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The Obama administration has expelled two Venezuelan diplomats in retaliation for Venezuela's expulsion of two U.S. military attaches.
Washington wants to repair ties with Venezuela after President Hugo Chavez's death but has made little headway so far. Shortly before Chavez died last week, Venezuela expelled two U.S. Air Force attaches in Caracas for alleged espionage. The Obama administration waited until after Chavez's funeral on Friday to announce any reciprocal action.
The U.S. action comes as Venezuela prepares for an April election to choose a new leader.
On Saturday, junior Venezuelan diplomats Orlando Jose Montanez Olivares and Victor Camacaro Mata were ordered to return home, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters Monday.
Montanez, an official at the embassy in Washington, and Camacaro, who served in Venezuela's New York consulate, left the United States on Sunday.
The U.S. expulsions amount to standard diplomatic retaliation.
The two countries haven't had ambassadors posted in each other's capitals since 2010. Chavez rejected the U.S. nominee at the time, accusing him of making disrespectful remarks about the Venezuelan government. Washington then revoked the visa of Venezuela's ambassador to the U.S.
Beyond the diplomatic tit-for-tat, Venezuelan officials have ratcheted up the anti-U.S. rhetoric of late, accusing Washington of responsibility for Chavez's cancer.
Administration officials declared themselves highly disappointed with Nicolas Maduro, the interim president and Chavez's desired successor, for a news conference he gave last week as the Venezuelan's health worsened. Comparing Chavez to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, Maduro suggested that Chavez had been poisoned.
In recent months, as Chavez's health deteriorated, the administration sounded out Maduro in an attempt to improve relations that became badly strained during Chavez's 14 years in power.
Despite some positive feedback from a November telephone call with Roberta Jacobson, the top U.S. diplomatfor Latin America, American officials see little possibility of a sudden improvement in relations with Venezuela given its upcoming election. Maduro is running against opposition leader Henrique Capriles.
Officially, Washington hasn't taken sides. It has focused its calls on the need for free and fair elections.

subset: commoncrawl


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Home ... What We Do ... Resources ... Fact Sheets ... Shaken Baby Syndrome
Shaken baby syndrome is caused by vigorous shaking of an infant or young child by the arms, legs, chest or shoulders. Forceful shaking can result in brain damage leading to intellectual or developmental disabilities, speech and learning disabilities, paralysis, seizures, hearing loss and even death. It may cause bleeding around the brain and eyes, resulting in blindness. A baby's head and neck are especially vulnerable to injury because the head is so large and the neck muscles are still weak. In addition, the baby's brain and blood vessels are very fragile and easily damaged by whiplash motions, such as shaking, jerking and jolting.
Shaken baby syndrome has been identified by other names such as abusive head trauma, shaken brain trauma, pediatric traumatic brain injury, whiplash shaken infant syndrome and shaken impact syndrome.
Shaken baby syndrome is difficult to diagnose, unless someone accurately describes what happens. Physicians often report that a child with possible shaken baby syndrome is brought for medical attention due to falls, difficulty breathing, seizures, vomiting, altered consciousness or choking. The caregiver may report that the child was shaken to try to resuscitate it. Babies with severe or lethal shaken baby syndrome are typically brought to the hospital unconscious with a closed head injury.
To diagnose shaken baby syndrome, physicians look for retinal hemorrhages (bleeding in the retina of the eyes), subdural hematoma (blood in the brain) and increased head size indicating excessive accumulation of fluid in the tissues of the brain. Damage to the spinal cord and broken ribs from grasping the baby too hard are other signs of shaken baby syndrome. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans can assist in showing injuries in the brain, but are not regularly used because of their expense.
A milder form of this syndrome can also be observed and may be missed or misdiagnosed. Subtle symptoms which may be the result of shaken baby syndrome are often attributed to mild viral illnesses, feeding dysfunction or infant colic. These include a history of poor feeding, vomiting or flu-like symptoms with no accompanying fever or diarrhea, lethargy and irritability over a period of time. Often the visit to the medical facility does not occur immediately after the initial injury. Without early medical intervention, the child may be at risk for further damage or even death, depending on the continued occurrences of shaking.
The true incidence is not known, but estimates range from an annual figure as low as 600 cases per year in the United States to as high as 1400. What is known is that Shaken Baby Syndrome is the most common cause of mortality and accounts for the most long-term disability in infants and young children due to physical abuse (Reece & Kirschner, 1998). One shaken baby in four dies as a result of this abuse (Poissaint & Linn, 1997). Head trauma is the most frequent cause of permanent damage or death among abused infants and children, and shaking accounts for a significant number of those cases (Showers, 1992). Some studies estimate that 15 percent of children's deaths are due to battering or shaking and an additional 15 percent are possible cases of shaking (Showers, 1997). The victims of shaken baby syndrome range in age from a few days to five years but most often involve children younger than 2 years of age (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2001).
While shaken baby abuse is not limited to any special group of people, males tend to predominate as perpetrators in 65 to 90 percent of cases. In the United States, adult males in their early 20s who are the baby's father or the mother's boyfriend are typically the shaker. Females who injure babies by shaking them are more likely to be baby-sitters or child care providers than mothers (Showers, 1997).
Frustration from a baby's incessant crying and toileting problems have been described as events leading to severe shaking. The adult shaker also may be jealous of the attention which the child receives from his or her partner.
There are high mortality rates (chance of dying from the injury) among infant victims, ranging from 15% to 38%, with a median of 20% to 25% (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2001). Immediate medical attention can help reduce the impact of shaking, but many children are left with permanent damage from the shaking. Approximately 25% of shaken babies die from their injuries (Torpy, Lynm & Glass, 2003). The remaining victims exhibit a variety of disabilities, including partial or complete loss of vision, hearing impairments, seizure disorders, cerebral palsy, sucking and swallowing disorders, developmental disabilities, autism, cognitive impairments, behavior problems and permanent vegetative state.
The treatment of survivors falls into three major categories: medical, behavioral and educational. In addition to medical care, children may need speech and language therapy, vision
therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy and special education services. Some may need the assistance of feeding experts and behavioral consultants (Showers, 1997).
