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India - Tamil Nadu - Chennai - Market - 62
Chennai Listeni/ˈtʃɛnnaɪ/ (formerly known as Madras Listeni/məˈdrɑːs/ or /-ˈdræs/) is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal, it is the biggest cultural, economic and educational centre in South India. Chennai is known as the "Detroit of South Asia" for its automobile industry. It is the fourth-largest city and fourth-most populous metropolitan area in India and 36th-largest urban area in the world. Chennai is one of the Indian cities most visited by foreign tourists, and is the 38th most visited city in the world. The Quality of Living Survey rated Chennai as the safest city in India. Chennai attracts 45 percent of health tourists visiting India, and 30 to 40 percent of domestic health tourists. As such, it is termed "India's health capital".

After Mumbai and Delhi, Chennai has the third-largest expatriate population in India at 35,000 in 2009 and 82,790 in 2011. Tourism guide publisher Lonely Planet named Chennai as one of the top ten cities in the world to visit in 2015. Chennai is ranked as a beta-level city in the Global Cities Index and was ranked the best city in India by India Today in the 2014 annual Indian city survey. In 2015 Chennai was named the "hottest" city (worth visiting, and worth living in for long term) by the BBC, citing the mixture of both modern and traditional values. National Geographic ranked Chennai's food as second best in the world; it was the only Indian city to feature in the list. Chennai was also named the ninth-best cosmopolitan city in the world by Lonely Planet.

In January 2015 the Chennai Metropolitan Area was ranked as the fourth-largest economy in India, with the third-highest GDP per capita. Chennai has been selected as one of the 20 Indian cities to be developed as a smart city under PM Narendra Modi's flagship Smart Cities Mission.

There are two different theories for the origin of the name Chennai. The first theory is that it was derived from the name of Damarla Chennappa Nayagar, father of Damarla Venkatapathy Nayak, a Nayak ruler who served as a general under Venkata III of the Vijayanagar Empire from whom the British acquired the town in 1639. The first official use of the name Chennai is said to be in a sale deed, dated 8 August 1639, to Francis Day of the East India Company. The second theory states that it was named after the Chenna Kesava Perumal Temple; the word Chenni in Tamil means face, with the temple regarded as the face of the city.

The nativity of 'Madras' of being Tamil origin and 'Chennai' of being Telugu origin, has been clearly proven and documented after various researches done by renowned scholars and historians. The name Madras originated even before the British presence was established in India. Madras was allegedly derived from Madraspattinam, a fishing-village north of Fort St George. However, it is uncertain whether the name was in use before the arrival of European influence. The British military mapmakers believed Madras was originally Mundir-raj or Mundiraj. Madras might have also been derived from the word Madhuras (Sanskrit: मधुरस) meaning "juice of honey" or "sugarcane" in Sanskrit. A Vijayanagar-era inscription dated to the year 1367 that mentions the port of Maadarasanpattanam, along with other small ports on the east coast was discovered in 2015 and it was theorised that the aforementioned port is the fishing port of Royapuram.

In 1996, the Government of Tamil Nadu officially changed the name from Madras to Chennai. At that time many Indian cities underwent a change of name. However, the name Madras continues in occasional use for the city, as well as for places named after the city such as University of Madras, IIT Madras, Madras Institute of Technology, Madras Medical College, Madras Christian College.

On 22 August 1639, which is referred to as Madras Day, the English East India Company under Francis Day bought a small strip of land stretching 3 miles on the Coromandel Coast. They got a license to build a fort and a castle in the contracted region. The ruler Damarla Chennappa Nayakudu, the Nayaka of Chandragiri, granted the English permission to build a factory and warehouse for their trading enterprises. The region was then primarily a fishing village known as "Madraspatnam". A year later, the English built Fort St. George, the first major English settlement in India, which became the nucleus of the growing colonial city and urban Chennai, grew around this Fort. Post independence the fort housed the Tamil Nadu Assembly until the new Secretariat building was opened in 2010, but shortly afterwards it was again moved back to Fort St. George, due to a change in the Government.

Chennai, sometimes referred to as the "Gateway to South India," is located on the south–eastern coast of India in the north–eastern part of Tamil Nadu on a flat coastal plain known as the Eastern Coastal Plains. Its average elevation is around 6.7 metres, and its highest point is 60 m. Two major rivers flow through Chennai, the Cooum River (or Koovam) through the centre and the Adyar River to the south. A third river, the Kortalaiyar, travels through the northern fringes of the city before draining into the Bay of Bengal, at Ennore. The estuary of this river is heavily polluted with effluents released by the industries in the region. Adyar and Cooum rivers are heavily polluted with effluents and waste from domestic and commercial sources, the Coumm being so heavily polluted it is regarded as the city's eyesore. A protected estuary on the Adyar forms a natural habitat for several species of birds and animals. The Buckingham Canal, 4 km inland, runs parallel to the coast, linking the two rivers. The Otteri Nullah, an east–west stream, runs through north Chennai and meets the Buckingham Canal at Basin Bridge. Several lakes of varying size are located on the western fringes of the city. Some areas of the city have the problem of excess iron content in groundwater.

Chennai's soil is mostly clay, shale and sandstone. Clay underlies most of the city, chiefly Manali, Kolathur, Maduravoyal, K. K. Nagar, Tambaram, Mudichur, Pallavaram Semmencherry, Alapakkam, Vyasarpadi and Anna Nagar. Sandy areas are found along the river banks and coasts, and include areas such as Tiruvottiyur, George Town, Madhavaram, New Washermanpet, Chepauk, Mylapore, Porur, Adyar, Besant Nagar and Uthandi. In these areas, rainwater runoff percolates quickly through the soil. Areas having hard rock surface include Guindy, Nanganallur, Pallikaranai, Alandur, Jaladampet, Velachery, Adambakkam and a part of Saidapet and Perungudi. The ground water table in Chennai is at 4-5 m below ground in most of the areas, which was considerably improved and maintained through the mandatory rain water harvesting system.

The southern stretch of Chennai's coast from Tiruvanmiyur to Neelangarai are favoured by the endangered Olive Ridley sea turtles to lay eggs every winter. A large number of cattle egrets, pond herons and other waterbirds can be seen in the rivers of Cooum and Adyar. About 75,000 birds migrate to Chennai every year. Marshy wetlands such as Pallikaranai also play host to a number of migratory birds during the monsoon and winter. Over 300 species of birds have been recorded in the city and its neighbourhood by members of Madras Naturalists' Society since its inception in 1978.

Guindy National Park is a protected area within the city limits. Wildlife conservation and research activities take place at Arignar Anna Zoological Park including Olive ridley sea turtle conservation. Madras Crocodile Bank Trust is a herpetology research station, located 40 kilometres south of Chennai. It is India's leading institution for herpeto faunal conservation and the first crocodile breeding centre in Asia.

Chennai has three rivers and many lakes spread across the city. Urbanization has led to shrinkage of water bodies and wetlands. The quantity of wetlands in the city has decreased from 650 to only 27 currently. The Chennai River Restoration trust set up by the government is working on the restoration of Adyar river. Environmentalist Foundation of India is a volunteering group working towards wildlife conservation and habitat restoration.

Chennai has a tropical wet and dry climate (Köppen: Aw). The city lies on the thermal equator and is also on the coast, which prevents extreme variation in seasonal temperature. The hottest part of the year is late May to early June, known regionally as Agni Nakshatram ("fire star") or as Kathiri Veyyil, with maximum temperatures around 35–40 °C. The coolest part of the year is January, with minimum temperatures around 19–25 °C). The lowest recorded temperature was 13.9 °C on 11 December 1895 and 29 January 1905. The highest recorded temperature was 45 °C on 31 May 2003. The average annual rainfall is about 140 cm.

The city gets most of its seasonal rainfall from the north–east monsoon winds, from mid–October to mid–December. Cyclones in the Bay of Bengal sometimes hit the city. The highest annual rainfall recorded is 257 cm in 2005. Prevailing winds in Chennai are usually southwesterly between April and October and north-easterly during the rest of the year. Historically, Chennai has relied on the annual rains of the monsoon season to replenish water reservoirs, as no major rivers flow through the area. Chennai has a water table at 2 metres for 60 percent of the year.

Chennai city is governed by the Greater Chennai Corporation (formerly "Corporation of Madras"), which was established in 1688. It is the oldest surviving municipal corporation in India and the second oldest surviving corporation in the world. In 2011, the jurisdiction of the Chennai Corporation was expanded from 174 km2 to an area of 426 km2, dividing into three regions - North, South and Central, which covers 200 wards. The corporation is headed by a mayor, an office presently occupied by Saidai Sa. Duraisamy. The Mayor and councillors of the city are elected through a popular vote by the residents. While the city limit was expanded to 426 km2 in 2011, the revised population is yet to be officially announced.

The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) is the nodal agency responsible for planning and development of Chennai Metropolitan Area, which is spread over an area of 1,189 km2, covering the Chennai district and parts of Tiruvallur and Kanchipuram districts. The larger suburbs are governed by town municipalities, and the smaller are governed by town councils called panchayats. Under the gamut of the CMDA are 5 parliamentary and 28 assembly constituencies. The CMDA has drafted an additional Master Plan that aims to develop satellite townships around the city. The city's contiguous satellite towns include Mahabalipuram in the south, Chengalpattu and Maraimalai Nagar in the southwest, and Sriperumpudur, Arakkonam, Kanchipuram and Tiruvallur to the west.

Chennai, as the capital of the state of Tamil Nadu, houses the state executive and legislative headquarters primarily in the Secretariat Buildings in the Fort St George campus. The Madras High Court, is the highest judicial authority in the state, whose jurisdiction extends across Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. Chennai has three parliamentary constituencies - Chennai North, Chennai Central and Chennai South - and elects 14 Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) to the state legislature.

