Denver Zoo Map

Spheniscus demersus

Class: Aves
Order: Sphenisciformes
Family: Spheniscidae
Genus: Spheniscus
Species: demersus

Fun Facts

  • Birds that fly have hollow bones, but the penguin has solid bones.
  • African penguins have over 70 feathers per square inch.
  • African penguins are sometimes referred to as “jackass” penguins because of the distinctive donkey-like braying sound they make.
  • Only seven islands support 80% of the global population.
  • Out of the 16 species of penguin recognized, the African penguin is the only species found in southern or southwestern Africa.

This species of penguin inhabits 24 coastal islands off southern Africa between Namibia and Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

Penguin habitat is located at warm latitudes in rocky, sandy, coastal areas.

Physical Description

  • African penguins are about 27 inches (70 cm) long.
  • They weigh six to eight pounds (2-3 kg); males are slightly larger than females.
  • They have black feathers on the back and white feathers with a distinctive U-shaped black stripe on the front.
  • The feet are mottled black and beige colored.

What Does It Eat?

In the wild: Fish including sardines, pilchards, anchovies, herring, anchovy and squid. 42% of their diet is composed of fish.
At the zoo: Fish.

What Eats It?

Seals, mongoose, leopards, genets and domestic dogs prey on the African penguin. Chicks are subject to predation by gulls and ibises.

Social Organization

African penguins are highly social birds that live in small colonies called rookeries. These penguins live and hunt together, often hunting in groups of 50-100.

Life Cycle

African penguins reach maturity at two to three years of age. Like all penguin species, African penguins are monogamous. The male courts the female by dancing around her and beak slapping. Once mated, the pair seeks a nesting site by building a burrow or nesting in a depression under boulders or bushes. The female usually lays two eggs and both parents incubate the eggs and help protect them from predators. The eggs hatch after about 40 days. Chicks are born with downy gray feathers and the parents continue to brood the chicks for another 15 days until the chicks are able to control their own body temperature. Both parents take turns regurgitating food for the rapidly growing chicks. African penguin chicks fledge at 60-130 days and then leave the colony gradually developing the distinctive adult plumage. At two to three years of age, penguins usually return to their natal colony to seek mates and start the breeding cycle. African penguins live up to 25 years in captivity and less in the wild.

Flying Through the Water

Penguins are flightless birds that virtually fly through the water. They have a streamlined torpedoshaped body and wings that have been reduced to strong, stiff flippers that help rapidly propel them through the water. They have webbed feet and legs that are set back on the body. The legs and tail are used like rudders for steering. Diving down to catch fish, African penguins can stay under water for as long as five minutes and can swim at an average rate of three to six mph (5-10 kph).

Can You See Me Now?

Despite differences in size, all penguin species have similar coloration, with black feathers on the back and white feathers on the front. This counter-shading is a form of camouflage that is crucial in avoiding predation and catching prey. From above, the dark coloration helps them blend into the blackness of the ocean water but from below the lighter color helps them blend into the bright surface of the ocean.

Keeping Warm

Although African penguins live in a relatively warm region off the coast of Africa, the ocean currents around southern Africa are cold. The penguins have three layers of short feathers that overlap like shingles on a roof making them waterproof. They also have a well-defined layer of fat to help keep them warm. In addition, they have a countercurrent heat exchange system in their legs and flippers. Blood flowing from the heart to the flippers transfers its heat to the blood returning to the heart. This helps ensure that heat remains in the body, especially since these penguins hunt in cold water.

Conservation Connection

IUCN Status: Vulnerable.

Social Tabs
Facebook YouTube Twitter Twitter


State Senate Unanimously Approves Social Media Passwords Bill

LOS ANGELES ( — California lawmakers don’t “Like” the idea of bosses asking for their workers for their Facebook passwords.

The State Senate Monday approved a bill to prevent employers from requiring workers to provide passwords to their social media accounts, like Facebook and Twitter. The bill, AB 1844, passed the senate 37-0.