Dr. John Caffey who first described shaken baby syndrome in 1972 called for a massive public education program to describe the dangers of shaking infants. Experts' views vary on the effectiveness of education. Some experts believe that shaking is primarily the result of anger felt by an adult, combined with a loss of impulse control, and that the perpetrator is aware of the potential harm to the child. They say that shaken baby syndrome requires a great deal of force by the shaker, such that the ordinary person would recognize the action as harmful to a child (Showers, 1997).
Other experts believe lack of knowledge about the dangers of shaking is a contributing factor and that most people don't intend to harm or kill children by shaking them. Thus, they believe physicians, social workers, educators, attorneys, families and others should collaborate to educate the public about preventing shaken baby syndrome. In addition to public education, other proposed strategies to reduce the problem include identifying families at high risk for abuse and providing supports to reduce stress and funding and monitoring high quality child care, so that parents leave their children with safe caregivers.
Parents should receive information about shaken baby syndrome prevention in the hospital and/or at their child's two-month immunization appointment. Pediatricians and nurses should talk to parents about their level of stress and how they respond to a crying infant who can not be readily calmed. They can discuss adequate care for infants and how the family is adjusting to the new family member. Guidance can be given to let parents know that a crying infant should never be shaken and what to do when their frustration is overwhelming. Any professional or experienced caregiver who interacts with parents of newborns and young children can assist in this effort.
Child caregivers, teenage baby sitters and respite workers should be warned by parents and others of the dangers of shaking a child. Day care centers should train staff and display shaken baby information in their facilities to inform both workers and parents. All child care providers should be screened by the parent to determine the potential caregiver's ability to understand infant behavior and how he or she might handle stressful situations, such as incessant crying. Social service agencies, state and national agencies and hospitals need to educate the public as well. Some agencies can assist parents or caregivers who may have a strong or recurrent impulse to shake their children, such as CHILDHELP's National Child Abuse Hotline (1-800-422-4453 or 1-800-4-ACHILD). For more information about Shaken Baby Syndrome, contact the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome toll free at 1-888-273-0071 or visit their web site at www.dontshake.org.
The Shaken Baby Syndrome: A multidisciplinary approach (2002) published by The Haworth Maltreatment & Trauma Press. Order on line at the American Academy of Pediatrics web site at www.aap.org or call 1-847-434-4000.
The Arc thanks Susan Palmer, Ph.D., University of Kansas and former staff member of The Arc, who was the original author of this fact sheet.
August, 2009
The Arc, 1825 K Street, NW, Suite 1200, Washington, DC 20006(800) 433-5255, ©2018 All rights reserved.
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[Originally posted in February of 2012 at FireExit]
Greece is building a $7.3 Million Barbed Wire Fence To Keep Out Illegal Immigrants
Feb. 9, 2012 – In a bid to curb the number of illegal immigrants that enter the country, Greece has begun construction on a 6 mile-long, 13 foot-tall barbed-wire-topped fence along its border with Turkey, EUObserver reports.
The fence — to be completed in September in the Evros region on the Greek-Turkish border — will be equipped with a network of night-vision cameras providing live feed to a new command center, according to Greek newspaper ENet. The project will cost cash-strapped Greece about €5.5 million ($7.3 million).
Greece is one of the 26 EU nations part of the Schengen Area, which has external border controls but none within the zone. And since Greece is on the edge of the area, and Turkey has not signed the Schengen Agreement, Greece is required to maintain its border controls, according to the AP.
To make matters more complicated, Turkey's lax visa requirements mean that nationals from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Syria, Jordan, Libya, and Iran do not need a visa to enter Turkey, making Greece the most common illegal entrypoint into Europe. The Greek-Turkish border is 180 kilometers (112 miles) long.
While the European Commission called the fence a national issue, it criticized it as being a "pointless" short-term solution.
Christos Papoustis (sic), a former European commissioner and currently Greece's minister for citizen protection said the fence has both "practical and symbolic value." "Traffickers should know that this route will be closed to them. Their life is about to get much harder," he said.
According to official figures, around 55,000 migrants were arrested in the area last year Turkey's Hurriyet Daily News reports.
NGOs are worried that fencing off the land border will divert refugees fleeing violence in Africa and the Middle East to more dangerous routes in the Balkans or Ukraine, the EUObserver says.
After a significant number of studies and reports on the effectiveness of a variety of measures on blocking international migration (or even plain old common sense) the Greek government should have figured out that fences are generally a very stupid idea! NGOs may be missing here another level of tragic "unseen" results of the fence policy – that is, the many more drownings in the Aegean Sea since the barrier will push immigrants and their slave-traders to increasingly pursue sea routes in more dangerous conditions! This has been the international experience e.g. in the case of crossings at more remote locations on the US-Mexico border.
There is of course also a longer-term perspective on what the country will eventually be missing out when it spends money on blocking people instead of governing their wider integration and participation in the commons. I defer to Sir Peter Hall and Chapter 2 of his "door-stop" volume Cities in Civilization, titled 'The Fountainhead' (not THAT Fountainhead), examining the city of Athens at its most enlightened period in history: 500 – 400 BC. After describing the rather cushy everyday lives of the Athenian citizenry, which essentially formed a "gigantic civil service" (sounds familiar?), the author moves on to discussion the class of the metics, the productive pillar of ancient Athens – a class of residents that the city would have missed out on in a hypothetical regime of fence-building:
Yet someone had to keep the economy going. In this extraordinary society, a peculiar but vitally important position was held by the resident aliens or metics. The so-called 'metoikoi' were in fact a small though special sub-group, who made a special tax called 'metoikion' to live in Athens permanently, of a much larger group of free migrants or 'katoikoi'. These 'katoikountes' included very large numbers on non-Hellenes; though the majority were Greeks […], including ex-slaves who had found their freedom, by the fourth century BC they also included Thracians, Phrygians, Carians, Paphlagonians, Celts, Lydians, Syrians , Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Egyptians, Arabians, Scythians, and Persians.
