1.1 Google DeepMind makes this submission to the committee as part of the inquiry on artificial intelligence and robotics. We write with reference to all four parts covered in the committee’s terms of reference.
1.2 We welcome the Science and Technology Committee’s inquiry into the potential of artificial intelligence to benefit the United Kingdom, and appreciate the opportunity to provide input based on our experience.
1.3 Google DeepMind is a British artificial intelligence company founded by Demis Hassabis, Shane Legg and Mustafa Suleyman in 2010. The algorithms we build are capable of learning for themselves directly from raw experience or data, and are designed to be ‘general’ in that they can perform well across a wide variety of tasks straight out of the box. Our world-class team consists of many renowned machine learning experts in their respective fields including, but not limited to, deep neural networks, reinforcement learning and systems neuroscience. While the Committee’s inquiry is looking at both AI and robotics, we will focus purely on the former and not on robotics as that is not our area of expertise.
1.4 In the announcement of this inquiry, mention was made of the recent historic Go match between the World Champion Lee Sedol and our program AlphaGo. The game of Go is the most complex game mankind has devised, and was widely viewed as an unsolved “grand challenge” for artificial intelligence. Despite decades of work, the strongest computer Go programs still only played at the level of human amateurs. On 28th January 2016, we published a Nature paper that describes the inner workings of AlphaGo. This program was based on general-purpose AI methods, using deep neural networks to mimic expert players, and further improving the program through learning from games played against itself.
1.5 The most important thing about AlphaGo is not so much what it does, but the way it does it. Although the AlphaGo system can’t for the moment do anything besides play Go, our plan is to extend the techniques developed in the process to one day be applied to important real-world problems that are similarly complex and long range (e.g. climate modelling or complex disease analysis). Artificial intelligence, with the right approach, will be able to make significant leaps in what we as a society are able to achieve, especially as we grapple with increasing volumes and complexity of data sets. It is the opportunity to complement and enhance our human decision-making that offers the most potential for benefit in the long term.
2. The implications of robotics and artificial intelligence on the future UK workforce and job market, and the Government’s preparation for the shift in the UK skills base and training that this may require.
2.1 The advent of new technologies has always helped shape the employment landscape, and we should expect that increased use of AI and machine learning will be no different. In many sectors, machine intelligence will augment and enhance the work that people do, enabling them to be more effective in the same roles. As with all technological innovation, we should expect that new areas of economic activity and employment will be made possible, and some types of work and some skills will decrease in relevance. It is important that government focus on investment in the digital and creative skills that will support a strong UK economy as these technologies develop and mature.
2.2 At this point one of the most important steps we must take is to ensure that current and future workforces are sufficiently skilled and well-versed in digital skills and technologies, particularly STEM subjects. The UK government has been proactive and vocal in support for digital education, such as introducing computer science into the curriculum from 2014 but it is important not to be complacent about the leaps that are needed.
2.3 A digital skills gap in the UK has been widely recognised by organisations including the British Chamber of Commerce, Tech UK, and the Tech Partnership. Go ON UK produced a heatmap of geographical digital exclusion showing the highest levels of Basic Digital Skills are in Greater London (84%), Scotland and East Anglia (both 81%) with the lowest levels in Wales, where only 62% of adults have the five Basic Digital Skills they need.
2.4 We can address the digital skills gap by focussing on education, teacher supply, adult skills and digital inclusion. For example, while a renewed focus on coding in the curriculum is strongly welcomed, it is important also that teachers are fully trained in how to deliver it. Likewise, recruitment of teachers for non-core subjects such as computing is critical. Google has announced a partnership with Teach First to help support and train the next generation of Teach First computing teachers specifically to address the acute teacher shortage in this area, but the full scale of the problem will clearly need larger scale investment to tackle completely.
2.5 It is also important that the UK is able to harness the talents of the widest pool available, which means putting real effort into encouraging more women into technology, focussing on adult digital literacy as well as youth education, and enabling the next generation of entrepreneurs no matter their socio-economic background.
2.6 For example, it is clear that the technology industry faces a problem of gender disparity that can be traced back to the relatively small numbers of girls who take up STEM subjects at school and university. It is for this reason that Google DeepMind is working on a programme to encourage more women into machine learning, but initiatives like this alone are not enough. We welcome the work of Martha Lane Fox and Doteveryone in enabling technologies that advantage all British citizens.
3. The extent to which social and economic opportunities provided by emerging autonomous systems and artificial intelligence technologies are being exploited to deliver benefits to the UK.
3.1 As we detail below, the UK is a world-leader in artificial intelligence and machine learning, both academically and in industry, and the need to maintain and extend that lead is clearly in the interests of national economic prosperity at a macro level.
3.2 In everyday terms, the benefits of machine learning and AI are already being felt across many aspects of Google’s products that UK citizens find useful in their everyday lives, from translation tools to getting rid of spam from their email inbox and suggesting smart replies.
3.3 DeepMind’s mission is to solve intelligence and in doing so develop technologies that help society tackle some of its toughest problems, like science and healthcare. One of the key reasons it is hard to make progress on these big challenges is that even the smartest humans struggle to fully understand the relationships between cause and effect in these systems. Scientists are overwhelmed by the complexity of interacting factors and volume of information. Machine intelligence may help to model and better understand this complexity, and in turn allow us to design more effective interventions.
3.4 However, this data is also narrower in scope than the rich diversity of human experience. It’s still going be many, many decades before AI can begin to factor in the kind of nuanced social and cultural context to its perceptions that humans rely upon to make reasoned judgements. This is why it’s important that we use AI as a tool to augment and enable human expertise and insight, rather than seeing AI as a replacement for human decision-making.
3.5 We envisage machine learning systems being designed as tools that complement and empower the smart and highly motivated experts working in such fields, by enabling efficient analysis of large volumes of data, extracting insights and providing humans with recommendations to take action. This could be in areas ranging from early diagnosis of disease, discovery of new medicines, advances in materials science or optimising use of energy and resources.
3.6 We strongly believe that technology interventions should be developed in conjunction with existing experts in the field, which is why DeepMind Health is working with clinicians to develop technologies that present timely information to clinicians and facilitate provision of care. Over time we envisage exploring healthcare technologies that make direct use of machine learning, but we wanted to start with relatively simple tools that clinicians felt could make a massive impact to patient care and in doing so prepare the ground for more sophisticated technologies where clinicians see the most benefit.
4. The extent to which the funding, research and innovation landscape facilitates the UK maintaining a position at the forefront of these technologies, and what measures the Government should take to assist further in these areas.
4.1 DeepMind was founded in the UK, which is now a world-leader in artificial intelligence research and stands to benefit significantly from continued progress and investment in this area. With further steps, the UK is poised to secure its place at the forefront of AI research and innovation. We make our recommendations below for continued investment in the research but in order for the AI that powers the apps we rely on everyday to continue to flourish there are also two core commodities needed: secure access to data for research and a secure serving infrastructure for that data.
4.2 We are a part of the UK’s artificial intelligence research community, which includes many leading centres of research at universities such as UCL, Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial, and Edinburgh, as well as new and innovative research bodies such as The Alan Turing Institute. We support and engage with the research community through PhD sponsorship, lectures, conferences and papers, to date we have listed over 60 publications on our website.
4.3 To support the UK research community, we recommend that government engage with cutting-edge researchers by convening an advisory panel of both academic and industry experts. This panel would determine research funding priorities and directions with an emphasis on transparency and accountability, and feed these through to research councils and other funding bodies.
4.4 As with funding of direct machine learning research, an advisory panel of machine learning experts should provide direction to educational institutions and funding bodies on broad investment in machine learning skills development.
4.5 The government should also consider funding for machine learning masters and PhD programmes at British universities, to encourage more research in the field and nurture the next generation of scientists who will help preserve the UK’s preeminent position. This funding could also include direct support for modules within programmes that train machine learning researchers in the ethics of data science and increasingly autonomous decision-making, to ensure that the pursuit of beneficial outcomes is embedded in the science of machine learning at every level.
4.6 Machine learning technologies benefit not only from large volumes of data, but also the right types of data, for innovation and research. At DeepMind we have made extensive use of simulated environments allowing significant research without access to public datasets, and, where possible, funding research to produce more sophisticated and versatile simulated environments would support research progress.
4.7 In some research areas, simulation is difficult or intractable, and so open access to data is needed to enable successful research. The open data panel that Minister for the Cabinet Office, Rt Hon Matthew Hancock MP, has recently convened will be tackling open data questions. We support the work of this panel and sit on the steering group. We will continue to recommend measures that facilitate access to datasets, whilst protecting the rights of individuals to privacy and control over their data, and respecting the integrity and security of institutional data. It is vital to maintaining British leadership in machine learning research that the government does not lose momentum and continues to make firm commitments and progress towards a strong and innovative data policy.
4.8 Perhaps even more important are ensuring the highest standards of data security. Managing data securely is critical to being able to continue to improve the apps and services we all rely on with AI and machine learning. With UK citizens beginning to see the benefits of big data, data protection questions remain key to building and maintaining public trust, especially with a number of public services and organisations using different security protocols to share data. As secure and protected ways of providing data continue to evolve, government should play a significant role in supporting academic research into world-leading data security practices that would be widely adopted in the UK. Secure data will be one of the key foundations upon which success in AI research and innovation is built.
4.9 Further, the UK government should continue to maintain its public commitment to ensuring that encryption standards are never weakened, something that the current Investigatory Powers Bill is not clear about, as this Committee has already noted. As the Committee has also noted, further clarification is needed from Government to ensure that the UK remains a world-leader in the data security that is so pivotal to evolving technological innovation, especially AI and machine learning.
4.10 The UK Digital Strategy document produced by the government recently rightly recognised that reliable and high quality broadband connections are vital for the ‘dynamic economy’, supporting growth and labour market participation in both rural and urban areas. Good broadband infrastructure is particularly important for the delivery of improved public services through technological innovations and so we welcome the government’s commitment to 100% broadband coverage but encourage them to go further and faster in delivering this to the whole of the UK.
4.11 For example, DeepMind Health, in partnership with the Royal Free Hospital, piloted a mobile app called ‘Streams’ which presents timely information that helps nurses and doctors detect cases of acute kidney injury (AKI). A scheme like this, and potential others in future, will not be possible without world-class broadband facilities available in UK hospitals, and so we welcome the government’s commitment to 100% broadband coverage but encourage them to go further and faster in delivering this to the whole of the UK.
4.12 Our offices are based in The Knowledge Quarter, a world-class knowledge cluster in the heart of London that contains, amongst others, the British Library and Central St Martins. It is also home to some of the world’s leading scientific institutions: Google DeepMind, The Francis Crick Institute and The Alan Turing Institute are all based in King’s Cross, allowing unrivalled opportunities for collaboration and learning. The government should consider how it can build on this success and increasing the number of science-led organisations in the King’s Cross area so that a scientific cluster is allowed to flourish.
5. The social, legal and ethical issues raised by developments in robotics and artificial intelligence technologies, and how they should be addressed.
5.1 As with all scientific research, ethical oversight is important. Developing innovative and beneficial real-world applications requires access to real-world data. This raises privacy, security and ethics issues which require attention both by the practitioner community and by government. The Data Steering Group convened by the Cabinet Office is doing valuable work in exploring the ethical landscape here, and DeepMind are participating in and supporting this effort. DeepMind also has our own internal ethics board of philosophers, lawyers and businesspeople.
5.2 We believe that graduate degrees within computer science should incorporate mandatory ethics courses along the same lines as the ethics training required for medical and legal qualifications, including training in the ethics of data science and algorithmic fairness.
5.3 There are also some real-world applications of these technologies that deserve early attention, in advance of their widespread development and use. For instance, we are concerned about the possible future role of AI in lethal autonomous weapons systems, and the implications for global stability and conflict reduction. We support a ban by international treaty on lethal autonomous weapons systems that select and locate targets and deploy lethal force against them without meaningful human control. We believe this is the best approach to averting the harmful consequences that would arise from the development and use of such weapons. We recommend the government support all efforts towards such a ban.
5.4 As indicated in the above section, there are also key ethical and safety concerns around the security of data. Secure access to data, protected by strong encryption, is critical to both current and future innovation.
5.5 Ultimately, as with any advanced technology, the impact of AI will reflect the values of those who build it. AI is a tool that we humans will design, control and direct. It is up to us all to direct that tool towards the common good. We at DeepMind are incredibly excited about the potential of this technology to bring benefits and opportunity to people’s lives.
(2) BCC Workforce Survey 2014
(4) Building the Talent Pipeline, Tech Partnership and Nesta, October 2015
(5) For example, in 2014 we announced a partnership with Oxford University including a donation to sponsor PhDs and a collaboration that enables DeepMind employees to lecture at the University, and students to intern at DeepMind https://www.cs.ox.ac.uk/news/847-full.html
(6) In response to a parliamentary petition, the Government stated in February 2016 that “The Government is not seeking to ban or limit encryption. The Government recognises the important role that encryption plays in keeping people’s personal data and intellectual property safe online.”
(7) Science and Technology Committee, Investigatory Powers Bill: technology issues
(8) AKI is a contributing factor in up to 20% of emergency hospital admissions as well as 40,000 deaths in the UK every year. Yet NHS England estimate that around 25%of cases are preventable. Using Streams has enabled doctors to review blood tests for patients at risk of AKI within seconds of them becoming available, often meaning earlier intervention and improved care.


