text:
I began woodworking as a 13 year-old kid in seventh grade.  At that time the male students were required to enroll in “shop” classes throughout junior and senior high school.  Class options ranged from wood shop, metal shop, auto shop, and electric shop, as well as a few others.  I had never taken classes like these and had little experience with them, so I asked a close friend who was a year ahead of me for a recommendation.  He had just taken wood shop and enjoyed it,  and suggested I give it a try.  I did and I found that I really enjoyed it and was fairly skilled in it.  During that time in junior high school, students were required to take more than one type of shop class.  I completed both electric and metal shop.  Neither were as intriguing or enjoyable to me, so I  decided to stay with wood shop.

During junior high school, I ended up taking wood shop for a total of two years. When I transitioned to high school, I enrolled in what at the time was termed “Vocational Wood Shop.”  This was intended for students that  had shown a particular interest and talent for woodworking.  It was expected that many of these students would transition from this shop class into a career involving woodworking, cabinetry or contracting.  Vocational wood shop was two hours a day, five days a week.  I was enrolled all three years of senior high school.

Close to my graduation from high school, my wood shop instructor approached me and explained that I had excellent skills and that I should consider some form of woodworking as a profession.  I thanked him for his advice and told him that I wanted to complete my college education.  He smiled, patted me on the back, and wished me the best of luck.

I ultimately did finish my education, approximately thirteen years later, as a Periodontist. During that time, I attended Pierce College, CSUN, and USC School of Dentistry, followed by three years of residency training at the Veteran’s Administration Medical Centers.

It was not until the late ’90s that I picked up a woodworking tool again.  After my professional training, my tools of choice had become my ability to analyze a problem and to think on my feet– in addition to a scalpel, needle holder and forceps!

In early 1998, I came out of my woodworking retirement.  My sister had informed me that she was pregnant with triplets.  I gave considerable thought to what I could do for her to mark this monumental occasion.  I decided to build a triplet cradle.  With only the most rudimentary of tools, I went to work.  My wife describes it this way: “He went into the garage one weekend.  There was a lot of noise and dust, but when he came out, he had created a beautiful cradle.”  This experience reinvigorated me and motivated me to get back into a hobby that I had left for so long,  but loved so much.

During my professional education and the early years of establishing my practice, my spare time was extremely limited.  As a result, I had denied myself something that I truly loved to do.  After building the cradle, I made the decision to get back into woodworking and to perfect my skills. I accomplished this through trial and error as I read, took courses and worked with experts.  I began by acquiring some basic tools that would allow me to build simple pieces.  After a short period of time, I upgraded to more professional quality tools, many of which I still use today.

I enrolled in a number of classes that are offered in conjunction with woodworking trade shows.  One of the weekend courses I attended was taught by Paul Schurch.  He is a renowned furniture designer and builder, who received classical training as a woodworker in Europe.  The first class I took from him demonstrated working with wood veneer and the basic principals of Marquetry: designing life-like pictures with various types and colors of wood.  Prior to this course, I felt that working with wood veneer was really quite simplistic.  This one half-day class opened up an entirely new world to me in terms of what was possible with wood and veneer.   At the end of this short class, I asked Paul if he taught a more intensive course at his shop, not even knowing where his shop was located or where he lived and worked.  He told me yes and to send him some examples of what I had already completed.  I then attended a week-long course at his shop in Santa Barbara, CA.  After this class he asked me to join him on a large project.  I continued to work with him after the project for one to two days a week for nearly five years, learning all he had to teach and absorbing as much as I could.  To this day, we remain close friends.

With Paul’s insistance, I entered my first piece in the “Design in Wood” exhibition, which runs in conjunction with the San Diego County Fair.  I have been very fortunate to have won a number of awards for my furniture.   The true reward for me, though, is creating something unique and special to be enjoyed for years to come.

Every woodworker is drawn to a particular style or type of furniture.  Mine happens to be the Art Deco period.  My furniture is all custom-designed and built by myself.  I do not reproduce existing pieces.  I take inspiration from all areas and have a large library of reference books.  An individual piece that I design and build can require as many as 1,000 hours to complete.   I use a variety of materials, many of which were common to the Art Deco movement.  My techniques range from those used in the past, to more modern methods  and tools which allow me to create my furniture.

A friend paid me an excellent comment one day while visiting my home.  He is in the film industry and said, “The inside of your home looks like a 1930’s Hollywood home.”  I was very happy to hear that my furniture designs have helped to capture that era.

I have many projects and pieces in mind to build.  Unfortunately it would require several lifetimes to complete them all!

Comments are closed.


Content-Type: application/http; msgtype=response

WARC-Truncated: length

WARC-Type: response

text:
Foto Fridays – Clouds…so many clouds…

We love the skies in Florida. Although there is abundant sunshine, there are also lots of clouds that make the most beautiful patterns and sunsets, as well as those quick isolated showers you can see from miles away.

Metaphorically-speaking, there are have way too many “clouds” for us these past couple weeks. We still have not closed on our house. The original close date was Sept 25…then Sept 30…now it’s not until Oct 9. We have had to re-arrange movers, furniture delivery, inspections, contractors and the like over and over again. We have had to extend our rental on a weekly basis, but are so lucky it’s available until November so we’re not forced to live in a hotel or in a refrigerator box on the beach. The seller contractually agreed to fix very important things, like the electric for one, and every time he said he was done and we had a re-inspection, it was either not done or worse than before. Our electrician was surprised the garage hadn’t burned down, the wiring was such a mess. But finally, FINALLY the work is done (ok, like 90% done, but nothing at this point should keep us from closing). And we are all hopeful we can close on Wednesday. And if we don’t, I will have an actual mental breakdown so help me.

On a lighter note, we’ve been enjoying some lovely weekends, filled with festivals, farmer’s markets, kayaking, beaches, playgrounds, etc. Curly is really enjoying himself and getting so good at swimming in the gulf (with his flotation vest of course). He is also improving on writing his letters, singing songs and has a hyperactive imagination. We’re all excited about Halloween, and trick-or-treating in our new neighborhood. It all feels so close now…having a home of our own…just waiting for the final clouds to pass.

4 responses to “Foto Fridays – Clouds…so many clouds…

  1. R is for Rose

    I know that you already have a lot invested in this new house, but please keep in mind that until you sign the final papers, you still have the option to walk away. Would that suck? Probably. Would getting stuck with a house with issues suck more? Also probably. But you have seen the house and I have not. You know what problems it may have and you know what you are willing to put up with.

    I wish the three of you only happiness.

    (Oh, and you know where to find me if you want to talk. Even if it’s just to vent.)

  2. We thought of walking away more than once, but we know the house is a gem. Sure there are problems (WERE problems mostly) but it was built in 1925…of course a house that old will have issues. They are all fixable though, and just needed to be done with licensed contractors who know what they are doing. That was the problem- the seller thought he could fix them himself or by using his friends, but he’s only a roofer and doesn’t know the first thing about fixing things like the electric properly. So we demanded using licensed professionals, and seeing their licenses and getting receipts, as well as coughing up money to get some of our own people in. If, when the problems were discovered, we had asked for additional money at closing instead of asking the seller to make repairs, we would have closed on time (although he hasn’t been amenable to agreeing to hardly anything). We didn’t know then what a total asshat he is and have been paying for it since. Everyone, from our realtor to our loan officers to HIS realtor, has felt really bad for what we’ve had to go through. But we love the house and we are not willing to give up and know it will be worth it in the end.

  3. I’m glad you’re demanding that he use licensed professional! I hope it all gets finished soon, and enjoy those amazing clouds! I love watching clouds!

