Daniel - Lesson 1
INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK OF DANIEL
Background Information for the Teacher
- The student can explain the historical circumstances surrounding the story of Daniel, including what was happening in the Kingdom of Judah and in other kingdoms related to the story.
- The student can provide a date for key events in the story of Daniel.
- The student can identify the following places on a map: Jerusalem, Samaria, Nineveh, Babylon.
- Have a chalkboard, marker board, overhead, or PowerPoint ready. You may download the PowerPoint to make overhead transparencies. When you do, click "Pure Black and White" on the print dialogue box.)
- Have copies of the worksheet ready to hand out at the beginning of the class.
- Be sure all the students have Bibles.
- Have cards ready to distribute with all the passages you want someone to read aloud during the lesson.
- Have a blank sheet of paper to hand out to each student so they can keep a list of personal applications throughout the class sessions. Ask them to keep this sheet in their Bibles so they can have it available to record applications.
- Have access to a map-on the wall, on a transparency, or on the supplied PowerPoint.
God is able to work in the affairs of nations so that while the nations make decisions for their own purposes, God is able to use such decisions to achieve His ends. The stories of the Kingdom of Judah and of Daniel are very good illustrations of this principle.
Lesson Plan for Conducting the Class
Introduction: (about 10 minutes)
- Call the roll, or, if the class is large, let someone check the roll or let students sign in as they come to class. Make any necessary class announcements. If you like to start with songs, some that tie with the lesson today are "How Great Thou Art,""Majesty," "Mighty is Our God," or "Holy, Holy, Holy." Have a prayer.
- Tell the class that the study for this quarter is the book of Daniel. To get class involvement started from the first, ask the class this question: Q: What do you remember about the story of Daniel? We will work all of those into our class study. Here are a few more things you might not know about. A: Jesus quotes Daniel. The Book of Revelation refers to some passages in Daniel. Daniel makes prophecies about Jesus. In fact, one of Jesus' favorite expressions about Himself came from Daniel.
- The Book of Daniel is one of the most important Old Testament books to study because it shows God's power to work among nations and to reveal in advance events which will happen. The book also shows God's love by his care of Daniel and his friends. The book shows God's patience because, even after the Israelites have abandoned Him many times, He still wants to help them. Finally, the book of Daniel shows how God began many years in advance to work things so that, at the right time, Jesus would come to give His life for all of us.
- If you will be regular in attendance this term and will do a little home work, here are the things you will be able to do when our study is over. (Review the objectives of the class given in the Introduction to the Teacher.) As a part of our learning, you will complete during each class a worksheet which you can take home with you. If you will review this worksheet each week, you will be prepared to do well on a Review Quiz which you can do each time when you come to class. Think about this learning plan-listening well in class, looking at the visuals I will provide, writing down some important things to remember, reviewing these important items during the week, having some accountability for your learning on a brief review quiz as we start each new class period. If you will do these things, you will carry away from this study a very good understanding of the key elements of our look at Daniel. I hope you will enter this study with a strong desire to learn about this book of Daniel.
Learning Experiences: (about 20 minutes)
Let's start with a brief review of the history of Israel to provide some background to the study of Daniel. I will ask you questions as we go and you should fill in the appropriate blanks on the worksheet. Be sure to watch for the answers to put on your worksheet. The sentence in which the answer appears may not be expressed exactly as it appears on the worksheet. Also as we review this history, we will be making reference to the map so we can get oriented to location of the places in the story of Daniel. (The numbers below connect with numbers on the Student Worksheet.)
No. 1. Read Daniel 1:1. When the story of Daniel begins, Jehoiakim is in his third year as king over Judah when they were attacked by the Babylonians. Q:What actual year was this? A: 606 BC. Let's step back some years to get a fuller picture. Q: What is meant by "king of Judah?" A: King over the southern kingdom, the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin. (Show map of the two kingdoms of Israel and Judah. Point out Jerusalem as capitol of Judah and Samaria as capitol of Israel.) Q: By the time of Daniel's birth, what had happened to the ten tribes of the Kingdom of Israel? A: They had been carried away by the Assyrians in 722 BC. Q: Why had this northern kingdom been taken away? Read 2 Kings 17:5-14. A: Because they followed idols and God had told them many times that if they did this, they would be taken into captivity. Q: When is the Assyrian Kingdom destroyed and by whom? A: By Babylon in 612 BC.
No. 2. Q: How faithful to God has the kingdom of Judah been? Read 2 Kings22:3, 10-20. A: They also have worshipped idols although a few of their kings have been faithful kings (Hezekiah and Josiah for example), but most of their kings have allowed idols and taken part in worship to them. Q: What has God predicted about the kingdom of Judah? Read Jeremiah 25:8-10. A: They too will be carried away into captivity because of their sins. Q: Did God tell them they would return from this captivity? Read Jeremiah 25:11. A: They would go away into Babylon but would return after 70 years. (Show map of the BabylonianEmpire. Show where their capitol city of Babylon is located.) Nebuchadnezzar begins to fulfill this prophecy when he comes against Judah in 606 BC.
No. 3. Q: Now to review, what had happened to the Kingdom of Israel because of their idolatry and when did it happen? A: They have been taken away by theAssyrians in 722 BC. Q: What is then predicted to happen to the Kingdom ofJudah? A. They also will be carried away. Q: By whom and for how long will they be in captivity? A: By Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians and they will be gone for 70 years. Q: In what year does the Babylonian leader Nebuchadnezzar first conquer Jerusalem and take captives? A: 606 BC.
No. 4. Q: So what dates have we studied so far and what happened in each? A:722 BC-the Kingdom of Israel falls. 606 BC-Nebuchadnezzar first comes against Jerusalem and takes captives.
No. 5. Q. How many more times does Nebuchadnezzar attack Jerusalem? A: Two. Q: In what years? A: 597 and 586 BC. Q: What is different about 586BC? A: In 597 BC, Nebuchadnezzar took more captives but in 586 BC, Jerusalem is totally destroyed and all the remaining people are taken captive to Babylon. Q: What important people were taken captive to Babylon in 606 BC. A: Daniel and his three friends- Hannaniah, Mishael, and Azariah. Q: What important person was taken captive to Babylon in 597 BC? A: Ezekiel. Q: What was the difference in the locations as to where Daniel and his friends were kept and where Ezekiel stayed? A: Daniel and his friends were in or near the Babylonian palace, while Ezekiel lived with the exiles in their refugee camp by the river.
No. 6. Let's review our dates again. Q: What happened in 722 BC? Q: When were the Assyrians destroyed and by whom? Q: What are the three dates when Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem and what happened at each date?
No. 7. Now let's project forward. Q: How long did Jeremiah say the Jews would be captive in Babylon? A: 70 years. Q: Counting from the time of the first captives taken, in what year would they be allowed to return? A: 536 BC. And so it was.
Application: (about 14 minutes)
- Give each student a blank sheet of paper to keep in his/her Bible. Ask the students to write across the top of the sheet these words: "My PersonalApplications from the Book of Daniel." Tell them that as the study goes along, they should write on this sheet any applications to their own life which they find in Daniel as a way of committing themselves to and remembering this personal application.
- Q: What lessons do we learn from this story about God? A: He punishes those who do not keep His word. He warns people to repent. He still loves His people even when they are rebellious and wants to restore them. God has the wisdom and the power to achieve His purposes by using those people and nations that make their own free choices (Assyria, Nebuchadnezzar, Babylon).
- Q: How does any of this apply to us today? A: God still punishes those who do not keep His word, but not necessarily in this life. God still loves His people and wants to bring good to them. God can still use nations and people to work out His will even when they are not aware of it. (Bringing down the Iron Curtain, perhaps God is at work through nations today in Afghanistan and Iraq.) We will bring much harm to ourselves and others if we stray from what God has told us to do.
Assignment: (About 1 minute)
- Study from your worksheet to prepare for the Review Quiz when you next come to class.
- Next class period we will discuss who wrote Daniel. Check out in your commentaries and the introduction to Daniel in a study Bible to see what you can find out on your own about the dating of Daniel.
Back to Daniel
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Summing numeric values to a larger geographic feature from a smaller feature.
The difference between the district's population and ideal population.
The field that contains data that is being equalized across districts in a plan. In most plans this field is Population.
