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Matt Kellogg

Best Places For Snowboarding in the World - 0 views

ezinearticles.com/?Best-Places-For-Snowboarding-in-the-World&id=1544535

shared by Matt Kellogg on 04 Dec 08 - Cached
  • USAThe United States has some of the best snowboarding in the world. With Colorado, Wyoming, California and Utah in the west and Vermont in the east home to great resorts that cater to snowboarders. Resorts famous for their snowboarding include Crested Butte in Colorado, Vail in Colorado and Mammoth Mountain, Squaw Valley and Heavenly Valley in California. California abounds with a vast selection of snowboarding options. Sugar Bowl and Kirkwood are also favorites among California snowboarders.
  • CanadaSome of the very best snowboarding in the entire world is in Canada, with a great amount of resorts from the east to the west. Whistler/Blackcomb is the premier destination for snowboarders in Canada, but you can't overlook the smaller resorts including Silver Star, Apex, BigWhite, Whitewater and Sunpeaks. You also can't forget Banff, with some of the most beautiful and majestic scenery anywhere and their resorts like Lake Louise.
  • JapanJapan? Great for snowboarding? Yes. As well as skiing. People forget that Japan has many mountains and cold areas since the country is very long and reaches quite far north. In fact, Japan has over 600 ski and snowboarding resorts! A little ways from Tokyo, you'll find some nice resorts, but they tend to be more crowded and expensive due to their popularity with Tokyo residents. To experience Japanese snowboarding at its best, you'll want to travel away from Tokyo. Around Japan's 600+ resorts, you'll find everything from ultra modern and high tech resorts to traditional resorts to small time, family run resorts. You can't forget Nagano, also not too far from Tokyo and home to the 1998 Winter Olympics.
  • ...1 more annotation...
  • he Alps, whether the Swiss Alps, the Italian Alps or the French Alps
Christina T

ABC-CLIO: World Geography: Japan - 0 views

www.worldgeography.abc-clio.com/...Display.aspx

japan's history

shared by Christina T on 09 Dec 08 - Cached
  • The nation of Japan was probably born of the union of two peoples: one from Polynesia or the Malay Peninsula and one from elsewhere in Asia.
  • About 300 BC, the Japanese began growing rice, which would become the nation's agricultural staple.
  • From the 500s to the 700s, Japanese society developed quickly—partly because of its close relationship with neighboring China and the magnificent Tang Dynasty.
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  • Starting in the 12th century, military administrations called shogunates became the usual form of government.
  • It took until the end of the 1500s for order to be restored under the Momoyama shogunate, but the government's three famous warriors eventually battled among themselves, breaking up their alliance in 1600.
  • His rule was marked by the near-elimination of Christianity from Japan in an effort to prevent the conquest of the country by Spain, the expulsion of all Spaniards in 1624, and the deportation of the Portuguese in 1639. All contact with foreigners was then outlawed.
  • Japan enjoyed a period of blossoming culture, and art, literature, and theater thrived despite the Tokugawa shogunate's strict, repressive control.
  • After this point, known historically as the Meiji Restoration, true authority rested with a small group of veteran politicians.
  • Such improvements led to the creation of a considerable export trade as Japan's leaders decided to work with the foreigners, since their efforts to expel them had not succeeded
  • Continued incursions into China in 1931–1932 secured a Japanese puppet monarchy in China's Manchurian region under Emperor P'u-i, China's last emperor.
  • plunged into World War II with its attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941.
  • an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima on August 6
  • Japan signed the United States-Japan Security Treaty (1951) in San Francisco
  • Japanese politics after World War II has been dominated by the powerful Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
  • become a major global financial power and ranked as the world's largest aid donor and overseas investor.
  • His bold move paid off when the LDP gained a two-thirds majority in the Diet's lower house, thereby gaining for Koiziumi a wide popular mandate for his reforms. Koizumi left office in September 2006, having completed two full terms—a rarity in modern Japan.
Diana Davis

Endometrial Cancer Home Page - National Cancer Institute - 0 views

www.cancer.gov/...endometrial

shared by Diana Davis on 04 Dec 08 - Cached
nick toy liked it
  • Cancer that forms in the tissue lining the uterus (the small, hollow, pear-shaped organ in a woman's pelvis in which a baby grows). Most endometrial cancers are adenocarcinomas (cancers that begin in cells that make and release mucus and other fluids).
  • Diana Davis on 04 Dec 08
     
    Cancer that forms in the tissue lining the uterus (the small, hollow, pear-shaped organ in a woman's pelvis in which a baby grows). Most endometrial cancers are adenocarcinomas (cancers that begin in cells that make and release mucus and other fluids).
anonymous