The Greater Chennai Police is the main law enforcement agency in the city, with a jurisdiction of over 745 sq km catering to over 85 lakh people. It consists of 121 Police stations and is headed by a commissioner of police. The Greater Chennai Police is a division of the Tamil Nadu Police, and the administrative control lies with the Tamil Nadu Home Ministry. Chennai City Traffic Police (CCTP) is responsible for the traffic management in the city. The metropolitan suburbs are policed by the Chennai Metropolitan Police, headed by the Chennai Police Commissionerate, and the outer district areas of the CMDA are policed by the Kanchipuram and Thiruvallur police departments.

As of 2011 (prior to the expansion of Chennai Corporation area), Chennai city has a sanctioned strength of 14,000 police personnel. With a population density of 26,903 persons per square kilometre, the city had 1 policeman for every 413 people. The Chennai suburban police had about 4,093 police personnel and a ratio of 1:1,222. In 2010, the crime rate in the city was 169.2 per 100,000 people, as against an average of 341.9 in the 35 major cities of India. In 2011, North Chennai zone had 30 police stations and 3 police out posts, Central Chennai zone had 28 police stations and 3 police out posts, and South Chennai zone had 30 police stations.

The city's water supply and sewage treatment are managed by the Chennai MetroWater Supply and Sewage Board. Water is drawn from Red Hills Lake and Chembarambakkam Lake, the primary water reservoirs of the city, and treated at water treatment plants located at Kilpauk, Puzhal, Chembarambakkam and supplied to the city through 27 water distribution stations. The city receives 530 mld of water from Krishna River through Telugu Ganga project, 180 mld of water from the Veeranam lake project and 100 mld of water from the Minjur desalination plant, the country's largest sea water desalination plant. However, Chennai is predicted to face a huge deficit of 713 million litres per day (MLD) in 2026 as the demand is projected at 2,248 MLD and supply estimated at only 1,535 MLD. The city's sewer system was designed in 1910, with some modifications in 1958. There are 714 public toilets in the city managed by the city corporation, and 2,000 more have been planned by the corporation. The corporation also owns 52 community halls across the city.

The Corporation of Chennai provides civic services to the city. Garbage collection in some of the wards is contracted to Ramky Enviro Engineers Limited, a private company, while the Corporation looks after the removal and processing of solid waste in the others, with a superintendent engineer managing the channels. As of 2011, 8 transfer stations exist within the city for treating the waste. Garbage is dumped in two dump-yards in the city - One in Kodungaiyur and another in Perungudi, with a major portion of the latter covering the Pallikaranai marshland. In market areas, the conservancy work is done during the night. Electricity is distributed by the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board. Fire services are handled by the Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services. The city, along with the suburbs, has 33 operating fire stations.

The Triumph of Labour, also known as the Labour statue, is a statue at the Marina Beach, Chennai, India. Erected at the northern end of the beach at the Anna Square opposite University of Madras, it is an important landmark of Chennai. The statue shows four men toiling to move a rock, depicting the hard work of the labouring class.It was sculpted by Debi Prasad Roy Chowdhry.

By the early 20th century, the art deco too made its entry upon the city's urban landscape. From the 1930s onwards, many buildings in George Town were built in this style, including the United India building (presently housing LIC) and the Burma Shell building (presently the Chennai House), both built in the 1930s, and the Dare House, built in 1940. Other examples include the Bombay Mutual building (presently housing LIC) and the South Indian Chamber of Commerce building. After Independence, the city witnessed a rise in the Modernism style of architecture. The completion of the LIC Building in 1959, the tallest building in the country at that time, marked the transition from lime-and-brick construction to concrete columns in the region. The presence of the weather radar at the Chennai Port, however, prohibited the construction of buildings taller than 60 m around a radius of 10 km. In addition, the floor-area ratio (FAR) in the central business district is also 1.5, much less than that of smaller cities of the country. This resulted in the city expanding horizontally, unlike other metropolitan cities where vertical growth is prominent. On the contrary, the peripheral regions, especially on the southern and south-western sides, are experiencing vertical growth with the construction of buildings up to 60 floors.

A resident of Chennai is called a Chennaite. Chennai has a population of 7,088,000. According to 2011 based on pre-expansion limits, the city had a population of 4,681,087, with a density of 26,903 per km² and the urban agglomeration had a population of 8,653,521. The city registered a growth rate of 7.77% during the period 2001–2011. In 2001, the population density in the city was 24,682 per km², while the population density of the metropolitan area was 5,922 per km², making it one of the most densely populated cities in the world. The Chennai metropolitan area is the fourth most populated agglomeration in India. The sex ratio is 986 females for every 1,000 males, higher than the national average of 940. The average literacy rate rose from 85.33% in 2001 to 90.18% in 2011, much higher than the national average of 74.04%. However, the city has the fourth highest population of slum dwellers among major cities in India, with about 820,000 people (18.6% of the city's population) living in slum conditions. According to 2011 census, the Chennai district has 11 lakh households, with 51% of them living in rented houses.

The majority of the population in Chennai are Tamils. Tamil is the primary language spoken in Chennai. English is spoken largely by white-collar workers, often mixed into Tamil. In 2001, out of the 2,937,000 migrants (33.8% of its population) in the city, 61.5% were from other parts of the state, 33.8% were from rest of India and 3.7% were from outside the country. As per 2001 census, the number of speakers mother tongue wise are as follows, Tamil is spoken by 3,424,107 (78.83%), followed by Telugu by 419,209 (9.65%), Urdu by 180,245 (4.1%), Malayalam by 113,828 (2.6%), Hindi by 104,084 (2.39%), and Kannada by 22,250 (0.5%).

Chennai, along with Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata, is one of the few Indian cities that are home to a diverse population of ethno-religious communities. Minorities include Telugus, Marwaris, Gujaratis , Parsis, Sindhis, Odias, Goans, Kannadigas, Anglo-Indians, Bengalis, Punjabi, and Malayalees. As per the religious census of 2011, Chennai had 80.73% Hindus, 9.45% Muslims, 7.72% Christians, 0.06% Sikhs, 0.06% Buddhists, 1.11% Jains, 0.83% following other religions and 0.04% following no religion or did not indicate any religious preference.

With temples, beaches and centres of historical and cultural significance, including the UNESCO Heritage Site of Mahabalipuram, Chennai is one of the most visited cities in India. The city serves as the gateway to the southern part of India with tourists landing in the city and starting their trip to the rest of the region. Chennai was the most visited Indian city by foreign tourists in 2009 and issued the third highest number of visas on arrival in 2014. In 2011, Chennai was ranked 41st in global top 100 city destination ranking, with 3,174,500 tourists, a 14 percent increase from 2010. About 830,620 domestic tourists arrived in Chennai in March 2011. Top foreign nationals visiting the city include those from Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, United Kingdom, France and United States. As of 2012, the city had 21 luxury five-star hotels with over 4,500 rooms in the inventory.

Chennai is the base for the Tamil film industry, known as Kollywood. Many film personalities have gone on to become politicians including C.N.Annadurai, M. Karunanidhi, M.G. Ramachandran and J. Jayalalithaa. Chennai hosts major film studios, including AVM Productions, the oldest surviving studio in India. As of 2012, there are 120 cinema screens and multiplexes. Major multiplexes include Sathyam Cinemas, Escape cinemas, Devi, Abirami complex and Mayajaal. Chennai's expansive theatre network stages many Tamil plays of many genres: political satire, slapstick comedy, history, mythology and drama. English plays are popular in the city, along with the more common Tamil-language plays.

Chennai houses several theme parks, namely MGM Dizzee World and Queens Land. The safety of several amusement parks has been questioned after several fatal accidents occurred. Wonderla is planning to open an amusement park in 2017. Other important recreation centres include Madras Boat Club, which is over 140 years old, and Gymkhana Club, which is famous for its 18-hole golf courses. Built in 1867, Madras Boat Club is the second oldest surviving Indian rowing club.

Industrialisation in the city dates back to the 16th century, when textile mills manufactured goods which were exported to British during its war with France. According to Forbes magazine, Chennai is one of the fastest growing cities in the world and is rated in the "Forbes-Top 10 Fastest Growing Cities in the World". It is ranked 4th in hosting the maximum number of Fortune 500 companies of India, next only to Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata. It also is home to 24 Indian companies having a net worth of more than US$1 billion. As of 2012, the city has about 34,260 identified companies in its 15 zones, of which 5,196 companies have a paid-up the capital of over ₹ 50 lakh.Chennai has a diversified economic base anchored by the automobile, software services, hardware manufacturing, health care and financial services industries. According to the Confederation of Indian Industry, Chennai is estimated to grow to a US$100–billion economy, 2.5 times its present size, by the year 2025. As of 2012, with ₹ 1 lakh crore investment in the pipeline over 5 years, the city is poised for major industrial investment. Chennai is classified as a global city by GaWC, with a ranking of Beta based on the extent of global reach and financial influence.

The city is base to around 30 percent of India's automobile industry and 40 percent of auto components industry. A large number of automotive companies including Hyundai, Renault, Robert Bosch, Nissan Motors, Ashok Leyland, Daimler AG, Caterpillar Inc., Komatsu Limited, Ford, BMW and Mitsubishi have manufacturing plants in Chennai. The Heavy Vehicles Factory at Avadi produces military vehicles, including India's main battle tank: Arjun MBT. The Integral Coach Factory manufactures railway coaches and other rolling stock for Indian Railways. The Ambattur–Padi industrial zone houses many textile manufacturers, and a special economic zone (SEZ) for apparel and footwear manufacturing has been set up in the southern suburbs of the city. Chennai contributes more than 50 percent of India's leather exports.

