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Ann Thomas

Alley Cat Rescue � The National Cat Protection Association - 0 views

www.saveacat.org/communitybenefits.html

shared by Ann Thomas on 10 Dec 08 - Cached
  • Feral cats can minimize rodent problems. While cats cannot hunt rats and mice into extinction, they can keep their populations in check and discourage new rodents from moving into the area. Often feral cats fill in a gap in the current ecosystem. For example bob cats or lynx used to live up and down the East Coast but were hunted ruthlessly and driven away by development. Feral cats are similar in size and behavior to these native feline predators and help to control the same species of small prey animals. Many people enjoy watching feral cats and observing animals has been shown to lower blood pressure in medical studies. People who help to care for feral cats by feeding them and taking them to the vet enjoy many benefits. Often cat caretakers are elderly and live alone, a population at risk for depression, loneliness, and isolation. Cats relieve these conditions and often bring a sense of happiness and purpose to people who help them. Just as companion animals have been shown extend life expectancies, lower blood pressure, and relieve stress, caring for feral cats improves the health of their caretakers. Individuals who cannot take on the full time commitment of adopting a companion animal can participate in programs to help feral cats. This provides a viable alternative to irresponsibly purchasing an animal one is not prepared to care for. An established, stable, vaccinated, and sterilized colony of feral cats will deter other stray and feral cats from moving into the area. This actually decreases the risk that residents will encounter an unvaccinated cat, and will virtually eliminate problem behaviors like fighting and spraying.
  • Ann Thomas on 10 Dec 08
     
    1. Feral cats can minimize rodent problems. While cats cannot hunt rats and mice into extinction, they can keep their populations in check and discourage new rodents from moving into the area. Often feral cats fill in a gap in the current ecosystem. For example bob cats or lynx used to live up and down the East Coast but were hunted ruthlessly and driven away by development. Feral cats are similar in size and behavior to these native feline predators and help to control the same species of small prey animals. 2. Many people enjoy watching feral cats and observing animals has been shown to lower blood pressure in medical studies. 3. People who help to care for feral cats by feeding them and taking them to the vet enjoy many benefits. Often cat caretakers are elderly and live alone, a population at risk for depression, loneliness, and isolation. Cats relieve these conditions and often bring a sense of happiness and purpose to people who help them. Just as companion animals have been shown extend life expectancies, lower blood pressure, and relieve stress, caring for feral cats improves the health of their caretakers. 4. Individuals who cannot take on the full time commitment of adopting a companion animal can participate in programs to help feral cats. This provides a viable alternative to irresponsibly purchasing an animal one is not prepared to care for. 5. An established, stable, vaccinated, and sterilized colony of feral cats will deter other stray and feral cats from moving into the area. This actually decreases the risk that residents will encounter an unvaccinated cat, and will virtually eliminate problem behaviors like fighting and spraying.
Christina Sanchez

Hong Kong Disneyland to expand - Entertainment News, International News, Media - Variety - 0 views

www.variety.com/...VR1117996212.html

hong kong disneyland

shared by Christina Sanchez on 08 Dec 08 - Cached
  • According to the South China Morning Post the Hong Kong government and Disney are now discussing addition of three new themed 'lands' at a cost of some HK$5 billion ($645 million).
Ann Thomas