Building blocks for a plan, usually the smallest features in area, Census Blocks.
A 100% enumeration of the population; the federal census is mandated by the U.S. Constitution in Article 1, section 2.
The most granular and smallest geography for decennial census tabulations. In urban areas, they are similar to a street block. Census blocks are generally bounded by physical features such as roads, rivers, or power lines but can sometimes be bounded by nonphysical features such as city, county or precinct boundaries
Census Block Group
Statistical divisions of census tracts, and generally contain between 600 and 3,000 people. Block groups tend to follow neighborhoods. They are used to present data and control block numbering. A block group consists of clusters of blocks within the same census tract that have the same first digit of their four-digit census block number. Most block groups were delineated by local participants in the Census Bureau's Participant Statistical Areas Program.
The U.S. Bureau of the Census, which part of the Department of Commerce, conducts the decennial Census of Population and Housing as well as numerous ongoing projects for the federal government.
The geographic units for which census information is tabulated and reported with several hierarchies; the most basic is census block to census block group to census tract to county to state.
Census tracts are small, relatively permanent geographic entities within counties (or the statistical equivalents of counties) delineated by a committee of local data users. Generally, census tracts have between 2,500 and 8,000 residents and boundaries that follow visible features. When first established, census tracts were to be as homogeneous as possible with respect to population characteristics, economic status, and living conditions. Tracts were first defined in 1970 and the Census Bureau maintains them as consistently as possible across the decades.
Citizen Voting Age Population (CVAP)
Number of persons who are citizens and at least 18 years of age.
Communities of Interest
Geographical areas, such as neighborhoods of a city or regions of a state, where the residents have common demographic and/or political interests that do not necessarily coincide with the boundaries of a political subdivision, such as a city or county. Examples of communities of interest are groups who are committed to preserving a local park, creating a new subway line in a city or achieving increased funding for a community college.
Having the minimum distance between all the parts of a constituency (a circle, square or a hexagon are examples of very compact district). Various methods have been developed to measure compactness.
All parts of a district being connected geographically at some point with the rest of the district. Limits on contiguity by point or by water vary by state.
The measure of how much a district or plan varies from the ideal population, however defined, per district. Deviation can be expressed as an absolute number or as a percentage.
(Also known as Disclosure Avoidance) The Census Bureau's method that adds "statistical noise" to the population counts in a way that protects each respondent's identity. Differential privacy uses statistical noise to slightly alter data so that the link between the data and a specific person or business can't be certain. With differential privacy, the Census Bureau precisely controls the amount of statistical noise added using sophisticated mathematical formulas that allow them to assure that enough noise is added to protect privacy but not so much as to damage the statistical validity of their publications. The formulas allow the bureau to balance between two opposing extremes: total accuracy and total privacy. In practice, this means that areas that have a large number of people will have highly accurate statistics, but areas or subpopulations that have just a few people will have proportionately more noise and therefore less accuracy. In this way, the statistical noise prevents someone from learning anything meaningful about any particular individual. You can read more about differential privacy in this article.
The process of apportioning data for a larger level of geography to a lower level.
The boundaries that define the constituency from which a public official is elected.
Groups of randomized redistricting plans created using a proprietary implementation of the ReCom method of the Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm. These plans can be compared to any proposed plan to determine how random it is.
A file that contains the unique identifier for the base layer, usually the Block ANSI for Census Blocks, and the corresponding district identifier. Equivalency files can be used to recreate district geography using any GIS.
Geographic Information System. Computer software used for creating or revising plans and analyzing geographically oriented data.
Geographic entities in a superior/subordinate structure. This structure is derived from the legal, administrative, or areal relationships of the entities. Hierarchies contain a series of nesting relationships. Smaller orders in the hierarchy are completely contained by larger orders. Common hierarchies are Census Block-Block Group-Tract-County, Census Block-Voting District-County, Census Block-Voting District-County Subdivision-County.
The total population or alternative for the redistricting divided by the number of seats in a plan.
A group of features of the same type, such as states, highways, or landmarks that is stored in geographic files on your computer.
A collection of plans in the Plan Manager.
Term used by courts for seats where a group or a single racial or language minority constitutes a majority of the population. (These are also referred to as “effective districts.”)
A representation of an area of land or sea showing physical features (i.e. cities, roads, etc.) shown as layers.
Maptitude Online Redistricting (MORe)
Caliper Corporation's online application for creating interactive redistricting maps.
Metes and Bounds
A detailed and very specialized description of district boundaries using specific geographic features and street directions as are usually found in describing real property for legal purposes.
A district that elects more than one member to a political jurisdiction.
Redistricting method of creating two or more state lower legislative chamber districts that are completely contained within the boundaries of a state upper legislative chamber district.
The difference in population between the largest and smallest districts in a districting plan in either absolute (persons) or relative (percentage) terms.
A set of boundaries for all districts of a representational body, a.k.a. map.
The utility for creating and managing plans, libraries, templates, plan sets and reports in Maptitude for Redistricting.
Two or more related plans that you want to work on simultaneously.
A percentage of population that is higher than all other race/ethnicities.
Public Law 94-171
Federal law enacted in 1975 requiring the U. S. Bureau of the Census to provide the states with data for use in redistricting as well as mandating the program where the states define the geography for collecting data.
The redrawing or revision of boundaries for representational districts.
The toolbox that contains all of the tools to adjust districts in a redistricting plan.
The features that are being moved from the Source district to the Target district.
A statistical formula measuring variance from the average for the entire set of data.
The district from which selected features are being removed in a redistricting plan.
The totaling and reporting of the census data from individual responses for all levels of census geography.
The district which selected features are being added to in a redistricting plan.
A collection of all the setup information for a plan but none of the district assignments.
The use of distinctive colors, symbols, and fill styles to portray data such as population, race, or ethnicity. The different styles highlight the similarities and differences among map features.
Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing. The system and digital database developed at the U.S. Census Bureau to support computer maps used by the census.
The ability to travel across a district without leaving a district. Districts with higher travel contiguity are preferred.
Voting Age Population (VAP)
The number of persons 18 years of age and over.
VTD (Voting District)
A census term for a geographic area, such as an election precinct, where election information and data are collected; boundaries are provided to the Census Bureau by the states. Since boundaries must coincide with census blocks, VTD boundaries may not be the same as the election precinct and may include more than one precinct.


Calcium is one of the most essential of the major biochemical elements needed in human nutrition. It is needed in every organ of the body, including the brain. Calcium is called the "knitter" because it promotes healing or knitting everywhere in the body. It is valuable for tone, power, strength, longevity, vitality, and endurance, healing of wounds, counter-acting acids, and helping regulate metabolism.
Calcium is used in almost every function, calcium is commonly deficient in our diets. It is one of the first elements to go out of balance when the diet is inadequate. Calcium is stored in the blood and teeth, as well as in the nerves, muscles and tissues. Magnesium and Vitamin D increase calcium absorption while sodium helps keep calcium in soluble form in the body (it must be water soluble to be useable). Calcium raises the bodys resistance to viruses, parasites, and bacteria. A lack of calcium leads to a host of diseases and degenerative conditions. Pure water-soluble calcium serves a two-fold purpose; it helps reverse symptoms caused by a buildup of compounded calcium, like kidney stones, gall stones, arthritis, and high cholesterol, and helps reverse conditions caused by a deficiency of calcium like acidosis and osteoporosis. A high incidence of cavities, or white spots on fingernails indicates a calcium deficiency. This mineral is necessary to regain the proper pH balance.
Some symptoms of a calcium deficiency:
Attention Deficit Disorder (A.D.D.)
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Natural sources: bran, cheese, raw milk, figs, prunes, dates, onions, vegetable greens, kidney and soybeans, lentils, molasses, shellfish.
Note: refined sugar and foods high in oxalic acid (spinach, cranberries, and rhubarb) leach calcium from the body.


by Gregory Dober
In 1918, countries worldwide were hit with one of the worst influenza outbreaks in modern time. Experts believe that the pandemic of the Spanish flu originated and spread through overcrowded WWI army camps, then was transported into surrounding civilian communities. That allowed the disease to rapidly spread and, more importantly, to mutate into a more virulent killer strain. It is estimated that 20 to 50 million people died, including around 675,000 in the United States. What was unusual about this strain of the flu was that it afflicted and killed many healthy adults between the ages of 19 and 49.
