Builder's Old Measurement
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See also: tonnage
Builder's Old Measurement (BOM or bm) is the method used in England from approximately 1650 to 1849 for calculating the cargo capacity of a ship. It is a volumetric measurement of cubic capacity. It estimated the tonnage of a ship based on length and maximum beam. It is expressed in "tons burden" (Early Modern English: burthen, Middle English: byrthen ), and abbreviated "tons bm".
The formula is:
{{Tonnage}} = \frac {({Length}- ({{Beam}\times\frac{3} {5}})) \times {Beam} \times \frac {Beam}{2}} {94}
The Builder's Old Measurement formula remained in effect until the advent of steam propulsion. Steamships required a different method of estimating tonnage, because the ratio of length to beam was larger and a significant volume of internal space was used for boilers and machinery. In 1849, the Moorsom System was created in Great Britain. The Moorsom system calculates the cargo-carrying capacity in cubic feet, another method of volumetric measurement. The capacity in cubic feet is then divided by 100 cubic feet of capacity per gross ton, resulting in a tonnage expressed in tons.
History and derivation[edit]
King Edward I levied the first tax on the hire of ships in England in 1303 based on tons burthen. Later, King Edward III levied a tax of 3 shillings on each "tun" of imported wine, equal to £106.03 today (using the last year of Edward III's reign, 1377, as the base year). At that time a "tun" was a wine container of 252 gallons weighing about 2,240 lb (1,020 kg), a weight known today as a long ton or imperial ton. In order to estimate the capacity of a ship in terms of 'tun' for tax purposes, an early formula used in England was:
{{Tonnage}} = \frac {{Length}\times {Beam} \times {Depth}} {100}
 - Length is the length (undefined), in feet
 - Beam is the beam, in feet.
 - Depth is the depth of the hold, in feet below the main deck.
The numerator yields the ship's volume expressed in cubic feet.
If a "tun" is deemed to be equivalent to 100 cubic feet, then the tonnage is simply the number of such 100 cubic feet 'tun' units of volume.
 - 100 the divisor is unitless, so tonnage would be expressed in 'ft³ of tun'.[1]
In 1678 Thames shipbuilders used a method assuming that a ship's burden would be 3/5 of its displacement. Since tonnage is calculated by multiplying length × beam × draft × block coefficient, all divided by 35 ft³ per ton of seawater, the resulting formula would be:
{{Tonnage}} = \frac {{Length}\times\ {Beam} \times \frac {Beam}{2} \times \frac {3}{5}\times {0.62}} {35}
 - Draft is estimated to be half of the beam.
 - Block coefficient is based on an assumed average of 0.62.
 - 35 ft³ is the volume of one ton of sea water.[2]
Or by solving :
In 1694 a new British law required that tonnage for tax purposes be calculated according to a similar formula:
{{Tonnage}} = \frac {{Length}\times\ {Beam} \times {Depth}} {94}
This formula remained in effect until the Builder's Old Measurement rule was put into use in 1720, and then mandated by Act of Parliament in 1773.
 - Depth to deck
The height from the underside of the hull, excluding the keel itself, at the ship's midpoint, to the top of the uppermost full length deck.[3]
 - Depth in hold
 - Main deck
Main deck, that is used in context of depth measurement, is usually defined as the uppermost full length deck. For the 16th century ship Mary Rose, main deck is the second uppermost full length deck.[4] In a calculation of the tonnage of Mary Rose the draft was used instead of the depth.[5]
American tons burthen[edit]
The British took the length measurement from the outside of the stem to the outside of the sternpost; the Americans measured from inside the posts. The British measured breadth from outside the planks, whereas the American measured the breadth from inside the planks. Lastly, the British divided by 94, whereas the Americans divided by 95.
The upshot was that American calculations gave a lower number than the British. For instance, when the British measured the captured USS President, their calculations gave her a burthen of _PHONE_ tons, whereas the American calculations gave the burthen as 1444 tons.[6] The British measure appears to be about 6% greater than the American.
The US system was in use from 1789 until 1864, when a modified version of the Moorsom System was adopted.[7]
See also[edit]
Thames Measurement
 1. ^ a b Kemp, ed., P. (1976). The Oxford Companion to Ships & the Sea. Oxford University Press. p. 876. ISBN 0-19-211553-7.
 2. ^ Pearn, Rodney Stone. "Tonnage Measurement of Ships". Articles. Steamship Mutual. Retrieved 2007-04-23.
 3. ^ a b Schäuffelen, Otmar (2005). Chapman great sailing ships of the world. Hearst Books. p. xx. ISBN 978-1-58816-384-4.
 4. ^ "Construction and Dimensions". The Mary Rose Trust. Retrieved 2009-07-17.
 5. ^ Fielding, Andrew. "The Mary Rose - a Model". Not published. Retrieved 2009-07-17.
 6. ^ Henderson, James, CBE (1994) The Frigates: An account of the lighter warships of the Napoleonic Wars, _PHONE_. (London:Leo Cooper), p.167. ISBN 0-85052-432-6
 7. ^ Essex, Phil; Mork, Craig S.; Pomeroy, Craig A. "An Owner's Guide to Tonnage Admeasurement _PHONE_" (pdf). Jensen Maritime Consultants, Inc. Retrieved 2014-05-29.
External links[edit]


text:
Comparing and Contrastion Ancient Egyptian and the USA Social Classes
Contrasting Ancient Egypt and the USA Social Classes
How social classes are different in ancient Egypt and the USA...
- In the United States, there is social mobility, meaning people can move up in social classes, and down. In ancient Egypt, if your mother was a slave, you would most likely be a slave.
- In the United States, what social class you are in mostly depends on how much money you have. In ancient Egypt, it depended on your heritage.
Comparing Ancient Egyptian and the USA Social Classes
How social classes are simular in ancient Egypt and the USA...
- The most powerful people are at the top of the social pyramid/ladder.
- If you are at the bottom of the social pyramid/ladder, you probably don't have lots of money, or power.
Ancient Egyptian Social Pyramid
USA Social Ladder

source: openbmb/Ultra-FineWeb


text:
East Asian Art
Ceiling from the Hall of Great Wisdom (Dazhidian) at the Zhihua Monastery (Zhihuasi), Beijing, ChinaMade in Beijing, China, Asia
Ming Dynasty (_PHONE_), Early 1400s
Artist/maker unknown, Chinese
Wood, painted decoration
1930-38-1a--mGift of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Wasserman, 1930
The Zhihua monastery is one of the great Buddhist temple compounds in the Chinese capital of Beijing. Conceived on a grand scale, the compound was built in the early 1400s by the eunuch Wang Zhen. This ceiling comes from the second of five main halls on the monastery's central axis—the Hall of Great Wisdom.
To give visitors a sense of the original context, the Museum installed the ceiling with architectural elements reconstructed from measured drawings made at the original site. In the center is a writhing imperial dragon surrounded by clouds, bracketing, and eight canted panels, each bearing a smaller dragon among clouds. Lotuses, apsaras (Buddhist flying musicians), and other Buddhist religious symbols are carved in the surrounding panels. The Chinese name for this central part of the ceiling is tianjing, or "well of heaven." While most of the original red lacquer is well preserved, much of the rich overlay of gold leaf has been lost.
A series of model temples supported by cloud-decorated brackets encompass the central element; within these miniature structures are delicately carved sculptures of Buddhas and bodhisattvas. The remainder of the ceiling consists of square panels painted with stylized lotus flowers that show the influence of Tibetan Buddhism (Lamaism). Each bears a character from a North Indian script (called Lantsha by the Tibetans) that symbolically recreates the universe. The model temples and panels may have been added during repairs made in the Kangxi period (1662–1722).
* Works in the collection are moved off view for many different reasons. Although gallery locations on the website are updated regularly, there is no guarantee that this object will be on display on the day of your visit.

source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


text:
Weakly non-linear waves in a tapered elastic tube filled with an inviscid fluid
MetadataShow full item record
In the present work, treating the artery as a tapered, thin walled, long and circularly conical prestressed elastic tube and using the longwave approximation, we have studied the propagation of weakly non-linear waves in such a fluid-filled elastic tube by employing the reductive perturbation method. By considering the blood as an incompressible inviscid fluid, the evolution equation is obtained as the Korteweg-de Vries equation with a variable coefficient. It is shown that this type of equation admits a solitary wave-type solution with variable wave speed. It is observed that, the wave speed decreases with distance for positive tapering while it increases for negative tapering. It is further observed that, the progressive wave profile for expanding tubes (a > 0) becomes more steepened whereas for narrowing tubes (a < 0) it becomes more flattened.


