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Friday, June 21, 2013

(Common to all branches of B.E/B.TECH. other than Marine engineering)

Regulation 2008

Time: 3 hours Maximum:100 marks

Answer ALL Questions

PART A — (10 x 2 =20 marks)

1. What is the hardness of a solution containing 0.585 grams of NaCl and 0.6 grams of MgsO4 per litre?
2. How is the exhausted zeolite softner bed regenerated?
3. discuss functionality of a monomer with a suitable example?
4. discuss condensation ploymerisation with a suitable example?
5. What is the role of adsorband in catalysis?
6. What is the effect of increase in temperature and increase in pressure on the adsorption of gas on the solid?
7. What is a breeder reactor?
8. State the reaction when a lead storage battery is reacharged?
9. provide 2 examples for neutral refractory?
10. discuss the lubrication action of graphite?

PARTB (5x16=80marks)

11. (a)(i) discuss the softening of water by deionisation process? (8)
(ii) How is the temporary and permanent hardness of water determined? (8)

(b)(i) What is meant by reverse osmasis? discuss the purification of water by
reverse osmosis? (8)
(ii) discuss the softening of water by zeolite process? (8)

12. (a)(i) Write the mechanism of free radical polymerisation . (8)
(ii) explain the synthesis and uses of SBR and Butyl rubber. (8)

(b) (i) provide an account on fibre reinforced plastics. (10)
(ii)Describe the synthesis of polyurethane and state its uses. (6)

13. (a) (i) Derive the Langumuir Adsorption Isotherm and inerpret the outcomes (10)
(1) at low pressure
(2) at high pressure
(ii)Distinguish ranging from Physisorption and Chemisorption. (6)

(b)(i) State Friendlich adsorption isotherm and discuss the terms in it.
discuss the various kinds of adsorption isotherms of gases on solid.(10)
(ii). explain the role of adsorbands in pollution abtement. (6)

14. (a)(i) provide an account of H2-O2 fuel cell. (8)
(ii) discuss the construction and working of Cd-Ni cell. (8)

(b)(i) define using a block diagram the light water nuclear reactor for
power generation. (10)
(ii)Give an account of solar cells. (6)

15. (a) (i) elaborate the characteristics of a good refractory? Write a note on carborundum.(8)

(ii)What are lubricants?Discuss the various kinds of lubrication.(8)

(b)Write short notes on any 2 of the following:
(i)Carbon nanotubes(4)
(ii)Refractoriness (4)
(iii)Synthetic abrasives.(8)

Engineering Materials and Metallurgy-Forth semester, Mechanical Engineering

Anna University, Chennai.

B.E./B.Tech. DEGREE EXAMINATION, April/May 2012

Engineering Materials and Metallurgy

Fourth Semester

Mechanical Engineering

(Regulation 2008)

PART – A ( 2 * 10 marks)

1. Differentiate Isomorphous and Eutectic reactions.

2. Draw the microstructure eutectoid steel and white cast iron

3. Write the importance of spheroidising annealing

4. Define hardenability and case depth

5. Differentiate between Izod and Charpy Test.

6. Draw the SN curve for mild steel and Aluminium.

7. What is the effect of Alloying Nickel and Chromium in Steels?

8. Differentiate between precipitation hardening and dispersion strengthening.

9. Define degree of polymerization.

10. What are PEEK AND PMMA.

PART – B ( 5*16 marks)

11)a) i) Indicate the different invariant reactions in Iron – Iron Carbide phase diagram and draw and
label all the Phases.

 ii) Discuss the different classifications of steels and cast irons.

 b) i) Draw the indicative eutectic phasae diagram (partially soluble type)

 ii) Explain the Hume Rothery rules governing substitutional solid solution.

 iii) Write short note on about SG cast iron.

12) a) What is Annealing? Discuss in details on different types of annealing and compare with normalizing.

12)b) i) What is tempering? Discuss the structural transformation during tempering.

 ii) What is carburizing? Discuss nitriding process and its importance for industrials applications.

 iii) Describe the Jominy End test in details for determination of hardenability.

13)a) i) Draw the engineering stress – strain curve for mild steel, aluminium and cast iron. Discuss

the tensile test and different mechanical properties obtained in tensile testing.

 ii) Write a short note on compression test.

14) a) i) Describe the stainless steels with respect to composition, properties and applications.

 ii) What is Maraging steels? Discuss the strengthening method of Maraging steels.

 b)i) Discuss different types of copper alloys and their properties and applications.

 ii) Write a short note on bearing alloys.

15)a) Write the properties and applications of the following polymers and discuss anyone fabrication methods of polymers.
 i) PMMA
 ii) PP
 iii) ABS
 iv) PTFE

15)b) i) List the important engineering ceramic materials and discuss its general applications of ceramic materials in various engineering fields.

ii) What are the advantages and disadvantages of ceramics?

Friday, June 14, 2013

PH 233 — APPLIED MATERIALS SCIENCE: Fourth Semester, Mechanical Engineering Question Paper

Anna University, Chennai.

Fourth Semester

Mechanical Engineering

Time : Three hours Maximum : 100 marks

Answer ALL questions.

Add neat diagrams wherever necessary.

PART A — (10 x 2 = 20 marks)

1. What are Miller Indices?

2. Differentiate between a primitive and a non–primitive cell.

3. Differentiate between Brittle fracture and Ductile fracture.

4. Define the term creep.

5. What is a phase diagram?

6. What are the influences of other elements on plain carbon steels?

7. Write the compositions and applications of constantan.

8. What important characteristics should the bearing metals possess?

9. What is sub–zero treatment of steel?

10. What is ‘‘Patenting’’?

PART B — (5 ? 16 = 80 marks)

11. Show that in a cubic crystal the spacing between consecutive parallel planes of Miller indices (h k l) is given by . (16)

12. (a) (i) Define atomic packing factor. (1)

(ii) Determine the packing factor for SC, BCC and FCC structure. (5 + 5 + 5)

(b) (i) Describe a Line Defect in detail explaining the principles of Edge dislocation and screw dislocation. (13)

(ii) What is a Burger vector? (3)

13. (a) (i) Explain with a neat diagram the different stages in creep curve. (12)

(ii) State the different causes of fatigue failure. (4)

(b) Explain the Griffith fracture theory of metals. (16)

14. (a) Explain in detail the effects of Carbon, Silicon, Manganese, Nickel, Chromium and Copper elements in cast iron. (16)

(b) Describe in detail the ore, properties and uses of Copper, Aluminium and Tin. (12 + 4)

15. (a) Write short notes on the following :

(i) Nitriding. (5)

(ii) Carburising. (5)

(iii) Cyaniding. (6)

(b) Write short notes on the following :

(i) Flame hardening. (5 )

(ii) Induction hardening. (5)

(iii) Laser hardening. (5 )

Automobile engineering: Eighth semester, Mechanical Engineering Question Paper

Anna University, Chennai

Eighth semester

Mechanical Engineering

Automobile Engineering

Time: 3 Hours

Maximum:100 marks

PART A (10 X 2 =20)

4. What is the purpose of cut-out relay?

5. What is the function of a car's generator?

6. What do you mean by fluid flywheel?

7. List out the types of front axle.

9. Define camber , Castor and toe in with sketches.

PART B (5 X 16 =80)

(ii) Explain briefly the construction of an S.I engine.

(ii) Explain th operation of sliding mesh gearbox and deduce the gear ratios.

(ii) Explain why hydrogen is considered as the most favorable fuel for future.

Sunday, June 9, 2013

ME 1402 - MECHATRONICS: Seventh Semester, Mechanical Engineering Question Paper

Anna University, Chennai

Seventh Semester

Mechanical Engineering

( Common to B.E. Part-Time Mechanical Engineering )

(Regulation 2004)

Time: Three hours Maximum: 100 Marks

Answer ALL questions

PART A  ( 10 x 2 = 20 marks )

1. Identify the different mechatronics systems used in automobiles.

2. What is the working principle of an eddy current proximity sensor?

3. A hydraulic cylinder is to be used to move a work piece through a distance of 60mm in 20 seconds. A force of 15KN is required to move the work piece. Determine the required hydraulic liquid flow rate if a cylinder with a piston diameter of 75mm is available.

4. Suggest suitable actuator for robot arm joint and justify.

5. Derive the equation for a translational mechanical system model with spring and mass.

6. Give an example for two-step mode control unit.

7. Draw the ladder logic diagram to represent two switches that are normally open and both have to be closed for a motor to operate.

8. Devise a timing circuit that will switch an output on for 1 sec then off for 20 sec then on for 1 sec, then off for 20 sec and so on.

9. Identify the sensor, signal conditioner and display elements in the Bourdon pressure

10. List the advantages of mechatronics design over traditional design.

PART B ( 5 x 16 = 80 marks )

11.(a) (i) Compare and contrast the control system for the domestic central heating system involving
a bimetallic thermostat and that involving a microprocessor. (8)

(ii) Explain the static performance characteristics of a sensor. (8)

(b) Write short notes on:

(i) Thermocouple
(ii) Piezoelectric transducer
(iii) Incremental encoder
(iv) Photovoltaic transducer (4 x 4 = 16)

12.(a) Discuss about the following actuation systems: (4 x 4 = 16)

(i) Self-excited wound field shunt configuration dc motor.
(ii) Self-excited wound field series configuration dc motor.
(iii) Stepper motor.
(iv) Induction motor.

(b) A flat belt, 7 mm thick and 95 mm wide transmits power between two pulleys running at 500m/min.
The mass of the belt is 0.85kg/m length. The angle of lap in the smaller pulley is 155deg and the  coefficient of friction between the belt and pulley is 0.25. If the maximum permissible stress in the belt is 2 MN/m^2 find the maximum power transmitted and initial tension in the belt. (16)

13.(a) A hot object with capacitance C and temperature T, cools in a large room at temperature Ta. If the thermal system has a resistance R, derive an equation describing how the temperature of the hot
object changes with time and give an electrical analogue of the system. (16)

(b) (i) Propose a model for a stepped shaft used to rotate a mass and derive an equation relating the input torque and the angular rotation. Neglect damping effect. (8)

(ii) Describe and compare the characteristics of 1) proportional controller 2) proportional plus integral controller (8)

14.(a) Devise a system, using a PLC that could be used with a conveyor belt which is used to move an item to work station. The presence of the item at the work station is detected by means of breaking a
contact activated by a beam of light to a photosensor. There it stops for 100 sec for an operation to be carried out and then starts moving. The motor for the belt is started by a normally open start switch and stopped by a normally closed switch. (16)

(b) Devise a circuit that could be used with a domestic washing machine to switch on a pump to pump water for 100 sec into the machine, then switch off the pump and switch on a heater for 50sec to heat the water. The heater is then switched off and another pump is switched on for 100sec to empty the water from the machine. (16)

15.(a) Explain the mechatronics systems used in an automatic camera with a neat block diagram. (16)

(b) Design a pick and place robot using mechatronics elements and explain about the robot control.