  4. Love this! (The clouds, not the house misery. Good luck!!)

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: Logo

You are commenting using your account. Log Out / Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. Log Out / Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out / Change )

Google+ photo

You are commenting using your Google+ account. Log Out / Change )

Connecting to %s

warcinfo:
robots: classic
hostname: ip-10-179-60-89.ec2.internal
software: Nutch 1.6 (CC)/CC WarcExport 1.0
isPartOf: CC-MAIN-2015-27
operator: CommonCrawl Admin
description: Wide crawl of the web for June 2015
publisher: CommonCrawl
format: WARC File Format 1.0
conformsTo: http://bibnum.bnf.fr/WARC/WARC_ISO_28500_version1_latestdraft.pdf


text:
Green Says KC School District on The Rise, Will Challenger Charter Schools for Students
September 30, 2014

Kansas City school Superintendent said Monday the trouble school district is “on the rise”.
Green used charts, pictures and occasionally sarcasm to makes his points in his ‘State of the School District’ speech.
Green says the 2015 goal for the district is to regain full accreditation and achieve a district-wide score of 110 of a possible 140 point on the state achievement tests.
In 2014 the Kansas City district regained provisional accreditation and receive 92 points on the state test.
Green also said it was time to launch new programs in the district.
One of them is aimed at competing with charter schools within the district for students.
Enrollment has dropped steadily for most of the last decade because of turmoil in the district.
Green says, “We’re not going to sit back and let people keep taking out kids”.
“We’re going to make choice hard,’ Green said.
“We’re not going to sit back and let certain entities sell our parents a bill of goods that that is (charter schools) a better situation, when you look the numbers, it’s not better.”
At one point during green’s speech, his slide show offered three pictures all on the screen at the same time. One was a picture of former Superintendent John Covington, who left the district suddenly, creating the opening for Green; a second picture was of retiring Missouri Education Commissioner Chris Nicastro and a third picture was a full school bus.
The images were on the screen as Green talked about outside turmoil and the threat of student transfers disrupting the district.

Green Dismisses State Board, Says District Is Moving On
October 22, 2013

Kansas City School Superintendent Dr. Stephen Green says His district needs to keep its eye on the ball, despite being turned down by the Missouri Board of Education in the district’s request to have its accreditation rating improved.

“We need to keep going full throttle, together, to deliver a third consecutive year of improvement, regardless of the politics swirling in our periphery,” Green said in an open letter Tuesday.

Under state law, Missouri students may transfer from a failing school district, which is what the Kansas City school system is considered in the eyes of the state, without accreditation.

The State Supreme Court heard arguments in a case involving student transfers out of Kansas City into neighboring suburban schools. A ruling from the High Court is expected later this year or early in 2014.

The State Board’s action is not a surprise. Earlier, Missouri Education Commissioner Chris Nicastro recommended the Board not change Kansas City’s accreditation status. The State Board did not even take a vote on the matter.

The district scored an 84 of a possible 140 points on last spring’s state tests. They had hoped that would earn the school system enough points to move into provisional accreditation.

Nicastro challenged the Kansas City claim that it had shown three years of academic progress. She and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) want to see a sustained trend of improvement under the new, tougher state tests.

Green vows to keep pressing for academic improvement despite the questions surrounding the student transfer issue.

“We won’t sit still waiting for their certification,” he wrote.

There is also a team of consultants working on plans to improve the district. Earlier this week, those consultants warned against expecting any dramatic academic improvement in the Kansas City school system.

Green Deal: $250K/Yr 2 Years, plus 2 1 Year Renewals
April 2, 2012

Dr Stephen Green gets contract as permanent superintendent. Had been acting Superintendent since last summer

Flash KC School Board Appointed Superintendent. ‘Interim’ Title Removed
April 2, 2012

Neth Details KC School Board Elimination Plan, Superintendent Warns of ‘Slippery Slope’
March 29, 2012

Clay County State Rep. Myron Neth introduced a bill Thursday to eliminate the elected school board of the unaccredited Kansas City, Missouri School District.
Under his plan, the elected board would be replaced by a five-person appointed ‘Special Administrative Board’ (SAB) Three members could be appointed by the Missouri Education Commissioner; two more could be appointed by the Mayor of Kansas City. Neth, however, made it clear, the make-up the board could change if the bill proceeds forward.
Kansas City School Superintendent Sr. Stephen Green warned, “anytime you’re considering overriding or overruling the elected process, I think that’s a slippery slope”
‘We’ve had two decades of a school district that has been unaccredited or provisionally accredited,” countered Neth in an interview with KMBC TV, “therefore, there has been a lack of leadership”.
The bill was introduced very late in the legislative session. There are about six weeks left. Neth says part of the delay was a lack of agreement among the Republicans controlling the legislature.
“They’re kind of held up because there is a lot of division just within the majority party on a lot of those things,” said Neth.
GOP leaders have made it clear they want school reform to be a signature issue of the session. Neth says his bill may get a hearing at the House education Committee as early as Wednesday. He is a member of that panel.
“That’s what concerns me,” said the Superintendent in another KMBC interview.
“The timeline seems to be quite rushed,” said Green.
This is just one of several Kansas City school reform plans that may be considered in the next couple of weeks by lawmakers.
Under this plan, the Kansas City schools that perform will would remain as they are.
Neth’s bill would place struggling schools into a charter school model, with the SAB as the sponsor. The schools would be operated by independent vendors who would have a contract with the district.
“It would be well over half the schools that would go charter, for sure”, according to Neth.
The model for Neth’s bill is what took place in New Orleans, Louisiana.
When Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans, it gave school administrators there an opportunity. Their public school system was struggling, too.
Neth says 4 out of 5 New Orleans schools were converted to the charter format. He says New Orleans charter schools still struggle, but they are improving.
The struggling urban district of 17,000 students has drawn attention from state lawmakers because of turmoil in the district.
Late last summer, KC Superintendent Dr. John Covington abruptly resigned. His department shook the district as well as state educators.
His departure was followed within weeks by the official notice that the district has lost its state accreditation because of consistently low scores on the state exams. The Kansas City District was stripped of its accreditation on the first day of 2012.

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 109 other followers


text:
Did the Office of Housing answer my question? I don’t think so…

The Office of Housing has reiterated their policy in response to the last post and the post about it on the West Seattle Blog, without really addressing the underlying question that I asked, which perhaps I need to ask more clearly:

Does this area of Delridge contain more than 20% of households earning below 30% of the area median income? If so, I don’t think it meets the INTENT of the Comprehensive Plan. The intent of the Plan, as I understand it, is to avoid concentrating extremely low-income people in one place.

I’ll say it again – I’m not a demographer. I welcome fact checking of my research. I went into the Delridge Forum with an open mind, leaning towards support of the project. I spoke in favor of the project at my small group discussion. After hearing anecdotal stories from residents who live closer to the area than I do, I decided to check the census data for my own peace of mind. I really didn’t expect to find the level of poverty that I did.

Honestly, I live far enough from the site that this project won’t really have much of a direct impact on my daily life. But I care enough about my neighborhood and I care enough about social justice that I wanted to share what I learned. I have a deep belief that it’s just not right to put all the poor people in one place. Our community and our world is a better place if wealth and amenities are distributed.

I believe that DESC, the Office of Housing, and all of the other public agencies involved in this are sincerely trying to do the right thing. They are good people, working hard to create housing for the vulnerable and less fortunate of us. It is a hard job, both to develop affordable housing and to decide how to best spend precious public taxpayer dollars. I honestly believe that everyone working on this has good intentions.

Unfortunately, there is no agency to speak for our neighborhood. Usually organizations developing affordable housing are familiar with and working in the best interest of the neighborhood. They do market studies, rent surveys, and census research to make sure that the project makes sense. That doesn’t even apply here. I don’t know if any of that type of background neighborhood-specific research was done.

DESC doesn’t care about our neighborhood. I don’t mean that in a bad way, just that their heart and passions are with the people they serve.  All of the public funders are working to meet goals for ending homelessness, which is a good thing. It sounds like every DESC project meets significant neighborhood resistance, so I can imagine that it is hard to tell truth from NIMBYism.

Who speaks for the neighborhood? Who checks the facts? And are there better sources of economic information than what I researched? The Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association (DNDA) might once have played that role, but that organization is sorely stretched at the moment just trying to weather the bad economy. I spent 10 hours trying to get to the truth in the census data. I welcome others to check it or tell me if it’s wrong.

