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Scientia Agricola
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Agricultural Engineering • Sci. agric. (Piracicaba, Braz.) 61 (6) • Dec 2004 • https://doi.org/10.1590/S0103-90162004000600002 copy
Langstroth hive construction with cement-vermiculite
Construção de colméia Langstroth com cimento-vermiculita
Maria Cristina Affonso Lorenzon
Rodolfo Gonçalves Cidreira
Edmundo Henrique Ventura Rodrigues
Milton Sérgio Dornelles
Geraldo Pereira Jr
Exfoliated vermiculite is a light-weight and cheap product that, because of its thermal resistance, has become a valuable insulating material. With regard to its use in beekeeping, this research tested whether the box for honey bees constructed with cement-vermiculite mortar (CVM) presents physical characteristics similar to those of wood. The experiment was carried out at Seropédica, RJ, Brazil, for eight months. The cement-vermiculite mortar was compared with a control material (pinewood), in the construction of Langstroth boxes and boards, in a completely randomized design, with respect to thermal control, thermal conductivity and its capacity to absorb and lose water. The production cost for a CVM box was estimated. There were no internal temperature differences between CVM and wooden boxes. Thermal conductivity values for CVM and pinewood were similar. CVM absorbed more water and lost water faster than pinewood. Since CVM boxes can be easily constructed, at a low cost and with similar characteristics as traditional boxes, made of wood, the material can be recommended for use in non-migratory beekeeping.
Apis mellifera; mineral; beekeeping; insulating material
A vermiculita expandida é um material leve, barato e sua resistência térmica permite sua utilização como material isolante. Referente ao seu uso na Apicultura, esta pesquisa testou se a caixa para abelhas melíferas construída com argamassa cimento-vermiculita (ACV) apresenta características similares às da madeira. O estudo foi realizado em Seropédica (ERJ), Brasil, durante oito meses. Comparou-se a argamassa com o material controle, que foi a madeira pinho, em caixas de abelhas e em placas, em um delineamento inteiramente casualizado, quanto ao: controle térmico, a condutividade térmica, a capacidade de absorver e perder água. O custo de produção da caixa ACV para abelhas foi estimado. Não se observaram diferenças da temperatura interna entre as caixas de ACV e de madeira. A condutividade térmica foi similar nas placas de ACV e de madeira. As placas de ACV absorveram mais água, mas perderam mais rapidamente do que as de madeira. Considerando que a caixa de abelhas ACV é de fácil construção, de custo baixo e apresenta características similares a do material tradicional (madeira), este material pode ser recomendado para a apicultura, desde que não migratória.
Apis mellifera; mineral; apicultura; material isolante
Maria Cristina Affonso LorenzonI,* * Corresponding author < lorenzon@ufrrj.br> ; Rodolfo Gonçalves CidreiraII; Edmundo Henrique Ventura RodriguesIII; Milton Sérgio DornellesIV; Geraldo Pereira JrII
IUFRRJ - Depto. de Reprodução e Avaliação Animal - Rod. 465, km 7, 23851-970 - Seropédica, RJ - Brasil
IIUFRRJ - Instituto de Zootecnia
IIIUFRRJ - Depto. de Arquitetura e Urbanismo
IVUFRRJ - Depto. de Matemática
Key words:Apis mellifera, mineral, beekeeping, insulating material
Palavras-chave:Apis mellifera, mineral, apicultura, material isolante
Vermiculite is a mica-type mineral usually formed by hydrothermal alteration, such as biotite and phologopite (Addisson, 1995). Brazil has the world's third largest vermiculite reserve (IBGE, 2001), mainly in the states of Piauí, Goiás, Paraíba and Bahia (DNPM, 2003).
In its natural state, vermiculite has little practical application. However, after it is exfoliated, it becomes a low-density material with excellent thermal-insulating properties. These properties make exfoliated vermiculite a product with widespread application, especially in civil and naval engineering and for industrial use in general (Deer et al., 1996). The exfoliation phenomenon occurs when vermiculite is quickly heated to above 230ºC, allowing its crystalline structure to be folded and separated (Addison, 1995). Each exfoliated flake imprisons inert air cells in its interior, which imparts great insulating property to vermiculite. The product thus obtained is flameproof, odorless, has low-density, is non-irritant to the skin and lungs, does not conduct electricity, is a thermal insulator and acoustic absorbent, resistant to decomposition, does not attract insects, and can absorb up to five times its weight in water (Deer et al., 1996).
Mortar is a material obtained by mixing an agglomerate, usually cement, with a fine aggregate, as quartzose sand, and water (Alves, 1986). Rodrigues et al. (1994) used several types of porous mortars as construction material, because of its low specific mass property. Among the porous mortars that can be applied, those containing foamy additives, with incorporation of plant fibers, such as cellulose, sugarcane bagasse, coconut, and sisal are worth noting. In addition, there exist mortars made with exfoliated minerals, such as vermiculite (Beraldo et al., 1991). The use of vermiculite as a fine aggregate to replace sand is known as cement-vermiculite mortar. The specific weight of conventional mortar is 210 kN/m3; in vermiculite, this parameter ranges from 25 to 180 kN/m3 (Tezuca, 1989). Porous mortar is an alternative material that should be tested in several zootechnical facilities and equipment (Rodrigues et al., 1994).
In beekeeping industry, wood is the most frequently used beehive constructing material. This row material presents the most important characteristic as a suitable shelter for bees: has insulation property, keeping the internal temperature resistant to the ambient variations. This physical condition aids honey bees to maintain the thermal homeostasis of the colony, which is essential for its survival (Seely & Heinrich, 1981).
Neves (2002) verified that empty Langstroth nucleos, constructed of 1:3 cement-vermiculite mortar, reached internal temperature similar to those observed in boxes made from wooden boxes. In continuing with this research, tests were conducted to verify whether some physical characteristics of boxes to honey bees made of cement-vermiculite mortar and of wood were similar or not. For this purpose it was evaluated some physical variations, the advantages and disadvantages of using this material during the construction of boxes and its handling in the apiary.
The survey was accomplished from October through May, in Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil (22º45' 28"S, 43º41'05"W). The climate type in the region is AW, according to Köppen classification system.
Twenty boxes for honeybees were used: ten made of cement-verrmiculite mortar (CVM) box and ten made of wood. These boxes were 10-frame standard Langstroth model with, one nest and one super, all of the Hoffman frames were made of pinewood. The wooden boxes were purchased from a beekeeping store. All these boxes were made from 2 cm thick pinewood. After assembly, these hives were sanded and painted yellow (bottom, nest, and cover), and white (super), with three oil paint coatings.
CVM boxes were built by preparing a system consisting of molds, such as those presented by Neves (2002), according to Figures 1 and 2. These molds were easily made, but should be followed the dimensions of 10-frame Langstroth model and they have to be polished to facilitate the release and for a better finishing of the molded parts. Before receiving the cement-vermiculite mortar, the molds were previously moistened and coated with vegetable oil to facilitate the removal of boards from he mold. The mortar was prepared using medium grain vermiculite, from 4 to 5 mm, cement, usually CPIIE 32 type, and water. A 1:3 mix proportion (by volume) was used, consisting of one part of cement to three of vermiculite, according to Rodrigues (1998). To prepare the mix, dry components (cement and vermiculite) were homogenized, then some water was added little by little, until the fingers marked the mixture. The mortar was gradually filling and compacted in the molds. After filling the molds with mortar, the material was left to dry in a shaded place for two days without sprinkling water and in the next three days it was sprinkled water twice a day. On the ninth day, the material was carefully removed by unscrewing the molds. The boxes parts were assembled partly by gluing and partly by fastening 3.5 mm × 4.5 cm screws, into no.5 bushings. The molds can be reused and all the tasks related can be made using basic carpenter. The CVM boxes followed the painting pattern used for the wooden boxes.
The boxes were assembled, weighed and installed in the apiary, at random, with entrances facing north, standing 0.5 m above the ground in individuals trestles, at a minimum distance of two meters from one another and protected by roofs covered with clay tiles. The boxes were opened every other week in the same manner as done by beekeepers, to verify possible damages due to environment and to management.
Some abiotic conditions, air temperature, relative humidity were measured weekly at 7 a.m., 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., 3 p.m., 5 p.m, using a psychrometer. The internal temperatures of the nest and super were measured every other week These data were monitored at 7 a.m., 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., 3 p.m. A digital thermometer, accuracy 0.1ºC, connected to a copper thermocouple, 35 cm long was used. The probe was inserted into a 1.5 mm hole that existed in the nests and supers of the boxes. The position of the sensor was standardized to be in the central part of the boxes, opposite the entrance. The internal temperature was analyzed at two levels: type of material (wood and CVM) and period (beginning and end) of the experiment; ANOVA and Tukey test were used to compare the means. The SAEG program (Sistema para Análises Estatísticas e Genéticas System for Statistical and Genetic Analyses) was employed (UFV, 1997).
The following assay was conducted to determine thermal conductivity: six CVM and six pinewood boards considered as specimens were cut with the same size, measuring 7.0 × 4.8 × 2.0 cm. These specimens were numbered and theirs masses were determined with an electronic balance, with a 0.01g precision. After weighing, the mean mass for the specimens was obtained and the results were applied in the following equation, according to Rodrigues (1998): k (thermal conductivity) = 0,0003545.r - 0,007146; where r is the specific mass for the specific material (pinewood and CVM), which was determined based on the mass of the board material (in kg) divided by the board volume (in m3) of each material being studied.
In order to determine the water absorption and loss rates, the masses of wooden and CVM boards were recorded before and after immersing them in a container with water for 30 minutes. The difference between mass measurements indicated water absorption by both materials. The specimens were then taken to a forced ventilation oven, where they were randomly arranged. The assay began at 8:00 a.m. and specimen mass measurements were made at 8:30 a.m.; 9 a.m.; 9:30 a.m.; 10:30 a.m.; 12:30 a.m., 4:30 p.m. and 00:30 a.m. This procedure was performed at 30ºC and 55ºC, the first was near ambient temperature and the second represented a temperature routinely used in the laboratory. After weighing, the mean masses for the specimens of each material tested were obtained and the results were applied in the following equation: WLC (%) = SB /BT × 100; where WLC represents water loss capacity (%), SB is the saturated board mass (g) and BT is the board mass at a given time in minutes.