The metics had no political rights (politics was the primary concern of citizens) and could not own land, but did enjoy "personal freedom, protection of the law, liberty of worship and almost unlimited work opportunities". They essentially run the economy – by the fourth century, they constituted about half of all professionals!:
Here, 'their keenness and energy are amazing': 'They do everything… The Metics do the removal of rubbish, mason's work, and plastering, they capture the wood trade, timber construction, and rough carpentry, metal work and all subsidiary occupations are in their hands […]. Metics played and equally prominent part in art, medicine and, above all, philosophy. 'To art it was but a step from industry', since the craftsmen became artists. […] Athens, the city that gave them hospitality, owed its striking intellectual achievements overwhelmingly to them, as it drew on the intellectual resources of the entire eastern Mediterranean, to become Europe's first truly cosmopolitan city.
Greece in the time of the Troika and deep recession admittedly presents some complications in the idea of uncontrolled migration. Migrants that enter a country dominated by lawlessness and unaccountability may adopt the bad behaviors of their hosts. But it may also be that one of the solutions to our current problems is an external "imported" re-invigoration of economic activity (and yes, culture!) through openness to all immigrants and especially those who bring important skills in crafts, are dynamic and entrepreneurial, and thirsty for building up their livelihoods, achieving significant improvements in their quality of life.


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Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas on Saturday conveyed the resumption of peace talks with Israel is impossible before a complete freeze on West Bank settlement construction is put in place. In comments follwing his meeting with US secretary of state Hillary Clinton in Abu Dhabi, the Palestinian leader said the Israeli government should honour its obligations, in particualr those related to a total halt on the settlements.
"The problem is that the Israeli government refuses to stop building settlements" in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. "The question Jerusalem was at the center of talks during our meeting today", Abbas said adding that "peace starts in Jerusalem".
According to WAM, Abbas said Arabs, Muslims and the whole world is responsible for the issue of Jerusalem "which is in real danger." "Without Jerusalem, there will be no point in peace," Abbas warned. "We came up with nothing new", Abbas stressed, adding that no breakthrough was made at the meeting with Mrs. Clinton.
US Middle East envoy George Mitchell was also present at the meeting.


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A former Spartanburg High School teacher and coach is accused of sexually touching a student on the Freshman Academy campus.
A former Spartanburg High School teacher and coach is accused of sexually touching a student on the Freshman Academy campus.
The Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office has charged Courtney Clark Kay, 29, of 113 Rosemary Road in Spartanburg, with third-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor under age 16.
The Special Victims Unit investigated a parent's complaint that Kay inappropriately communicated with her 14-year-old child through Facebook. Kay was the student's science teacher. She also previously coached the girls' junior varsity volleyball team.
The child's parent reported the matter to authorities on Jan. 30.
Spartanburg School District 7 officials were notified of the parent's complaint and confronted Kay that same day and she resigned after admitting to violating the district's policy on fraternizing with students, according to a written statement from the sheriff's office.
Investigators later determined that Kay allegedly touched the victim in a sexually inappropriate manner on the Spartanburg Freshman Academy campus.
Kay was questioned Friday by investigators for several hours. She confessed to most of the victim's allegations, according to the statement. She was booked into the Spartanburg County Detention Center around 9:45 p.m. to await a bond hearing.
District 7 assisted law enforcement with the investigation.
Spartanburg District 7 Superintendent Russell Booker said that Kay had worked as a District 7 science teacher for four years and had coached in the past, but was not a coach this year.
Booker said anytime allegations of this nature are made against a teacher, the district notifies the S.C. Department of Education and presents the facts. The agency will determine whether Kay will keep her teaching license.


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Dusk falls across Seventh Lake in Inlet, NY as the last light of the day paints the horizon.
A storm clears out over Raquette Lake as the sun sets on another wonderful day in the mountains.
Dawn on Lake Champlain
Day breaks on Lake Champlain along the beach and ferry dock in Port Kent, NY.
Adirondack Loj Road
The view from the Adirondack Loj Road, Lake Placid, NY
A clear (and cold!) night on Seventh Lake, Inlet, NY.
Leaves gently floated down to the dock on Seventh Lake during a cold, clear night in Inlet, NY.
The autumn sun sets on the Fulton Chain of Lakes in Inlet, NY.
The sun sets on Fourth Lake in Inlet, NY as fog rolls over the water.
Signs of Autumn on the way to Secret Falls, Raquette Lake, NY.
Autumn colors on a crystal clear afternoon along the Hudson River.
It was a beautiful autumn day and I was on my way to Blue Mountain Lake for the opening of a friend's gallery show. Cold nights and crisp days had the foliage blazing. I couldn't help myself from photographing this spot along the Hudson River.
A fiery sunset makes a dramatic transition from day to night on a cold November day on Seventh Lake, Inlet, NY.
The sun sets on Fourth Lake in Inlet, NY viewed from Rocky Mountain.
A beautiful Autumn day on Lake Durant in Blue Mountain Lake, NY.
The fog rolls across Fourth Lake as the last colors of sunset fade and the moon rises high overhead. Inlet, NY
Autumn colors along the Hudson River.
A wonderful summer afternoon on Bald Mountain overlooking the Fulton Chain.
The ice on Seventh Lake is in full retreat during this spring sunset in Inlet, N.Y.
Snowmobile tracks on on Fourth Lake in Inlet, NY viewed from Rocky Mountain.
The sun sets over Seventh Lake in Inlet, NY.
Autumn colors ablaze on a clear September day.
A late summer sunset over Seventh Lake in Inlet, N.Y. viewed from the Seventh Lake boat launch.
A storm clears over Lake Durant in Blue Mountain Lake, NY.
Raquette Lake, NY.
The Super Moon rises over Seventh Lake, Inlet, NY in May 2012.
AdirondackNew YorkNYNatureSummerSunsetSeventh LakeInletLandscapeOld ForgeStarsLakeDockNight


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Views: 934
Never replied to this - sorry. I would use untreated wood. The treatment may be toxic to the bees.
Tonya, Glad it arrived! I hope some grow! Last year I stuck about a dozen cuttings of similar size into my wine-barrel planters among strawberries chilis and lettuce/radish/onions. Almost all of them grew. Some may not have survived this winter tho. The plum seeds would be ideal, will give me something to play with and maybe eat someday!
Resurrected this post. Thinking about more than mason bees this year. Honey bees are much more complicated, and there is expense involved. Some times that's the good thing about a project. A good project can bring about blissful forgetfulness about the world around us.