Benefits of Pets - 0 views

www.petsandpetals.com

shared by Ann Thomas on 08 Dec 08 - Cached
  • Pets reduce stress - studies have shown that simply petting your cat or dog can lower your heart and respiratory rates, blood pressure and cholesterol levels, a great benefit of pet ownership.   Companion pets help safeguard against loneliness and depression - Who can resist returning the affection you receive from a pet. They love you unconditionally; well, at least dogs do!  They are always happy to see you and make you feel good even when you’ve had a bad day.  More benefits of having a pet are... Pets encourage us to get out and exercise - What better way to get exercise than to share a walk with your dog or a play outing to the park.  If you have a cat or an older small dog, you can still take them for a walk in a pet stroller.  Another benefit of owning a pet is...   Helping us meet people - Almost everyone loves animals and many people may want to meet your dog or cat during your outings with your pet.  Those times give us an opportunity to increase our circle of friends. The next benefit of a pet is...
  • A dog or cat will help children’s self esteem and social development – pets are accepting and give positive reinforcement to children. Having a pet will benefit your child’s development as it promotes learning how to be responsible. They will listen to all your stories without fail – even if your human friends get tired from time to time of what you have to say, your pet will always think you “look great”, will never argue with you, and will never tell you they are too tired to talk. This is one of the greatest benefits of pets that people don’t recognize!   Pets will make you laugh, the best stress reliever in the world – your new family pet will provide many hours of amusement for your family as you “explore” your world together. What a wonderful benefit of having a pet in your home!   Another benefit of pet ownership is they help older people feel less isolated – They lessen loss for older people who are on their own and help to keep them involved in caring for another being.   
  • Pets can keep you company while you garden - This may be a stretch, but there is nothing cuter than a cat peeking out from behind the petals of your flower garden or a dog helping you “turn the earth”. Some may not consider digging a benefit of having a pet, but if properly trained it shouldn’t be a problem and your dog can actually help you tote your gardening tools around the yard and your cat will appreciate the catnip in your herb garden.
  • Ann Thomas on 08 Dec 08
     
    Pets reduce stress - studies have shown that simply petting your cat or dog can lower your heart and respiratory rates, blood pressure and cholesterol levels, a great benefit of pet ownership. Companion pets help safeguard against loneliness and depression - Who can resist returning the affection you receive from a pet. They love you unconditionally; well, at least dogs do! They are always happy to see you and make you feel good even when you've had a bad day. More benefits of having a pet are... Pets encourage us to get out and exercise - What better way to get exercise than to share a walk with your dog or a play outing to the park. If you have a cat or an older small dog, you can still take them for a walk in a pet stroller. Another benefit of owning a pet is... Helping us meet people - Almost everyone loves animals and many people may want to meet your dog or cat during your outings with your pet. Those times give us an opportunity to increase our circle of friends. The next benefit of a pet is... A dog or cat will help children's self esteem and social development - pets are accepting and give positive reinforcement to children. Having a pet will benefit your child's development as it promotes learning how to be responsible. They will listen to all your stories without fail - even if your human friends get tired from time to time of what you have to say, your pet will always think you "look great", will never argue with you, and will never tell you they are too tired to talk. This is one of the greatest benefits of pets that people don't recognize! Pets will make you laugh, the best stress reliever in the world - your new family pet will provide many hours of amusement for your family as you "explore" your world together. What a wonderful benefit of having a pet in your home! Another benefit of pet ownership is they help older people feel less isolated - They lessen loss for older people who are on their own and help to
karen ponce

Student Research Center - powered by EBSCOhost: Pilgrim's paradox - 0 views

web.ebscohost.com/...detail

shared by karen ponce on 09 Dec 08 - Cached
  • he Pilgrims, fleeing religious persecution, sailed from England to the New World aboard the Mayflower. They stepped ashore on Plymouth Rock and began a new colony. In unfamiliar territory, they came near starvation, but the Indian Squanto appeared and taught them to plant corn and make their living from the land. Led by William Bradford and Miles Standish, they survived these difficult early days, and when they brought in the first rich harvest, they set aside a day to give thanks to God for their good fortune. The chief Massasoit and their other Native American neighbors came bringing deer and wild turkeys, and together the Indians and the Pilgrims celebrated the first Thanksgiving. The vague history (more myth, really) of the first Thanksgiving presents a scenario of the encounter of New World and Old World people that existed for only a moment, if it existed at all. It involves one of the least typical, and least successful, groups of European colonizers of the North American continent. Yet Thanksgiving is an important celebration throughout the United States, and like most things central to American culture, it is complicated and multilayered.
Stephania D

China - 0 views

dsc.discovery.com/...china-weather-olympics.html

water polllution prevention china environment olympics

shared by Stephania D on 03 Dec 08 - Cached
  • Though it sounds like a classroom assignment from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, weather modification programs have been around for more than 50 years.
  • The problem is there are too many factors that affect the weather, making naturally occurring phenomena difficult to separate from man-made triggers.
  • "There was no strong scientific base for changing the weather."
  • ...1 more annotation...
  • Determined to prevent rain from dampening the spirits -- not to mention the crowds -- on opening day ceremonies, the government plans to seed any threatening clouds with chemicals to dispel, or at least delay, rainfall.
  • Stephania D on 03 Dec 08
     
    Pollution, prevention
Stephania D

Olympic Sailors - 0 views

dsc.discovery.com/...sailing-olympics.html

water polllution olympic sailors

shared by Stephania D on 03 Dec 08 - Cached
  • Beijing Olympics
  • China's environmental
  • Choked Waters
  • ...8 more annotations...
  • With the Olympics only a month away, athletes cannot risk falling sick and are taking few chances.
  • "You don't really want to go sailing around in pollution and I've never sailed in a place that's more polluted than this," said Australian coach Euan McNicol, a former skiff world champion.
  • The most shocking story is that of Australian sailor Elise Rechichi, who swallowed water when she slipped on a boat ramp during a test event here in 2006. It took her 10 months to recover from severe gastric trauma that had her in and out of hospital.
  • "It's made us all reasonably wary of what's going on,"
  • But for many Olympic sailors it's what they can't see in the water that is their greatest concern.
  • Boats, bulldozers and the military have been deployed to remove the eyesore.
  • On Saturday, officials briefly claimed victory over the algae saying the course had been cleared.
  • But Qu Chun, the 2008 Olympic sailing competition manager said the bloom has not been totally wiped out, estimating that 2-5 percent of the course was still affected, down from nearly a third a week earlier.
  • Stephania D on 03 Dec 08
     
    Face Pollution
Carlen Hodgson

Off-Season Basketball Coaching, Coach's Clipboard Playbook - 0 views

www.coachesclipboard.net/fSeasonBasketballCoaching.html

shared by Carlen Hodgson on 10 Dec 08 - Cached
  • As coaches, we expect our players to work in the off-season and make improvements. But what about us as coaches... what are we doing in the off-season to help our team and to improve ourselves as coaches?
  • Maintain balance in your personal life. Right after the season is over, step back and forget about it for a couple weeks. Take time for your family and friends, relax, enjoy life and your time away from the gym.
  • We already discussed re-evaluating your system, plays, players, etc. Make the necessary adjustments, if any, that you think will help next season. Think about your goals for the upcoming season. Now is the time to create a master practice plan, if you find that helpful.
  • ...2 more annotations...
  • state athletic associations have rules as to how much time you can spend with your players in the off-season, so make sure you understand the rules first. The off-season is a good time to try to correct individual shooting technique and other fundamental errors.
  • he off-season is a good time to experiment with your players. If you have a few team camps and scrimmages, now is the time to try a player in a new role or a new position... for example, moving a player into the post, or a wing player to the point guard position, etc. The off-season is also a good time to try out a new offense or defense. But I wouldn't show all my favorite plays in scrimmages. Finally... let's go back to our first discussion point. Play a little golf, go fishing, take a family trip, etc. Enjoy the off-season!
Stephania D