Although funding decisions are being made, it’s not too late to change the project. It could be built in an area with less economic distress. It could be moved – the land hasn’t been purchased yet. The concept could be changed to be more responsive to the neighborhood. It could be smaller. It could be part of a mixed-income project. It could bring a positive community amenity to the site, such as a grocery store. I can picture a cool project that combines the DESC units with a FareStart restaurant and café. It could respond to the community in any number of ways that would be better for our neighborhood and better for the residents. Is there even any organization that could facilitate that? The Office of Economic Development? The Office of Housing? DNDA?

What doesn’t make sense to me is to bring 75 severely stressed people into an already stressed community without any sort of plan for mitigating the stress. For anyone not familiar with the site, I encourage you to walk around, to see the beer-laden convenience stores across the street, to see the boarded up school building, to see the empty storefronts and dilapidated houses. I encourage the decision makers and those who write this off as NIMBYism to actually visit the site if you haven’t. It’s clearly not the “amenity-rich” environment that the writers of the Consolidated Plan described in the Siting Policies:

One goal is to ensure that housing for Seattle’s lowest-income and most vulnerable populations is available throughout the City, including in our most amenity-rich neighborhoods in terms of transit, schools, parks and retail.

I believe that it is our duty as citizens to raise questions and to hold our public agents accountable. Good intentions do not necessarily mean that this project is well conceived. It appears to me from my census research that this project will serve to further concentrate extreme poverty in this one area. Can we fix this?

2 responses to “Did the Office of Housing answer my question? I don’t think so…

  1. While I think you’re raising important questions… I don’t think the Office of Housing is incorrect. It reads to me like they’re required to look at the demographics of an area, but the number of (government-) subsidized rental units. You might both be correct….

  2. Yes Michael, my hope with this blog is to raise awareness that this project appears to be putting very economically stressed people into a very economically stressed area. The Office of Housing has probably followed the letter of the policies (I can’t verify this but I have no reason to believe otherwise), but my “wake up call” was seeing the extreme poverty reflected in the census data. I was hoping that this information might factor into their decision-making because it doesn’t seem to meet the intent of the policies. At the very least, it gives neighbors some data to back up their intuitive feelings that the area is in severe economic distress.

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Log Out / Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. Log Out / Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out / Change )

Google+ photo

You are commenting using your Google+ account. Log Out / Change )

Connecting to %s


text:
Trinity Western Seminary

About TWS and it's Mission:

  • TWS is the graduate theological school of Trinity Western University.
  • TWS serves a fellowship of over 130 churches in the Evangelical Free Church of Canada. The EFC of Canada is partnered with more than 1000 Free Churches in the USA, and an additional 600 churches in 14 other countries.
  • TWS is committed to inspire, nurture, and equip men and women for leadership ministries that contribute to the fulfillment of the Great Commission in contemporary cultures.
  • TWS welcomes all students regardless of denominational affiliation.

A Little Bit of TWS History:

With its unique place in higher education, Trinity Western has become a unifying force for Christians. Nowhere is this more evident than in the co-operative effort of seminary education. For some years University leaders carried a burden for continuing education for pastors who wanted to upgrade their Bible school diplomas or degrees.

In the fall of 1985, a plan was shared among several denominations for a co-operative seminary. Leaders from several denominations were invited to an exploratory meeting something incredible happened.

This was to be the foundation for what is today known as Graduate School of Theological Studies: ACTS Seminaries, the Associated Canadian Theological Schools, including Trinity Western Seminary. Today over 500 students are enrolled in seven accredited masters programs, a doctoral program and several diploma programs.

The growth of ACTS Seminaries, and of the University, is gratifying for those who first shared a dream years ago to transform a dairy farm into a university. The early vision, and the many God moments along the way, are a powerful legacy for the future.

TWS Faculty:

  • John Auxier, Ph.D. Dean of TWS, Associate Professor of Counselling
  • Paul Chamberlain, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Apologetics, Director of the Institute for Christian Apologetics
  • Robert Hiebert, Ph.D. Professor of Old Testament, Director of Master of Theology program, Director of the Institute for Septuagint Studies.
  • Ian Verseveldt, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Counselling, Director of Master of Counselling program

TWS Financial Aid:


text:
baby boy adopted 1967 born 1966 looking for birth parents
Born, a boy, in November 1966 in New Jersey, to unwed parents I was put up for adoption and placed in a loving home in June 1967. If you know where I am supposed to register to possible find my birth parents, if they're searching for me, I am finally ready to know. Thank you to anyone who has any information.
do you have any information you could give, such as location in New Jersey or birth name?
Yes. But I didn't know if that info. should go on here or somewhere else. I have my adoption papers and the birth parents were told it would be sealed, but the powers that be goofed and I know what they named me, my birth mother's name, and just found out some new info. My adopted father died many years ago. My adopted Mom told me two weeks ago that my parents were graduate college students dating, but not ready to be married or start a family, opting for careers first. Their parents wanted me, but since birth mom had all the rights she said she wanted me up for adoption. Do you know where I should register for help finding them? I've tried the telephone book and am one step away from calling a private investigator like my wife did to find her father, only he died two months later and denied being her father. I could use any help possible. You are my first response to this message. THANK YOU!
Willing To Help..
Smile Ive been having a hard time finding a cousin of mine. Iam 22, ive been looking sence about 15 so I know how frustraiting it can be. I really am not sure where you should post. I post everywhere possible. If you would like to give me some the names, city, state, I would be willing to try my best to help you. Ive located alot of peoples relatives who have information on them, just guess iam not so hot when I dont have no information. My email is:
I can understand not wanting to post to much information here. But if youd like my help id do what I could.
I look at it like, maybe if I help others, someone will be able to help me one day.

Good Luck, Daniy
All times are GMT. The time now is 5:20 pm.


text:
Flashbacks: On the Science-Religion Interchange

I became interested in the interchange between science and religion during my time as A Frank Angle. Here are a few of my favorite posts on the topic. Enjoy, visit as many as you want, and I hope you comment on the post you visited.

5 thoughts on “Flashbacks: On the Science-Religion Interchange

  1. (Sigh.) Okay, one MORE time. The kangaroos are NOT supersonic – no WAY are those pouches gonna act as anything but huge speed brakes. I keep tellin’ ya – goats know teleportation! (They know a heck of a LOT of things – why do you think wise old men are called “old goats”? And think of this – Mr. Spock was the font of wisdom on the Enterprise. Spock looks like the Greek god Pan. Pan was a satyr – half-goat. Do I have to draw ya a map?!? YEESH! ;) )

  2. When I have a little more time I’d like to read each of these, Frank, but I did read the post on miracles. I’m just someone who happens to believe that miracles can occur, and often do. I have my own examples, and I enjoy reading what others have to say. Sometimes I think it’s best to change the word to soften the acceptance. Often “miracle” puts people off, but when someone experiences something like “spontaneous remission,” a Cancer patient doesn’t struggle with words to use. They just accept it with extreme gratitude. I don’t need a label for some of the things I’ve experienced, either. :-)

Comment with respect.

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Log Out / Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. Log Out / Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out / Change )

Google+ photo

You are commenting using your Google+ account. Log Out / Change )

Connecting to %s


text:
Double Your Ark Encounter Donation Impact

The Astronomy Book, Lesson 12

Catastrophes in the Solar System

by Dr. Jonathan Henry on January 1, 2002

These lessons are geared for younger students. Many lessons will, however, include activities for the older student.

The Astronomy Book

The Astronomy Book

by Dr. Jonathan Henry

The second book in the highly successful “Wonders of Creation” series. The Astronomy Book soars through the solar system! The reader will acquire a wealth of knowledge on subjects such as supernovas, red shift, facts about planets, and much more. Enhanced with dozens of color photos and illustrations including official NASA shots!

These lessons are geared for younger students. Many lessons will, however, include activities for the older student. Parents/teachers will easily find the answers to questions in the text, and should prepare themselves by reading the stated pages prior to having the student read the weekly assignment. If a child is not able to read yet, parents may wish to read the text to the student.