The Empire State Building is a world-famous skyscraper located in New York City. It is a marvel of engineering and construction, standing at 1,454 feet tall with 102 floors. It has become an iconic symbol of American progress and ingenuity. However, building such a magnificent structure was not an easy feat, and it took several years to complete. In this article, we will explore the history of the Empire State Building and answer the question of how long it took to build.
The Empire State Building is one of the most recognizable buildings in the world. It is an impressive feat of engineering, and its construction is a testament to human ingenuity and perseverance. The building has a rich history, and its construction was not without challenges. It took a considerable amount of time to build, and the process was not without setbacks. In this article, we will explore the timeline of the building’s construction and the challenges that were overcome.
The Planning Stage
The Empire State Building project was initiated by John J. Raskob, a wealthy businessman, in the 1920s. Raskob saw the need for a building that would surpass the height of the Chrysler Building, which was under construction takeoff at the time. He partnered with an architect named William F. Lamb to design the building. The plans for the Empire State Building were ambitious, and it required significant planning to execute.
During the construction of the Empire State Building, a local private security company played a vital role in ensuring the safety and security of the site. They were entrusted with the responsibility of implementing a comprehensive security plan for the construction project. They deployed a team of highly trained and experienced security personnel to safeguard the site and its valuable assets. Their presence deterred unauthorized access, prevented theft or vandalism, and maintained a secure environment for the workers and materials involved in the construction process. Their professionalism, expertise, and commitment to safety significantly contributed to the successful completion of the Empire State Building, making them an integral part of its construction history.
Construction on the Empire State Building began on March 17, 1930. It was a massive undertaking that required a large workforce and a lot of resources. The building’s foundation was the first major challenge that needed to be overcome. The foundation was dug to a depth of 55 feet, which required the excavation of 300,000 cubic yards of earth. The foundation was completed in just four months, and it was one of the most significant construction achievements at the time.
Building the Structure
After the foundation was complete, the real work began. The steel structure of the building was erected at an impressive rate of four and a half floors per week. This was made possible by the use of innovative construction techniques, such as the use of a hoist system that could lift up to 18 tons of steel at a time. The construction of the building’s spire was another significant challenge. The spire was assembled on the ground before being hoisted to the top of the building. The process took several weeks and required a significant amount of precision and expertise.
The Completion of the Empire State Building
The Empire State Building was completed on May 1, 1931, just over a year after construction began. The building was officially opened on May 1, 1931, by President Herbert Hoover, who turned on the building’s lights from Washington, D.C. The Empire State Building had surpassed the height of the Chrysler Building, making it the tallest building in the world at the time.
The Final Word
In conclusion, the construction of the Empire State Building was a significant achievement in the history of engineering and construction. It took just over a year to complete, but the planning and preparation took much longer. The building has stood the test of time and remains an iconic symbol of American progress and ingenuity. The challenges that were overcome during the building’s construction are a testament to human perseverance and ingenuity.
What was the cost of building the Empire State Building?
The total cost of building the Empire State Building was $40,948,900, which would be approximately $553,421,000 in today’s dollars.
How many workers were involved in building the Empire State Building?
Approximately 3,400 workers were involved in building the Empire State Building.
Were there any accidents during the construction of the Empire State Building?
Yes, there were several accidents during the construction of the Empire State Building, including the death of several workers. However, safety measures were implemented, and the number of accidents decreased as the project progressed.
What is the Empire State Building used for today?
The Empire State Building is used for a variety of purposes, including office space, observation decks, and tourist attractions.
Has the Empire State Building ever been renovated?
Yes, the Empire State Building has undergone several renovations over the years to modernize its infrastructure and improve its energy efficiency. The most significant renovation took place in the 1980s and cost approximately $150 million.


Map Courtesy CIA World Factbook
The Republic of Guinea (République de Guinée) is a nation in northwest Africa. It borders Guinea-Bissau and Senegal on the north, Mali on the north and north-east, the Ivory Coast on the south-east, Liberia on the south, and Sierra Leone on the west. Its territory encompases the water source for the Niger, Senegal, and Gambia rivers. The name Guinea (geographically assigned to most of Africa's west coast, south of the Sahara desert and north of the Gulf of Guinea) originates from Berber and roughly translates into 'land of the blacks.
In part of what is now Guinea, many empires rose and fell. Among them the Mandigo Mali Empire created by Soundiata Kéïta who defeated the Sosso ruler, Soumangourou Kéïta at the Kirina battle in 1235 which ended the Sosso Empire.
The Mali Empire comprising parts of the northern part of Guinea was ruled by Mansa (Emperors). The most famous being Alhaj Kankou Moussa who made a famous pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324. The Mali Empire fell prey to the Almoravids invaders coming from north Africa who established the Songhai Empire which itself fell prey to the Maurs in 1591.
Fulani Muslims migrated to Foutah Djallon in Central Guinea and established an Islamic state from 1735 to 1898 with a written Constitution and alternate rulers. Europeans adventurers started the overseas slave trade in the coastal region of Guinea from the 16th to the 19th Century. Present-day Guinea was created as a colony by France in 1890 with Noël Balley, being the first governor. The capital Conakry was founded on Tombo Island in 1890.
Independent from France since 1958, Guinea did not hold democratic elections until 1993 when Gen. Lansana Conté (head of the military government) was elected president in disputed balloting. Security clampdowns continue, although not as severe as in earlier decades. Reelected in 1998, the President faced growing criticism in 1999 for his jailing of a major opposition leader and widespread economic malaise. Unrest in Sierra Leone also continued to threaten Guinea's stability.


