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Krista Tippett:, host:I'm Krista Tippett:. Today, "Mathematics, Purpose, and Truth." My guest, Janna Levin, is a theoretical physicist with a special interest in the origins and shape of the universe. She's also the author of a fascinating, beautifully written novel, A Madman Dreams of Turing Machines, that is as much about ideas as about life. This hour with her, we explore boundaries where science presses on great questions of meaning, more often taken up by philosophy and theology.
Ms. Janna Levin: It feels much richer to me to imagine that a cold, empty cosmos collapses with stars, and stars burn and shine, and they make carbon in their cores, and then they throw them out again. And that carbon collects and forms another planet and another star and then human beings arise. I mean, that's, to me, a really beautiful narrative.
Tippett: This is Speaking of Faith. Stay with us.
Tippett: I'm Krista Tippett:. My guest this hour is Janna Levin, a theoretical physicist with a special interest in the shape of the universe. She's not a religious thinker, but she has written a novel that poetically evokes the boundaries where science presses on great questions of meaning and purpose in human life. How do we know what is true? And how free are we, really?
From American Public Media, this is Speaking of Faith, public radio's conversation about religion, meaning, ethics, and ideas. Today, "Mathematics, Purpose, and Truth."
Janna Levin is a professor of physics and astronomy at Barnard College. Her 2006 novel, A Madman Dreams of Turing Machines, explores great existential questions by probing the lives and ideas of two pivotal 20th-century mathematicians, Kurt Gödel and Alan Turing. Turing is known as the father of modern computing, and his insights were made possible in part by Gödel's discoveries. In 1931, Gödel shook the worlds of mathematics, philosophy, and logic with his incompleteness theorems. He showed that some mathematical truths can never be proven or, as he says in Janna Levin's novel, that mathematics is perfect, but it is not complete.
To see some truths, you must stand outside and look in. This notion also held deeply unsettling human implications. It posited hard limits to what any of us can ever logically, definitively know. Janna Levin's novel imaginatively evokes the force of this idea in the classrooms and coffeehouses of Gödel and Turing's day, and in her own life as a 21st-century urban scientist. When we spoke in 2007, she told me she began her undergraduate studies with little active interest in science, convinced instead that philosophy was asking all the big questions.
Ms. Levin: It's very ironic, when I look back at my childhood, that I was absolutely mesmerized by cosmology and astronomy, even evolutionary science, ideas of natural selection. They had always captured my imagination, and with these gratifying sort of ways to think about the world. Even if I didn't always understand the answers, it was sort of really a way to think about the world.
Tippett: And, I mean, tell me how you made that transition when you went to college and you were studying philosophy. How did you get captured by theoretical physics?
Ms. Levin: I think I hadn't really admitted to myself that I actually had loved science. And then I was in a philosophy class, and I was sort of impressed with the subject. We were talking about a lot of interesting things, free will, indeterminism, what it means to say we're free in a world that's completely, causally, physically determined. And there are all these very deep questions. And one day, a scientist came in to give a guest lecture, and they started to discuss something about quantum mechanics. And everybody in the room got very quiet. And they discussed things about Einstein.
Tippett: Right.
Ms. Levin: And what I was most impressed with is that philosophers didn't know how to respond. So I thought it was powerful. And I became interested in physics.
Tippett: And I think that this book you've written about Kurt Gödel and Alan Turing takes place very much at that intersection where philosophical questions meet scientific inquiry and scientific truth.
Ms. Levin: Mm-hmm. I think it's — yeah, I definitely came back 'round again.
Tippett: Did you?
Ms. Levin: Yeah. I mean, in some sense, I came full circle again to start asking those philosophical questions, I think.
Tippett: I mean, because this kind of — this basic question, I mean, let's start with Kurt Gödel, about truth, right? And I want you to put this into your own words, because I can't say that I can completely wrap my mind around it, but I'm utterly intrigued with it. You know, that truth would ultimately elude us. That some mathematical truths can't be proven within the realm of mathematics, which doesn't necessarily mean they're not true …
Ms. Levin: Yes, that's right. Yeah.
Tippett: … but that mathematics itself can't demonstrate their truth.
Ms. Levin: Yeah, that's right. It was a time in history when most mathematicians, I think it would be fair to say, believed that mathematics could address every mathematical proposition. And that's a fair enough thing to believe in retrospect. Why shouldn't mathematics be able to prove every true mathematical fact? So when Gödel came along and he found a very surreal kind of tangle, a mathematical proposition that makes a peculiar claim about itself, which cannot be proven within the context of arithmetic — it was in the context of arithmetic that he did this — it really shocked people. It really shook them up.
And I think the way he said it is actually the clearest and nicest way to say it. "There are some truths that can never be proven to be true." And it opens up this idea — which terrified people — that there are limits to what we can ever know. And it's not the first time it happened. If you think about Einstein's theory of special relativity, it was a similar idea. There are limits to how fast we can ever travel. We are limited by the speed of light. There are limits in quantum mechanics to how much we can ever really know. There are fundamental limits to certainty. And this all sort of happened around the same period of time that we began to accept this.
Tippett: You have a lot of scenes with Gödel in Vienna, early 1930s Vienna, in a coffeehouse, in a famous kind of intellectual gathering which was called the Vienna Circle. And there's a scene where you have — there's this mathematician, Olga Hahn-Neurath, and her husband Otto, who's a socialist and — I mean, these are just some of the people. Moritz Schlick was a philosopher and a logician who kind of headed this. And they often just come back to a Wittgenstein's premise — his first premise in his famous Tractatus — that "the world is all that is the case," which is a statement about a basic thing that we can know as real. And you have this moment where Gödel challenges this. And he has been thinking about this and coming up with this theory that you describe.
Reader: "On every previous Thursday, Kurt has been a silent spectator. Tonight, he looks from one person to another as he waits for the right opportunity. His temperature fluctuates while openings come and go until he throws out a question he knows they have asked themselves a thousand times, 'How do you recognize a fact of the world?'
"Moritz laughs, but not rudely, and nods, which loosens his hair only marginally from its proper place before he stops himself, slightly sorry for his reaction, as he takes in Kurt's serious expression. 'It is a fair question,' he confesses. 'How do I verify a fact of the world?' Such a simple question.
"Being honest, he can be sure only he sees. He can be sure only he touches. He watches Olga pull on a mammoth cigar. She has a calm about her, always at ease. The smoke drifts in curly plumes, sifting through her lashes. She doesn't seem to mind and even tends to hold the burning cinder vertically and uncomfortably close to her eyes.
"But what really arrests Moritz, what keeps his fingers in a frozen clutch around the cup, coffee suspended near his chin, is this question: Does Olga exist? He hangs there for what seems like a very long while. The conversation stalls, suspended along with the coffee.
"'Yes, Moritz, I'm here.'
"She reaches over and hooks his thumb with her forefinger. The rest of her fingers scramble over to clasp his hand, but all Moritz concedes is that he can feel what he has learned to describe as pressure on what he believes to be his hand.'"
Tippett: From A Madman Dreams of Turing Machines, by Janna Levin.
Tippett: In the story, in the novel, all the members of the circle who were sitting at the table with him start to question almost whether they themselves are real, whether the person who's sitting across the table from them is real. And as a reader, I had that same experience. And …
Ms. Levin: That's beautiful, yeah.
Tippett: It's wonderful. And so, I mean, I wonder if you would kind of describe that scene the way you envisioned it and what's happening there for you?
Ms. Levin: Well, I really hoped that the reader would have that experience, because ultimately I think that's where the book nudges. Do you know that any of this is real, that the book isn't a figment of your imagination somehow?
Tippett: Even the book itself, right?
Ms. Levin: The book itself. That somehow you aren't the author of the book itself.
Tippett: Right.
Ms. Levin: And so I was definitely pushing on that limit of what do we know and what don't we know, what do we take to be faith, what's rational to believe, what's not rational to believe. And I think at some stage, I realized that what I was writing about wasn't so much mathematics. What I was really writing about, which I think you've struck on, is belief, what Gödel believed, what the people in the Vienna Circle believed, how they all ultimately struggled with different ideas about reality. And there is this sort of surreal vagueness to our conclusions.
Tippett: You know, you write of both Gödel and Turing, that they were besotted with mathematics. And I have to say that I feel that you, I don't know if you're completely like them in that way, but you have a real sympathy for that. You know the way you seem to delight and just in the way they live with mathematics and wrestle with it. And is that true? I mean, for you, are numbers maybe not more real than the Sun and the Earth, but as real as the Sun and the Earth? And, you know, if so what does, what does that mean exactly? How would you explain that?
Ms. Levin: Well, I would absolutely say I am also besotted with mathematics. I don't worry about what's real and not real in the way that maybe Gödel did. I think what Turing did, which was so beautiful, was to have a very practical approach. He believed that life was sort of, in a way, simple. And you could relate to mathematics in a concrete and practical way. And it wasn't all about surreal, abstract theories. And that's why Turing is the one who invents the computer, because he thinks so practically. He can imagine a machine which adds and subtracts, a machine which performs the mathematical operations that the mind performs. And the modern computers that we have now are these very practical machines that are built on those ideas. And so I would say that, like Turing, I am absolutely struck with the power of mathematics, and that's why I'm a theoretical physicist. If I want to answer questions, I love that we can all share the mathematical answers. It's not about me trying to convince you of what I believe or of my perspective or of my, sort of, assumptions. We can all agree that one plus one is two, and we can all make calculations that come out to be the same, whether you're from India or Pakistan or, you know, Oklahoma …
Tippett: Right.
Ms. Levin: … we all have that in common. And so there's something about that that's deeply moving to me and that makes mathematics pure and special, and yet I'm able to have a more practical attitude about it, which is that, well, we can build machines this way. And there is a physical reality that we can relate to using mathematics.
Tippett: So I want to pose a question to you that you pose in different ways to Turing and Gödel, or you have them contemplate in the novel. And I'll say it this way, you know: In your mind, does the fact that one plus one equals two have anything to do with God?
Ms. Levin: Are you asking me that question?
Tippett: Yeah, I'm asking you that question. I'm asking you how you think about that.
Ms. Levin: I think it's — I am — oh, you're tough. I think that it raises — if I were to ever lean towards spiritual thinking or religious thinking, it would be in that way. It would be, why is it that there is this abstract mathematics that guides the universe? The universe is remarkable, because we can understand it. That's what's remarkable. All the other things are remarkable, too. It's really, really astounding that these little creatures on this little planet that seem totally insignificant in the middle of nowhere — we're not special, we're not in a special place — can look back over the 14-billion year history of the universe and understand so much and in such a short time.
So I think that that is where I would get a sense, again, of meaning and of purpose and of beauty and of being integrated with the universe so that it doesn't feel hopeless and meaningless. Now, I don't personally invoke a God to do that, but I can't say that mathematics would disprove the existence of God either. And it's just one of those things where over and over again, you come to that point where some people will make that leap and say, 'I believe that God initiated this and then stepped away, and the rest was this beautiful mathematical unfolding.' And others will say, 'Well, as far back as it goes, it seems to be these mathematical structures. And I don't feel the need to conjure up any other entity.'
Tippett: Right.
Ms. Levin: And I think I fall into that camp, and without feeling, again, despair or dissatisfaction.
Tippett: Theoretical physicist and novelist Janna Levin. I'm Krista Tippett:, and this is Speaking of Faith from American Public Media, today exploring echoes between mathematical truths and great existential questions.
Einstein called humanity's ordinary, daily sense of time as a linear, progressive arrow, a stubbornly persistent illusion. And Janna Levin's novel, A Madman Dreams of Turing Machines, is structured to evoke time the way physicists know it — as relative and curved, with past, present, and future in a fluid interplay. Levin occasionally brings herself, the narrator, into her fictional retelling of past events, commenting on them from modern-day New York City. Here's one such passage:
Reader: "I have tried to stay out of these stories, but I am here too. I am standing on a street in a city.
"In the park, over the low wall, there are two girls playing in the grass. Giants looming over their toys, monstrously out of proportion. They're holding hands and spinning, leaning farther and farther back until their fingers rope together, chubby flesh and bone enmeshed. What do I see? Angular momentum around their center. A principle of physics in their motion. A girlish memory of grass-stained knees.
"I keep walking and recede from the girls' easy confidence in the world's mechanisms. I believe they exist, even if my knowledge of them can only be imperfect, a crude sketch of their billions of vibrating atoms. I believe this to be true.
"I am on an orbit through the universe that crosses the paths of some girls, a teenager, a dog, an old woman.
"I could have written this book entirely differently, but then again, maybe this book is the only way it could be, and these are the only choices I could have made. This is me, an unreal composite, maybe part liar, maybe not free."
Tippett:From A Madman Dreams of Turing Machines, by Janna Levin.
Tippett: I sense that what you know about mathematics and the kinds of ideas that you spend your life with do leave you with a real nagging question about human freedom, about free will.
Ms. Levin: Absolutely.
Tippett: Talk to me about that.
Ms. Levin: I think it's a difficult question, to understand what it means to have free will if we are completely determined by the laws of physics, and even if we're not. Because there are things — for instance, in quantum mechanics, which is the theory of physics on the highest energy scales, which imply that there's some kind of quantum randomness so that we're not completely determined. But randomness doesn't really help me either.
Tippett:: OK.
Ms. Levin: So either …
Tippett: It doesn't suggest to you that there is space for human decisions and for people to change the way things would go, no?
Ms. Levin: I don't see how it does. I don't see how it does.
Tippett: OK.
Ms. Levin: You know, if something randomly falls in a certain way, how is that a gesture of will? So it's either will has to do with determinism — my will strictly determines an outcome — or it doesn't. So it's very hard. There is no clear way, I don't think, of making sense of an idea of free will in a pinball game of strict determinism or in a game which has elements of random chance that are just sort of thrown in. Where does my will come in there? So it doesn't mean that there isn't a free will. I've often said maybe someday we'll just discover something. I mean, quantum mechanics was a surprise. General relativity was a surprise. The idea of curved space-time.
Tippett: Right.
Ms. Levin: There are limits to mathematics. All of these great discoveries were great surprises, and we shouldn't decide ahead of time what is or isn't true. So it might be that this convincing feeling I have, I am executing free will, is actually because I'm observing something that is there. I just can't understand how it's there. Or it's a total illusion. It's a very, very convincing illusion, but it's an illusion all the same.
Tippett: So for you, as a scientist, you said this convincing feeling, you simply can't, you can't take that as seriously as a calculation that you can prove no matter what?
Ms. Levin: No, I can't — and no matter what. You know, our convincing feeling is that time is absolute. It is a very convincing feeling that time is absolute.
Tippett: Oh, right.
Ms. Levin: Our convincing feeling is that there should be no limit to how fast you can travel. You just go faster and faster and faster. Our convincing feelings are based on our experiences because of the size that we are, literally, the speed at which we move, the fact that we evolved on a planet under a particular star. So our eyes, for instance, are at peak in their perception of yellow, which is the wave band the sun peaks at. And so it's not an accident that our perceptions and our physical environment are connected. And so we're limited, also, by that.
That makes our intuitions excellent for ordinary things, for ordinary life. And that's how we evolve. That's how our brains evolved and our perceptions evolved, was to respond to things like the Sun and the Earth and these scales. And if we were quantum particles, we would think quantum mechanics was totally intuitive. And it's not intuitive for anybody else that we would think that things fluctuating in and out of existence or not being certain or whether they're particles or waves or — these kinds of strange things that come out of quantum theory would seem absolutely natural.
And what would seem really bizarre is the kind of rigid, clear-cut world that we live in. So I guess my answer would be that our intuitions are based on our minds, our minds are based on our neural structures, our neural structures evolved on a planet, under a sun, with very specific conditions. So we reflect the physical world that we evolved from. So I guess — I guess the bottom line is that our intuitions are good, our intuitions are good for a lot of things. And that's why they're good.
Tippett: Yeah.
Ms. Levin: It's not a miracle.
Tippett: And so, I mean, as you have come to see things this way through your work as a scientist — I mean, do you live differently because of that? Do you raise your children differently because of that? Or is it just a puzzle that you hold, that you carry forward?
Ms. Levin: The question about free will? If I conclude that there is no free will, it doesn't mean that I should go run amok in the streets. I'm no more free to make that choice than I am to make any other choice. And so there's a practical notion of responsibility or civic free will that we uphold when we prosecute somebody, when we hold juries or when we pursue justice …
Tippett: Right, right.
Ms. Levin: … that I completely think is a practical notion that we should continue to pursue. It's not like I can choose to be irresponsible or responsible because I'm confused about free will.
Tippett: OK.
Ms. Levin: That's being even more confused than me.
Tippett: Theoretical physicist and novelist Janna Levin.
The great mathematicians Janna Levin writes about in her novel, A Madman Dreams of Turing Machines, did not find the purity and clarity in life that they saw in logic. Kurt Gödel became delusional while at Princeton's Institute for Advance Studies. And for fear of poisoning, he starved himself slowly to death. Alan Turing helped invent modern computer science and was celebrated in England for helping crack Nazi codes during World War II. But he was later imprisoned and chemically castrated for admitting to a consensual homosexual affair. He committed suicide in 1954 by eating an apple he had soaked in cyanide.
In her novel, Janna Levin writes:
"One plus one will always be two. Turing and Gödel's broken lives are mere anecdotes in the margins of their discoveries. But then, their discoveries are evidence of our purpose. And their lives are parables on free will. Against indifference, I want to tell their stories." But I asked Janna Levin how the personal turmoil in these lives of logical brilliance informs her sense of purpose and individual lives and the universe."
Ms. Levin: Well, I certainly think that both Turing and Gödel are examples of people living out their purpose. Even though they came to tragic ends, those were people who were committed, really, to meaningful pursuits. And if you look at Turing, for instance, he was honest to the end. He really believed in being blunt and truthful. He couldn't pretend. He couldn't be a fake. He hated this idea of fakes and phonies. And he couldn't pretend to be somebody he wasn't. He couldn't pretend to be heterosexual even if it meant imprisonment or …
Tippett: Right.
Ms. Levin: … or lethal poison. And there is a person who, even though he might not have believed in free will, still behaved in a way that I think most people would hold up as being responsible, responsible for himself and believing in truth. And Gödel also, even though he went very astray in his sort of compulsions and his paranoia and his imaginings, was very committed to being truthful, in a sense, to really following logic where it lead him and to not deceiving himself or taking an easier path. And so I think both of those are admirable examples of people living up to their innate purpose.
Tippett: And those are two extreme stories. And I do want to say that although there is real tragedy in them, you present them in a very human light. And we also see what was wonderful about these human beings and what they brought into the world. So I don't want to say that, you know, here are these stories just of tragedy.
Ms. Levin: Right.
Tippett: But, you know, just — I mean, a more kind of mundane question is, you know, how does the messiness of just of experience, you know, of all of us, you know, not just our, what we can know, but just how life unfolds, how does that impinge on, kind of, the ultimate reality of what we can know and achieve through logic and through science?
Ms. Levin: I myself would argue that we should never turn away from what nature has to show us, that we should never pretend we don't see it, because it's too difficult to confront it. I mean, I guess that's something that I don't understand about other attitudes that want to disregard certain discoveries, because they don't jell with their beliefs. And one of the painful but beautiful things about being a scientist is being able to say, 'It doesn't matter what I believe. I might believe that the universe is a certain age, but if I'm wrong, I'm wrong.' There's something really, I think, thrilling about being committed to that. And so, in my own life, I don't feel that that causes me problems. I mean, I've also, in a lot of ways, made easier choices than my two heroes, whom I wrote about.
Tippett: Right.
