and local venues. although that particular issue is too large to address here, it is further evidence of the supreme court ' s massive power grab in the everson decision. copyright © 2008 focus on the family. all rights reserved. international copyright secured.


display fonts collection | starting in the 19th century with the explosion of popular entertainment and popular - oriented art forms, one of new form of art was the design of posters and advertisements intended to catch the imagination and generate special interest in the audience. from the advertising found in magazines and decorative fronticepieces in books to the poster art movement in france, a consciousness emerged that type and lettering could be decorative and artistic and eyecatching in a way which had previously never really been considered. the concept of display and ornamental type started with newspaper and poster designers taking regular text styles and using them in enormous sizes, or developing italic or slightly embellished styles for emphasis within text. from these beginnings designers began to experiment with what they could do to make titles stand out even more, starting with extra bold or exaggeratedly weighted styles and increasingly more decorative and ornamental styles. many of these early titling faces took on characteristics of traditional calligraphy, because it was the only decorative lettering which many designers were familiar with, or looked like text faces expanded and transformed. by the middle of the 19th century type designers were experimenting with all sorts of onramental type, particularly for use in advertising and in specialized books aimed at an increasingly intellectual middle class market. much of this type partook of the characteristics of calligraphy, but it was increasingly complex and decorative beyond the scope of simple pen - strokes. one of the innovators in this period was william morris, who launched the arts and crafts movement, which included among its interests the development of new and visually striking styles of lettering and typography, such as morris ’ own troy type and the unique lettering of artists like charles rennie mackintosh and walter crane. in the last two decades of the 19th century art nouveau spread across europe, emerging from the arts and crafts movement, but attracting a much larger popular audience. decorative type and lettering was a major element of the art nouveau movement, which had strong ties to the performing arts and other visual arts which required publicity in the form of advertisements and posters. the art nouveau movement spurred a renaissance in font design, but much of the art of the period was expressed in unique designs which were never made into typefaces at that time. hand - lettered posters and advertising titles by artists like alphons mucha were in great demand, and the poster art movement grew out of art nouveau and the poster became the major new medium for popular art by the end of the 19th century. the hand - lettering of mucha influenced many other artists and designers and


mucha were in great demand, and the poster art movement grew out of art nouveau and the poster became the major new medium for popular art by the end of the 19th century. the hand - lettering of mucha influenced many other artists and designers and when mucha returned to his native czechoslovakia he spurred a renaissance of art and design in eastern europe, which eventually developed into the cubist and futurist movements in art which had a great influence on designers around the world in the period today there is still a great demand for new and unusual display fonts. they are essential to advertising in every media, because they draw attention and give a product a signature look which sets it apart from the competition. advances in desktop publishing have also made it possible to introduce a greater variety of fonts for titling in publications, both in print and online. as a result display fonts are available in great diversity, offering every kind of look for every kind of use. because the basic function of display fonts is to do titles and label things, they may not have the same character set as traditional text fonts. display fonts often only have either upper or lower case characters, and usually don ’ t have extended punctuation beyond what ’ s normally called for in titles. they are also often designed to be bolder or more ornate than text fonts, often to an exaggerated degree, and as a result they may only really be readable at large sizes and are often poorly suited to text use. virtually anything can be a display font, from the weirdest degenerated style to the most intricate and complex artistic fantasy. the scriptorium ’ s collection of display fonts offers exceptional variety. we have fonts based on art nouveau designs, early victorian styles, hand poster lettering by artists like alphons mucha and unique original fonts you won ’ t find anywhere else. we offer over 80 display faces, all of which are available in truetype or postscript format for macintosh and pc - compatible computers. they are available singly for between $ 18 and $ 24 each, or as part of discounted packages. we also offer a complete collection of all of the display fonts for only $ 129. it includes all of our display fonts, including the very latest releases. our single fonts and font samplers can be ordered online, by mail or by phone for delivery online or by mail. the special display fonts cd can also be ordered online or by any other means and is deliverable by mail on cd or by


oysters : raw or cooked? 8 essential tips about oysters - article author : salvatore cesareo going out on a date and wonder if oysters are it and more? a team of american and italian researchers found out that the high concentration of amino acids present in the oysters flesh triggers an increased level of sex hormones, and their high level of zinc helps the production of testosterone. so, there you have it! it ’ s time to pile up a dozen or two of nice fresh oysters for the next romantic dinner. but first let me give you 8 essential tips about oysters 1. what is an oyster? oysters are bivalve molluscs which live in marine habitat. oysters are commonly consumed cooked or raw and are considered to be aphrodisiacs. the edible oysters belong to the family of so called true oysters and are not closely related to the pearl oysters. 2. wild vs. farmed oysters can be harvested in very shallow waters by hand. when in deeper waters long rakes or oyster tongs are used to reach them. in either way the prestige is the same : the oysterman scrapes the oysters into a pile and then scoops them out. the use of scallop dredge ( a toothed bar attached to a chain bag ) towed through the oyster bed by a boat is in some areas still permitted even though represents an environmental problem for the beds. wild oysters can obviously be collected directly by divers. once the oysters are collected, they are sorted to eliminate dead animals, and debris. then they are taken to market where they are either canned or sold live. oysters have been cultured since the romans ’ time. two are the methods commonly used : - • release : the release technique involves distributing oyster spat over existing oyster beds. this allows them to mature in a natural way and later be collected like wild oysters. - • bagging : the bagging technique involves putting oyster spat in racks or bags and having them above the bottom until harvest. then they get lifted to the surface and the mature ones get removed. in both cases oysters are cultivated onshore when they can attach themselves to a surface. here they are allowed to mature in the water to form seed oysters. 3. oysters as food : many evidence show that oysters were considered food by humans since prehistoric times. in fact, oysters have been an important food source all around coastal areas where they could be easily found. they have been harvested and commercialized