A completely randomized experimental design was adopted, with seven replicates. A linear regression between time (explanatory variable) and water loss capacity (response variable) was calculated for both studied temperatures, in order to indicate the best drying point for the boards. The production cost for the model Langstroth CVM box was detailed and compared with the mean prices of wooden boxes in the Brazilian southeastern region market.
The CVM boxes were easily made, but needed a certain care. Removal of boards from the molds and their assembly implied a 5% loss of parts. After assembling and organizing the parts, the mean mass for a complete Langstroth CVM box was (18.47 ± 0.24) kg and (9.36 ± 0.35) kg for a wooden box.
CVM box was the most fragile during management, wear of the upper edges of the boxes was observed, especially between the upper part of the nest of the nest and cover, whose surfaces are routinely handled by beekeepers with tool hive. Cover and bottom board were more susceptible to be cracked especially if they were managed right after rainy days. With regard to the wooden boxes, two covers and four nests became warped and this material was more susceptible to environmental conditions and wax moth (Galleria mellonella and Achroia grisella) damages, although no material containing bee wax, which is attractive to these moths, was used. In the study site did not show problems with termite infestations and occasional burnings, but if they occurred, the wooden boxes could be more damaged.
The internal temperature means in the nests boxes were (30.53 ± 0.63)ºC and (31.22 ± 0.79)ºC, for wooden boxes and CVM boxes, respectively. The internal temperature means in the supers were (30.86 ± 0.54)ºC and (31.01 ± 0.63)ºC, for wooden boxes and CVM boxes, respectively. Internal temperature did not show differences with reference to the type of material, period or the interaction between these variables (P > 0.01) (Table 1).
With reference to temperature and humidity fluctuations, it was verified that internal temperature fluctuations in the wooden and CVM boxes were similar (Figure 3).
Thermal conductivity for the CVM specimen was 0.32 wm-1ºC and 0.19 wm-1ºC for the wooden specimen. The CVM specimen absorbed 21.30% of water, while the wooden specimen absorbed 13.68%. In the water loss, the CVM specimen showed greater loss than the wooden specimen during most of the drying time (P < 0.01). In the final third of the drying period, the wooden specimen lost more water, because the CVM specimen was almost dry already (P < 0.01). This occurred at both temperatures tested (30 and 55ºC) (Figures 4A and 4B ). At the 30ºC, water loss was slower than at 55ºC. The coefficients of determination between the time and water loss variables were high and significant. For the wooden specimen, R2 = 0.97 and 0.99, while for the CVM specimen, R2 = 0.96 and 0.95 at the 30 and 55ºC, respectively.
Tables 2 and 3 show the cost of the mold used to build the Langstroth CVM box and the cost for producing one CVM box with one super, respectively. Table 4 features a comparison between a complete Langstroth box, made of wood and CVM.
One of the important aspects when recommending a new material for building Langstroth hives to small beekeepers is that it should be easy to handle. Regarding this aspect, the CVM hive is produced as handcraft, using basic carpentry hand tools, including their molds, while wooden box construction normally requires specific machinery. Additional advantages in the construction of this box were a 40.79% reduction in cost relative to the price of a wooden box (Table 4) and a reduction of one dollar and 20 cents in relation to the ferrocement hive developed by Hobson (1983). A smaller vulnerability to the attack of wax moths is another important aspect, especially considering that the initial stage of colony development in the nest box is the most susceptible to the attack of these insects in hot regions. This type of box could be resistant to termites and burnings, which is a subject that needs to be investigated.
The disadvantages consist in the occurrence of fractures in some parts, the causes of which could be due to: the use of an excessively wet mix, deteriorated cement, incorrectly mixed mortar, mix compaction during molding, or carelessness during assembly. Some parts (cover and bottom) proved more vulnerable in the field and could crack when rains, a heavy roof is used, or crack during handling, requiring great care. In order to lessen this difficulties, it is recommended that a nylon or a wire screen should be used in one half of the mold during construction of the cover and bottom board. To reduce wear on the edges of the nest and super, it is recommended that their upper parts should be lined with a rubbery material, or with galvanized strips.
The CVM box mass is almost twice as heavy as the mass of the pinewood box, and it is practically identical to the mass of the ferrocement box reinforced by wire mesh (Hobson,1983), but it is much lighter than the masonry box, with a mass of 43.55 kg (Lengler et al., 2000). The weight and fragility of the CVM box are aspects that prevent it from being used in migratory beekeeping.
Even with a thermal conductivity greater than wood, the vermiculite in the mortar transfers its insulating property to the CVM box, allowing for internal temperature stability, since this material responds slowly to temperature and humidity fluctuations in the environment (Figure 3). This result was similar to that obtained by Padilha et al. (2001), who observed thermal conductivity values of 0.16 to 0.44 wm-1ºC in CVM boards. According to Stangenhaus (1992), the thermal conductivity of concrete is 1.50 wm-1ºC, and that of mortar cement is 1.15 wm-1ºC, which are values far from desired, making the use of vermiculite promising for hive construction. High temperature resistance is essential to maintain honey bee colonie in shelters, safe energy for homeostasis, which is vital for its survival (Hess, 1926; Himmer, 1927).
The greater absorption of water by CVM boards is an indication that during periods of intense rain CVM could present variations in its internal moisture degree, which is a limiting aspect as a physical trait in a shelter for honey bees. According to Free (1980), moisture in the brood area of the colony must be stable and should not be higher than 40%. If the rainy period coincides with blooms that yield abundant nectar, the high humidity of the air, or even its saturation within the box, could increase the time required for honey to mature, delaying harvest and reducing its production during the bloom (Moritz & Southwick, 1992). On the other hand, the greater loss of water in the CVM specimen (Figures 4A, 4B), also observed by Rodrigues (1998), could provide evaporative cooling by honey bees in the dry period, thus favoring honey maturation and temperature control. Thus, CVM boxes could be performed better in dry climates than humid. Even if the CVM specimen presents greater water loss than wood, internal moisture stability in the nest should be a crucial point when characterizing a shelter for honey bees. If that is the case, this material needs to be perfected. Tests could be conducted using hydrophobic vermiculite, developed by Martins (2002), or using moisture-resistant products as lining within the box.
In view of these results CVM box use as an additional alternative to small beekeeping, to regions that need wood extraction prevention. The physical responses were satisfactorily as honey bee shelter and their confined aspects can be rectified. Precautions must be taken to avoid losses during construction, and instructions to prepare them must be followed to the letter. The model consists of a fragile box, not allowing migratory beekeeping. The use of such material in permanent apiaries helps to prevent of vandals, which is common in certain regions, because the bottom of the hive can be cemented to the supporting concrete trestle. For reduce the moisture in the box, tests should be taken into account offering greater ventilation in the supers in humid tropical regions.
To Associação Brasileira de Cimento Potland (ABCP), Fundação de Apoio à Pesquisa do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ) for financial support and to Henrique José Porto Serra for reviewing the English manuscript.
Accepted September 24, 2004
ADDISSON, J. Vermiculite: A review of the mineralogy and health effects of vermiculite exploitation. Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology, v.21, p.397-405, 1995.
ALVES, J.D. A vermiculita como agregado para concreto Goiânia: Ed. Universidade Federal de Goiás, 1986. 26p.
BERALDO, A.L.; NAAS, I.A.; FREIRE, W.J. Materiais para construções rurais Rio de Janeiro: Ed. Livros Técnicos e Científicos, 1991. 167p.
DEER, W.A.; HOWIE, R.A.; ZUSMAN, J. Minerais constituintes das rochas - uma introdução. Lisboa: Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, 1996. 350p.
DEPARTAMENTO NACIONAL DE PRODUÇÃO MINERAL (DNPM). http://www.dnpm.gov.br (04 jan. 2003).
FREE, J.B. A organização social das abelhas (Apis). São Paulo: EDUSP, 1980. 79p.
HESS, W.E. Die temperaturregulierung im bienenvolk. Zeitschrift für Vergleichende Physiologie, v.4, p.465-487, 1926.
HIMMER, A. Ein Beitrag zur Kenntnis des Wämehaushalts im Nestbau Sozialer Hautflüger. Zeitschrift für Vergleichende Physiologie, v.5, p.375-389, 1927.
HOBSON JR., J.V. Ferrocement as a material for hives. Queensland Agriculture Journal, v.109, p.157-160, 1983.
INSTITUTO BRASILEIRO DE GEOGRAFIA E ESTATÍSTICA (IBGE) - Anuário Estatístico 2001.
LENGLER, S.; CASTAGRINO, G.L.; KIEFFER, C. Avaliação da temperatura interna de colméia de alvenaria e madeira. Informativo Zum Zum, v.34, p.14-15, 2000.
MARTINS, J. Vermiculita. http://www.uol.com.br/cienciahoje/chdia/vol.159.htm (04 jan. 2002).
MORITZ, R.F.A; SOUTHWICK, E.E. Bees as superorganisms: An evolutionary reality. New York: Springer-Verlag, 1992. 395p.
NEVES, J.O. Efeito de colméias construídas em argamassa de cimento-vermiculita sobre o desempenho de abelhas africanizadas (Apis mellifera Linnaeus, 1758), na fase de estiramento. Rio de Janeiro: UFRRJ, 2002. 45p. (Dissertação - Mestrado).
PADILHA, J.A.S.; FILHO, R.D.T.; LIMA, P.I.L.; JOSEPH, K.; LEAL, A.F. Argamassa leve reforçada com polpa de sisal: compósito de baixa condutividade térmica para uso em edificações rurais. COMBEA, v.2, p.1-11, 2001.
RODRIGUES, E.H.V. Desenvolvimento e avaliação de um sistema evaporativo, por aspersão intermitente, na cobertura de aviários usando modelos de escala distorcida. São Paulo: UNICAMP/FEAGRI, 1998. 178p. (Tese - Doutorado).
RODRIGUES, E.H.V.; SILVA, D.D.; SILVA, J.B.; FIGUEIREDO, C.C. Desenvolvimento de uma argamassa para utilização em sistema de resfriamento evaporativo. In: CONGRESSO BRASILEIRO DE ENGENHARIA AGRÍCOLA, São Paulo, 1994. Anais Campinas: SBEA, 1994. p.56.
SEELY, T.; HEINRICH, B. Regulation of temperature in the nests of social insects. In: HEINRICH, B. (Ed.) Insect thermoregulation. New York: John Wiley & Sons. 1981. cap.3, p.154-234.
STANGENHAUS, C.R. Paredes, conforto higrométrico, edificações, ponderações e proposta para clima tropical úmido em situações de verão. Rio de Janeiro: UFRRJ, 1992. 199p. (Dissertação - Mestrado).
TEZUCA, Y. Concretos especiais. In: SIMPÓSIO DE DESEMPENHO DE MATERIAIS E COMPONENTES DE CONSTRUÇÃO CIVIL, 2., Florianópolis, 1989. Anais. Santa Catarina: Imprensa Universitária da UFSC, 1989. p.182-194.
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Corresponding author <
lorenzon@ufrrj.br>
Figures | Tables
São Paulo - Escola Superior de Agricultura "Luiz de Queiroz" USP/ESALQ - Scientia Agricola, Av. Pádua Dias, 11, 13418-900 Piracicaba SP Brazil, Tel.: +55 19 3429-4401 / 3429-4486, Fax: +55 19 3429-4401 - Piracicaba - SP - Brazil
E-mail: scientia@usp.br


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On becoming guardians of homecoming
By Robert D. Romanyshyn
Reflections on the psychological dimensions of technology in our individual and collective lives
Join the poetic speaker and depth psychologist Robert Romanyshyn and Machiel Klerk, founder of Jung Platform, for a free webinar on 17 April 2019. During this webinar they will go into conversation about Robert's fascinating new book, explore some of the prophecy-like truths held within Mary Shelley's original story, and delve into the shadows of technology. In this blog post, Robert shares some of the inspiration that led to his new book being birthed into the world.
In the late 1980s the possibility of a nuclear holocaust felt like an ever-present danger. I was at that time a practicing psychotherapist and teaching at the University of Dallas. In both contexts I had numerous contacts with students and some patients in their late teens and early twenties. Listening to their concerns I noticed a repeating pattern of anxiety that touched upon feelings of dread and in some cases even feelings of hopeless despair. In the face of the possibility of some global holocaust a dark shadow seemed to hover over the future. Why study, why plan a career, why begin a job or a relation if we were all to be engulfed in that fearful image of a mushroom cloud?
This experience changed my life and my work as a teacher and a writer. I was confronted by the question of how we had come to such a place where the planet and possibly all its life was being increasingly wired for destruction. In 1989 I made my first attempt to reply to the question with my book Technology as Symptom and Dream. It described in detail the creation of our scientific-technological world-view, and in essays, interviews and workshops, I continued to reflect on the psychological dimensions of technology in our individual and collective lives.
Now in 2019 as I look back on this 30-year period two issues stand out for me. One is that that book, which has had five re-prints and has been and still is used in college and university courses, tapped and continues to tap into a shared sense of unease about the place of technology in our lives.
The other issue is that the pace of technological advancements is continuously increasing and its reach into our personal and collective lives has become increasingly invasive. Whether it is still the fear of a nuclear event, or the terrible warning signs of climate crises, or the threats to privacy and identity, or the loss of a sense of place and community as we live more and more in digital space, or the shadowy impacts of technology on our political and economic institutions, or the seemingly insane pace of time in a 24/7 wired world… we are webbed into a way of being where these global concerns are the very fabric of our day to day lives.
In a time of multiple crises, how can we re-member our bonds with the natural world?
So now I have returned to this issue of technology with a new book – Victor Frankenstein, the Monster and the Shadows of Technology: The Frankenstein Prophecies – intended to reach that wider audience that has been shaped and influenced by the advances in technology over the last three decades. Woven around eight questions drawn from Mary Shelley's novel, the format opens a place to pause between an unquestioned embrace of technology and a naive rejection of it.
While we have been out of balance with the natural world for a long time, and while today the crises spawned by technology seem so overwhelming, the necessity to re-member our broken bonds with the natural world and to recover our need for a sense of the sacred can be the beginning of a journey of homecoming. That journey begins with personal stories, which become ways of entering into the larger cultural concerns.
We need to share such stories of, for example, those moments when one was awakened to the overwhelming beauty of nature, or when the silence of the world charmed us with its mysteries, or even, as happened with me, when the look on the face of my two year old grandson showed a dawning recognition that my image presence on Skype was different from our embodied presence together. I knew in that moment that something of this carnal presence with each other would be forgotten and something vital to him would be lost as he grew more comfortable with the technology.
In that brief moment with my grandson, I realized that in my life and work I had to be a memory keeper of those experiences when the world was a wonder and a miracle. My task — and ours together? — is to remember such occasions, to stand up for their value and necessity, and in those simple acts become, as it were, guardians of homecoming before they are forgotten. To be against forgetting is an act of resistance to becoming so enthralled with technology that we sleepwalk into oblivion.
How do we hold the memory of "experiences when the world was a wonder and a miracle"?
A word of caution! To be keepers of memory and guardians of homecoming is difficult work because when one remembers he/she is being re-membered, changed, transformed and awakened to how each present moment in time is an opportunity to re-imagine a future. Anyone invested in keeping things as they are, in holding onto what is as what must be will be against such work.
To be a memory keeper is not a nostalgic longing for some golden age, some lost paradise.
To be a memory keeper is to be a fool like Don Quixote, the knight errant, who imagines windmills as Giants in his quest to re-member and re-mind others of a time and a world that was in danger of slipping away.
To be a guardian of homecoming is to be a fool who can dream what seems an impossible dream.
Register here for the free webinar!
Robert D. Romanyshyn is an Emeritus Professor at Pacifica Graduate Institute, an Affiliate Member of The Inter-Regional Society of Jungian Analysts, and a Fellow of the Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture. Author of eight books including his forthcoming Victor Frankenstein, the Monster and the Shadows of Technology: The Frankenstein Prophecies, he has published articles in psychology, philosophy, education and literary journals, published a book of poems, written a one act play about Frankenstein, and created a multi-media DVD entitled Antarctica: Inner journeys in the Outer World, a psychological reflection on the melting polar ice. In addition to on line seminars and interviews, he has given lectures and workshops at universities and professional societies in the U.S., Europe, Australia, South Africa, Canada and New Zealand.
Other beautiful programs with Robert Romanyshyn on Jung Platform:
The 10 class audio course, The Frankenstein Prophecies: Jungian-Archetypal Reflections on Ecological Crises and the God Wars.
A 90 minute video lecture, Inner Journeys In The Outer World
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Review| Volume 4, ISSUE 4, P329-333, July 2015
Is it time to target no evident disease activity (NEDA) in multiple sclerosis?
Gavin Giovannoni
Corresponding author at: Blizard Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University London, 4 Newark Street, London E1 2AT, UK. Tel.: +44 20 7882 2579; fax: +44 20 7882 2180.
Blizard Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University London, 4 Newark Street, London E1 2AT, UK
Department of Neurology, Royal London Hospital, Barts Health NHS Trust, London, UK
Sharmilee Gnanapavan
Curtis Offiah
Department of Neuroradiology, Royal London Hospital, Barts Health NHS Trust, London, UK
Klaus Schmierer
Monica Marta
Open AccessPublished:May 08, 2015DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msard.2015.04.006
Previous ArticleEditors' Welcome
Next ArticleEffectiveness of telerehabilitation interventions in persons with multiple sclerosis: A systematic review
The management of multiple sclerosis is becoming increasingly complex with the emergence of new and more effective disease-modifying therapies (DMT). We propose a new treatment paradigm that individualises treatment based on a choice between two interchangeable therapeutic strategies of maintenance-escalation or induction therapy. We propose treating- to-target of no evident disease activity (NEDA) as defined using clinical and MRI criteria. This algorithm requires active monitoring with a rebaselining MRI, at a point in time after the specific DMT concerned has had sufficient time to work, and at least annual MRI studies to monitor for subclinical relapses. Disease activity on the maintenance-escalation therapy arm of the algorithm indicates a sub-optimal treatment response and should trigger a discussion about switching, or escalating, therapy or the consideration of switching to the induction therapy arm of the algorithm. In comparison, disease activity on an induction therapy arm would be an indication for retreatment or a switch to the maintenance-escalation therapy arm. We envisage the definition of NEDA evolving with time as new technological innovations are adopted into clinical practice, for example the normalisation of whole, or regional, brain atrophy rates and cerebrospinal fluid neurofilament levels
No evident disease activity
Disease modifying therapy
Treating to target
Disease activity free
The availability of new and more effective disease modifying therapies (DMTs) for treating relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) is challenging the old paradigm of simply reducing relapse rates and the consequences of relapses. Data has emerged which shows that both relapses and ongoing focal inflammatory activity on MRI (new or enlarging T2-lesions and gadolinium (Gd)-enhancing lesions) are associated with a worse short to intermediate-term prognosis, contradicting oft-quoted natural history studies (
Dobson et al., 2014
Dobson R.
Rudick R.A.
Turner B.
Schmierer K.
Giovannoni G.
Assessing treatment response to interferon-beta: is there a role for MRI?.
Neurology. 2014; 82 ([PubMed PMID: 24336144; Pubmed Central PMCID: 3902760; Epub 2013/12/18.eng]): 248-254
Bermel et al., 2010
Bermel R.A.
Weinstock-Guttman B.
Bourdette D.
Foulds P.
You X.
Intramuscular interferon beta-1a therapy in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis: a 15-year follow-up study.
Mult Scler. 2010; 16 ([PubMed PMID: 20167591; Epub 2010/02/20.eng]): 588-596
). Moreover, why the prognosis of relapses and subclinical MRI activity on DMTs differs from that seen on placebo-treatment, or in natural history studies of MS, fundamentally questions the role of focal inflammatory lesions in the pathogenesis of relapsing MS (
). As a result of these observations MSologists are redefining their primary aim of treatment as now being "no evident disease activity" (NEDA) (
Hawkes C.
Editors׳ welcome and a working definition for a multiple sclerosis cure.
Mult Scler Relat Disord. 2013; 2: 65-67
). At present, NEDA is a composite of three related measures of disease activity: (i) no relapses; (ii) no disability progression and (iii) no MRI activity (new or enlarging T2 lesions or Gd-enhancing lesions, which in our view represent "subclinical relapses") (
Giovannoni et al., 2011
Cook S.
Rammohan K.
Rieckmann P.
Sorensen P.S.
Vermersch P.
Sustained disease-activity-free status in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis treated with cladribine tablets in the CLARITY study: a post-hoc and subgroup analysis.
Lancet Neurol. 2011; 10 ([PubMed PMID: 21397565]): 329-337
Havrdova et al., 2009
Havrdova E.
Galetta S.
Hutchinson M.
Stefoski D.
Polman C.H.
Effect of natalizumab on clinical and radiological disease activity in multiple sclerosis: a retrospective analysis of the Natalizumab Safety and Efficacy in Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (AFFIRM) study.
Lancet Neurol. 2009; 8 ([PubMed PMID: 19201654. Epub 2009/02/10.eng]): 254-260
) and is derived from the post-hoc analyses of contemporary phase 3 clinical trials, for example natalizumab and cladribine (
NEDA is an important goal for treating individual patients with relapsing disease, and potentially as an outcome in future clinical trials (
Hartung and Aktas, 2011
Hartung H.P.
Aktas O.
Evolution of multiple sclerosis treatment: next generation therapies meet next generation efficacy criteria.
Lancet Neurol. 2011; 10 ([PubMed PMID: 21397566. Epub 2011/03/15.eng]): 293-295
). The problem with the latter is that until MRI activity is accepted as a surrogate marker of CNS inflammatory activity by regulators, NEDA is unlikely to be used as a primary outcome in clinical trials. However, what about using NEDA as a treatment goal in clinical practice? Before you can adopt NEDA in day-to-day clinical practice you need to decide when to "rebaseline" treated patients and how frequently MRI studies need to be performed as most DMTs take several weeks or months to have an appreciable effect. We therefore suggest that patients starting on DMT have a new baseline MRI after the onset of action of the DMT. The timing of the baseline MRI should be based on the pharmacodynamics of the DMT concerned; it simply needs to occur after a period of time when we are confident that the drug has had a sufficient period of time to start working. Therefore any disease activity destined to happen in the weeks or months after starting a therapy, before the DMT is effective, should not counted as disease activity that is unresponsive to treatment. For example, with natalizumab therapy the proportion of patients with NEDA increases from 51% in year one to 70% in year two when the trial participants were rebaselined at 12 months (
). For interferon-beta, teriflunomide, dimethyl fumarate and natalizumab we would recommend rebaselining at 3–6 months, for glatiramer acetate 9–12 months, and for alemtuzumab approximately 12 months after the last course of infusions, or 24 months after the initial start of treatment. Please note the disparity in time for glatiramer acetate and alemtuzumab. Serial MRI studies have indicated that glatiramer acetate reaches its peak level of activity on MRI after 7 months hence the recommendation to rebaseline beyond this time point (
Comi et al., 2001
Comi G.
Filippi M.
Wolinsky J.S.
