Sunday, October 2, 2016

The muslim PR game called “The Crusades”

The Muslim Game:

Muslims love talking about the Crusades, and Christians love apologizing for them. To hear both parties tell the story, one would believe that Muslims were just peacefully minding their own business in lands that were legitimately Muslim, when Christian armies decided to wage holy war and “kill millions.”

The Truth:

The crusades are quite possibly the most misunderstood event n European history.

The Crusades were in every way a defensive war. They were a direct response to Muslim aggression – an attempt to turn back or defend against Muslim conquests of Christian lands.

The West may now dominate the Islamic world, but that has only been the case since the late 18th century, when a young general, Napoleon Bonaparte, conquered Egypt and temporarily imposed French rule. This initial European penetration into one of the heartlands of Islam was “a terrible shock” to Muslims, says historian Bernard Lewis. Until then, they had thought of themselves as the victors in the Crusades.

That assumption is understandable. Muslim rulers held the preponderance of power as far as Europe was concerned until the 17th century and had done so, more or less, since the Prophet Muhammad issued Islam’s initial declaration of war against other religious faiths in the seventh century. The Prophet wrote the Christian Byzantine emperor and the Sassanid emperor of Persia to suggest they surrender to his rule because, well, their day was done.

“I have now brought God’s final message,” the Prophet declared. “Your time has passed. Your beliefs are superseded. Accept my mission and my faith or resign or submit … you are finished.”

This claim propelled the armies of Islam to take on the rest of the world.

Muslim armies charged out of the Arabian Peninsula to conquer Syria, Lebanon, Palestine and Egypt – all of which, as part of the late Roman Empire, were officially Christian. By the eighth century, Christian North Africa was under Muslim control.

Islam soon swept into Europe, grabbing Spain, Portugal and southern Italy. In the 11th century, the Seljuk Turks conquered much of Asia Minor, or Turkey.

Here are some quick facts about the Crusades:

The Crusaders only invaded lands that were Christian.

Christian Europe certainly fought back. In the eighth century, campaigns to recover the Iberian Peninsula began, but it wasn’t until the end of the 15th century that the Reconquista swept Islam out of Spain and Portugal. Other counterattacks were made, the most famous of which were the war-pilgrimages known as the Crusades.

In 1095, Pope Urban II called for the First Crusade. He urged Europeans to aid fellow Christians who were being slaughtered by Muslims. “They (the Muslim Turks) have invaded the lands of those Christians and have depopulated them by the sword, pillage and fire; they have lead away a part of the captives into their own country, and a part they have destroyed by cruel tortures.” The Crusader army marched deep into enemy territory to reclaim the ancient Christian cities of Nicaea and Antioch, and on July 15, 1099, Jerusalem.

Admittedly it wasn’t a pleasant reclamation. As was standard practice when a city resisted, much of population was slaughtered. That, however, doesn’t mean the threat to which the Crusades were a response wasn’t real.

The Crusades were a response to more than four centuries of conquests in which Muslims had already captured two – thirds of the old Christian world. At some point, Christianity as a faith and a culture had to defend itself or be subsumed by Islam.

Unfortunately, subsequent Crusades over the next three centuries weren’t as successful. By the end of the 13th century, the Christian Crusaders had been chased from the Middle East. From then on the concern was no longer about reclaiming Christian homelands, but about saving Europe.

In 1453, Muslims captured the capital of the Byzantine Empire, Constantinople (or Istanbul, as it is now known). In the late 15th century, Rome was evacuated when Muslim armies landed at Otranto in an unsuccessful invasion of Italy. By the 16th century, the Ottoman Turk Empire stretched from North Africa and Arabia to the Near East and Asia Minor. They penetrated deep into Europe, conquering Greece, Bulgaria, Hungary, Albania, Croatia and Serbia. In 1529, the Ottomans laid siege to Vienna. Luckily for Europe, the siege failed; otherwise the door to Germany would have been open. It wasn’t until 1572, when the Catholic Holy League defeated the Ottoman fleet at Le panto, that Islam’s threat to the West finally ended, at least until the late 20th century when the doors to Europe were once again opened to Muslims.

Unlike Jihad, the Crusades were never justified on the basis of New Testament teachings. This is why they are an anomaly, the brief interruption of fourteen centuries of relentless Jihad against Christianity that began long before the Crusades and continued well after they were over. Islam unquestionably won the Crusades, even though Europe was ultimately able to reassert itself and dominate the world. The reasons for this success are much debated, but it’s reasonable to conclude that the West won the war of ideas.

Notions of individualism and freedom, capitalism and technology, and, most of all, the West’s turn from theology to science, carried the day. Religion became in the West an essentially private concern. It is on this “modern” turn that the anti-Crusade attitude developed.

During the Protestant Reformation, when the authority of the Catholic church was under attack, the Crusades began to be regarded as a ploy by power-hungry Popes and land-hungry aristocrats. This judgment was extended by the Enlightenment philosophers, who used the Crusades as a cudgel with which to beat the church.

The Enlightenment view of the Crusades still holds sway. After the Second World War, with western intellectuals feeling guilty about imperialism and European politicians desperate to abandon colonial responsibilities, the Crusades became intellectually unfashionable.

Historian Steven Runciman reflected this attitude in his three-volume study, A History of the Crusades, published in the early 1950s. He cast the Crusades as “morally repugnant acts of intolerance in the name of God.”

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Bastet: Egyptian Cat Goddess

Bastet was the local goddess of Bubastis, a capital of a province of Lower Egypt. She is often regarded as a daughter of the sun god Ra, but sometimes said to be his sister and consort. She was later to become the wife of the creator god Ptah (but so is Sekhmet and they are probably the same goddess).

She was originally a lioness goddess symbolizing both the warmth of the sun and the rage of the sun god's eye. From about 1000 BC she was represented as a cat, or cat-headed woman but continued to posses the qualities of Sekhmet, the lion headed goddess.

Bastet is benevolent, protecting humanity from evil spirits and disease. She is a goddess of fertility, sex and love, and enjoyed music and dancing.

Her cult was centered on her sanctuary at Bubastis and a necropolis has been found containing mummified cats.


Tag Archives: book review

Book Reviews, Part III

Concluding our survey of book review formats, I want to explore the “analysis” or “coverage” that publishers and editors sometimes provide to authors. In the film industry, script coverage is something many screenwriters pay a consultant to provide. Knowing what others think about your manuscript helps identify when you didn’t quite accomplish your goals.

Too many of the aspiring writers I meet confuse professional coverage with traditional reviews. One writer recently told me, “Friends and colleagues love the manuscript. The coverage I received couldn’t be right.” Yes, it could be right. You can submit the best written literary work of all time — and it could receive a thumbs-down from the reader.

Coverage Analysis versus a Review

Only one criteria matters to an editor or reader providing coverage: Will a work attract a large audience? No audience, no book, play, or movie. Publishing and producing are expensive endeavors. If your work isn’t going to appeal to a sufficient number of people willing to pay money for it, nothing else about the work matters.

No single factor decides what will or will not have a market. Some works with average plotting have a market thanks to appealing characters. Other works are simply well-timed to the marketplace. The tastes of publishers and producers also matter.

I’ve had writers ask what the point of a coverage and analysis report is, especially if the coverage isn’t meant to make you a better writer. The real question is how you define “better writer” and why being better matters. Better at what? Coverage defines better as “marketable” and interesting to the largest possible number of people.

A literary critic has different understanding of better writing, often reflecting his or her academic grounding. Some critics embrace experimental literature and film, while the audiences for such works is relatively limited. Magical realism might impress a literary critic, and obtuse references to literary traditions might warm another critic’s heart. But, will the work sell? A literary critic is supposed to focus on what the public should read and watch, not what they actually consume.

If you would rather be a literary great than a commercial success, don’t pay for coverage of a manuscript. Instead, take some courses at a good MFA program.

Formal coverage begins with a few sentences stating if the work should be published/produced. If the evaluator has concerns, he or she might mention them in the summary. Some publishers and production companies use a simple “A through F” grading scale. A work with an A or B grade moves forward, while everything else is tabled.

