Christoph Clau, mathematician and astronomer, whose most important achievement related to the reform of the calendar under Gregory XIII; born at Bamberg, Bavaria, 1538; died at Rome, 12 February, 1612. The German form of his name was latinized into "Clavius". He entered the Society of Jesus in 1555 and his especial talent for mathematical research showed itself even in his preliminary studies at Coimbra. Called to Rome by his superiors as teacher of this branch of science at the well-known Collegium Romanum, he was engaged uninterruptedly there until his death. The greatest scholars of his time, such men as Tycho Brahe, Johann Kepler, Galileo Galilei, and Giovanni Antonio Magini, esteemed him highly. He was called the "Euclid of the sixteenth century"; and even his scientific opponents, like Scaliger, said openly that they would rather be censured by a Clavius than praised by another man. There has, however, been no lack of persistent disparagement of Catholic scholars even down to our own times; and therefore much that is inexact, false, and mythical has been put into circulation about Clavius, as for example that he was originally named "Schlüssel" (clavis, "key"), that he was appointed a cardinal, that he met his death by the thrust of a mad bull, etc. His relations with Galilei, with whom he remained on friendly terms until his death, have also been often misrepresented. The best evidence of the actual achievements of the great man is presented by his numerous writings, which at the end of his life he reissued at Mainz in five huge folio volumes in a collective edition under the title, "Christophori Clavii e Scoietate Jesu opera mathematica, quinque tomis distributa". The first contains the Euclidian geometry and the "Spheric" of Theodosius (Sphaericorum Libri III); the second, the practical geometry and algebra; the third is composed of a complete commentary upon the "Sphaera" of Joannes de Sacro Bosco (John Holywood), and a dissertation upon the astrolabe; the fourth contains what was up to that time the most detailed and copious discussion of gnomonics, i.e. the art of constructing all possible sun-dials; finally, the fifth contains the best and most fundamental exposition of the reform of the calendar accomplished under Gregory XIII.
Many of these writings had already appeared in numerous previous editions, especially the "Commentarius in Sphaeram Joannis de Sacro Bosco" (Rome, 1570, 1575, 1581, 1585, 1606; Venice, 1596, 1601, 1602, 1603, 1607, Lyons, 1600, 1608, etc.); likewise the "Euclidis Elementorum Libri XV" (Rome 1574, 1589, 1591, 1603, 1605; Frankfort 1612). After his death also these were republished in 1617, 1627, 1654, 1663, 1717, at Cologne, Frankfort, and Amsterdam, and were even translated into Chinese. In his "Geometria Practica" (1604) Clavius states among other things a method of dividing a measuring scale into subdivisions of any desired smallness, which is far more complete than that given by Nonius and must be considered as the precursor of the measuring instrument named after Vernier, to which perhaps the name Clavius ought accordingly to be given. The chief merit of Clavius, however, lies in the profound exposition and masterly defence of the Gregorian calendar reform, the execution and final victory of which are due chiefly to him. Cf. "Romani calendarii a Gregorio XIII restituti explicatio" (Rome, 1603); "Novi calendarii Romani apologia (adversus M. Maestlinum in Tübingensi Academiâ mathematicum)" (Rome, 1588). Distinguished pupils of Clavius were Grienberger and Blancanus, both priests of the Society of Jesus.
Many nylon-12 tubing manufacturers have been faced with shortages of raw materials over the last twelve months. And the outlook for the remainder of the year, and into the first half of next year, is uncertain. What are the reasons behind these supply interruptions?
Compounders of PA-12, the resin we refer to as nylon 12, found that they were able to command a much higher profit margin on their product in emerging markets like solar panel arrays and fiber optic cables than they were in the more mature automobile and tubing extrusion markets. This situation triggered supply shortages and multiple price increases for the tubing market.
In most applications tubing is used to convey fluid, air, gas, or a granular material from one point to another. But occasionally someone has another idea.