Ms. Levin: I do have children; they did not have children. I do have a certain sense of having a physical comfort around me that they don't have or didn't have. And in a way, I'm a much more connected person than either of those two people, even though I still have some of the affinities that they have. Maybe that means that I'll never go as far as they went in my own discoveries. I hope that's not the case, but I can imagine maybe it will be. And maybe there is a tradeoff. Maybe sometimes you just have to abandon everything and pursue nothing but that. I'd like to think that if I'm lucky, I'll just get better at honing in on the jugular of things, so that I can still make progress and discoveries as a scientist or have epiphanies as a writer. But yeah, I guess we all just have to find that particular balance.
Tippett: I also sense that you're pursuing questions, beliefs, I don't know, hunches about the meaning of life or just about what matters to you in a form that calculations simply can't contain or convey, that simply can't be captured in numbers.
Ms. Levin: You mean by writing a book, for instance?
Tippett: Yeah, by writing a book.
Ms. Levin: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, or being engaged with the arts.
Tippett: Right, right.
Ms. Levin: Well, I think that's true. I think that the answers that we're going to get, the discoveries that we're going to make are going to be in mathematics. But they're going to be meaningless to us unless they're integrated into a sort of human perspective where we understand why we ask the questions, what the significance of the answers is for us, and how the world is going to change as a result of having made those discoveries. So I think that probably is true. I think that's why I can't quit one and become completely committed to the other.
Tippett: Right, right.
Ms. Levin: And I continue to sort of go back and forth between the two subjects.
Tippett: Editing my complete conversation with Janna Levin entailed a series of contractions and expansions. First it was too long, then we'd make some cuts and it would be too short. And although this isn't a problem for our podcast, radio requires much stricter timing. At speakingoffaith.org, we want you to hear the interview before our edits. There, Janna Levin also talks about her engagement with the arts and what Alan Turing's ideas imply about artificial intelligence. Download the MP3s of the unedited conversation and this produced program for free through our weekly e-mail newsletter, the SOF podcast, and on our Web site. Look for links to these extras and much more on our home page, speakingoffaith.org.
After a short break, how some of the things cosmologists and physicists are now studying may change the way we all think about life and the world. I'm Krista Tippett:. Stay with us. Speaking of Faith comes to you from American Public Media.
Welcome back to Speaking of Faith, public radio's conversation about religion, meaning, ethics, and ideas. I'm Krista Tippett:. Today, "Mathematics, Purpose and Truth." My guest, Janna Levin, is a theoretical physicist at Barnard College with a special interest in the origins and shape of the universe. She's also the author of a fascinating, beautifully written novel, A Madman Dreams of Turing Machines, that is as much about ideas as about life. As we've been discussing, it points to the boundaries where science presses on great questions of meaning often taken up by philosophy and theology. It does so by probing and retelling the stories of two 20th-century mathematicians, Alan Turing and Kurt Gödel.
Tippett:Your book about two scientists kind of led me on this path of reading other biographies of scientists. So I've been reading James Gleick's biography of Newton …
Ms. Levin: He's a great writer.
Tippett: … another very complicated character also. And something that reminds me of is, you know, how, what Newton discovered. You know, it wasn't just important; it absolutely changed the way people thought about the world. And I'm curious about, like, you know, what are you working on right now that is probably not accessible to most of us, wouldn't even know that these kinds of discussions are taking place? What are you working on that also, you know, starts to reshape the way you see the world around you and the way you move through it?
Ms. Levin: Well, it's funny, people have often asked, when I've been describing the work that I'm doing, they'll say, 'Well, who — why should I care about that?' I'm telling something about extra dimensions and maybe the universe isn't three-dimensional, but maybe there are extra spatial dimensions. It is very abstract. We could do a whole show hammering that out.
Tippett: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Ms. Levin: But supposing we grasp the notion of multidimensional space and spaces are finite, people say, 'Why should I care about that? You know, my taxes are high. We have a war in Iraq.' And these are fair questions, but my feeling is that it changes the world in such a fundamental way. We cannot begin to comprehend the consequences of living in a world after we know certain things about it. I think we cannot imagine the mindset of somebody pre-Copernicus, when we thought that the Earth was the center of the universe, and that the Sun and all the celestial bodies orbited us.
It's really not that huge a discovery in retrospect. In retrospect, so we orbit around the Sun, and we take this to be commonplace, and there's lots of planets in our solar system, and the Sun is just one star out of billions or hundreds of billions in our galaxy, and there are hundreds of billions of galaxies. And we become, you know, little dust mites in the scheme of things. That shift is so colossal in terms of what it did, I think, to our world, our global culture, our worldview, that I can't begin to draw simple lines to say, 'This is what happened because of it' or 'That's what happened because of it.'
Tippett: Right, right.
Ms. Levin: We see ourselves differently, and then we see the whole world differently. And we begin to think about meaning — and all of these questions that you've brought up — completely differently than we did before. And I'd feel the same way if we discovered that the universe is finite or if we discovered that there are additional spatial dimensions, if these things will impact us, I think, in ways that we can't just draw simple cause-and-effect arrows.
Tippett: And, I mean, does it make you react to simple things differently in your life because you are closer to, you know, that cutting edge of knowledge right now?
Ms. Levin: Well, I think I will often look at what people feel is very important and not identify with what they think is very important.
Tippett: Yeah, OK.
Ms. Levin: You know, I think that's probably true. I have a hard time becoming obsessed with internal social norms, how you're supposed to dress or wear your tie or …
Tippett: OK.
Ms. Levin: … who's supposed to — you know, for me, it's so absurd, because it's so small and it's so — this funny thing that this one species is acting out on this tiny planet in this huge, vast cosmos. So I think it is sometimes hard for me to participate in certain values that I think other people have. So in that sense, yeah, I guess there is a shift of what I think is significant and what I think isn't. And if I try to look at that closely, I would say the split is, things that are totally constructed by human beings, I have a hard time taking seriously, and things that seem to be natural phenomenon, that happen universally, I seem to take more seriously or feel is more significant.
Tippett: Well, give me an example. I mean, I think sometimes it's hard to draw the line. Give me an example of something for you that would be totally humanly constructed and then the other one.
Ms. Levin: Actually, this is going to sound really dangerous, but even things like who we elect as an official in our government. Of course, I take very seriously our voting process and I'm, you know, very, try to be politically conscious. But sometimes, when I think about it, I have to laugh that we're all just agreeing to respect this agreement that this person has been elected for something. And that is really a totally human construct that we could turn around tomorrow and all choose to behave differently. We're animals that organize in a certain way. So it's not that I completely dismiss it or don't take it seriously, but I think a lot of the things we are acting out are these animalistic things that are consequences of our instincts. And they aren't, in some sense, as meaningful to me as the things that will live on after our species comes and goes. Does that make any sense?
Tippett: No, it does — it makes a lot of sense. It's perspective that you bring, that you have that's different …
Ms. Levin: Yeah.
Tippett: … that's a bit larger, that's cosmic.
Ms. Levin: And it doesn't mean that I'm dismissing things as unimportant either. You know, I take very seriously what's going on in the world right now, and I'm really pained by what's going on in the world. But my perspective is to look on it as just as animals acting out ruthless instincts and unable to control themselves even though other people think that they're being very heady and intellectual.
Tippett: So I do believe and I — I mean, I think I know this that something deep is met in human beings in a sense of being part of something larger than oneself, being part of something big. And …
Ms. Levin: Well, I think we are a part of something larger than ourselves.
Tippett: Right, I think you — yeah.
Ms. Levin: I think we know that for sure. And it's a remarkable thing to know that for sure. We definitely are made up of material that was synthesized in the cores of stars, a previous generation of stars. We literally are made up of something larger than us, you know? We come from a very specific series of events in this universe, that if they hadn't happened, we wouldn't be here.
Tippett:: But I think some people might listen to this and feel that if you really internalize this, that possibly everything is predetermined, that we, in fact, are not free in any way, that we are behaving like animals even when we think we're at our most civilized, you know, that life would somehow be robbed of joy and hope and transcendence. I don't experience you as a person without joy, hope, and transcendence.
Ms. Levin: No, I don't feel that way at all. I have a 15-month-old daughter and a 4-year-old son. And the overwhelming feelings I have for them, even if I believe that they're instinct, do not fade one bit, because of that. It matters to me not at all that I have evolved to feel that way. It doesn't take anything away from me whatsoever. That feeling is as real, as strong, as beautiful, as meaningful as it is for somebody who believes otherwise. And I've never really understood the argument that it takes the shine off of things, when for me, it really doesn't take the shine off of things.
For instance, let's say somebody said that they had a belief system in which it was simply posited that carbon came out of, I don't know, a blue sky one day. That wouldn't make me feel any more meaning about who I was in the world. It feels much richer to me to imagine that a cold, empty cosmos collapses with stars, and stars burn and shine, and they make carbon in their cores and then they throw them out again. And that carbon collects and forms another planet and another star and then amino acids evolve and then human beings arise. I mean, that's, to me, a really beautiful narrative.
Tippett: Physicist and novelist Janna Levin. Here's another passage from her book A Madman Dreams of Turing Machines.
Reader: "I am looking on benches and streets in logic and code. I am looking in the form of truth stripped to the bone. Truth that lives independently of us, that exists out there in the world. Hard and unsentimental. I am ready to accept truth no matter how alarming it turns out to be. Even if it proves incompleteness and the limits of human reason. Even if it proves we are not free.
"They are here in our minds, Turing's luminescent gems, Gödel's platonic forms. There are no social hierarchies to scale. No racial barriers. Given to us along with our brains. Built into the structure of our thoughts — no bullying into blind faith, no threats of eternal damnation — just honesty, truth, and reason.