Fast-forward a century to 2018 and there is a similar situation brewing in U.S. prisons and jails, just not with the same scope or severity – yet. The demographics of incarceration indicate that most prisoners are between the ages of 19 and 49, and are being held in overcrowded conditions with inadequate medical care.
The 2017-2018 flu season was particularly bad, with a virulent influenza strain. Up to 4,000 people died each week in the U.S. due to the flu. “The levels of influenza-like illnesses being reported now are as high as the peak of the swine flu epidemic in 2009...,” Fortune.com reported on February 10, 2018.
Despite the increased risk of a pandemic, state Departments of Corrections and local jails are not adhering to the standard of care for flu vaccinations established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
In 2010, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended expanding the population of annual flu vaccines to include all people age six months and older, not just the elderly and those with chronic conditions that are more susceptible to the flu. That recommendation came on the heels of the 2009 H1N1 swine flu pandemic which hit the 19 to 49 age group especially hard, resulting in a higher than usual mortality rate.
Despite the CDC noting that the new standard of care is for everyone to be vaccinated, many corrections officials have ignored that advisory.
In January 2018, a prisoner at Oregon’s Coffee Creek Correctional Facility, Tina Ferri, 53, died from complications of the flu. Ferri developed a staph infection and pneumonia which killed her due to organ failure. She had been sick for nearly two weeks, and was taken to a hospital three days after she reported coughing up blood.
At Coffee Creek, only 18 percent of the prison’s population was vaccinated for the flu – the Oregon Department of Corrections (ODOC) had purchased approximately 519 vaccines for nearly 1,645 prisoners at the facility. Only about 300 vaccines were actually administered; 43 prisoners ended up contracting the flu at Coffee Creek. Some prisoners accused the ODOC of not properly notifying them of the availability of the vaccine shots, and a prison spokesperson noted that was an “oversight.”
Coffee Creek was not the only Oregon prison with inadequate vaccinations. Despite the CDC’s recommended standard of care and the ODOC classifying immunizations as Level 2 care, the department bought vaccines for only one-third of its total prisoner population. Level 2 care in Oregon facilities is defined as “presently medically necessary care and treatment” and “treatment without which an inmate could not be maintained without significant risk of either further serious deterioration of the condition or significant reduction in the chance of possible repair after release or without significant pain or discomfort.”
The ODOC purchased about 4,650 vaccine doses for around 14,000 prisoners, and prison officials reported that approximately 4,500 prisoners statewide were inoculated for the flu. However, the number of prisoners who received vaccine shots at Coffee Creek and in other state prisons was inadequate to prevent a potential epidemic in the close confines of correctional facilities.
Experts recommend that effective vaccination rates must provide coverage for 70 to 80 percent of a population to prevent a localized epidemic or pandemic. It was reported that ODOC officials paid $7 per vaccine dose, which is relatively inexpensive compared to the cost of ER and ICU visits, staff overtime, prescriptions and over-the-counter medications to relieve flu symptoms.
The ODOC was not the only corrections system that had inadequate vaccinations. At the Montgomery County Jail in Texas, two prisoners died during the 2017-2018 flu season. Despite being offered, usually at no cost, vaccines were not mandatory for prisoners or jail staff. Not requiring staff members to be vaccinated increased the likelihood of an epidemic at the facility, as well as the spread of the disease to the local community.
Rashod Develt Aldridge, 29, incarcerated at a state prison in Iowa, died from the flu on February 1, 2018. Although he had a history of chronic health problems, he had not been vaccinated. He was serving a 10-year sentence.
And at the Henderson County Detention Center in Kentucky, one prisoner infected 14 others with the flu. The already-sick prisoner, who was transferred to the jail from a state prison, exposed other detainees, guards and staff to the virus. Fortunately, the jail had about 300 vaccine doses available that had been donated by a local hospital.
It’s likely that many prisons and jails are adhering to the pre-2010 CDC standard of limiting vaccinations to the elderly and those afflicted with chronic illnesses affected by the flu. With more virulent strains of the influenza virus mutating, however, a limited vaccine approach should be cause for alarm. Not only are prisoners at risk, but also guards, administrators, visitors and surrounding communities. Often, state prisons are sited in rural areas to provide revenue and jobs – but those same communities frequently lack a robust health care system, and would become overwhelmed if confronted with a flu pandemic involving thousands of prisoners.
With low vaccination rates in jails and prisons, it is only a matter of time before an influenza outbreak causes a public health disaster, echoing the pandemic that occurred in 1918. In the words of philosopher and essayist George Santayana, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
Sources: www.cdc.gov, www.oregon.gov, Willamette Week, The Bulletin, Houston Chronicle, Des Moines Register, The Gleaner, www.fortune.com, www.history.com
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Every summer in Sweden, there is a politics week held on the Baltic island of Gotland. Over 8 days, each of the main political parties gets a chance to promote their agenda. This year, there has been a lot of talk about Swedish values, which in turn has started a debate about what are Swedish values and if they even exist.
If we are looking for values that are exclusive to Sweden, the answer is no. If however we are looking for values that are prioritised in Sweden and function as a way to move society forward then, yes, they do exist. It is a matter of definition. They may not apply to every Swede, but researchers have seen clear values in Swedish society that, while not unique to Sweden, are very strong.
There has been a lot of talk about values of equality and tolerance. These values have been strong in Swedish society in the past and have enabled the welfare state, the laws and the political systems we enjoy today.
According to the World Values Survey, which is a credible and extensive body of research that looks into what values drive society, there are two main value sets that separate Sweden from many other countries in the world. Those values are so-called secular/rational values and values of self expression/self actualisation.
Secular/rational values. In other words, the importance of the church and religion has deminished in Swedish society, religion and politics are separated, traditional family structures exist side by side with less traditional structures. Decisions are made ‘rationally’ and not based on scripture or a religious morality. This is very different from most places around the world.
Self expression/actualisation. The right and the need to say what one thinks is a strong driver in Swedish society. The right to your own opinion, your own perspective and to live the life of your own choice are considered undeniable human rights. This is different from many other places around the world.
Many behaviours we see in society, in families and in the work place can be traced to these underlying driving values in Swedish society.
The danger in discussing Swedish values lies in the belief that these are static and fixed. As society changes, so do the prevailing values. As the world around us changes, so do the values. As the environment is impacted, as war and crisis occur, values change.
When political parties want to reinforce Swedish values, they are romanticising and simplifying. This is dangerous rhetoric as they are wilfully and deliberately using values to exclude.


THERE was overwhelming concern and doubts about the US winning World War II after its renowned president Franklin Roosevelt passed away 82 days after the start of his fourth presidential term.
The late president was considered as a rare US experience, as he was the one who rescued the US from the Great Depression, and reorganized and modernized its states in a manner that is yet to recur.
Roosevelt is the only US president to have served four consecutive terms. Both major political parties — Republicans and Democrats — unanimously rallied behind him, let alone the fact that he easily outperformed his rivals during presidential elections.
However, when his deputy Harry Truman took office in 1945, the Americans did not hope much from him. Instead, they considered him weak and believed that he managed to reach the top office under the wings of a great president.
Nonetheless, it did not take long before Truman changed this perception after he took a series of bold decisions, starting with bombing Japan with nuclear bombs — the act that ended the war, which was expected to last a year or more despite the defeat of Germany and Italy.
Truman went on to reinstate relief laws and revive the local economy, parallel to the Marshall Plan for the Reconstruction of Europe, which paved the way for American dominance over the global economy.
The abilities that Truman demonstrated in governance were much greater than what even his closest associates imagined. He was the one who stopped the tide of communism in Asia when he entered the Korean War. He worked on launching the anti-communism project in Latin America, in addition to opening corruption files that remained for decades during World War II.
President Truman was the one who changed modern American history and made the United States a world power to fight the Soviet Union in the Cold War.
Likewise, there is an Arab figure who seized the affection of Egyptians and Arabs during the first half of the twentieth century.
He is Jamal Abdel-Nasser, the one who led the Free Officers Movement in 1952. He was considered as a loyal leader of the Arabs from what befell them in the first half of that century. Despite the wars in which they were defeated, he managed to transform them to personal victories, especially in 1967 after the Six-Day War and Israel’s occupation of Sinai and several chunks of Arab land.