text:
How to recognise an authorised medicinal product?
In Belgium an authorised medicinal product is a medicine that:
- is sold by a pharmacist (only they are allowed to do so);
- has a marketing authorisation (MA) or registration number (a medicine cannot be sold without registration or marketing authorisation).
- What exactly is a marketing authorisation or registration number?
- Where to find the marketing authorisation or registration number?
- And what about medicines directly prepared by the pharmacist (magistral and officinal preparations)?
- How can I check if I am buying authorised medicines?
- What tools does the FAMHP make available to me to recognize an authorised medicinal product?
The sale of medicines is very strictly regulated and controlled by the competent authorities (in Belgium, the Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products - FAMHP).
Before it is sold in licensed pharmacies, the competent authorities assess the quality, safety and efficacy of each medicine.
In order to make this assessment the experts of the competent authorities base their evaluation on scientific data such as:
- The results of toxicological, pharmacological and clinical tests carried out with the medicine;
- The scientific literature;
- The quality data;
- Any other relevant scientific data.
When the quality, safety and efficacy of a medicine are considered satisfactory, it is allowed to be sold in licensed pharmacies.
The authorisation or registration is granted:
- either by the Minister responsible for public health after receiving the opinion of the relevant scientific committee in the AFMPS
- or by the European Commission after consultation, as appropriate, with the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) or with the Committee for Medicinal products for Veterinary Use (CVMP), established within the European Medicines Agency (EMA).
All authorised or registered medicinal products receive a marketing authorisation (MA) or registration number.
The term "registration" is more specifically used for certain homeopathic medicines or herbal products traditionally used as medicines (where the safety has been demonstrated by the length of use and experience). These are registered based on a simplified scientific dossier.
To find a marketing authorisation or registration number you should consult the packaging of the medicine.
The number can be in different formats:
(x : figure and Y : letter)
- xxxx YY xxxx F xxx
- BExxxxxx (new numbering from 2008)
- BE-Vxxxxxx (new numbering from 2008 for medicinal products for veterinary use)
- EU/1/xx/xxx/xxx (medicinal product authorised by the European Commission)
For an homeopathic medicine
- xxxx CH xxxx F xx or xxxx UH xxxx F xx (notification)
- HO-BExxxxxx (MA)
- HO-BE-CHxxxxxx or HO-BE-UHxxxxxx (registration)
For a herbal medicinal product
- BE-TUxxxxxx (registration)
- xxxx YY xxxx F xxx, BExxxxxx or EU/1/xx/xxx/xxx (MA)
Some drugs are prepared in a pharmacy under the responsibility of the pharmacist. These are called preparations. Two kinds of preparations are made in pharmacies. These are:
- Magistral preparations: medicines specifically prescribed by a physician for a specific patient;
- Officinal preparations: medicines that are not specific to only one patient. These medicines are prepared according to the recommendations of reference books relating to the preparation of medicines as a pharmacopoeia (book that teaches how to prepare medicines) or the "Formulaire thérapeutique magistral" (published in Belgium by the FAMHP for the preparation of medicines in pharmacies).
These preparations are made in accordance with specific rules or "best officinal practices» described in the regulations. All materials used must meet strict quality criteria.
These drugs prepared in pharmacies have a number assigned by the pharmacist. It's not a marketing authorisation or registration number as described above.
Buy your medicines ONLY through legal distribution channels:
- In a licensed pharmacy
- In case of medicinal products for human use and not subject to medical prescription, possibly via the website of a licensed pharmacy notified to the FAMHP and the Order of Pharmacists (list of notified sites).
By buying drugs outside the legal distribution channels you may receive counterfeit or falsified medicines and / or you may use them improperly.
Their quality, safety, efficiency cannot be guaranteed as these medicines sold outside the legal channels evade the control of the competent authorities (see the "Medicines by internet! Do not surf with your health!" campaign).
The FAMHP offers three sources of information.
The database of authorised medicinal products which allows you to see if the medicine you are looking for is indeed authorised or registered.
Click here to view
- The database of authorised or registered medicinal products for human use
- The database of authorised medicinal products for veterinary use
The patient information leaflet (which is in the packaging) and the summary of product characteristics or SPC (especially intended for health professionals) of each medicine were approved at the time of the marketing authorisation or registration and constitute the information and the reference for its appropriate and safe prescription, delivery and use.
These documents are available via the following links
- Patient information leaflets and SPC of authorised and marketed medicines for human use
- Leaflets for the public and SPC of authorised and marketed medicines for veterinary


Take the 2-minute tour ×
I have a app which transmit the password in clear text. I was planning to use the hash of the password (SHA-512) as the key for encrypting the plain text password. Then send the encrypted text to the server. the password length is minimum 12 chars (including special characters) and max 20 chars.
Is this is bad mechanism?
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5 Answers
up vote 1 down vote accepted
With a minor tweak this can be made reasonably secure.
The problem with your original approach is that the hash would be the same every time, so it is vulnerable to a replay attack.
If you adjust the protocol to include a variable challenge this can work:
 1. Server sends a random challenge
 2. Client computes hash = hmac(hash(password), challenge)
 3. Client sends cipher = encrypt(hash, password)
 4. Server computes hash = hmac(hash(password), challenge)
 5. Server computes password = decrypt(hash, cipher)
 6. Server checks hash(password) = stored hash
This arrangement is secure against replay attacks and it also avoids the server storing a password equivalent. It's main vulnerability is that a captured login can be used for an offline brute force attack. Also, if you are implementing this in JavaScript, then the JavaScript code could be intercepted and tampered with.
Now, while this is interesting, I should echo the advice from other answers: do not roll your own crypto
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Is this is bad mechanism?
Yes. Use SSL/TLS and do not attempt to roll your own cryptograhy scheme.
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what if I use _URL_ and use the hash if the password as the salt? – user851157 Nov 23 '13 at 5:06
_USER_ Unless the connection itself is encrypted, it's still a bad idea. Without that encrypted (and, as another function of SSL, authenticated) connection, anyone could just MitM the user and pass the authenticator on to your system as if it were their own. They don't need the cleartext of the password. They just need the cleartext of the packets being passed between the user and your system. Seriously, don't roll your own crypto. Ever. And don't pass authenticators in the clear. Ever. – Iszi Nov 23 '13 at 5:40
add comment
If your concern is transmitting the password, then yes, absolutely, this is a bad mechanism. Your application is still vulnerable to a form of pass-the-hash attack. Although the password itself won't be available to the attacker, the encrypted password can be intercepted and used, itself, for authentication.
Always go for the standard:
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Yes, this is bad. If all the server needs in order to authenticate you is this (never changing) hash, then the has is your password now. This is no better than sending the password in the clear, because all the attacker needs in order to impersonate you is that hash.
Instead, if you want to hash passwords for transmission, the way you do it is through a challenge-reponse system. This way, the same hash is never sent twice. But this is not a good idea, because...
It's more important that the password not be stored on your server. TLS/SSL is sufficient to prevent any sort of man-in-the-middle attack. That part is solved, Just use TLS and don't worry about it. But you do have to worry about your server getting hacked and your password database getting leaked. Publishing other people's password databases is all the rage these days, and you don't want to be one of those caught not hashing their database. There's just no excuse.
So, transmit your passwords plain-text inside an encrypted connection, but store them hashed on the server. If you do anything else, anything else at all, then you're doing it wrong.
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I don't care if you're using SHA with 8192 bit key, you're trying to authenticate with something traveling in the clear that someone can just MITM so your answer is no. Anyone who's worked with crypto (as the other good answers here) will tell you not to try rolling your own crypto, unless you really know what you're doing, and even then there are plenty of good API's for that.
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Your Answer


text:
Secchi Disk Depth
One of the most commonly used measurements for water clarity is the Secchi disk depth (pronounced she SEHK-ki). The Secchi disk is a simple and inexpensive device used by both citizens and scientists for measuring water clarity.
The device generally consists of a 20-centimeter (8-inch) disk made of wood or plastic. Some are painted with alternating black and white quadrants, or they can be solid white. A non-stretching piece of rope or light chain is attached through the center; the rope is marked in increments of feet or meters. A small weight is attached beneath the disk so that it will sink quickly and the line will remain taught while measurements are being made.
The disk is lowered below the surface until it just disappears from view; that depth is referred to as the Secchi disk depth.


text:
- About UHD
- Distance Education
- Financial Aid
- Student Life
The following page is a blank template with a header that contains a quicklinks jump menu and the search UHD function. Page sections are identified with headers. The footer contains all required links, contact and emergency information.
How to play Common Core Hangman. To play hangman you must first be familiar with the General Common Core for the State of Texas. A player/team attempts to determine a secret word made up from the General Core for a college-educated person. For each letter guessed that is contained in the word, the letter is revealed. For each letter guessed that is not in the word, the UHD avatar is approached more and more by alligators. If all letters in the word are guessed before the gators are upon the avatar, you win the game. If not, you lose. But don't give up, try again.
The General Education Program provides those experiences which define what it means to be a college-educated person, while the discipline major attempts to provide those experiences which define what it means to be a part of that discipline. The assumption behind a general education program is that the phrase "college-educated" has its own meaning, that it signifies a type of intellectual breadth and perspective which all students should exhibit regardless of their major. Part of the general education requirements, the Core Curriculum defines what is central to the college experience and the common standards used to measure the intellectual development of all students.
Page maintained by: University College Webmaster
Last updated or reviewed on 11/4/09


text:
Recently someone told me the term 'salty dog' refers to the practice of early maritime sailors taking dogs aboard ships as mascots because dogs could smell land before the sailors could see it, and would alert them when they were approaching a land mass so they wouldn't sail past it in the dark. I had no idea if the statement was true or false, so I looked it up. 'Salty dog' is indeed a nautical term, but refers to a sailor who has spent extended periods of time at sea; however, there was an early practice of rubbing salt through a dog's coat as an archaic practice to repel fleas. In theory, it probably worked because the dog, no doubt, died from sodium poisoning.
This does raise an interesting question. There is an Blues song, 'Salty Dog Blues', and the first line is, 'Let me be your salty dog, or I don't wanna be your man at all.' What do you suppose that means?


text:
This section is about benefits that people can get from the Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA).
- Welfare, SNAP/Food Stamps, state disability benefits, and emergency shelter
- how these programs work,
- program rules,
- how to apply for these benefits, and
- special rules for seniors, teens, people with disabilities, victims of domestic violence, and others.


text:
Well, "In Memory of W.B. Yeats" is about as traditional as an elegiac title can be (and this is an elegy, a poem written in memory of a deceased person). It brings to mind another uber-famous (and uber-long) elegy called In Memoriam, A.H.H., written by Tennyson about his friend who passed away.
If you've read what we have to say in our "Summary" section, you'll immediately see the irony in this move: Auden's title may be traditional, but his poem is anything but. He's shaking things up stylistically, which is perhaps why he chooses to ground us right away by directing our attention to the object of the poem, William Butler Yeats. Yeats was a poet, playwright, and important political figure in the late 19th and early 20th century. If you're interested, you can find out more about him by checking out our guides on his poetry. Here are a few:


Interpreting Milk Test Data
Jump to Individual Doe Sheet or CDCB Data
Lab Results
Why does it say "cow" when these are all goats?
Milk test was originally designed for cows and that's the way it remains today. Whether you're testing a goat, sheep, or a camel, all of your paperwork will say "cow".
Ok, so what do all of these numbers mean?
Tell me more about SCC!
Somatic cells are basically anything in the milk that isn't milk. It's usually white blood cells but it can also be bits of tissue. Milk will never be completely free of somatic cells but lower numbers are better. Higher numbers can indicate an injury (kids nursing roughly) or an infection (mastitis). Each goat will have her own "normal" SCC count so you just want to pay attention if her count suddenly spikes. Most of my does are usually between 50 and 300.
What about MUN?
I don't get MUN reports so it doesn't show on my lab results, but it is an option at many labs. MUN stands for "Milk Urea Nitrogen". Nitrogen in urea (found in bodily fluids such as blood and milk) is a result of the breakdown of protein. Anything not absorbed and used by the body will be expelled and can be measured. High MUN levels indicate a goat isn't using all the protein she is being fed. Essentially, it's being wasted and you might want to reevaluate what you are feeding her.
Individual Doe Sheet
Your lab will send your milk test data to your processing center so they can do their magic (algorithms) and estimate how much your does produce between tests. I use Amelicor. Data sheets from other processing centers will look different but should have all the same information. Let's take a closer look at each section!
Top of the Sheet
Test Day and Lactation Data
Bottom of the Sheet
If the goat is registered with ADGA, there is a quick and easy way to access this data! Go to ADGA Genetics and lookup the goat by name or registration number:
Click on "CDCB Data" on the left side of the goat's page:
The first time you use this link you will have to sign up for a free account with CDCB. When that is accomplished, go back to the ADGA Genetics page and click the "CDCB Data" link again.
Let's take a closer look at each section!
Top of the Page
Bottom of the Page
All the data for each lactation! I won't explain what has already been explained above but here is what's different:
© 2016 Puddlehaven


1. Does Singapore have its official Sign Language?
Singapore does not have its own official sign language. Nonetheless, since the 1950s, we DO have our own unique Sign Language, which makes our community unique as Deaf Singaporeans. That's our Singapore Sign Language.
Our Singapore Sign Language (SgSL) is derived from old Shanghainese Sign Language (SSL), American Sign Language (ASL) and signs of Signing Exact Language II (SEE2). Also, our localized signs are developed over time to align along with our Deaf Culture These unique signs are designed for many words unique to Singapore, like Clementi, Marina Bay Sands, and the Esplanade!
You can find out more about our SgSL from the comprehensive WIKIPEDIA.
Please note that our workshops and courses are taught by Deaf. It is led by Lily Goh who has her (at least) 20 years' experiences in teaching Sign Language. You are strongly encouraged to put what you have learnt from the Deaf communities into constant practice.
2. Are the workshops and courses open to members of the public?
Yes, they are open to members of the public who are hearing. We also accept deaf and hard-of-hearing students who wish to learn Sign Language.
Students who are aged 12 and above can apply for our workshops and courses. However, we need to formulate another curriculum for students aged 11 and below.
You need to start from Deaf Introductory Workshop, to Visual-Gestural Communication Workshop, to Basic Communication Levels 1-3 Courses. At this moment, we have our plans to develop and run the Intermediate & Advanced Communication Courses.
3. Can I arrange for the private tuition to learn Sign Language in my own pace? What is the Private-Track mode for Basic Communication Levels 1-3 courses?
Yes, you can learn Sign Language in your own pace, but it is at the best convenience and schedule of the instructor and student. This is the Fast-Track mode for the courses, and it is like a private tuition. The minimum/maximum time period for each session is 2 hours.
Charges* range below:
 - BCLevel 1: S$50.00 per 1 hour per pax
 - BCLevel 2: S$70.00 per 1 hour per pax
 - BCLevel 3: S$100.00 per 1 hour per pax
*Includes transport and other expenses.
4. Is there any assessment in each level of Basic Communication Courses?
Yes, each level has three graded quizzes, and exams. The quizzes are scheduled on Lessons 3, 5 and 7. The exams takes place on the last lesson/session. Please note that Basic Communication Course Levels 1-3 are different from Visual-Gestural Communication (VGC) Workshop as the workshop enables you to develop a better understanding (and practicum) of incorporating gestures in our daily communication through VGC. There is not any graded assessment in the VGC Workshop.
5. Will I get a certificate upon my completion of Basic Communication Course Levels 1-3?
Yes, you will get a Certificate of Completion on the last lesson after you have successfully completed the course with at least 50% pass in the assessment for each level. However, note for our Visual-Gestural Communication Workshop that you won't get any certificate as this does not involve any graded assessment.
6. I have learnt the Level 1 from other schools, such as the Singapore Association for the Deaf. Can I take the Basic Communication Level 2 instead?
Please note that we have our own curriculum that may be different from other training centres/schools. However, you are strongly encouraged to go for our Visual-Gestural Communication Workshop (at the beginner level). This may be on a case-by-case basis. You can drop us an email for a further discussion.
7. Where are your workshops and courses conducted?
We do not have a physical/permanent location. Once the application quota is met, we rent classrooms at Blk 261, Waterloo Street, Level 4 for our courses. The nearest MRT is Bras Basah MRT (Exit A). However, the Deaf Introductory Workshops are conducted at the Disabled People's Association _USER_ Point upon its availability. It has its limited space; it accommodates up to 12 people.
UPDATED AS OF JUNE 2020: In the light of COVID-19, our courses & workshops are conducted via ZOOM. The maximum class size is 8.
8. Can I pay cash on the first lesson?
No, cash payment is not acceptable. We accept online payment for better accountability. The payment shall be made prior to 7-9 working days before the first lesson. Please read the terms & conditions in the application form before you agree to submit it online.
9. Can I use my SkillsFuture Credit to pay for courses/workshops?
We regret to inform you that we have yet to become one of the training providers with SkillsFuture. Note that this business is solely run by Deaf; the one-person operation.
10. Where is the schedule for workshops and courses?
You can find the schedule at this webpage and scroll down to the schedule. Or you can go to our Facebook Page for more updates.
UPDATED AS OF 2017: We are unable to render our services at this moment till further notice.
1. How do I use a sign language interpreter?
The interpreter's job is to facilitate communication between SgSL users and users of spoken language(s), such as English, Mandarin. The interpreter will not give opinions, advice, or support to either party; however sometimes she may ask for clarification to understand what is being said. The interpreter will sit or stand opposite the deaf person and near the main speaker. When you are speaking, talk directly to the deaf person and not to the interpreter. The interpreter will watch the deaf person's signs, and her response will generally be in first person tense. You may see the interpreter using available graphics or handouts to support her interpretation. If you have any questions or concerns, relay them to the interpreter. We are willing to work with everyone involved to meet any needs that arise.
2. Why do I need a team of two interpreters?
Assignments lasting 2 hours or longer in length of time require 2 interpreters to be hired as a team. The reason for this case is to minimize interpreter fatigue. Research shows us the work of understanding one language, analyzing the overt and covert meaning of the language and also the necessary cultural mediation, and then applying the same process to produce an equivalent meaning in a second language, is a very mentally taxing task. After 1 hour of continuous work, the brain becomes fatigued and the quality of the interpretation suffers; errors and omissions rise.
3. Are your interpreters qualified enough for any assignment?
We regret to inform you that there is no association for sign language interpreters in Singapore. There are 6 full-time sign language interpreters in Singapore, and they are from the Singapore Association for the Deaf that is seen as a national body for deaf and hard of hearing people. However, we believe in our quality of service we render you or your organisation for the assignments.
4. When will I have the confirmation for the interpretation service?
Normally, we inform the requestor in 3 working days prior to the appointed date. We reserve the right to reject applications/requests at our own discretion. To avoid any disappointment, we encourage you to book our service online at least 9 working days in advance.


Dive Into Greasemonkey
Teaching an old web new tricks
List of tips
Whenever you see a tip or warning throughout this book, you can click on the tip icon to jump to the list of all tips.
 1. Many user scripts are available at the Greasemonkey script repository, although there is no requirement to list your scripts there. You may host (and users may install) your script from anywhere. You don't even need a web server; you can install a user script from a local file. 1.3. Installing a user script
 2. You can specify the items of your user script metadata in any order. I like _USER_, _USER_, _USER_, _USER_, and finally _USER_, but there is nothing special about this order. 2.2. Describing your user script with metadata
 3. When you click Edit in the "Manage User Scripts" dialog, you are "live" editing a copy of your script that is buried deep inside your Firefox profile directory. I've gotten into the habit, once I've finished a "live" editing session, of going back to my text editor one last time and selecting FileSave as..., and saving the user script in another directory. While it's not necessary (Greasemonkey only pays attention to the copy in your profile directory), I prefer to keep the "master copy" of my scripts in another directory with the rest of my work. 2.4. Editing your user script
 4. In JavaScript Console, you can right-click (Mac users control-click) on any line and select Copy to copy it to the clipboard. 3.2. Logging with GM_log
 5. Once you have a reference to an element (like thisElement), you can use thisElement.nodeName to determine its HTML tag name. If the page is served as text/html, the tag name is always returned as uppercase, regardless of how it was specified in the original page. However, if the page is served as application/xhtml+xml, the tag name is always lowercase. I always use thisElement.nodeName.toUpperCase() and forget about it. 4.6. Doing something for every element with a certain attribute
 6. Inserting new content before someExistingElement.nextSibling will work even if someExistingElement is the last child of its parent (i.e. it has no next sibling). In this case, someExistingElement.nextSibling will return null, and the insertBefore function will simply append the new content after all other siblings. (If this doesn't make any sense to you, don't worry about it. The point is that this example will always work, even when it seems like it shouldn't.) 4.8. Inserting content after an element
 7. If all you want to do is remove ads, it's probably easier to install AdBlock and import an up-to-date filter list than to write your own user script. 4.9. Removing an element
 8. Use the data: URI kitchen to construct your own data: URLs. 4.12. Adding images without hitting a central server
 9. You can use the addGlobalStyle function to style elements that you insert into a page, or elements that were part of the original page. However, if you are styling existing elements, you should use the! important keyword for each rule you define to ensure your styles override the rules defined by the original page. 4.13. Adding CSS styles
 10. Zapping and replacing document.body.innerHTML does not change everything about the page. Anything defined in the of the original page will still be in effect, including the page title, CSS styles, and scripts. You can modify or remove these separately. 4.16. Post-processing a page after it renders
 11. A submit event fires when a user submits a form in the usual way, i.e. by clicking the form's Submit button or hitting ENTER within a form. However, the submit event does not fire when the form is submitted via a script calling aForm.submit(). Therefore you need to do two things to capture a form submission: add an event listener to capture to submit event, and modify the prototype of the HTMLFormElement class to redirect the submit() method to your custom function. 4.22. Overriding a built-in Javascript method
 12. You can see all the stored configuration values by visiting about:config and filtering on greasemonkey.scriptvals. GM_getValue
 13. Whenever you see a list of "further reading" links throughout this book, you can click on the "Further reading" header to jump to the list of all further reading links. List of "further reading" links
 14. Whenever you see a tip or warning throughout this book, you can click on the tip icon to jump to the list of all tips. List of tips
 15. Whenever you see a video link throughout this book, you can click on the icon to jump to the list of all videos. List of procedures
← List of "further reading" links
List of examples →


The algorithm of the nearest neighboring k (KNN) in Python in less than 128 words.
The k-learning algorithm nearest neighbors (KNN) is used to perform data classification.
To predict the classification of a new data, the algorithm relies on the k records from the learning data set are then located most similar to this new record.
The similarity between the records can be measured in different ways. Generally a good starting point is the Euclid distance.
The algorithm is as follows:
For an entry x what is its class y if I rely on the neighborkk set nearest to x?
 1. Find the k part input the training data that are the closest to my entry x (here we will use for example the Euclid distance)
 2. Make each of these training data vote for their class.
 3. Returning the majority class
The success of the algorithm will depend on the amount of training data and on the quality of the measurement of the distance between 2 vectors x.
Here is an example of Using and implementing Python on the database that relates to the granting of a credit based on age and amount requested. The class is the YES or NO answer.
from math import sqrt
Make a predicition of classification
def predire_classification (donnee_test, training, nombre_voisins_vote):
 neighbours - recherche_voisins (training, donnee_test, nombre_voisins_vote)
 exit - f[vecteur[-1]or vector in neighbors]
 prediction - max (set), key-exit.count)
 return prediction
 euclidian _TAG_ of 2 vectors
def distance_euclidienne (vector1, vector2):
 distance - 0.0
 for i in range(len)-1):
 distance (vector[i]1 - vect[i]or2)
 return sqrt (distance)
Search for neighbors
def recherche_voisins (training, donnee_test, nbVoisins):
 distances - list()
 for online Training in training:
 dist - distance_euclidienne (donnee_test, Training line)
 distances.append (training line, dist)
 distances.sort (key-lambda tup: tu[1]p)
 kVoisins - list()
 for i in range (nbVoisins):
 kVoisins.append (distance[i][0]s)
 return kVoisins
Training data
Learning gives[[25,40000,'NON'],
prediction - predire_classification (learning[1], giving, learning, 3)
print ('We should find %s, prediction is: %s.' % (givenSLearning, [1][-1]prediction))
Leave a Reply


Astro-WISE Environment
image0 image1 image2 image3 image4 image5
and coordinated by OmegaCEN-NOVA. AWE was conceived as the solution to handle the vast amounts of astronomical data generated by all-sky surveys, particularly those to be observed with OmegaCAM on the VLT Survey Telescope (VST) on Cerro Paranal in Chile.
This tutorial will give you an introduction to the Astro-WISE environment in about 3 hours. It starts from the level of a completely new user who has never logged in but has an Astro-WISE account. This tutorial consists of exercises to be done primarily from the awe-prompt or notebook.
First follow the steps in HOW-TO Get started to setup your environment.
The tutorial consists of the following topics (links to iPython notebooks):
 1. The awe-prompt basics
 2. Basic calibration tasks
 3. Astrometry
 4. Photometry
 5. Working with SourceLists
 6. DataMining
 7. Galaxy surface brightness analysis
 8. Astro-WISE and Virtual Observatory interoperability
Topics sometimes depend on the results derived in earlier topics. The tutorial is by no means comprehensive or exhaustive. The exercises are very basic and many topics are not discussed at all. To get a more in-depth and comprehensive presentation of the Astro-WISE environment we refer to the HOWTOs and the Manual.
API documentation


text:
_URL_ Predicting patient survival of high -‐ risk surgeries Despite breakthroughs in surgical safety, some amount of risk will always exist. But for many high -‐ risk surgeries, choosing where to receive care can mean the difference between life and death. Given its potential impact on the health and well -‐ being of employees and their families, the quality of surgical ca re is also critically important to employers. Paying for surgeries through employer -‐ sponsored health insurance plans, these employers want nothing more than their valued workers back on their feet.
The Leapfrog Group, a national employer -‐ driven nonprofit watchdog organization, asks hospitals to report their performance each year and makes this information public, so health care consumers and purchasers can use it to compare hospitals and make the best choice for surgical care. The Leapfrog Hospital Survey focuses on four specific surgical procedures because they are both common and high -‐ risk, and the survival rates for these procedures vary widely across hospitals. Leapfrog calculates predicted survival rates, by hospital, for each type of surgery.


What Are The Benefits Of Veneration?
People's behavior is driven by either restoring some physical or emotional homeostasis or by the stimulation of the pleasure center in the brain. In short, the results of the behavior are subjectively experienced in some way as beneficial.
I am puzzled about the psychological benefits of veneration and I have not found an answer by googling.
What are the subjective benefits of putting a real life person, not only an imaginary god, upon a pedestal and venerate and revere him as a guru and kind of superior being?
I do not mean the respect for the superior knowledge of a teacher or the achievement of some specialist, when the respect and appreciation is limited to the knowledge and the achievement. I am wondering about the blind devotion, that is considering the person on the pedestal as perfect and infallible, when even criticizing is considered a sacrilege.
I am very interested in the philosopher Epicurus and a lot of his philosophy coincides with my own inclinations. But I am puzzled, why he was put on a pedestal as infallible by his disciples, who were swearing an oath of submission to his teachings.
Christians' delusions seem to me the combination of the gullibility to have faith in unproven claims and to venerate someone. But gullibility and veneration seem to be separate fallacies, because so many people, even though they reject a personal god, are very willing to follow leaders and gurus of cults and sects.
I think that being really apistic means the absence in the brain of any disposition to both, faith and veneration.
Personally, I am apistic by not being susceptible to any faith and I have never felt veneration and reverence in my life. But while I can rationally see the psychological benefits for the afflicted of their delusional faiths, I am in vain attempting to comprehend the benefits of veneration.
How can veneration be psychologically explained?
Has there ever been found any indication by studies of the brain, that some people have an instinctive urge to submit?
Does the hierarchy instinct have two expressions, one to compete and fight for a higher position and another to submit, accept and fulfill the the lower position?
Does veneration correspond to the acceptance of defeat by animals in relation to the alpha male?
Tags: veneration
Views: 69
Replies to This Discussion
I think it's more of a genetic issue than a psychological one.
I don't remember the exact details, but I do recall studies that demonstrate babies are hardwired to believe and respect authority figures without question because they have too much to learn in the early developmental and bonding stages.
Babies don't have time to test the truth of information presented to them. In fact, if they did it would be incredibly detrimental ie, they have to trust their parents that putting their hand in a flame will hurt. It would be evolutionary suicide if a baby had to test every hypothesis. Instead, they just believe without question.
Developmentally, after a certain age, children usually become less 'believing' and start to test the world for themselves.
I believe Dawkins discusses it either in his book or one of the TV series. I think he considers veneration, as an extension of religious faith in a god/preacher, to be a corruption of this innate process during early development.
Some people do not completely lose this 'hardwired' genetic function and continue to believe and look up to authority figures without justifiable reasons. Contentiously, I think he said that, in terms of mind development, they haven't yet 'grown up' properly.
The venerated person as some kind of a delusional hyper parent makes some kind of sense.
Has anybody some links to some specific sources?
What about the hierarchy instinct?
I think there's also a sense of being absolved from responsibility. If "The Leader" is always right then the individual doesn't have to think. Give up independence in exchange for a certainty, no matter how false it really is. A little self-delusion can cope with that kind of problem.
That makes sense too.
I just found this - it is very convincing, the one reference to satanic seems to be displaced.
I would think studies have tried to identify a "god area" in the brain. If not, there's your dissertation. Grab an fMRI and get people to pray.
If we are hard-wired to adopt some type of infallible master, then how do atheists come about? Have we evolved? I'd like to think so.
Maybe it is some vestigial part of the brain/psyche wherein the diathesis model kicks in when a child is raised in a strict religious fashion, but that doesn't explain why some people are able to break free.
I hold many scientists in VERY high regard, but I know they are not immune to err. That's what makes them easy to relate to, they're human like me.
I have read about babies being hard-wired for learning language.
As far as I've heard, an fMRI scan of people praying shows activity in the brain that corresponds to talking to a confidential friend. It's just an invisible one.
What about seeing a difference between the irrationality and gullibility to take something by faith without proof, and the emotional submission and acceptance of inferiority in the veneration of a living person as a guru upon an imaginary pedestal?
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text:
I was reading up on electrostatic particle accelerators when I read a statistic stating the efficiency of converting wall electrical power (the electrical power from the outlet) into beam power in an accelerator. I tried finding out why this was the case and doing some first cut calculations. The most I could come up with was a lot of the power gets wasted by particles not being efficiently collimated, I.E. most of the accelerated particles hit the wall. Now, I'm pretty sure that is not the only reason, I assume depending on the quality of the vacuum, scattering by the leftover gas molecules would also contribute to the lost beam power, as well as losses via emitted radiation from focusing the charged particles with magnetic fields.
Am I getting this right? Or am I missing some huge power draw that sucks most of the power away from the beam? I know the efficiency depends somewhat on the beam maximum energy (since higher energy beams have higher brehmstrahlung and cyclotron radiation losses), I'm looking at the power efficiency of a 10 MeV electrostatic electron beam accelerator.
Why are 10 MeV electron electrostatic particle accelerators so inefficient?


text:
You can turn any window in your house into a homemade solar window heater. It is recommended that you use a window that's facing south. You could use an east or west facing window, but it won't be as effective as a southern-facing one (assuming that you live in the Northern Hemisphere).
You'll also need:
- a piece of corrugated cardboard
- black paint
- a paintbrush
- a knife or scissors
- The first step is to cut the cardboard to the size of your window. The corrugated cardboard must cover both top and bottom panes of the window. Be sure that the corrugation runs vertically, with the holes at the top and the bottom.
- Once you've cut it into size, paint the corrugated cardboard black. Be sure that you don't get paint inside the corrugation holes. These are needed for proper air flow, once you put the cardboard in place. Let it dry before handling it again.
- Now take out the window screen. This will give your homemade solar window heater more space, and at the same time increase the amount of solar energy it can absorb, and will therefore increase its effectiveness.
- Once the paint dries, slide the black cardboard into the window, with the black side facing the outside. The cardboard should be between any storm windows and the inside glass panes. In this way, it will be protected from rain and dew.
- The bottom of the corrugated cardboard must be raised above the window sill. The distance should just be enough to allow air to flow into the corrugation holes. You can use anything to prop up the cardboard, as long as it doesn't block the holes.
- Now that the cardboard is in place, open the window panes on the top and bottom – about one inch is fine. This opening will allow the air to flow in the bottom, go through the slots of the cardboard (where the air is heated) and then exit out at the top of the window and come back into the room. When the sun is out, open the windows, but remember to close them at night or else you'll be letting cool air in.
If you think that the cardboard makes your room ugly, you can easily take the homemade solar window heater out and store it nearby. You can also decorate the cardboard with something attractive to make it look better. If someone is in serious need of saving on energy bills while keeping a room warm, this might be the most cost-effective solution for them, in which case the aesthetics of the matter will not be their top priority.
This simple yet effective homemade solar window heater might be the solution you're looking for. It can help provide the heat you need, without causing you to spend more money on energy.


Published on ONJava.com (_URL_
 See this if you're having trouble printing code examples
Designing Tapestry Mega-Components
by Howard Ship
Tapestry: Java Web Components is a powerful, flexible, open source framework for creating Web applications in Java. Tapestry builds on existing J2EE technologies to create an environment for robust, scalable, and highly dynamic Web applications. The framework was designed from the start to allow the creation of rich, reusable components. This article will explore the construction of one such component, the Palette, which exercises many of the advanced features of Tapestry. It assumes a good deal of familiarity with Tapestry; if you haven't been exposed to Tapestry yet, the Tapestry Home Page is a good place to start.
The majority of components in Tapestry directly correspond to HTML elements. For example, the Form component generates a element, and the Image component generates an tag. There are components for input fields and links. Some components break this mold, such as the PropertySelection component, which generates a and all the elements within it. Then there are "mega-components," which generate a whole slew of HTML code, often with additional JavaScript to support the user experience.
The Palette is one such mega-component. It facilitates the selection of multiple items from a list. The interface consists of two columns of values and a pair of buttons. The left column is the list of available items that may be selected. The right column is the list of items actually selected. The "select" button moves one or more items from the available list to the selected list. The "deselect" button moves items out of the selected list and back into the available list. Figure 1 shows the Palette component in action.
Screen shot.
Figure 1. "Transfer Books" from Virtual Library
Here, the Palette is part of the Virtual Library application; it is being used to transfer the ownership of books from one person to another. The left column contains all the books owned by one person; the right column is the list of books to transfer to the other person. In between the two columns are the buttons for moving books back and forth between the two columns.
The Palette component includes other functionality. If desired, the two lists can be kept sorted, either by the item's label, visible to the user, or by the item's value (which is hidden from the user, but meaningful to the application). Finally, the component can be configured to allow manual sorting; in this mode, two additional buttons, "move up" and "move down," appear, allowing the user to change the order of items in the selected list.
The buttons are only active when appropriate; for example, the "select" button is disabled unless the user has selected one or more items in the available list. When disabled, the buttons take on a "dimmed" or greyed-out appearance.
All and all, this is quite a bit of functionality. A Web developer wishing to include similar behavior on a static Web page, or even a JavaServer Page, is facing quite a task. First, JavaScript functions for manipulating the list of options within the select lists would have to be created. This includes moving items between the two lists, as well as keeping the two lists in correct sorted order (this is further complicated by the differences in the programming models between the two major browsers, Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer). If manual sorting is desired, then additional functions for moving items up and down within the selected list are required.
Further event handling functions are needed to respond when the user presses any of the buttons. Another aspect of event handling is to enable and disable the buttons as appropriate. This includes updating the image used for each button to reflect its enabled or disabled status.
These functions will typically be put in a


Pudendal Neuralgia
What is it?
It is a condition that causes severe pain, numbness, and irritation in your pelvic and genital area. It arises due to a major nerve injury in the lower body area, which can make it hard to use the bathroom, sit down or engage in any sexual activities. The pain is erratic and come and goes with time or activity.
What are some symptoms?
 - check-mark-1A sharp or burning pain
 - check-mark-1Numbness
 - check-mark-1Swelling
Treatment Options?


Norway And Its Influence On Sushi
Today, having salmon as a main ingredient in a dish of sushi tends to be the norm.
Almost all sushi joints will offer salmon sushi in one form or another, and it's among the most popular ingredients to use for recipes, especially in the country of Japan, where sushi is something of a staple. Some might be surprised to learn, then, that this simply wasn't always the case.
In fact, until just a few decades ago, eating sushi within Japan was seen as taboo, and most Japanese people would never add the delicious fish to any of their recipes.
This is where the country of Norway comes into play, with a global campaign that changed the nature of sushi, the ingredients we use, as well as ancient cultures forever.
Salmon And Norway
During the period of the 1980s, Norway was facing something of a problem. The government at the time was subsidising the fishing industry, meaning that they were paying people to go out into the water and fish.
It proved to a large financial burden for the government, who began to reduce the subsidies for fishing, but it meant that thousands of people would have lost their jobs, especially an issue where fishing has long been one of their biggest industries.
They decided to make a new plan: they were going to take their stock of fish every year and begin selling it abroad to any countries that would buy it.
They set their sights across the world to the small island country of Japan, renowned for its deep love of seafood, especially when it comes to sushi. It seemed like the ideal region to send their fish, and so they began a successful marketing campaign.
The Changing Of Japanese
At the same time this was going on, Japan was a country steeped in culture and history, and known for its long-standing traditions. The people, then, were not interested in bringing in raw salmon as part of their sushi.
They consumed a local type of salmon often, but it was always cooked in some way, and never eaten raw. This is because their salmon usually carries disease and parasites, but cooking it also made it unusable for sushi.
Norwegian salmon was different, however, and it could safely be eaten raw without causing any health problems.
Representatives from Norway were sent to try and convince the people of Japan that they could enjoy salmon as part of their favourite sushi dishes without first having to cook it.
It Took Many Years
After many years of marketing and campaigning, and with the same willingness as an online gambling casino enthusiast, the mindset within Japan began to change.
Importing the salmon from Norway was first started by a company called Nichirei, who agreed that they would begin selling it frozen, exclusively for use in sushi.
It had something of a snowball effect, and as more people learnt about Norwegian salmon, the more sales went up. Eventually, salmon from across the world became incredibly popular and has remained a staple of sushi to this day.


text: Chinese ceramic tomb figure of a horse with a separate saddle, the horse standing on four legs without a base, the figure molded and hand-finished, the clay body fired a deep, even gray color, the horse painted a deep red-brown pigment and covered with an encrustation of soil from burial, the soil and paint flaking unevenly from the surface. The ends of an iron armature are visible on the bottom three of the four hooves. The body of the horse is especially thick, the interior visible through a large opening on the horse's stomach, with finger marks from the original modeling visible around the opening and the impression of a bundle of coarse straw or similar material in the interior of the horse's body, the straw lost during firing. The saddle is molded and hand finishes, with traces of red-brown pigment on some details and white-gray pigment on the seat. Adhesive label on the underside of the saddle from Christie's23mar95101 (?)30. With the introduction of the famous Fereghan horses from Central Asia, the course of Chinese history shifted significantly. Warfare, pageantry, and trade were affected by this development, as was Chinese art. The realistic modeling of these two sixth-century horses represents a long tradition of the equine form in funerary sculpture. The dynamic movement portrayed by the figure's turned torso is a new element of the era. Saddles became important decorative objects themselves in later periods, as shown by the silver saddle ornaments also displayed here. (Gallery Chat Label, 2007 - shared with 37.126) Condition: The horse and saddle are currently intact, with evidence of previous damage and repair, especially to the legs of the horse. Firing cracks visible inside the body. Evidence of some overpainting in red-brown to match the original color and to cover losses of original pigment of burial encrustation. Recommend non-obtrusive examination to identify areas of repair and/or restoration, as well as to locate the original iron armature.


text:
At WMed, we recognize and encourage the continuous expression, development, and representation of the uniqueness of all individuals. Inclusiveness is defined as valuing diversity and fostering respect for all individuals and points of view without judgment, bias or stereotype. WMed is committed to fostering an environment that is inclusive, trusting, open and draws upon the collective strength of the diversity of our students, residents, fellows, faculty, and staff. We are dedicated to a culture that facilitates the increased understanding of – and appreciation for – the diverse backgrounds, inherent worth and dignity of each and every individual. We strive to promote and recognize the strength that comes from individuals working together to achieve worthy goals and the medical school seeks always to remove any barriers that may exist to achieving our culture of inclusiveness.
WMed is committed to fostering a learning environment that:
- Values diversity and inclusiveness as being integral to the humanistic practice of medicine, an enriched educational environment, discovery and scholarship that addresses the needs of diverse communities, and meaningful community service
- Welcomes a diverse body of faculty, students and staff from all segments of society to enhance the learning experiences of all learners
- Celebrates human diversity and cultural pluralism through inclusiveness, acceptance, mutual respect, and empowerment
- Delivers excellent clinical care with equity
- Appreciates diversity of experiences, perspectives, ideas, contributions, talents, and goals
As part of that continuous commitment to diversity and inclusiveness, the medical school's Office of Health Equity and Community Affairs has undertaken several initiatives aimed at supporting and engaging WMed faculty, staff, residents, and medical students. Some of those activities – present and future – include:
Active Citizenship: During the first and second year of medical school, WMed students actively work with an organization in the Kalamazoo community to enhance and change the perspectives of those who may be different than us. This can include race, religion, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, education, work experience, and values.
Day of Service: First-year students at WMed get a chance to spend a day in the Kalamazoo community giving back. The organizations where students lend their time are those that serve and contribute to the underserved or underrepresented. Students value the experience and say it helps them gain knowledge about individuals who come from different backgrounds and it helps develop a keen awareness of the different patient populations they will serve and provide care to as physicians.
Minority Association of Pre-Med Students at WMU (MAPS): The Minority Association of Pre-Med Students at WMU is an organization committed to creating a supportive network for underrepresented premedical students and increasing the number of culturally and socially competent physicians. Students interact with physicians and medical students and hear from those who have walked the "walk." Students also gain more knowledge from current medical students and the their journey to become a physician.
Health Summit: The inaugural Health Summit will be held in 2017 at WMed's W.E. Upjohn M.D. Campus. The event will include objectives and break-out sessions on several topics, including promoting social justice, understanding people's life experiences, community resources and understanding implicit bias, among others.
Pipeline programs: The mission of WMed's pipeline programs for second graders and 10th graders from Kalamazoo Public Schools is to foster a platform for medical students to teach and design interactive learning experiences to help the younger students develop leadership, team-building and problem-solving skills.
The Early Introduction to Health Careers (EIH) initiative is led by students with a passion for addressing the educational achievement gaps that present a barrier to diversity in health professions.
Part of our efforts at WMed include working with elementary and high school students of disadvantaged backgrounds in Kalamazoo to foster science and health career aspirations through an innovative mini-medical school curriculum designed by WMed students, who also act as mentors for the program.


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Engine Yard Cranks Up For Node.js
Platform-as-a-Service player Engine Yard has announced the general availability of the Node.js framework for building highly scalable real-time web applications on Engine Yard Cloud.
The commercial grade Engine Yard Cloud is a configurable PaaS for Ruby on Rails, PHP, (and now) Node.js — the JavaScript "language of the browser" designed to unify development of front-end and server-side architectures.
"Node.js is a popular programming framework that is increasingly used by developers to create cloud-native applications," said Yefim Natis, vice president and distinguished analyst at Gartner. Natis argues that by using a PaaS in this instance, development teams can focus on building high-performance mobile and web business apps, instead of managing the underlying cloud infrastructure.
NOTE: Node.js is an open source, event-driven application development framework built with a single unifying concurrency model that simplifies the development of distributed real-time applications. It has a growing, active, and passionate community that boasts the second most watched repository on Github.
Engine Yard explains that typical use cases for Node.js include real-time applications that require constant feedback and input. Also web applications that are concurrent and have long running requests or responses, such as networked multiplayer games, interactive tools, and websites and web analytics.
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text:
Elerium, also known as Element 115, is a strange element used in the First Alien War as a power source for alien technology. It is an incredibly rare substance that does not occur naturally on Earth, but has been found to exist in places elsewhere in the solar system, like Mars.
Elerium is used to fuel alien antimatter reactors on UFOs, and power plasma weapons and other equipment. When bombarded by subatomic particles, a reaction causes it to generate antimatter. Because of the energy released by matter/antimatter reactions and the efficient matter-to-energy conversion ratio, Elerium-powered reactors are many times as powerful than conventional nuclear reactors. This and the fact that all alien technologies relied on Elerium power sources made it prized substance to X-Com, and collecting as much Elerium as possible became a high priority.
After the Alien War, because mankind had lost its only means of obtainin Elerium, use of alien technology was discontinued. Some suggested salvaging UFO wrecks on the seabed, but unfortunately Elerium becomes inert when exposed to seawater. Because of this, Elerium-based technologies were not used by X-Com during the Second Alien War.
Following the global disaster caused by the destruction of T'leth, Elerium mines established on Mars and other places in the solar system allowed mankind to use the old alien technologies once again. Radical advances in technology following this allowed them to construct metropolitan cities that would allow humanity to survive on post-apocalyptic Earth. Elerium became even more precious than gold in this period, because of its rarity and importance to humanity.


Microsoft Xbox 360 Setup Instructions
ResNet recommends connecting your console using a wired internet connection through a router. The wired connection is more reliable and can be up to 20X faster than the wireless connection. Using a router also allows you to connect multiple devices to the wired port at the same time, without having to re-register. For more information on how to setup a router with the Georgia Tech network, see our router setup page.
Wired Configuration for Microsoft Xbox 360
If you will be connecting more than one device to the wired port in your room, you will need to use a router. If you need help setting up your router, check out our router setup tutorial. Once your router is set up, simply connect your Xbox directly to one of the ports on the router and you should be good to go.
If you want to connect your Xbox 360 directly to the wired port in your room, you can do so without a router.
 1. Connect your Xbox 360 to the port in your room with an ethernet cable.
 2. Turn on your Xbox and go to the dashboard.
 3. Navigate to System Settings, then to Network Settings.
 4. Select Configure Network.
 5. Select Wired Connection with an automatic configuration and test the connection. It should fail at this point, but this step lets our switch see your Xbox.
 6. Return to the Configure Network menu.
 7. Scroll right to the Additional Settings tab.
 8. Scroll down and select the box containing Advanced Settings, Host Name, and Alternate Mac Address.
 9. At the bottom of the screen, just above the Done button, you should see Wired MAC Address, followed by a series of 12 letters and numbers. Write this series down.
 10. Using a computer or any device with a web browser, navigate to Sign in with your GT account.
 11. Press Register a Different Device.
 12. Read the information on this page. Then, in the MAC Address box, type in what you wrote down in step 9.
 13. Select whether you live in a Residence Hall or Greek House.
 14. Finally, enter a brief description of the Xbox, like "My Xbox."
 15. If you understand the terms of registration, and accept responsibility for your device, select I Accept Responsibility for This Device.
 16. Turn off your Xbox and wait five minutes before turning it on again.
If you are having problems, you may want to visit Microsoft's support site for router port configuration for more information. If you are still having problems, please contact us!
LAWN Configuration for Microsoft Xbox 360
 1. If you have a new Xbox 360, it should have wireless support built-in. If you have an older Xbox 360, you will need to purchase a wireless adapter. For more information, go to Microsoft's Wireless Adapter product page.
 2. Owners of both old and new Xboxes need to write down their console's internal MAC address, which can be found at [System] -> [Network Settings] -> [Edit Settings] -> [Additional Settings] -> [Advanced Settings], at the bottom of the page, under 'Wired MAC Address.' Do not use the 'Wireless MAC address' - this will not work.
 3. Navigate back to [Edit Settings], go to [Wireless Mode], and select 'GTother' from the list of internet connections.
 4. Enter the security key, and select the WPA option. If you do not have the WPA key, you may get from the LAWN SSID and WPA key webpage.
 5. Run the connection test. It should fail, but that's okay.
 6. On your personal computer, navigate to the LAWN Device Login page. Fill in your GT account, password, and the MAC address that you wrote down earlier, and check the 'disable ISS' check box (Allows you to play online). Note that you will need to log in by this method every time you want to log on to the internet through wireless.
You should now be able to connect to the internet and Xbox Live.


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From Uncyclopedia, the content-free encyclopedia
""Nullum gratuitum prandium est" non veritas est."
Contrary to popular knowledge, there is such a thing as a free lunch. For years, theoretical prandiologists have been combining work in physics, economics, and hamburgerology, and have determined several possible domains in which there may exist a gratis mid-day meal.
Mega Marginal McNugget TheoremChicken McNuggets provided a now-famous experimental example:
- 6 McNuggets cost $0.99, or $0.165 per McNugget.
- 9 McNuggets cost $1.26, or $0.14 per McNugget.
- 20 McNuggets cost $1.80, or $0.09 per McNugget.
By extrapolating the unit cost of the individual McNugget relative to the package cost, we see that the cost for marginal McNuggets approaches zero and eventually becomes negative. Once a suitably large number of McNuggets are packaged, the negative-cost McNuggets offset the positive-cost McNuggets, resulting in zero net cost -- a free lunch.
It is important to note that these circumstances have only been created under laboratory conditions, using sophisticated computer simulations and 1,000 liter drums of super-cooled honey mustard sauce. Under these conditions, the number of units per package required to initiate a free-lunch event, the Mega Marginal McNugget number (MMM), is 2,000,000. Because of this, the theorem is also occasionally referred to as the "Over 2,000,000 Served" Property.
Dire Straits/Will "Work" For Food Gambit
As argued in their seminal work on the subject of non-productive labor (Knopfler, Sting: 1988), the team at Dire Straits National Laboratory determined that when an individual is "playing guitar on the MTV", measurements have shown that "that ain't workin'." Similar non-work work activities include "banging on them bongos like a chimpanzee", making "Hawaiian noises", and any other such so-called labor that results in no more severe workplace-related injury than a "blister on your little finger".
While strictly a comparative study of people who "play them drums" versus those who are required to make "custom kitchen deliveries," the Straits team's work suggests an intriguing possibility. If one were to dispense with any and all cash transactions for labor and not perform nothing for money, but, instead, one were to choose to "work" for food, one could get "chicks for free" -- in this context, Chicken McNuggets at no cost to the "laborer". QED, another free lunch.
It is widely acknowledged that crime does pay. This is the result of profit margins existing in all crime -- a given criminal will only perform a crime if and only if the costs of perpetrating the act do not exceed the rewards.
Re-establishing this principle in the current problem domain, there exists a possibility that the theft of a lunch might ultimately require no costs at all. For example, criminal 1 robs a restaurant of a 6-piece set of Chicken McNuggets. The costs for the crime include a thrift-store ski mask and a cheap weapon, such as a butter gun or left handed screwdriver. Then criminal 2, requiring fewer resources to rob criminal 1 than the restaurant itself, gains possession of the 6 piece. As the number of criminals approaches infinity, the cost of the lunch theft equals zero. This is represented by a formula known to mathemagicians as the Robble Series.
Note that this scenario requires a truly massive number of criminals working together in unison (see Government).
It is indeed possible, under tightly controlled circumstances, to arrive at the free lunch horizon. While real-world experiments have yet to bear fruit, it is hoped that, when they do, the fruit will be delicious and entirely without cost.


I'm a renter or have a shaded roof. Can I still use solar power?
If you have a shaded roof, the short answer is "no, " and if you are a renter the answer is "maybe." Renters can benefit from a rule known as virtual net metering that allows them to share the output of a solar system at multi-tenant buildings. Additionally, the concept of community solar could open up solar to renters, those with shaded roofs, and many others. However, it is currently not available to PG&E customers.
Virtual Net Metering
Virtual Net Metering
Virtual net metering allows solar energy to be credited to the electricity bills of multiple tenants in a building.
If you are a renter in a multi-tenant building, you and your neighbors can share the benefits of solar energy through an arrangement called virtual net metering (VNM). VNM is the concept of allocating an on-site energy source to tenants across multiple units through the utility billing system, rather than by hard-wiring separate energy systems to each unit's electricity meter. In addition to simplifying the installation process and saving money, VNM has greater flexibility because the landlord or HOA can administratively reassign shares of energy from one unit to another. Tenants that participate in VNM receive credit on their utility bill just like customers who have a solar energy system hard-wired to their electricity meter.
Under VNM, the solar system owner (likely the landlord) provides PG&E with a list of tenants, including PG&E account numbers, that want to participate, and indicates the percentage of the solar system's total output that each tenant should be credited for on their bill. The Robinson family in apartment 2 might sign up for 15%, the Garcias in apartment 5 for 10%, and so on. Then, at the end of the month, each family's electricity usage (kWh) is offset by its share of solar energy, reducing the family's electricity bill. If a family receives more solar energy than is used in a given month, it receives a credit for the value of the difference. That credit is applied to another month's bill.
You can learn more about VNM by reading PG&E's VNM Application and Interconnection Agreement. Building owners or HOAs interested in using VNM to supply solar energy to multiple tenants should also read about options for financing solar systems. Interested renters should speak to their landlords to encourage them to consider installing solar and using VNM.
Community Shared Solar
Community shared solar is the term most often used to describe solar systems that supply electricity to multiple customers within a geographic region (e.g., neighborhood, city, utility service area). In many ways, community shared solar is similar to onsite solar. For instance, the electricity produced by the solar system offsets charges for the participant's monthly electricity use. However, community shared solar does not require the solar system to be located on a participant's property, allowing multiple participants to invest in and benefit from a single, centralized solar system.
Community shared solar is currently not available to customers in PG&E's service territory. However, it would be an useful tool to expand access to solar energy for customers who otherwise are unable to benefit from solar. This includes those who rent, have a shaded roof, do not have the financial resources needed to meet the up-front costs of investing in solar energy on their property, or simply are not interested in hosting onsite solar.
Community shared solar has been successfully implemented by numerous utilities and states, and the California Legislature has considered legislation to create a statewide community solar program. To learn more, download our short paper on Community Shared Solar with the basics of community shared solar, examples of existing programs, and community shared solar's potential to expand San Francisco's solar market.


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I know (from Kinematics) that for an object moving linearly with an acceleration and without air resistance the following equations can be used to determine v(velocity) or x(position of the object) at any time:
Where x0 is the position of the object at the start of accelerated movement, v0 is the velocity at the start of the motion and a is the acceleration.
Now if I want to add air drag, say we take the formula for air drag as:
C is a coefficent, A is the reference Area, p is the density and v the velocity. Since D is a force the air drag results in an acceleration, so in other words: The resulting acceleration is a-D/m, however D depends on V, which depends on the acceleration. And that's where my problem is, I simply can't wrap my mind around that.
How would I go about getting the Equations for x and v including air drag (and don't forget there's acceleration too)?


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All About Canada: he Canada Site is the primary Internet portal for information on the Government of Canada, its programs, services, new initiatives and products, and for information about Canada.
Canadian Health: Healthy living means making positive choices that enhance your personal physical, mental and spiritual health. You make these choices when you:
Eat nutritiously, choosing a variety of foods from all of the food groups as suggested by Canada's Food Guide;
Canadian Fitness: Current estimates from the 2000/01 Canadian Community Health Survey indicate that 33% of Canadians aged 20 + have a body mass index over 25 and are thus considered overweight. The trend is toward increased overweight: 26% of women aged 20-64 were considered overweight in 2000, compared with 14% in 1985.
General Nutrition: Providing science-based dietary guidance is critical to enhance the public's ability to make healthy choices in the effort to reduce obesity and other food related diseases. Since dietary needs change throughout the lifespan, specialized nutrition information is provided about infants, children, teens, adult women and men, and seniors.


Memory Alpha
Project 705
39,339pages on
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Mirror Universe
(coexisting on another dimensional plane)
Project 705
A Project 705 class submarine
The Project 705 (or Alfa-class) was a type of military submarine used in the mirror universe on Earth during that planet's 20th century. (ENT: "In a Mirror, Darkly")
Although not mentioned by name, the Project 705 submarine (pictured, right) appeared in the opening credits, indicating the craft was manufactured and used in that universe. It was reused footage from the film The Hunt for Red October.
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REGULAR (UP) SEX IS ALWAYS HARMFUL
by Dr. Lawrence Wilson
© June 2017, L.D. Wilson Consultants, Inc.
All information in this article is for educational purposes only. It is not for the diagnosis, treatment, prescription or cure of any disease or health condition.
Regular sex. This is the most common way that heterosexual people have sex. The theme of this article is that regular sex is not the preferred method. There is another method that is much gentler, and much healthier for both men and women.
Down sex. This is not well known on earth. The difference between it and regular sex are:
- It is much gentler
- It goes on for up to two hours.
- There is little movement of the penis.
- There are no orgasms
- The participants can be clothed
- The energy centers do not spin backwards
- There is much less blending between the man and the woman.
- Very powerful healing occurs with this method that does not occur with regular sex.
- Subtle energy moves more in a downward direction (from the head to the feet). With regular sex, subtle energy tends to move in an upward direction.
There are numerous problems with regular sex. Some affect both men and women, while others just affect women.
The reasons regular sex is harmful, while down sex is very healthful, are:
1. Disease. Contracting sexually transmitted diseases more easily (both men and women).
2. Fluid loss. Regular sex causes much greater loss of vital sexual fluid inboth men and women.
3. Physical trauma. There is usually some tearing and scarring of the vagina with regular sex. This does not occur with down sex, and does not occur in men because their sexual organs are less delicate.
4. Other danger (women only). Women normally go out of control a little with regular sex. This can easily turn to rape. With down sex, the woman can be fully clothed, which reduces the danger somewhat.
1. Embarrassment. Any time a woman disrobes completely, there is often some embarrassment. In contrast, with down sex a woman can remain fully clothed or almost so.
2. Sadness (mainly women). This is subtle, but is the result of all the problems in this article.
3. Little love. Regular sex is not as loving as down sex.
4. Opens the second center. Regular sex opens the second center on women. This is harmful if the woman is not married. She develops a look that says "I am available – come and get me."
ADDICTIVE FOR BOTH, AND DISEMPOWERING FOR WOMEN
1. Addiction to orgasms (both men and women). The orgasms of regular sex are powerful. They deplete nutrients and mix up the mind, and as a result are often addictive.
2. Disempowering. The reasons why regular sex is disempowering for women are:
a. Attachment. Regular sex attaches women to men much more than does down sex. Men do not attach to women during sex nearly as much.
b. Out of control. Women easily go out of control during regular sex when they have orgasms. This does not occur with men.
c. Physical position. Women are usually pinned down by the much larger and heavier male body. Also, this causes women to be often passive participants in regular sex, which is also disempowering.
1. Fluid loss and orgasms. Both men and women become somewhat mixed up by the fluid loss and the orgasms of regular sex. The orgasms spin all seven of the energy centers in the wrong direction and slow down the spin of the three centers or dantiens.
These problems work against personal creativity and cause other problems for both men and women. These problems do not exist with down sex.
2. Attachment. Regular sex attaches women to men in a powerful way. This tends to reduce the women's creativity. The problem occurs less with down sex.
Regular sex teaches both men and women that men are in charge of sex, and women are mainly sex objects. It teaches that the women are also basically passive when it comes to sex.
DISCONNECTS MEN AND WOMEN
Too much stimulation of the first energy center that occurs with regular sex damages the seventh energy center and causes both men and women to lose their connection with the Holy Spirit or Higher Self.
1. Do down sex or avoid all sex, but do not do regular sex.
2. Follow a complete nutritional balancing program to replenish nutrients and balance the body.
3. Do the vaginal coffee implant or stuffing procedure to help eliminate infection and other effects of regular sex.
4. Perhaps do other vaginal healing such as peroxide baths and massage to reverse damage to the vagina. For details, read The Vagina.


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Presenting science to the public: The ethics of outreachJoy Branlund, Southwestern Illinois College
SummaryThis case study involves class discussion about (a) the environmental concerns of developing a new industrial project (in this case, a new mine in Minnesota), and (b) the ethics of communicating those impacts, both between industry and the public, and a scientist and the public. The first part of the discussion ties into previous class instruction on sulfide mining and impacts.
This activity was designed for use in an undergraduate introductory geoscience or environmental science class. The activity took place in a relatively small class (24 students), but could be scaled up or down.
Class size: 15 to 30 students
Skills and concepts that students must have mastered
The activity as presented requires basic knowledge of metal mining/processing techniques and related environmental concerns (the environmental impacts of surface mining, floatation and leaching, in order to extract sulfide minerals). However, the case can be modified to stress only ethical communication (and not mining knowledge).
How the activity is situated in the course
The activity was part of a mineral resource unit, specifically used to apply knowledge of mining (extraction and processing).
GoalsContent/concepts goals for this activity
By completing the activity, students should be able to:
- give examples of how mining, beneficiation, etc. affects society and how mining processes/extent are influenced by societal factors (i.e. economics)
- summarize factors that define ethical behavior in communicating science.
Higher order thinking skills goals for this activity
By completing the activity, students will:
- apply knowledge of mining processes and consequences to a novel (and foreign) potential mine site and population, and
- evaluate and critique communication given by a fictional geologist.
Other skills goals for this activity
Students will work in groups, and present their group answers to the class.
Ethical Principles Addressed in this ExerciseThe activity addresses both:
- the ethical considerations involving scientists' communication with the public,
- ethical behavior of the public in responding to possible environmental threats.
Description and Teaching Materials
Several projects (new mines, new power plants, new levee construction, etc.) cannot open until they receive a permit from the state. To receive the permit, the company completes an environmental impact statement. During a public comment period, the public can read the environmental impact statement, and then direct their opinions to their lawmakers. This activity addresses two components of the process. First, the public's role, and second, a geoscientist's role as educator of the public. The activity presented here specifically addresses a proposed sulfide mine in northern Minnesota (which was still in the public comment phase in spring 2013, when the case was taught).
The activity was designed to incorporate small group discussion, with groups reporting results to the entire class. The second portion of the activity would work well as a gallery walk.
Case Study ScenarioThis information is what would be given to students:
PolyMet proposes to open a mine and processing plant in northern Minnesota (the location of which is labeled on the U. S. map). The company is planning to recover sulfide minerals (mostly copper) using surface-mining techniques. They have completed their environmental impact statement, and the public comment period has started. Imagine that you are a resident of Minnesota.
Part 1. In a group, brainstorm answers to this question: What questions do you want answered before you decide to tell your lawmaker that you approve (or reject) PolyMet's plan?
Part 2. A geologist visits her local library to give a talk to Minnesotans who are concerned about mining in the north. In response to the question: "I'm very worried that the streams up there, and even Lake Superior, might become polluted. Will that happen?", the geologist says:
That's a good question. The Partridge and Embarrass rivers flow through the mine and processing sites, and these streams flow into the St. Louis River which flows into Lake Superior. Good news: the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness will not be impacted. The mine will operate a wastewater treatment plant, and this will reduce sulfate levels in the water. (This is also good news, because the sulfate would hurt the wild rice harvests.) Liners and will capture water seeping through waste rock piles, and the captured water will be treated. The company will also monitor water quality at places near the mine and downstream.Much of the mine and processing site was previously mined, and so this new wastewater treatment plant will actually make the water cleaner. However, modeling shows that there may be elevated levels of aluminum and lead downstream as a side effect of the project (not because of direct discharges from the mine site).
Answer the following questions about the geologists presentation:
- The ethical requirement of the geologist is that she clearly present the scientific evidence people need to make a decision. Critique the geologist's answer. Did the geologist act ethically? How could her answer have been better?
- In her presentation, the geologist didn't state what she thinks ought to be done (whether she thinks the project should be approved or rejected). Again, considering ethical behavior, do you think she should have? Why or why not?
- What is the public's responsibility in this permitting process? If you knew someone who lives in Minnesota, then what reasons would you give in order to encourage their involvement?
- The mining company might find that disclosing all relevant information could prevent them from reaching their goals, whether those be acquiring a permit, recruiting investors, attaining needed land, etc. Is it ethical to withhold information? Explain your answer.
Teaching Notes and TipsPart 1
Developing questions requires students to apply knowledge of mining processes (specifically the challenges of sulfide mining) to this different example. The amount of information given ahead of time was limited purposefully, in order to expand the range of questions. Student questions will include those with a social and economic bent, but also should include mining-specific questions, such as, "How much waste rock will be created?" "How will waste rock and tailings be stored and disposed of?" "What will the company do to limit effects of acid mine drainage?"
I had students brainstorm in small groups, until they all had a long list of questions (and conversation died down). The small group work can be shortened depending on time constraints.
Then, I went around the room and had representatives from each group share one question, which I listed in PowerPoint. We went around the room until all questions were listed. The length of this question list should give students a good idea of the breadth of information that should be given by the company to the public. In fact, this environmental impact statement is 2,169 pages long!
The instructor can choose to answer some of these questions (if he/she wishes to skim through the environmental impact statement, or the fact sheets), and/or to clarify why the question is worth asking.
How much area will be disturbed by mining?
Who will inspect the mine operations, and how often?
How will the company ensure employee safety?
How many jobs will this bring to this community?
What will these jobs pay? And will there be advancement opportunities?
Will local people be employed?
Will local people be trained to work at the mine? Or will there be a huge influx of strangers?
Will these be full-time and permanent? Or temporary?
If temporary, then will the company help find more jobs for their employees?
For how many years will the mine be open?
Who owns the land?
Does the company own the land on which they'll mine?
How much profit will the mine make?
Would it be more profitable to open a mine elsewhere?
How close is the nearest community?
Will the mine bring tax revenue to the region, or will the company receive tax breaks/ incentives to be there?
How will waste rock be managed?
What is the reclamation plan?
How will plants and animals be affected?
What sorts of air pollution will be created by mining equipment?
And on-site power plant?
How will they manage water flowing on/though site?
Will there be a water treatment plant on site?
What kind of on-site monitoring will take place to check water and air quality?
What plans are in place to deal with emergencies (chemical spills, worker safety issues, etc.)?
How close is the mine site to streams and lakes? To where do nearby streams flow? Do people use this water?
What are the start-up costs, and do we care?
Is concentration [of the resource] going to happen on-site? How will stuff be transported from mine to concentration site to the market?
Part 2 stresses ethical considerations. Again, students can answer the posed questions in smaller groups, and then report out to the larger class the suggestions they have. Alternatively, part 2 can be done as a gallery walk (with each of the four questions written on a flipchart paper, and groups rounding to each question where they add to the answers).
The case covers ethical questions in three areas: science communication, the role of a scientist in society at large, and the role of nonscientists when dealing with science topics (and science ethics).
Communications with the public are only successful if the public trusts the scientist. Therefore, the scientists must:
- Tell the truth without omission. Provide clear, truthful description of (ideally) peer-reviewed* results including: methods, uncertainty, participating scientists, whether results differ from other studies, if other scientists disagree and why, possible negative implications/ consequences of the results, other possible explanations for the results, possible conflicts of interest. The results (or importance of results, or uncertainties in results) should not be overor under-emphasized.
- Respect the audience. Never try to manipulate or use the public (even for a good cause). Listen to (and value) non-scientific