The bill would prohibit employers from asking for employees’ and applicants’ social media user names and passwords. The bill would also forbid any retaliation or discipline if an employee or applicant refuses an employer’s request.

Proponents cited media reports that prospective employers were reviewing job applicants’ social media accounts to get answers to questions they could not legally ask.

The bill goes back to the Assembly for a final vote.

More From CBS Los Angeles

Introducing Your New Podcast Network

Listen Live


Customer Reviews: Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School
Your Garage Best Books of the Month Amazon Fashion Learn more nav_sap_plcc_ascpsc Songs of Summer Fire TV Stick Sun Care Patriotic Picks Shop-by-Room Amazon Cash Back Offer roadies roadies roadies  Amazon Echo  Echo Dot  Amazon Tap  Echo Dot  Amazon Tap  Amazon Echo Introducing new colors All-New Kindle Oasis UniOrlando Segway miniPro

Your rating(Clear)Rate this item

on August 9, 2008
I believe personal productivity and performance as a leader are directly correlated. Just like we have to lead a team, we have to lead ourselves to a higher level of a productivity and effectiveness. In all of the leadership classes I teach, emphasis is placed on knowing yourself. When you know yourself it provides you the ability to adapt to weaknesses and leverage your strengths (increase your personal productivity and effectiveness).

Knowing how your brain functions is part of knowing yourself.

This book is so insightful and valuable that I sent copies to my clients. The value of the book hinges on the understanding of the brain and how it works which allows me to leverage that knowledge for increased personal productivity and in my interactions and relationships with others.

Myth Busters for the brain!

The book is a fairly easy read because the author uses stories to illustrate the functionality of the brain. This book is not a "leadership-lite" book filled with cute and truthful antidotes, but a book with hard science communicated in an interesting way. Dr. John J. Medina is a developmental molecular biologist. He also shares what scientists don't know about how the brain works!

This book gave me many, many take-aways and here are just six ...

I. Some parts of the brain are just like a baby's and can grow new connections and strengthen existing connections. We have the ability to learn new things our entire life. Medina states this was "not the prevailing notion until 5 or 6 years ago." So much for the "you can't teach and old dog new tricks excuse." The old dog line is exposed for what it really excuse.

II. Humans can only pay attention for about ten minutes and then need some kind of reset.

III. The brain can only focus on one thing at a time. This is further rationale on the futility of multi-tasking.

IV. Exercise increases brain power and aerobic exercise twice a week reduces the risk of general dementia by 50% and Alzheimer's by 60%.

V. There is a biological need for an afternoon nap.

VI. The brain is very active during sleep and loss of sleep hurts cognitive and physical ability.

Buy and read Brain Rules. It will benefit you.

One of the reasons I read leadership books is to learn new things but also to get old truths hammered into my thick skull so they result in action. Action! So you may know or have heard of some of the truths in "Brain Rules" but I guarantee the author brings them to you in a unique an interesting way with solid depth that will allow you to easier implement those truths into how you handle yourself and others on a daily basis.

Dr. James T. Brown PMP PE CSP
Author, The Handbook of Program Management
22 comments|493 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNoReport abuse
When an author and industry expert you hold in high regard says a book is the best one s/he's read in 2008, it's probably a good idea to take notice. So when Garr Reynolds of Presentation Zen fame recommended Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School by John Medina, I decided that should be something I get sooner rather than later. After reading, I can see why he recommends the book so highly. Medina's 12 "brain rules" are based on solid science, but they're presented in such a way that you can actually apply your new-found knowledge.

Exercise - Rule #1: Exercise boosts brain power.
Survival - Rule #2: The human brain evolved, too.
Wiring - Rule #3: Every brain is wired differently.
Attention - Rule #4: We don't pay attention to boring things.
Short-Term Memory - Rule #5: Repeat to remember.
Long-Term Memory - Rule #6: Remember to repeat.
Sleep - Rule #7: Sleep well, think well.
Stress - Rule #8: Stressed brains don't learn the same way.
Sensory Integration - Rule #9: Stimulate more of the senses.
Vision - Rule #10: Vision trumps all other senses.
Gender - Rule #11: Male and female brains are different.
Exploration - Rule #12: We are powerful and natural explorers.