Below are some of the more unusual applications we've been involved with, along with the reasons why plastic or rubber tubing was chosen.
Decorative weaving in a hot air balloon basket – polyethylene offers light weight and provides a selection of bright colors
The IT team takes care of a ton of seemingly behind-the-scenes functions for customers and team members. They're responsible for the procurement, maintenance, and replacement of all the company's computer hardware and software, including computer-related devices such as phones, scanners, printers, and copiers. They program the equipment so that it runs properly and efficiently, make sure our website is up and running, and are quick to answer if a problem arises. The IT team handles many things that help make everyone else's jobs seem effortless.
"The IT team has been successful at NewAge primarily by being part of Strategic Planning and Process Development. That permits us to effectively meet company goals and expectations. We are also fortunate to have some pretty skillful members from other teams assisting in these endeavors."
A porcelain veneer is a thin layer of porcelain which is made to cover the front surface of the tooth. Veneers represent the new standard of excellence in cosmetic dentistry aiming to restore a bright, white smile. Veneers can be the premier solution to chipped, small, discoloured, crooked, gapped or generally unsatisfying teeth.
As a thin, semi-translucent ‘shell’ a veneer is custom-made by our dentists to enhance the appearance of your teeth. Their shape, colour and size can all be tailored to suit your individual wants and needs. As such veneers offer a functional, durable cosmetic solution. Our experienced team will be happy to discuss this option in more detail and with the help of digital simulation show and explain this procedure to you. Veneers can be an excellent solution to enhance your smile and overall appearance of your teeth.
Following the removal of a thin layer (0.33mm) from your existing teeth your veneers are meticulously prepared by your dentist, expertly manufactured by our CEREC machine and fitted to your existing teeth.
That evening, NBC’s popular Monday Night at the Movies was on television. During a commercial break what came to be called the “Daisy Girl” advertisement ran for the first time.
The ad featured a young child with cute dimples picking the blossoms off of a daisy, counting as she plucked them. When she was done, the camera zoomed in on her right eye until the screen was completely black. Then we heard another countdown from 10-1. At one, the screen lit up with a horrific atomic bomb explosion. Over it, came the Texas drawl of President Lyndon Johnson telling viewers the stakes in the 1964 presidential election were high…“To make a world in which all of God’s children can live, or go into the dark. We must either love each other, or we must die.” The insinuation was, of course, that if you voted for Republican Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater you were inviting nuclear holocaust.
But then in 1988, an organization supporting the campaign of George H.W. Bush produced the Willie Horton ad, a guilt-by-association attack on Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis. The insinuation was that Dukakis was an accomplice in the rape of a white woman by Horton, who was black, soon after his early release from prison, under a program Dukakis supported.
Almost a quarter century went by before we were introduced to Joe Soptic in another “independently” produced 2012 television ad for President Barack Obama. Soptic, a Missouri steelworker accused candidate Mitt Romney of killing Joe’s wife, who had died of cancer. It had the now all-too-familiar guilt-by-association narrative. Romney was the principal in Blain Capital, which closed the plant where Soptic worked, which ended his health insurance, which he blamed for the loss of his wife.
Those three ads represented the worst of the worst, not just how they reflected the dark underbelly of campaign advertising, but in a broader sense, what they said about the character of candidates who let them air or fail to condemn them when they do, and, more to the point, the prospective voters who favorably respond to them.
This year, however, just four years after Soptic, the Latino Victory Fund (LVF) produced a commercial supporting Northam that makes these other watershed ads look like commercials for Betty Crocker cookie dough.
The LVF video opens with the viewers’ perspective from behind the wheel of a black Ford pick-up truck with a confederate flag billowing from the rear gate next to an Ed Gillespie bumper sticker and “Don’t Tread on Me” license plates (interesting that the truck did not have VA plates).