I’ve seen one-sentence coverage summaries, both positive and negative. Some of these have been humorous, probably unintentionally. A science-fiction writer I know received the following summary: “Good story, interesting characters, no way it would sell.” Welcome to the business.

When considering a market, there are various groups readers consider. Does the work appeal to everyone? There are works called “tent-poles” because they are expected to turn a huge profit, propping up a producer or publisher. These are summer blockbuster films and Oprah list books. They aren’t made or published to stand the test of time: they are meant to sell, and sell big.

Film studios also describe films in terms of male/female, youth/mature, YA, tween, family, and so on. The “four-quandrant” work promises to deliver men and women of all ages. The “key demo” (the ideal demographic) in film and TV remains the 18-to-25 block. In publishing, you want either the YA (young adult) or the “mommy” reader. Yes, “mommy fiction” is derogatory — the Fifty Shades of Gray trend is called “Mommy Porn” for a reason though. We know that the largest reading segments are girls and women. The YA group from 12-to-18 and the 25-to-45 group drive book sales. (Maybe the college years are too busy for mass market book reading?)

Think about your audience, even as you decide what to write. Romance books sell. Think about the two types, though. We have the Twilight series and the Fifty Shades books. Right now, paranormal is hot, with distinct segments in the YA and adult markets. It is difficult to market books to men. Movies for men? Much easier to sell, from raunchy comedies to action films, young men are a good market for screenplays.

If you don’t know your market, don’t expect the coverage reader to tell you what the market is for a manuscript.

Don’t expect a reader to offer much in the way of literary criticism; they focus on the potential market, not the potential for a lasting legacy. Still, readers offer minimal guidance for writers. You tend to receive more feedback the closer a manuscript is to being optioned. If you receive a lot of comments, that’s a good sign. Readers don’t waste time with hopeless causes.

Expect to be told when the plot’s pacing is off, especially if events move too slowly or events don’t advance the plot in any clear way. What you might believe to be an essential event might not be so obvious to a reader.

Stories are wrapped around plots and characters. Readers focus on if the story appeals to the widest possible audience, or a well-defined (and profitable) audience. Read about loglines. If your story cannot be conveyed as a logline, readers will likely give a pass to the manuscript — and I don’t mean a passing grade, either.

Readers look for a “sympathetic” point-of-view when they provide coverage. The assumption is that audiences want to see a story told through a likable, trustworthy character to whom they can relate. The point-of-view does not need to be that of the hero; companions are often the guides through a film or book. The key is that the perspective should be consistent.

Film presents a bit of a problem, since your primary guide might not appear in every scene. In books, the common mistake is mixing point-of-views within a chapter or scene. Think of every scene as a self-contained narrative, from one character’s perspective. That character can only know what he or she experiences.

Try to emphasize the scenes with the primary guide. Viewers and readers try to imagine what the main characters do and don’t know. When the audience knows too much, because you’ve let the point-of-view slip to an antagonist, then some of the mystery and suspense is lost. Your audience wants to be on the edge of their seats. Controlling the point-of-view allows you to control the audience.

Popular books and movies tend to have simple, easy to appreciate themes. Good wins, usually, and the theme is obvious. Don’t confuse a theme for a thesis or moral, which is an argument supported by the work. A theme might be “Accepting people despite differences.” A thesis would be, “Accepting others leads to a better understanding of yourself.” Yes, popular stories teach a lesson, but the theme is what you can sell in a short logline.

To sell a work, start with a three-act structure. It should have a beginning, middle, and end. Furthermore, I suggest concentrating on the “Hero’s Journey” model for your structure. That’s not because there aren’t other formulas, but because coverage readers like the journey models taught in film schools.

I’ve argued this with emerging writers and literary writers: structure matters when you want to sell a story. That assertion does not imply every story must adhere to the formula coverage readers expect. You are free to break whatever rules you want — but don’t expect an easy time selling a work that doesn’t adhere to the simple three-act structure.

Make your character distinct. You don’t want characters that are similar to each other. Also, the protagonist and antagonist in a story need motivations. They need backstories. You should know the details of a character’s life, even if those details are never in the story. Coverage is going to focus on whether or not an audience is going to enjoy a character.

Not every “enjoyable” character is good. Darth Vader is enjoyable. Freddy Krueger is enjoyable. Characters that are odd, a little quirky, and distinctive are enjoyable. An audience should want to follow your characters, good and bad, because they are larger than life.

Dialogue sells books and movies. Since film has drifted away from narration (voice over), books are starting to do the same. As a result, the dialogue between characters is how readers learn what a character is thinking. Write good, tight dialogue; every word matters.

Coverage readers look at settings in two ways: 1) How expensive would it be to film? 2) How much will audiences care about the setting? Cheaper is better for film, while more elaborate and amazing is better for some types of book. Remember, books are an escape from reality for many readers — and it costs nothing to create a setting with words.

If the setting is essential to the story in a book or script, be sure to research the details. If the story could take place anytime, anywhere, then you’ll be focused on the characters.

Script readers want minimal description and narration in a film or stage script. As they say, “Let the director do his (or her) job.” Scripts are sparse, only 4500 words or so for a full-length feature. That’s the length of a short story. You cannot afford to get lost in detailed descriptions.

For a book, paint with words. Be as descriptive as possible. You are the director, the cinematographer, the set designer, and more. The book author is all-powerful. Use that power, but use it wisely. A manuscript analysis will indicate if you need to add description. Rarely does an analysis suggest less description, but it does happen. Describe what matters.

Reviewing a Book, Part II

Before exploring the mis-named “impartial” book review format, I want to mention the most influential form of book review today: the customer review. Just as “word-of-mouth” reviews by friends and colleagues can help you select a book (or avoid it), the online customer reviews found on Amazon, Goodreads, and elsewhere can help or hurt a book more than any traditional published review. When a book has thousands of positive reviews, who cares what the critics believe? Likewise, a torrent of negative reviews can condemn a critically acclaimed work.

Online Customer Reviews

Many online comment forms permit only 250 to 500 word reviews. The result is online reviews more like blurbs than reviews. Even negative comments posted online resemble blurbs more than in-depth reviews. “Don’t waste your money,” is not a review because it offers no explanation or insights. A proper review demonstrates the strengths and weaknesses of a book.

Do not waste any words in your comments. To write a useful customer review within the limited space available, try to select the best or the worst passage from the book. If your complaint is that the characters are one-dimensional — a common complaint about low-rated books — give an example of the weak description used by the author.

Posting more reviews does not always translate into influence. Most online systems allow readers a chance to evaluate other reviewers. If you post a thousand five-star reviews, that’s going to cast doubt on your critical thinking abilities. If, however, you post a hundred reviews that demonstrate careful consideration of the works, then other readers will pay attention.

I look to see what someone reads when I judge book ratings online. If you read science fiction and post a negative review of a history of World War I, that’s not persuasive. However, your reviews of science fiction books might be insightful. If you like some authors and not others, that information is useful to other readers and reviewers.

While most reviews are posted on merchant sites, such as Amazon, I encourage you to consider Goodreads. Also, there are websites dedicated to particular genres.

(Somewhat) Impartial Book Reviews

Writing a full-length book review for a newspaper, magazine, or online publication involves analyzing the book and defending your opinions. A good book review educates readers, explaining what the ideal qualities of a text might be and how the book being reviewed does or does not reflect the criteria you have established. A good review is craftwork.

The label “impartial” suggests that the reviewer did not receive money or other perks in return for writing a review. Most publications have strict policies to foster impartial reviews. However, many publications feature reviews by authors and there might be some hesitation before criticizing a colleague. Ideally, a reviewer does not share a publisher, agent, or any other financial connection to the author being reviewed. At the end of a review, you should disclose any potential conflicts of interest, if only to insulate yourself from claims of bias.

The Intro and Overall Assessment

The first paragraph or two of a book review need to state the work’s title, the author’s persona, and your overall assessment of the work. The introduction demonstrates your understanding of the genre, the author, and other readers. You need to hook review readers, just as you do readers of any work.