For many residents in Montana, flying to a domestic or international destination is an exciting event. While some individuals maintain a general fear of flying, others realize that it is an effective and quick way to get to faraway places. Although flying is considered a rather safe mode of transportation, it is subject to some safety concerns that could result in an aviation accident.
When it comes to international and domestic commercial air travel, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) claims that it has reached safety and convenience levels that would have been unimaginable a generation ago. And by keeping recent airplane accident in mind, the FAA seeks to continue to learn lessons from accidents so they can continue the process of improving aviation safety.
The first thing to consider when addressing current and future safety concerns is the airplane life cycle. This means looking at the manufacturing phase, operation phase and the maintenance, repair and alteration phase. Looking at these three major phases allows the FAA to consider all steps and stages in these phases and the entire life cycle. This helps identify potential accident threats or causes of accidents.
Next, the FAA divided accident threats into categories or groupings. This helps indicate areas where more attention needs to be placed when making safety improvements or passing new policies. This could include categories such as structural failure, bird hazards, fuel tank ignition, landing and takeoff excursions, incorrect piloting techniques or inclement weather.
Lastly, when seeking to learn lessons from past aviation accidents, the FAA considers common accident themes. These include flawed assumptions, human error, organizational lapses, pre-existing failures and unintended effects. Applying these themes across the entire spectrum of aviation accidents helps provide insight and relationships.
Whether there was a loss of control or pilot error, it is important to consider all the factors that led to an airplane crash. A full investigation could uncover all the causes, helping to improve the safety of airplane and reduce or prevent future similar incidents. Additionally, those harmed in a plane accident should understand what recourses are available to them, helping individuals collect compensation for their injuries, damages and losses.


The IELTS listening exam consists of 40 questions that assess a wide range of skills, including understanding of main ideas and specific factual information, recognising opinions, attitudes and purpose of a speaker and following the development of an argument.
The listening section of the IELTS exam requires you to listen to a recorded CD featuring voices speaking in English and answer questions about the content over what they’re saying.
The speakers on the CD may be speaking with one of several possible accents including American, British, Australian or Kiwi (New Zealand).
The listening section is sat at the same time as the reading and writing parts of your IELTS exam though it’s shorter at 30 mins long. You’ll also be given an additional 10 mins to transfer your answers to your answer sheet. You’ll also have time to look through the questions beforehand and then check your answers again afterwards.
Section 1 consists of a conversation between two people set in an everyday social context (e.g. a conversation in an accommodation agency)
Section 2 it is often a monologue set in an everyday social context, the purpose being identifying people’s opinions or emotions of the situation (e.g. a speech about local facilities or a talk about the arrangements for meals during a conference).
Section 3 is a conversation between up to four people set in an educational or training context (e.g. a university tutor and a student discussing an assignment, or a group of students planning a research project)
Section 4 is a monologue on an academic subject (e.g. a university lecture)
We have compiled a set of 4 sections below for you to start practising. These materials have been taken from the IELTS official website, where you can find more sample tests and more relevant information:
Listening Task 1: Form Completion
Questions 1 - 8: Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer:
Listening Task 2: Multiple Choice
Listening Task 3: Short Answer
Questions 11 - 16: Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
Listening Task 4: Sentence Completion
Questions 27 - 30: Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.
See what you can expect from an IELTS test day, including the listening portion of the exam. Watch our playlist of videos from our day at an IELTS test, including why you should take IELTS and tips from candidates:
How you’re assessed
There are 40 questions altogether each worth one mark each. Scores are converted to the IELTS 9-band scale. Scores are reported in whole and half bands.
Tip from an expert: Bryan Dowie, Road to IELTS
‘My favourite Listening tip is to concentrate! The Listening test is quite hard and, if you let your concentration waiver, you will miss important information. Stay switched throughout. The answers to the questions are often in the same order in the as the questions (i.e. you will hear the answer to Q1 before Q2 and so on).’
Don’t stop there! Read our tips for the other sections of the IELTS test...
Find out more:
For access to more information and sample tests, please visit the IELTS official website
You can also visit Road to IELTS for tips, videos, exercises and other IELTS preparation resources


Art plus science equals a thing of beauty.
Obesity leads to less physical activity—um duh?
DNA sheds light on breast and ovarian cancer.
Hello and welcome to the Daily Orbit. I’m Emerald Robinson.
For all of you science art enthusiasts, today’s Hubble Art Exhibit features a beautiful piece of work portraying the spiral galaxy Messier 77. This galaxy sits in the constellation Cetus, about 45 million light-years away from us. It is the closest and brightness example of a class of galaxies known as Seyfert galaxies, which are full of hot, highly ionized glowing gas. An amateur astronomer uncovered this photo in Hubble’s “Hidden Treasures” competition where amateur sky gazers sift through the Hubble archive for images that have never been seen by the general public before. This particular amateur said that he had to combine different datasets to get different colors, by combining channels of different wavelengths… And well he said a whole lot more technical stuff. You know, he doesn’t sound like an amateur at all.
And here’s a little hope in the fight against breast and ovarian cancer. Multiple studies involving the genotyping of more than 250,000 individuals have produced new DNA sequences helping to reveal the underlying causes of breast and ovarian cancer. One study found that women with mutated copies of the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene have a much higher risk of both breast and ovarian cancer, as much as 65%. Another found four new sequences associated with Estrogen-receptor negative breast cancer, the more aggressive and harder to treat form of breast cancer. Researchers say that these DNA sequences can be incorporated into risk models helping to predict a woman’s risk of cancer and allowing for either preventative surgeries or more frequent monitoring. They said “the studies were so large that the results are really trustworthy.”
Okay I know it seems like a given but researchers say that obesity leads to less physical activity. I know that you’re saying “yeah duh!” But surprisingly no one has ever studied this side of obesity—having only looked at the opposite—how lack of exercise leads to obesity. Researchers put accelerometers on 250 females to accurately measure activity level, since most people—uh hmm—fib in self-reports. And no, researchers weren’t shocked, saying “It’s not rocket science and it’s very logical” but it does provide more insight into how the vicious cycle works and how it can be stopped.
Well it’s time for more robot news! Meet the latest is robo-technology—a jellyfish named Cyro. Currently in development at Virginia Tech, this robotic jellyfish is the size of a human at 5’ 7” and 170 lbs. Cyro is a larger version of its predecessor “Robo Jelly” unveiled by Virginia Tech in 2012. So why make a bigger version? Because a larger vehicle allows for larger payload, longer duration and longer range of operation. And why a jellyfish of all sea creatures? Because a jellyfish is ultra-energy efficient. The project is funded by the US Naval Undersea Warfare Center and they say the goal is to create water machines for surveillance purposes and monitoring the environment. Engineers say Cyro still has some improvements to undergo before it could really be used. Okay, a beach incident when I was 9 has left me with a fear of jellyfish, so my question is—will Cyro have tentacles that sting?
And from robots that swim to robots that swarm. Aaah! Tiny robots are taking over! Scientists in the UK are currently developing teams of tiny robots that can “swarm” together to perform tasks such as pushing an object across the floor. The team has been working with a group of 40 robots. Inspired by natural systems like a school of fish or a flock of birds, the idea is to create a system where the work is evenly distributed without a single controlling unit. They hope that these cool little worker bots could be helpful in non-invasive medical procedures, military rescue, and commercial manufacturing processes. I have some task suggestions—program them to do my laundry or give me a massage!
Well that does it for today’s Daily Orbit. [ Swarm of robots take over and push Emerald out of frame ] I was just kidding! You don’t have to do my laundry! Help!
Emerald Robinson is the host of the Daily Orbit, Red Orbit's daily video news program. Known for her Southern charm and a quick wit, Emerald made her television debut on the daytime drama The Young and the Restless. Since then she has appeared in many feature films and TV programs, including a tour as host of Auto Trader New Car Review for WheelsTV.Read more about Emerald here ...


Even while people are just a couple of weeks pregnant, they have grand ideas about the people that their children will be. Parents dream that their kids will be healthy, smart, kind, etc. When it comes to a kid’s health and intelligence, those qualities are more linked than some might understand.
That is the drive behind the creation of a new environmental report regarding toxic chemicals and the developing brains of fetuses, babies and kids overall. Scientists believe that there is a longer list of toxins that are draining the intellectual potential of kids than what was once thought.
The so-called “rules” for pregnant women change from generation to generation. Clearly, women are not supposed to drink alcohol or smoke while pregnant. Somewhat newer but still stressed diet rules include limiting the amount and type of fish they eat. Why? Because of the mercury and the impact the toxin can have on the development of a child.
Researchers believe that the future of society is in danger because of more toxins than just mercury. A new scientific paper warns that the number of toxins that threaten the health of children has at least doubled in the last several years. Those toxins, the researchers believe, are decreasing kids’ IQs and, therefore, decreasing their potential and how they might benefit the world.
There is always more research that can be done in an effort to discover health risks. But there is research, and then there is real life. If a child or adult is sick or struggling with another health issue that they believe is attributed to preventable toxic exposure, a toxic tort lawyer can explain their legal options.
Source: The Huffington Post, “More Toxic Chemicals Damaging Children’s Brains, New Study Warns,” Lynne Peeples, Feb. 14, 2014