. oysters as food : many evidence show that oysters were considered food by humans since prehistoric times. in fact, oysters have been an important food source all around coastal areas where they could be easily found. they have been harvested and commercialized since romans ’ times, who believed them to have aphrodisiacal powers. in the19th century, in the united states oysters were considered street food and sold at the market stands in new york and even given away at san francisco saloons during the gold rush. unregulated harvesting, consumption and overfishing almost cause the oysters to become extinct in the atlantic and pacific coasts. today, oystermen are more aware of the long terms impact of harvesting in the coastal flats and reefs where the oysters grow allowing the oyster beds to replenish. 4. why are so popular? oysters ’ relative scarcity, the challenge to transport them live and the high demand in the food market dictate the price we ultimately pay for these shellfish. it is estimated that in the united states of america we consume 2. 5 billion oysters a year and it is no surprise to pay $ 2 to $ 3 dollars for each oyster at the restaurant. but, what makes them so popular? in brief : the taste. oysters can be very salty or sweet, with notes of cucumber, melon, herbs, butter, flint, or copper, all depending on the water in which they grew. 5. oysters ' nutrition facts : many people would agree that oysters are best raw and eaten from the shell. oysters are a good source of zinc, iron, calcium, selenium, vitamin a and vitamin b12 and for those who count calories the good news is that they are low in calories ; one dozen raw oysters contain approximately 110. 6. how to properly store oysters : while oysters can live up to two weeks their taste becomes less pleasant as they age. oysters should always be refrigerated out of water, and in 100 % humidity. if oysters are left in water in the refrigerator they will open, start “ breathing ” and consume the available oxygen and ultimately die. 7. how to eat oysters : raw or cooked : oysters must be eaten alive, or cooked alive never dead. an open shell is a sign of a dead oyster and cannot be eaten. if the oyster is cooked live the heat will cause the shell to open by itself. to taste the full flavor and sa


working in collaboration with the cao, sanparks and the university of the witwatersrand, the csir ' s earth observations research groups have achieved several milestones, changing the way large areas like the knp and surrounding areas can be managed. according to prof greg asner, professor at the department for global ecology at stanford university and in charge of the cao, their relationship with south africa is quite unique : " it is one of the only places in the world where we work directly with local scientists on issues of management conservation. working in south africa with the kruger national park and the csir gives us the chance to have real impact, " he said during an interview at the time of the cao ' s third mission to the country in april 2012. this sentiment is echoed by sanparks ' research manager for gis and remote sensing, dr izak smit : " we do not have the infrastructure, technology or expertise to deal with a project of this magnitude. yet, working with external partners, we can leverage the expertise and funding, thereby enriching our work in transforming the science into management decisions and practices. " we find ourselves at the interface between the science and the management of the parks. collaboration with external partners like the csir, universities and the cao is essential to the successful management of the parks, and has had impacts on how we manage the park when it comes to the provision of water holes and prescribed burning, for for dr renaud mathieu, a csir principal scientist, the collaboration is also about building technical skills and capacity in south africa to process large sets of data and developing remote sense technologies well suited to the south african savannah landscape. " historically, especially in africa, most remote sensing - based approaches focused on tropical deforestation. however, more than half of the southern african subcontinent is covered with savannah with about 10 to 50 % tree cover and undergoing mostly gradual changes such as bush encroachment or tree logging for fuelwood. techniques developed for assessing woody biomass in tropical forests with dense canopies cannot simply be transferred to savannas and woodlands, " he explains. futhermore, the long - term vision is to develop the whole lidar value chain, including the local capacity to operationally collect lidar data for environmental management and vegetation applications using local airborne survey companies. in this regard, the csir and sanparks are already working with a south african company to test the viability, as sanparks is considering using lidar surveys for long - term monitoring. research milestone :


using local airborne survey companies. in this regard, the csir and sanparks are already working with a south african company to test the viability, as sanparks is considering using lidar surveys for long - term monitoring. research milestone : sustainability of fuelwood for rural energy needs the lidar data from the 2008 flight campaign have enabled researchers to map and measure woody biomass in rural areas such as bushbuckridge, where harvesting of live wood is still the primary source of fuel for cooking and heating even when electricity is available. researchers combined the lidar data with socio - economic data collected from the area over the past 20 years by the wits rural public health and health transitions research unit, and the wits programme for sustaining natural resources in african ecosystems. this shows that at the current rate of fuelwood consumption - three to four tons per year per household - the woodland resources for some rural villages in bushbuckridge may only last another 12 years. with the help of the lidar data and fieldwork, researchers have also found evidence of illegal commercial cutting of fuelwood in the communal rangelands. " there is great concern that the current levels of utilisation are not sustainable, with direct negative impacts on the poor, as well as for biodiversity loss and conservation. our findings to date regarding the sustainability of this ecosystem service warrant further investigation, " says dr mathieu. in all instances, improved estimates will be instrumental to poverty alleviation. research milestones : loss of big trees in conserved areas another significant finding is that large herbivores and fires may have a bigger impact on the loss of big trees in conserved areas than in communal areas, where large trees like the marula are valued for their fruits. over five metres high, many of these trees have taken over 50 years to grow. dr mathieu, " we have detected a 20 % loss of big trees from research sites in a private game reserve next to the knp in just two years, compared to a 10 % loss of big trees from research sites on communal land over the same time period. " this was also the first time in his remote sensing career that he found a 100 % correlation between prediction of a remote sensing system ( the lidar ) and ground verification. but researchers are still puzzled about why and how this is happenin. " at the moment, we think it is because of different reasons, " explains dr mathieu : " in the case of the private game reserve, field work shows that a combination of elephants and fire damage is involved. for instance, the