As of 2013, eight mobile phone service companies operate seven GSM networks including Airtel, Aircel, BSNL, Vodafone, Tata Docomo GSM, Idea, Reliance GSM and three CDMA networks including MTS, Relaince CDMA, Tata Docomo CDMA in the city. 2G Mobile internet connections are provided by all the operators and 4G, 3G mobile broadband are provided by few operators in the city. There are four land line companies providing Commercial and domestic broadband Internet services. Chennai was the first Indian city to deploy Wi-Fi internet access in a widespread manner. As of 2010, there were 9.8 million mobile phone users in Chennai. In 2010, Chennai had the fourth highest number of active Internet users in India, with 2.2 million users.

Date: 2016-08-05 23:06:44

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New York Dialogue - Perspectives from the US: Business, Governments, Civil Society, Consumers, and the Capital Markets

Descripción del documento:
Historically, the fundamental purpose of business has been to develop and provide goods and services at prices people can afford. Major contributions to society have come from innovative and entrepreneurial companies. Today, consumers, citizens, markets and governments are asking and expecting businesses to do more.


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Mathematics Awareness Month Theme Essay

Space Exploration

Starting in the 20th century, the mathematical exploration of the cosmos became inextricably entwined with the physical exploration of space. On the one hand, virtually all the methods of celestial mechanics that had been developed over the centuries were transformed into tools for the navigation of rockets, artificial satellites and space probes. On the other hand, almost all of those space vehicles were equipped with scientific instruments for gathering data about the earth and other objects in our solar system, as well as distant stars and galaxies going back to the cosmic microwave background radiation. Furthermore, the deviations in the paths of satellites and probes provide direct feedback on the gravitational field around the earth and throughout the solar system.

Beyond these direct effects, there are many other areas of interaction between the space program and mathematics. To name just a few:

  • GPS: The global positioning system
  • Data compression techniques for transmitting messages
  • Digitizing and coding of images
  • Error-correcting codes for accurate transmissions
  • "Slingshot" or "gravitational boosting" for optimal trajectories
  • Exploitation of Lagrange points for strategic placement of satellites
  • Dynamical systems methods for energy-efficient orbit placing
  • Finite element modeling for structures such as spacecraft and antennas

Some of the satellites and space probes that have contributed to cosmology and astrophysics:

  • The Hubble space telescope
  • The Hipparcos mission to catalog the positions of a million stars to new levels of accuracy
  • The COBE and MAP satellites for studying the cosmic microwave background radiation
  • The Genesis mission and SOHO satellite for studying the sun and solar radiation
  • The ISEE3/ICE space probe to study solar flares and cosmic gamma rays before going on to visit the Giacobini-Zimmer and Halley's comets
  • The LAGEOS satellites to test Einstein's prediction of "frame dragging" around a rotating body.

Rather than trying to cover all or even most of the mathematical links, we focus on two that are absolutely essential and central to the whole endeavor: first, navigation and the planning of trajectories; and second, communication and the transmission of images.

Navigation, trajectories, and orbits

When the U.S. space program was set up in earnest — a process described in detail in the recent History Channel documentary, "Race to the Moon" — a notable feature was the introduction of the Mission Control Center. The first row of seats in mission control were known as "the trench" and it is from there that the mathematicians whose specialty is orbital mechanics kept track of trajectories and fed in the information needed for navigation. Their role is particularly important for operations involving rendezvous between two vehicles, in delicate operations such as landings on the moon, and in emergencies that call on all their skills, the most notable of which was bringing back alive the crew of Apollo 13 after they had to abandon the command module and were forced to use the lunar landing module — never designed for that purpose — to navigate back to earth.

The first thing that an astronaut or former astronaut will tell you about navigating in a spaceship is that no amount of experience piloting a plane will be of any help. On the contrary, previous experience may be a hindrance, since it reinforces one's natural intuition that if you want to catch up with an object ahead you go faster, and conversely. But if you are orbiting at a certain speed, and have to rendezvous with something ahead, then "stepping on the accelerator" (translate as "applying a forward thrust") will lift you into a higher orbit where first of all, the vertical distance between you and the object orbiting ahead will increase, and second, your average angular velocity will decrease, by Kepler's third law, and you will find yourself getting further and further behind.

The ability to navigate started with Isaac Newton. Not only did he formulate his laws of motion and of gravity, but he also developed the calculus which allowed him to put those laws into the language of mathematical equations. Today, our knowledge of the physics involved has been improved with the addition of relativity and other factors that may play a role, and calculus has been further developed into many different branches of mathematics.

What kind of mathematics? Newton's equations involve the gravitational forces acting upon one of the participating bodies, arising from all of the other bodies. Since force is mass times acceleration, and since acceleration is simply the second derivative of position with respect to time, it is the differential calculus which describesthe accelerations. Then, once the accelerations are given, it is necessary to use integral calculus in order to get from the second derivatives to the positions.

In a more general context, where the mass may be changing with time, such as happens with an extended application of thrust to a vehicle, with the gradual reduction of weight as fuel is used up, or in cases of relativistic speeds, the force is given by the first derivative of momentum, but the principle is the same.

In the case of the 2-body problem, where the only force involved is the gravitational attraction between the two bodies, it is frequently said that Newton was able to give a complete solution. That is not, strictly speaking, the case, if one means by "a solution" of a differential equation, an expression for the unknown function whose derivatives appear in the equation. In this case, it would mean finding an expression for the position as a function of time. However, what Newton showed was that the orbit of each of the bodies lies on a conic section (in a fixed inertial frame of reference), and in the case considered by Kepler, where the orbit as an ellipse, there is an explicit expression for the timeas a function of the position. Commonly known as "Kepler's Equation," it is of the form: t = x - e sin x, in suitable units of time t, where x is the polar angle from the center of the ellipse and e is the eccentricity. What one wants, of course, is x as a function of t, and much effort and ingenuity has gone into finding effective means of solving Kepler's equation for x in terms of t. Lagrange did extensive work on the problem, in the course of which he developed both Fourier series and Bessel functions, named after later mathematicians who investigated these concepts in greater detail. Both Laplace and Gauss made major contributions, and succeeding generations continued to work on the subject.

When there are more than two bodies involved, the problem cannot be solved analytically; instead, the integration (positions from accelerations) must be done numerically: now, with high-speed computers.  So, numerical integral calculus is a major factor of spacecraft navigation.

One may picture navigation as being the modeling of mother nature on acomputer.  At some time, with the planets in their orbits, a spacecraft is given a push outward into the solar system.  Its subsequent orbit is then determined by the gravitational forces upon it due to the sun and planets. We compute these, step-by-step in time, seeing how the (changing) forces determine the motion of the spacecraft. This is very similar to what one may picture being done in nature.

How does one get an accurate orbit in the computer? The spacecraft's orbit is measured as it progresses on its journey, and the computer model is adjusted in order to best fit the actual measurements. Here one uses another type of calculus: estimation theory. It involves changing the initial "input parameters" (starting positions and velocities) into the computer in order to make the "output parameters" (positions and velocities at subsequent times) match what is being measured: adjusting the computer model to better fit reality.

Also in navigation, one must "reduce" the measurements.  Usually, the measurements don't correspond exactly with the positions in the computer; one must apply a few formulae before a comparison can be made.  For instance, the positions in the computer represent the centers of mass of the different planets; a radar echo, however, measures the path from the radio antenna to the spot on a planet's surfaces from which the signal bounces back to earth.  This processing involves the use of trigonometry, geometry, and physics.

Finally, there is error analysis, or "covariance" calculus. In the initial planning stages of a mission, one is more interested in how accurately we will know the positions of the spacecraft and its target, not in the exact positions themselves.  With low accuracy, greater amounts of fuel are required, and it could be that some precise navigation would not even be possible. Covariance analysis takes into account 1) what measurements we will have of the spacecraft: how many and how good, 2) how accurately we will be able to compute the forces, and 3) how accurately we will know the position of the target. These criteria are then used in order to determine how closely we can deliver the spacecraft to the target.  Again, poor accuracy will require more fuel to correct the trajectory once the spacecraft starts approaching its final target.

One of the mathematical tools used to optimize some feature of a flight trajectory, such as fuel consumption or flight time, is a maximum principle introduced by Pontryagin in 1962. Pontryagin's theorem characterizes the optimum values of certain parameters, called the controllers, that determine a trajectory.

In recent decades, ingenious new methods have been developed to milk the maximum effect from the least amount of fuel. One such method is known as the "slingshot" or "gravity-assisted trajectory." By aiming a space vehicle in a way that crosses the orbit of another planet or moon just behind that body, the path of the vehicle will be deflected, sending it on its way to the next target with minimum expenditure of fuel. A number of space probes, such as Cassini-Huygens, have benefited from carefully calculated trajectories that make multiple use of the slingshot effect. Gravity-assist methods are equally important for sending a probe toward the inner planets: Venus and Mercury. In that case, one sends the probe to a point on the orbit just in advance of the body it is passing. In both cases, the effect of the fly-by is to alter the velocity, changing the direction of flight, and leaving the end-speed relative to the body it is passing unchanged. However, that body will be moving with considerable momentum relative to the sun, and there will be an exchange of momentum in which the body will be slowed down or speeded up by an infinitesimal amount, while the probe will be speeded up or slowed down by a considerable amount relative to the sun.

More modern, 20th century mathematical methods of dynamical systems have proved invaluable in designing complicated fuel-efficient orbits. These methods include the theory of stable and unstable manifolds, pioneered by Poincaré, leading to the subject now known as chaotic dynamics, and the KAM theory, due to Kolmogorov, Arnold and Moser, of invariant tori and stability. One of the first achievements of the new methods was the 1991 rescue of a Japanese spacecraft Hiten that was stranded without enough fuel to complete a planned mission when a second satellite, intended to work in tandem with the first, failed to operate. The mathematician Edward Belbruno had designed highly fuel-efficient orbits using methods derived from chaos theory, and that turned out to be just what was needed for this rescue operation. Belbruno's methods were incorporated into the design used by Giuseppe Racca and the European Space Agency in sending "SMART-1" - their first satellite to the moon, in 2004. Newspaper headlines trumpeted "spacecraft reaches moon on 5 million miles a gallon" as a dramatic way of underlining the astonishing fuel efficiency of the method.

