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CHUNGJU, South Korea – Eight current and former Harvard/Radcliffe rowers and Charley Butt, The Bolles-Parker Head Coach for Harvard Men's Heavyweight Crew, will represent the USA and Canada at the 2013 World Championships in Chungju, South Korea. Races will be held Aug. 25-Sept. 1.
Butt, junior Andrew Campbell, Olivia Coffey '11, Michael Disanto '12, Esther Lofgren '07-'09, Austin Meyer '12-13 and Henrik Rummel '09 will represent the red, white and blue, while Brendan Hodge '07 and David Wakulich '11 will compete for Canada.
The Crimson will be represented in lightweight men's double sculls, lightweight men's pair, lightweight men's single sculls, men's four, men's pair, men's quadruple sculls, women's four and women's quadruple sculls.
Heats will begin Sunday at 10 a.m. and go through Wednesday, Aug. 28. The semifinals are set for Thursday and Friday. World champions will be crowned Friday, Saturday and Sunday afternoon. More information on the event can be found here. Below is the full list of Harvard/Radcliffe student-athletes competing in the competition:
United States
Charley Butt, Coach – LM2x
Andrew Campbell '15 – LM1x
Olivia Coffey '11 – W4-
Michael DiSanto '12 – M2-
Esther Lofgren '07-'09 – W4x
Austin Meyer '12-13 – LM2x
Henrik Rummel '09 – M4-
Brendan Hodge '07 – LM2-
David Wakulich'11 – M4x


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In an age where the blackhole of Islamophobia threatens to engulf reasonable discourse, the Park51 proposal is undoubtedly its singularity. The mere mention of a possible Islamic community center near Ground Zero in New York City whips the right wing into apoplectic rants about Muslim Nazis and "spooky mosques" that create a "hot bed" for militants.
Manipulating visceral prejudices into a national platform, no right-wing fringe figure has succeeded more in turning hyperbole into a career than conservative blogger and "provocateur" Pamela Geller. Leading the anti-Park51 rallies in New York this September, Geller's once-fringe vitriol has earned her a national spotlight, a place among mainstream conservatives, and now, an award named after Annie Taylor — the first American to survive a trip over the Niagara Falls — for "her efforts in defense of Judeo-Christian civilization." Never missing an opportunity to elevate her incendiary rhetoric, Geller used her acceptance speech at David Horowitz's Restoration Weekend conference last Friday to claim that not only is the proposed center a "triumphal mosque," it is "the second wave of the 9/11 attack":
GELLER: You have to understand that we're in a war. We are at war now. It's not coming. It's not around the corner. We're at war now. The GZM is the second wave of the 9/11 attack….We are under attack. Obviously, the violent jihad, the academic jihad, the sociological jihad, the cultural jihad, the academic jihad, we have been infiltrated at the senior level of the DOD. …This is not a conventional war. Each one of you must fight this war…you're each activated….We have not yet recovered the bodies from 9/11 and we're under attack with ground zero mega mosque. And make no mistake, Cordoba, iconic of Islam's conquering of the West, it's quite deliberate….It's a triumphal mosque. Because one shmuck in New York says "it's a mosque of healing" doesn't make it so. It's ridiculous, it's insulting.
Watch her speech:
This thoughtless comparison appears to be a new rallying cry for Geller. Reacting to news that Park51 applied for federally-funded grants, Geller called the request the "latest Islamic attack on the American people in the second wave of the Ground Zero mosque."
Hearing the pied piper, many other GOP lawmakers like Rep. Michele Bachmann (MN) and Rep. Pete King (NY) followed suit, declaring the application "outrageous" and an "affront to all those who were murdered on 9/11." Unfortunately, while her rhetoric wreaks havoc on civil discourse and tolerance, there is no indication that she will stop. As her Muslim-bashing ally Robert Spencer pointed out, "even Annie Taylor said nobody should ever do that again. But the winner of this award keeps on doing it."

subset: commoncrawl


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Search results
This lesson examines how music reflects and influences societies and is a metaphor for ideas and experiences. Students begin by brainstorming the functions or purposes of music and by discussing music's power as a mirror and a symbol.
The newspaper offers a fun and useful tool to learn about the workings of print media. In this lesson, students learn basic information about newspaper journalism through guided class discussion and group and individual activities.
In this lesson, students decode and explain the relevance of editorial cartoons. The class begins with a teacher-led deconstruction of a political cartoon, after which students decode editorial cartoons that they have selected.
This lesson introduces students to the ways in which advertising can affect their food choices.
In this lesson, students learn how to create their own youth consumer magazine or Internet site.
This lesson introduces students to advertising in newspapers.
"Television Newscasts" helps students develop a critical awareness of how television news is shaped and manipulated and how they, as audience members may be affected by this.
Popular Music and Music Videos is part of a three-lesson unit designed to introduce students to the concept of popular culture and the role that it plays in their lives.
Although students are aware of news as information that influences their perceptions of the world, country and community, they are often unaware of the differences among the various media in their presentation of that information.
This lesson offers a selection of questions and activities for integrating newspaper studies into a wide range of subject areas and grade levels.


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Photodynamic Therapy
What is photodynamic therapy?
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a treatment that uses special drugs, called photosensitizing agents, along with light to kill cancer cells. The drugs only work after they have been activated or "turned on" by certain kinds of light. PDT may also be called photoradiation therapy, phototherapy, or photochemotherapy.
Depending on the part of the body being treated, the photosensitizing agent is either put into the bloodstream through a vein or put on the skin. Over a certain amount of time the drug is absorbed by the cancer cells. Then light is applied to the area to be treated. The light causes the drug to react with oxygen, which forms a chemical that kills the cells. PDT might also help by destroying the blood vessels that feed the cancer cells and by alerting the immune system to attack the cancer.
The period of time between when the drug is given and when the light is applied is called the drug-to-light interval. It can be anywhere from a couple of hours to a couple of days, depending on the drug used.
Pros and cons of PDT
Studies have shown that PDT can work as well as surgery or radiation therapy in treating certain kinds of cancers and pre-cancers. It has some advantages, such as:
- It has no long-term side effects when used properly.
- It's less invasive than surgery.
- It usually takes only a short time and is most often done as an outpatient.
- It can be targeted very precisely.
- Unlike radiation, PDT can be repeated many times at the same site if needed.
- There's usually little or no scarring after the site heals.
- It often costs less than other cancer treatments.
But PDT has limits, too:
- PDT can only treat areas where light can reach. This means it's mainly used to treat problems on or just under the skin, or in the lining of organs that can be reached with a light source. Because light can't travel very far through body tissues, PDT can't be used to treat large cancers or cancers that have grown deeply into the skin or other organs.
- PDT can't be used to treat cancers that have spread to many places.
- The drugs used for PDT leave people very sensitive to light for some time, so special precautions must be taken after the drugs are put in or on the body.
- PDT can't be used in people who have certain blood diseases, such as any of the porphyrias (a rare group of diseases that affect the skin or nervous system) or people who are allergic to porphyrins. This allergy is rare, but it may happen in those who have gotten porphyrins in the past.
What is PDT used for?
PDT can be used in people with certain types of cancer to help them live longer and improve their quality of life. Although PDT works and causes few long-term problems, it's not widely used to treat cancer today. Still, it is offered in some treatment centers, and is being studied in many clinical trials. It's becoming more widely recognized as a valuable treatment option for localized cancers (cancers that have not spread far from where they started).
PDT is also used to treat pre-cancers of the skin, and is being tested against pre-cancers in the mouth and other places.
PDT drugs approved in the US to treat cancer
Several photosensitizing agents are currently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat certain cancers or pre-cancers.
Porfimer sodium (Photofrin®)
Porfimer sodium is the most widely used and studied photosensitizer. It's activated by red light from a laser. It's approved by the FDA to treat patients with:
- Cancer of the esophagus (the swallowing tube) to relieve symptoms when a tumor totally blocks the esophagus or partly blocks the esophagus and can't be treated with laser therapy alone
- Barrett's esophagus with dysplasia, a pre-cancerous condition that may lead to esophageal cancer in people who don't have surgery
- A type of non-small cell lung cancer that affects the lining of the large breathing tubes (bronchi) called endobronchial cancer. PDT can help to shrink tumors that are blocking the bronchi. It's used if there is very little spread of the cancer cells (the cancer is micro-invasive). PDT can help those who can't have other types of treatment, such as surgery or radiation therapy.
Aminolevulinic acid (ALA or Levulan®)
Aminolevulinic acid is a drug that's put right on the skin. It's used to treat actinic keratosis (AK), a skin condition that can become cancer, and is used only on the face or scalp. A special blue light, rather than laser light, is used to activate this drug.
Methyl ester of ALA (Metvixia® cream)
Methyl ester of ALA is one of several other forms of ALA that have been developed. A disadvantage of the older forms of ALA is that they do not get into the cancer cells very easily. Newer ester forms, like this one, do. It is approved for treatment of some types of actinic keratoses of the face and scalp. Again, these are skin conditions that can become cancer. Methyl ester of ALA is activated with a red light.
Newer PDT drugs
Researchers are looking for new PDT drugs, and many are being studied. Photodynamic therapy is also being tested for use against several other types of cancer. See "The future of photodynamic therapy" section below.
Uses and side effects of specific PDT drugs
PDT using porfimer sodium
What is treatment like?
Porfimer sodium (Photofrin) is given through a vein (IV). It travels through the bloodstream and is absorbed by both normal and cancer cells all over the body. The normal cells get rid of most of the porfimer sodium over a couple of days. But a lot of the drug stays in the cancer cells, with less in normal cells.
Porfimer sodium alone does not destroy cancer cells. It must be activated or "turned on" with light. This is done about 2 or 3 days after the drug is given. (This gives normal cells a chance to get rid of the drug.) The doctor directs a laser light at the area of cancer cells using a very thin fiber-optic glass strand.
To treat esophageal cancer or Barrett's esophagus, the fiber-optic strand is passed down the throat through a thin, flexible tube called an endoscope. For lung cancer treatment, the strand is passed through a bronchoscope, which is an endoscope designed to go into the lungs.
The laser used is a low-power light so it does not burn. It causes little or no pain. The light is applied for 5 to 40 minutes, depending on the size of the tumor. Any dead tissue left in the treated area is removed about 4 or 5 days later during endoscopy or bronchoscopy. The treatment can be repeated if needed.
Who should not get treated with porfimer sodium?
Porfimer sodium is NOT recommended for people with:
- A fistula (abnormal opening) between the esophagus and the windpipe (trachea) or one of the lower large breathing tubes (a bronchus)
- A tumor that's spreading into a major blood vessel
- Enlarged veins in the stomach or esophagus, or ulcers in the esophagus
- Porphyria, or an allergy to porphyrins
Possible side effects
The major possible side effects from porfimer sodium are photosensitivity reactions (reactions triggered by light) and swelling in the treated area. Swelling may cause pain or trouble swallowing or breathing. Other minor side effects are possible, too.
Photosensitivity reactions: As soon as porfimer sodium is put into the bloodstream, it starts to collect in the cells of the body. Some of it will stay in the cells for several weeks. The skin and eyes become very sensitive to light during this time. If exposed to sunlight or other forms of bright light, the skin can quickly become swollen, sunburned, and blistered. It takes only a few minutes for this to happen, so it's very important to protect the eyes and skin during this time.
After you get porfimer sodium, you should take precautions (see below) for at least 30 days to prevent reactions. Sensitivity to light can last as long as 3 months, but the length of time is different with each person. If you have a reaction, call your doctor right away.
You should try to avoid bright lights and direct sunlight, but you don't have stay in dark rooms. Some indoor light is important because it will help to slowly break down the drug in your skin. As this happens, your skin becomes less sensitive to light over time. Ask your doctor when and how you should test your skin for photosensitivity. This is usually done no sooner than 30 days after you get the drug.
You can help prevent a photosensitivity reaction if you prepare before treatment and use precautions after it. Here are some ways to do this:
- Before going to your doctor's office or hospital for treatment, close the shades and curtains on the windows in your home. Be sure windows and skylights are fully covered.
- Bring dark sunglasses, gloves, a wide brimmed hat, long pants, socks, shoes, and a long-sleeved shirt to wear after your appointment. Clothing should be light in color and the fabric should be tightly woven.
- Do not count on sunscreen to protect you. Most sunscreens only protect against ultraviolet (UV) light, and they will not prevent a photosensitivity reaction.
- For at least 30 days after you get the drug, limit your time outdoors, especially when the sun's rays are strongest (between about 10 am and 4 pm). Cover your skin when you do go outside, even on cloudy days and when you are in the car.
- Try to do your daily errands after sundown.
- Do not expose your skin to reading lamps or exam lamps (like those used in a dentist's office).
- Don't use helmet-type hair dryers (such as those found in beauty salons). High heat can activate any drug left in your scalp and cause redness or burning. If you use a hand-held hair dryer, use a low heat setting.
Swelling: Swelling in the treated area can lead to pain in the chest or back. If the esophagus is treated, it may lead to narrowing (stricture) of the esophagus, which could cause problems swallowing. Treatment of the breathing tubes or lungs could lead to trouble breathing. If you notice any of these problems, let your doctor know right away.
Other possible side effects: Side effects depend on the part of the body being treated. If the esophagus is treated, possible side effects include nausea, vomiting, fever, dehydration, headache, scarring and narrowing of the esophagus, hiccups, trouble swallowing, and fluid collecting around the lungs. In people treated for lung cancer, possible side effects include shortness of breath, coughing up blood, fever, pneumonia, and bronchitis.
If you are treated with porfimer sodium, ask your doctor which side effects you might expect and which you need to report right away. Get the phone number to call if you have problems after regular office hours.
PDT using aminolevulinic acid (ALA)
What is treatment like?
Aminolevulinic acid (Levulan Kerastick) is a solution that's put right on the spots (called lesions) of actinic keratosis. Unlike porfimer sodium, it does not reach other parts of the body. This means the lesions are sensitive to the light but the rest of the body is not.
The drug is left on the affected skin for about 14 to 18 hours, usually until the next day. At that time your doctor will expose the area being treated to a blue light for about 15 minutes. During the light therapy you and the doctor will wear protective eyewear. You may feel stinging or burning once the area is exposed to the blue light, but it should go away within a day or so. The treated area may get red and scale and crust for up to 4 weeks before healing. If a lesion does not completely go away after treatment, it can be treated again 8 weeks later.
Who should not get treated with aminolevulinic acid?
Aminolevulinic acid is NOT recommended for people with skin sensitivity to blue light, people with porphyria, or anyone with an allergy to porphyrins.
Possible side effects
Photosensitivity reactions: Reactions caused by light can show up on the skin where the drug is applied. They usually involve redness and a tingling or burning sensation. For about 2 days after the drug is used, you should take care to not expose treated areas of your face and scalp to light.
- Stay out of strong, direct light.
- Stay indoors as much as possible.
- Wear protective clothing and wide-brimmed hats to avoid sunlight when outdoors.
- Avoid beaches, snow, light colored concrete, or other surfaces where strong light may be reflected.
Sunscreens will not protect the skin from photosensitivity reactions.
Skin changes: The treated skin will likely turn red and may swell after treatment. This usually peaks about a day after treatment and gets better within a week. It should be gone about 4 weeks after treatment. The skin may also be itchy or change color after treatment.
Talk to your doctor about what you should expect your treated skin to look and feel like. Also ask about which side effects you should report right away and what phone number to call if you have problems after regular office hours.
PDT using methyl ester of ALA
What is treatment like?
Methyl ester of ALA (Metvixia cream) is used very much like aminolevulinic acid. It's a cream that's put on the skin of the face or scalp to treat actinic keratosis lesions. The doctor will likely first scrape the area with a small, sharp blade. The lesions where the cream is applied will become sensitive to light, but the rest of the body will not. (This drug does not reach other parts of the body.) The cream should not be left on the skin for more than 4 hours.
The cream is applied and covered with a bandage. About 3 hours later the doctor will take off the bandage, wash off the cream, and expose the area to a red light source for 5 to 20 minutes. During the light therapy you and the doctor will wear protective goggles. You may feel stinging or burning when light reaches the area. Two treatment sessions are usually done 7 days apart. The treated area may turn red, blister, scale, and crust for up to 10 days before healing. The doctor will look at the lesion about 3 months after the last treatment to see whether it worked.