jump to the main content of this page pacific southwest research station tahoe science projects supported by snplma remote sensing of lake tahoe ' s nearshore environment erin lee hestir, university of california, davis the goal of this research is to use remotely sensed data to retrieve fine sediment, chlorophyll, and colored dissolved organic matter ( cdom ) concentrations from the water column in the near shore, and to map the distribution of periphyton ( attached algae ), aquatic macrophytes ( submerged plants ), clam beds in the nearshore of lake tahoe and variations in sediment type. high spatial resolution multispectral satellite imagery, moderate spatial resolution multispectral satellite imagery, and airborne hyperspectral imagery will be used. we will investigate both empirical and model - driven methods to map fine sediment, chlorophyll, and cdom concentration, macrophyte communities, clam beds, periphyton, and substrate type. the empirical approach will first classify the optically shallow near shore into the different bottom classes using the field data and spectral library first to train and then ( independently ) validate the classifier. this analysis allows the development of statistical correlations ( e. g., regression modeling ) whereby reflectance information can be used to predict the probability of the concentration of water quality constituents above a particular bottom type. upon successful development, the statistical model can then be used to predict water quality in each image pixel given the reflectance value of that pixel. the second approach will use a radiative transfer model that simulates remote sensing reflectance of water given inputs of different aquatic optical properties. one of the key deliverables of the project is a cost - benefit analysis of remote sensing approaches for monitoring the nearshore environment and a manual for implementing remote sensing analysis for monitoring the nearshore environment. relation to other research including snplma science projects the value of remote sensing technologies for evaluation and monitoring in the lake tahoe basin has also been widely recognized, and an increasing number of remote sensing datasets are being acquired over the basin. nasa has been operating a remote sensing validation site at lake tahoe for over a decade and recently the tahoe regional planning agency ( trpa ) and u. s. geological survey have purchased high spatial resolution satellite imagery of the tahoe basin. dr. schladow and dr. steissberg ( uc davis terc ) and dr. hook ( nasa - jpl ) have completed a snplma round 7 -


have purchased high spatial resolution satellite imagery of the tahoe basin. dr. schladow and dr. steissberg ( uc davis terc ) and dr. hook ( nasa - jpl ) have completed a snplma round 7 - funded project, " monitoring past, present, and future water quality using remote sensing ( rs ), " aimed at using remote sensing to quantify changes in lake - wide distributions of secchi depth and chlorophyll distribution. the large pixel size has limited the application to areas outside the nearshore ; however, there will be considerable benefit to this project based on what was learned. several previous snplma science studies will inform this project, including : 1 ) " predicting and managing changes in near - shore water quality, " 2 ) " natural and human limitations to asian clam distribution and recolonization - factors that impact the management and control in lake tahoe, " and 3 ) " development of a risk model to determine the expansion and potential environmental impacts of asian clams in lake tahoe, " as well as a project funded by the us army corps of engineers that is conducting a baseline assessment of benthic species and developing recommendations for future assessments. expected date of final products : | last modified : mar 7, 2013 06 : 28 : 08 pm |


" this paper has very strong implications for the united states staying ahead in magnet technology, which would bring great dividends in research and improvements in medical imaging. " a scientific surprise greets fsu researchers at higher magnetic fields by susan ray research performed by a team at florida state university ' s national high magnetic field laboratory suggests that the benefits of building higher - field superconducting magnets likely will far outweigh the costs of building them. fsu researchers riqiang fu, ozge gunaydin - sen and naresh dalal discovered something they weren ' t expecting while trying to improve the resolution, or quality of image, in the magnet lab ' s unique 900 - megahertz, 21. 1 - tesla magnet. while experimenting with the giant magnet, the three noted an exponential increase in the ease of detecting the " fingerprint " of the chemical compound they were studying as they exposed it to ever - higher magnetic fields. a paper describing their research was published recently in the journal of the american chemical society, a top - tier chemistry journal. the paper can be accessed here. " this paper has very strong implications for the united states staying ahead in magnet technology, which would bring great dividends in research and improvements in medical imaging, " said tim cross, director of the magnet lab ' s nmr user program and a professor of chemistry and biochemistry at fsu. " we need — and are working on — additional fundamental studies that show the benefits of going to higher fields. " nuclear magnetic resonance, or nmr, generates a true - to - life fingerprint — a unique pattern indicating the presence of specific molecules — for a research sample that is being analyzed. as a technique, nmr is very accurate as long as one can detect the sample in the first place. the ease or difficulty of detecting a sample is known as " sensitivity. " low sensitivity has been one of nmr ' s biggest liabilities, because the lower the sensitivity, the longer the experiment takes. such slowness has limited nmr ' s potential applications. " poor signal is like a faint picture in the darkness, " said dalal, the dirac professor of chemistry and biochemistry at fsu. " we ' ve shown that the ' 900 ' ( magnet ) increases the picture ' s brightness by a factor of about 10 relative to low - field images. think of how much more you can see in a room that is that much brighter … and imagine what you ' d see at even higher fields. " theorists had predicted a linear increase in


by a factor of about 10 relative to low - field images. think of how much more you can see in a room that is that much brighter … and imagine what you ' d see at even higher fields. " theorists had predicted a linear increase in both resolution and sensitivity at higher magnetic fields, moving from 14. 1 tesla to 21. 1 tesla, the current state of the art in superconducting magnets. in their experiment, the fsu team members observed an exponential increase — with the sensitivity increasing by a factor of three over what had been predicted. higher sensitivity in a magnet means it takes far less time — or much less of a sample — to conduct an experiment. " the reduction in time is like going from one hour to a couple of minutes, " said fu, an associate scholar / scientist at the magnet lab and the fsu chemistry department. " many experiments take weeks, and such a reduction in time will allow for far more studies to be conducted on a single instrument. " dalal said the shortening of experimental time increases scientists ' ability to fingerprint materials, opening up new areas of scientific investigation in nmr, including the study of materials useful in nanotechnology and medical imaging. the need for less of a sample — up to 18 times less — will open up high - field nmr to the study of enzymes and purified proteins, an area in which samples typically are of limited size. the national high magnetic field laboratory ( www. magnet. fsu. edu ) develops and operates state - of - the - art, high - magnetic - field facilities that faculty and visiting scientists and engineers use for interdisciplinary research. the laboratory is sponsored by the national science foundation and the state of florida and is the only facility of its kind in the united states.