European/Canadian multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study of the effects of glatiramer acetate on magnetic resonance imaging – measured disease activity and burden in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis. European/Canadian Glatiramer Acetate Study Group.
Ann Neurol. 2001; 49 ([PubMed PMID: 11261502. Epub 2001/03/23.eng]): 290-297
). The rules for induction therapy are different to that of escalation. In the case of an induction agent such as alemtuzumab, which is given as a course of five consecutive days infusions in year 1 and three consecutive days infusions in year 2, breakthrough disease activity is used as an indicator to retreat rather than to switch therapy; therefore there is little point in doing a rebaselining MRI until after the second course of therapy has had a chance to work and is close enough to the time when a third, or subsequent course, can be given if deemed necessary (
Coles et al., 2012b
Coles A.J.
Fox E.
Vladic A.
Gazda S.K.
Brinar V.
Selmaj K.W.
Alemtuzumab more effective than interferon beta-1a at 5-year follow-up of CAMMS223 clinical trial.
Neurology. 2012; 78 ([PubMed PMID: 22442431. Epub 2012/03/24.eng]): 1069-1078
). The question of how many annual cycles need to be given before considering that a person has failed alemtuzumab, or another induction, therapy is open to argument. In the 7-year follow-up study of 87 subjects treated as part of the open-label alemtuzumab cohort in Cambridge, 45 (52%) received just the two planned cycles of alemtuzumab 12 months apart (
Tuohy et al., 2014
Tuohy O.
Costelloe L.
Hill-Cawthorne G.
Bjornson I.
Harding K.
Robertson N.
Alemtuzumab treatment of multiple sclerosis: long-term safety and efficacy.
J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2014; ([PubMed PMID: 24849515])
). Further cycles were only offered if a relapse occurred: 31 patients (36%) received three cycles; seven patients (8%) four cycles; and only one patient five cycles (
). Based on these data it seems as if the majority of patients respond, at least clinically, in the intermediate term to alemtuzumab therapy. We would therefore consider breakthrough activity beyond five cycles of alemtuzumab therapy a treatment failure and patients should then be considered for alternative therapies.
We recommend doing both a FLAIR, T2 and Gd-enhanced T1 MRI; if there are Gd-enhancing lesions on the rebaselining MRI, indicative of a subclinical relapse, this would indicate that there is breakthrough disease and a need to switch treatment, or in the case of alemtuzumab, and other induction agents, to have a repeat course of therapy. Please note that the timing of the rebaselining MRI is not set in stone and will be influenced by pragmatic local considerations, such as the availability of MRI. It is important that if you do implement a local strategy of treating to the target of NEDA that you involve your neuroradiology colleagues. Looking for new, or enlarging, T2-lesions requires neuroradiologists to be diligent in how they compare and report MRI studies, which is different to diagnostic studies (
Erbayat Altay et al., 2013
Erbayat Altay E.
Fisher E.
Jones S.E.
Hara-Cleaver C.
Lee J.C.
Reliability of classifying multiple sclerosis disease activity using magnetic resonance imaging in a multiple sclerosis clinic.
JAMA Neurol. 2013; 70 ([PubMed PMID: 23599930; PubMed Central PMCID: 3792494; Epub 2013/04/20.eng]): 338-344
NEDA raises another issue in relation to whether or not the underlying treatment strategy is an induction or maintenance therapy. Disease activity on a maintenance therapy, provided the patient has been adherent to treatment, can be interpreted as a sub-optimal or non-response (
). In contrast, disease activity on an induction therapy, for example alemtuzumab, is generally considered as being an indication to retreat the patient (
Coles et al., 2012a
Twyman C.L.
Arnold D.L.
Cohen J.A.
Confavreux C.
Fox E.J.
Alemtuzumab for patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis after disease-modifying therapy: a randomised controlled phase 3 trial.
Lancet. 2012; 380 ([PubMed PMID: 23122650; Epub 2012/11/06.eng]): 1829-1839
Cohen et al., 2012
Alemtuzumab versus interferon beta 1a as first-line treatment for patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis: a randomised controlled phase 3 trial.
A potential criticism of NEDA is the inclusion of disease progression, separate to that of incomplete recovery from relapses, as a component of the composite. Progressive disability in the absence of relapses may have little to do with ongoing focal inflammatory activity and may simply represent a dying back central axonopathy as a result of preceding focal inflammatory lesions (
). This process is often referred to as post-inflammatory neurodegeneration, or non-relapsing progressive MS, and underpins the so-called two-stage disease hypothesis (
Confavreux et al., 2000
Vukusic S.
Moreau T.
Adeleine P.
Relapses and progression of disability in multiple sclerosis.
N Engl J Med. 2000; 343 ([PubMed PMID: 11078767. Epub 2000/11/18.eng]): 1430-1438
Leray et al., 2010
Leray E.
Yaouanq J.
Le Page E.
Coustans M.
Laplaud D.
Oger J.
Evidence for a two-stage disability progression in multiple sclerosis.
Brain. 2010; 133 ([PubMed PMID: 20423930; PubMed Central PMCID: 2892936; Epub 2010/04/29.eng]): 1900-1913
). As age is one of the most powerful predictors of the onset of this phase of the disease, it is reasonable to hypothesise that ageing may be contributing to disability accrual during the non-relapsing deteriorating phase of MS (
Scalfari et al., 2010
Scalfari A.
Neuhaus A.
Degenhardt A.
Rice G.P.
Muraro P.A.
Daumer M.
The natural history of multiple sclerosis: a geographically based study 10: relapses and long-term disability.
). It remains uncertain whether or not this stage of the disease can be modified with current immunomodulatory therapies, and some colleagues will no doubt feel uncomfortable switching, or stopping a DMT, based on non-relapse associated increase in disability alone. There is a strong argument for not including non-relapsing disability progression as part of the definition of NEDA. We anticipate data from ongoing extension and registry studies will clarify this point.
We predict that the definition of NEDA will evolve with technological innovations and clinical practice. A future definition of NEDA will likely need to include patient-related outcome measures (PROs or PROMS), focal grey matter disease activity, a whole and/or a regional brain atrophy metric and possibly fluid biomarkers, for example cerebrospinal fluid neurofilament levels (
Giovannoni and Nath, 2011
Nath A.
After the storm: neurofilament levels as a surrogate endpoint for neuroaxonal damage.
Neurology. 2011; 76 ([PubMed PMID: 21346219; Epub 2011/02/25.eng]): 1200-1201
Giovannoni, 2010
Cerebrospinal fluid neurofilament: the biomarker that will resuscitate the 'Spinal Tap'.
). Importantly, a recent meta-analysis by
Sormani et al., 2014
Sormani M.P.
De Stefano N.
Treatment effect on brain atrophy correlates with treatment effect on disability in multiple sclerosis.
Ann Neurol. 2014; 75 ([PubMed PMID: 24006277; Epub 2013/09/06.eng]): 43-49
) demonstrates that both focal inflammatory lesions, as measured by increased T2-lesion load over 2-years, and neurodegeneration, measured using whole brain volume loss in year two, explained 75% of the variance of disability progression over 2 years on DMT, which was better than either metric alone. Therefore, it would seem appropriate to include some metric to indicate the slowing or normalisation of brain atrophy rates in future definitions of NEDA. This is particularly pertinent now that we have therapies that have been shown reduce the rate of brain atrophy in treated patients (
Barkhof F.
Khatri B.O.
Montalban X.
Oral fingolimod or intramuscular interferon for relapsing multiple sclerosis.
N Engl J Med. 2010; 362 ([PubMed PMID: 20089954; Epub 2010/01/22.eng]): 402-415
Kappos et al., 2010
Kappos L.
Radue E.W.
O'Connor P.
Polman C.
Hohlfeld R.
Calabresi P.
A placebo-controlled trial of oral fingolimod in relapsing multiple sclerosis.
Miller et al., 2007
Miller D.H.
Soon D.
Fernando K.T.
MacManus D.G.
Barker G.J.
Yousry T.A.
MRI outcomes in a placebo-controlled trial of natalizumab in relapsing MS.
). Of note,
) deliberately removed brain volume changes during year one from their meta-analysis to exclude the so-called "pseudoatrophy" effect, resulting from the reduced inflammatory activity and associated oedema when anti-inflammatory agents are initiated in people with active MS (
Zivadinov et al., 2008
Zivadinov R.
Reder A.T.
Minagar A.
Stuve O.
Lassmann H.
Mechanisms of action of disease-modifying agents and brain volume changes in multiple sclerosis.
Neurology. 2008; 71 ([PubMed PMID: 18606968; Epub 2008/07/09.eng]): 136-144
Some commentators are very critical of NEDA as a treatment target and feel we need to be more pragmatic; they claim that a zero tolerance target would mean the majority of patients would end up being on "more risky" high efficacy therapies. Hence they are promoting a strategy that allows some disease activity using for example the Rio (
Rio et al., 2009
Rio J.
Castillo J.
Rovira A.
Tintore M.
Sastre-Garriga J.
Horga A.
Measures in the first year of therapy predict the response to interferon beta in MS.
Mult Scler. 2009; 15 ([PubMed PMID: 19542263]): 848-853
), or modified Rio (
Signori A.
Li D.
Cornelisse P.
Scoring treatment response in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis.
), scores as a treatment target. Our argument is that if you accept the science supporting the concept that "focal inflammation is bad" for MS and that inflammation is associated with poor short, intermediate and long-term outcomes, then if the majority of patients end up on the so-called "risky high-efficacy" therapies because of breakthrough activity, then this is what they require to treat their MS. Induction of long-term remission or, NEDA, is the treatment target in rheumatoid arthritis (
Solomon et al., 2014
Solomon D.H.
Bitton A.
Katz J.N.
Radner H.
Brown E.M.
Fraenkel L.
Review: treat to target in rheumatoid arthritis: fact, fiction, or hypothesis?.
Arthritis Rheumatol. 2014; 66 ([PubMed PMID: 24757129; PubMed Central PMCID: 4012860]): 775-782
), inflammatory bowel disease (
Levesque et al., 2014
Levesque B.G.
Sandborn W.J.
Ruel J.
Feagan B.G.
Sands B.E.
Colombel J.F.
Converging goals of treatment for inflammatory Bowel disease, from clinical trials and practice.
Gastroenterology. 2014; ([PubMed PMID: 25127678])
) and other organ-specific autoimmune diseases; why would we want to treat MS differently compared to these other inflammatory diseases?
Recent evidence indicates that patients with MS treated-to-target of NEDA do better than those with breakthrough disease (at a clinical or subclinical level). We therefore encourage MSologists to implement NEDA as a principal aim in the management of relapsing MS. Figure 1 is a flowchart of how we have implemented treat-2-target of NEDA at our institution. The important take-home message is that the treatment goals in MS have moved and now require the setting of targets and active monitoring of outcomes. Finally, there is an evident need to regularly update the definition of NEDA as new technologies become available and are validated as predictors of a treatment response; we envisage this definition changing in the near future to include a brain volume metric.
Figure 1Treatment algorithm for implementing a treat-2-target strategy for the management of disease-modifying therapies in patients with active multiple sclerosis.
GG has received compensation for participating on Advisory Boards in relation to clinical trial design, trial steering committees and data and safety monitoring committees from Abbvie, Bayer-Schering Healthcare, Biogen-Idec, Eisai, Elan, Fiveprime, Genzyme, Genentech, GSK, GW Pharma, Ironwood, Merck, Merck-Serono, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi-Aventis, Synthon BV, Teva, UCB Pharma and Vertex Pharmaceuticals.
SG has received travel grants from Teva and Novartis, and has received compensation for consultancy or lecture fees from Novartis.
BT has received travel grants and consultant fees for attending advisory boards from Biogen-Idec, TEVA, Merk-Serono, Novartis and Genzyme.
CO has no conflicts of interest.
KS has received speaking honoraria from, and/or served on advisory boards for Novartis, Biogen, Teva, Merck-Serono and Merck Inc, and has received travel support from Genzyme.
MM received unrestricted funding from Merck-Serono and travelling support from Bioge-Idec and AbbVie.
Accepted: April 28, 2015
Received in revised form: March 29, 2015
Received: November 6, 2014
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msard.2015.04.006
© 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc.
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I really want to own my own home, but I'm not sure I can afford it. Where do I start?
When should I talk to a mortgage lender?
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What is an appraisal? Will I need one?
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E! The Awful Truth: "It's obvious Miley likes to be the star in her relationships"
E! The Awful Truth on how Miley likes her boyfriend to stay in the background: "Miley's latest crush Liam has a movie to promote, but he's letting Miley take center stage, and he definitely has not been parading around shirtless for the paparazzi.
He's a total step up from ex-BF Justin Gaston. It's obvious Miley likes to be the star in her relationships: She has only dated B-listers since her split from scrumptious JoBro Nick, and she loves to work the red carpet sans a competing BF, pretty and to the side's kinda how she prefers 'em. Liam's recent low-key behavior and how it's totally the opposite of Justin's grasping ways. Remember, Justin tried to propel himself into the spotlight by hanging onto Miley last summer, and now he's promoting his debut album or something. We're told by Miley hangers, that until Nick's back in the pic, Miley's made it very, very clear that she is to be the center of all media ops."
Do you agree with this?