When Nasser announced his resignation from the presidency of the republic, millions of Egyptians and Arabs came out to demand him to return, because they felt his exit from the political scene meant the end of the dream. However, things changed a lot after his death in 1969.
The unpopular vice-president Anwar Saddat came to power. He was described as weak and narcissistic, and that he did not have the charisma of Nasser, or his ability to confront the Israeli enemy.
However, this did not last long, as Saddat soon announced the continuation of the war of attrition, the start of restructuring the Egyptian armed forces, increasing people’s standard of living, and modernizing institutions. Within four years of assuming power, he launched the war in October 1973 to shift the balance in the Middle East.
He took great steps that Jamal Abdel-Nasser couldn’t have taken, irrespective of the level of strength, composure and self-confidence he could possess, or even a tenth of it.
He made peace from a position of strength, not weakness. All the Arabs who stood against him in 1977 when he went to Jerusalem were eventually convinced about his point of view and recognized his courage.
After 39 years of his passing away, Egyptians today see him as a leader who founded the modern renaissance in their country. They believe he owned the long-term political vision that transformed Egypt into a powerful regional player, from where initiatives and solutions have been launched, and which has an international standing that is indisputable.
In Asia, there is a pioneering experience related to modernizing countries. It is that of Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. He moved his country from poverty to the ranks of the First World, and even made it an example for those who seek to build a civilized world. He did not pay attention to the criticism directed at him by the West and human rights groups at the beginning of his reign. He did not succumb to the corrupt who were persistently plundering his country. His main concern was to remove all that the British occupation left behind in terms of deprivation and backwardness, otherwise it would have plunged into axes that would make it poorer.
At the beginning of his tenure in office, which lasted for three decades, he said, “I am absolutely sure that if Singapore gets a stupid government, the country will sink into nothingness”.
Therefore, work began to change the country from being just a port for fishermen and a nightclub for British soldiers into a modern state.
Education was the basis for modernizing the nation, as well as individual initiative, and priority of the public interest over the private. When he left power in 1990, Singaporeans thought their civilized country would return to the darkness of corruption. However, this did not happen, as his son Lee Hsien Loong succeeded him, and the father became a state advisor until he passed away in 2015. Halima Jacob Javi then took over the presidency, surpassing her mentor, the founder of modern Singapore.
In the Gulf region, when the late King Abdul Aziz passed away, the Saudis imagined that Saudi Arabia would not rise and continue to live on the legacy of the great late king. However, Saudi Arabia today, under the leadership of King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz and His Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has been playing a pivotal role regionally and globally. It is seeking development on all levels and thus becoming stronger than what it was during the reign of King Abdul Aziz.
Likewise, when the founder of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan passed away, citizens as well as Arabs thought no one would fill his place. However, this expectation turned out to be inaccurate, as the achievements of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed not only surpassed everyone’s imagination, but also stunned the world.
The history of nations is made by leaders who realize from the start that their mission in life is to serve their country. Living consciences and strong wills are based on defying difficulties, not living on what people imagine about this or that ruler.
By Ahmed Al-Jarallah
Editor-in-Chief, the Arab Times


sustantivo (plural cirri /-rʌɪ/)
- 1 [mass noun] Cloud forming wispy filamentous tufted streaks or ‘mare’s tails’ at high altitude (usually 5 to 13 km, 16,500 to 45,000 ft): long strands of high cirrus stretched across the eastern sky [as modifier]: cirrus cloudsMás ejemplos en oraciones
- The basic cloud forms are cumulus, which are heaped clouds; stratus, which are layer clouds; and cirrus, which are wispy.
- In the troposphere, water exists as vapor in air, as liquid droplets in clouds, and as frozen ice particles in high altitude cirrus clouds.
- The formation of wispy cirrus clouds is not a simple matter.
- 2 Zoology A slender tendril or hair-like filament, such as the appendage of a barnacle, the barbel of a fish, or the intromittent organ of an earthworm.Más ejemplos en oraciones
- Once the barnacles extended their cirri (fanlike, food-gathering appendages) and started waving them about to collect nutritious particles in the water, the researchers cast a shadow over them with a piece of cardboard.
- Other common elements may include the possession of fixed conical teeth and cirri, or fleshy hair-like projections, on the head.
- The head is often blunt and typically adorned with tentacles or cirri.
early 18th century (in the sense 'tendril'): from Latin, literally 'a curl'.
Más definiciones de cirrusDefinición de cirrus en:
- el diccionario Inglés de EE.UU.


What are the costs and benefits of gambling? This article will discuss the different types of problem gamblers and the costs and benefits of gambling on society. Listed below are some of the common costs associated with gambling:
Research into the health and social impacts of gambling
The health and social impacts of gambling are an important topic for public health. Many people understand the addictions to other drugs and alcohol and accept them as public health issues, but the impact of gambling has been poorly understood. This review sought to better understand the harmful effects of gambling and the potential interventions to reduce these impacts. In addition, the study identified potential hotspots of gambling. For instance, two different districts of the same city had very different demographics. One district was home to a large number of traditional Licensed Gambling Outlets while the other had a high proportion of students.
The negative and positive impacts of gambling are categorized into three broad categories, which include personal, interpersonal, and societal. Personal impacts relate to the person’s financial status and are manifested through negative experiences. Social impacts encompass the wider community and include the effects of gambling on community development. These impacts are the most complex, and often the most difficult to quantify. Fortunately, there are now several basic principles for conducting impact studies of gambling.
Types of problem gamblers
Although the causes and consequences of compulsive gambling are highly varied, there are many common behavioral patterns among problem gamblers. This article explores the three main types of problem gamblers and treatment options for each. Poor decision-making problem gamblers are the least serious of the problem types. They typically experience depression, anxiety, and financial hardships. However, treatment options for poor decision-makers are still effective.
Problem gamblers fall into three main categories: professional, social, and emotional. Each type has different symptoms, which are unique to the person. While problem gamblers can manifest themselves in any of these three ways, they are most commonly classified into one of these three categories. The difference between these categories lies in their causes and solutions. For example, the problem gamblers may be professional gamblers or try to disguise themselves as a social gambler. Social gamblers, on the other hand, use gambling as a way to escape their negative emotions. Consequently, they have low self-esteem and poor coping skills. Ultimately, they cannot stop gambling, but they can seek treatment.
Costs of gambling
The social cost of problem gambling has been the subject of much debate. Although estimates vary, some estimate that as many as 2/3 of problem gamblers commit crimes as a means of continuing their gambling. Almost always, these crimes involve illegally obtaining funds, embezzlement, fence theft, insurance fraud, and credit card theft. The costs of crime resulting from gambling also include the costs of police time, trials, and incarceration.
The cost of gambling is often difficult to estimate, in part because the cause of gambling problems is not clear. Problem gambling is often the result of other life circumstances or disorders, so most studies discount the costs using a causality adjustment factor. The Australian Productivity Commission developed this method in 1999, which assumed that 80% of problem gamblers would still suffer the consequences of their gambling behavior, regardless of its causes. The study also uses data on societal costs of problem gambling that is based on market prices.
Benefits of gambling to society
Although benefits of gambling to society are well documented, they are difficult to measure, and the effect on the economy and society is not always clear. There is evidence that gambling increases crime rates, but that crime rates may be decreasing, depending on the amount of money waged in the gambling industry. However, the benefits of gambling to society may outweigh the negative impacts, resulting in an increase in the overall economic output of the area.
Although the United States has a long history of gambling, it has been suppressed by law for most of its history. It was even outlawed in the early twentieth century, resulting in the growth of the mafia and other criminal groups. But attitudes toward gambling have softened and laws against gambling have been relaxed, and the debate continues over the benefits of gambling to society. But what can we do about the negative consequences of gambling?


Posted on April 9, 2014 at 6:00 am
by Joyce Callaway, Program Presenter
Have you ever had a mud bath? Have you ever wondered how Medical Lake got its name? Would you like to know the history of this interesting town? I was fascinated by the early history of Medical Lake when I read Father Kowrach’s book, How Silently.
Then I happened to see a survey many years ago that mentioned former tours of Medical Lake. I thought: I could do that. So, the Founder’s Day planning committee added a historical bus tour of the town to the day’s activities.