Who should not get treated with methyl ester of ALA?
Methyl ester of ALA is NOT recommended for those with:
- Skin sensitivity to light
- Allergies to peanuts or almonds (these oils are used to make the cream)
- Immunosuppression (a weakened immune system)
- Porphyria, or an allergy to porphyrins
Methyl ester of ALA cream has not been studied for more than 2 treatment sessions. Information regarding more treatments done after 3 months for remaining or new AK lesions is not available.
Possible side effects
Photosensitivity reactions: These are reactions triggered by light. They can happen at the area where the drug was applied, and usually involve redness and stinging or burning. You should stay out of the sun, away from bright indoor lights, and avoid extreme cold after the cream is applied and before the light treatment is done. For about 2 days after the light treatment, you should take care to keep the treated area away from any light.
- Keep the treated area covered.
- Stay out of strong, direct, bright indoor light.
- Stay indoors as much as possible.
- When outdoors, wearing protective clothing and wide-brimmed hats to avoid sunlight.
- Avoid beaches, snow, light-colored concrete, or other surfaces where strong light may be reflected.
Sunscreens will not protect the skin from photosensitivity.
Skin changes: The skin being treated will likely turn red and may blister and swell after treatment. Burning and stinging are common. The skin may also be itchy, scaly, or change color after treatment. These side effects should get better with time and should be gone by 3 weeks after treatment. If they get worse or are not gone in 3 weeks, call your doctor. Ask what other side effects should be reported to the doctor and what phone number you should use if you have problems after regular office hours.
Allergic reactions: Repeated exposure to methyl ester of ALA cream can cause sensitization, or development of allergy to the cream. Rashes such as eczema and hives (raised itchy bumps) can appear at the area of contact within a few hours after exposure to the cream. Very rarely, more serious allergic reactions can happen.
The future of photodynamic therapy
Photodynamic therapy may be used to treat other cancers and diseases in the future. Studies are now being done to test the use of PDT for many types of cancer and pre-cancerous conditions, including cancers of the:
- Skin
- Cervix
- Bladder
- Prostate
- Bile duct
- Pancreas
- Stomach
- Brain
- Mouth
- Larynx (voice box)
- Vagina
- Vulva (the outside part of a woman's genitals)
PDT is also being tested for other cancers that can be reached with a light, such as malignant pleural mesothelioma and mycosis fungoides, a type of skin lymphoma. Some doctors may use PDT for these and other conditions, even though those uses are not approved by the FDA (see our document Off-Label Drug Use for more on this).
New and better drugs
Newer photosensitizing drugs now being studied may have advantages over the ones used today:
- They may be able to treat tumors that are deeper under the skin or in body tissues.
- They may be more selective for cancer cells as opposed to normal cells.
- They may collect in cancer cells more quickly, reducing the time needed between getting the drug and the light treatment.
- They may be removed from the body more quickly, reducing the time people need to worry about photosensitivity reactions.
An example of one of these new drugs, Photochlor®, is now being used in clinical trials. Photochlor, or HPPH, is a second-generation photosensitizer. It's being studied in the treatment of esophageal, lung, skin, and mouth and throat cancers. So far, studies have shown that photosensitivity lasts a much shorter time, and the drug is removed from the body much faster than porfimer sodium (Photofrin).
Studies are also being done to try to make PDT work better and have fewer side effects. Scientists are looking at things like using ointments containing ferrous or cobalt ions and using hydrogen peroxide on the treated area to improve PDT outcomes, but these studies are in their early stages and more research is needed.
Other light sources
Researchers are also looking at different types of lasers and other light sources. Some newer agents may respond to small doses of radiation as well as to light. This could allow doctors to use smaller amounts of radiation than the doses used in standard radiation therapy, which could lead to fewer side effects.
Combining treatments
Another exciting area of research is looking at the use of PDT along with other therapies to make it more effective.
One example of this is to use PDT during surgery to help keep cancer from coming back on large surface areas inside the body, such as the pleura (lining of the lung) and the peritoneum (lining of the belly or abdomen). The light treatment can be given while these areas are already exposed during the surgery. Cancers that start in the pleura or peritoneum are called mesotheliomas. These are also common sites of spread for some other types of cancer.
Interstitial treatments
Someday PDT may be used to help treat larger solid tumors, too. A technique known as interstitial therapy involves using imaging tests (such as CT scans) to guide fiber optics directly into tumors using needles. This may be especially useful in areas that would require major surgery. Early results of studies of interstitial therapy in head and neck, prostate, and liver tumors have been promising.
Better understanding of PDT
Researchers are also looking more closely at how PDT works and how the cancer cells respond to its effects. Understanding how cells respond to PDT may allow doctors to enhance those effects that promote cancer cell death and suppress or counteract those that protect the cancer cells. There may also be ways to pre-treat the tumor to make it more susceptible to certain PDT treatments.
Brown S, Brown EA, Walker I. The present and future role of photodynamic therapy in cancer treatment. Lancet Oncol. 2004;5:497-508.
Hopper C. Photodynamic therapy: a clinical reality in the treatment of cancer. Lancet Oncol. 2000;1:212-219.
Huang Z. A review of progress in clinical photodynamic therapy. Technol Cancer Res Treat. 2005;4:283-293.
Juzenas P, Juzeniene A. Reduction of cutaneous photosensitivity by application of ointment containing ferrous or cobaltous ions concomitant with the use of topical protoporphyrin IX precursors. Photodiagnosis Photodyn Ther. 2010;7:152-157.
Luketich JD, Christie NA, Buenaventura PO, et al. Endoscopic photodynamic therapy for obstructing esophageal cancer: 77 cases over a 2-year period. Surg Endosc. 2000;14:653-657.
Manifold RN, Anderson CD. Increased cutaneous oxygen availability by topical application of hydrogen peroxide cream enhances the photodynamic reaction to topical 5-aminolevulinic acid-methyl ester. Arch Dermatol Res. 2011;303:285-292.
Manufacturer's Product Information. Axcan Pharma Inc. Photofrin. Accessed at www.photofrin.com/pdf/prescribing-info.pdf on March 18, 2015.
Manufacturer's Product Information. DUSA Pharmaceuticals. Levulan Kerastick. Accessed at www.dusapharma.com/levulan-photodynamic-therapy.html on March 18, 2015.
Manufacturer's Product Information. Metvixia Cream. Accessed at www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2012/021415s004lbl.pdf on March 18, 2015.
National Cancer Institute. Photodynamic Therapy for Cancer. Accessed at www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Therapy/photodynamic on March 18, 2015.
National Institutes of Health Clinical Trials Registry. Accessed at www.clinicaltrials.gov on March 18, 2015.
Nava HR, Allamaneni SS, Dougherty TJ, et al. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) using HPPH for the treatment of precancerous lesions associated with Barrett's esophagus. Lasers Surg Med. 2011;43:705-712.
Ortel B, Shea CR, Calzavara-Pinton P. Molecular mechanisms of photodynamic therapy. Frontiers in Bioscience. 2009;14:4157-4172.
Rigual NR, Thankappan K, Cooper M, et al. Photodynamic therapy for head and neck dysplasia and cancer. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2009;135:784-788.
Triesscheijn M, Baas P, Schellens JHM. Photodynamic therapy in oncology. Oncologist. 2006;11:1034-1044.
Wang KK, Lutzke L, Borkenhagen L, et al. Photodynamic therapy for Barrett's esophagus: does light still have a role? Endoscopy. 2008;40:1021-1025.
Last Medical Review: March 18, 2015 Last Revised: March 18, 2015
American Cancer Society medical information is copyrighted material. For reprint requests, please see our Content Usage Policy.


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Now Entering Imperium
Just as Gulf War I was a watershed issue for conservatives—with some, notably Pat Buchanan, dissenting, on the grounds that the throne of Kuwait "is not worth the life of a single American soldier"—Gulf War II is shaping up as yet another defining moment in the history of the American Right. Only this time, it isn't just about Iraq. The whole of the Middle East is in our sights—that is, if we take seriously the Pentagon's Defense Policy Advisory Board (DPAB), chaired by neoconservative foreign policy guru Richard Perle.
DPAB's infamous "briefing" that called for an American invasion of Saudi Arabia and the seizure of the oil fields shook U.S.-Saudi relations and elicited fierce denials from the White House and expressions of horror from Riyadh. Rand Corporation analyst Laurent Murawiec, in his Power Point presentation to an assembly that included Henry Kissinger, former defense secretaries Harold Brown and James Schlesinger, Newt Gingrich, Thomas Foley, and a number of retired high-level generals and admirals, exhorted his audience to embark on a campaign of outright conquest:
"Iraq is the tactical pivot—Saudi Arabia the strategic pivot—Egypt the prize."
One has to ask: are these people crazy?
In Murawiec's case, the manic tone may be attributed to his previous membership in the cult of Lyndon LaRouche from 1973–86. But there's more to it than that.
According to the Washington Post's account of the reaction to the briefing, of all that distinguished company only Kissinger had the presence of mind to raise any objections. That such a lunatic idea could be casually bandied about and even endorsed by some in this administration is ominous evidence that U.S. foreign policy is in danger of becoming dangerously unhinged.
That such a radical idea could be propagated by ostensible conservatives shows how far the divisions that opened up during Gulf War I have widened. In his syndicated newspaper column for November 16, 1990, Pat Buchanan summarized the credo of those on the Right who weren't going along with King George's "New World Order":
"Most of us 'neo-isolationists,' a disparate, contentious lot, are really not 'neo' anything. We are old church and old right, anti-imperialist and anti-interventionist, disbelievers in Pax Americana. We love the old republic, and when we hear phrases like 'New World Order,' we release the safety catches on our revolvers."
The "old right"—who and what was that?
Today, a popular misconception of conservatives equates them with militarists: the Cold War and the belligerent yapping of such journals of conservative opinion as the Weekly Standard and National Review have certainly contributed to this image. But it wasn't always so.
The conservative movement of the 1930s, on up through the early 1950s, was, as Buchanan puts it, anti-imperialist and anti-interventionist. The biggest peace movement in our history was not the Mobilization to Stop the (Vietnam) War, but the America First Committee, organized by prominent conservative businessmen and publicists in 1940. Writing in the conservative press of the time, such writers as John T. Flynn, Frank Chodorov, Chicago Tribune publisher Robert W. McCormick, and Garet Garrett inveighed against foreign entanglements and warned that with war would come the end of the Old Republic. On the subject of the Old Right, today's (neo)conservatives and their liberal first cousins are in complete agreement: both dismiss the America Firsters out of hand, usually smearing them in the process. In any case, the Left-Right consensus seems to be that the Old Right is, at best, irrelevant, and that the forgotten icons of a bygone era have nothing to say to us today.
These people are obviously unfamiliar with the works of Garet Garrett, chief editorial writer for the Saturday Evening Post until the war broke out, and an author of note, whose pellucid prose could be published today and be none the worse for wear. In reading about the Napoleonic designs of the Defense Policy Board, I could only recall these words written by Garrett at the end of his last book, The American Story, published in 1955:
"How now, thou American, frustrated crusader, do you know where you are?
"Is it security you want? There is no security at the top of the world.
"To thine own self a liberator, to the world an alarming portent, do you know where you are going from here?"
Garrett's prophecies ring down through the years, leaping off the yellowed pages of dusty books, mocking us with their accuracy and astonishing us with their modernity:
"We have crossed the boundary that lies between Republic and Empire. If you ask when, the answer is that you cannot make a single stroke between day and night; the precise moment does not matter. There was no painted sign to say" 'You are now entering Imperium.' Yet it was a very old road and the voice of history was saying: 'Whether you know it or not, the act of crossing may be irreversible.' And now, not far ahead, is a sign that reads: 'No U-turns.'"
The occupation of Iraq, a war to subdue Egypt, the conquest of the Kingdom we once sought to "defend" against Saddam—these war plans are the equivalent of a very large sign with flashing letters: "You are now entering Imperium." And, yes, a little further up the road is another sign: "No U-turns." If it should come to pass that, one day, historians of the far future seek to pinpoint the precise moment when our old Republic morphed into an Empire, then a good many of them will argue that Gulf War II was the turning point.
We are, indeed, at the top of the world. Like Garrett, the conservative of today who has learned the lesson of history can only note that it's a long way down.
Justin Raimondo is editorial director of Antiwar.com and author of An Enemy of the State: The Life of Murray N. Rothbard.
The American Conservative welcomes letters to the editor.
Send letters to: [email protected]


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ProtectionGear needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 102 designs submitted by 25 freelance designers.
If you can design a hip, tough, easily identifiable logo for our Sports Protective Gear website we'd like to hear from you.
Primo Athletic Armor
We like our current logo, but we are changing our name to include the word Primo and changing the spelling of Armour to Armor.
So the brand name we'll be Primo and Athletic Armor will the descriptive.
To see our current logo go to http://www.AthleticArmour.com
Our target audience is action sports athletes (think X-Games, Snowboarders, Skateboarders, Motocross) and team sports athletes (Baseball, Football, Soccer, Lacrosse, Basketball).
Average age is 13-25 and mostly male.
- A strong tough, active, hip logo with a cool figure and sweet font for the word Primo.
- Emphasis should be on the word Primo and Athletic Armor should be secondary.
- We like our current "X-Man" in our logo because he looks like an athlete being protected. We are open to new fresh ideas though.
- We want Primo to look cool by itself if we were ever to use it as a stand alone without the words Athletic Armor on sticker
- We want the Icon that you create to go with it to be strong enough and recognizeable on it's own as well. Something that could work as a sticker.
- We really like the metallic look of our current X-Man so keeping that feel will help.
- We like our current colors. You can deviate a little bit, but it's going to be tough to convince us to do something other than black, red, silver, gray, metallic.
- Ideally something that looks good on our current site to save us from redesigning things.
- Nothing outside the colors we've suggested
- Anything too plain or something you'd see your PE Coach from high school wearing on his coaching shirt - we want something hipper and tougher than that.
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


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One of China's most innovative filmmakers, Lu Chuan has attempted to reinvent the Chinese historical epic with The Last Supper, which screens at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival in the Narrative Competition.
The $14m film is based on true events surrounding the fall of the Qin Dynasty and the rise of the Han Dynasty in the third century BC. Leading Chinese actor Liu Ye plays Han Dynasty emperor Liu Bang, while Hong Kong star Daniel Wu plays his friend and eventual rival, Xiang Yu.
Backed by Beijing-based Stellar Megamedia, The Last Supper has had its Chinese release date delayed a few times, as it deals with political issues in a year when China's leadership is changing hands, but may be released in November. Wild Bunch boarded the film last year as international sales agent. It received its world premiere at this year's Toronto International Film Festival.
Why did you want to film this particular period of history? And how did you approach it?
I've made four movies so far and tried to make a different movie every time - this film is my first historical epic. It was a challenge because there have been hundreds of historical movies in China and they can be old-fashioned. Some of our greatest directors have failed in their historical films.
However, I wanted to make something different that examined the humanity of Chinese political rulers throughout history. Over two thousand years of our history, the political situation has been repeated over and over again. Political leaders fight for freedom and establish a new system, but eventually become dictators themselves. I wanted to examine why it's been this way.
Has the subject matter led to censorship problems?
The censors said this is a story about Chairman Mao, but it's actually not; I only wanted to examine the issues of political systems and humanity. If I wanted to make a film about Chairman Mao, I would have made that film, as I'm not a coward. This is a story about the first king of the Han Dynasty - I believe two thousand years of history have been influenced by his personal biography.
Do you think it's difficult to get international audiences to understand Chinese historical films?
I'm quite sure that the Chinese audience will understand this film because I've shown it to friends and they get it from the first five minutes. But I'm not so confident about the overseas market. Wild Bunch told me there are so many Chinese names and faces and the Western audience isn't familiar with the history. So I've re-edited again and again to help foreign audiences understand the film.
So you have different cuts for the local and international audience?
I hate doing that as I think the best movies should only have one version - so although there are two versions, there is only a slight difference. However I did point out to Wild Bunch that in China we still watch French and American historical movies, even though we're not familiar with Medieval Europe or the American Civil War!
How has the Chinese film industry been effected by the expansion of the foreign film quota?
Our domestic film industry is under huge pressure from Hollywood movies, but I believe this is a good thing because it will teach [China's] Film Bureau that filmmaking is a kind of entertainment and not a political issue. The only way to help Chinese movies is to eliminate censorship and give freedom to everybody.


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It's always the oil. While President Trump was hobnobbing with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the G-20 summit in Japan, brushing off a Veloce Nissan Skyline GT-R R35 LB Performance Pink 1 64 Resin ig ignition about the prince's role in the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was in Asia and the Middle East, pleading with foreign leaders to support "Sentinel." The aim of that administration plan: to protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf. Both Trump and Pompeo insisted that their efforts were driven by concern over Iranian misbehavior in the region and the need to ensure the safety of maritime commerce. Neither, however, mentioned one inconvenient three-letter word — O-I-L — that lay behind their Iranian maneuvering (as it has impelled every other American incursion in the Middle East since World War II).
Now, it's true that the United States no longer relies on imported petroleum for a large share of its energy needs. Thanks to the fracking revolution, the country now gets the bulk of its oil — 1994 MATCHBOX THE CIRCUS COMES TO TOWN 6PC GIFT SET — from domestic sources. (In 2008, that share had been closer to 35%.) Key allies in NATO and rivals like China, however, continue to depend on Middle Eastern oil for a significant proportion of their energy needs. As it happens, the world economy — of which the U.S. is the leading beneficiary (despite President Trump's self-destructive trade wars) — relies on an uninterrupted flow of oil from the Persian Gulf to keep energy prices low. By continuing to serve as the principal overseer of that flow, Washington enjoys striking geopolitical advantages that its foreign policy elites would no more abandon than they would their country's nuclear supremacy.
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Headlined "U.S. Seeks Other Ways to Stop Iran Shy of War," the article was BO772-1x Wiking H0 1 87 705 Autosnodato MB o 305 G Zurigo + Monaco Ecc. Nuovo on page A9 of a recent New York Times. Still, it caught my attention. Here's the first paragraph:
"American intelligence and military officers are working on additional clandestine plans to counter Iranian aggression in the Persian Gulf, pushed by the White House to develop new options that could help deter Tehran without escalating tensions into a full-out conventional war, according to current and former officials."
Note that "Iranian aggression." The rest of the piece, fairly typical of the tone of American media coverage of the ongoing Iran crisis, included sentences like this: "The C.I.A. has longstanding secret plans for responding to Iranian provocations." I'm sure I've read such things hundreds of times without ever really stopping to think much about them, but this time I did. And what struck me was this: Playart Fastwheel Shell yellow fuel tanker 1960's 70's Hong Kong mint boxed is the moment in such mainstream news reports when Americans are the "provocative" ones (though the Iranians immediately accused the U.S. military of Solido Kit to assemble 1 43 - Bugatti Atalante 1939 and Royal 1930, a provocation, when it came to the U.S. drone its Revolutionary Guard recently shot down German WW 2 Gama Tank with original Case - 7 cm over Iranian air space or the Strait of Hormuz). When it comes to Washington's never-ending war on terror, I think I can say with reasonable confidence that, in the past, the present, and the future, the one phrase you're not likely to find in such media coverage will be "American aggression."
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TRIPOLI, Libya — Sometimes war sounds like the harsh crack of gunfire and sometimes like the whisper of the wind. This early morning — in al-Yarmouk on the southern edge of Libya's capital, Tripoli — it was a mix of both.
All around, shops were shuttered and homes emptied, except for those in the hands of the militiamen who make up the army of the Government of National Accord (GNA), the U.N.-backed, internationally recognized government of Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj. The war had slept in this morning and all was quiet until the rattle of a machine gun suddenly broke the calm.
A day earlier, I had spent hours on the roof of my hotel, listening to the basso profundo echo of artillery as dark torrents of smoke rose from explosions in this and several other outlying neighborhoods. The GNA was doing battle with the self-styled Libyan National Army of warlord Khalifa Haftar, a U.S. citizen, former CIA asset, and longtime resident of Virginia, who was Nissan Skyline GT-R (R32) Tuned Version bluee 1 18 - 77415 Autoart by President Donald Trump in an April phone call. Watching the war from this perch brought me back to another time in my life when I wrote about war from a far greater distance — of both Minichamps AMR 387 1 43 Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.3-16 White Metal Handmade Model Kit — a war I SCATOLA NOREV RENAULT CONCEPT CAR INIZIALE PARIGI SALA DA FRANCFORT 2013 au 1 43 decades after the fact, the one that Americans still call "Vietnam" but the Vietnamese know as "BMW M4 GTS 2016 White 1 18 - 110025221 MINICHAMPS."
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How best to describe the recently completed allied commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the D-Day invasion of France? Two words come immediately to mind: heartfelt and poignant. The aged D-Day veterans gathering for what was probably the last time richly deserved every bit of praise bestowed on them. Yet one particular refrain that has become commonplace in this age of Donald Trump was absent from the proceedings. I'm referring to "fake news." In a curious collaboration, Trump and the media, their normal relationship one of mutual loathing, combined forces to falsify the history of World War II. Allow me to explain.
In a stirring presentation, Donald Trump — amazingly — rose to the occasion and captured the spirit of the moment, one of gratitude, respect, even awe. Ever so briefly, the president sounded presidential. In place of his usual taunts and insults, he managed a fair imitation of Ronald Reagan's legendary "Boys of Pointe Du Hoc" speech of 1984. "We are gathered here on Freedom's Altar," Trump began — not exactly his standard introductory gambit.
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Don't try to deny it! The political temperature of this country is rising fast. Call it Trump change or Trump warming, if you want, but grasp one thing: increasingly, you're in a different land and, whatever happens to Donald Trump, the results down the line are likely to be ever less pretty. Trump change isn't just an American phenomenon, it's distinctly global. After all, from LOT 40673 Schabak 1018 VW Corrado green metallic 1 43 Modellauto NEU in OVP to Corgi Vanguards VA00516 Triumph Herald Saloon Wedgewood bluee 1.43 Scale Boxed, the 460 STEAM LOCOMOTIVE WITH TENDE Mechanical 3D Wooden Puzzle Construction to Hungary, Donald Trumps and their supporters keep getting elected or reelected and, 1 18 AB Models Ferrari 312P 18LeMans Lmtd 150 pieces Alcantara F2 a recent CNN poll, a majority of Americans think Trump himself will win again in 2020 (though, at the moment, battleground-state polls look grim for him).
Still, whether or not he gets a second term in the White House, he only seems like the problem, partially because no president, no politician, no one in history has ever gotten such 24/7 media coverage of every twitch, tweet, bizarre statement, falsehood, or fantasy he expresses (or even the clothes he wears). Think of it this way: we're in a moment in which the only thing the media can't imagine saying about Donald Trump is: "You're fired!" And believe me, that's just one sign of a media — and a country — with a temperature that's anything but 98.6.
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The recent White House decision to speed the deployment of an aircraft carrier battle group and other military assets to the Persian Gulf has led many in Washington and elsewhere to assume that the U.S. is gearing up for war with Iran. As in the lead-up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, U.S. officials have cited suspect intelligence data to justify elaborate war preparations. On May 13th, acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan even presented top White House officials with plans to send as many as 120,000 troops to the Middle East for possible future combat with Iran and its proxies. Later reports indicated that the Pentagon might be making plans to send even more soldiers than that. Hawks in the White House, led by National Security Advisor John Bolton, see a war aimed at eliminating Iran's clerical leadership as a potentially big win for Washington. Many top officials in […]
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In this country, reactions to the Mueller report have been all-American beyond belief. Let's face it, when it comes to election meddling, it's been me, me, me, 24/7 here. Yes, in some fashion some set of Russians meddled in the last election campaign, whether it was, as Jared Kushner improbably Spark 1 43 VW Volkswagen Fun Cup World Champion 2007 from Japan, "a couple of Facebook ads" or, as the Mueller report described it, "the Russian government interfer[ing]… in sweeping and systematic fashion."
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What is democracy? Since this deceptively simple question first came into my mind, I haven't been able to shake it. We think we understand the word, but what are we really referring to when we talk about a system in which the people rule themselves?
The word democracy is all around us, invoked in almost every conceivable context: government, business, technology, education, and media. At the same time, its meaning, taken as self-evident, is rarely given much serious consideration. Though the headlines tell us democracy is in "crisis," we don't have a clear conception of what it is that is at risk. The significance of the democratic ideal, as well as its practical substance, is surprisingly elusive.
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As Notre Dame burned, as the flames leapt from its roof of ancient timbers, many of us watched in grim horror. Hour after hour, on screen after screen, channel after channel, you could see that 850-year-old cathedral, a visiting spot for 13 million people annually, being gutted, its roof timbers flaring into the evening sky, its steeple collapsing in a ball of fire. It was dramatic and deeply disturbing — and, of course, unwilling to be left out of any headline-making event, President Trump promptly tweeted his advice to the French authorities: "Perhaps flying water tankers could be used to put it out. Must act quickly!" No matter that water from such planes would probably have taken the cathedral's towers down and endangered lives as well — "the equivalent," according to a French fire chief, "of dropping three tons of concrete at 250 kilometers per hour [on] the ancient monument." […]
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In January 2015, I spent the longest, queasiest week of my life on a cruise ship filled with conspiracy theorists. As our boat rattled toward Mexico and back, I heard about every wild plot, secret plan, and dark cover-up imaginable. It was mostly fascinating, occasionally exasperating, and the cause of a headache that took months to fade. To my pleasant surprise, given that I was a reporter traveling among a group of deeply suspicious people, I was accused only once of working for the CIA.
The unshakable certainty that many of the conspiracy theorists possessed sometimes made me want to tear my hair out, how tightly they clung to the strangest and most far-fetched ideas. I was pretty sure they had lost their hold on reality as a result of being permanently and immovably on the fringes of American life. I felt bad for them and, to be honest, a little superior.


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The Wild Horses That Beat Extinction
Clip: Season 37 Episode 8 | 1m 32s
The Przewalski horse went extinct in the wild but was reintroduced at the Seer Horse Reserve in Gobi Desert, Mongolia. These horses have managed to make an impressive comeback and their success is due in large part to the social structure of their herd.
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Major support for NATURE is provided by the Arnhold Family in memory of Henry and Clarisse Arnhold, Sue and Edgar Wachenheim III, the Kate W. Cassidy Foundation, the Lillian Goldman Charitable Trust, Kathy Chiao and Ken Hao, the Anderson Family Fund, the Filomen M. D'Agostino Foundation, Rosalind P. Walter, the Halmi Family in memory of Robert Halmi, Sr., Sandra Atlas Bass, Doris R. and Robert J. Thomas, the Hite Foundation, Charles Rosenblum, the Arlene and Milton D. Berkman Philanthropic Fund, the Sun Hill Family Foundation, the M. & H. Sommer Foundation, Ron Hull, the Bradley L. Goldberg Family Foundation, by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, by PBS, and by Viewers Like You.


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Several recent articles in Clinical Chemistry have described the use of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) as markers in genetic linkage studies (1)(2). These markers can be used to identify loci associated with specific disease phenotypes in a general or specific manner. The general approach, commonly called "genome-wide scanning", uses hundreds to thousands of polymorphic markers (most often SNPs) to look for genetic associations in individuals with a specific phenotype. Alternatively, when SNPs in specific candidate genes have been identified and selected, these genes are usually associated with biochemical or physiologic pathways believed to be involved in the disease pathogenesis.
Even in the so-called "single gene" disorders (e.g., cystic fibrosis), where we previously thought pathways were relatively straightforward, there are often complicating factors, such as modifier genes. To help define modifier genes, it is important to precisely define clinical phenotypes (3). In the case of multifactorial disorders, where multiple biochemical and physiologic pathways may be involved, the need for "carefully generated distinct phenotypes" becomes even more critical. A case in point is found in this issue of Clinical Chemistry, where Hsieh et al. (4) describe a study looking for such genetic modifiers in patients with ischemic cerebrovascular events, commonly called strokes. This study affects our understanding of the complex multifactorial nature of hypertension, the major risk factor of stroke.
Hypertension is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in industrialized countries worldwide (5), and most hypertension is "essential", meaning that no obvious cause is known. Approximately 50 million Americans age 6 and older have high blood pressure. Of those with high blood pressure, 32% are unaware they have it, and 54% are on medication; blood pressure is adequately controlled in only one-half of those who are treated. High blood pressure directly increases the risk of coronary heart disease, heart attack, and stroke, especially when other risk factors, such as diabetes, are present. Proper diagnosis and treatment of hypertension can reduce heart failure by 55% and stroke by 37% (6).
Essential hypertension (EH) is a complex disease that has both environmental and genetic determinants (7) and a heritability that ranges from 30% to 90%. Because of the variable extent of heritability, EH probably results from the effects of multiple genes, not all of which are responsible, in any given individual, for the high blood pressure that is characteristic of the disease. This contribution of multiple genes is supported by studies in animals and humans, in which peripheral blood pressure follows a single monotonic distribution that is not bimodally distributed (8). In addition, EH probably is a result of the combination (via unknown interactions) of genetic alterations in selected metabolic pathways with other genetic variants in less well characterized pathways that are susceptible to changes in each person's environment (e.g., diet, stress, and exposure to xenobiotics). Thus, the trait of increased blood pressure observed in EH is likely the result of chronic interaction(s) between several minor genetically induced alterations in metabolic pathways that are coupled to other genetically altered changes in pathways; together, these genetic features determine an individual's susceptibility to inputs from environmental stressors (e.g., diet, abuse of nicotine, salt intake, and lifestyle).
The search for genetic components that contribute to EH began with the concept of a single candidate gene being responsible for the trait of increased blood pressure that is observed in EH patients. Investigators have searched for the presence of a defect (or defects) in multiple pathways, including those of the renal kallikrein system, sodium epithelial transport system, renin–angiotensinogen–aldosterone pathway, and the catecholaminergic–adrenergic pathway; gene changes have also been searched for in genes for α-adducin and, more recently, G protein [beta] 3, nitric oxide (NOS), and G-protein–related kinase subtype 4 (GRK4) (9)(10). Although studies of these genes or collections of genes have shown some weak associations, to date no significant gene defect in a single gene (e.g., similar to ΔF508 in the CFTR gene associated with cystic fibrosis) has been identified for EH. The results of these and other genetic studies of EH have led to the conclusion that EH is a multifactorial disease of delayed penetrance, with a substantial environmental influence. One gene system that does seem to play a role in EH is the G-protein–related kinases. SNPs in the GRK4 genes, in combination with several other SNPs, appear to be correlated with EH, both in rats and in human studies (11). Thus, the conclusion is that multiple SNPs will likely need to be evaluated for characterizing and detecting hypertension.
Hsieh et al. (4) have taken another approach in using a downstream phenotype and surveying candidate genes for hypertension associated with stroke. The necessity for carefully generated distinct phenotypes now becomes doubly important, because some stroke patients may have etiologies other than hypertension. To exclude these phenocopies (stroke attributable to other etiologies), the authors were able to exclude stroke patients with other etiologies, leaving 1399 patients (of 3516 original stroke patients). Control individuals had no personal or family history of stroke. After adjustment for age and hypertension risk factors, a statistically significant association was observed between the Trp493Arg polymorphism in the gene (SCNN1A) for the α subunit of the amiloride-sensitive epithelial sodium channel (αENaC) and the stroke patient group.
Why ENaC? Each ENaC subunit (α, β, and γ) is coded by a different gene. Mutations in the genes coding for the β and γ subunits of ENaC have been implicated in Liddle syndrome (pseudohyperaldosteronism), an autosomal-dominantly inherited single-gene disorder in which increased reabsorption of sodium and water in the renal tubule leads to hypertension (12). However, although genetic associations between the β and γ subunits of ENaC and EH have been studied, the results are mixed. Therefore, these findings involving the α subunit are intriguing.
- © 2005 The American Association for Clinical Chemistry


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Nanomaterials is the study of materials with structure whose size is in the scale of 1-100nm. Materials with this size characteristic can have unique chemical, electrical, optical, thermal and structural properties. A clasic example is the variance of the color of gold particles with respect to particle size. Nanomaterials can consist of particles, quantum dots, nanorods, nanotubes, as well as other composites and nanostructured materials.
This page is a starting point for nanoHUB users. It lists a few resources developed or recommended by the NCN Nanomaterials team. You can find other resources by browsing through the list with the tag nanomaterials, or by using the nanoHUB search box to locate other resources. Resources for specific materials are available: nanocomposites, nanoparticles, quantum dots, nanorods, nanotubes, nanostructure.
Selected Resources
- NCN Nanomaterials: Tutorials
- NCN Nanomaterials: Courses
- NCN Nanomaterials: Research Seminars
- NCN Nanomaterials: Simulation Tools for Education
- NCN Nanomaterials: Simulation Tools for Research
Special Inititatives
- Excellence in Computer Simulation
- Introduction to VEDA: Virtual Environment for Dynamic AFM
- Modeling and Simulation of Materials
- Overview of Computational Nanoscience
Recommended Links
- Northwestern University Materials Research Science & Engineering Center
- Materials Computation Center, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
- Purdue University Birck Nanotechnology Center
- Frontiers in Scanning Probe Microscopy


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I'd like to add my two cents to the interesting discussion by Bob Cargill and Daniel McClellan about whether Christians should abandon the customary "B.C." (Before Christ) and "A.D." (Anno Domini) dating system and adopt the "B.C.E." (Before the Common Era) and "C.E." (Common Era) in widespread use now in the academy.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Should Christians Abandon B.C./A.D.?
I'd like to add my two cents to the interesting discussion by Bob Cargill and Daniel McClellan about whether Christians should abandon the customary "B.C." (Before Christ) and "A.D." (Anno Domini) dating system and adopt the "B.C.E." (Before the Common Era) and "C.E." (Common Era) in widespread use now in the academy.
22 comments:
Thank you, as someone 60 this Oct. I have never got used to anything else but BC and AD. Yes, the Incarnation is certainly everything for the Christian!
- Donna said...
I agree 100%! I somehow never knew about Anno Mundi, but I like it. I think it highlights the shift caused by the Incarnation more than just saying "Before Christ".
- Daniel O. McClellan said...
A good defense of the use of BC/AD, but I'd like to contribute something in the way of clarification. "Common" in "Common Era" does not mean run of the mill or bland, but popular, or widespread. It refers to the use of that dating system by the majority of the population while royalty referred to regnal years. The word may have a different connotation in many minds today, and I understand that some people view it as a demeaning or marginalizing designation, but that's not at all what it is meant to be.
Secondly, my post was not meant to convey that I think everyone has to adopt the other system, but rather that there's nothing in the BCE/CE dating that merits the kind of opposition that is found so frequently in this discussion. If someone doesn't want to miss out on another way to make a confession of faith, that's their prerogative, but I don't think it's accurate to argue that BCE/CE is inappropriate, offensive, or anti-Christian in any capacity.
- Rudy said...
Let's be honest, BCE and CE were invented by those whose prejudices against the Christian faith were bothered by using the BC and AD. The mere mention of Christ is enough to have these scientist and scholars going into apoplexy.
- John Roberson said...
As you say, "the Incarnation is still at the center," yet we're calling it "common." B/CE is therefore colonialist, so self-conscious non-Christian academics should avoid it as such.
- Sister Mary Agnes said...
To me the "BCE/CE" trend is an indication that some people in the scholarly and scientific communities have a discomfort with Christianity. But if BCE and CE makes them happy, I would rather see them use it than impose on the rest of us a whole new system. Hopefully enough of the world will continue using BC and AD so those labels will continue to be recognized.
On a different subject, I just added The Sacred Page to a catalog of blogs on Facebook. I hope you won't mind being passed around the globe in the Facebook community.
- JohnO said...
Playing devil's advocate, shouldn't the BC/AD calculations be altered then? Since they're off, and don't reflect the actual date of the incarnation? Why is "Close enough, good enough"?
I am rather persuaded by http://www.bibleinterp.com/opeds/why_3530.shtml arguments. While we should feel free to write with AD/BC in our own faith communities (dealing with the questions above), why is it wrong for the Academy, representing no singular faith position, to adopt a different dating system? Just because the B/CE switch is at the same time as the AD/BC switch doesn't mean it is made for the same reasons (it would seem to be for entirely practical reasons so we don't have to do tons of wasteful work re-numbering everything.
- Lucien said...
Good points Brant I agree.
I was worried after seeing Michael Barber utilize BCE and CE in some of his articles, that you would agree with the "academy" too.
- Robert R. Cargill said...
thanx for your comments. i put some responses to the discussions here: http://bobcargill.wordpress.com/2009/10/02/response-to-comments-about-my-recent-bcece-vs-bcad-essay/
as far as vacuous dates go, as soon as the polar ice caps melt, we will have the first truly global common event upon which to date all subsequent events (like amos 1).
cheers -bc
- Lucien said...
From Mr. Cargill's blog (posted by Mr. McClellan):
"Daniel O. McClellan, on September 30th, 2009 at 4:53 pm Said:
I agree with you Bob. I think the main obstacle this campaign has is the pushing back from conservative Christians who feel the designation is some kind of atheist or anti-Christian crusade. In actuality, the designation was developed by 17th-18th century European Christians to distinguish the "vulgar" ("common") calendar from the regnal calendar. There's nothing offensive about wanting to be less polarizing and disrespectful in a global community, and most people don't use AD correctly anyway."
Let me repeat this sentence for you: There's nothing offensive about wanting to be less polarizing and disrespectful in a global community...
There are at least over 1 billion people on the planet (global community) who would possibly be offended by the change in terminology that has been utilized for centuries. But you still don't think it could be polarizing or disrespectful?
I guess Mr. McClellan subscribes to the theory that there is no tradition like a new tradition.
However, for those of us like our traditions aged to perfection, even though we may not always understand them according to the standards set forth by the "academy", we actually appreciate them.
I encourage theologians to continue to utilize BCE/CE it helps me to separate the wheat from the weeds.
- Daniel O. McClellan said...
In that globalized academic community far more people are inconvenience by BC/CE than would possibly be offended by being inclusive. I italicize that because I don't imagine the majority of Christians find BCE/CE offensive.
No, I don't think it would be polarizing or disrespectful to change a centuries old religio-centric tradition. To insist that it is is to insist that only your sensitivities matter. You may appreciate your traditions all you want (I don't belittle BC/AD at all), but when engaging in cross-religious dialogue I think it's inappropriate to demand others adopt your particular traditions when it's not necessary.
I stand by my statement. There is absolutely nothing offensive about being inclusive, and I heartily disagree with the idea that unnecessary Christian offense should be prioritized over justified (and statistically larger) non-Christian sensitivities.
- Lucien said...
Here is the statement I wanted you to stand by (I even repeated it for you):
"There's nothing offensive about wanting to be less polarizing and disrespectful in a global community, and most people don't use AD correctly anyway."
I wanted you to attempt to establish how there is absolutely "nothing offensive"; since as you can see from this combox that there is absolutely something offensive about changing the designation to several Christians at this blog alone.
Your statement could have been something along these lines if it were to be consistent, "Even though Christians, inside and outside of academia, will be offended by the change in designation; it makes sense to adopt this novel (and unambiguous) designation to make the point that we are not thrusting Christ as Lord upon our non-Christian partners in dialogue."
And let us look to another one of your subsequent statements, "I italicize that because I don't imagine the majority of Christians find BCE/CE offensive"
I think your imagination is keeping you from making an intellectually consistent statement in this case too.
This imagined majority of Christianity can be made to say, or believe, just about anything if you want them too. My imagined majority of Christianity would be offended by BCE/CE, Christ is Lord after all!
Plus if we are to assign a designation to truly be less offensive to non-Christians then BCE/CE wouldn't satisfy the requirement for too long. BCE can also stand for Before Christian Era and Christian Era for CE. Eventually we will have to come up with something without the letter C in it and possibly J too. :)
- Lucien said...
I think an additional good point to be made here would be that those from other faith traditions (outside of Christianity) to refrain from speaking for Christianity.
If I were to try to convince, say Mormons, in an argument that I thought Joseph Smith was not a martyr and in my comments spoke for the "majority" of Mormons being in agreement on this point, I would be being dishonest.
- Daniel O. McClellan said...
If you mean to aver that I'm not a Christian because I'm a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints then I'm not interested in continuing this discussion.
- Lucien said...
Do you believe that Jesus of Nazareth is God Incarnate?
If not, then a Christian you are not.
- Lucien said...
Christians, historically speaking, have believed the following about Jesus of Nazareth:
"We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, one in being with the Father. Through Him all things were made. For us men and our salvation He came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit, He was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake He was crucified under Pontius Pilate; He suffered, died, and was buried. On the third day He rose again in fulfillment of the scriptures: He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end."
If you, as a Mormon, can not give assent to all these articles of the following creedal statement then no you could not be considered a Christian.
If the Church of Latter Day Saints has changed it's doctrines on Jesus of Nazareth I would be glad to look into the data.
But if not, then your attempts to speak for Christianity are not reasonable.
Just like I could and should not speak for Mormons, Christian Scientists, Jehovah Witnesses and the other religions that started up here in the USA during the 19th century.
You could argue for changing the designation all you want but obviously from a different starting principal and perspective.
- Daniel O. McClellan said...
You do not speak for Christianity today, and even less so for biblical Christianity. The creed you cite was not formulated until centuries after Christ's death and does not represent pre-Nicene Christianity. If exclusion is your priority in your definition of what it means to be a Christian then that's your prerogative, but don't presume to speak authoritatively concerning my personal relationship with Christ or on behalf of the Christian church as a global body.
If you have something relevant to this blog post to say then please do so, otherwise I'm done reading your responses.
- Lucien said...
No, I do not speak authoritatively for Christianity but luckily my Church does.
It teaches exactly what constitutes being a Christian. There are teachings such as the Trinity the core and highest teaching; one that we have to give assent to. Jesus Christ is true God and true man; another teaching I have to give assent to. And many, many more beautiful dogmas that give life a framework grounded in reason and purpose.
If you personally gave assent to the belief that God became man, walked on this earth, sacrificed Himself on the cross for our redemption and rose again; then you would be able to understand why changing the designation from BC and AD to BCE and CE would be offensive.
If this is all true it is the focal point of all history and something to be proclaimed to all generations.
Exclusion is not a priority for me; I want every one to join the Catholic Church. But affirming people in their error is not charity; it is the opposite of charity.
- John Bergsma said...
Ah, Brant, your Cajun nature just can't resist coming out swinging and starting a brawl. You got kahunas we Frisians just don't.
The problem with the use of the word "common" is that is only "common" because people self-described as "Christians" have happened to have conquered and ruled most of the world over the last five centuries or so, (in a highly unChristian manner of course), and their countries continue remain economically and ideologically dominant, for now. It's simply saying: we'll carry on using the Christian system but pretend it isn't Christian. I have no objection to the CE part standing for "Christian Era" since it doesn't involve obfuscation, but does not involve clearly confessional statements such as Anno Domini. Maybe one day a truly secular calendar will be invented we can all use civically. (Like I sometimes wish Christmas was replaced as a public holiday by the winter solstice so that all the commercial capitalist tat would go away and we could celebrate Christmas on the 24th/25th properly without Santa or Rudolph in site!)
- Lucien said...
Unfortunately Anon you are correct in some of your points here:
1) The imperialistic European's wore the banner of Christ while committing atrocities.
2) To this day the descendents of those imperialistic European's capitalize on their position of influence and are marginal Christians to say the least.
But there are some other points to consider:
1) Like it or not the imperialistic European's did have success in their ventures; Christianity did spread. Was this a blessing from God? It seems to be how the original people of God (Israel) operated as well. Think about how bad the atrocities would have been without Christ; an example being Nazi Germany.
2) The descendents of those imperialistic European's would be much worse without Christ. It has taken the US a long time to realize that slavery and racism are evils (and we are still learning about abortion) but we are finally getting it into our heads.
Christ and His Church influence the world one conversion at a time and there are so many people who fight against God's will in their lives that it takes so long. That length of time we are experiencing and sometimes get frustrated with is an expression of God's mercy.
- Unknown said...
When my students ask "What does CE and BCE mean?" I answer with this:
"CE means 'Christian era' and BCE means 'before the Christian era.'"
in Christ,


text:
qr forum plans
Driven by mathematicians
1. Welcome statement
2. Purpose:
a) Feedback to mathematicians
i. Additional information (real data, URLS to explain more,...)
ii. Clarification of appropriateness of the example (works to describe the mathematical side—does it work as well to describe the actual principle?)
iii. Additional understanding of the concept (helps mathematician to describe the context)
3. Motivation
a) ACM/PKAL conference
b) Urgency at liberal arts colleges to integrate the disciplines
c) Realization that students learn best when seeing similar concepts more than once—way to make this happen
d) Better to learn from actual/realistic applications rather than contrived ones
e) Sharing of good practice among mathematicians
4. Process
a) Posted by mathematician by filling out a form that captures
i. Mathematics course
ii. Context discipline (physics, chemistry, geology, biology, psychology, economics, accounting, etc...)
iii. Type of information being requested
1. Reality check
2. Data sources
3. Additional understanding of concept
4. Feedback
5. Realistic expectations
Needed to get the project off the ground (Sean)
1. Initial setups at all ACM schools
a) One liaison at each ACM school (start with those attending the ACM/PKAL workshop) to gather participants from their institution, from each of the disciplines, who wish to be included in getting emails to ask for specific information. The more the merrier, but it would be important to get at least one person from each of the disciplines from each school.
b) Liaison sends list of interested faculty and their disciplines and their email adresses to Sean for inclusion in the discipline-specific "list-serve" type groups.
c) On a "regular" basis (annually?), review the list, ask new members of the faculty, and remove names of people who are no longer associated with the College or no longer wish to participate.
2. Oversight
a. Mathematician from one of the colleges (this could be a rotating position) to
i. "accept" or "reject" posted material from mathematician and
ii. determine the group to which accepted materials should be sent.
b. One long-term manager (could be a rotating position) who
i. Goes through the posts on an annual basis
ii. Gives feedback on what works well and what could be improved
iii. Suggests archiving
What does form look like?
At top: welcoming and purpose paragraph at top
- College
- Instructor's name
- Instructor's e-mail address
- mathematics discipline (e.g. stats, applied math, calculus,...)
- Mathematics course (optional) (e.g. Calc I, differential equations,...)
- Mathematics concept (optional) (T-test, rates, min-max, intersections of lines)
- Posed question
- Related documents (optional)
- Optimal time line of mathematician (things like—I really need to know this by next week, or not at all—more nicely worded)
Expectations—change to prose
- Timeline of mathematician—Really need to give one or two weeks if you expect quality responses
- Timeline of discipline specific faculty response—Really need to reply within one or two weeks to be really useful, although additional responses will be accepted
- Need to post the materials so that others teaching the same types of things could benefit from the process—need a lot more
- Questions cannot be open ended—need to focus on making an existing idea better.
Outstanding issues:
1. Who starts the process to find the liaisons at each institution to find the faculty interested in being a part of the forum? Seems like we can work with disciplinary group to get a lot of this done--M. Baehr can work with dean's list to make this happen.
2. How do we get the people to review for acceptance and to review annually? Work with mathematics for volunteers.
3. How in the future do we capture the "final product" created by the mathematician using the feedback?
Feedback from group:
1. Better to have a two way street than to have it initiated always by mathematics.
2. Important to make sure that agreement or disagreement in terminology are clear from the beginning and to make room for discussions around these issues. Build in that this would be part of the feedback loop for this.
3. Activitiy sheets that capture the context of the feedback AND the ways the activity could be used both in a mathematics course and the specific disicipline, in hopes that both would use, particularly at same institutions where students might get to see it twice.


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text:
Now showing items 1-1 of 1
Should the surgeon or the general practitioner (GP) follow up patients after surgery for colon cancer? A randomized controlled trial protocol focusing on quality of life, cost-effectiveness and serious clinical events
(Journal article; Tidsskriftartikkel, 2008-06-25)
Background: All patients who undergo surgery for colon cancer are followed up according to the guidelines of the Norwegian Gastrointestinal Cancer Group (NGICG). These guidelines state that the aims of follow-up after surgery are to perform quality assessment, provide support and improve survival. In Norway, most of these patients are followed up in a hospital setting. We describe a multi-centre ...