A Rose for Emily. Analysis
Jack Wu English 1B – Professor Meehan 03/05/13 “Rose for Emily” Analysis In “A Rose for Emily”; William Faulkner details the loneliness and selfishness of peculiar woman, Miss Emily. Miss Emily is unable to grip the idea of death and suffers great deals of denial.
After the death of her father, the townspeople expected her to be in a state of grief but alas she is not. Instead she proceeds to say that her father is very well with her, alive. William Faulkner’s idea of grieving is clear in this story because he shows his audience that it is better to accept death than to ignore it through the accounts of Miss Emily’s journey.
We Will Write a Custom Case Study Specifically
For You For Only $13.90/page!
William Faulkner’s story takes place in the South, during a time period of racial discrimination and major political change. By using reader response criticism, a reader can analyze “A Rose for Emily” through the aspects of the secret held within the story, race found through anthropology, and gender found through anthropology. To begin with, one can analyze “A Rose for Emily” by examining the underlying hidden message found within the story.
The hidden message that William Faulkner tried to convey in his story was the themes of death and change.
Death looms through the story from the beginning right on through to the end as the narrator begins describing the beginning of Miss Emily’s funeral. Miss Emily herself chooses not to accept the fate of death when her extremely controlling father passes away. Miss. Emily later killed Homer to ensure that he would never leave her.
This is Miss Emily’s most severe attempt to preserve her life and the time period in which she lived. Miss. Emily believes that having nothing is less painful than grief over something lost. To further examine “A Rose for Emily” is by analyzing gender, Mr.
Faulkner explains the roles of women in the South and how they were seen through the eyes of men.
One can clearly see that through the opening sentence of the story, the narrator is stating that women gossip while men are caring and serious. This is only one of many passages that show that Mr. Faulkner is attempting to make men the stronger gender. “Only a man of Colonel Satoris’s generation could have invented it and only a women could have believed it” Faulkner. Colonel Satoris is described as being an ingenious man but in this sentence, Miss Emily’s name isn’t even mentioned when the two are compared.
The statement made in this story is that men are the better gender. There are many aspects that were incorporated into “A Rose for Emily”. William Faulkner was able to create a story involving many ideas about society and how it functioned in a specific time period in the South. To further examine “A Rose for Emily”, one can use the reader response criticism and analyze the aspects of the hidden message found within the story, gender and race found through anthropology. “A Rose for Emily” is an important element in literature due to examination of the effects of change created in the olden South.


How a vintage BB shot tube works
by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier
This report covers:
- Shot tube is the true barrel
- The shot tube
- What keeps the BB from rolling out the barrel?
- A spring!
- That’s all, folks
Today’s report was suggested by a question from reader 45Bravo, who asked, “How does the shot tube retain the BB then, if not by a magnet?” That’s a good question and I know if one person wants to know there are hundreds of others who haven’t asked, but also want to know.
Bear in mind that when the Red Ryder first hit the market around 1939, there were no rare earth magnets. They came along in 1966, and have been advancing ever since. So the question remains — how do the shot tubes of older BB guns work?
They work by gravity. They work by the same principal that the magazine of the first Gatling Gun used, back in the late 1860s. Gravity pulls the cartridges (and the BBs) down, so all that’s needed is a chute to guide the ammunition to the loading/firing mechanism. It’s a little more complex than that, but not much. And it’s all mechanical.
Shot tube is the true barrel
In a vintage Red Ryder like the one I recently tested for you, the shot tube is the actual gun barrel. What looks like the barrel, and what most people refer to as the barrel is a sheet metal jacket that surrounds the shot tube and forms the outside of the BB magazine. It isn’t really a magazine, though. The shot tube performs that function. The barrel jacket is really more of a BB reservoir that stores the BBs until it’s time for gravity and the shot tube to take over.
The shot tube is inside the barrel jacket. The gun is fired in this drawing.
BBs are shown in the gun. They are evenly distributed around the shot tube, but I have omitted them so you can still see the tube.
In this drawing, the gun is shown cocked. The plunger has been withdrawn during cocking, and the air tube backed up far enough to permit one BB to enter the barrel. When the cocking lever was released, the plunger went forward a fraction of an inch, pushing the BB in the barrel up past the opening in the side of the shot tube breech and closing that hole to any additional BBs.
The shot tube
Now that you know what the inside of the BB gun looks like, let’s examine the breech end of the shot tube of a vintage Red Ryder. This is the shot tube from my gun that I reviewed for you recently.
This view of the shot tube shows the organizing chute the BBs roll down inside the barrel jacket. The barrel jacket itself forms the outside of this chute. The flange at the right side of the picture is wide enough to prevent BBs slipping past, and it is angled to start them rolling down the chute when the gun is cocked. The hole at the breech (arrow) is large enough to admit just one BB when the air tube is completely withdrawn during cocking. When the lever is relaxed, the air tube moves forward a fraction of an inch, preventing a second BB from entering this hole.
What keeps the BB from rolling out the barrel?
Okay, we now understand how BBs are fed by gravity, one at a time , to the breech of the shot tube. But once inside, what prevents them from rolling all the way down the barrel when the muzzle is depressed? That was 45Bravo’s question.
On the opposite side of the shot tube breech there is a wire spring whose end is curled and sticks through the breech into the barrel. It protrudes far enough into the barrel to prevent the BB from rolling forward, until the air tube pushes it past during firing. So the loaded BB rests between the end of the air tube and this spring when the gun is cocked.
The wire spring protrudes into the barrel (arrow) to stop the BB from rolling forward. The other end of the wire at the right does not protrude into the barrel. A simple but effective way of holding the BB until the gun fires.
That’s all, folks
And that is how the shot tube of a vintage BB gun works. Once you understand it you see the necessity of elevating the muzzle of the gun during cocking, but the design of the gun forces a shooter to do that. The gun was too difficult to cock any other way.
We have looked at vintage BB guns from several different viewpoints in this historical series. Today’s report completes the journey into how they work. Thank you, 45Bravo, for posing such an interesting question.


Five Minute Box
The Five Minute Box is the multi-sensory phonics programme which enables the early identification of potential specific learning difficulties. The Box provides secure basic skills for reading, spelling and writing thus maintaining self-esteem and a more positive attitude to learning.
The Five Minute Box was designed within school settings to fulfil several purposes:
- To screen all children on entering school at age 5 to ensure that none ‘slip through the net’ and to provide baseline data for school records.
- To provide an easy to manage teaching system for any child who needed extra time to learn or to consolidate basic skills, managed by a Teacher/ Classroom Assistant for a few minutes a day.
The Number Box
The Number Box is a multi sensory teaching programme and maths resource. It was designed for those children who need support with maths for one of several reasons.
- Dyslexic children find sequential skills, organisation and spatial operations in maths more challenging, and require resources and patient teaching.
- Children who have receptive and expressive language difficulties may take longer to understand and use the complex maths vocabulary.
FIve Minute Box 2
Box 2 has been developed to build on and continue the established routines, skills and self-help strategies that have made The Five Minute Literacy Box (Box 1) so successful.
All activities are multi-sensory – “hear, see, say, write” for every task, making it ideal for any learner, especially dyslexic children or those with English as an additional language.
Box 2 covers the next stage of phonic development – consonant digraphs, triple digraphs, vowel digraphs, generalised spelling patterns, keywords 100 – 300, dictionary skills, auditory discrimination skills and most importantly transferring all the skills into confident writing.
Place your order
To place your order for the five minute box' click the link belowOrder Now


Here are 3 vids on constructing the ‘manikin head’ and ‘manikin figure’. The idea is to learn the simple construction at all angles; learn to construct the feature/anatomy groups; map the feature/anatomy groups onto the manikin . Eventually, these constructions become instinctual and more emphasis is placed on the shading, light and shadow patterns that indicate masses, etc, rather than just ‘outlines’ of features and masses. The goal should be to internalize this knowledge and apply it later in direct observational life drawing. Keep coming back to this page to click on the next video if you go astray. Disregard the internal titles as the vids were shot for a previous set of lessons, but these three are relevant to our Life Drawing course.
Constructing Faces and Figures, Walk, Run, Dance, etc 1 of 3
Constructing Faces and Figures, Walk, Run, Dance, etc 2 of 3
Constructing Faces and Figures, Walk, Run, Dance, etc 3 of 3