When Reynolds reviewed the book on his site, he focused on how these rules pertain to the art of making presentations. Attention, as explained by Medina, means that the brain does not multitask (much to your bosses dismay), we notice patterns and abstract meanings better than recording detail, and you have basically 10 minutes before the audience checks out without a new stimulus. Vision, the sensory "trump card", is the dominant sense, our brain controls what we see (and it's not totally correct), the processes to "see" something are very complex, and most importantly, we remember and learn best through pictures and not written/spoken words. That one insight alone should be enough to make you totally rethink the way we attempt to present to people...

Now, even if you're not approaching the book from a presentation angle, the book is still outstanding. Something like memory, an act we take for granted, is a deep mystery that we still don't understand. Medina shows by studies and real-life examples how things *might* work, knowing full well we haven't even begun to understand but a fraction of what goes on there. Sleep, something that boosts brain power, is *not* a time of relaxation for the brain. In fact, it often kicks into overdrive. Why? There are still no definitive answers. But he does go on to prove how *lack* of sleep can utterly render you incapable of rational thought and physical action. When you've worked through all 12 of the brain rules, you'll have a more complete understanding of how you can affect the quality of your brain functioning, all the while being entertained and amazed at what lies between your ears.

Every time I got to the end of a chapter, I started to put the book down. But then I'd think "just one more and then I'll turn out the light." Needless to say, I was at the end before I knew it. Like Garr Reynolds, this is one of the best books I've read this year, and one that I'd recommend to others for a number of reasons and purposes.
on March 28, 2011
John Medina has pulled together all the verified scientific data (repeatable experimentation, trials, etc.) on how our brains "work" to process our sensory inputs and remember what we've experienced. He readily admits that this is an on-going study that will be augmented as we discover new ways the brain works and evolves.

Medina has organized the pertinent findings into what he calls "12 Brain Rules." The hard cover version of the book (available in Kindle and paperback as well) comes with a DVD comprising videos of the meat of the brain rules. There is also a very robust website that provides support data.
Briefly, Medina's rules (or Principles) are:

1. Exercise: Our brains were made for walking - 12 miles a day, so move. Aerobic exercise just twice a wekk halves your risk of general dementia and cuts your risk of Alzheimer's by 60 percent.

2. Survival: The human brain evolved, too. We don't have one brain; we have three - "lizard brain," the "mammalian brain" and the "Human brain" or cortex. Going from 4 legs to 2freed up energy to develop a complex brain.

3. Wiring: Every brain is wired differently. What you do and learn in life physically changes what your brain looks like - it literally "re-wires" itself. No two people's brains store the same information in the same way in the same place. We have a great number of ways of being intelligent - many of which do not show up on IQ tests.

4. Attention: People don't pay attention to boring things. The brain's attentional "spotlight" can focus on only one thing at a time: NO MULTITASKING! We are better at seeing patterns and abstracting the meaning of an event than we are at recording detail. Emotional arousal helps the brain learn. Audiences check out after 10 minutes (but you can grab them back by telling narratives or creating events rich in emotion).

5. Short-term memory: Repeat to remember. The brain has many types of memory systems. Information coming into your brain is immediately split into fragments that are sent to different regions of the cortex for storage. You can improve your chances of remembering something if you reproduce the environment in which you first put it into your brain.

6. Long-term memory: Remember to repeat. Most memories disappear within minutes. Those that survive the fragile period strengthen with time. Long-term memories are formed in a two-way conversation between the hippocampus and the cortex - it can take years to end the conversation. Brains give us only an approximate view of reality because the mix new knowledge with past memories and store them together as one. The way to make long term memory more reliable is to incorporate new information gradually and repeat it in timed intervals.

