Unleashed: A great day to March for the Animals ... - A blog for ...
Apr 19, 2010
11 hours ago
She had a picture of one pinned to her chest -- Molly, her beloved beagle that died 6 years ago at age 14 but, while alive, never missed a chance to join in the Maryland SPCA's March for the Animals. So Bateman marched in Molly's honor ...

Animals are taken from Marion site
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
- Apr 19, 2010
- 38 minutes ago
By AUSTIN L. MILLER Ocala Star-Banner OCALA - With the rescue mission over, staff members at the Marion County Animal Center have released the official ...
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clipped from Google - 4/2010

Pictures of the cutest animals
449 x 393
very-bored.com
clipped from Google - 4/2010

The Animals
420 x 600
www.heritageparkzoo.org
clipped from Google - 4/2010
Animals are taken from Marion site
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
- Apr 19, 2010
- 27 minutes ago
By AUSTIN L. MILLER Ocala Star-Banner OCALA - With the rescue mission over, staff members at the Marion County Animal Center have released the official ...
Related Articles »
clipped from Google - 4/2010

TRIG-i used to hate the most in school

Trigonometry was originally created by the Greeks to aid in the study of astronomy. Hipparchus of Bithynia (190-120 B.C.) tabulated trigonometric ratios, to enable the calculation of a planet's position as formulated by Apollonius. Angles were also defined, taking the Babylonian measure of 360 degrees. The chord was defined, and the cosine and sine loosely defined. The results sin² x + cos² x = 1 and the half-angle formulae were also derived, geometrically.

Claudius Ptolemy worked further on Hipparchus' chord table and came up with a more complete one. He used Euclid's propositions to aid in his work and developed a method of calculating square roots, though he never explained how. Using his theorem (for a quadrilateral inscribed in a circle, the product of the diagonals equals the sum of the products of the opposite sides) and the half-angle formula, he derived the sum and difference (addition) formulae.

Ptolemy then proceeded to work on plane triangles. In this process, he developed the idea of inverse trigonometric functions. He also derived, in modern terms, the Sine and Cosine Rules.

Medieval Trigonometry

The Chinese, in the medieval times, studied astronomy, and hence, trigonometry. They introduced the tangent function. However, most of their work are in the field of astronomy, and many of their trigonometric advancements were not continued.

The Indians were the next to advance the study of trigonometry. They developed their own sine tables, using the Greek half-angle formula. Later, the cosine table was also constructed. Techniques of approximation to a relatively high accuracy were also introduced.

The Indian works were translated and read by the Islamic mathematicians, who also worked on trigonometry. Similar to the Greeks and Indians, they related trigonometry and astronomy. The Indian sine was used, as well as the chord. The cosine was also formally introduced, by Abu Abdallah Muhammad ibn Jabir al-Battani.

The tangent function resurfaced; and the cotangent, cosecant and secant functions were introduced. Although their definitions were initially geometric, it was soon realised that they were the reciprocal functions of tangent, sine and cosine respectively. Highly accurate tables were developed for the trigonometric functions. The triple-angle formulae, already derived, was used for this.

European Developments

Trigonometry reached Europe in the medieval times. Richard of Wallingford wrote a text on trigonometry, Quadripartium. He related the Indian sine to the ancient chords. He used Euclid's Elements as a basis for his arguments in plane trigonometry. Levi ben Gerson worked on plane trigonometry, particularly the laws of sines and cosines.

In the 16th century, trigonometry was incorporated into geography and navigation. Knowledge of trigonometry was used to construct maps, determining the position of a land mass in relation to the longitudes and latitudes.

Johannes Muller, or more popularly known as Regiomontanus, wrote a text On Triangles. He studied plane trigonometry, including results for solving triangles. He expanded on Levi ben Gerson's work. He proved the Sine Rule, and also considered the ambiguous case in using the rule.

Later works improved the tables of sines, which has been worked on extensively; as well as included tables for the other functions. Thomas Finck was the first to use the modern terms "tangent" and "secant".

The workd so far applied trigonometric concepts in astronomy. It was only until Bartholomew Pitiscus when there was a text considering the solving of a plane triangle on earth. He invented the word "trigonometry", in his title Trigonometriae sive, de dimensione triangulis, Liber (Book of Trigonometry, or the Measurement of Triangles). He developed his own sine and tangent tables. However, like all the tables that had been calculated before, the values are actually the lengths of certain lines in a fixed circle.

Later developments in trigonometry are mainly the use of trigonometric ratios in calculus; analysis, differential equations and integration, just to name a few.

NORWAY-

Geography

Norway is situated in the western part of the Scandinavian peninsula. It extends about 1,100 mi (1,770 km) from the North Sea along the Norwegian Sea to more than 300 mi (483 km) above the Arctic Circle, the farthest north of any European country. It is slightly larger than New Mexico. Nearly 70% of Norway is uninhabitable and covered by mountains, glaciers, moors, and rivers. The hundreds of deep fjords that cut into the coastline give Norway an overall oceanfront of more than 12,000 mi (19,312 km). Galdhø Peak, at 8,100 ft (2,469 m), is Norway's highest point and the Glåma (Glomma) is the principal river, at 372 mi (598 km) long.

Government

Constitutional monarchy.

History

Norwegians, like the Danes and Swedes, are of Teutonic origin. The Norsemen, also known as Vikings, ravaged the coasts of northwest Europe from the 8th to the 11th century and were ruled by local chieftains. Olaf II Haraldsson became the first effective king of all Norway in 1015 and began converting the Norwegians to Christianity. After 1442, Norway was ruled by Danish kings until 1814, when it was united with Sweden—although retaining a degree of independence and receiving a new constitution—in an uneasy partnership. In 1905, the Norwegian parliament arranged a peaceful separation and invited a Danish prince to the Norwegian throne—King Haakon VII. A treaty with Sweden provided that all disputes be settled by arbitration and that no fortifications be erected on the common frontier.

The World Wars and 20th Century Norwegian Politics

When World War I broke out, Norway joined Sweden and Denmark in a decision to remain neutral and to cooperate in the joint interest of the three countries. In World War II, Norway was invaded by the Germans on April 9, 1940. It resisted for two months before the Nazis took complete control. King Haakon and his government fled to London, where they established a government-in-exile. Maj. Vidkun Quisling, who served as Norway's prime minister during the war, was the most notorious of the Nazi collaborators. The word for traitor, quisling, bears his name. He was executed by the Norwegians on Oct. 24, 1945. Despite severe losses in the war, Norway recovered quickly as its economy expanded. It joined NATO in 1949.

In the late 20th century, the Labor Party and the Conservative Party seesawed for control, each sometimes having to lead minority governments. An important debate was over Norway's membership in the European Union. In an advisory referendum held in Nov. 1994, voters rejected seeking membership for their nation in the EU. The country became the second-largest oil exporter after Saudi Arabia in 1995. Norway continued to experience rapid economic growth into the new millennium.

Politics In the 21st Century

In March 2000, Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik resigned after Parliament voted to build the country's first gas-fired power stations. Bondevik had objected to the project, asserting that the plants would emit too much carbon dioxide. Labor Party leader Jens Stoltenberg succeeded Bondevik. Stoltenberg and the Labor Party were defeated in Sept. 2001 elections, and no party emerged with a clear majority. After a month of talks, the Conservatives, the Christian People's Party, and the Liberals formed a coalition with Bondevik as prime minister. The governing coalition was backed by the far-right Progress Party. But in Sept. 2005 elections, the center-left Red-Green coalition gained a majority of seats, and Jens Stoltenberg of the Labor Party once again became prime minister.

In April 2008, government officials agreed to amend the 1814 Constitution to loosen the ties between church and state. The monarch must still be Lutheran, but citizens are no longer required to raise their children as Lutherans. In the future, the church will appoint bishops instead of the monarch, and equal financial backing for other faiths and atheist communities must be provided by the state.

In June 2008, Parliament voted 84–41 to pass a new marriage act, granting homosexual couples the same marriage and adoption rights as heterosexual couples.

Every February, across the country, candy, flowers, and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. But who is this mysterious saint and why do we celebrate this holiday? The history of Valentine's Day — and its patron saint — is shrouded in mystery. But we do know that February has long been a month of romance. St. Valentine's Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. So, who was Saint Valentine and how did he become associated with this ancient rite? Today, the Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred.

One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men — his crop of potential soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.

Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons where they were often beaten and tortured.

According to one legend, Valentine actually sent the first 'valentine' greeting himself. While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl — who may have been his jailor's daughter — who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed 'From your Valentine,' an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories certainly emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic, and, most importantly, romantic figure. It's no surprise that by the Middle Ages, Valentine was one of the most popular saints in England and France.

While some believe that Valentine's Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine's death or burial — which probably occurred around 270 A.D — others claim that the Christian church may have decided to celebrate Valentine's feast day in the middle of February in an effort to 'christianize' celebrations of the pagan Lupercalia festival. In ancient Rome, February was the official beginning of spring and was considered a time for purification. Houses were ritually cleansed by sweeping them out and then sprinkling salt and a type of wheat called spelt throughout their interiors. Lupercalia, which began at the ides of February, February 15, was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus.

To begin the festival, members of the Luperci, an order of Roman priests, would gather at the sacred cave where the infants Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, were believed to have been cared for by a she-wolf or lupa. The priests would then sacrifice a goat, for fertility, and a dog, for purification.

The boys then sliced the goat's hide into strips, dipped them in the sacrificial blood and took to the streets, gently slapping both women and fields of crops with the goathide strips. Far from being fearful, Roman women welcomed being touched with the hides because it was believed the strips would make them more fertile in the coming year. Later in the day, according to legend, all the young women in the city would place their names in a big urn. The city's bachelors would then each choose a name out of the urn and become paired for the year with his chosen woman. These matches often ended in marriage. Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine's Day around 498 A.D. The Roman 'lottery' system for romantic pairing was deemed un-Christian and outlawed. Later, during the Middle Ages, it was commonly believed in France and England that February 14 was the beginning of birds' mating season, which added to the idea that the middle of February — Valentine's Day — should be a day for romance. The oldest known valentine still in existence today was a poem written by Charles, Duke of Orleans to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt. The greeting, which was written in 1415, is part of the manuscript collection of the British Library in London, England. Several years later, it is believed that King Henry V hired a writer named John Lydgate to compose a valentine note to Catherine of Valois.

In Great Britain, Valentine's Day began to be popularly celebrated around the seventeenth century. By the middle of the eighteenth century, it was common for friends and lovers in all social classes to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes. By the end of the century, printed cards began to replace written letters due to improvements in printing technology. Ready-made cards were an easy way for people to express their emotions in a time when direct expression of one's feelings was discouraged. Cheaper postage rates also contributed to an increase in the popularity of sending Valentine's Day greetings. Americans probably began exchanging hand-made valentines in the early 1700s. In the 1840s, Esther A. Howland began to sell the first mass-produced valentines in America.

According to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated one billion valentine cards are sent each year, making Valentine's Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year. (An estimated 2.6 billion cards are sent for Christmas.)

Approximately 85 percent of all valentines are purchased by women. In addition to the United States, Valentine's Day is celebrated in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France, and Australia.

Valentine greetings were popular as far back as the Middle Ages (written Valentine's didn't begin to appear until after 1400), and the oldest known Valentine card is on display at the British Museum. The first commercial Valentine's Day greeting cards produced in the U.S. were created in the 1840s by Esther A. Howland. Howland, known as the Mother of the Valentine, made elaborate creations with real lace, ribbons and colorful pictures known as "scrap".

Israel-

The people of Israel (also called the "Jewish People") trace their origin to Abraham, who established the belief that there is only one God, the creator of the universe. Abraham, his son Yitshak (Isaac), and grandson Jacob (Israel), are referred to as the patriarchs of the Israelites. All three patriarchs lived in the Land of Canaan, that later came to be known as the Land of Israel. They and their wives are buried in the Ma'arat HaMachpela, the Tomb of the Patriarchs, in Hebron.

The name Israel derives from the name given to Jacob (see Old Testament). His 12 sons were the kernels of 12 tribes that later developed into the Jewish nation. The name Jew derives from Yehuda (Judah) one of the 12 sons of Jacob (Reuben, Shimon, Levi, Yehuda, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Yisachar, Zevulun, Yosef, Binyamin). So, the names Israel, Israeli or Jewish refer to people of the same origin.

The descendants of Abraham crystallized into a nation at about 1300 BCE after their Exodus from Egypt under the leadership of Moses (Moshe in Hebrew). Soon after the Exodus, Moses transmitted to the people of this new emerging nation, the Torah, and the Ten Commandments. After 40 years in the Sinai desert, Moses led them to the Land of Israel, that is cited in The Bible as the land promised by G-d to the descendants of the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

The people of modern day Israel share the same language and culture shaped by the Jewish heritage and religion passed through generations starting with the founding father Abraham (ca. 1800 BCE). Thus, Jews have had continuous presence in the land of Israel for the past 3,300 years.

The rule of Israelites in the land of Israel starts with the conquests of Joshua (ca. 1250 BCE). The period from 1000-587 BCE is known as the "Period of the Kings". The most noteworthy kings were King David (1010-970 BCE), who made Jerusalem the Capital of Israel, and his son Solomon (Shlomo, 970-931 BCE), who built the first Temple in Jerusalem as prescribed in the Tanach (Old Testament).

In 587 BCE, Babylonian Nebuchadnezzar's army captured Jerusalem, destroyed the Temple, and exiled the Jews to Babylon (modern day Iraq).

The year 587 BCE marks a turning point in the history of the region. From this year onwards, the region was ruled or controlled by a succession of superpower empires of the time in the following order: Babylonian, Persian, Greek Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine Empires, Islamic and Christian crusaders, Ottoman Empire, and the British Empire.

A day after the declaration of independence of the State of Israel, armies of five Arab countries, Egypt, Syria, Transjordan, Lebanon and Iraq, invaded Israel. This marked the beginning of the War of Independence. Arab states have jointly waged four full scale wars against Israel:

• 1948 War of Independence
• 1956 Sinai War
• 1967 Six Day War
• 1973 Yom Kippur War

Despite the numerical superiority of the Arab armies, Israel defended itself each time and won. After each war Israeli army withdrew from most of the areas it captured. This is unprecedented in World history and shows Israel's willingness to reach peace even at the risk of fighting for its very existence each time anew.

Note that with Judea and Samaria Israel is only 40 miles wide. Thus, Israel can be crossed from the Mediterranean coast to the Eastern border at Jordan river within one hour of driving.

Some college fun----

To those of you who received honors, awards and distinctions, I say well done. And to the C students, I say you too may one day be president of the United States.

*** You can lead a boy to college but you can't make him think.

*** Of course there's a lot of knowledge in universities: the freshmen bring a little in; the seniors don't take much away, so knowledge sort of accumulates....

*** Everyone has a right to a university degree in America, even if it's in Hamburger Technology.

*** When reviewing your notes before an exam, the most important will be illegible.

*** The more studying you did for the exam, the less sure you are as to which answer they want.

*** 80% of the final exam will be based on the one lecture you missed and the one book you didn't read.

*** Every instructor assumes that you have nothing else to do except study for that instructor's course.

*** The night before the English History mid-term, your biology instructor will assign 200 pages on planaria.

*** If you are given an open-book exam, you will forget your book.

*** If you are given a take-home exam, you will forget where you live.

*** Bryn Mawr had done what a four-year dose of liberal education was designed to do: unfit her for eighty per cent of useful work of the world.

*** College isn't the place to go for ideas.

*** Behind me, I heard a young woman of 25 say, "If it weren’t for my horse, I wouldn’t have spent that year in college." Now, I'm gonna repeat that, because it bears repeating. "If it weren't for my horse..." as in, giddyup, giddyup, let's go — "I wouldn't have spent that year in college," which is a degree-granting institution. Don't think about that too long, or BLOOD will shoot out your NOSE!

*** I was thrown out of college for cheating on the metaphysics exam: I looked into the soul of another boy. (Clown Prince of American Humor, 1975)

*** They are so afraid we shall break down, and you know the reputation of the college is at stake, for the question is, can girls get a college degree without injuring their health.

*** Colleges are like old-age homes, except for the fact that more people die in colleges.
***