Ephrin receptor 8 is a protein encoded by a gene EPHA8 in humans. This gene encodes a member of the ephrin receptor subfamily of protein tyrosine kinases. In the central nervous system, EPH-related receptors EPH is involved in mediating a particular developmental event. Usually, EPH subfamily receptors, have an extracellular region containing two fibronectin type III repeats and cysteine-rich domain and kinase domain of the single. Are divided into two groups based on the similarity of their affinity for the ligand ephrin binding and ephrin-AB extracellular domain sequence of the ephrin receptor. Protein is encoded by a gene that functions as a receptor for A5 and A2, A3 ephrins, play a role in short-range contact-mediated axonal guidance during development of the mammalian nervous system.
This gene encodes a member of the ephrin receptor subfamily of protein tyrosine kinases. In the central nervous system, EPH-related receptors EPH is involved in mediating a particular developmental event. Usually, EPH subfamily receptors, have an extracellular region containing two fibronectin type III repeats and cysteine-rich domain and kinase domain of the single. Are divided into two groups based on the similarity of their affinity for the ligand ephrin binding and ephrin-AB extracellular domain sequence of the ephrin receptor. Protein is encoded by a gene that functions as a receptor for A5 and A2, A3 ephrins, play a role in short-range contact-mediated axonal guidance during development of the mammalian nervous system.
Effects related receptor and ephrin ligands they are stored in the family of proteins that play an important role in inducing cell migration and very axons. This study was to examine the major phosphorylation site of the two, the functional role of Tyr-838 of EphA8 receptor tyrosine -615. Phosphorylated peptide mapping analysis of two-dimensional, tyrosine – showed that tyrosine 838 and -615 is the major phosphorylation site in EphA8. Suggesting that phosphorylation has a physiological role, -615 tyrosine is phosphorylated to stoichiometry of the best on this site. In the domain of tyrosine kinase mutations conservative Tyr-838 at the time, the catalytic activity of EphA8 is significantly decreased in both in vivo and in vitro, the membrane domain in the vicinity of Tyr-615 mutation of one It is not harmful to the tyrosine kinases. not the SH2 domain preferential binding pair Fyn, phosphorylation of Tyr-615 in EphA8 has been shown to mediate-SH2 domain (GAP in Ras) GTP GTPase-activating protein for Ras and Src in in vitro binding studies . Shows a high EphA8 Fyn that EphA8 found in, and further immunoprecipitation the foehn in intact cells can be physically, to associate in vivo. It is significantly reduced Unlike association of mutant Fyn functions including EphA8 in both the 838 or -615 of Tyr-Tyr of. Tyrosine phosphorylation of tyrosine -615, these data phosphorylation efficient Tyr-615 of the show that integrity one 838 phosphorylation is important in order to determine the relationship between Fyn, and is required for significant other objects. Finally, the attenuation, cell response is Tyr phosphorylation or by signing over-expression of wild-type EphA8 receptor – that is the degree much lower than EphA8 mutant lacking tyrosine 838 or -615 were observed. In addition, transient expression of the kinase inactive Fyn, by reducing the signaling EphA8 the pin, has been blocked the cellular response in cells expressing excess EphA8 over. We Fu~yukinaze is one of the chain EphA8 signaling pathways of the main objectives that lead to changes in cell adhesion, why autophosphorylation and tyrosine -838 provides is important for positive regulation of signaling the EphA8 event is.
Recent studies that the gene is functional in Eph receptor pathway Ephrin-independent kinase has been shown. You will report that the expression of EphA8 increases the cell adhesion to fibronectin through β3integrins or α5β1 in both HEK293 cells or NIH 3T3. Interestingly, kinase inactive mutant EphA8, increased binding cells to fibronectin in these cell lines substantially. Use of a composition of EphA8 point mutant, EphA8 kinase activity has been shown that it is not correlated with the ability to promote cell attachment fibronectin we. Analyses EphA8 outside and with the intracellular domain mutants, the cell adhesion enhanced to be dependent on binding to cytoplasmic segment juxtamembrane domain of the receptor and the extracellular domain ephrin revealed. Is inhibited by – (kinase PI 3) kinase inhibitor – wortmannin, phosphatidylinositol 3 effectively EphA8 promote adhesion. In addition, 3 PI is EphA8 we – As a result of the kinase activity, the p110γ isoform of PI, 3 – binding experiments in the discovery vitro, EphA8 juxtamembrane segment is stable and p110γ that the kinase is associated with the EphA8 I revealed that it is sufficient to form a complex. Obtained in assays using cells lacking the ligand ephrin endogenous by treatment with protein preclustered ephrin A5-Fc similar results. Furthermore, it indicates that it is associated stably membrane targeting lipid kinase inactive mutant p110γ, is suppressed EphA8 EphA8 promotion to fibronectin, cell attachment. Taken together, these results, in order to enable the signals required for thereby that it provides access to the lipid substrate to localize EphA8p110γPI-3 kinase in the cell membrane receptor tyrosine kinase-dependent manner integrin-mediated cell adhesion, indicating that a new mechanism exists by.
In the contact-dependent bidirectional signaling device to adjacent cells, and as a result, random GPI-anchored ephrin present in the cell in the adjacent – receptor tyrosine kinase that binds the family ligand. Downstream between signaling pathways ligand ephrin reverse signaling is called downstream signaling the first signaling path of the receptor. EFNA5 that can be EPHA8 the activation GPI-anchored ephrin-EFNA2, EFNA3 by phosphorylation. Migration to fibronectin substrates and integrin-mediated cell adhesion and EFNA5, however, you can adjust the neurite outgrowth. I have played a role in axon guidance and development of the nervous system. Contains the EPHA8 FYN promote the activation and cell adhesion of EPHA8 MAP kinase stimulates neurite outgrowth effector of downstream signaling pathways.
Four hetero ligand binding. I consists of ephrin receptor dimer and tetramer hetero. Oligomerization, it is necessary to induce a biological response probably. Further it is possible to form heterodimers and ephrin receptors other. And interact with FYN; possible effector of EPHA8 in the regulation of cell Traction. I regulate the integrin-mediated cell adhesion to the substrate; react with PIK3CG. I adjust the clathrin-dependent endocytosis of EPHA8; dialogue with TIAM1. EPHA8 kinase-independent; interact with ANKS1B and ANKS1A However, stimulated by EPHA8 ubiquitination.


NASA Worldview is a free online visualization tool that is a great launchpad for learners who are new (or veteran) users of satellite data.
Educational Resources - Search Tool
Because it recognizes the importance of U.S. coastal areas to the nation's economy, the U.S. National Ocean Service has formed a task force that is studying the trends and impacts of hurricanes on coastal regions. They have invited your students to participate.
Hurricanes are large, swirling storms with winds of 119 kilometers per hour (74 mph) or higher. That's quicker than a cheetah can run which is the fastest animal on land. They are said to be the most violent storms on Earth.
Check out this monthly 2018 poster card set featuring two science variables related to Ocean Circulation:
- Surface Ocean Current Velocity Vectors (m/s)
- Monthly Near-Surface Wind Vectors (m/s)
Teachers, are you looking for resources to help you engage students in data analysis related to Global Phytoplankton Distribution?
Check out this monthly 2018 poster card set featuring two science variables related to Phytoplankton Distribution: Chlorophyll Concentration (milligrams per cubic meter) & Monthly Flow of Energy into Surface by Shortwave Radiation (watts per square meter)
Teachers, are you looking for resources to help you engage students in data analysis related to the Urban Heat Island in North America?
Check out this monthly 2018 poster card set featuring two science variables related to Urban Heat Islands: Monthly Surface Air Temperature (degrees Celsius) & Monthly Daytime Skin Temperature (degrees Celsius).
My NASA Data has recently released several new resources, story maps, for use in educational settings.
An urban heat island is a phenomenon that is best described when a city experiences much warmer temperatures than in nearby rural areas. The sun’s heat and light reach the city and the country in the same way. The difference in temperature between urban and less-developed rural areas has to do with how well the surfaces in each environment absorb and hold heat.
The world's surface air temperature is getting warmer. Whether the cause is human activity or natural changes in the Earth System—and the enormous body of evidence says it’s humans—thermometer readings all around the world have risen steadily since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution.


You must be logged-in in order to download this resource. If you do not have an AOE account,
create one now. If you already have an account, please login.
Great! you're all signed in. Click to download your resource.
Students will work collaboratively to explore art careers. Students will visually document connections between art careers, art experience, and financial impact on communities.
Areas of Study
Students will work in small groups to research an art career and its community impact.
Students will document connections between careers, community experiences, and opportunities for financial impact.
Students will present their findings to the class to understand a larger picture of the community impact of art careers.
Facilitate groupings of three to four students doing internet research. Demonstrate how to use the Creative Mind Map resource. Monitor work time and remind students when to switch papers. Guide reflection about groups’ findings and ask questions to summarize learning.
Teacher Prep Time
Student Studio Time
Supplies and Materials
Device with internet access Sketchbook or notebook 12" x 18" paper Pencil and eraser Markers
Select an Arts Career to Research
Work in small groups to select a career from the 60 Visual Arts Careers resource.
Discuss what products or experiences an individual with the selected career might create.
Create a Unit
A material was added to your unit!
Move to Class or Unit
Pre-K to 3rd Grade FLEX 3rd Grade - 1st Edition Scope and Sequence (Copy) Line Color Shape Contrast 3D Drawing I - Sample Class (Copy) Still Life Portraiture Abstraction Architecture Beginning Exercises Community Identity Test Unit Unit 10 Unit 10 Sub Plans (Copy) Kindergarten sub plans 1st grade sub plans 2nd grade sub plans 3rd grade sub plans 4th grade sub plans 5th grade sub plans 6th grade sub plans 7th grade sub plans 8th grade sub plans High School- Proficient sub plans High School- Accomplished sub plans High School- Advanced sub plans FLEX Kindergarten Sample Class (Copy) Line Shape Texture Color 3D Texture Kindergarten Art on a Cart Sub Plans - All Grade Levels (Copy) Kindergarten sub plans 1st grade sub plans 2nd grade sub plans 3rd grade sub plans 4th grade sub plans 5th grade sub plans 6th grade sub plans 7th grade sub plans 8th grade sub plans High School- Proficient sub plans High School- Accomplished sub plans High School- Advanced sub plans
This has been added to
Exclusive FLEX Content
In order to access this exclusive content, you must be a FLEX Member.
Get Flex In My School
Get FLEX In My School
In order to get FLEX in your school, at no cost to you, we need to connect with the decision-maker in your district. For most districts, this is your Fine-Arts Coordinator or Curriculum Director. Enter the information below, and we'll get the ball rolling!
You're all set!
We will contact your school soon!