ME 2251 — HEAT AND MASS TRANSFER: Fourth Semester, Mechanical Engineering Question Paper

Anna University, Chennai.

Fourth Semester

Mechanical Engineering

(Regulation 2008)

Time : Three hours Maximum : 100 marks

Answer ALL questions

PART A — (10 × 2 = 20 marks)

1. State Fourier’s law of heat conduction.

2. What is heat generation in solids? Give examples.

4. In which mode of heat transfer is the convection heat transfer coefficient usually higher, natural or forced convection? Why?

5. Define bulk temperature.

6. List the various promoters used for maintaining drop-wise condensation.

7. Define LMTD of a heat exchanger.

8. What do you understand by thermal radiation?

9. What does the view factor represent? When the view factor from a surface to itself is zero?

10. What is the physical meaning of Schmidt number?

PART B — (5 × 16 = 80 marks)

(b) A cold storage room has walls made of 23 cm of brick on the outside, 8 cm of plastic foam and finally 1.5 cm of wood on the inside. The outside and inside air temperatures are 22°C and –2°C respectively. The inside and outside heat transfer coefficients are respectively 29 and 12 W/m^2.K. The thermal conductivity of brick, foam and wood are 0.98, 0.02 and 0.12 W/m.K respectively. If the total wall area is 90 m^2, determine the rate of heat removal by refrigeration and the temperature of the inside surface of the brick.

13. (a) Consider laminar film condensation of a stationary vapor on a vertical flat plate of length L and width b. Derive an expression for the average heat transfer coefficient. State the assumptions made. (16)

inlet temperature of 35°C. On the gas side, the overall heat transfer coefficient and the area are 100 W/m^2.K and 40 m^2  respectively. What is the rate of heat transfer by the exchanger and what are the
gas and water exit temperatures? Assume Cp of gas as 1.0 kJ/kg.K.  (10)

400 K. Find the net rate of radiation heat transfer at each surface during steady state operation. Assume the view factor from the base to the top surface as 0.38. (12)

(ii) Two very large parallel planes exchange heat by radiation. The emissivities of the planes are respectively 0.8 and 0.3. To minimize the radiation exchange between the planes, a polished aluminium radiation shield is placed between them. If the emissivity of the shield is 0.04 on both sides, find the percentage reduction in heat transfer rate. (10)

 (ii) Air at 1.01 bar and 30°C flows past a tray full of water with a velocity of 2 m/s. The partial pressure of water vapor is 0.7 kPa and the saturation pressure is 3.17 kPa. The tray measures 40 cm along the flow direction and has a width of 20 cm. Calculate the evaporation rate of water if the temperature on the water surface is 25°C. Assume the following properties for air: density, ρ 1.2 kg/m^3, kinematic viscosity, ν = 15 × 10^-6 m^2/s and diffusivity, D = 0.145 m^2/h. (12)

 (i) Analogy between heat and mass transfer

 (ii) Evaporation process in the atmosphere

ME 2302 — DYNAMICS OF MACHINERY: Fifth Semester, Mechanical Engineering Question Paper

Anna University, Chennai.

Fifth Semester

Mechanical Engineering

(Regulation 2008)

Time : Three hours Maximum : 100 Marks

Answer ALL questions

PART A — (10 × 2 = 20 Marks)

1. Distinguish between crank effort and piston effort.

2. Define co-efficient of fluctuation of energy.

3. When is a system said to be completely balanced?

6. Define logarithmic decrements.

7. Define transmissible.

8. When does resonance take place in a system?

9. When is a governor said to be Isochronous?

10. When is a governor said to be stable?

PART B — (5 × 16 = 80 Marks)

11. (a) The lengths of crank and connecting rod of horizontal steam engine are 300 mm and 1.2 m respectively. When the crank has moved 30° from the inner dead center, the acceleration of piston is 35 m/s^2. The average frictional resistance to the motion of piston is equivalent to a force of 550 N and net effective steam pressure on piston is 500 kN/m^2. The diameter of piston is 0.3 m and mass of reciprocating parts is 160 kg. Determine (i) Reaction on the cross-head guides; (ii) Thrust on the crankshaft bearings; and (iii) Torque on the crank shaft. [16]

(b) A shaft of length 1.25 m is 75 mm in diameter for the first 275 mm of length, 125 mm in diameter for the next 500 mm length, 87.5 mm in diameter for the next 375 mm length and 175 mm in diameter for the remaining 100 mm of its length. The shaft carries two rotors at two ends. The mass moment of inertia of the first rotor is 75 kgm2 where as of the second rotor is 50 kgm^2. Find the frequency of natural torsional vibrations of the system. The modulus of the rigidity of the shaft material may be taken as 80 GN/m^2. [16]

amplitude of the ultimate motion. [16]


Workshop's Teachers
The teachers that are currently participating in the Workshop's activities

ChicoCihan Türkoğlu was born in Turkey in 1983 and he began studying the Turkish folk lute known as bağlama (saz) when he was 14 years old. At the age of 17 he received third prize for his performing skills in a regional music competition and, at the age of 18, commenced his studies in classical at the Marmara University in Istanbul focusing on the cello. At the university he had the opportunity to study harmony, choral music, piano, music history, orchestration, traditional Turkish music and dances, and cello.

Kelly PrincessKelly Thoma, has been studying the Lyra with Sympathetic strings alongside Ross Daly since 1995. This means that she has worked intensively on the repertoire, the sound quality, as well as the future possibilities of this instrument.

ManwlakisGiorgos Manolakis was born in Heraklion, Crete in 1982. He started practicing the laouto at the age of 8 under the guidance of his father, Kostas Manolakis, who was one of the foremost laouto players of his generation.

Hooshan FAHooshang Farahani was born (1967) in Farahan (the central province of Iran).
He is a graduate of Psychology, Educational science and Ethnomusicology (Art University of Tehran). He has started learning Tar and Setar at a young age and later has continued with the music composition.

ΜάνοςManos Achalinotopoulos, considered by critics, composers and musicologists as the best clarinet performer of the new generation in Greece. He has traveled playing clarinet, cawal, shawm and flutes in more than 20 countries all over the world, while participating in concerts and Festivals of great prestige. What makes him so special is the mixing of the traditional style of playing the clarinet and its special idioms with Jazz, Balkan Ethnic style and influences of the western music.

Murat Aydemir is one of Turkey's finest tanbur players. He has successfully managed to integrate all of the knowledge and experience of the older generation of master tanbur players together with new techniques and ideas in a particularly harmonious and tasteful style.

Bijan Chemirani, learned to play the zarb with his father Djamchid Chemirani and his brother Keyvan. Encouraged by them, he began at a very early age to work in concert and make recordings with musicians such as Ross Daly, Dariush Talai, Ballaké Sissoko, Jean Guihen Queyras, Sylvain Luc, Sting, Socrates Sinopoulos, Serge Teyssot Gai, Renaud Garcia Fons. Living in Marseille, Bijan is in close contact with the Mediterranean culture and with that of Occitania. His open mind enables him to increase his capacities constantly.

Christos Barbas is a multi-instrumentalist and composer, focusing mainly on woodwind instruments, but also piano, singing, studying traditional, classical and spiritual musics from around the world and composing new music.

KouloumisMichalis Kouloumis, has collaborated and performed with some of the most important representatives of the Mediterranean music scene. He currently teaches Violin, Makam theory and Modal Improvisation at Codarts, University for the Arts in Rotterdam.

Ahmet Erdoğdular started studying music at an early age with his father, neyzen Ömer Erdoğdular, and continued his musical development with the guidance of the renowned musician Niyazi Sayın. He participated in various concerts as a lead singer while still a teenager. Ahmet holds a BA degree from the Istanbul Technical University State Conservatory where he also completed his Masters degree in Turkish Classical Music under the guidance of Professor Alaeddin Yavaşça.


Posts Tagged ‘mergers’

source (pdf)

That’s according to a new report from ProPublica:

hospital mergers

Much of the debate about the U.S. healthcare system is focused on the role of public financing (in terms of subsidies and, for some, the possibility of a public option or even a single-payer program). But no one seems to want to look at the other key part, the actual delivery of healthcare to American workers and others. And that, regardless of the system of financing, remains mostly in profit-oriented private hands (which, as I argued earlier this year, undermines patient-centered healthcare).

There are a few exceptions, such as the Veterans Health Administration and Indian Health Service, whereby the government directly employs nurses, physicians, and others to provide health services to targeted populations. But the rest of healthcare is provided by private  (profit and nominally nonprofit) individuals, groups, and corporations.

As I discussed on Friday, a significant sector of private healthcare is the increasingly concentrated and enormously profitable pharmaceutical industry. Hospitals (which I’ve commented on many times over the years) are, of course, another key sector (at close to $1 trillion in 2014). That’s where Americans receive most of their in-patient care, critical care (including many without health insurance in emergency rooms), and an increasing number of out-patient treatments. And while hospitals appear to be independent from and non-overlapping with physicians (whose services accounted for roughly $600 billion in 2014), that’s an optical illusion. Not only do they compete with one another (in surgery, imaging, and other ambulatory services), each is forced to work closely with the other: hospitals rely on physicians to admit patients to their facilities, refer to their specialists, and to use their lucrative diagnostic services (with, as it turns out, illegal kickbacks), while physicians tend to their own patients within hospitals and are contracted for “in-house” supervision. And, increasingly, hospitals are directly employing physicians (and other healthcare workers) as salaried and piece-rate workers.

U.S. hospitals are, as it turns out, remarkably profitable. And, according to a recent analysis by Ge Bai and Gerard F. Anderson (unfortunately gated), 7 of the 10 of the most profitable hospitals (each exceeding more than $163 million in total profits from patient care services) are officially non-profit institutions.