yearly floods the new reality for rural women mexico city - - year after year, women in rural areas of the southeastern mexican state of tabasco have to get ready for floods that threaten their homes, crops and livestock. by emilio godoy, ips photo : communities along the rivers in tabasco are badly affected by floods in the second half of the year. credit : emilio godoy / ips " we have adapted. now we build our houses on stilts, " celia hernandez, who works for an indigenous tourism project in centla, 857 km south of mexico city, told ips. " every year in june, " she said, " the women start putting things away and preparing the older people and children, " in case there is flooding and everyone has to evacuate their homes and take refuge on higher ground centla, a municipality with a population of 102, 110, lies either side of the grijalva river in tabasco, a state of 2. 2 million people. in the rainy season between june and october, the water level rises and affects urban and rural areas, including centla, which is located in a swampy region and is home to 25 rural communities and 53 " ejidos " ( collectively owned farmlands ), as well as the coastal town of frontera, the municipal capital. " people lose everything they own. the government provides some economic support, but it only covers part of the losses, so we have to start again, over and over, " said 18 - year - old hernandez, who lives with her family in a rural community where people are involved in tourism or since 2007, tabasco has been hit by the highest and longest - lasting floods of recent decades, in territory that is highly vulnerable to climate change effects such as more intense rainfall, mudslides, rising sea level and loss of biodiversity, which harm the welfare of the " this is changing women ' s way of life and the traditional activities they have carried out for years, " maria hernandez, in charge of gender equality issues for the santo tomas ecological association ( aest ), a local ngo, told ips. " the floods leave women psychologically devastated and economically destroyed. they have difficulty recovering their livelihoods, " said maria ( no relation to celia hernandez ). " people used to know when they could plant this or that crop, but now they don ' t know. women take charge of supporting the family and looking for food for their children and husbands, " she said. the devastation wrought in tabasco by floods


people used to know when they could plant this or that crop, but now they don ' t know. women take charge of supporting the family and looking for food for their children and husbands, " she said. the devastation wrought in tabasco by floods in october and november 2007 was assessed by the economic commission for latin america and the caribbean ( eclac ) at over three billion dollars. since then the aest has supported groups of women in four municipalities, providing training to cope with recurring climate changes, psychological assistance and support for carrying out development projects like poultry farming and family vegetable gardens. photo : rural women in tabasco raise chickens to help overcome the crop losses caused by climate disasters. credit : ivan garcia / ips in rural areas of tabasco, women grow maize, tomatoes and other vegetables and raise chickens and turkeys, complementing their husbands ' work which focuses on fishing. tabasco ' s climate, with an average annual rainfall of 2, 550 millimetres, and its 28 rivers and four dams make adaptation and mitigation measures necessary. together, these can create climate justice for women. after the 2007 disaster, the regional government created the reconstruction and reactivation programme to transform tabasco, one of whose goals is to complete the building of 3, 500 housing units on high ground around villahermosa, the state capital, benefiting women in " women made homeless by the floods were relocated as part of a policy of adapting to climate change, " dolores rojas, programme coordinator for the mexican office of the berlin - based heinrich boll foundation, told " an interesting aspect of this policy is that women were given the title deeds to their homes. this meant they could decide to start a small shop in their home, for example, without needing to ask their husbands ' permission, " she said. however, there have been some problems. families who moved to the houses faced higher transport costs, because their new homes are far from the centre of villahermosa, a city of 560, 000 people, and there is a lack of services, rojas said. but the study " gender relations and women ' s vulnerability to climate change ", carried out by jenny jungehulsing for the heinrich boll foundation, found that the relocation " reduced women ' s vulnerability in a number of spheres of life, " and contributed significantly to meeting " important practical needs. " the policy lays the foundation " to advance toward greater gender equality, " the 2011 study concludes. the national water commission, conagua, and the engineering institute of


of spheres of life, " and contributed significantly to meeting " important practical needs. " the policy lays the foundation " to advance toward greater gender equality, " the 2011 study concludes. the national water commission, conagua, and the engineering institute of the state national autonomous university of mexico consider it a matter of urgency to relocate over 66, 000 people living in 18, 000 dwellings in 107 communities at risk of flooding. but not everyone agrees with the relocation. some local organisations call it forced eviction, especially in rural areas like centla. " what we want is more financial support, because ( the government ) focuses mainly on urban areas. close to the rivers, flooding is inevitable, " but people are reluctant to leave their places of origin, celia hernandez said. civil society organisations complain of bad planning in tabasco that has allowed construction in at - risk areas, and poor management of the dams, which release excess water when they reach maximum levels. the overflow often floods the surrounding communities, as happened in 2007. " in order to protect villahermosa, the floodwater is being diverted to the rural communities. people have to leave their homes and are relocated in another area, where they have nowhere to farm, " complained as a result, " the pressure of supporting a family increases and gender violence gets worse, " she said. because of the recurring floods, the women have had to diversify their activities, since recovering their crops was impossible. " relocation plans should include a gender perspective so as not to give only partial solutions ; a comprehensive policy is needed. it ' s an expression of climate justice, " said rojas. women " are more exposed to risks, and their vulnerability depends on their socioeconomic status. resettlement partially compensates for that vulnerability, " she said. the heinrich boll foundation study says : " given that gender equality and women ' s empowerment are central elements for reducing vulnerabilities to climate change, it is important that these policies - through clear, productive actions - diminish these vulnerabilities and advance toward greater gender equality. " published by : magne ove varsi


in the garden : western mountains and high plains get ready to browse for seeds you ' d like to start indoors. how to get started with starting seeds indoors starting seeds indoors is one of the best cures for late winter cabin fever and it motivates me to think about trying something new in the garden. with all those garden magazines piling up on my desk, i ' m tempted to try a few new varieties that are often not available locally. it ' s time to get set up for starting some seeds indoors. though it would be nice to have a greenhouse, i ' ll make do with my home environment to start my seeds. bright, high - quality light is the key to success. a south - facing window will work nicely. find a spot with enough space to accommodate a work table or two, fluorescent lights, heat mats, seed starting trays, and containers. seed starting takes minimal effort, but the basics never change. here are some of my time - tested tips : for best germination, use a special, soilless mixture just for seed starting. most of the commercial mixes are a blend of milled sphagnum peat moss, perlite ( heated volcanic rock to create pore space ), and vermiculite ( mica - like material to expand and retain moisture ). some may contain compost or a fertilizer, enough to keep the seedlings growing for a few weeks. moisten the mixture with warm water before you use it. it should be evenly moist but not dripping wet ( you shouldn ' t be able to squeeze any water out of a handful of the soilless mix ). fill a clean container with dampened seed starting mixture. you can use flat, shallow seed starting trays, but you can be creative with containers. recyclable plastic containers including yogurt cups, margarine containers, and egg cartons are just a few items i ' ve used. make sure they have some drainage holes punctured in the bottom. press the seed mix down as you fill the containers and gently tamp it down to level and firm the surface. fill the container to within a half - inch of the rim. it ' s a good idea to water the mix again before sowing seeds so they won ' t be washed around by a stream of water applied after sowing. the number one reason seeds don ' t germinate well is that they are planted too deeply. so carefully read the seed packet and follow the instructions. if the seeds