"I am here in the middle of an unfinished story. I used to believe that one day I would come to some kind of conclusion, some calming resolution, and the restlessness would end. But that will never happen. Even now, I'm moving toward a train. My heart is thumping. My lungs are working. There is a man, a woman, a bench, the glasses, the smooth hair, an umbrella. We are all caught in the stream of a complicated legacy — a proof of the limits of human reason, a proof of our boundlessness. A declaration that we were down here on this crowded, lonely planet. A declaration that we mattered, we living clumps of ash, that each of us was once somebody, that we strove for what we could never have, that we could admit as much. That was us — funny and lousy and great all at once."
Tippett: I'm Krista Tippett:, and this is Speaking of Faith from American Public Media. Today, "Mathematics, Purpose, and Truth," with physicist and novelist Janna Levin.
Tippett: It seems to me that there is so much beguiling kind of mystery in science right now. I mean, even language, like dark matter. What is it? It's …
Ms. Levin: We can be pretty corny too, you know?
Tippett: No, I know, but …
Ms. Levin: There's all kinds of acronyms and …
Tippett: Right, right. But it's so, I mean, it's certainly — it is very mysterious. Whether that's the same way religious people talk about mystery or not, there's real mystery in it. Isn't that right?
Ms. Levin: Yeah. I think the secret you are uncovering is that scientists often share a very childlike wonder for the world. And so a lot of the language that we invent about the universe reflects that kind of childlike experience. So there is really, at some level, that feeling of excitement over learning about the universe and wanting it to sound a certain way. Wanting the language to reflect the mystery and the magnitude of what we're learning. So I think that's what you're picking up on.
Tippett: I know that you're now working on the idea of whether the universe is infinite or finite. And somewhat against the grain, you are pondering whether the universe is finite. Explain that to me.
Ms. Levin: There are a handful of people for — several years ago who started getting interested in this around the world. And I — and what it would mean is it's similar to the idea of the Earth. If you're standing, as I am, in New York City and you walk in a straight line, and then you swim in a straight line, and then you walk again and swim again, you keep going in a straight line as far as you possibly can go, you will end up coming back to New York City because the Earth …
Tippett: OK.
Ms. Levin: … is not infinite. It is also not — it doesn't have an edge off of which you would just sort of fall off. And so in space-time, it might be something like that. I travel in a rocket ship in several different directions and I find myself coming back to where I started. I think I left the Earth behind me, I see it go away behind me. And as I approach some planet in front of me, I realize, 'Whoa, that's the Earth again.'
Tippett: And you've made this interesting observation that several times in history when science has acknowledged limits, right? I mean, you'd be putting finitude to infinity, that that in fact has made great leaps forward possible.
Ms. Levin: Yes, it's a funny thing. It doesn't mean that we throw up our hands and say we can't know anything, you know? Mathematics is limits. 'Oh, no, we don't do mathematics anymore. Or the speed of light is a fundamental limit, we stop doing physics.' It's really been exactly the opposite. Mathematics has limits, and somehow, that leads people to invent a computer. The speed of light has a finite limit, which is what Einstein proposed, and he invents special relativity, and eventually a theory of curved space-time based on this observation.
So it opens up this huge way of thinking about the world, when we kind of accept our limits and just move on. And quantum mechanics was the other example, where quantum mechanics implies a fundamental uncertainty in what we can know about physical reality. And by accepting this, we make these enormous discoveries. So I think, similarly, if we come to accept that maybe the universe isn't infinite — I mean, Einstein had this funny thing — which I'm probably overusing, because I've said it a bunch of times — but he said only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity. And then he said, "I'm not so sure about the universe."
So he knew that it was conceivable that the universe wasn't infinite, but he wasn't sure how to go about it. And only later did we understand how to kind of actually handle it. And if we were to discover that the universe was finite, I think it would again be something like what happened with Copernicus or like understanding that there was a Big Bang. I think it's hard for us to remember what it was like before the discovery of the Big Bang itself. That's just such a part of our worldview now.
Tippett: That there was a beginning point.
Ms. Levin: That there was a beginning, that the universe hasn't always been here, that it isn't permanent, and unending and unalterable.
Tippett: This is a nuance of — we spoke at the very beginning about Kurt Gödel, this, one of the two scientists you wrote about in your novel. And he said there are things that are true that mathematics — there are things that mathematics cannot prove. They might still be true, but the idea was you would have to go outside mathematics to know that. And you use phrases like, we can't see the logic of them until we step outside the logical framework. You said something like, "We have to look at them out of the corner of our eye." And to me, that again seems so resonant with life as I know it. And I just, you know, I wonder if that's a kind of idea that you also find you can translate into other aspects of knowledge and experience.
Ms. Levin: Well, I definitely think it's the reason the book was structured as a novel. I tried to stick as close to fact as possible. It's not the facts that I'm changing, it's the approach to the facts. And it's a sort of confession that no matter how I list these facts, I am somehow not able to get at the truth. The truth doesn't just drop out like a theorem if I follow certain logical steps. And I think maybe it's saying something also about maybe my own approach to science.
No matter how much I follow these logical steps, no matter how much I make real discoveries that will be unambiguous, I hope, the — in some sense, my approach to the truth, in the bigger sense of the meaning of the word, will always be a little bit out of the corner of my eye, or the visceral experience of what it really means or what the implications are. There are no true things really out — except for things as crisp as one plus one equals two — that are unambiguously true.
Tippett: Right.
Ms. Levin: And yet we know we're getting closer to the truth even though we can't always prove it.
Tippett: Theoretical physicist Janna Levin. Here, in closing, is a reading from the final chapter of her novel, A Madman Dreams of Turing Machines:
Reader: "Here I am in New York City. It is the twenty-first century. This is as good a place, this time as good a time as any.
"I am stepping off the curb. The subway entrance is just across the street. Big green orbs signify that the downtown entrance is open. Artificial light competing against the sun. There are children in the park; a woman with silver hair and a long, old coat; a couple on a bench. A yellow plague of taxis infests the streets. I walk behind some and in front of others. We all move along fixed trajectories, following our prescribed arcs. The plague disappears behind the stone wall as the old steps take me down into the subway.
"There is no ending. I've tried to invent one but it was a lie and I don't want to be a liar. This story will end where it began, in the middle. A triangle or a circle. A closed loop with three points. A wayfaring chronicle searching for a treasure buried in the woods, on the streets, in books, on empty trains. Craving an amulet, a jewel, a reason, a purpose, a truth. I can almost see it on the periphery, just where they said it would be, glistening at me from the far edges of every angle I search."
Tippett: Janna Levin is assistant professor of physics and astronomy at Barnard College of Columbia University. She's the author of two books, How the Universe Got Its Spots and A Madman Dreams of Turing Machines.
You've told us across the years that our programs with scientists are some of your favorites. They're some of mine too. And we've now turned 10 of them into a book, Einstein's God. It has our program about Albert Einstein's spiritual imagination at its core, and it also captures the readings and conversation you just heard with Janna Levin in readable form. The book also includes Evolution and Wonder about Charles Darwin, Sherwin Nuland on the biology of the spirit, and our explorations of the soul in depression. It's out now, direct to paperback in all the predictable places. Learn more about Einstein's God the book at speakingoffaith.org.
And in March and April, we'll be streaming public conversations I'll be having at gorgeous theaters in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. Check out our SOF Live page and take part — at speakingoffaith.org.
Speaking of Faith is produced by Colleen Scheck, Chris Heagle, Nancy Rosenbaum, and Shubha Bala. Our producer and editor of all things online is Trent Gilliss, with Andrew Dayton. Kate Moos is the managing producer of Speaking of Faith. And I'm Krista Tippett:.


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Wednesday, 10 Oct 2012
Sling Media Unwraps the Slingbox 350 and 500
Sling Media rolls out the Slingbox 350 and Slingbox 500. The latter features Wi-Fi and HDMI capabilities as well as a platform for delivering personal media content to the TV; a first for any Slingbox product thus far.
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Department of Evolutionary Genetics
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Deutscher Platz 6
04103 Leipzig
phone: +49 341 3550 - 500
e-mail: mittag@[>>> Please remove the brackets! <<<]eva.mpg.de
Population history of Taiwan aborigines
Taiwan aborigines are indigenous peoples who migrated into Taiwan 6000 years ago and subsequently made a unique contribution to the world, most widely known as the Austronesian expansion. My interest/background has been the medical research of their disease susceptibilities. In this group, my project is the extraction of Taiwan aboriginal population history from mitochondrial DNA, Y-chromosome, and genomic sequence data. Through combining genetics and Bayesian computation techniques, we would like to address issues such as how the patterns of diversity could have arisen in Taiwan, the demographic process of how people moved into and out of Taiwan, as well as comparison with the data from anthropology, archeology and linguistics.
Albert Ko


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Here's how RW members rated this race (156 votes).
In short: Hard work but a pleasure neverthelessIn full: Having driven the roads in the area it was good to see it form the top of the hills. It was one of those races where you think you have gone further than you actually have - quite gruelling at times. The stiles, short sharp hills and narrow defiles full of mud began to wear. A long downhill finish which was pleasing and a towel as the prize. The race is cheap but good value.Date of review: February 7, 2010
In short: Excellent race with a good mix of abilities in lovely surroundingsDate of review: February 7, 2010
In short: A tough but enjoyable local raceIn full: A tough course with plenty of mud and hills - and also plenty of stiles to climb over too! Still, much more enjoyable to be running around the Worcestershire countryside than on a flat, featureless, tarmac area. Very well marshalled but facilities a bit thin on the ground at the start/finish.Date of review: February 7, 2010
Date of review: February 7, 2010
In short: hard but worth itDate of review: February 7, 2010
In full: I enjoyed this as it was an interesting route once out of Stourbridge. I really enjoyed the mix of woodland paths, open fields, a few roads etc. I have to say I wouldn't do it again because it's a bit too far from home (Derbyshire) and I have to say the facilities were dire. Apart from a good car park - albeit slightly far from the starting line, there were no proper changing rooms or showers - which it stated there were on the website. Had to drive home in cold, clammy gear. Apart from that I'd recommend this to anyone local and it was useful as my first longer run from 10K distance. Excellent marshalling I must say.Date of review: February 7, 2010
In short: Snow and ice added a special touch!Date of review: February 14, 2009
In short: Hilly but a nice challengeIn full: Nice little run. The conditions made it interesting but it was the same for evryone. Would definately do it again. Coffee and cake was nice at the endDate of review: February 13, 2009
In short: good fun most enjoyableDate of review: February 12, 2009
In short: Great Race - tough conditions underfoot .In full: Pitty the organisers don't give age group prizes in 5 year groups, or at least produce the results in 5 year groups, as with all well supported races this should be the norm. Date of review: February 10, 2009
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Baptist minister William M. Tryon was the first to suggest that a Baptist university be established in Texas "to meet the needs of the current generation of students as well as those of all ages to come." District Judge R. E. B. Baylor joined in the promotion of the idea, and they were supported by the members of the Texas Baptist Education Society, which was affiliated with the Union Baptist Association. James Huckins, the first Baptist missionary to Texas, was the university's first full-time fund-raiser. These three men are credited as being the founders, though there were many others who probably worked just as much to see the University established.
The Founders Medal was established in September 1969 and is one of the most distinguished awards given by Baylor University. This award is reserved for men and women whose service and contributions have been unusually significant to the life and future of the University. One copy of the medal is on permanent exhibition in the National Numismatic Collection, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
The face of the medal bears the likeness of Judge R.E.B. Baylor, with the inscription "Pro Ecclesia Pro Texana." The obverse bears the likeness of Pat Neff Hall with the inscription "Baylor University Founders Medal," plus the name of the recipient and year of presentation.


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Choice Organic Teas, Whole Leaf Organics, Jasmine Green, 15 Tea Pyramids, 1.05 oz (30 g) (Discontinued Item)
Expiration Date:?Jan 2020Expiration Date
The length of time for the expiration date or "best used before" date depends on the type of product, as well as the brand.
Perishable items (such as flax oils or certain probiotics) generally have shorter expiration dates. Although our warehouse is fully air-conditioned, these more fragile items are put in cold storage (freezer or refrigeration unit) for maximum freshness.
Our receiving department does its best to verify and then enter the correct expiration dates for all incoming products. However, discrepancies do occur from time to time. This being said, the exceptionally high turnover at iHerb ensures that our inventory is among the freshest in the industry.
Shipping Weight:?0.36 kgShipping WeightThe Shipping Weight includes the product, protective packaging material and the actual shipping box. In addition, the Shipping Weight may be adjusted for the Dimensional Weight (e.g. length, width & height) of a package. It is important to note that certain types of products (e.g. glass containers, liquids, fragile, refrigerated or ice packed) will often require protective packaging material. As such, these products will reflect a higher Shipping Weight compared to the unprotected product.
- Product Code: CHO-99022
- UPC Code: 047445990220
- Package Quantity: 15 Tea Pyramids, 1.05 oz (30 g)
- Dimensions: 9.7 x 12.2 x 11.2 cm , 0.09 kg
- Fair Trade Certified
- USDA Organic
- Contains Caffeine
- A Delicate Green Tea With The Scent of Jasmine
- Exquisite Organic Tea in a Pyramid Infuser
- Certified Organic by QAI, Inc
- Earth-Friendly, Socially Responsible Tea
Organic Jasmine Green
This classic tea offers a lightly floral, almost sweet taste. The whole leaves are hand-picked on small Chinese tea gardens, quickly pan fired, then blended with fresh jasmine blossoms that are removed once they've imparted their essence.
Our tea pyramids allow the tea leaves to expand and unfurl, inviting the utmost flavor into your cup. They're also fully biodegradable.
Suggested Use
For Delicious-Tasting Tea
Allow freshly boiled water to cool for several minutes, then infuse, removing tea pyramid after 2-3 minutes.
Organic green tea* scented with organic jasmine blossoms
*Fair Trade Certified


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93 acres of tent and RV camping, fishing, hiking, and kayaking on the Medina River. Close to all the attractions in San Antonio. The Alamo, River Walk, Sea World, Lackland AFB, Texas A & M, & Toyota. Gateway to Eagle Ford. City Close Country Quiet
Historical Walking Tour with Unique Alamo Insights and Deeper History of the City of San Antonio and Texas.
We'll guide you to the most beautiful motorcycle riding on the back roads of this grand State of Texas. Our tours include the Texas Hill Country, and the magnificent Big Bend area in West Texas. We offer 2, 3, 4, and 7 day tours with excursions.
Elegant, romantic Antebellum Mansion privately located on 1 1/2 landscapted acres along the Famous San Antonio "Riverwalk" The Perfect location, for business or pleasure. Grand Verandas, European and American Antiques...
WorldVentures is a lifestyle company that markets travel-related products. Combining the power of the internet with the time-tested strength of word-of-mouth marketing, WorldVentures is an emerging leader in the leisure travel industry.
Elegant, Romantic Antebellum Mansion privately located on 1 1/2 landscapted acres of lawns and gardens along the Famous San Antonio "Riverwalk"..The perfect location for business or pleasure.
Victorian home and carriage house, downtown, across from the Riverwalk in the King William historic district. The perfect location for business or leisure travel. Private bathrooms, queen beds, a gourmet breakfast and breakfast dessert await guests.
Specializing in paddlesports, we sell canoes, kayaks, PFDs, paddles, watersport clothing and footwear. We also carry a unique assortment of gifts & camping accessories. ACA-certified instruction, rentals and guided trips.
San Antonio, Texas visitors guide to accommodations, adventure travel, unique tours and rentals. Check out top San Antonio, Texas getaways & destinations. San Antonio, Texas vacations, packages & travel spots. Visit San Antonio, Texas !.


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Hôtel Empire is a 3-star hotel in the heart of Nice, just a stone's throw from the Cathedral and the Roman arenas. The hotel is conceived around an old mansion from 1960: a refined establishment filled with history.
The hotel has 27 comfortable and fully equipped rooms: from single rooms for business travellers to quadruple rooms for families, all of them spacious and decorated with warm colours.
A continental breakfast is served in the dining room and there are also numerous restaurants in the surrounding area. A private car park is also at your disposal (subject to availability).
Book your room now on the Official Website at the Best Price Guaranteed.


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CThis doesn't jive with Mark's floppy assessment, but perhaps Bruce's thickness factor might be effecting his rigidity.
I'm doing a slightly different style(nobody tell Scott but I like more spring and a darker top, lol) but I have achieved stand out straight crispness in a 4 minute bake on an 18" pie. The last pie here was baked on a slightly hotter hearth(700F+) and was very crisp,
but for me personally reheats are the way to go. It works out perfect since I can reheat a few slices for myself once the guests are eating and I am making the next pie. That way not only do I get to eat, but I also get to have pizza my way.
Sounds good I assume that is the 2% shortening after a few minute mix? None of the slices I had were that crisp.Thanks,Bob


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After Copenhagen: What's Next?
By Mathis Wackernagel
I have just come back from Copenhagen COP15. While it was a thrill and privilege to participate, it also made evident how far we still have to go to meaningfully address climate change and resource degradation.
I was touched to see the buzz and interest of 40,000 participants engaging at the official conference, and of many more participating in side events and demonstrations. Most paid their own way to Copenhagen, showing incredible commitment to making this world work for all, now and later. There is tremendous public will to make a difference, beyond the 193 country delegations and possibly over 130 heads of state who attended.
But much about the climate talks was quite puzzling as well:
• The negotiations reflected a blindness to the link between climate change and resource constraints overall. The fact is, without a strong Copenhagen regime, the pressure on ecological services will intensify more rapidly, and the world will get more volatile more quickly. If leaders were to recognize this, their approach would be the opposite of what it is now. They would arrive to Copenhagen with the mind-frame of: "We have a big incentive to make this deal work, because without it we will have to work harder to prepare our economies for an ecologically-constrained future."
• The obvious was missing: Keeping climate change within two degrees Celcius means reducing carbon emissions at least 80 percent from 1990 levels, according to the IPCC. This essentially requires moving out of fossil fuel. But hardly anybody admits this mathematical truth.
• Further, if we accept the G-20s intentions (which was confirmed in even more strict parameters by the Copenhagen Accord of December 18) and its mathematical consequences of moving out of fossil fuel, then consider this: Why is it that we haggle so much about access rights to emissions? What we are talking about is close to zero emissions (after 2050). Why would anyone spend efforts and time on negotiating access rights to zero?
• We are still addicted to outmoded concepts like that of "developing" and "developed" countries. These terms embody the linear development model that is not only becoming physically impossible, but is also the one that got us into the climate problem in the first place. Essentially, this model is based on accepting the unintended consequence of liquidating our resource base. In its essence, it is becoming a negative sum game where individual success is only possible at the cost of the collective demise. What we need is green prosperity, or green development, that works with, rather than against, the budget of nature. And what we need even more badly is the recognition that such green prosperity serves each country much better than the current liquidation game.
• Perhaps most striking is that the great majority of leaders ignore their nation's self-interest in acting boldly and quickly. After all, it takes decades to prepare countries, cities and economies for a resource-constrained future. Those countries that can retool their economies and make them healthy and robust while staying within ecological limits will be best positioned to meet the future. On the other hand, waiting for a global climate consensus will limit, if not jeopardize, countries' ability to retool their societies in time, and succeed in the face of ecological constraints.
But there were also quite a few achievements:
• Many local initiatives – cities, pro-active businesses, regions - are already moving ahead even without global agreements. The United Arab Emirates' Masdar City is a prominent example.
• REDD+ (United Nations' collaborative programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) represents a solid recognition that land-use and biocapacity are keys to the global carbon cycle. REDD+ may still be too limited in scope, and difficult to operationalize, but it points in the right direction acknowledging the biosphere as the source of any activity. Ultimately, we run out of biosphere, not climate. Therefore, many solutions to climate change will come from carefully managing our use of ecosystem services.
• Delegations showed their level of commitment, negotiating through the night and working tirelessly towards solutions – all encouraging signs that we are at a historical crossroads. Sustainability is certainly no longer a sideshow.
In the coming weeks, we will be reporting to you with further details on how we will help shape climate action, and how this can go hand in hand with securing well-being for all.
With growing interest in resource degradation and climate change, Global Footprint Network will play an even more significant role in 2010. We are both excited about this prospect, and immensely thankful. We are grateful to you, our partners, and for your ongoing trust and interest.


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"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. "
Air charter companies await takeoff in China
International air charter companies say China's limited general aviation infrastructure and lack of cultural awareness of charter constrain near-term internal growth. So for now these providers are concentrating on bringing international charter passengers to China's doorstep and establishing local contacts and partnerships.
"Our emphasis is on arriving in Hong Kong or Shanghai [with charter passengers], then flying them back to the point of departure," said Neil Harvey of UK-based charter broker Hunt & Palmer, which established a Hong Kong office five years ago. "We have some clients in Hong Kong, some in Singapore, but outside of that, not that many clients are locals."
For missions to and from China, Hunt & Palmer typically brokers Hong Kong-based, Chinese-registered aircraft, including a Falcon 2000 and 2000LX; a Challenger 300, 605 and 850; and a pair of Gulfstream GIVs. The Chinese registration allows Hunt & Palmer to expedite flight-permit procedures, as well as provide "some trips around China," Harvey said, citing flights to Beijing as an example.
While business jet ownership is expanding in China, the idea of allowing one's aircraft to be chartered out for use by strangers remains unfamiliar, which is limiting the growth of China's charter fleet. Meanwhile, many potential customers with the means to charter have yet to develop a taste for it.
"What we haven't seen [in China] is the mass use for personal or leisure travel, as in the U.S. or Europe," said David MacDonald, a sales director at international charter broker Air Partner. "In the Far East, it's much more a corporate thing, or the ultra-high-net-worth thing to do," MacDonald said. But one hopeful trend that Air Partner has seen is that "a lot more Asian companies are coming into Europe and wanting to charter aircraft. That's when Far Easterners started becoming clients," MacDonald said.
Indeed, most Chinese customers use charter for trips outside of China, and catering to these travelers is one route to building long-term relationships that could blossom along with an internal charter market. In March 2012, U.S. charter management company TWC Aviation established an alliance with Sino Jet Management Ltd. to operate charters using Sino Jet's fleet of Hong Kong-based, U.S.-registered business jets, which include a Bombardier Global Express and a Gulfstream G200. The U.S. registration eases movement into, out of, and within that country, a benefit for U.S.-bound charter customers. In announcing the alliance, TWC's CEO, Andrew Richmond, spoke of "the need for a strategic partner experienced with local customs, cultures, languages and regulations" to succeed in China.
While all charter companies acknowledge the need for a strong local partner, reforming regulations will be key to growing China's charter market, they say. Getting permits for a flight within China can take five days, hamstringing the quick response and flexibility that are hallmarks of air charter elsewhere. Administration time also checks charter's ability to expand. Harvey noted that 53 applications are pending approval from companies that want to establish charter services within China, but only 12 operator certificates are issued annually.
Such companies do point to hopeful signs. "We're now seeing a more stable period of growth, a new aviation culture in China," said MacDonald. But Harvey expects it will be "another five years easily before there's a strong charter market" inside the country.
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It's my favorite flour. I like it better than Caputo. Matt
I think I found a source for this flour here in Houston.
Nice find Craig.
Matt, what did you like about the 5Stagioni that is better than Caputo? Flavor, handling, etc.? I should find myself some 5Stagioni here in SoCal. Thanks. Marlon
have you tried it already? It would be nice to do a head to head comparison with Caputo.
That was a problem I may not have reported.
WOW Craig, so weird... test this flour with a standard AVPN formula (1L H2O, 50g salt, 2-3g CY and 1700 Flour) and see if it performs better, just as a starting point.... and also maybe Matt that works with SD and this flour could help...
Where is the EZ Stag5 button?


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James VI of Scotland and I of England
James VI of Scotland, I of England 1566-1625
Scottish poet, essayist, critic, translator, and nonfiction writer.
At a time when monarchs were expected to be highly literate and cultured, King James VI of Scotland and I of England was one of the most accomplished and prolific. During his reign, he wrote poetry, political theory, theological meditations, tracts against smoking and witchcraft, and literary criticism. He also authorized the creation of the King James Bible, which is regarded as his most enduring literary achievement.
Biographical Information
Born in Edinburgh on June 19, 1566, James was the only son of Mary, Queen of Scots and her second husband, Lord Darnley. Mary was an incompetent ruler, and James's birth was clouded by rumors of illegitimacy and his mother's adultery. Darnley was murdered a few months after James's birth; historians assert that he was killed to avenge the slaying of Mary's secretary and possible lover, David Rizzio. After her husband's murder, Mary married her lover, the Earl of Bothwell. Deposed by rebellious Scottish lords in June 1567, she fled to England to procure the protection of Queen Elizabeth I. She was immediately incarcerated and James became King James VI of Scotland on July 29, 1567. The young monarch was educated by a series of notable tutors, the best known being the poet, dramatist, and humanist George Buchanan and the scholar Peter Young. Buchanan instilled in James an insatiable interest in political theory; from Young he learned to appreciate poetry and theological debates. Under the tutelage of these great teachers, James became a skillful debater, a voracious reader, and an aspiring poet. He also showed a burgeoning fascination with the theater—particularly the plays of William Shakespeare and Ben Jonson—and was very fond of the masque, which would become the leading form of court entertainment when he became king. In 1579 the first of a series of male favorites, Esmé Stuart (or Stewart), Seigneur d'Aubigny, arrived in Scotland and quickly charmed the young king. Esmé's meteoric rise from courtier to Duke of Lennox and his intimate relationship with James caused much consternation among the Scottish nobles and English aristocracy, including Elizabeth. Some historians claim that the two men were lovers and that the relationship inspired James to fulfill his literary ambitions and patronize a group of prominent poets as well as to undertake other artistic pursuits. In 1582 a group of Scottish nobles convinced James to separate from Esmé for the good of the monarchy, and Esmé was ordered to leave the country. From an English prison, Mary wrote to James with a plan to share power; James rejected her offer and she was executed on February 8, 1587. In 1589 James married Anne of Denmark in Oslo.
After Elizabeth's death on March 24, 1603, James was crowned King James I of England at Westminster. As king, he aimed to unite England and Scotland, strengthen England's power, and end the war with Spain. The power structure in England was wary of a Scottish king and often perceived him as foreign and a barbarian. Moreover, he continued to raise suspicion with his system of favorites in which his close male friends gained power, titles, and prestige through their intimacy with the monarch. In 1611 James authorized a translation of the Bible; this Authorized Version, or King James Bible, as it came to be known, was technically not a new translation of the bible but a synthesis of several earlier versions of the scriptures. He survived several assassination attempts during his reign, most notable among them the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. Tension between the English Parliament and the Scottish-born king did not abate during his reign; in fact, issues such as the official policy toward Spain and the generation of income exacerbated conflict. In 1613 a new scandal erupted, as James's favorite, Robert Carr, was implicated in the murder of Sir Thomas Overbury, who had a sexually intimate relationship with Carr. James was also derided for his next involvement, an intense relationship with George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham; James eventually made Villiers an earl in 1617 and a marquess in 1618. The last few years of James's life were preoccupied with England's relationship with Spain and the growing dissension with his foreign policies. James died on March 2, 1625.
Major Works
James's best-known written works focus on theological issues and the principle of divine right of kings, which is the doctrine that sovereigns derive their right to rule solely from God. The True Lawe of Free Monarchies (1598) is a clear explanation of the theory of divine right for the general public. Another well-regarded work, Basilikon Doron (1599), contains practical advice for his son, Prince Henry, on the responsibilities and logistics of power. It is comprised of three sections: "Of a King's Christian Duty Towards God," "Of a King's Duty in His Office," and "Of a King's Behavior in Indifferent Things." Several thousand copies were put into circulation and the book was translated into several different languages. His Counter-Blaste to Tobacco (1604) is regarded as one of the best attacks on smoking ever written. In a religious vein, James published Triplici Nodo, Triplex Cuneus. Or, An Apologie for the Oath of Allegiance (1607), a defense of the oath of allegiance that all Catholics were required to take to the Protestant king; A Meditation upon the Lord's Prayer (1619); and several other biblical studies and reflections. His fierce interest and personal encounters with witchcraft inspired his Daemonologie (1597), which recounts his collected knowledge and experience with the subject. James also published works of poetry and literary criticism. His first published poetic work, The Essayes of a Prentise, in the Divine Art of Poesie appeared in 1584 and was followed by another collection His Maiesties Poeticall Exercises at Vacant Houres in 1591. This work contains his epic poem, Lepanto, which chronicles the decisive victory of Christian forces over the Turkish fleet in 1571. Critics note that James employed poetry for the dissemination of his religious and political beliefs and assumed that his position as monarch allowed him a privileged viewpoint from which to write religious poetry. His Some Reulis and Cautelis to Be Observit and Eschewit in Scottish Poesie, included in The Essayes of a Prentise, was the first treatise ever written on Scottish poetry and underscores the value he placed on Scottish culture.
Critical Reception
Commentators argue that the mixed reaction to James's reign throughout the years shaped his reputation as a literary figure. His work—especially his tracts on political and theological concerns—was quite influential in his time, and critics point to his support for Scottish poetry and English masques as particularly significant. After his death, his literary reputation declined because scholars asserted that it was only James's privileged position that allowed him any critical attention as a literary figure. In fact, such prestigious critics as Sir Walter Scott and David Harris Willson eviscerated James's literary reputation, but in the early twentieth century commentators rediscovered James's political work, and a reevaluation of James's reign and literary achievements occurred. Through the efforts of the scholar James Craigie, reissues of James's poems, psalms, and essays appeared and brought increased critical attention to his literary achievements. James is now recognized as a critic and poet as well as a political and religious theorist. Although some of his political positions, such as his stand on the divine right of kings, are now viewed as obsolete, critics commend his lively, clear prose and deft use of imagery. It is the King James Bible, however, that constitutes his most lasting and influential literary achievement.
Principal Works
The Essayes of a Prentise, in the Divine Art of Poesie (essays, poetry, and translations) 1584
Ane Frutfull Meditation Contening ane Plane and Facill Expositioun of ye 7.8.9 and 10 Versis of the 20 Chap. of the Revelatioun in Forme of ane Sermon (essays) 1588
Ane Meditatioun upon the xxv., xxvi., xxvii., xxviii., and xxix. Verses of the xv. Chapt. of the First Buke of the Chronicles of the Kingis (essays) 1589
His Maiesties Poeticall Exercises at Vacant Houres (poetry) 1591
Daemonologie, in Forme of a Dialogue, Divided into Three Bookes (nonfiction) 1597
The True Lawe of Free Monarchies: or The Reciprock and Mutuall Dutie Betwixt a Free King, and His Naturall Subjectes (nonfiction) 1598
Basilikon Doron: Devided into Three Books (nonfiction) 1599; revised 1603
A Counter-Blaste to Tobacco (essay) 1604
Triplici Nodo, Triplex Cuneus. Or, An Apologie for the Oath of Allegiance, against the Two Breves of Pope Paulus Quintus, and the Late Letter of Cardinal Bellarmine to G. Blackwel, the Arch-priest (nonfiction) 1607
Declaration du Serenissimie Roy Jacques I. Roy de la Grand' Bretaigne France et Irlande, Defenseur de la Foy. Pour le droit des rois & independance de leurs Couronnes, contre la Harangue de L'Illustrissime Cardinal du...
(The entire section is 505 words.)
Robert S. Rait (essay date 1900)
SOURCE: Rait, Robert S. Introduction to A Royal Rhetorician: A Treatise on Scottis Poesie, A Counterblaste to Tobacco, etc. etc. by King James VI and I, edited by Robert S. Rait, pp. ix-xlvii. Westminster: A. Constable and Co., 1900.
[In the following essay, Rait offers an overview of King James's literary, political, and theological works.]
'Your Inheritance consists as much in the workes of your Father's Royall Vertues, as in the wealth of his mighty Kingdomes.' So wrote the courtier Bishop of Winchester in his 'Epistle Dedicatorie to the Thrice Illustrious and most Excellent Prince, Charles, the Onely Sonne of Our Soveraigne Lord the King'—an epistle...
(The entire section is 9187 words.)
Ronald D. S. Jack (essay date autumn 1967)
SOURCE: Jack, Ronald D. S. "James VI and Renaissance Poetic Theory." English 16, no. 96 (autumn 1967): 208-11.
[In the following essay, Jack perceives Some Reulis and Cautelis to Be Observit and Eschewit in Scottish Poesie to be a valuable contribution to Renaissance poetic theory.]
During the Renaissance many critical treatises appeared in Europe. Scholars turned to a more minute study of classical authors and discovered that many of the metrical and theoretical principles underlying classical verse could not be applied to works in the vernacular. As a result it became clear that the critical manuals of Cicero and Quintilian were inadequate for evaluating...
(The entire section is 2874 words.)
Emrys Jones (essay date 1968)
SOURCE: Jones, Emrys. "Othello, Lepanto, and the Cyprus Wars." Shakespeare Survey 21 (1968): 47-52.
[In the following essay, Jones explores the link between Lepanto and Shakespeare's Othello.]
In 1604 the theatrical company for which Shakespeare wrote and acted was taken under the patronage of the new king; and it is becoming increasingly clear that at least two of the plays written by Shakespeare during the early years of the new reign were probably intended to reflect James I's opinions and tastes.1Othello, acted at court on 1 November 1604, seems never to have been considered in relation to Shakespeare's new patron. I want...
(The entire section is 3441 words.)
G. P. V. Akrigg (essay date winter 1975)
SOURCE: Akrigg, G. P. V. "The Literary Achievement of King James I." University of Toronto Quarterly 44, no. 2 (winter 1975): 115-29.
[In the following essay, Akrigg assesses King James's achievement as an author, translator, critic, and patron of the arts.]
Speaking at the University of Cambridge a good many years ago, Professor W. P. Ker assured his audience that King James I had 'abilities which would have entitled him to be a Professor of Literature.'1 Of James's pedagogical bent there has never been any doubt—he has been described as a Scottish dominie at heart. Characteristically, King James, daily visiting his young favourite, Robert Ker,...
(The entire section is 6697 words.)
Rhodes Dunlap (essay date 1975)
SOURCE: Dunlap, Rhodes. "King James and Some Witches: The Date and Text of the Daemonologie." Philological Quarterly 54 (1975): 40-6.
[In the following essay, Dunlap investigates the publication date of Daemonologie through an analysis of the manuscript and dates of events included in the volume.]
MS 1125.1 in the Folger Shakespeare Library at Washington is described as follows in Seymour de Ricci's Census of Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in the United States and Canada:1 "James VI, Daemonologie in forme of ane dialogue. Pap. (ca. 1597), 64 ff. (20 × 16 cm.). Written by a professional scribe, but with numerous additions and...
(The entire section is 2845 words.)
Jacqueline E. M. Latham (essay date 1975)
SOURCE: Latham, Jacqueline E. M. "The Tempest and King James's Daemonologie." Shakespeare Survey 28 (1975): 117-23.
[In the following essay, Latham identifies James's Daemonologie as a possible source for the character of Caliban in Shakespeare's The Tempest.]
The Tempest offers a twentieth-century audience more problems for a full understanding than most of Shakespeare's plays, and these problems are the more insidious because action, language and characters seem transparently clear. Yet the play is highly intellectual and despite the work of scholars who have explored many of the ideas raised by the varied but scant sources there...
(The entire section is 4003 words.)
Sheldon Hanft (essay date spring 1981)
SOURCE: Hanft, Sheldon. "The True King James Version: His Bible or His Daemonologie?" Selected Papers from the West Virginia Shakespeare and Renaissance Association 6 (spring 1981): 50-7.
[In the following essay, Hanft asserts that James's intense interest in spirituality and religious practice led not only to his call for a new translation of the Bible but also to his study of witchcraft, Daemonologie.]
The effort to mark the emergence of modern society in Great Britain is an endeavour which has stirred substantial controversy among scholars over the last three decades. While different interpretations have suggested a variety of dates, events, and...
(The entire section is 3636 words.)
Terrell L. Tebbetts (essay date spring 1985)
SOURCE: Tebbetts, Terrell L. "Talking Back to the King: Measure for Measure and the Basilicon Doron." College Literature 12, no. 2 (spring 1985): 122-34.
[In the following essay, Tebbetts asserts that individuals fare better in "a society based on what is organic to human life," such as that portrayed in Shakespeare's Measure for Measure, than in the paternalistic society of Basilikon Doron.]
The relationship of Measure for Measure to James I's Basilicon Doron has interested critics for some time. The King's little book advising his son on statecraft was London's best-seller in 1603. Critics early in this century disputed its...
(The entire section is 5657 words.)
J. Derrick McClure (essay date 1990)
SOURCE: McClure, J. Derrick. "'O Phoenix Escossois': James VI as Poet." In A Day Estivall: Essays on the Music, Poetry and History of Scotland and England & Poems Previously Unpublished: In Honour of Helena Mennie Shire, edited by Alisoun Gardner-Medwin and Janet Hadley Williams, pp. 96-111. Aberdeen, Scotland: Aberdeen University Press, 1990.
[In the following essay, McClure surveys James's verse and assesses his contribution to Scottish poetry.]
In the great pageant of European royalty, King James the Sixth of Scots occupies a place all of his own. Not even the features of Henry VIII or Louis XIV can be more familiar than the oft-portrayed, very Scottish...
(The entire section is 6474 words.)
Jenny Wormald (essay date 1991)
SOURCE: Wormald, Jenny. "James VI and I, Basilikon Doron and The Trew Law of Free Monarchies: The Scottish Context and the English Translation." In The Mental World of the Jacobean Court, edited by Linda Levy Peck, pp. 36-54. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1991.
[In the following essay, Wormald elucidates James's political theory and places Basilikon Doron and The True Lawe of Free Monarchies into their historical and political contexts.]
The Trew Law of Free Monarchies was published in 1598. It is significant that the only writings in English of the period of the reign of Elizabeth that definitely...
(The entire section is 12277 words.)
Kevin Sharpe (essay date 1993)
SOURCE: Sharpe, Kevin. "Private Conscience and Public Duty in the Writings of James VI and I." In Public Duty and Private Conscience in Seventeenth-Century England: Essays Presented to G. E. Aylmer, edited by John Morrill, Paul Slack, and Daniel Woolf, pp. 77-100. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1993.
[In the following essay, Sharpe argues that an understanding of James's perceptions of conscience and duty is central to any study of his work.]
Conscience: 'a man cannot steal, but it acuseth him; a man cannot swear but it checks him; a man cannot lie with his neighbour's wife but it detects him. 'Tis a blushing shame fac'd spirit that mutinies in a...
(The entire section is 8550 words.)
Susan Campbell Anderson (essay date 1998)
SOURCE: Anderson, Susan Campbell. "A Matter of Authority: James I and the Tobacco War." Comitatus 29 (1998): 136-63.
[In the following essay, Anderson examines James's attitude toward tobacco and its use through a survey of his writing on the subject.]
In the summer of 1604, only a year after acceding to the English throne, King James I implemented a daring, and some might say foolhardy, measure: complaining that, "at this day, through evil custom and the toleration thereof … a number of riotous and disordered persons of mean and base condition … do spend most of their time in that idle vanity,"1 he raised the duty on tobacco from 2d. to 6s.8d....
(The entire section is 11142 words.)
Sandra Bell (essay date 1999)
SOURCE: Bell, Sandra. "Writing the Monarch: King James VI and Lepanto." In Other Voices, Other Views: Expanding the Canon in English Renaissance Studies, edited by Helen Ostovich, Mary V. Silcox, and Graham Roebuck, pp. 193-208. Newark: University of Delaware Press, 1999.
[In the following essay, Bell argures that James's heroic poem Lepanto formed part of the king's statecraft.]
James VI of Scotland entered the print market in an at tempt to shape the role of the monarchy in a rapidly changing Scottish nation. James's writings include the well-known prose treatises The Trew Law of Free...
(The entire section is 6573 words.)
Robert Appelbaum (essay date February 2000)
SOURCE: Appelbaum, Robert. "War and Peace in The Lepanto of James VI and I." Modern Philology 97, no. 3 (February 2000): 333-63.
[In the following essay, Appelbaum explores the meaning of war and peace in Lepanto, contending that James's epic poem "tells its tale of peace in a complicated way."]
War and Peace. The topos antedates Leo Tolstoy's novel by two thousand years, and its utility is obvious. War is one thing. Peace is another. And so a discourse of differences, of contrasts, may begin. But as terms of rhetoric and representation, war and peace can also be held to resemble, to interpenetrate, or even to become one another. "Much remains /...
(The entire section is 13329 words.)
Peter C. Herman (essay date winter 2001)
SOURCE: Herman, Peter C. "Authorship and the Royal 'I': King James VI/I and the Politics of Monarchic Verse." Renaissance Quarterly 54, no. 4 (winter 2001): 1495-1530.
[In the following essay, Herman contends that James's position as a monarch influenced both his poetry and its reception, and he discusses the diplomatic value of his verse.]
Despite the reinvigoration of historicism in literary studies over the last twenty years or so, the poetry of King James VI/I has remained practically unexamined despite the copious attention given to his prose works.1 The lack of attention, however, is part of the general neglect of monarchic verse. While one...
(The entire section is 12394 words.)
Further Reading
Collier, Susanne. "Recent Studies in James VI and I." English Literary Renaissance 23, no. 3 (autumn 1993): 509-19.
Bibliographic article on recent studies of James.
Bevan, Bryan. King James VI of Scotland & I of England. London: Rubicon Press, 1996, 216 p.
Biographical portrait of James.
Fraser, Antonia. King James VI of Scotland, I of England. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1974, 224 p.
Biography of King James.
Lockyer, Roger. James VI and I. London: Longman, 1998, 234 p....
(The entire section is 536 words.)


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by Anton Shilov
Corsair Memory and OCZ Technology Group, two leading suppliers of DRAM- and flash-based computer components, recently updated Firmware on select solid-state drives (SSDs) to add so-called "Trim" function and boost performance of those SSDs under Windows 7 operating system (OS).
The Trim command in Windows 7 enables the operating system to progressively inform controllers of SSDs about previously deleted or "invalid" data from the drive's memory cells, automatically maintaining optimal performance over time. Without Trim support, SSD controllers do not know which cells are free and which are not (controllers automatically attempt to prolong SSD's lifespan by using all cells equal amount of times) and have to make requests to operating system once all of the cells had been written once.
Corsair Memory supports Trim command with a new firmware for its Performance-series P64, P128 and P256 solid-state drives. The new firmware and firmware update tool are available immediately from Corsair's product forum.
OCZ has released a firmware upgrade for its line of Summit Series SSDs, that supports Trim command for Windows 7 users and idle garbage collection for Vista and XP users. The Summit 19C1 firmware upgrade and installation guide can be downloaded from the company's web-site.
Earlier this year Intel Corp. added Trim support to its solid-state drives, but faced many bugs with the implementation.


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Funny you should say that, Steve - didn't you once say you were going to stop at 99 posts?
The difference between genius and insanity is merely the difference between success and failure.
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The Samsung Continuum is a new Verizon handset that definitely has some unique characteristics. The defining part of this phone will be the dual-screen that it sports. Underneath the four capacitive buttons there is another, albeit smaller, screen. It is intended to be used for weather or other ticker alerts such as sports, but I'm sure developers will find numerous ways to use it.
Announced Date:
November 8, 2010
Android Central Reader Rating:
(24 votes)
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NYPA President Cites Strong Potential of Combined Heat and Power Projects
June 20, 2002
NEW YORK—New York Power Authority (NYPA) President and Chief Executive Officer Eugene W. Zeltmann said Thursday that small, localized projects producing both heat and power could one day transform the ways in which electricity is generated and consumed.
Speaking at a conference on combined heat and power (CHP) in New York State, Zeltmann said such technologies and other forms of distributed generation, in which power sources are located near consumers, "are moving beyond the fringe and into the energy mainstream."
Zeltmann's remarks came on a day on which Gov. George E. Pataki announced that the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority will commit $24 million to install CHP projects throughout the state and further develop relevant technologies.
Welcoming the governor's announcement, Zeltmann said that, despite the need to bolster the power supply system to meet future requirements, a number of companies have dropped plans to build large new generating plants and that investment in the transmission system is largely on hold.
"Distributed generation—and particularly CHP—have the potential to help fill the gap for the short term," Zeltmann said. "Looking further ahead, they could transform the ways in which we make electricity and the manner in which we use it."
He said CHP and distributed generation are in line with Govenor Pataki's clean-energy agenda for New York State, including an executive order that the governor issued last year requiring state agencies to meet ambitious goals for use of renewable energy sources and energy efficiency.
Zeltmann told the audience at the Sheraton New York Hotel that the current move to CHP, or cogeneration, is "motivated by a need for energy reliability and a desire for green power alternatives. And it's viewed as a solution to the congestion that often plagues transmission networks."
The Power Authority's CHP program, Zeltmann said, focuses on environmentally positive fuel cells and microturbines.
NYPA's four fuel cells, all 200-kilowatt (kw) units, are located at the New York Aquarium, the Central Park Police Station and North Central Bronx Hospital in New York City and at the Westchester County wastewater treatment plant in Yonkers. The city units run on natural gas, while the Yonkers project is the world's first commercial fuel cell to use the anaerobic digester gas (ADG) that is a byproduct of wastewater treatment, avoiding the environmental impacts of burning off the gas into the air.
Zeltmann said NYPA intends to install eight more fuel cells, using ADG, at wastewater treatment plants in New York City as part of its voluntary program to more than offset the minimal emissions from 10 small power plants it completed in the city last year in a successful effort to help avert blackouts and price spikes.
Anaeorbic digester gas also powers two 30-kw microturbines that NYPA has provided at the Town of Lewiston's wastewater treatment plant in Niagara County. The units have cut emissions to the air by about 90 percent compared with a previous diesel generator. Waste heat from power production supplies hot water for the treatment plant.


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Dr. Joanna Atkinson
I am a researcher and a certified Clinical Psychologist with
additional qualifications in Clinical Neuropsychology. My work cuts
across several fields including: cognitive neuroscience;
neuropsychology and psycholinguistics. My career has focused on both
clinical service development and research. Between 1999-2002 I worked
as a researcher on the Deaf Stroke Project, exploring the impact of
stroke (CVA) on sign language comprehension and production. I
completed a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at the University of
Bristol in 2005 and a post-doctoral diploma in Applied Clinical
Neuropsychology at the Institute of Psychiatry, London in 2008. I have
worked clinically with both deaf and hearing service-users in: mental
health; community learning disability; older adult and neuropsychology
teams within the National Health Service.
My research interests include: The impact of neurological conditions
such as stroke, dementia and autism on BSL; schizophrenia, psychosis
and voice-hallucinations in deaf people and the clinical assessment of
acquired and developmental neurological conditions in Deaf BSL users.
Current projects include:
1) Deaf with dementia and Healthy Deaf Older Brain projects-which involve developing new cognitive screening and memory tests for deaf BSL users. (Deaf with Dementia poster)
2) Executive function in deaf signers
3) Voice hallucinations in speech and sign language - a comparison of phenomena in hearing and deaf people with schizohrenia
Jo Atkinson works as an Honorary Clinical Psychologist providing cognitive assessment of Deaf BSL users at the Cognitive Disorders Clinic, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery
You can access some of my publications here.
I worked on the Deaf Stroke Project which ran from 1999-2002 at City University and was funded by the Wellcome Trust. This project has ended but there is some useful information about stroke and Deaf BSL users under the following links:
- What happens when a deaf person has a stroke? (Information leaflet)
- What were the results of the Deaf Stroke Project? (Information leaflet)
Both leaflets are designed to be visually accessible to deaf people who have aphasia (acquired language difficulties) after suffering a stroke.
- How can a stroke affect a deaf BSL user's communication abilities? (Research paper)
- Need for Specialist Services (briefing document)
Contact: Dr. Joanna Atkinson
For more information see my article on Mosaic Science


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The best choice is based on a combined analysis of lowest fees and highest similarity to the original fund.
FeeX's similarity algorithm analyzes over 15 investment characteristics like investment category, asset allocation, strategy, geographical allocation and more. FeeX gives each its own weight and calculates the similarity of any two investments based on a scale of 0 to 100%. Funds with a similarity ranking of 85% and higher are considered "similar".
Deep within every fund you own lies a hidden fee called expense ratio. It takes away a set % of your savings each and every year. It can often be easily reduced by switching to similar investments with lower expense ratios.


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jb wrote:No no no a thousand times no.
Taste is always informed. Taste always inplies perspective. These can not be parsed as such.
How did you know to love the first book you ever loved? You didn't have to run through the entire Western Canon before re-reading everything and then deciding what was good and what wasn't, did you?
I'll just assume we're talking about different things, somehow, because as far as the thing I'm talking about goes, you're dead wrong.