According to Anderson,

It’s true, many other hospitals (56 percent in their sample of acute-care facilities) are not profitable strictly in terms of patient services (the median hospital lost $82 per adjusted patient discharge). However, as the authors explain,

the median overall net income from all activities per adjusted discharge was a profit of $353, because many hospitals earned substantial profits from nonoperating activities—primarily from investments, charitable contributions (in the case of nonprofit hospitals), tuition (in the case of teaching hospitals), parking fees, and space rental. It appears that nonoperating activities allowed many hospitals that were unprofitable on the basis of operating activities to become profitable overall.

The most important factors boosting hospital profitability were markups (especially for uninsured and out-of-network patients and casualty and workers’ compensation insurers who often pay the hospital’s full charge) and the combination of system affiliation and regional power.

In fact, 50 hospitals in the United States are charging uninsured consumers more than 10 times the actual cost of patient care. All but one of the facilities are owned by for-profit entities. Topping the list is North Okaloosa Medical Center, a 110-bed facility in the Florida Panhandle about an hour outside of Pensacola, where uninsured patients are charged 12.6 times the actual cost of patient care. Community Health Systems operates 25 of the hospitals on the list. Hospital Corporation of America operates 14 others.

Again according to Anderson:

They are price-gouging because they can. They are marking up the prices because no one is telling them they can’t. These are the hospitals that have the highest markup of all 5,000 hospitals in the United States. This means when it costs the hospital $100, they are going to charge you, on average, $1,000.

It should come as no surprise, then, that, while the total number of hospitals has remained relatively constant over time, the number of those hospitals in health systems has continued to increase, thereby increasing regional power, markups, and profitability.

In another recent study, by Richard M. Scheffler et al., the authors found that the hospital markets in two states (California and New York) “were moderately to highly concentrated,” with mean Herfindahl-Hirschman indices of 2,259 and 3,708, respectively.* They also found that more concentrated hospital markets were associated with higher premium growth.

As expected, then, there is a continuing strong movement of hospital mergers and acquisitions—with at least 100 deals covering 178 hospitals, involving the takeover of profit and especially non-profit organizations, in 2014—leading to increased concentration in the hospital sector of the U.S. healthcare industry.

As Martin Gaynor explains,

There has been so much consolidation that most urban areas in the US are now dominated by one to three large hospital systems — examples include Boston (Partners), the Bay Area (Sutter), Pittsburgh (UPMC), and Cleveland (Cleveland Clinic, University Hospital). It is also now more likely that further consolidation will combine close competitors, given how many mergers have already occurred.

Clearly, the provision of healthcare through U.S. hospitals—both profit and, at least officially, non-profit—is generating enormous profits for their owners and top executives. But it’s Americans workers, who are both hospital employees and consumers of hospital services, who are paying the price.

*To remind readers, the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index is often used to evaluate the potential antitrust implications of acquisitions and mergers across many industries, including health care. It is calculated by summing the squares of the market shares of individual firms. Markets are then classified in one of three categories: (1) nonconcentrated, with an index below 1,500; (2) moderately concentrated, with an index between 1,500 and 2,500; and (3) highly concentrated, with an index above 2,500.

fredgraph (2)

In the second quarter of 2016, the U.S. economy grew at an annual rate of only 1.2 percent, which caught business commentators and Wall Street analysts by surprise. They expected something closer to 2.6 percent. And while consumer spending continued to increase (at at rate of 4.2 percent in the second quarter), business investment fell (at a 2.2 percent pace), and companies ran down inventories for the fifth consecutive quarter.

So,  what’s going on?

Given the centrality of business investment to capitalist growth, you’d think the business press would have a cogent, carefully elaborated analysis of why it’s declining during the current recovery.

Well, they don’t. All they can do is invoke their usual hand-waving gesture, “political uncertainty,” as the underlying cause. Political uncertainty is blamed for the slowdown in mergers and acquisitions and for sputtering business investment.

Yes, there is a high degree of political uncertainty (in the United States, the United Kingdom, and elsewhere). But that doesn’t explain corporate behavior, especially their investment decisions.

One can just as easily reverse the argument: Political realities have to respond to corporate decisions (especially when growth is slowing). And the slowing of economic growth itself is a consequence of the corporate decisions to curtail private nonresidential fixed investment.

The alternative explanation is that corporations are responding quite certainly to their own market signals. First, they’re choosing to substitute labor for capital, given depressed wage growth around the globe.

“Instead of buying an expensive piece of machinery, businesses are hiring really cheap workers they can fire whenever they want,” said Megan Greene, chief economist at Manulife Asset Management.

And they’re reacting to the decline in their own index of success and failure, the corporate profit rate (which, as one can see in the chart of the top of the post, has been falling during the last two years).

It’s not that corporations are doing nothing: they are engaged in massive mergers and acquisitions (just not at the same pace of 2015) and they’re using the profits they’ve accumulated since the recovery began to increase dividends, buy back stock, and reward their top managers.

So, is capital on strike? The Wall Street Journal suggests it is: “The investment plunge is a signal that business is on strike.”

And, given the way the economy is currently organized, the rest of us are forced to endure the consequences of capital’s decision to do whatever is necessary to restore its profitability.

David Simonds cartoon showing oil firms preparing for mergers

Special mention

162566_600 jeffstahlercartoon-sunshinestatenews_8

According to the Wall Street Journal,

Special mention

151569_600 151722_600


Informing Spectroscopists for Over 40 Years

Process sampling: the importance of correct increment extraction

After the previous column’s introduction to the why, the how and the technicalities involved in process sampling and variographic analysis, it is time for a bonanza of applications and case histories covering as broad a practical scope as possible. In this column, we introduce the critical prerequisites for the variographic experiment, by focusing on the importance of TOS-correct increment extraction for proper variographics. This issue cannot be overemphasised.

Content for Registered Users only


Travel Tips

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Wildlife Viewing Safety

caribou in Denali National Park

Alaska is a wild land from our largest cities to our most remote islands. For safety, take a companion, let someone know your plans, and be prepared for emergencies with spare clothes, plenty of food and water, and a means of communication.

Bears: Avoid surprising bears. Be alert along noisy streams, in thick brush, and when visibility is poor. Make noise (sing, clap, talk) when traveling. Always keep your belongings (backpack, food, fish, etc.) with you or in bear-proof storage. If you see a bear, stay calm. If the bear does NOT notice you, quietly leave, keeping your eyes on the bear. If it DOES notice you, face the bear, wave your arms and talk to it calmly. If it approaches you, stand still.

If a bear is surprised at close distance, it may feel threatened and act defensively, especially if it has cubs or food. Stand your ground! If the bear strikes or bites you, lie on your front, protect your face and neck and remain still. In rare instances, bears may be predatory. Fight back if the attack is prolonged.

Moose: Never approach, corner, or feed a moose. Moose, especially cows with calves, can be aggressive and need plenty of room. When in moose country, keep your dog in control. Pay attention to moose body language. Ears back, neck hair raised, and licking lips signal stress. Retreat quickly! If a moose charges you, hide behind a tree or something solid or run if you have a head start. If you're knocked down, curl up, protect you head, and lie still until the moose retreats.

Visit the Alaska State Parks Staying Safe web page at before you head out.


Myth Parallels → The Queen of the Gods (pt III)

“she spun herself a crown of gold
thrones of bones and citadels.
to the deaf stars she screamed:
make me queen or i’ll make you bleed.” - —AMBITION | M.J., via @fairytalesques

Of YHWH and Asheratah (Kuntillet ‘Ajrud excerpts)

These three short inscriptions are all from Kuntillet ‘Ajrud, an archaeological site in Sinai near the Egypt-Israel border with a rich treasury of drawings and writings inscribed on its walls and pottery.  The evocative drawings above (perhaps depictions of YHWH and Asherah) may indicate that it was a religious center.

My first text, which was written on a plaster wall, is a dramatic theophany.  I’ve translated “El” and “Baal” as divine names, but they may be intended as titles for YHWH (“God” and “Lord,” respectively).

The focus of interest in these texts, however, has been a phrase that appears in the latter texts, both from a large clay jar: “yhwh (h)tmn wašrth.”  The first two words are the divine name “YHWH of Teman.”  The final word says, depending on your interpretation, “and Asheratah,” “and his Asherah,” or “and his asherah.”  Since Asherah was both a Canaanite mother-goddess and a noun for a cultic religious object (perhaps a tree or pole), the debate has yet to reach a solid consensus.

I have included a speculative new reading of “the Father and Mother” in the final text.  Part of the inscription is extremely faded, but after closely examining its drawings, as well as the analyses of Na’aman and Aḥituv et al, I think that this is both epigraphically plausible and more coherent.  (I’ve included my transliteration of the text for reference.)  If my reading is correct, then the Asherah/Asheratah is clearly a female deity in these blessings, not merely a cultic object.

Second Plaster Inscription

… years (?) …
… with a roar.  And when El shone out from the sum[mit] …
… and the mountains dissolved, and the peaks crushed …
… trampled [across the] earth, over the stones; he veered and …
… he prepared for the Blessed-One of Baal on the day of battle …
… for the name of El on the day of bat[tle] …

Pithos B, First Inscription

Amaryahu’s message:

Say to my lord, “Are you well?  I bless you by YHWH of Teman and by Asheratah.  May he bless and keep you, and may he be with my lord forever.

Pithos B, Third Inscription

lyhwh • htmn • wlʾšrth / kl ʾšr • yšʾl • mʾš • ḥnn hʾb wʾm pth • wntn lh yhw / klbbh

… by YHWH of Teman (and) by Asheratah.  Everything that he could ask from someone, the Father and Mother graciously gave him.  He requested, so YHW[H] gave him what he desired.

Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey was first released in Japan five years ago today, on October 8th, 2009. Can you believe that shit? I sure as hell can’t.

Strange Journey was everything I wanted it to be, and more. Most importantly, it taught me that the basic concept behind Shin Megami Tensei is not just occult in appearance but that a great deal of thematic depth is hidden behind whatever facade its story wears. Specifically, it was the revelation that the game’s themes and subtext were reflective of the comparative analyses and histories within the decades-old mythology and religion books I was reading concurrently while playing; it’s a side of the series many may overlook or be only superficially aware of, but, by Strange Journey’s example, it’s there waiting to extend a psychopomp-like hand to the abyss of the collective unconscious when someone is willing and ready.

Strange Journey lived up to the potential of Shin Megami Tensei absolutely. While it does have flaws which should not be overlooked, the game’s unique setting, atmosphere, and creativity still catapult it above most of its series peers. This is the game that really cemented my love for Shin Megami Tensei and it’s the future possibility of another game of its pedigree that will keep me a fan, no matter what the series throws out or how badly it fails to understand itself.

Minoan Religion and the Ancient Near East: A Connection?

Leonine demon/spirit servants present libations to Goddess, queen, or high priestess.  On a ring from Tiryns, 14th century B.C.

           The Mediterranean Sea connected many cultures to each other, all throughout Southern Europe, North Africa, and the Near East.  Ancient cultures traded not only goods and supplies with each other but also stories, ideas, and religious beliefs.  This is evident in some of the gods and goddesses who had different names or diffusions in various Mediterranean religions.  One of the most obscure ancient Mediterranean religions was that of the Minoans a civilization that was situated primarily on the island of Crete but also on other islands of the Aegean Sea, an embayment of the Mediterranean.  Over the years since its discovery, there has been some thought among scholars that the religion and culture of the Minoans (and possibly their successors the Mycenaeans) was heavily influenced by its Near Eastern neighbors.

Before I continue I must stress that the archaeological evidence from Minoan Crete and the other islands is limited and from what artifacts that were recovered not many complete ideas or stories are able to formed, let alone verified.  Most of the sources that I cite are from scholars with their own interpretations but have done their best to make a solid argument; however I will provide criticism to these arguments if need be.  Also, the Minoan civilization was a part of the Bronze Age an era of prehistory meaning that the Minoans lived in a time before recorded written history.  To clarify, the Minoans and some other ancient civilizations did have a language and writing system but it has little decipherment and is considered by historians to be proto-writing.  The main writing system of the Minoans has been dubbed Linear A and is believed that have been based off symbols and images like all other proto-writings.  Due to the littler deciphering of the Linear A script, most of the suggested names of the Minoan deities comes from both later etymological versions in Linear B of the Mycenaeans and the Greek language, and also earlier versions of Indo-European as some the deities worshiped in these cultures may be the deities from the Minoan culture just with different names.

One of the most notable aspects of Minoan religion, based on archaeological evidence, is presence of multiple female figures whether mortal or goddesses.  When Sir Arthur Evans original unearth and discovered the ruins and artifacts of Minoan Crete he believed that the constant presence of these female figures was evidence that the Minoans worshiped a Great Goddess of nature who was accompanied by a male god who was either her son or consort; an idea he based on James Frazer’s The Golden Bough (1).  This Goddess, her name, who she is, and who the supposed male god that aided her is, are all subject to debate.  This debate is based on the aforementioned limited archaeological evidence.  We don’t exactly know who the women and men are in the pots, frescoes, coins, and rings that remain; but that does not mean we cannot try to find out who they are.

The Goddess, or whomever the prominent female figure truly is, was believed to be a vegetation, fertility, nature deity primarily linked with symbol of the sacred tree, although she had a host of other symbols such as pillars, axes, stones, snakes, bees, birds, poppy flowers which may symbolize her multiple roles (2).  Due to these multiple symbols is has been theorized by some scholars that instead of multiple different goddesses there was one supreme goddess with multiple faces or roles.  It would not be wrong to think that the primary goddess of the Minoans was linked with plants and fertility as many important goddess from the Near East were sovereigns over such roles.  Furthermore this has led to scholars believed that the Minoan Goddess may just be the Minoan version of an important Near Eastern goddess.  One issue regarding all this is the Goddess’ name.

Debates rage on as to what the Goddess’ name is and also the name of the male god who is with her.  Robert Graves and Karl Kerényi put forth an interesting idea that the Goddess could really be Ariadne, a woman most notably from the myth of Theseus fighting the Minotaur.  Ariadne was the daughter of King Minos and Queen Pasiphaë of Crete and the granddaughter of the sun god Helios.  Minos, Ariadne’s father, took youths from Greece as sacrifices to appease the Minotaur who lived in the labyrinth under the palace at Knossos. When Theseus went to kill the Minotaur, Ariadne, who had fallen in love with Theseus, tied a thread to the hero so that he could find his way through the labyrinth.  Theseus succeeded in killing the Minotaur (who was actually Ariadne’s half-brother) however he left her behind in Crete unable to reciprocate her love and eventually became king of Athens.

 Kerényi bases part of his idea that Ariadne is the Minoan Goddess from an inscription found on a small clay tablet at Knossos. The inscription reads “da-pu-ri-to-jo / po-ti-ni-ja me-ri” which transliterates to “To the mistress of the labyrinth honey” (po-ti-ni-ja is a Mycenean Greek word that means “mistress” or “lady” and gave way to the more recent Greek potnia); and “mistress of the labyrinth” is title given to Ariadne based on her aid to Theseus (3).  Kerényi links the “mistress of the labyrinth” to a winding and unwinding ecstatic dance, often depicted by female figures on some Minoan rings and also believes that Ariadne’s name is a Cretan-Greek form for “Arihagne” meaning “utterly pure” with the adjective adnon from hagnon (4).  Ariadne was also associated with the god Dionysus who may have been the Minoan God who aided the Goddess as in the original Greek myth after Theseus leaves Crete Ariadne is eventually taken by Dionysus to Olympus.  In Argos, a part of mainland Greece, there was a tomb for Ariadne which gradually became an altar to her in which the people made her a subterranean (or chthonic, which is considered to be an aspect of the Minoan Goddess) deity; however, the site was also a sanctuary of Dionysus Kresios, or Dionysus the Cretan (5).

 The ancient writer Pausanias in his multi-volume work Description of Greece believed that this was where Dionysus buried Ariadne before her ascension to godhood thus linking Dionysus to the Goddess even more (6).  Most of this proposed evidence puts forth that Ariadne, whether she truly existed or not, was either deified as the Minoan Goddess or in the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur was a humanized incarnation of the Goddess.  In a much earlier post, Lady Xoc already mentioned as to how the Sumerian queen Kubaba may have been deified as the Hurrian goddess Hannahannah who was also closely identified with the goddess Hebat and how she eventually became the Phrygian god Kybele then the Greco-Roman goddess Cybele.  It was also said that Queen Kubaba was also given sovereign over the world by the god Marduk whom Kubaba ordered offerings to.  Kubaba’s devotion and relationship to Marduk is similar (but not necessarily connected) to Ariadne’s devotion and relationship to Dionysus.  However, Ariadne and Dionysus’ relationship mostly resembles the relationship between that of the goddess Inanna/Ishtar and her consort Dumuzi/Tammuz.

This is where the possible connection to the ancient Near East comes in.  The relationship between Inanna/Ishtar and Dumuzi/Tammuz is one of the most well-known and documented myths of the Near East.  Inanna/Ishtar is the goddess of love, war, sex, and fertility and her lover Dumuzi/Tammuz won her over after a contest.  Their sexual union has been called hieros gamos, which is Greek for “sacred marriage”, and is said to cause the vegetation and fertility of the world to grow. Eventually Sumer would adopt a symbolic version of the union between their kings and the high priestesses of Inanna.

The romantic and sexual relationship between Inanna/Ishtar and Dumuzi/Tammuz is strikingly similar to Dionysus, a very sexual god of ecstasy, wine, decadence, grape harvest, and fertility and Ariadne, if we are to assume that she is the Minoan Goddess associated with many different roles. However, as pointed out earlier, Ariadne is not the exact name given to the Minoan Goddess.  Based on Linear A tablets and votive stone libations, along with phonetics of Linear B, it was been suggested by some scholars that the Minoan Goddess’ name is A-sa-sa-ra or Asasara or Asasarame (7).  This name sounds similar to multiple Near Eastern goddesses including Asherah (Athirat), Ishtar, and Astarte/Ashtoreth.  I will continue on these possible connections but I have not completely ruled out Ariadne and will return to her.

 It’s not impossible for the Minoan Goddess and the Minoan God to be Cretan versions of goddesses and gods from the Near East. For example, it’s been highly speculated that Aphrodite and her lover Adonis are Greek versions of Inanna/Ishtar and Dumuzi/Tammuz (8).  Obviously, as Inanna/Ishtar and Dumuzi/Tammuz diffused through the Near East and the Mediterranean, aspects of their worship and duties changed.  Given the aforementioned name Asasara, it’s possible for the Goddess to have been the Cretan versions of either the goddess Asherah or the goddess Astarte/Ashtoreth.  Astarte/Ashtoreth is believed to be the immediate Canaanite version of Inanna/Ishtar (9). Asherah, also called Athirat, appears to be her own goddess.

What may connected the Minoan Goddess to either Asherah or Inanna/Ishtar (the later through Astarte/Ashtoreth) is the sacred tree symbol.  The sacred tree was one of the symbols of the Minoan Goddess which possibly links her to nature and fertility.  Bother Asherah and Inanna/Ishtar had some reverence to trees in their cults and myths.  What also connected them to her was their titles as Queen/Lady/Mistress of Heaven/the Gods, of which Nanno Mariantos believes the Minoan Goddess had this title believing the word po-ti-ni-ja to be the Mycenaean equivalent of the Ugarit rbt which meant “lady” (10).  The original Ugarit rbt pt meant “lady of heaven” and the like and was used by multiple powerful goddesses across the Near East (11).

Back to the tree, the first tree connection comes from the myth of Inanna and the huluppu tree.  In the myth the huluppu tree is planted on the banks of the Euphrates River and Inanna cares for it while it is attacked by the elements and various creatures take refuge in it.  Inanna laments to her brother Utu but he does nothing, she then turns to Gilgamesh who helps her by driving away the creatures and cutting the tree down and both he and Inanna make gifts for each other from it.  As for Asherah, there is no real myth or story that associates her with a tree, rather it is shown in her cult among the Canaanites and Israelites.  The asherim, or sacred poles, were symbols of Asherah made from trees and were place on both the lofty hills under trees and next to altars in the temple where she was worshiped alongside Yahweh (12).