Francine Franklin’s A Stitch in Crime, her latest humorous mystery, keeps a reader in stitches while medical examiner Barney Bumble stumbles his way through a complex scheme to dominate the clothing industry. Unfortunately, much of the laughter comes at the expense of Franklin, who resorts to the tired formula that seemed so original in her first two novels. Some might consider A Stitch in Crime literary comfort food, but most readers will want more from such a talented writer.

The sample intro offers the big details: Francine Franklin’s book A Stitch in Crime is, at best, a mediocre book. The remainder of the review needs to explain this claim with evidence and comparisons to other works.

About the Author

The second section of a book review needs to balance its appeal to readers new to the author and the loyal followers likely to defend the work. By proving you know about the author and his or her works, you are more likely to persuade readers to take your analysis seriously. Some of the information you might address includes:

  • What else has the author written?
  • Does the author stick to one genre?
  • Does the work (or previous works) resemble those of another writer(s)?
  • Does the author have any special qualifications?
  • Are there any biographical facts that might help readers?
  • Are the any great bits of trivia about the author that readers might not know?

Other works written by the author, especially if they are well known works, should be mentioned. First, this shows you have the most basic knowledge of the author. Second, it tells readers something about what they might expect from a new book. When you mention these past works, indicate if the author tends to favor one genre. If the author writes in a few genres, do the works in one sell better? Are they better written?

Readers… read. Therefore, they are likely to be familiar with other authors within the same genre as the book being reviewed. Mention similar authors, and later in the review you should expand on any comparisons or contrasts. When you do compare authors, realize that comparisons are imperfect. Readers do not want writers that mimic each other, but they do recognize that some writers are more alike than others.

After you establish what the author writes, explore any unique qualifications brought to the topic. A former police officer writing about urban crime? A doctor writing medical thrillers? Those are special qualifications. It isn’t that a writer must have career experience related to a book, but it does help readers take the author more seriously.

Non-fiction works might not require a doctorate in the field explored, but it helps to have a broad knowledge of the book’s topic. I happen to prefer books at least co-written by scientists, historians, and other experts. There are good books by journalists — they are often self-taught experts — but I do give more credence to books by researchers. Be sure to verify how qualified a non-fiction author is and share that information with review readers.

What if the author is a pen name? Some reviewers choose to reveal the writers behind pseudonymous works, while others treat author personas as unique creations. Some authors have made their pen names part of marketing strategies. Nora Roberts is one good example of this.

Telling a Good Story

Does the work tell a good story? Most readers want a story, with more than a basic linear recounting of events. A story might be either plot-driven or character-driven, but it is always “driven” by something. Do we follow the growth of one or more characters? Do we watch an event unfold? Some readers are passionate about characters, while others focus on plot points.

I cannot recall much about the character in the film Titanic. The film was event-driven with characters serving to help us relate to the disaster. Yet, there are also characters we know better than their stories. I enjoy the character Sherlock Holmes; the stories seem to be vehicles for the character. One approach is not superior to the other.

When you review a book, indicate if the book emphasizes memorable characters or plot points. Of course, a good story has interesting characters and an interesting chain of events, but which are the readers more likely to remember? Series tend to need great central characters that become familiar to readers.

Themes and Theses

Books tend to teach lessons — at least they attempt to teach lessons. The lesson might be shallow, serving no real purpose. The theme is the overall topic, usually with some moral leaning. For example, a theme might be “friendship.” The thesis might be, “We need friends to achieve great things.” The thesis is an opinion on the theme — an argument that the book attempts to support. A theme is simply a short topic, which might not be a complete sentence. The thesis about the theme is not only a complete thought, but it is at the core of the story.

A good review tells readers if the theme and thesis are developed and realized. It is disappointing (and common) when a book fails to defend the author’s thesis. A book that tries to teach about love, yet conveys to readers that marrying the richest man is the best choice, has failed to realize its thesis.

An academic book review might spend more time on the theme and thesis of a book than a general review. An academic review tends to favor conceptual and historical comparisons, while a general review needs to focus on the reading experience. The themes and theses of popular fiction tend to be simple and familiar, which is another reason you can keep this section of a review short.

When you do encounter a book with an unusual theme or a thesis that challenges popular values, then you can spend more time addressing these aspects of the story. If a book about love suggests that an affair or two might be okay, readers might want you to challenge the thesis in a review. Plenty of literary works do challenge norms, which is why they tend to be outside the mass market.

Characters that Count

Having covered the basics, a review should address specifics about characters and plot points. I suggest addressing characters first, since they tend to be what sells mass market books. Even popular non-fiction often highlights the “characters” behind the events discussed. Does the book have characters who will be remembered? You don’t have to like characters to find them interesting, but dull characters can ruin a story.

We like to read about people (or creatures) caught in situations we’d rather avoid. For all the dystopian stories in our culture, we still like heroes rising against the odds. Because I write scripts, I tend to favor the “Hero’s Journey” story model common to screen and stage. A good story follows a character as he or she becomes a better person in the process of solving a problem.

A book review needs to address the following:

  • Are the characters interesting or dull?
  • Do the characters have backstories?
  • How does the author develop characters?
  • Are any characters “wasted” space?
  • Do you want to know more about them after reading the book?

Good, evil, or neutral, a character needs to be interesting. What is the character’s motivation? How does the character justify his or her choices and actions? You want to avoid characters that do things for no reason. Even an insane villain has a reason (however illogical) for actions. When you review a book, offer readers an explanation for why characterization worked or failed.

When you read the works of some authors, you end up with a complete history for main characters. Other authors offer only allusions to the origins of characters. Both approaches can work, depending on the requirements of the story. Tell readers what to expect: details or hints.

Wasted characters annoy readers. A “waste of space” character is one that doesn’t contribute to the plot or the emotional development of other characters. When reviewing a book, tell readers if there are wasted characters. It is not a waste to have a “red herring” among the characters; misleading readers makes for a good story. A common wasted character is the sidekick who does nothing to help advance the plot. Sidekicks need to be useful.

Some characters are based on real people or composites of real people. A review should mention anything known about the real life inspirations behind characters.

Good characters are complex. Heroes tend to have flaws and the plot helps the protagonist recognize his or her flaws. A villain should have some “reasonable” motivation. Often, a villain’s perspective offers an explanation for his or her actions. Pure evil often is less interesting than the evil that was created by experiences.

What readers want are characters worth meeting again and again, either by rereading a favorite book or by reading new books in a series. A good review tells readers if the characters are compelling.

Plot Points

Do not give away the major plot points in a book review. Do not get cute with “spoiler alerts” in a review. Your job is to critique a book, not to summarize it. How do you address the plot in a review? You give the one-sentence “log line” that would appear in a TV Guide listing. For a reviewer, the challenge is to describe the plot without giving away the details.

To save his beloved swamp, an ogre rescues a princess and accidentally discovers the beauty of true love.

A review might include the following:

  • What is the problem that advances the plot?
  • What happens if the problem is not resolved?
  • Are there any subplots?

A story needs a problem that one of the characters must solve. If the problem is not solved, something bad will happen, usually to some other character or group. The Hero’s Journey model suggests that the protagonist decides to make a self-sacrifice to save others.

Sub-plots are important, but they can also overwhelm a story. Let readers know if there are too many sub-plots in a story. In my experience, romantic sub-plots can distract from stories, but they are included because authors and editors assume romance humanizes characters. In romance stories, sub-plots about money (or the lack of money) can be overwrought and annoying.

Style Points

Reviews should award style point — and penalize authors for poor style. Spend a fair amount of the review exploring style. A good story deserves to be delivered well. It is possible to have a good story, decent plot, interesting characters… and weak style. Readers won’t forgive poor style, so a review must address the readability of a book. The style section of a book review should address topics including:

  • Narrative point-of-view,
  • Tone of the narrative,
  • Voice of the author, and
  • Style of the writing, in general.