In the past few years, other applications of the theory of stable and unstable manifolds have been invoked in trajectory planning. Martin Lo and his colleagues at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory developed ways to apply the theory in order to place satellites such as Genesis in an orbit around the Lagrange point between earth and the sun, and then return it to earth. More recently, the same group, together with Jerry Marsden at CalTech, have expanded the method for use in interplanetary travel, along what they call the "interplanetary superhighway," a route derived from the ever-changing configurations of stable and unstable manifolds in the phase space of our solar system or selected parts of it. A beautifully illustrated article by Douglas Smith describing this work can be found in the journal Engineering and Science.

Communication and Image Transmission

For space exploration and interplanetary probes, navigational techniques and orbital mechanics may get you where you want to go, but it is not worth much if the data collected cannot be successfully transmitted back to earth. In the case of the Cassini spacecraft at Saturn, signals have to travel distances on the order of a billion miles or more. Data transmitted from across the planetary system with very limited power are received on Earth as a very faint signal (as low as a billionth of a billionth of a watt) embedded in noise. Only through miracles of modern technology operating in tandem with ever-improving mathematical methods, is one able to receive the striking and detailed images that are now on display.

Two critical processes come into play for transmitting messages of all sorts. The first is compression, to be able to transmit the maximum amount of information with the least number of bits, and the second is the use of error-correcting codes, to overcome problems of noise and distortion. Basically, one wants to eliminate redundancy to obtain compression of the data, and then one has to introduce redundancy in order to catch and correct errors of transmission. The two operations may at first seem to cancel each other out, but in fact the types of redundancies involved in the two cases are quite different.

A variety of mathematical techniques are used to compress the spacecraft data into fewer bits prior to transmission to the ground. A simple one avoids transmitting all 16 bits of every data element of a data stream.  The value of the first data element is sent, but for the rest of the elements, only the difference from the first is sent. The value of the first element might require 16 bits, but the differences are so small they might only need 2 or 3 bits.  Once on the ground the first value can be added to all the others to restore the original content.  For a large data stream, techniques such as this can save hours of transmission time and much storage capacity.

"Entropy coding" is a technique that takes into account the probability distribution of different sets of data in order to encode more probable data with shorter sequences, just as in Morse code, the letter "E" is represented by a single dot. Image data compression techniques rely on mathematical image probability models that exploit the similarities between neighboring small picture elements to minimize the number of bytes needed to describe the image.

The possibility of detecting and even correcting errors in transmission was first pointed out in a ground-breaking paper of Richard Hamming in 1950. Since then, an entire field has grown up in which, on the one hand, ever-more refined methods have been devised for practical applications, and on the other hand, the theory of error-correcting codes has turned out to have fascinating links with sphere packing and simple groups, beautifully described in the book of Thomas Thompson.

More recent mathematical innovations that have proved of both theoretical interest and of great practical use in this connection are the subjects of fractals and wavelets. An excellent survey of all aspects of image analysis, transmission, and reconstruction is the theme essay on Mathematics and Imaging on the 1998 Mathematics Awareness Week website.

The author gratefully acknowledges the input of Myles Standish, Martin Lo, Fabrizio Polara, Susan Lavoie, and Charles Avis of JPL, and Jerry Marsden of CalTech.

Trajectories, Orbits, and Space Navigation:

  • Battin, Richard A., An Introduction to the Mathematics and Methods of Astrodynamics, New York, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics 1987.
  • Brumberg, V.A., Essential Relativistic Celestial Mechanics, Bristol, Adam Hilger 1991, section 5.1: "Equations of motion of Earth's artificial satellites."
  • Colwell, Peter, Solving Kepler's Equation over Three Centuries, Richmond, VA, Whtiman-Bell 1993.
  • Case, James, "Celestial Mechanics Theory Meets the Nitty-Gritty of Trajectory Design," SIAM News 37 (2004), 1-3 (Book Review)
  • Belbruno, Edward, Capture Dynamics and Chaotic Motion in Celestial Mechanics: With Applications to the Construction of Low Energy Transfers, Princeton Univ. Press 2004
  • Racca, Giuseppe D., "New challenges to trajectory design by the use of electric propulsion and other new means of wandering in the solar system," Celestial Mechanics and Dynamical Astronomy 85 (2003), 1-24.
  • Szebehely, V, Theory of Orbits, New York, Academic Press 1967.
  • Smith, Douglas L., "Next Exit 0.5 Million Kilometers," Engineering and Science No. 4 (2002), 6-14.

DVD's and Videos:

  • The Race to the Moon, The History Channel, 2004
  • Ring world: Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn and its moons, NASA JPL 400-1114, 11/03
  • Mathematics of Space-Rendezvous, NASA JSC 1801
  • Space Flight: Application of Orbital Mechanics, NASA CMP 277

Communication and image transmission:

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Instant happiness

We are at our happiest when we stop thinking about ourselves and start helping others. This is what Bill Murray’s character discovered in Groundhog’s Day. I feel that the quickest way to cheer yourself up is by doing something for someone else.

We all have this compassionate instinct and yet we often find ourselves working hard to suppress it. There is also the very real danger that if we are generous in a foolish way we can do more harm than good. Especially if by being generous we inadvertently sacrifice the recipients’ dignity. Read more from this article.

We are our states of mind

It is easy to have inner calm when everything is going well in your life. But can you continue to be in happy states of mind when you are faced with difficulties in life? As long as we are alive, we will experience both sorrow and joy.

The reason why people are not happy is because they are in states of mind that are limited. In those states of mind, happiness is fleeting. Your state of mind at any given time will determine how you behave, interpret or react to a situation or person.

This is a good article about finding your peace in the midst of chaos.

Meditation Tips: Why your posture is so important

Meditation should be done sitting on the floor or on a chair. A lot of people in my meditation classes asked me if they can meditate lying down. The answer is no because you get too relaxed and there is a good chance that you might fall asleep. You want to be alert and awake when you meditate.

One thing nearly every different meditation discipline has in common is an emphasis on the use of proper posture. To experience meditation’s calming, stress-reducing benefits, it must be practiced properly, and correct posture is a vital first step. You should try to keep your spine straight when you meditate. This will allow the energy to easily flow upwards from the base of your spine.

Cultivating gratitude can make you happier and improve your health

Dr. Robert Emmons, UC Davis, has been researching gratitude for almost a decade. He has written a best selling book: Thanks! How Practicing Gratitude Can Make You Happier.

According to Dr. Emmons, three take-home messages from his book are:
1. The practice of gratitude can increase happiness levels by approximately 25%.
2. It is not hard to achieve the benefit of gratitude: a few hours writing a gratitude journal for over 3 weeks can create an effect that lasts 6 months.
3. Cultivating gratitude brings other health benefits such as better sleep and more energy.

In Dr. Emmons’ gratitude study, in addition to keep a gratitude journal, you can also write a gratitude letter to someone who has a positive influence on your life.

Personally, I write thank you notes (via e-mail) and thank you cards as often as I can to colleagues who have made positive contributions towards the success of the projects at work. I am always amazed how happy my co-workers are when they receive my thank you notes. In return, they go out of their way to help the projects to be successful.

Click here for an interview with Dr. Emmons.

The importance of self-love

You must love and accept yourself even if you don’t feel you are worthy of it. This is one of the hardest things for most people to do but it is essential for true happiness. I found this article very helpful in loving ourselves.

Meditation Tip: create a meditation schedule for yourself

It is a good idea to have a meditation schedule. We recommended you meditate twice a day. Once in the morning when you first get up and in the evening when you come home from the day. If you can’t meditate twice a day, once a day is a good start. If your schedule does not permit you to meditate first thing in the morning, you can also do it sometime during the day. Noon is a powerful time to meditate. You can take a few minutes of your lunch hour and devote that to meditation.

Meditation reduces the emotional impact of pain

People who meditate regularly find pain less unpleasant because their brains anticipate the pain less, a new study has found. “Meditation is becoming increasingly popular as a way to treat chronic illness such as the pain caused by arthritis,” said Dr Christopher Brown, who conducted the research.

We teach in class that one of the benefits of meditation is its ability to reduce or eliminate physical, emmotional, mental and spiritual pains that we experience in life.

Read more from the article.

Office Meditation – 12 Meditation Techniques for the Office

Office meditation techniques are exercises that can be slipped inconspicuously into your day in short intervals. Just a minute or two of meditation out of each hour can build a profound momentum toward peace of mind in daily life. Try some of the following exercises during downtimes at work or just take a break for a minute or two every hour.

It is important to take a mental break from work as frequently as you can. I make it a habit of getting up from my chair every hour to get away from my computer if only for 5 minutes. One of the tips offered by this article that we teach in class is to repeat the Om mantra.

Meditation can make you healthier

For those looking for ways to relieve stress and live a healthy life, meditation offers cost-effective remedy to stress and stress related issues.

We are becoming so reliant on conventional medical treatments for our ailments. We are too dependent on doctors, drugs and hospitals when we become ill. I am recommending that we also consider alternative options in our quest for better health.

My recommendation for living a healthy and happy life includes:

1. Eat properly
2. Get some exercise
3. Get plenty of sleep and rest
4. Learn to meditate
5. Laugh more

Some reasons to start meditating today

If you need some inspiration to start meditating now, here are some.