Mason bees are compatible with honey bees. They get along without conflict. I've been housing mason bees for about 6 years. This winter is s good time to get out the drill and some pieces of wood and make new houses.
Planting for the bees - more mints. This fall I planted a linden tree - from what I've read, bees love linden flower. We have some wild cherries. In the Spring, those blossoms are covered by mason bees. Plus multiple fruit trees, which are pollinated by bees and which bees benefit from greatly.
We are planning a wildflower area where there is currently some lawn. Not planned for bees, but it will fit in with the bees, perfectly.
Doubtless, will post more as time passes. Flowers - and therefore, vegetables, fruits, and most of the trees and bushes that we grow - co-evolved with pollinating insects. They are part of the same system, and they need each other.
Heres a miocene epoch bee in amber, from wikimedia commons.
Miocene epoch ranges form 5 to 23 million years ago. Even though that seems like a long time, it's a modern era, with mammals, trees, flowers. Not like now, however - this also from wikipedia
Here's a modern drawing of the honey bee anatomy. From bees-online.com
Such a small creature to be so complex. Add to that, their complex social structure and communication strategies. A lot in a small package.
You give me a new perspective on bees. I will be more respectful of them in the future.
Didn't know about Mason Bees. I may have seen some and assumed they were flies. Sounds like they're good in the city. What is the optimum length of their tunnels?
"I am writing with concerns about the role that neonicotinoid pesticides like clothianidin may play in the growing phenomenon of Colony Collapse Disorder and the threat that these massive honey bee die-offs pose to both the future of the species and to our food supply."
~ Dr. Steven Bradbury, Director of the Office of Pesticide Programs, EPA
Here two helpful sites that may help.
Save Our Environment Action Center
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Those who present contrary views are sometimes written off as cantankerous cranks. But with accepted formulas so regularly being discredited, those who stand against the grain might be our truth tellers and prophets.
What if, for instance, rather than lamenting the decline in serious reading among young people, we embraced their ability to learn more and learn faster through quick-paced technology that encourages multi-tasking? What if books are, like newspapers, yesterday's news, and that's okay?
Jeff Jarvis, an outspoken champion of new, hyperlocal and social media, asks simply, "Who says our way is the right way?"
Reacting to Matt Richtel's long piece in Sunday's New York Times, Growing up digital, wired for distraction, Jarvis says that the apparent inability of youngsters to make it through a book is not, prima facie, a problem, only a challenge:
Is this new generation distracted or advanced? How can they best learn? How can they teach? What tools can we use today besides books? What new opportunities do all their tools present? That's what educators should be asking.
The Times sets up its piece in a predictable fashion: "On the eve of a pivotal academic year in Vishal Singh's life, he faces a stark choice on his bedroom desk: book or computer?" We quickly learn Singh's choice.
On YouTube, Singh explains, "you can get a whole story in six minutes. A book takes so long."
The Times report, which cites studies on the use of technology by young people, is largely displeased with this. "Downtime is to the brain what sleep is to the body," said Dr. Michael Rich of Harvard Medical School and the Center on Media and Child Health. "But kids are in a constant mode of stimulation."
Back to Jarvis:
A group of Danish academics say we are passing through the other side of what they wonderfully call the Gutenberg Parenthesis, leaving the structured, serial, permanent, authored, controlled era of text and returning, perhaps, to what came before the press: a time when communication and content cross, when process dominates product, when knowledge is distributed by people passing it around, when we remix it along the way, when we are more oral and aural. …
Gutenberg scholar Elizabeth Eisenstein reminds us that for 50 years after the invention of the press, we continued to put old wine in this new cask, replicating scribal fonts, content, and models. That's what's happening now: We are trying to fit our old world into the new one that is emerging. We're assuming the old way is the right way.


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|General Information
|Physical Description
|Shorter than most Men
|Good stoneworkers, mysterious powers, glowing red eyes
|Average height
Woses is a name for the Drúedain, used mainly by the Rohirrim. They were the race of Men that lived in the Drúadan Forest at the end of the Third Age. They were one of the least numerous and most mysterious races in Middle-earth.
First Age
The Drúedain were part of the Edain who left Hildórien for the West. They were harried and persecuted by other Men and remained secretive and suspicious. They wandered west seeking a land where they could be hidden and have peace.[1]
Historians in Gondor believed that they came from lands south of Mordor, perhaps Khand and before reaching the coasts of Haradwaith they turned north into Ithilien, and eventually were the first to cross the Anduin (probably near Cair Andros). Then they settled in the northern vales and wooden lands of the White Mountains in both sides, later known as Púkel-Men.[1]
They were joined by the ancestors of the Haladin and stayed on friendly terms. When the core of their team was pressed to wander on, some Drúedain accompanied them to Beleriand.[1]
The other remained in the Mountains, in spite of their persecution by later-arrived tall Men of Darkness from the East, who hunted the Drúedain and brought them almost to extinction. They fled into the forests of Anórien and down the Cape of Andrast into Drúwaith Iaur.[1]
Groups of remaining Drúedain became numerous but a barbarous fisher-folk which dwelt in the marshlands between the mouths of the Gwathló and Isen[2][3]
The Drúedain of Beleriand lived among the Second House of Men, the Haladin, in the First Age in the forest of Brethil.
Second Age
Later, a number of the Drúedain were present in Númenor, but they had left or died out before the Downfall, as had the Púkel-men of Dunharrow.[1]
Those between Isen and Gwathló and Isen were reduced to a few tribes of fishers and fowlers.[3] They began to fear the Númenóreans and when their occupation of the coastlands began, the Woses survived in the mountains of the promontory of Andrast, which was never occupied by the Númenóreans.[1] They were the reason why the Pre-Númenóreans hunted by the Sea Kings did not cross the Isen nor take refuge in the Cape, because they were afraid of the Pukel-men.[4]
At the end of the Third Age they still lived in the Drúadan Forest of the White Mountains, and at the long cape of Andrast west of Gondor. The region north of Andrast was still known as Drúwaith Iaur, or "Old Drûg land".