This hike is part of our winter series, run over Christmas week to get you out and about! They are routed over easier ground and cover a shorter distance than our usual hikes. This hike should take us around 4.5 hours to finish.
The hike starts at the carpark next to St. Kevin's church in Laragh village, and we quickly head into the woods where we pick up the Wicklow Way to cross the river and make our way steadily onto Paddock Hill.
Following a good track we leave the Wicklow Way after a time and head up to the east side of Scarr. A steep(ish) ascent sees us onto the summit ridge and a final pull up to the summit of Scarr at 644 metres, (2,113ft).
From this wonderful position we can get excellent views of much of the Wicklow range. From here we descend gradually on a good path via a broad whaleback ridge to Paddock Hill and our return track to Laragh. The hike should take around 4.5 hours.
How to get to the start: To get to Laragh from Dublin take the N11 heading south. Get off at Kilmacanogue, (R775), and head for Roundwood. In Roundwood, follow the road through the village signed to Glendalough.
On entering Laragh go part the junction at the bridge and turn right just after the Wicklow Heather restaurant, signed to St Kevin's church. The car park is 200 metres up the lane.
Use the calendar below to find available dates for this guided hike. The arrow buttons will take you to the next or previous month.


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Q: Using Sumproduct function that divides and has an array as an exponent I'm trying to replicate the following sumproduct formula in vba and I keep getting an error message.
Excel Formula:
=SUMPRODUCT($CN8:$CN367/(1+18/2)^($CV$8:$CV$367*2))

VBA code:
Application.WorksheetFunction.SumProduct("CN8:CN367" / (1 + 18 / 200) ^ ("CV8:CV367" * 2))

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Ristocetin
"Ristocetin" is a descriptor in the National Library of Medicine's controlled vocabulary thesaurus, MeSH (Medical Subject Headings). Descriptors are arranged in a hierarchical structure, which enables searching at various levels of specificity.
An antibiotic mixture of two components, A and B, obtained from Nocardia lurida (or the same substance produced by any other means). It is no longer used clinically because of its toxicity. It causes platelet agglutination and blood coagulation and is used to assay those functions in vitro.
Ristomycin
Below are MeSH descriptors whose meaning is more general than "Ristocetin".
Carbohydrates [D09]
Glycoconjugates [D09.400]
Glycopeptides [D09.400.420]
Ristocetin [D09.400.420.800]
Amino Acids, Peptides, and Proteins [D12]
Peptides [D12.644]
Below are MeSH descriptors whose meaning is related to "Ristocetin".
Glycopeptides
Acetylmuramyl-Alanyl-Isoglutamine
Bleomycin
Peptidoglycan
Sialoglycoproteins
Teicoplanin
Below are MeSH descriptors whose meaning is more specific than "Ristocetin".
This graph shows the total number of publications written about "Ristocetin" by people in this website by year, and whether "Ristocetin" was a major or minor topic of these publications.
Below are the most recent publications written about "Ristocetin" by people in Profiles.
Miller CH, Dilley A, Richardson L, Hooper WC, Evatt BL. Population differences in von Willebrand factor levels affect the diagnosis of von Willebrand disease in African-American women. Am J Hematol. 2001 Jun; 67(2):125-9.
Am J Hematol


text:
GOE History
Air Command and Staff College
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Donate to GOE
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the Nieuport 28
Campbell, Douglas
After his fifth aerial victory, achieved on 31 May 1918, Douglas Campbell became the first American-trained ace during World War I. Born in 1896, he joined the aviation section of the Signal Corps shortly after graduating from Harvard University in mid-1917. Following...


Unfortunately I don't have the article with me, but "Strange Attractors" was one of the examples. I'll post later when I can give you the entire list. It's nice to see a mainstream gaming magazine recognize the availability and need for accessible games.


We have a special presentation from Quilting Treasures on Tuesday, May 9th from 1:00-3:00pm in our classroom. Our rep Mike will be here with 250 bolts to sell to you at only $6.99/yard! The bolts will range from 3-8 yards each and you will need to purchase the whole bolt. Limited spots available so registration is $5 to hold your spot and then on Tuesday you can use that $5 towards your purchase (you will forfeit the $5 if you do not attend). We hope to see you here!


Build your own Bath Bomb Sampler Pack! Pick any two scents and enjoy 4 – 4oz bath bombs (2 4oz bath bombs of each scent) at your leisure!
Our bath bomb sampler pack also makes a nice gift for any occasion – birthday, graduation, bridal shower, bachelorette party, bachelor party, teacher gift – the possibilities are endless!
A great way to try out different flavors. I enjoyed the coconut and the jasmine.


Dowel Jones the stick horse has been stabled at my house, the Bengalow, for some time now. He rode here from California some years ago, carrying my imaginary college roommate … but that's another tale. Suffice it to say that Dowel had cabin fever and needed a long ride.
"It'll clean your spark plugs," I told the low-tech Dowel but was referring to my spoiled preference for cars with their stereos and air conditioning. I loaded my bags onto the hobby horse's hardwood torso, mounted and headed to Hot Springs National Park.
"Dowel, want to check out the fillies at the Oaklawn track?" The toy pony showed his teeth at me. Anything but puns for he of the blue-and-white head and red-yarn mane.
The area looked like a locker room, except that it was clean and had no odor. Keeping in shape on my own has kept me out of such places since high school.
He led me through the "pack room" to one of seven tubs along the wall, each separated by a marble partition. He filled the tub while monitoring its temperature, 100 degrees. He took my sheet, and I sat down slowly: The heat took some getting used to.
He briefly swabbed down my limbs with a washcloth, turned on the whirlpool and left for 20 minutes, giving me time to think.
Not that many years ago, such mineral therapy was believed therapeutic for many ailments. Now it's a luxury.
Only a few decades ago, water did not run in virtually every residence. Public baths and showers were commonplace.
Men didn't often shave at home with safety razors, either. They visited the barber several times a week for his straight blade and leather strop. When was the last time you trusted somebody putting a knife to your throat?
Men and women visited the baths, putting themselves in the hands of smiling attendants when most vulnerable, buck naked. Is it any wonder that Jews in Nazi-dominated Europe naively queued up for showers in what they thought were labor camps after long train rides in old cattle cars?
The water whooshed around my legs.
On the other hand, we moderns have gained virtually complete privacy, but with it anonymity and distrust. We're safer that way, but we have to work at loving those outside our families, congregations or neighborhoods.
The attendant startled me. It was time to get vaporized. Next to each tub was a metal box the size of a booth shower. It had a horizontal hinged partition halfway up with a hole for the head and a stool beneath.
I sat on the towel-covered seat and decided against the "head-out," five minute steam treatment in favor of two minutes with my head inside the sweltering cube. My sinuses could use the cleaning.
Knowing I had only 120 seconds is what kept claustrophobia at bay, but not, somehow, boredom. Neck-stretching exercises passed the time. The steam burned my hands or feet if I moved them.
From there the attendant draped me in a fresh white sheet and led me to the nearest of the nine white tables in the middle of the pack room. He wrapped a steaming-hot moist towel around my neck as I lay on the cushioned vinyl, then tucked the sheet tightly around me.
I couldn't move. I had to trust a stranger while soaking the shroud in sweat, thinking about lost values and almost-forgotten vulnerabilities.
Twenty minutes later he led me to a too-brief, cooling shower. From there I got yet another fresh white sheet and headed for the "cooling room" and its six white vinyl tables under four slow-moving ceiling fans.
After 10 minutes a heavy-set gray-haired man called to me from the rubdown room. He used warm, scentless lotion from unlabeled squirt bottles, washing off excess with rubbing alcohol as he finished a side or limb.
The massage was anticlimactic, having expected to have been left in a floating state the rest of the day. Yet I have to admit that I had no aches for the next three days.
I got to the deposit-box counter before Dowel, fetched my wallet and headed back to show my gratitude to the attendant with two dollars and three for the masseur.
Dowel was waiting for me at the outer door.


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Q: How to delete a SimpleMembership user? In my ASP.NET MVC app using Forms Authentication (via SimpleMembership), how do I delete a user/account?
The WebSecurity class doesn't expose DeleteUser.  On a lark, I tried:
WebSecurity.InitializeDatabaseConnection(
  "MyDbConnection", "Users", "Id", "UserName", autoCreateTables: true);

new SimpleMembershipProvider().DeleteUser(userName, true);

but that complains that I haven't initialized the SimpleMembership provider.  In any event, I would very much appreciate some sample code that shows how to delete a user.  Thanks!
Bob

A: You probably need something like this:
    //
    // GET: /Members/Delete?userName=someuser

    public ActionResult Delete(string userName)
    {
        var user = context.UserProfiles.SingleOrDefault(u => u.UserName == userName);
        return View(user);
    }

    //
    // POST: /Members/Delete?userName=someuser

    [HttpPost]
    public ActionResult Delete(string userName, FormCollection collection)
    {
        try
        {
            // TODO: Add delete logic here
            ((SimpleMembershipProvider)Membership.Provider).DeleteAccount(userName); // deletes record from webpages_Membership table
            ((SimpleMembershipProvider)Membership.Provider).DeleteUser(userName, true); // deletes record from UserProfile table

            return RedirectToAction("Index");
        }
        catch
        {
            return View(userName);
        }
    }

A: What happens if you just do Membership.DeleteUser(username,true).  You might get a little prompt for adding a using directive on Membership.  If you have it configured properly, you shouldn't need to be creating new SimpleMembershipProvider instance.
If you create it on the fly like that, you'll need to set connections on that object and configure it programmatically(it has no clue about the connection you created above).  Usually people do that in web.config, but if you created the app using the forms authentication template, then you should have that taken care of automatically.
Your provider my have this bug for which is discussed and solved here: Membership.DeleteUser is not deleting all related rows of the user

A: PussInBoots is absolutely correct, although this always throws a foreign key constraint violation for me if the deleted user has been added to any roles.  I'm sure this was inferred by PussInBoots' "//TODO: Add delete logic here" comment, but I will typically clean up role memberships first like this:
[HttpPost]
public ActionResult Delete(string userName, FormCollection collection)
{
    try
    {
        // TODO: Add delete logic here
        if (Roles.GetRolesForUser(userName).Count() > 0)
        {
            Roles.RemoveUserFromRoles(userName, Roles.GetRolesForUser(userName));
        }
        ((SimpleMembershipProvider)Membership.Provider).DeleteAccount(userName); // deletes record from webpages_Membership table
        ((SimpleMembershipProvider)Membership.Provider).DeleteUser(userName, true); // deletes record from UserProfile table

        return RedirectToAction("Index");
    }
    catch
    {
        return View(userName);
    }
}

A: I was getting the exception System.NotSupportedException from Membership.DeleteUser when running my unit tests.  The problem was the app.config had the "DefaultProvider" set to "ClientAuthenticationMembershipProvider", which as you can see here is "not used by this class".
The fix was to update my app.config to match my web.config and properly configure the default provider:
<membership>
    <providers>
        <clear />
            <add name="AspNetSqlMembershipProvider" type="System.Web.Security.SqlMembershipProvider" connectionStringName="Crelate.Properties.Settings.DatabaseMembershipServicesConnection" enablePasswordRetrieval="false" enablePasswordReset="true" requiresQuestionAndAnswer="false" requiresUniqueEmail="true" maxInvalidPasswordAttempts="5" minRequiredPasswordLength="6" minRequiredNonalphanumericCharacters="0" passwordAttemptWindow="10" applicationName="/" />
        </providers>
    </membership>

A: Hey just wanted to post this for anyone running into ObjectContext state issues after following PussInBoots example, because I had the same problem...
If you are accessing additional user data you will need to remove that user from the data context using:
context.Users.Remove(user);

Rather than:
((SimpleMembershipProvider)Membership.Provider).DeleteUser(userName, true);

This will keep you EF context up to date and remove the user from the DB.


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Home - Worms - Do Worms and Earthworms Feel Pain? (Interesting Facts)
Do Worms and Earthworms Feel Pain? (Interesting Facts)
by Ales March 6, 2021 March 6, 2021 Categories Worms
Worms may not be cuddly and cute like our usual pets. In fact, they can even seem disgusting to touch and feel. However, they remain as important animals that are crucial for the system. Further, they don't run out of ways to drive out an inner curiosity in us.
If you're someone like me who finds worms fascinating, you probably ask and wonder many things about them. One of these things will be if they feel any pain should someone try to hurt them. Thus, you may ask:
Do worms feel pain? Yes, worms do feel pain, just like all other animals, and even just like us. These animals also have a nervous system that enables them to register pain whenever they get injured or hurt. It's also the reason why they exhibit reactions to things such as sunlight, salt, or even cutting them in half.
At a glance, worms don't react when they get hurt. However, they tend to respond well to some things. Among these are direct and harsh sunlight as well as salt. On the other hand, they don't react much when someone tries to cut them in half.
Worms are so fascinating, so I did some research to know more about how they feel pain.
If you're as curious as I am, then read on.
1 Can worms feel pain?
2 Do worms suffer?
3 Does it hurt a worm to be cut in half?
4 Does touching worms hurt them?
5 Do earthworms feel pain?
6 Does touching earthworms hurt them?
Can worms feel pain?
As I said earlier, worms can feel pain, and it's possible since they have a nervous system that transmits data. Thus, whenever they get hurt, it registers in their brains and reacts accordingly.
At a glance, they won't do anything in case you take them out of the ground and put them somewhere else. Instead, worms just seem to keep moving until they burrow themselves in the ground again.
However, you can also see how they react if you put them under direct sunlight with no ground nearby. You can also see how worms wiggle like crazy if you put some salt in their skin.
With such observations, we can already say that they feel pain and react to it. They can register any life-threatening situation, although they don't have great survival instincts.
Due to their small sizes, it's quite challenging to see at a glance that they also try to survive. In fact, if you cut one worm in half, it continues to move anyway.
Related: Can Worms and Earthworms Drown?
Do worms suffer?
Worms do suffer due to pain, but not in the emotional aspect. These animals have simple nervous systems that are enough to register pain.
However, they don't have the emotional capacity to suffer. For this reason, if by suffering, you mean emotionally, then worms generally don't.
Thus, you don't need to worry about how they would feel should you ever cut one in half, although it's not right for you to do so. Still, don't do it.
Worms may not be able to suffer emotionally, but it's not reason enough to hurt one. If you can, it would be best to leave worms alone.
Does it hurt a worm to be cut in half?
If you see someone cutting a worm in half, stop it since it hurts the animal. Although worms don't have a complex nervous system, it's still enough to register pain.
Thus, worms may continue to survive if you cut them in half. However, in most circumstances, they would likely die.
Some people think that worms become two when you cut them in half. Although worms may survive the cut, only the part with the head may survive.
Still, the fact remains that it hurts worms when you cut them in half, so don't do it.
Related: Can Worms and Earthworms Die?
Does touching worms hurt them?
If you worry about hurting a worm if you touch it, then don't. Worms won't likely get hurt if you feel them. Still, it only goes as long as you remain gentle with it.
The skin of worms is enough to survive even in the rough ground. However, if you apply pressure, it may lead to killing the worm.
Aside from the worm, you should worry about yourself if you touch one. While some worms like earthworms are safe to hold with bare hands, some species may release a stinging substance.
Thus, it would be best to be careful when touching or holding worms of any kind. Moreover, it's also crucial that you wash your hands afterward. While worms won't hurt you, they aren't the cleanest animals either.
Do earthworms feel pain?
Like all other kinds of worms, earthworms also feel pain. The design of their bodies may differ from different types. However, they remain with a nervous system that registers pain.
Thus, you can observe how they would react in harsh lights and even in salt. Moreover, they wouldn't likely survive a cut or if ever you step on them.
In general, earthworms also feel pain. Thus, it would be best to handle them with caution if you ever plan to pick one up.
Does touching earthworms hurt them?
As I said earlier, earthworms are one of the perfectly safe worms to hold and pick up. Thus, touching them won't hurt them, but only as long as you remain gentle.
Earthworms are just as sensitive as other kinds of worms. Thus, they can be quite fragile to handle.
Moreover, since they are earthworms, they can carry more germs and bacteria than other kinds.
Thus, always make sure to wash your hands every time you handle earthworms. This way, you can stay safe and disinfected from any bacteria it may transfer.
Worms, just like all other animals, also feel pain. They also have a nervous system that registers pain every time they get hurt or injured. Moreover, it enables them to react every time they face a life-threatening situation.
Of course, their nervous system is not as complicated as ours. Thus, worms may not suffer when they get hurt. However, it's not reason enough to hurt one.
If you plan on picking one up, make sure to do it as gently as you can. Moreover, make sure you also put it back in the ground where it belongs, alive and unhurt.
Do Worms and Earthworms Have Heads and Brains? (8 Facts)
Do Worms and Earthworms Have Hair? (Interesting Facts)
Do Worms And Earthworms Have Hearts? (Interesting Facts)


The Blount County Children's Center is a 501(c)(3), tax-exempt, non-profit organization. The agency receives suport from a variety of sources like United Way of Central Alabama, government grants, private foundations, local churches, and fundraising events. However, we depend heavily on donations from individuals like you. Your gift makes our work possible.
OR click on the DONATE button below and make a contribution via Paypal using your credit or debit card.
Each year, the Children's Center matches donors with some of our client families who need help providing Christmas gifts for their children. If you'd like to help a child's Christmas dream come true, please call our office at 205-274-7226 or use the handy contact form below.
The most effective way to prevent child abuse is to spread awareness. So many times, parents of abused children will say, "If I had only known..." You can help by inviting us to speak to your business, church group, civic club, youth sports organization, scout troop, 4-H Club, etc. Just give us a call at 205-274-7226 to arrange a convenient time and date.
Another way to spread awareness is to LIKE our Facebook page and share our posts with others who may benefit from the information. You can go to our Facebook page by clicking here.
We invite you to sign-up to receive our monthly email newsletter. You will receive updates about our work, upcoming events, and the ways that the Children's Center is helping children and families in our community. To sign-up, just use the handy contact form below to provide us with your information.
If your church, family, or civic group would like to help out by doing work around our agency, please let us know. From time to time, we can use help to cut grass, plant flowers, pressure wash, clean windows, paint, etc. Just call us at 205-274-7226 if you would like to help. Or use the handy contact form below to let us know what you'd like to do and when you are available.


Nexsey is a medical tape designed to make women's necks look thinner and younger. All you have to do is pinch the loose skin, tape it at the back of your neck, and voila – you just rolled back the clock by a few years.
Nexsey is the brainchild of Linda Gomez, a seasoned beauty product inventor and author of the Baby Boomer Beauty Blog. She claims that she was inspired to create this unusual sticky tape after hearing from women all over the world who had problems with their neck area. Some of them just couldn't afford corrective surgical procedures, and other were looking for non-invasive alternatives.
So she set out to come up with "a way to help tighten the neckline without any need for expensive or painful procedures," and after experimenting with a variety of options, she created Nexsey – a medical tape that sticks excess skin at the back of the neck to be covered by hair or clothing, leaving the front looking younger and thinner.
As demonstrated by Linda herself in a promotional how-to video, the visual effect on Nexsey on the neck is pretty impressive, but I just can't stop thinking about those cartoon characters that would stretch the loose skin on their faces and tape it at the back of the head to achieve a hilarious youthful look. I mean, it's the exact same principle.
Also I'm wondering if stretching the skin on the neck for long periods of time doesn't actually leave it sagging even more when you remove the Nexsey tape? Or what if you're sweating more than usual on a hot summer day and the tape comes off right in the middle of a face-to-face conversation? That's gotta be a little awkward. Maybe use several strips of tape, just to be sure.


text:
Surviving the Desert
Posted on April 14, 2018 August 7, 2019
Robyn Davidson was born on a cattle property in Queensland, Australia. She was the youngest daughter of a farmer and his wife, Gwen Harrison.
In 1977, then 27-year-old Davidson set out on a solo camel trek across Australia's harsh and unforgiving interior. She was accompanied by her dog Diggity and four camels. She travelled 2700km in nine months starting from Alice Springs and heading due west to the Indian Ocean.
Davidson undertook her trek with the financial assistance of National Geographic magazine. Davidson needed the cash to pay for equipment, for herself and her animals.
National Geographic photographer Rick Smolan visited Robyn during her trip to capture images of her travels, documenting a journey that became an inspiration to many.
Tracks, the memoir Davidson wrote two years later retracing her solo journey, became an international bestseller.
Davidson, a Sydney Conservatorium of Music drop-out, stepped off a train in Alice Springs with the dog, $6, a suitcase of inappropriate clothing and the uncomplicated confidence to believe she could train wild camels and traverse the dead heart of Australia.
The question you can't avoid is "WHY?"
Why would a young, attractive, intelligent woman put her life at risk by embarking on such a perilous journey?
Davidson spent several years in Alice Springs preparing for her adventure. She writes of an experience she had which confirmed the rightness of what she hoped to do.
"There are some moments in life that are like pivots around which your existence turns—small intuitive flashes, when you know you have done something correct for a change, when you think you are on the right track. I watched a pale dawn streak the cliffs with Day-glow and realized this was one of them. It was a moment of pure, uncomplicated confidence—and lasted about ten seconds."
Davidson denies the trek was motivated by her mother's suicide which occurred when she was 11 years old. Her mother was 46 when she died. She suffered from bouts of melancholia and didn't have access to mental health treatments.
Davidson has often reflected on her childhood. She says,
"I am what I am, formed, as we all are, by our early experiences, but you know you can make a hell of a life out of broken childhoods."
However, people who have lost a parent to suicide often question their identity and feel abandoned.
Author Brenè Brown says,
"Not belonging in our families is still one of the most dangerous hurts. It has the power to break our heart, our spirit, and our sense of self-worth."
Davidson says she chose to take the trip 'instinctively' and only later gave it meaning. She couldn't avoid the conviction that this was something she must do.
The desert is an unforgiving and dangerous place and one few would enter by choice. It is untamed and unpredictable, barren and breathtakingly beautiful.
The desert doesn't differentiate. It doesn't care who you are or what you bring to it.
• The desert is a place without distractions
Davidson had an innate desire for solitude. She wanted to experience the desert alone. She wanted to detach herself from the distractions of life.
• The desert is a laboratory for dealing with the self
Davidson wanted to find herself, to discover what she is made of. It required putting herself to the extreme test. It was more than physical endurance; it was mental and emotional toughness. She was entering a 'new time, space dimension' that threatened to overwhelm her. She says,
"You can expand the boundaries of your life and do risky things and prove yourself by doing them."
And remember
"You are as powerful and strong as you allow yourself to be."
• The desert is a place of formation
Davidson wanted to prove to herself she could survive. Her mother succumbed to her inner demons and surrendered her life. Davidson knows how we are often tempted to avoid the things that frighten us. She wanted to conquer her fears and finish what she has set out to do. In doing so she discovered she could use her fears as stepping stones rather than stumbling blocks. Her words are an encouragement to us all.
"Don't allow your fears to inhibit your life."
Davidson met an Indigenous elder called Eddie, who walked with her for a month through his Dreaming country of the Jameson Ranges.
Mr Eddie is a quiet man, economical in both movement and speech. It is his way of conserving himself for the necessities required to thrive in his own country.
It is through Eddie that Davidson develops a growing sense of awe at the deep understanding of place possessed by Aboriginal people.
For someone who hated being too connected, this is a different kind of belonging. It is being in the moment. It is engaging with your environment. It is being attentive. It is seeing the beauty and the mystery.
Davidson also experienced low points, moments of personal pain and loss. Her loyal companion, Diggity, took a strychnine bait intended for dingoes. The dog was lying on her side convulsing. Davidson took her rifle and shot her.
People bereaved by suicide experience their own desert. It is a lonely and barren place, a place of sadness and heartache, despair and defeat. It offers little comfort and no place to hide. There is no respite from your thoughts and fears.
But even in the desert, there is hope and transcendence. It is a place of self-discovery, a place where you can find yourself. It is about overcoming your fears and finding the courage to persevere. It is appreciating your fragility and appropriating your strength. It is engaging with your aloneness and being prepared to admit you can't make it on your own.
The desert is the only pathway to a future grounded in reality and filled with purpose.
Posted in Blog, Suicide GriefTagged Camels, Robyn Davidson, Suicide Grief, Surviving the desert, Tracks
Prev Grief is a Gift
Next Connectedness: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly


Learn a variety of different computer programming languages and start making computer games, apps, and websites. We end the session with a presentation day for the kids to show off their hard work. No coding experience needed, beginners are welcome.
No class on Jan. 21, Feb. 18, March 11, March 14.


Freight broker bonds are required by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to operate as a transportation broker in the United States. The bond provides financial protections, guaranteeing the payment to motor carriers and shippers if a broker fails to uphold his contracts and agreements.
The new federal legislation increased the bond from $10,000 to $75,000 and had to be completed by October 1st, 2013.
Ashton Agency offers this bond nationwide. Please call our offices on the East and West Coast to obtain your freight broker surety bond.


A roof mounted chiller and two gas fired boilers in a lower plantroom provide the heating and cooling water for all air conditioning AHUs and FCUs. Each guest room has a dedicated FCU for air conditioning and bathroom/toilet exhaust connected to a common roof mounted exhaust air system.
The corridors, restaurant, function rooms, promenade and bar area are supplied from separate AHUs providing fresh air to these areas including the guest room FCUs. Various other exhaust air systems are served by roof mounted fans while the kitchens have a dedicated supply air AHU and a roof mounted exhaust air fan. Various other small ventilation systems are also provided.
Economech were also responsible for the design and installation of the hot and cold water systems together with sanitary plumbing and fixtures.
The hotel was a new building located on surplus Ellerslie Racecourse land and comprises five stories of guest rooms, a ground entrance foyer, promenade, function rooms, restaurant, bar and associated kitchens, toilets, etc. The mechanical services were a design and build project to a consulting engineer's brief.


Reading E.J. Hobsbawm's The Age of Revolution, along with some things for class.
Reading Game Change, which is pretty terrific so far. I'd recommend it to everyone on this forum.
Game Change was pretty good, though the writing was really gratingly informal and a lot of the book veered into gossip-y unimportant personal stories. I would have liked to read more about the actual strategy behind the campaigns, instead of endless examples of the candidates using the f-word in private. Still a lot of interesting stuff in it though, and really hard to put down once you get into it.
Over the past three weeks, I read Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs and Steel, Victor Hanson's Why the West Has Won, and Kenneth Pomeranz's The Great Divergence for an international history seminar I'm taking. All pretty interesting, though Hanson is obviously a neocon idiot (but still the best writer of the three).
I'm getting sick of everyone hatin' on neocons!!
Hanson's argument is that freedom and free-market capitalism are why "Western civilization" (which to him encompasses everything from Greek city states to Alexander the Great to the Franks to the Holy League to 16th century Spain to Americans in Vietnam) triumphed over... well, he never really defines who they triumphed over, just everyone who didn't love freedom and capitalism enough, I guess. It's a ridiculous, ahistorical, contrived thesis, only saved by his talent at describing battles.
Has anyone ever read this book?
It's really fascinating. All I really knew of Soviet law was the Stalin-era show trials/purges, so it's interesting to see the more just post-Stalin mish-mash of continental-style civil law and socialist influences, as well as the way more day-to-day mundane cases were handled.
Just powered through this book for class yesterday, really good read.
This weekend I will be reading The Yankee International by Timothy Messer-Kruse and The First International in America by Samuel Bernstein. And also Greg Grandin's Empire's Workshop: Latin America, the United States, and the Rise of the New Imperialism if there is time.
Is that an academic paper on the fan culture of Eintracht Frankfurt? That sounds pretty cool. Didn't know anyone wrote about things like that.
I picked up a copy of Age of Extremes for $3, having enjoyed his long 19th century trilogy already. I will hopefully fit it in between my Legal Methods textbook readings.
Found it in a thrift store on the Upper East Side while I was shopping for cups and plates for my apartment. I also bought The Age of Empire, but they didn't have the other two for whatever reason, even though it looked like this edition of the four books had been printed together as a set.
Can anyone recommend any good books on modern Latin American history? The Venezuelan election has piqued my interest and it's one of the areas of the world I never really learned a great deal about in school.
So good. Can't recommend it enough, even if you don't really care about pre-Columbian American history.
Nixonland. It's great. Perlstein's an entertaining writer (even if he writes the book more like an internet article than a book at times) and his thesis is interesting and makes a lot of sense.
I'm reading Tony Judt's Postwar. It's okay so far, I hope it gets better. The first few chapters just seem to be endless lists of numbers and statistics. His actual analysis is interesting, but reading page after page listing the numbers of refugees from each European state is kind of exhausting.