Piano Lab Program

Piano Lab

In the fall of 2016, we launched Stonehaven's piano lab program to be incorporated into the school's academic program. Stonehaven believes music is central to worship and therefore central to the education of a child. This initiative is a key component to the Board of Trustees strategic goal to develop a "leading fine arts program" at Stonehaven. In the initial phase, all students in first and second grade will have piano class integrated into their academic program two days a week for 20-30 minutes each session. This will result in approximately 30 hours of instructional time during the year for each student. In addition, private lessons and group lessons are provided as after school enrichment programs.

Learning to play the piano provides fundamental skills helpful when learning other musical instruments, composing music, or learning music theory. Music is good for a child's soul and therefore learning to play the piano can be a joyful and beautiful experience. This program is vitally connected to the school's mission to cultivate truth, goodness and beauty in students. Playing the piano can be very easy for young children and best learned when a child (consistent with the grammar stage of classical education). A student that has learned to play the piano, even in a basic way, must learn the basics of reading music. This ability will benefit the child in every area of music.

The long-term goal is to see our students gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for music through their experience learning the piano. As the music program continues to develop we will look to grow our music program even more with increased instructional time for both choral and instrumental music.


Project Description

[ stak ]

One table, four chairs, one idiot (er…daring acrobat) balancing on top. The act evolves as the chairs are stacked in ever higher and more complicated patterns. The chairs have been designed to let them stack together in a unique way, creating a new twist on a traditional act.

Performance Options

Feature Act

Ambiance Act

Solo Act

Duo Act


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G. mohair or reindeer hair) also are used to virtue in blends for the construction of lighting tricks (Flensberg and Hammers). opposed Animalization remedy to confer wool-like homes on regenerated cellulosic fibres with the purpose of constructing an affinity for wool dyes. accomplished by way of making compatible additions to the spinning resolution (e. g. proteins, glue, casein, gelatine) or, on the other hand, in the course of the addition of, or an aftertreatment with, ethyleneimine and at last carbon disulphide (CS2). one other procedure comprises a causticizing therapy with a 25% caustic soda answer containing an addition of β-aminoethylsulphuric acid. Anionic Salts dissociate in water to offer a definitely charged hydrated cation and a negatively charged hydrated anion in order that such ideas are electrically conductive. If, within the presence of an anode or cathode (direct present) the anions and cations migrate, they're energetic, i. e. they've got an affinity for every of the other poles: anions migrate to the absolutely charged pole and are for this reason anion-active (anionic). contrary time period → Cationic. Anionic-cationic compounds → Electrically impartial compounds. Anionic dyes → Dye ions. Anionic exchanger → Ion exchanger. Anionic retarders are retarding brokers with dye affinity and are utilized in the dyeing of polyacrylonitrile fibres with cationic dyes. → Retarders. Anionics contraction for anionic energetic → Surfactants (Anionic floor lively agents). Anionic surface-active compounds → Surface-active compounds, having one or numerous useful teams which ionize in aqueous way to shape negatively charged natural ions which are liable for surface-activity. Anionic surfactants Surfactants which are anionactive → Surfactants. Anions → Ions. Anisomorphic (Greek: an = now not, isos = equivalent, morphe = shape/form), non-uniformly configured, unlike → Isomorphic. Anisotropic (Gr. : an = now not, isos = equivalent, tropos = direction), having varied houses in numerous instructions, e. g. the skill of a dye in way to dye in basic terms the fibre floor or basically sure inner areas of the fibre as a result of a number of purposes (fibre constitution, fibre harm, dye features, and so on. ). See additionally → Isotropic. Annealing universal time period for the impression of wet warmth on wool textile. After-stretching of artificial fibres and monofils ordinarily at hot temperature (different looking on fibre variety, use and so forth. , dry, in steam, scorching water and so on. ), aimed toward bettering orientation, as is very very important for tyre wire ply yarns, e. g. through elevated tear energy (in the case of polyamide filaments from approximately forty four to 70–80 cN/tex) and lowered elongation at holiday (from approximately 22 to 12%). Anode →: Electrode; Electrolysis. Anodic oxidation an issue encountered e. g. in yarn package deal dyeing machines. steel dye tubes or package deal spindles develop into oxidized during the anodic motion of 2 diversified metals utilized in the dyeing computing device development, therefore inflicting the next intake of decreasing agent in vat dyeing or untimely oxidation of vat dyes.

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International Cycling Conference 2017 (UBA, GIZ)

Mannheim, Germany

The ICC aims to bring together a better understanding of all fields relevant to the promotion of active mobility, ranging from the determinants of active mobility to the development and impacts of policies and interventions, including the role of culture and governance. The ambition is to create a common framing through exchanging disciplinary perspectives.

The ICC will give a platform to academics and practitioners involved in research and practice related to cycling and active mobility.
As a major aim of the ICC is to bridge the gap between science and practice, two new formats will be introduced to facilitate dialogue between both groups: R4P (Researchers for Practitioners) and P4R (Practitioners for Researchers). Strengthening interdisciplinary networking and transfer of knowledge is crucial in a world today where cycling is gaining momentum.

The call for papers and more information can be found here

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Lack of preparedness for natural disasters

Dhaka,  Fri,  18 August 2017
Published : 11 Aug 2017, 20:43:52

Lack of preparedness for natural disasters

IT indeed makes a sad commentary on the state of affairs that a natural disaster striking the country every time lays bare the country's lack of preparedness. While such disasters occur due to climate change which is beyond anybody's control, most deaths and damages occurred due to apathy and negligence of those assigned to the task of disaster management. Such casualties could have easily been minimised or averted had there been steps like timely eviction or evacuation of vulnerable people. So was the case with the catastrophic landslides in south-eastern districts dotted with hills. Same thing happened with the recent flash floods in Haor areas.

It is not comprehensible why poor and destitute people could still be allowed to build huts on slopes of hills and live there with past records of similar tragedies. How could there be laxity and corruption on the part of the Water Development Board engineers and contractors in repairing breaches of embankments well ahead of any likely flash floods. The two disasters ? mudslides and flash floods compelled the authorities to swing into action for rescue and relief operations. But the question remains why there was laxity in taking preventive measures, remains to be explained.

The monsoon, a season of rains and floods, has just set in. Preparedness, if any, by the relevant authorities in dealing with disasters is conspicuous by its absence. There might also be further landslides in hilly districts, as experts have warned in a report published in the FE on Saturday. An internationally-acclaimed expert has warned that the intensity of rainfall will go up in the hilly areas of Chittagong in the days to come due to climate change. Higher intensity of precipitation will occur in a shorter period of time, causing more devastating landsides.

Bangladesh deserves praise for highlighting the country's vulnerability to recurrent natural disasters due to climate change. But then huge loss of lives and damage to property due to disasters like landslides, flash floods and cyclones is yet to prompt the authorities to declare disaster preparedness a top national priority. The Ministry of Disaster Management is seemingly not strong enough with expertise and funds to deal with disasters effectively. There could also be a devastating earthquake, warned experts. But then where is the preparedness to deal with it? Hundreds of seminars and symposiums were held in the recent past to highlight the immediate need to demolish vulnerable buildings but to no avail.

The country has paid heavily for natural disasters in the past. According to the Comprehensive Disaster Management Program (CDMP), the country experienced over 200 natural disasters since 1980, leaving a total death toll of approximately 200,000 people and causing economic loss worth nearly $17 billion. Every year, Bangladesh incurs 1.8 per cent of GDP loss due to natural disasters. It is estimated that 14 per cent of the GDP is exposed to disasters. After the devastating cyclone of 1991, the concept of response, acting only after the occurrence, has undergone a total change towards response, recovery, rehabilitation and prevention, mitigation and preparedness. But there is still a long way to go before putting all of it into practice.

Arafat Hossain Shozol

East West University

Rampura, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Editor : A.H.M Moazzem Hossain
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The most stressful part of travel for me is pulling out of the kennel parking lot after dropping off Lexie Lee. But I have boarded my cats over a thirty-year period at the same place; therefore, I am confident that my personal objectives of safety of the cat and of a professional, caring staff are met. Here are my recommendations if you have decided to board your cat.

Just as you would interview a pet sitter before hiring, you should visit prospective kennels.  You will want to meet the staff, see where your cat will be boarded, and notice the condition of the other animals. You will want to take note of the cage sizes and their proximity to dogs as well as the air quality, lighting, noise level, and cleanliness. All of your observations on these factors will help you determine if you have found the right kennel to trust with the safety and care of your cat.

Although some cats are stressed in kennels, you can take the following steps to help minimize the change in environment. If you do all you can to recreate the cat’s familiar setting, the cat will be less prone to stress.

1.  Take your cat’s favorite bed or blanket or even a piece of your clothing for the animal to sleep on—Lexie Lee likes to sleep in her kennel carrier on a soft towel. We remove the door, but put the whole case in the cage. She feels safe in the smaller area, but is free to move into the cage whenever she wants.

2.  Toss a favorite toy in the carrying case—I opt for a supply of Lexie Lee’s catnip.

2.  Take your cat’s regular food to minimize risk of tummy upsets from different food. For example, I measure out a sufficient quantity of food in zipped bags for the duration of Lexie Lee’s stay.

4.  Take your cat’s brand of litter so the cat does not refuse to use the litter box because it smells different

When interviewing the kennel, you should ask about the policy on bringing bedding, food, and litter before you show up with it.

What does your boarding kennel do for your cat that minimizes stress?

Bountiful Blessings!