The dope on steroids: Why some athletes take the risk : UMNews : University of Minnesota - 0 views

www1.umn.edu/...me_athletes_take_the_risk.html

shared by anonymous on 03 Dec 08 - Cached
  • The stakes in Athens are fierce. The difference between an Olympic gold or silver medal could be a one hundredth of a second on the track or in the pool; an inch on the pole vault or shot put.
  • The athletes who make the Olympic cut are blessed with the right combination of physical and psychological traits, including an intense competitive drive and an unrelenting determination to be the best. This is the stuff of champions.
  • Steroids are not just for elite athletes--they can be used by anyone who wants to change his or her body image. The Centers for Disease Control's Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance report shows more than a million youth taking steroids, and the numbers have been rising every year.
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  • Unfortunately, sometimes so are steroids. For decades, athletes have used anabolic (meaning muscle-building) steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs to build strength and endurance. And those drugs are getting more and more sophisticated in an effort to evade detection. Doping, as the practice is called, is illegal and, by most people's standards, unethical. Athletes who have been caught using these drugs have been stripped of their Olympic medals and world records and banned from their sports, sometimes for years, and on occasions for a lifetime.
  • "There are rights and wrongs in life, and if it's against the rules, it's cheating to do it," says Wiese-Bjornstal. "I love sports, but some athletes treat elite sports as if they are life itself, more important than their health, their loved ones, and even their lives."
  • In addition, steroids mess with your body. Potential side effects include high blood pressure, strokes, nausea, sleep problems, increased aggressiveness, and severe mood swings. In men, steroids can reduce sperm count and cause impotence, breast growth, and shrunken testicles. In women, side effects can include reduced breast size, increased body and facial hair, a deepened voice, and menstrual problems.
  • With the risks and consequences of steroid use so high, why do some athletes continue to dope?
  • "The major underlying factor [with steroids use] is that winning at all costs is the most important thing," says Diane Wiese-Bjornstal, associate professor in the School of Kinesiology.
  • She says that athletes that use steroids often have the mindset that "they are demonstrating that they are as highly committed to their sport as they can be and are doing whatever it takes to prove to themselves, their coaches, and to the world that they are true athletes who will do anything to win."
    • anonymous
      anonymous on 03 Dec 08
       
      Diane Wiese-Bjornstal's Comment
  • From a moral and ethical framework, Wiese-Bjornstal believes this is twisted thinking. "There are rights and wrongs in life, and if it's against the rules, it's cheating to do it," she says. "I love sports, but some athletes treat elite sports as if they are life itself, more important than their health, their loved ones, and even their lives."
    • anonymous
      anonymous on 03 Dec 08
       
      Wiese-Bjornstal's Comment
  • She also says there is pressure to dope because of the belief that everyone else is doing it, and that if an athlete wants to compete at the highest level, she or he has to do it, too.
  • Nancy Cullen, a sports psychology consultant for the University, says the temptation to use steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs simply comes down to the rigors and pressure of elite competition and the desire to win. She cites an alarming poll taken in 1995 of 198 sprinters, swimmers, power lifters and others, most of whom were Olympians or aspiring Olympians. The poll asked if the athletes would take a banned performance-enhancing substance if they knew if would help them win and they wouldn't be caught--195 responded, yes.
  • Most athletes train for perfection," says Cullen. "The drive to achieve and win is so strong. If the difference between winning or losing is a hundredth of a second, and there is a drug that might give you the edge, the temptation can be great."
  • For some Olympic events, steroid scandals have cast a pall over the games, leaving viewers to wonder after each win, "Did he take drugs? Did she?"
  • Both Wiese-Bjornstal and Cullen agree that education, beginning with young athletes, is important in the fight against steroid use, as are drug testing and stiffer penalties for those who are caught. They also believe that coaches and parents play an important role in supporting the healthy ambitions of developing athletes.
  • "It's important to teach athletes to know what the consequences are and to learn other training practices that are legal and don't involve taking drugs," says Cullen. "Strive to win, strive for perfection, but do it within the rules of the game."
  • anonymous on 03 Dec 08
     
    Good Site for information and Comments on use of drugs on athletes. Site has lots of good comments. Very Interesting.
  • anonymous on 03 Dec 08
     
    Use it
Kate L

Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia - 0 views

gme.grolier.com/...article

energy problems

shared by Kate L on 01 Dec 08 - Cached
  • basic laws of physics dictate that energy is conserved and can only be changed from one form to another or into matter.
  • Fuel, on the other hand, is the accumulation of matter and therefore represents a store of energy.
  • released in the form of heat when the fuel is burned in chemical or nuclear reactions
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  • cannot be reversed to regenerate the original fuel mass
  • a fuel problem does exist
  • If the supply of fuel is finite, not only will there be no energy supply when the fuel is exhausted
    • Kate L
      Kate L on 03 Dec 08
       