Lake Microbes - 0 views

dsc.discovery.com/...arsenic-bacteria-lake.html

Arsenic water polllution lake

shared by Stephania D on 03 Dec 08 - Cached
  • A deadly toxin, arsenic is known for its ability to end life.
  • Since the 1990s, scientists have discovered about 20 species of bizarre bacteria that "breathe" arsenic.
  • They are typically found in environments where oxygen is scarce and have been forced to survive on whatever strange substance is easily available.
  • ...4 more annotations...
  • "Just like you and I inhale oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide, these bugs breathe in Arsenic +3 and breathe out Arsenic +5,"
  • Arsenic +3 is the most poisonous form of the element, because it acts much like phosphorous.
  • Most life on Earth needs phosphorous to build the molecule adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which supplies cells with energy. Arsenic can substitute for phosphorous and upset the ATP molecule, essentially starving cells to death.
  • n the arsenic-rich, oxygen-poor waters of Mono Lake, Oremland and a team of researchers found that bacteria turn the lethal toxin to their advantage through photosynthesis.
  • Stephania D on 03 Dec 08
     
    Thrive on Arsenic
Stephania D

Olympic Sailors Face Pollution : Discovery News : Discovery Channel - 0 views

dsc.discovery.com/...sailing-olympics-02.html

shared by Stephania D on 05 Dec 08 - Cached
  • Officials have said the algae is the result of a hot spell after heavy rain, but environmentalists said such blooms are largely due to sewage and agricultural pollutant run-off.
  • "It's not clean, but two years ago it was much worse, you would see bags and things floating in. Now you're not seeing bags," she said.
  • Canadian coach Dave Hughes said the water quality has improved a lot, but there are still spots where sailors track through what smell like sewage.
  • ...5 more annotations...
  • disputes that Qingdao is more polluted than other courses around the world.
  • "The water's not poison and it won't harm the athletes," he said.
  • He said the stomach problems experienced by athletes following previous races in Qingdao could be caused by a variety of factors, such as not being used to Chinese food.
  • The government has invested heavily to clean up Qingdao's water, he said, with new facilities moving sewage away from the coast and into the deep sea.
  • "Now you can see the bottom of the marina, before I couldn't see it," Qu said.
Ann Thomas

FuturePundit: Cats Cut Heart Attack Risk? - 0 views

www.futurepundit.com/...005030.html

shared by Ann Thomas on 03 Dec 08 - Cached
  • Owning a cat could reduce your risk of a heart attack by nearly one third, researchers told delegates of the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference in New Orleans last week. The finding provoked a mixed reaction from heart experts and veterinarians.
  • Ann Thomas on 03 Dec 08
     
    Owning a cat could reduce your risk of a heart attack by nearly one third, researchers told delegates of the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference in New Orleans last week. The finding provoked a mixed reaction from heart experts and veterinarians.
karen ponce

The Pilgrims-Overview - 0 views

www.mayflowerfamilies.com/...pilgrims.htm

shared by karen ponce on 05 Dec 08 - Cached
  • The Pilgrims were English Separatists. In the first years of the 17th century, small numbers of English Puritans broke away from the Church of England because they felt that it had not completed the work of the Reformation. They committed themselves to a life based on the Bible. Most of these Separatists were farmers, poorly educated and without social or political standing. One of the Separatist congregations was led by William Brewster and the Rev. Richard Clifton in the village of Scrooby in Nottinghamshire. The Scrooby group emigrated to Amsterdam in 1608 to escape harassment and religious persecution. The next year they moved to Leiden, in Holland where, enjoying full religious freedom, they remained for almost 12 years. In 1617, discouraged by economic difficulties, the pervasive Dutch influence on their children, and their inability to secure civil autonomy, the congregation voted to emigrate to America. Through the Brewster family's friendship with Sir Edwin Sandys, treasurer of the London Company, the congregation secured two patents authorizing them to settle in the northern part of the company's jurisdiction. Unable to finance the costs of the emigration with their own meager resources, they negotiated a financial agreement with Thomas Weston, a prominent London iron merchant. Fewer than half of the group's members elected to leave Leiden. A small ship, the Speedwell, carried them to Southampton, England, where they were to join another group of Separatists and pick up a second ship. After some delays and disputes, the voyagers regrouped at Plymouth aboard the 180-ton Mayflower. It began its historic voyage on Sept. 16, 1620, with about 102 passengers--fewer than half of them from Leiden.
  • Founding of New England, The by Adams, J. T., (1921; repr. 1963) Bradford, William, Of Plymouth Plantation: 1620-1647, ed. by Samuel E. Morison (1952) Mayflower, The (1974) by Caffrey, Kate Mayflower Pilgrims, The by Colloms, Brenda (1977) Land Ho!--1620 by Nickerson, W. S. (1931). A Little Commonwealth: Family Life in Plymouth Colony by Demos, John (1988) Pilgrims, The by Dillon, Francis (1975) Mayflower Remembered: A History of the Plymouth Pilgrims by Gill, Crispin (1970) Saga of the Pilgrims by Harris, J.(1990) Pilgrim's Own Story, The by Notson, A.W., and R.C., eds., Stepping Stones: (1987) Pilgrim Fathers from a Dutch Point of View by Plooij, D.(1932; repr. 1970) Bradford of Plymouth by Smith, Bradford (1951) Pilgrims and Their History by Usher, R. G. (1918) Pilgrim Reader (1953) and Saints and Strangers: Pilgrim Fathers, The by Willison, G. F. rev. ed. (1965). Pilgrim Colony: A History of New Plymouth, 1620-1691 by Langdon, G. D., Jr. (1966) Story of the Old Colony of New Plymouth, The by Morison, S. E. (1956); Plymouth Colony: Its History and People by Stratton, E.A. (1987)
Graham Williams

Curse of the Bambino - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - 0 views

en.wikipedia.org/...Curse_of_the_Bambino

bambino

shared by Graham Williams on 04 Dec 08 - Cached
  • reason for the failure of the Boston Red Sox baseball team to win the World Series in the 86-year period from 1918 until 2004.
  • begun after the Red Sox sold Babe Ruth, sometimes called The Bambino, to the New York Yankees in the off-season of 1919-1920.
  • The curse
  • ...9 more annotations...
  • winning the first World Series in 1903 and amassing five World Series titles prior to selling Ruth
  • he once-lackluster Yankees became one of the most successful franchises in North American professional sports.
  • ended in 2004, when the Red Sox came back from a 0-3 best-of-seven deficit to beat the Yankees in the 2004 American League Championship Series and then went on to sweep the St. Louis Cardinals to win the 2004 World Series.
  • the curse
  • In 1949, the Red Sox needed to win just one of the last two games of the season to win the pennant, but lost both games to the Yankees, who would go on to win a record five consecutive World Series from 1949 to 1953.
  • In 1967, the Red Sox surprisingly reversed the awful results of the 1966 season by winning the American League pennant on the last weekend of the season. In the World Series, they once again faced the Cardinals, and just as in 1946, the Series went to a seventh game. St. Louis won the deciding contest 7-2
  • In 2003, the Red Sox were playing the Yankees in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series. Boston held a 5-2 lead in the eighth inning, and manager Grady Little opted to stay with starting pitcher Pedro Martínez rather than go to the bullpen. New York rallied off the tired Martínez, scoring three runs off a single and three doubles to tie the game. In the bottom of the 11th inning, Aaron Boone launched a solo home run off knuckleballing Boston starter Tim Wakefield (pitching in relief) to win the game and the pennant for the Yankees.
  • In 2004, the Red Sox once again met the Yankees in the American League Championship Series. After losing the first three games, including a 19–8 drubbing at Fenway in Game 3, the Red Sox trailed 4-3 in the bottom of the 9th inning of Game 4. But the team tied the game with a walk by Kevin Millar and a stolen base by pinch-runner Dave Roberts, followed by an RBI single off Yankee closer Mariano Rivera by third baseman Bill Mueller, and won on a 2-run home run in the 12th inning by David Ortiz. The Red Sox would go on to win the next three games to become the first Major League Baseball team to win a seven-game postseason series after being down 3 games to none.
  • The Red Sox then faced the St. Louis Cardinals, the team to whom they lost the 1946 and 1967 World Series, and won in a four-game sweep. Cardinals shortstop Edgar Rentería—who wore number 3, Babe Ruth's uniform number with the Yankees—hit into the final out of the game. The final game took place on October 27 during a total lunar eclipse—the only post-season or World Series game to do so. It also took place exactly 18 years to the day the Red Sox last lost a World Series game. Three years later, the Red Sox would sweep the Colorado Rockies to win another World Series.
Christina T