7. Sleep: Sleep well, think well. The brain is in constant tension between cells and chemicals that try to put you to sleep and cells and chemicals that try to keep you awake. The neurons of your brain show vigorous rhythmical activity when you're asleep - perhaps replaying what you learned that day. People vary in how much and when they need to sleep. But the biological urge for an afternoon nap is universal. Loss of sleep hurts attention, executive functions, working memory, mood, quantitative skills, logical reasoning and even motor dexterity.

8. Stress: Stressed brains don't learn the same way. Chronic stress, such as hostility at home, dangerously deregulates a system built only to deal with short-term responses. Under chronic stress, adrenaline creates scars in your blood vessels that can cause a heart attack or stroke and cortisol damages the cells of the hippocampus, crippling your ability to learn and remember. Individually, the worst kind of stress is the feeling that you have no control over the problem - you are helpless. Emotional stress has a huge impact across society, on children's ability to learn in school and on employees productivity at work.

9. Sensory Integration: Stimulate more of the senses at the same time. We absorb information about an event through our senses, translate it into electrical signals (some for sight, others from sound, etc.) disperse those signals to separate parts of the brain, then reconstruct what happened, eventually perceiving the event as a whole. The brain seems to rely partly on past experience in deciding how to combine these signals so two people can perceive the same event very differently. Our senses evolved to work together, one influencing the other. Smells have an unusual power to bring back memories.

10. Vision: Vision trumps all other senses. Vision is by far our most dominant sense, taking up half of our brain's resources. What we see is only what our brains tell us to see and it's not 100 percent accurate. The visual analysis we do is complex and has many steps. We learn and remember best through pictures, not through written or spoken word.

11. Gender [uh, oh! Didn't Larry Summers get in trouble over this?]: Male and Female brains are different. The X chromosome that males have one of and females have two of is a cognitive "hot spot," carrying an unusually large percentage of genes involved in brain manufacture. Women are genetically more complex, because the active X chromosomes in their cells are a mix of Mom's and Dad's. Men's X chromosomes all come from Mom, and their Y chromosome carries less than 100 genes, compared with about 1,500 for the X chromosome. Men and women respond differently to acute stress; Women activate the left hemisphere's amygdala and remember the emotional details. Men use the right amygdala and get the gist.

12. Exploration: We are powerful and natural explorers. Babies are models of how we learn - not by passive reaction to the environment but by active testing through observation, hypothesis, experiment and conclusion. Specific parts of the brain allow this scientific approach. The right prefrontal cortex looks for errors in our hypothesis and an adjoining region tells us to change behavior. We can recognize and imitate behavior because of "mirror neurons" scattered across the brain. Some parts of our adult brains say as malleable as a baby's, so we can create neurons and learn new things throughout our lives.

The above brief summary of the twelve brain rules is well expanded upon in the book and quite nicely supported by the website and of course the DVD. Medina shines a light on to several interesting areas of how our human brain evolved. He points out how we must really start changing the way we organize our schools and our workplace if we want to maximize the human potential. And so this book not only sheds light on the science behind brain evolution but also gives us ample thought on how we might use the information to survive and thrive at work, home and school.
on April 5, 2008
The genius of this book is that it uses the most recent scientific research, discussed in a very entertaining way, to identify 12 rules for optimizing your most important tool - your BRAIN. Read the chapter on "Attention" and you will never give a presentation in the same way again. Read the chapter on "Sleep" and you will understand why an afternoon nap can be the most productive 20 minutes of your work day. Read the chapter on "Exercise" and you'll finally get why great ideas (ok, and maybe some clunkers but at least you're thinking!)come to you in the middle of your workout. Like the author, you may toss the guest chair and put a treadmill in your office with a bracket for your laptop - this gives new meaning to the concept of management by walking around. The bottom line is that brain science is beginning to produce really useful information about how our brains are wired; this book is a user's manual on how to work with the way we're wired instead of fighting against it. I highly recommend it.
on January 9, 2010
"Brain Rules" provides layman commentary on the latest neurological research and theories for improving cognitive and intellectual performance. The author has a verbose but engaging style that explains the scientific rationale for his twelve "rules". While the text lacks formal references and notes, Medina exudes credibility. Furthermore, the book directs the reader to a really nice website, [...], which has much supporting material.