  • Pages 60–71

  • Psalm 8:3
  • Isaiah 3:18
  • Psalm 81:3
  • Isaiah 45:18

Questions to answer:

  1. Of what are the rings of Saturn composed?
  2. What other planets have rings?
  3. What are asteroids? What does “asteroid” mean?
  4. Do you think the “asteroid belt” between Earth and Mars formed from a planetary explosion? Why or why not?
  5. Why is Mars called the “red planet”?
  6. Write an essay answering the question, “Was there ever liquid water on Mars?” (See also our Astronomy page for more information.)
  7. What is the underlying reason that people reject the Biblical account that Earth was once covered in water?
  8. What do the catastrophes discussed in this section have in common?
  9. What is the difference between a comet, a meteor, an asteroid and a meteorite?
  10. What do we really see when we see a comet?
  11. What is the “Oort Cloud”? Discuss the problems associated with the idea. (See also More Problems for the ‘Oort Comet Cloud’ and Comets and the Age of the Solar System for additional information.)
  12. Do you think a meteor impact caused the extinction of the dinosaurs? Why or why not? (See also Get Answers: Dinosaurs.)
  13. The Astronomy Book discusses at least six aspects of the solar system and universe that confirm the Biblically-based teaching that the creation is a few thousand years old at most. Write a research paper summarizing these and any other astronomical evidence that you can find (see also the Young Age Evidence and Astronomy pages).

Words to know:

  • Shepherd moons
  • Nebular hypothesis
  • Planetary rings
  • Meteor
  • Symmetrical cratering
  • Oort cloud
  • comet

Recommended Resources

Get the latest answers emailed to you or sign up for our free print newsletter.

See All Lists

Answers in Genesis is an apologetics ministry, dedicated to helping Christians defend their faith and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Learn more


text:
Double Your Ark Encounter Donation Impact

Baby Brains

on October 1, 2010

The unusual growth pattern of an infant’s brain appears to recapitulate the history of brain evolution, a recent study suggests. In other words, children become less "monkey-like" as they age.

The study, led by Jason Hill, a neurobiologist at Washington University in St. Louis, documented the “strikingly nonuniform” growth of the human brain during childhood development. The regions responsible for language and reasoning tend to grow at nearly twice the rate of other regions after birth.

By comparing MRI scans of infant human brains with those of young adults and macaque monkeys, researchers concluded that “the expansion patterns in infant brains are ‘remarkably similar’ to how human brains have changed since humans and macaques diverged from a common ancestor about 25 million years ago,” National Geographic News reports.*

Instead of using the scans to understand how monkeys and humans differ (which is the real point to consider), the authors relied on their evolutionary assumptions to elaborate their story about brain evolution.

The team did acknowledge, however, that the growth of these brain regions may be delayed until after birth so that a child’s early life experiences can shape his or her brain’s development. That idea is fully compatible with God’s special creation of humans, completely separate from monkeys.

Once again, the starting point—raw data (the MRI scans)—isn’t where the controversy lies (unless the data are actually flawed). The disagreements arise in the interpretation of the data in light of the underlying worldview, whether creation-based or evolution-based.

* John Roach, “Human Brains ‘Evolve,’ Become Less Monkey-Like with Age,”

Answers Magazine

October – December 2010

Human life is sacred, from conception until the day we die. This issue focuses on a creation-based understanding of the sanctity of life and mankind’s violation of the Creator’s clear directives. Feature articles explain when life truly begins, the shocking reality of human trafficking even in the West, and end-of-life decisions, such as living wills. Don’t miss this informative, edifying, and challenging issue!

Browse Issue Subscribe

Risk-free trial issue!

Risk-free trial issue!

If you decide you want to keep Answers coming, simply pay your invoice for just $24 and receive four issues (a full year) more. If not, write “cancel” across the invoice and return it. The trial issue is yours to keep, regardless!

Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery.
New subscribers only. No gift subscriptions.
Offer valid in U.S. only.

Recommended Resources

Get the latest answers emailed to you or sign up for our free print newsletter.

See All Lists

Answers in Genesis is an apologetics ministry, dedicated to helping Christians defend their faith and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Learn more


text:
MA135 College Algebra

for S1M 2013

Printer Friendly

Mission Statement: Park University provides access to a quality higher education experience that prepares a diverse community of learners to think critically, communicate effectively, demonstrate a global perspective and engage in lifelong learning and service to others.

Vision Statement: Park University, a pioneering institution of higher learning since 1875, will provide leadership in quality, innovative education for a diversity of learners who will excel in their professional and personal service to the global community.

MA 135 College Algebra

S1M 2013 CH

Mikhail, Michel L.

Senior Professor / Adjunct Faculty

PhD, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago
MS, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago

Office Location

Training and Education Building, Room 143

Office Hours

Before and after Class

Daytime Phone

(252) 635 - 9848

Semester Dates

January 14 to March 10, 2013

Class Days

Class Time

4:45 - 7:15 PM

MA125, or  Equivalent (Please refer to Course Description)

Credit Hours

Title: College Algebra, Edition/Copyright: 11TH 13
Authors: Lial, Hornsby, Schneider and Daniels
Publisher: Addison-Wesley Longman, Inc.
ISBN-10: 0321828127 OR ISBN-13: 9780321828125

Textbooks can be purchased through the MBS bookstore

Textbooks can be purchased through the Parkville Bookstore

Additional Resources:
Calculators: It is expected that you will have access to a graphing calculator such as  TI-83 or TI-84 calculators. You will be allowed to use it in the Mid-term and Final Exams

McAfee Memorial Library - Online information, links, electronic databases and the Online catalog. Contact the library for further assistance via email or at 800-270-4347.
Career Counseling - The Career Development Center (CDC) provides services for all stages of career development.  The mission of the CDC is to provide the career planning tools to ensure a lifetime of career success.
Park Helpdesk - If you have forgotten your OPEN ID or Password, or need assistance with your PirateMail account, please email helpdesk@park.edu or call 800-927-3024
Resources for Current Students - A great place to look for all kinds of information http://www.park.edu/Current/.

Course Description:
MA135 College Algebra: Prerequisite:MA125, or a high school or transfer course equivalent to MA125, or an ACT math score greater than 23, or an SAT math score greater than 510, or a COMPASS score greater than 66 in the Algebra placement domain, or a COMPASS score 0-45 in the College Algebra domain. A consideration of those topics in algebra necessary for the calculus. Topics include:Solving equations and inequalities, graphing, functions, complex numbers, the theory of equations, exponential and logarithmic functions. 3:0:3

Educational Philosophy:
The facilitator’s educational philosophy is one of interactiveness based on lectures, readings, quizzes, dialogues, examinations, internet, videos, web sites and writings. The facilitator will engage each learner in what is referred to as disputatious learning to encourage the lively exploration of ideas, issues and contradictions.

Class Assessment:

Students will be evaluated based on class participation, quizzes, mid-term exam, and final exam.
Homework - Complete the homework assignments for discussions every class period.
Quizzes - Complete the weekly quiz (Take-home)
Mid-term Exam - Complete the Mid-term Exam at the end of week 5 (In-class)
Final Exam - Complete the comprehensive Final Exam at the end of week 8 (In-class)

Class Discussion        10%
Quizzes                       30%
Mid-term Exam           30%
Final Exam                  30%
Letter Grade:
A           90 - 100
B           80 - 89
C           70 - 79
D           60 - 69
F            below 60%

Late Submission of Course Materials:

It is unfair to other students to allow some individuals to submit assignments after the scheduled due date. Therefore, all assignments are expected to be completed by set deadlinesThe only considerations for allowable late assignments are limited to the following valid list of emergency reasons. Please note even these reasons are only acceptable at the discretion of your instructor.

  • A medical emergency or a serious acute illness. All medical emergencies and illnesses must be verified by a note on letterhead by an M.D., D.O., P.A., or R.N.  I will accept late work for students who can provide evidence of a verified medical emergency involving a child, spouse, parent, sibling, or grandparent.
  • An Accident or Police Emergency. I will require an accident report or note on letterhead from an appropriate law enforcement officer to accept late work due to accidents or police emergencies (e.g., assault on student, student taken hostage, detained witness of a crime).
  • Unforeseen Jury or Witness Duty. I will require a note on letterhead from a judge or attorney stating you had no advance notice of duty to accept late work due to jury or witness duty.
  • Unforeseen Military Deployment or Activation. I will require a note on official letterhead from your commanding officer stating you had no advance notice of deployment or activation.
  • Funerals for Immediate Family Member (e.g., parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts/uncles, first cousins). I will require a copy of the obituary or a note from a minister or funeral director.

Course Topic/Dates/Assignments:

In Week 1, we will study linear equations, applications and modeling with linear equation, complex numbers and quadratic equations (Sections 1.1 to 1.4 of the textbook).

In Week 2, we will study applications and modeling with quadratic equations, other types of equations and applications, inequalities, and absolute value equations and inequalities (Sections 1.5 to 1.8 of the textbook).

In Week 3, we will study  rectangular coordinates and graphs, circles, functions, and linear functions(Sections 2.1 to 2.4 of the textbook).

In Week 4, we will study equations of lines and curve fitting, graphs of basic functions, graphing techniques, and function operations and compositions (Sections 2.5 to 2.8 of the textbook).

In Week 5, we will study quadratic functions and models, synthetic division, and zeros of polynomial functions (Sections 3.1 to 3.3 of the textbook).

In Week 6, we will study graphs, applications and models of polynomial functions,  graphs, applications and models of rational functions, and variation (Sections 3.4 to 3.6 of the textbook).

In Week 7, we will study inverse functions, exponential functions, and logarithmic functions (Sections 4.1 to 4.3 of the textbook).

In Week 8, we will study evaluating logarithms and the change-of-base theorem, exponential and logarithmic equations, and applications and models of exponential growth and decay (Sections 4.4 to 4.6 of the textbook).

Academic Honesty:
Academic integrity is the foundation of the academic community. Because each student has the primary responsibility for being academically honest, students are advised to read and understand all sections of this policy relating to standards of conduct and academic life. Park University students and faculty members are encouraged to take advantage of the University resources available for learning about academic honesty (www.park.edu/current or http://www.park.edu/faculty/).from Park University 2011-2012 Undergraduate Catalog Page 95-96

Plagiarism involves the use of quotations without quotation marks, the use of quotations without indication of the source, the use of another's idea without acknowledging the source, the submission of a paper, laboratory report, project, or class assignment (any portion of such) prepared by another person, or incorrect paraphrasing. from Park University 2011-2012 Undergraduate Catalog Page 95

Attendance Policy:
Instructors are required to maintain attendance records and to report absences via the online attendance reporting system.

  1. The instructor may excuse absences for valid reasons, but missed work must be made up within the semester/term of enrollment.
  2. Work missed through unexcused absences must also be made up within the semester/term of enrollment, but unexcused absences may carry further penalties.
  3. In the event of two consecutive weeks of unexcused absences in a semester/term of enrollment, the student will be administratively withdrawn, resulting in a grade of "F".
  4. A "Contract for Incomplete" will not be issued to a student who has unexcused or excessive absences recorded for a course.
  5. Students receiving Military Tuition Assistance or Veterans Administration educational benefits must not exceed three unexcused absences in the semester/term of enrollment. Excessive absences will be reported to the appropriate agency and may result in a monetary penalty to the student.
  6. Report of a "F" grade (attendance or academic) resulting from excessive absence for those students who are receiving financial assistance from agencies not mentioned in item 5 above will be reported to the appropriate agency.

Park University 2011-2012 Undergraduate Catalog Page 98

Disability Guidelines:
Park University is committed to meeting the needs of all students that meet the criteria for special assistance. These guidelines are designed to supply directions to students concerning the information necessary to accomplish this goal. It is Park University's policy to comply fully with federal and state law, including Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, regarding students with disabilities. In the case of any inconsistency between these guidelines and federal and/or state law, the provisions of the law will apply. Additional information concerning Park University's policies and procedures related to disability can be found on the Park University web page: http://www.park.edu/disability .

Additional Information:

Incompletes are NOT a right, but a rare exception that are granted only in the most extraordinary of situations.

If you feel that you will require an incomplete (again, the exception, not the rule), it is your responsibility to contact your instructor BEFORE THE END OF THE COURSE and make this request. In most cases, written third party documentation will be required to support your request. It is at the discretion of the instructor whether an incomplete will be granted and for what length of time it will be granted, with an absolute maximum extension period of 90 days. Furthermore, incomplete grades will be assigned following all the requirements indicated by the Park University Incomplete Policy.

This material is protected by copyright
                               and can not be reused without author permission.

Last Updated:12/18/2012 11:10:14 AM


text:
Skip Navigation

Matthew Arnold

Matthew Arnold

On “To Marguerite—Continued”

by George Soule

A revised version of an article first published in Masterplots II: Poetry, Revised Edition. Pasadena, CA: Salem Press, 2002.

Yes! In the sea of life enisled,
With echoing straits between us thrown,
Dotting the shoreless watery wild,
We mortal millions live alone.
The islands feel the enclasping flow,
And then their endless bounds they know.

But when the moon their hollows light,
And they are swept by balms of spring,
And in their glens, on starry nights,
The nightingales divinely sing;
And lovely notes, from shore to shore,
Across the sounds and channels pour—

Oh! Then a longing like despair
Is to their farthest caverns sent;
For surely once, they feel, we were
Parts of a single continent!
Now round us spreads the watery plain—
Oh might our marges meet again!

Who ordered that their longing’s fire
Should be as soon as kindled, cooled?
Who renders vain their deep desire?
A God, a God their severance ruled!
And bade betwixt their shores to be
The unplumbed salt, estranging sea.

Matthew Arnold’s haunting “To Marguerite--Continued” was first published in Empedocles on Etna and Other Poems in 1852 under the title “To Marguerite, In Returning a Volume of the Letters of Ortis.” In 1853, Arnold gave this poem the simple title “To Marguerite” and included it in a group of poems with the general title of “Switzerland.” In 1857, he titled this poem “Isolation,” but in 1969 he gave that title to another “Switzerland” poem and assigned to this poem its final title.

Even though neither Marguerite nor Switzerland are mentioned in the poem, Arnold’s shufflings of texts and titles makes clear that “To Marguerite—Continued” belongs to his “Switzerland” group. Arnold visited Switzerland in 1848 and 1849. These poems, written mainly between 1847 and 1850, tell a love story of meetings and partings. There have been many theories of who Marguerite was; even though some have doubted her existence, these poems probably had their beginnings in a real (and unfulfilled) love relationship. Other “Switzerland” poems hint that Arnold found his desires thwarted by his inner moral voice, or by differences in the lovers’ cultural past (Marguerite may have been French), or by her sexual experience, or simply by Marguerite’s fickleness. At the end of the poem which eventually was placed before “To Marguerite—Continued,” Arnold abstracts from his experience: unlike other men who dream that two hearts could become as one, Arnold knows that he is truly alone. As a whole, these poems are both poignant and somewhat juvenile in their tone. Note too that in the poem, in spite of what we can guess the situation was in real life, Arnold imagines his partner to be as anxious as he to overcome isolation..

First, an overview. “To Marguerite—Continued” begins with the word “Yes!” as if affirming what has just been said, either by the book being returned or by the preceding poem. The underlying idea of “To Marguerite—Continued” is simple: every human being lives his or her life in isolation. The first stanza introduces the poem’s basic metaphor: life is a boundless sea; we are all separate islands in it. We are conscious of our predicament—we “feel” and “know” that something separates us from other persons.

The second stanza takes off from an earlier hint (the straights are “echoing”) to describe an element that seems to make our state more bearable: at certain times each island is filled with beautiful music. What’s more, other islands are close enough that the various melodies cross the sea and are heard on these other islands. In short, some communication between the essentially isolated people is possible.

But this realization leads, not to joy but to despair. Stanza Three describes how the partial communication of Stanza Two leads each human being to yearn for total communication. Stanza Four asks a general question: what power has caused this situation to exist? Arnold answers “A God.”

Let’s look at how the poem is constructed. This poem is written in iambic tetrameter—a meter that usually reads quickly. But its four stanzas’ rhyme scheme of ababcc makes each end in a rather emphatic couplet, ensuring that the poem’s progress is stately and, even when impassioned, not out of control.

The essential device of “To Marguerite—Continued” is its metaphor comparing human beings to individual islands separated by “the sea of life.” What makes this poem remarkable is how this rather simple comparison grows and branches out to say more and more about the human condition. The islands are conscious. Each person feels caught in the clasp of the sea and thereby know his or her bounds or limits. These “bounds” are endless the way a circle’s bounds are endless; they are also endless in that they are the eternal fact of human life. Stanza Two further develops the metaphor by emphasizing that a each island is near a number of other islands, so near that occasionally songs can be heard from other islands. The word “spring” implies that these occasions happen mainly when we are young, and the songs suggest that the possible communications are lyrical and emotional.

Stanza Three takes the idea of this island even further: as each island has its “farthest caverns,” that is, each individual yearns in the deepest part of his or her being. Moreover, back in geological time the islands could have been “Parts of a single continent!” That is, each human being yearns so hard that he or she comes to envisions a time in the past when these yearnings were satisfied and prays (probably in vain) that the islands can meet once again in the future. The last stanza proceeds without a metaphor in its opening lines, but then Arnold eloquently brings out what had been only implicit before—the nature of the sea itself, the nature of what isolates human beings.

This metaphor is the poem’s most obvious device, but Arnold effectively controls other aspects of language as well. Stanza One begins with four very straight-forward lines uttered in an assured tone, quite unlike the adolescent whining and posturing of many of the other “Switzerland poems.” Here Arnold forcefully constructs a periodic sentence leading up with heavy alliteration (“mortal millions”) to the essential word “alone,” which he italicizes for emphasis. The tone becomes more tender in the concluding couplet as we are invited to feel what the islands feel. (This couplet was set off by an indentation in its first publication.)

Stanza Two, describing the lovely night of brief melodic communion, is the poem’s most lyric passage. With its moon and hollows and glens and nightingales, it provides the poem’s most extended description of a scene which readers can see and hear in their imaginations. And whereas Stanza One was declarative (two sentences, three independent clauses), this stanza is not a really sentence at all, but a long evocative dependent clause or string of clauses.

Stanza Three hits a strident note as the full flood of yearning surfaces. Of the poem’s five exclamation points, three of occur in this stanza. Two are in the first sentence, which is a cry for what might have been; the second marks a prayer for what Arnold hopes may be.

Stanza Four’s changes to a less intimate tone. Arnold grandly demands to know who is responsible in the poem’s most rhetorically pointed and rhythmically jagged lines: “Who ordered that their longing’s fire / Should be, as soon as kindled, cooled?” He answers his question with emphatic repetition and the poem’s last exclamation point: “A God, a God their severance ruled!” This line was also emphasized by indentation in its first publication, and its impassioned force then yields to the controlled, eloquent, and perhaps bitter acceptance of the slow and regularly-paced final couplet. Here Arnold’s diction is particularly resonant. The gulf between us has unknown depths; perhaps it may be plumbed in the distant future, but for now it is too deep to cross. It is salty: literally the ocean is salty, but salt makes wounds even more painful, and salt is the stuff of tears. It is “estranging”—it keeps us strangers to each other.

A longer view: even though “To Marguerite—Continued” is a lyric poem rooted its own age, it shows strong influences of the Latin literature which Arnold knew from his studies. The most important verbal parallels are from an ode by Horace (I iii); Arnold’s word “estranging” probably came from a translation of that ode made by a famous Latin master he knew. But the ocean for Horace only divided him from a friend for a time, whereas the estrangement of Arnold’s ocean is a permanent feature of life. Similarly, Arnold’s isolation is not that of Ortis, a rather Byronic and romantic outlaw figure whose letters are mentioned in the poem’s first title.

Some critics have thought the poem reflects Arnold’s life-long criticism of English culture for being isolated from enlightened European thought. But even though this idea is strongly present in “Dover Beach” (1867), Arnold’s other major poem about isolation, it is no more than a suggestion here.

The poem is not just about estrangement, but a range of estrangements. Certainly, the poem emphasizes the impossibility of love, including sexual love. Arnold regarded it as one of his “Switzerland” poems, which tell a story of explicitly sexual love that seems to be thwarted by Arnold’s hesitations and inhibitions. The bits of communication that are able to occur in Stanza Two consist of nightingales’ songs on a conventionally romantic spring night. Yet the yearnings are not solely sexual; Arnold yearns for total communication. Readers probably respond to this poem for its extravagance. It speaks of longings that come from the heart’s deepest recesses; it unites sexual yearnings with all hopes for intimate knowledge of other people. The word “divinely” may suggest religious yearnings as well. In all cases, the source of unhappiness is located in the sea, not the islands: if it were not for a power outside the individual, that individual might be free. Arnold does not suggest he is in any way responsible for the condition he in which he finds himself.

Arnold’s central metaphor should be contrasted to the famous passage from John Donne’s Devotions (1624): “No man is an Iland, intire of it selfe; every man is a peece of the Continent, a part of the maine.” Against a background of Anglican ritual, Donne says that men and women are not islands, that all of us are joined in the human condition. Two hundred years later, Arnold was a voice of a new generation in a new century. The Church of England had been weakened by dissent and by doubt (in “Dover Beach” the “Sea of Faith” is ebbing). Moreover, such forces as the industrialization of central England and the speed of the passenger train had begun to weaken the social fabric of the old order. People were becoming more isolated; many Victorian sages noted that fact. Arnold’s poem is not only a poem about immature love and human isolation but is a response to the beginnings of a recognizably modern world. This poem is one of the nineteenth century’s most eloquent evocation of this theme.


text:
Knight statues

I’ve found a bit of time to get back to the planned Berlin posts and thought I’d kick off with these. Anyone with an interest in reconstructions of dinosaurs will know the name of Charles R. Knight and his work in books and murals. These however are rather obviously statues, but ones that are apparently identical in all but the number of dimensions to his most famous pieces. I’ve seen things like these before in storage in Munich as was told these were produced alongside his murals, though whether by him or not I don’t know. Still, they are really rather nice and quite literally add another dimension to how these are normally seen.

If you know a bit more about this series (I’ve seen a Stegosaurus too, but unpainted) please let me know. I’m intrigued as to what they are. Did Knight create them as models to work from? Were they sculpted by him or another artist? My suspicion is that they were produced after the murals and then cast and sold onto museums, but I really don’t know.

9 Responses to “Knight statues”

  1. 1 Kilian Hekhuis 08/02/2013 at 10:39 am

    At first just reading the title, I thought you were going to write about this: http://www.colourbox.com/preview/3533298-889599-knight-statue-from-barcelona-passieg-luis-companyos.jpg or the like :) Nice statues though. Are they currently on display?

  2. 2 Bryan Riolo 08/02/2013 at 2:48 pm

    Far as I know, Knight modeled the statues himself. He was an immensely skilled and versatile artist.

  3. 3 Bruce J. Mohn 08/02/2013 at 5:14 pm

    Knight was a very talented sculptor and produced a number of models of extinct and extant animals. Probably his most famous is a set of sculptures depiciting the evolution of elephants. He did sometimes produce models that he used to paint from.

  4. 6 Torbjörn Källström 08/02/2013 at 5:46 pm

    I’d wager they’re maquettes, 3 dimensional sketches, used to figure out the lighting in his paintings.

  5. 8 Ralph A Attanasia III 22/03/2013 at 11:21 pm

    It’s my understanding that he often sculpted the subjects of his paintings before he painted them. He had a sigificant visual handicap due to a childhood injury, and the sculptures helped him paint. Or so I’ve read.

    • 9 David Hone 24/03/2013 at 4:21 pm

      Plenty of artists use maquettes to help them paint (James Gurney does for a start as he’s detailed in his interview on here), but it’s news to me that Knight had any eye problems, most interesting.