The driver is partially hidden, but unobscured enough for viewers to ascertain he is a white guy in pursuit of a young Latino boy, who is joined by another Latino youth, both now running breathlessly through a neighborhood with the truck in hot pursuit. The boys encounter a young girl in a hijab and a black youth on the sidewalk. They join the boys, now all four horrified and running for their lives. At the end the children are trapped in a dead-end alley with no escape when they awaken from the nightmare safe from what was to be their imminent murder, maiming, molestation, or some other form of evil mayhem.
The insinuation is blatant and very ugly. Republicans are racist predators filled with hate for anyone who isn’t white, the same political narrative used by Hillary Clinton who described 30 million Americans supporting Donald Trump as deplorable human beings. This ad sinks further into the sewer than the previous three. The LVF ad doesn’t just play a race card, it throws the whole deck on the table in a manner that is itself racist and bigoted.
Northam claims he was not responsible for it, but did not repudiate it, either, and there is reason to question, which the press has not, just how much linkage there is between Northam and groups like LVF, which provided in-kind services to his campaign. In fact he was defiant. He called the ads of his opponent Ed Gillespie despicable, fear-mongering, and evil – one among several linking Northam to MS-13 gangs fit that bill–but he just couldn’t bring himself to say the same of the LVF ad. Instead, he defended the organization. The Northam campaign said it was tit for tat. You know the refrain from childhood: “Mommy, he started it.”
The Center for American Progress, a creation of former Clinton campaign advisor John Podesta, actually defended the ad. “We just held up a mirror to them,” a spokeswoman said, without explaining just who “them” are.
A Wall Street Journal editorial, which called the ad the ugliest in this election cycle, quoted the head of the Latino Victory Fund, Cristobal Alex justifying the ad. It was “undeniably effective” in helping Northam win. That quotation was reminiscent of former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid who admitted to lying about Mitt Romney’s income tax returns on the floor of the United States Senate because, he said, it worked. Romney lost.
In football, the late coach Vince Lombardi declared, “winning isn’t everything; it is the only thing.” That should not apply to politics. Unfortunately it does.
The mainstream press said relatively little about the Latino Victory Fund campaign, giving their guy Northam a pass. The Washington Post endorsed Northam, but to its credit, decried the ad and urged Northam to disavow it. Elsewhere in the Post, however, articles by Ed O’Keefe, James Hohmann, and Fenit Nirappil weighed in heavily against Gillespie. The Post even gave the Latino Victory Fund president free space to defend the ad. The bias was wantonly transparent.
After he won, Northam stood before his supporters and preached a gospel of unity, harmony, and togetherness. We must put an end to divisiveness, he said. He may be entirely sincere in that. But his is, tragically, the norm for political behavior–do whatever you have to do to win, regardless of the ethics, morality, civility, or decency of it and clean up afterwards. Gillespie, who I know to be a decent man, essentially did the same, offering an outstretched hand and unity after his campaign’s barrage of negativism.
Over the course of the last 30 years, Americans have shed values in both politics and society, like trees shedding their leaves in the fall. With the trees, the leaves come back every year. In politics the values are seldom restored to their rightful place guiding and defining behavior after the campaigns. In fact the campaigns never end. They have replaced governing. Character and decency and political courage are easily and too often sacrificed for personal and political gain. Candidates are to blame, but so are the people who elect them.
A vivid example: Brazen, look-you-in-the-eye lying is now another new normal made that way not just by Donald Trump, but begun by politicians before him dating back decades–presidents, members of Congress, political leaders. The forms of behavior that are now tolerated across the political and social spectrum are unnerving and sometimes frightening, even for the grizzled pros among us.
The overlay of racial, social and cultural divisions in America on every aspect of campaigns and governance is grotesque and dangerous. Those subjects– there is probably no more destructive force in American society than the issue of race–desperately need civil, honest, mature, and intense discussion. It won’t happen and that’s a national tragedy.
That’s the bad news. The really bad news? The Northam ad will probably be outdone before the 2018 election cycle even gets into full swing, making the experiences and results of the coming election cycle more ominous than those we lived through in 2016 and 2017.