Unfortunately, as self-help, which is how the title presents the book, "Brain Rules" is less successful. Self-help readers are more concerned about the "what" than the "how", and the author spends most of his energy on the latter. The takeaways for boosting the brain's potential, such as exercise, repeat to remember, ten minute attention spans, sleep, stimulate the visual senses, etc, are indeed valid. Yet they are also common-sense, and should not require reading 300 pages to ascertain. The chapter summaries available on the website really suffice for the self-help reader.

The verdict: Four stars as light and accessible reading on molecular biology, but two stars as self-improvement because of the dearth of applied information. Get the book if you want science; go to the website if you want self-help.
VINE VOICEon June 22, 2010
This book expounds on how our brain learns and functions. It has many tidbits of facts about our brain, such as the vastness and complexity of our brain's neural network, that is entertaining and intriguing.

But after reading this book, I asked myself "how has this book improved my life and understanding of the world?"

This book has one singular advice which is priceless: regular exercise has a profound impact on the health and functioning of your brain. Simply put, if you don't exercise, you are probably not on top of your mental agility whereas regular exercise, especially cardio, very substantially increases the efficacy of your brain power.

The author also expounds on how our brain learns and how it changes as we grow older.

This book reminds me of a watered-down version of Cognitive Psychology textbook I had read in college. It is interesting in its own right. But as a practical tool to improve your life, it has only limited value.

If you are looking for a well-informed book on your brain and cognitive psychology, then I recommend this book. If you are looking for a cutting edge brain research and breakthroughs that can change your life, it may leave you wanting.
on August 10, 2008
Having read a number of fairly substantive books about the brain in the past few years, I was intrigued by this title as I am looking for applications that I can use in my teaching. What a disappointment. Medina throws out a number of interesting ideas but never develops many of them thoroughly. Most importantly, there are no citations in the book. He often mentions research studies but neglects to document their sources. And the accompanying CD adds virtually nothing new and seems more like a promotion for Medina's consulting and website. Thin stuff.
VINE VOICEon July 25, 2009
If you are interested in a better understanding of how the brain works, you came to the right place. Through examples and simple explanations, the author explains the functions of the brain.

I was hoping for for some useful ideas on how to leverage this information. Although there were a few good ideas, most of them were aimed at how scientists or the educational system should change. There isn't much most people can do with that.
on December 25, 2010
As other people say, this book is very easy and even fun to read. Despite its almost novel-like style, the book does not compromise in quality and depth of information it gives.

The book provides 12 Brain Rules that range from the brain's need for exercise to the brain's tendency to get pictures better than words. The author often gives comprehensive explanations for why the rules are the way they are, explaining the brain's anatomy and/or evolutionary changes. Combined with the "ideas" section at the end of each chapter, where the author explores alternative ways to implement these rules in real life, these in-depth explanations provided me with many new ideas to improve my own brain.

However given the comprehensive nature of the book, after finishing the book I was surprised to notice one very important component missing from the entire book - nutrition.

For anyone who has serious interests in health and wellbeing, it is a well-known fact that all the exercises and other efforts will be a waste, if you don't take care of your diet. The reverse is also true, but nutrition plays the biggest role in our wellbeing.

The complete lack of information on nutrition's role in our brain's health in this book is a disappointment and the reason why I rate it only 4 stars. Otherwise, a 5 star reading.
on May 24, 2008
The Summary
John Medina has written one of the best brain books I have read. He is a molecular biologist and director of Brain Center for Applied Learning at the Seattle Pacific University. He explains the latest research on the brain, and there have been a lot of advances recently on how the brain works. He boils them down to 12 rules that will help you in all walks of life. If you want an owner's manual for the brain then this is probably the one that should be handed out with every new-born.

The Audience
Everyone and I mean everyone should read this book! As long as they have a homo-sapien brain, if you have one of the older models; homo erectus, neanderthal you should probably wait for evolution! This is truly an owner's manual for the brain! If you are a student or knowledge worker you should run; yes running will actually help you digest the material in the book better (Rule #2 - Exercise - exercise boosts brain power); to buy it and read it! Medina outlines some of his own thoughts on how to leverage the rules in the home, school and work.

The Details
John Medina has written one of the best brain books I have read (Rule #5 Short Term Memory - repeat to remember, Rule #6 Long Term Memory - repeat to remember). There are many books out at the moment that talk about the latest research on brains but John's is undoubtedly the best. Neuroscience has taken some giant leaps in the understanding of how the brain works in the last 20 years. I was researching AI back in the early 90's and since then there has been a lot of new research in this area. For the last year I have been catching up and reading everything I can find on neuroscience and that was how I stumbled across Medina's book. I nearly put it aside since it seemed too basic but boy am I glad I didn't. This book is fun to read and I learned a lot. I love John's approach of only including research that follows certain criteria. For a study to appear in this book it has to pass the Medina Grump Factor (MGF) - (John refers to himself as a grumpy scientist)
1) Research must be published in a peer-reviewed journal
2) The research must be successfully replicated
Even though the material in this book is based on cutting edge research you should not feel intimidated. This book is well written and the material is presented following many of rules that are outlined. The book is actually a pleasure to read!
Following these rules has lead Medina to not only structure the book so it is easy to digest; adding stories, chunking information, providing summaries etc but he has also included a DVD with videos and an accompanying website with more information and references. This is truly a full sensory experience (Rule #4 - Attention - We don't pay attention to boring things!, Rule #9 - Sensory Information - Stimulate more of the senses, Rule #10 Vision - Vision trumps all other senses)

If you want to understand your brain and improve it; and everyone should want to understand their brain and improve it; you should read this book.

The Take-Aways
I can't say enough good things about this book. John Medina has written an excellent book leveraging all the latest research about the brain and turning it into a set of rules to remember. Your brain will never feel the same again! Read and then follow Medina's advice on how your brain remembers new information and how often you should review it (Rule #5 Short Term Memory - repeat to remember, Rule #6 Long Term Memory - repeat to remember).

Kes Sampanthar
Inventor of ThinkCube

Send us feedback

How can we make Amazon Customer Reviews better for you?
Let us know here.


Web Results

Blue Skies and Red Sunsets - The Physics Classroom

Red Sky at Night: The Science of Sunsets - National Geographic News

Oct 29, 2013 ... Photo of a bright orange sunset with the Washington Monument in the ... orange and red colors in the sky during sunrise and sunset than we do ...

www.ask.com/youtube?q=Why Is the Sky Red during Sunset&v=sEB-6uxtxyE
Aug 3, 2010 ... Why the sky is blue, the sun is yellow and sunsets are red is ... be at same distance from the sun as during sunset and we see it more bluish, ...
www.ask.com/youtube?q=Why Is the Sky Red during Sunset&v=VGMnztltVh0
Mar 25, 2013 ... Why are sunsets red? ... so if during sunset we do not directly up in the sky then the sky will ... Why is the sky sometimes green and purple?.

Why is the sky Blue? - Ucr

A clear cloudless day-time sky is blue because molecules in the air scatter blue light ... When we look towards the sun at sunset, we see red and orange colours ...

Why Is The Sunset Red? - Universe Today

Oct 31, 2010 ... Red has the longest wavelength and lowest frequency and energy. ... is: At sunset, light must travel farther through the atmosphere before it gets to you, so more of it is reflected and scattered and the ... What Color is the Sky.

Why is the Sky Blue - Space Black - Sunset Red?

Why is outer space black? Why is the sunset red? MIT used parts of this article in their online class.

Thus, it could be said that sunsets are red because the daytime sky is blue. ... Because air circulation is more sluggish during the summer, and because the ...

Why does the red color appear at the horizon during sunset?

The red colour in the sky at sunset (and sunrise) is due to an effect called Rayleigh scattering. There is a similar form of scattering called Mie scattering which is ...

Why is the sky blue and why is the sunset red and orange? | Irene W ...

Sep 5, 2013 ... When I was a kid I heard that the sky was blue because it was the reflection off the ocean. ... observe a sunset and you see the shift in color from blue to red that ... your shadow to be longer in the afternoon than during mid day.

More Info

Why is the sky blue? Why are sunsets red? - Optics For Kids - The ...

Take a look at light through a prism and notice all the different colors that you can see. Light that looks white to our eyes actually is made up of many different ...

Why is the sky blue? :: NASA Space Place

What makes a red sunset? As the sun gets lower in the sky, its light is passing through more of the atmosphere to reach you. Even more of the blue light is ...

Probing Question: What gives the sunrise and sunset its orange ...

Mar 5, 2007 ... In almost every location around the globe, the sky appears orange at ... But as the Earth turns during the day and the sun drops toward the horizon, ... In April of 1982, sunrises and sunsets were fiery red across most of the ...


Concrete Reinforcement

Concrete reinforcement is added to make sure the concrete holds up well. Install this after you have compacted the fill and made your final grade.

  • Fiber Mesh - This concrete reinforcement is an additive that comes in the concrete mix. If you are having your concrete delivered, request this material in your concrete. You'll pay the concrete supplier for this, but it will not involve any additional labor on your behalf. Fiber mesh is a great option to prevent cracking. But, if the concrete cracks after adding fiber mesh, the fiber mesh itself will not prevent expansion of the crack. Rebar and wire mesh will. Therefore, it's a good idea to combine fiber mesh with either rebar or wire mesh.
  • Rebar - The best option for keeping the patio from falling apart through the years. In addition to purchasing rebar, obtain wire ties or a spool of wire, and optional rebar stands.
  • Wire Mesh - Less expensive than rebar, but not as strong. It's the happy medium between rebar and fiber mesh when it comes to strength. Wire mesh is also easier to install than rebar, but is cumbersome to deal with. The rolls of wire mesh can be difficult to lay out, and it involves more labor during the concrete pouring step as you'll need to frequently pull it up so it doesn't sink to the bottom of the wet concrete. Obtain a bolt cutter, or a metal saw to cut wire mesh.

Installation of Rebar Concrete Reinforcement

Step #1

Determine how much rebar is needed. Rebar usually comes in 10 or 20 ft sticks. It may be purchased through any home improvement store, lumber yard, or concrete supplier. Rebar comes in different diameters (gauges) - 3/8", 1/2", 5/8" and up. For a patio, 1/2" is often used, but 3/8" is sufficient and less expensive. Use a skill saw with a metal blade or any tool with a metal blade to cut the rebar.  Read the steps below to determine how much rebar is needed and measure appropriately or use this interactive calculator.

Step #2

Lay the rebar in small grids. Grid lines are typically 4 ft long. Achieve an even stronger slab by making the grids smaller. In bad soil, consider this option. At the intersections, use the wire ties to tie the crossing rebar sticks together. An inexpensive (usually under $10) special tool called a "tying tool" may be used to attach the wires at the intersections.

Pin It

Step #3

Once the grids are tied, lift the rebar off the ground. Use rebar stands or pieces of brick, block and stones. Try to get all of the rebar off the ground and in the center of the patio's depth. Since most patios are 4 inches thick, the rebar should be raised 2 inches off the ground. Pictured below: Stones placed under the rebar grids.

concrete reinforcement
Pin It

Installation of Wire Mesh Concrete Reinforcement

Step #1

Roll out the wire mesh to match the size of the patio (two people are needed). Wire mesh comes in rolls 5 ft. wide by 100 ft. long (therefore covering 500 square ft.) obtained through a home improvement store. Wire mesh also comes in 10 X 10 sheets. This is the easiest option because you won't need to unroll it, but it's more expensive.

Step #2

Cut the wire mesh with a bolt cutter or a metal saw. Since the wire mesh wants to rebound back to its roll position, flip the wire mesh over. Place the mesh flush to the concrete forms.