won ' t be washed around by a stream of water applied after sowing. the number one reason seeds don ' t germinate well is that they are planted too deeply. so carefully read the seed packet and follow the instructions. if the seeds are extremely tiny, mix them with a little sand or vermiculite to make it easier to sow them thinly. don ' t cover the seeds too deeply. some seeds need light to germinate and shouldn ' t be covered at all ( this will be indicated on the seed packet ). on a plant label write down the variety and the sowing date, and stick it into or staple to the container. create a mini - greenhouse so that the seeds have warmth and constant, even moisture to germinate. covering the container or tray with its plastic cover, or a sheet of plastic food wrap, acrylic, or sheet of glass. don ' t seal it too tightly as this can cut off all air circulation and molds may develop on the surface of the mixture. air circulation discourages diseases like damping - off and other fungus problems. if you use plastic wrap, lift it off part of the day to let air in. seeds that need darkness to germinate can be covered with a sheet of newspaper, black plastic, or fabric to cut out the light. if they need light to germinate, set the container in full light, but not direct sun. keep the seed starting mixture moist, but not soggy. when it becomes dry to the touch, mist it immediately or set the container in a pan of warm water. here is where bottom watering is best as it won ' t cause the seeds to wash or splash around or encourage diseases. the seed growing area should be warm and i prefer to use a heat mat to keep the temperature around 70 degrees f. once the seeds have sprouted, remove the covers and set them where they get good light or under fluorescent lights placed 2 inches above the seedlings. give the seedlings at least ten hours of light every day ; 12 hours is even better. a light rigged with an automatic timer is ideal. the rest is up to you to thin and transplant as needed. in the long run, once you get hooked, you, like me, will be starting seeds every year to curb the symptoms of cabin fever and try growing something new. care to share your gardening thoughts, insights, triumphs, or disappointments with your fellow gardening enthusiasts? join the lively discussions on our facebook page and receive


what are guidelines for fertilizing annual and perennial flowers with nitrogen and phosphorus? — rosanne janssen, wichita, ks plants need both major and minor nutrients. minor nutrients ( also called “ trace elements ” ) are usually supplied by the soil, but plants use major nutrients in large enough quantities that we should add them regularly. of the major nutrients, nitrogen ( n ) is associated with green, vegetative growth ; phosphorus ( p ) is associated with flowering ; and potassium ( k ) aids root development. however, that ’ s an oversimplification. all three major nutrients are necessary, to some degree, for all aspects of healthy plant growth. if plants don ’ t have enough nitrogen or potassium, they ’ re unlikely to flower well, even though there ’ s plenty of phosphorus in the soil. there is no one best fertilizer formulation for annuals or perennials. many work well. however, choose a fertilizer that ’ s higher in phosphorus and potassium than nitrogen to encourage blooming and discourage excessive leafy growth. if you ’ re growing perennials primarily for foliage, use a balanced fertilizer with equal parts n - p - k. fertilize annuals throughout the growing season, and perennials from spring through midsummer. stop fertilizing most perennials after midsummer so they ’ ll slow their growth and prepare for winter dormancy. perennials that are still putting on new growth in fall will be vulnerable to winter injury. some newer annuals do better with frequent fertilizing ( every 10 to 14 days ), particularly if they ’ re growing in containers. an easy way to provide enough nutrients is to mix slow - release fertilizer pellets into the soil when you plant. the pellets will release nutrients into the soil for about three to six months.


mapping q lines - to join, add the earliest known direct paternal ancestor only for the testd line. haplogroup q is one of the two branches of haplogroup p ( m45 ). haplogroup q is believed to have arisen in central asia approximately 15, 000 to 20, 000 years ago. it has had multiple origins proposed. much of the conflict may be attributed to limited sample sizes and early definitions that used a combination of m242, p36. 2, and meh2 as defining mutations. this haplogroup has many diverse haplotypes despite its low frequency among most populations outside of the americas. there also are over a dozen subclades that have been sampled and identified in modern populations. q is found predominantly in central siberia, central asia and among native americans. in the latter case it is the specific subclade q1a3a1. one hypothesis is that q came to europe with the huns in the 5th century. the huns are thought to have originated from central siberia, where haplogroup q is still common nowadays. q is found in 2 % of the people in hungary and up to 5 % in isolated pockets in the mountains of slovakia, just north of hungary. it is historically attested that hungary was were most of the hunnic invaders finally settled after wreaking havoc around europe. the nordic and baltic states have the second highest frequency of q in europe. based on the hunnic hypothesis, it is possible that a group of huns settled in sweden and / or norway along with their allies, the goths. the romans reported that the huns consisted of a small ruling elite and their armies comprised mostly of germanic warriors. an alternative scenario is that nordic and baltic q came through the uralic - speaking population of siberia via finland and lappland, but this is unlikely because q is not more common in finland and does not correlate with the densities of the uralic haplogroup n1c1. other central asian or siberian migrations might have brought q to ukraine in the late antiquity or medieval period. for instance, the multi - ethnic central asian troops of genghis khan could very well have carried some haplogroup q ( along with c, g, o and r1a ) to eastern europe, but not to central europe or scandinavia. sources and resources informasjon pa norsk