I am not a fan of present tense first or second-person narrative. Most readers are not, either. The second-person narrative was common in the 1940s. The short story and radio drama series “The Whistler” featured a narrator talking about the actions of the main character as he or she committed a crime and then tried to escape the consequences. It is an interesting approach to storytelling, but it can be confusing. Is “you” the reader or a character?

You don’t see the gun he has hidden under the table. You move. He shoots.

Does the author/narrator have a sense of humor? Are plot points themselves humorous? What is the “mood” and “tone” of the author? I love A Series of Unfortunate Events because the narration is dark and depressing, yet that is also part of the humor of the books. Such satire is amazing when done well.

There are style norms within genres. One of the norms includes the vocabulary used by the authors. Does the author prefer concise sentences or flowery prose? Is the vocabulary unusual in some way? How does the language reflect genre conventions, or does the author resist the conventions?

Closing the Review

A review concludes by restating your recommendation: should someone read this book? The last paragraph or two should remind readers of the strengths and weaknesses you have discovered. Your role as a reviewer is to promote good writing to readers. If you dislike a book, maybe you can suggest an alternative to read. If you like a book, be sure to remind readers of other works by the same author.

Reviewers foster reading, and they do so by offering honest critiques of the works they read.

Reviewing a Book, Part I

Beginning with Book Reports

  • Title
  • Author
  • Setting
  • Protagonist(s)
  • Antagonist(s)
  • Other Characters
  • Summary
  • Why I would or would not recommend this book.

Theme: A family is more than genetic inheritance.

The (infamous) standard school essay format leads to a review that might be structured according to this model from the state of New York (http://www.nysedregents.org):

Catchy Review Title

Blurbs and Marketing Reviews

A sample marketing review structure:

Catchy Review Title Review Subtitle

Part II

Book Review – After Dark by Jayne Castle

Book Review – A Midsummer Night’s Scream by Jill Churchill

Title: A Midsummer Night’s Scream
Author: Jill Churchill
Publisher: Avon Books
ISBN: 978-0-06-050100-6


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2017 Miami R128: Amanda Anisimova vs Taylor Townsend

Taylor Townsend d. Amanda Anisimova 2-6 6-2 6-3

Use the links below to see dozens of tables displaying detailed data on every aspect of this match. For further context, tour and player averages are visible for most cells when you move your cursor over them. These figures are based on other charted matches, including 1466 WTA matches, 970 WTA matches on hard, 1 Amanda Anisimova matches (1 on hard), and 4 Taylor Townsend matches (2 on hard). The more charted matches in the database, the more valuable this project becomes. Please try charting a match yourself.

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Adopting an Agile Warrior Mindset Toward Software Development

August 25, 2017
By Mark Ettrich

Building software quickly equals success for the government and contractors.

Companies and individuals must collaborate with government procurement officers and customers, using public forums such as industry events and requests for information to define innovative ways of procuring highly skilled agile teams. However, these actions are only first steps. Both industry and government should embrace open source principles to create proposals that are open to industry and public feedback; require an online technical demonstration and presentation; and are fixed-price, allowing companies to provide industry-leading subject matter experts as required.

U.S. citizens have grown accustomed to obtaining information at the touch of finger and screen. This phenomenon even has a name: the Google effect. Government agencies are facing increased pressure to deliver information conveniently and move away from paper to digital services. These service delivery needs are often referred to as business outcomes or more accurately citizen outcomes that cut across agencies and existing legacy software systems, such as mainframes from the 1960s and 1970s, client server systems from the 1980s and 1990s and paper forms.

These "citizen outcomes" require an open source approach and the federal government has made strides in using open source technology. In August 2016, the government adopted an official open source policy. Agencies, including the Departments of Homeland Security, Defense and Education, along with the General Services Administration, have rolled out open source software projects and programs. To date, many of these projects have been successful, but expanding these digital modernization efforts requires close collaboration between the government customer, the supporting procurement officials and the companies performing the work.

Government agencies are continually changing the way they evaluate capabilities in competing bids. A 200-page proposal is time consuming and inefficient for both parties.

Innovation will be the key to ensuring skill wins the day in a fast-paced technology world. The federal government should follow the direction set by General Service Administration’s 18F by publishing upcoming proposals publicly in an open source repository such as GitHub, and asking for feedback from the public and industry.

Once a proposal is ready for competition, bidding companies should perform a technical demonstration to highlight agile skills and technical competency. But the federal government has seen that tech demos involving scores of companies are costly and difficult to evaluate. The key to future "show and tell" is to tap into crowdsourcing platforms like topcoder.com that meet federal agile procurement standards and hold contests to demonstrate software development and agile practices in a transparent public forum.

Furthermore, the government can solve some of the larger digital transformation problems, including replacing paper-based forms and systems by holding Google Lunar X-style contests to inspire engineers and entrepreneurs to solve complex IT solutions using low-cost open source platforms and solutions while getting real-time feedback from citizens.

In agile software development, success comes down to an ability to both build the software and demonstrate how to build it in a relatively short period. For government agencies, it means simplifying the purchase of services by creating fixed-price contracts with citizen outcomes and running competitive bids online in a public forum. Both government and contractors should embrace an agile warrior mindset so the most skilled practitioners win the day and adopt technology, data and business practices to improve the services they provide to the American people.

Mark Ettrich is a vice president for NCI Inc. of Reston, Virginia.

Share Your Thoughts:


answer to a question on the subject:

August 10, 2017 at 4:21 AM
Dear Dr Andrea Rossi:
Which is the internal resistance of the Ecat QX?

Andrea Rossi
August 10, 2017 at 2:33 PM
Warm Regards,

Superconductivity is just as or maybe even more controversial than LENR is.
Who could imagine that a material could become superconducting at room
temperature let alone at 3000K. But there are indicators in LENR
experiments that point to superconductors partially forming at room
temperature and even at higher temperatures.

For example, the electrical resistance of Celini's wire goes down when its
temperature rises. Also hydrogen loaded palladium becomes a room
temperature superconductor when the hydrogen loading is high.

One of the factors that can be causing this drop in electrical resistance
is the formation of islands of superconductivity that form in the lattice
or the plasma that is producing the LENR effect.

Electrons could be jumping from island to island in their trip across the
lattice. When the electron is moving past the LENR Island on its boundary,
it gets a free ride but the resistance returns in its trip between islands.

Ultra-dense hydrogen has been found to be a room temperature superconductor
and produces the messier effect. Highly loaded palladium could contain a
high number of Ultra-dense hydrogen islands of superconductivity in a

Rossi’s plasma could contain a high number of LENR reaction generating
superconducting nanowires (Ken Shoulders called them EVOs) that let
electrons travel on them with no resistance.

I believe that Rossi adds vanadium oxide to his fuel mix as LENR reaction
booster. This additive vaporizes at 3000K. In this way, this additive
produces vanadium nanowires at 3000K when the vanadium condenses like rain
drops in a cloud; the electric current jumps from nanowire to nanowire as
they get a free ride across the plasma thereby reducing the electrical
resistant to near zero.

This negation in electrical resistant produced by a hot research topic is
sciences these days called non-equilibrium Bose-Einstein condensates, a
state of matter produced in polaritons. The vanadium nanoparticles like
most other transition metal nanowires carry polaritons on their surface.

See how quantum mechanics can generate this Bose condensate that can form
at 3000K here.

Here is what the surface of a hot metal nanowire looks like when polaritons
can be envisioned.

[image: Thumbnail]

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Hyperbaric oxygen therapy in the treatment of Traumatic Brain Injury.

I am one of the Principal Investigators on the National Brain Injury Rescue & Rehabilitation (NBIRR) project. The results of this project will forever change the way brain injury is treated. So far, we have focused our attention on veterans coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan for several reasons beyond the great need for these men and women to be healed for their sacrifice in the service of our country. [The NBIRR-01 Study is IRB-approved. The Study is listed at The National Call Center Number is: (800) 288-9328].