The great thing about meditation is that you can start right away without much effort on your part. I started learning how to meditate after going to one meditation class. It was so simple and easy.

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Bio of Jeff Weber, Panelist at Utah Breakfast Club on March 12

Jeff Weber is currently the SVP People and Places at Instructure , a rapidly growing provider of the Canvas and Bridge learning management platforms focused on transforming the online learning space.  Instucture currently has 550 employees in multiple locations around the globe.

Prior to Instructure, Jeff led the growth of the people function for, an online subscription based business where he helped build the employee base from 200 employees to over 1,300 employees in 10 locations.

Before joining Ancestry, Jeff led the HR outsourcing function for the Russell Group, a benefits and HR consulting firm where he managed the HR function for multiple fast growing companies.

Additionally, Jeff has experience as an HR Business Partner with Shell Oil Company and spent time as a Compensation Analyst for Novell.

Jeff brings significant background in implementing a talent strategy in multiple companies including talent acquisition, talent engagement and development, and rewards and recognition programs.


Journal Articles

Inflammatory macrophages, and not only neutrophils, die by apoptosis during acute peritonitis

Kolaczkowska Elzbieta, Koziol Agnieszka, Plytycz Barbara, Arnold Bernd
Elsevier in 2009
Cited Count
Medicine > Immunology
Apoptosis, Macrophages, Necrosis, Neutrophils, Peritoneal inflammation, Peritoneal leukocytes

The central paradigm says that during inflammation, after completing their function, granulocytes die apoptotically in periphery to avoid destruction of self-tissues. Here we aimed to investigate the kinetic aspect of inflammatory leukocyte apoptosis and verify whether apart from neutrophils also other inflammatory leukocytes numerously undergo apoptosis. We observed that in physiological conditions, less than 7% of either resident peritoneal macrophages or lymphocytes die apoptotically. The studies on a model of acute zymosan-induced peritoneal inflammation revealed that there are two waves of inflammatory leukocyte apoptosis. The first wave corresponds to the time of maximal neutrophil accumulation in peritoneum (6 h) and the apoptotic death indeed concerns mostly neutrophils (over 30% of those cells), but also more macrophages die at this time (>10%). The second wave (at 3 days) concerns mostly macrophages (20% versus 3–6% for other populations) and coincides with the resolution of inflammation and the dominant presence of macrophages. In contrast, numbers of apoptotic T (1–3%) and B (~5%) cells do not significantly change during the whole peritonitis. The two waves of apoptosis concur with an increase of caspase-8, -9 and -3 at the transcript and activity levels. The apoptosis inducer TNF-α is produced only during first hours while nitric oxide throughout all inflammation. Moreover, during the whole course of peritonitis the expression of pro-apoptotic Bax dominates over anti-apoptotic Bcl-2. In conclusion, we characterized kinetics of apoptotic death of inflammatory leukocytes during acute peritoneal inflammation and revealed that both phagocyte populations (neutrophils and macrophages) die numerously in peritoneum.

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AnsweredAssumed Answered

ADAU1701: ADC resistor values for higher sample rates

Question asked by SteveL on Sep 16, 2011
Latest reply on Sep 19, 2011 by BrettG

I am developing a module based on the ADAU1701 - the circuitry is essentially a simplified version of the evaluation board. The intended sample rate is 96kHz using the internal ADCs and DACs.

However, I have found it impossible to get correct results using the formulae given in the datasheet for calculating the ADC input and current-setting resistors at sample rates higher than 48K. Another user reported the same issue around a year ago in the thread "1701 input noise", but no definitive explanation resulted and I am a little surprised that the subject has not come up again.

The datasheet states that the total value (including 2K of internal resistance) of both the input and current-setting (ADC_RES) resistors should reduce linearly with sample rate. Using the formulae given results in external values of:

@ 48K, ADC_RES resistor = 18K, input resistors = 7K (for unity overall gain)

@ 96K, ADC_RES resistor = 8K, input resistors = 2K5 (for unity overall gain)

@ 192K, ADC_RES resistor = 3K, input resistors = 250R (for unity overall gain)

Adopting those resistor values at 96K (and with the inputs linked directly to the outputs in SigmaStudio) results in a noisy, jittery output with large amounts of both waveform and zero-crossing distortion. Routing a tone generator directly to the DACs in SigmaStudio resulted in a clean output, thereby excusing them of blame and casting doubt on the ADC setup.

Replacing the fixed resistors with 20K potentiometers, I evaluated the performance with various combinations of resistance and sample rate. The 18K value for the ADC_RES resistor (as implied in the old thread) actually works fine for all sample rates - the variation in overall gain is within 0.2dB for sample rates between 48K and 192K and there seems to be no noticeable change in distortion performance.

As this resistance is reduced, the overall gain falls somewhat, indicating that the full-scale input current is increasing, but if the value is decreased below around 13K (at which point the gain has dropped by around 2dB), the distortion increases massively as previously observed. Again, this behaviour is largely independent of sample rate.

Leaving the ADC_RES resistor as 18K, I then adjusted the input resistor to give unity overall gain from input to output and obtained the (nicely convenient) value of 5K6. This indicates that the datasheet formula for the input resistors may also not be entirely accurate, and double-checking my '1701 evaluation board did indeed show that the gain there is also somewhat lower than predicted by the formula.

So I have ended up with a working system, but have had to ignore the datasheet in order to do so - not a situation which inspires confidence. My questions are:

- can others confirm the behaviour I have observed?

- have I misunderstood the datasheet, or is there genuinely a discrepancy between it and real-life behaviour?

- if there is, can anyone from AD provide any insight into what is actually happening and how to properly optimise ADC performance at all sample rates?

Thanks very much - I hope this at least helps anyone who is struggling with the same issue.

Steve L.


2016 White Paper - School Siting

The Georgia Conservancy believes that through modernizing state regulations local school districts can achieve greater flexibility in selecting school sites, increase creativity in school design and reduce the community costs of building and operating schools. To achieve this, any regulatory changes must include thoughtful school site requirements that focus on improving land planning practices and surfacing the true costs of school location choices.  As a result, taxpayers and communities may get smaller, more walkable schools that are better attuned to the needs of children, experience reduced natural resource consumption, and see a marked improvement in overall health and well-being.

Why is school siting important? The placement and design of our school facilities are critical to planning and maintaining sustainable communities. School siting decisions have long term impacts which affect not only students and parents, but also the larger community.

Schools effect commutes and traffic congestion. A huge portion of traffic congestion can be attributed to the decisions that parents and students make about getting their children to school, and these decisions are in turn largely impacted by the siting and design of schools. Larger schools located outside of established communities increase the number of cars on the road, while community-based schools that reduce travel distances result in fewer car/bus trips. This saves on transportation costs, reduces traffic congestion and helps lower emissions. When parents feel that roadways surrounding schools are unsafe for their children to walk or ride a bicycle they are more likely to choose to drive to school, thereby creating a negative cycle of traffic congestion.

In some communities, school trips can account for almost 30 percent of morning peak hour traffic. Such traffic affects not only school occupants but also the entire surrounding community in terms of its safety, functionality, sustainability and well-being.

Schools effect public health and well-being. The siting and design of a school impacts the health of students and those in the surrounding community, either negatively or positively. In particular, siting and design that encourages walking or biking can increase student health through physical exercise and reduce the risks of heart disease and obesity, while larger schools on the community fringe, however, offer fewer opportunities for physical exercise to and from school. In addition, increased walking and biking in place of motorized vehicle dependence contributes to less greenhouse gas emissions and better air quality, lowering the risk of asthma and other ailments related to poor air quality. Meeting basic health needs of students through school siting and planning decisions contributes to the improvement of local quality of life for the entire community.

Schools effect taxes and property values. Maximizing the ability of students to walk or bike to school can minimize the school’s transportation budget, operating costs and land costs for extra parking acreage – saving money for the school district and taxpayers. Whether or not a school’s location imposes high transportation costs can significantly impact a community’s financial health. Placing and retaining schools within existing neighborhoods can also reduce the need and expenses for new infrastructure and, in some case, can even use existing facilities and resources already present within the established community – saving both money and natural resources. Finally, schools also have a significant effect on the total payroll and property values of the local community. Besides the effects of education itself on economic development, social opportunity and wage studies have found that small, local and community-centered facilities tend to have a positive impact on a community’s economy.

Schools effect community equity and quality. A family’s resources play a significant role in determining housing location, transportation choice, and involvement in extracurricular activities and a number of other decisions. For low-income families, such resources can be limiting. Smart school siting within existing communities has the potential to open up opportunities and provide families in high-poverty, resources-limited neighborhoods with easier access and the ability to take part in more activities.

Over the past few decades, siting policies have largely encouraged the building of larger, greenfield schools rather than renovating existing ones, leaving many already low-income neighborhoods to fall further into disrepair. When new schools are sited in communities vulnerable to hardship, they are often located on less than desirable properties, thereby exacerbating the inequities already faced in such communities. Holistic school planning and policy can, instead, encourage investment in neighborhoods that are lacking in physical, social and economic assets, making much needed contributions to the social equity of a community.

The School Siting Problem in Georgia

Since the 1960s, comprehensive planners have largely relinquished the matter of school siting to school districts. During a time of emphasis on measuring public education effectiveness, issues of school siting and land use around demography and geography have been largely ignored.

Public school planning is often conducted with little reference to land use, transportation, urban design, community development, or environmental planning goals. Moreover, school boards, driven by both educational goals and public policies governing schools, seek large greenfield sites to locate new facilities. Consequently, school locations and design often act counter to long range community goals. The result is a fragmented growth pattern wherein new schools are built on the urban fringe that, in turn, attracts new residential and commercial development, creating a cycle of sprawl and encouraging longer travel to school distances.

Georgia has some of the largest schools in the country, yet the total number of schools are declining. Why is this? Larger schools are easier to fund and build, and because many national and state policies encourage larger schools.