Though the Drúedain largely held themselves apart from the troubles and calamities of Middle-earth, they were clearly a good-hearted people: their most significant contribution to the Free Peoples was showing the Rohirrim paths through their forest. Without their aid, the Rohirrim would have arrived at the Pelennor Fields much later, suffering losses from an Orc army that was waiting for them. The Woses then used poison-darts and arrows to hold off an army of Orcs searching for the Rohirrim.
Beyond that, though, their contribution to the history of Middle-earth is little. Even after the War of the Ring, when King Elessar granted the Drúadan Forest to be theirs forever, they never showed their faces again, nor was any alliance or trading system struck up between them and Gondor.
There is no record of their acts in the Fourth Age, but it is clear that they never mingled with the Free Peoples, content to live their mysterious life in the Drúadan Forest, until they faded away into the mists of history and legend.
In appearance, the Woses were short, stumpy-bodied men, possibly related to the Pukel-men of ancient Rohan. They had disproportionate bodies and small, sunken eyes that glowed red when they were angry or suspicious. Elves described them as 'unlovely', and it is clear that they were, though not evil, as their appearance led many to believe.
- Drughu: the Drúedain's own name for themselves. Drughu is ultimately the source of the Sindarin 'Drú' and many of the other names they are known by.
- Drú/Drúin: Simple Sindarin term for the Drughu, singular and plural.
- Drúath: An earlier Sindarin collective (that means, plural) term for the Drúedain, modified as early as the First Age when it became known that they were enemies of the orcs. Later used to refer to a large number of the Drúedain as opposed to 'Drúin' which was a simple pluralisation (As 'Woses' to the singular 'Wose') and Drúedain, used to refer to the race as a whole.
- Drúadan/Drúedain: Meaning 'Drú-men'. It also has possessive qualities as in the case of Drúadan Forest
- Drûg-folk: Rarely used collective term.
- Róg/Rógin: Rohirric terminology, singular/plural respectively (as in 'Drúg'/'Drúedain'. In Tolkien's text it is translated as Wose(s).
- Wose/Woses: A term borrowed from Old English by Tolkien as a translation of the Rohhirric 'Róg'. This is perhaps the most common term used by readers of the text.
- Rú/Rúatani: Quenya terms for the Drughu, derived from their Sindarin counterparts. Singular/plural respectively.
The word Wose represents Tolkien's translation of the actual word róg of the Rohirrim into archaic English.
"Woses" is Anglicized (modernized) from the Old English word wāsan meaning "wild, neglected". It is seen in the name Wuduwasas (who are the direct inspiration of the Woses) and means "Wild men of the woods".
In Western folklore, the "wuduwasa" or "wood man" is a hairy, troll-like being supposed to inhabit woods and forests; the figure was used on coats-of-arms and illuminations during the middle-ages up to the renaissance.
Both the description of Woses, as well as the word "Wose" itself, derives from this folkloric figure. According to Tolkien his idea was to show the actual existence of wild folk, remnants of former peoples driven out by invaders, living a debased and savage life in forests and mountains.[5]
See Also
External links
- Woodwoses at Wikipedia
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "The Drúedain"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "The History of Galadriel and Celeborn"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "The Battles of the Fords of Isen"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "The History of Galadriel and Celeborn"
- ↑ Nomenclature


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Mckinlee turned two on Sunday!!! I can not believe it has already been two years since my little princess came into this world. Many of you got me through the three days of waiting for her to come. There were a few complications when she was born but she is a healthy, happy and VERY active little girl. Josh, Bristol and Mckinlee have been in their new apartment and on their own for six months now and they are doing GREAT!!!
Here are a few pictures from the day she was born through today. I hope you enjoy seeing how much she has grown.
The night she finally arrived. She stayed in the nursery for 4 days but we she overcame like a trooper.
Here first year.
Daddy's little girl. They absolutely adore one another.
One of the best mothers I have ever know. Bristol is one of a kind.
Our PBT baby growing into a little lady.


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You searched for: Languages English Remove constraint Languages: English Genre Academic Dissertations Remove constraint Genre: Academic Dissertations Dates by Range 1750-1799 Remove constraint Dates by Range: 1750-1799 Start Over
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1. An inaugural dissertation on the malignant fever: which prevailed in the city of New-York during the months of August, September, and October, in the year 1791 : submitted to the examination of the Rev. William Linn ..., and to the Trustees and faculty of Queen's College, New-Jersey, for the degree of Doctor of Medicine, with the rights and immunities thereunto appertaining
- Publication:
- New-York : Printed by T. and J. Swords, no. 27, William-Street, 1792
- Subject(s):
- Typhus, Epidemic Louse-Borne
Disease Outbreaks
New York City


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Kitchen fires have become a hot issue and Lancaster County firefighters hope to cool down the subject.
Kitchen fires will be a top issue addressed during the 19th annual Lancaster County Fire Expo set, for Saturday, Oct. 12, in the University Place (Walmart Supercenter) parking lot on S.C. 9 Bypass West.
County firefighters, according to statistics, have responded to 78 structure fires that began in the kitchen area in 2012.
"The kitchen fires are an issue in Lancaster County," said Lancaster County Fire Marshal Stephen Blackwelder.
Veteran's Day and Memorial Day are two notable occasions we pause to honor those who have served and others who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our nation in the armed forces.
There are other days and other ways.
One is with the Lancaster County Veterans Affairs Office, which is looking for dedicated folks to serve as volunteer van drivers to take veterans to medical appointments in Columbia and Rock Hill.
It's almost showtime for the eighth annual Indian Land Fall Festival and fourth annual S.C. Championship Chili Cookoff.
Saturday's festival, promises to be a lot of fun for everyone from toddlers to teens and older folks, all for a good cause.
"This is the largest single event in Indian Land all year long," festival co-chair Tracy Little said said.
He's hoping the festival will draw more than 10,000 visitors.
Today is the 12th anniversary of "the day that changed the world." A lot has changed since knife-wielding hijackers crashed two airplanes into the World Trade Center, toppling its twin 110-story towers, slammed a third plane into the Pentagon and a fourth crashed in a Pennsylvania field.
The National September 11 Memorial & Museum is under construction near ground zero and is set to open in 2014.
The museum stands not only as a testament of remembrance, but also to our nation's resiliency to rebuild and rebound.