First, there are about 600,000 Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans with blast/concussion casualties. Each casualty costs approximately $60,000 per year including safety net services from substance abuse or incarceration costs, as well as lost tax revenue. For every active duty Soldier. Sailor, Airman or Marine that is treated there is a corresponding $2.6 million saved per veteran over their lifetime because they are better able to assume productive roles in society, become employed, pay taxes and raise families. So, addressing their silent but challenging disorders is of paramount importance to the nation, makes good economic sense and is a moral obligation of our society. These men and women who have chosen to go in harms way and now suffer from hidden wounds of war like depression, anxiety, TBI and PTSD present a significant national emergency, and while there are other national emergencies, such as the autism epidemic (an environmentally and genetically triggered disorder), veterans with TBI/PTSD have made their needs well known to society and the government, including the devastating costs associated with not treating them. In addition, there are 120 veteran suicides per week (as per the CDC), a staggering number unparalled in previous conflicts the U.S. has been engaged in.

Now, there are still many who do not believe it is possible to affect biological repair in a brain injury, but the truth is there has been an approved treatment for many years. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is the only non-hormonal treatment approved by the FDA for biologically repairing and regenerating human tissue. It is currently FDA-approved as the primary treatment for 4 different kinds of brain injuries: carbon monoxide poisoning, arterial gas embolism, cerebral decompression sickness, and cranioradionecrosis (radiation damage to the brain after cancer radiotherapy).

Almost 50 subjects have completed the NBIRR protocol under IRB supervision, which means subjects have been getting treated with oxygen under pressure HBOT 1.5 (one and a half atmospheres) for 60 minutes a day.

During the first 1/2 of the protocol, amounting to 40 treatments, HBOT at 1.5, 100% of everyone who completed 40 treatments improved. 80% of those treated were able to return to duty work or school. 55% of those treated are no longer using their black-boxed (increases suicide) prescription medications when they finish the 40 treatment protocol. 45% of those who are still in need of medication have reduced that medication use dramatically. Suicideality vanished almost completely!

Paul Harch, MD, and the author of The Oxygen Revolution, in a pre-NBIRR LSU IRB-approved study, showed that 15 blast injured veterans improved with great statistical significance using just the first part of the NBIRR protocol. There was a 15 point IQ jump in 30 days (p<0.001); 40% improvement in Post-concussion Syndrome symptoms (p = 0.002); 30% reduction in PTSD (p.001); 51% reduction in depression (p<0.001). [The P values on more patients have now been submitted to publication and have moved yet another decimal point in significance.]

HBOT 1.5 is synergistic with other benign treatments being used for TBI, such as cognitive rehabilitation and acupuncture, but the difference with HBOT is these ancillary treatments will produce better results because they are now building upon the biological repair brought on by the HBOT. There is a misconception in medicine today that the use of HBOT creates a placebo effect. Today, we know that HBOT activates 8,100 genes. Placebos do not activate genes, especially ones involved in inflammation, growth and repair of human tissue!

HBOT has been treating brain injuries as far back as 1963, when it was first found effective in treating carbon monoxide poisoning.[1,2] Although the misconception that HBOT is only treating carboxy-hemoglobin persists to this day.[3] Brain injuries caused by decompression sickness and arterial gas emboli began being treated by HBOT using Navy Treatment Table six.[4,5] Delayed treatment (3 months) of an ischemic stroke with HBOT was reported by the US Navy in 1969.[6] Subsequently, successful treatment with HBOT for late treatment of a stroke, diabetic encephalopathy and near-drowning/global anoxia was also reported[7] with the additional evidence of pre and post functional brain imaging (SPECT). The medical literature continues to grow showing HBOT is efficacious in treated old carbon monoxide poisoning (COP) also known as delayed neuropsychiatric syndrome (DNS) of COP. [8,9]

While the historic literature points to HBOT as being efficacious for many conditions, HBOT is an orphan therapy that falls outside of the medical paradigm where drugs and interventions are selectively fed into the standard-of-care/reimbursement complex by corporate interests that control both medical information and clinical practice trends. A therapy that exists outside our dysfunctional medical paradigm tends to be but a footnote that is passed over, buried or ignored completely.

Despite controlled randomized trials demonstrating HBOT's efficacy for treating TBI, ignoring HBOT for treating brain injuries seems to have become codified even though other forms of intervention have fallen short. High quality clinical trials demonstrating the efficacy of HBOT in brain injury eventually get buried or forgotten.

While in acute severe TBI, HBOT has been shown to be effective in reducing mortality, [11] Harch et al demonstrated consistent SPECT brain imaging improvements (showing improved brain blood flow) in chronic TBI patients treated with HBOT 1.5. [12,13,14,15] Since the original work of Drs. Neubauer and Harch, the efficacy of HBOT 1.5 in a chronic stable TBI has been well documented. [16,17] Patients with abnormal functional brain scans secondary to TBI show consistent improvement after HBOT 1.5.

Recently, Harch et al reported dramatic improvement in a series of 15 patients treated with HBOT 1.5 in a clinical trial of military related TBI. [18] Functional brain scans continue to document results for HBOT 1.5 for combat related and blast related TBI. [19] In two airmen with pre-injury neuropsychiatric testing and chronic stable TBI symptoms, HBOT 1.5 resulted in resolution of symptoms as well as a return to the pre-injury values for testing. [20] In a randomized controlled trial of stable severe TBI treated with HBOT 1.5 Lin et al demonstrated improvement in the Glasgow Coma Scale. [21] Rockswold has demonstrated improvement in the Glasgow Coma Scale and reduced mortality in acute TBI patients undergoing HBOT with minimal risk. [22,23] HBOT 1.5 in this group of acute patients appears safe and does not produce oxygen toxicity. [24] Other individual trials also have demonstrated the efficacy of HBOT 1.5 for chronic stable TBI. [25] A 310 patient Chinese trial demonstrated improvement clinically, in neuropsychiatric testing, as well as in functional brain imaging after HBOT 1.5.[26] In a randomized controlled trial of 21 brain-injured adults, HBOT 1.5 resulted in improved neuropsychiatric testing for the treated group. [27]

Families of children with CP typically don't have deep pockets, but many professional football players do and so between my San Francisco and Sacramento hyperbaric practices football players have come to receive HBOT and it is my hope that their experience will bring the awareness of HBOT to families and mainstream medicine. We have embraced acupuncture as a treatment modality in this nation (it has only been used for 5,000 years in China and Japan). Why not HBOT?

It is interesting to note that more concussions were being reported in the National Football League (NFL) in the 2010 season. 154 concussions which occurred in practices or games were reported from the start of the preseason through the eighth week of the 2010 regular season. That is an increase of 21 percent over the 127 concussions during the same span in 2009, and a 34 percent jump from the 115 reported through the eighth week of the 2008 season. (Associated Press, Dec 13, 2010)

This either means better reporting is taking place or the game is getting more violent or some combination of the above. What hasn't changed is a lack of treatment. The lack of appropriate treatment for traumatic brain injury (TBI) and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is not exclusive to the NFL by any means, but football players both young high school players and old retired NFL veterans are beginning to ask questions about Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) and exploring its use as a therapeutic intervention to help them recover from their injuries.

George Visger (retired NFL) is just one example. The details of his personal story can be found on NPR [ 114059228]. George is now in his early 50's, but was first hospitalized with a TBI resulting in loss of consciousness during a tackling drill playing Pop Warner football. Numerous minor concussions took place over the years, but he experienced his second major concussion during the first play for his NFL team (San Francisco 49ers) early in the first quarter and went through 25 to 30 smelling salts in order to finish the game. He had no recollection of participating in that game, but was sent back on the practice field the very next day.

Early in his second season (1981), he developed hydrocephalus, and underwent emergency shunt brain surgery. Four months after his team won Super Bowl XVI, his shunt failed, and he had back-to-back emergency brain surgeries and was given last rites.

By 1990 he had nine more shunt revisions. He was treated with HBOT 1.5 times 40 for 60 minutes per treatment (one treatment per day--100% oxygen). He was independently followed with neurocognitive evaluations and SPECT brain imaging by the Amen Clinic in California. The before and after SPECT Scans and a graph of George's improved neurocognitive scores can be viewed at: But the bottom line was that he significantly improved in 5 out of 6 outcome measures (the 6th remained unchanged--Spatial Processing Speed).