cnn was founded by georgia businessman ted turner. in the 1970s turner took advantage of the increasing availability of communications satellites to begin broadcasting his independent uhf station, plans for cnn were publicly announced in may 1979. with the bravado that was one of his trademarks, turner predicted that cnn would represent " the greatest achievement in the history of journalism. " schonfeld would serve as the network ' s first president and ceo. veteran journalist daniel schorr, who had worked for cbs news during the " golden age " of edward r. murrow, lent his credibility to the venture when he agreed to become the new channel ' s most visible correspondent. turner set an ambitious goal of beginning cnn ' s broadcast on june 1, 1980. early response was skeptical. critics doubted whether there was a market for around - the - clock news, and many questioned whether such a venture could be profitable. in a television news universe dominated by the " big three " networks ( cbs, nbc, and abc ), many wondered if there was room for such a shoestring operation, particularly one that planned to fill an enormous amount of airtime on a budget that was a fraction of what the networks spent. despite formidable organizational and technical obstacles ( including the loss of satcom iii, the satellite originally scheduled to carry the network ' s signal ), cnn managed to make its june deadline. an estimated 1. 7 million cable television subscribers were able to receive the channel when it aired. although the first day did not go without a hitch, cnn did get its first " scoop " only minutes into its inaugural broadcast, cutting away from its first commercial break to bring viewers live coverage of u. s. president jimmy carter ' s visit to the fort wayne, indiana, hospital room of civil rights leader vernon jordan, who had been wounded in an assassination attempt. part of the concept of cnn was that the news, not the anchor, would be the star. the network ' s early format, drawn in part from that of all - news radio, was centered on a news " wheel. " major stories were repeated on a cyclical basis throughout the day, sometimes with minor modifications. new stories were added to the mix periodically. at any time, however, breaking news could arise and dominate the schedule. growth and expansion derided by some as the " chicken noodle news, " cnn began to gain respectability throughout the 1980s. as it grew more successful, cnn expanded its lineup and its family of channels. crossfire, a local washington, d. c.,


the late 1990s cnn faced stiff competition from other cable news channels, such as msnbc ( a joint venture of microsoft and nbc ) and fox news channel ( owned by billionaire rupert murdoch ' s news corporation ), both of which were launched in 1996. although often different in tone, cnn ' s cable competitors were largely using the model pioneered by cnn. media critics over the years have both lauded cnn for its attention to international issues and lamented the compression of editorial decision - making processes spurred when the live around - the - clock cycle introduced by the network produces a " rush to air. " some observers now speak of " the cnn effect, " as expanded television news coverage affects political, diplomatic, and military decision making on a global level. whatever the future may bring for cnn, it has been instrumental in changing the way millions of people get their news. speaking shortly before the network ' s launch, turner promised that, barring technical problems, " we won ' t be signing off until the world ends. we ' ll be on, and we will cover the end of the world, live, and that will be our last event.... and when the end of the world comes, we ' ll play ' nearer my god to thee ' before we sign off. " don m. flournoy and robert k. stewart, cnn : making news in the global market ( luton, england : university of luton press, 1997 ). reese schonfeld, me and ted against the world : the unauthorized story of the founding of cnn ( new york : cliff street books, 2001 ). perry mccoy smith, how cnn fought the war : a view from the inside ( new york : carol publishing group, 1991 ). hank whittemore, cnn : the inside story ( boston : little, brown, 1990 ). lain hughes, university of georgia a project of the georgia humanities council, in partnership with the university of georgia press, the university system of georgia / galileo, and the office of the governor.


high temperature instruments for supercritical geothermal reservoir characterization and exploitation gfz part in workpackage 4 : production integrity monitoring within hiti, new surface and downhole tools and approaches for deep high - temperature boreholes are developed, built, and tested in the field. the new set of tools and methods has been chosen to provide a basic set of data needed to describe either the supercritical reservoir structure and dynamics ( measurement of temperature, pressure, natural gamma radiation, electrical resistivity, reservoir storativity, and acoustic imaging of the borehole wall ), and the evolution of the casing and cement integrity during production ( acoustic imaging ). the new tools will be tested in - situ in existing icelandic wells, including the iddp ( “ iceland deep drilling project ” ) hole. within workpackage 4 “ production integrity monitoring ”, gfz contributes its expertise in fiber - optic temperature monitoring, which is further developed for the specific demands in high - temperature geothermal wells. the current system was deployed in 4. 2 km depth at temperatures of 146 °c at the in - situ geothermal lab in groß - schonebeck ( henninges et al., 2005 ). within hiti, a dts sensor cable will be tested during a field experiment in a high - enthalpy geothermal reservoir in iceland. © fournier ( 1999 ) - pressure - enthalpy diagram for pure h2o with selected isotherms. the conditions under which steam and water coexist is shown by the shaded area, bounded by the boiling point curve to the left and the dew point curve to the right. the arrows show various different possible cooling paths ( fournier, 1999 ). the pressure - enthalpy diagram for pure water ( figure 1 ) from fournier ( 1999 ) provides a summary of how a supercritical geothermal system might be managed to produce electricity. for more explanations see : european - projekt hiti


yale researchers discover source of signals that trigger hair growth by darren quick september 5, 2011 in news that offers hope to millions of chrome - domes everywhere - yours truly included - yale researchers have made a discovery that could lead to new treatments for baldness. while men with male pattern baldness still have stem cells in follicle roots, they need signals from within the skin to grow hair. until now, the source of those signals that trigger hair growth has been unclear, but the yale researchers claim to have now discovered it. when hair dies, the researcher team led by valerie horsley, assistant professor of molecular, cellular and developmental biology, observed that the layer of fat in the scalp that comprises most of the skin ' s thickness shrinks. when hair growth begins, the fat layer expands in a process called adipogenesis. they identified a type of stem cell - adipose precursor cells - within the skin ' s fatty layer that is involved in the creation of new fat cells. they showed that these cells ' production of molecules called pgdf ( platelet derived growth factors ), was necessary to spur hair regrowth in mice. horsley ' s team is trying to identify other signals produced by adipose precursor stem cells that may play a role in regulating hair growth. she also wants to know whether these same signals are required for human hair growth. " if we can get these fat cells in the skin to talk to the dormant stem cells at the base of hair follicles, we might be able to get hair to grow again, " said horsley. just enter your friends and your email address into the form below for multiple addresses, separate each with a comma