Comments are currently closed.

@Dave_Hone on Twitter

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 412 other followers

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 412 other followers

%d bloggers like this:


text:
Weekend wrap-up: Halloween and Hurricanes

Great weekend consisting of pumpkin carving with friends, delicious ribs on the grill courtesy of my want-to-be-chef boyfriend, apple cider sangria (find the recipe here) and dressing up for a Halloween party. Now if only this week were a bit more cheery. Check out the photo at the bottom from NASA of the impending Hurricane Sandy. Keeping my Northeastern friends and family in my thoughts and prayers!

Playing around with eye makeup for my peacock costume. The finished product looked better!

Dressed up with dog :)

Image from NASA of Hurricane Sandy as of approx. 11:30 a.m. Oct. 29.

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Log Out / Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. Log Out / Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out / Change )

Google+ photo

You are commenting using your Google+ account. Log Out / Change )

Connecting to %s

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 486 other followers

%d bloggers like this:


text:
Mental health policy in Australia, for so long ignored, is finally getting attention. The Gillard and Barnett governments have appointed mental health ministers and significant resources are being identified for new and expanded services.

Sport stars, celebrities and politicians have publicly shared their personal battles with depression, bipolar disorder and a host of other problems, helping to destigmatise mental illness.

It may appear at last we are on track to a happier, mentally healthier tomorrow. However, the future direction of mental health in Australia is far from certain.

Just about everybody involved in the debate agrees things need to change but this is where the consensus ends. There are at least three different directions on offer. For the want of better descriptions, I will call them the “Americanisation”, the “preventive psychiatry” and the “recovery” approaches.

Apart from spiralling mental health prescribing rates, the most obvious evidence of the Americanisation of Australia’s mental health system is the dominance of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders diagnostic model. Often referred to as the “Bible of Psychiatry”, the current edition, DSM-IV, outlines the diagnostic criteria of 297 psychiatric disorders.

Subsequent editions of the DSM have thickened as new disorders have been added. This expansion has been exploited by aggressive pharmaceutical company marketing, resulting in the medication of people who would previously have been regarded as “normal”.

With the benefit of hindsight, Professor Allen Frances, the chairman of the task force that developed the DSM-IV, regrets aspects of it as having helped to trigger “three false epidemics, one for autistic disorder … another for the childhood diagnosis of bipolar disorder and the third for the wild overdiagnosis of attention deficit disorder”.

Professor Frances is particularly worried about the next edition, DSM-5, due for publication next year. He contends that further diagnostic expansion driven by the inclusion of pet disorders of enthusiastic researchers will see even more “normal” people made patients and more overprescribing of psychotropic drugs.

Thankfully, there is a significant international revolt, led by Professor Frances, from within the psychiatric and psychological professions, against the further medicalisation of behaviours proposed for DSM-5. This has already caused the American Psychiatric Association to abandon some of its more controversial DSM-5 proposals including “Psychosis Risk Disorder”.

Australia’s most prominent psychiatrist, former Australian of the Year Professor Patrick McGorry, has also expressed concern about the overprescription of psychiatric drugs in the US. However, he argues the risks aren’t as great here.

Unlike the US, we don’t allow direct advertising to consumers. However, the pharmaceutical industry aggressively markets its drugs to the Australian doctors who prescribe them. They also sponsor medical research, conferences, educational opportunities and even patient support groups that “raise awareness” of the disorders their drugs treat.

Professor McGorry is arguably the world’s most prominent advocate of preventive psychiatry. He believes that before the onset of psychosis, depression and other serious mental illness, there is a “prodromal phase” and that intervening then will help save many the misery of full-blown mental illness.

Critics of preventive psychiatry, including Professor Frances, contend it simply doesn’t work. They argue you can’t predict with enough accuracy who will go on to become ill and that even when it is accurate, independent evidence indicates that preventive measures don’t work.

Even Professor McGorry acknowledges that most of the people identified as being at ultra-high risk of developing psychosis, his specialist area, never do. Nonetheless, he argues the benefits of predictive intervention massively outweigh the risks of doing nothing.

The belief that intervention could prevent psychosis was part of the rationale for the Gillard Government’s decision last year to allocate $222.4 million for the rollout of early psychosis prevention intervention centres across Australia. At the time of the decision it looked likely that DSM-5 would include a Psychosis Risk Disorder. Now that is not happening, the future of the “preventive” function of EPPICs is uncertain.

Adding to this uncertainty is preventive psychiatry’s long and continuing history of unsuccessfully experimenting with psychotropic drugs as a means of “immunising” people considered at elevated risk of future mental illness.

While EPPICs will provide a broad range of psychosocial services and also treat patients who are already psychotic, significant questions remain unanswered.

The final option, the recovery approach, centres on developing a patient’s own capabilities and resilience. As opposed to the “ongoing disability” or “impending doom” assumptions inherent in the Americanisation and preventive psychiatry approaches, the recovery approach is more optimistic about the capacity for recovery and less reliant on pills.

It supports mentally ill patients with housing, educational, employment and psychosocial support — building blocks for a healthy and happy mind that can’t be replaced by drugs.

While the recovery approach is more optimistic about human resilience, it is more realistic about the limits of psychiatry than either of the other approaches.

The Americanisation approach is based on the unrealistic assumption that psychiatric science can accurately identify at least 297 different disorders and the preventive psychiatry approach on the fanciful notion that mental illness can be reliably spotted before it happens.

Unfortunately, a significant disadvantage for the recovery approach is that it offers a pessimistic outlook for the profitability of pharmaceutical companies.

If history is any predictor of the future this could prove to be its fatal flaw.

  • Professors Frances and McGorry are keynote speakers at the Asia South Pacific Mental Health Conference hosted by the Richmond Fellowship in Perth, which ends today.

Martin Whitely is the Labor MLA for Bassendean

Popular videos

Compare & Save

Our Picks

Compare & Save

Follow Us

More from The West


text:
I spent a long time on the phone to the US IRS today, to try and find out what’s happened to my application for an ITIN. After a couple of abortive attempts to navigate the menus, I got through to a human. She was basically friendly and helpful and haveaniceday, left me most of the time (45 minutes total) on hold, and failed to find any trace of my application.

Since it’s now 9 weeks since I posted the form, and they say give it six weeks, she suggested I resubmit. I pointed out that what I’d sent had cost $130 (£64) to get my password notarised, and I’m really not happy to repeat that ad infinitem.

OK, I have a journey next week that I could make via London for only about £25-30 extra, and not too much time penalty. Time to phone the US embassy and ask if they can help? And check where I can leave my luggage so I (hopefully) don’t get shot by some security person as I approach it.

Bah, humbug,

Posted on May 9, 2007, in rants, USA. Bookmark the permalink. 3 Comments.

  1. Leave your luggage? As a fanatical facial fluff freedom fighter, you’re bound to blow up something, so why not the embassy?

  2. Welcome to U.S. beauracracy. If you ever need anything from the guvment, good luck getting it in a timely manner… unless you’re needing a prison cell or something. And as far as the IRS lady being friendly? That’s proof enough that the IRS are using robots and you did not get through to a human being.

  3. megaspaz: nope, she wasn’t called fajita. At least, I don’t think she was.

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 102 other followers

%d bloggers like this:


text:
Go to Main Content

Pace University

Detailed Course Information

Spring 2009
Jul 03, 2015
Transparent Image
Information Select the desired Level or Schedule Type to find available classes for the course.

LAW 631 - Torts
This course is a 4 credit offering which is a study of civil wrongs analyzed under the three general theories of tort liability: intent, negligence, and strict liability. This course covers an introduction to tort liability; intentional torts; negligence; nuisance; strict liability; defenses; causation; statutory torts; alternatives to negligence (no-fault); and an introduction to defamation and privacy, products liability and commercial torts. Required course for all first year students
4.000 Credit hours
4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Law-JD, Law-LLM, Law-SJD
Schedule Types: Lecture, Tutorial

Law Department

Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels:

Return to Previous New Search
Transparent Image
Skip to top of page
Release: 8.5.4


text:
Warm Springs Unit Expansion

by on July 01, 2008

Blooming downingia at a vernal pool in Fremont.Photo by Aleta George.