This is not about football teams secretly having their own hyperbaric chambers to help deal with athletic injuries. This is not just about having HBOT available for front line troops at a MASH unit; although, that would be a excellent place for them. This is about openly using HBOT as standard medical care for any injury that can benefit from it, specifically head injuries and neurological conditions which this therapy can treat with positive results and without risk.

There are numerous citations referenced in this article. Because of space limitations these have been eliminated. If readers wish to have access to any reference, please email your request to Rick Rader, MD at

* "P values" = The p-value measures consistency between the results actually obtained in the trial and the "pure chance" explanation for those results.

* TBI/PTSD = Traumatic Brain Injury/Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

* "Atmospheres" = a unit of pressure. Scuba divers and others use the word atmosphere and "atm" in relation to pressures that are relative to mean atmospheric pressure at sea level (1.013 bar). For example, a partial pressure of oxygen is calibrated typically using air at sea level, so is expressed in units of atm.

* Ischemic stroke = loss of oxygenated blood being delivered to the brain

* Encephalopathy = disorder or disease of the brain

* Global Anoxia = brain injury to the brain caused by lack of oxygen, not limited to any specific part of the brain.

* SPECT Brain Imaging = Single-photon emission computed tomography is a nuclear medicine imaging technique using gamma rays.

* Glascow Coma Scale = a neurological scale that aims to give a reliable, objective way of recording the conscious state of a person

K Paul Stoller, MD is a Fellow of the American College of Hyperbaric Medicine, President of the International Hyperbaric Medical Association, Adjunct Assistant Professor at AT Still University (SOMA), and Medical Director of the New Hope Clinic in Santa Monica, the San Francisco Institute for Hyperbaric Medicine, the Hyperbaric Medical Center of New Mexico and the Hyperbaric Oxygen Clinic Sacramento. A UC President's Undergraduate Fellow in the Health Sciences, Dr. Stoller completed his medical education at UCLA and was board certified in Pediatrics for over two decades.
COPYRIGHT 2011 EP Global Communications, Inc.
Copyright 2011 Gale, Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

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Title Annotation:United States Military Section
Author:Stollar, Ken
Publication:The Exceptional Parent
Geographic Code:1USA
Date:Aug 1, 2011
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How do I care for wool?

6 May 2016

No matter how you wash your wool, there are a few general rules for caring for wool clothes to help prolong their lifespan and retain their as-new look and feel.

How do I care for wool?

Empty pockets
Before storing or washing wool clothes, empty pockets and remove belts, jewellery and other accessories to avoid sagging and bulging. Store with closures zipped or buttoned.

For woven garments only, such as suits or tailored pants: Using a soft garment brush, brush garments lengthwise after wearing to remove surface soil that might become stains later on. Dust and dirt can dull the appearance of wool fabrics.

To remove cigarette or food odours, lay wool garments flat on a bed or towel for an hour. Woven garments may be hung in fresh air on a suitable hanger.

Hang wovens, fold knits
Woven wool garments should be hung on shaped or padded coat hangers. Knitted garments should be gently folded and stored in drawers.

Dry away from direct sunlight or heat

Long-term storage
Since food stains and body oils attract moths, you should ensure your wool garment is clean before packing it away in airtight bags or containers. Ideally use a Woolmark-endorsed moth repellent but do not place directly on the garment.

Find Woolmark-approved apparel care products in your country.


Information and relationships: accessibility for content authors

  • Author: Access iQ ®
  • Date: 28 Nov 2012
  • Access: Premium

Quick facts

Headings, lists, tables and emphasis all help the user to read and understand your content, by distinguishing one block of content from another and thereby establishing a structural relationship between them.

In all of these cases, the relationship is communicated visually. Headings might be displayed in a larger font and separated from the preceding paragraph text, lists may be indented with item lines identified by a symbol, tables are useful for laying out data in columns and rows, and emphasised text is typically bold or italicised.

The visual nature of the way this kind of formatting establishes the relationships between sets of information on a webpage means they may be inaccessible and the information thus incomplete.

If a person is blind or vision impaired they will not see the formatting and not receive information about relationships between pieces of content that a sighted person will.

The way to address this is to make sure the information about content relationships is presented in a way that can be perceived by assistive technology and effectively conveyed to the user. This can be done using HTML.

The intent of Success Criterion 1.3.1 Info and relationships is to ensure that any information or relationship shown visually using formatting is also made available to assistive technology users.

Let's look at two examples.

Example 1:

The text for the line intended to be a heading has been manually styled: the font size has been increased to 16pt and the text has been made bold.

Example 2:

A heading style has been applied. When that style is applied, the heading is 16pt bold font and the heading is identified using a heading tag.

Visually, the output of both examples will be identical in all web browsers. However, for assistive technology such as a screen reader, these pieces of text are quite different. A screen reader will describe Example 1 as simply a piece of text that is in 16pt bold font.

In Example 2, the heading tag allows the screen reader to tell the user that this piece of text is a heading. It will typically not relay the formatting to the user, just the fact that this is a heading at level one. What is conveyed to the user is the relationship between the information in the heading and the content that follows it.

The semantic meaning that comes with using the right HTML tags in the right situation is extremely important for assistive technology users. For a content writer, this means not only using heading tags, but using them appropriately to preserve the hierarchy of meaning conveyed to the sighted user by formatting.

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Global employment: a personal perspective.

Global employment: a personal perspective.

To have something to do, something to fill your time with, its important. What you do defines the quality of your life and the purpose of your existence. Those who have passed through a period with nothing to do, maybe right after graduating from high school or college, understand what it feels like. However, it looks like the way we should spend our time  is already designed, you are born and learn to do everything in your first five years, then you go to preschool sometime between the age of 3 and 5 years old. (In my case it was 1 year and a half because I was  crying every time my sister went to KinderGarten) Then, you go to primary and high school and generally you graduate at 17. Then if you are lucky you will start university immediately; you will have  four or five years knowing what to do and then you will be out to the real world. After 22 years of having learned and study you are supposed to start producing and making an income. The problem comes when you realize that after all those years studying and all the hard work, what you chose is not needed in the market.

That is the process I once thought everyone went through but it doesn’t always happen in this way. The process varies depending on the country, the culture, the economic class. Those factors generally define the number of opportunities a person receives to be able to have a professional career. All over the world there’s a trend in which finding a job is not easy, it is at that point that we should look at the situation from a global perspective because even if it has different reasons depending on the country, it is a worldwide situation.

Global employment should allow every worker in the world to have the minimum conditions to perform a job with dignity. Half of the  workers worldwide lack access to basic necessities and decent work. When we think about global employment we need to realize that is not only about reducing unemployment rates but about having people with fair labour conditions.

Even though we live in a globalised world there are still many barriers for half population when they are looking to move on to another country. There are plenty of people who are forced to leave their home country due to lack of opportunities but for some of them getting the permission to go and work in another country is not always possible. There are still many inequalities, while a German citizen  can access up to 177 countries without a visa, a person from Afghanistan can visit only 25 without visa. This fact limits international job opportunities as most companies prefer people who don’t need any permission to enter a country as it saves time and money.

What can we, young people, do after we realize that after 23 years of preparation we still “lack” something to be a good profile for the job market? What can we do to avoid this situation? What can governments, institutions or companies do?  What can be done to provide all those graduates a good opportunity at home or somewhere else? Well, plenty of things can contribute to solving these issues. One of my favorites is the Global Talent program of AIESEC,  which allows young people the access to international opportunities, so they can develop their careers and at the same time themselves.

Find out more about it under and enhance your chances  of employability and if you are a company to enhance youth’s chances of employability.

Not a fortunate time to get a great job.

There are  71 million unemployed young people all around the world. One reason behind this can be the lack of critical skills needed for a job.