jan 7, 2011 new form of public involvement in french grapevine project genetic engineering experiment : from information to interaction the institut national de recherche agronomique in alsace has been trialling a new form of public involvement over recent years. a release experiment with genetically modified grapevines was monitored for six years by a local monitoring committee, which helped develop the biosafety research questions. the project ended in 2010 when the trial field was destroyed. the final report appeared in the online journal plosbiology at the end of 2010. fanleaf degeneration is a crop disease with significant financial consequences for wine - growers. one of the symptoms is spotty, yellow leaves. the inra in colmar studied transgenic grapevines that are resistant to this disease. in the past, methods of involving the public in the introduction of new technologies have usually been restricted to public information or public hearings. more recent methods place a greater emphasis on the active involvement of citizens and stakeholders. one such method was trialled at the institut national de recherche agronomique ( inra ) in colmar from 2003 to 2010. the focus was a field trial with gm grapevines that are resistant to the grapevine fanleaf virus ( gflv ). gflv is one of several viruses that cause fanleaf degeneration. it is transmitted via soil - dwelling nematodes. affected plants normally have to be completely removed and the soil treated with nematicidal substances, although these are banned in many countries. the transgenic grapevines produce a coat protein of the gflv virus, which protects them to a large extent against infection by the ‘ real ’ viruses. since the virus is transmitted through the soil, only the rootstocks are genetically modified ; the scions grafted onto them do not contain any transgenes. for the field trial, soil was taken from two infected vineyards and brought to the inra site. the local monitoring committee ( lmc ), which was convened before the start of the trial, had no fixed membership, but was open to anyone interested, and members were free to pull out at any time. the members were representatives of wine - growers, consumer associations, environmental and nature conservation associations, representatives of the town council, the regional council and the regional environment agencies, as well as one independent wine - grower and a neighbour of the trial site. despite the considerable time investment involved, the composition of the committee remained stable over a period of six years. the bio


, the regional council and the regional environment agencies, as well as one independent wine - grower and a neighbour of the trial site. despite the considerable time investment involved, the composition of the committee remained stable over a period of six years. the biosafety research experiments on the gm grapevines were planned in the first instance by inra scientists and then discussed and modified in the lmc. following discussions in the lmc, for instance, scions were chosen from a grapevine variety that is not otherwise grown in alsace and which has a very different appearance from the alsace grapevines. although the scions were not genetically modified, this approach was intended to prevent fears among the local community about the transgene outcrossing to native grapevines. another modification instigated by the lmc was for a membrane to be buried under the trial field to isolate the experiment. this was designed to prevent the gflv - infected nematodes from spreading. the membrane was also employed because of fears raised in the lmc that horizontal gene transfer could take place between the transgenic rootstocks and the nematodes. however, the inra scientists regarded these fears as unfounded. the lmc also initiated additional research, e. g. into whether an exchange of genetic material takes place between the transgenic rootstock and the soil microflora or the non - transgenic scion. in addition, the lmc developed a research programme on conventional methods of controlling the gflv virus. after the field trial was partially destroyed in september 2009, the lmc received broad support from a wide range of organisations and parties, including from those opposed to the use of genetic engineering in agriculture. since the rootstocks remained unharmed, the research work was resumed. however, in august 2010 the field trial was destroyed so completely that the research had to be abandoned.


despite the many initiatives launched in the last two decades, there is still a long way to go to tackle britain ' s big health and lifestyle challenges : alcohol misuse, obesity and smoking. the biggest and worst of these public health challenges remains smoking. unlike high - fat foods or alcohol, there is no acceptable level of consumption of cigarettes. smoking kills – it ' s that simple. not only does smoking shorten smokers ' lives, but it also comes at an enormous cost to the taxpayer. smoking - related illnesses are estimated to cost the nhs at least £2. 7bn a year in england alone. today marks the closure of the government ' s consultation on whether plain packaging of tobacco products should be introduced in the uk. the prospect of standardised cigarette packaging coming into law will inevitably result in a greater focus on the harmful effects associated with smoking and the role that our government can play in helping people to kick the habit. the medical evidence is startlingly clear ; smoking is the single biggest preventable cause of early death and illness in the uk, each year directly accounting for more than 100, 000 unnecessary deaths. one in two long - term smokers will die prematurely from a smoking related disease. we also know that smoking harms others through passive smoking in the home, and smoking by pregnant women also remains a significant problem. more than one in six mothers smoke during pregnancy, with potentially harmful results for both mum and baby. smoking also comes at a large financial cost, and often to those who can least afford it. the average price for a packet of cigarettes translates to £51. 80 a week for a 20 - a - day habit. we know that smoking rates are highest among those on the lowest incomes, further entrenching the health inequalities that exist between the richest and poorest people in our country. so how do we change things? we must discourage young people from taking up smoking in the first place. while there are fewer older adult smokers than there were a decade ago, smoking is still common among young people, and in particular amongst teenage girls. the triumph of britain ' s athletes at the london olympic games has provided a once in a generation opportunity to inspire people to do more exercise and to address some of the toughest public health challenges we face as a country, but it is unlikely that sporting inspiration and the olympic legacy alone will be enough. one of the most overlooked and potentially most successful aspects of the coalition government ' s recent nhs reforms was the allocation of much of the public health budget and the responsibility