FEB 03, 2016 01:38 PM PST
POSTED BY: James V. Kohl
1 8 193

Chemical ecology drives adaptive evolution via 1) ecological niche construction, 2) social niche construction, 3) neurogenic niche construction, and 4) socio-cognitive niche construction (Kohl, 2012). Nutrients are metabolized to pheromones that condition effects on hormones that affect behavior in the same way that food odors condition behavior associated with food preferences. For example: glucose (Roland and Moenter, 2011) and pheromones alter the secretion of gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) and luteinizing hormone (LH). Across species comparisons of epigenetic effects on genetically predisposed nutrient-dependent and hormone-driven invertebrate and vertebrate social and sexual behavior indicate that human pheromones alter the development of the brain and behavior via the same molecular mechanisms (Krubitzer & Seelke, 2012), which are conserved across all species.

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Mike Schreiber

" Creativity is being open. Being true to yourself and navigating the world on your own terms.
Creativity is not being afraid to fail and being happy with yourself even when you do.
Creativity is being yourself at four years old.
Creativity is fearlessness and seeing nothing but possibilities.
Creativity is inventing the life you want to live and living it.
With real creativity comes real freedom."

-Mike Schreiber (photographer)


A simple photomontage from Natalie's Bed and Breakfast fits together a number of images of Natalie Lambert to present them together.

A collage from Lady Nay's Forever Knight Site blends images of Janette DuCharme into the background to unify the new work of art.

A collage from LadyKnight's Forever Knight Site blends images of Nick Knight's opposing natures against the Toronto skyline, thus combining a Forever Knight theme in the background as well.

A "collage" is a form of art (primarily in the visual arts) that is made from an assemblage of different pieces, thus creating a new whole.

For an alphabetical list of Forever Knight fan websites that include collage art, please see Collage collections.

The origins of collage can be traced back hundreds of years, but the technique made a dramatic reappearance in the early twentieth century as a novelty art form that became a distinctive part of modern art. The term "collage" therefore dates from that period, when it was separately coined by both Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso. In general terms, collages of this type may include newspaper clippings, ribbons, bits of colored or hand-made papers, portions of other artwork, photographs, or other found objects which are glued to a background piece of paper or canvas.

Most collages made by Forever Knight fans are photomontages—a particular type of collage that creates a composite photograph by cutting and joining a number of other photographs. In the case of Forever Knight collages, the photographs involved are screen captures and/or publicity photos from the television series. Image-editing software is used to do this in a technique that is referred to by professionals as "compositing".

Collage techniques are often employed by fans in the creation of titles, banners, icons, and wallpaper. Subjects may be general; but typically the photos chosen focus on one particular character or relationship. By combining several pictures, the artist is able to show various and multiple aspects of their nature at the same time. The pictures are often displayed on a solid or textured background; but it is also common for a Forever Knight-related background image to be employed.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article on Collage.

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Silica Aerogel (Uncommon in commercial & residential applications)

10 - silica aerogel

Aerogel is a manufactured porous solid consisting almost entirely of gas (air) with a very fine latticework of solid material in a spherical shape. This solid material makes up anywhere from one to five percent of the volume of the aerogel. Despite the name aerogels do not contain a gel; though they begin life as a material matrix with liquid (gel) supporting the lattice.

Aerogel is available for some high-performance applications, but due to its high cost, it has not been widely used. However, new research offers the potential to drastically reduce the cost of producing aerogel, and could lead to new possibilities for its use as a building and insulation material.

Aerogels can be destroyed by water.

Working with aerogel, as with many other insulating materials, requires attention to health and safety, including avoidance of inhalation of aerogel dust.

Additional information sources cited:


Private Residence, Balearic Islands

This breathtaking island beach house includes a huge terrace that spans the width of the property and leads down to the pool. The colour palette is neutral but infused with a variety of textures, such as rope cord on the sofas. A dining area was created at one end of the terrace, while sofas that sit in front of the the glazing had to be low as not to obstruct the view of the sea from the living spaces. Instead of armchairs, poufs were used to create a relaxed, versatile seating.

Private Residence, Balearic Islands

Private Residence, Balearic Islands - Designer: Fiona Barratt

Furniture for this project had to be fit for purpose. Salty air meant the outdoor furniture had to be made to survive the elements. It also needed to be light enough to move.

Baleric Island Res 2
Baleric Island Res 3


Machine Quilting Guide

Machine Quilting Pricing

The pricing structure is based on the complexity of the quilting which is requested and the size of the quilt top itself.

The prices below are in New Zealand dollars.

Calculating the size of the quilt top
To calculate the size of the quilt top you measure the length and width of the quilt in inches and multiply it to get a figure based on a square inches.
For example: The length of the top is 60 inches and the width is 50 inches.
Multiply 65 x 50 and come up with a figure of 300 square inches

To give you an idea a 1 sq.ft = 12 sq.inch = 30,5 sq,cm

Once the size of the quilt top is calculated then the cost of the quilting is going to be dependent on how complex you want the quilting design to be, this is based on the prices below:
Edge to Edge, this is the most simple of quilting and is the same design quilted edge to edge and all over the quilt. This is quite often called a Pantograph, and can be very cost effective for utility quilts that are going to get heavy use.
Simple all over quilting eg. all over meander  (may have hearts, loops, stars etc mixed in with the meander)
From $4.00 per square inch

from $4.50 per square inch
Custom quilting eg. quilting designs to suit the quilt top and may include meandering, stippling, background fills, echoing or feathering etc
from $5.50 per square inch
Heirloom quilting eg. for sampler quilts where each block, borders or sashes require different quilting to enhance the piecework of the quilt and will often include: Stitch In The Ditch, Micro Stippling, Background fills, and Cross Hatching requires a different design, and multiple thread changes.
This type of quilting requires skill and experience and can be very time consuming
from $9.00 per square inch
Turning charge (where a border or block design requires the quilt be "turned" so the flow of the design can continue) $10.00
Preparation charge eg. Where the backing needs joining, or where I have to "prepare" quilt top and/or backing in order to get it loaded onto the machine.  $25.00 per hour
Batting: I stock both Hobbs Cotton Blend, 240cm wide and Hobbs Polydown  or you can supply your own. Please contact me prior to bringing your batting in as some batting are not suitable for using on the longarm.
Backing Unfortunately at this time I do not carry full  backing widiths but do have some smaller lengths that can be pieced into backings if necessary.

$25 per hour
Minimum charge: $75

Threads: I stock Coats, Superior, Wonderfil or Signature threads, depending on colours available and/or your preference. Please ask when you bring your quilt in and we can discuss further the thread charges.

Needle: There is a $8 new needle and thread charge for each quilt top.  This includes around 300 yards of thread (about 3 bobbins worth). .

 Please have at the Questions and Answers page for more explanations.

This all looks very complicated but it really isn't.  However, I am happy to explain it by email or if you would prefer or call me to make a time for a consultation when we can discuss everything in person.
I will accept cash, and Bank deposit within New Zealand.   Any postage or courier charges are at your cost.

NB: These prices are as at 23rd March 2014 and are subject to change.


Tuesday, 5 January 2016

What is Science?

Science Methods

Science methods is the pool of techniques used to investigate new knowledge. Which is based on measurable evidence.

Steps to scientific method:

1. Ask a Question
2. Do a Background Research
3. Construct a Hypothesis
4. Test Your Hypothesis
5. Analyze Data
6. Draw a Conclusion
7. Communicate your Results

As scientist study how nature works, engineers create new things.


china tour contact

Inner Mongolian Naadam Grassland Festival

Naadam-festivalMongols, as one of Chinese 56 ethnic minorities, live on the vast grasslands in the north. They are a mighty nomadic people, the descendants of Genghis Khan. They like riding and shooting, so it is called the nationality on the horse. Milk wine, milk tea, and dairy product are the favorite drinking for them. The Mongolian national holiday Naadam is celebrated in Mongolia each year on 11 July. Naadam is a Mongolian word meaning "game" or "entertainment", The Mongolian people celebrate this festival to express their pleasure for the harvest.  During the festival, milk drinking is an indispensable part of the festival celebrations. But the festival is not just a time for enjoying milk. It has profound sports significance. “Eriin gurvan naadam” the three manly games of wrestling, horse racing, and archery- make up the core activities of the National day festivals.

Grassland in the Inner Mongolia is the representation of its natural beauty. The best time to visit the grassland is definitely during the traditional Mongolian Nadam Festival period when there is a better chance to both participate and feel the lively atmosphere of the grassland life.

The Naadam Festival develops from the "Ji’ao’bao", which means the sacrifice activities. It is a distinctive event created by Mongolian people in their long-term of nomadic life. According to the Stone Inscriptions about Genghis Khan, the festival originated at AD1206, the establishment of Mongol khanate. At that time, Genghis Khan was the ruler of the Mongol Empire. He reviews his troops and responsible for the maintenance and distribution of pasture. To enhance the unity, he called the tribal leaders together to hold a party to express the friendship and pray for the next year harvest between July and August. At first, there was only one activity - Wrestling, Horse-race or the Archery. In Yuan and Ming dynasty, these three major competitions had been combined. That is the origin of Naadam Festival.

Horse Racing

The third element of the national games is archery. Five lines engraved on an ancient Mongolian target immortalize the phenomenal record of Yesuhei- baatar, saying that his arrow hit the target at a distance of 536 meters. The bow is an ancient invention going back to the Mesolithic Period. Ancient Mongolians made their contribution to the design of the bow as a combat weapon.

Experiencing Naadam and the Inner Mongolian grasslands is best done with one of our Inner Mongolia tours. Why not contact our travel agent for a tour in Inner Mongolia?