Everyone already knows that having a degree is not enough, not even a master – sometimes what can increase between the two is the amount of frustration one feels when despite having studied more than 5 years you can’t get a job, or at least not the job that explodes one’s abilities  and qualifications. The education system is outdated and incomplete as well as the skills that are developing in students, as these skills are not what the labor market needs. The result is unprepared and unexperienced young people with skills that they can not apply.  One of   the solution for this issue would be to change the education model and invest on the skills that the market is looking for, but that won’t happen tomorrow or in the next 6 months.

Other short-term solutions can include young people actually taking the initiative and acquiring skills proved to be needed as Cognitive Skills (sustained attention, information processing and  multiple simultaneous attention), Soft or applied Skills (Teamwork, Decision Making, Networking, and Critical Thinking)  Foreign Languages and above all the willingness to move across different occupations and also across  the world during a  work life.   As Marieke Vandeweyer stated once we need to keep in mind  that thanks to the globalized world we live in “some jobs are disappearing, new jobs are emerging, and the content of remaining jobs is changing”  That is why youth today needs to be more adaptable than ever and invest continuously in their skills development.

But how can we  develop some of these skills?  Here is an example, Sustained Attention is one skill we are losing because of the continuous use of Social Media and should be taken care of because it is a rare ability nowadays and highly valued by the market.  Scientists have found that  students who engaged in physical activity in an attention test performed better than those who didn’t. , memorize things, read long content slowly and practice attentive listening, all those things will help your brain to focus longer and be more productive.

Going back to our situation, it’s not the time to settle with only formal education, it will not work. Youth needs to find its own potential and discover the tools to exploit it, if not we will find young unhappy people just working because they need to sustain themselves but no because they enjoy doing their work, but as we have heard changing our reality  is in our hands and no one will do it for us.

One way of acquiring those skills can be by doing internships abroad, and AIESEC offers exactly this. You can find more info about it under and you can enhance your employability by applying to one of our professional internships!


Rules for my props:

1- You are allowed to edit or resize them to your hearts content. However, DO NOT claim them as your own, rather send me the edits and i'll post them here with the originals.

2- My props are NOT to be used in shop orders on forums without my express permission first. Please respect this.

3- Please do not use my props for ANY financial gain.

Enjoy them!

^ my sister vix helped me with the heads ^


Urgent Essays

50 Record Interior Review Matters:as to the extent did the achievements of the Berlin Restriction and Airlift surpass the damaging benefits for the American Abilities?An Investigation into Tiananmen Square discussing the personalities popularised in European Marketing and Deng Xiaopings „martyrs.“Was the crossing of the Luding Link in May 1935 a great communist win against remarkable chances, or possibly a minor skirmish exaggerated by the Chinese Communist Party for propaganda purposes?Kent State: Was it the turning point within the Vietnam Conflict?What were the causes of the Boston Massacre 1776?An oral background review about the part of ladies residing in post-World War II Britain.Why did the Special Operations Government send aid to Titos communist Partisans?The German Profession of the Station Countries during World War II.How far were Republican divisions accountable for their damage within the Spanish Civil War?Was Hitleris „euthanasia“ coverage distinctively Nazi?Cinema as Heritage: Friend Richard Attenborough’s GandhiAn examination of the Greenham Common Serenity ProtestersTriumph of the May: Artwork, Propaganda or documentary?as to the extent did Brian Low’s shows correctly replicate public view in Britain within the years before World War II?from what extent could be the 2004 picture Finding Neverland traditionally correct in its account of living of N M Barrie?from what degree did Louis XVIs setup contribute to the „Terror“ in Portugal 1793?What was the reason for the Rwandan Genocide?as to the level does the film I Shot Andy Warhol faithfully represent the activities of Andrew Warhols filming on the 3rd of July 1968?What were the reasons for that Companions bombing of Dresden in the Next World War and were they validated in destroying this location?How and exactly why did the reviews of the National newspaper The New York Times and also the British paper The Changing Times differ inside their accounts of the Soviet and American companies throughout the Cuban Missile Crisis?How did a of Italian Baroque architecture and ancient mythology become reflected within the design and structure of the Palace of Versailles?as to the extent does the film Amadeus precisely express the last disease and death of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart?Did the Bielski Otriad go through the same central and outer situations pictured within the film Defiance?How useful is the artwork of George Grosz to the historian of Weimar Germany?Does verbal testimony verify the watch that living in East Malaysia got worse after the slip of Nazism?How effectively did Hitler advertise the best of the family while in the Third Reich?How did newspaper stories about the death of Kennedy differ, and how trusted were they?How and why did the balances of the storming of the Winter Building in march 1917 differ in the movie Oct as well as in the book A Peoples Tragedy: The Russian Revolution 1891-1924?How, when and exactly why was the church/mosque/temple of [name] build and what can be mastered from the town of [name] in a defined interval?How significant was Fidel Castros purpose while in the Cuban Missile Situation of 1962?from what degree do the picture The Demand of the Light Brigade as well as the book The Fee: The Actual Reason the Light Brigade was Lost recognize Around the apportioning of fault for your inability of the demand of the Light Brigade?as to the prolong was the contribution in the United States government and the CIA responsible for the drop of Salvador Allende?What were the true objectives for the different views kept by Churchill and Chamberlain during the years previous to World War II?A study of the Womens Army Corps during World War II“Maos move over the Yangtze River influenced the restored conspiracy of Mao and supplied a picture of Mao like a leader for a fresh innovative generation.“as to the extent may Nixons Vietnamization plan certainly be an Accomplishment?Did the Soviet Nation construct missiles in Cuba in 1962 only to safeguard Cuba from intrusion?a study to the Tiananmen Square episode of 1989.Although the Night Time of Long Blades was classified by the Nazis as Hitler going for a „brave action-which stored the German Volk from civil conflict,“ he was encouraged more with a desire to remove hazards to their own supremacy within the Party and making the devotion of the Army.Was the Berlin Wall designed only to refute flexibility to East Germans under Soviet principle or made it happen assist a larger objective?A study of the importance of British politics While in the responses for the Port the Ripper cases within the 1880s.How effective was the Marshall Approach was in reconstructing Europe?Why was Margaret Sanger an effective public advocate for birthcontrol while in the United States?What were the social, fiscal and governmental effects of the introduction of Sputnik about the US and USSR at that point in-time of the Cold-War?A study of why the USA became involved with Vietnam.Victim or aggressor: An examination of German causes in 1914.Who emerged ontop from your Cuban Missile Crisis?How productive were the Soviet Five Year Strategies? This short article gives more than 50 topics to learners to consider. The matters right here have all been used by IB History pupils from various colleges or introduced from the International Baccalaureate Business (IBO) as cases. These altered might be used, combined or simply employed as the base for forming a or study on another topic of choice. IB Heritage learners typically discover the hardest section of this lengthy task urgent essays to become urgent essays of choosing the matter due to their study, the method. Learners follow, and should check with, the present guidelines for your History Interior Examination as printed by the IBO.

They can be used-to enhance relating strategies.

The International Baccalaureate (IB) plan requires its Heritage learners to try the Historical Exploration as their assessment need that is central. Lively Record also offers suggestions about urgent essays the IB History urgent essays Internal Assessment. The urgent essays International urgent essays Business has urgent essays regular urgent essays improvements urgent essays on classes and requirements.

The federal law gauges schools‘ progress by gains in student proficiency against the targets the states the sites set for performance on their respective tests


Why Materials Engineering?

Throughout history, humankind's technology has been influenced and defined by the materials available to us. Human technology has grown and advanced from the Stone Age to the Bronze Age into the Iron Age up through modern times. As our technology has advanced, so has our understanding of how to manipulate materials to make things lighter, last longer, go faster and perform better. A Materials Engineer works each day to improve existing materials in order to make life easier. How influential are Materials Engineers? If something is not made of stone or wood, there's a good chance that a Materials Engineer was involved in that product's development.

Everything we use is made of materials, so materials engineering serves as the foundation for many engineering advances. Using science and engineering principles to select, design and manufacture materials, a materials engineer designs, develops, fabricates and evaluates materials for use in the engineering application. They combine engineering problem solving with scientific curiosity to understand how and why materials behave the way they do.