Medical Lake became known as a place with healing powers. An analysis of the waters had some of the same ingredients as aspirin. Some of the maladies that were reportedly cured were lumbago, baldness, arthritis, rheumatism, and scabies.
Did you know that there were five boats carrying passengers to the three resorts on the lake in the early 1900s? Two trains and an electric train brought bathers, campers, and horse racing enthusiasts to town from Spokane, and as far away as Seattle, to spend a day, a week, or a summer in the healing waters of the lake. It was reported that fourteen hundred bathing suits were rented out for a nickel apiece on a hot July afternoon.
I met Judy Abbott who was our city historian who had gathered the bulk of artifacts, pictures, and historical records over all the years she lived here. She and I have maintained this historical collection and hope to find a permanent place to display and preserve it.
Join me at the Medical Lake Library to talk about the rich history of Medical Lake and see the salts and powders that were made from the lake waters by the three salt works. You will also be able to view a bathing suit, some dresses of the time, pictures of bygone days, and hear a little of the history of our amazing city.
Wednesday, May 7, 1pm


—Dianne Ashton[This post originally appeared on the Jewish Book Council blog on November 26, 2013.]
This year, Jewish Americans will participate in an extraordinary Hanukkah celebration—they will light the first menorah candle on the evening before Thanksgiving. This has never happened before, but we came very close to it in 1888. Then, the first Hanukkah light and Thanksgiving occurred on the same day. That year, the national Jewish newspaper, the American Hebrew, dedicated its November 30 issue to the “twofold feasts.” The issue was as much “a tribute to the historic significance of Chanuka” as to “the traditions entwined about Thanksgiving Day.” The editors hoped readers would find the newspaper to be “a stimulus to the joyousness and gladness upon the observance of both.” In previous years they had described Hanukkah as a festival to thank God for the Maccabean victory, and, seeing both Thanksgiving and Hanukkah as occasions for giving thanks to God, they easily encouraged American Jews to enthusiastically celebrate both events.
But most of the time, as we know, Hanukkah occurs at a time closer to Christmas. Most years, the American Hebrew’s Hanukkah message urged its readers not to join their fellow Americans in the national festivities because it was the celebration of Jesus’ birth that enchanted their gentile neighbors. Instead, that newspaper echoed the December messages of most other Jewish publications. Jewish newspapers, synagogue bulletins, women’s and men’s club letters, rabbinical sermons, and the urgings of educators and self-styled community leaders alike urged America’s Jews to make their Hanukkah celebrations as festive as possible.
Again and again, in the years since that early American Hebrew message, American Jews wove Hanukkah’s story into their own contemporary lives in ways that reflected their changing circumstances. Those retellings kept Hanukkah’s meaning alive and relevant. They turned the simple holiday rite into an event which, like other well-loved Jewish festivals, drew families together in their own homes where they could tailor the celebration to fit their own tastes in food and décor, and to reflect their own ideas about the holiday’s significance. They could indulge their children, and be joyous.
Will we ever celebrate Hanukkah and Thanksgiving together this way again? Almost. In 2070 Thanksgiving will fall on November 27th and Hanukkah will begin the following day. In 2165, we will light the first Hanukkah candle on November 28—Thanksgiving Day. But for Hanukkah’s first light to occur the evening before Thanksgiving, as it does this year, is truly an anomaly we won’t see again.
Dianne Ashton is Professor of Religion Studies and former director of the American Studies program at Rowan University. Her most recent book, Hanukkah in America: A History (NYU Press, 2013) is now available. (Read more about the book in this review from the Jewish Book Council.)


A crystal ball, also known as an orbuculum, is a crystal or glass ball and common fortune telling object. It is generally associated with the performance of clairvoyance and scrying in particular. The earliest use of a crystal ball can be first attributed to the Celtic Druids who divined the future and omens with beryl balls. In the 1st century AD, Pliney The Elder describes use of crystal balls by soothsayers. By the 5th century AD, scrying was widespread within the Roman Empire and was condemned by the early medieval christian church as heretical.
Dr. John Dee was a noted British mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and consultant to Queen Elizabeth 1st. He devoted much of his life to alchemy, divination, and Hermetic philosophy, of which the use of crystal balls was often included.
Crystal gazing was a popular pastime in the Victorian era and was claimed to work best when the Sun is at its northernmost declination. Immediately before the appearance of a vision, the ball was said to mist up from within.
Well mine has not misted up so far, and I haven’t had any hermetic visions, but thought I’d encourage it with my tarot cards~ the history of which you can find HERE in a post I did earlier in the 366 project.
If you click on the pic you’ll be able to make out which card the ball is focused on 🙂


The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE Directive) was introduced in January 2007 by the Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment Regulations 2006.
The WEEE Directive aims to reduce the amount of electrical and electronic equipment being produced and to encourage everyone to reuse, recycle and recover it.
The WEEE Directive also aims to improve the environmental performance of businesses that manufacture, supply, use, recycle and recover electrical and electronic equipment.
If you are an importer, rebrander or manufacturer of new electrical or electronic equipment, then it's likely that you'll need to comply with the UK's WEEE Regulations, which in part implement the WEEE Directive. If you do need to comply, then you must register on a producer compliance scheme.
You may also have obligations under the WEEE Regulations if you are a business with electrical or electronic equipment to dispose of, or if you sell electrical or electronic equipment.
For more information please visit http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/business/topics/waste/32084.aspx


My last post explained how stress memory could contribute to deleterious effects upon health. Research is finding that systemic or neuro-inflammation and neuroimmune activation play a role in the etiology of a variety of neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and AIDS-associated dementia.
Given that the brain utilizes 30% of what we consume, what we feed ourselves as well as how we manage our bodies is paramount in addressing stress before our body produces disease states. However, as the development of these disease states is part of a continuum, reversal is always an option. A very first step is to address the body memory of the stress, nourishing the body with foods that will promote repair as well as the use of breathing and relaxation techniques that help to promote homeostasis.
In response to a stress such as shock, the body goes on “alert,” setting the sympathetic system into action and triggering the adrenal glands to discharge adrenalin and cortisol. When the perceived threat ends, the body engages the parasympathetic system, which triggers a different set of neurotransmitters and hormones in an attempt to balance the rampages of increased cortisol levels in the brain.
A perceived threat, real or imagined, triggers the limbic system to respond, via the autonomic nervous system, to regulate metabolism. Even “stress” that is not consciously perceived triggers activity in the attention center of the cerebral cortex, preparing the body for the sympathetic response to stress; that is to say the fight, flight or freeze response, as shown in MRI brain scans. (Franklin Institute, 2011)
In my next post I’ll discuss the impact of these processes on my own patients.


George A. Filer III New Jersey State Director
MUFON Eastern Region Director
“Pyramids Around the World” is an in depth look at pyramids which have been discovered on every continent on Earth and recently in Bosnia, the United States and Mauritius. This island was not populated before the arrival of Europeans. Dr. Sam Osmanagich Ph.D., director of Center for Anthroplogy and Archaeology at the American University in Bosnia has authored 11 books about ancient civilizations. He holds a PH.D. in Mayan Studies.
He claims many Pyramids are 10,000 to 25,000 years old and built well before mankind was sophisticated, had agriculture or cities. The question is did ancient unknown civilizations build them or are ancient aliens responsible for a vast pyramid construction system spread around the world that is ten thousand years old?
In 2005, “Dr. Osmanagich” discovered what turned out to be the first pyramids in Europe near the town of Visoko, Bosnia. Excavation on the vast complex has been ongoing and is run by his non-profit Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun Foundation compiling evidence to validate his claims. To date the excavation has yielded five pyramids of various sizes and a vast labyrinth of underground tunnels with the earliest known writing.
Dr. Osmanagich reports,
The Pyramid of the Sun Foundation is investigating the pyramids in Bosnia spending over 340.000 man-hours in archaeological excavation, sample testing and radiocarbon dating. The five pyramids discovered to date are named Pyramids of the Sun, Moon, Dragon, Mother Earth and Love. The huge underground labyrinth connecting the pyramids includes technology not duplicated even today. This discovery is historic and changes the knowledge of the early history of Europe for several reasons:
The complex has been stonewalled by mainstream archaeologists until recent scientific evidence has made it impossible to deny its authenticity since it was discovered in 2005.
The site includes the Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun the largest, and oldest pyramid structure in the world that has the most precise cosmic north orientation with the error of only 12 seconds. It is 220 meters high compared 147 meters to the Great Pyramid of Egypt. The Pyramid of the Sun is completely covered by rectangular concrete blocks that have extreme hardness (up to 133 MPs) and low water absorption (around 1%), and are far superior to modern concrete materials.
The pyramids are covered by 12,000 years old soil which is, according to the State Institute for Agro-pedology radiocarbon dating from the paved terrace on Pyramid of the Moon. The Silesian Institute of Technology from Gliwice (Poland) claims the terrace was built 10.350 years ago (+/- 50 years). These finding confirm that the Bosnian pyramids are the oldest known pyramids on the planet.
The extensive underground tunnel network runs for a total of more than ten miles. Ceramic sculptures have been discovered in the underground labyrinth with a mass of up to 20,000 pounds which makes them the largest found in the ancient world. In the vicinity, is the tallest tumulus (man-made hill) in the World: 61 meters high. Its nearest competitor, Silbury Hill in England is 60 meters high. The Bosnian tumulus consists of two-layer megalithic terraces, clay layers and artificial concrete layers.
A team of physicists detected an ultrasound energy beam coming through the top of the Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun whose radius of the beam is 4.5 to 10 meters with a frequency of 28 kHz-33 kHz.
The beam is continuous and its strength grows as it moves up and away from the pyramid. This phenomenon contradicts the known laws of physic and technology suggesting alien technology. This is the first proof of non-herzian technology on the Planet. It seems that the pyramid-builders created a perpetual motion machine over ten thousand years ago and this “energy machine” is still working. In the underground labyrinth we discovered three chambers and a small blue lake. Energy screening shows that the ionization level is 43 times higher than the average concentration outside which makes the underground chambers into “healing rooms”.
The research on pyramid technology has long suspected that pyramid energy involves science and machinery far more advanced than what we currently have today. Christopher Dunn, author of The Giza Power Plant, published in 1996 explains that the pyramids were ancient energy machines. The pyramids of Bosnia have the same elements described in the Giza pyramids that define the structure of an ancient power generator system.”Now in 2013, the Bosnian archeological site is further excavated and new scientific evidence has emerged proving that ancient precision engineering was indeed used to build the Bosnian pyramids.
Two hundred years of Egyptology has not produced a satisfactory answer to the question of what was the real purpose for the oldest and most superior pyramids. In only six years, research in Bosnia has applied inter-disciplinary scientific methods with pioneering results which affects the entire sphere of knowledge and Pyramid Science. History is changing with each new discovery to better understand our beginnings we can also change our future for the better.
Further electromagnetic detection in 2011 confirmed that levels of negative radiation through the Hartman, Curry and Schneider grids are equal to zero in the tunnels. There was no radiation of any kind found in the tunnels and no cosmic radioactivity. Ceramic sculptures are positioned over the underground water flows and the negative energy is transformed into positive energy. All of these experiments point to the labyrinth as one of the most secure underground constructions in the world making it an ideal place for the body’s rejuvenation and regeneration.
Many sensitive people have the sensation of energy when they arrive on top of the pyramid. They actually felt the mechanic vibrations of the pyramid! We perceive low sounds better by vibration through sensors in human bones than by ear. This volume does not create damage to human health. The low frequencies and infrasounds found on the Pyramid of the Sun explain very clearly the sensation of mysticism which some people perceive and how it is very easy for those practising meditation to apply this technique at this site.
Dr. Osmanagic also talks about how the spaces between the blocks go all of the way to the inside of the pyramids, and how these gaps possibly served to collect water and to ventilate the air. Pyramids were built in China at about the same time that had a system of pipes inside designed to carry the water as well. He also speculates that the reason that there are two layers of blocks on the Bosnian pyramids; (the and the top being wavy and textured) is that, “whoever designed these blocks wanted a wavy texture on the top and completely flat base.” In general, there are two types of blocks, each with a different look – one block looks like a monolith line of concrete and the other block looks like construction plates with clear edges and sides.”
It is thought that the Pyramids concrete is made from material found at a locally deposited post glacial conglomerate. Experts who examined these crystals determined that during the manufacturing process, the materials were heated to above 500 degrees.
Studies done at the University of Paris discovered that the concrete material found on the Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun was five times stronger than modern day concrete. The concrete was shown to be resistant to 94 Megapascals of pressure, which means it is highly compressed and extremely rigid.
The founder of the French Institute of Polymers, Joseph Davidovits, Ph.D. also performed an electronic microscopic analysis on a sample of concrete; he concluded that the chemical composition of the old concrete’s basis is calcium/potassium geopolymer cement.
It has been confirmed that the source of the energy beam, which is emitted through the top of the largest pyramid in the world, is located 2.440 meters below the pyramid with the shift of 440 meters. An iron plate represents the source combined with the negative ions and underground water streams and it’s able to generate the electricity of over 10 kW.
These results are pioneering steps in understanding of the real purpose of the original, oldest and most superior pyramids.
Polycontrast Interference Photography, also known as PIP, is an energy field video imaging system. This system was developed by Harry Oldfield, a UK inventor. PIP provides a real time, moving image of the energy field of any object.
Harry Oldfield visited Visoko, Bosnia in 2008 and recorded images of the Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun. He compared his recordings to images of natural hill formations of a similar size and shape on August 23, 2012.
Bosnian Pyramids Built Using Geopolymer Cement.
The New Era Times http://www.tnetimes.com reports that independent analysis from five separate Institutes of materials confirms that the Bosnian Pyramids contain high quality concrete construction material eliminating all skeptical claims about the authenticity of the Bosnian Pyramids.
The New Era Times reports that independent analysis from five separate Institutes of materials confirms that the Bosnian Pyramids contain high quality man-made concrete construction material eliminating all skeptical claims about authenticity. The energy of the pyramid was used by the ancient scientists for applications beneficial to humanity ranging from geothermal transportation, climatology, and advancements in human physiology and health. It is quite likely this energy can provide fuel for UFOs.
Professor Joseph Davidovits, renowned French Scientist says the sample is composed of calcium/potassium-based geopolymer cement that it is not modern concrete, but more like the technique used by the Egyptians 3500 years ago.” In his book, “The Pyramids: an Enigma Solved,” Davidovits presents the current knowledge of pyramid construction that proves that the Egyptian pyramids were constructed using agglomerated stone (limestone cast like concrete. Prof Davidovits confirms, “I performed electron microscopic analysis of the sample and I propose the geopolymer chemistry that was used to make this is ancient concrete.”
Further evidence of concrete being used in pyramid construction is shown by the work of Professor Michel Barsoum, Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Drexel University, and who have found scientific evidence that parts of the Great Pyramids of Giza were built using an early form of concrete. This proves the theory that concrete and nanotechnology was used by the ancients.
Facts that have been verified by scientific analytic testing include: The Sun pyramid stands over 722 feet (220 m) high one third taller than the Great Pyramid of Giza. The evidence that the Egyptians did not construct three pyramids on the Giza plateau is found on the lower levels of the pyramids. In fact, sediments were found at their base, then traces of water damage and sea salt crystals on the stone. The sediments are located at a height of up to five meters above the pyramids’ foundations indicating they were built before the flood.
There is an 8.000 kg ceramic block under the Pyramid of the Sun in the underground labyrinth. “Although thousands of pyramids have been discovered across the planet, none have the construction quality and date back as far as the ones in Bosnia,” states Osmanagich. “Bosnia is the original pyramid, the oldest and largest ever constructed. It releases information about ancient technology that can free the world of its dependence on fossil fuel along with medical breakthroughs.”
Medical tests on the effect on the human aura have started at the Bosnian Pyramids and early evidence shows that human physiology and emotional states are highly elevated in the pyramid. This is due to the reduction of negative ions that are found in our atmosphere.
The science of Geoglyphology, the name given to the ancient science by its discoverer Arthur Faram, is drawn from the prefix “geo” – meaning earth, and the word “glyph” – meaning a symbol or writing. Hence, the science of Geoglyphology meaning symbols or writings on the earth. The fact that the builders applied the science to the Bosnian Pyramids is an indication that the science is at least 24,000 years old, or older. The science is an ancient method of outlining territories claimed by the civilization that constructed the geoglyph.
Up until now the oldest known manmade archaeological site has been the 10,500 year old site at Gobekli Tepi, in the country of Turkey. Geoglyphology, having been used to construct the Bosnian Pyramids, indicates that the science has been used for over 24,000 years to establish survey markers outlining ancient territories. The validity of both the Science of Geoglyphology and the Bosnian Pyramids has been extracted from four sources; three of them constructed at least 10,000 years apart.
The study of Geoglyphs around the world, by Geoglyphologist Arthur Faram, indicates that this science has been used down through the ages, and around the world, from times before the Bosnian Pyramid, until historical times, by every major civilization.
Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun Foundation found a text in the megalith T-1
Tunnel between Ravne and the Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun, here we want to present a comparison of these symbols or characters with some of the most ancient scripts known, dating to a time prior to Ancient Rome. From the two megaliths T-1 and T-2, we have compiled a list of 50 signs which we will call “Proto-Bosnian”, including small and large letters and numbers.
This rather logical and sensible writing system is much older than all previously known alphabets so far deciphered. Immersed in a sea of flood waters resulting from the rapid melting and retreat of the snow and ice cover of the rest of Europe at the end of the Ice Age. We hypothesize that these two megaliths and the entire surface of the Bosnian Valley of Pyramids date from before 10,000 B.C., prior to the time of the making of this tunnel through the debris called or breccia on the sea bottom. The vast tunnel network around the Visocica Pyramid is likely to have other tunnels connecting the most important pyramids in this valley, possibly at a level now lower than the Bosna River. Tunnels several miles long have been found connecting the pyramids with ventilation vents about every 30 meters so that breathing is no problem within the tunnels. Further evidence that the ten thousand year old symbols in the Pyramid Valley are those made by aliens is that many are found in NASA images taken on Mars.
Note: Many of the signs or letters in Bosnia Tunnels
at left are also seen on NASA images of Mars.
Thanks to Dr. Semir Osmanagich. Pyramids Around The World (Kindle Locations 119-121). The New Era Times Press. Kindle Edition.– www.samosmanagich.com
Note: Ten thousand years ago humans were thought to live in caves and primitive and unable to organize to build pyramids or cities. There is still final research needed on the validity of the Pyramids. They may help prove alien intervention because they were designed to facilitate the landing of UFOs on top the pyramids and provide them with electromagnetic energy or high intensity pyramidal energy.
Bill Furner writes, “I called this image “Crème de la Crème” because it is one of the clearest sculptures I’ve seen on mars!
It seems like the lowest one at the bottom has what appears a pipe on top like it was a fountain. It seems like the Martians are crazy about fountains 🙂 And all types of shapes and sizes.


If we see the world through our eyes, how can we take our vision for granted? Regularly taking care of our eyesight will keep our peepers stronger for a longer time. It will help us battle and lessen the problems with vision that comes with ageing.
It is a known fact that to maintain a strong eyesight, a lot depends on our diet. A well- balanced one of fresh varied vegetables and fruits prevent all those optic nerve degenerative ailments. And if you combine a good diet with eye exercises, then you will be on a roll!
Here, we share some food tips and other titbits which will help you protect your peepers and maintain your powerful eyesight…
Do you know rabbits have great eyesight? No prizes for guessing the reason. Carrots, of course. Fresh, sweet and juicy, this winter vegetable (especially the long deep red variety) is on the top of our list.
Jam-packed with beta-carotene, a component which is eye-friendly, it is essential for preventing deterioration of eye muscles, a process that accelerates as you age. The season is just right for carrots, we say. Let us have some freshly made hot, sweet and utterly delicious aromatic gajar ka halwa.
Spinach is packed with Lutein, which prevents cell damage. Eye muscles and cells are very delicate and sensitive. Lutein works on your eye muscles to make them stronger. It also prevents infections. In fact, include a lot of greens and leafy in your diet. Palak paneer is an amazing dish, and imagine on a cold evening, you are enjoying a hot bowl of thick palak soup. Yummy!
Rich in vitamin A, broccoli is a great antioxidant which is a need for healthy eyes. Saute, steam or cook it in your sabjzi, see that you eat broccoli regularly. Don’t overcook it as it could lose its nutritive value.
Fleshy fish like salmon, rohu, tuna are a good source of Omega 3 fatty acid. They help strengthen those small blood vessels of eyes. It also helps to boost the smoothen the eye fluid flow to prevent dry eye syndrome and other eye-related problems.
Do you know that your purple skin sweet potatoes are a powerhouse of many vitamins essential for eyes like vitamin A and C, beta-carotene, potassium, and other trace minerals which hinders eye damage? Sweet potato is also known to bring back to shape damaged eye cells.
We say snack of these munchies. Almonds, cashew nuts, apricots, and other dry fruits help in reducing eye related problems as they are full of vitamin E. It helps prevent cataract and eye muscle degeneration.
Other important notes:
- Give up smoking: If you smoke, (even passive smoking) your chances of developing cataract and damaging your optic nerve are high. Why take the risk?
- Wear sunglasses: The right pair of shades will help protect your eyes from the sun’s harmful UV rays which damage your delicate eyes.
- 20:20 ratio: Look away from the computer screen every 20 minutes. Gaze 20 feet away for 20 seconds. Additionally, get up at least every one hour and take a walk around.
Lastly, visit your doctor regularly. Nothing is more important than your eyes. So take care.


How Do You Design Classes to Enable All of Your Students to Succeed?
We all want our classrooms to be inviting places where diverse perspectives and backgrounds are welcome and enrich the educational experience. When you design a course that is supportive of diversity and promotes a sense of belonging, your students are more likely to succeed. In fact, many of the pedagogical strategies for increasing student engagement can also help you to create an inclusive classroom.
You will want to begin at the course planning phase. Here are several ways to incorporate diversity into your syllabus:
- Consider the author's gender, race, class, sexual orientation, political viewpoint, and nationality of the literature you are assigning. In many fields, it can be a potentially significant learning experience for your students to investigate how these contexts shape knowledge or engage authors with a broad range of identities on a particular topic.
- Check religious holidays each semester to make sure they do not make your course calendar challenging for some students to be involved. Academic regulations allow for excused absences or missed assignments for religious holidays when students notify faculty and plan to make up work.
- Review the University's Discrimination and Harassment FAQs and index the University's anti-discrimination policy in your syllabus.
- Review the Office of Disability Services information for faculty regarding accessibility for students with disabilities and inform students of the Office of Disability Services in your syllabus so they can consult ODS if they need assistance at any time.
- Explain to your students how they can contact you through email and how to use office hours, which may be especially valuable in courses with first-year students.
- Clearly state your expectations for broad participation in discussions, and explain how students will be evaluated and graded.
- Put readings and other course materials on reserve in the library and be sure to indicate this on your syllabus so that all of your students know which materials are freely available.
A key starting point in course design is understanding your students’ preparation and expectations for coursework. Consider the diversity of academic and social experiences that your students – and you – bring to your course and to each other. Some strategies for uncovering this diversity include:
- Design a discussion for the first day of class that surfaces students’ perspectives on the discipline and material in the course.
- Share a story with your students about your own struggles with the material, such as understanding a new concept, making unexpected connections, or solving a particular kind of problem. Your students will appreciate having a chance to get to know you and will be encouraged to know that even their apparent “genius” professor found the material challenging at one time.
- Reflect on how your academic and social experiences and your own assumptions about your students might shape your interactions with them. Carefully listen for moments in which your students might make valuable comments or insights that you don’t expect.
- Create short online video lectures and assignments to support adaptive learning in especially challenging areas of your course to level the field and make the material more accessible for all of your students
Once you’ve developed a course plan, there are steps you can take to create a more inclusive environment in the classroom such as:
- Incorporate a variety of activities, assignments and audio-visual media that enable students to take different pathways toward participating in class and demonstrating their learning.
- Establish ground rules and values for discussion, particularly in courses where controversial topics are at the center. These might include confidentiality, openness, respectful disagreement and civil debate.
- Give students a quiet minute to think of responses to key questions or to jot down new questions. This technique enables everyone to more confidently contribute to the whole discussion. Similarly, give students brief opportunities to pair up to discuss key questions to provide a stronger basis for individual participation.
- If you do assign small group work, be sure to create well defined tasks and, when possible, avoid outnumbering or isolating students from underrepresented groups
- Use your course website or blog to stimulate and continue discussions that may invite a wider range of participation. In some instances, students may be more comfortable taking risks in online discussions rather than in the classroom.
- Expand the classroom activity into an online learning environment. Meaningful online discussions and collaborative assignments can increase engagement among students who typically learn less effectively in lecture and seminar style settings
- Use gender-inclusive language that avoids gender binaries by using plurals instead, such as “their” instead of he or she.
- Be aware of contemporary terms for cultural identities. Use terminology that is clear and inclusive, but not divisive or essentialist. Preferences within cultural communities change over time and vary across regions. If you are unsure what term to use, ask in a non-threatening context.
- Do not assume a student belongs to a particular group or can represent a fixed or unitary perspective on behalf of a group.
- Address blatantly offensive and discriminatory comments and hold students accountable for their behavior.
- Show respect for perspectives and ideas that do not match your own.
- Encourage students to think of themselves in terms of their unique experiences and characteristics rather than in terms that evoke homogeneous or stereotyped identities.
- Connect with students by sharing information about yourself so that you are approachable and your class is a welcoming environment.
- Encourage students to meet with you one-on-one at least once during the semester.
Finally, another important element to inclusive teaching is student feedback and course evaluations:
- Leave a minute at the end of class for students to anonymously jot down on notecards “muddy points” from the day’s class.
- When giving a student critical feedback, affirm your standards and, when possible, assure the student of your belief that the student can meet those standards.
- Encourage students’ potential for intellectual growth and dexterity in your feedback, rather than praising intrinsic abilities or referring to external constraints that might be attributed to stereotypes.
- Consider a midterm evaluation to gauge students’ level of comfort in the class. These can be done on paper or through Blackboard or Qualtrics. Good questions will help students reflect on their processes of learning, rather than focusing solely on instructor performance or content. Be sure to discuss the results in the next class session, and tell students about any changes you plan to make as a result of their feedback.
*The McGraw Center wishes to thank Hannah Rosenthal, Princeton Class of 2015, and an intern in the Office of the Provost, for her contributions to these tips.


Garry Mauro had just stepped out of the shower on Easter Sunday in 1989 when he saw a breaking newscast with images of blackened beaches and wildlife interrupting his young son’s cartoons.
The former Texas land commissioner, in an interview, recalled his reaction to the Exxon Valdez, which spewed more than 10 million gallons of crude oil into Alaska’s Prince William Sound after the California-bound ship ran aground.
“What if that happened in Texas?” he said he thought.
With resources available at the time, Mauro figured it would take decades for the state's coastline to fully recover from such a disaster. His initial horror eventually spurred a new law that has made the Texas General Land Office a key player not only in cleaning up oil spills but also in helping to reduce the number of such incidents and keep Texas beaches cleaner. More than two decades later, a massive spill in Galveston Bay has put the General Land Office’s oil spill duties back into focus.
Not long after learning about the Exxon Valdez, Mauro, a Democrat, called on then-Gov. Bill Clements to appoint a committee to study the state’s preparedness for oil spills. Within two years, propelled in part by swirling concerns following Texas’ own catastrophic incident — the 1990 explosion of the tanker Mega Borg, which unloaded 5.1 million gallons of crude 57 miles outside of Galveston Bay — Texas lawmakers enacted legislation declaring the preservation of the Texas Coast “a matter of the highest urgency and priority.”
That law spurred the creation of the Oil Spill Prevention and Response Program inside the Texas General Land Office, setting up a robust spill reporting system and requirements that operators of deepwater ships and refineries on shore have plans to limit and respond to spills. The agency became the lead responder to oil releases, coordinating with wildlife and environmental officials.
A tanker collision last Saturday sent up to 168,000 gallons of particularly heavy, sticky fuel oil into Galveston Bay, an ecologically rich estuary that is home to a multibillion-dollar fishing and recreational industry. It has stirred major concerns about long-term environmental impacts. But even as tar balls – small bits of congealed oil – wash ashore this week, Texas’ beaches are far cleaner than they were before Texas bolstered its spill efforts.
Oil spills are common in Texas waterways, particularly along the Gulf Coast, where more than 50 billion gallons of oil are transported each year. But the number of spills has declined in recent years.
In 2013, the GLO responded to 423 oil spills in Texas waterways, the smallest annual total since 1998, the first year in the agency’s database, which tracks even the tiniest of spills — including releases of just a few drops of oil. From 1999 until 2001, the agency responded to more than 900 spills each year, according to the agency.
Texas General Land Office Oil Spill Responses
Spills of 1,000 gallons or more since 1998
As the total number of spills has fallen, the number of large spills has also dwindled. The Galveston Bay spill ranks as the second-biggest in Texas waters since 1998, behind a 2010 incident in the Port Arthur Ship Channel that sent about 400,000 gallons of oil into the water. But it is the first spill of more than 10,000 gallons in more than three years (there have been 22 such spills since 1998), according to GLO data.
The improvement, experts say, is due to a number of factors, including more reliable spill reporting, more responsible industry players and the work of the land office's spill program.
The program, funded by a 1.3-cent-per-barrel tax on oil moving into Texas ports, stands out nationally for its size and scope. The agency employs 56 people and has five offices along the coast, along with equipment positioned throughout the Gulf waters to quickly contain mishaps. The officials patrol the waters and certify and inspect more than 600 coastal facilities, looking for potential problems and ensuring that companies have up-to-date spill response plans.
State law requires the companies to report spills within an hour, after which state officials often quickly respond.
“I am frankly amazed at how prepared they are. It’s pretty impressive,” said Larry McKinney, executive director of Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi’s Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies.
McKinney and other longtime observers of Texas beaches say they are no doubt cleaner now than in the past, when tar balls would regularly wash ashore in Houston and beachgoers would bring soap on their outings.
“I can’t tell you how dirty your feet would get when you would go to the beaches in the 1970s," said Greg Pollock, deputy commissioner of the GLO’s oil spill team. His tenure at the agency started before the program existed. “People just don’t tolerate releases anymore as much as they might have in the past."
Pollock said his team had equipment in the water within three hours of the report of the latest spill.
McKinney, who spent three decades beginning in 1987 with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, an agency that pitches in on cleaning up spills, said he was impressed by the miles of oil-catching booms – barriers meant to contain spills – floating in the Galveston Bay on Monday. It was far more equipment than he saw after spills in his early years working for the state.
“We were not prepared for that in those days. It was pretty much an ad hoc response,” he said.
Pollock said he does not want to downplay the severity of the latest spill.
“If a fully laden tanker sinks in Galveston Bay, I’m not going to tell you that it’s not a terrible situation,” he said. But he is proud of the state’s progress, and his team’s role in shaping it.
Still, the program faces challenges — aside from the fact that a catastrophe can strike at any moment.
One worry is long-term funding. Though the program’s guaranteed per-barrel tax dollars largely protect it from the whims of Texas’ budget-cutting lawmakers, the surge in domestic oil production could reduce imports of crude, shrinking the program’s revenue stream. In 2013, the program's operating budget stood at about $6.3 million.
Some environmentalists worry that the GLO’s focus could shift from natural resources management over time.
Andy Sansom, director of the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University, acknowledged the marked reduction in oil spills in recent years, but he said, “There are many of us who look at the land office as a steward of the state resources, and it doesn’t seem to be a priority anymore," he said, noting the topic has gotten relatively little attention in the race to replace Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, who was in Texas City on Tuesday monitoring cleanup efforts.
On Monday, John Cook, a former mayor of El Paso and the Democratic nominee for land commissioner, said he was paying close attention to the GLO’s efforts on the latest cleanup and called in for a briefing that day.
“The response to the spill has been effective,” he said in a statement to The Texas Tribune. “More than 70,000 feet of containment barriers are in place, and 24 skimming vessels are working on the cleanup.”
The campaign for George P. Bush, the Republican hopeful, released a brief statement on Monday saying “protecting our coastal area is one of the most important functions of the GLO.”
“He supports Land Commissioner Patterson's efforts to work closely with the Coast Guard, monitor the water currents and the movement of the oil, and to mitigate any damage to the coast and or local habitats," the statement said.
Disclosure: At the time of publication, the Texas A&M University System and Texas State University were corporate sponsors of The Texas Tribune. (You can also review the full list of Tribune donors and sponsors below $1,000.)