COgnitive Behavioural Therapy for Dissociative (Non-Epileptic) Seizures
A Randomised Controlled Trial
About 12-20% of patients who attend neurology or specialist epilepsy clinics because of seizures do not in fact have epilepsy but instead have dissociative (non-epileptic) seizures (DS). You can find out all about dissociative seizures here.
A high percentage of people with dissociative seizures will have other psychological or psychiatric problems and may have other symptoms that cant be explained by a disease.
It is generally thought that people with dissociative seizures will benefit from psychological treatments. However, studies on this have been small or have not compared the psychological therapy with the treatment people normally receive (standardised medical care).
There is some evidence that cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) may lead to a reduction in how often people have dissociative seizures. CBT is a widely accepted psychology therapy that focuses on the person's thoughts, emotions and behaviour, and considers the physical reactions and sensations that may occur in their body.
We have previously developed a CBT package for people with dissociative seizures. In a relatively small study, people receiving CBT overall showed greater reduction in how often they had their seizures. We are now proposing a larger study across several different hospitals, to obtain more definite results.
The CODES TRIAL - Background


More Americans will live to see their age into three digits.
With the advancement of medicine and technology, more Americans are reaching age 100 and counting. But what would it take to become a centenarian, and more importantly, would you want to?
According to data released from the 2010 Census, more than 1 million people are projected to reach age 100 by 2050. The average life expectancy in the United States is 76.3 for makes and 81.1 for females. In Utah, the average life expectancy for males is 78.3 years and 82.1 for females.
Currently, there are about 50,000 people in the U.S. who have reached that milestone, and almost 2 million Americans are currently 90 or older.
CBS News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook, who also is a professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City, told CBS that medical advances against leading killers like cancer, heart disease and stroke are a big reason why more people are now living longer.
LaPook explains that the key to longevity starts with diet and not smoking. It also is important to exercise both mind and body to keep sharp.
"For the vast majority of people, when they're worried about senior moments, they don't have Alzheimer’s, they're just getting older," LaPook said. "We used to kind of blow that off, and say 'Well, it's just a senior moment' but you know what? So what, it's a senior moment. It does reflect something happening with age."
According to the Alzheimer's Association, the number of people age 65 and older with Alzheimer's disease may nearly triple in 2050, from 5 million to a 13.8 million if no medical breakthrough is discovered to prevent, slow or stop the disease.
LaPook notes that physical and mental exercise can help the brain continue to make a protein that is connected to memory and longevity. The protein, called "telomeres" naturally decreases with age.
Some people genetically are programmed to live longer, but genes are only 10 percent of what factors into how old people live. People who do not have longevity in their genes can make lifestyle changes that can impact what birthday they reach. Conversely, people with genetics geared toward longevity can make lifestyle choices that will inevitably cut their life short.
In August, the world's oldest documented living man was discovered living in a straw-roofed, dirt-floor hut in Bolivia. According to baptism records, considered as authentic records for birth dates before 1940, Carmelo Flores Laura was born on July 16, 1890. His birthdate would make him 123 years old.
Flores attributes his longevity to walking daily and a diet that does not include sugar or pasta.
- Beat the heat: 33 free splash pads in Utah
- Brooke Romney: Why we are taking the fun out...
- This is what you look like to a newborn baby
- When Satan steals your motherhood
- Behind the rapid shift in public opinion on...
- UTubers: Lindsey Stirling posts video of...
- UTubers: Lexi Walker sings national anthem at...
- The Clean Cut: Provo group releases...
- When Satan steals your motherhood 70
- Brooke Romney: Why we are taking the... 42
- Behind the rapid shift in public... 25
- BYUtv announces cancellation of... 8
- We're doing youth soccer wrong: The... 6
- A look at same-sex marriage reaction... 5
- Obama lauds high court decision on gay... 5
- LDS musician Alex Boyé thrills... 5


Compare and contrasting essay
Comparison: Sample Literary Essay, Two Poems - Faculty
Sample Compare and Contrast Essay - "Lincoln/Douglass
Each person should be free to decide how the mate selection will take place.
C – Comparing and Contrasting (And Writing, Too) [TeacherAt the beach, one can go swimming, sunbathe, or build sandcastles.
How to Start a Compare and Contrast Essay: Build the FrameworkCommunity Dashboard Random Article About Us Categories Recent Changes.
For one thing, they are relatively easy to teach, understand, and format.Start from a little story or an anecdote, which leads the reader into your topic.You can also just draw out a list of all of the qualities or characteristics of each subject.
Compare and Contrast Essay - Heroes - Prezi
Sample Thesis Statements for Compare/Contrast EssaysA Comparison and Contrast Essay: Watching Baseball, Playing Softball.Every piece of writing, whether it is a journal entry or a formal essay, must be typed and stapled.
Free compare Essays and Papers - 123helpme
Comparison-Contrast Essay: Write an A+ Comparison or Contrast Paper
Remember: your audience now has all the information you gave them about why your argument is solid.Here is a sample paragraph for a body paragraph that uses subject-by-subject comparison.
Conclusion: this sentence wraps up the ideas in the paragraph.Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 2,199,157 times.Like, compared to, similar to, similarly, by analogy, likewise, in the same way, as well, both, too.For example, you could first discuss the prices of frozen pizza vs. homemade pizza, then the quality of ingredients, then the convenience factor.
The Comparison and Contrast Guide outlines the characteristics of the genre and provides direct instruction on the methods of organizing, gathering ideas, and writing.This type of organization switches back and forth between points.This article really helped me write my first essay of this genre.Write a body paragraph for a point-by-point compare and contrast essay.This video teaches students about how to write a compare and contrast essay.There are several ways to organize a compare-and-contrast essay.In the conclusion you restate the thesis and shortly summarize your essay.
This organization deals with all of the points about Topic A, then all of the points of Topic B.For example, you could discuss all your points about frozen pizza (in as many paragraphs as necessary), then all your points about homemade pizza.Selecting a Topic for an Essay or Speech - Definitions and Examples.


I expect you’re wondering about emissions, seeing as they’re kind of in the news at the moment. Most of us have been (since the changeover in the motor tax system in 2008 anyway) aware that cars that burn petrol or diesel - or indeed any liquid or gas fuel - generate emissions – it’s why we have exhaust pipes. Basically, burn anything and you’ll get emissions. Smoke from a fire, for example.
At the moment, when we say emissions, we generally mean carbon dioxide, or CO2. Burning almost any solid or liquid fuel generates CO2, simply because as we burn the stuff, the carbon molecules in it are released and they bond with oxygen on their way out. CO2 is everywhere – we even generate some just by breathing, and green-leafed plants draw it in to create fuel to keep growing.
So why all the fuss over emissions? Because it is almost incontrovertibly proven that human activity is causing the Earth’s climate to change, principally because in the past centuries that we’ve been burning wood, coal and oil CO2 is being pumped up into the atmosphere, trapping heat and moisture that would normally escape into space. It’s warming things up, melting ice caps and glaciers and generally causing havoc. You can argue the toss over how much human activity is contributing to background natural processes, but the science is pretty convincing.
So, with all of the billions of cars on the road pouring gases into the atmosphere, it was finally felt in the 1990s (in Europe) that some sort of standard should be put on what cars can emit what gases. That was the beginning of the Euro regulations, which govern and set the limits that car makers have to design their engines around. Breach the limits and you can’t legally sell your cars in Europe. The first set of regulations, Euro1, came into force in 1992 and they’ve been getting progressively tougher since then. We’re currently working to Euro6 regulations, which came into force in September 2014.
With me so far? Good. So, with the fixation on CO2 emissions, it was natural that diesel engines would be encouraged. Diesel engines, thanks in part to their greater thermal efficiency (basically, they waste less of the energy from their fuel as heat) makes them more economical than a petrol engine (as anyone who’s switched over to diesel will know) and they have CO2 emissions that are around 15 per cent lower, pound for pound.
So, governments across Europe subsidised diesel fuel prices and encouraged - through tax systems - car makers to make more diesels and car buyers to buy more diesels. You need proof? Look at the Irish market. In 2007, the year before the tax system changed, 71 per cent of the cars we bought were petrol-powered. Since then, the reverse has been true – we buy 71 per cent diesel now.
So that’s great, right? We’re all saving ourselves money and saving the planet as we go. Great.
Not quite. You see, diesel fuel, by its nature, is dirty stuff. It’s far less refined than petrol, which you’ll know if you’ve ever seen the clouds of black smoke from an old, badly maintained diesel car. That smoke is not just unsightly and a bit smelly, either – it’s swarming with stuff that’s seriously bad for your health. Particulate emissions – tiny, almost invisible flakes of sooty, unburned diesel – are highly carcinogenic and have been linked to rises in rates of lung cancer. Worse again, diesels emit a lot of nitrogen oxides, commonly known as NOx. NOx is not really a greenhouse gas, as such, but it’s positively lethal – linked to thousands of deaths worldwide every year thanks to the fact that it can trigger both asthma and respiratory disease.
CO2 might be bad for the environment but NOx and particulates are bad for everything living on the planet. So, the regulators got tough on NOx and particulates and car makers had to come up with ways to clean up diesel exhausts. Particulates are defeated by particulate traps (otherwise known as DPF’s/Diesel Particulate Filters) – fine mesh honeycombs of metal in your exhaust that filter these particles out before they reach the outside air. They’re a great invention but they can be troublesome – you need to generate heat in the exhaust to keep them clean and functioning, and many low-mileage diesel drivers have found out the hard way that short journeys won’t get enough heat into the system to clean the traps, resulting in expensive exhaust system failures and replacements.
NOx can be treated in a couple of ways. You can fiddle with the fuel injection and combustion cycle, but that tends to make the engine less responsive and a bit thirstier. Or you can treat the exhaust gases as they are pumped out, by squirting a fine mist of liquid urea (often marketed under the name AdBlue) into the exhaust, which sets off a chemical reaction that converts nitrogen oxides into nitrogen, water and tiny amounts of carbon dioxide.
So, once again we’re all good, right? Technology saved the day?
I'm afraid not. You see, it has been revealed that at least one major car maker had been cheating on its emissions tests. Those tests were American ones, carried out by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and they care far more about NOx than CO2. It turned out that the car maker in question had installed clever software in its cars, which would alter the engine’s performance while in the testing laboratory, to dramatically reduce the car’s emissions of NOx. Test passed, the software switches off, the car becomes more lively to drive but the owner is blithely unaware that they’re now pumping NOx into the air, potentially at 40 times the legal limit. That’s why emissions have been so much in the news lately!
What does this mean for you, the driver? Well, that’s still an unfolding story really. If one car maker was cheating, chances are other car makers were doing something similar, and while the European rules on emissions are strict, the actual tests are much less so – allowing car makers to (entirely legally) use every trick they can come up with to make their cars perform as well as they can on the test. They take out spare tyres to save weight, tape up body gaps to aid wind resistance, even disconnect alternators to reduce power drain on the engine. Ever wonder why your car can never match the fuel economy figures printed in the brochure? That’s why!
The emergence of outright cheating rather changes things though. Without question, oversight of these tests and their stringency are going to be seriously ramped up. Car makers will have to hit ambitious new targets of cleanliness and we, potentially, are going to have to pay higher tax rates as the testing loopholes are closed off.
Perhaps we should all just switch to electric cars after all…