Materials engineers address the science and technology of producing materials that have properties and shapes suitable for practical use. These materials include metals, ceramics, polymers (plastics) and their combinations (composites). A Materials Engineer's broad scope and knowledge of materials science have allowed technological advances to spring from the drawing board to the production line. The activities of these engineers range from materials production to the design, development and processing of materials used in aerospace, transportation, electronics, energy conversion and biomedical systems…just to name a few.

Put simply, Materials Engineers "make the stuff that stuff is made of!"

Last Updated: Sep 08, 2016


    Rachel Carson (1907-1964)

    Ecologist, writer

Liverworts, Asterella elegans. Maricao State Forest, western Puerto Rico.

    Before I begin to show and discuss the things living in the Caribbean, I should offer a cautionary comment on the field of biology that deals with the diversity of life: Systematics. This branch of Biology is usually divided into two areas: Taxonomy (which deals the classification and naming of biological organisms), and Phylogenetics (which deals with the evolutionary relationships between organisms). And my remarks are cautionary, more than anything else, because I am not a biologist. I am only playing at being one.

    The classification of biological entities is in a state constant fluctuation, because it is in its nature to be fluctuant. As one moves down the branches and the trunk toward the roots of the phylogenetic tree of life, and approaches the lower levels of classification, the distinctions among plants, animals, fungi, and hosts of unicellular organisms become increasingly blurred. While I have tried to be as scientifically precise as possible, this web site is not about Systematics, and I deal only with its very basics, when I have to.

    Indeed, because Taxonomy and Phylogenetics do not exactly correspond to one another even when treating the same subjects, they are sometimes difficult to integrate.

    For all the advances of modern Biology, it is still difficult at times to emplace some organisms among animals, or plants, or fungi. Today, for example, the very term "plant" has rather little value, from a strictly scientific standpoint. If we were to limit the concept involved therein to terrestrial photosynthetic organisms and some (not all) groups of green algae, and were then to become fastidious in distinguishing them from other creatures, we should speak not of "plants", but of the "phylum Virideplantae" within the "kingdom Eukariota".

    Then you have fungi, a taxonomic kingdom unto themselves, and thus on a par with other eukariotes like Viridaeplantae (green plants), Metazoa (animals), Rhodophyta (red algae), and several others. Considered to be plants until the late XX century, fungi are now believed to be more closely related to animals than to any other group of living beings.

    So, you see, for all its "cold scientific objectivity" Taxonomy (and empirical sciences in general) is as much an art as it is a science. It depends on strict observation, experimenting, publication, and sharing of measurable data... and on the personal theological and philosophical views (or lack thereof) of the very scientists that "do" their science.

    Indeed, it even depends on the particular thought current and method to which a particular scientist subscribes. In the case of Biology, this is to say that there is more than one legitimate way to determine to what group an organism belongs, and each way may indeed provide a different result. Diverse combinations of morphological, behavioral, genetic, and other kinds of studies might make two different scientists place the same species in different genera, families, and even orders. (Classes and phyla tend to be much more stable).

    Even the biological "species" - which is actually based on an Aristotelian philosophical construct - is not as easy to define (as opposed to describe) as it may sound. If the usual definition of "a group of genetically isolated organisms which, being such, can only reproduce successfully among themselves" is accepted, what about all-female, parthenogenic "species"? They do not reproduce among themselves (they do not mate but, rather, every individual is a clone of its mother). And what about the - rare but existing - fertile offspring arising from the genetic exchange of two different species, sometimes even belonging to different genera?

    Simply said, sometimes this it is not as easy as it looks.

    For more information on Systematics go to the Tree of Life Web Project at http://tolweb.org/tree/, and to http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/glossary/gloss1phylo.html.

The Pioneering Chlorobionts

    This division (the plant equivalent of an animal "phylum") includes the chlorobionts which are ancestral to all others.

    Liverworts (Class Hepaticopsida) and mosses (Class Bryopsida) are two related groups, and are the most primitive of terrestrial plants save for some algae. It is in the warm and humid environments of the tropics where they are most varied and abundant. Rocks, tree trunks, and branches in cloud and montane dwarf forests of the Antilles are frequently covered in them. In fact, there are about 10000 species of mosses, making them the third most diverse group of terrestrial chlorobionts, after flowering plants and ferns.

    They can be mainly told apart by their rhizoids (what in them takes the approximate function of roots). Those of mosses are multicellular, while those of of liverworts are single-celled.

    Like the more advanced plants, they have a two-stage life cycle: gametophytes for sexual reproduction, and spore-bearing sporophytes. In bryophytes, however, the stage most often seen is the gametophye, with an haploid number of cromosomes. The sporophyte (with a complete, diploid set of chromosomes) appears only occasionally. The opposite arrangement occurs in all higher plants. They are also distinguished more evolved plants in that they lack a vascular system to carry nutrients to the different parts of the plant. The organism absorbs what it needs to grow and reproduce directly through the cellular membranes of its tiny rhizoids, and from those they pass directly to the rest of the plant through osmosis. This trait precludes mosses and liverworts from growing truly large and, indeed, most of them are rather tiny.

Liverworts, Asterella elegans. El Yunque National Forest, north-eastern Puerto Rico.

Liverworts, Dumortiera hirsuta. Near Pie Pol, Bahoruco Mountains, south-western Dominican Republic, Hispaniola.

Liverworts, Metzgeria furcata. Ebano Verde Nature Reserve, Central Mountain Range, Dominican Republic, Hispaniola.

Liverworts, Symphoginia aspera. Carite State Forest, east-central Puerto Rico.

Liverwort, possibly Monoclea sp. Carite State Forest, east-central Puerto Rico.

Liverwort, species undetermined. Carite State Forest, east-central Puerto Rico.

Liverwort, Riccia sp. Guanica State Forest, southwestern Puerto Rico.
Some members of this genus occur in xeric areas and only develop with the onset of rainy seasons.

Mosses growing on a tree trunk, Octoblepharum albidum. Morne Trois Pitons National Park, south-central Dominica, Lesser Antilles.

Mosses growing on a rock, Berbella indica. Near Creque Dam, north-western Saint Croix, United States Virgin Islands.

Mosses, species undetermnied. Slopes of Mount Scenery, Saint Eustatius, Lesser Antilles.

Moss, species undetermined. The Quill National Park, southern Saint Eustatius, Lesser Antilles.

Moss sporangia, Weissia sp. Aguas Buenas, east-central Puerto Rico.

Mosses, Hypoterigium tamariscinum. Near Pie Pol, Bahoruco Mountains, south-western Dominican Republic, Hispaniola.

Moss, species undetermined. El Yunque National Forest, north-eastern Puerto Rico.

Mosses, Sphagnum sp. El Yunque National Forest, north-eastern Puerto Rico.

Moss, Usnea sp. Maricao State Forest, western Puerto Rico.
(Photographs courtesy of Mr. Alfredo Colon Archilla).


Cordoba, Spain

Córdoba, also called Cordova, is a city in the southern Spanish province of Andalusia. It was conquered by invading Islamic armies in the eighth century, and then became the capital of the Islamic Emirate and then Caliphate of Córdoba, including most of the Iberian Peninsula. It has been estimated that in the 10th century Córdoba was the most populous city in the world, and under the rule of Caliph Al Hakam II it had also become a centre for education under its Islamic rulers. Al Hakam II opened many libraries in addition to the many medical schools and universities which existed at this time. During these centuries Córdoba became a predominantly Muslim society with minorities living in a restricted second-class status. It returned to Christian rule in 1236, during the Reconquista.

Today it is a moderately sized modern city. The historic centre was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Latitude: 37.8847267, Longitude: -4.7791517


Edvard Munch's "The Scream" went on display Thursday in Manhattan's Museum of Modern Art for a six-month exhibition in New York City. The Norwegian artist's most famous motif, and one of the world's most iconic paintings, sold for nearly $120 million at Sotheby's auction house in May. It is the only one of four versions that is in private hands.