Returning to Ariadne, she too was associated with a tree. One version of the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur ends with Ariadne committing suicide by hanging before Dionysus comes for her.  Furthermore, in ancient Attica (Central Greece) the cult of Dionysus tied masks, representing young girls who committed suicide, to a pine tree in a vineyard and eventually dolls were added to represent Ariadne (13).  Both the tree and the aforementioned tomb-altar make Ariadne similar to the Minoan Goddess who was believed to reign over life and death. Another Ariadne tomb was at Amathus in Cyprus in the grove of Aphrodite-Ariadne (14).  And it is here that I believe there is further connection between Ariadne, the Minoan Goddess, and goddesses of the Near East.

Given the name Aphrodite-Ariadne, it is most likely that at Cyprus that a goddess was worshiped who was a combination of these two.  Cyprus itself is the “birthplace” of Aphrodite and Adonis, whom most likely are Greek versions of Inanna/Ishtar and Dumuzi/Tammuz.  The first wave of settlers of Cyprus, confirmed by both the ancient historian Herodotus and modern historians and archaeologists, were Mycenaean Greeks around 1400 B.C. (15th century B.C.) from Argos the same place where the altar-tomb of the chthonic Ariadne associated with Dionysus Kresios was located.  In the 8th century B.C., Cyprus was colonized by the Phoenicians (Canaanites) and sometime after was conquered by the Assyrians.  And it was the Phoenicians who brought the goddess Astarte/Ashtoreth to Cyprus.

Aphrodite and Adonis link back to Inanna/Ishtar and Dumuzi/Tammuz through the deities Baal and Astarte both of whom were worshiped by the ancient Cypriots after the Phoenicians brought them over, especially at Amathus; the location of both the syncretized Aphrodite-Ariadne and other Ariadne tomb (15).  It is most likely that the Greek Aphrodite came about through the Levantine Astarte who is a diffusion of the Mesopotamian Inanna/Ishtar.  There is some crossover of events and periodization between the Minoans and Mycenaeans in the years.  The Minoans themselves are believed to arrive on Crete from either mainland Greece or the Levant or Anatolia (modern day Israel, Lebanon, and Syria and Turkey respectively).  The former would go along with the original Ariadne tomb in Argos with the eventual Ariadne tomb in Cyprus theory, whereas the latter agrees that a Near Eastern goddess was imported to the Mediterranean.

Knossos, the center of Minoan Cretan culture, was in power until roughly 1200 B.C. (13th century), about thirty years after Theseus supposedly killed the Minotaur and met Ariadne and the beginning of the Iron Age in the Mediterranean and Near East.  The myth and history of Ariadne with Theseus was written down physically by the Roman Plutarch in the 1st century A.D. with his work Lives, alternatively titled Parallel Lives or Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans.  The original legend was passed down orally for centuries and most of Plutarch’s sources for it are from the fourth and fifth centuries.  It’s possible that Ariadne’s story happened in the 13th century and then continued as oral tradition until Plutarch.  However, given the aforementioned periodization and dates it is safe to say that Ariadne, despite her connections to Near Eastern goddesses and the Minoan Goddess, was Mycenaean not Minoan.

What’s even more interesting is that the many statues and figurines of women found at Crete- whether they be goddesses, priestesses, or queens- are not as old as the Minoan period and are actually from the Mycenaean period (16).  Most archaeologists and historians of religion do believe that Aphrodite was imported from the Near East to Greece.  Pausanias agreed with this as well but claimed that Aphrodite originated among the Assyrians, then came to Cyprus, then to the Phoenicians who brought her to Cythera (17).  Some do believe she was connected to the Minoan Goddess as well.  It is most likely true that the Minoan Goddess was an import of a Near Eastern goddess, however, as to which goddess specifically and her connection to Ariadne both become mystified due to the dates of the Phoenician colonization of Cyprus, although it is possible that Astarte was brought to Cyprus before the official colonization.

Minoan Crete was a trade center and many other cultures went there to trade.  Minoan artwork, or artwork inspired by it, has been seen in mainland Greece, Egypt, and the Levant.  The Mycenaeans took over much of what the Minoans originally owned and possibly including their religion.  Cathy Gere claims that based on remaining Minoan archaeology, a cult involving Dionysus swept across Greece in the 6th century B.C. that incorporated the worship of Aphrodite-Ariadne (18).  Furthermore, certain traditions and rituals that originally revolved around Ariadne eventually passed to Dionysus, her consort, when his cult swept through 6th century Greece (19).

So what does all this mean?  What we can definitely conclude is that the Minoan Goddess and God do definitely originate in the Near East.  Dionysus is the Minoan God and is definitely the successor of Adonis and Dumuzi/Tammuz (Baal is similar in some ways but not many).  The Goddess is possibly the successor of Aphrodite through Astarte/Ashtoreth who is the successor of Inanna/Ishtar.  Ariadne maybe a humanized version of the Goddess brought about through oral tradition and when she was “re-united” with Dionysus much of the cultic focus went to him. The Minoans are very difficult to study and I thank you all for reading this.  If you have questions please ask them through our ask box as this post is just too long to respond to reblogs.

1.      Lucy Goodison and Christine Morris, “Beyond the Great Mother: The Sacred World of the Minoan,” in Ancient Goddesses: The Myths and Evidence, ed. Lucy Goodison and Christine Morris (London: British Museum Press, 1998), 113.

2.      Pamela Berger, The Goddess Obscured: Transformation of the Grain Protectress from Goddess to Saint (Boston: Beacon Press, 1985), 15.

3.      Karl Kerényi, Dionysos: Archetypal Image of Indestructible Life, trans. Ralph Manheim (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1996), 89-90.

4.      Ibid., 99.

5.      Ibid., 103.

6.      Pausanias, Description of Greece, Book II, chapter 23, section 8.

7.      Nanno Marinatos, Minoan Kingship and the Solar Goddess: A Near Eastern Koine (Urbana, Chicago, and Springfield: University of Illinois Press, 2013), 165.

8.      Miroslav Marcovich, “From Ishtar to Aphrodite,” Journal of Aesthetic Education 30, no. 2 (1996): 45-46, (Found via JSTOR).

9.      Eleanor Amico Wilson, Women of Canaan: The Status of Women at Ugarit (Whitewater: Heartwell Publications, 2013), 188-189.

10.  Nanno Marinato, Minoan Kingship, 166.

11.  Izak Cornelius, The Many Faces of the Goddess: The Iconography of the Syro-Palestinian Goddesses Anat, Astarte, Qedeshet, and Asherah c. 1500-1000 BCE, 2nd ed.  (Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2008), 80-83.

12.  Tikva Frymer-Kensky, In the Wake of the Goddesses: Women, Culture, and the Biblical Transformation of Pagan Myth (New York: Free Press, 1992), 153-155.

13.  Robert Graves, The Greek Myths (New York: Penguin Books Inc., 1957), 263.

14.  Plutarch, Theseus, part 20.

15.  James Frazer, The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion (Ware: Wordsworth Editions, 1993), 329.

16.  For more details see Kenneth Lapatin, Mysteries of the Snake Goddess: Art, Desire, and the Forging of History (Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2002).

17.  Pausanias, Greece, Book I, chapter 14, section 7.

18.  Cathy Gere, Knossos and the Prophets of Modernism (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2009), 46.

19.  Ibid., 85.

I am Asherah, the Tree of Life
Let me embrace you in the shade of My outreached arms
I will protect you from the harsh damning heat of the midsummer sun
Come take refuge from the arid desert air in my cooling oasis
I make way for life in places deemed inviable
I am the strength that make your perilous journey a possibility
Let Me sooth your brow with My sweet waters
I am the peace found in the midst of the struggle for survival
I am Peace
I am Life.
—  Asherah, Tree of Life by The Rose Laden Magdalene

Honor to you, Asherah, she who treads on the sea,
and orders the home where all her children welcome be.

Honor to you, Asherah, who nourishes the world,
May you lightly guide my steps with your wisdom unfurled.

Honor to you, Asherah, mother of gods and man,
Queen who rules and guides her own with firm yet gentle hands.

Prayers to Asherah, written 31 October 2015

Can be used for repeating prayers, in similar fashion to a rosary.

Ancient terra cotta figure first recorded in Othmar Keel and Christoph Uehlinger’s book Gods, Goddesses, and Images of God.

William G. Dever suggests that this could be a Late Bronze Age depiction of the Canaanite-Hebrew mother goddess Asherah, and if so it is one of the earliest depictions of her.  But Dever says we should also consider some more thoughts.

Canaanite portrayals of the goddess are typically in the fashion of lascivious courtesan of the gods while ancient Israelite ones are more chaste (the image above could be the latter because nothing promiscuous is being depicted.  Simply one revealing their vulva and nursing wasn’t necessarily promiscuous in those days).  The figure could have also been a talisman used in fertility magic or invocations to the fertility goddess, in this case Asherah.  The figure could represent Asherah, or a woman praying to a deity, or a votive offering symbolizing the worshiper’s prayers and vows.

William G. Dever, Did God Have a Wife?  Archaeology and Folk Religion in Ancient Israel (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdsman Publishing Co., 2005), 187-188.

Followers of Asherah?

Is there anyone out there who’s a follower or devotee of Asherah? Or Astarte or Ishtar? I’m pretty sure Asherah’s been calling me, and She did so in the most creative way… I feel really connected to Her already, and I wanted to talk to others who worship or have worshiped Her. Please message me if you have any connection with the goddess under any of these names. Thanks!

However! If you go back to an older version of the mythology, before the dawn of Judaism, the myth went a little bit differently. Back then, the religion was a polytheism. The father-god, then known as El, and later by other names, had a wife named Asherah. Asherah was among other things a goddess of wisdom and knowledge, and her symbol was a snake wrapped about a tree. Originally, the snake wasn’t some diabolical boogieman, it was just a mother passing on her knowledge to her daughter, Eve.

I have no idea who wrote that. I was looking through old research notes regarding the mythology of abrahamic religions and this quote popped up. The link takes me to a dead page.

I’ve always been so fascinated by this, the idea that the Queen of Heaven would later have her symbols twisted to mean corruption.

demoncrys-angelsfall  asked:

Are you Jewish? Ethnically or Religiously? Because if you are not, by speaking over the oppressed minority (ethno-religious) on their own culture, history, religion, deity, and people is continuing the oppression that we face. It is like mansplaining or white people explaining racism to a poc. I urge you to listen to what has been said, and try to understand why what you said was hurtful, and anti-Semitic. Thank for at least keeping the dialogue open. -A future rabbinical student and activist

I am ethnically Latino.  I never said anything about Yahweh or about the oppression of the Jewish people.  All I said was that the goddess Asherah was worshiped by the early Israelites and these are not my own thoughts.  Raphael Patai, Tikva Frymer-Kensky, Susan Ackerman, Judith Plaskow, and Mark S. Smith who are all Jewish, or were trained in Judaism and ancient Israelite history, have acknowledged this.

I thank you for reaching out to us.

satsekhem  asked:

What are some of the Canaanite gods? I only know Ba'al because Egypt usurped him. :D

Ooooh, fun question!

I’m going to start off by clarifying (just ‘cause) that Canaan was never a country. It was a region, and the gods I know best are from Ugarit. They were found in many places throughout the Canaanite region but, like any religion that travels, it was slightly different from place to place.

Also, Ba'al is a title rather than a name. :) It means Lord. Normally when someone refers to Ba'al, they’re referencing Ba'al Hadad (I’ll get to him in a sec). Also, like the difference in religion by location, their names shift somewhat. I’ve seen Ba'al Hadad written Ba'lu Hadi, Anat as Anath, Anatu and Antit. Then there’s also the Hebrew name vs. Canaanite name (Asherah v. Atirat, 'Ilu v. El, etc.) Like any recon bit, it’s complicated. xD It probably doesn’t help that I have a tendency to mix and match the names.

So… some of the gods.

Ba'al Hadad – Ba'al Hadad is the god of storms, and possibly fertility. (There was a love of sexualizing Canaan, so whether gods were fertility gods is…difficult to tell, sometimes.) He was often portrayed as the active leader of the gods, almost the protagonist, though he was not the head of the pantheon. He is the main character in the Ba'al Cycle, in which he battles both Yam and Mot.

'Ilu (aka El) – 'Ilu is the head of the pantheon. He is the creator of humanity, and likely the world, and is shown as just, benevolent, and kind.

Atiratu (Asherah to the Hebrews) – Atiratu is the Queen of the Heavens. She is 'Ilu’s wife, and the mother of all the gods. She and 'Ilu are charged with caring for the world together.

Astarte – Astarte is a goddess of justice and law. She is one of the more difficult to ascertain for certain, as she was historically portrayed as a war and sex goddess, and then later lumped together with Anat and Atiratu. However, in the epics which have been found, she has dealt more with justice and law than much of anything else.

Shapash – Shapash is the goddess of the sun. Yep. That’s right. Sun GODDESS. As in female. Yep. Also, she’s not married to the moon. They’re siblings. Totally different vibe than you’ll get from some mythologies. Anyway, she spends her days warming the earth, and her nights underground with the Rapi'uma (spirits of the dead) in the House of Freedom.

Yarikh – Yarikh is the god of the moon and fertility. See what I mean? Fertility: it’s everywhere. Anywho, he spends his days opposite his sister Shapash, and the fertility aspect comes from his association with morning dew as his semen. Seeing as how he’s married to Nikkal, that actually makes a fair deal of sense.

Nikkal – Nikkal is the goddess of orchards. I assume that she is similarly influential on all kinds of crops. One of the earliest pieces of music in the world is a hymn sung to Nikkal.

Yam – Yam is the sea god, and the enemy of Hadad. He was announced prince of the gods by Ilu at the beginning of the Ba'al Cycle, seeks Ba'al Hadad’s subjugation to him, and is eventually defeated.

Mot – Mot…Mot is the god of decay, and death. He is seen as the open maw of the earth that takes you when you die. He seriously isn’t someone’s attention who you want to draw, unless you want to be working with some really serious stuff. And even then….he didn’t have temples. He wasn’t called on in blessings, though possibly in curses.

Kothar-wha-Khasis – Kothar-wha-Khassis is the god of artisans and magicians. Yeah. So he’s pretty fabulous.

Anat ('Anatu) – So…Anat is the goddess because of whom I found the Canaanite pantheon, and it is to her I feel a special attachment. Anat is the adolescent war goddess. She is passionate, likely to just do whatever she wants, but is fiercely loyal to those she cares for. She is Ba'al Hadad’s lover, though not his wife. She suckles young gods at her breast, has had many children by Hadad, yet is still the adolescent, sometimes called virgin. In this sense, she isn’t so much a virgin in sexual purity, as she is acting in a role outside of what would have been normal for girls, by remaining outside of the role of a “woman.”

There’s more, as well, these are just the ones which I know better.

As well, I thought that you might be interested to know that Athiratu and Anat has had some comparisons made, heavily so, to Isis. Anat’s defeat of Mot matches a lot of Egyptian mythology very well. Also, there was one pharaoh who chose Anat as his personal god. Very, very devoted, that one. So, yeah. Especially with how close they were to each other, geographically, and how easily their religions may have meshed, transitions from one to the other were probably pretty common. :P

There’ve been a ton of scarab beetle talismans found in Ugarit, so it obviously went both ways.

Late at night on the ocean
Her presence felt in times of need
When dangers arise just close your eyes
She comes to you in dreams

She sings and the waters glimmer
She sighs and your sails catch wind
Steady on your course, give in to the force
A journey of wonder and bliss
Behold the goddess of the sea mist

Stars will shine ever brighter
Moonbeams now dance in the mist
A soft jasmine wind brushes your skin
Her caress, her lover’s kiss

She sings and the waters glimmer
She sighs and your sails catch wind
Steady on your course, give in to the force
A journey of wonder and bliss
Behold the goddess of the sea mist

Re-uploaded a cropped version of the original Asherah art. No, I did NOT draw this one, I traced it off a goddess I found on google. (If anyone finds the link please let me know…)

Here is ‘Ilu (her husband’s) corresponding piece of art: link

Athiratu, Athirat, 'Athiratu, Asherah

'Athirat is the queen of the pantheon, co-owner and co-caretaker of the Universe. She is the nurturer, the wise leader, the giver of life, the tree of wisdom and life. She protects and cares for her family, which is most of the pantheon. She is keeper of the shore, and often sailors of ages past would call for her assistance to assure a safe arrival to port. In one of the tales, we see her spinning thread, and tending a cooking pot upon the shore of the sea. Date palm trees are sacred to 'Athirat, and some say that she is associated with snakes and dolphins. As a goddess known to the Hebrew, her name was Asherah, which means "straight” or “upright.” Sometimes 'Athirat is called “'Ilatu” in Ugaritic or “Elat” in Hebrew which means “goddess.” 'Athirat is called “mother” by all in the pantheon out of respect, whether or not she is that particular deity’s biological mother.“


Time And The Search For Knowledge

Information is only valuable if you use it to improve yourself or the world around you.

Train your mind and be creative, be the innovator rather than the regurgitator.

Retiring at 29, he travelled for many years.
Read more about David EntrepreneurMonk.com
Have No Regrets, Look Forward

Ultimate Knowledge

Networking Tips - Share Knowledge

Successful networkers are constantly giving out ideas, resources and knowledge with others. They are aware that this type of exchange creates an environment for healthy social and business interactions. It can make individuals more comfortable offering leads or referrals. It can produce an increase in sales for business and opportunities with new or existing customers. Sharing knowledge can also establish common ground for developing long term relationships or ventures. It adds value and true meaning in networking.

Listed below are ways in which professionals, entrepreneurs and students can develop their networking through educational components.

Think Tanks

Join groups of like minded individuals on a weekly or monthly basis to brainstorm. Pick groups that are industry rather than interest based. Professionals should have similar backgrounds and experiences. The purpose of these sessions is to create ideas for better doing better business or sharing best practices. Learn from your business counterparts can be extremely instrumental in your networking endeavors.

During these Think Tank sessions, choose one individual to be the moderator. Before the session, create an agenda, so that the meeting is productive. Select the right amount of time for participants to share and express their ideas and thoughts. Thinks Tanks are just as effective face to face, online or by phone conference. Consider recording the meeting or posting notes to reinforce the ideas and suggestions from that meeting.

Forums are another platform for sharing and connecting with others. Although, they are not as focused as Think Tanks, they do offer many benefits. Forums are less structured and can provide a wide variety of knowledge and ideas. They are not necessarily industry based and can focus on business or social interests. They can also involve a larger group of people for more diverse and unique solutions and feedback. It can also create many levels of communication and interaction from the comments and ideas shared.

The most efficient forums are usually online or via email. Select questions or comments which are relevant to your networking objectives. Read through advice and suggestions and offer your expertise as well. Feel free to offer constructive criticism in a professional and respectful manner. Encourage continuous dialogue and interactions once you have gauged the interest level of the topic matter. Contribute to several forums and use that chance to expand your network. Stay connected to individuals who share similar thoughts.

Using these tactics and methods for sharing knowledge can be extremely beneficial. It can offer a platform for developing your social and business endeavors with like minded individuals.

Chi Chi Okezie is owner/producer of SIMPLEnetworking, LLC in Atlanta, GA. Learn tips, tactics and techniques from this Champion Networker! Visit the SN Official Website: http://www.snseminars.com to read excerpts of her books, listen to the latest radio podcasts and visit her blog!

Going From Knowledge to Wisdom

What if I told you that A=100, B=5, and C=25? Could you tell me what D equals? Now what if I also told you that A-B+C=D? This makes it much easier, right? Why? The answer is because in the first scenario you have only information. The second scenario shows you the relationship between the information. This is a simple illustration of going from knowledge to understanding.

Now what if you had 100 apples and I said I would give you 25 of my apples for 5 of yours? Is that a good deal? The obvious answer is yes. How did you get to that? This is an example of wisdom. Wisdom is taking the knowledge you have, gaining an understanding of that knowledge, and then being able to use it to make real life decisions.

For a long time I struggled with the fact that many knowledgeable Christians were making such bad life decisions. Finally, God showed me that they had great knowledge but no real understanding of that knowledge. God explained it to me like this. Let's say your brain is a piece of notebook paper. As you gain knowledge it's like writing A=100, B=5, C=25, and so on. For many, their paper is filled with this type of information. However, as seen in the example above, this does no good without knowing how the information relates to each other.

We live in a world where information is available at our finger tips. Daniel prophesied this when he said "In the last days they will run to and fro, and knowledge will increase." In order to be wise Christians we need to take the time to understand all of the knowledge we are gaining. We need a God equation to show us how the information relates. I believe God has provided this equation in the form of the Old Testament Tabernacle.

I know that reading about this subject in the Bible can be boring, but in this information age of technology there are so many ways to learn. I encourage you to take the time to do so. The following will be a basic outline of the tabernacle and how to use it.

The Tabernacle

The Outer Court

- The Brazen Alter (Sacrifice)
- The Brazen Laver (Cleansing)

The Inner Court

- The Table of Shew Bread (the word of God)
- The Menorah (The Holy Spirit, understanding)
- The Altar of Incense (Prayer)

The Holy of Holies

- The Ark of the Covenant (God's Promises)
- The Mercy Seat (The rest of God)

Now, for a simple illustration on how to use this equation we will plug in some information about salvation.

The Outer Court= The Body (see, hear, touch, taste, smell)

- The Brazen Altar= sacrifice of Jesus on the cross
- The Brazen Laver= seeing your sins as dirt

The Inner Court= Soul (thought)

- The Table of Shew Bread= thinking on the information about salvation
- The Menorah= gaining the understanding that Jesus' sacrifice on the cross can wash away the dirt (sins) in your life.
- The Altar of Incense= the prayer of salvation

The Holy of Holies= Spirit

- The Ark of the Covenant= having faith in the promise of God for eternal security
- The Mercy Seat= Resting from trying to live life by your own power and giving God full control of it.

This is very basic and much more can be said about the subject, but I hope you see how the layout of the Tabernacle can be used to understand the knowledge of the salvation process. As seen in the layout, just like the presence of God was in the Holy of Holies, true salvation is more than just saying a prayer. You must go through the veil and surrender everything to God.

Some other examples of how to use the Tabernacle are:

The Old Testament, the New Testament, the Book of Revelation

Jesus, the Holy Spirit, God the Father

Knowledge, Understanding, Wisdom

Natural, Physical, Spiritual

Water, Blood, Spirit

First Heaven, Second Heaven, Third Heaven

New Jerusalem, Israel, the Church

Body, Soul, Spirit

I am a Christian writer that has learned to put God first in everything with family coming in at a close second. God has given me a unique ability to see him in the things he has made (Romans 1:20). My goal is to share this information with as many people as I can. The name of my blog is Shinning God's Light because I believe that is the job of every Christian.

May God Bless You. If you enjoyed this article please go to my site, Shining God's Light, at http://www.josephclarkblog.com.

Knowledge Management

Knowledge management is a hot topic everywhere. Still it is a dilemma, especially when one wants to implement it in the organisation. It is because generally people take it as a single system that could be chipped into the organisation as a unit or division. Knowledge management is not a system that could be brought or established and implement in the organisation straight forward. It is a process that has to be integrated with each division or department of the organisation, and awareness that has to be raised in each member of that organisation. In short, KM needs to be embedded in everyday organisational processes for it to work efficiently and for it to be successful. It provides the processes and structures to create, capture, analyze, and act on information. And, the emphasis of Knowledge Management should be on human know-how and how to exploit it to bring maximum benefits for the organization. Here are few things that should be considered for implementing KM:

    prepare KM strategy
    implement knowledge sharing tools for both tacit and explicit knowledge
    document good practices and what did not work
    map all the existing knowledge in the organisation - tacit and explicit
    make knowledge sharing a policy of the organisation

KM is directly linked with people rather than technology. Technology is just a supportive tool for boosting KM. Effectiveness of the KM lies under the competence of the staff, institutional support and the motivations. And, KM is an ongoing process as Knowledge is constantly tested, updated, revised, and sometimes even obsolete.

The KM vision should be explained in organisational strategic terms rather than KM terms (examples are 'ICIMOD will explore upstream-downstream relationships and to validate the supply of ecosystem services, including freshwater and carbon sequestration, and to conserve and manage biodiversity as a natural heritage, a resource for livelihoods and for ecological resilience. ICIMOD aims to help mountain people facilitate the development of appropriate policies and innovative and equitable compensation mechanisms for ecosystem services', 'ICIMOD wants to develop regional capacity and reduce mountain poverty to ensure the increased economic resilience of mountain people. By exploring sustainable livelihood options and enhancing innovative rural income generation strategies. ICIMOD will generate, promote and customise knowledge on equitable socio-economic adaptation strategies and methods to allay the effects of socio-economic and environmental change. ICIMOD also aims to monitor and analyse the poverty situation and its main drivers, and to develop policy-relevant data'), and in a manner that generates enthusiasm, buy-in, and motivates managers to work together toward reaching common goals as it always adds value to the existing knowledge by pooling the expertise together, building the relationships and collaborating among the useful knowledge to achieve the goal of the organisation.

Then, the challenge is to sort out the information within the organization that are valuable for obtaining the goal or moving towards the objectives of the organisation. And, KM should also secure the learning experiences of the individuals as when a person leaves an organization, she/he takes lots of knowledge about her/his job with her/him which are always valuable processes and procedures of the organisation. With all these and many more functions, KM adds a great value to the organizational efficiency achieving or moving towards its goals by

    Facilitating better decisions and processes
    Contributing to the intellectual capital of the organization
    Eliminating redundant processes, streamlines operations, and enhances employee retention rates

Lastly, KM is done not only for capturing or storing the existing knowledge but should be tied up with the strategic objectives of the organisation and embedded in everyday life, and implement as a part policy of the organisation.

The Science Of Trees And Similar Plants

Drug Discovery

The Job Prospect Is Positive In Nuclear Medicine

Math Fun And Math Skills In Chess

Math fun is for everyone. Anyone can understand that there are many ways to solve a problem with math, but the answer is always the same. You use math every day. Find out how you use it, and adapt your method to whatever it is you want to problem solve. In this case it would be chess problems. Use your math skills in solving math problems to solve chess move strategy problems. Math is fun to learn, to use and to think with. Since you are unique, your way of solving problems is unique.

As you plan your chess strategy you will learn that math is fun. Practice your math skills over and over again. Use your math skills in your chess board game. Do not make the mistake of trying to just get by with as little strategy as you can, that is, to trust in luck, to get you winning strategies. Stretch your imagination and use all your efforts to come up with a strategy that works every time. You can use creativity to develop a chess strategy that no one else will ever come up with. Use your persistence to keep trying and never give up. Keep trying even with failure after failure in your past. There are many successful people who accomplished their goals because they tried one more time.

In conclusion, you will know you are having fun when you start thinking differently. When you start coming up with winning chess strategies that work every time, your appreciation and confidence will soar. It is a basic fact that when your life changes it is because your thinking changed. Even a little knowledge makes a big change in your view of life. This fact is so important in playing chess because most chess players are not used to thinking success. Of course this is an application for all areas of your life, but when you can see an upward trend in statistics of your winning strategies, you will feel rewarded.

DeeJayne and her business involve her family totally. She is devoted to family relationships and enjoys learning along with her family all about business. She loves to involve her family in writing great content rich in life experience. Be inspired by her genuine love for what she stands for and the rich heritage she has in sharing her love of knowledge and education. Discover a whole new dimension to playing and learning chess with our Decorative Stone and Marble Chess Sets. Choose a Theme Chess Pieces to perfectly fit your style. Get more information, great content Math Fun in Chess for Chess Board Games and other chess related articles marblechessboard.com

The Linear Function

There are many basic functions you will have to learn over the course of your math career. The first and most basic function is the linear function. A linear function is used to describe the relation of a straight line. This can be any straight line, at any angle or in any position. The general form of these functions is as follows;

y = m*x + b

Lets take a look at what all of these terms mean. It will be important to have a thorough understand of what each of them means in a mathematical and graphical sense.

First off we can establish our two variables in this equation x and y. X is the independent variable and it is denoted on the horizontal axis of a graph. Y is the dependent variable (since its value depends on the value of x) and is denoted on the vertical axis of the graph.

The letter 'm' is the slope of the line. Graphically this will give you the angle of the line. The higher the slope, the steeper the angle with the x axis. The slope can be determined from any two point on the line. You must simply sub their values into the following equation;

m = y2 - y1 / (x2 - x1)

This calculation is usually pretty easy and can be done on your calculator.

The last term, b, is the y intercept of the line. This is the point where the line crosses the y axis. If you have a graph of the line you can simply read this value directly from the graph. If you have the slope of the line, you can sub in any point on the line, rearrange, and solve algebraically for the y intercept.

So as you can see the linear function is not extremely complicated. It is a good place to start when learning about functions.

Carl Chute is an electrical engineer who has spent many years studying calculus and the linear function.

Psychology Term Papers

One of the frequently asked questions by a new psychology student is "What is Psychology?" Throughout the history, starting from Aristotle and Socrates to the modern world psychologists, there have been different schools of thoughts defining what psychology is. If we say, literally, psychology is the study of human mind and behavior. As the psychology field kept expanding, the number of students taking interest also got upward trends. One of the most difficult situations being faced is the writing of psychology term papers. Some of the sources that are used by the students are the websites offering priced psychology term papers.

But it is suggested to write your own so that you could be confident of your own studies. The main problem expected to be faced by you is your own frustration and confusion. You might have all the roads closed and well unaware to take the start from. There is just an idea to get a trigger from, believe me! To write your term paper, the most important thing is your calm and cool mind. Do not get panic. The first thing you need to consider is the selection of a good topic. This might be a bit confusing too. You can easily get the idea from the world around you. For example, you can select a historical site or a lost world character to write your psychology term paper on.

In order to have this idea, you need to spend some of your time in your text books skimming. Another very good source is the internet. You can also have a gossip with some of your experienced teachers to extract out some good topics. Writing psychology term paper often gets the students panic and disturbs the mind. Although most of the features of a good term paper are easily defined and well structured, even then it takes time to get on the tempo. There are many examples and past experiences of others in front of you, but the spirit of creating that of yours is something that gets the accelerator low.

There are a great number of topic options available while writing the term paper like selecting a particular field of psychology, criticizing a book or reviewing the literature, figuring out the professional life of some famous psychologist, creating a case study, etc. all of the above options do not get accommodated in the mind as it sounds much hectic to write the psychology term papers.

Robert Nichols is a season online marketer for well over 5 years and has been managing Rob Marketing Company for about 5 years.

Come check out some are latest Services over at Search Engine Optimization

Rob Marketing Provides SEO Company for small, medium and large companies.

Beginning a Career in Social Psychology

Introduction to Social Psychology

Social psychology research focus on how individuals are affected by others and they way that they perceive themselves. Some of the areas of research include stereotyping, prejudice, persuasion, group interactions, and relationships. The goal of social psychology research is to gain a deeper understanding of behaviors and to improve the world in which we live.

Educational Background for a Social Psychology Career

An education from a quality university is essential to pursue a career in social psychology. As an undergraduate you can begin with bachelor of science degree either directly in psychology or in related fields such as sociology, neuroscience, statistics, or biology. After obtaining your bachelor degree you will need to enroll in a doctoral program for social psychology. An alternative would be to first get a masters in social psychology but eventually a doctorate will be necessary.

As a graduate student, your responsibility will include the design and implementation of independent research. An academic adviser will be assigned to you who is a professor with like research interests as you. Concurrent with your research you will also have a heavy course load in classes related to and beneficial to your research. towards the end of your program you will most likely have a comprehensive exam and evaluation looking both your work as a student and as a researcher.

Types of Social Psychology Careers
The two main career paths available to you once you complete your PhD are as a university professor and as a research in the private sector. Individuals who enjoy teaching find it being a professor a great opportunity pursue their own topics of research while also teaching. Those who do not like to teach may prefer to do private or government research but will be more limited in how they apply their research.

Other career paths may include less of a research focus and more of an applied focus. These jobs are usually with industrial companies who would like to enhance the way their companies are perceived. Marketing firms and advertisers also have a great interest in the skills that social psychologists posses.

Beginning Your Social Psychology Career

To get started in a social psychology career you are going to need to start by taking the required classes. Current students and prospective students should begin by taking the required classes. If you already have your degree looking into filling the holes in your background now. Community colleges often offer the classes you will need at convenient hours or even online in some circumstances.

Next you are going to need research experience. You can contact the lab manager at your closest school and see if they have any openings for volunteers.

The next step is to apply to graduate schools once you have the academic and research background needed. Becoming a social psychologist is a very intense experience but may prove worthwhile if your research can have a positive effect on the world in which we live in.

LennyP writes about Careers in Social Pscychology at HubPages.

Behaviour Management and Education

Behaviour Management is a key concept to get right in a school. Without good and solid Behaviour Management methods in place a school runs the risk of facing pupils with disruptive behaviour who will continuously disrupt and prevent others from learning and fulfilling their potential. Behaviour Management plans and systems really allow teachers to focus on the best ways of dealing with problematic behaviour that will prevent disruptive and bad behaviour from having the chance to arise.

Classroom Management is another system in place in schools that is very important for both students and teachers. Classroom management is all about finding the best ways to manage classrooms. Most of the time in schools and learning institutions classroom management plans are brought together by individual teachers. This is normally because they know the pupils well and what methods of teaching work well with them. Sometimes it may be left to the school to come up with classroom management plans for all teachers and all classes. Whilst these may not be as personal as ones devised by teachers they certainly ensure more routine is withheld throughout the school and during lessons.

Safeguarding is quite a new term that is focused on the prevention of harm and cruelty to children rather than the cure. Safeguarding involves a number of methods in implementing safeguarding. Many people who work or are involved with children will normally be taught about the methods of safeguarding in order to help prevent harmful situations from ever occurring to children and vulnerable people. People who work with children and have the potential to work closely with children will normally be checked out prior to starting a job this is one method of safeguarding.

Safeguarding aims to promote the well being of children and is in place in order for children to enjoy their childhoods with as little negative experiences as possible. Safeguarding aims to prevent bad things from happening to children so that they can develop fully surrounded by positive influences and experiences so they can get the best possible start in life.

If you are struggling with safeguarding yourself then there are a number of organisations that can help you and ensure you are providing an environment to children that is as positive as possible. Professionals are able to help with this type of work and teaching. Something worth thinking about if you want to create a positive surrounding for the children in your life.

For more information please visit Behaviour Management.


A Brief History of Jost van Dyke

A hilly island of moderate size, Jost Van Dyke of the British Virgin Islands has been inhabited for over 300 years in modern times,
and Arawak Indians had small settlements here about 1,000 years ago. In the 17th Century, Quaker pioneers came to Jost and established plantations that became dependent on slave labor.With the emancipation of slaves in the 1830s, according to the ruling British government, these plantations withered away leaving behind ruins we can see today, plus an island population of West Indians. Until the mid-20th century, the islands residents survived, and even thrived, with farming, raising cattle and goats, and fishing with the support of exports to larger neighboring islands.  In the 1960s, however, these exports declined to zero in the face of government rules in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

In the early 1970s pleasure sailors discovered the British Virgin Islands and Jost Van Dyke.  Today tourism is the primary industry of Jost.  Thanks to the friendliness of the island residents,
the wide variety of day and night entertainment, and the beauty of its beaches and small nearby islands, Jost Van Dyke is a must-see destination.   Development of the island has been slow compared to its larger nearby neighbors, Tortola and St. Thomas. Electricity arrived on the island in 1992, and a water system started operation in 2003.  Most of the land on Jost belongs to BVI citizens and their families and local laws constrain outside investment.  As a result, Jost is still lightly developed, but the unwavering pressure for growth is evident.  Jost Van Dyke is one of the last islands to reflect the life and beauty of the Caribbean.

It is still a friendly community of nearly 300 residents with memories and love for an unhurried life. One of its beaches has been named one of the 10 best in the Caribbean. Accessible coral reefs beg to be explored by snorkelers and divers. Small islands beckon boaters to stop by for a break on their white sand. Nearly untouched hills offer miles of hiking and the charms of bird watching and floral beauty.

It is this island that is the focus for preservation of the Society.

What About the Future?

Despite its three centuries of modern habitation, Jost Van Dyke has only been lightly developed, with economic growth proceeding at a slower pace compared to its larger, nearby neighbours—Tortola in the BVI and St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands.  Much of the island’s environmental and cultural elements remain relatively untouched; its lifestyle seems less hurried and stressful than on more developed Caribbean islands.  Yet the pressures for change and growth are also evident; for example, in a recent proposal for locating a small cruise ship dock on the island, in the grandfathered approval of a development near a salt pond and a reef outcropping, in the incremental filling of mangrove swamps, in the inattention to solid waste disposal rules, and in the casual cutting of roads, just to name a few.  The long-term implications of these and other economically-driven actions are not fully understood by the island’s residents.

Jost Van Dyke finds itself positioned between a past it does not want to lose or squander and a future that promises more options with expanded growth.


Blog - Proofreading and Copy Editing

Blog Archive

You spell it potarto, I spell it potayto…

Although it is not certain who was the first to describe the USA and the UK as ‘two countries divided by a common language’, there is no doubt they were right when it came to spelling. The many subtle differences

e.g., etc.

We often see a combination of e.g. and etc. in texts, as in the following example: A compound sentence is one or more simple sentences joined by a connective, e.g. and, but, then, etc. This is technically incorrect… ‘e.g.’ comes

Punctuation IV: Colons

Are you using colons correctly? This post should help you find out. When using colons, the most common pitfall is to confuse their use with that of semicolons (you can revise semicolons with our previous post, Punctuation I: The Semicolon).

The word ‘Brexit’ is factually incorrect

How to use Find and Replace


Cuisinier francois

Le cuisinier françois, is the founding text of modern French cuisine, was witten in 1651 by François Pierre de la Varenne. La Varenne broke with the Italian traditions that had revolutionized medieval French cookery in the 16th century. La Varenne was the foremost member of a group of French chefs, writing for a professional audience, who codified French cuisine for the age of Louis XIV.

The seventeenth century saw a culinary revolution which transported French gastromomy into the modern era. The heavily spiced flavours inherited from the cuisine of the Middle Ages were abandoned in favour of the natural flavours of foods. Exotic spices (saffron, cinnamon, cumin, ginger, nutmeg, cardamom, nigella, seeds of paradise) were, with the exception of pepper, replaced by local herbs (parsley, thyme, bayleaf, chervil, sage, tarragon). New vegetables like cauliflower, asparagus, peas, cucumber and artichoke were introduced. Special care was given to the cooking of meat in order to conserve maximum flavour. Vegetables had to be fresh and tender. Fish, with the improvement of transportation, had to be impeccably fresh. Preparation had to respect the gustatory and visual integrity of the ingredients instead of masking them as had been the practice previously.

La Varenne's work was the first to set down in writing the considerable culinary innovations achieved in France in the seventeenth century, while codifying food preparation in a systematic manner, according to rules and principals. He introduced the first bisque and Bechamel sauce. He replaced crumbled bread with roux as the base for sauces, and lard with butter. Here one finds the first usage of the terms bouquet garni, fonds de cuisine (stocks) and reductions, and the use of egg-whites for clarification. It also contains the earliest recipe in print for mille-feuille. The cooking of vegetables is addressed, an unusual departure. In a fragrant sauce for asparagus there is evidence of an early form of hollandaise sauce:

"make a sauce with good fresh butter, a little vinegar, salt, and nutmeg, and an egg yolk to bind the sauce; take care that it doesn't curdle..."

La Varenne preceded his book with a text on confitures (Le parfaict confiturier)—jams, jellies and preserves— that included recipes for syrups, compotes and a great variety of fruit drinks, as well as a section on salads (1650).

Le Pâtissier françois (Paris 1653), is also attributed to him, but might not actually be by him, is generally credited with being the first comprehensive French work on pastry-making. In 1662 appeared the first of the combined editions that presented all three works together. All the early editions of La Varenne's works—Le Cuisinier françois ran through some thirty editions in seventy-five years — but are extremely rare; like children's books, they too were worn to pieces, in the kitchen, and simply used up.

It is said that La Varenne's first training was in the kitchens of Marie de Medici. At the time his books were published, La Varenne had ten years' experience as chef de cuisine to Nicolas Chalon du Blé, Marquis of Uxelles (marquis d'Uxelles in French), to whom he dedicated his publications and whom he immortalized in duxelles, finely-minced mushrooms seasoned with herbs and shallots, which is still a favourite flavouring for fish and vegetables. The Marquis of Uxelles was the royal governor of Chalon-sur-Saône, thought by some to be the birthplace of La Varenne.

Le Cuisinier françois was reprinted in 1983, published by Editions Montalba and edited by Jean-Marie Flandrin, Philip Hyman and Mary Hyman with a comprehensive introductory essay.

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