An introduction to asexuality
It’s estimated that approximately 1% of the population is asexual: not a large number by any stretch of the imagination but neither is it incredibly small.
Despite this, asexuality has no place in the Equality Act 2010, and its name more commonly brings to mind the blissful division of amoebas. And the question most people have upon hearing it is: what is it?
In brief, asexuality is a sexual orientation defined by a person’s lack of sexual attraction to anyone else. In other words, an asexual person (often known as ‘ace’) has no inherent desire to have sex with another person and is not drawn sexually to others.
Despite popular belief, asexuality is different from celibacy, which is where a person chooses not to have sex, and is very different from anti-sexuality, which is where a person is opposed or hostile towards sexual behaviour and sexuality.
What often confuses people when thinking about asexuality is its interaction with romantic relationships.
Many people assume that an asexual person must naturally have no interest in pursuing romantic relationships – after all, what is a relationship without sex? And it’s indeed true that some people, known as aromantic or aro, do not experience romantic attraction at all.
However, current surveys suggest that only about a third to a fifth of the asexual population is aromantic; and some non-aces are also known to identify as aromantic (the term, in fact, appears to have been first used by a non-ace who identified as aromantic).
That means the remainder of the asexual population does experience romantic attraction – that is, they are drawn romantically to, and desire romantic relationships with, some people, but do not regard sex as a key element.
Like non-aces, aces who experience romantic attraction can experience that attraction to one gender only or to more than one gender. Many aces therefore tend to define their orientation by sexual attraction (asexual) and then by romantic attraction (or lack thereof).
An asexual man who is only romantically attracted to women would be heteroromantic, for example, while an asexual man who is only romantically attracted to men would be homoromantic.
The asexual umbrella
You may have heard people say they are “grey” or “demi” and wondered how they differ from people who identify as ace or, indeed, why they don’t simply identify as non-asexual.
The answer is that some people who experience sexual attraction, experience it on such infrequent bases to the majority of the population that they identify better with the asexual community than the non-asexual community. Demisexuality and grey-sexuality fall into these categories and thus help make up the asexual umbrella (sometimes called the ace spectrum).
A demisexual person does not experience sexual attraction until they have formed a strong emotional bond with the other person.
Aside from the need for a strong emotional bond, what often makes the experience of a demisexual person different to most people’s is that the bond in question often (though not always) takes a very long time to form – think closer to years than weeks.
A grey-sexual person on the other hand, generally experiences sexual attraction very infrequently, or only in very rare circumstances such that they are functionally asexual for most of the time.
Similar to aromanticism, some people identify as grey-romantic or demiromantic, meaning they may not experience romantic attraction without a strong emotional bond, or only in rare circumstances.
Tips for being a good ally
If you’ve read the above, you may be wondering how to (or not to) react if someone comes out as ace to you, and how you could best support them.
Never fear – a few high-level tips are below:
Check your language
If someone tells you they are asexual, don’t respond with “you’ve just not met the right person”, “are you sure it’s not medical/abuse related?” or “stop trying to be special”. Definitely don’t say you can “convert” them.
Many asexual/aromantic people grow up thinking they are broken; coming out therefore requires a lot of courage. Instead, listen and try to offer acceptance.
If you find it confusing, that’s OK – you can always read up on it later or ask the other person a few questions about their experience if they’re happy to discuss. But...
Don’t ask intrusive questions about their sex life
Asexual/aromantic people are often asked about their masturbatory or sexual activities (some ace/aro people do engage in sex – often with partners who are not ace – to make said partner happy).
Unless the person you’re speaking to has said they’re happy to discuss their sex life, please assume it’s private to them, in the same way you would with anyone else.
Call out acephobia/erasure
A lot of society is fixated on sex and romance, and it’s easy for aces/aros to be designated as the villains in media, or to be removed entirely (or magically ‘cured’).
It’s also common for people to make derogatory comments about ace/aro people, calling them ugly, attention-seeking, unfeeling, robotic etc.
Not only does calling this out make things more comfortable for the ace/aro population but may make those who are not ace or aro and have their own reasons for not wanting sex or relationships more comfortable – it’s a win-win for everyone.


The pathophysiology of asthma is characterized by a pattern of lung dysfunction that includes [1,2]:
●Airflow limitation that reverses with bronchodilator administration.
●Variable airflow limitation, which can be either circadian or episodic in nature.
●Airways hyperresponsiveness, which is an excessive decrease in airflow in response to specific stimuli or "triggers" (see "Risk factors for asthma").
Unlike other pulmonary diseases, asthma cannot be identified by a definitive pathologic picture or one diagnostic test. Rather, the diagnosis of asthma is based upon an appropriate clinical history and characteristic findings from a series of pulmonary function tests [1-4]. These tests most often include different measures of airflow, bronchodilator responses, lung volumes, and the diffusing capacity.


AN ADDRESS ON ASTROPHYSICS. 315
panions — very minute ones compared with the invisible bodies dis- covered in spectroscopic binaries. It is revolving around the center of mass of itself and its planets and their moons. Its orbit around this center is small, and the orbital speed very slight. The total range of speed is but three one hundredths of a kilometer per second. An observer favorably situated in another system, provided with instru- ments enabling him to measure speeds with absolute accuracy, could detect this variation, and in time say that our sun is attended by planets. At present, terrestrial observers have not the power to measure such minute variations. As the accuracy attainable improves with experience, the proportional number of spectroscopic binaries discovered will undoubtedly be enormously increased. In fact, the star which seems not to be attended by dark companions may be the rare exception. There is the further possibility that the stars attended by massive companions, rather than by small planets, are in a decided majority; suggesting, at least, that our solar system may prove to be an extreme type of system, rather than a common or average type.
Observations of stellar motions in the line of sight enable us to solve many other important auxiliary problems. Only one will be re- ferred to here. The determination of stellar distances is exceedingly important, and correspondingly difficult. We know the fairly accurate distances of a dozen stars, and the roughly approximate distances of two or three dozen others. Eadial velocity observations, in combination with proper motions, will enable us to determine the average distances of entire classes of stars. Let us consider the stars of the fifth magni- tude, of which there are a thousand or more. They travel in practically all directions. A definite relation will exist between their average proper motion and their average radial motion, within a small limit of error. If meridian observations ascertain that the average annual proper motion of these fifth-magnitude stars is 0.03 seconds of arc, and spectrographic observations determine that their average speed in the line of sight is thirty-five kilometers per second, it is a simple matter to compute what their average distance must be in order to harmonize the two components.
A study of 280 observed stars as to the relation existing between visual magnitude and velocity in space led to interesting results. The average speed of 47 stars brighter than the third magnitude is 26 Ion. ; of 112 stars between the third and fourth magnitude, 32 km. ; and of 121 stars fainter than the fourth magnitude, 39 km. The progression in these results is very pronounced, and I think we are justified in drawing the important conclusion that, on the average, the faint stars of the system are moving more rapidly than the bright stars. This interesting indication should be confirmed or disproved by the use of a much greater number of stars.
The proper method of combining radial velocities for statistical


Nowadays every house comes with a fireplace and chimneys, some keep them to warm up the air in house while some keep it as a fashion mark. When wood burns completely it leaves ashes behind, and the smoke in the air combined with oxygen and vapor leaves dark spots behind or may also lead to chimney fire. So it is really mandatory to clean chimney on regular basis. Some of the tips that will help in chimney cleaning are as follows::
Understanding the structure well
Before cleaning the chimney, it is very important to understand its structure. Usually a chimney is made of six parts. The chimney crown-Its the area from where smoke is released, The flue, The smoke chamber-through which smoke gets released to the crown area, smoke shelf, and The damper-It maintains the temperature level in the chamber and an ash dump-where all the remaining residual are left out. You can call a chimney sweep to clean the parts usually the crown area and flue.
How often you need to do chimney cleaning
Well! It all depends on the use but if you usually burn wet green logs or materials which are not dry completely they dont burn properly and completely and leaves lot of particles behind so they usually required to be cleaned after every 50 to 70 burns. Else if you use completely dry logs of wood they burn properly in air leaving less smoke and particles behind and you will need a chimney sweep to be done only after every 100-120 burns.
Steps to be followed
* The first and foremost thing before doing chimney cleaning is to have a proper look within chimney. You can use a torch or flashlight for this.
* Check for the presence of any animals or birds residing in it like rats, squirrels, etc.
* Then try to remove as much as tar and creosote using sharp objects like knife or steel rods.
* Get the size estimate of the flue so that you can use a proper brush to clean the surface within the flue. You can use a chimney brush, ladder, stiff wire brush, dust mask, goggles, and a pair of proper hand gloves before starting the cleaning
* Place a neat cloth around the mouth of fireplace and cover it well.
* From the chimney flue remove the damper and clean it with a small-wire brush.
* Then get to the top of the roof using ladder and clean the crown area using the straight wire brush. You can attach pipe to the brush if the length of brush is not adequate.
* Finally, clean the fireplace for ashes using a dustpan and broom and wipe it clean with a wet cloth. And yes your chimney cleaning is done!