Step #3

As you continue to cut and place wire mesh, make sure the seams overlap each other a minimum of 6 inches. This helps prevent cracking.

Step #4

This step happens when the concrete is poured. As concrete is poured over the wire mesh, it will need to be "pulled up" so that it's not sitting on the ground. As you start to pour, hold up the wire mesh with your hand and pour through it. When you let go of the wire mesh, it will lay in the center of the concrete. You may need to push it down a little so it doesn't show. It must be at least an inch below the surface.

New! Comments

›Concrete Reinforcement

› Concrete Reinforcement

Remodeling and Home Design

City of Minneapolis Licensed and Bonded #L303 50576


CONE2226 – Agricultural Wiring pdf

Credits: 2 (1/1/0)
Description: This course introduces the design of farm wiring systems. Electrical distribution, dairy, poultry and hog structures will be included. Field crop storage, hog, dairy, poultry, farm shop, machinery shed and irrigation wiring are presented, along with farmstead lighting.
Prerequisites: BLDG1102 AND GSMS1110
Corequisites: (None)
  1. Identify agriculture safety issues.
  2. Describe farm building National Electrical Code requirements.
  3. Apply related electrical formulas in agricultural installations.
  4. Install livestock building wiring.
  5. Describe stray voltage symtoms and solutions.
MnTC goal areas: (N/A)

« back to course outlines


The Perfect Stranger

“What’s wrong? Are you okay?” she asked my son. He looked up at her and without any hesitation he responded, “I hurt my knee. See,” he said showing her his knee. “Aw. You poor thing. It’s okay. It looks alright to me,” she said and rubbed his knee gently. Then she smiled at him and helped him get back up. He was up and running again like nothing had ever happened, and he did not even need his mommy to make him feel better. A sincere little stranger did my job for me.

I was so touched by what had just happened. It made me realize how innocent and oblivious children are to all the differences that exist amongst us human beings. Out of the goodness of her heart, that little girl came to my son’s rescue despite his skin color, religion, or gender. She probably did not even notice any of those things. As children get older, they become more aware of people’s differences by the influences of their families, peers, and environment around them. Unfortunately, over time we begin to judge others just by how they look instead of who they really are.

It is easy to consider ourselves as the victims of prejudice and false judgments these days with Islamophobia on the rise. However, there needs to be a more proactive approach we take towards dealing with non-Muslims. Before someone can pass the wrong judgment on us, we need to make sure we have been heard and noticed in a positive light first.

For example, when we go to the grocery store and approach a cashier at the register, we always make proper eye contact and greet him/her by name.

“Hello, Sue. How is your day going?”

If there is no name tag, then just greet the individual nicely and ask how he or she is doing. It is rare that the individual will give you bad service in return to your sincere kindness. This is also a quick and easy form of outreach. A smile goes a long way, and in Islam, the reward is equal to that of giving charity. By recognizing that person as someone who is worth being noticed, we will leave a lasting impression on the heart. Instead of us expecting to be served and addressed with respect, we should take the initiative to pay respect to the cashier, waiter, or bank teller waiting on us. We should also keep good relations with our neighbors and let them know we exist in peace and not in hiding.

The Qur’an states, “Serve Allah, and join not any partners with Him; and do good to parents, kinsfolk, orphans, those in need, neighbors who are near, neighbors who are strangers, the companion by your side, the wayfarer and what your right hands possess: For Allah loves not the arrogant, the vain.” (Surah Nisa 4:36)

As Muslims, we should strive to become the perfect strangers. The little girl who helped my son in the park is a great example of who we should be at all times. Remember, for Allah tells us in the Holy Qur’an, “And the servants of the Most Gracious are those who walk on the earth in humility, and when the ignorant address them, they say, ‘Peace!’” (Surah Furqan 25:63)

Tayyaba Syed

 *”Perfect Stranger’ was first published in MBMuslima Magazine. Permission to reprint was given by author.

Have Mercy on Your Husband
No Words.
Rotten Oranges
Ramadan is in the air!