      Finite means: a form of a verb that can occur as the head of a sentence. In Sam wants to leave, wants is finite, leave is non-finite.
  • all other processes that depend on it will cease
  • Several factors combine to make the problem an urgent one
  • World population
  • demand for energy will also increase
  • coal, oil (petroleum), natural gas, uranium, and fuel wood—is limited and insufficient to sustain rapid rates of development.
  • debate about the exact length of time available before the effects of a worldwide shortage become apparent
  • shortage will occur.
  • geothermal energy, hydroelectric power, peat, ocean thermal energy, solar energy, tidal energy, wind power, and fuel wood.
  • replenish themselves naturally in a relatively short time and will therefore always be available.
  • Renewable energy resources
  • indirectly responsible for many other renewable energy sources.
  • ocean currents and winds are results of the uneven distribution of solar radiation over the Earth's surface
  • winds in turn produce waves whose energy can be utilized
  • windmills and wind power
  • ocean thermal energy, solar heating of the upper layers of the ocean produces temperature gradients that can be harnessed to generate electricity
  • Sun also powers the hydrologic cycle, in which ocean water is evaporated, transported over the continents, and precipitated as rain or snow to form rivers
  • flow energy produces hydroelectric power.
  • energy locked in such renewable fuel sources as wood and peat is derived from the Sun by the process of photosynthesis.
  • renewable energy source is geothermal energy
  • arises through the leakage of heat from the Earth's interior to the surface
  • over the entire surface of the Earth at a very low average rate, leakage is much higher in certain locations.
  • Yellowstone National Park
  • Iceland, Italy, and New Zealand.
  • possible to tap the heat and use it for human purposes.
  • Nonrenewable resources originate from two processes: (1) photosynthesis, which occurred many millions of years ago, followed by the fossilization of the plant and animal life that resulted, and (2) the formation of the Earth itself.
  • fossil fuels—coal, oil (petroleum), and natural gas;
  • produced the fuels for nuclear energy, such as uranium for fission and lighter elements for fusion
  • irreplaceable fuels represent an energy capital that must be invested wisely.
  • A cleaner-burning fuel than oil, natural gas seemed to be in abundant supply at the turn of the 21st century and, with the greatly enlarged network of gas pipelines, was rapidly growing in use.
  • nearly total dependence on fossil fuels and hydroelectricity ensures that efforts to solve energy problems by switching to alternative sources will have to overcome a great deal of inertia, both economic and psychological.
  • sources as solar power, wind power, and synthetic fuels suffer from the serious drawback that few major installations now exist.
  • handicapped by the engineering problems of converting the energy to a form useful to human beings.
  • solar energy reaches the top of the atmosphere in amounts 10,000 times greater than all human production of energy, it reaches the Earth's surface at rates of only about 80 to 250 W/m2, and considerably less on cloudy days.
  • arge-scale system based on solar-collector panels will be physically huge, causing problems of maintenance and land use
  • Wind power, wave power, and ocean-thermal-generation sources suffer from similar difficulties
    • Kate L
      Kate L on 03 Dec 08
       
      Even though there are some difficulties with working towards the alternative fuels, it may prove to be more efficient for smaller things (heat and power to small communities or single buildings) in the long run
  • Kate L on 01 Dec 08
     
    Energy Problem
Sara Espinosa

Interesting top 10 lists: Top 10 Largest Cities in the World in 2008 - 0 views

www.top10-lists.com/...t-cities-in-world-in-2008.html

why?

shared by Sara Espinosa on 03 Dec 08 - Cached
    • Sara Espinosa
      Sara Espinosa on 03 Dec 08
       
      Tokyo-1st shanghai-10th
  • The truth is both of them have their advantages and
  • The big city is the place where all industrial, cultural and educational centers are situated. In big cities you can find museums, theaters, clubs, cinemas, big shops and hospitals, comfortable modern
  • ...14 more annotations...
  • disadvantages.
  • flats.
  • Living in a huge metropolis you’ll never be bored, you can always find something
  • interesting for you.
  • Shanghai is a fascinating mix of East and West. It has historic shikumen houses that blended the styles of Chinese houses with European design flair, and it has one of the richest collections of art deco
  • buildings in the world.
  • With temperate weather year-round, and blue skies much of the year, anytime is a good time to visit Los Angeles. There are so many things to see and do in Los Angeles that a single trip just isn't enough.
  • Historic, bustling, awe-inspiring, Manila is a blend of cultures and flavors that offers an endless serving of places to see, sights to behold, and experiences to never forget.
  • a beehive of activity that offers a jovial nightlife and an intense cultural experience. Sao Paulo is one of the richest cities in the southern hemisphere. A large sprawling city can present numerous challenges to sensibilities.
  • New York City is one of the global centers of international finance, politics, communications, film, music, fashion, and culture, and is among the world's most important and influential cities.
  • It is home to many world-class museums, art galleries, and theatres.
  • he pace of life is more hurried; time is money and money is important.
  • largest port cities and looms large as the commercial capital of India.
  • Delhi is said to be one of the oldest existing cities in the world
  • Sara Espinosa on 03 Dec 08
     
    people live in big cities because...
Kate L

The Energy Story - Chapter 15: Solar Energy - 0 views

www.energyquest.ca.gov/...chapter15.html

energy thermal resources

shared by Kate L on 03 Dec 08 - Cached
  • Solar energy can also be used to make electricity.
  • solar power plants, like the one in the picture to the right in California's Mojave Desert, use a highly curved mirror called a parabolic trough to focus the sunlight on a pipe running down a central point above the curve of the mirror.
  • mirror focuses the sunlight to strike the pipe
  • ...35 more annotations...
  • gets so hot that it can boil water into steam
  • team can then be used to turn a turbine to make electricity.
  • California's Mojave desert, there are huge rows of solar mirrors arranged in what's called "solar thermal power plants"
  • this idea to make electricity for more than 350,000 homes
  • problem with solar energy is that it works only when the sun is shining
  • cloudy days and at night, the power plants can't create energy.
  • solar plants, are a "hybrid" technology
  • daytime they use the sun
  • night and on cloudy days they burn natural gas to boil the water so they can continue to make electricity.
  • form of solar power plants to make electricity is called a Central Tower Power Plant, like the one to the right - the Solar Two Project.
  • Sunlight is reflected off 1,800 mirrors circling the tall tower
  • mirrors are called heliostats
  • move and turn to face the sun all day long
  • light is reflected back to the top of the tower in the center of the circle where a fluid is turned very hot by the sun's rays.
  • luid can be used to boil water
  • make steam to turn a turbine and a generator.
  • We can also change the sunlight directly to electricity using solar cells.
  • Solar cells are also called photovoltaic cells
  • PV cells for short
  • be found on many small appliances
  • calculators
  • even on spacecraft
  • first developed in the 1950s for use on U.S. space satellites
  • made of silicon, a special type of melted sand.
  • sunlight strikes the solar cell, electrons (red circles) are knocked loose
  • move toward the treated front surface (dark blue color)
  • electron imbalance is created between the front and back
  • two surfaces are joined by a connector, like a wire, a current of electricity occurs between the negative and positive sides.
  • individual solar cells are arranged together in a PV module and the modules are grouped together in an array.
  • arrays are set on special tracking devices to follow sunlight all day long.
  • electrical energy from solar cells can then be used directly
  • used in a home for lights and appliances
  • in a business
  • Solar energy can be stored in batteries to light a roadside billboard at night
  • energy can be stored in a battery for an emergency roadside cellular telephone when no telephone wires are around.
  • Kate L on 03 Dec 08
     
    Solar/ thermal energy
Christina T

Nichiren - Buddhist monk in 13th century Japan - 0 views

www.japan-101.com/...nichiren.htm

japan buddhist history culture

shared by Christina T on 09 Dec 08 - Cached
  • Nichiren (日蓮) (February 16, 1222 - October 13, 1282), born Zennichimaro, later Zesho-bo Rencho and sometimes called Nichiren Shonin or Nichiren Daishonin, was a Buddhist monk in 13th century Japan, and founder of Nichiren Buddhism, a Buddhist movement which continues today.
  • Nichiren believed that the teachings contained in the Lotus Sutra were given by the Buddha Shakyamuni.
  • One central theme in the Lotus Sutra, which was emphasized by Nichiren and is emphasized in Nichiren Buddhism today, is that enlightenment may be attained in a single lifetime.
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  • he declared his intention to preach the Lotus Sutra and Nam-myoho-renge-kyo as the true Buddhism.
  • He wrote a religious treatise called the Rissho Ankoku Ron (On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land), in which he attributed a series of natural disasters including tsunamis and earthquakes as well as foreign invasion (i.e., the Mongols) to the improper practice of the Buddhists.
  • Nichiren continued to teach his belief in the Lotus Sutra and Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, writing more treatises.
  • The writings were the Senji Sho (Selection of Time) and the Hoon Jo (Recompense of Indebtedness), which was written in memory of his Buddhist teacher, Dozen
  • He died in October 1282 at Ikegami, Tokyo, where he had travelled to take medicinal baths for his failing health
  • With the exception of Nikko, who dedicated his entire life to helping eternalize his teachings, the other five disciples to a man turned their back on Nichiren's philosophy.
anonymous