last year the bill and melinda gates foundation raised eyebrows with its announcement that they would fund an initiative to take toilet technology to the next level. with 2. 5 billion people lacking access to sanitation in a world that cannot afford to use potable water for carrying away human waste in the long run, the economic opportunities that the reinvented toilet offer businesses could be highly lucrative. ground zero for the quest to find the perfect toilet for the 21st century ' s needs may as well be durban, south africa. the coastal city with a population of 3. 8 million is a prime test bed to find a new solution for the water hogging commode that has changed very little, either technically or functionally, since its invention in the 1850s. despite having an average annual rainfall of 1200mm, durban, as is the case with much of south africa, now faces increasing water scarcity. the city ' s infrastructure suffers further strain as more of south africa ' s rural poor move there to find work. currently 800, 000 residents live in shacks situated in districts that have marginal sanitation. durban has made impressive strides on water issues in the past decade. tap water, for example, is now safe to drink. nevertheless, 230, 000 families still lack access to safe and hygienic toilets. communal toilet blocks are a stopgap measure for residents who lack indoor plumbing or space for a private toilet. but with the urban poor viewing the porcelain flushing toilet as the gold standard, municipalities such as durban face the dual challenge of diminishing water supplies and meeting citizens ' increased expectations. for the world ' s poor, a clean toilet is not just about health, but offers dignity, privacy and a break from the daily chaos in the streets. durban ' s pressing challenge is balancing the needs of its citizens, tight water supplies and the mandate of the south african constitution, which states that access to water and a clean environment are inherent rights. for now the city ' s strategy is to follow a " sanitation edge concept, " under which waterborne sanitation is provided where the housing density justifies such infrastructure. in more remote sections of the city, dry urinary diversion ( ud ) toilets are the standard. and hence the dilemma : the victorian - era flush toilets are wasteful, but dry pit toilets are not clean or safe to use in the long term. in the end, poorer citizens want what they view as a simple tool with a handle that flushes. so what about one that does not discharge litres and litres of water? to that


toilets are not clean or safe to use in the long term. in the end, poorer citizens want what they view as a simple tool with a handle that flushes. so what about one that does not discharge litres and litres of water? to that end, the city of durban has entered a partnership with the gates foundation and the swiss aquatic research institute eawag to find a solution that captures the functionality of the flush toilet without waste. according to neil macleod, head of durban ' s water and sanitation department, the holy grail for the future toilet is one that not only eliminates waste, but also generates wealth. speaking to an audience at world water week in stockholm, macleod said the technology to recover waste and energy from human waste exists, but the process requires much refinement. in a world where resources such as phosphorous are becoming limited and expensive, last night ' s dinner, multiplied by millions and even billions, could offer a wealth of materials that could provide energy, fertiliser and even recycled water. and the technologies involved could include solar, microwaves and nanotechnology. the toilet ' s future, said macleod, is analogous to what has happened with telephones over the past two decades. in the same way that mobile phones skipped a generation in the developing world, a similar story could unfold with toilets. instead of wasteful flush toilets replacing filthy pit latrines, a future commode that uses modern technology could generate economic opportunity across the globe. rather than a massive revamp of centuries - old infrastructure in cities, macleod envisions decentralised water technology systems where waste would be separated very close to its source. could such a contraption resemble a washing machine at the back of a house, where recycled water and fertiliser flow out to separate pipes? could water, which is now generally a monopoly controlled by one central authority, follow the path of computing and telephony and become managed at a more decentralised level? the shift in viewing sewage as a valuable resource rather than waste will require a massive rethink by government, business and consumers. but a nascent clean technology sector focused on the reinvention of the 150 year old toilet is already taking hold. entrepreneurs have started to cash in : the gates foundation has announced the first round winners of its " reinvent the toilet challenge " and durban will host the world toilet summit this december. the future commode, waterless and, for now, a wizardly concept, will bring wealth to a new


one of the key tenets of generally accepted accounting principles ( gaap ) is the matching principle. the matching principle states that companies should report associated costs and benefits at the same time. if a company buys a $ 300 million cruise ship in 1982 and then sells tickets to passengers for the next 30 years, the company should not report a $ 300 million expense in 1982 and then ticket sales for 1982 through 2012. instead, the company should spread the purchase price of the ship ( the cost ) over the same time period it sells tickets ( the benefit ). to create income statements that meet the matching principle, accountants use an expense called depreciation. so, instead of reporting a $ 300 million purchase expense in 1982, the company might : report a $ 30 million depreciation expense in 1982, 1983, 1984... and every year after that for the 30 years the company expects to sell tickets to passengers on this cruise ship. to calculate depreciation, a company must make estimates and choices such as : the cost of the asset the useful life of the asset the salvage value of the asset at the end of its useful life and a way of spreading the cost of the asset to match the time when the asset provides benefits the range of different ways of spreading the cost under gaap accounting is too long to list. however, public companies in the united states explain their depreciation choices to shareholders in a note to their financial statements. it is critical that investors read this note. investors can find this note in the companys 10 - k. past depreciation expenses accumulate on the balance sheet. most public companies choose not to show this contra asset account on the balance sheet they present to shareholders. instead, they simply show a single item. this single asset item may be marked net. such as property, plant, and equipment - net. it is actually the asset account netted against the contra asset account. a contra asset account is an account that offsets an asset account. so, for example a company might have : property, plant, and equipment - gross : $ 150 million accumulated depreciation : $ 120 million property, plant, and equipment - net : $ 30 million in this case, the only item likely to be shown on the balance sheet is property, plant, and equipment - net. this is the cost of the companys property, plant, and equipment ( asset account ) minus the accumulated depreciation ( the contra asset account ). it means the companys assets cost $ 150 million, the company has reported


equipment - net. this is the cost of the companys property, plant, and equipment ( asset account ) minus the accumulated depreciation ( the contra asset account ). it means the companys assets cost $ 150 million, the company has reported $ 120 million in depreciation expense over the years, and the company is now reporting the assets have a book value of $ 30 million. it is possible for a company to have fully depreciated assets on its balance sheet. this means the companys estimate of the useful life of the asset was shorter than the assets actual useful life. as a result, the asset - although it is still being used - is carried on the balance sheet at its salvage value. this is a reminder that depreciation involves estimates and choices. it is not an infallible process. companies do not have cash layout for depreciation. therefore, depreciation is added back in the cash flow statement. although depreciation is not a cash cost, it is a real business cost because the company has to pay for the fixed assets when it purchases them. both warren buffett and charlie munger hate the idea of editda because depreciation is not included as an expense. warren buffett even jokingly said we prefer earnings before everything when criticizing the abuse of editda. depreciation estimates make the calculation of net income susceptible to managements accounting choices. these choices can be either overly aggressive or overly conservative., operating margin, earnings before depreciation and amortization * all numbers are in millions except for per share data brown - forman corporation annual data brown - forman corporation quarterly data