Please Ask Your Question About travel information Here!
       or You can directly E-mail to:


Mylonite is a foliated metamorphic rock that is composed of intensely flattened minerals in a fine-grained streaked matrix. Mylonites form deep in the crust where temperature and pressure are high enough for the rocks to deform plastically (ductile deformation). Mylonites form in shear zones where rocks are deformed because of the very high strain rate. Mylonites contain porphyroclasts. These are crystals that existed before the process of mylonitization began, but have survived with lots of strain damage. They are ovoidal or stretched and are surrounded by finer and even more deformed mineral grains. Mylonitic rocks with porphyroclasts are often described as having a flaser fabric.

Mylonite is a fine-grained rock that containes intensely flattened minerals. A boulder on the coast of Varanger Peninsula in Norway.

Mylonites are foliated, but the foliation is generally passive. It means that the foliation is not controlling how the rock breaks. In this way mylonitic rocks resemble gneiss and are distinct from schist, slate, and phyllite which tend to break along the foliation plane.1

The rock is called protomylonite if the porphyroclasts make up more than half of the rock volume and ultramylonite if almost all the porphyroclasts are gone (less than 10% have survived). In the latter case the matrix grains are so small that the rock may even resemble chert.

Mylonitic fabric forms as a result of both destructive and constructive processes. The first is responsible for the plastic deformation and the latter for the recrystallisation which gives an impression that the rock has been semi-molten and flowing under very heavy stress. Mylonites may occur as thin sheets in relatively unmetamorphosed rocks (see the pictures below) or they may encompass broad zones several kilometers thick.

‘Mylonite’ as a term is not new. It was coined by Charles Lapworth in the late 1800s who described mylonitic rocks from the Moine thrust in Scotland. But the interpretation how these rocks were formed has changed. It was generally believed that mylonite is a result of intense brecciation (brittle pulverization). The name originates from the Greek language (mylon – to mill). Nowadays we believe that instead of milling mylonitization is a result of ductile deformation and the discovery of plate tectonics has given us a framework to understand where and how these rocks can form – deep in the crust where rocks are hot and there are movements between crustal blocks, but the rocks are too plastic to deform by faulting. The process higher in the upper crust where rocks are brittle is called cataclasis. That we can indeed describe as a certain type of brecciation that results in lots of broken rock fragments and generally increased volume of the fractured rock body because of induced voids between the fragments.

Mylonites with larger grain size are sometimes described as gneisses and very fine-grained ultramylonites may resemble slate. Mylonites usually have a quartzo-feldspathic protolith (like granite or gneiss) although they may originate from any rock type. The temperature has to be at least 250-300°C for the mylonitization to take place (for quartzo-feldspathic rock). This is enough for quartz to flow while feldspar still resists dislocation creep and slide and retains its former shape more successfully as strained porphyroclasts. 450°C is enough for feldspar to go through dynamic recrystallization as well.2

The photos below are from western Norway near the small village of Flatraket. There is an igneous intrusion surrounded by gneisses and also eclogites here and there. Especially eclogites were the reason why I visited this part of Norway and I managed to get some really nice pictures which I hope to demonstrate in the near future. The igneous intrusion is composed of mangerite according to the Norwegian bedrock map4. Mangerite is an orthopyroxene-bearing monzonite, but in this case it seems to contain a little too much quartz and alkali feldspar which makes it actually quartz syenite. It may be completely inappropriate to use the term mangerite in this case because according to Lappin et. al.3 this rock contains clinopyroxene, not orthopyroxene.

But in this article the composition of the protolith is not that important. What struck me when I walked into a roadside quarry (where I just hoped to find a good hand sample of mangerite) were narrow and very intense zones of mylonitization. In the end, I got no proper mangerite, but found something entirely different but no less interesting. Here are the pictures from the Flatraket quarry:

quartz syenite rock surface
Large orthoclase ovoids in a matrix composed of plagioclase, quartz, clinopyroxene, garnet, and ore minerals.3

rapakivi texture
It turned out that the rock has a rapakivi texture. At least some orthoclase ovoids are surrounded by plagioclase rims – a texture very familiar to me as the type locality of these rocks is in southeastern Finland. Not far from my home.

Quartz syenite
Here is a larger view with a hammer for scale.

Something is going on here. The rock is clearly oriented and orthoclase porphyroclasts have tails (recrystallized mineral matter). The ovoids have even grown bigger which makes this rock a blastomylonite (recrystallization has increased the volume of porphyroclasts).

More intense mylonitization…

Mylonitic rock surface
and even more. Now we are really talking about heavily stretched rocks.

But it gets much better. Here you can see more intensely mylonitized rock zones and relatively undeformed syenite.

Some mylonite bands are so fine-grained that are approaching ultramylonite in appearance.

Mylonitic zones may be only few centimeters in width.

Another narrow band of mylonite within an almost unstrained igneous rock.

And more ultramylonite (or approaching that) in the lower part of the deformed zone.

Mylonite and undeformed rock
Quartz syenite with mylonite.

Mylonites from other localities

Mylonite with large (largest is over 10 cm) K-feldspar porphyroclasts. Sør-Trøndelag, Norway.

1. Best, Myron G. (2002). Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology, 2nd Edition. Wiley-Blackwell.
2. Simpson, Carol (2007). Mylonite. In: McGraw Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology, 10th Edition. McGraw-Hill. Volume 11. 585-586.
3. Lappin, Michael A., Pidgeon, Robert T. & Van Breemen, Otto (1979). Geochronology of basal gneisses and mangerite syenites of Stadlandet, west Norway. Norsk Geologisk Tidsskrift. Vol. 59, pp. 161-181.
4. Bedrock map of Norway.

1 comment to Mylonite

  • dr.peter b. smith

    I appreciate the care and expertise that went into this description of the mylonites.


Why am I an editor?

As an editor, I hope to use this blog to criticise and analyze news within print and digital. Editing is no simple task. Before content goes to press, it has to be polished, edited and vetoed several times, so being able to identify and be critical of content is an important skill to have. So, I hope to use this blog to identify the mistakes and be a critical consumer of news.

My goal in creating this blog is to expose readers to the complexity of editorial decisions that go into creating accurate content.  It is also to expose and criticize editorial mistakes as a learning experience. Lastly, I hope to highlight the importance of being editors or just critical news consumers.

As a news junkie, I get my daily scoops from several news outlets such as the New York Times, the Gazette Cedar Rapids, the Slate and the Atlantic to name a few. However, it is vital that I don’t just be a passive consumer, but actively engage in critical thinking by questioning the material that I’m taking in.

I might not stick with these news agencies throughout this semester because I really enjoy reading different kinds of materials. I may at times, choose to especially pay close attention to topics involving education, social issues, data journalism and crime because of my interest in these fields.

Through my blog, you will find factual errors, typos, poor decisions, bad sentence structure and organization, misleading headlines. Most importantly, you will come to realize how important editors are!


The Best Ways to Soothe Your Sunburn

Whip out the aloe vera

Take a cold shower or bath

Stay out of the sun!

How to Have a Rad Spring Break at Home

Hello spring breakers! That infamous season is almost here. It’s one long week of wild, crazy, totally uncensored mayhem for college students to take full advantage of.

Some of you will undoubtedly be jetting off to popular destinations like Cancun, Miami, Jamaica, or the Bahamas. But what about those of us who are going to be stuck in the middle of nowhere, passing the days in our podunk hometowns? This year, I’m one of them.

Do not despair, my fellow staycationers. There is still hope on the horizon for rad times right at home. I have taken the liberty of planning out five days worth of mind-blowingly fabulous activities to sprinkle throughout your week at home, in between Netflix binge sessions and staring into the abyss, of course. I guarantee you’ll have just as much fun as your friends in palm tree paradise and all without damaging your liver!

Day 1: Beach Trip!

beach bonfire

The best way to kick off spring break is at the beach, no matter where that beach may be. If you live on or near the coast, you can probably find one within an hour of you. I know East Coasters like me will say that the beach is too cold in March, but have a little faith and you just might have more fun than you expect. And if where you call home has no beach access short of a plane ride, well, you’ll have to improvise. Are there bodies of water near you, like a lake or a river? Don’t write it off just because you think it isn’t “beachy” enough. Even a local pond can be a beach if you use your imagination like the great prophet, Spongebob, commandeth (though you don’t have to sit in a cardboard box.) Grab a beach towel, an umbrella to stick in the “sand,” some snacks and a cool, refreshing beverage. If the spirit moves you, I suppose you can even be “that guy” and bring along an obnoxiously large stereo to provide the necessary beach jams. On the east coast it might not be quite warm enough to wear a swimsuit, so this is where the imagination comes in. Bring along a bunch of friends, build a bonfire, wrap up in some blankets and feel the imaginary salt air on your face.

Day 2: Let’s Get Crafty

painted mason jar

Picture me rubbing my hands together maniacally as I prepare to plunge you into the magical universe that lies in the heart of the world wide web: Pinterest. I believe that there are three types of people in this world: those that love Pinterest and devote far too much time to it, those that vehemently reject Pinterest and all that it stands for and those who have not yet discovered it.

I have personally spent many an hour on Pinterest, scouring DIY craft ideas, home decor and yummy recipe boards alike. This fascinating website can improve your life in the realms of organization, creativity, time management, decorative skills, and more. One DIY craft I’ve always wanted to try is painting mason jars. There are endless possibilities for these cult-favorite drinking vessels–you can even make cute little herb gardens. Just type “craft ideas” into the search bar and you will embark on a wild ride.

Day 3: Nature Walk

nature walk

It’s time to put on your hiking boots (or at least some old sneakers you don’t mind getting dirt on) and become one with nature. If you live in a town full of boy scouts like I do, there are lots of mapped out trails all over town to explore. If not, you can probably find some kind of park or wildlife refuge not far from you. If you’re from the city, a public park works just fine, too. In the middle of a long week at home, it’s nice to go explore places you never knew existed. Bring some friends with you and walk around in the trees. You might even see some birds or other animals you never noticed before.

Just make sure to be safe–tell someone where you’re going and pay attention to where you are so you don’t get lost.

Day 4: Pillow Fort!

blanket fort

Harken back to the days of your youth for the fluffiest, coziest day yet. It’s time to build a fort the likes of which you’ve never seen. The location can vary, but in your room would probably be most courteous to other members of the house. I used to build them in the living room and sadly they all got dismantled before their time. But you’re an adult now! Not only do you have the freedom to do with your bedroom what you wish, but you also have sharper engineering skills! Gone are the days of forts caving in due to poor foundation laying. You’re gonna do it right this time.

Once you’ve assembled the ultimate pillow fort, it’s time to bring in supplies. Snacks and drinks (when was the last time you had a Capri Sun?), adult coloring books, movies and books. If you’re the type, you could sit in there all day and read an entire novel. Or just watch “Napoleon Dynamite” all the way through. You are the king of the castle: the world is yours.

Day 5: Spa Day

As Donna and Tom from “Parks and Recreation” once said: treat yo’ self. That’s right, this day is dedicated entirely to your comfort and leisure. The best part is that everything you need to make this fantasy a reality can be found right in your mother’s cabinets! You don’t even have to spend a dime. You just need a big ol’ tub, some simple household ingredients, a bathrobe, towel, and lots of bubbles.

The options for spa time are really endless, but my personal favorite is to draw a hot bath, put on some relaxing tunes, slather on a face mask and hang out in the bubbles for a while. Here’s a simple recipe for a fool-proof, soothing and moisturizing face mask:

¼ cup plain yogurt

2 tablespoons honey

1 ripe banana

All you have to do is cleanse your face, mash up that banana, mix it in with the yogurt and honey and smooth that gooey deliciousness all over your countenance. Leave it on for about ten minutes. If you want to get fancy, you can steam-open your pores before applying the mask by leaning over the tub as it fills with hot water. You can also add cooked oatmeal to the mask for more calming benefits. When you’re ready to take it off, rinse with cold water to close those pores back up! Then slip on a bathrobe and parade around in your slippers while continuing to treat yo’ self into oblivion!

The ‘Sconset Bluff Walk in Photos

As I’ve written about previously, I have a penchant for exploring how the one percent lives without having to spend any money of my own. Public pathways like the Newport Cliff Walk and the lesser-known Sconset Bluff Walk are the perfect way to do this.

Located on the island of Nantucket in the town of Siasconset, the Bluff Walk is a much more intimate experience than the Cliff Walk. Nearly unadvertised, the only official sign for the Bluff Walk is a stone post marked “Public Way.” No concrete path or tourism fanfare; just a beaten dirt path with views of the Atlantic on your right and the “quaint” summer homes of millionaires on your left.

A Day Trip to Newport

Despite being a town known for its outrageous amounts of wealth, Newport is a place that offers visitors plenty of opportunities to experience that affluence without losing their own. I went to Newport without spending a penny. Sites like the Newport Harbor, the Cliff Walk and Ocean Avenue let people take in the glorious splendor of Newport, RI from it’s Gilded Age history to its identity as an East Coast beach hot spot.

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A Day Trip to Nahant

Despite being located on the ocean, there are few places (or at least not enough for me) to get to the open water from public transport in Boston. As I studied the coastline of Boston from Google Maps I came upon Nahant, a small mass of land jutting off from Lynn. I was fascinated. In the words of Liz Lemon, “I want[ed] to go to there.”

When I told my mom I wanted to visit Nahant, she didn’t respond kindly. Instead, she quipped with an overdone Masshole accent, “Ya wanna go to Naah-hahnt?” She grew up on the South Shore, but since living in Minnesota for the past twenty something years, she has most definitely lost her accent. I had been pronouncing it Na-hant (hant as in can’t) before I had talked to my mother, so maybe getting the help of a local is not so bad after all.

Separated by a spit of land, Nahant is an island with an area of one square mile with about 3,500 people. Native Americans originally called it “Nahanten”, meaning “twins or two things united.” It was settled in 1630 by Puritans and officially incorporated as a municipality in 1853.

Houses on the edge of Nahant Beach.
Houses on the edge of Nahant Beach.

It takes less than ten minutes to drive down the main street, Nahant Road, from the mainland off to the end of the island. As soon as we entered the town, we realized the local charm was turned up to the max. All of the makings of a classic New England community can be found here: 17th century houses, American flags, historic churches and town halls.

Houses in Nahant.
Houses in Nahant.

On the outermost tip of the island is Castle Rock, an inlet that seemed like it belonged in Maine. We were all in disbelief that something like this was 25 minutes north of Boston.

Canoe Beach in Castle Rock.
Canoe Beach in Castle Rock.

Unfortunately for us (and for all tourists,) the accompanying beach is “for residents only.” Still, it was definitely worth a drive down and I would recommend a bike ride for anyone visiting.

View of Castle Rock from a park bench.
View of Castle Rock from a park bench.

One thing to note about the geography of the island is that it is very hilly. There were multiple instances where we thought we’d drive straight into the ocean.

Side street in Nahant.
Side street in Nahant.

The aptly named Marginal Road is a perfect example of this. There is nothing protecting your downward car from the depths of the ocean except for a few rocks, so reckless drivers beware. Nahant is not the place to fool around. Driving down every road, I wondered how anyone was able to make it through the past winter.

Marginal Road.
Marginal Road.

Great views of the Boston skyline and Revere Beach can be found on the southern side.

The Boston Skyline, from the Bayside Room.
The Boston Skyline, from the Bayside Room.

Local businesses are scattered around the island, but reflect the town’s sense of pride. With names like Nahant Convenience Store, Nahant Seafood, Nahant Deli, you really know where you are in this place. The most popular restaurant is Tides Bar, which sits right atop Nahant Beach. It features family style dining and reasonably priced meals with a view.

The exterior of Tides Bar.
The exterior of Tides Bar.
Inside the restaurant: views of Nahant Beach and the open ocean can be seen from here.

The only chain store on the Island is a Dunkin’ Donuts, but even that was renamed to Dunkin’ Donuts Cafe in order to keep with the quaint vibes of the town.

Not your neighborhood Dunkin'.
Not your typical neighborhood Dunkin’.

If you’re looking for a place to spend a quiet day away from the city, Nahant is the perfect mini-vacation.

Nahant Beach.
Nahant Beach.

Getting there from Boston? Car most recommended. While there were plenty of bus stops lining the main road and one could walk the entire island in three hours, getting there is the main difficulty. It is possible to get there by public transport, but it takes about an hour longer, plus multiple transfers from T to bus.

The Best Beaches Around Boston

Boston summers get hot and the best way to beat the Boston summer heat is to hit the beach! There are lots of beautiful beaches close to the city and many of them are just a T ride away! I know that’s my favorite way to spend a summer day.

Revere Beach

This historic beach is a classic choice for anyone on the T. Right on Revere Beach Boulevard, you can easily access it by the blue line and multiple bus lines. There is a lot of free parking on the street next to the beach, but that can fill up by noon or so. The beach boasts two miles of sand, so there’s room even on the busiest, crowded summer days. There are lifeguards on duty for the summer.

This is one of my favorite city beaches. It’s clean, easy to get to and they have a great ice cream shop! Along the beach there are a variety of places to eat including Twist and Shake, Kelly’s Roast Beef and Bianchi’s Pizza. Make sure to stop by between July 24 and July 26 for the annual Sand Sculpting Festival, where people make really amazing things out of sand.

Crane Beach

Crane is one of the most beautiful beaches in New England. Located in Ipswich, MA, its five miles of coastline filled with tide pools, sand bars, salt marshes and dozens of types of animals. There are also more than five miles of trails on the beach and throughout the surrounding area. If you want to spend a little more time there, visit the historic Castle Hill with tours of the Great House and even a Casino complex.

Parking is $20-$25 and free after 5 p.m. You can also get there by taking the commuter rail to Ipswich and taking the Ipswich Essex Explorer. The Crane Beach Store sells food and merchandise.

Carson Beach

Carson is another great beach right in South Boston. It’s easily accessible by the red line at JFK/UMass or by multiple buses. There is also free parking. The beach has volleyball and bocce courts and even chess tables. The three-mile beach has a great view of the harbor. In addition to the sand and sea, you can visit the historic defensive fortress at Castle Island, Old Harbor and Joe Moakley Park.

Good Harbor

This beach is the one to go to if you want to enjoy the great outdoors and a little more peace and quiet than the city beaches. Good Harbor is in Gloucester, MA, about 45 minutes out of Boston. The area around the beach is pretty quiet, but they do have a concession stand for food and other beach gear. Lifeguards are on duty from Memorial Day Weekend until Labor Day, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., however the beach is open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Good Harbor is often colder than some of the other Massachusetts beaches I’ve been to, but the water is so clear and blue. There are even waves big enough to surf, but surfboards aren’t allowed during lifeguard hours.

There is less public transportation around that area, so you’re best off driving to this one. There is a commuter rail line that goes to Gloucester, but the CATA buses don’t run often from the station to the beach. Parking is $20-$25, but if you go after 4 p.m. you can park for free.

Hampton Beach

Hampton Beach is a little farther than the rest, but definitely worth it. It’s an hour drive from Boston to the beach in New Hampshire, but there’s so much to do, you could spend the whole day there anyway. It’s very hard to get there by public transportation, so driving is the easiest option. The beach itself is beautiful, but it will get crowded. Parking is $2.00 per hour at Hampton Beach’s central parking lot.