Howstuffworks "How Performance-Enhancing Drugs Work" - 0 views

entertainment.howstuffworks.com/...printable

shared by anonymous on 01 Dec 08 - Cached
  • Every two years as the Olympic Games begin, we hear about athletes using or at least being tested for performance-enhancing drugs. Every time the Tour de France rolls around, there's talk of possible doping. Sometimes, competitors raise the question when one athlete does particularly well. Other times, tests catch athletes with drugs in their systems. The practice of using artificial substances or methods to enhance athletic performance is called doping. Doping has become such a great concern that the United States formed an Anti-Doping Agency.
  • Why Some Athletes Use DrugsAthletes face enormous pressure to excel in competition. They also know that winning can reap them more than a gold medal. A star athlete can earn a lot of money and a lot of fame, and athletes only have a short time to do their best work. Athletes know that training is the best path to victory, but they also get the message that some drugs and other practices can boost their efforts and give them a shortcut, even as they risk their health and their athletic careers.
  • As far back as ancient Greece, athletes have often been willing to take any preparation that would improve their performance. But it appears that drug use increased in the 1960s. One well-publicized incident happened at the Seoul Olympics in 1988 when sprinter Ben Johnson tested positive for anabolic steroids and was stripped of his gold medal. Athletes may also misuse drugs to relax, cope with stress or boost their own confidence. Athletes may have several reasons for using performance-enhancing drugs. An athlete may want to: Build mass and strength of muscles and/or bones Increase delivery of oxygen to exercising tissues Mask pain Stimulate the body Relax Reduce weight Hide use of other drugs
  • ...7 more annotations...
  • Building Mass and Strength Mass- and strength-enhancing drugs used by athletes include: Anabolic steroids Beta-2 agonists Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) Luteinizing hormone (LH) Human growth hormone (hGH) Insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) Insulin
  • A steroid is a chemical substance derived from cholesterol.
  • he body has several major steroid hormones -- cortisol and testosterone in the male, estrogen and progesterone in the female. Catabolic steroids break down tissue, and anabolic steroids build up tissue. Anabolic steroids build muscle and bone mass primarily by stimulating the muscle and bone cells to make new protein.
  • Athletes use anabolic steroids because they increase muscle strength by encouraging new muscle growth. Anabolic steroids are similar in structure to the male sex hormone, testosterone, so they enhance male reproductive and secondary sex characteristics (testicle development, hair growth, thickening of the vocal cords). They allow the athlete to train harder and longer at any given period.
  • Anabolic steroids are mostly testosterone (male sex hormone) and its derivatives. Examples of anabolic steroids include: Testosterone Dihydrotestosterone Androstenedione (Andro) Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) Clostebol Nandrolone
  • hese substances can be injected or taken as pills. Anabolic steroids have a number of possible and well-known side effects, including: Jaundice and liver damage because these substances are normally broken down in the liver Mood swings, depression and aggression because they act on various centers of the brain In males, the excessive concentrations interfere with normal sexual function and cause: Baldness Infertility Breast development
  • In females, the excessive concentrations cause male characteristics to develop and interfere with normal female functions. The drugs can: Stimulate hair growth on the face and body Suppress or interfere with menstrual cycle, possibly leading to infertility Thicken the vocal cords, which causes the voice to deepen, possibly permanently If pregnant, interfere with the developing fetus
Jilliane Velazco

The music industry | From major to minor | The Economist - 0 views

www.economist.com/...displaystory.cfm

economist music industry

shared by Jilliane Velazco on 03 Dec 08 - Cached
  • the results from 2007 confirm what EMI's focus group showed: that the record industry's main product, the CD, which in 2006 accounted for over 80% of total global sales, is rapidly fading away.
  • the volume of physical albums sold dropped by 19% in 2007
  • For the first half of 2007, sales of music on CD and other physical formats fell by 6% in Britain, by 9% in Japan, France and Spain, by 12% in Italy, 14% in Australia and 21% in Canada.
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  • “In 2007 it became clear that the recorded-music industry is contracting and that it will be a very different beast from what it was in the 20th century,”
  • Warner Music's share price has fallen to $4.75, 72% lower than its IPO price in 2005
  • They now want to move beyond Apple's iTunes and its paid-for downloads.
  • Jilliane Velazco on 03 Dec 08
     
    info about music industries; record labels; cd sales and how they have gone down
Ann Thomas

Pets 911 - Pets, Dogs, Cats provide health benefits to humans - 0 views

www.pets911.com/...benefits-of-adopting-a-new-pet

shared by Ann Thomas on 03 Dec 08 - Cached
  • Ann Thomas on 03 Dec 08
     
    # Senior citizens who own pets actually need less medical attention than those that do not. # Pet owners typically have lower blood pressure than non-pet owners, and one study actually proved that with as little as 10 minutes with a pet can lower blood pressure significantly. # Pet owners have lower triglyceride and cholesterol levels than non-owners. # Pet owners have overall better physical health due to exercise with their pets. 70 percent of families surveyed reported an increase in family happiness and fun after acquiring a pet. # Children exposed to pets during their first year of life have a lower frequency of some allergies and asthma. # Children who suffer from autism have more pro social behaviors if they own a pet. # Owning a pet - especially a dog - helps children in families better adjust to the serious illness or death of a parent. # Pets decrease feelings of loneliness and isolation in their owners. # Having a pet may decrease heart attack mortality rates by 3 percent, which translates into 30,000 lives saved annually. # Positive self-esteem in children is enhanced if the child owns a pet. # Children owning pets are more likely to be involved in sports, hobbies, clubs or even chores. # Victims of AIDS who own a pet report less depression and reduced stress levels. # Many groups take therapy pets to visit residents of nursing homes, and the experience has shown to be a very positive one for both the pet and the individual. # The reverse is also true - the life of a pet is usually enhanced if its owner cares for it properly.
Sylvia A

Bats In The Desert Southwest - 0 views

www.desertusa.com/...du_bats.html

bat desert

shared by Sylvia A on 05 Dec 08 - Cached
  • Bats are often thought of as flying mice,but they are more closely related to primates, including humans, than they are to mice.
  • the bat's body is covered by hair, with the exception of its wings.
  • Vampire bats don't suck blood. They make a small incision and lap up the blood of their hosts.
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  • A bat will eat half its weight in insects in a single night.
  • Fewer people have died from bat rabies during the past 40 years than have died from dog bites or bee stings in a single year.
  • Although the bat is not blind, its eyes are best adapted to seeing in the dark, and see in only black-and-white.
  • The thumbs of the forefoot are small, equipped with sharp claws and not connected to the membrane.
  • Bats are very shy creatures and like most wild animals, avoid contact with humans while going about their business of eating, reproducing and avoiding predators.
  • When a bat returns to its roost for its upside-down sleep, it will spend as much as 30 minutes cleaning itself before settling down to sleep.
  • Some species of bats prefer to live alone in trees.
  • Nearly all bats that live in the United States feed on insects.
  • Mating may occur two or even three times a year
  • Bats have many natural enemies and large numbers of them die while still young.
  • The most significant causes of premature bat death, however, are the activities of people.
  • Bat droppings (guano) support entire ecosystems of unique organisms, including bacteria useful in detoxifying wastes, improving detergents and producing gasohol and antibiotics.
Stephania D

beaches in the U.S - 0 views

www.msnbc.msn.com/20156905

water Pollution beaches

shared by Stephania D on 03 Dec 08 - Cached
  • Pollution at the nation’s 3,500 ocean, lake and bay beaches resulted in more than 25,000 closing or swimming advisory days last year, 28 percent more than in 2005, and the highest number in the 17 years that records have been kept, according to a new federal report released Tuesday.
  • he prime culprit was storm water runoff
  • Another 1,300 days were attributed to sewage spills and overflows.
  • ...11 more annotations...
  • could not be determined.
  • “Exposure to bacteria, viruses and parasites in contaminated beach water can cause a wide range of diseases, including ear, nose and eye infections; gastroenteritis; hepatitis; encephalitis; skin rashes; and respiratory illnesses,”
  • Most at risk are small children, pregnant women, cancer patients and others whose immune systems are weak or compromised.
  • “Children under the age of 9 had more reports of diarrhea and vomiting from exposure to waterborne parasites than any other age group,”
  • “found that more than 10 percent of swimmers report contracting gastroenteritis or respiratory infections after swimming. Based on those results and beach attendance numbers, nearly 300 people could expect to contract a respiratory illness after swimming in Lake Michigan in Chicago on a summer weekend.
  • “The study found skin rash and diarrhea to be consistently significantly elevated in swimmers compared to non-swimmers.
  • For diarrhea, this risk was strongest among children 5 to 12 years old,
  • an estimated 27 cases per 1,000 among children with any water contact, 32 cases among those with facial contact with the water, and 59 cases among those who swallowed water,
  • 92 beaches in 19 states as being “high risk”
  • 25 percent of tests.
  • “Aging and poorly-designed sewage and storm water systems hold much of the blame for beach water pollution. The problem was compounded by record rainfall, which added to the strain on already overloaded infrastructure.
  • Stephania D on 03 Dec 08
     
    Water pollution (Best + Worst)
Ann Thomas

PIR: Cats - 0 views

www.pirweb.org/pir04b_cat.htm

shared by Ann Thomas on 03 Dec 08 - Cached
  • Cats are very important subjects in cancer research. Leukemia is perhaps the most infamous of the diseases shared by cats and people. In cats, it is caused by an AIDS-like retrovirus. A recently discovered vaccine against feline leukemia may act as a model for an AIDS vaccine. Mammary cancer is also common in the cat, and many features of feline mammary cancer resemble the human breast cancer which, among the human cancers, is the greatest killer of women.
  • Ann Thomas on 03 Dec 08
     
    Cats, too, have been useful models for research on aging. Their relatively long life span compared with mice and rats makes it possible to observe the slower and more subtle effects of aging. Cats are very important subjects in cancer research. Leukemia is perhaps the most infamous of the diseases shared by cats and people. In cats, it is caused by an AIDS-like retrovirus. A recently discovered vaccine against feline leukemia may act as a model for an AIDS vaccine. Mammary cancer is also common in the cat, and many features of feline mammary cancer resemble the human breast cancer which, among the human cancers, is the greatest killer of women.
Christina T

Japan - Migration - 0 views

countrystudies.us/53.htm

japan migration

shared by Christina T on 09 Dec 08 - Cached
  • During Japan's economic development in the twentieth century, and especially during the 1950s and 1960s, migration was characterized by urbanization as people from rural areas in increasing numbers moved to the larger metropolitan areas in search of better jobs and education.
  • In the 1980s, government policy provided support for new urban development away from the large cities, particularly Tokyo, and assisted regional cities to attract young people to live and work there.
  • This pattern suggests a process of suburbanization, people moving away from the cities for affordable housing but still commuting there for work and recreation, rather than a true decentralization.
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  • Japanese economic success has led to an increase in certain types of external migration. In 1990 about 11 million Japanese went abroad.
  • As the government and private corporations have stressed internationalization, greater numbers of individuals have been directly affected, decreasing Japan's historically claimed insularity
  • By the late 1980s, these problems, particularly the bullying of returnee children in the schools, had become a major public issue both in Japan and in Japanese communities abroad.
Carlen Hodgson

Suggestions for Physical Training on the Off-Season for the Basketball Player - 0 views

www.guidetocoachingbasketball.com/training.htm

shared by Carlen Hodgson on 03 Dec 08 - Cached
  • Basketball may be the most demanding of all sports. Basketball is a game of quickness: fast starts, sharp cuts and turns, acceleration and deceleration, and jumping. The heart of the game is running. Some coaches estimated that a starting high school player will run a total of 3 to 5 miles in a 32-minute game.
  • During the off-season prepare yourself by putting into practice good training principles. This will help you to maintain your fitness at a high level. Therefore, you can better bring out the best in your athletic potential.
  • Off-season training for competitive basketball requires self- discipline, dedication, and sacrifice. Also, you must have a good working knowledge of athletic training principles.
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  • It's for this reason that the off-season is used to follow a training program to develop endurance, strength, speed, coordination, and agility. In order to be successful
  • Warm-up 5 to 10 minutes to increase blood flow and lubricate the joints.Flexibility exercises to slowly stretch muscles and tendons that cross and surround the joints.Strength development to increase muscular power and force.Endurance work to increase and maintain a high level of cardiovascular conditioning and interval workouts to increase speed and stamina.A cool-down period of 5 to 10 minutes after the exercise has finished to let the heart rate return to normal and facilitate the return of blood from the extremities.Post-exercise flexibility exercises of 5 to 10 minutes to prevent muscles from shortening.
  • The Warm-UpAll exercise should be preceded by a short warm-up period of 5 to 10 minutes. The purpose of this is to prepare your body for more strenuous activity to follow. An excellent warm-up is rope skipping with little or no resistance. Once your body starts to lightly perspire, you are probably sufficiently warmed up. Rope jumping will greatly increase the flow of blood to the muscle tissues and lubricate the joints. This allows you to bend, stretch, jump, and run to the maximum of your ability without fear of injury. Exercise without a proper warm-up is very taxing to the muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints. Failure to warm-up may lead to injury. Flexibility: Stretching Exercises
  • Prepare to be a WinnerA high level of personal motivation is critical to the success of anything that you do in life. No matter how much or how little basketball talent you have, if you are motivated enough to follow the program set forth here, you will get in shape. Therefore, you will be better able to achieve your goals. All the many hours that you put into your conditioning program will eventually yield results. In the final minutes of a game when your team is desperately looking for someone to score, grab a rebound, or block a shot, it is you who will come through. Why? Because you are in shape and, even in the waning minutes when everyone else is tired, you can still perform at a high competitive level. With the base built from your preseason training program, you are the one who still has the mental toughness, the strength, the power, and the motivation to get the job done. Although you may never have all the tools to be the most talented basketball player, by working hard and following this preseason program, you will become a well conditioned athlete, able to maximize all your basketball talents. In the end this will enable you to come as close as possible to achieving your basketball dreams.
karen ponce

Thanksgiving - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - 0 views

en.wikipedia.org/...Thanksgiving

shared by karen ponce on 09 Dec 08 - Cached
  • hanksgiving Day is a harvest festival. Traditionally, it is a time to give thanks for the harvest and express gratitude in general. It is a holiday celebrated primarily in Canada and the United States. While perhaps religious in origin, Thanksgiving is now primarily identified as a secular holiday. The date and location of the first Thanksgiving celebration is a topic of modest contention. Though the earliest attested Thanksgiving celebration was on September 8, 1565 in what is now Saint Augustine, Florida[1][2], the traditional "first Thanksgiving" is venerated as having occurred at the site of Plymouth Plantation, in 1621. Today, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. Thanksgiving dinner is held on this day, usually as a gathering of family members and friends.
  • Most people celebrate by gathering at home with family or friends for a holiday feast. Though the holiday's origins can be traced to harvest festivals which have been celebrated in many cultures since ancient times, the American holiday has religious undertones related to the deliverance of the English settlers by Native Americans after the brutal winter at Plymouth, Massachusetts. The period from Thanksgiving Day to New Year's Day is often called the holiday season.
Aloysius Utomo

Panda - Enchanted Learning Software - 0 views

www.enchantedlearning.com/...panda

shared by Aloysius Utomo on 25 Nov 08 - Cached
    • Aloysius Utomo
      Aloysius Utomo on 04 Dec 08
       
      Size of pandas
  • Chinese people call the panda "Da xiong mao,"
  • "giant bear cat"
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  • symbol of peace in China
  • Female pandas are called sows
  • males are called boars
  • young are called cubs
  • Most bears' eyes have round pupils
  • giant panda, whose pupils are vertical slits
  • Pandas have very good eyesight
  • largest pandas grow to be about 250 pounds
  • 5.25 to 6 feet (1.6 to 1.8 m) long
  • weighs about 220 pounds
  • 40 pounds (18 kg) of food each day
  • Bamboo is very low in nutrition
  • cannot digest it very well
  • 12 hours every day
  • throat and stomach have extra-tough linings to protect them from the tough food
  • captivity (zoos and breeding centers), pandas eat bamboo, rice cereal, carrots, apples, and sweet potatoes
  • usually eat while sitting in an upright positio
  • strong teeth and jaws are very important to a panda's survival
  • Giant pandas have large molars (flat teeth used for crushing food)
  • few sharp teeth which they use to bite tough bamboo stalks
  • Pandas have 42 teeth
  • very thick, oily, woolly fur
  • two types of hairs
  • long, thick, coarse hairs
  • fur is waterproof
  • shorter, fine, dense underfur
  • endangered species
  • roughly 1,000-1,500 pandas living in the wild (in China)
  • 120 living in zoos and breeding centers around the world
  • extremely vulnerable to extinction because of humans
  • mostly shy, solitary animals
  • mostly silent, but they can bleat!
  • 11 different calls, four of which are only used during mating
  • live longer in captivity than in the wild
  • Unlike many other bears, pandas cannot walk on their hind legs
  • do not hibernate since their food is available all year long
  • During the cold winter months, giant pandas go to lower altitudes where it is a bit warmer
  • don't seem to have permanent dens
  • very slow reproductive rate
  • mate in the spring
  • give birth between 95 and 160 days after mating
  • Aloysius Utomo on 25 Nov 08
     
    lota facts
HUNTER CRUCET

Drug Use In Sport. Steroids And Drug Abuse In Athletics. - 0 views

www.athleticscholarships.net/erformance-enhancing-drugs.htm

athletics Drugs Steroids baseball football soccer tennis

shared by HUNTER CRUCET on 02 Dec 08 - Cached
  • A Crisis In Swimming - A lot has been said and written about drugs in sport. With each passing year, there are more and more of athletes caught taking banned drugs/chemicals that enhance sport performance. In the recent Tour de France cycling race, almost half of the urine samples yielded traces of banned substances. An underlying inference is that anyone who tests positive for drugs is a cheat.
  • A lot has been said and written about drugs in sport. With each passing year, there are more and more of athletes caught taking banned drugs/chemicals that enhance sport performance. In the recent Tour de France cycling race, almost half of the urine samples yielded traces of banned substances. An underlying inference is that anyone who tests positive for drugs is a cheat.
  • hletes using steroids or hormones to add muscle are playing an even more dangerous game with their health, Wojtys says. And concerns are growing. One alarming study reported that adolescent use of steroids is on the rise, according to The National Institute on Drug Abuse
    • HUNTER CRUCET
      HUNTER CRUCET on 02 Dec 08
       
      this is what happens when you take steroids
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  • A recent study by McLean Hospital researchers has found widespread abuse of steroids and the use of other performance-enhancing drugs in many women bodybuilders. In addition, the study also found that many women bodybuilders suffer from eating disorders and other body image disorders.
will sylvester

Yellowstone National Park Vacation and Tour, Wyoming | GORP - 0 views

gorp.away.com/...wy_yello.htm

shared by will sylvester on 09 Dec 08 - Cached
  • will sylvester on 09 Dec 08
     
    Ski among Geysers Skinny-skiing Yellowstone is one of the premier winter-wilderness experiences in North America. To glide along the abandoned, snow-covered trails of the Old Faithful area in winter is to enter bottomless silences and watch tendrils of steam writhing in the chill wind. The geysers occasionally roar and billow, and buffalo use their massive heads to clear the frozen grasslands of snow. Accessible only by snow coach in winter, the rebuilt Old Faithful Snow Lodge makes a cozy backcountry base camp. Joining a naturalist-led ski trip offers rare and delightful insight into a world that only seems dormant; some of the best trips are run through the Yellowstone Institute.
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