It's a known fact the Lancaster County School District is blessed with its share of great teachers.
Any doubting Thomases should have been at the district's recent Celebrate Great Teaching, which annually ushers in the new school term at Lancaster High School.
A highlight of the event was the salute to the 2012-13 Celebrate Great Teaching winners.
The latest winners included Brittany McManus, Traci Shigley, Shelby Schwartz and Richard Gay.
McManus, a Discovery School fifth-grade teacher, won the Beginning Celebrate Great Teaching Award.
If you're ready for some football, there will be plenty of it today, Aug. 23, at the annual Founders Kickoff Classic, a scrimmage involving all four county schools, at Buford High School's Jackets Stadium.
Action opens with Central High School of Pageland playing Fort Mill High School at 6 p.m. Next up is Andrew Jackson High School against McBee High School at 6:45 p.m. The third period features Lancaster High School facing Indian Land High School at 7:30 p.m. Host Buford caps play with a battle with Lancaster at 8:15 p.m.
The 2013 Lancaster Dixie Baseball season is in the books and it's been quite a story.
The 2013 LDB seasons saw five all-star teams advance to state tournament play.
"We did really well," said veteran LDB chairman David Hance. "These coaches and players were outstanding. Their parents, grandparents and fans had plenty to cheer about this summer."
The youth baseball organization's 2013 all-star campaign ended with the AA stars, ages 7-8, playing in the Dixie Youth Baseball regional tournament in Walterboro.
Heath Springs Mayor Ann Taylor recently received a nice surprise.
Taylor, the Heath Springs mayor since 1990, received the Hettie Ricket Leadership Award last month in North Myrtle Beach.
The award was presented by the S.C. Community Development Association which honors community development leaders. The group is affiliated with the Municipal Association of South Carolina.
The Hettie Ricket Leadership Award is named after Hettie Ricket, a Cassatt native from neighboring Kershaw County who worked to get water service for her community.
Declaring independence from the mother country England was to be celebrated with devotion to God, pomp, parades, shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations from one end of the United States to the other – forever more. That was how John Adams said the American colonies were to claim their freedom on July 2, 1776.
However, the official declaration day wasn't until two days later and some historians still debate the official day.
The Andrew Jackson High School Volunteer Regiment is going to be in some "high cotton" come July Fourth.
The school's award-winning band will be among the nation's elite when it goes to Washington, D.C., for the annual National Independence Day Parade.
The AJ band earned its trip to the nation's capital after its division-winning performance in the Hartsville High Tournament of Bands last fall.
Copyright © 2019
The Lancaster News is your source for local news, sports, events, and information in Lancaster County and Lancaster, South Carolina, and the surrounding area..


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Managing a farm business means that information is gathered and used to make decisions to improve the operation.
Agricultural business managers do that with yield changes, health problems, cost changes and more. However, in the very important area of labor management, we often neglect to gather information, and as a result, the business suffers.
This is the case when we don't understand what factors were involved in employees' decisions to leave.
Operating a farm successfully usually means that we achieve goals through quality employees. Hiring and keeping good employees, and helping them become better, is critical to that success.
When productive employees leave, we often miss the opportunity to gather information from them that will help improve labor management and possibly, farm profitability.
Extension suggests exit interviews as a strategy to collect information with which managers could improve the performance of all present and future employees. However, exit interviews are rarely used among agricultural producers.
Will employees provide honest feedback to their employer when they decide to leave? They may not, which is why businesses typically utilize a third-party interviewer such as a personnel director or employment service. The interview should be about gathering objective information, not defending the way things were done.
There are several areas where managers could gain good information through exit interviews, starting with questions about the employee's understanding of he farm mission, goals and how they contributed to them. What did they believe were their roles and responsibilities? The perception of roles and responsibilities gets to the issue of communication and consistency in management.
Sometimes managers assume employees know the goals and how their performance relates to those. But assuming that doesn't make it so.
Ask about training
Find out about the adequacy of employee training and development. Were operations and policies clear to employees? Was adequate training provided and support in place to learn the necessary skills?
Employees who are leaving should be questioned about whether they felt they received feedback about their performance frequently enough and whether or not it was useful feedback. Was the feedback specific enough to allow them to improve performance? Ask your employees. Employees who don't feel their work is noticed, appreciated or recognized will not be long-term employees.
There are areas of agricultural operations that need to be evaluated and can only be evaluated by asking employees.
Did they feel free to make suggestions about improving operations? Were their ideas sought and valued? Was the personal safety of employees a priority? Were the working conditions suitable? Were all employees treated equitably and was compensation fair?
Ask about specific changes that would have improved the work experience in those areas. Finally, ask why the employee is leaving and what key factors resulted in the decision to leave.
The truth is that farm managers can be blind to some things. These blind spots become weaknesses. Employees can help fill in those areas we don't see well.
Producers often struggle with labor management, yet don't learn from those who could best provide valuable input. Exit interviews don't take the place of evaluations and getting feedback from employees on a regular basis, but they can provide valuable information through which you can become a better manager.
Think about what you want to know and start drafting questions. You might try them out on current employees to let them know you are interested in their opinions.
When you ask and listen, you'll learn.


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Cats and traps lie ahead for unmanned X-47B as work-up to 2013 carrier demonstration begins
Spring 2012 at NAS Patuxent River, Md., and an unusual shape joins the F-35 Joint Strike Fighters flying the pattern at the U.S. Navy's test center. The tailless flying wing is Northrop Grumman's X-47B unmanned combat air system demonstrator (UCAS-D), being prepared for autonomous landings on an aircraft carrier in 2013.
The Navy may be late to the unmanned-aircraft game, but it is pushing the technology in terms of both capability and autonomy. In addition to UCAS-D, the service is launching the Autonomous Aerial Cargo/Utility System (Aacus) program to prototype advanced capabilities for vertical-takeoff-and-landing (VTOL) unmanned aircraft systems (UAS).
Just as Aacus is expected to feed technology into the Navy's program to deploy the shipborne VTOL Medium-Range Multi-Role UAS by 2019, UCAS will inform its plans to field the Unmanned Carrier-Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike System (Uclass) by 2018, and develop a sixth-generation F/A-XX to replace the Boeing F/A-18E/F after 2030.