There are lots of shops, restaurants and hotels within walking distance, so even if you’re not a fan of the beach, there’s plenty to keep you busy. They also have a sand sculpting contest running from June 18 through June 20. There are movies every Monday night, fireworks every Wednesday night and free outdoor concerts most other nights during the summer.

Life in a Resort Town

Swifts Beach on a hot summer day, Wareham, Mass.
By Boston Public Library, Swifts Beach on a hot summer day, Wareham, Mass., under Creative Commons 2.0 Generic License.

Now that Memorial Day weekend has come and gone, summer is officially here. If you live on the East Coast, you may find yourself traveling to some summer hot spots such as Martha’s Vineyard, Newport or Atlantic City. While staying there for a week or two in the summer may be fun, living in these places is a whole different experience.

According to a government report on resorts in British Columbia, a resort town can be defined as “an area where tourism or vacationing is the primary component of the local culture and economy.” During the “on” season, resort towns are the best places to live and make a living. During the “off” season, they can be the worst.

For two years now, I’ve been fortunate enough to call myself a “seasonal resident” of Cape Cod. Cape Cod isn’t a resort town per say, but rather an entire resort peninsula. It is a 65 mile tourist haven with 77 beaches and hundreds of local businesses whose population in the summer surges from the permanent 200,000 to the seasonal 500,000.

The town I stay in during the summer can be classified as a resort town. Streets aren’t lined with a variety of local businesses but can instead be summed up in two industries: hospitality and food. Because of this, resort towns are a hotbed of job activity. I remember frantically applying for any job I could find last year in late June, and getting about ten interviews in a week.

“Lazy summer days” is a term that does not apply here. On the Cape, there is always something to do; whether it’s mini-golfing, sailing, shopping, dining or just beaching it, you get the sense that everyone is go-go-going all the time. The only time anything stops is when it rains; rainy days aren’t just considered a pity here, but can be called an economic loss for many businesses.

Summer holidays that usually bring people together, such as the Fourth of July, are the worst days of the working year for resort towns. If you’ve ever wondered what a highway would look like if it were transformed to a parking lot, try driving down Route 28 during any time of the day on July 4th. The few local grocery stores’ stock of hot dogs and hamburgers are wiped out at least three days prior to the holiday. This is true for all major summer resort towns. If you’ve ever wondered how nice would it be to spend the Fourth in [insert summer resort town destination here.] It’s not. If you’ve ever wondered about trying this, don’t worry, you’re actually saving yourself a lot of trouble by not going.

You will know a Cape Cod local if you ever meet one. They are extremely proud of the Cape, but also extremely over it. If you mention an attraction, they have most definitely been there and still don’t get what the hype is. And yes, despite it being their main source of income, they absolutely despise tourists. Yet, no one loves the Cape like the locals do. They stay here, year in and year out, through snow, hurricanes, slow economic times and boredom.

While tourists are the very reason Cape Cod survives in the summer, they are also the bane of its existence. They are the cause of ruin for everything: the clogged roads, the eroding dunes, the strewn litter everywhere. Even if they’re not, they are. Working in the restaurant industry, I can tell you some of the worst encounters I’ve had have been with tourists using the mentality that you can treat people terribly because you’ll never see them again.

(While we’re on that note: Why do people think it’s acceptable to be rude to people just because they know they’ll never see them again? First off, you don’t know that for certain, secondly it’s never ok to be rude.)

But there are benefits to living here.

I’ve known people who make their year’s worth of living in four months, leaving them three seasons to spend recuperating. The job opportunities created by tourism allow a variety of people to make money: international citizens, locals and college students like me. And, most importantly, when I need to sweat and commiserate after my summer job, I don’t do it at my house: I can do it at the beach down my street.

Ideal Beach Weather

Whether rocky, sandy or jagged coastline, beaches are always an ideal spot for summer downtime. Even the landlocked states vacation on coastlines to experience the wonderful climate of the sea. Unless, a storm is rocking against the shore, beaches usually have the ideal weather.

Popponesset Beach, Cape Cod, June 21, 2014
Popponesset Beach, Cape Cod, June 21, 2014

So, you were thinking about having a beach day tomorrow and you want to check the weather to make sure it will be a nice day. You turn on the TV or look at the map online and get confused because the meteorologist is talking about air pressure. What the heck does pressure have to do with weather? Well…

Air converges at low pressure. When air converges at the surface, it causes air to rise. As the air rises it cools and condenses. As condensation occurs, water droplets attach to hydroscopic particles inside the forming clouds. Water droplets become ice crystals high in the atmosphere. Unless the air near the surface is below freezing, they melt as they fall. Therefore, low pressure areas often forecast precipitation. This is not what you want on your beach day. High pressure generally has warmer temperature and clear skies.

So, if you see a big upper-case L hovering over your location, you might want to stay indoors. Just be warned, if you see a big H, because ultraviolet rays from the sun heat the earth, and with clear skies that come with high pressure, the sand and your skin can get very hot.

A hot day at the beach can be relieved by a slight breeze that comes off the water. A seabreeze occurs when warm air and relatively calm wind meet. During the day, the sun heats the land through conduction. The air above the land warms in a process called convection. As the air warms and expands, this causes lower pressure than the cooler, denser air over the water. The lower pressure causes the air to rise and the air over the water flows towards the land. This creates a seabreeze with winds coming from the water.

Oh, how refreshing a seabreeze can be on a hot day! The sun’s rays may be hitting you, but the breeze keeps you from being uncomfortable. Just be careful, because even if you aren’t sweating, repeated exposure to direct rays can damage skin. But nobody thinks about skin cancer or eventual wrinkles while at the beach!

At night, the opposite effect occurs, with a breeze flowing to the sea. Because the land has not been heated, the water then is warmer. High pressure forms over the cooler air over the land and flows out towards the water. This wind flow is called a landbreeze. At night, the water may be warmer than the land, but the afternoon seabreeze is the ideal condition for a hot beach day.

However, too much wind can be disruptive. In the aftermath of Hurricane Arthur, beaches along Cape Cod, Massachusetts saw extreme seabreezes and especially cold water. Although the breezes cooled the summer sun’s heat, you could stay in the sand long without your hat flying off or your chair blowing away! Be sure to choose a calm wind day when planning your trip.

While you are enjoying the rays on the sand, you also might fancy a dip in the water. Weather also affects what the waves will be like once you’re in there. The sea is the area where waves are generated by the wind. Height of the wave depends on wind speed, wind duration, water depth, and fetch, the distance the wave generation exits. The longer, faster and the farther the distance, the larger the waves will be. Once the waves have moved away from the generation area, they become swells. Because swells are rounder and smoother, they are ideal for surfing. Swells used for surfing usually form along reefs, like in Hawaii, where the waves are large and break off-shore. Flat beaches, where the waves break where you stand on-shore, are usually deep as you go outward.

Depending on if you go into the water, and what you like to do in the water, the wind can decide how your beach day will turn out.  Regardless, wind and breezes will augment your magazine as you fan yourself on the sand. Clear skies, calm wind, warm land, cooler water, a slight seabreeze and sufficient swells can produce a picture perfect beach day. Of course, this ideal weather all starts with just the right temperature and pressure.

Californication: Los Angeles

The idea of flying has never perturbed me in the slightest. I’d like to believe it’s the type of mindset you carry onto your first airplane ride that will shape your future, or lack thereof, flight experiences. I can observe the world from a wider vantage point and, in a matter of speaking, find power as an artist and writer through it. Turbulence does not bother me as long as I’m not flying out of my seat and frantically snatching the closest oxygen mask. The couple sitting next to me are napping soundly; the woman’s head is wedged in between the seat and her boyfriend’s hunched over back.

I find it to be adorable but opt not to take a photo capturing the precious moment in time. It is my first time in California and to say I am excited is a bold understatement. My elatedness seeps out through my refusal to sleep or even sit back in my seat for a brief nap, consistently pushing up the window shade to admire the ever changing American landscape below and updating the plane’s exact coordinates on the interface in front of me every ten minutes to answer the never ending same question, “Are we there yet?” As we soar into the southwest, the cabin temperature noticeably increases. I’m close, so close, and within an hour the gentle thumps of a landing done right makes me jolt upright in my seat, alert and ready to shed off an unneeded extra layer of clothing.

My sweetheart in bearded armor, Nathan, greets me at the arrival gate with a coy smile and a bouquet of flowers that a sprite, Asian florist assembled and swore on her ancestors that I would love; she was right. The day I took off from Boston the weather was dreary, as it had been for the past several days: overcast skies with frigid rain showers sprinkled in throughout the day. Enough of that kind of weather erodes the soul. I am thrust into splendid sunlight and dry heat. Palm trees lining the side of expressways and boulevards blot out the sun in rapid succession.

I’ve never seen so many in such close proximity to one another. I’ve witnessed my fair share of palm trees throughout my years vacationing in Florida and the southern states, but not at this multitude. “Today is just a bad day, I guess,” Nathan says, referring to the thick smog hanging over the city. Is it? This is exactly how I imagined Los Angeles to look like, smog in the air and broken dreams littering the star-speckled sidewalks.

I get a better view of the city from the Griffith Observatory atop the Hollywood Hills. Slightly to the north, the white Hollywood sign stands out against the brown backdrop of the hills that separate Hollywood from the San Fernando valley (or just “The Valley” as the locals affectionately refer to it). My vision clouds slightly and I cannot help but to envision my inner five-year-old gazing at the iconic sign slack-jawed and stomping her feet in place, roaring with triumph that she made it to the Hollywood sign. I made it.

The city sprawls out for miles. It’s just so massive that my eyes strain to make out the expanse of concrete jungle that stretches to the horizon. Of course, I indulged myself in a double double and animal style fries at In N’ Out while being lectured on the existence of God by a German filmmaker sitting next to me. I experienced the eclectic atmosphere that is Venice Beach and almost caved into snagging myself a knock off medical marijuana card. I rode the Santa Monica ferris wheel at sunset and I did not feel the need to speak.

It was quiet up there, the bustle of the pier was muted and I watched on silently as the orange sun slowly dipped beyond the mountains to the west. The waves on either side of the pier broke and gently grazed the shoreline. This was the definition of serenity. Nathan’s hand rested over mine and his lips brushed against my temple. We exchanged knowing looks, all that had to be said was screamed in the blissful silence. Everything that I held at the highest beauty was all around me and within arms reach.


Since 1965, when Congress passed legislation to open the nation’s borders, immigrantshave largely hailed from Latin America and Asia. In states that have attracted many immigrants, the current share of immigrants is below peaks reached more than a century ago. Today there are four states (California, New York, New Jersey and Florida) in which about one-in-five or more people are foreign born. California peaked in 1860 at 39.7%, when China was the top country of birth among immigrants there. Meanwhile, New York and New Jersey peaked in 1910 at 30.1% (Russia and the USSR) and 26.2% (Italy), respectively.

Today, five times as many immigrants in the U.S. are from Mexico than China, the country with the second-highest number of immigrants (5% of all immigrants in the U.S., or 2.2 million). Mexico is the birthplace of 29% (or 11.7 million) of all immigrants in the United States. Immigrants born in Mexico account for more than half of all of the foreign born in four states: New Mexico (72.4%), Arizona (60.2%), Texas (59.7%) and Idaho (53.5%).

Despite Mexico’s large numbers, immigrants come to the U.S. from all over the world. India is the top country of birth among immigrants in New Jersey, West Virginia  and Pennsylvania, even though only about one-in-ten immigrants in each state are from India. Canada is the top country of birth for immigrants in Maine (27%), New Hampshire (14%), Vermont (23%), North Dakota (19%) and Montana (25%). Filipinos account for a large share of immigrants in Hawaii (45%) and Alaska (30%).

Note: Countries are defined by their modern-day boundaries, which may be different from their historical boundaries. For example, China includes Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. Russia and the former USSR countries are combined in this analysis, even though the Soviet Union was only in existence between 1922 and 1991. Birthplace is self-reported by respondents.

Limk: http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/05/27/a-shift-from-germany-to-mexico-for-americas-immigrants/


How can fascia fitness help to reduce back and leg injuries?

I’ve heard a lot about fascia fitness can this help me reduce my back and leg injuries from playing tennis and golf?

fascia fitness

If you are fascinated with the role of fascia in fitness training to help reduce back and leg pain, the following questions lead to new information:

  • There are ten times more sensory nerve endings in your fascia than in your muscles; hence, how do we aim proprioceptive stimulation at the fascia as well as the muscles?
  • Majority injuries are connective-tissue (fascia) injuries, not muscular injuries that we are so use to, so how do we excellently train to prevent and repair damage and build resilience and elasticity into the system?
  • Conventional anatomy texts of the muscles and fascia are inexact, based on a fundamental misinterpretation of our movement function—so how can we work with our fascia altogether, as the “organ system of stability”?

Intentionally or unintentionally, you have been working with fascia for your whole movement career—it is inevitable. Now, however, new research is reinforcing the significance of fascia and other connective tissue in functional training.

Research into the fascia fitness upsets both our long-established beliefs and some of our new favorites as well. The evidence all points to a new reflection within overall fitness for life—hence the term fascia fitness.

Most tennis players carry out movements that put a strain on the spine when playing tennis which include movements of stretching the back too much when serving, stopping constantly and starting, as well as vigorous twisting of the spine when executing the blow.

A tennis coach or physiotherapist can show you different warm up exercise that can help reduce stress on your back. For instance:

  • Bending your knees.
  • Keeping your abdominal muscles tense can reduce tension in your spine. Ask about the best ways to serve (pull out) to avoid overextending the lumbar region.

Before playing, always warm up and stretch the muscles of your legs and lower back. Learn exercises that strengthen the trunk muscles deep in the abdomen and pelvis, which support the spine.

As a golf player, golf swing requires vigorous rotation of the spine, and this puts a strain on muscles, ligaments, joints and spinal discs.

Suggestions to remove tension from your back include:

  • Ask your physical therapist about the most excellent posture and technique for your shot.
  • Warm up and stretch the muscles of your back and upper legs before beginning a round.
  • Crouch with your knees when you pick up the golf ball.
  • When in the field, use a cart to load your golf bag. ‘You can also drive a golf cart.

Here is a quick fascia fitness exercise you can do to help reduce injuries to your back and legs:

Lie face down on a towel with arms out in front of you in a V shape and feet separated. Press into your palms and draw the shoulder blades down and then do it jointly. Bending your elbows in, use your back muscles to glide your body forward and lift your chest.

Doing eight reps will help reduce the pain from injuries sustained from playing golf and tennis.

For more details & services please check out:

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Prevention for Paget’s disease!

Paget’s disease is a chronic condition of the bone that results in the disorder of the normal formation of the bone. In normal bone, there is a balance of forces that lay down new bones and take up old bones for maintaining the proper level of calcium in the blood. People who have Paget’s disease have the bone abnormally formed, making it become enlarge, dense, and prone to breakage. The symptoms of Paget’s disease includes itching, pain, sensitivity and bone deformation, etc. So, what can someone in this situation do to help themselves?

Seeking medical care

The first step to fighting Paget’s disease is to go for proper diagnosis. This will help to detect the disease accurately, analyze it and find ways to for a cure. Medical care for Paget’s disease should begin immediately after noticing weakness or change in bowel movement or bladder functions and increasing bone pain or deformities. Physicians and specialists treating Paget’s disease include primary care providers, endocrinologists, radiologists, nuclear medicine doctors and so on. Also, spine surgeons may treat Paget’s disease if spinal surgery is needed.

The process of diagnosing involves many activities including laboratories studies on blood and urine. Laboratory tests that provide information about the rate of bone turnover, like the bone-specific alkaline phosphatase, is carried out. Other laboratory studies that are essentials for proper diagnosis includes assessment of parathyroid hormone levels, calcium, and phosphate. If a fracture or malignment transformation is suspected there may be needs for radiographs to have a detailed information about the impact. In patients with neurological dysfunction and muscle weaknesses, CT Scans and MRI Scans are necessary. The bone scan is highly essential because it helps to determine the level of impact of the disease on the bone by providing a total image of the entire skeleton. A bone biopsy is generally not necessary but will be considered if there is a suspicion of abnormal lesion or cancer involved.

Medical treatment for Paget’s disease

The primary intention of treating Paget’s disease is to find ways to control the disease activities and manage any form of complications. Bone pain can be treated with anti-inflammatory drugs, while bone deformity will require the application of specialized footwear or heel lifts. In the case of damage joints, fractures, or bones that are severely deformed, surgery may be needed to correct the deformity, after doctors have treated the patients with medications to reduce surgical complications. The use of Intravenous zoledronic acid as a bisphosphonate is very effective in treating the symptoms of Paget’s disease. People whose Paget’s disease has affected their joints usually benefits from muscle strengthening and physical therapy programs.

There are no home remedies for Paget’s disease. Once the symptoms begin to show, it is important for patients to immediately seek medical advice and proceed to have a diagnosis done. If treated on time, Paget’s disease cannot become life threatening. Most people who have it get to live a normal life and get back to their normal daily routines. Affected people are advised to see the doctor throughout their lives due to a small risk of bone tumor formation.

For more information about Paget’s disease & prevention please check out:

Female Fitness program for Lose ‘Baby Fats’ After Pregnancy – Nathaniel Wilkins

How to lose baby fat after pregnancy

Set a goal

Breast Feeding

Start Moving

Challenge Your Body

What are the secret to successful lower back stretches

The Secret To Successful Lower Back Stretches – Nathaniel Wilkins

One of the most common complaints among non-athletes and athletes, is the lower-back pain. There can be many reasons behind the discomfort. It can be due to diseases, worsening medical condition or physical injury related. How to ease the lower back part of the body is done by carefully evaluating the cause, the and the plan to resolve the pain issues.

Back Stretches

For healthy persons having a back pain, perhaps the back muscles are causing the discomfort. One  known management for this is by doing some back stretches. Stretching in general, makes room for the muscle to move, relieves the pain and prevents muscle stiffness.

Practical Lower Back Stretches

Cobra stretch

The goal of  doing lower back stretches is to prevent muscle stiffness and pain and to do this; you can start doing lower back stretching at home with the famous cobra stretch.  This kind of stretching exercise is for both men and women to relieve the pain. To do this, you need to keep your legs together, assume a prone position and raise half of your body, putting the force on your back.

Lying lower back stretch

Opposite to this is the lying lower back stretch, wherein you assume as supine position and pulling your legs to the chest area and holding it for at least 30 minutes before letting go.

Fitness Ball

The fitness ball is perhaps one of the most popular lower back stretches for men. With an exercise ball, you can stretch your back by wrapping the ball around and do the stretching.

Pelvic thrust

Pelvic thrust is a good lower back stretching exercise that can relieve you with the pain. Lying flat on your back, you bend your legs while your knees near your hamstring. Start pushing your legs and thrust your pelvis. The more repetitions you will have the better.  Alternatively, you can put something heavy on your legs as you push and thrust your pelvis.

Leg Raise

This is a simple routine, which is good for mothers. The lying static leg raise involves at least a 20- minute leg raising on a chair. Lie on your back and raise your leg on a stool.  This can relieve you from a long day, and it can relax your body.