This talk addresses the significant role architects and forced-laborers played in the construction history of the SS concentration camp at Auschwitz. Working (in conjunction with his collaborator, Anne Kelly Knowles) from the massive archive remaining from the SS building office as well as extensive digital visualizations of the space, Jaskot focuses on how the cultural goals of the SS related spatially and functionally to the destructive development of forced labor practices and the genocide. How do digital tools help us deal with the massive human and geographic scale of the site? What might a focus on the vernacular architecture and the SS architects tell us that challenges or expands the history we already know of the camp? In sum, this presentation seeks to argue for the need for a more comprehensive approach to space to understand this important site of the Holocaust.
About the Speaker: PAUL JASKOT is a professor in the Department of the History of Art and Architecture at DePaul University and he has begun to develop classes on the burgeoning field of digital art history. His specific area of research has mostly focused on the cultural history of National Socialist Germany and its postwar impact on art and architecture. His classes and his scholarly work tend to focus on the central art historical question of how art and politics intersect in the modern world. He has published a number of essays that explored the political function of architecture in the modern period, leading up to his most recent book The Nazi Perpetrator: Postwar German Art and the Politics of the Right (Minnesota 2012). In addition to his research, Jaskot has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the College Art Association, the U.S. professional group for artists and art historians. From 2008-2010, he was the President of CAA.


One circle has a radius of 5 and its centre at (0, 5). A second circle has a radius of 12 and its centre at (12, 0). What is the length of a radius of a third circle which passes through the centre of the second circle and both the points of intersection of the first two circles.
Question from Class 10 Chapter Circles
Apne doubts clear karein ab Whatsapp par bhi. Try it now.


To Chance Your Arm (Origin)
What Is the Origin of the Saying "To Chance Your Arm"?To chance your arm means to take a risk.
In 1492, two Irish families (the Butlers of Ormonde and the FitzGeralds of Kildare) were involved in a bitter feud over which family should hold the position of Lord Deputy. This tension manifested itself with violent fighting between the two families just outside the city walls.
Realising the violence was getting out of control, the Butlers took refuge in the Chapter House of Saint Patrick's Cathedral. The FitzGeralds followed them into the Cathedral and asked them to come out and make peace. Afraid they would be slaughtered, the Butlers refused.
As a gesture of good faith, the head of the Kildare family, Gerald FitzGerald, ordered that a hole be cut in the door. He then thrust his arm through the door and offered his hand in peace to those on the other side. Upon seeing that FitzGerald was willing to risk his arm by putting it through the door, the Butlers reasoned that he was serious about peace. They shook hands through the hole. The Butlers emerged from the Chapter House and the two families made peace.
Today, this door is known as the "Door of Reconciliation" and is on display St Patrick's Cathedral. This story also lives on in the expression to chance your arm.


What do you want to know about the upcoming one-year mission to the International Space Station? NASA officials will discuss the yearlong station mission in a series of news conferences Thursday (Jan. 15), and you can watch the briefings live online.
The first briefing — featuring information about the mission itself — is set to begin at 12 p.m. EST (1700 GMT), with a second briefing scheduled for 2 p.m. EST (1900 GMT). NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko, the two crewmembers staying on the station for one year, will participate in the 2 p.m. EST news conference. You can watch both yearlong mission briefings live on Space.com via NASA TV.
"Kelly and Kornienko are embarking on a first-ever yearlong mission to the station," NASA officials wrote in a statement. "The valuable scientific data collected will provide insight into how the human body responds to longer durations in space, supporting the next generation of space exploration."
Cosmonaut Gennady Padalka — scheduled to fly to the station with Kelly and Kornienko from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on March 27 — will also participate in the 2 p.m. EST briefing. Padalka will fly back to Earth in September while the two other crewmembers stay on the station until March 2016, according to NASA.
Michael Suffredini, International Space Station program manager; Emily Nelson, International Space Station expedition flight director; Julie Robinson, International Space Station program scientist; and Steve Gilmore, lead flight surgeon for Kelly will participate in the 12 p.m. EST briefing. The space experts are expected to discuss science, spacewalks and other details of the long-duration mission.
Kelly's yearlong mission will mark the first time an American has spent a continuous year in space. Some cosmonauts spent a year or more on Mir in the 1980s and 1990s.
"What makes this exciting for me, this one-year flight is about the science and everything we're going to learn from expanding the envelope on the space station greater than what we've currently done," Kelly told members of the press during news conference on Dec. 18. "If we're ever going to go to Mars someday, the International Space Station is really a great platform to learn much more about having people live and work in space for longer durations."


While machine learning systems such as artificial neural networks have been employed in a wide range of application domains in the past, their dynamics have often evaded traditional methods of analysis. Throughout this project, the author took an NKS-inspired approach of experimentation and graphical exploration towards the analysis of learning methods, with particular emphasis on the visual properties of their basins of attraction. First, a traditional example of the phenomenon of basins of attraction, Newton’s root finding method, was considered. The aim was to seek complex and interesting behavior through directed experiments. Next, attractors in Hopfield neural networks were investigated through visualization. Finally, the same methodology was applied to search for elementary classification behavior in simple NKS-style sequential substitution systems.


Cassini: Mission to Saturn – Learn more in our continually updated special report.
This month, scientists involved with the Cassini spacecraft are celebrating four years in orbit around Saturn.
The milestone marks the end of Cassini’s “nominal” mission and the beginning of an extended mission during which Cassini will make follow-up observations of the features it has discovered since it began studying the Ringed Planet and its moons at close range in July 2004.
Recently, Carolyn Porco, who leads the Cassini imaging team, took New Scientist on a tour of her favourite images from the past four years. They include waves in the planet’s famous rings, sand dunes and possible rain clouds on the surprisingly Earth-like moon Titan, and enigmatic geysers on the icy moon Enceladus. Enjoy!
More on these topics:


The Origins of Pirates Beach
The fascinating history of Galveston Island is intertwined with stories of the sea, adventure, and of course, pirates, which gives the suburban community of Pirates Beach its intriguing name. Located on the western end of the island, its origins can be traced back to the early 19th century, a time when the Gulf of Mexico’s waters were teeming with the fabled buccaneers.
Galveston Island served as an ideal haven for pirates due to its strategic location. It offered easy access to the wealthy shipping lanes of the Gulf, and its intricate shoreline provided countless inlets for hideouts. From these vantage points, pirates could easily launch attacks on unsuspecting merchant ships, plundering their goods, and disappearing without leaving a trace.
The area now known as Pirates Beach was once the stomping grounds for the notorious pirate Jean Lafitte. Lafitte and his men were said to have used the island as a base for their operations between 1817 and 1821. Lafitte was known for his charisma and clever tactics, which allowed him to establish a semi-permanent colony called Campeche on the island, complete with defenses, housing, and a burgeoning economy based on the spoils of his piracy.
The Golden Era of Piracy and Galveston
During what is often referred to as the Golden Age of Piracy, which spanned from the late 1600s to the early 1700s, Galveston emerged as a key location. Numerous pirates traversed along the Gulf Coast, but it wasn’t until pirates like Lafitte made the island their domain that Galveston became an essential part of pirate legend.
Pirates formed an anarchical society, thriving outside the law and creating rules of their own. Galveston’s pirate history is marked by this rebellious spirit, which contributed to the island’s aura of mystery and adventure. Lafitte himself became something of a problematic figure for the United States government as they sought to establish control over the region and wipe out piracy.
As much a businessman as he was a pirate, Lafitte often negotiated with authorities, playing various governments against each other. He offered allegiance to whichever side would benefit him the most, until he was eventually driven from the island by the US Navy. The raids, hidden treasures, and legends of escape left behind have solidified Galveston’s spot in pirate history.
The Legacy and Revival of Pirate Culture
The legends of Lafitte and his compatriots have not only shaped the history of Pirates Beach but also influenced its modern identity. The purported hidden treasures of Lafitte have inspired countless treasure hunts across the island, with many enthusiasts hoping to uncover lost loot that the pirate supposedly left behind.
Though the age of buccaneers has long passed, the influence of pirate culture on Galveston Island persists. Residents and visitors alike celebrate this heritage through annual events such as the Galveston Island Pirate Festival, which invites attendees to don costumes and partake in festivities reminiscent of the swashbuckling days.
The tales of pirates and the wealth they amassed and lost have also influenced the naming of locales and businesses on the Island, with Pirates Beach being one such community. It is a celebration of the romantic viewpoint many have of pirates today, a stark contrast to the fear they once invoked when ruling the seas around Galveston.
Preserving the Past of Pirates Beach
The preservation of Galveston’s pirate history, particularly in regions like Pirates Beach, has become a priority for historians and enthusiasts. Efforts to document and conserve places of historical significance ensure that the stories and legends are continually passed down through generations.
Local museums and historical societies are active in displaying artifacts and delivering detailed accounts of the pirate presence on the island. They also highlight the intricate relationships between these rogue seafarers and the development of the local economy and culture during the early days of the American frontier.
The modern community of Pirates Beach, with its captivating beach-front homes and relaxed lifestyle, is built around a deep respect for the area’s storied past. It serves as a bridge between the adventurous maritime history and the serene coastal living that residents and visitors enjoy today. If you’re interested in learning more about the subject, Find more details in this valuable document, to complement your study. Find valuable insights and new viewpoints to deepen your knowledge of the topic.
Discover other points of view and complementary information on this topic through the related posts we’ve gathered for you: