The Center for "B-Science" Peer Review

Unlocking the Mystery of Life

2009-01-30T03:04:00.000-08:00

Author: epicidiot.com

Review of the Intelligent Design video

""Unlocking the Mystery of Life""

Do molecular machines such as the incredible flagellar motor prove an intelligent designer?

How could DNA evolve?

Are the claims of this video valid or just another form of pseudoscience?

This review investigates the claims of this popular video and puts them to the test.

Often called the most researched and documented case for Intelligent Design, ""Unlocking the Mystery of Life"" features state-of-the-art computer animation to question the origins of life. The speakers are a who's who in the Intelligent Design movement such as Phillip Johnson, Paul Nelson, Dean H. Kenyon, Michael J. Behe, Stephen C. Meyer, William Dembski, and Jonathan Wells.

Read the full review at

http://www.epicidiot.com/evo_cre/vr_unlocking_the_mystery_of_life .htm

The conclusions might surprise you.

About the author: None

Nasa's Vomit Comet

2009-01-29T03:04:00.000-08:00

Author: David Craig

September 29, 2005

The Vomit Comet is the nickname for Nasa's C-9 airplane used to simulate weightlessness for astronaut training. The C-9 replaced two KC-135's previously used for this function. The Vomit Comet engages in a flight lasting almost three hours entailing 30-40 parabolic loops in which gravity varies from earth's gravitational pull to near weightlessness for a period of 25 seconds. The aircraft flies horizontally for a period of time only to rise in a steep climb followed by the 25 second freefall.

The Vomit Comet received its name from the percentage of its passengers who throw up on its flights. According to John Yaniec, lead test director for NASA's Reduced Gravity Program, roughly one third of its passengers vomit, one third get sick but don't vomit, and the rest don't get sick at all. According to Yaniec, most airsickness is caused by anxiety over the upcoming flight.

The Vomit Comet is used to train future astronauts as well as to carry out microgravity experiments. Many high school and college science experiments have been carried out over the years on the Vomit Comet. One of the original KC-135 Vomit Comets was used to film scenes of the 1995 movie Apollo 13 starring Tom Hanks.

About the author: M.S. Physics - University of Minnesota B.S. Computer Science - University of Oregon Owner of Space Stuff - Home of Nasa and General Astronomy Information

Please feel free to visit.

Do Planets Communicate with Living Organisms?

2009-01-28T03:03:00.000-08:00

Author: Thomas Herold

Do you feel any difference if the moon if full? A lot of people, including myself, report that their sleep is different and even during the day they feel a shift in their mood that lasts sometimes a few days.

The moon is responsible for making the tides and has therefore a physical influence on the earth. But what about the other 9 major planets?

Astrology is based on the belief that time has quality. Important here is to mention that astrology does not say the planets are making the qualities or energy patterns. The planets are an indicator of these qualities and if you are familiar with these qualities you can see them manifesting in your daily life.

Our world and our beliefs are still so much indoctrinated by the old paradigm that everything is mechanical - including the human nature. This old belief will soon be replaced by new beliefs and new concepts. Quantum physics is already making such a big shift in our view of the word that soon the public will realize that our mechanical concepts of the world needs to be replaced in order to integrate new findings and experiments.

What we will learn sooner or later is that information takes no time at all to get from one place to another and therefore we can not even say anymore that information is traveling. On a quantum level information could be a singularity, meaning that everything is happening at the same time everywhere.

Does Life has Principles? A study done by a swiss scientist some 50 years ago revealed the principles of life itself. These principles are manifesting themselves in every living form as well as in any other material way.

The amazing result of his study shows the outcome of nearly 10 principles that are almost identical with the qualities of the planets. I like to mention that this study was not influenced in any way by astrology facts.

Each planet is associated with a different energy pattern. The names vary slightly as each astrologer interprets them differently. But overall they represent the same energy pattern. The difference is simply caused by the language. When I mention the color red we all agree on it but there are hundreds of variations.

What are these 10 Qualities?

Moon - Feeling Sun - Identity Mercury - Thinking Venus - Harmony Mars - Energy Jupiter - Expansion Saturn - Integration Uranus - Transition Neptune - Mystery Pluto - Metamorphosis

A Short Explanation of these Qualities:

Feeling - Our emotions and our senses. There are days you may more sensitive for light or sound than others.

Sun - What we identify with, our live force.

Mercury - Our capacity to understand, logic, language, talking.

Venus - Harmony means to reach an optimum, a balance.

Mars - Power, the strength to initiate or do something.

Jupiter - Exploring new areas in your life, growing.

Saturn - Learning something new about yourself.

Uranus - Shifting your work area or your life purpose.

Neptune - Quantum physics, beyond what you see and understand.

Pluto - Transformation, changing your way of life.

The names of these qualities are adapted and modified from Thomas Ring, one of the most popular German astrologers. He lived from 1892 until 1983 and Astrodienst Zurich has dedicated a special website for him.

Also there are some other planets like Chiron, but I'd like to concentrate on the major 10 planets. And for all scientist I want to add that the moon of course is a trabant and the sun is a star, but in astrology terms they are planets as well.

What can we do with these 10 Energy Patterns? We can create a chart from our birthday and see our unique energy pattern in it. Go to a good astrologer and you will be amazed on how precisely your birth chart represents your unique abilities and talents.

Now here comes the interesting part. As we know how the planets are moving we can look up the planet positions on a ephemerids. The ephemerids is telling us where the position of a planet is at a certain time. We combine these positions with our birth chart and what we get is a unique energy pattern for each day. We can even look up planet data in the future and can therefore find energy patterns in the future.

The combination of your energy patterns from your birth chart with the energy patterns of the daily planets is called transits. These calculations have been done for thousands of years. But today we have fast and inexpensive computers and calculations can be done in a fraction of a second.

What you will get from this calculation is a long list of relationships between the position of your planets from your birth chart and the position of the planets from a certain day.

The results of this calculation can be shown as a graphic with two circles. The inner circle shows your birth chart and the outer circle the chart from a certain day. Between these two circles you than see lines, which are representing the transits. For someone who understands astrology this graphic is meaningfully - for the rest of us it is meaningless.

How would it look like if we take one quality from our birth chart and combine it with the 10 qualities from a certain date? It would show us all the influences at once. For example I can see my energy (Mars) pattern and therefore may or may not base my decisions. If my energy pattern shows expanding (Jupiter) or shows energy (Mars) as well I know that this would be a good time for actions and starting new projects.

If you pay attention to your feelings and your daily qualities (transits) you may automatically adapt your work or life flow accordingly and you will find yourself having to deal with less resistance.

I am currently working on an application for the Internet, which will be available for free in a few weeks. With this application you will be able to calculate the positions of your planets at your birth time and watch a graphical radar chart of your current transits.

You can see some of the test graphics on my website at:

Quantum Biocommunication Technology

About the author: Thomas Herold is the founder of Quantum Biocommunication Technology, a website dedicated to the exploration of bicommunication.

What are Compound Microscopes?

2009-01-27T03:03:00.000-08:00

Author: Peter Emerson

Most of the microscopes used today are compound. A compound microscope features two or more lenses. A hollow cylinder called the tube connects the two lenses. The top lens, the one people look through, is called the eyepiece. The bottom lens is known as the objective lens. Below the two lenses is the stage, with the illuminator below that.

Compound microscopes were among the first magnifying instruments invented. Two Dutch eyeglass makers named Zaccharias and Hans Janssen are credited with making the first compound microscope in 1590 by putting one lens at the top of a tube and another at the bottom of the tube. Their idea was fleshed out by others scientists over the next several centuries, but the basic design remained very similar.

The eyepiece, also known as the ocular lens, is at the top of the compound microscope. It is not adjustable, that is, it only has one strength. Most ocular lenses are 10x, meaning that they magnify objects to ten times their normal size. People look in through the eyepiece through the tube and out through the objective lens.

A compound microscope normally contains several objective lenses. The objective lenses are different lengths, with the longer ones being the strongest. The lenses are situated on a round disk below the tube. Viewers choose which strength lens they want and place it below the tube by turning the disk until the desired lens is in place.

The stage and illuminator are below the objective lens. Specimens are placed over a translucent part of the stage. Light provided by the illuminator shines through the clear part of the stage, making it easier for the viewer to see the magnified details of the specimen. Two adjustment knobs help focus the object on the stage by bringing the lenses and the stage closer together.

Compound microscopes have been around for hundreds of years and are still very useful. A number of scientific disciplines use compound microscopes to discover the wonders of the microscopic world.

About the author: Microscopes Info provides detailed information about electron, compound, stereo, digital, video, and scanning tunneling microscopes, as well as an explanation of the different parts of a microscope, and more. Microscopes Info is affiliated with Business Plans by Growthink .

Genetic Genealogy Research

2009-01-26T03:04:00.000-08:00

Author: Garon Yoakum

One of the first

genetic genealogy studies was conducted in the late 1980s by scientists with the Department of Biochemistry at the University of California, Berkeley. These scientists Rebecca L. Cann, Mark Stoneking and Allan C. Wilson studied a newly discovered kind of DNA. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is contained not in the nucleus of our cell, but in the mitochondria organelles of our cells. These scientists chose to study Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) because of its three unique properties which they explain as:

First, mtDNA gives a magnified view of the diversity present in the human gene pool, because mutations accumulate in this DNA several times faster than in the nucleus. Second, because mtDNA is inherited maternally and does not recombine, it is a tool for relating individuals to one another. Third, there are about 1016 mtDNA molecules within a typical human and they are usually identical to one another (Cann 31).

They extracted and compared mtDNA from ""147 people, drawn from five geographic populations"" (Cann 31). The researchers discovered that ""All these mitochondrial DNAs stem from one woman who is postulated to have lived about 200,000 years ago, probably in Africa"" (Cann 31). Their findings also agree with the archaeology record as Cann explains ""Studies of mtDNA suggest a view of how, where and when modern humans arose that fits with one interpretation of evidence from ancient human bones and tools"" (36).

Swedish researchers Max Ingman, Henrik Kaessmann, Svante Paabo and Ulf Gyllensten critical of these findings conducted their own study in 2000. They claimed that ""almost all studies of human evolution based on mtDNA sequencing have been confined to the control region, which constitutes less than 7% of the mitochondrial genome"" (Ingman 708). Further they argued that the prior methods of analysis where ""providing data that are ill suited to estimations of mutation rate and therefore the timing of evolutionary events"" (Ingman 708). So they decided to study the complete mtDNA sequence from 53 people of various races.

Surprisingly their attempt to discredit the previous research failed as they also came to roughly the same conclusions. They conceded to the likely hood of a common ancestor shared by all the subjects despite being ""geographically unrelated"" (Ingman 712). They estimated ""The age of the most recent common ancestor (MRCA) for mtDNA, on the basis of the maximum distance between two humans...to be 171,500"" (Ingman 712) instead of the earlier estimate of 200,000 years ago. But they refused to align their findings with archeologists by stating ""Whether the ancestors of these six extant lineages originally came from a specific geographic region is not possible to determine"" (Ingman 712). Lastly they agreed on the potential of

genetic genealogy by summarizing:

Our results indicate that the field of mitochondrial population genomics will provide a rich source of genetic information for evolutionary studies. Nevertheless, mtDNA is only one locus and only reflects the genetic history of females. For a balanced view, a combination of genetic systems is required. With the human genome project reaching fruition, the ease by which such data may be generated will increase, providing us with an evermore detailed understanding of our genetic history (Ingman 712).

Their call for a more balanced view was shortly answered because in 2000 a team of researchers from the Department of Genetics at Stanford University lead by Peter A. Underhill published their results of studying Y-chromosome DNA. Only males have the Y-chromosome which has unique properties as explained by Underhill:

Binary polymorphisms associated with the non-recombining region of the human Y chromosome (NRY) preserve the paternal genetic legacy of our species that has persisted to the present, permitting inference of human evolution, population affinity and demographic history (358).

Their report was based upon ""the analysis of 1062 globally representative individuals"" (Underhill 358). They concluded that the subjects ""represent the descendants of the most ancestral patrilineages of anatomically modern humans that left Africa between 35,000 and 89,000 years ago"" (Underhill 358).

So far

genetic genealogy research has focused on these two kinds of DNA. As mentioned previously mtDNA is passed along the maternal line and Y-Chromosome DNA is passed along the paternal line. These two kinds of DNA effectively encompass all of our ancestors. Yet they provide no information about our ancestors inside the encompassed area. For example our maternal grandfather (mother's father) couldn't contribute any mtDNA or Y-Chromosome DNA to our mother. Yet he did contribute a third type of DNA called autosomal DNA. This type of DNA has yet to be studied for Genetic Genealogy purposes because of its inherent difficulties.

The main reason autosomal DNA is just now being studied is because scientists aren't sure how to determine which autosomal DNA came from mom and which came from dad without testing one or both of our parents. This situation is illustrated by the mathematical equation X = Xm/2 + Xd/2 where our autosomal DNA (X) is half of our mom's (Xm/2) and half of our dad's (Xd/2). By testing ourselves we identify our autosomal DNA but can't determine which part came from mom or dad. Additionally testing one of our parents is necessary to determine exactly which parent contributed which part of our autosomal DNA. This type of testing is currently used for Paternity and near relationship testing. But quickly becomes impractical after a few generations because of the difficulty of obtaining DNA samples from probably deceased ancestors.

Conclusion

Genetic Genealogy is the science of analyzing DNA for genealogical purposes. Studies have shown that we all stem from a common female and male ancestor. Because this emerging science is so new, benefits of this research are still being identified. Currently I believe Genetic Genealogy offers three categories of benefits. First is entertainment value. Finding out you're related to famous people like George Washington, Julius Caesar or Genghis Khan is just plain fun. Imagine the bragging rights and small-talk fodder this provides at social gatherings. Second is scientific value. Current studies have corroborated other scientific findings such as the human archaeological record. Medical sciences will benefit from correlating DNA studies with family genealogies to isolate hereditary diseases. Third is relatedness value. Finding out you're related to a wealthy individual like Bill Gates may entail a financial windfall. Most importantly of all is the ability to reunite families. Millions of displaced war torn families and adopted children can now turn to Genetic Genealogy to find their relatives.

Sources

Cann, Rebecca L. et al. ""Mitochondrial DNA and human evolution."" Nature 325 (1987): 31-36

Carmichael, Terrence and Alexander Kuklin. How to DNA Test our Family Relationships? California: AceN Press, 2000

Cavalli-Sforza, L. Luca et al. The History and Geography of Human Genes. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1994

Ingman, Max et al. ""Mitochondrial genome variation and the origin of modern humans."" Nature 408 (2000): 708-713

Tooker, Elisabeth. An Ethnography of the Huron Indians, 1615-1649. New York: Syracuse University Press, 1991

Underhill, Peter A. et al. ""Y chromosome sequence variation and the history of human populations."" Nature Genetics 26 (2000): 358-361

Walsh, Bruce. ""Estimating the Time to the Most Recent Common Ancestor for the Y chromosome or Mitochondrial DNA for a Pair of Individuals."" Genetics 158 (2001): 897-912

Zimmer, Carl. ""After You, Eve."" Natural History 3 (2001): 32-35

About the author: Garon Yoakum is a representative for Relative Genetics .

For more information on

genetic genealogy , contact us Toll Free at (800)956-9362

How Specialty Gases Differ from Industrial Gases

2009-01-25T03:04:00.000-08:00

Author: Bob Jefferys

When it comes to compressed gases , there is often confusion over the difference between industrial gases (sometimes referred to as commodity or bulk gases) and specialty gases (sometimes referred to as cylinder gases, although industrial gases can also be supplied in cylinders). The Compressed Gas Association (CGA), who sets standards to which suppliers of all types of compressed gases conform, defines its mission as being ""dedicated to the development and promotion of safety standards and safe practices in the industrial gas industry."" In a broad sense, in that most compressed gases are used for some sort of industrial application, all could be considered to be industrial gases. So to define the true difference between industrial gases and specialty gases, one must look beyond the application to other factors such as complexity, level of purity and certainty of composition.

According to the CGA compressed gases are often grouped into five loosely defined families: atmospheric; fuel; refrigerant; poisonous; and those having no obvious ties to any of the other families. Assignment to these families is somewhat arbitrary and typically based on the origin, use or chemical structure of a gas. Specialty gases can belong to any of these five families. Essentially, they are industrial gases taken to a higher level. The dictionary describes one of the definitions of the word specialty as: an unusual, distinctive, or superior mark or quality. Specialty gases then, can be defined as high-quality gases for specific applications that are prepared using laboratory analysis and other preparation methods in order to quantify, minimize or eliminate unknown or undesirable characteristics within the gas. Regarding specialty gas mixtures, precise blending is also necessary to achieve very specific concentration values for the components contained within the mixture.

Specialty pure gases Pure gases are considered to be specialty gases when they are used as support gases for laboratory instruments such as chromatographs, mass spectrometers and other various types of analyzers and detectors. Manufacturers of these types of highly sensitive instruments normally specify the purity level of pure gases to be used with their instruments. For example, high-purity, moisture-free helium is often used as a carrier gas in these instruments. When unwanted impurities are present, performance of a laboratory instrument may be compromised, or the instrument itself may be damaged. A good rule of thumb is, when purity (sometimes as high as 99.9999%) and/or quantification of trace impurities is an issue, a pure gas is considered to be a specialty pure.

Specialty pure gases are used in the manufacturing of semiconductors and other closely controlled applications as well. They may also be used to assess and monitor the integrity of a bulk pure gas. Carbon dioxide is a good example. Beverage-quality CO2, as used in the manufacture of soft drinks, can be classified as being more of a bulk-type gas because it is used in large quantities. However, because purity is a health concern, a specialty pure CO2, in which all trace impurities have been carefully quantified, is needed to calibrate instruments used to monitor the purity of the bulk CO2.

Specialty gas mixtures Many specialty gases are actually gas mixtures that contain individual components. They are frequently used with various types of analyzers for process control and regulatory compliance. Some specialty mixtures are somewhat ""standard"" and may contain only three or four components, such as nitric oxide and sulfur dioxide mixtures that are used by utility companies to calibrate Continuous Emissions Monitors (CEMs). Others may be quite complex, containing as many as 30 or more components. Usually, a specialty gas mixture is prepared using a Standard Reference Material (SRM) in order to validate accurate measurement of the mixture's components. This provides what is known as traceability to a known measurement standard from a recognized metrology institution such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Specialty mixtures typically have components measured in percentages, parts-per-million and parts-per-billion.

Laboratory analysis to quantify all components and impurities in a specialty mixture is nearly always critical. A formal document known as a Certificate of Accuracy or Certificate of Analysis is provided for each cylinder containing a specialty mixture, and also for some specialty pure gases. This certificate specifies the concentration values for all contents, as well as other important information such the method of blending, type of laboratory analysis and reference standard used to prepare the mixture and expiration date. Expiration date refers to the length of time the components of a mixture remain at their certified concentrations within the specified tolerances. Depending on the stability of the components, shelf life can vary from as little as six months to two years or more. Special cylinder preparation processes, such as Scott's Aculife cylinder inerting treatments, can be used to condition cylinder interior walls in order to extend a mixture's shelf life.

Specialty gases are typically not used in nearly as large a quantity as industrial gases and are supplied in steel or aluminum high-pressure cylinders containing up to 3000 pounds of pressure per square inch/gauge (psig). Hence, they are sometimes referred to as cylinder gases or bottled gases. The cylinder itself is typically not included in the price of the specialty gas it contains and must be returned to the gas supplier when the gas has been depleted. A nominal monthly cylinder rental is usually charged until the cylinder is returned. Many specialty gases are also available in small, portable and non-returnable cylinders such as Scott's SCOTTY Transportables. Other specialized containers include lecture bottles that are often used in laboratories and floating piston-type cylinders that are used to contain volatile liquid phase mixtures.

The cost of specialization Due to blending technology, cylinder preparation, laboratory analysis and statistical quality control necessary to produce specialty gases, cost is much higher than for lower grade industrial gases. An A-size cylinder containing 218 cubic feet of a low grade of helium suitable for filling party balloons might cost little more than $50. The same cylinder containing 99.9999% pure research grade helium, with a total impurity of less than one part-per-million (1 ppm), would cost about $500. That's still a bargain considering 144 cubic feet of a three-component EPA Protocol mixture having an analytical accuracy of 1% may cost as much as $1,500. As with any other specialized product, the end cost of a particular specialty pure or gas mixture is largely determined by the degree of difficulty and complexity involved in its preparation.

Considerations when purchasing specialty gases Purchasing specialty gases can be a daunting task. Because of today's bottom line-oriented business climate, one might consider selecting a specialty gas product based strictly on price. Be careful! While in some cases organizations such as the EPA may dictate minimum accuracy and manufacturing processes for certain gas mixtures, there are few industry-wide standards for specialty gas quality. Blending, analytical and cylinder preparation procedures vary between suppliers of specialty gases. Moreover, suppliers do not always use common nomenclature when describing their products. Even when product names are the same, the characteristics of the gases can be quite different. The best advice is to carefully evaluate your application needs before purchasing. Then talk with a specialty gas expert to be sure you fully understand how the characteristics of a particular pure gas or gas mixture will either meet or possibly compromise your application. Remember also that most specialty gases require the use of specialized delivery equipment that is constructed of materials that will protect gas purity and integrity.

This article is copyrighted by Scott Gases . It may not be reproduced in whole or in part and may not be posted on other websites, without the express written permission of the author who may be contacted via email at scottgas@digitalbrandexpressions.com

About the author: Bob Jefferys is the Senior Corporate Communications Manager at Scott Specialty Gases.

EPA Regulations Raise the Bar for Industrial Air Quality Testing

2009-01-24T03:03:00.000-08:00

Author: Kenneth Eichleman

Far-reaching environmental legislation continues to change the way Americans live, work, and run their businesses. For the past decade and a half, companies have worked toward meeting the latest air quality standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

In 2005, regulations introduced by the Clean Air Act of 1990 came into full effect with the goal of reducing harmful emissions by 57-billion pounds per year. The act continues to have a huge impact both economically and environmentally as it targets the sources of urban air pollution, acid rain, and stratospheric ozone depletion.

Air pollution is not a new problem in the United States. During the 1940s, a series of pollution-related disasters forced Americans to acknowledge the need for clean air standards. The worst of those incidents took place during a five day period in 1948, when smog caused by industrial emissions and coal-burning furnaces killed 20 people and sickened nearly 7,000 others in the small town of Donora, Pennsylvania.

The tragedy spurred the federal government to take control of air quality management. In 1955, the Air Pollution Control Act was introduced to mandate the national investigation of air pollution. More stringent air quality controls were later established with the creation of the Clean Air Act of 1970 and the formation of the EPA. In 1990, the Clean Air Act was revised to include the following amendments:

* Title I - strengthens measures for attaining national air quality standards

* Title II - sets forth provisions relating to mobile sources

* Title III - expands the regulation of hazardous air pollutants

* Title IV - requires substantial reductions in emissions for control of acid rain

* Title V - establishes operating permits for all major sources of air pollution

* Title VI - establishes provisions for stratospheric ozone protection * Title VII - expands enforcement powers and penalties

The legislation not only provides the EPA with innovative regulatory procedures, but allows for a variety of supportive research and enforcement measures. Individuals may face fines up to $250,000 and imprisonment up to 15 years, with each day of violation counted as a separate offense. Businesses may face fines of up to $500,000 for each negligent violation and up to $1 million per day for knowing endangerment. Many corporations must apply for national operating permits because of the emissions released by their processes.

Current industrial

air quality testing is driven by the latest amendments. A major focus for manufacturers under the new provisions can be found in Title III, which identifies and lists 189 HAPs (Hazardous Air Pollutants) to be reduced within a ten-year period. This is a tremendous increase since the EPA had previously established standards for only seven HAPs out of only eight listed. These pollutants can result in serious health effects, such as cancer, birth defects, immediate death, or catastrophic accidents.

Among the air pollutants the act pinpoints for monitoring are VOCs (volatile organic compounds). These chemicals are identified as organic because of the presence of carbon, but many are synthetically created. VOCs include gasoline, industrial chemicals such as benzene, solvents such as toluene and xylene, and tetrachloroethylene (perchloroethylene, the principal dry cleaning solvent). Many VOCs, such as benzene, are present on the HAP list because of the threat they pose to human health. These pollutants may cause death, disease, or birth defects in organisms that ingest or absorb them.

There are a variety of methods for the determination of TO (toxic organic) compounds in ambient air at parts-per-million (ppm) and parts-per-billion (ppb) concentration levels. Following the EPA's TO-14, TO-14A, or TO-15 Methods, VOCs in air are collected in specially prepared canisters and analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) instruments.

To test air quality using these methods, a sample of ambient air from a source must be drawn into a pre-evacuated specially prepared canister. After the sample is collected, the canister valve is closed, an identification tag is attached to the canister, a chain-of-custody (COC) form completed, and the canister is transported to a laboratory for analysis.

Upon receipt at the lab, the proper documentation is completed and the canister is attached to the analytical system. Water vapor is reduced in the gas stream by a dryer (if applicable), and the VOCs are then concentrated by collection in a cryogenically cooled trap. The refrigerant, typically liquid nitrogen or liquid argon, is then removed and the temperature of the trap is raised. The VOCs originally collected in the trap are revolatilized, separated on a GC column, and then run through one or more detectors to identify the components and concentrations in each sample. Findings are thoroughly documented in a written report which is presented to the client.

The qualitative and quantitative accuracy of these analyses is of the utmost importance. Difficulty arises in part because of the wide variety of TO substances and the lack of standardized sampling and analysis procedures.

To facilitate the improvement of laboratory

air quality testing and analysis, one proactive company, Scott Specialty Gases, offers a cross-reference program for labs. Now laboratories can evaluate their own proficiency by comparing their results against Scott Specialty Gases' as well as the blind results from other participating labs. By employing the highly accurate and stable gas mixtures manufactured by Scott Specialty Gases, laboratories can also calibrate their GC/MS instruments to achieve more precise readings of samples.

Chemical manufacturing plants, oil refineries, toxic waste sites or land fills, and solid waste incinerators are just a few of the many sources of hazardous air pollutants. The financial cost to install state-of-the-art controls is great.

Thanks to the services offered by companies like Scott Specialty Gases and to the more stringent requirements of the Clean Air Act of 1990, the environment is on the mend. The impact of industry compliance with the Clean Air Act of 1990 has been astounding. Careful testing has already shown a significant improvement in national air quality thanks to anti-pollution efforts. According to studies conducted by the Foundation for Clean Air Progress, exposure levels for ozone and particulates have decreased and four of the six most serious pollutants identified by the Clean Air Act of 1970 are no longer being released into the air at unhealthy levels. These improvements fly in the face of data that shows increased population growth and energy usage in the United States. Regulatory vigilance and technological advances in environmental monitoring have made cleaner air a reality.

This article is provided by Scott Specialty Gases. Scott Specialty Gases, a leading global manufacturer of specialty gases located in Plumsteadville, PA. More information on the company can be found at http://www.scottgas.com .

This article is copyrighted by Scott Gases. It may not be reproduced in whole or in part and may not be posted on other websites, without the express written permission of the author who may be contacted via email at scottgas@digitalbrandexpressions.com.

Sources:

""Clean Air Act."" Jan. 25, 1996. DOE Environmental Policy and Guidance. US Department of Energy. http://www.eh.doe.gov/oepa/laws/caa.html

Faletto, John S. ""1990 Clean Air Act Amendments - Impact on Small Businesses."" March 1994. Illinois Municipal Review. Illinois Periodicals Online (IPO). http://www.lib.niu.edu/ipo/im940311.html

""History of the Clean Air Act."" Environmental Resources for Teachers. Foundation for Clean Air Progress. 2002-2004. http://www.cleanairprogress.org/classroom/cleanairact_text.asp

McIntosh, Hugh. ""Catching Up on the Clean Air Act."" August 1993. Environmental Health Perspectives, Vol. 101, No. 3. Sept. 11, 1998. http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/docs/1993/101-3/focus1.html

""Compendium of Methods for the Determination of Toxic Organic Chemicals in Ambient Air."" Cincinnati, OH: 1999. US Environmental Protection Agency. http://www.epa.gov/ttn/amtic/files/ambient/airtox/tocomp99.pdf ""The Plain English Guide to the Clean Air Act."" April 1993. Air Quality Planning and Standards. Updated: May 13, 2002. US Environmental Protection Agency. http://www.epa.gov/oar/oaqps/peg_caa/pegcaain.html

Scott Specialty Gases. ""Toxic Organic mixtures come in returnable cylander."" Feb. 12, 2004. Managing Automation. 2004. http://news.managingautomation.com/fullstory/30553

About the author: Ken Eichelmann earned his BS in Commerce & Engineering in 1977 from Drexel University. Ken joined Scott Specialty Gases in September 2001 as the SCOTTY Product Manager, bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience in marketing, product management, sales, management, and the process industries.

Several types of hearing aids

2009-01-23T03:03:00.000-08:00

Author: Michael Sanford

A hearing aid is an electronic, battery-operated device that amplifies and changes sound to allow for improved communication. Hearing aids receive sound through a microphone, which then converts the sound waves to electrical signals. The amplifier increases the loudness of the signals and then sends the sound to the ear through a speaker. Different kinds of hearing aids There are several types of hearing aids. Each type offers different advantages, depending on its design, levels of amplification, and size. Before purchasing any hearing aid, ask whether it has a warranty that will allow you to try it out. Most manufacturers allow a 30- to 60-day trial period during which aids can be returned for a refund. There are four basic styles of hearing aids for people with sensorineural hearing loss: In-the-Ear (ITE) hearing aids fit completely in the outer ear and are used for mild to severe hearing loss. The case, which holds the components, is made of hard plastic. ITE aids can accommodate added technical mechanisms such as a telecoil, a small magnetic coil contained in the hearing aid that improves sound transmission during telephone calls. ITE aids can be damaged by earwax and ear drainage, and their small size can cause adjustment problems and feedback. They are not usually worn by children because the casings need to be replaced as the ear grows. Behind-the-Ear (BTE) hearing aids are worn behind the ear and are connected to a plastic earmold that fits inside the outer ear. The components are held in a case behind the ear. Sound travels through the earmold into the ear. BTE aids are used by people of all ages for mild to profound hearing loss. Poorly fitting BTE earmolds may cause feedback, a whistle sound caused by the fit of the hearing aid or by buildup of earwax or fluid. Canal Aids fit into the ear canal and are available in two sizes. The In-the-Canal (ITC) hearing aid is customized to fit the size and shape of the ear canal and is used for mild or moderately severe hearing loss. A Completely-in-Canal (CIC) hearing aid is largely concealed in the ear canal and is used for mild to moderately severe hearing loss. Because of their small size, canal aids may be difficult for the user to adjust and remove, and may not be able to hold additional devices, such as a telecoil. Canal aids can also be damaged by earwax and ear drainage. They are not typically recommended for children. Body Aids are used by people with profound hearing loss. The aid is attached to a belt or a pocket and connected to the ear by a wire. Because of its large size, it is able to incorporate many signal processing options, but it is usually used only when other types of aids cannot be used.

On the basis of the hearing test results, the audiologist can determine whether hearing aids will help. Hearing aids are particularly useful in improving the hearing and speech comprehension of people with sensorineural hearing loss. When choosing a hearing aid, the audiologist will consider your hearing ability, work and home activities, physical limitations, medical conditions, and cosmetic preferences. For many people, cost is also an important factor. You and your audiologist must decide whether one or two hearing aids will be best for you. Wearing two hearing aids may help balance sounds, improve your understanding of words in noisy situations, and make it easier to locate the source of sounds.

Problems while adjusting to hearing aids Become familiar with your hearing aid. Your audiologist will teach you to use and care for your hearing aids. Also, be sure to practice putting in and taking out the aids, adjusting volume control, cleaning, identifying right and left aids, and replacing the batteries with the audiologist present. The hearing aids may be uncomfortable. Ask the audiologist how long you should wear your hearing aids during the adjustment period. Also, ask how to test them in situations where you have problems hearing, and how to adjust the volume and/or program for sounds that are too loud or too soft. Your own voice may sound too loud. This is called the occlusion effect and is very common for new hearing aid users. Your audiologist may or may not be able to correct this problem; however, most people get used to it over time. Your hearing aid may ""whistle."" When this happens, you are experiencing feedback, which is caused by the fit of the hearing aid or by the buildup of earwax or fluid. See your audiologist for adjustments. You may hear background noise. Keep in mind that a hearing aid does not completely separate the sounds you want to hear from the ones you do not want to hear, but there may also be a problem with the hearing aid. Discuss this with your audiologist.

For more information on hearing aids please visit the

Hearing aids resource center.

About the author: None

What's In Your Beverage? How to Ensure Quality Control with CO2 Analytical Support

2009-01-22T03:03:00.000-08:00

Author: Leanne Merz

Calibration standards, performance audits, and the FDA's never-ending safety, labeling, and inspection requirements are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to dealing with the increasingly stringent quality control standards of the beverage industry. As these quality standards become stricter, beverage producers are increasingly called upon to get products to market faster using fewer resources, while simultaneously managing ingredient quality, and ultimately, risk.

Mix rigorous regulations and mounting market challenges with exploding competition and the opportunity for enormous economic reward, and it becomes obvious that products must be perfect the first time around to fulfill production requirements, comply with distribution standards, and ultimately provide each consumer with the exact same exceptional product every time.

All of which makes quality control more necessary than ever.

Quality Assurance in the beverage industry starts by ensuring that top quality gases are used to perform the carbonation process and continues through the bottling and distributing process with a high-tech quality control examination.

On the top of the list of gases regulated in the world of drink is carbon dioxide (CO2), one of the main components of many of the beverages produced today, including soda, beer, sparkling water, and sports drinks. CO2 has also become a major constituent of orange juice through supercritical CO2 processing during pasteurization and has even entered the world of dairy with the addition of ""Refreshing Power Milk,"" a new carbonated milk hybrid, to the refreshments market.

Leading beverage manufacturers in this $700 billion industry are taking the critical step to ensure purity of beverage-grade CO2 by using analytical support gases and quality assurance services. Since ensuring purity of CO2 is such a crucial factor in the beverage production process, choosing a specialty gas company to provide purification, calibration, and cross-reference services for your products should be a priority.

Keep in mind that specialty gas companies outside of the beverage industry hold a uniquely favorable position as authoritative and neutral third-party qualifiers. These companies provide experience in developing trace contaminant calibration standards as well as independence from the supply and certification of beverage grade CO2, which helps to ensure unbiased statistical and graphical reporting.

Regardless of the industry from which the service company originates, it is vital that it provides specialized service in the CO2 industry and adheres to industry standards on commercial quality with regard to CO2.

Some more guidelines to consider when choosing a Quality Control Specialty Gas Service: * Your CO2 supplier should provide certification and analysis indicating compliance with commercial quality standards, such as ISBT, the International Society of Beverage Technologists

* Your quality assurance service company should have the resources available to create custom gas mixtures for CO2 ingredient quality control. Typical components include (but are not limited to) the following:

Methane Ethane Ethanol Dimethyl Ether Ethyl Acetate Methanol Ammonia Nitric Oxide Nitrogen Dioxide Carbonyl Sulfide Acetaldehyde Benzene Cyclohexane Ethylbenzene Diethyl Ether Toluene m-Xylene p-Xylene o-Xylene

* Preparing two sets of gas mixtures should be standard procedure for your chosen service company, with double analysis of each set to check for minor component stability, and guarantee a shelf life for the components.

* To further assure accurate results, your service company should identify inaccuracies and verify analytical processes by having participant labs analyze blind internal audit standards.

* Your service company should furnish a report to your company's quality control department detailing analytical results, including a statistical representation of the performance of each participant laboratory.

* Membership in the International Society of Beverage Technologists (ISBT) Quality Committee, Carbon Dioxide Subcommittee, should be maintained in order to keep abreast of emerging analytical methods and technologies within the beverage industry.

* Top of the line service companies will provide CO2 Cross-Referencing Services to confirm the accuracy of critical analytical processes. These programs provide beverage manufacturers with a reliable and objective method of monitoring the performance of multiple laboratories who qualify carbon dioxide used in carbonated beverages as well as confirm ingredient quality. Cross-Referencing Service should be considered in order to:

o Achieve the highest degree of confidence in the accuracy of analyses; o Confidentially identify inconsistencies or other problems in analytical processes; and o Maintain reliable and accurate intra-company quality assurance.

* Most importantly, make sure the service company has top rate Internal CO2 Audit Standards to meet the most demanding accuracy requirements for virtually any type of customized mixture and that a Certificate of Accuracy is provided for each cylinder.

By choosing a Quality Control Specialty Gas Service carefully, your company can be sure to keep pace with the ever-expanding list of regulations -- and quite possibly gain an even larger piece of this multi-billion dollar pie.

This article is copyrighted by Scott Gases. It may not be reproduced in whole or in part and may not be posted on other websites, without the express written permission of the author who may be contacted via email at scottgas@digitalbrandexpressions.com

About the author: Leanne Merz is Director of e-Commerce and Technical Services of Scott Specialty Gases, a leading global manufacturer of specialty gases located in Plumsteadville, PA. More information on the company can be found at http://www.scottgas.com .

Human Evolution | Timeline Chart Tree theory

2009-01-21T03:04:00.000-08:00

Author: Vijay Kumar

Human Evolution... A. to Z. How and when did human evolve!

Human evolution is not a chance happening... human evolution has occurred owing to a premeditated cause. It was only through human evolution that God could have completed the cosmic life cycle resulting in the continuing of the whole Cosmos.

No human evolution... the whole world nay the whole Cosmos itself would have collapsed. Why?

In the cosmic life cycle the human evolution plays a very vital part. As was decided by God Almighty... it was only after human evolution that the soul (atman) within a human being could have realized its full potential and finally liberated for ever. In other words it was only after human evolution that one could have gained salvation... the final stage in the cosmic life cycle!

The evolution of a human being signifies the end of the cosmic journey. It is only as a human being that one can realize God in ones lifetime (reach the stage of enlightenment and finally salvation). Having achieved salvation the life comes to a full circle. Our soul (the atman within) liberates for ever from the cycle of birth and death.

In the series of cosmic evolution... the first organism to manifest life is the form of an amoeba (single cell formation). As life evolves further this single cell formation evolves into the next higher stage of multi-cell formation. Subsequently this being evolves into insect life.

This insect life is far from the stage of human evolution. As time passes by this insect life further evolves into plant life. After a series of various manifestations as various species of plant... this plant life itself steps into the next sage of evolution and further evolves into animal life. This animal life is one step before the stage of human evolution.

Compared to the human evolution the insect life is bound by many limitations... it does not have the power to think and discriminate. Life is as it is. Life is got to be lived as it was meant to be for there was no choice in the life of an insect as in the case after human evolution. Every human being enjoys unlimited power of discrimination. One can live life as one wants to be. It is only after human evolution that one can live the life of choice.

Seeing from the point of view of every insect... we shall find that this species of insect life looks forward to reaching the stage of human evolution for they learn from experience that the form of a human being is much superior to them. In the series of human evolution the stage of insect life is exactly the same as when we see a small plant compared to a full-grown tree.

Every human being had at a certain stage in cosmic life lived through the span of insect life. One could not have managed without it. The process of evolution is self-contained. Whether we desire it or not we keep on going up the ladder of cosmic evolution until we reach the stage of human evolution.

The plant life itself is completely static in nature. It cannot move on its own. It has very serious limitations and has to face the fury of nature quite often. This limitation can only be overcome unless the plant life switches over to the next stage of evolution... the animal evolution stage. It is only as an animal that one can run about and take shelter whenever one faces danger or a natural calamity.

Evolving into an animal form announces that in the cosmic hierarchy one is only one step lower than the stage of human evolution. Even an animal looks forward to the form of a human being; the highest stage in the series of evolution for it knows that only as a human being can one live a life of choice. Even animals have restrictive thinking powers.

The final stage in the human evolution... the form of a human being is the stage of practicing full control over all the cosmic powers that be. It is only as a human being that one can remain a laborer, become a King or finally reach the status of man God like Mahavira, Gautama Buddha, Jesus Christ or Prophet Mohammed.

Human evolution can never be perceived upon as something which has been forced upon us unwittingly. Human evolution announces the beginning of a life of choice. Every human being has been given the power of discrimination and choice inherently. One may practice it or not... the power of thinking and discrimination are the highest powers available to one in the cosmic system created by God the Almighty.

Human evolution is the last cosmic stage in the life of a soul (the atman within). For it knows that only after every life form evolves into a human being can it liberate forever from the cycle of birth and death. Every soul (the atman within) looks forward to reaching the stage of human evolution.

While passing through the stage of insect life the soul (the atman within) knows very well that the ultimate goal shall be achieved only after reaching the stage of human evolution.

Having reached the stage of animal life... the soul (the atman within) again realizes that it is nearing the end of journey for the animal life has to evolve into the human stage... it has no other alternative. And it is only as a human being one can realize God and attain the stage of salvation.

Human evolution is not a journey for the insect, the plant life or the animal life. The journey right from the stage of amoeba and until the stage of human evolution is for our soul (the atman within). It is this soul (our atman within) which is on a cosmic journey and in order to purify itself it has to pass through a series of manifestations before it can liberate itself for ever.

The life of soul (the atman within) from the beginning to the end of the journey is similar to the stages a piece of metal passes through in its lifetime. Right from the stage of being sandwiched in the metal ore and until the last stage of purification when the metal gains absolute purity... it is a total of 8.4 million manifestations in the life of a soul (the atman within).

Right from the stage of amoeba to the stage of gaining enlightenment by a human being... the cosmic life cycle is governed by the process of evolution as put forward by Charles Darwin in his famous theory of Evolution. Every human being reaches the human form having crossed a total of 7.3 million lives either in the form of insect, plant or an animal.

Human evolution is the last stage in the process of evolution envisaged by God. Even as a human being one cannot just do away with life. We have unlimited choices and the power of absolute discrimination, yet every human being is governed by the laws of nature and God the Almighty himself.

No human being can ever tread upon the fixed laws of nature. The moment we do so... we face the fury of nature as has been experienced by the mankind in the tornadoes, the hurricanes and the tsunamis which cause irreparable damage and loss to the mankind as a whole.

To reach the stage of salvation as a human being is the prime purpose of every human... having reached the stage of human evolution. The journey is long yet one does not have any other choice. It is our soul (the atman within) which is on the cosmic journey and every human being has to bid by its choice.

Whenever the ego of a human being prompts one to differ with the choice of our soul (the atman within)... it is a series of stress and strains primarily in the workplace one has to go through. To avoid passing the stage of unhealthy stresses and strains every human being must abide by the wishes of our soul (the atman within).

The ultimate goal... the final destination for the soul (the atman within) is fixed... but every human being has been given the power to choose his own path. As many human beings... as many paths are there for one to realise God and reach the end of the cosmic journey. No human being can ever be a loser in the end. Realizing God in this very life and reaching the stage of salvation is something which can never be described in words.

The end of the cosmic journey signifies the completion of a long journey... a total of 96.4 million earthly years. The life Mahavira, Gautama Buddha, Jesus Christ and prophet Mohammed lived cannot be described in mere words. It was purely a journey by choice... even death did not matter to them all. They had all in the last leg of their earthly journey even defeated death on its face.

All these enlightened souls like Mahavira, Gautama Buddha, Jesus Christ and Prophet Mohammed had transcended life itself. They had become immortal in the true sense that they would not have to indulge again in manifesting life thereafter. Life had truly come full circle for these godly souls.

We must always remember that human evolution being the highest stage in the series of evolution was primarily meant for our soul (the atman within). It is only after reaching the stage of a human being that our soul (the atman within) can complete its cosmic journey. And as no human being has ever been given the power to undo the happenings in the life of our soul (the atman within)... we must always try to expedite the journey of our soul (the one within).

We must also remember that even as human beings there are a total of 1.1 million types of manifestations every human can evolve into. The life as a human being is not as simple. It does not take a life span of 70 to 80 years to decide but a total of 12.1 million earthly years which can be spent in the form of a human being before one can reach the stage of enlightenment and finally salvation.

Ape to Human Evolution is the last step in the journey of human evolution itself. It is only after reaching the stage of our ancestors... the Ape family did human being come into the scene.

Human evolution... the last in the city of cosmic evolution is the best form of manifestation that can be... we are not supposed to while away our life doing nothing. Why wait for the destiny to make it happen. Why not take the destiny into our control and cut short the cosmic journey!

About the author: Vijay Kumar started in search of God at the age of 13 years. It was in 1993 that he was graced with the vision of God, the Almighty. Since then the hidden truths of all Scriptures of all Religions of the World have become like ABCD to him. Providing Free Spiritual counseling to the World Community through the medium of internet through websites Human Evolution Timeline and

Why Venus Flytraps Make Lousy Science Fair Projects

2009-01-20T03:05:00.000-08:00

Author: Jacob Farin

Every year, I receive many phone calls from parents wanting to purchase Venus Flytraps for their kids' science project. I ask them what type of experiment that they are doing, and usually it is about what type of food source will keep the traps closed. I patiently listen to what they have to say, and then I share with them three reasons why Venus Flytraps make lousy test subjects:

1. Venus Flytraps are usually dormant when school is in session.

The school year goes from September through June. Venus Flytraps are often dormant from November through April. During dormancy, Flytraps stop growing and their traps stop working.

For any science projects to work, your young budding scientists will need to use plants that are actively growing. That means the best time to do any science project on Venus Flytraps is during June through September. Not many young budding scientists are willing to do science projects during the summer when there are many trees to climb and ponds to swim in.

2. Traps on a Venus Flytrap will open and close about half a dozen times. After that, they stop working.

Now, how many kids (and adults) out there are disciplined enough to not poke a Flytrap and to leave it alone? If a trap does not close properly, would it be because of the testing stimulus or because the trap was poked and poked and poked and poked and simply stopped working?

3. Traps will live for about 2 months, then it stops working and slowly turns black, regardless if it had been triggered or not.

Again, if a trap does not close properly, would it be because of the testing stimulus or because the trap had come to the end of its life cycle?

Select a Different Plant

For these reasons, I often persuade parents to select a different plant. The ideal plant is one that also moves, like the Venus Flytrap, but is also actively growing throughout the school year.

The plant? The Cape Sundew ( Drosera capensis ).

The Cape Sundew is native to South Africa and is considered a tropical plant. It does not require any dormancy and will grow beautifully throughout the year. They are also readily available by most nurseries that specializes in carnivorous plants.

Like Venus Flytraps, Cape Sundews have leaves that close around an insect. It does so very slowly, however, taking about 15 minutes to witness this amazing behavior.

Just make sure that your plant has been grown in very bright lights and has lots of dew on it. If not, your experiment may not work properly.

So, if your kids want a Venus Flytrap for a science project, use a Cape Sundew instead. But, still get them a Venus Flytrap. Growing it can be a part of their summertime activities.

About the author: Jacob Farin is co-owner of Sarracenia Northwest , a nursery specializing in the cultivation of carnivorous plants. He is also co-author of Secrets to Growing Beautiful Carnivorous Plants for Your Home and Garden. For details on the cultivation of carnivorous plants, visit CarnivorousPlantSec rets.com .

Excuse me for living in a cave, but has the whole world gone crazy?

2009-01-19T03:04:00.000-08:00

Author: DWB

Good evening troglodytes, I hope all is well. Now before I kickback in my central-heated hole in the ground and play Guess Who with Clint the Stalactite, I have one quick question:

Q: What do Isaac Hayes, Kirsty Alley, Tom Cruise & Beck all have in common? A: They're all FREAKING NUTS!!

According to Wikipedia these guys, amongst other famous dillweeds are all self declared scientologists. Awesome!!! I hear you say, ""it's nice to see Chef from South Park doing his bit for academia and the progress of mankind"". So I bet your wondering how Tom Cruise had the time to become an eminent scientologist in between humping the American dream for the last two decades. Well it was easy; all he had to do was sign up with the church of scientology.

For those of you who don't know, the church of scientology is a peculiar 'cult' type of movement that was set up in 1951 by science fiction author L. Ron Hubbard who's quasi-religious doctrines allegedly bear distinct similarities with the writings of occultist Alistiar Crowley.

Now I'll give you a quick background on this Hubbard character before explaining the gist of scientology. In 1981, reporter Nieson Himmel spoke of time he spent with Hubbard in 1945 and has been quoted as saying: ""Whenever he was talking about being hard up he often used to say that he thought the easiest way to make money would be to start a religion."" Sam Merwin, a sci-fi magazine editor has also been reported to have said about Hubbard: ""I always knew he was exceedingly anxious to hit big money - he used to say he thought the best way to do it would be to start a cult."" For more quotes and literary references please visit http://www.bible.ca/scientology-1million-start-a-religion.htm

So, now you know a bit about Hubbard, the sage of scientology you must be dying to find out what he cooked up to make his 'million bucks outta shmucks (Hollywood or otherwise)'. Scientology's central beliefs are as follows: People are immortal spirit beings (called thetan's), who possess a mind, body and a lesser genetic entity. Thetans have had many past lives, and memories of these can cause problems in the present day. People are basically good, but are ""aberrated"" by the memories of traumas. Total infallibility of everything Hubbard (Source) has written or spoken.

Apparently, all our Thetan's flew to Earth 75 million years ago in an interstellar plane that looks exactly like a Douglas DC-8. If you don't believe me here's a picture http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_opera_in_Scientology_doctrine

So, if all this has wet your appetite for a trip down the garden path into the mind of Hollywood Flakes with more money than sense, I suggest that you read the entire Wikipedia article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ScientologY#Beliefs_and_practices

You can find out what other saps have subscribed to the newsletter of nonsense that is scientology here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_famous_Scientologists

Now here's the fun part, check out operation clambake's site that's been breaking scientology's balls for nearly a decade: http://www.xenu.net/

And last but certainly least (and to show as little bias as possible on behalf of myself), the official website of scientology http://www.scientology.org/

Over and Out

About the author: The Disgruntled Wogbeast is a dark and cynical creature that lives in the bowels of the earth somewhere beneath a country called Wales in the UK. Please check out the link below to the DWB's only line of communication to the outside world.

the Disgruntled Wogbeast

Satellite Orbits

2009-01-18T03:03:00.000-08:00

Author: Frank Johnson

A Dish Network satellite TV system is based off signals transmitted and received by multiple satellites. But, the main satellites in space are constantly moving in what is called an orbit.

Any object that moves around the earth has an orbit. The orbit is defined by 3 factors. The first is the shape of the orbit, which can be circular or elliptical. The second is the altitude of the orbit. The altitude is constant for a circular orbit but changes constantly for an elliptical orbit. The third factor is the angle the orbit makes with the equator. An orbit that brings the satellite over the poles or close to it has a large angle. An orbit that makes the satellite stay close to the equator has a small angle. Orbits depend on the mission the satellite was built for. The following orbits can be defined:

Low Earth Orbit Satellites in low earth orbit (LEO) orbit the earth at altitudes of less than 2000 km (1242 miles). Satellites in LEO can get much clearer surveillance images and require much less power to transmit their data to the earth.

Medium Earth Orbit At an altitude of around 10.000 km (6.000 miles) a satellite is in medium earth orbit (MEO). This altitude balances the advantages and disadvantages of LEO and GEO. MEO's are used generally for navigational satellites and communications satellites Geostationary Orbit.

A satellite in geostationary orbit orbits the earth in exactly 1 day and is placed above the equator. The angle with the equator is 0 degrees. As a result the satellite seems to stand still as seen from the earth. These satellites are used for communications and Satellite TV.

Polar Orbit An orbit that goes over both the North and the South Pole is called a Polar Orbit. The angle with the equator is 90 degrees. The advantage of these orbits is that they go over the poles. This may sound funny, but in reality most satellites never ""see"" the poles. Most polar orbits are in LEO, but any altitude can be used for a polar orbit.

Polar orbits are used a lot by navigation satellites which have to provide navigational information all over the world, including the poles.

Sun Synchronous Orbit This is a very interesting type of orbit. Satellites in Sun Synchronous Orbit pass over the same locations on earth at the same time each day. Suppose a satellite in sun synchronous orbit passes over your house at 3 pm. The next time the satellite will pass over your house is 24 hours later at the same time the next day. In order to do this the satellite has a very special orbit. Not only does it orbit the earth, but the plane of the orbit changes as well. It has to do this because each day the earth moves a bit through space around. After 3 months, the earth has moved 90 degrees of its orbit around the sun. If the satellites orbit wouldn't have moved with it, it would show up 6 hours later than planned. (Actually the earth spins around its axis in approx. 23 hours, 56 minutes and 3 seconds and not in 24 hours. Because of the earth's orbit around the sun, 1 day lasts 24 hours. A star day however is approx. 23 hours, 56 minutes and 3 seconds long.)

However, there is no need to actively change the plane of the orbit. The earth is not a perfect sphere but is a little bit wider around the equator. This is caused by the spinning of the earth. The gravitational difference this causes changes the orbit of a satellite. When the angle with the equator is chosen correctly (approx. 8 degrees of a polar orbit), an orbit is a sun synchronous orbit.

A very special type of sun synchronous orbit is called the dawn-to-dusk orbit. This orbit is above the earth where the sun comes up or goes down. A satellite in this orbit never enters the shadow of the earth but always receives sunlight.

Orbit Decay and Reentry The earth's atmosphere doesn't stop at a certain altitude but really fades out into space. The higher you get the less thick it is until eventually there is no more atmosphere. Generally we say that the atmosphere is about 100 km (62 miles) thick, but in reality it extends much further out into space. Satellites experience friction from the atmosphere up to altitudes of 1000 km (620 miles). Due to the friction, a satellite will loose speed and with that the altitude will decrease until eventually the satellite will fall out of orbit back to the earth. Depending on the altitude this happens sooner or later. A satellite at an altitude of 200 km (124 miles) will stay in orbit for just a couple of months. At 300 km (186 miles) a satellite can stay in orbit for a couple of years. Above 1000 km (620 miles) a satellite can stay in orbit for thousands of years.

Letting Satellites fall back to earth and burn up in the atmosphere is also a way of disposing of satellites. However, if you're a Dish Network customer, you don't need to worry about the Dish Network satellite falling to earth and disintegrating into nothing. Unless a space alien shoots it down, the Dish Network satellites are there to stay.

If you're interested in learning more about Dish Network and satellite TV, go to http://www.dish-network-satellite-tv.ws/

About the author: None

My Trip to Argentina and My Views

2009-01-17T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Bill Hirst

An Educational and Dove Hunting Trip in Argentina Feb. 2006 Pa has a limit of 12 Doves per day. So you can imagine that this is not where you will find me. I took my son Jamie and went to Argentina where there is no limit. We were accompanied by several friends from our Philadelphia Pa. area. We spent a week on this trip. We were able to see some of this finest Dove hunting areas in the world. There are millions of doves in this region of Argentina near Cordoba. Over the last two decades, Cordoba province has become synonymous with the phrase ""High-volume dove hunting."" The region has a delightful climate that allows grain crops such as corn, sorghum, wheat and peanuts to flourish most of the year. This enormous food supply is bordered and interspersed with density hillside roosting cover, and the combination of food source and roost has produced a population of Zenaida Auriculata estimated to be over 20 million birds -- Argentina doves that do not migrate, reproduce up to four times annually and provide literally year-round shooting. These birds have been estimated to consume up to one third of the grain crops in the area. Dove hunting in Argentina is an activity that must be experienced rather than explained. Dove and Pigeon are considered to be plague in the area, so there are no bag limits or seasons for hunting them. One can only imagine that when bird flu arrives in Argentina, how big and terrible will the bird flu distrupt this ecosystem. I perdict that bird flu will mutate first to humans in a form that is transmissable from human to humnan in this area of the world. I believe that the quantity of birds and their droppings will allow for the transfer of the disease quickly in Argentina. After seeing the vast numbers of wild birds and knowing that they will be present with a large presence durring the harvesting of grain, a cross contamination will likly result in this habitat.

With such vast numbers of birds present, hunters regularly use two guns and a reloader to prevent barrel overheating, as they may go through 1,000 ( a thousand) rounds in a morning. Because of this last reason and the fact that they are considered a plague, the local authorities have not established any bag limits or special seasons for dove hunting.

This trip to Argentina also provided us with information and ideas for on our ranchs and farms in the USA. Soils in Argentina can grow good crops with little fertilizer and have fewer pest and disease problems. Farm laborers work cheap, and chemical costs are low. This will make our farms less competitive. There is no doubt that Argentina has made great advances in ag production and will be real competition to crops that are grown on our farms. The lands around Cordoba that we visited are flat and very fertile with a long growing season. There will be low cost soil erosion controls needed. Easily making it a bread basket for the world. We can be competitive. We can must expand on our altnernative use for our American farmlands. We must increase the recreational oportunities for our farms to help them stay competitive. Our transportation infrastructure is much better in the United States. Most roads outside the major urban areas are poor quality dusty, potholed, and rough. Our farms have easier access to capital for growth and markets for sales and urban areas. Our markets are better and more established. Our dollars is also more stable than the Argentine Pesos. This gives us better funding advantages. I also suspect that American Ag extension agencies and colleges are better and more available to educate our rural population. Afterall, education is the real key to our future in successful farm management and operations.

About the author: Bill Has been raising and selling trees for 25 years near Doylestown Pa. and has two web sites http://www.seedlingsrus.com and http://www.zone5trees.com This article was published 02/19/2006

Sheep Have Been Cloned...Are Humans Next?

2009-01-16T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Jillian Gregory

Do you enjoy watching forensic science shows like CSI? Are you interested in genetics and the intricacies of DNA? Genetic engineering that deals with the human genome and DNA has become a hot bed for discussion in recent years. Advancements in forensic science have helped law enforcement to nab criminals and solve previous ""cold"" cases. Understanding the components of the human body and human nature is valuable information that is a welcome notion of safety for most.

While many would agree that using DNA as evidence is a good idea, manipulating human genetics is another issue. Cloning has surfaced as a debate with moral and ethical implications. Sheep have been cloned. One rationale for cloning animals was to provide more food to starving nations. Is cloning safe? Is creating a replica of an animal ethical? What are the long term effects of cloning?

Many people wonder if cloning humans will come next. Will it be a like a horrible old science fiction movie? How does the cloning process occur? How do scientists and doctors create a clone?

Stem cell research is also an issue discussed on many political shows and at dinner parties around the country. Is stem cell research ethical? When does life technically begin? Stem cell research can help to save a great number of people suffering from disease, but at what cost?

These are complex genetic engineering questions that require a great deal of knowledge before you can make an informed judgment. Become educated about genetic engineering issues by listening to exciting, cutting edge audio books on the subject. You can listen to them in the car on the way to work or on your morning walk.

The human body is a fascinating piece of science. Start by exploring the building blocks of the human body. Listen to DNA: The Secret of Life by James D. Watson. James D. Watson provides a comprehensive account of the genetic revolution. He has fifty years of experience on the subject. He explains the genetic revolution views in the past, present, and what to expect in the future.

Want to relive one of the most dramatic races in biology? Check out The Genome War by James Shreeve. This thrilling audio book details the race to map the human genome. Listen to the scientific adventure of a lifetime!

Concerned about the ethics and moral implications of genetic engineering? Want to know more about each side of the issue? Check out these great audio books to add to your deep well of knowledge. Listen to Enough: Setting Limits on Human Genetic Technology by Bill McKibben and Altering the Blueprint: The Ethics of Genetics by Alexander McCall Smith. Both of these audio books explore the ramifications of altering human genetics. Will humans lose their identity? Will altering human genetics create babies that are ""made"" instead of born?

Interested in other science topics as well? Check out the Science Friday Podcast. It covers science, health, technology and the environment.

Human DNA, genetics, and cloning will be a focal point of research for many decades to come. Understand the facets of human biology so that you can make informed judgments about any biological issues that may come your way.

About the author: Jillian Gregory writes for LearnOutLoud.com, an online portal for educational and self-development audio and video material which can be found at http://www.learnoutloud.com For the HTML version of this article complete with links to the titles that were mentioned, please visit http://www.learnoutloud.com/ge01

Dolphin quick facts

2009-01-15T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: SeaWorldAdventurePa rk.info

Dolphins are marine mammals found in all the world's oceans, relatives to whales and porpoises. River dolphins live in freshwater rivers and lakes. They are intelligent and playful creatures and friendly to humans.

Dolphins have a sleek body shape, which helps them to be good swimmers. They have long snouts, a row of sharp teeth, and a blowhole for breathing on top of the head. They feed on fish, squid, and other small marine life.

Dolphins are social animals, and usually live and hunt in groups. They communicate with each other with sounds such as whistles, screeches, and clicks. Dolphins are often friendly to humans, riding on waves produced by boats, aiding lost swimmers, and adapting to life in captivity performing tricks and jumps.

There are at least 40 different species of dolphins. The one most commonly used in amusement parks and performances is bottlenose dolphin, which has a 'built-in' smile formed by the curvature of its mouth. The killer whale, or orca, is the largest member of dolphin family.

Physical features

Dolphins have a sleek body shape, so as to offer the least resistance for swimming. The two flippers located underside help the dolphin steer its course. The bones in these flippers resemble human hand! The tail with flukes provides the main swimming force.

As mammals, dolphins have to breathe air. They do so through a single blowhole on the top of the head. It has a muscular plug to keep water out of the lungs while diving. The head has a long snout. Dolphins have a long row of conical teeth that are used for catching and tearing prey - not for chewing.

Different dolphin species vary a lot in size. The smallest one, tucuxi dolphin, is about 4 feet (1.2m) long and weighs about 110 pounds (50kg), whereas the enormous killer whales is over 30 feet (9-10m) long and weighs 12,000 pounds (5 500 kg).

You've seen the gray ones, but dolphins can also be black or brown, and can have patterns of white or light colors.

In the middle of their back, many dolphins have what is called a dorsal fin. It helps them to keep their balance. Furthermore, each dolphin's dorsal fin is shaped differently from the others. It's like an identification mark. In some ocean dolphins, the dorsal fin is hooked-shape instead of like a triangle. The male killer whales have very tall dorsal fins whereas in river dolphins it scarcely forms a ridge on the back.

Besides using eyes, dolphins can find their way by making clicking sounds, and listening to the sounds that echo or bounce back to them from their surroundings. This is called echolocation.

Under their skin, dolphins have a layer of fat called blubber. It insulates the dolphin so it can keep warm even in cold water. The colder the water is where the dolphin lives, the thicker the layer of blubber.

Behavior

Dolphins are social animals that live in schools of varying size; some only have 2-5 dolphins while enormous schools of 1,000 or more have been found as well. A typical school of bottlenose dolphins might be 10-20 individuals.

For food, dolphins hunt fish, squid and other invertebrates; killer whales also feed on other marine mammals, sea turtles, and birds. Dolphins often hunt together, trying to catch schools of fish. They can use echolocation to find prey in deep, dark waters.

Dolphins make whistles, clicks, and screeching sounds to communicate with each other, and for echolocation. In many species each individual dolphin makes a unique 'signature whistle'. Human-made underwater sounds, such as used with sonar images, can interfere with dolphins' communication, and even injure tissues used for hearing and air intake.

Dolphins also help each other in various ways. If a dolphin is sick and can't raise to the surface to get air, another one supports it at the surface so it can breathe. Or, a dolphin may stay near an injured or sick one as a companion. Dolphins also defend an injured one against a threat such as a boat.

Male and female dolphin take part in courtship, which involves playing, caressing, and 'songs'. Gestation lasts about a year, and then a single calf is born. Calving usually occurs once every two years. Dolphin mother produces very high-fat milk for her young. The calf is weaned aroud 6 months to two years.

Certain dolphin species live quite long, 50 years or more, while the bottlenose dolphin and common dolphin typically live around 20-25 years.

Dolphin Classification:

Class Mammalia

Order Cetacea

Suborder Odontoceti

Names:

male: bull

female: cow

young: calf

group: pod

Sources:

Microsoft ® Encarta ® Reference Library 2005

Encyclopedia Britannica

About the author:

SeaWorldAdventurePa rk.info is a website filled with photos from SeaWorld, Orlando, Florida, plus information, reviews, and a po ll .

Who invented the telescope?

2009-01-13T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Jarrod Roby

The

telescope is the basic instrument of Astronomy but do you know who actually invented the device? Or maybe you think you already know who invented it.

Well, what would you say if I told you that you're probably wrong? After all, it was galileo galilei who invented it, right? You might be surprised by the answer to that question. Although Galileo Galilei was a great astronomer, he didn't invent the telescope.

If not Galileo, then who?

A man named Hans Lipperhey invented the telescope. He was born in Wesel, Germany and made his home in Middleburg, part of the Zeeland province in the Netherlands. He was married there in 1594, and became a citizen in 1602. He was a spectacle-maker by trade.

The Italians developed new glass-making techniques which were introduced to the Netherlands in the 1590's. These new techniques helped to bring about new ideas and innovations in the glass-making community and people started to experiment with different ways to combine lenses.

Where is the proof?

Many other people claim to have invented the telescope, but Hans Lipperhey is the only person documented to have applied for a patent for the device.

Child's play

Legend has it that it wasn't Hans himself, but his children who actually invented the telescope while they were playing.

And now you know the story of the telescope and how it came to be. I guess we owe Hans Lipperhey a big thank you for his invention.

Please include this byline if you'd like to use this article: Article by Jarrod Roby http://www.astronomy-for-kids-online.com

About the author: Jarrod is someone who has a passion for Astronomy, and wants to pass on that passion to others.

New Hope for Alzheimer's Treatment

2009-01-12T03:03:00.001-08:00

Author: Boris Predovich

There is now widespread agreement among research scientists and medical professionals that Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a problem quickly growing to vast proportions. As the life expectancy of Americans continues to rise, increasing the percentage of the population over 65 years of age, so does the number of Alzheimer's cases.

It is currently estimated that people over 65 years of age have a 10% chance of developing Alzheimer's, while those over 85 have a 50% likelihood of developing AD, making it the leading cause of dementia among older people. Though the disease is associated primarily with memory loss, its effects also comprise a number of other severe disabilities, including changes in personality, disorientation, difficulty with speech and comprehension, and a lack of ability to move normally.

Consequently, most Alzheimer's patients require a great deal of care, costing society close to $100 billion annually. According to Christian Fritze, Ph.D., Director of the Antibody Products Division at Covance Research Products, ""The impact of Alzheimer's Disease on our society will only increase as our population ages. The prevalence of the disease and disabling effects on the patient are significant by themselves. In addition we are becoming increasingly aware of the far-reaching effects on families, care-giver networks and the economics of our health care system. The drive for progress towards effective treatments by the research and drug development community is growing stronger every day.""

A New Consensus

But recent developments in the medical research community do provide some hope. During the last two years, there has been a growing consensus among Alzheimer researchers about the cause of Alzheimer's disease, providing focus for scientists exploring the new treatment options.

The focus is on amyloid beta oligomers, a new wrinkle on an older hypothesis called the ""amyloid cascade hypothesis"". Widespread acceptance of this new conclusion is something of a milestone in the history of Alzheimer's research. As Dr. Fritze says, ""The decades old quest for the causative agent in Alzheimer's Disease has recently focused on the precursors of amyloid plaques. These precursors are part of a bewildering array of processed (APP) Amyloid Precursor Protein) variants, Tau isoforms and secretase components that play a role in neuronal cytotoxicity and subsequent brain dysfunction.""

Amyloid plaques are sticky protein deposits in the brain containing amyloid beta peptide. Researchers have associated the buildup of this plaque with Alzheimer's disease since its discovery in 1907. But despite the clear correlation, scientists were not sure what, exactly, spurred the onset of Alzheimer's Disease. The hypothesis that amyloid beta accumulation in the brain is the major cause of Alzheimer's Disease1 has been the focus of much attention over the past decade. Although this hypothesis was the leading explanation for the cause of AD, it had several weaknesses. The most obvious problem with the theory was the fact that the buildup of amyloid beta peptides did not necessarily correspond with the severity of Alzheimer's symptoms.

However, in 19982 and in 20023, researchers proposed that it was not the amyloid beta plaques themselves that were neurotoxic - and therefore the cause of Alzheimer's - but rather precursors to amyloid beta plaques formed by smaller aggregates of amyloid beta. These new ideas are gaining widespread acceptance among the Alzheimer's research community, creating a consensus that had not existed before.

This new focus provides one more spur to action for Alzheimer's researchers, and underscores the need for further advancement. ""The AD field demands sophisticated, highly-sensitive research tools to track these components and quantitate the existence of monomeric, oligomeric and fibrillar amyloid forms present in the progression of Alzheimer's disease,"" says Dr. Fritze.

Antibody Treatment

Two new studies, both released in October 20044, suggest that new treatment options may be on the horizon. The studies are the modification of one of two previous attempts using amyloid beta (A?) antibodies in the treatment of Alzheimer's Disease. The previous attempts, though not successful, did at least suggest new courses of action in Alzheimer's research and provided invaluable information for researchers.

In the first of the two previous attempts, researchers injected the antigen itself - pieces of the beta amyloid protein that makes up amyloid plaque - into mice, in the hopes that the injections would generate an immune (antibody) response against amyloid. Results were initially positive. The injected antigen produced A? antibodies and slowed the onset of the disease by decreasing A? levels. However, when tried on humans, the procedure led to meningoencephalitis (an inflammation of tissue around the brain) in some patients, and was therefore halted.

In the second attempt, a passive immunity therapy was tried in which antibodies to amyloid beta (not amyloid protein) were injected into mice, but hemorrhaging and inflammation ensued due to the high antibody doses required to be effective.

New Hope

But now there appears to be new hope for the use of antibodies as therapeutic agents for the treatment of Alzheimer's patients. In the first of the two new studies that appeared in October conducted by the National Institute for Longevity Sciences, NCGG, and the Center for Neurological Diseases, Brigham & Women's College, Harvard Institute of Medicine, researchers modified the first procedure. Concluding that the meningoenchaphalitis which occurred in some patients was caused by autoimmune T-cell activation, the researchers hoped to develop a vaccine that could minimize this T-cell activation while retaining the production of Aß antibodies. To accomplish this they created an oral vaccine that attached Aß DNA to an adeno-associated virus vector, which served to mitigate T-cell activation. Thus they were able to decrease Aß levels in the brains of the mice and yet not activate T-cells to the degree they had before, greatly reducing the risk of meningoencephalitis.

In the other new study, conducted at the University of Illinois at Chicago, researchers succeeded in making the passive immunity protocol much safer. This they accomplished by changing the point of entry for the Aß antibodies. Rather than injecting the antibodies into the body of the mice, as was done previously, antibody was injected directly into the brain of the mice. Because the antibodies were injected directly into the brain, smaller doses were needed, and side effects were minimized.

The results of the above studies, and the potential for further optimized immunization strategies may prove to be watershed events in the history of Alzheimer's treatment.

Covance is a leading provider of innovative antibody products and custom antibody development services to the research community for Alzheimer's disease. Visit http://www.Covance.com for more in-depth information and to view the suite of products for Alzheimer's disease. Boris Predovich is Vice President of Immunology and Surgical Services at Covance Research Products.

Notes

1. J.A. Hardy, G.A. Higgins (1992), Science, 256:184-5. 2. M.P. Lambert et al (1998), Proc Natl Acad Sci, 95:6448-53. 3. D.M. Walsh et al (2002), Nature, 416:535-9. 4. Neelima B. Chauhan et al (2004), Journal of Neuroscience Research, 78, 5:732-741. Hideo Hara et al (2004), Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, 6, 5:483-488.

This article is copyrighted by Covance. It may not be reproduced in whole or in part and may not be posted on other websites without the express written permission of the author who may be contacted via email at Covance@digitalbrandexpressions.com.

About the author: Boris Predovich is Vice President of Immunology and Surgical Services at Covance Research Products.

Asbestos - What It Is And How It's Used

2009-01-10T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Michael Russell

In this, and a series of articles that will follow, we will cover asbestos, what it is, how it's made, what it's used for, the health risks of asbestos exposure and how to protect yourself against asbestos.

Asbestos isn't actually one thing. It is a name given to a group of minerals. These minerals occur naturally in bundles of fibers that can be separated into thin threads. These fibers are completely resistant to heat and any kind of chemical and do not conduct electricity. Because of these attributes asbestos is has been used in many industries.

There are basically four types of asbestos that are used.

1. Chrysotile, or white asbestos 2. Crocidolite, or blue asbestos 3. Amosite, which usually has brown fibers 4. Anthophyllite, which usually has gray fibers

The problem with asbestos fibers is that they tend to break very easily and the dust made up of these fibers floats into the air and gets on our clothes and in our lungs. When this happens serious health problems can occur.

Asbestos was first mined and commercially used in the United States in the late 1800s. During the second world war its use increased dramatically. Since then it has been used in many industries. To give some examples, the building and construction industry uses it to strengthen cement and plastics. They also use it for insulation, fireproofing and sound absorption. The shipbuilding industry uses asbestos to insulate boilers, steam pipes and hot water pipes. The automobile industry uses it in its brake shoes and clutch pads. There are over 5000 products that contain asbestos including sewage piping, roofing and siding, electric switchboards, table pads, heat protective mats, heat resistant blankets and curtains, paints, adhesives, caulking, and the list goes on and on.

But when the dangers of asbestos became known in the 1970s the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) banned the use of asbestos in wallboard patching compounds and gas fireplaces because the asbestos fibers in these products could be released into the air from its use. Also during that time, asbestos was removed from electric hair dryers. In 1989 the EPA finally banned all new uses of asbestos. Uses prior to 1989, however, are still allowed. Since that time, the EPA has established regulations that require school systems to inspect for asbestos that has been damaged in order to eliminate, or at least reduce, the exposure to students and faculty, by removing the damaged areas.

In the year 2000 the EPA concluded that the current risk to children from asbestos in schools was very low, however, it was agreed that their products would have to be reformulated within a year. By August of that same year products were being made that greatly reduced the amount of dust that was released during use. The amount of metric tons of asbestos generated in a year dropped from 719,000 metric tons in 1973 to only 9000 metric tons by the year 2000.

In the next instalment we'll go over the health risks from exposure to asbestos.

About the author: Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Asbestos

Crystalline Diamond

2009-01-09T03:03:00.001-08:00

Author: Ryan Fyfe

A Diamond is a crystalline form of carbon. A diamonds hardness and high dispersion of light makes it particular useful for industrial applications and in jewelery. Diamonds are specifically renowned as a mineral with superlative physical qualities. Thus making them great abrasives because they can only be scratched by other diamonds. This feature also means they hold a polish extremely well and retain luster. Approximately 120 million carats, 25 000 kilograms of diamond are mined annually. These diamonds have a with a total value of nearly nine billion united states dollars.

""diamond"", the name, comes from an ancient Greek word that means ""impossible to tame"". Treasured as a gem ever since their use as religious icons in India almost 2,500 years ago. ""Diamond's are a girl's best friend"". They have been widely used in drill bits and engraving tools dating back to early human history for their physical properties. Due to improved cutting and polishing techniques the popularity of diamonds has gone up since the early 19th century. Almost 4 times the amount of natural diamonds are produced syntheticly each year. These synthetic diamonds are typically classified with poor-quality specimens and as a result are suitable only for industrial-grade use.

The majority of natural diamonds come from central and southern Africa. On the other wise of that though, significant sources of the mineral have been discovered in Russia, Canada, Brazil, and Australia. Generally, diamonds are mined from volcanic pipes. Volcanic pipes are deep in the Earth where the high pressure and temperature enables the formation of the crystals. Subject to frequent controversy, the mining and distribution of natural diamonds, has raised large concerns over the sale by African paramilitary groups.

As previosuly mentioned, humans have been able to adapt diamonds for many uses because of their extraordinary physical characteristics. The most recognized of all these properties, is a diamond's extreme hardness.

About the author: Feel free to reprint this article as long as you keep the article, this caption and author biography in tact with all hyperlinks.

Ryan Fyfe is the owner and operator of The Diamond Index - http://www.thediamondindex.com, which is the best site on the internet for all diamond related information.

What does statistics have to do with drug contaminated bank notes?

2009-01-08T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Mahalakshmi Prabhakaran

Does the topic pique your curiosity? Are you wondering what indeed does statistics have to do with drug contaminated notes? Let's suffice it to say: Everything. Yes, though the connection may sound implausible, a team of conscientious and dedicated researchers have discovered that a multivariate statistical technique called Mass-spectroscopy can aid policemen in detecting drug contaminated notes. A process that is significantly faster than other previous methods, the Mass-Spectroscopy method helps detect a distinct pattern of contamination on banknotes. One that is different from the notes seen in general circulation.

Before delving into the process of drug detection, it would be good to deliberate on the meaning of Mass spectroscopy. Glossing over the technicalities, Mass Spectroscopy can simply be described as a technique used to determine the mass-to-charge (m/z) ratio of ions. This analysis method helps find the composition of a physical sample by generating a mass spectrum that represents the masses of the sample's components. Effective multivariate softwares like The Unscrambler® help researchers perform Mass spectroscopy on data derived from a multitude of industry verticals.

It is this seemingly easy- sounding technique that has emerged as a critical tool to aid detection and control of drug- trafficking. What makes it a handy and effective tool is that Mass spectrometry can help determine the chemical nature of a compound, even if only a minute sample is available.

In this process, banknotes recovered during police raids were heated to 285º C to vaporize the chemicals. The vapors were sucked into the detector and the chemicals smashed into fragments. The short heating time helped remove sufficient material from the notes without destroying them (a crucial consideration to be kept in mind while conducting forensic work).The logic behind this method is that if the notes were to contain heroin, the mass spectrometer would detect two product ions namely, (m/z 328 and 268) from the protonated molecular ion (m/z 370). The presence of these 2 ions on a bank note would confirm the presence of diacetylmorphine (DAM), the major active component of heroin.

What makes this method the apt solution is that: by using this method around 500 notes can be analysed in one hour, including the strict paperwork that is required for train of evidence. A typical GC/MS analysis of 500 notes, on the other hand, would have taken about 170 hours. In a scenario where time is of the utmost importance, Mass spectrometry can prove to be timely solution to the crime fighters. Tetrahydrocannabinol (cannabis), Cocaine, MDMA (ecstasy) and DAM (heroin) are the main targets to be tested through this method. Other drugs such as amphetamine or cutting agents, such as caffeine, will be added as required.

The rapid analytical technique ensures the accurate analysis of banknotes. Researchers opine that the techniques may be easily adapted to the analysis of drugs found on other surfaces such as mobile phones, car interiors and house furniture, in the near future.

Multivariate statistical methods like Mass spectrometry are extremely useful in research; as they have the ability to compress data into a more easily managed form. This can assist in visualizing, for example, how a given sample relates to other samples.

Multivariate analysis is practically essential in the fingerprinting approaches, such as the case discussed here. While there are quite a few established statistical software that can help investigators analyze and predict results of spectral data, The Unscrambler® is the most comprehensive software available that can aid researchers, cops, spectroscopists and chemometricians in making an intelligent interpretation of the spectral data procured from bank notes.

About the author: Mahalakshmi is a Marketing Writer for CAMO Group, the creator of the mulivariate data analysis tool The Unscrambler® . The Unscrambler® can be used extensively across a multitude of industry verticals including, Forensics; Pharmaceutical & Biotech; Agriculture and Environmental; Oil and Gas; Food Science and Nutrition; Chemicals; Polymers & Specialty Materials.

Cosmic Absurdities

2009-01-07T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: DWB

The BBC today reported that archaeologists in China have found the worlds oldest observatory. The semicircular platform (130 feet in diameter) surrounded by 13 pillars was unearthed near the city of Linfen in the Shanxi province. The remains are thought to be 4,100 years old. He Nu, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Xinhua news agency: ""The ancient people observed the direction of sunrise through the gaps, and distinguished the different seasons of the year.""

This theory was tested by archaeologists that spent 18 months testing possible uses of the site. They found that the seasons calculated were accurate within one or two days of the Chinese calendar that is still in use today. Personally, I find it somewhat humbling that these ancient Chinese dudes managed to unlock the secrets of the seasons over 4,000 years ago. But it leaves me wondering how these ancient thinkers would have reacted to today's astronomical discoveries.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4396012.stm

Today, Nature the scientific journal published an article in which NASA scientists announced that they have detected left over radiation from the first stars that formed in the universe. These gigantic thermonuclear furnaces were formed less than 200 million years after the big bang. It baffles me how these astro-boffins have discovered so much about the origins of the universe through the use of telescopes. It leaves me feeling a little sad, yet hopeful that one day I'll find out what's supposed to have happened before the big bang.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4400672.stm

Well that's it now! My humble troglodyte grey matter is feeling the strain caused by pondering these cosmic matters, and I find myself asking the classic questions that have plagued mankind ""How?"" ""Why?"" and of course ""How did they think of that?""

I haven't felt this bewildered since watching a documentary about super string theory.

DWB

the Disgruntled Wogbeast

Hydrogen Fuel Cells

2009-01-06T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Hans Dekker

As a lot of the alternative energy sources, Hydrogen Fuel Cells are a relatively new technology that was originally developed for the space program. In fact they are similar to batteries in that they produce electricity by a chemical reaction combined with an electrical charge. The difference with batteries is that power is only produced while the fuel cell is being fed with hydrogen. You will find more in depth information about their workings on our site.

The amount of electricity the fuel cell produces depends on the size of the cell as well as the rate of flow of the hydrogen. The chemical reaction between hydrogen and the air produces electricity, water and heat. The heat output from a fuel cell, however, is quite low when compared with other energy sources such as fossil fuels.

There are several advantages of hydrogen fuel cells over other power supplies. First of all they are clean - the only by products are water and a little bit of heat. Secondly, they are very efficient. Gasoline engines, for example, operate at an efficiency rate of about 20%. Fuel cells have an efficiency rate between 45% and 53%.

Hydrogen fuel cells can be used anywhere electricity is required. Since their size is scalable they can be made small enough to power an MP3 player or big enough to power a town. They can also be used to provide rotary power for vehicles.

The automobile industry is looking at fuel cells as a replacement for the internal combustion engine. If they become popular, cars powered with fuel cells will reduce our dependency on petroleum and cut down on pollution.

Hydrogen fuel cells have also been installed to provide power for industrial buildings and even whole neighborhoods.

Fuel cells are expected to replace petroleum as a power source within 50 to 100 years. They have broad commercial and social applications. They could be used to bring electricity to remote settlements around the world as well as to provide a source of renewable power for portable devices.

Government support and commercial interest has guaranteed the success of this sustainable, clean energy source.

This all might sound great, but there is a catch. We need energy to produce hydrogen. At the moment the most widely used energy source to produce that hydrogen are fossil fuels.

So Fuel Cells are certainly an option, but we will need a lot of extra research to find ways to safely produce the hydrogen we need.

About the author: Hans is author and owner of

http://www.alternative-energy-guide.com/ On our site you will find introductions and more in depth articles about renewable energy sources.

characteristics of sound

2009-01-05T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Ryan Fyfe

Sound in brief but remarkeable terms is a vibration, that our ears percieve by the sense of hearing. Most commonly vibrations travel to our ears via the air. The ear then converts these sound waves into nerve impulses that are sent to our brains, where the impulses become sound. To say all that in a more technical language: Sound ""is an alternation in pressure, particle displacement, or particle velocity propagated in an elastic material"" (Olson 1957). Sound is also a series of mechanical compressions and rarefactions or longitudinal waves that successively propagate through media that are at least a little compressible. What causes sound waves is known as ""the source of waves"". Examples of sounds sources is: A violin string that vibrates upon being bowed or plucked.

The four characteristics of sound are frequency, wavelength, amplitude and velocity.

The frequency of sound is the number of air pressure oscillations per second at a fixed point occupied by a sound wave.

The amplitude is the magnitude of sound pressure change within the wave. Basically this is the maximum amount of pressure at any point in the sound wave. A sound wave is caused literally by increases in pressure at certain points causing a ""domino effect"" outward, the higher pressure points are the crests in a sound wave , and behind them are low pressure points which tail them. These are known as the troughs on a wavelength graph. Sound's propagation Velocity depends largely on the type, temperature and pressure of the medium through which it propagates. Because air is nearly a perfect gas, the speed of sound does not depend on air pressure.

The frequency range of sound that is audible to humans is approx. between 20 and 20,000 Hz. This range of course varies between individuals, and goes down as are age increases. Sounds will begin to damage our ears at 85 dBSPL and sounds above approximately 130 dBSPL will cause pain, as a result are known as the: ""threshold of pain"". Of course again this range will vary among individuals and will change with age.

About the author: Feel free to reprint this article as long as you keep the article, this caption and author biography in tact with all hyperlinks.

Ryan Fyfe is the owner and operator of My Sound Site - http://www.mysoundsite.com, which is the best site on the internet for all sound related information.

Gas is important

2009-01-04T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Gas is important

In todays modern economy, Gas & Oil, have become such important aspects, that it would be safe to say that we rely on them. A few examples are gas in our cars, for our furnaces, and the production of plastics. How much do you really know about Gas though?

A gas is one of the different phases of matter. Similar to liquids and plasmas, gases are fluids. This means that they have the ability to flow and that they will not usually return to their prior stage after they have been deformed. This doesn't mean that they don't have viscosity. A property of a gas that is different from that of a liquid is that; a gas does not occupy a fixed space or volume, but will instead expand to fill whatever container it is in, this is opposite of a liquid that will remain the same.

After Plasma, gas has the second highest energy per molecule. Due to this extreme amount of kinetic energy, gas atoms and molecules of gas will usually bounce off any container they are placed in, and even off of eachother. This bouncing will occur with more power as the kinetic energy of the gas is increased. Many people, incorrectly believe that when these molecules collide provide the main basis in explaining gas pressure. This is not true because the random velocities of the gas are enough to define the gas pressure. Not to leave these collisions in the dark, as they are very important in establishing the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution of the gas.

It's interesting how we use the word ""gas"" every single day, and all that we relate it to is the rising gas prices , or something that we get when we eat too many beans. There is alot more to gas then that, and is an important part of our everyday lives.

About the author: Feel free to reprint this article as long as you keep the article, this caption and author biography in tact with all hyperlinks.

Ryan Fyfe is the owner and operator of Gas Information - http://www.gas-spot.com, which is the best site on the internet for all gas related information.

Nature's Calling

2009-01-03T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: DWB

Throughout history mankind's progress has been charted and referred to by his use of materials. Throughout the stone, bronze iron and steel ages these materials made a major contribution to mankind's development. But now in the 21st century, we live in the age of materials. For technology to advance further we need to improve all sorts of materials, looking to nature for inspiration.

This exiting field of research is known by several names Bionics, Biomimetics, or Biomimicry. Wikipedia define Biomimetics as

"".. the application of methods and systems found in nature to the study and design of engineering systems and modern technology. This technology transfer is desirable because evolutionary pressure typically forces natural systems to become highly optimized and efficient. A classical example is the development of dirt- and water-repellent paint (coating) from the observation that the surface of the lotus flower plant is practically unsticky for anything (lotus effect). Examples of bionics results in engineering include hulls of boats imitating the skin membrane of dolphins, sonar, radar, and medical ultrasound imaging imitating echolocation of bats.""

Biomimetics has also been one of the most significant forms of inspiration for 21st century experimental computer science. Seeking Natures advice has lead to the conception and development of cybernetics, artificial neurones, artificial neural networks, and swarm intelligence. One field of experimental computing has superseded nature by simulating evolution, which has produced highly optimised solutions that have not arisen in nature. This exiting field is known as evolutionary computing (Who'd have guessed that one?).

There are countless inventions already created through the biomimetic approach. Perhaps the most famous of these was created by Swiss engineer George De Mestral in 1948, who after a walk one day, was cleaning his dog of burrs and suddenly realised how they worked, and shortly afterwards created Velcro.

As computing experts and microprocessor designers are rapidly reaching the limits of what can be done with silicone, the need for natural solutions such as those based on the human brain (neural networks) or those that use DNA to store and process data (DNA computing) becomes ever more important.

The significance of Biomimetics is perhaps said best in the following quote:

""Nature has been conducting evolutionary experiments for millions of years, so if we're lucky enough to find something close to what we require in nature, then it's very likely to have been highly optimised, and we're unlikely to do much better."" -Greg Parker

Personally, I feel that this something that we should all bear in mind, one flash of inspiration from nature could benefit all of mankind forever. Anyway if reading this has sparked your interest in Biomimetics be sure to check out the following pages:

http://www.biomimicry.net/case_studies_materials.html http://www.biomimicry.net/case_studies_processes.html http://www.bath.ac.uk/mech-eng/biomimetics/about.html

the Disgruntled Wogbeast

Basics of a Farm

2009-01-02T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Ryan Fyfe

A farm: ""Land that is being operated by one producer with equipment, labor, accounting system, and management substantially separate from that of any other unit. Land on which tenants provide their own labor and equipment shall not be considered a separate farm.""

A farm is a section of land devoted to the production and management of food, either produce or livestock. The land and buildings that are associated with a farm are called the farmstead. This is the basic unit of agriculture. A farm can be owned by a enterprise, a single individual, family, or community, or it may be owned by a corporation or company, like a state farm . There are several vehicles used for farming a few of which are: Combine harvesters, Farm tractors, Pickup trucks, Tractors and Trailers, swathers,etc. Farms range greatly in range from a small hectare section or fraction of, to several thousand hectares. The english word ""Farm"", goes back to the Anglo-Saxon word ""feorm"", which means provisioning and food supply. It started out being a way of taxation, where agricultural goods had money value, and were to be given to the king. This kind of rental taxation still exists, however we use money as the standard currency today.

Developing farms and farming in general was one of the most important components in establishing a town. Once people began to get involved in active farming, roads, and a market evolved, which meant the community would also grow as a town. With the exception of plantations and colonial farms, farm sizes tend to be small in newly settled lands and to extend as transportation and markets become sophisticated. Farming rights have been central to a number of revolutions, wars of liberation, and post-colonial economics.

About the author: Feel free to reprint this article as long as you keep the article, this caption and author biography in tact with all hyperlinks.

Ryan Fyfe is the owner and operator of Farm Spot - http://www.farm-spot.com, which is the best site on the internet for all farm related information.

The Science of Science!

2008-12-31T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Terry Connors

What is Science! ?

First of all, Science! is not the same as science. Science! is the study and knowledge of all things scientific, quasiscientific, or pseudoscientific. Anything that is obscure, incoherent, or improbable is made clear by the purveyor of Science! (also known as the Scientist! ). The Scientist! has access to knowledge that even scientists do not have access to. They are truly the masters of all that is True and Scientific!

There are 3 characteristics of the practitioner of Science!

They always work alone . Scientists usually have teams of other scientists and technicians working with them. The Scientist! , on the other hand, works alone, in their own, small, often home-built, laboratory. The laboratory will be filled with various whirring, clicking, blinking, or bubbling pieces of lab equipment which appear to have no purpose since the Scientist! never touches them.

They work fast . In real science, scientists develop theories, test their theories, and then modify or abandon the theories as the evidence evolves. The process often takes years, if not a lifetime. In Science! the Scientist! gets his or her answer in a matter of days (or hours, or weeks, or minutes, depending on what timeframe is most dramatic). Usually, the Scientist! gets a bright idea, runs to the lab to test the theory, and then comes back with an unexpected, but clearly genius, answer to the mystery/problem/question in record time.

They are always right. Everyone else is always wrong . In real science, peer review is a critical part of the scientific process. In Science! peer review is not only unessecary, but is detrimental. Mainstream scientists never accept what the Scientist! has to say until events prove them to be soundly (and often, fatally) wrong.

Television, movies, and literature are full of practitioners of Science! One of the best example is the Professor in the TV Series ""Gilligan's Isle."" Does anyone know what he was a professor of? That's right! He was a Professor of Science! The professor understood everything from primative cultures, to weather phenomena, to electromechanics, to astronomy. A master of Science! , he could do almost anything (except patch a hole in a boat).

Science! has evolved over time. In the 50's and 60's, the Scientist! was a non-specialist (and usually male). Science! gave him mastery over every possible field of study (much like the professor in ""Gilligan's Isle""). In modern times, the Scientist! is more likely to be a specialist, to acknowledge that, in the real world, most scientists are specialists. What they get wrong, however, undermines the one thing they tried to get right. For example, in the TV show Stargate SG-1 . The character of Sam Carter is a Scientist! specializing in physics, while Daniel Jackson is a Scientist! specializing in archaeology. They both (especially Sam) have the attributes of the Scientist! , however. 1) They work alone, 2) they solve the mysteries of the universe in a few hours or days, and 3) most of the other scientists (when they show up with a theory) are wrong.

Another example of a modern Scientist! is the protagonist, Robert Langdon, in The DaVinci Code . Although Langdon deviates slightly from the typical Scientist! (the typical Scientist! is alone in his beliefs, but Langdon actually has the support of many of his peers), in other ways he is the same. He manages to solve the great mystery in the course of an evening, and there is never, at any time, a question that he may actually be WRONG in his beliefs.

And so, this is Science! . It is a product of movies, television, and literature, and it is real, in the sense that perception is reality. People think that all real science is done by lone geniuses who try to buck the system that keeps them down. If you ask most people, they will probably say that we would have flying cars and robots by now if it weren't for the scientific community hobbling the handful of geniuses in their midst. It is this mindset that has led to the proliferation of pseudoscience, and theories such as Intelligent Design. The best defense against the growing misconception of what science is and what scientists do, is education. We need to teach our children, and our adults, that Hollywood is Hollywood, and that a Hollywood Scientist! has as much basis in reality as a Hollywood action hero.

About the author: Terry Connors is a Gen-X family guy with 2 step-kids and a loving wife. He frequently blogs about current events, especially if there is a scientific angle to the news items. You can read more of his writings at: Another Stupid News Blog - http://news.virtualdominion.net.

All work is copyright, Terry Connors 2005

Chemical Element Silver

2008-12-29T03:03:00.000-08:00

Author: Ryan Fyfe

Silver, a chemical element, exists in the periodic table with the symbol ""Ag"" and atomic number 47. Silver is a soft white lustrous transition metal. Due to the fact that it has the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal, silver is widel used throughout the world, used in used in coins, jewelry, tableware, and photography. Silver occurs in minerals and in free form.

I'm sure if you looked you would have in your household several objects that are made of polished silver. For example: Silver dollars , or Silver cutlery, or photography equipment.

Being just a bit harder than gold, silver is very ductile and malleable. Because of silver's physical properties as a brilliant white metallic luster it can take a high degree of polish. Copper has replaced silver in several instances due to it's hire cost, this is especially true for electrical purposes.

Silver has a number of other notable characteristics: - Silver has the whitest color of any metal - Silver has the highest thermal conductivity of any metal - Silver has the lowest contact resistance of any metal - Silver has the highest optical reflectivity of any metal

Silver is stable in both pure air and water, but does tarnish when it is exposed to ozone, hydrogen sulfide, or air with sulfur in it. The most common use of silver is as a precious metal and its halide salts. This is especially true of silver nitrate. Silver is also widely used in photography, which has today, become the biggest single industry in which silver is used.

About the author: Feel free to reprint this article as long as you keep the article, this caption and author biography in tact with all hyperlinks.

Ryan Fyfe is the owner and operator of Silver One - http://www.silver-one.com, which is the best site on the internet for all silver related information.

Asbestos - A Slim and Strong Enemy

2008-12-28T03:03:00.000-08:00

Author: Michael Russell

For centuries, asbestos was used. Thousands of workers were exposed to the risks of this mineral that has several beneficial properties, but on the other hand can lead people to death.

First, the relation between asbestos and death of some workers wasn't made clear. The Greek geographer Strabo and the Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder noticed something wrong regarding asbestos workers. Both found a sickness in the lungs of slaves that worked with asbestos.

Despite the evidence, the diseases related to the asbestos use were ignored for a long time. Only in the year 1931, the first laws were created in England in order to create preventative measures.

The use of asbestos

The Greek people named this mineral asbestos uniting two words in Greek: a, for non and sbestos, for extinguishable. So, asbestos means inextinguishable, which can be easily understood after reading about the effects of this mineral on the lungs of workers.

Asbestos was largely used due to its various properties. This mineral is resistant to fire, to some chemical effects and it also is waterproof. Due to this characteristic of being resistant to fire, it was used by unreliable merchants that used to sell crosses - that were supposed to be pieces of the cross where Jesus Christ was hung - made of asbestos. Since asbestos may have an appearance of old wood it could be easily sold and the fire resistance was the perfect excuse to sell it.

During the 1800s, the use of asbestos increased due to the Industrial Revolution. It started to be used worldwide, without any regard to working conditions. More than 3000 branches of industrial production used asbestos in the manufacturing of its products, which just contributed to the development of a disease commonly diagnosed in people that were exposed to asbestos.

The health conditions regarding asbestos exposure

For centuries, asbestos was used. And for decades, its effects were simply ignored. Doctors related some deaths to the exposure to asbestos, but it took years until the first measures were taken.

During the Industrial Revolution and the following years, working conditions were highly despised. By that time, it didn't matter what conditions people worked under, but how fast and efficiently they could do their job. This situation only contributed to the increase in the number of people who had respiratory problems.

The problem and the risk to the health regarding asbestos lies in a simple action: inhaling the particles spread by this mineral. If the particles are not inhaled, it does not represent a risk. But the truth is that, working with asbestos, it is almost impossible not to inhale particles.

These particles inhaled get stuck in the lungs' tissues, causing a type of cancer that is known as mesothelioma or asbestosis. Mesothelioma is the cancer of the pleural and peritoneal linings. When it is diagnosed, it is in general too late to do something: it's often fatal. Besides, mesothelioma has a long period that it remains in a latent state: it can remain unnoticed for 15 up to 60 years.

Asbestosis is a condition that compromises the elasticity of the lung tissue, which makes it difficult for the organs to exchange gases, resulting in a low level of oxygenation of the blood. It restricts breathing and can be unnoticed for up to 30 years.

Even with the preventative measures assured by laws, the number of deaths related to the exposure to asbestos has increased. In 1968, there were 153 deaths caused by mesothelioma but in 2003, statistics shows 1874 deaths. And it is not a world number: it was registered in Great Britain.

About the author: MMichael Russell Your Independent guide to Asbestos

The Quantum Doctor Is Here!

2008-12-26T03:03:00.000-08:00

Author: Thomas Herold

These days the word quantum seems to be everywhere, at least that seems to be the case in my universe. Especially as I have just finished reading the 'Quantum Doctor' by Amit Goswami.

To understand what a Quantum doctor might be let me explain first some traditional healing approaches.

The major approach to healing in our western world is called allopathic medicine. It is based on the premise that disease is due to external bacteria and viruses or a mechanical malfunction of an internal organ of the physical body. A treatment is done by addressing the symptoms of the disease until they disappear. All of the treatments are applied external in form of pills, drugs, radiation and other techniques.

Than we have eastern medicine which includes acupuncture, ayurveda, chinese herbs and many other more spiritual healing methods. These healing techniques have a different approach as they address the mind, the soul and other energy regions of the body.

Another very interesting approach is homeopathy. The basic idea behind this technique is that 'like cures like' and 'less is more'. In a high potency of homeopathic remedy you won't find a single atom of the original formula anymore, the potency is greatly diluted. From a strict point of western science there is 'nothing' in the substance anymore. However, homeopathy works in many cases, so there must be something that acts as a healing agent which is non physical.

The strangest of all healing techniques is the placebo effect. A patient is given a new medication that the doctor subscribes as a cure for the patient's disease. In many cases the patient is cured by just believing in the healing power of the new medication.

However, from the experience we also know that there is no formula whatsoever that applies to every disease the same way. In some cases an operation helps, sometimes not. Sometimes acupuncture helps, sometimes not. Also if you talk to a doctor each one seems to have their own concept about healing.

Some people go as far to think that all diseases are created ultimately from the mind and from the consciousness behind it. Thus consciousness of course is also responsible for the healing. Just tell this to someone who is in pain and cannot think about anything else besides the pain.

Is there a Difference between Disease and Illness? Disease could be described as a malfunction of the organism that can be diagnosed by machines & tests. Illness is more subjective, more the inner feeling of the malfunctioning. That means disease belongs to the physical body as it is external. Illness is internal and therefore tells us something about the malfunction of the correlated subtle body.

What happens on a Quantum Level When We Get Sick? Amit Goswami says consciousness is not mind; it is the ground of all being, the ground of both matter and mind. Matter and mind are both possibilities of consciousness. When consciousness converts these possibilities in a collapse event of actual experience, some of the possibilities are collapsed as physical and some as mental.

The events collapse of the waves of possibility are the result of conscious choice, downward causation. For this no mathematics exists, no algorithms. The choice of downward causation is free, unpredictable.

This leads us more to the understanding that we need to look at different levels of our being to find the origin of the 'disturbance' that later manifests into a disease or illness.

So where does the Quantum doctor come in? A quantum doctor would investigate the patient to understand on which level the 'disturbance' manifests. Amit Goswami devides consciousness into five levels:

- Physical - Vital - Mental - Supra-mental Intellect - Bliss (Limitless)

We need to look at all these levels to get a better picture. If for example someone had a car accident and broke a leg, that person needs to be treated on a physical level first. You simply need to take care of the bone and bring it back to the original position where it can heal and grow back together.

However, this may not be the end of the story. Investigating this person may reveal some hidden surprises. It could be that this person is not satisfied with a relationship, and anger & frustration has lead to aggressive driving. This would correspond to the vital level.

It maybe the case that this person has negative thoughts about themselves. For example 'life is boring, I am boring, I am worthless'. Could that lead to an accident? You bet, and here we are talking about the mental level.

We also experience that a disease may originate from one level and than spread to other levels. It works in both directions, from the physical up-wards over the vital to the mental level and down-wards from the limitless bliss level over the mental and vital to the physical level.

One more important thing that Amit Goswami points out. The concept of unconscious is important for the subject of health and healing in connection with psychosomatic disease. We suppress the memories of certain traumatic experiences so deep that consciousness seldom collapse them, delegating them to what is called unconscious processing. The memories of these experiences are processed by producing somatic effects of disease, but we are not aware of them, because we never collapse these memories in our conscious thoughts.

Quantum healing even works with prayer as it is nonlocal and takes place outside space & time. But to explain this you better get a hold of Amit Goswami's book 'Quantum Doctor'.

About the author: Thomas Herold is the founder and CEO of Quantum Biocommunication Technology. A website dedicated to the exploration of consciousness as a source of biocommunication. For more information visit: Quantum Biocommunication Technology

Spacetrip - Christmas Present of the Year

2008-12-25T03:04:00.000-08:00

Author: Pontus Edenberg

December 15, 2030 - There's no doubt what the most popular Christmas present will be this year. Influenced by the launch of the first manned mission to Mars next month, you will most likely get a present with stars, a gift card for a spacetrip.

The interest in the suborbital trips (100 km above the surface of the Earth) have grown steadily since the launch 20 years ago, but the market has basically exploded this year since the official announcement of the Mars mission. More low cost spacelines have entered the market and you can now find suborbital flights for as low as US$ 3,495.

Space tourism is one of the markets that have developed the most during the last decade, with the opening of the

Starbright Hotel on the moon , as well as the low orbital hotels that started accepting guests. However, accommodation in space is still expensive for the average household, so the suborbital flights with thirty minutes weightlessness during the three-hour flight, with four hours preparation, will for some time be the most popular trip.

The spacelines might however in the future face fierce competition from space elevators, like the one that are projected for construction start within a couple of years. Once it is fully functional it will start to ship cargo to space, but it will as soon as possible accept passengers to get back the giant investment. Even though the elevator become successful, it will take several years before there will be more elevators in the world, to get in the competition for the space traffic with the spacelines.

About the author: Pontus Edenberg is the editor of News of Future, a publication about the future of space tourism and news about society, health, environment etc. People of the world are invited to comment on the news and take part in shaping their future.

Dolphins and Animal Assisted Therapy

2008-12-24T03:03:00.000-08:00

Author: Joy Cagil

Some scientists who work with dolphins believe that these sea-dwellers show a sense to the disability and physical trauma associated with function and pain in humans, therefore making the cranio-sacral therapy possible. Dolphins, with their internal sonar or echo-location can feel where the person hurts the most and are able to gently nudge and play without hurting the person.

Once, two dolphins saved a writer while he was swimming far off the coast of California. The man was a good swimmer and swimming had become his daily routine. One day, far away from the shore, he felt very tired, too tired to lift his arms or kick. Suddenly, two dolphins came to his rescue. They swam with their bodies touching him and they propelled him forward by fastening their nose under his arms to keep him afloat, until they came close to the shore where there were other people. By this time, the writer had regained enough strength to swim a few more yards to safety. He says the dolphins didn't leave immediately. They kept leaping off shore to make sure he made it to land safely.

Many incidents of dolphins saving people at sea have been reported. Some time ago, it was in the news that a pod of dolphins defended a group of swimmers by circling protectively around them to fend off the attack of the great white shark. The swimmers were on a lifeguard training swim about hundred yards off the shore. At first, the men didn't understand that there was a shark. One of them swam away but was pushed back into the circle by the dolphins. At that time he saw a nine-foot shark two yards away from him. The men spent about forty minutes before in that circle before the dolphins let them swim back to the shore. Since sharks are dolphins' greatest enemies, it is possible that they protected the men as if the swimmers were their own offspring.

There are many different species of dolphins. A familiar one is Flipper's kind, the bottlenose dolphin. One of the world's most endangered species is a dolphin called by many names such as Beiji; Pai C'hi; Chinese River Dolphin; Yangtze Dolphin; Whitefin Dolphin; Whiteflag Dolphin. It inhabits the Yangtze River in China. It is said that these animals are very close to being extinct since there are only 5 of them left, whereas in 1984 there were 400.

Warm-blooded like men, dolphins are mammals, not fish, and they give birth to one baby at a time, nursing their young up to four years. They live in social groups called pods and interact with each other very closely. These pods' make-up can change, since dolphins interact with dolphins from other pods from time to time. A lone dolphin that has lost his friends at sea can easily be adopted by another pod.

Dolphins have powerful tails that not only help to steer them in water, but also signal annoyance or danger. Just like humans, dolphins like to gesture when they interact with each other. To communicate, they use body language or they whistle and they stroke one another with their fins as if bonding socially. When they swim together as friends, they move synchronously leaping in and out of the water. When they are angry or aggressive, they open their mouths or clap their jaws violently.

Dolphins can dive to great depths and also can leap high over the water. Being mammals, they need to breathe, but unlike humans their breathing is voluntary. They breathe through the opening on the top of their heads. It is possible that dolphins can drown. When that happens other dolphins come to the drowning dolphin's aid, supporting his body in such a way that his blowhole stays above the water.

To sleep, dolphins have to shut down only half of their brain, which probably means that they are always alert to danger. Dolphins also take short naps as they float just below the surface. Yet, unlike humans, their most active feeding time is the night, although they spend a good amount of the day looking for food.

One of the best dolphin research centers is located in the Marathon Key, Florida. Here and at other dolphin centers around the world, the project of aiding handicapped children with Dolphins is carefully investigated, with the therapy based on the dolphin's natural desire to come into contact with humans. Through interaction with dolphins, children with Autism, Down's Syndrome, anorexia, depression, cancer, and learning disabilities have exhibited positive results by calming down and showing a better sense of importance and self-confidence.

There are, however opposing views and theories. In 2003, a report by WDCS (Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society) and HSUS (the Humane Society of the United States) claims that the risk to dolphins overweighs the positive effects of their interaction with humans in dolphin-petting zoos. Dolphins become obese with the excess feeding by the public and extended exposure to humans subject the animals to stress and injury. Also some children, even if very few, have been reported to regress in their development from being pushed by their families and the fright of the animals or the water.

Given the positive use of dolphin and human contact, more research is needed, and attention to the dolphin petting areas and more closely observed rules of hygiene and sanitation are in order, so that both species can continue to benefit from each other.

About the author: Joy Cagil is an author on a site for Writers (http://www.Writing.Com/) Her training is in foreign languages and linguistics. In her background are varied subjects such as psychology, mental health, and visual arts. Her portfolio can be found at

The Finite Element Method: A Four-Article Series - Part 1

2008-12-23T03:05:00.000-08:00

Author: Steve Roensch

The following four-article series was published in a newsletter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) . It serves as an introduction to the recent analysis discipline known as the finite element method . The author is an engineering consultant and expert witness specializing in finite element analysis.

FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS: Introduction

by Steve Roensch, President, Roensch & Associates

First in a four-part series

Finite element analysis (FEA) is a fairly recent discipline crossing the boundaries of mathematics, physics, engineering and computer science. The method has wide application and enjoys extensive utilization in the structural, thermal and fluid analysis areas. The finite element method is comprised of three major phases: (1) pre-processing , in which the analyst develops a finite element mesh to divide the subject geometry into subdomains for mathematical analysis, and applies material properties and boundary conditions, (2) solution , during which the program derives the governing matrix equations from the model and solves for the primary quantities, and (3) post-processing , in which the analyst checks the validity of the solution, examines the values of primary quantities (such as displacements and stresses), and derives and examines additional quantities (such as specialized stresses and error indicators).

The advantages of FEA are numerous and important. A new design concept may be modeled to determine its real world behavior under various load environments, and may therefore be refined prior to the creation of drawings, when few dollars have been committed and changes are inexpensive. Once a detailed CAD model has been developed, FEA can analyze the design in detail, saving time and money by reducing the number of prototypes required. An existing product which is experiencing a field problem, or is simply being improved, can be analyzed to speed an engineering change and reduce its cost. In addition, FEA can be performed on increasingly affordable computer workstations and personal computers, and professional assistance is available.

It is also important to recognize the limitations of FEA. Commercial software packages and the required hardware, which have seen substantial price reductions, still require a significant investment. The method can reduce product testing, but cannot totally replace it. Probably most important, an inexperienced user can deliver incorrect answers, upon which expensive decisions will be based. FEA is a demanding tool, in that the analyst must be proficient not only in elasticity or fluids, but also in mathematics, computer science, and especially the finite element method itself.

Which FEA package to use is a subject that cannot possibly be covered in this short discussion, and the choice involves personal preferences as well as package functionality. Where to run the package depends on the type of analyses being performed. A typical finite element solution requires a fast, modern disk subsystem for acceptable performance. Memory requirements are of course dependent on the code, but in the interest of performance, the more the better, with 512 Mbytes to 8 Gbytes per user a representative range. Processing power is the final link in the performance chain, with clock speed, cache, pipelining and multi-processing all contributing to the bottom line. These analyses can run for hours on the fastest systems, so computing power is of the essence.

One aspect often overlooked when entering the finite element area is education. Without adequate training on the finite element method and the specific FEA package, a new user will not be productive in a reasonable amount of time, and may in fact fail miserably. Expect to dedicate one to two weeks up front, and another one to two weeks over the first year, to either classroom or self-help education. It is also important that the user have a basic understanding of the computer's operating system.

Next month's article will go into detail on the pre-processing phase of the finite element method.

About the author: Steve Roensch is an expert witness and mechanical engineer with more than 20 years of professional experience. He has analyzed hundreds of product designs and has served as an expert witness across many industries, including giving depositions and court testimony. Learn more about mechanical engineer expert witness services at www.FiniteElement.com

E=mc2 is Wrong. Einstein's Special Relativity Fundamentally Flawed.

2008-12-18T03:04:00.000-08:00

Author: Michael Strauss

In 1905, Albert Einstein published 'On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies' now known as Special Relativity; this theory revolutionized geometry, math, physics, science and the classical perspective of the universe as understood since Newton's time. However, were there intrinsic errors in this theory?

USA (Wire) December 5, 2005 --

A new book proposes that Albert Einstein's Special Relativity is incompatible with the very equations upon which science's greatest theory is built. Requiem for Relativity the Collapse of Special Relativity, a book by computer engineer Michael Strauss, describes the implicit contradictions present within Relativity ( www.relativitycollapse.c om or www.relativitycollapse.n et ). Using quotations from the 1905 document and Einstein's contemporaries as well as interpretations of the Relativity equations, the book provides a comprehensive description of the history leading up to, during and after the revolutionary year of Special Relativity.

According to the author, as this is the 100 year anniversary of the original release of Special Relativity, a review of the original assumptions, documents and ideas which led to the acceptance of this theory is timely and warranted. Every year millions of students are taught this theory without a critical analysis of Relativity. Relativity Theory consists of its two variants Special Relativity and General Relativity and is considered the cornerstone of modern physics.

Albert Einstein borrowed from the ideas of Fitzgerald, Lorentz and Voigt to create a new concept of the universe. His first work in this regard later came to be known as Special Relativity and contained many controversial ideas which today are considered axiomatic. Amongst these are Length Contraction, Time Dilation, the Twin Paradox and the equivalence of mass and energy summarized in the equation E=mc2.

This equation became the shining capstone of the new theory along with its first & second postulates, namely, that the laws of nature are the same from all perspectives and that the speed of light 'c' is constant in a vacuum regardless of perspective. Further, the theory also predicted an increase in mass with velocity. Numerous examples have been given of the 'proof' of the validity of Special Relativity.

Most notably, experiments using particle accelerators have sped particles to incredible velocities which apparently provide confirmation of Einstein's theory. However, doubts remain in the scientific community who have never totally given up the comfort of a Newtonian world view. This is readily apparent in that they refer to the Newton's 'Law' of Gravitation whilst Special Relativity (SR) and General Relativity (GR) are given the polite attribution 'The Theory of' or simply SR 'theory' and GR 'theory.' Einstein would continue working on the ideas of Special Relativity until producing the aforementioned even more controversial treatise.

In his later more comprehensive work called the Theory of General Relativity (1916), Einstein proposed a major re-thinking of cosmology. He conceived of a space time continuum that is curved by mass; in other words, planets, stars, galaxies and other stellar objects cause a curvature of space time. The movement of these objects are determined by the aforementioned curvature.

As a result of these ideas, our understanding of geometry, math, physics, science and the universe would never be the same. However, Michael Strauss believes he has found an error in the fundamental equations. If so, this would require a major rethinking of the known cosmological models and assumptions of modern physics.

You can find the book online at AMAZON.com; search for Requiem for Relativity, or search for The Collapse of Special Relativity or click here: www.amazon. com/shops/relativitycollapse or for additional information or to contact the author visit: www.relativitycollapse.c om or www.relativitycollapse.n et

About the author: Michael Strauss is an engineer interested in this subject matter who will show you in clear and concise terms what is wrong with Special Relativity. You may contact him at the sites indicated in the article.

The Benefits of Stereo Microscopes

2008-12-17T03:04:00.000-08:00

Author: Peter Emerson

Many people have trouble keeping one eye closed while peering through a microscope lens with the other eye. A stereo microscope eliminates the need to close one eye because it has two eyepieces. Stereo Microscopes have all of the features of conventional microscopes with some added advantages. First of all, stereo microscopes have two eyepieces. They allow for greater depth perception, allowing viewers to see objects in three dimensions. Many stereo microscopes have a zoom lens feature, and it is not uncommon to find a stereo microscope with two illuminators.

A stereo microscope has two eyepieces. This is a major advantage over conventional microscopes. The two eyepieces allow viewers to keep both eyes open, making it easier to focus on the object they are looking at. Many stereo microscopes have comfortable rubber eye guards that make the microscopes even more user friendly.

A major advantage of stereo microscopes is that they allow viewers to see objects in three dimensions. Most microscopes only show objects in two dimensions. People can look at insects, plants, coins, or anything else in all three dimensions, providing the most realistic viewing experience imaginable.

Many stereo microscopes have a zoom lens feature. This provides nearly limitless options for resolution and gives users more control over focus. The zoom lens allows users to slowly enlarge the object they are viewing more easily than conventional microscopes, which have two knobs to adjust.

Another feature found on many stereo microscopes is a dual illuminator system. A stereo microscope has the conventional illuminator below the stage as well as another one right above the objective lens. This provides more than enough light to view specimens in all of their three dimensional glory.

Stereo microscopes are versatile and easy to use. They are perfect for students or anyone else who wants to explore the miniature world around them.

Proving Evolution With The Dictionary

2008-12-16T03:04:00.000-08:00

Author: Dr. Randy Wysong

Specious reasoning and clever crafting of definitions can make about anything appear to come true. As John Mackay (1852) observed, ""When men wish to construct or support a theory, how they torture facts into their service!"" Mackay, J. (1852). Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds.

Some words are innocently created to straight forwardly describe a particular thing but can insidiously take on a life all their own. Our language is filled with words that have departed from their original definitions and are now widely misconstrued and abused. Examples include truth, religion, supernatural, morality, liberal, capitalism, freedom, love...basically all the hot button words and subjects people consider to be their little sacred domains of private belief and interpretation.

Evolution is another example of such a word. In the dictionary, evolution's first definition is: the process by which something develops into a different form. The word and this meaning predated Darwin's concept of biological evolution. Here's how that fact has proven useful in helping to make his case.

Most certainly, things do evolve in the dictionary's pre-Darwinian sense of the word. We evolve as individuals, society evolves, technology evolves, education evolves, the automobile evolves and agriculture evolves. To the uncritical eye, evolution, taken as being synonymous with change, seems to fit well with what all of us experience every day: Homes get built beginning with simple blocks and 2 X 4s, our bank account balance grows slowly, our bodies begin small and get bigger, babies begin with one cell that multiplies into a whole body and anthills grow one grain of dirt at a time. Since everything changes, everything can be said to evolve. How convenient for Darwin's ""evolution.""

He could not have chosen a better word. The case was closed before he ever got into court. Since everything evolves it is not too much of a leap to accept that life evolved. The word itself is tendentious, creating in and of itself reason to believe the theory.

If he had chosen the word transmutation instead of evolution, things might be entirely different. Although transmutation would be a better description of the theory, the unfamiliarity of the word would force people to determine meaning and evaluate that against their own experience. In the larger sense, Darwin's evolution requires that species transform into one another (transmutate) all the way up from a single-celled organism. Since nobody has ever seen one type of organism transmutate into another, he would have had a much harder sell. On the other hand, saying that ""change"" is the same thing as biological evolution makes anyone who does not accept Darwin's evolution, someone who rejects change. In other words, stupid.

Please note that evolution normally implies progressive change. But nothing evolves in that sense without intelligent manipulation. Corn kernels get bigger, evolve, because of intelligent horticulture, home architecture evolves because of intelligent engineering, and mathematics evolves because of mathematicians. That little fact -- that intelligence is needed for things to progressively evolve -- just happened to be left out when Darwin's evolution was attached to dictionary evolution.

A word was stolen from our vocabulary, a word everyone can agree to. Cleverly then, a new footnote about a whole new mechanism was attached to it without really alerting anyone. By that I mean biological evolution is not mere change. In overview (cell to human sense) it is gross change, more like a skipping or gigantic hopping. It is about transmutations in the absence of any intelligent force to make them happen.

It would be like me coming up with a new theory of commerce. I scan the dictionary and decide to call my theory, ""possession"". Everyone possesses things and possession is nine tenths of the law. My ""possession"" theory is a process by which one goes into a store, loads up bags and carts with whatever they want and takes it all home. The stuff is possessed. What a cool theory. Now when the police show up at your door and take you to court, you just take your dictionary. You say to the judge, ""Looky here judge, the dictionary says possession is to have things and that's all I did."" Do you think the prosecutor might make the argument that you have left out an important part of the definition, namely that to possess something legally requires a mechanism called paying for it?

Possession means having something, according to the dictionary, but that does not legitimize any form of possession. Evolution means change, according to the dictionary, but that does not legitimize any theory of change.

About the author: Dr. Wysong: A former veterinary clinician and surgeon, college instructor, inventor of numerous medical, surgical, nutritional, athletic and fitness products and devices, research director for the company by his name and founder of the philanthropic Wysong Institute. http://www.wysong.net .Also check out cerealwysong.com

Fragrant Oils in Magical and Spiritual Work

2008-12-15T03:04:00.000-08:00

Author: Keri Desherite

The power of scent, and the virtues of the oils of various plants, have been recognized by religious and magical practitioners since ancient times. Whether through the inducement of subtle and powerful sensory memory, or the direct stimulation of the body and nervous system through chemical reaction, scented oils can help to shift consciousness and enhance psycho-spiritual well-being.

The ancient Egyptians used a compound called kyphi (the name means ""welcome to the gods""), which was said to induce hypnotic states. Priests in the City of the Sun, Heliopolis, burned resins in the morning, myrrh at noon and kyphi at sunset to the sun god Ra. Kyphi had more than religious uses, however. It could lull one to sleep, alleviate anxieties, increase dreaming, eliminate sorrow, treat asthma and act as a general antidote for toxins. (""Aromatherapy: A Complete Guide to the Healing Art"" by Kathi Keville and Mindy Green). In the Book of Exodus, requirements for the Tabernacle include fragrant annointing oils and an altar devoted to burning incense (Exodus 30).

Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki discusses the psycho-spiritual impact of fragrance in her book ""Highways of the Mind: The Art and History of Pathworking"" as she describes how our brain and neural systems function while doing spiritual work. ""The olofactory sense is the only one that connects immediately with the mid-brain, with no kind of transformer between the particles coming in and the actual organ of scent. Much has been written about the memory stimulation brought about by different smells. It is because of this direct contact with the hidden 'Halls of the Gods' that incense has always been of the greatest importance in magical work"" (p. 41). Whether incense, scented candles, or scented oil, stimulation of the olofactory senses can have a powerful impact on any work involving the mind. The virtues extend to magical, psychic, and healing work, as well as psychological adjustments and intellectual pursuits.

What types of uses can fragrant oils been put to?

Anointing is a powerful ritual practice which conveys blessings on the recipient. Even in modern times, priests and sovereigns are anointed with sacred oil as part of their investiture. Magical practitioners frequently anoint themselves with sacred oil as part of self-blessing or purification prior to doing ritual work. Sandalwood, myrrh and frankincense are among the oils used for such rituals.

The connection between love and roses doesn't end with flowers in a vase. Rose oil is used to heal and open the heart on the spiritual level, and is a primary component in many rituals for attracting love. Rose oil is used to anoint candles for love spells, or worn as a perfume to attract a lover or to induce a more romantic state of mind in the user.

How else can you use oils and incense to enhance your own spiritual well-being? The possibilities are almost endless. First, decide what effect you want to achieve. Do you want to feel more peaceful? Become more prosperous? Balance your chakras? Commune with angels or spirit guides? Successful ritual work begins with a clear, specific intention. Once you have your goal clearly in mind, consult several of the many books and websites which list correspondences and find out which oils are associated with your interest. In many cases there will be more than one listed. For example, mint, patchouli and pine are all associated with increased prosperity. Select the scent with the strongest positive associations for you, or experiment with blends.

Oils work best when coupled with visualization or ritual work. The scent stimulates the mind and spirit, and the mental focus and physical gestures reinforce the inherent virtues of the oils. After the ritual or visualization has been performed, anointing yourself with the fragrance, putting some on a diffuser, or using some in your bath can renew the energy raised and released in the ritual. Just as the smell of fresh-baked cookies can instantly transport you back to the emotions of childhood, a ritually-charged scent can trigger the effect over and over again.

About the author: Keri Desherite, LMP is a practicing holistic healer. She has worked in the bodywork and health field for over 20 years. She is a consultant for Taliessen, Ltd. and has designed most of their aromatherapy and massage oil products.

A new science for a new climate

2008-12-14T03:04:00.000-08:00

Author: Jacob Fiennes

At first glance it's hard to imagine how the proliferation of human activity upon the environment has been a major factor in climate change given that climate change alone is nothing new. Over two million years the earth's history has seen enormous changes. Indeed, in the last ten thousand years the warming and cooling of the earth has been on a larger scale that what we see today.

The climate is however very changeable these days. Getting the politics right has been half the fight. Unfortunately, the right policy has been held at bay partially by having the right knowledge of what's happening to the climate. The climate changes we see today are the result of only a century and a half of study, peanuts in comparison the huge shifts over the earths history.

The recent UN Climate Change Conference sought to put in place a policy to take over the Kyoto protocol. At its core were some recently publicised results:

1. The warming trend on the earth's surface has been taking place since the early part of the twentieth century. The last ten years have been the warmest of that millennium.

2. There have been rapid signs of melting the Arctic circle. The sea ice there has fallen by around eight percent over thirty years.

3. The old inconsistency in the data between the temperature rise in the atmosphere and on the planets surface seems to have levelled out. They appear to rise in parallel.

4. The Scripps Institute of Oceanography in California noted that the ocean has been warming at different depths for over 65 years. These results match the predictions that warming has been induced more by greenhouse gases that as a result of small changes in the suns heat output.

5. There has been an observed and recorded link between the sea surface temperature and the frequency and intensity of tropical storms, typhoons and hurricanes.

6. The existing computer models of the change in ocean currents, in particular in the North Atlantic, are correct.

There are however still some unknowns. For example the solar hypothesis is now known to be a lesser contributor, the miniscule changes in the suns heat output over its eleven year sunspot cycle is adding to the mix. Also, the aerosol emissions from sulphurous fuel promote the formation of clouds, and as a consequence the sunlight reflected from the earths surface increases, effectively opposing the greenhouse gas effect.

Some even argue for the benefits of global warming, which include for example the opening up of new shipping lanes in the artic as the ice recedes, new oil drilling opportunities and longer harvest periods in Canada and Russia.

It seems climate change is inevitable and the small economic ideas such as banning coal subsidies bear little fruit as a means of curbing the problem. More than ever, political will must be demonstrated at first to show to industry and populations that it is even an issue. More importantly perhaps, the will of the politicians must be met with achievable methods from the technological and scientific community.

Professor Socolow is leading the way with what he calls ""stabilisation wedges"". On a graph of climate change, the space between the trend line and the stability line is known as the ""stabilisation triangle'. By dividing these triangles into wedges and assigning realistic goals to each wedge the massive problem is given a usable and effective solution.

The goals to assign to the wedges range from greater overall efficiencies, the decarbonisation of electricity, fuel displacement by low carbon electricity, methane management, and natural carbon sinks.

By further subdividing each wedge into sub wedges, such as decarbonised electricity being subdivided into nuclear power, renewable energy, natural gas as an alternative to coal, and the storage of carbon dioxide - these problems are confounded into what everyone has been looking for. A short list of solutions that together will balance the problem.

It seems the technology for all this exists. It is merely in need of refinement. For example the management of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels could be dealt with through further carbon sequestration. A couple of power plants already employ this particular technique to good effect. The carbon dioxide is extracted at the source and is injected into porous rocks deep underground to prevent it escaping into the atmosphere.

Steam reformation is another technique. It is, in essence, a pre-emptive technique that reacts the fuel used with water to yield hydrogen. The hydrogen output is burnt to create electricity.

Of all the possibilities of reworking and inventing technologies, perhaps the best idea is the oldest idea. Replanting programmes. The idea of photosynthesis to combine carbon dioxide with water and sunlight is a relatively cheap and exponential idea and would be hugely effective.

About the author: Jacob Fiennes is an enthusiastic traveller and photographer with a passion for discovery. He is a founder and regular contributor to the hugely popular worldwide hotel reservations site TravelBX.com . Visit the site for your next hotel room reservation, flight ticket, tailored holiday package and much more. >> http://www.travelbx.com

Evolution and Intelligent Design

2008-12-13T03:03:00.000-08:00

Author: Jeff Schweitzer, Ph.D.

What about evolution creates such a fuss in our society? We do not see people getting exercised about Quantum Mechanics, String Theory or the Theory of Relativity. But mention evolution and you invoke an immediate and visceral reaction. Local school boards are elected, rejected and then re-elected solely on this issue. No other scientific discovery is so deeply embedded into the fabric of American politics.

The debate about intelligent design in public schools is a uniquely American phenomenon, a quirk of our history and culture. Beyond the theocracies of the Middle East, religion permeates American politics in a way not found anywhere else in the world. No other developed country, east or west, is host to a serious political movement dedicated to the destruction of secularism.

We have to go all the way back to Italy in 1614 to find another example of a powerful political machine dedicated to the suppression of a broad scientific truth with deep implications for human understanding. That is the year in which Galileo's observations of the earth orbiting the sun were first denounced as a threat to the established authority of the Catholic Church, which claimed Galileo's doctrine to be false and contrary to the divine and Holy Scripture. We have regressed four centuries. Intelligent design is nothing but a transparent fig leaf for creationism, a child of that dark era in the 1600s. Comparing creationism or intelligent design to evolution is no different than insisting that we teach today that the sun actually orbits the earth as an alternative theory to modern astronomy. Only in the United States are such discredited views taken seriously by a large portion of the citizenry. We can and should do better. Intelligent design has no place in a science classroom.

Nevertheless, the debate will inevitably continue: evolution strikes at the core of expanding religiosity deeper than other scientific truths such as the age of the earth because the conclusions are more personal. Imagine yourself back in that amazing year of 1859 when Charles Darwin published his masterpiece. The day before Darwin's book was published, you woke up thinking yourself the image of God; the next morning you realize you have the face of a monkey. Not everybody immediately embraced this rude demotion. Resistance to the idea was inevitable, if not futile.

Sometimes the word ""theory"" associated with evolution is misunderstood to mean that the concept is not well established. Oddly, that burden is not shared by the Theory of Relativity. Einstein apparently hired a better publicist than Darwin, if not a better barber. Evolution is a fact, an undeniable, proven fact, as certain as the existence of atoms. Only some of the details of the mechanisms of evolution remain to be elucidated. Cancer is a fact, though not all the mechanisms leading to malignancy are understood. Theory does not imply uncertainty; instead, a grand idea, such as General Relativity or Evolution, can be well-established but remain under the rubric of a theory because the ideas encompass and explain a broad range of phenomena.

Complicating public acceptance of evolution as a scientific truth is the fact that society is still largely scientifically illiterate. Although understanding the basics of science is critical to everyday life in a technology-driven society, the subject is given only cursory treatment in most public schools. As a result, people are often poorly equipped to understand the complexities of an issue before forming an opinion about the costs and benefits of adopting or restricting a particular technology. The issue of therapeutic cloning offers a prime example. Religious bias and scientific illiteracy combine powerfully to restrict a technology with extraordinary potential for good, with little associated risk. The upside of therapeutic cloning could be cures for diabetes, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis, and a host of other devastating diseases. There is no downside.

As religiosity has ascended in American life, policy debates have become faith-based rather than being anchored in logic. Support for a policy position becomes unmoved by contradictory facts because proponents simply ""believe"" the position to be correct even in the face of incontrovertible evidence to the contrary. That explains why 80% of Republicans still support the current president. Just as there is no way to determine relative validity between religions, or to diminish faith with facts, as soon as logic is removed from policy debates, competing positions are no longer evaluated based on relative merit, but are supported as inherently right, immune to any reasonable counter arguments. This slide away from secular debate leads increasingly to polarization, greater animosity and a loss of civility because the only way to support a position is simply to assert supremacy as loudly as possible. We are reduced to childlike tantrums of ""I'm right, you're wrong, I win."" Without logic, there is no common basis for discussion, and no way to mediate disputes. The death of secularism is the death of civility, and nothing demonstrates this more clearly than the debate about teaching science in schools free from religion.

About the author: Jeff Schweitzer spent much of his youth underwater pursuing his lifelong fascination with marine life. He obtained his doctorate from UCSD and has published in an eclectic range of fields, including neurobiology, marine science, international development, environmental protection and aviation. Visit www.JeffSchweitzer.com

How to Make a Test-Tube Baby

2008-12-12T03:03:00.000-08:00

Author: Daniel Todd

IVF is the scientific approach to getting pregnant. Originally termed ""test-tube"" babies by the Press, embryos are fertilized in the lab, removed from a human body. One attempt at pregnancy through IVF is termed a cycle, and can be divided into 5 general phases.

1. Preparation

You're body is manipulated with drugs. Doctors prescribe a medication such as Lupron to shut down your ovaries for two weeks.

2. Stimulation

Following the Lupron series you will receive a set of up to 14 shots of another medication, such as pergonal, to hyperstimulate egg production. At the conclusion of these shots you will be given a final medication to boost maturity of your eggs.

3. Harvesting

Once the eggs have reached maturity you are heavily sedated and between 5-15 eggs are suctioned from your ovaries via ultrasound guided vaginal retrieval.

4. Fertilization

Egg and sperm meet each other for the first time in the lab. Approximately 100,000 motile sperm are introduced to each egg. Fertilization is documented and the growing embryos are carefully observed in vitro for up to 6 days. The growing trend is to observe growth longer, past the 6-8 cell stage, and blastocyst or advanced stage embryo transfer is not uncommon. There are several benefits to a blastocyst transfer, you might wish to ask your Reproductive team about them.

5. Embryo Transfer

Mom comes back in the picture as 3 or 4 growing embryos are transferred back into your uterus in a procedure that resembles a PAP smear. With any luck a new baby begins growing. On average it takes 3 IVF cycles to establish a pregnancy.

This is a very brief draft of a typical IVF cycle, and it can be an expensive, invasive procedure. But for couples who are having trouble conceiving, IVF is a well-established, proven method to overcoming infertility. There are a million people out there who walking proof it works.

About the author: Dan Todd, esq. is a full-time father. When they had trouble conceiving thier youngest daughter, Victoria, Dan and Donna began investigating fertility and reproductive issues. Today they run thier website http://www.vasectomy-reversal-cost.com from thier home in Tennessee.

Benefits of Human Growth Hormone - HGH Enhancing Supplements

2008-12-11T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Danna Schneider

Human Growth Hormone has often been referred to as the ""fountain of youth hormone"". So, have we stumbled upon the proverbial ""fountain of youth"" with these new HGH enhancement supplements that claim to reduce fat, relieve ""aging symptoms"" such as wrinkles, increase energy and sex drive, promote sounder and deeper sleep cycles, and rejuvenate the body? Well, there are several faithful users of products in this arena (and I'm one of them) that will swear that since they have started taking HGH enhancing products, they've experienced a wide range of pleasing and desirable benefits, and it's not placebo.

If your goal is to proactively slow your body's aging process and optimize your personal longevity and quality of life, a quality HGH supplement may be just the thing for you. So, let's take a look at what these HGH products propose to do for you, and how they propose to offer such life-changing benefits to anyone who has the inclination to buy such products, and faithfully take the supplement as prescribed.

As we age, the amount of HGH secreted by our body's pituitary gland decreases, resulting in the symptoms of aging you see in your skin (wrinkles, loss of tone and firmness), energy level, libido, hair color (loss of hair color, or graying of hair), weight gain, and muscle to fat ratio. We could go on forever on the symptoms of aging, but we'll leave it at that for the sake of brevity, and because I'm sure you don't have all day!

HGH supplements do not contain actual Human Growth Hormone - for this you would actually need to go to a doctor who does this type of thing, pay about $10,000 a year, and get injections of real Human Growth Hormone.

Rather, most HGH supplement products employ the use of homeopathic medicine and stimulate the pituitary gland into producing more Human Growth Hormone, increasing it's levels in the blood (usually a big difference will be noticed within a month to two month's time, which allows for the HGH-promoting agents to gain higher levels in the blood and become effective).

These HGH stimulating agents are what we call non prescription amino acid secretagogue supplementation. These compounds stimulate the pituitary gland and encourage it to secrete more HGH into the blood stream, hence the anti-aging benefits that are a direct result of increased HGH in the body. Studies have shown that amino acids such as arginine, glutamine and lysine can significantly increase the production of HGH. The tricky part is, many of these amino acid compounds can be destroyed by the digestive acids in the stomach, rendering any HGH enhancing abilities useless. If you are going to consider an HGH supplement in pill form, be sure there is a technology used to coat or protect the amino acids from being destroyed by your stomach acids. Most quality supplements in pill form will indicate that they employ this type of protective technology, just be sure to look for that information.

Another popular method of delivery is powder and spray form. Whatever your preference, just make sure you purchase the supplement from a reputable homeopathic and/or herbal company that has a wide range of successful products, plenty of customer testimonials, and a money back or quality guarantee. I can personally testify that I have been using an HGH supplement for about two months, and I'm no scientist, but I can definitely tell you, I feel great and I haven't gotten sick once since I've been on it, even with several stomach flu viruses and cold bugs going around the office.

I've also notice that my sleep quality has improved and I wake up feeling more refreshed, my skin seems to be smoother and more toned, my fatty areas and cellulite seem to be improving/diminishing more and more every day, my appetite has decreased, I have more energy and can think more clearly at work without the typical fogginess I used to get halfway through my day, and my eyes are brighter and more full of life. Overall, my quality of life has definitely improved since about a month after I started the supplement.

Coincidence? Maybe - but I doubt it. I'm what you might call an herbal-product-of-the-moment junkie. I've experimented with many of the fads of the moment in the herbal and alternative medicine field, and I've never experienced such noticeable and obvious results as I have with HGH as I have with any of these other products. Try it - it may be just what you're looking for to slow the aging process, improve your quality of life overall, and get the youthful edge back.

About the author: Danna Schneider is the founder of HGH Enhancer . Visit HG H Enhancing Supplement for more information on this effective antiaging HGH stimulating product.

The Finite Element Method: A Four-Article Series - Part 4

2008-12-10T03:03:00.001-08:00

Author: Steve Roensch

FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS: Post-processing

by Steve Roensch, President, Roensch & Associates

Last in a four-part series

After a finite element model has been prepared and checked, boundary conditions have been applied, and the model has been solved, it is time to investigate the results of the analysis. This activity is known as the post-processing phase of the finite element method.

Post-processing begins with a thorough check for problems that may have occurred during solution. Most solvers provide a log file, which should be searched for warnings or errors, and which will also provide a quantitative measure of how well-behaved the numerical procedures were during solution. Next, reaction loads at restrained nodes should be summed and examined as a ""sanity check"". Reaction loads that do not closely balance the applied load resultant for a linear static analysis should cast doubt on the validity of other results. Error norms such as strain energy density and stress deviation among adjacent elements might be looked at next, but for h-code analyses these quantities are best used to target subsequent adaptive remeshing.

Once the solution is verified to be free of numerical problems, the quantities of interest may be examined. Many display options are available, the choice of which depends on the mathematical form of the quantity as well as its physical meaning. For example, the displacement of a solid linear brick element's node is a 3-component spatial vector, and the model's overall displacement is often displayed by superposing the deformed shape over the undeformed shape. Dynamic viewing and animation capabilities aid greatly in obtaining an understanding of the deformation pattern. Stresses, being tensor quantities, currently lack a good single visualization technique, and thus derived stress quantities are extracted and displayed. Principal stress vectors may be displayed as color-coded arrows, indicating both direction and magnitude. The magnitude of principal stresses or of a scalar failure stress such as the Von Mises stress may be displayed on the model as colored bands. When this type of display is treated as a 3D object subjected to light sources, the resulting image is known as a shaded image stress plot . Displacement magnitude may also be displayed by colored bands, but this can lead to misinterpretation as a stress plot.

An area of post-processing that is rapidly gaining popularity is that of adaptive remeshing. Error norms such as strain energy density are used to remesh the model, placing a denser mesh in regions needing improvement and a coarser mesh in areas of overkill. Adaptivity requires an associative link between the model and the underlying CAD geometry, and works best if boundary conditions may be applied directly to the geometry, as well. Adaptive remeshing is a recent demonstration of the iterative nature of h-code analysis.

Optimization is another area enjoying recent advancement. Based on the values of various results, the model is modified automatically in an attempt to satisfy certain performance criteria and is solved again. The process iterates until some convergence criterion is met. In its scalar form, optimization modifies beam cross-sectional properties, thin shell thicknesses and/or material properties in an attempt to meet maximum stress constraints, maximum deflection constraints, and/or vibrational frequency constraints. Shape optimization is more complex, with the actual 3D model boundaries being modified. This is best accomplished by using the driving dimensions as optimization parameters, but mesh quality at each iteration can be a concern.

Another direction clearly visible in the finite element field is the integration of FEA packages with so-called ""mechanism"" packages, which analyze motion and forces of large-displacement multi-body systems. A long-term goal would be real-time computation and display of displacements and stresses in a multi-body system undergoing large displacement motion, with frictional effects and fluid flow taken into account when necessary. It is difficult to estimate the increase in computing power necessary to accomplish this feat, but 2 or 3 orders of magnitude is probably close. Algorithms to integrate these fields of analysis may be expected to follow the computing power increases.

In summary, the finite element method is a relatively recent discipline that has quickly become a mature method, especially for structural and thermal analysis. The costs of applying this technology to everyday design tasks have been dropping, while the capabilities delivered by the method expand constantly. With education in the technique and in the commercial software packages becoming more and more available, the question has moved from ""Why apply FEA?"" to ""Why not?"". The method is fully capable of delivering higher quality products in a shorter design cycle with a reduced chance of field failure, provided it is applied by a capable analyst. It is also a valid indication of thorough design practices, should an unexpected litigation crop up. The time is now for industry to make greater use of this and other analysis techniques.

Stingray - life of stingray fish in the wild

2008-12-09T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Art Inion

Stingrays are neither threatened nor endangered species. They derive their name from their slender, whip-like tails equipped with venomous spines. Stingrays are neither threatened nor endangered species. They've been hunted for centuries for their meat and also today stingrays are marketed for food in various countries around the world, principally in Europe and Asia.

General characteristics of stingrays

Stingrays can be found in the major oceans; Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. Most stingrays are marine, living in salt water but they can be found in freshwater and where salt and fresh water mix (brackish water). The shape as can be seen in the pictures, the side of the head has a continuous shape with the outer side margin of the pectoral fin, the fins that look like wings.

They breath by drawing water through a small hole behind the eye and expel the water through gill slits on the underside of the disc. The dorsal fin or backward fin, does not exist or sometimes are hard to distinguish. The disc is about 1.2 times as broad as the length.

The stingray does not have a tail fin (cuadal fin). Instead it has a tail and it looks like a whip with a long venomous spine on the tail. The spine is replaced every four months. Most species have at least 1 long venomous spine on the tail, and some stingrays that are seen to have two.

Injuries to humans from stingrays occur when an unsuspecting person steps on a ray, causing the creature to reflexively strike out with its tail. The stinger apparatus then injects a toxin, causing immediate shooting pain. Although there is no known antidote for their toxin, it's rarely fatal for humans.

The largest of these is the specie is Trygonidae with a total length of about 4 meters and is approximately 4.8 meters in total width.

Behavior of stingrays

They live in the bottom parts of shallow tropical waters. Looking carefully, you are likely to find them lying on a seabed, buried or partially covered with sand. They can move very rapidly when threatened or in pursuit of a passing fish. They also eat mollusks and crustaceans, crushing then with their flat, strong teeth.

Most of stingrays are not especially afraid of humans. When approached, they swim gently to another place naturally avoiding too close contact. In many places around the world they became tourist attraction, where people can swim together or even feed them.

Stingray leather

There are very few

stingray species that provide suitable leather hides. These are called ""scaly species"". The skin of these stingrays consists of thousands of tiny rock-hard pearls or scales. This

stingray leather is exceptionally strong and by many is called the most durable leather in the world. It's definitely fire, water, tear and ""cut"" resistant.

The reason of these features lies in the structure of the leather. In regular leather, the fibres of the leather run parallel to each other, whereas in stingray leather the fibres run in all directions. In addition, all the tiny pearls with their roots are grown into the bottom layer of the leather, to the effect that you can neither tear the leather apart, nor cut it easily with the knife.

There are many products that can be made from

stingray leather ; handbag s , purses and wallets for example. There are also coin purses and key wallets , too. One can choose from a variety of colors and sizes, all genuine exotic stingray leather.

About the author: Article written for Exotic Leather Store of crocodile, snakeskin, and stingray leather: www.tropicalleather.com

The Finite Element Method: A Four-Article Series - Part 3

2008-12-08T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Steve Roensch

FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS: Solution

by Steve Roensch, President, Roensch & Associates

Third in a four-part series

While the pre-processing and post-processing phases of the finite element method are interactive and time-consuming for the analyst, the solution is often a batch process, and is demanding of computer resource. The governing equations are assembled into matrix form and are solved numerically. The assembly process depends not only on the type of analysis (e.g. static or dynamic), but also on the model's element types and properties, material properties and boundary conditions.

In the case of a linear static structural analysis, the assembled equation is of the form Kd = r , where K is the system stiffness matrix, d is the nodal degree of freedom (dof) displacement vector, and r is the applied nodal load vector. To appreciate this equation, one must begin with the underlying elasticity theory. The strain-displacement relation may be introduced into the stress-strain relation to express stress in terms of displacement. Under the assumption of compatibility, the differential equations of equilibrium in concert with the boundary conditions then determine a unique displacement field solution, which in turn determines the strain and stress fields. The chances of directly solving these equations are slim to none for anything but the most trivial geometries, hence the need for approximate numerical techniques presents itself.

A finite element mesh is actually a displacement-nodal displacement relation, which, through the element interpolation scheme, determines the displacement anywhere in an element given the values of its nodal dof. Introducing this relation into the strain-displacement relation, we may express strain in terms of the nodal displacement, element interpolation scheme and differential operator matrix. Recalling that the expression for the potential energy of an elastic body includes an integral for strain energy stored (dependent upon the strain field) and integrals for work done by external forces (dependent upon the displacement field), we can therefore express system potential energy in terms of nodal displacement.

Applying the principle of minimum potential energy, we may set the partial derivative of potential energy with respect to the nodal dof vector to zero, resulting in: a summation of element stiffness integrals, multiplied by the nodal displacement vector, equals a summation of load integrals. Each stiffness integral results in an element stiffness matrix, which sum to produce the system stiffness matrix, and the summation of load integrals yields the applied load vector, resulting in Kd = r . In practice, integration rules are applied to elements, loads appear in the r vector, and nodal dof boundary conditions may appear in the d vector or may be partitioned out of the equation.

Solution methods for finite element matrix equations are plentiful. In the case of the linear static Kd = r , inverting K is computationally expensive and numerically unstable. A better technique is Cholesky factorization, a form of Gauss elimination, and a minor variation on the ""LDU"" factorization theme. The K matrix may be efficiently factored into LDU , where L is lower triangular, D is diagonal, and U is upper triangular, resulting in LDUd = r . Since L and D are easily inverted, and U is upper triangular, d may be determined by back-substitution. Another popular approach is the wavefront method, which assembles and reduces the equations at the same time. Some of the best modern solution methods employ sparse matrix techniques. Because node-to-node stiffnesses are non-zero only for nearby node pairs, the stiffness matrix has a large number of zero entries. This can be exploited to reduce solution time and storage by a factor of 10 or more. Improved solution methods are continually being developed. The key point is that the analyst must understand the solution technique being applied.

Dynamic analysis for too many analysts means normal modes. Knowledge of the natural frequencies and mode shapes of a design may be enough in the case of a single-frequency vibration of an existing product or prototype, with FEA being used to investigate the effects of mass, stiffness and damping modifications. When investigating a future product, or an existing design with multiple modes excited, forced response modeling should be used to apply the expected transient or frequency environment to estimate the displacement and even dynamic stress at each time step.

This discussion has assumed h-code elements, for which the order of the interpolation polynomials is fixed. Another technique, p-code, increases the order iteratively until convergence, with error estimates available after one analysis. Finally, the boundary element method places elements only along the geometrical boundary. These techniques have limitations, but expect to see more of them in the near future.

Next month's article will discuss the post-processing phase of the finite element method.

Metaevolution - Evolution of Evolution

2008-12-07T03:03:00.001-08:00

Author: Paras Chopra

I've thought on this concept for the last few months, I thought it was my original concept. But it already exists. Well, 'Metaevolution' is, unsurprisingly, evolution of evolution. But the existing concept of metaevolution is quite different from mine. Existing concept defines meta evolution as evolution of evolution since the big-bang ( i.e. the birth of universe), but I define metaevolution as the evolution of evolution (EoE) since the birth of life (on earth?).

This means that all throughout life's history evolution has not remained same, it itself changes with time to time. See, this is a two way process: evolution changes the organism so that it tries to become perfect for existing environment. But an organism is not separate from environment; it is very well a part of environment. It changes and modifies the environment constantly. Thus, evolution in altered environment doesn't work in the same way. Thus, evolution has been changed. If there is more than one organism in a particular environment, each affects the environment in his own way. So there is more complex change in environment. Each changes the environment in his own way and thus affecting the process of evolution which applies to all organisms in that environment.

The only species which has had major affect on metaevolution has been undoubtedly, Humans!! I say this because humans, thanks to their evolved brains, developed great tools and techniques to alter environments. These all stories of mass extinctions of rare species are demonstrations of nothing but meta-evolution. The humans have changed the course of evolution; therefore, the incapable species don't fit into the environment anymore. Thus they die. I don't see anything wrong with it, but the point is that an organism (us) may change the environment to such an extent which even removes his own food source. Thus the organism is doomed to die.

Meta-evolution is even more interesting concept than evolution. And this is because it involves a complex interplay between organism, environment and evolution itself. Metaevolution may also be influenced by external events such as change in climatic conditions (change of earth from a violent to an earthly place), meteor collision (it wiped out dinosaurs), etc. I wonder what would have been life today if dinosaurs didn't go extinct. Would humans still have arisen???

See, we can very well say that life is helping in the evolution of environment on earth rather than the other way. But it is all the same thing in light of metaevolution. It doesn't matter if we say if organism changes environment or environment changes organism, the fact is that there is a constant change between the two. And due to the change the evolution itself evolves.

But, does evolution also follows the same rules such as survival of the fittest. Maybe, we can know the answer if we can see the affect same organisms on two radically different environments such as two different planets (if life exists beyond earth). Or, we may very well compare the different aspects of metaevolution on a computer simulation. In my view, the essence of evolution in extreme places such as hot-springs or glaciers is very much different than we see at other places on earth. How is the evolution different there? It has been suggested by the researchers that the conditions of Hydrothermal Systems represent early conditions of earth. So by studying, the evolution there we might notice how the evolution has been shaped on the earth. But I truly metaevolution needs more thought and study. But if it is true, we see that evolution has evolved into an entirely different species at places where life exists on the edge.

Can there be metametaevolution?? Yes, of course we can do anything on computer simulations. Or if alternate universes exist!!!

About the author: Paras Chopra was born in Patiala, Punjab, India on 3rd June 1987. His interests lie in subjects ranging from Synthetic Biology to Philosophy to Artificial Intelligence. His goal in life is to achieve immortality. Visit him at: http://www.paraschopra.com

He also runs NaramCheez. Visit NaramCheez at: http://naramcheez.paraschopra.com

Why Seven Days in a Week?

2008-12-06T03:03:00.000-08:00

Author: Peter Meyer

Wherever the Common Era Calendar (a.k.a. the Gregorian Calendar) is used -- and it is now used by the governments of all countries -- a week of seven days is also used in conjunction with it. But there is no 7-day cycle in Nature from which this could have been derived, so why a week of seven days?

People use a 7-day week because they have been born into a world where this is customary. In other words, the 7-day week has been received from earlier generations. It has a long history. When the Roman emperor Constantine made Christianity the state religion early in the 4th Century CE the 7-day week was officially associated with the Julian Calendar, and the association remained after the Julian Calendar was replaced by the Gregorian Calendar in the 16th Century CE.

The Christians received the 7-day week from the Jews. Their explanation for its use is that this was commanded by their god, named by them YHWH (using the Hebrew letters Yod-He-Vav-He). The Jewish Pentateuch (incorporated into the Old Testament of the Christian Bible) contains several injunctions attributed to YHWH which mention ""a seventh day"", upon which no ""work"" is to be done.

So clearly a 7-day week was in use at the time of Moses in the middle of the 2nd millennium BCE, but the 7-day week is much older than that, since it was also used by the Sumerians and Babylonians. Kerry Farmer remarks that ""Some historians believe that around 2350 BC Sargon I, King of Akkad, having conquered Ur and the other cities of Sumeria, instituted a seven-day week, the first to be recorded.""

In many European languages the names of the days of the week are derived from the names of planets/gods. According to Dr Kelley Ross the names for the planets/gods in Sumerian, Babylonian, Greek, Latin and English, with the English name of the corresponding day of the week in parentheses, are as follows:

Utu, Shamash, Helios, Sol, Sun (Sunday) Nanna, Sin, Selene, Luna, Moon (Monday) Gugalanna, Nergal, Ares, Mars, Mars (Tuesday) Enki, Nabu, Hermes, Mercurius, Mercury (Wednesday) Enlil, Marduk, Zeus, Iuppiter, Jupiter (Thursday) Inanna, Ishtar, Aphrodite, Venus, Venus (Friday) Ninurta, Ninurta, Kronos, Saturnus, Saturn (Saturday)

It is plausible to suppose that the association of planets and days of the week arose in prehistoric times as follows:

At some point in the evolution of humans, perhaps as far back as 100,000 years ago, they acquired sufficient intelligence to observe their environment and start to think about it. Obviously the night sky would have been of interest to early humans. The more intelligent among them would have observed that all of the luminous objects in the night sky maintained their positions relative to each other except for a few. Those that did not appeared to wander across the night sky (relative to the fixed stars), and thus eventually came to be called ""wanderers"". (The English word ""planet"" is derived from the Greek ""planetes"", which means exactly ""wanderers"".)

We may assume that tens of thousands of years ago humans did not think of the physical world as we do today, and in particular did not have an idea of the Earth as a large spherical object within a vast 3-dimensional space in which other large spherical objects moved. For them the nature of the luminous objects which they observed to wander along a band of the night sky, and the cause of their movement, was unknown. But since (by observation of the natural world) it was only living things which moved of themselves, it would be reasonable for early humans to assume that the wanderers, the planets, were living beings of some kind -- beings of a very unusual nature, what we might now call ""gods"".

So for early humans the planets were gods. And obviously the Sun and the Moon belonged to their company. So how many gods were there? As many as could be observed (perhaps more). In addition to the Sun and the Moon there were five others (what we now call Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn). If days somehow became associated with these gods then we have the basis for a period of seven days. Perhaps a particular god was venerated each successive day without a break, which would give rise to repeated periods of seven days.

It is plausible to suppose that the earliest calendars were simple tallies of days from one new moon to the next (where ""new moon"" means the reappearance of the moon after two or three days of invisibility). Bones with 29 and 30 scratches have been found which are at least 40,000 years old, suggesting (since a lunation is approximately 29.5 days) that the scratches were a record of days (or nights) in a lunation. This was probably the first attempt by humans to divide the sequence of days into periods. They would quickly have noted that four successive 7-day periods were almost, but not quite the number of days from one new moon to the next. This might have given rise to a calendar (such as is known to have been used by the Sumerians and Babylonians) in which the days of a lunation (a ""month"") were divided into four 7-day periods beginning with a new moon, followed by one or two days (not part of any 7-day period) until the next new moon.

The origin of the 7-day week is sometimes attributed to dividing the 29 or 30 days of a lunation by four, to get a number close to seven. But a concept of division, which we find easily understandable, is not a concept that we can attribute to the earliest thinking humans. Counting and addition may have been the most advanced mathematical concepts for many thousands of years before the idea of division (as a numerical operation) was discovered.

On the basis of this explanation of the development of the idea of the week it is obvious why there are seven days in a week: This is the number of visible planets plus the Sun and the Moon.

An immediate corollary is that there is nothing sacred (except in the minds of some people) about the fact that a week has seven days.

If, instead of an asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, there had been a planet, then there would have been six visible planets, not five, so the number of celestial entities would have been eight, not seven. In that case humans would have developed a week of eight days, not seven.

The Moon is thought by many astronomers to have been formed as a result of a collision of the Earth with a planet-sized object shortly after its formation over four billion years ago. If (assuming that is what happened) that collision had never occurred, and that no large body was subsequently captured by the Earth, then the Earth would have no moon, in which case the number of celestial entities would have been six, not seven. In that case humans would have invented a week of six days, not seven.

The planet Uranus was first observed by telescope in 1690 (by Flamsteed) but was recognized as a planet (by Herschel) only in 1781. Neptune was first observed in 1846. Had the solar system formed in such a way that these planets came close enough to Earth to be observable with the naked eye then the number of celestial entities would have been nine, and we would have a 9-day week. Actually the Maya had a 9-day week, with the days assigned to nine gods, called the Lords of the Night. One might speculate that the Maya knew (or were informed) that there were two more ""gods"" which were invisible (Pluto perhaps not being regarded as a fully accredited planet/god), though there is no other evidence supporting this idea.

The fact that humans have long used a week of seven days is thus the result of accident, namely, the fact that the solar system is the way it is, with five of the nine planets being sufficiently close to Earth to be visible with the naked eye.

The ""sacredness"" of the number seven is due to the association of the seven celestial beings (the visible planets plus the Sun and the Moon) with gods in the minds of early humans. This ""sacredness"" is thus illusory. And thus so too is the ""sacredness"" of the 7-day week. Accordingly there is no reason to preserve it, except from an exagerated respect for tradition. Those who adhere to some religion within which a 7-day week is given prominence will, of course, wish to retain a 7-day week in any new calendar. But for those whose minds are not constrained by religious (or astrological) tradition there is no reason to preserve a 7-day week. A week of 6 or 8 days may be considered on its merits, or even a week with a variable number of days. Such a week -- of 6, 7, 8 or 9 days, in accord with the variable length of quarter-lunations as they actually occur -- is part of a calendar invented in 2005 called ""the Hermetic Lunar Week Calendar"".

About the author: Peter Meyer is the author of the Hermetic Systems website (http://www.hermetic.ch/), containing articles on calendars and information about his calendar software . This article previously appeared on his website.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to Elliptical Galaxies

2008-12-05T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: James Monahan

Elliptical galaxies are ellipsoidal agglomerations of stars, which usually do not contain much interstellar matter, and look smoothly like small wads when viewed through a telescope.

Some disk galaxies without much structure can hardly be distinguished from elliptical galaxies and thus are sometimes misclassified.

Elliptical galaxies are unlike spiral galaxies and hence unlike our own Milky Way Galaxy.

Ellipti-what?

The most popularly used classification of galaxies is due to Hubble (1925) and according to this categorization, there are two major groups: the spiral and elliptical galaxies, but there are also lenticulars and irregulars.

Before hitchhiking to and through elliptical galaxies, one must first familiarize themselves with all the other types of galaxies.

Spiral coils in space

Spirals like our own galaxy, fall into several classes depending on their shape and the relative size of their bulge or how they curve.

Spiral galaxies are characterized by the presence of gas in the disk which means star formation remains active at the present time, hence the younger population of stars. Spirals are usually found in the low density galactic field where their delicate shape can avoid disruption by tidal forces from neighboring galaxies.

The egg in space

Ellipticals on the other hand are placed in sub categories depending on their degree of ellipticity. They have a uniform luminosity and are similar to the bulge in a spiral galaxy, but with no disk. The stars are old and there is no gas present. Ellipticals are usually found in the high density field, at the center of clusters.

Irregular Lentils

The last two other types of galaxies are called Lenticular and Irregular. Lenticulars also possess both a bulge and a disk, but they have no spiral arms. There is little or no gas and so all the stars are old. They also appear to be an intermediate. Irregulars on the other hand are small galaxies, with no bulge and an ill-defined shape. Spots in the universe

Galaxies are like islands in the Universe, made of stars as well as dust and gas clouds. They come in different sizes and shapes.

Galaxies are not only distinct in shape, they also vary in size: some may be as ""light"" as a stellar globular cluster in our Milky Way (i.e. they contain about the equivalent of a few million Suns) while others may be more massive than a million Suns.

Presently, more than half of the stars in the Universe are located in massive spheroidal galaxies.

One of the main open questions of modern astrophysics and cosmology is how and when galaxies formed and evolved starting from the primordial gas that filled the early Universe.

In the most popular current theory, galaxies in the local Universe are the result of a relatively slow process where small and less massive galaxies merge to gradually build up bigger and more massive galaxies.

In this scenario, dubbed ""hierarchical merging"", the young Universe was populated by small galaxies with little mass, whereas the present Universe contains large, old and massive galaxies, the very last to form in the final stage of a slow assembling process.

If this scenario were true, then one should not be able to find massive elliptical galaxies in the young universe. Or, in other words, due to the finite speed of light, there should be no such massive galaxies very far from us. And indeed, until now no old elliptical galaxy was known beyond a radio-galaxy that was discovered almost ten years ago.

And so the mystery of the elliptical galaxy continues. Continue hitchhiking through galaxies to understand things better and whatever happens, remember not to panic.

About the author: James Monahan is the owner and Senior Editor of EllipticalHq.com and writes expert articles about ellipticals .

The Finite Element Method: A Four-Article Series - Part 2

2008-12-04T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Steve Roensch

FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS: Pre-processing

by Steve Roensch, President, Roensch & Associates

Second in a four-part series

As discussed last month, finite element analysis is comprised of pre-processing, solution and post-processing phases. The goals of pre-processing are to develop an appropriate finite element mesh, assign suitable material properties, and apply boundary conditions in the form of restraints and loads.

The finite element mesh subdivides the geometry into elements , upon which are found nodes . The nodes, which are really just point locations in space, are generally located at the element corners and perhaps near each midside. For a two-dimensional (2D) analysis, or a three-dimensional (3D) thin shell analysis, the elements are essentially 2D, but may be ""warped"" slightly to conform to a 3D surface. An example is the thin shell linear quadrilateral; thin shell implies essentially classical shell theory, linear defines the interpolation of mathematical quantities across the element, and quadrilateral describes the geometry. For a 3D solid analysis, the elements have physical thickness in all three dimensions. Common examples include solid linear brick and solid parabolic tetrahedral elements. In addition, there are many special elements, such as axisymmetric elements for situations in which the geometry, material and boundary conditions are all symmetric about an axis.

The model's degrees of freedom (dof) are assigned at the nodes. Solid elements generally have three translational dof per node. Rotations are accomplished through translations of groups of nodes relative to other nodes. Thin shell elements, on the other hand, have six dof per node: three translations and three rotations. The addition of rotational dof allows for evaluation of quantities through the shell, such as bending stresses due to rotation of one node relative to another. Thus, for structures in which classical thin shell theory is a valid approximation, carrying extra dof at each node bypasses the necessity of modeling the physical thickness. The assignment of nodal dof also depends on the class of analysis. For a thermal analysis, for example, only one temperature dof exists at each node.

Developing the mesh is usually the most time-consuming task in FEA. In the past, node locations were keyed in manually to approximate the geometry. The more modern approach is to develop the mesh directly on the CAD geometry, which will be (1) wireframe , with points and curves representing edges, (2) surfaced , with surfaces defining boundaries, or (3) solid , defining where the material is. Solid geometry is preferred, but often a surfacing package can create a complex blend that a solids package will not handle. As far as geometric detail, an underlying rule of FEA is to ""model what is there"", and yet simplifying assumptions simply must be applied to avoid huge models. Analyst experience is of the essence.

The geometry is meshed with a mapping algorithm or an automatic free-meshing algorithm. The first maps a rectangular grid onto a geometric region, which must therefore have the correct number of sides. Mapped meshes can use the accurate and cheap solid linear brick 3D element, but can be very time-consuming, if not impossible, to apply to complex geometries. Free-meshing automatically subdivides meshing regions into elements, with the advantages of fast meshing, easy mesh-size transitioning (for a denser mesh in regions of large gradient), and adaptive capabilities. Disadvantages include generation of huge models, generation of distorted elements, and, in 3D, the use of the rather expensive solid parabolic tetrahedral element. It is always important to check elemental distortion prior to solution. A badly distorted element will cause a matrix singularity, killing the solution. A less distorted element may solve, but can deliver very poor answers. Acceptable levels of distortion are dependent upon the solver being used.

Material properties required vary with the type of solution. A linear statics analysis, for example, will require an elastic modulus, Poisson's ratio and perhaps a density for each material. Thermal properties are required for a thermal analysis. Examples of restraints are declaring a nodal translation or temperature. Loads include forces, pressures and heat flux. It is preferable to apply boundary conditions to the CAD geometry, with the FEA package transferring them to the underlying model, to allow for simpler application of adaptive and optimization algorithms. It is worth noting that the largest error in the entire process is often in the boundary conditions. Running multiple cases as a sensitivity analysis may be required.

Next month's article will discuss the solution phase of the finite element method.

Silver: Timeless Elegance

2008-12-03T03:03:00.001-08:00

Author: James Monahan

Silver ranks up in the top metal list, right next to gold. For those who value simplicity and elegance, and have more practical matters to consider, silver is a popular choice. And this is not even just for those who love jewelry.

Silver, through the years, has been fashioned into countless items that have proven to be indispensable to man. From utensils, accessories, gadgets, frames, and structures, silver is considered reliable because it is malleable and is even a good conductor.

If you're considering buying items made of silver, it's best to first acquaint yourself with its types:

The first type is fine silver, which is silver's natural state. Its purity is at a ratio of 99/100. At this state, silver becomes too malleable, and items tend to be too soft.

Silver has to be mixed, or alloyed, with other metallic components first to make it hard enough. At that state, it would be durable to be fashioned into desired products.

The second type is the more popular one, sterling silver. This is a result of a mixture of 92.5% fine silver with other metal components.

Buyers who wish to purchase products made of sterling silver must look for the engraved ""925"" as proof. Sterling silver is meant to be durable and shiny. Anything less would be fakes.

The third type is silver-plated. This happens when a base metal is layered with fine silver. It is also has its own sheen and durability, but buyers have often found that the items have to be coated with silver periodically, as the silver on the base metal tends to come off with wear and tear.

The fourth type has more to do with silver jewelry, called vermeil. This is sterling silver jewelry mixed with a minimum of 100 millionths of an inch of karat gold through electroplating. This gives the piece an exquisite look and a slightly different sheen.

History tells that silver has been widely used, even during centuries past. From battle weapons, flatmore, armors and jewelry, silver has been considered second only to gold by different races.

Various empires have fashioned this metal into the most intricate jewelry designs, utensils, treasures, and even foundations. Being a good conductor, it has also been a major part of scientific and technological evolutions.

There are currently many mines that produce silver. This is partially due to its popularity, and partially to its presence all over the world. Among metals, it is also the most reflective, and this means that polishing it frequently adds to its sheen.

This is not possible with other metals. Buyers only have to take proper care of their silver items, as silver is prone to scratches and tarnishing as the years go by. But its maintenance is inexpensive, and taking care of it is hardly tedious at all.

Take care of your silver by making sure that it is kept in a cool, dry storage. Divide it into separate containers to avoid contact with other environmental elements. If your silver becomes tarnished, have it polished using dry cloth and a polishing solution. Treat your silver as you would your other pieces of treasured items.

Silver, when preserved properly, can be as much an heirloom and legacy to the next generation as items made out of gold. Whatever the occasion, whether gifting others or yourself, silver is a top choice when it comes to durability and aesthetics.

About the author: James Monahan is the owner and Senior Editor of TopSilverSites.com and writes expert articles about silver .

How To Use Diamond Tool To Cut Steel In Micro Machining?

2008-12-02T03:03:00.001-08:00

Author: Ken Yap

The diamond tool is commonly used in micro-machining as it can withstand the micro hardening of the workpiece surface during micro-machining. This micro-hardening creates enough resistance to break the tool bit easily in micro milling, but not a diamond tool. Micro-machining using diamond tool could be performed at high speeds and generally fine speeds to produce good surface finish such as mirror surfaces and high dimensional accuracy in non-ferrous alloys and abrasive non-metallic materials.

However, if a diamond tool were to be used to cut steel, one of the most common engineering materials used in industries, the diamond tool will face severe tool wear. While diamond only softens at 1350 degree Celsius and melts at 3027 degree Celsius, and is also the hardest material in the world, it has a weakness. Diamond succumbs to graphitization, which means that it will change its crystal structure to graphite crystal structure at 200 degree Celsius in the presence of a catalyst metal such as carbon steel and alloys with titanium, nickel and cobalt.

There have been various attempts to improve the tool life of the diamond tool while cutting steel so as to improve the efficiency and profitability of this operation. Such processes include micro-cutting the steel workpiece in a carbon-rich gas chamber as well as a cryongenically cooled chamber. However, these methods require costly equipment modification and restrict direct supervision of the micro-cutting process.

The latest breakthrough came when the diamond tool was subject to ultrasonic vibration during micro-cutting. It has been shown that a diamond tool subject to ultrasonic vibration can cut the steel well enough to produce a mirror surface finish with acceptable tool life. The ultrasonic vibration at the diamond tool tip allows the tool face to cool down considerably during the cutting process and delays the chemical reaction between the diamond tool and the steel workpiece. As a result, the diamond tool life is increased by a few hundred times.

For example, a single crystal diamond tool with feedrate 5 micron/revolution, cutting speed zero to 5m/min and depth of cut 10 micron was attached to a ultrasonic vibration generator so that the diamond tool tip vibrated about 4 microns while it was used to cut stainless steel. The mirror surface finish of the cut steel surface was measured at 8 nm Ra!

With more and more machining companies moving into the niche micro machining field, such ultrasonic vibration assisted cutting can only help the progressive company to achieve process leadership and innovative differentiation.

Author Ken Yap is a director of Suwa Precision Engineering Pte Ltd in Singapore and represents metal stamping, precision machining, miniature precision balls and PCB manufacturers from Suwa , also called ""The Oriental Switzerland"" in Japan due to its Swiss resemblance for rich watch-making industry, its mountainous terrain and its precision component making industry.

About the author: Ken Yap is a director of Suwa Precision Engineering in Singapore, and represents precision component manufacturers from Suwa, Japan. He is also a partner in Attisse Pte Ltd providing business consultancy and research services to Japanese investors.

Creative Evolution

2008-12-01T03:04:00.000-08:00

Author: Keith Riffle

Creative Evolution

It is a common misconception that the Wright Brothers were the first in flight. They were not. Birds (and humans in hot air balloons) beat them to it by who knows how many years. There are also insects, bats, and extinct reptiles which have also accomplished the same feat. Perhaps the idea of flight would never have been fathomed if it had not been observed in nature. The question is, how did the birds, bats, insects, and extinct reptiles figure out how to fly in the first place?

The truth of the matter is that birds, insects, bats, and extinct reptiles didn't need to figure it out, because the assumption is that nature figured it out for them. If this is the case, how did nature figure it out? There is often a very contradictory answer to this question, because the answer supports two forms of reasoning, and these two forms of reasoning don't exactly get along, so to speak. Before getting into what this contradiction is, it is first necessary to ask another question, did nature intend to figure this out?

Technically speaking, it would not be scientifically correct to say that nature intended birds, insects, and bats to fly. If the theory of evolution is true, random mutations are a big reason why birds can fly. These mutations are not called intentional mutations for a reason, because they are believed to have happened randomly. While it could be argued that there are reasons these random non intentional mutations occurred, the important thing to realize is this: if scientific reasoning is correct, flight was not a planned thing. It was unintentional. It just happened. If flight did indeed just happen, the question of why it happened can almost completely be thrown out of the equation because it is irrelevant. The more important question is, how did it happen?

Getting back to the Wright Brothers, both the how and why questions can be answered very easily, although the why question might be a little more difficult to answer because the answer depends on what was going on inside the minds of the Wright Brothers to compel them to build a flying machine in the first place. However, the why question goes deeper than that, because it goes beyond the reasons why the Wright Brothers built their ""flying machine"" and explains why they designed it the way they did.

The Wright Brother's plane could not fly if it was not made with light weight materials. Nor could it maintain speed or altitude, let alone get off the ground without an engine to pull it through the air. The engine would be useless without its propeller, and both the engine and propeller could not work without gasoline. The plane could not stay level without the front rudder, nor could it turn without cables to flex the wings. All of these factors explain how the plane functioned in the earth's atmosphere, yet they also explain why the Wright Brothers built the plane the way they did.

The Wright Brothers studied birds in flight and paid very close attention to how the birds flexed their wings when turning in the air, but had a very difficult time figuring out how they could make their plane turn in the air. One of the brothers was holding a rectangular cardboard inner tube box when he looked at it and began flexing it back and forth, twisting each end in the opposite direction the other end was moving. It occurred to him that he could make the plane turn by designing the plane's wing structure according to what he observed by twisting the box. This discovery of his was accidental, but it is important to note that he was able to take what he learned by accident and apply it to something practical. In other words, he was able to intentionally do something with this idea.

Physics can explain why birds can fly, but what physics cannot explain is how nature could figure out how to make birds fly. Physics can explain why birds can get off the ground, maintain level flight, make turns in the air, but it cannot explain why nature chose specific aerodynamic details to make it possible for birds to accomplish the amazing things they do in the air. This is where the contradiction described earlier becomes apparent, because it is often difficult for scientists to describe why birds are designed the way they are without explaining why nature made them this way (if you watch nature shows on TV about plants, animals, or dinosaurs, listen very closely to what the narrator says, and you'll see what I mean). For example, the statement, ""birds are able to fly because they have wings"" is a huge contradiction to the idea that random mutations could produce flight because of the, BECAUSE statement, which implies that nature intended to give birds wings so they could fly. This would make random mutations intentional, which would imply that nature has a mind.

When the Wright Brothers started to build their plane, they had an end goal in mind. They didn't wear blindfolds and just fumble around with wood, wire, metal, and gasoline with the hopes of flying one day, and even if they did try to design a plane wearing blindfolds and failed miserably at it, this would have been an intentional act with a specific end goal in mind. One more important factor that weighed heavily on how the Wright Brothers built their plane is that in order for it to fly, they had operate within certain laws of physics, and they had to understand how these laws would prevent or allow them to get off the ground.

Having said all of this, it is very ironic to think that a series of random unintentional mutations could produce flight in birds, bats, or even terradactyls. One is faced to admit that birds could not fly if they did not have wings, because without them, they would never be able to get off the ground, and if they could get off the ground without them, it wouldn't be pretty or graceful. Of course, their is much more to flight than a set of wings, but one could argue that in short, birds can fly because they have wings, and they have wings because they were meant to fly. The only alternative is that nature did not intend birds to fly and that this phenomena of flight just happened. Of course, this means that nature was able to accomplish something that the Wright Brothers would not have been able to accomplish without an understanding of physics, engineering, aerodynamics, and last but not least...birds.

Some will say that it is foolish to believe in God, and that Christians are even more foolish to believe that Jesus Christ died for the sins of the world, was more than just a man, and rose from the grave. I think I'll take my chances on being a fool, rather than rolling the dice to see if nature can unknowingly design birds to fly, without any concept of engineering, the laws of physics, aerodynamics, or a brain.

About the author: I'm just a regular guy living in Nebraska who likes to think outside of the box...

Oh yeah, one more thing....

...this article is dedicated to ""Tuber"", an old fart who lives on the East coast and hates cats...

Please note that no cats were harmed while I wrote this article...

Prototypes, The Granddaddy Of All Products

2008-11-30T03:03:00.000-08:00

Author: James Monahan

No company goes out and starts mass production of a new product before creating first an example of this product. This example is called a prototype.

Prototypes are a working example of a new design. And before moving towards creating multiple copies of this prototype, the company will generally use the prototype to test its viability and quality.

For example, before a new car is built, it must be designed, researched, and developed into a working product. Researchers consumer surveys, analyze market trends, and buying patterns to determine what consumers want, and then suggest what kinds of cars to make.

Designers work to turn these new ideas into tangible products. Engineers then adapt what existing parts they have and implement them into the new model. They then proceed to produce the prototype. Manufacturers usually start by building a few prototypes before they set up a factory to build the new car.

Uses

Prototypes can also be referred to as test machines. They are usually developed to demonstrate the qualities of a new product to stakeholders and clients. The prototype, of course, is understood by these people to be yet an incomplete model of the final product. Its purpose is to show the potential attributes of the final product.

Prototypes are also used for test purposes. By subjecting these prototypes to numerous tests, the designers of the product get to see the strengths, weaknesses, limitations, and mistakes in a project. From the information they glean, the designers may proceed to reworking the design until the product reaches the objectives of the designers.

Prototypes can even be used as the 'Adam' version of a particular product. By 'Adam' we mean the basis of design for all products that will follow the line of the prototype. Engineers and designers refer to this 'Adam' model for reference as to how to develop, and evolve certain product lines.

Examples

Automobile Racing

In some circles, all the participating cars in a race are called prototypes. This is because these machines are not mass produced.

The cars produced for racing are specialized machines that are supposed to showcase new innovations and designs a car manufacturer carry. Therefore, these cars can be considered models. These cars also function as models for future mass produced cars the car manufacturer will create.

Food Industry/Clothing Industry

Designers in this field of industry do not make decisions on what products make it to the production line. They must pitch their designs to their bosses to see which ones make the cut.

They must then show them what their pet projects may look like. These designers proceed to create prototypes of their work to present their bosses with something tangible to decide on.

Computer

Often researchers and designers of computers build powerful supercomputers to perform the myriad of complex computations needed for applications such as mathematical computations, artificial intelligence research, and military applications. The power these machines pack is something everyday users salivate over.

These prototypes however, are just that - prototypes. And as models, they find their way into being mass produced for the masses.

That is the reason why today's desktop computers are so powerful: a few years ago the power of your computer was used for critical, complex math intensive applications.

Use It Now

The use of prototypes has become a industry-accepted means of product development. It allows the designer to tinker around with a given design to further evolve its quality and to show others a model of the product. Such practice truly makes the evolution of everyday products efficient.

About the author: James Monahan is the owner and Senior Editor of PrototypeLink.com and writes expert articles about prototypes .

What is a Water Softener?

2008-11-29T03:04:00.000-08:00

Author: James Hunt

It seems a little strange that water is soft or hard. However, these are two recognized types of water. A water softener is a machine that removes certain elements from hard water, thus softening it and making it a little better to use.

Hard water is water that has high amounts of calcium and magnesium. These elements can create stains on sinks and in tubs. It can also damage hair and leave skin feeling dried out and itchy. Not only can hard water be inconvenient in small ways, the buildup as a result of the calcium and magnesium deposits can actually clog pipes. A water softener can reduce the problems associated with hard water.

A water softener removes the calcium and magnesium from water. Some water softeners also remove iron. The water softener is a machine that, when connected to the water supply, actually ""softens"" hard water. Most water softeners require an amount of salt for their proper functioning. Because elements are removed from the water, they build up in the softener rather than pipes. This means that the water softener requires regular maintenance.

There are different sizes and types of water softeners. The more water used by a household, the bigger the water softener needs to be. There are also three different types of water softener: manual, semi-automatic and automatic. The automatic merely requires regular maintenance. The other two types require a more active role in the removal of calcium and magnesium from the household water supply.

While soft water is great for washing and bathing, hard water is more pleasant to the taste. As a result, many people find that it is nice to have one faucet in the home that provides hard water for drinking and cooking.

A water softener decreases the overall need for strenuous pipe maintenance due to buildup. It can also provide a more pleasant way to use water to bathe, as well as preserve the quality of clothes washed in a washing machine.

About the author: James Hunt has spent 15 years as a professional writer and researcher covering stories that cover a whole spectrum of interest. Read more at www.water-softener- central.info

Capacitor: An Overview

2008-11-28T03:04:00.000-08:00

Author: James Monahan

Anybody in the field of electronics would doubtless be familiar with a capacitor, but what exactly is it?

A capacitor is, simply, a gadget that is capable of storing energy in an electric field between two conductors on which equal but opposite electric charges have been placed.

It is sometimes also called a condenser. Every multi-conductor geometry has capacitance, even though intentional capacitors have thin metal plates that are placed one on top of the other to form a compact device. But that is getting ahead of the story. Let us first start with the capacitor's history.

The ancient Greeks were ingenious not only in the arts and culture but also in the sciences. They also knew how to create sparks by rubbing amber balls on spindles. This was chronicled by Thales of Miletus around the year 600 B.C.

They were however, unaware that by placing the insulator in between the two metal plates, the charge density would be increased exponentially. It wasn't until the 18th century that this potential was exploited.

Ewald Georg von Kleist of Pomerania was credited for inventing the world's first capacitor in October 1745. His capacitor could be described as a glass jar coated with metal both on the inside and on the outside. The coating on the inside was connected to a rod that passed through the lid and ended in a metal ball.

Several years later, Benjamin Franklin investigated the Leyden jar created by Pieter van Musschenbroek, a Dutch physicist of the University of Leyden and discovered that the charge was stored in the glass, and not in the water as others had previously assumed.

This was the reason why the original unit of capacitance was in ""jars"". A jar is equivalent to 1nF.

As mentioned earlier, a capacitor is also known as a condenser. This term was coined by Volta in 1782, and referred to the device's ability to store a much larger density of electric charge than a usual isolated conductor.

You can compare a capacitor like a battery, in that they both store electrical energy, although the former is a much simpler device. It cannot produce new electrons; it only stores them.

A capacitor has two terminals connected to two metal plates sandwiching a dielectric. Working on this premise, a rough version of a capacitor can be created with the use of just two pieces of aluminum foil and a piece of paper.

A natural example of a capacitor is lightning in the sky. The plates are the cloud and the ground, and the lightning is the charge. You can just imagine the amount of charge released by the two plates.

Someone once made an accurate way of visualizing how a capacitor works. One can pretend it is a cistern that is hooked to a pipe.

A cistern, which naturally has water pressure, stores excess water pumped from the water system. This excess water then flows out of the cistern when needed, and keeps the pressure up in the process. In much the same way, a capacitor can be likened to the cistern.

An important thing to remember is the unit of capacitance, which is a farad. A 1-farad capacitor can store one coulomb of charge at 1 volt. An amp is the rate of electron flow of 1 coulomb of electrons per second, so a 1-farad capacitor can hold 1 amp-second of electrons at 1 volt.

An interesting thing to know is that 1-farad capacitor can actually be pretty hefty, depending on the voltage it is required to handle.

About the author: James Monahan is the owner and Senior Editor of CapacitorBase.com and writes expert articles about capacitors .

Bioluminescence Detection Program by AgroMicron

2008-11-27T03:03:00.000-08:00

Author: AgroMicron

AgroMicron's Nano Bioluminescence Detection spray will prove to add a great amount of controls within the shipping industry and possibly even prevent forms of bioterrorism. ""We like the idea not only do we have a commercially viable product, we might actually be saving lives"" said AgroMicron's CEO Richard Venturini a recent interview with the press, and yes saving lives is the focus of what we see this product doing.

Not only does this Nano Bioluminescence spay detect contamination in food to help ensure that the goods are ready for consumer consumption it also makes it possible to detect possible bioterrorist attacks. These extra feature of the Nano Bioluminescence spay was realized when researchers in Taiwan understood the gowning need to not only monitor for commercial reasons but to monitor food and water for possible bioterrorism.

""The team of researchers and scientist actually didn't start out trying to prevent bioterrorism, but since September 11 the need for such products has surfaced and we've been working to meet those needs ever since."" says Gary Lloyd Senior Corporate Advisor for AgroMicron. I myself would love to be able to use a spray to tell if my leftover have gone bad or not, and I personally believe the consumer level support of such a product will be the next thing AgroMicron looks to develop.

The Nano Bioluminescence spay development was made possible by researchers and scientist in Taiwan and the United States and further made possible thanks to the US Technology Transfer Act., which means AgroMicron's team can fully utilize all these resources.

""We expect our current 3 product lines to be ready within the 3 quarter and expect the first quarter to be used both for pilot testing and further research"" said Gary Lloyd in a private interview conducted my a group of private investors. I was very amazed at the level of interest by outside individuals in the AgroMicron products and company, its not often that a company can have this much interest within its early days. When I asked the CFO Michael Leiferman about the interest AgroMicron has had in recent months his reply was ""our products are so good and so valuable that people don't come to our company for us, they come to our company for the products we offer"", which I translated into meaning if you build it they will come.

If you would like to learn more about the Nano Bioluminescence spay from AgroMicron you can visit http://www.agromicron.com/Bioluminescence-Spay/ and if you are interested in learning more about the company in general please visit their website at http://www.agromicron.com

About the author: New process of Detecting E. Coli and Salmonella and other Pathogens in Food and Water for use in the shipping industry.

The New Old Wonders of Electrodes

2008-11-26T03:03:00.000-08:00

Author: James Monahan

Unless you are paid attention during science class or are mainstay of science fairs, the term electrode will seem fairly faraway to you. Some people even think that electrodes belong only in science fiction as some sort of name for a weapon or an engine.

But in reality, electrodes are an everyday reality. It is so common that when you hold anything with a battery, you are in effect holding electrodes too.

The term electrode was coined by the great English scientist Michael Faraday. Faraday conducted early experiments on electricity and conductivity. His discoveries opened the path for the study of this branch of science.

Faraday called the positively charged electrode the anode and the negatively charged electrode the cathode.

Electrodes are components in an electrical circuitry that connects that circuitry to a conducting material. That material could be liquid chemical, gas or any other conductive medium.

You will find electrodes in the most common electronic devices - batteries, television, and even lamps.

Batteries have carbon anodes and zinc cathodes. These electrodes connect to a chemical solution that produces electricity.

Televisions, radios and radars make use of electron tubes. Electron tubes have electrodes within a glass tube that usually contains mercury gas. These tubes are used to manipulate electric current and electric signals.

In televisions, electrodes are present in the CRT, or cathode ray tube. CRT's have a cathode that is heated to release electrons.

An electron gun shoots these electrons into phosphor dots that line the television screen. These dots glow as they come in contact with the electrons therefore creating an image.

Electrodes prove to be very useful in medical applications.

Diathermy, for example, makes use of electrodes. Diathermy is the generation of heat in the tissues of a body through the use of electrode that conduct electrical currents to the skin.

This treatment is used to treat pain due to arthritis. Diathermy is also used in surgery to cut tissues, coagulate, or kill cells without inducing much bleeding.

Pacemakers also make use of electrodes. These electrodes are connected to heart muscles to deliver electrical pulses when the heart rate falls below a specified value. This forces the heart muscles to contract and maintain the proper heart rate.

EEGs or Electroencephalograms, and EKGs or Electrocardiograms make use of electrodes connected to a patient's body to monitor their respective vital signs.

EEGs record a patient's brain activity. It represents it using wave patterns on a roll of paper. In EEGs, the electrodes are connected to skin over the skull. The information it records is used to diagnose neurological disorders and determine whether a person is already brain dead.

EKGs on the other hand have electrodes that are attached to various parts of the body. It records the heart activity and is instrumental in diagnosing heart ailments.

Electrodes even find their place in the welding industry. Arc welding involves the use of electrodes to generate intense heat to weld metals together. This type of welding is very effective due to the high concentration of heat generated between the electrodes of the welding machines.

In every industry, there is a use for electrodes. It is one of the earliest yet most used inventions in the history of mankind. Man is forever looking for way to take advantage of it, and will continue to do so for a long time to come.

About the author: James Monahan is the owner and Senior Editor of ElectrodeBase.com and writes expert articles about electrodes .

The Glitters of Gold

2008-11-25T03:05:00.000-08:00

Author: James Monahan

As they say, not all that glitters is gold. But what is it in gold that makes it glitters? Is it because of its chemical components, its unique characteristics, or simply because it is just the way it is?

Scientifically, gold is a metal and at the same time a chemical element with the symbol Au, which stands for aurum, in the periodic table. Of all the different kinds of metals, gold is deemed as the most malleable and is ductile or one that can be flexed.

That is why it is the most popular metal being used for jewelries, trinkets, and charms.

In many instances, the gold's color is yellow, but it can also have other colors such as ruby, black, or even purple depending on the ""plasmon frequency"" placed in the observable scope.

In this instance, plasmon frequency is the one responsible in reflecting the yellow and red light and the blue light to be sucked up.

For so many years now, gold has been a part of our human history. In fact, it was even used by the early human populace as an apparatus in their primitive way of living. It has captivated man's desire for existence and superiority with its unique traits and functions.

In 4000 BC, the Europeans were said to be the first people who used gold in their daily living. They crafted it into different kinds of jewelry and extremely classy pieces of artistic objects.

In Egypt, gold was reportedly used as an element in King Tutankamen's mask. Several historical reports asserted that the golden mask of the king had preserved its radiance and luster even after so many years of civilization that had passed.

Even in the past events, gold has long been a symbol of royalty and superiority. According to the Old Testament, gold was a symbol of King Solomon's riches. It was also a symbol of thanksgiving and appreciation just like what the Queen of Sheba had done when she gave King Solomon large amount of gold as a sign of gratitude.

However, it was only during the fifth century when the Chinese, Greek, and Arabic civilization had introduced its new concept, which eventually resulted to the introduction of the science of chemistry. Here, gold is now considered as a chemical element, one that has more stable and practical function and not just any symbolic matter.

It was after the introduction of chemistry that it gained more popularity. From then on, gold has been considered by the people as one of the most prized metals. They have used it in making different icons, statues, and jewelries.

In today's contemporary society, the most malleable metal of all has surpassed its usual traditional functions. Nowadays, it is being used in the new technology where man is no longer simply fascinated by its luster and shine but also by its capability of producing quality products like computers, home appliances, and mobile phones.

This wonderful metal is also used in embroidery, dentistry, ceramics, and even photography. In fact, cancer patients have found more of its feasible uses. There are many instances wherein it is being used when treating cancer patients and other diseases.

These are just a few of the many uses of gold. It serves as a viable element not just for jewelries and art objects but to all aspects that give humanity the reason to live life to its fullest.

So, now we know that this remarkable metal is not just considered pure and rare because of its characteristics but to the many functions and uses, as well, that it has served mankind throughout the years.

About the author: James Monahan is the owner and Senior Editor of QualityGoldSites.com and writes expert articles about gold .

Would You Care To Be Digitized?

2008-11-24T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: James Monahan

How is it to be digitized?

Gibberish speaking, digitize, as explained in the field of computer science, is the conversion of any continuously different source of input, i.e., lines in a drawing, or a signal of sound, into a series of hidden units embodied in a computer through binary digits 0 and 1.

As an example, the scanning of a drawing or a picture means digitizing it because of the conversion of lines and shading into combinations of 0s and 1s with the sensing of various light and dark intensities.

It is a matter of translating commonly through the use of analogue-to-digital converters. Sampling sounds and the conversion of text that is on paper into computer files text are also ways of digitization.

In simpler terms, to digitize is to turn an analog signal into a digital symbol of that signal. It is the translation of data into digital form. It is executed by reading an analog signal (often related to electrical)

A, and, at regular sequence, representing A's value at that point by a digital value. Each of these readings is known as a sample.

Examples of digitization

Digital cameras

A digital camera is an instrument of digitization. It's because it samples the original light that bounces off a thing to produce a digital image. This is one benefit given by digitization.

It produce devices that are very useful and fun to manipulate. Not only do digital cameras eliminate the need for a film, subsequently getting rid of the fuss of processing, the picture could also be seen immediately after the photographer takes it.

DVD's

One more common example of digitization is transferring VHS to DVD. This process involves accepting the signal of the video with the use of professional specialized hardware and writing to the hard drive of computers.

Digitization permits the content to be corrected on its color, sound and its remastering. Thus, the output video from a VHS, which is converted to a DVD, is a lot more top quality because of digitization.

Digital TV's

Images seen on television screens especially on digital TV's are also products of digitization. Digital TV's convey clearer, sharper images than those produced by common analog televisions.

Through digitizing the images they become more realistic looking with the help of a wide screen. Brands like Philips, Sony, Samsung, Panasonic, Toshiba, Zenith and Sharp are currently profiting well from this innovation brought by digitization.

Cellular Phones

The new type of wireless communication from personal communication service phones is also created by digitization.

Transmission and reception has never been a breeze without digitizing. Digital bytes are what handle calls, which results in clearer and less-prone to interference signal. Nokia, Samsung, Panasonic, and Sanyo are presently the top players of this field brainchilded through digitizing.

With almost every information resorted to being digitized, soon enough personal, social, educational, and commercial goals will be much easier to to achieve.

Competition becomes much harsher but a lot friendlier to consumers that are ever thirsty for more innovative ways of communicating and retrieving information from various sources.

Devices have never been this so capable to multi-task without the help of digitization. With this technology, geographic boundaries are no longer considered as what limits communication and other interactive endeavors.

About the author: James Monahan is the owner and Senior Editor of DigitizeNet.com and writes expert articles about digitize .

Magnets Are a Very Important Part of Our Lives

2008-11-23T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: James Hunt

Do you remember as a child ever being fascinated by magnets? Such a simple thing yet complicated. They were fun to play with but, you couldn't help but wonder how and why they worked.

The first magnet compass was discovered by the Chinese around 200B.C. Fortune tellers enjoyed using it at first, but eventually people realized it was a means of direction. The first magnets were made of iron. The magnets of today are made from alloy. These contain metals such as nickel, iron, copper, and cobalt aluminum.

Materials such as iron, steel and nickel are attracted to magnets. Theses materials are attracted to the poles of the magnet. One pole is the north seeking pole, the other is the South Pole. Opposite poles attract, and like poles repel. Magnetism is the push and pull force you feel or see when using a magnet. This force can even work over a distance without coming in contact with an object. The most interesting of all might be the earth's magnetic field; it is as if there were a huge bar magnet thru the center of the earth. This is the reason a compass needle points north.

There is even such a thing as induced magnetism. This happens when a piece of unmagnetized magnetic material comes in contact with the pole of a permanent magnet. When this happens, the material becomes magnetized and you have a new magnet.

Actually magnets are a very important part of our lives. Many items that we use everyday would not exist without them. Items such as radios, television, speakers, toys, and quite a variety of games are made with magnets. They are all around us and used in so many different ways. Magnets come in a variety of different shapes and sizes. It is interesting to think that something that may have fascinated you as a child could be even more exciting as you learn more about them.

About the author: James Hunt has spent 15 years as a professional writer and researcher covering stories that cover a whole spectrum of interest. Read more at www.magnets-central.info

How to Make a Thermometer

2008-11-22T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: James Hunt

A thermometer is an instrument that measures the temperature. Depending on what country you live in, temperature is measured either in a scale called Fahrenheit or Celsius (sometimes called Centigrade). There are thermometers for food, humans, and the weather. You can even make a thermometer yourself, it's simple.

Here's what you'll need: - Water (plain old tap water will do just fine for this experiment.) - Rubbing alcohol - 1 clear plastic bottle with a narrow neck - Food coloring in your choice of color - See-through plastic drinking straw - Modeling clay.

Pour equal parts of the water and alcohol and a couple of drops of food coloring into the bottle (the liquid should only fill up about a quarter of the bottle.) and give it a shake to mix. Drop the straw into the bottle (it should touch the bottom) and plug the opening with the clay. That's all there is to it. Now it's time to make sure your thermometer works. What happens when you place it in direct sunlight and the liquid becomes warmer? If your thermometer works properly, the colored liquid will rise up through the straw. In fact, if the liquid were to become extremely hot, the liquid would most likely come out the top of the straw.

Bring your thermometer outside with you, how does the colored water react inside the straw? Does it go up or down? Run it under warm water and then cold, the colored water will react accordingly. Of course this isn't an accurate measure of water temperature, and there's no way of telling how hot or cold the water actually is, but this should give you some idea of how a thermometer works.

Making a thermometer is a great rainy day craft for kids. It's easy, quick and in most cases involves items found around the house. Why not make it your next project?

About the author: James Hunt has spent 15 years as a professional writer and researcher covering stories that cover a whole spectrum of interest. Read more at www.thermometers-cent ral.info

Need To Cool Down? Use A Dehumidifier!

2008-11-21T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: James Monahan

A dehumidifier is a device which removes excess moisture in the air. This device performs this process by condensing the moisture on a cool surface. A dehumidifier is simply an air conditioner. The air conditioner cools the temperature of a humid room by condensing the air in its cold coils.

A dehumidifier has hot and cold coils that are built in the same box. The unit's fan draws the air in the room through the cold coils of the dehumidifier to condense its moisture. When this happens, as in the case of window type air conditioning units, water drips out of the unit. Dry air then goes through the dehumidifier's hot coils so it can we heated up again back to its previous temperature.

An example of a dehumidifier is an air conditioning (AC) unit. It is a device that was designed to remove heat out of an area using the principles of refrigeration. An AC is a good example of a dehumidifier because it is designed to lower the humidity in the air which goes through it.

Human bodies have natural dehumidifiers in form of sweat. When we sweat, our bodies cool because of the evaporating perspiration from our skin. Dry air, then coming from an AC unit creates provides comfort as it creates 40-60% relative humidity in an area.

As a dehumidifier, an AC unit is basically another form of refrigerator without an insulated box. It uses a refrigerant like Freon for its evaporation to cool an area. Freon is one of the many non-flammable fluorocarbons which are in use today as refrigerants.

In an AC unit, the evaporation cycle works in this manner: 1) cool Freon gas is compressed, making it high-pressure, hot gas; 2) the hot gas then goes through the set of coils in the AC unit so it can disperse its heat and then condenses into liquid form; 3) Freon goes through a valve, and through this process it becomes low-pressure, cold gas; and 4) the cold Freon gas then goes through a set of coils in the AC unit that will allow the gas to take in heat and chill the air within the area. A special type of oil is mixed with the Freon gas to lubricate the AC unit's compressor.

The coldness that a dehumidifier can provide depends on the air's relative humidity and the barometric pressure (this is sea level normal pressure). When there is 50% humidity in the air, water temperature will drop at about 6 degrees to 89F.

Change that to 20% air humidity and the temperature drops to 28 degrees to 67F. These small temperature drops affect energy consumption because the use of these AC units places a large demand on electricity especially on warm months when more units are operated.

During these peak times, more power plants must be online to cater to the large demand for energy. Studies of residential air conditioning showed that AC units wasted 40% of energy. This energy gets wasted in the form of heat waiting to be pumped out.

When you see large quantities of water running through plastic hoses at the backs of big buildings, you'll know that there are dehumidifier units inside. Many apartment and office complexes now use centralized AC units and the chilled water coming out of these systems is directed to underground pipes.

About the author: James Monahan is the owner and Senior Editor of DehumidifierHub.com and writes expert articles about dehumidifier .

The Characteristics of Soul

2008-11-20T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Sam Oliver

At the dawn of spring, I am reminded by my children the joy of anticipating new life.

They will usually see a flower or two that has made its way through the soil to a world beyond itself. What starts out as a seedling or bulb is transformed by nature's capacity to evolve.

Inside each of us lies dormant an awareness, an identity, an ability to grow beyond what we appear to be. Every moment, we are being challenged by others and by circumstances to create a life that exceeds our present state of living.

To move toward our highest good takes a willingness on our part to let go of what we know to what can be known in and through us. You and I are part of the Created Order we see around us, and we are participants in Creating Order out of what we have been given to care for.

With this in mind, let us turn to ways our soul can be described in the characteristics that make up a flower:

1. The Ground.

The ground nurtures, protects, and gives birth to a flower. Inside the womb of the ground, life is taking root long before we can see it. Because we cannot see a flower that has been planted in the earth, does not mean life is not being created. To be full participants in our world means to be fully connected and rooted in the world we have been given.

2. The Stem.

The stem begins its growth in the earth below and into the sky above. This part of the flower is the connecting characteristic of the plant. Much like humanity, we are in this world without being fully of it. This creates a sacredness to our lives. It is our unique ability to live and grow in a way no one ever has, is, or ever will.

3. The Flower.

In full bloom, a flower is the illumination of all the life that has preceded it. The radiance and color that pour out of it create life. Notice the next time you look at a flower how you are affected by it. You may notice your heart open and be filled with joy. Or, you may notice more energy and clarity in your vision for being blessed with great beauty.

4. The Spirit of a Flower.

The spirit of a flower is the life force moving in and through it. It is the essence of a flower that identifies with your spirit. This part of you opens from the inside out and becomes ONE with the spirit of a flower. It is the same energy that runs in and through you. Like a flower, you begin to radiate your own soul from the essence of your own being.

Each spring, take the time to notice the part of you opening up to new life. Just like flowers, we grow from the inside out. What illuminates in our life began inside us. We nurture these inner qualities of attention until they eventually take root and grow into our daily lives. The growth that follows is created from what we attend to or hold our attention on within us.

Like the pedals of a flower opening to the world around it, we create a presence of awareness. In full bloom, the beauty or the lack thereof touches the lives of everyone around us. As our inner patterns of attention move through us, the world illuminates the seeds of awareness contained within us for so long. Here, a life is created. It is the life of our soul.

Samuel Oliver, author of, ""What the Dying Teach Us: Lessons on Living"" For more on this author; http://www.soulandspirit.org

About the author: Sam Oliver worked with the dying for over 15 years. During that time, he wrote 4 books on grief. Website URL;

http://www.soulandspirit.org

How the Meter Came To Be

2008-11-19T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: James Monahan

One can know where one is in the world by the systems of measurement that specific place uses. There is the English system used by the United States, which uses pounds and feet for measurement, and then there is the metric system which is more accepted in other parts of the so-called civilized world.

While there are three types of systems of units of use today, the most popular one by far is the International System of Units (or the SI Systeme International d'Unites).

A measurement in this particular system with regards to length is in meter/metre. Variations in the meter are prefixes such as kilometer and millimeter. The word has Greek roots, its origin being metron, which means ""a measure"".

The meter follows a timeline dating back to the eighteenth century, when two approaches to the definition of the standard unit of length were broached.

The first approach defined the meter as the length of a pendulum with a half-period of one second. The other approach suggested that the meter was one-fourth the polar circumference of the earth.

On May 8, 1790, the French National Assembly approved of the first approach: its length would be equal to the length of a pendulum with a half-period of one second.

Barely a year later, in March 30, 1791, has this same assembly accepted the new proposal of the French Academy of Sciences which adhered to the second approach: that the new definition of the meter would be equal to one-fourth the polar circumference of the world.

It must be noted that the circumference of the Earth, if measured through the poles, is about forty million meters.

In December 10, 1799, the French National Assembly then specified that the final standards would be according to the platinum meter bar constructed on June 23rd 1799 and currently deposited in the National Archives.

In the 1870's a series of international conferences were held to devise new metric standards. It was the Meter Convention of 1875 that mandated the establishment of an enduring International Bureau of Weights and Measures (or BIPM, for Bureau International des Poids et Mesures) to be based in France.

It was this organization that was tasked to uphold the new prototype kilogram and meter when it would be constructed. It would also retain comparisons between the distributed metric prototypes and the non-metric measurement standards.

Almost a decade later, in September 28, 1889 the CGPM defined the length as the exact distance between two lines on a standard bar of an alloy of platinum with ten percent iridium. This distance was to be measured at the melting point of ice.

This definition would be adjusted over the years. It was in 1893 when Albert A. Michelson, the inventor of the interferometer, measured the standard meter using his device. It won't be until 1925 when interferometry would be in regular use at the BIPM.

On October 21st, 1983 the seventeenth CGPM definition of a meter equaled the length traveled by light in vacuum during 1/299, 2972, 458 of a second.

Scientists agree that if a definition is based on the physical properties of light, then it is infinitely more precise and reproducible. This is because the properties associated with light are considered to be universally constant.

About the author: James Monahan is the owner and Senior Editor of MeterIndex.com and writes expert articles about meters .

Secrets of Thermoforming

2008-11-18T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: James Monahan

Are you aware that some of the things we use in our everyday lives are plastics? When we talk about convenience, durability, efficiency, stability, usefulness and practicality now days, we use plastics.

One example of it Zip-lock plastic bags for storing left over foods and use for packing foods when going outdoors. Another one is, Coleman or Rubbermaid coolers use to keep preserve foods while camping outside or going out of town and water jugs to keep our beverages cool and a handy gadget outdoors.

And a lot more of plastics used for everyone's convenience. But these are not just ordinary plastics! We make sure its durable; reliable, tough, helpful, easy to use and it costs less than other products out in the market and Thermoforming has been a part of it. Want to know the BIG SECRET behind it?

Thermoforming is one of the procedures being done to manufacture plastic. A plastic sheet or film is used that can be easily soften up when heated and becomes hard again when it cools down.

The kind of plastic used in Thermoforming can undergo through melting and freezing without changing its chemical state and it can be re-used again. The plastic sheet or film is heated between specialized heaters in order to form the product with its usual temperature range.

Then it is placed in a temperature regulated metal table or molder until it is cooled down. The plastic formed from the molder will be taken out of the sheet. Used or excess plastic sheets are being recycled in order to form new plastic products out of it.

This special procedure is being processed to form plastic used for computers, machines, and other special equipments for medical, electronics, and industrial products.

It is a technological breakthrough for its: 1. Reliability 2. Convenience 3. Easier to produce 4. Ability to form small and large objects for that specific product 5. Lower costs of production 6. Great and unique design 7. Firmly and nicely furnished 8. Shorter time for production 9. Can work on any type of weather conditions, high and low temperatures.

In the history, it is stated that Thermoforming is one of the oldest plastic manufacturing procedure. In the year 1890's, Baby rattles and Teething rings are formed out of plastics using Thermoforming procedure, which the industries had a hard time developing its new products.

The year 1930 came when some developments are made in its plastic materials; until it grow and went successful in the late 1930's in Europe.

Thermoforming has two general process categories called the thin gauge and the so called heavy or thick gauge. Thin gauge is used for thin sheets of plastics and can be directly processed with regulated temperature.

Unlike the heavy or thick gauge, the plastic used there is thicker than the thin plastic sheets and it still need to cut into pieces before being processed.

Instead of using the regulated temperature for thin plastics sheets in order to form a product, the temperature is higher than the regulated temperature in heavy or thick gauge.

Heavy or thick gauge was formed during the World War II on aircraft windscreens and machine gun turret windows in aircrafts.

Now a days, Heavy or thick gauge parts are used in permanent structures as additional parts in cars, trucks, refrigerating units, bathroom accessories such as showers, plastic faucets, plastic doors and toilet seats, electronic and electrical equipment.

It is a big benefit for companies who use these kind of procedure for their plastic products it's lower costs, durability, usefulness, and productivity. It also weighs less than other ordinary and special types of plastics. Of course, it's also helpful for the consumers and users of this kind of plastic.

A lot of Industries, big and small companies indulge and gain on to this kind of procedure. Their clients prefer more of this kind of procedure for its unique design, stability, efficiency and value. Their aim:

Lower material and production costs, plus Mass production of products, equals BIG MONEY, in order to be successful in this kind of business.

About the author: James Monahan is the owner and Senior Editor of InfoTyphoon.com and writes expert articles about thermoforming .

A History of Elasticity

2008-11-17T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: James Monahan

Man has, since the early times, found out how useful elastic materials are. And today's man has improved on this idea and constantly finds ways to make more elastic materials to suit his everyday needs.

Elasticity refers to the property of an object to deform when load is applied to it, and to return to its natural form when the load is relieved. Many of the everyday things you see around you are elastic materials: rubber bands, sports balls, slingshots, bows, and even bungees!

From the earliest days, man found out that certain objects would 'spring' back to its original shape if pressure to deform the object was removed.

At first, this sort of annoyed him since the most common things that showed this property were animal parts which he ate. Somewhere between inventing fire and creating the wheel, he thought, ""Hmm, maybe I could use this for something.""

Thus was born the first elastic strings made of animal gut to hold stuff together. As time passed by, man found out that these elastic strings made from animal gut could be used as a weapon. When a projectile was loaded in to these elastic strings, they were propelled through the air at great speeds. Thus was born the bow and arrow.

Rubber is one of the more popular elastic materials around. Many products derived from rubber are bounced around, stretched, and pounded - and they come back to shape.

Because of this property, many people find diversified reasons to love rubber. If people were to use rigid materials, those objects would break, or get deformed. And for some objects deformity equates to unusability.

Rubber was used by the Early American Indians before Columbus even set foot on the Americas. They called the substance Caoutchouc, which comes from the word cahuhchu - meaning weeping wood. This substance came from the sap of the rubber tree.

At first the westerners found out that this substance could be used to rub out pencil stains. Therefore, it was called rubber - to commemorate its glorious ability to rub.

Other elastic materials have varied uses in today's world. Rubber is used for tires, elastic bands, and other 'bouncy' objects. Coiled spring is used for suspensions, and spring-loaded applications. They are even used in variable sized sheathings.

The most common example of this is the condom. Elastic materials are commonly used on clothing to provide a comfortable fit on people. They are also useful in cases where you need watertight equipment.

Elastic materials are also handy in creating cushioning materials: tires, soles for shoes, for cars, for beddings and other uses. These applications require materials that will protect the user from sudden shock. Elastic materials absorb the energy and disperse them in a non-traumatic manner for cushions.

These materials are also used in sports. Insulated, elastic balls are integral to many sports because non-elastic balls would deform when used. Basketballs, volleyballs, and soccer balls have to be elastic to allow them to return to their normal shape after being subject to load and trauma.

There seems to be no sure hint that the use of elastic materials will abate. There will constantly be use for these sort of materials. As man steadily finds ways to make use of these wonders, he also steadily finds better ways to create more elastic materials.

About the author: James Monahan is the owner and Senior Editor of ElasticHub.com and writes expert articles about elastic .

Commotion with Corrosion

2008-11-16T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: James Monahan

This is not another boring science topic that will put you off to sleep. Trust me, I'll make this as simple and as interesting read as possible.

Corrosion's dictionary meaning is synonymous to a list of words like rusting, corroding, erosion, a chemical process, a chemical change, a chemical action a natural activity, deterioration of metals through the process of oxidation or chemical action.

Whew!

To explain it further, corrosion is defined as the wearing away of materials in a slow blow by blow process. It does not literally pertain to the destruction of metals and other related materials.

Corrosion is then followed by reversion to a more subtle and balanced pairs or combination where metals are known as the most popular examples. Corrosion, in short, is the opposite of metallurgy.

Because while metallurgy is the molding and making of metals, corrosion on the other hand, is the rusting, corroding and unmaking of metals caused by a chemical reaction between the metal and its external faculties which makes up its environment.

Corrosion, in its broadest studies are subdivided into a number of categories with each type processing a different characteristic from the other.

But for a more comprehensive study and understanding of corrosion, scientist have specifically classified corrosion into 2 general and most known types and methods in which the process of unmaking the metals can take place.

The first of which is ""typified corrosion"" whereby metal iron is exposed to its external agencies during which the temperature is high or eleveated. During typified corrosion, the corroding and rusting of the metal begins as soon as the oxygen in the atmosphere to produce 'mill scale', a common product formed whenever oxygen reacts with its surroundings.

Mill scale and magnetite, which plays a vital role in the method of typified corrosion, contains the same chemical composition called iron ores.

Other forms of metals behave in the same way when associated to its external environment, they also produce varieties of oxides and may have the tendency to behave in the similar manner to come up with other compounds.

All of these chemical reaction and activity points to summarize that the result of direct combination between the given reacting elements results to products of corrosion, and does not plainly embody the end product formed through the substitution of or displacement of an element for or by another element.

However, the second type and method of corrosion is referred to as ""galvanic"" corrosion or ""electrochemical corrosion"".

This method is characterized by the process of displacement of one given element in one phase (usually in the form of alloy or metal). And since electric current is the focal point of the variable displacement of one given element by the other given element, literally defining the very meaning of galvanic or electrochemical corrosion.

Furthermore, electrochemical corrosion generally refers to cases of corrosion in which metal or alloy being rusted is continuously associated and linked with the corrosion-causing solution, or another given element that is a dissimilar metal or may also be some different conducting or solid material.

The term electrochemical corrosion may also be used in cases when either pure metal, impure metals, or other forms of metal or alloys are exposed to pure water, aqueous solution of water soluble materials, or different mixtures of water with other elements which is both not soluble nor a solvent of water.

Corrosion will not take place in the absence of corrosion cells. In a more simplified situation, it's like a cheeseburger without cheese. Before such corrosion cells do their function, some pre-requisites must be met.

First requirement is for cells to have doors to connect two points, the metal and the solution, to allow the flow of electric current to and from each other in the metal surface.

Second, the cell must be capable of electric conductivity. And lastly, there must be a motivating force or 'push' that will enable the initiation (first step), and maintenance (second step) of flow of current all throughout the system.

About the author: James Monahan is the owner and Senior Editor of CorrosionStop.com and writes expert articles about corrosion

Pump It Up!

2008-11-15T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: James Monahan

Pumps are pump in anyway you put it. The word alone can give you an idea what it is. Its main purpose is to pump liquid in and out of a vessel or vessels.

Pumps are employed to every imaginable job that is detailed with liquid or water. Basically, pumps have been in use for as long as the good Lord has allowed man to invent it. Its use ranged from medical mileages to outer space. And the versatility of this tool has since been renowned.

How a pump works is quite simple, but that depends on what kind of pump. There manual pumps and motorized pumps. Manual pumps are those used for small amounts of liquids that don't really require much effort to pump in or out.

These are the aspirators for manually forcing air into a vessel or liquid into a vessel. These are commonly used pumping out milk from a mother's breast to preserve them for later use.

But there is also a motorized version of this that is used mainly for cows and pump out their milk for commercial consumption. And there's the medicine dropper, which is also a kind of manual pump used to take small amounts of liquid from a bottle or vial.

This is used to administer medicine to children and infants that have yet to develop swallowing. This is also used to prevent over dose in little children. A syringe can also be considered as a manual pump, since it it's used to pump out blood sample from people or to administer medicine to them.

Besides being used for administering medicine or taking blood samples, pumps are mainly designed to get water or to dump water to and from a source. Deep wells used this primarily. Places were tap water isn't available out of a faucet; people use pumps to get it out of the ground.

These are called deep well pumps. Over the years, because of the shortage of the supply of water in some countries, the developments of motorized pumps have gone into consideration. It's more of putting a good thing and making it better for people.

Motorized motor pumps were first introduced to areas where the water pressure is low. They used this to add pressure to their water lines and provide them with more water.

These pumps still work the same way as other pumps, the only difference is that instead of manually doing all the pumping, a motor is hooked up into the pump to make the pumping faster and at a steadier phase. These are the residential motor pumps or jet pumps.

Its main job description is to aid the low water pressure that's being pumped out of the city's main line.

Speaking of cities, every major city has a massive network of pumps and plumbing that deliver the water throughout its borders. But this time, instead of just pumping out water to an outgoing line they have a specialized central pump that pumps the water back into the city's water treatment facility to cure the water and the water waste.

It all starts with the water reservoir of the city, which also contains the water treatment facility. They pump the water out to the main line to the connecting pipes all over the city.

After distribution process, the water wastes are pumped back into the treatment facility to have cured and be ready for distribution again. But besides all of these commercial usage pumps are also used in agriculture, construction, and even aeronautics.

So the list goes on and on for the pump but still, one thing is for sure when there's water or liquid that needs to be moved in or out, go grab a pump apparatus.

About the author: James Monahan is the owner and Senior Editor of PumpPortal.com and writes expert articles about pumps .

Copper Makes the World Go Round Too

2008-11-14T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: James Monahan

I'm pretty sure you know what copper is. After all, it's found in a lot of the things we come across in our day-to-day experiences.

Copper wires. Copper plumbing. Doorknobs. Sterling silver. Flatware (dining utensils). Electromagnets; electromagnetic motors; the steam engine; spare change (coins); brass musical instruments; ceramic glazes; electrical relays, busbars, and switches; mildew killer; vacuum tubes; cathode ray tubes; spare change; and tons more.

Copper is also used as a biostatic liner in hospitals and ships. Bacteria and living things will not grow on biostatic surfaces. Doorknobs are made of copper in hospitals to help prevent disease transfer. Ships are lined with copper so that barnacles and mussels will not cling to its outside surfaces.

Fun fact of the day: The Statue of Liberty contains 179,000 pounds of copper.

Rumor even has it that sucking on a copper penny will let the breathalyzer test read 0.

In fact, I bet copper has been ingrained in each of our minds because of the existence of Chemistry class in our high school curriculum.

Copper isn't always that red element with a bright lustre and shine you see almost everywhere. Sometimes it comes in a blue solution of copper ions. Sometimes it's mixed in with other metals, such as otherwise pure bricks of gold, because gold is much too soft to keep in brick forms all by themselves.

Copper has been used since the dawn of the most ancient civilizations. It may well be the oldest metal in use, being utilized by the people for over ten thousand years. In fact, for five millenia ancient civilizations did not know any other metal.

Because of its malleability they simply hammered out the native ore into the shapes they desired, usually containers. It was called ""chalkos"" in Greek times. In Roman times the term was ""Cyprium,"" from which copper's symbol in the periodic table of elements is derived.

So how is copper extracted from the earth's crust? Native copper is mineral form, and they are found in ores, being extracted from open-pit mines. The ores are extracted from a hard, igneous rock containing crystals called porphyry. Even then, the amount of copper you can extract is as little as 0.4 to 1 percent.

While copper is necessary for all higher plants and animals, it can be toxic if found in exceedingly high amounts. It can lead to schizophrenia.

There is an inherited illness that retains copper called Wilson's disease, which prevents copper from being excreted into bile by the liver. If left untreated, the excess copper found in the body can lead to brain and liver damage.

Copper is surely a valuable metal to all. In fact, there was even a group that was formed, with an aim to try and regulate copper export, trying to gain the same power that OPEC has.

It did not succeed because America was never a member, it being the second largest producer of copper in the world today. It's largest copper mine can be found in the state of Utah.

So look around you for a while. Chances are, you can find a hint of copper. In fact, there might be a copper wire poking through from your CPU right now. Never underestimate it, as surely the world wouldn't be what it is today without copper. Copper makes the world go round too.

About the author: James Monahan is the owner and Senior Editor of CopperSites.com and writes expert articles about copper .

Many Uses of Metal Detectors

2008-11-13T03:05:00.001-08:00

Author: James Hunt

Have you ever lost something at the beach or at a park and wondered for weeks what happened to it? Chances are that someone was walking with the ingenious invention, the metal detector, and found it.

How it works and what it does:

It simply does what the name suggests. It finds anything with any metal in it up to a certain length beneath the earth's surface. Many fancy metal detectors will even tell you how deep down the metal object is so you can find it easier.

What Can I Find With a Metal Detector?

You could find rings, bracelets, necklaces, coins or anything metal. Depending on the brand of metal detector you buy and model it is you will get different results. Just ask or research to find out what kind would best suit you.

Other Uses

Schools everywhere are using metal detectors to help filter out violence. The metal detectors can very easily (for this is why they are used) detect a knife or gun. Police stations and Airports use them as well. Even some amusement parks such as ""Six Flags Fiesta Texas"" use them, you buy your ticket then proceed to the park being stopped momentarily so the patrolmen can search any bags and have you walk through a metal detector.

As you can probably tell metal detectors are very useful not only to find that cherished earring but for our everyday safety and well being. This is a great invention that will be here for years to come.

So next time you loose that ring at the beach or you dime at the park remember there are ways to find you beloved object. Have Fun.

About the author: James Hunt has spent 15 years as a professional writer and researcher covering stories that cover a whole spectrum of interest. Read more at www.best-metal-detect ors.info

The Glass We Know

2008-11-12T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: James Monahan

It's a such common everyday material, I'm so sure that you'll be able to see it everywhere you turn. Glass. Yup, that amorphous liquid made out of sand.

If you've seen ""Sweet Home Alabama"" before, than you know what I'm talking about. Glass is naturally made out of sand when it is striked by lightning, morphing into brilliant shapes and objects.

I don't think glass will ever cease to be useful, but even as it is highly utilized in this world, glass can also be turned into highly-valued works of art.

In fact, here's a tip for you: search the beaches to see if you've found pieces of sea glass (not naturally occuring but the kind that was thrown into the sea and molded by it after many years into smooth, round shapes) because they have lately become valuable and highly sought-after.

It was naturally occuring glass, like obsidian (glass naturally created from volcaninc magma), that has been in use since the stone age.

It was then used as a glaze for pottery until the method of glass-blowing was developed in the first century b.c., making glass more available. Its name is derived from the Latin word for ice, ""glacies.""

Glass can be made out of pure silica, but to make the glassmaking process easier, ash and lime is added. From these basic ingredients, a variety of glass can be formed.

There is the float or annealed glass. Most of the world's flat glass is annealed glass, since the process for making this was invented in the 1950s by Sir Alastair Pilkington.

Molten glass is poured onto a tin bath and levels out to dry in parallel, flat surfaces. Annealed glass is not suitable for building as it breaks into shards.

Before annealed glass, there was plate glass, where it was formed by rolling it flat.

There is such a kind of glass that is a bit tougher and safer from breakage, called tempered glass. It is said to be six times stronger than annealed glass, but it does have a few drawbacks.

If it does get broken, the whole glass panel will fall apart into small bits. Also, since the portions of the tempered glass are formed differently, the outer portion of the panel is more susceptible to scratches.

Laminated glass was invented by Edouard Benedictus, after discovering that a glass flask coated with cellulose nitrate was dropped to the ground, shattered, but did not break.

This type of glass is more commonly used for windshields and security purposes, as it is bulletproof. Laminated glass is formed from typical annealed glass and a generous coating of polyvinyl butyral.

Recently innovated is self-cleaning glass, which may just put window-cleaners out of business. It is coated with titanium dioxide. It enables ultraviolet rays to break down organic compounds on the surface.

Water is also attracted to the surface of the glass, leaving a thin coat that washes away these compounds.

Low-emmisivity glass has metallic-based coatings that hinder the glass from transferring thermal energy, making it more energy-efficient.

So whenever you're drinking a glass of water or marvelling at a glass sculpture or modern glass architecture, think of what you've just learned and how glass can change the world you live in.

About the author: James Monahan is the owner and Senior Editor of GlassSites.com and writes expert articles about glass .

Coordination and Biotech Research

2008-11-11T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: James Wachai

One of the reasons why Africa and other poor regions of the world trail in crop biotechnology is lack of collaboration and coordination among scientists. There are millions of well-trained crop biotechnologists in poor countries. But due to resource constraints and other challenges, hardly do they work together. So, we have a situation where so many scientists, working in different parts of the continent, are engaged in identical biotech projects. It's like a case of one hand not knowing what the other is doing.

At a time when Africa desperately needs crop biotechnology to alleviate hunger and malnutrition, its scientists should be moving towards collaborative research. Scientists who pull in different directions can't make any meaningful impact in the scientific world. Cooperation, not competition, is the bane of science. With regard to crop biotechnology, collaboration is urgently needed if Africa dreams of solving its endemic food problems.

Currently, Africa is playing host to top-notch research in crop biotechnology. Dr. Florence Wambugu of Africa Harvest Biotech Foundation International is busy developing a new strain of wheat resistant to drought and common fungal diseases. Dr. Wambugu is an authority in genetic engineering and has been leading the campaign to persuade Africa to embrace genetically modified crops. Dr. Monty Jones of the Africa Rice Centre (WARDA), in a groundbreaking research, has developed New Rice for Africa (Nerica), resistant to drought and pests, which is bound to enhance food security in many West African countries. Dr. Jones' expertise in genetic engineering can be a big asset to Africa is shared.

Organizations like International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT), Insect Resistant Maize for Africa (IRMA) and International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA), too, are engaged in high-tech crop biotechnology research. Their work deserve praise, but they stand to achieve more if there is more sharing.

Perhaps, a recently mooted idea by South African scientists is worth considering.They have formed an umbrella organization, which seeks to consolidate the gains already made in modern biotechnology. Called the African Centre for Gene Technology (ACGT), the body will act as a centre of excellence for all African scientists involved in biotech research. In Kenya, the African Biotechnology Stakeholders Forum is promoting partnerships and education. African scientists should embrace these projects and see them as opportunities for self-growth. Investors in North America, Europe and elsewhere should be investing and partnering with these organizations and scientists. After all, they have a common goal - to alleviate hunger and malnutrition.

About the author: James Wachai is a communication specialist who uses his expertise to increase public understanding of science and technology, specifically biotechnology. Read more from James at http://www.gmoafrica.org.

UFO Spotted Over Overland Park in 2004

2008-11-10T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Mark Fisher

It started out as a tiny star, barely a speck in the sky, at 10:37 p.m. approximately. A reddish colored dot, hardly noticeable until it began to change color as it get bigger, or closer, changing from red to blue to a bright red and finally to a true gold, not yellow, not orange, but a true gold as it became incredibly bright and huge. It was bright enough to cast a shadow, not like a ray or beam of light, but rather from an overall gold glow. Hovering... Quietly... Not making a sound, not rustling the leaves or making any breeze. It just got bigger, closer, brighter, ""golder"". Much bigger than an airplane. Then, suddenly, it began to dart across the sky, rapidly, like on a straight line. Then, just as rapidly, without stopping, it changed direction and darted back towards its once previous position. Closer. Then it would begin rising and moving further away, only to suddenly become bigger again as it would quickly begin coming closer once again. Two witnesses noticed the red light from their windows and followed it, getting interested enough to go downstairs and outside to gain a better look. Two witnesses, one a woman, one a man, told matching tales of the object, agreeing on every last detail. Twice I tried to trick them by mentioning yellow or green lights but instead they would correct me saying it was red, then blue, then bright red, then an extremely bright glowing gold color, NOT yellow they would insist. No matter how hard I tried to sway them from their statements, they remained consistent and adamant.

This writer knows both witnesses well, and knows they are not the type or types to fashion some hairbrained scheme or story. The woman is a teacher of children, dedicated to bettering the life of young children. The man is a responsible businessperson, the manager of a successful business. Neither take drugs. Neither were drinking, not even so much as a thimbleful of cough medicine between them. No, it was not in their heads - it was real. Actual visions of something mysterious, frightening, and, perhaps, menacing. Both got spooked and sought shelter. Both continued to watch it behind locked doors. For over twenty minutes it would come, go, dart one direction for several seconds then dart back. Changing colors as it got closer or farther away. Finally, it moved ""mostly North, slightly West"", perhaps NNW as it became only a reddish spark in the sky, until finally it had moved so far that it could no longer be seen, hidden by trees and the many miles with which it was traveling away.

Zach F. saw it first. He frequently watches planes come and go at the nearby municipal airport. He knows an airplane or a helicopter when he sees one. He knows where planes land and take off from and the basic locations of all the small airports, and major ones, in the area. Zach knows planes and helicopters. He does not know of objects that can change speed and direction so abruptly and change colors so totally. Certainly not an object as large as this. Trisha M. knows what she saw, the whole experience indelibly imprinted into her memory banks by the importance and significance she felt as she witnessed it. ""This is not right"", was an everpresent thought, so she watched carefully and noted each and every detail, not knowing what might be important.

An eerie thirty minute experience that will require some answers for two quite shaken witnesses and this inquisitive writer, who fully believes their identical, corroborated stories, but neither authorities, nor the media are interested in hearing their story. One can only wonder ""Why?"" Surely there cannot be some vast comspiracy could exist regarding UFOs, can there? More likely is that they saw some new hush-hush experimental military vehicle. Perhaps in ten or twenty years, classified documents can be declassified and made public about a highly maneuverable, extremely fast military vehicle that can change color and direction at will. Only then might we learn the truth.

About the author: Mark Robert Fisher is a freelance writer/journalist and entrepreneur, a member of the International Press Association and the National Writer's Union. Mark has been published in the US, UK, and Europe. He is available via his website: www.excellentkc.com/boatrocker.html

Bird Flu Facts Can Save Lives

2008-11-09T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Ben Franklin

Doctors and scientists around the world fear it may well become the next pandemic. People have died and many are concerned it's just a matter of time before the crafty bird flu manages to spread not only from bird to human but also from human to human.

The scare level is high as scientists race to create a vaccine and reports of deaths slowly rack up. But what is the bird flu and what can be done to prevent its spread, and more importantly, protect people?

The bird flu is a strain of influenza occurs naturally in birds. Much like humans, wild birds all over the world carry viruses in their intestines, but generally don't become sick from them. Avian influenza, however, is different and can make some birds, including chickens, ducks and turkeys quite sick and can even result in death.

While most bird viruses don't effect humans, the latest strains have been creating problems in the human world, thus the concerns. Since 1997 there have been 100 confirmed cases of human infection with bird flu viruses.

People can become infected with bird flu through close contact with infected birds and most especially their excretions and secretions. Although the spread of the illness from one person to the next has been reported only rarely, and even then not beyond one additional person, there are many concerns in the scientific and medical communities that this will not continue. Viruses such as the flu are well known for their abilities to mutate and there's no reason to believe that won't be the case with this quite deadly strain of flu.

Avian flu symptoms in humans are very much like those of run-of-the-mill flu - with a wide variety found. These can include cough, sore throat, fever, eye infections, respiratory issues and other life-threatening complications.

While it's believed the medications that can help ease the symptoms of human flu viruses might help in the case of the avian flu, there are concerns the bird virus will become resistant to these drugs, creating a bigger issue. At this time there is no vaccine for the bird flu either.

At this point, it is not believed a person can become infected with the bird flu by eating poultry or eggs. As long as safe cooking practices are followed, there should be little concern. To avoid exposure, make sure chicken and eggs are properly cooked and take care to clean up well following preparation. Washing hands and kitchen surfaces is an absolute must. Sanitary practices are a must in avoiding the bird flu and lots of other viruses and bacterial conditions as well.

Will the avian flu become the next pandemic, striking and perhaps killing thousands and thousands the world over?

Unfortunately, only time will tell. The potential, scientists fear, is absolutely there. The only way at this point for people to protect themselves is to use common sense when handling birds - either domestic or wild. Don't eat, drink or smoke while handling birds, live or dead. Wash hands thoroughly and use caution while cooking.

As it is with so many other illnesses, the simple act of hand washing frequently and correctly can go a long way toward minimizing exposure.

About the author: #1 Resource

Bird flu update and safety precautions.

http://www.bird-flu-report.com

The Hidden Truth Behind an Emblem

2008-11-08T03:03:00.001-08:00

Author: James Monahan

An emblem is a visual representation that defines an idea, thought, or an entity. It's synonymous with the words symbol and sign.

They are written everywhere in our daily lives. Around the world, it is universally accepted that the symbol of a heart represents love; or that a peace sign tattooed on an arm or posted on a wall is a visual reminder of the pronouncement of peace.

An emblem crosses boundaries and cultural barriers. It speaks without speaking. It is probably the first mode of visual communication known to man. Its more popular use dates back to the time of the conception of the Egyptian hieroglyphics.

Now let us take a look back at the history of the emblem and try to decipher what lies behind the surface of these symbols. Later we'll take a look at the more renowned emblems that have now become a part of the visual landscape of our culture.

To have a better understanding of their more profound meaning, let us trace back their origin and study the ideas that were rooted behind these colorful signs.

The word emblem first began to surface within the confines of the argot of architecture during the 15th century. They meant a sculptural illustration of an idea or concept pertaining to the structure of houses.

Emblems also became identified with the esoteric and iconic language of the Egyptian hieroglyphics.

The first emblem book was published in 1531 in Augsburg. The book was entitled the Emblata. It was authored by Andrea Alciato, who was an Italian jurist who came from the city of Milan, but resided in France during the early 16th century.

In our century arguably the most notorious of all emblems is the swastika, whose most renowned identification lies with the affiliation with the Nazi movement. Interesting to note that originally the swastika was a holy symbol in Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism.

Its earliest use can be traced back with the early dwellers of Eurasia. This emblem was also adopted in the culture of Native Americans with a seemingly independent usage.

In India the swastika is universally used in celebrations, festivals and weddings. Many Indian temples are decorated with swastikas. During the early 20th century, it gained the recognition of an emblem that stands for good luck and prosperity.

Other notable emblems are: the red cross on a white flag. This symbol is identified with the American red cross. The red cross is a symbol that stands for the spirit of humanity.

The star of David, is most commonly recognized as the symbol for Judaism. It is also referred to as Magen David, or shield of David. The skull, the symbol of death and the transient state of the human life.

A skull and crossbones, this emblem stands for poison. Whenever this appears on a product, it warns us that we are in the presence of a potentially harmful, or even deadly substance. This appears often on cleaning solution and insecticide sprays.

That is why it is very important to know what certain emblems mean because in our society emblems have become permanent fixtures, and not knowing what they stand for could be detrimental to our daily lives.

Just go to any mall and you will see that these symbols are everywhere. Whether it takes shape in the form of a man or a woman posted on the lavatory to indicate if it is a male or female bathroom.

You will also see them while travelling on the highways. Multi-directional arrows that are posted on billboards alongside the names of the place they are pointing towards. This tells you which direction you are heading. It functions as a guide so you will not get lost. It also keeps road transportation organized.

They are inescapable these emblems that decorate our everyday lives. It is part of our human consciousness, a part of our history, a part of our mode of communication. That is why it is best if each and everyone of us get better acquainted with the more vital symbols that are now in use in our society.

After all, to know more about the things around you enhances your consciousness and experience of life. Plus, these symbols will also warn us against the hazards that are part of our environment.

Remember that emblems are not just a visual display. They are part of a more serious, profound, and bigger truth. You just have to learn to look beyond the surface to know the message they are trying to convey. Emblems exist for a reason, it is up to you to read the signs.

About the author: James Monahan is the owner and Senior Editor of EmblemSearch.com and writes expert articles about emblems .

Kenya Inches Close to Food Sustainability

2008-11-07T03:03:00.001-08:00

Author: James Wachai

Kenya has begun a countdown to commercializing genetically modified maize(corn). Scientists at the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI), International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT) and Insect Resistant Maize for Africa (IRMA) have already developed a new maize seed, resistant to the stem borer. Stem borer destroys 400,000 tonnes of Maize in Kenya, alone. In Sub-Saharan Africa, chronic cases of stem borer infestation account for 10-70 per cent of yield losses. This has had devastating effects on Africa's efforts to feed its ever soaring population. Maize is the primary staple food and an occasional cash crop in many parts of Africa.

The first case of stem borer was discovered in Malawi in 1932. Since then, a raft of methods, pointedly, biological control, habitat management and use of natural pesticides, have been used to deal with the stem borer menace. Unfortunately, very little has been achieved. Bounty yields, a common occurrence in countries such as US, Canada, Argentina, India and China, which have embraced biotechnology, have not been forthcoming. For instance, Niger, one of the poorest countries in Africa is currently facing acute food shortage due to crop failure and drought. About 3.6 million people are on the verge of death due to hunger. Horrifying is news that 800,000 children are chronically malnourished.

Niger is a semi-desert country where lack of rain can result to massive crop failures. This situation and others in Africa can be avoided. Dishing emergency food aid, as is happening at the moment, will help in the short run. But long-term measures need to be explored.

The development of seeds with tolerance to drought and low soil fertility through modern biotechnology could benefit Niger and other countries in similar situations.

Maize varieties with improved nutritional content will be a boon to malnourished children who strand the African continent.

It is worth noting that the development of maize seed resistant to pests such as stem borer not only heralds a new chapter in Kenya but Africa as a whole. Other African countries should now borrow a leaf from these two countries. They should swim by the waves rest they continue to be perpetual beneficiaries of relief food.

Kenyan scientists have demonstrated determination to seek homegrown solutions to Africa's food problems. It would be interesting to hear the views of critics of modern biotechnology about this latest development.In the past, they have accused rich countries of foisting novel technologies such as biotechnology on ""hapless"" Africa, in total disregard of their environmental impact or health complications associated with consumption of genetically modified food.

The jury is now out. To quote Dr Stephen Mugo, a plant breeder with CIMMYT, ""The converted seeds have been studied, multiplied and tested in laboratories and greenhouse conditions.""

Zimbabwe and Biotechnology

2008-11-06T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: James Wachai

Two years ago, drought and famine ravaged Zimbabwe. Many Zimbabweans cheated death by a whisker as their leaders haggled over whether to accept food aid, especially maize (corn) from the World Food Programme (WFP).

The borne of contention was whether to allow WFP deliver genetically modified food to hungry Zimbabweans. In the words of the then Minister for Agriculture and Rural Resettlement, Joseph Mande, Zimbabweans would not accept any food from WFP as it was ""contaminated"" with genetically modified organisms. ""You cannot use the Zimbabwe population as guinea pigs,"" Mande was quoted as saying. President Mugabe, himself, declared that his country would not be receptive of any genetically modified food. This year again, Zimbabwe is facing another worst food crisis. After another long spell of drought, Zimbabweans face, perhaps, the worst food shortage.

After months of self-denial, the Mugabe government is finally pleading with WFP for food. It is, however, interesting that no one is talking about genetically modified food. What more can one say? Evidently, the Mugabe government must have learnt that the debate about GMOs, especially by Africans is a luxury. It is important to point out that all this chest-thumping rhetoric about genetically modified food has one thing in common.

The rhetoric is devoid of hard scientific evidence to support the case against GMOs. President Mugabe and Minister Mande's allegations about GMOs would only be described as wild and misplaced. At the height of hunger in 2002, Mugabe allowed WFP to bring in genetically modified maize as long as it was milled. For a president who cares about the 'health' of his people, this somersaulting was unexpected. But it confirms the fact that the hubris about the dangers posed by genetically modified food is, again, only informed by ignorance and disinformation.

If milled genetically modified maize would be safe to Zimbabweans, why not the unmilled one? Critics of GMOs need to realize that they cannot eat their cake and have it. Those who allude at the US's hypocrisy in introducing GMOs in Africa are, to say the least, are misinformed. Genetically modified food, has been certified by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as safe to eat and plant. FDA is highly respected regulatory agency that would not compromise the health of consumers of genetically modified food. This is why if you go to Wal-mart, Kenmart or any other supermarket in the US, you will not encounter corn labeled 'genetically modified.'

What Africa needs is a technology that will guarantee its farming community sustained food production. Genetic engineering offers this hope.

Biotechnology: Zimbabwe Must Learn From China

2008-11-05T03:03:00.001-08:00

Author: James Wachai

Ever heard of the saying, you cannot bite the hand that feeds you?.Shunned by the West for oppressing his people, Zimbabwean President, Robert Mugabe, has turned to China for comradeship. Two weeks ago, Mugabe and his lieutenants were in China - on a begging mission. His country's economy now in a shambles, Mugabe saw it fit to plead with China to rescue his fast sinking ship. Expectedly, China - a fast growing economy, has pledged to come to Mugabe's aid. Help will be limited, meaning that Zimbabweans' troubles are far from over.

What now awaits Zimbabwe - once Africa's food basket? Agriculture, which is the backbone of Zimbabwe's economy, for one, is on its last throes. Outdated agricultural policies, obsolete farming technologies coupled with bad politics are largely to blame for the country's economic down-turn. Why shouldn't Zimbabwe, now, take advantage of its newfound suitor - China, to revitalize its agriculture? China, for instance, has and continue to benefit from modern biotechnology. Zimbabwe, similarly could benefit immensely if it courts biotechnology. This would make it self-sufficient in food and stop relying on relief aid! Monetary handouts such as the one President Mugabe is craving for are only stop-gap measures to Zimbabwe's food problems.

China is currently the hub of biotechnology in Asia. Since the planting of the first genetically modified crop in the US fifteen years ago, China has aggressively pursued cultivation of genetically modified (GM) crops. So far, it has given regulatory approval to eight varieties of biotech corn, seven types of canola and one of soybeans. As a result, China can now feed its more than 1 billion population without seeking outside help. China is no longer in the list of countries the United Nations (UN) consider in need of food assistance. In a very short period of time, China has transformed its agriculture, effectively moving from recipient of food aid to a donor. Admirable achievement!

China's success in biotechnology can be attributed to a number of factors. One, China, unlike many African countries, has refused to politicize the issue of genetically modified food. It has worked closely with the US to promote a regulatory system based on sound science to expedite GM approvals. This is despite the presence of major political differences between these two countries.

Two, China's enthusiasm in training first-class scientists on modern biotechnology has been steadfast. It has invested billions of dollars in science and technology education . As a result the country is now able to make informed decisions about genetically modified food.

Now that Zimbabwe is engaged with China, can't it take advantage of this new acquaintance to modernize its agriculture? Zimbabwe remains strongly opposed to GM food for no justifiable reasons. Even a time like this when it is facing acute food shortage, Zimbabwe would not allow food aid laced with genetically modified organisms into its territory. Relief organizations are required to produce GMO certificates to certify that food being brought into the country is GM free. Is this necessary at all?

Many a times, African countries have complained about being used as guinea pigs by biotech companies! This is ridiculous. China, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil and South Africa are some of the countries from developing world currently growing genetically modified food. Are they guinea pigs?

China, early enough, saw the folly of politicizing the biotech debate. It is now reaping bountifully. A poor country a decade ago, China is now able to bail out a country like Zimbabwe.

When Mugabe travels to Beijing again, China should remind him that its wealth has been accrued from modern biotechnology. And that Zimbabwe should follow suit. Failure to do so amounts to biting the hand that feeds it.

What a Stale Argument!

2008-11-04T03:06:00.001-08:00

Author: James Wachai

Does politics has a place in genetically modified (GM) food debate? ""No"", is the obvious answer. Politics and science are such sworn adversaries that they cannot eat from the same plate. Politics mainly thrive on propaganda, vilification, name-calling and personal gratification at the expense of the general good. Science is anchored on verifiable facts, it is objective, gentle, and seeks to make the world a better place for all of us to live. You cannot politicize science unless you fancy mediocrity.

One Jeffrey Smith, the author of ""Seeds of Deception,"" this week advised South Africans to avoid genetically modified food like plague. Why? South Africans stand to lose European beef and poultry markets if they feed their livestock on genetically modified food. To be on the safe side, South Africans should use conventional feeds. Pooh!

""There is a massive rejection of genetically modified ingredients in human food in Europe, and growing demand that animals are fed on conventional crops,"" Smith told his audience. What a misleading advice!

Deliberately misleading the public on any issue is both morally reprehensible and abominable. Those who exploit the vulnerability of the poor for self gains risk isolation by the world. Why misinform to confuse? United States of America is a traditional grower of genetically modified food. The U.S.'s European beef markets have not shrunk as a result of cultivating GMOs.Latest statistics at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) show beef and veal exports ballooned from 461 million pounds in 2004 to 615 billion pounds in 2005. The bulk of the exports went to European markets. Smith lives in the U.S. and ought to have made this clear to his audience. If he did so, I would not be here penning this article.

Europe, itself, is fast embracing genetically modified food. Last month, the European Union endorsed importation of genetically modified animal feed. Does Smith want to tell South Africa that Europe is shooting itself in the foot?

Already, farmers in five European Union countries, including France and Germany are growing genetically modified food. They have not lost their beef and poultry markets. In Spain, GMO Maize's harvest this year will top 50,000 hectares, all of which will be used as cattle feed. Spain's beef markets in Europe remain intact. They are not in limbo. These are hard facts and no amount of propaganda and grandstanding will change them. Let's be pragmatic when debating the issue of genetically modified food.This is the only way to help consumers to make informed decisons.

Debate on pros and cons of genetically modified food is a luxury to Africa. Somebody should not make Africa believe that it would lose oversees markets for growing genetically modified food. Africa cannot feed itself as of now. Women and kids are dying in Niger, Ethiopia, and Eritrea of hunger. Priority, now, should not be to grow food for exports but to feed the hungry and the malnourished. To scare Africa that it will lose oversees markets is putting the cart before the horse.

Biotechnology Rather Than Aid Can Alleviate Poverty

2008-11-03T03:03:00.001-08:00

Author: James Wachai

G8 leaders have agreed to boost aid to Africa by $25 billion by 2010. The G8 countries include USA, Canada, Britain, France, Japan, Russia, Germany and Italy. As expected, Africa is in celebration mood. To many, this announcement heralds the demise of poverty in Africa. No more hunger, no more deaths by easily preventable diseases. Africa will be saved from all manners of miseries. The doubling of aid would emancipate this desolate continent from the yokes of destituteness and hopelessness. These expectations are expected in a continent where more than 75 per cent of the population live on less than a dollar a day.

The million dollar question, however, is, will doubling of aid, to Africa, alone, enhance sustainable development? The answer is no. Africa has, in the past, refused to embrace poverty alleviation initiatives introduced by the very countries that it is begging aid from. Take the case of biotechnology. G8 countries continue to mint billions of dollars from genetically modified food. The latest report by the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Business Applications (ISAAA) forecasts the 2005 global market value for biotech crops to be US$ 5 billion. Unfortunately, Africa will derive negligible benefits from the sale of biotech products. The continent is still dilly-dallying on whether to embrace biotechnology. While other countries are scrambling to increase acreage of GM crops, Africa is still procrastinating - worrying about environmental and health impact of GM crops, which science has already clarified.

Isn't time for rich countries to demand that Africa expresses willingness to embrace modern farming technologies so as to reduce its reliance on foreign aid? There is, certainly, no other way to be self-sufficient in food production than to swim by the waves!

The US and Canada, for instance, are reaping huge economic benefits from genetically modified crops. And they happen to be more sympathetic to the African cause. It is ironical that Africa expects them to be more generous with the money accrued from a technology it despises. Africa cannot eat its cake and have it. If it cannot borrow a leaf from these biotech giants, then, it makes no sense to beg for aid from them!

Biotech has already boosted the economies of India, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Romania, Mexico, Philippines, Australia and Spain. What's Africa waiting for? Africa, the Green Revolution by-passed you. India and Pakistan embraced the Green Revolution. It revolutionized their economies. They are now basking in glory, with plenty to eat and export. These, and other Asian countries, no longer rely on relief food. It is time for Africa to follow suit.

South Africa, to its credit, is the only African country growing genetically modified crops for commercial purposes. Already, the country has 0.5 million hectares of land under GM cultivation. This, however, is a drop in the ocean considering that global area of approved biotech crops, currently, stands at 81 million hectares. But it is a step towards the right direction. South Africa no longer experience food deficits. In fact, it is a major food provider to famine-stricken countries such as Zimbabwe, Zambia and Mozambique, all of which are yet to embrace biotechnology.

This is the path the rest of Africa should follow. Instead of begging the West for aid, Africa should strive to share the spoils of such technologies as biotechnology. This is the only and surest way of alleviating poverty.

How To Make Lighter and Thinner Magnesium Components?

2008-11-02T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Ken Yap

Magnesium is the lightest structural material offering very good damping characteristics, weldability and excellent shielding against electro-magnetic interferance, and is unlimited in supply. It has been an excellent material for making portable electronic and telecommunication devices, and automotive and aerospace equipment such as MD player casings, chassis for cell phones, video cameras and notebook computers, automotive gear housings, car wheels and engine blocks.

The most common method to produce magnesium parts is by die casting and thixomolding processes. However, these runner and gating processes provide a low material yield of only 30% for thin-wall casting and can only produce thin walls of between 0.7mm to 1.2mm.

If we can form magnesium parts from sheet metal just like metal stamping of steel and aluminum parts, we can achieve better material yield of about 80% and possibly safer operation due to the lower processing temperature. However, magnesium is known to be non-formable as it is very resistant to deformation due to its hexagonal close-packed structure. The only way is warm forming of magnesium as deformation of magnesium above 225 degrees Celsius will cause additional slip planes to become operative.

Extensive process research in this area have resulted in a few warm forming hydraulic presses available in the market for draw forming. Recently, research in warm draw forming of magnesium to make cell phone chassis has successfully shown that 0.4mm thin walls can be achieved consistently. Metallographic tests of the chassis have also demonstrated that there is zero porosity and increased rigidity.

While the current warm forming press systems are complicated to operate as they require the preliminary building of stroke and force profiles for the specific products using data acquisition modules and forming simulation softwares, the increased replacement of aluminum and plastics with magnesium for handheld electronic devices may well accelerate this process. Progressive early adopters of this technology would have a first mover advantage in the competitive global manufacturing industry.

About the author: Author Ken Yap is a director of Suwa Precision Engineering Pte Ltd in Singapore which represents metal stamping, precision machining, miniature precision balls and PCB manufacturers from Suwa, Japan . He is also a director of Attisse Pte Ltd, a business and market research consultancy firm for Japanese investors .

What's the MATTER?

2008-11-01T03:03:00.000-07:00

Author: Charles Douglas Wehner

Einstein has shown that energy can be converted into matter? That`s a nice trick!

Matter consists of the elements hydrogen, helium, beryllium, boron, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, fluorine, neon and on and on..... That is the periodic table of the elements, from Mendeleev, in which the components of matter are laid out in order of increasing weight, for ease of study.

So I invite you to take some energy and convert it into matter. I will then take that matter into the chemical laboratory, and tell you whether it was hydrogen, helium, beryllium or some other element that you have made for me.

If you do not accept the challenge, you will never know what you would have made. You might have transmuted base energy into GOLD - the 79th element of the Periodic Table. This has been the quest of alchemists throughout the ages. You cannot know what wonders you have missed.

Still not tempted? Then I will tell you a secret. Even nature cannot transmute energy into matter. Some might say that even God cannot.

But Einstein was a GENIUS. He could do things where Nature and God had failed. Or so we are given to believe.

So Einstein was wrong. How often I have heard this phrase. I was accosted on the streets for years by a young man who had heard that I was clever. He would routinely deliver his latest critique of Einstein. It was based - as is usual - upon semiscience, and eventually I knew why. Those who run the ""Einstein was wrong"" campaign have two things in common. Firstly, they are not scientists, and secondly they have a history of mental illness. Theirs is a campaign, by finding something deep and profound, to silence their own critics who say that they are mad.

Einstein was not wrong.

The problem is compounded by the disinformation campaign run by governments. Einstein had, with his famous equation, quantified the energy that might be obtained from a bomb. He had provided the mathematical basis for nuclear warfare, and the tyrants who deign to rule us were quite thrilled. They made Einstein into the greatest genius ever known, even though there have been several ""Zweisteins"". Madame Curie and Linus Pauling, for example, both got two Nobel prizes where Einstein got only one.

In 1955, Einstein started with Bertrand Russell the ""Ban the Bomb"" campaign. They jointly wrote the Russell-Einstein Manifesto. Einstein died - probably murdered - just before the American ""Ban the Bomb"" campaign was to start. The Manifesto was issued, and Russell soldiered on alone in England.

In his quest for peace, Einstein was not wrong either.

So the disinformation campaign takes many forms. Firstly, it spreads dirty rumours about the private lives of Russell and Einstein. Secondly, it plays down Einstein`s deep commitment to peace. Thirdly, it keeps the secrets of how to build the bomb secret, in case an enemy might discover them.

Science is simple. Fake scientists are bombastic. So, in the concealment of the few true facts that go into the making of the nuclear industries, a vast array of complicated and fanciful ""theories"" are generated, which lead to nothing useful. One of those myths is that energy turns into matter, and matter into energy. There is no such nuclear alchemy.

To understand what Einstein said, we must first consider physics. For our equations, we have only pounds, feet and seconds to work with. These might be converted into centimetres, grammes and seconds, or into metres, kilogrammes and seconds - or into something involving minutes or hours, but they remain for all time MASS, DISTANCE and TIME.

So mass, distance and time are the three physical ""elements"" - or physical ""dimensions"". They have nothing to do with chemistry.

Mass is not to be confused with weight. Consider what happens if you have a bag of apples, and take it into orbit. On Earth, it weighs a pound. In orbit it weighs nothing. We speak of the orbital condition as ""weightlessness"".

Now let us throw the apples against a wall. Let us do this twice, firstly at one foot per second and then at a thousand. On earth, the apples bounce off the wall after an impact of one foot per second. They are smashed to pulp at a speed of a thousand feet per second.

In orbit it is exactly the same. Weightlessness is not masslessness.

What causes the impact is momentum - the product of mass and speed. In the first case, we have a single pound-foot-per-second, in the second we have a thousand. The second momentum is a thousand times the first.

The energy needed is one half times the mass times the speed squared. In the first case we have half a foot-poundal, in the second half a million.

Scientists prefer to use other units, however. In the metre-kilogramme-second system (MKS), the energy will be JOULES. This is a convenient unit, because it is WATT SECONDS. It makes sense to the scientist, because he can visualise for how long a one-Watt torch would shine, and so get the ""feel"" of the energy.

Light travels at three hundred million metres per second. So one foot per second is about one third of a metre per second, or about a billionth of the speed of light.

According to Einstein`s equation, something travelling at a billionth of the speed of light will become half times a billionth times a billionth heavier.

So, the apples have a mass of 1.0000000000000000000000000 pounds. In motion, their mass becomes 1.0000000000000000000000005 pounds.

There is very little difference, and Einstein`s modification to the laws of motion barely disturb calculations that are based on Newton.

At a thousand feet per second, however, the mass is 1.0000000000000000005 pounds.

The increment in mass has grown by a million, although it is still trivial.

It is useful at this time to divide the number into two parts. We will call the 1 the ""rest mass"" and the .0000000000000000005 the ""relativistic mass"". Nothing has happened to the apples other than their motion and their change in mass. A bag of five apples does not become a bag of six apples for me to take into the chemical laboratory and discover the added carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and other elements. In short, there is no chemical change.

As the mass increases with increasing speed, we find that for the next relativistic calculation we must calculate the relativistic increment of the 1, and also the relativistic increase in the 0.0000000000000000005. Thus, the relativistic mass grows by compound interest - not by simple interest. There comes a time when the apples are becoming infinitely heavy.

When the apples are almost infinitely heavy, we need almost infinite energy to accelerate them at all. So close to the speed of light, they become impossible to shift.

It seems that nothing can reach the speed of light, for if it did it would contain infinite energy.

But what of light itself?

How did light reach the speed of light? It didn`t. It was BORN THERE.

What happens when you slow light down to rest? What is its rest mass?

If you slowed light down, it would not be light. All light travels at the speed of light.

If you could slow it down, it would have zero rest mass - because it is not matter.

All things, like bagsful of apples, require energy to move them. The apples have their own intrinsic mass - the ""rest mass"" - and the energy has its own mass - the ""relativistic mass"".

Light requires no energy to move it because it is born on the move. It consists purely of energy, and has ""relativistic mass"" without having ""rest mass"".

Regarding chemistry, we can consider hydrogen. It consists of an electron held by its negative charge to a proton, which is positive. However, the electric charge only works up to a point. It takes enormous force to drive the electron into the proton because the short-range forces repel it.

If we persevere, we can indeed crush hydrogen together - and the electric charges cancel. We have created a neutron.

In the SI system of physical units (MKS), the electron weights 9.10956 times ten to the power MINUS THIRTY-ONE kilogrammes. It would take about 1.1 MILLION MILLION MILLION MILLION MILLION (that is, million to the power five) to make a kilogramme of electrons, which are about 2.2 pounds. A million to the power five therefore weigh about two pounds.

Similarly, the proton weighs 1.67261 times ten to the power minus 27 kilogrammes, and the neutron weighs 1.67492 times ten to the minus 27 kilos.

We can see that when we force an electron and a proton together, the neutron weighs as much as 2.536 electrons plus one proton.

Here, the rest mass within the neutron is the sum of the rest masses of the electron and of the proton, whilst the surplus 1.536 electron masses is the relativistic mass due to something moving inside the neutron. We don`t know what it is.

We might conjecture that the electron has been shifted from its outer orbit into some kind of internal orbit within the proton. By whizzing about inside the proton, the electron is everywhere at once, and effectively cancels the positive charge of the proton in all places.

So the neutron is a hydrogen atom with stored energy - as if the electron within it were some kind of flywheel having energy-storage due to its spin.

If we throw the neutron with enough speed at an atom of uranium 238, it forms uranium 239. After a variable period which averages a microsecond, the electron flies out of the uranium. The neutron inside the uranium 239 has turned back into a proton, and the uranium is now plutonium 239. However, the plutonium with the ejected electron have the same mass as uranium 238 plus an electron plus a proton. The only difference is the binding energy, by which the proton is held in the plutonium. This binding energy has relativistic mass.

What has happened to the surplus 1.536 electron masses? They have turned back into the energy that we used to crush the hydrogen at the beginning of the experiment. A gamma ray - high-energy light (an X-ray) - has also been emitted, and light is not matter.

So everything has been accounted for. The matter has always stayed as matter and the energy has always stayed as energy. It is true that we could not see the energy inside the neutron, but we conjectured at some flywheel motion we cannot see - and we could detect its relativistic mass.

When people say that ""Einstein was wrong"", they mean that those REPORTERS who report Einstein are wrong. Bad reporters confuse MATTER with MASS.

Einstein said that energy can transmute into relativistic mass, and relativistic mass can transmute into energy.

In short, energy has mass, and takes it everywhere it goes.

The laws of the conservation of matter, and of the conservation of energy, have been preserved.

Charles Douglas Wehner

About the author: Charles Douglas Wehner, born 1944 in the Isle of Man, was a technical author in nucleonics and radar as well as a design engineer and factory manager in photoelectrics and other electronics and a computer programmer. He has a website http://wehner.org devoted to special science.

DNA Genealogy

2008-10-31T03:03:00.000-07:00

Author: Curt Whitesides

The next time you are watching your favorite CSI TV show or a particular movie and stumble into the fascinating world of DNA, you might be surprised to know that our DNA can do more than identify a suspect or victim at a crime scene. In fact, DNA is now being used to identify ancestors in the new and exciting field of DNA Genealogy.

DNA Genealogy takes traditional genealogy and applies genetics to it. DNA Genealogy involves the use of genealogical DNA testing to determine the level of genetic relationship between two individuals (Genealogical 2005). DNA, deoxyribonucleic acid, is used in the process because of its unique nature and the fact that it is passed down from one generation to the next. In the passing, some parts of the DNA remain almost completely unchanged, while other parts change dramatically. This property allows for the identification of certain consistencies between generations and provides the ability to identify genetic relationships.

There are two types of DNA tests available for testing

DNA Genealogy : Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y-chromosome DNA tests.

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is found in the cytoplasm of the cell instead of in the nucleus as is Y-chromosome (Tracing 2003). mtDNA is passed by a mother to both her male and female children without any additions or mixing from the father. Therefore, your mtDNA is the same as your mother's mtDNA. mtDNA is different in nature compared to Y-DNA. It changes slowly making it more difficult to determine close relationships and easier to determine relatedness. If two people have the same mtDNA, there is a very good chance that they also share a common maternal ancestor. Unfortunately, it is difficult to determine if that common maternal ancestor was recent or instead lived hundreds of years ago.

Y-chromosome tests have been used more and more recently to determine

DNA Genealogy . The Y-DNA tests are only available for males, because the Y-chromosome is only passed down along the paternal line from father to son. There are tiny chemical markers on the Y-chromosome that create a unique pattern. This pattern of markers is what is called a haplotype. A haplotype is used to determine one male lineage from another. This type of testing is often used to determine if two individuals who have the same surname share a common ancestor.

One of the early beginnings of DNA Genealogy was a study published by Bryan Sykes in 2000 (Sykes and Irven 2000) that used DNA Genealogy (Y-chromosome markers) along with surname studies to determine relatedness. The study compared 48 men with the same surname of Sykes from the regions of England and analyzed four Short Tandem Repeats (STRs) on their Y-chromosome: DYS19, DYS390, DYS391, and DYS393. The study found that of the 48 men tested, 21 had the same core haplotype and many others were only one mutational step away from the core haplotype. Skypes interpreted these results to reveal a common origin from an ancestor who lived some 700 years ago (Butler 2005).

Since its early beginnings,

DNA Genealogy has come a long way and has grown rapidly. DNA Genealogy continues to increase in popularity as the price of tests becomes much more affordable and the number of markers and clarity of the tests become greater. Additionally, DNA collection techniques make it a very simple and pain-free process.

Sources

Butler J. (2005) Forensic DNA Typing; Biology, Technology, and Genetics of STR Markers, 74, 231-232.

Genealogical DNA test. (2005, December 7). Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 21:52, December 8, 2005 from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Genealogical_DNA_test&o ldid=30489865.

Sykes, B. and Irven, C. (2000) American Journal of Human Genetics, 66, 1417-1419.

Tracing Your Ancestry Through DNA (2003) Genealogy.com. http://genealogy.about.com/cs/geneticgenealogy/a/dna_tests.htm

About the author: Relative Genetics , a leading provider of

DNA Genealogy , specializes in testing services on both the paternal and maternal lines, extended and nuclear family relationships, and Ancestral Origins TM analysis including both deep ancestry and ethnic heritage analysis.

A Brief History of Creation - Part One

2008-10-30T03:03:00.001-07:00

Author: Clara Szalai

What is the loop of Creation? How is there something from nothing?

In spite of the fact that it is impossible to prove that anything exists beyond one's perception since any such proof would involve one's perception (I observed it, I heard it, I thought about it, I calculated it, and etc.), science deals with a so-called objective reality ""out there,"" beyond one's perception professing to describe Nature objectively (as if there was a Nature or reality external to one's perception). The shocking impact of Matrix was precisely the valid possibility that what we believed to be reality was but our perception; however, this was presented through showing a real reality wherein the perceived reality was a computer simulation. Many who toy with the idea that perhaps, indeed, we are computer simulations, deviate towards questions, such as, who could create such software and what kind of hardware would be needed for such a feat. Although such questions assume that reality is our perception, they also axiomatically presuppose the existence of an objective deterministic world ""out there"" that nevertheless must be responsible for how we perceive our reality. This is a major mistake emphasizing technology and algorithms instead of trying to discover the nature of reality and the structure of creation. As will be shown in the following, the required paradigm shift from ""perception is our reality fixed within an objective world,"" to ""perception is reality without the need of an objective world 'out there,'"" is provided by a dynamic logical structure. The Holophanic loop logic is responsible for a consistent and complete worldview that not only describes, but also creates whatever can be perceived or experienced.

Stating that it is impossible to prove the existence of anything beyond one's perception is not saying there is nothing beyond perception, only that if there is anything, then whatever that is, is indefinite. It could be argued that the existence of physical laws, the universal perception that the apple falls to the ground is proof of an objective reality. However, this universal agreement is also our perception. It could be argued that if we cannot decide what to perceive, and everybody perceives the same physical reality, then there must be some lawfulness that dictates how we perceive and therefore, this lawfulness could be external to our perception. However, this lawfulness, as we shall see later on, is the precise lawfulness that creates perception, the process of definition, which is not external to perception (this process creates the perceived and the perceiver, which then gives meaning to this process - a loop - but about that, later). It could be argued, that hitting our knee on the table - whether we believe in the table or not - will hurt. The table is external to our body, but not to our perception. What then is perception? It is relating, a process of definition, defining and thereby rendering meaningful what has been perceived.

What then is this process of definition? It is creating borders within which one's perception gains meaning. The word ""definition"" comes from the Latin de finire , meaning, making finite or limited. In Hebrew, definition is HAGDARA (?????), meaning, to border. Any definition necessarily implies what the definition is not, or stated differently, to have meaning, whatever is defined explicitly includes the meaning by implicitly excluding everything else. Consequently, to define means to place the defined object within borders that by default create something beyond the borders of the definition. What is this something beyond the defined? The implicitly excluded everything else, or in other words, the indefinite. The paramount importance of incorporating the indefinite within a consistent logical structure cannot be overemphasized. The indefinite itself is a paradox, and incorporating it within the Holophanic logical structure engenders the loop of Creation where the dynamic structure of paradoxes is both the creative force of existence, and also the proof of the necessity of existence.

To better grasp the impetus of Creation, let's look at the indefinite and paradoxes. What does ""indefinite"" mean? Anything as long as it is not specified (not defined); anything that appears both within and beyond the borders of the definition and thereby rendering the border superfluous, which means, no border, no definition. If nevertheless we would attempt to define the notion ""indefinite,"" then that's a paradox because if we succeed, then it is defined, which contradicts its meaning - its indefiniteness - and the word ""indefinite"" means that it cannot be defined. This is an example of a paradox, that in essence means, if it is what it is, then it is not what it is, yet if it is not what it is, then it is what it is. A paradox is a creature that consists of a structure (how it is defined, the dynamic process on its way to stabilization) that contradicts its significance (what it is, the stabilized entity). What characterizes a paradox is the motion between its structure and significance, where the structure implies that its significance contradicts its structure, and vice versa.

Another example of a paradox would be ""wholeness."" Wholeness (totality, infinite, boundless) can only be wholeness if we can find a way to define it so that it includes everything and there is nothing beyond it. However, if we define wholeness, then to have meaning, it must be bordered within the walls of the definition, which implies that there is something beyond this border, in which case it is not wholeness. Or in more formal language, wholeness is only wholeness if it is not wholeness, which is an inconsistency. If we are satisfied with that, then we have completed the definition of wholeness. However, if we try to include the beyond created by our earlier definition within the borders of our next attempt at defining wholeness, then we gain a new definition of wholeness, which by the sheer structure of the process of defining creates a new beyond . In this case, the process of defining wholeness will be consistent but incomplete, and wholeness will remain indefinite.

Contemplating the paradox of Creation, the ancient Egyptian myth of Creation springs to mind, the myth of the self-creating god, Amun (or Amon). Amun masturbated and swallowed his semen, after which he spit it out in the form of a ball, thereby impregnating his mother, the sky. And only then, was he born. Thus Amun was his own father. Those pious who discovered the illustrated version of this myth in Karnak covered up the erect phallus of Amun, and with it, this story of Creation was laid into obscurity. The Holophanic model of Creation could regard this Egyptian myth as Amun retromorphously creating himself. I have coined the word retromorphous to mean, defining in retrospect, turning non-being into the potential of whatever the observation is made from, or in other words, creating the past from the present, creating the source from its outcome, which is the basis of complexity in the context of the loop logic. That is, only after Amun was born can he give meaning to his mother, the potential from which he emanated and to the process that created him (as represented by masturbation and incest) whereby he was born. Of course, neither the sky nor the masturbating Amun have meaning until Creation takes place de facto and Amun emerges. I find this an enticing illustration of the basic paradox of existence.

So how can there be something from nothing?

About the author: Clara Szalai is a philosopher, author, speaker and consultant. Holophany is Clara Szalai's revolutionary philosophy, a consistent and complete worldview that is awakening growing interest among scientists and laymen. Clara Szalai is also the author of the book, ""Holophany, the Loop of Creation."" Complete information on Ms. Szalai's work is available from her web site, http://www.holophany.com

A Brief History of Creation - Part Two

2008-10-29T03:03:00.001-07:00

Author: Clara Szalai

So how can there be something from nothing? What is ""nothing?"" Nothing is what didn't turn into the potential of something. If there was something from nothing, then that nothing would have turned into the potential of something, because when we ask, how is there something from nothing, we ask this question from something, when something already exists. If we take a deeper look at ""nothing,"" we'll discover that ""nothing"" is a paradox. Any definition is something, so if we defined ""nothing,"" then it would become something, which contradicts its essence of being ""nothing."" Another way of looking at ""nothing"" would be by means of it being something that is meaningless. That is, ""nothing"" could be something that does not relate and that no thing or no one relates to. That is, if there was something totally alone in the universe, then that would be nothing, but it would be meaningless. If such existed, its existence would be external to our perception, and as such, this ""nothing"" would be indefinite.

We said that the indefinite could be anything, as long as it is not specified (not defined). However, if we nevertheless tried to define ""nothing"" (the indefinite), what would we get then? Since ""nothing"" is non-definable, it is transparent as the object of our inquiry. So when we attempt to define it, all we have is what we put into it, which is the process of definition. ""Nothing"" stayed nothing, we didn't define it, only made the process of definition explicit. ""Nothing"" gains meaning when we fail to define it; but having tried, we are left with a bonus, a something, which is our process of defining ""nothing."" Creation of something from nothing is not a function of defining something, but a function of attempting to define ""nothing."" And then, if that process of definition - which already is an existence - looks back at its origins, if this process of defining investigates into its own genesis, then what does it see? It sees itself. It sees the process of definition - self-reference.

If there is nothing external to perception, then this process of definition is the overall wholeness, the creator of meaning when it can relate to itself. However, to have meaning, the process of definition has to be defined; this definition would be a self-referential quasi-infinite and continuous process of establishing borders that create the indefinite beyond that establishes borders creating the indefinite beyond that establishes borders... which means, wholeness would continuously and forever fail to define itself while succeeding to define something - anything but itself.

Of course, both the totally defined and the totally indefinite are idealized notions that would be inconsistent with the Holophanic loop logic, nor can they be found in nature. The totally indefinite would be the total meaningless nothing, the kind of non-being that cannot be fathomed because if we would think about it, it would already be something. On the other hand, there can be no total definition either. I have used the term uncertainty of sameness to describe the logical impossibility of total definition. A defined entity can be said to have reached sameness -- it is the same as itself -- which means that it is, it exists as something definite, no matter which parameters defined it. However, no sooner does our object achieve sameness than the uncertainty of sameness raises its ugly head. Could it have been defined differently? Yes, of course. Could it have additional parameters? Yes, of course. Could it have been defined more precisely? Yes, of course. This uncertainty of sameness is the indefinite included in the definition, which is the result of including the tools of definition in the definition. Since 'a' can only be defined as 'a' with meaning if it implies 'not-a' (the indefinite beyond the borders of the definition), and since 'a' can only have meaning as 'a' because it is different from everything else (the everything else is the indefinite beyond the borders, which actually gives meaning to 'a' ), the meaning of 'a' depends on 'not-a.'

When the meaning of something depends on the indefinite, on what our defined object is not, then this indefinite is necessarily included in the process of definition. This logical implication that perception of meaning is only possible if and only if the indefinite is included within the perception is the reason why the 19th century dream of a consistent and complete axiomatic system with only well defined (explicit) empty signs had to fail (see more about that in my article, The Loop Logic ). In spite of the fact that logic is the fundament of algorithms and computer science, it had neither the aspiration nor the ability to be connected to the real world precisely because its propositions were so anemic regarding meaning. In the effort to exclude any hint of the indefinite, logical inference was confined to a binary type of world of true and false and lacking any correlation with life and experiencing. However, including the indefinite in the process of definition not only makes the loop logic the fundament of existence, but determines the necessity of existence. With the birth of Holophany, Heidegger's question, ""Why is there anything at all, rather than nothing?"" becomes irrelevant. When existence is relations, and relating is the act of perceiving, and perceiving is the process of definition, then existence is the overall lawfulness, the isomorphous lawfulness of the process of definition - the loop of Creation. What is being perceived, what is being stabilized, which significance is brought to the foreground from the amorphous background of the indefinite, depends on the non-linear rules of complex interactions. Thus the loop logic emphasizes the creation of essents rather than their interactions.

Is there a lawfulness responsible for any and every existence? An electron and a dog are very different creatures; so what invisible lawfulness is responsible for the existence of both? What kind of lawfulness would fulfill such demands? The answer is, isomorphism -- the same logical inner structure in entirely different representations. Whether an electron, a dog or the weather, each could be a different realization of the same inner logical structure. Creation of anything is the creation of meaning, which is an act of definition. The act of definition attempting to define itself is consciousness. So consciousness, or the soul if you wish, is not some invisible copy of our body carrying our identity, but the lawfulness of Creation expressed as our individual qualitative essence. Of course, it has been endlessly stated that we are God, that we are parts of God, and similar phrases. This is true, but true in the sense that God is the lawfulness that unfolds Creation, and this lawfulness is inherent in all creation including the creatures therein. It could be argued, that a soul, a person is more than mere definitions and intellect. If this logic is the logic of anything and everything, then it should be able to delineate the logical structure of experience as well. Indeed.

Anything that has meaning has to be defined, which places it somewhere on the scale between the continuous and the discrete, between the indefinite and the definite. The indefinite, continuous, infinite tends in the direction of the meaningless, whereas the meaningful is at best imprecise. Experience is the process of attempting to define the indefinite. When we try to capture an experience in a description, we are actually defining our attempt at defining the indefinite. The experience is continuous whereas its description, the definition is discrete. Just as we can never define wholeness, we can never define experience. Any description, any definition, is by nature discrete, whereas the net experience is continuous. So when we have an experience or perception and we become aware of having that experience, then we give it meaning by defining what it is. By doing this we create a discrete replica of the experience, yet the experience remains continuous and non-definable, non-discretizable. Experience is connected to learning. The person encounters something new. How do we know that something is new? Because it is inconsistent with our system. So when we interact with it, we have to integrate it, to assimilate it into our system. If we met something that was not new to the system, then our system would recognize it as part of itself. When that recognition does not occur, the system is interacting with something new. That is the impact. The system adjusts to include the new - that is the change. One's selfhood is the path of changes following one's experiences.

Our knowledge of the experience - whatever it might be that we experience - makes it exist for us. We could say, one only experiences when one is aware of experiencing. How do we know that we are aware of experiencing something? By experiencing it, we experience the awareness of experiencing. In this sense, experience and awareness of the experience, experiencing the awareness of the experience, being aware of experiencing the awareness of the experience, etc. is an infinitely continuous chain, which is what defines what experience is (not the interpretation of a specific experience, but experience in its general sense). And that's the definition of experience: an infinite loop of the process of becoming aware.

When ""nothing"" is the limit of both the totally indefinite and the totally defined, then that's like a circle of going from something to nothing to something to nothing, etc. The 'going' here means perception. ""Nothing"" is only a notion that has meaning if it has been perceived, in fact, a paradox. If it really is ""nothing,"" then it cannot be defined, and hence, it has no meaning. Yet if I relate to it, then it is something. So whenever I relate to ""nothing,"" whenever I say, Creation of something from nothing, that ""nothing"" has meaning for me, and hence, it is significance -- it is something just like any other something. That is, the structure of ""nothing"" is the same structure as that of something. Essentially, something from nothing is formation , not Creation, since nothing is also something. Then what is Creation? Creation is rather the creation of nothing from something, because Creation is the process of definition, and when we define, we create the indefinite beyond the definition, which at its limit is nothing, and only then can we have something from nothing... Oh yes, the loop. A true loop is only such if it contains its own source. If nothing can be proven to exist external to perception, then logic must be a loop, and existence is a logical necessity inferred by the loop.

Including the indefinite in the process of definition has far reaching consequences. It means that the tools of the definition are necessarily included in the definition. It means that meaning can only occur when there is both definition and also experience. It means that consciousness (whether it succeeds to define or not) must be part of science or any so-called objective endeavor. It means that any and all perception includes experience. The interaction with the indefinite, the experience, is what gives meaning to the defined. Perception, meaningful definition, can only occur in a highly flexible complex system that can learn and change. That's the difference between us and an electron, which only has fixed relations, and consequently, limited interactions. An electron always succeeds in defining, or it would be more correct to say, it can only interact with what it succeeds in defining. If it encounters the indefinite, it assumes a state of superposition.

Where is God in the loop of Creation? If we wanted to define God, the totality, we could not define God, because by the act of definition we would create the beyond, what is beyond God, which contradicts God's totality. Therefore, no definition of God would do justice to God, and every such definition would truncate God's wholeness. If God is indefinable, then God is indefinite. If God is indefinite, then I create God by the implication of the act of definition - any definition, because every definition creates the beyond, the indefinite beyond the borders of the definition. In that sense, this is consistent with the statement that I create God by my perception (definition). This does not say that I perceive God, but that my perception implies the existence of the indefinite (God). This means that if I perceive a dog, this perception implies the existence of God. If I perceive that I perceive, then that implies the existence of God. If I perceive dust, a table, an idea, whatever, then that implies the existence of God. If I experience, then that implies the existence of God. That's because any existence implies the existence of God. And that's because any existence is such if it relates or is related to, if it has meaning, if even partially it has been defined, which means, its mere definition implies the indefinite beyond the borders of the definition, it implies God, the indefinable. So one cannot directly perceive God (perhaps that is why it was stated in the Bible that no one could see God's face and live = exist - ""no man shall see me and live..."" - Exodus 33: 20), but only know about God by implication, which means, the implication of the indefinite - God - is what attributes meaning to any existence.

However, ""God"" does not equal ""indefinite,"" but the process that implies the existence of the indefinite is what could be said to be God, since that's the process of Creation. This is the process of Creation that both creates something, existence, and also nothing, the indefinite. This is why this logic is a loop. © Clara Szalai

The Spirit of Soul

2008-10-28T03:03:00.001-07:00

Author: Sam Oliver

When was the last time you closed your eyes and simply paid attention to the inner world in you? As you close your eyes and pay attention to your inner self, insight is awakened. You are able to become conscious of what infuses our external world.

Each of us has individual awareness or ways we interpret the world around us. Because of our unique experiences of the world, we take in multiple images across the span of a lifetime. These experiences are imprinted in our psyche and our soul. The act of recalling these memories creates expressions or feelings in our heart. These past expressions are pondered in the inner vision of our mind and our heart as though we are re-living them in the present. In so doing, we are retrieving our soul at various points of interests that have lodged a sense of importance to our individual awareness. The movement from the world around us to the world within us is a shift in attention. This shift in our attention is a conscious choice. Here, we realize that the world around us has hidden aspects to it reminding us just how privileged we are to be aware of our awareness. This realization alone gives us identification with whom we are.

You and I are conscious beings who live in a body, but this isn't our real home. We inhabit space and time, but our real self, our authentic self, our individual awareness (soul) is a unique expression of spirit infusing our lives from an infinite number of possible correlations. We make choices every day on how our life will be lived. Each choice creates a pattern. These patterns become a statement of our character. Our character becomes a living testimony on the inner processes of our thoughts incarnating into the world we live in.

As such, the life of our soul is revealed. Every moment, we are given the opportunity to experience our soul in a variety of ways. These experiences are facets of our inner world that manifests themselves from a single expression we call spirit. The intent to focus on our past, our present, or our future desires leads us to a path. This path is a revelation of our soul seeking out an opportunity to live out our purpose. Purpose gives us meaning and hope beyond our present circumstances. It is a path into what can no longer be seen and moving our lives and our soul - into SPIRIT.

I hope that reading the above information was both enjoyable and educational for you. Your learning process should be ongoing--the more you understand about any subject, the more you will be able to share with others.

Samuel Oliver, author of, ""What the Dying Teach Us: Lessons on Living"" For more on this author; http://www.soulandspirit.org

About the author: Sam Oliver worked with the dying for over 15 years. During that time, he wrote 4 books on grief. Website URL;

http://www.soulandspirit.org

Sodium Vapour Lamp

2008-10-27T03:04:00.001-07:00

Author: KD Dasappan

Sodium Vapour Lamp consists of a discharge tube made from a heat resistant glass, containing a small amount of metallic sodium, neon gas and two electrodes, Neon gas is added to start the discharge and to develop enough heat to vaporize the sodium. Because of law pressure inside the tube, a sufficiently long tube required to obtain more light. To reduce the overall dimension of the lamp, this tube is generally bent into U-shape.

The light produced by this lamp is yellowish which is produced at its optimum pressure of about 0.004mm of mercury. This pressure is obtained at a temperature of about 280° C and so it becomes necessary to maintain this temperature. For this purpose the U-tube is enclosed in a double walled flask to prevent lose of heat. The double walled flask is interchangeable and can be fitted on to another U-tube. While replacing the inner U-tube one must be very careful because if it is broken and sodium comes in contact with moisture, it may result in fire.

All electric discharge lamps require a higher voltage at the time of starting and low voltage during operation. Generally, sodium vapour lamps are operated by a high leakage reactance transformer. At starting a high voltage of about 450 volts is applied across the lamp which is sufficient to start the discharge. When the lamp is fully operative after 10 - 15 minutes, the voltage across it falls to about 150 volts. Because of the high reactance of circuit, the power factor is low and hence a p.f improvement capacitor is connected.

The efficiency of a low pressure sodium vapour lamp is very high (about 40 - 50 lumens/watt) and it produces a light of particular wavelength having yellow color. Sodium lamps are mainly employed for street, high way and airfield lighting where color distinction is not so necessary.

About the author: Dasan writes about Distance Education , Science Articles and Business Hosting topics. This article is free to re-print as long as nothing is changed, all links remained intacked, the bio remains in full and the rel=""nofollow"" tag