The muscles, ligaments the tendons can adhere when there are no physical activities involve. When these sticks to each other, this is where discomfort sets in. The pain in the pain can be unbearable depending on the severity of the adhesion or in the injury. By doing, a lower back stretches the lower-back muscles will be eased from the tension and stiffness.

 For more information please check out:

10 things fit and healthy people over 50 do

Fifty is a good age, only if you’re doing the right thing by supplying your body with nutrients and engaging in productive activities. Many people at this age are doing great things, breaking records and winning competitions. You too can live in perfect fitness and health at over 50 years of age if you indulge in these ten things.

Fitness Tips for people over 50

Weight training

If you want to be fit and healthy at age 50, you need to get involved with weight training. It is good for keeping fit, and it inspires you to do the things you love doing. There is no value in life if you can’t do the things you like doing at age 90 because your body won’t allow you.

You need enough sleep

The older you grow older, the more quality sleep you need. Sleep helps your body to heal, revitalizes hormones and enzymes and provide energy. Throw away your alarm clock, reorganize schedules and get up to nine hours of quality night sleep.

Do cardio exercise

People who want to keep fit above age fifty shouldn’t ignore daily cardio exercise. Giving you heart the necessary regular pump will save you from cardiovascular diseases and side effects. Try getting a dog, so you will have a reason never to miss your exercise.

Reduce salt intake

Your chances of suffering hypertension increase as you grow older, because of the reduction in blood vessel elasticity. Reducing salt intake at age 50 and above will reduce the possibility of stroke, heart attack, high blood pressure, and kidney disease.

Workout regularly

Outdoor activities are critical, and can never be substituted for all the indoor or gym time. Get outdoor running, walking, cycling or doing any other activity you like. You should get a training partner to make it easier and to challenge you. Get a little sun.

Avoid processed food as much as you can

Process foods are packed with the chemical that causes harm to your body and reduces your immune defensives against diseases. Go slow on the fast food joint craze and indulge yourself in something fresh and nutrient filled.

Eat natural food

Fruits, vegetables, and foods with fiber should be the primary occupant of your storage and refrigerator. Drink plenty of water, eat fish for good fats and very little meat for iron. You should also consider paying attention to calcium and vitamin D intake.

Avoid stress

You don’t want to be dealing with stress at age 50. It can destroy your immune system, make you lose concentration and drain your energy. Avoid anything that can cause you stress or damage your peace.

Helping others and contributing to society at this age is not only physically beneficial; it is also mentally and physiologically rewarding. Do something that requires applying your talent for the benefit of other people. It is highly satisfying.

Read books and be happy

Get into fantasy, read about romance and improve your knowledge on medieval and contemporary history. Read a book – at least one every month, to keep your brain engaged and your mind active. Share ideas with others, and play board games and puzzles.

For more information and fitness tips please refer:

Exercise for Knees and legs – Nathaniel Wilkins

Too often, a set of lousy knees can get in the method for a “decent execution” in the rec center on leg day. I generally hear the exemplary line, “My muscles are sufficiently strong to lift it, but my joints can’t take it.” Even more regrettable, egocentric conduct coupled by social weight makes a lifter attempt to work through the pain, which is never a smart thought.

As I would like to think, the most widely recognized joints that get no affection are the knees. They’re required in any significant lower body movement, and not at all like the shoulders, they’re in charge of less scope of motion, making their susceptibility to harm that much higher.

Exercise for Knees

Although jumps and squats do great things to our thighs, our knees . . . not to such an extent! In case you’re stressed over extra strain on your knees from weight training or basically want a couple of alternatives to these fundamental moves, here a couple exercises that will do just that. Without letting your backside free, exercises like step-ups and leg presses are gentler on the knee yet still work similar muscles. Consider some of our favorite moves underneath and give your workout a leg up the next time you hit the exercise center — after all, you just have one set of knees!

Leg Presses: A great alternatives to squats, leg pushes on the machine work the real muscles of the leg in an extremely controlled way. Ensure you start with your knees at a 90-degree point, or greater, and just utilize a high resistance if your knees are without damage.

Step-ups: Step-ups work a lot of indistinguishable muscles from jumps but on the grounds that you are stepping up onto a crate or platform, you can control how profoundly you twist your knee, in light of the height of the platform, to better protect the joint. Additionally, since your foot is stationary at the start the exercise, the knee joint is more stable as you put weight on your leg. Not just do they effectively work your legs and glutes, step-ups offer a cardio component, too!

Reverse rushes: Reverse thrusts are more secure on the knees in light of the fact that the front leg is planted, permitting you to monitor your alignment as you step back. They are likewise a decent approach to complement all the forward movements of everyday life.

Deadlifts: If at first, you think muscle head at listening to this exercise, think once more. Like squats and rushes, deadlifts are an effective move for your lower body, particularly your glutes, hamstrings, and quads. Since your feet are completely planted on the ground, your knees stay stable as your twist your torso forward, and drawing in the center will likewise take weight off the joints in your legs. Remember this manual for deadlifts before your next workout.

Lying hamstring twists: Using an exercise ball is a great approach to switch up your routine while protecting your knees. With lying hamstring twists, you target the butt and hamstrings without putting significant weight on the knees. This is likewise a great move for center stability and adjust.

Keep in mind, while these exercises do take a portion of the strain off your knees, they don’t let them completely let them free. On the off chance that you are having significant knee pain, take legitimate precautions by visiting your doctoring and taking the essential rest expected to recuperate.

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Imaging of Elbow Pathology

Laura W. Bancroft, MD ; Thomas H. Berquist, MD ; Jeffrey J. Peterson, MD ; Mark J. Kransdorf, MD

With improved diagnostic imaging techniques, radiologists are able to provide more accurate diagnoses of elbow pathology. This article will provide an overview of the imaging characteristics of some disease processes that can affect the elbow, such as trauma, arthropathy, and infection. The choice of imaging modality—radiography, sonography, scintigraphy, arthrography, CT, or MRI—depends on the suspected disease process, the availability of advanced imaging, and the personal preference of the radiologist.


Wednesday, 23 February 2011

What Scotland tells us about faith schools

In my experience the overwhelming argument used in favour of faith schools is that they manage to deliver better education than other schools. Yet this is demonstrably a logical fallacy; it is not the faith aspect of the schools that delivers better educational outcomes, it is the combination of parental engagement, teacher motivation, community involvement and spirit, and other quantifiable factors.

The reason we know this is that here in Scotland the distinction does not exist. All schools in Scotland are faith schools. The distinction here is instead between “non-denominational” and “denominational” schools. The first term refers to schools which deliver faith education according to the teachings of the Church of Scotland, the second those which deliver to other faiths (mostly Catholic, but a very small number of Islamic and Jewish).

Yet despite all schools in Scotland being faith schools, the perceived distinctions remain in the eyes of parents and policy-makers. Denominational schools generally have good reputations, non-denominational schools have poorer ones.

So let’s stop pretending that this has anything to do with religion. The benefits we ascribe to faith schooling are really the benefits of increased parental and teacher engagement in a community-led environment. We can do this without religion. The real question is, why don’t we?


Is Pluto An Escaped Satellite of Neptune?

Tom Van Flandernr

The Voyager encounter with Neptune has revived speculation that Neptune's unusual large moon, Triton, was captured early in the history of the solar system. The basis of this conjecture is primarily that Triton is the only large moon of any major planet (ignoring asteroid-sized bodies) which revolves in a retrograde direction around its primary. ("Retrograde" means in the opposite direction from the spin of the primary.)

There is no known way that such a satellite could have formed naturally in such an orbit. It could not have fissioned (broken off) from Neptune, because Neptune's spin would have caused it to orbit in the expected direction. Nor could it have condensed from a cloud of material in orbit around Neptune, because the cloud of material, which must also have helped to form Neptune in the first place, had to be responsible for starting Neptune spinning the other direction. The only remaining option appears to be that Triton formed elsewhere, and was captured by Neptune into its backwards orbit.

There are problems, however, with this capture conjecture. Where are we to suppose that Triton formed, if not as a moon of Neptune? Didn't Neptune ever have any natural satellites of its own? And most difficult of all, how is it possible for Neptune to capture Triton? Let me elaborate on this last question for a moment.

When only two rigid bodies interact, and gravity is the only force involved, capture and escape are impossible. If a body is a satellite, it remains a satellite forever; if not, it cannot become one. The "sphere of influence" is the volume within which a mass can hold satellites permanently bound to itself. One body cannot move permanently into the sphere of influence of another body without the assistance of a third body or the intervention of a force other than gravity.

If two bodies have the same or similar orbits, gravitation always works to keep them apart. The motion of the smaller body is called libration: it repeatedly gains and falls back in its orbit relative to the larger body, but never approaches it. This situation exists in several instances in the solar system. The most notable examples are the "Trojan asteroids", which orbit the Sun in the same orbit as Jupiter, but can never approach the giant planet very closely.

Intervention by a third mass at just the right moment to permit a permanent satellite capture by Neptune is an extremely improbable event. Moreover, no suitable third bodies massive enough to accomplish the job are known to exist in the outer solar system today. The force of tidal friction is far too weak to accomplish the capture of Triton, to say nothing of the low probability of the right circumstances occurring. Drag in a medium of gas and dust surrounding Neptune could not slow Triton enough to permit capture, unless the medium were dense enough to remove more velocity than Neptune itself adds to Triton as it approaches. A medium so dense as to remove that much velocity would cause the decay of Triton into Neptune's atmosphere within a few revolutions through continued drag.