Georgia’s school financing policies and minimum acreage requirements are driving local school districts to build new schools that are larger and farther from the communities they serve.

In 1985, the General Assembly passed the Quality Basic Education (QBE) act, which, along with subsequent amendments forms the current legal framework that guides the operation of public schools in Georgia. To measure the number of students in a school, the QBE Act uses what is known as the weighted full-time equivalent (FTE) student counts instead of the actual student population.

The QBE Act provides base level funding to help school systems pay teacher and staff salaries and the construction, renovation and modification of schools. To qualify for this funding, however, schools must meet minimum student requirements standards. School systems are keen on making sure that the FTE requirement for each school is met, giving school districts an incentive to increase the size of schools to make sure that they far exceed the threshold.

Minimum acreage requirements outlined by the QBE give school districts additional reasons to build larger schools. The minimum acreage requirements ask schools to use parcels that are much larger than most available in-town land acreage, forcing many schools to locate sites outside of the communities they serve. The Georgia Department of Education Guidelines state that “although minimum usable acreages are established, large acreages are highly desirable.” Size requirements are purely regulatory and require no vote by the General Assembly to change.

While the advantages of larger schools might be more readily seen upfront (eligible for more funding, economies of scale, increased diversity, increased program offerings and on-campus recreation facilities), the current regulatory framework discounts the benefits that neighborhood schools offer as drivers of community investment.

The Georgia Conservancy is one of the strongest advocacy groups for quality school siting decisions in the state. In only a few years, the Georgia Conservancy has helped bring greater awareness to this issue in Georgia, as well as in other states, by educating school officials, community planners and the general public about school siting issues. The Georgia Conservancy has produced trainings and a User’s Guide to interpreting the U.S. EPA’s School Siting Guidelines that include Georgia-specific concerns and regulations. To further this research, the Georgia Conservancy partnered with the Georgia Tech College of Architecture to look at these issues and how school siting decisions may vary from community to community, as well as how transit accessibility can positively impact school siting.

Through this body of research, the Georgia Conservancy proposes a number of recommendations to promote sustainable school siting practices at both the state and local levels.

The school siting challenges faced by communities and the often negative consequences produced by current siting requirements can be addressed in various ways, including changing current policies, maximizing alternate transportation options and incentivizing greater coordination within both communities and government.

A number of current policies could be adjusted to improve the siting of our schools:

  • Replacing minimum acreage requirements with maximum acreage requirements will work to lessen the number of schools sited on large lots in fringe areas and to help to reduce the overall footprint of schools and their surrounding facilities.
  • Distinguishing between school sites located in urban, suburban, or rural land areas for the purposes of siting policy will provide for more accurate measurements of acreage requirements, building footprint, and land needed for parking, recreation facilities, circulation and natural resources.
  • Incentivizing school siting in in-town areas or by adaptive reuse of existing buildings, as well as specifying that schools be sited close to existing infrastructure rather than in greenfields will help mitigate or reduce the sprawl that often follows school locations, increase the value of existing properties, encourage public and private investment in the community, and reinforce the tax base available to schools.
  • Mandating individual school master plans that address over-capacity, expansion and phasing opportunities, and possible demographic shifts in the community will provide decision makers with the tools to improve the longevity of facilities.

Increasing alternative transportation options for students and school staff can address the health and natural resource issues that are directly and indirectly tied to where our schools are sited and their design. This can be achieved through the following measures:

  • Given the relationship between the distance of one from their school and the probability of walking or biking, school districts should consider redrawing attendance zones to maximize walkability and bikeability.
  • To maximize pedestrian and bike accessibility, school districts should consider working with local municipalities to construct multi-use trails and additional infrastructure, such as sidewalks, speed bumps and curb extensions, which improves the quality of walking and biking commutes.
  • To lessen the burden of transit costs on parents and students, school districts should work with transit agencies to promote and offer free or subsidized passes directly to students.

A strong, well-coordinated relationship between schools, stakeholders and local government could help repair the divide between schools and the communities that they serve and could help reduce both the financial and facilities costs incurred by all. This can be achieved through the following measures:

  • To maximize potential and efficiency of tax-funded facilities, school districts should encourage the shared use of facilities between a school and the community, design school facilities that support shared use, and work to create a governance structure to manage shared use of facilities.
  • To provide the community with a clearer vision of future growth, the state should require that local comprehensive plans account for future school sites and that school systems review applicable school comprehensive plans when school siting.
  • Lastly, to allow for greater input by all those affected, the state should require that school districts have a school siting committee composed of school board members, local government officials and community members to discuss potential school sites.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation has stated, “few public institutions are more crucial to sustaining community than schools.” The Georgia Conservancy aims to allow for greater flexibility for local districts and their communities to locate and construct schools that reflect their priorities and to shine a brighter light on true costs (infrastructure, property tax, public health and natural resource consumption) of school location choices. Adjusting state policies to modernize thinking around school siting would allow for greater local choice, broader creativity within the school facility design profession, and greater coordination with local governments to share facilities and costs, all while becoming more efficient with our land use and use of taxpayer dollars.

For more information on our position regarding School Siting in Georgia, please contact Georgia Conservancy Senior Director of Sustainable Growth Katherine Moore at kmoore@gaconservancy.org.


115 HRES 615 IH: Designating the Democratic Cloakroom in the Hall of the House of Representatives as the “Gabrielle Giffords-Leo J. Ryan Cloakroom”. U.S. House of Representatives 2017-11-13 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.
IV115th CONGRESS1st SessionH. RES. 615IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVESNovember 13, 2017Ms. Speier (for herself and Ms. Wilson of Florida) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committees on House Administration, and Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concernedRESOLUTIONDesignating the Democratic Cloakroom in the Hall of the House of Representatives as the Gabrielle Giffords-Leo J. Ryan Cloakroom.
Whereas Gabrielle Giffords was elected to the House of Representatives to represent the 8th district of Arizona in 2006 and served from January 2007 to January 2012; Whereas Giffords has served the public for over 15 years; Whereas Giffords was the youngest person ever elected to the Arizona State Senate, serving from 2000 to 2005; Whereas Giffords was the third woman in Arizona history elected to Congress; Whereas Congresswoman Giffords was widely known for her middle-of-the-road political views, problem solving ethos, and commitment to bipartisanship and cooperation; Whereas Congresswoman Giffords’s many achievements and inspirational service in Congress included contributions to the strength of our armed forces, the security of our Nation, the health and welfare of our veterans, our progress toward a clean energy economy, and the interests of her constituents in her beloved southern Arizona district; Whereas Giffords prided herself on being accessible to her constituents; Whereas, on January 8, 2011, while listening to her constituents at a Congress on your Corner event in Tucson, a gunman attempted to assassinate Congresswoman Giffords; Whereas Congresswoman Giffords was shot and wounded along with 12 others while an additional 6 people were killed, including her Congressional aide, Gabriel Zimmerman; Whereas in 2013 Congresswoman Giffords formed an organization to promote gun violence prevention and responsible gun ownership; Whereas Congresswoman Giffords continues to serve the American public by being an outspoken advocate for solutions to gun violence; Whereas Congressman Leo Ryan was an elected member of the House of Representatives for the 11th district of California from 1973 through 1978, championing causes related to equality, freedom, human rights and the protection of our democratic institutions, and represented an unwavering example of dedication to public service; Whereas Congressman Ryan’s life was marked by his service, in the Navy during World War II, as a teacher, a school administrator, South San Francisco city councilman and mayor, and California assemblyman, before serving three terms in the House of Representatives; Whereas in his more than 40 years in elected office, Congressman Ryan worked to ensure equal treatment of all, including the least fortunate and those without a voice, and won the widespread respect of his colleagues and the people he served; Whereas Congressman Ryan took a hands-on approach to combat injustice, from taking a job as a teacher in Watts to gain insight into the causes of the Watts riots, or posing as an inmate at Folsom Prison to investigate conditions, or going to Newfoundland to see for himself about the slaughter of baby seals; Whereas in 1978 House Majority Leader James Wright described Congressman Ryan as having an “ever-ready willingness to go where suffering was”; Whereas when asked to describe his colleague, Rep. Robert Drinan of Massachusetts said in 1978 that “He was a gutsy, courageous guy,” and “When he believed in something he just pressed and pressed.”; Whereas Reverend Jim Jones’ Peoples Temple was based in San Francisco, California, and had recruited people from Congressman Ryan’s nearby San Mateo district; Whereas following negative press reports, to avoid exposure cult leader Jim Jones traveled to Guyana with his followers; Whereas in 1974 an agricultural project was established in Guyana by the Peoples Temple which would be known as Jonestown; Whereas in 1978 several stories began to surface over relatives being held in Guyana against their will and some constituents from Congressman Ryan’s district began to contact his office with concerns over their relatives in Jonestown; Whereas Congressman Ryan left for Guyana on November 14, 1978, accompanied by two congressional staffers, nine journalists, and 18 relatives of Jonestown residents; Whereas the delegation arrived at Jonestown November 17, 1978, and several Jonestown inhabitants expressed a desire to return to the United States; Whereas the original delegation along with 15 Jonestown inhabitants attempted to board planes at Port Kaituma airstrip but were fired upon by a Jones loyalist and other gunmen; Whereas an additional 40 Jonestown inhabitants were also awaiting transport to leave Jonestown; Whereas Congressman Ryan, one Jonestown inhabitant (Patricia Parks), and three journalists (NBC news reporter Don Harris, NBC photographer Bob Brown, and San Francisco Examiner photographer Greg Robinson) were shot to death at the airstrip and nine others, including Congresswoman Jackie Speier, were wounded; Whereas Congressman Leo Ryan was the first Member of Congress to be assassinated overseas while performing his Congressional duties; Whereas Congressman Ryan stated, I learned that if you give in to fear you can't do your job; and Whereas Congressman Ryan went above and beyond to provide service to his constituents and to the people of the United States, exhibiting courage and resilience: Now, therefore, be it
That— (1)the House of Representatives honors the work and public service of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords; (2)the House extends its condolences to the family, friends, and all those affected by the mass shooting on January 8, 2011; (3)the House of Representatives honors the legacy of Congressman Leo J. Ryan for his lifelong commitment to objective fact-finding and for his extraordinary commitment to advancing freedom and basic human rights at home and abroad; (4)the House honors the bravery of Congressman Ryan and his team members for undertaking a dangerous yet essential fact-finding mission in Guyana; (5)the House extends its condolences to Congressman Ryan's family and all those affected by the Jonestown tragedy; and (6)the Democratic Cloakroom in the Hall of the House of Representatives (room H–222 of the United States Capitol) is designated as the Gabrielle Giffords-Leo J. Ryan Cloakroom.


Interview with Steven Frère, Senior Technology Communications Specialist, Eandis, Belgium

We all recognize the value that smart grid and meter data can have, but what new challenges does this abundance of data throw up for utilities?
Two types of challenges can be distinguished. On the technical side, the main challenge is to estimate what the dimensions of the central system should be to ensure the required operational activities and services. Here there is a direct link with the capex and opex costs. These dimensions can only be set correctly based on thorough analysis of the ongoing tests (smart grids, smart meters, smart market processes and smart users) and should lead to a set of criteria. This will define whether a piece of data should be transferred on a regular basis to the central system or if that piece of data should be retrieved on demand.

The advantage of smart metering is that a whole lot of information is buffered or stored in the meter over a long period of time. Making use of this buffer can greatly reduce the amount of data captured in the central system so long as the correct trigger criteria are known and in place to react in case there is a need for it. Finding the right balance here will optimize the dimensions of the central systems leading to a cost effective solution.

Meeting customer, market players and societal expectations will most likely lie in analyzing and understanding the different segments of ‘data consumers’ and the added value they are looking for. Each of those segments needs different functionalities, data and service levels, and will create new activities in the market (e.g. data mining to improve data quality of feeder connections and to detect non-technical losses, customer feedback including benchmarks of energy consumption, and the most efficient event and alarm handling).

In your opinion, how will the arrival of big data in the energy industry change the relative roles of the DSOs and TSOs?
At Eandis we strongly believe the DSO, as an independent market facilitator and responsible for a secure grid, must remain in the lead for capturing and distributing data. The usage of the data goes much further than only using data for billing purposes. It also covers alarms, events and grid information, which are directly linked to the network operation of a DSO. The DSO will be monitoring the energy fluxes and perform corrective actions to guarantee network stability. Related to security and privacy, it is important that all incoming and outgoing data is handled without scattering it over multiple parties.

Therefore it is essential the DSO plays a central role, has a direct interface to this information, and can guarantee the correct access to other market parties (incl. commercial parties) of certain data.

Steven Frère will be presenting at the European Utility Week 2013 Panel Session: Reviewing the macro environment to determine the state of the industry and its future, on Tuesday October 15 (14:00 - 14:40).

Click here to read more event interviews.


Taught course

Ideology and Discourse Analysis

University of Essex · Department of Government

Entry requirements

Months of entry

Course content

How do ideologies form and sustain political identities and interests? What are the main ideologies and political discourses that frame and organise our lives today? How do theories of ideology and discourse inform contemporary political analysis? How can these theories help us to explain and evaluate key political processes?

Questions concerning the impact of ideological and symbolic processes on the formation of political discourses, identities and communities are of crucial importance. All of these are covered within our MA Ideology and Discourse Analysis.

You explore topics including:

  • Poststructuralist, post-Marxist and psychoanalytic theories of ideology and discourse
  • Research methods in critical political theory and analysis
  • Key concepts for political analysis
  • Mass media and democracy
  • Philosophy of social science.

Qualification and course duration

full time
12 months
part time
24 months

Course contact details

Course Enquiries


Taking Flight

Cameron Cabading '18All his life, Cameron Cabading ’18 has been building. From roller coasters out of K’Nex blocks, to remote-controlled cars and award-winning robots, and now to drones, Cabading has largely defined his life by building bigger and better things.

A transfer student from Diablo Valley College, Cabading has become a serious drone enthusiast. He has involved himself in anything having to do with drones whether it be building, fixing, flying, or educating people on what some consider to be ominous flying objects.

Cameron taught me many things about drones. He told me the Saint Mary’s campus falls under Class G airspace, which means uncontrolled airspace. This means that Cabading is allowed to fly his drones pretty much whenever and however he likes—the perks of going to SMC.

Cabading’s focus on drones stems from taking a specific interest in flight early in life. As a baby, Cabading spent his time in the stroller looking up for planes. “I’d start hearing [a plane] and my eyes would go to where it is. I guess I still do that,” he said.

He is the co-founder of the on-campus Drone Club, a subset of the wider Engineering Club. The Drone Club focuses on teaching people how to build and fly drones. Here, club-goers can practice their piloting skills on a drone simulator and try their hand at flying a real drone. Advanced pilots can try flying faster drones built specifically for racing.

Drone racing is his main pursuit right now and it’s exactly what it sounds like— “taking a drone and racing with it,” Cabading said. To race, drone pilots need a course, one that has boundaries, preferably obstacles and a finish line. Drone Club members are currently building a movable course for racing. Cabading hopes to bring this course into the Joseph L. Alioto Recreation Center, and host a race where the Saint Mary’s community can gather and watch.

His high hope is that the Drone Club will create a Saint Mary’s–affiliated drone racing team that competes with other schools. “I want the Gaels to dominate the drone-racing circuit,” Cabading said, smiling.

Cabading embraces the happiness that drones can bring, but he also acknowledges the negative consequences of drones.

The militarization of drones and using them as tools for counterterrorism deeply worries Cabading. On his computer, he keeps a picture of a Yemeni man named Sheikh Abdallah al-Taisi. This man and his son were in a convoy, traveling to a wedding, when a drone strike hit and killed his son. Government drone pilots mistook them for terrorists.

“I know drones aren’t the friendliest-looking things out there,” Cabading said.

I once walked into the library, as someone flew a drone overhead. A librarian walking in with me said, “It sounds like a swarm of bees.”

It seems that many people carry a rather mistrusting impression of drones. Cabading’s goal is to combat this by doubling down on showcasing their use for good.

He told of several companies using drones to help address the world’s problems, like one Silicon Valley company that uses drones to deliver medical supplies to Rwanda.

Cabading hopes to build on these successes with a few of his own innovations. His plan is to join the 3+2 engineering program at Saint Mary’s and become a drone technician in the future.

Saint Mary’s has been helpful in getting Cabading ready to start achieving this goal upon graduation. Cabading cited “A View From Above,” a lecture by engineer Brandon Basso on drone-based aerial imaging, as an example of how the College caters to its science and math-related majors. This was especially relevant to Cabading, since he also holds down a job taking aerial photos for the Office of College Communications.

He also sees how the individual attention given by professors has helped him in his pursuit of drones.

“Actually being able to ask questions [to professors]—that’s a plus,” he said. He noted that he might not be receiving such attention from professors had he gone to a bigger school.

While he said that Saint Mary’s often emphasizes its strong liberal arts and business schools, he also said, “This is the first time in my life that I’ve ever been surrounded by people who are actually interested in science, engineering, technology, and mathematics.” Cabading is finding a community of like-minded individuals at Saint Mary’s.

Intrigued by drones? Check out Drone Club, they meet every Friday from 5-7 p.m. in Galileo, Room 202. Or just catch Cameron Cabading in the library quad, he likes to fly his drones over there from time to time. Talk to him, he’ll be happy to show you a thing or two.


Dimitris Mystakidis

Photo Credit: Yiannis Psathas

Folk guitar virtuoso Dimitris Mystakidis began playing professionally in 1986 at the age of 16. He worked extensively with the influential songwriter/producer Nikos Papazoglu and singer-songwriter Thanasis Papakonstantinou. He has also appeared on over 80 albums by an impressive panoply of leading Greek artists. During all this time he has pursued his personal quest investigating the roots and branches of rembetiko music. In 2006, he released his first solo album of rembetiko songs arranged for guitar and has since released a series of recordings focusing on different eras of rembetiko history. His latest release, 2017’s Amerika, collects songs written in the early 20th century by Greek emigrants to the United States, who developed a finger-picking style called tsibiti, influenced by African-American blues musicians. Dimitris also teaches in the Department of Traditional Music at Epirus School of Arts.

Dimitris Mystakidis - guitar, vocals


Helpful Tips About Photography That Simple To Follow

Photography is a very rewarding hobby. You could capture precious memories and create amazing works of art. No matter how much the world changes, the pictures taken with the camera stay the same. This article can help you bring a fresh eye to the photographs that you love to take. Keep reading for tips on how to get these memories to come true.

You need to be fast when snapping your pictures! If you wait even a moment to take the perfect shot, that moment can change the whole dynamics of your subject or lighting. So therefore, the faster you are when you are taking your photos, the better off you will be.

Memory Card

Pre-focus your camera and move to where your subject isn’t dead center in the frame. Perfect composition is not necessarily the most interesting or artistic photographic technique. Shooting a photo that is not exactly centered on the subject may produce more interesting results for your viewers.

Visit a thrift store to buy a film camera if you would like to test out the older film-based photography. Consider purchasing black and white film that has an ISO of 200 to create especially dramatic pictures. You can have your photography printed on several types of paper to see which makes the most dramatic impact.

Regardless of whether you are pursuing photography as a hobby or career, good composition is the key to taking high quality photos. Just as it is true with any other form of art, your composition is key to creating awesome images. Learn and apply various best practices regarding composition to improve your photography.

Along with taking shots of people, objects, nature and animals, also take pictures of your souvenirs when you travel. Place the object in its native environment or in the local shop where it was purchased, and photograph it this way. After returning home, your pictures and your souvenirs together will help tell a more memorable, engaging story.

If taking photos with fluorescent lighting as the only available light source, adjust the cameras white balance to the proper settings. Because fluorescent light tends to be greenish or bluish, it may cause your photos to look cold. Adjusting the red tones on your camera will remedy this situation.

It’s important to keep on top of natural lighting. You will not want the glare of the sun, so choose outdoor lighting that is lower, either first thing in the morning or after the sun has dropped in the afternoons. If the sun is very high, it will cause lots of shadows and even squinting subjects. Use strong sunlight best by positioning your subject so that the sun falls on them from the side.

Try to hold steady when taking shots, it’ll prevent you from producing blurry photos. Any little movement can ruin your shot. Make sure to square up your shot and hold your breath before hitting a shutter button.

If you are the photographer for a couple, family or group give them some pointers on what they should wear that will look good in the pictures. Colors don’t have to match, but interrelated shades will do much to enrich the total effect. Recommend warm colors or neutral shades, as they go well with natural surroundings. When a group insists on using more colors, especially bright ones, try to encourage a mix of colors and black. This ensures that the photo is not one with clashing colors detracting from its quality.

Capture your subject with speed and dexterity. Moments are fleeting, if you take too long getting ready for a shot, your subject may be long gone by the time you take the photograph. Animals will move, people will not want to smile as long, or the candid moment will go away if you don’t take the shot when you can. It is more important to get a decent picture than to waste the opportunity trying for the perfect shot or camera setting.

Most of the time the subject is looking straight into the camera. Have the subject of your photo focus their eyes on a distant object, rather than the camera. Or, you could have your subject focus their gaze on something or someone else in the frame.

Always keep your focus on the subject to ensure great photos. Good camera focus is essential for good composition and perspective. Try to keep the main subject of your shot in full view and in the center, especially when you’re just beginning. The background will fall into place, so do not worry about it.

When you are photographing a landscape, your photos need to be composed with three distinct and important planes of focus. These include the foreground, mid-ground and background of the image. Most art uses these three factors when producing any quality work. Photography is no different.

As you encounter different backgrounds, scenery or subjects, take multiple practice shots. Since the circumstances of every photography shoot are different, you can gain a better sense of the conditions by practicing with the types of shots you want to take. Try taking pictures at different times of the day to get a different lighting.

Use different shutter speeds for more creativity. Consider using a slow speed, even as low as 1/30, rather than relying on the fastest shutter speed possible. Take that cyclist riding past for example. The result you get is that the cyclist is sharp but the background is horizontally streaked, expressing speed.

Take the time to learn how the ISO on your camera functions, or you could find yourself taking bad photographs because of it. Setting the ISO at a higher level increase the grain and noise of your photograph. This can create undesirable results unless the image requires that particular setting.

Consider the purpose of your picture before taking it. Some shots look better vertically, and some look better from a horizontal angle. You’ll be able to edit the shot when you’re done, but getting enough in the photo to play with will mean the difference between a usable photo and a failure.

Do your own photo editing. These days there are many beginner-friendly photo editing programs. Look for a program with an unlimited number of methods to edit your existing photos. A program that is easy to learn is best.

In conclusion, taking pictures is a way of capturing life’s precious moments. Even though a photograph is a simple thing, it can mean a lot to you. By incorporating the hints from this article into your skill set, you will have the ability to capture something new in your photographs.

Find the type of equipment that works best for you if you want to make photography your lifetime hobby. Most professionals have a preferred brand of camera or equipment, but those preferences vary from one photographer to the next.

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Development and Finance from issue 2009/3

Tamás Morva

Overproduction and Overspending in the USA - The Awkward Crisis

- Abstract -

JEL E-32

In the history of crises so far it has been unprecedented that in an economy of this size, like the USA, indicators of overproduction and unlimited overspending should be present simultaneously. Overspending was enabled among many other things by the dollar being a key currency, the no. 1 reserve currency. At the G20 summit and in bilateral negotiations the role of the dollar was not questioned in the end. The parent countries of the euro or the yen are in a grave economic crisis themselves, and even if they used to have some ambitions they have surely set them aside by now. China is not interested in destroying the dollar either, it is rather striving to strengthen its own positions by means of its reserves, not to mention the fact that the Chinese economy is far from being able to provide a background for such a function. However, the global market, just like economic crises, is regulated by objective rules based on economic relations. The shattered confidence is not a psychological question but an expression of interests. It would be difficult to tell what type of impacts the uncertain fundamentals of international finances might induce and when, and how they will affect the United States.

Tamás Morva, economist


АРХИВ: Задания для конкурса ‘Leaders’ Fights’

«Лидерские бои» для студентов в рамках VII Межрегионального фестиваля английского языка

20 мая 2015 г.

«Leaders’ Fights». Восемь участников мероприятия получат реальную возможность проявить свои знания и способности владения английским языком в режиме ролевого разыгрывания проблемных ситуаций.

Главной задачей конкурсантов является убеждение противоположной стороны и судей в правильности своей позиции. Основное умение — быстро и эффективно реагировать на аргументацию оппонента и реализовать коммуникативную задачу, описанную в задании.

Каждый участник заранее сможет подготовиться к поединку, так как описание проблемных ситуаций конкурсанты получают заранее.

Соревнование будет проводиться по олимпийской системе – на выбывание в три раунда: четвертьфинал, полуфинал и финальный поединок. Формат мероприятия известен в русскоязычной студенческой среде как «лидерские бои».

Situation 1

Big Ben is going to buy a modern mansion, which is located at the bottom of a valley. Ben has asked an estate agent to help him find a house to buy. The agent has one to offer. It seems typically English and Big Ben thinks it is worthwhile buying this lovely house. This mansion has huge oak-panelled rooms, an open fireplace and a large hall. Besides, it has a tennis court, a swimming pool and a garden. So there is much to do outside. Big Ben’s family comes first, that’s why he tries to do his best, but his wife is absolutely against buying this house. She is absolutely obsessed with city life, that’s why she wants to buy a huge flat in the centre of the city. Because of this situation Big Ben and his wife, Londie, have had a very serious quarrel. Londie says she is thinking of divorcing her husband. Big Ben can’t believe in it.

Characters and their interests:

Big Ben – to try to find a compromise and not to divorce Londie.

Londie – to buy a flat and not to divorce Big Ben.

The agent – to sell without a difference either a cottage, or a flat.

Situation 2

Mercutio and Tybalt are the most successful employees in the office. They are always feuding with each other, because both Tybalt and Mercutio want to move up the career ladder quickly. Nevertheless, they are friends and have a lot of common interests out of work. At the moment there is a vacancy of the most highly-paid post in the office. As their boss, Mr Prince, is Tybalt’s relative, Tybalt seems to have got this post, because he has used family relations for personal purposes at work. But it is not announced officially. Mercutio has been furious, because he is sure, there is nothing like as effective a worker in the office as he is. Since this situation started Mercutio can’t stand Tybalt. He thinks Tybalt lets him down quite badly, because he is sure, he should take this post. Tybalt does feel some remorse, he isn’t just happy. But still in his opinion the game is worth the candle, as far as the career ladder is concerned.

Characters and their interests:

Tybalt – to avoid the necessity to reveal the news about his appointment in the open, as it is still too soon. He also is eager to stay friends with Mercutio.

Mercutio – to speak with his former friend in the open, to find out the truth, to make Tybalt admit he wasn’t right, to have Mr Prince understand that Tybalt is poorly suited to the post in question as he is capable of betrayal.

Mr Prince, the boss – to prevent the conflict between the employees.

Situation 3

Jasper and Johnny share an apartment. For the past week Johnny’s friends have stayed over every night. They have arranged parties every day, inviting a lot of people. This affects Jasper’s sleeping, and he didn’t do well in his sociology test yesterday again. Jasper asked Johnny to stop doing it after the first sleepless night. But Johnny continued to invite people to parties. Jasper can’t stand it, because he has been failing his tests since Johnny’s friends have stayed at the apartment. Besides, there is a neighbour who wants to complain to the housing estate authorities. The only thing that stops her is the fact that she borrowed a considerable sum of money from Johnny and hasn’t paid it back yet.

Characters and their interests:

Jasper – to have an opportunity to prepare for his tests and sleep well. He doesn’t want to fall out with Johnny completely, as Johnny, after all, is very good at sociology and helps Jasper quite often with his term projects.

Johnny – to enjoy his life and arrange as many parties as possible to have fun and relax. He also wants Jasper not to be angry with him.

One of Johnny’s friends, Dude – to stay at the apartment as it is conveniently located. He is even prepared to do jobs around the house, at least some of them.

Neighbour, Fanny – to stop the parties and have quiet nights, to threat Jasper and Johnny that she is absolutely prepared to complain to the housing estate authorities. But, on the other hand, she fears that the question of the borrowed money might arise, so her strong intention is not to overdo it.


Swimming is primarily a cardiovascular/aerobic exercise[8] due to the long exercise time, requiring a constant oxygen supply to the muscles, except for short sprints where the muscles work anaerobically. As with most aerobic exercise, swimming is believed to reduce the harmful effects of stress. Swimming can also improve posture.

Swimming can be undertaken using a wide range of different styles, known as "strokes", and these strokes are used for a different purposes, or to distinguish between classes in competitive swimming. It is not necessary to use a defined stroke for propulsion through the water, and untrained swimmers may use a "doggy paddle" of arm and leg movements which mimics the strokes of quadruped animals such as dogs in the water.