Japan - THE ARTS - 0 views

countrystudies.us/81.htm

japanese art

shared by Christina T on 09 Dec 08 - Cached
  • The introduction of Western cultural values, which had flooded Japan by the late nineteenth century, led to a dichotomy between traditional values and attempts to duplicate and assimilate a variety of clashing new ideas
  • Japanese aesthetics provide a key to understanding artistic works perceivably different from those coming from Western traditions.
  • Within the East Asian artistic tradition, China has been the acknowledged teacher and Japan the devoted student.
  • ...17 more annotations...
  • Japanese painters used the devices of the cutoff, close-up, and fade-out by the twelfth century in yamato-e, or Japanese-style, scroll painting, perhaps one reason why modern filmmaking has been such a natural and successful art form in Japan.
  • The calligrapher--a member of the Confucian literati class, or samurai--had a higher status, while artists of great genius were often recognized in the medieval period by receiving a name from a feudal lord and thus rising socially.
  • Artists divided into two main camps, those continuing in traditional Japanese style and those who wholeheartedly studied the new Western culture.
  • After World War II, many artists began working in art forms derivied from the international scene, moving away from local artistic developments into the mainstream of world art.
  • Two terms originating from Zen Buddhist meditative practices describe degrees of tranquillity: one, the repose found in humble melancholy (wabi), the other, the serenity accompanying the enjoyment of subdued beauty (sabi).
  • The Cultural Affairs Division is concerned with such areas as art and culture promotion, arts copyrights, and improvements in the national language.
  • A new generation of the avant-garde has broken with this tradition, often receiving its training in the West. In the traditional arts, however, the master-pupil system preserves the secrets and skills of the past.
  • Another seminal center is Tama Arts University in Tokyo, which produced many of Japan's late twentieth- century innovative young artists
  • In 1989 the fifth woman ever to be so distinguished was cited for Japanese-style painting, while for the first time two women--a writer and a costume designer--were nominated for the Order of Cultural Merit, another official honor carrying the same stipend.
  • The Cultural Properties Protection Division originally was established to oversee restorations after World War II.
  • During the 1980s, many important prehistoric and historic sites were investigated by the archaeological institutes that the agency funded, resulting in about 2,000 excavations in 1989.
  • A 1975 amendment to the Cultural Properties Protection Act of 1897 enabled the Agency for Cultural Affairs to designate traditional areas and buildings in urban centers for preservation.
  • Individual artists and groups, such as a dance troupe or a pottery village, are designated as mukei bunkazai (intangible cultural assets) in recognition of their skill.
  • A growing number of large corporations join major newspapers in sponsoring exhibitions and performances and in giving yearly prizes.
  • A number of foundations promoting the arts arose in the 1980s, including the Cultural Properties Foundation set up to preserve historic sites overseas, especially along the Silk Route in Inner Asia and at Dunhuang in China.
  • After World War II, artists typically gathered in arts associations, some of which were long-established professional societies while others reflected the latest arts movement.
  • By the 1980s, however, avant-garde painters and sculptors had eschewed all groups and were "unattached" artists.
Deepankar Sinha

ABC-CLIO: World History: Modern: Analyze Display - 0 views

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

abcclio World War 1 new tech

shared by Deepankar Sinha on 04 Dec 08 - Cached
  • Deepankar Sinha on 04 Dec 08
     
    abcclio World War 1 new tech
Christina T

Japan --  Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition - 0 views

school.eb.com/...article

japanese culture

shared by Christina T on 09 Dec 08 - Cached
  • Japan is a country marked by contrast between old and new. The country values its complex and ancient cultural tradition.
  • The islands of Japan form an arc that stretches about 1,500 miles (2,400 kilometers) from northeast to southwest.
  • Much of Japan's original vegetation has been replaced by farming or by plant species brought in from other countries.
  • ...17 more annotations...
  • The burakumin (people of the village) are ethnically the same as the majority of Japanese. However, their ancestors were members of the former outcast class. The burakumin are often treated unfairly.
  • Shinto is based on the worship of local spirits in nature.
  • Japan has a rich and complex culture. Native Japanese traditions have been mixed with cultural styles adapted from China and, later, from the West. Japanese culture and art emphasize understated simplicity, elegance, and grace. For example, the traditional Japanese tea ceremony, flower arranging, and garden design are highly stylized and refined. On the other hand, contemporary Japanese society fully embraces Western-style popular culture—influenced by television, motion pictures, and advertising.
  • modern Japanese writers include Soseki Natsume, Ryunosuke Akutagawa, Osamu Dazai, Jun'ichiro Tanizaki, and Yukio Mishima.
  • Poetry plays a central role in Japanese culture.
  • The carefully composed paintings used few brush strokes to suggest a scene in nature.
  • Japanese No plays are generally short, stylized, and heroic.
  • Today the martial arts are more important as competitive sports and as aids to physical and mental fitness.
  • The Japanese economy grew remarkably throughout the 1960s, '70s, and '80s.
  • Historical records, however, show that Japan was not united as one state until the late 4th or early 5th century AD. It was ruled by the Yamato dynasty.
  • Meanwhile, Japan was developing trade contacts with the outside world.
  • By the mid-19th century the Tokugawa shogunate was unable to keep European and United States traders away.
  • A new government was established under the young emperor Mutsuhito, who took the name of Meiji, meaning “enlightened government.”
  • Japan soon sought to build an empire. It successfully fought a war with China (1894–95) and with Russia (1904–05).
  • The Japanese government believed that expansion through military conquest would help the economy.
  • Under the terms of surrender, Japan had to give up all the territory it had acquired since 1895.
  • Japan rebuilt its ruined economy, using new technology in every major industry.
Bo Li

Gorilla Protection » New park to save the most endangered gorilla species - 0 views

gorilla.wildlifedirect.org/...ost-endangered-gorilla-species

shared by Bo Li on 08 Dec 08 - Cached
  • The new park called Takamanda National Park is a transboundary park that protects the 115 cross river gorillas (a third of the worlds population)
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
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  • 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
Stephania D

Cactus Goo - 0 views

dsc.discovery.com/...cactus-arsenic-water.html

cactus goo water pollution

shared by Stephania D on 01 Dec 08 - Cached
  • used for scouring arsenic, bacteria and cloudiness out of rural drinking water
  • There, the residual water from boiling the flat, oval-shaped lobes of prickly pear for salads and other dishes was used to clear up cloudy water drawn from the river before use for cooking or drinking.
  • Mucilage is the clear, gooey, viscous liquid from within the cactus which helps to seal water inside the plant so it can survive desert-dry conditions.
  • ...3 more annotations...
  • She found that the mucilage binds to the dirt and causes the particles to coagulate, forming large enough clumps that they can settle out of the water.
  • The group's more recent research has shown that the mucilage can also form a complex with arsenic, a carcinogenic water contaminant that can occur naturally or from industrial or agricultural pollution.
  • "Sometimes we get 80 percent removal, and sometimes we get lower than 50 percent removal," Alcantar said. "We don't yet know exactly what it is; we haven't found what are the exact best conditions for the mucilage [to get the most arsenic removal]."
  • Stephania D on 01 Dec 08
     
    Cactus goo can make water safer
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