It is true that there is an avenue of approach of a potential satellite, through the so-called "inner Lagrangian point", on just the right trajectory with just the right speed in just the right direction in all three dimensions, which would bring a potential moon close enough to Neptune with a small enough relative velocity that a non-gravitational force could then capture it. But the odds against such a fortuitous approach are so enormous as to make this loophole a practical impossibility. Even if there were millions of Triton-like objects at the time and only one was going to be captured, the odds against capture are still overwhelming. The easiest way to make capture work is to have millions of Triton-like bodies, and have one of them approach close to the optimal trajectory while an even larger mass impacts on Neptune, accreting enough new mass onto Neptune that the planet's sphere of influence enlarges, capturing the nearby Triton permanently.

Since none of these capture mechanisms seem very plausible, let us examine the alternatives to capture. First we need to look at the overall picture in the outer solar system. Neptune has rings and small inner asteroidal moons, very much like the other gas giant planets. But it has no large normal moons, unlike the others. In addition to the abnormality of Triton's retrograde motion, Neptune's other long-known moon, Nereid, is on an extremely elongated orbit, far more eccentric than that of any other moon in the solar system, and quite close to the threshold of escape.

Add to this picture two moon-size bodies: Pluto, and Pluto's own large moon Charon. This pair orbits the Sun in a planetary orbit which crosses the orbit of Neptune. This in itself is an extraordinary situation, since crossing orbits are usually unstable (i.e. eventually these bodies either collide with Neptune or are ejected from the solar system by it).

Now it could be the case that Pluto and Charon are the fortunate survivors of millions of Triton-like bodies. If so, it is odd that their orbits cross that of Neptune, since non-crossing orbits are far more stable. Why aren't there lots of similar bodies in many of those stable orbits?

The other gaseous giant planets, Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus, have large natural satellite systems with more or less circular, co-planar, equatorial, regularly-spaced orbits. Although Neptune's two outer satellites appear typical in respect to mass and physical characteristics, their orbits are most abnormal. It seems altogether fair to suggest that Neptune may have started with a normal system of satellites, similar to the other gas giant planets; but then something disrupted that satellite system, making the orbits abnormal.

Could that disrupter have been Pluto? Pluto's mass is too small to change Triton from prograde to retrograde under any circumstances. Moreover, Pluto could not have escaped into an orbit with so much greater a mean distance from the Sun than Neptune's without the intervention of a far more massive body. If Triton had been the body Pluto interacted with, Nereid's orbit would still be unexplained, and vice versa. The existing situation can be efficiently brought about, it would seem, only by the intervention of some mass larger than either Pluto or Triton; in fact, larger than any existing solar system moon.

To test whether a larger mass could in fact bring about the existing situation, R. A. Harrington and I (in work done at the U.S. Naval Observatory) calculated test encounters with hypothetical bodies of varying mass, encounter distance, inclination, and velocity. We started with an assumed regular four-satellite system for Neptune, modeled on Jupiter's four Galilean satellites. The findings were illuminating: to produce disruptions of the observed sort, the encountering body needed to have a mass in the range of two to five Earth masses, and a velocity similar to outer planet velocities (but not as high as that of bodies coming from outside the solar system). In other words, the only hypothetical encountering bodies which worked well in disrupting the Neptune satellite system as observed were what we might call "Planet X"-type bodies, previously in planetary orbits around the Sun beyond Neptune.

The computer calculations eventually, by trial and error, found an encounter by a 3-Earth-mass body which could simultaneously reproduce a Triton-like, a Nereid-like, and a Pluto-like post encounter orbit for three of Neptune's original normal satellites. A fourth original satellite could then be added in such a way that it would go off with Pluto, and become Pluto's satellite Charon, among other possibilities. Despite its small mass, Pluto's gravitational sphere of influence is 10,000,000 km, as long as it stays away from Neptune's sphere of influence. So if Charon were pulled away from Neptune in the same general direction and with a similar velocity to Pluto, it would become permanently gravitationally bound to Pluto, because it would necessarily start out INSIDE of Pluto's sphere of influence. With little velocity relative to Pluto, Charon would initially fall toward Pluto, entering a highly elliptical orbit. Tidal forces would then circularize Charon's satellite orbit and synchronize the spins of both bodies, which is precisely the situation we observe today.

Although the body doing the disrupting might have escaped the solar system following the encounter, the statistical odds are that it would have remained in a highly eccentric and inclined solar orbit with a long period. This is just the sort of body which has been suggested as a hypothetical undiscovered planet beyond Pluto, based on unexplained disturbances in the orbits of the outer planets. Certainly, if such a "Planet X" were to be discovered in a highly-inclined and eccentric orbit which approached Neptune's orbit at perihelion, and has a mass near the interesting range of 2-to-5 Earth masses, its existence would argue strongly for the essential correctness of the whole scenario we have just described.

We conclude that a plausible explanation for the unique irregularities in the satellite system of Neptune (retrograde motion of Triton and a "comet-like" orbit for Nereid), and also for the existence of moon-sized planet Pluto and its satellite Charon in Neptune-crossing planetary orbits, is that an as-yet undiscovered trans-Neptunian planet had a close encounter with the Neptune system sometime in the past. If so, Pluto and Charon are probably indeed escaped former satellites of Neptune.

It is also interesting to note that Triton's orbit has been circularized by tidal friction. That fact plus recent Voyager indications that the moon is currently undergoing geologic activity suggests that the rate of tidal evolution may well be greater than usually assumed. The ultimate fate of Triton under the influence of this tidal activity, perhaps in as little as a few tens of millions of years, is to decay into the atmosphere of Neptune, and eventually be assimilated by the planet. Now that will be one spectacular satellite re-entry!

Tom Van Flandern is a professional astronomer and is the author of Dark Matter, Missing Planets & New Comets, a book which discusses a number of radical new ideas about the history of the solar system.


End of School Scramble

My students love scrambled sentences, do yours?  Since there are many special events happening in these last few days, I am not sure how much I am going to be able to see my first and second graders.

I do have a few activities ready to go in case I am able to see some of them.  One of the activities is the End of School Scrambled Sentences.  This is an activity I created last year, but just adapted a teeny tiny bit.  (If you want to see that post, you can click here.)

This activity has 5 different sentences all about the end of school or summer vacation.  I pre-print the document, laminate, and cut out the word cards.  I then place the cards with the like pictures in cute little buckets.  The students then select a bucket, pull out the words and place them in the correct order to make a complete sentence.  Once they have it in the correct order, they then write the correct sentence on the recording sheet.  This incorporates use of their sight words, comprehension at the sentence level, and the need for proper punctuation when writing.

Here are some 1st Grade CCLS that can be addressed in this activity:
RF1.1. Demonstrate understanding of the organization and basic features of print.
a. Recognize the distinguishing features of a sentence (e.g., first word, capitalization, ending punctuation).
a. Know the spelling-sound correspondences for common consonant digraphs.
b. Decode regularly spelled one-syllable words.
c. Know final -e and common vowel team conventions for representing long vowel sounds.
d. Use knowledge that every syllable must have a vowel sound to determine the number of syllables in a printed word.
e. Decode two-syllable words following basic patterns by breaking the words into syllables.
f. Read words with inflectional endings.
g. Recognize and read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words.
b. Use end punctuation for sentences.

How many of you are still in school?  One full day and two half days left for this girl here!  How about you?


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the systematic application of physical exercises

Exercises To Train Weak Points

If your pectoralis muscles as if to disappear, when you raise your hands above your head, I recommend you to perform a series of presses with dumbbells on a flat bench, starting with an almost horizontal position to the presses from the shoulders. This gives the opportunity for full development, and your chest muscles look impressive even with arms raised or at the front of the demonstration of the biceps.

There are exercises to train the weak spots that you would never be performed during regular training, if not tried to overcome a particular problem. Therefore, I caution young bodybuilders blindly copying from champion training. Maybe your idol performs a motion at a special angle to correct for some shortcoming. If they think it is a standard movement and turn it into his usual routine, you can waste a lot of time and energy, not to mention the delay in development.

Even during training weak points can not completely neglect any other muscle or groups of muscles. However, you can reduce more info the number of exercises for strong areas and add additional exercises for the weak.

Some experts say that a person cannot increase the size of their chest after reaching a certain age. The limit is usually considered to be 25 years. Indeed, the tendon that connects the rib cage, it is easier to stretch in my youth, but I've seen so many bodybuilders older, which increased the size of their chest that can't believe it. It is only a matter of time, effort and patience - like everything else in bodybuilding.

And finally, don't forget about the various techniques that increase the intensity of your workout for accelerated development click here of the lagging muscle. Chuck Sipes loved to perform bench according to the method of drop. He started with rods weighing 400 pounds, doing as many reps as I could, and then ask your partner to remove the discs from the neck to continue the exercise with less weight. You can also use forced reps, the method of "rest/pause, movement by three quarters, sliding series, and in other ways, forcing the muscles to grow faster.

I especially like the idea of "heavy days" for maximum muscle development pectorally. Once a week I usually trained chest with a particularly heavy projectiles, so the maximum number of repetitions does not exceed 5-6: breeding hands with 100-pound dumbbells, presses on a flat bench with a barbell weighing 365 pounds and heavyweight (450 lbs) bench presses to develop mass and density pectorally muscles.

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Soldier a stranger in a strange land U. S. Army Space Command

Capt. Held is a Colorado National Guard soldier assigned to the 193rd Space Support Battalion. He has deployed numerous times during recent combat operations in support of space missions. A computer engineer as a civilian, Held worked hardware-software integration on the Wide Field Camera 3 portion of the Hubble Space Telescope, as well as biomedical engineering projects. He was a lead instructor at the Interservice Space Fundamentals Course teaching satellite design theory, propulsion theory, and orbital dynamics. As a member of the Mars Society, an organization composed largely of scientists devoted to the goal of reaching Mars, Held recently participated in an experiment, funded partly by NASA, in which those involved lived and worked in a simulated Mars environment.