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The following section provides background information on the methods used to form, decorate, finish, glaze, and fire ceramic wares. Forming. The relatively low plasticity of the material used for making porcelain make shaping the clay difficult. In the case of throwing on a potters wheel it can be seen as pulling clay upwards and outwards into a required shape and potters often speak of pulling when forming a piece on a wheel, but the term is misleading; clay in a plastic condition cannot be pulled without breaking. The process of throwing is in fact one of remarkable complexity. To the casual observer, throwing carried out by an expert potter appears to be a graceful and almost effortless activity, but this masks the fact that a rotating mass of clay possesses energy and momentum in an abundance that will, given the slightest mishandling, rapidly cause the workpiece to become uncontrollable. Glazing. Unlike their lower-fired counterparts, porcelain wares do not need glazing to render them impermeable to liquids and for the most part are glazed for decorative purposes and to make them resistant to dirt and staining. Great detail is given in the glaze article. Many types of glaze, such as the iron-containing glaze used on the celadon wares of Longquan, were designed specifically for their striking effects on porcelain. Decoration. Porcelain wares may be decorated under the glaze using pigments that include cobalt and copper or over the glaze using coloured enamels. Like many earlier wares, modern porcelains are often bisque-fired at around 1000 degrees Celsius, coated with glaze and then sent for a second glaze-firing at a temperature of about 1300 degrees Celsius or greater. Another early method is once-fired where the glaze is applied to the unfired body and the two fired together in a single operation. A porcelain doll from the Czech Republic Firing. In this process, green (unfired) ceramic wares are heated to high temperatures in a kiln to permanently set their shapes. Porcelain is fired at a higher temperature than earthenware so that the body can vitrify and become non-porous.

According to astrology, celestial phenomena reflect or govern human activity on the principle of "as above, so below", so that the twelve signs are held to represent twelve basic personality types or characteristic modes of expression.

Unlike the Western or Indian zodiacs, the Chinese zodiac signs are not derived from constellations, and are not assigned to sections of the ecliptic. Instead, Chinese astrological signs operate on cycles of years, lunar months, and two-hour periods of the day (also known as shichen).

These are known as Exaltation (see below), Triplicity , Terms or bounds, and Face or Decan , which together are known as describing a planet's Essential dignity, the quality or ability to give of one's true nature.

The first scholarly theories of myth appeared during the second half of the 19th century.[46] In general, these 19th-century theories framed myth as a failed or obsolete mode of thought, often by interpreting myth as the primitive counterpart of modern science.

Critics dispute the net economic and environmental benefits of recycling over its costs, and suggest that proponents of recycling often make matters worse and suffer from confirmation bias.

Specifically, critics argue that the costs and energy used in collection and transportation detract from (and outweigh) the costs and energy saved in the production process; also that the jobs produced by the recycling industry can be a poor trade for the jobs lost in logging, mining, and other industries associated with virgin production; and that materials such as paper pulp can only be recycled a few times before material degradation prevents further recycling. Proponents of recycling dispute each of these claims, and the validity of arguments from both sides has led to enduring controversy. Contents [hide]

Governments have used their own purchasing power to increase recycling demand through what are called "procurement policies".

And I talked to people there, and many of the children were just immediately crushed.

are still in the streets trying to stay away from houses and walls and buildings that can further collapse, buildings that are fragile.

There was just a state of panic in the streets, people screaming, people running every which way.

You’ve got the natural disaster of the earthquake and then the poverty of Haiti

So it’s an extremely sad situation. You have mothers outside, outside of these schools

They don’t know what they can do besides wait, because the Haitian government is so weak.

I was down at the prison yesterday, as well. And, you know, people were concerned with the fact that prisoners escaped. There was a woman there whose son was inside the prison at the time of the earthquake, and he was gone. She was looking for him. The prison is entirely empty. The roof just seems to have disappeared, sort of collapsed in on the building. And I believe there was a fire there, as well. Parts of the building were charred. So I think it’s, you know, a state of chaos in really different parts of the city.