Operational studies under the UCAS program have shown that a long-endurance, aerial-refueled unmanned combat aircraft could significantly extend the surveillance and strike reach of a carrier battle group. But first the Navy must get comfortable with bringing an unmanned aircraft on to the flightdeck.
Though UCAS-D is a demonstration, and not a prototype for Uclass, the system architecture and operating concepts developed to enable the 44,000-lb. X-47B to land safely on a carrier—and particularly changes to the ship's command-and-control system—could carry over.
The first of two X-47Bs completed Block 1 envelope-expansion flight tests at Edwards AFB, Calif., on Nov. 17, and air vehicle 1 (AV-1) is to be shipped to Pax River by year-end to begin Block 2 carrier-suitability testing, including land-based catapult launches and arrested landings. The second X-47B, AV-2, made its first flight at Edwards on Nov. 22.
In 16 sorties since its initial flight on Feb. 4, AV-1 has expanded the envelope to 220 kt. airspeed and 15,000 ft. altitude—a task that was originally expected to take a year and require 49 flights. "AV-2 will continue to expand the envelope, and when it ships [to Pax River] all the necessary corners to go to the carrier will have been cleared," says Carl Johnson, Northrop Grumman vice president and UCAS-D program manager.
While gathering flying-qualities data, AV-1 has flown simulated carrier approaches at altitude. "All X-47B flight-test data look very good and will support our carrier demonstration objectives," says Capt. Jaime Engdahl, Navy UCAS program manager. "We found no technical issues during any of the flights and it took considerably less flight time than predicted to execute all of our planned test points." As a result, AV-2 could be moved to NAS Pax early, in spring 2012.
The speed of envelope expansion is due in part to the accuracy and predictability with which the 62.1-ft.-wingspan X-47B executes the preprogrammed test points. But it is also due to Northrop's familiarly with its signature cranked-kite planform, and to extensive modeling and simulation. Engdahl says the aircraft simulation model accounts for about a third of the 3.4 million lines of software code for the UCAS-D program.
"The modeling and simulation is correlating so well with flight-test data that we can use it to add confidence and reduce on-aircraft testing. It significantly reduced the number of flights required to expand the envelope," says Johnson. "The future for UAS with robust modeling and simulation is we will not have to fly the platform as much as manned systems, which are less predictable."
"The aircraft is flying exactly the way the model said," says Engdahl, adding no flight-control changes have been required. "Control-law development has been very robust," agrees Johnson. "We've had no issues, but then our developers have quite a bit of experience with this planform design."
Confidence in the aircraft's behavior will be crucial at Pax, where the Lockheed Martin F-35B and C are being flight-tested and where disruption to normal operations when the X-47B is flying must be minimized. "When we begin flying there, operating an unmanned aircraft from an active naval air station, it will be a significant step forward," says Johnson.
The Navy has experience operating the unmanned Global Hawk Maritime Demonstrator from Pax. "They started conservatively, keeping all other traffic away. As they became comfortable with the system, they gradually integrated it into the airspace," he says, predicting "It won't be too long before it will be hard to tell the X-47B from other flights."
While the X-47B is conducting cats and traps at Pax, additional tests of two manned surrogates—a King Air and F/A-18D equipped with UCAS-D avionics—will certify the software and systems for the 2013 demonstration. "We will install the system on the ship and take the King Air and F/A-18 out to certify the carrier, so when we plug in the X-47B it will be relatively seamless," says Engdahl.
The F/A-18D surrogate conducted the first autonomous arrested landings on a carrier in July. During the at-sea tests, the aircraft made 36 approaches to the USS Eisenhower, 16 touch-and-go landings and six coupled approaches to arrested landings. All were conducted "hands off," and in the same way the X-47B will land, but with a pilot onboard for safety and redundancy.
"We've exercised all the functionality with the surrogates," says Engdahl. The Eisenhower tests included straight-in, or Case 1, instrument approaches where the unmanned system took over control 8 nm behind the ship; and visual, or Case 3, approaches where the system took over as the F/A-18 passed the carrier on the downwind leg and then turned the aircraft on to its final approach.
The autonomous landings demonstrated the precision-GPS ship-relative navigation technology at the heart of UCAS-D. The carrier sends its GPS position to the aircraft via a low-latency, high-integrity Tactical Targeting Network Technology data link. The aircraft, which has triple-redundant GPS/inertial navigation systems, calculates its position relative to the moving ship and guides itself to a touchdown on the flightdeck.
"Surrogate testing with the F/A-18 using prototype software validated the algorithms. Now we are turning it into production software to do all the rigorous qualification and certification testing required by Navair [Naval Air Systems Command], to ensure we have thought of every contingency," says Johnson. "Over the next year we will go through the work-up to validate the software in the lab, on the vehicle and in flight."
Surrogate trials also validated the distributed control concept, in which a UCAS mission operator on the ship always has positive control of the aircraft, but the carrier air traffic control (ATC) center, primary flight control (Pri-Fly) or "air boss" in the tower, and landing signals officer (LSO) on the flightdeck can send commands to the unmanned vehicle as they would to a manned aircraft.
"Over the last 10 years the Navy has been digitizing its carriers. ISIS—the integrated ship information system—has automated and digitized the information flow around the ship, so ATC and Pri-Fly can share a picture of who's flying, how much gas they have, etc.," says Engdahl. For UCAS-D, a ship interface processor is installed to act as gateway between the X-47B mission control element and the carrier network. This allows ATC to pull in data such as fuel state and send commands to the vehicle, while the UCAS mission operator has access to all ATC and deck information.
When the aircraft is inside the 50-nm-radius carrier control area, but outside 10 nm from the ship, ATC sends digital commands to the mission operator. The aircraft checks in with its position, airspeed and altitude, and ATC sends a message back with marshal position and push time. Inside visual range, control passes to the Pri-Fly, and the mission operator monitors as the tower sends messages to the aircraft and it automatically responds. On final approach, control passes to the LSO, who can hit the pickle switch and wave off the aircraft at any time without having to go through the tower, ATC or mission operator.
Key to the control philosophy is a level of air-vehicle autonomy beyond that in today's unmanned aircraft. "UCAS-D represents a new generation of UAS due to the level of autonomy developed to do a carrier landing or automated aerial refueling," says Johnson. "Other systems are remotely piloted, and only do what they are told from the ground. All the decisions are on the ground, and the system architecture makes it hard to move to a higher level of autonomy.
"With UCAS-D we start with a fundamentally different architecture that puts capability on the aircraft. We won't release it all for flight test, but the architecture is designed for higher levels of autonomy we can use as we expand capability," he says.
"The vehicle knows it needs to refuel and in a machine-to-machine process talks to the tanker and gets permission to move to the tanking position. It develops a relative-navigation coordinate system so it knows where the tanker is and uses that frame of reference to move itself to where it needs to be."
Increasing levels of autonomy will be demonstrated as the X-47B moves from land-based testing to the carrier and eventually automated aerial refueling. "In land-based testing, it flies a validated mission plan in a fixed frame of reference. When we move to the ship it introduces additional variables the system must react to," he says. "Ultimately we will look at inflight replanning permission. We will tell the vehicle where the tanker should be and it will adapt its mission to find the true position."
As with envelope expansion, clearing the X-47B to land on a carrier is expected to benefit from the vehicle's predictability. "A pilot can get off-nominal but, because of the digital interface with the ship and real-time updates to the vehicle, an unmanned aircraft is not going to get very far off track," says Johnson. But as it will be the first tailless aircraft to land on a carrier, tests are focused on ensuring the X-47B has good flying qualities, says Engdahl.
At-sea testing will evaluate handling qualities in crosswinds and headwinds, control power as the vehicle passes though the airflow "burble" behind the carrier, touchdown dispersion on the deck and lateral dispersion on "bolter" touch-and-goes. More than one carrier is to be outfitted to work with the X-47B for the 2013 demo. "We will work with the carrier schedule to get as much test time as we can. That's when it will get interesting," Engdahl says.


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MSFT: Merrill Cuts to Hold; Investment Clouded by Windows Worries
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Merill Lynch's Kash Rangan today cut his rating on shares of Microsoft (MSFT) from Buy to Neutral for the first time since September of 2008, and cut his price target to $33 from $35, writing that he "remained optimistic" the shares could continue to perform past the October 26th retail debut of Windows 8 last year, but that "six months post launch, despite more available touch-based devices, Win 8 lacks momentum, challenging our optimism."
Microsoft shares today are down 7 cents at $28.48. The stock is down 10% since the October Windows debut.
Rangan cut his estimates for Microsoft for the fiscal year ending in June to $79.3 billion in revenue and $2.77 in net profit per share from a prior $79.9 billion and $2.91 per share, below the consensus $79.4 billion and $2.83 per share.
Rangan cites data from his colleagues covering computer hardware at a Merrill Lynch technology conference held recently in Taiwan that suggest a weakening PC market, down perhaps 5% in units this calendar year, worse than his prior expectation for a 3% decline, he writes.
That puts Microsoft consumer revenue at risk, he writes:
MSFT is up 8-9% in recent weeks in anticipation of Haswell/Bay Trail/Blue but it is time for a breather to re-assess the risks. We could be wrong with our downgrade if we get unit growth in Win 8-based PCs and tablets in C14. While investors are concerned about the risk to $5b revs (est 25% of Windows revs coming from consumer), resulting in ~$0.30 hit to EPS, we would get more positive once the Street stops focusing on Win and shifts focus to MBD and Server and Tools.
Moreover, Rangan sees limited prospects for a PC rebound in the back half of this year:
Virtually all suppliers/distributors agreed that notebook unit decline in C1Q13 was/is worse than anticipated and expect C2Q13 units to remain flattish Q/Q. In fact, the 2013 outlook for most points to another year of unit decline for notebooks (down ~5% Y/Y). Overall sell-through around Chinese New Year was poor, and as a result, we will likely see a greater notebook inventory adjustment in April/May, prior to Intel's Haswell launch and inventory replenishment in June [...] We also believe that expectations of a 2H seasonal rebound are built on hope with healthy skepticism. The European economy is still contracting and is a headwind. Trends out of distribution companies in Europe (retail in Europe is higher than US) and a really competitive market in the US (margins getting hit and demand spotty) continue to be weak. In addition, price points still appear to be still too high on ultrabooks/thin-and-light and lack of touch screen product at reasonable prices is also an issue. In addition, we believe the tablet cannibalization that was maybe overstated at first (i.e. was more of a wallet decision at first due to macro) is becoming more of an issue. As more enterprises allow tablets onto their infrastructure, more are them using for work purposes [The PC supply chain hopes Haswell-based notebooks with touch functions will reignite muted Win 8 PC demand in C2H13, including some refresh in the commercial segment (Win XP at the end of support in early 2014). Most PC industry participants our Hardware team met with expect touch notebooks to represent 20-40% of total notebooks by the end of C2013 (~10-20mn quarterly run rate) vs. <10% in C1Q13 (~4mn runrate), which we believe could prove to be aggressive. The availability and pricing of touch panels remain key factors. As additional production capacity for touch panels comes online (e.g. TPK plans to expand NB capacity to 1.8mn/3mn in C3Q/4Q13 from 1.2mn today), we expect current supply constraints to be resolved and touch panel price premium to narrow closer to ~$50 in C3Q13 (vs. $70-100 today).
Reflecting on Microsoft's payouts to shareholders, and a low valuation that he puts at 10.3 times this year's projected earnings per share, Rangan concludes those desirable qualities are not enough:
The MSFT bull case was low valuation and capital return, which are not the issues. It has admirably solved for revenue, EPS, cash flow and billings, but confidence is lacking in unit growth of Win 8 consumer devices [...] It is difficult to pivot the investment case on MSFT till the fog of consumer Win 8 lifts.


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The Back-UPS® battery backup offers guaranteed power and surge protection for wireless networks, computers, gaming consoles and other electronics in your home. Models supply battery backup during outages and unsafe voltage fluctuations, as well as provide protection from damaging surges and spikes. They're available in 'tower' or 'floor' styles, and together with a variety of standard features, they are the perfect choice to protect your data and keep you connected.
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