Blooming downingia at a vernal pool in Fremont.

Photo by Aleta George.

With no April showers, the largest vernal pool in the Warm Springs Unit of the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge in Fremont was nothing more than a small mud puddle by the first week of May. Curly dock and European grasses surrounded the dried and cracked mud rendered white and furry from dried algal mats. Swaths of purple downingia and a few dried-up Contra Costa goldfields carpeted the dried-up portions of the pool, and the recently dried mud ring around the last puddle of water was stamped with the three-pronged footprints of shorebirds.

“The pools dried out before the California tiger salamander larvae finished growing. Most of them never even got their legs,” says Meg Marriott, a biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “The shorebirds had a feast.”

Drought years are nothing new to the flora and fauna endemic to vernal pools; California tiger salamanders, vernal pool tadpole shrimp, and Contra Costa goldfields have adapted to annual fluctuations in rainfall. The storm that the species can’t weather, however, is a complete loss of habitat. Throughout California, 90 percent of vernal pools have been filled or developed, so an actively protected and managed refuge such as the 275-acre Warm Springs Unit is vital to the threatened and endangered species that depend on vernal pools.

Earlier this year, 440 acres of uplands, vernal pools, and wetlands were added to the Warm Springs refuge. Two parcels contiguous with the Warm Springs Unit together make up the Pacific Commons Preserve, a mitigation project carried out by Catellus Development Group. On vernal pool land that was once grazed, farmed, and later capped by a racetrack and an airport, Catellus and environmental consultants WRA created new vernal pools and wetland meadows on 97 acres, while leaving 59 acres of existing pool and meadow habitat intact. The preserve was given to the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge by Catellus as mitigation for the development of a nearby commercial site, Pacific Commons. The Oakland Athletics have proposed building a new ballpark on one undeveloped part of Pacific Commons. To receive notices on public meetings about the ballpark proposal, email ballparkvillage@ci.fremont.ca.us.

Leave a Comment


text:
2012-11-30 / TV

Friday Evening Television

Not an online subscriber yet? Sign Up Here
Purchase this online single issue Purchase Now
Note: You must have cookies enabled to use subscription service
Member Functions:
Forgot your password?

Return to top


text:
Skip to content

Repairing a point and shoot camera with a broken focus motor

May 21, 2012

This post will show you how I was able to repair my SONY DSC-T9 camera.

Last week I enjoyed some nice holiday in france. Just when I arrived at the “Cote d’azur” my camera stopped working. It was really frustrating not being able to capture that nice blue water down there.

What was even more frustrating is that the camera I am talking about was my “Sony DSC-T9″. Now why should I worry so much about a 6 year old point-ant-shoot camera? Well, the camera does an excellent job at taking macro pictures with flash. I newer saw a camera as good as my T9. To give you an example:

This is a mosquito sitting on my jacket. I was outside in a park, took my T9 and photographed it. The result is pretty amazing (click on the picture for seeing the original size)

Also the compactness of the camera is impressive. The optics are placed vertical inside the camera body with a prism at the top (this prism acts as a 90° mirror which allows to place the camera inside in the vertical direction). Altogether a nice camera.

Now back to the problem. The camera suddenly took a long time powering on and then showed the error message E:61:00 along with a very blurred image.

By googling the code I quickly found out that this has to do with the focus mechanic and is not user serviceable. It didn’t say it’s not hacker serviceable though…

So the first thing I did when I got back from holiday was to open the camera. This is what I found:

On the left you see a very densely packed PCB with a lot of brown flex cables going in and out. These flex cables are often used in cameras as connectors and also as flexible PCBs. They are really fragile. So if you start working on your camera, try to bend them as little as possible. Also take care of the connectors of these cables. To remove the cables, you have to lift the black plastic parts which are pressing the flex cable into the connector. These plastic parts are also very sensible.

On the right side of the picture above you see the optical system in black. Luckily it is connected by just two flex cables to the left of it. I opened the connectors and could remove the whole unit. On the following picture you see the back of the unit. Surprise, more flex cables. How I love them! (attention: irony).

Now let us look at more details of the optical system. We find three motors here, zoom, focus and shutter. How did I find out which motor is for what? Simple: I removed the motors and moved the optical system by hand. With the camera turned on I could see in live the reaction on the screen.

Here is a close-up picture of the focus motor:

We see two coils and four pins on the motor side. Most probably this is a bipolar stepper motor. Mounted on the axis is a thread rod. This rod moves the green slide seen in the picture below:

As you see the technique is very simple. But still, this camera (and probably most other ones) is a masterpiece of engineering.

By playing around with the removed motor I noticed that turning a rotor felt a bit “sandy”. Like if there is something stuck in the bearing. As it is not possible to disassemble the motor further, I needed to do a little trial and error. My first guess was that adding a drop of oil would solve the problem. Unfortunately that was not the case. So then I tried bending the metal of the motor a bit to change the relative angle of the two bearings of the axis. With success! Afterwards the motor was turning with no problem. After putting everything back together, the camera worked as it always did :)

Maybe some extra info for the curious on how the focus system of this camera works. One interesting thing to notice was, that there is no “end switch” on the focus slide. So the camera cannot really know where the position of the lens currently is. And in fact, it does not need to know. The camera even does not know how far away the object to focus is. Hm, so the camera knows nothing? Yep, but it can “learn” the right focus point. The principle is known as edge based auto-focusing. The camera takes an image patch (usually the marked rectangle on the screen which you point on the object to focus) and calculated the edge image on this patch. An edge image can be seen more or less as a high pass filtered version of an image. Image areas with strong difference in intensity (eg edges) are getting a high value, whereas constant areas (eg surfaces) get a low value.

Now what effect does an unfocused lens have to an image? It acts more or less as a low pass filter. Sharp edges get blurred. High (spatial) frequencies are filtered away.

So, what needs a camera to do to find the best lens position? It just has to shift the lens until it finds the position where the edge image has the most edges in it. This is exactly the point of focus.

You can now probably explain to yourself why the autofocus is so bad at low light. The reason is, that a dark image has relatively low intensity edges, if any. That’s why most cameras have a LED light to brighten up the image patch under examination.

Another little info on that point: Most cameras offer a button for taking close-up shots (the symbol of that button is often a flower). What this button does is also very simple. It shifts the range of the lens move further away from the image sensor. This lets close objects get inside the focus range. The procedure of finding the focus is then the same as in normal mode. Why isn’t the range of the lens move extended to include close and far objects at the same time? Because then the autofocus would take much more time to finish. That is not really desired for a point and shoot camera.

From → Uncategorized

  1. Great explanation. Thank you!

  2. Ron permalink

    Your explanation is well documented! I too am experiencing the same issue with my DSC-T9. I love this camera and want to restore its’ defective focus status. Since i’m an electronic tinkererer, i’ll be performing your procedure. Will keep you informed on my progress. Thank you!

  3. Ron permalink

    I must point out that I was experiencing an E:62:10 error on my Sony DSC-T9.
    I successfully removed the focus motor from the assembly and spun the shaft to verify if it was ‘sandy’, it felt normal with no apparent restriction. I had doubts about the appearance of the green slider but comparing it to your hi-res pic, it appeared to be normal. Removed little particles of dust as well. Re-assembled the unit. After powering up, the out of focus symptoms were still evident. I then pressed the ‘flower’ macro button to see if this would produce any change and pointed the camera to objects over 3 feet and more, pressed halfway and the camera focussed on the object normally as it should. Pressing the trigger button all the way to take a picture resulted a fully focussed image. No more error code.

    I can live with pressing the macro button prior to taking a photo for a properly focussed image. Whoohoo!

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: Logo

You are commenting using your account. Log Out / Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. Log Out / Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out / Change )

Google+ photo

You are commenting using your Google+ account. Log Out / Change )

Connecting to %s

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

%d bloggers like this: