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Photo: JasonParis/Flickr
Nov. 23 (Bloomberg) — Mathew Martoma got off to a slow start in the hedge-fund world.A former student at Harvard Law School, he co-wrote papers on medical ethics before seeking a business degree at Stanford University and joining a little-known Boston hedge fund. Former colleagues say he was nondescript, and other hedge-fund managers never heard of him.
Yet in 2006, at age 32, Martoma made it to SAC Capital Advisors LP and gained the attention of the firm's billionaire owner Steven A. Cohen. Cohen, one of the most successful hedge- fund managers in the world, trusted Martoma's recommendations enough to accumulate about $700 million in shares of Elan Corp. and Wyeth LLC two years later and then sell them all within a week after Martoma had changed his view on the companies.
Those recommendations, which earned the young portfolio manager a $9.38 million bonus, have now landed Martoma at the centre of what U.S. prosecutors describe as the most-lucrative insider-trading scheme they've ever uncovered, with profits and averted losses of $276 million. Early in the morning of Nov. 20, FBI agents arrested the 38-year-old at his Boca Raton home. The charges against him mark the first time prosecutors said Cohen had talked with a defendant about stocks in an insider-trading case, pulling the art collector deeper into one of the biggest investigations of securities fraud in history.
"Mathew Martoma was an exceptional portfolio manager who succeeded through hard work and the dogged pursuit of information in the public domain," his lawyer Charles Stillman said in an e-mailed statement, adding that he expected Martoma to be fully exonerated.
Florida Youth
Martoma grew up in Florida, according to social security and voter registration records. As an 18-year-old, he lived in Merritt Island, Florida, less than 10 miles from Cape Canaveral, where NASA's Kennedy Space centre is located. His mother, Lizzie Thomas, was a doctor, according to public records. His father, Bobby Martoma, owned a dry cleaner until two years ago.
Mathew Martoma got his undergraduate degree at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, according to the university registrar. During his first year, he was inducted into Phi Eta Sigma, an honours society for freshmen who attain at least a 3.5 grade point average, according to the university registrar. He graduated in December 1995.
Less than two years later, he went off to Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He wrote two medical-ethics papers, one of which identifies him as a member of Harvard Law's class of 2000 and as the former deputy director of the National Human Genome Research Institute's Office of Genome Ethics.
Hedge-Fund Start
He left Harvard in December 1998 without attaining a degree, according to the school's registrar, and attended Stanford Business School, where he joined three alumni groups including MBA Class of 2003, according to university records.
In 2001, he changed his name from Ajai Mathew Mariamdani Thomas, according to the clerk of the circuit and county court in Brevard County, Florida. His father had changed his name to Martoma from Thomas two years before.
In 2003, the year Martoma got married, he joined Boston- based Sirios Capital Management LP as a research analyst, according to public records. Sirios, a stock hedge fund co- founded by John Brennan in 1999, managed $1 billion as of June 30. He stayed there until 2006, when he moved to SAC's CR Intrinsic unit, based in Stamford, Connecticut.
'Elan Guy'
Former colleagues, who asked not to be named because the fund is private, said the Martoma, who stood almost six feet tall, had a quiet demeanor and left little impression except for an outsized trade that earned him the name "the Elan guy."
As part of his job investing in health-care stocks, Martoma began talking to Sidney Gilman, a doctor involved in the trials of the experimental Alzheimer's drug being developed my Elan and Wyeth, according to the complaints. Gilman eventually shared inside information on test results of an experimental Alzheimer drug with Martoma, according to prosecutors and the SEC, which has sued both men.
Based on Gilman's inside information, Martoma built up stakes in the two companies and persuaded Cohen to do the same for the account he runs at SAC, the government said in the court papers. Cohen ignored some of his other analysts who thought the Elan position was too risky, saying he had confidence in Martoma's views because he was "closest" to the drug trial, according to the criminal complaint, which cited a March 28, 2008, instant message from Cohen.
Last Bonus
By the end of June 2008, the hedge fund had amassed $328 million of shares of Elan and $373 million of Wyeth, according to the criminal complaint. The next month, the U.S. alleged in its its complaint, Gilman tipped off Martoma that the drug trial results would be disappointing. SAC sold off its entire holdings, worth about $700 million, and then bet against the two stocks, which slumped after the results were made public. The hedge fund made $76.2 million on the short sales, the government said.
"Mr. Cohen and SAC are confident that they have acted appropriately and will continue to cooperate with the government's inquiry," Jonathan Gasthalter, a spokesman for the $14 billion firm, said in a Nov. 21 statement.
Gilman has entered into a non-prosecution agreement with the U.S. government, according to his lawyer, Marc Mukasey. He is cooperating with the SEC and the U.S. Attorney's office, the lawyer said.
Martoma's bonus in 2008 was his last. He lost money in 2009 and 2010, and his employment was terminated that September after a SAC executive called him a "one-trick pony with Elan," according to the complaint.
Family Foundation
Martoma and his wife Rosemary, a pediatrician, moved to Boca Raton, to take care of family matters, said a person familiar with him.
He spent part of his bonus on their $1.9 million, five- bedroom home, complete with six-and-a-half bathrooms, a pool, an elevator and a fake lawn out front. They started a family foundation with $1 million. Martoma tried to start a securities business. His wife registered with the state to practice medicine, according to public records.
neighbours, who asked not to be named, said the couple have three children and have kept to themselves. They are rarely seen and aren't members of the local country club.
Martoma is free on $5 million bail co-signed by his in- laws. He's ordered to appear in Manhattan federal court on Nov. 26 at 10 AM.
–With assistance from Bill Faries in Miami and Saumya Vaishampayan, David Glovin, Devin Banerjee, Sasha Damouni, Patricia Hurtado, Max Abelson and Donal Griffin in New York. Editors: Christian Baumgaertel, Andrew Dunn
To contact the reporters on this story: Katherine Burton in New York at [email protected]; Saijel Kishan in New York at [email protected]; Bob Van Voris in New York at [email protected]
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Christian Baumgaertel at [email protected]; David E. Rovella at [email protected]
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Evolution of Humans
human evolution, theory of the origins of the human species, Homo sapiens. Modern understanding of human origins is derived largely from the findings of paleontology, anthropology, and genetics, and involves the process of natural selection (see Darwinism). Although gaps in the fossil record due to differential preservation prevent the complete specification of the line of human descent, H. sapiens share clear anatomical, genetic, and historic relationships to other primates. Of all primates, humans bear particularly close affinity to other members of a group known as hominoids, or apes, which includes orangutans, gibbons, gorillas, chimpanzees, and humans. Humans and their immediate ancestors, known as hominins, are notable among hominoids for their bipedal locomotion, slow rate of maturation, large brain size, and, at least among the more recent hominins, the development of a relatively sophisticated capacity for language, of sophisticated tool use and manufacture, and of complex social activity.
Sections in this article:
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: Human Evolution

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Speculation About Amy Winehouse's Legacy Abounds
Amy Winehouse's death yesterday at age 27 has unsurprisingly led many people to ask questions about the property—both intellectual and real—that she leaves behind. Were there any unfinished records? And who will get her money?
Regarding unfinished musical works, Winehouse reportedly left behind "a lot of demo material—some of which she'd intended to release as a third record. In light of her death, any decisions about whether the public ever gets to hear those recordings are now for her parents Mitch and Janis to make, according to at least one report. Will her grieving mum and dad agree to the demos' release? Or will they determine that the recordings don't adequately reflect their daughter's artistic vision, and keep them private? We shall see. (Meantime, Winehouse's debut record, Frank, and breakthrough masterpiece, Back to Black, are hits once again, with the latter platter topping the iTunes charts in the US, the UK, and several other countries.)
And what of Winehouse's estate? Well, Britain-based researcher and Forbes blogger Tim Worstall thinks it could end up going to Blake Fielder-Civil, her husband from 2007 to 2009 and alleged enabler for several additional years:
Marriage rewrites any will made before the marriage. That "I thee with my worldly goods endow" means just that. Divorce undoes those financial shackles, this is true, and there can be a settlement or not, as the parties agree to. However, the one thing, under English law, that divorce does not do is undo the presumption that the natural inheritor is the spouse. In the absence of a will the surviving spouse will inherit at least the bulk of any estate.
If Winehouse didn't create a new will after her divorce, Fielder-Civil might become several million pounds richer. This possibility might anger you very much! But before you shout "Blaaaaaaaaaake," and not in a loving and beckoning way but in a furious, I-fuckin-hate-that-dude fashion, consider that either Winehouse or some insightful person in her camp actually got around to updating her papers, and made sure that her currently incarcerated ex didn't inherit everything after all.
Details about Winehouse's will supposedly will be made public on Monday, and we'll all learn more about how the singer's reported 36 million-pound estate will be divvied up. Until then, the almost-lawyer in us will wonder (and possibly even lose sleep over) this question: If Winehouse didn't make up a new will after divorcing Fielder-Civil, and the Forbes blogger is right, then why wouldn't Fielder-Civil also inherit control over Winehouse's demo recordings, instead of her parents? Perhaps intellectual property and actual property are treated differently under UK trusts and estates law? If you're a British lawyer, feel free to speculat and/or share your legal knowledge via the comments section, so that we can go to bed tonight.


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Digital Production
The Gnomon Workshop offers the most comprehensive set of Digital Production tutorials anywhere. The broad scope of the tutorials contained in this section range from foundational understanding of the software tools all the way to the professional application of these tools and concepts used by artists working in the film and game industries.
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The Gnomon Workshop offers professional training on most of the software applications used in today's digital pipelines. There are foundational titles to introduce users to the software and tools, as well as advanced production titles that discuss application tools and processes vital to the production of digital assets and media.
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Tim Dobbert is currently matchmove supervisor for The Orphanage in San Francisco. He has over eight years experience in the industry including work as a matchmover, animator and technical director. His credits include Hellboy, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, Sin City, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Superman Returns as well as numerous commercial and television projects. He is the author of the first and only book on the subject, "Matchmoving: The Invisible Art of Camera Tracking." He also teaches university classes in Matchmoving and Image-Based Content Creation, and has lectured throughout the world.
"Tim Dobbert has released a perfect companion to his benchmark book on 3D tracking with this new tutorial series on one of the most difficult aspects of visual effects. Ranging from matchmoving fundamentals to object tracking to studio production tips, this series will be essential to those wishing to master the field."
Try a Class on Campus
Gnomon specializes in computer graphics education for careers in the entertainment industry.


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Every tech company seems to have a recognizable (perhaps celebrity) spokesperson these days: Ashton Kutcher for Nikon, Justin Long for Apple, the "T-Mobile Girl" for T-Mobile, and so on. We looked at the art and science behind tech spokespeople--how they're chosen, how they affect sales, and why some are famous and some aren't--to find out if they're really the vital marketing tools that tech companies seem to think they are. What we found out is simple: Some tech companies know how to choose and use spokespeople well, while others seem clueless.
Why Hire a Spokesperson?
Consumer technology is all about the product, not the people who use it, right? It's all about faster processors, more reliable networks, and sexy design, not who happens to be holding it.
Because tech gear is generally more expensive than other goods, and often seen as an investment (people usually buy a laptop or a cell phone expecting to use it for at least a couple of years), tech companies have to make sure that their customers are confident in what they're purchasing. And since tech typically flies over the heads of regular nongeeks, merely flashing some pretty microchips or attractive network graphs won't cut it.
This is where the spokesperson comes in: He or she makes the consumer feel comfortable and confident in their purchase, because a real human being is endorsing it. These same spokespeople often step off the screen and make public appearances, further suggesting that they are "real people" and not simply props.
Choosing a Spokesperson
Of course, just because a spokesperson can lend credence to a product doesn't mean that companies can grab anybody--or any celebrity--and create a successful ad campaign. Selection of the right public face is especially important when campaigns involve celebrities, according to Rohin Guha of New York-based Internet marketing firm Blue Phoenix Media.
According to Guha, not all celebrities are created equal--especially when it comes to the consumer technology market. Smart tech companies look for a celebrity spokesperson who has aligned himself or herself with technology or new media, Guha says.
Guha gives the example of pop singer Avril Lavigne, who recently featured a Sony VAIO laptop in one of her music videos.
"The intention is that Lavigne's fans should want to go out and purchase VAIOs for themselves," Guha says, "But Lavigne's personal brand is not exactly synonymous with new media and technology. So that product placement becomes a conspicuous prop instead of a branded directive to customers driving them to purchase new laptops."
Why Ashton Kutcher Moves Cameras
By contrast, Ashton Kutcher for Nikon is an example of a more thought-out campaign. Kutcher's strong presence on Twitter and Quora shows that he's entrenched in the tech world, and so it isn't much of a stretch to imagine him actually using a Nikon point-and-shoot camera, Guha says.
As for hard numbers, Nikon's market-share data suggests that in 2010 it rebounded from a dip between 2008 and 2009. Kutcher signed on in 2008, but it's important to note that a nationwide recession was happening at the time--so it's unclear as to whether Nikon's newfound success was due to Kutcher or changes in the economy.
Intel's recently announced collaboration with rapper Will.i.am, front man of The Black Eyed Peas, is another good example of a tech company's profiting from a believably tech-savvy front man, if you will. Actually, it was Will.i.am who approached Intel about representing the chip maker. The relationship aligns with Guha's philosophy: Johan Jervøe, Intel's vice president of sales and marketing, cites Will.i.am's "insatiable fascination with technology" and "his embracement of disruptive technologies in order to move things forward by leaps and bounds" as the reasons Intel decided to enter the relationship.
Next: The drawbacks of celebrity endorsements, and the benefits of noncelebrity campaigns


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AfriGeneas Genealogy and History Forum Archive
Re: African American coal miners
In Response To: Re: African American coal miners ()
Thanks so much for your comments. I find this topic of African American miners very exciting also; I am sure my wife wonders about me sometimes! However it is a very significant piece of American history, as we played a critical role in the industrializing of America through our labor in the mines. In addition, it was a huge vehicle for us to gain some legitimate form of employment of a non-agricultural nature in the reconstruction period. One of the things I find most intriguing are the distinct initial and subsequent migration patterns that seem to be emerging among different groups of miners coming out of Alabama and Virginia. Hearing stories filled with intimate details passed on to the descendants of those miners will hopefully find their way to me and create a wonderful portrait of these workers.
Messages In This Thread


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AMU News
AMU News
11-Mar-2015: Dr. Danish Ali has been elected President of the Junior Doctors' Association, Ajmal Khan Tibbiya College.
Dr. Tafseer Ali, Election Officer for the JDA elections informed that Dr. Danish Ali has been elected President while Dr. Naeem, Dr. Moiunuddin and Dr. Hilal Akhtar have been elected unopposed as Vice President, Secretary and Finance Secretary respectively.
11-AUG-2020 : JNMC appeals for plasma donation Aligarh, August 11: People recovered from Covid19 are being urged
11-AUG-2020 : AMU starts week-long 'Recru-Fi' Aligarh, August 11: As the surge in Covid19 cases restricted in-per
11-AUG-2020 : Telemedicine at JNMC Aligarh, August 11: The Departments of Surgery, Medicine and Paediatric Surger
11-AUG-2020 : Webinar on Research Methodology Aligarh, August 11: In a webinar on 'Research Methodology' organise
11-AUG-2020 : Condolence Meeting Aligarh, August 11: The Department of Agricultural Microbiology, Aligarh Muslim
11-AUG-2020 : New Appointments ALIGARH August 11: Professor Salman Hameed, Department of Electrical Engineering,
10-AUG-2020 : AMU VC gets honorary Colonel Rank Aligarh, August 10: Prof Tariq Mansoor, the Vice Chancellor
10-AUG-2020 : AMU Vice Chancellor, Professor Tariq Mansoor appeals alumni
10-AUG-2020 : AMU faculty members author book on Neutrino Interactions Aligarh, August 10: If you have the instin
10-AUG-2020 : Webinar on AMU Alumni and COVID-19 Aligarh, August 10: The Alumni Affairs Committee of Aligarh M
10-AUG-2020 : Telemed services Aligarh, August 10: The Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Jawaharlal Nehru Medica
10-AUG-2020 : Essay and Quiz competitions Aligarh, August 10: The Law Society, Faculty of Law, Aligarh Muslim Uni
07-AUG-2020 : New phone number for telemed service Aligarh, August 7: The Department of Psychiatry, Jawaharlal Ne
07-AUG-2020 : New EC, AC members Aligarh, August 7: Prof Rafiuddin, Provost, Mohammad Habib Hall has been declare
07-AUG-2020 : World Breastfeeding Week Aligarh, August 7: M Mushfiq bagged the first prize, while Subuhi Akhtar a
07-AUG-2020 : Plantation drive Aligarh, August 7: Faculty of Life Sciences, Aligarh Muslim University organised
07-AUG-2020 : 'Recru-Fi' to begin on August 10 Aligarh, August 7: As regular job recruitment drives are hit by C
07-AUG-2020 : New Chairman ALIGARH August 7: Professor Mohammad Ali Jauhar, has been appointed as Chairman of the
07-AUG-2020 : AMU faculty speaks on ADR Aligarh, August 7: Prof Shakeel Ahmed Samdani, Dean, Faculty of Law, des
06-AUG-2020 : Plasma therapy starts in JNMC Aligarh, August 6: Today Plasma therapy for treating Covid patients
06-AUG-2020 : Prof Faisal Devji delivers talk on 'Gandhi's Silence' Aligarh, August 6: "Mahatma Gandhi's ideas in
06-AUG-2020 : AMU to participate in UGC MHRD Conclave Aligarh, August 6: Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) will pa
06-AUG-2020 : Talks on Sustainable Development and Role of Green Sources of Electricity Aligarh, August 6: Dr
06-AUG-2020 : Ashkar Husain's demise mourned ALIGARH August 6: Mr Ashkar Husain, 63, a senior English teacher, wh
06-AUG-2020 : AMU faculty gets Best Research Award ALIGARH August 6: Mr Arshad Iqbal, Assistant Professor in Comp
05-AUG-2020 : AMU alumni qualify UPSC Aligarh, August 5: Two Alumni of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) have qual
05-AUG-2020 : AMU in top ten for social work study Aligarh, August 5: If you are searching for a hotbed of excell
05-AUG-2020 : Prof Nawab delivers lecture in Webinar Aligarh, August 5: "Knowing how to prioritize work affects t
05-AUG-2020 : Telemed services Aligarh, August 5: The Department of Psychiatry, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College
05-AUG-2020 : Webinar on effective planning Civil Service Examination ALIGARH August 5: The Training and Placemen
04-AUG-2020 : AMU to remain Closed during Lockdown Aligarh, August 4: The Aligarh Muslim University campus will r
04-AUG-2020 : Prof Faisal Devji to deliver Web Talk Aligarh, August 4: University of Oxford, UK faculty member an
04-AUG-2020 : AMU faculty delivers lecture on Technology with Social Relevance Aligarh, August 4: "Airborne wind
04-AUG-2020 : New Court Member Aligarh, August 4: Prof Sangeeta Singhal, Chairperson, Department of Physiology,
04-AUG-2020 : Online internship program concludes Aligarh, August 4: Sana Athar was awarded the 'Best Individual
04-AUG-2020 : AMU faculty delivers online lecture Aligarh, August 4: "As gateways to knowledge and culture, libra
02-AUG-2020 : AMU ranks third best university in India ALIGARH August 2: The Aligarh Muslim University's academic
31-JUL-2020 : AMU Faculty delivers lecture in Webinar Aligarh, July 31: "The Uniform Civil Code (UCC) calls for t
31-JUL-2020 : Women's Polytechnic organises webinar Aligarh, July 31: The Secretarial Practice Section of the Uni
31-JUL-2020 : New Member-in-Charge Aligarh, July 31: Prof Shakeel Ahmad (Department of Law) has been appointed as
31-JUL-2020 : Faculty Development Programme on E-Teaching Aligarh, July 31: The Department of Commerce, Aligarh M
31-JUL-2020 : Online short term course on "Programming Practices and Standards in Industry" Aligarh, July 31: To
30-JUL-2020 : New Provosts at different Halls of residence ALIGARH July 30: Four Halls of residence at the Alig
30-JUL-2020 : New Block extension inaugurated Aligarh, July 30: The extension of the New Block, Department of Ort
30-JUL-2020 : Dept of Linguistics begin online talk series Aligarh, July 30: Eminent linguist and Prof B N Patnai
30-JUL-2020 : Consultancy project completed Aligarh, July 30: As a part of the consultancy project awarded by th
30-JUL-2020 : Webinar at Women's Polytechnic Aligarh, July 30: The Alumni Affairs Committee of the Women's Polyt
30-JUL-2020 : New Chairman Aligarh, July 30: Prof Farzana Alim has been appointed as the Chairperson, Department
29-JUL-2020 : JNMC to set up Plasma Bank Aligarh, July 29: In a big boost to Covid 19 management, a 'Plasma Bank'
29-JUL-2020 : SBI donate ventilators to JNMC Aligarh, July 29: The State Bank of India (SBI), Medical College Bra
29-JUL-2020 : Lecture on conservation of Temples Aligarh, July 29: Mr K K Muhammed (Former Regional Director, Ar
29-JUL-2020 : AMU faculty receives Award for education and social work Aligarh, July 29: Europe and Middle Easter
29-JUL-2020 : No Eid prayer at AMU mosques Aligarh, July 29: Owing to the Covid 19 pandemic, Aligarh Muslim Unive
29-JUL-2020 : MoU signed between Samsung and Department of Computer Engg Aligarh, July 29: Aligarh Muslim Univers
28-JUL-2020 : JNMC installs plasmapheresis machine Aligarh, July 28: The patients suffering from immune-mediated
28-JUL-2020 : AMU organizes Dialogue on Dekho Apna Desh Aligarh, July 28: The Vice Chancellors of Aligarh Muslim
28-JUL-2020 : AMU conducts online exam Aligarh, July 28: The Department of Law, Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) a
28-JUL-2020 : Webinar on Efficient E-Learning amid Covid-19 Aligarh, July 28: "During the Covid-19 pandemic, onli
28-JUL-2020 : New EC Member Aligarh, July 28: Prof Rakesh Maheshwari, Dean, Faculty of Medicine has been declare
28-JUL-2020 : EC meeting Aligarh, July 28: The special meeting of the Executive Council (EC), Aligarh Muslim Uni
27-JUL-2020 : Ahimsa, integral to all religions believed Gandhi: says Prof Deshpande Aligarh, July 27: "Mahatma G
27-JUL-2020 : Qatar alumni organise online Mushaira Aligarh, July 27: The coronavirus pandemic has forced people
27-JUL-2020 : Conference on 'Civil Society and Contemporary Legal Issues' Aligarh, July 27: The Law Society, Facu
27-JUL-2020 : Dept of Computer Science organise online webinar series Aligarh, July 27: To provide the students w
27-JUL-2020 : New Court Members Aligarh, July 27: Prof Shakeel Khan, Chairman, Department of Applied Physics; a
24-JUL-2020 : JNMC to start plasma therapy Aligarh, July 24: The Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College (JNMC), Aligarh
24-JUL-2020 : New Dean of Faculty of Life Sciences ALIGARH July 24: Professor Wasim Ahmad, Department of Zoology,
24-JUL-2020 : Law Society to organise International Conference Aligarh, July 24: The Law Society, Faculty of Law,
23-JUL-2020 : Remaining exams from August 5 Aligarh, July 23: Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) will hold the final
23-JUL-2020 : Retail outlet of Dawakhana inaugurated ALIGARH July 23: The Vice-Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim Unive
23-JUL-2020 : AMU becomes UN-GGIM member Aligarh, July 23: Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) has become the first I
23-JUL-2020 : AMU faculty delivers keynote address in International webinar Aligarh, July 23: "Profession of law
23-JUL-2020 : AMU to rename Inter-Faith Centre Aligarh, July 23: Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) is renaming its
23-JUL-2020 : AMU faculty present paper Aligarh, July 23: Dr Babu Bakhsh Mansuri, Professor of Commerce in Women
22-JUL-2020 : AMU releases books and vintage calendar Aligarh, July 22: Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) Vice Chan
22-JUL-2020 : Webinar on women empowerment and gender justice ALIGARH July 22: "The Panchayati Raj system gives w
22-JUL-2020 : AMU to start M Tech in 'Earthquake Engineering Aligarh, July 22: With a view to produce trained per
22-JUL-2020 : Webinar on Civil Services Aligarh, 22 July: With a view to motivating the students and to provide
21-JUL-2020 : Telemedicine services Aligarh, July 21: The Department of Neurosurgery, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical Co
20-JUL-2020 : AMU faculty delivers keynote lecture on Airborne Wind Turbine system ALIGARH July 20: "The airborne
20-JUL-2020 : AMU journal included in UGC Care List Aligarh, July 20: The 'Aligarh Journal of Linguistics', publ


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Exit Exam: Oral Section
The oral section will begin with a short interview. This interview will not be graded, but is a chance for you and the examiner(s) to get acquainted. After the interview, you will give an informative presentation. This is the only part that will be graded. You must deliver the speech standing in the front of the room. You will not be expected to answer any questions afterward.
Informative Presentation
An informative speech attempts to inform the audience through imparting knowledge, facilitating understanding or demonstrating how to do something. Students will select speeches that were previously given in their LNG course. Students completing LNG 092 will select their informative speech. Students completing LNG 101 will select their research project.
- Your speech must be 7-12 minutes.
- You are required to cite at least 2 sources within the speech. Bring a typed Works Cited/Reference list to the exam.
Presentation Aides
- You may use 3×5 note cards while delivering the speech.
- You may include a PowerPoint, but points will not be added or deducted because of it.
- Remember to dress appropriately for the speaking situation. Your appearance is a reflection of your credibility and to be taken seriously, you must dress seriously. Hats are not recommended.
- Pay close attention to improving your overall delivery in terms of body language; pronunciation, stress, and rhythm; and organization of your ideas. Because you will have already given this speech at least once in your LNG class, you have plenty of time to practice and revise it.
Download the rubric (PDF)


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One of the biggest challenges facing the MeeGo venture will be creating tangible interest around its (eventual) offerings. iOS and
Android enjoy the buzz right now, the latter now benefiting more than the former. At some point MeeGo as a product (or family of products) needs to establish the same sort of excitement if it is to seize significant market share.
It's only natural to assume that any corporate entity utilizing MeeGo in some manner would craft unique marketing campaigns for their implementations. But grassroots or community-led marketing is something else entirely. Continue reading


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Mayor Johnson arrives in Houston for All-Star weekend
Johnson expected to make pitch to keep Kings
Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson arrived in Houston early Friday morning for NBA All-Star weekend, and KCRA's David Bienick was there to meet him.
"First of all, it is a big deal being at the All-Star game," Johnson told Bienick after deboarding his red-eye flight into George Bush Intercontinental Airport. "My objective is to lobby and do everything I can to support our efforts here in Sacramento."
A Seattle-based group led by hedge fund manager Chris Hansen has an agreement with the Maloof family to buy the team. The group filed for relocation with the NBA to move the team from Sacramento to Seattle.
Johnson plans to meet with NBA owners, and anyone else who will listen, to make his pitch to keep the Kings in the Capital City.
He told KCRA's David Bienick that he currently has no specific meetings scheduled with NBA officials or Commissioner David Stern.
Johnson's wife, Michelle Rhee, and members of the Think Big campaign, are accompanying him on the trip.
The Mayor said he still considers March 1 the deadline for his group to present a counter-offer to buy the Kings.


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The neighborhood matters
When you ask a real estate agent the three most important things about any home, she's likely to reply, "Location, location, location." Before you buy a new home, you should carefully check out the neighborhood to which you plan to move. County records, Facebook, Google, Google Earth and other online resources can all be friends that help you avoid a big mistake.
Questions to ask
A candidate home's plot and view make up a big part of the appeal of its location. But its neighborhood can be at least as important.
Are the schools good? Is quality healthcare easily accessible? How long will my commute be? Is crime low, and does the guy next door have a recent arrest for dealing crack from home? Is there a good supermarket close by? How far is the nearest mall? Are there plans to build a highway or airport runway at the end of the back yard?
You need to know the answers to these and other questions.
Walk before web
No matter how good your online search skills are, nothing beats exploring the streets around your prospective home on foot. You'll pick up on details you'd never notice in a car or on Google Street View. And, of course, you can hear and smell things.
Try to visit at different times of day. Your new neighbor's kid might get his drum kit out only during evenings or at weekends. And there might have been a reason the student house on the other side was so quiet on the morning of the open house: Its residents were too hungover to get up after one of their frequent all-night parties.
Walking around also gives you a chance to pick your new neighbors' brains about what it's like to live on your next street. Stop to chat, make friends, ask questions and get the skinny.
The worldwide web is your oyster
Google Maps might be your natural online starting point. Type in the address of your prospective home, and then click on "Nearby."
You can then choose which types of place you want to find: restaurants, schools, stores, hospitals, gyms and so on. If the type of establishment you want to find isn't on the list presented, type it into the search box, for example, "hospital" or "school."
By clicking "Directions," you will be presented with routes, distances and approximate travel times. If available, you can choose from driving, walking and public transit.
You can use the school locator page on a U.S. Department of Education website to find a local map showing all the public schools in an area. Click on "school profile" for more details of each.
To find the rankings and ratings of public schools in a district, try PSK12.com.
Consumer Reports has a web tool that provides a list of the hospitals in your city, county or state with rankings and ratings. It also provides information on each facility's record in certain limited performance categories.
You can find out more about local family doctors (primary care doctors) through patient reviews on Yelp and Angie's List. However, those aren't always fair or helpful. Consumer Reports has a useful article on "How to Find a Good Doctor."
Type your zip code into the CrimeReports website to find recent incidents in that area. You'll be presented with a map showing pins, which, when clicked, provide more details. And you can refine your search to find older criminal activity.
The home
Other sources that can prove worthwhile information are the local courthouse and the offices of the county or city. These can usually provide records on a home going back at least 20 years, including deeds and encumbrances, such as mortgages or other charges.
You can often access these records online. But it's worth remembering it can take a while to post information to those websites. So don't rely on their being completely up to date. If you have the time and the proximity, a visit can be better.
Other resources
For information about the demographics of the area, consult the 2010 U.S. Census through its website. You can drill down through your state to your census division. And that will give you a breakdown of the local population by age, sex, race, ethnicity and housing status.
Don't forget to check out local newspapers to get a feel for the place. That can give you real insights into what's on and what residents are concerned about.
Be realistic
Don't expect any neighborhood to be perfect. As you know all too well, buying a home is all about trading off things on your wish list.
And that applies to streets and areas, as well as homes. So, have realistic expectation when you check out the neighborhood.
Regardless of the neighborhood you choose, your home will be more attractive if you pay less to finance it. And that's possible with today's low mortgage rates. Just contact a Wallick & Volk Mortgage Professional to find the best loan product and best rate for your new home. www.wvmb.com


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Cancer is when cells in the body grow out of control. These cells can form a tumor or damaged tissue. If cancer cells grow in the kidney, it is called kidney cancer.
Parts of the kidney
- The most common kidney cancer in adults is renal cell carcinoma. It forms in the lining of very small tubes in the kidney.
- Cancers found in the center of the kidney are known as transitional cell carcinoma.
- Wilms tumor is a kidney cancer that very young children can get.
On average, people are diagnosed with kidney cancer at around age 64. It's rarely found in people younger than age 45. More than 73,000 people will be diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2020 in the U.S. This risk is higher in men than in women.
With timely diagnosis and treatment, kidney cancer can be cured. To learn more about symptoms, diagnosis, treatment options and common questions, read on.
Basic Facts about Kidney Cancer
The terms "tumor," "mass," or "lesion" are used to describe an abnormal growth in the kidney. Tumors can be benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous). A fluid-filled sac, called a cyst, is the most common growth found in a kidney. Cysts are mostly not cancerous. Solid kidney tumors can be benign, but most often are found to be cancer.
Kidney cancer is one of the top 10 most common cancers diagnosed in the United States. Nearly 15,000 people will die from this disease in 2020. Of the people who are diagnosed early (stage I or II cancer), 75-80% will survive.
How Kidneys Function
What Happens Under Normal Conditions?
Healthy kidneys work around the clock to clean our blood. The kidneys look like 2 bean-shaped organs . They are found near the middle of the back below the rib cage. They are surrounded by a protective sac called the Gerota's fascia and a layer of fat. The renal artery brings "dirty" blood into the kidney. The renal vein takes clean blood out to the heart.
Our kidneys are our body's main filter. They clean about 150 quarts of blood daily. Every day, they remove about 1-2 quarts of water and waste from the blood in the form of urine. Urine then moves into the kidney's collecting system, the renal pelvis. It flows from there through the ureters to the bladder to be stored. Eventually it is pushed out of our bodies through the urethra.
The adrenal glands are on top of the kidneys. The adrenal glands regulate blood sugar, potassium, body fluids and sex hormones. They control our stress response by producing a hormone called adrenaline. They create a hormone called erythropoietin that helps to produce red blood cells.
As a filter, the kidney controls many things to keep us healthy:
- Fluid balance
- Electrolyte levels (e.g., sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, acid)
- Waste removal in the form of urine
- The regulation of blood pressure and red blood cell counts
When the kidneys are damaged they may not work well. In most cases, some damage won't cause too many problems. But, major damage may need more treatment, like dialysis.


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ZeniMax, the distribution wing of Bethesda, creators of The Elder Scrolls are currently suing Notch from Mojang because he wants to make a strategy card game called 'Scrolls'. They've decided that they own the word Scrolls for the purposes of gaming and that nobody else should ever be able to use the word ever and so they're claiming that Mojang are trying to use the word in order to confuse people.
Skyrim is coming out soon and ZeniMax's lawyers fear that RPG players won't be able to tell the difference between the massive snowy world in which you can shout at dragons, and a card trading game. In spite of several friendly attempts to resolve the issue by Mojang, ZeniMax is persisting with the suit. Yes, they're seriously claiming that people might confuse this:
With this:
If you'd like to express your utter disgust to ZeniMax and let them know that you don't appreciate them suing one of the most promising and innovative indie developers around, you can contact ZeniMax here.
If you'd like to research the matter more before sending a scathing email, here are several posts on the matter.


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I am trying to play audio clips by coding the numerical frequencies, tones and durations of the various notes. After searching the web, I have only found information on how to play existing audio files.
Is there a way to define the frequency, tone, and time duration of a note in Java, and then have my computer play it?


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WINSTON-SALEM � Rubbing the red scrapes and cuts on his wrists and hands after the best scoring performance of his college career, Duke�s Mason Plumlee wondered aloud in the visiting locker room when asked about his team�s ability to navigate end-game scenarios.
�Our coaches, they see things throughout the game,� the power forward said. �Sometimes I even think they hold plays or hold things to the very end. They�ve been doing it so long, they�re so good, they�ll see something but they won�t go to it right away. They�ll be like, �all right, later in the game we can get that.� �
Fifth-ranked Duke pushed the decisive buttons and delivered during crunch time in closing out Wake Forest 75-70 on Wednesday night, thereby silencing the tie-dyed energy that coursed through Joel Coliseum.
The Blue Devils trailed by one point as the game clock ticked under four minutes remaining. And this building was bumping, sensing the opportunity for a second upset of a nationally ranked, in-state rival in as many weeks.
What followed became a winning response on both ends of the court from Duke, which, in the process of solving what guard Seth Curry called �a grind-it-out game,� collected its first true road victory of the season.
�At this point of the season, I think everybody�s been through everything,� Curry said. �We just had to stick with it.�
Curry lost Wake Forest forward Travis McKie on some screening action and buried his only 3-pointer of the night to break a 66-66 tie and push the Blue Devils (18-2 overall, 5-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) ahead to stay with 2:59 left.
After the Demon Deacons (10-10, 3-5) pulled within 69-68, Plumlee, applying the finishing touches to his career-high 32-point effort, powered through a chaotic scene underneath for a strong bucket � his first field goal in 11� minutes � to return Duke�s lead to three with 1:14 remaining.
Wake Forest�s Devin Thomas, clearly trying to draw Plumlee�s fifth foul, collapsed upon contact from the Duke big man. That no-call left Plumlee turning and absorbing a rake across the face and chest from the Demon Deacons� Arnaud Adala Moto, which also didn�t prompt a whistle.
�Every possession was key toward the end of the game,� Curry said, �and we�ve got a lot of confidence in executing our game plan and getting good shots.�
Adala Moto misfired on an open 3 from the wing that would�ve produced the game�s 11th tie score with one minute remaining. Then, the clinching moments arrived in full for Duke.
Rasheed Sulaimon drilled a tough, contested pull-up jumper with the shot clock at three seconds for a 73-68 Duke lead with 27.6 seconds left.
At the other end, Plumlee stuffed C.J. Harris� racing floater and the Blue Devils� Josh Hairston snatched the rebound.
Ball game.
And hard-earned victory for Duke.
�All of a sudden you�re fortunate to win,� coach Mike Krzyzewski said. �We did enough good things to beat a really good basketball team.�
Plumlee was a driving, at times unstoppable, force on this night. The 6-foot-10 senior connected on 12-for-15 shots from the field, dunking in lobs from Quinn Cook and muscling in jump hooks and buckets from close range.
He scored 19 of Duke�s 40 points in the first half and surpassed his previous career high of 28 points � achieved in November against Florida Gulf Coast � by the 12:26 mark of the second half.
At that juncture, Plumlee had reached 29 points and, given the rate he was converting, 40 seemed like a possibility.
�He was killing it,� said Cook, who returned and finished the game after jamming the ring finger on his right hand in the second half.
�I didn�t look up at the thing the whole night,� Plumlee said, referring to the overhead scoreboard. �So I didn�t know what I had. Just waited to see what I ended with.�
Curry added 21 points. Cook chipped in 12 points and seven assists for the Blue Devils, who knocked down a season-low two 3s on 14 launches from beyond the arc.
Thomas� 15 points paced Wake Forest, eight nights removed from its memorable, court-rushing takedown of North Carolina State that, per tradition, sent students and even players out to stream the upper quad of the campus with toilet paper.
McKie and Harris scored 14 points apiece. Excluding McKie�s lay-in with 3.7 seconds left, which factored only cosmetically, the Demon Deacons managed just two points (on Madison Jones� backdoor layup) during the final four minutes.
�In the guts of the game, Duke simply made some timely stops and made some timely shots,� Wake Forest coach Jeff Bzdelik said. �We got some looks, some real good looks, the kind of looks we wanted.�
The Demon Deacons, who entered 3-0 in the ACC here on their home court, yet 0-4 in the league everywhere else, trailed by eight with 14� minutes remaining.
By the eight-minute mark, Wake Forest had rallied into the lead, with Harris� jumper over Amile Jefferson making the score 60-58. Later, Tyler Cavanaugh�s pump-faking drive, score and eventual three-point play created Plumlee�s fourth foul and a 66-65 Wake Forest lead with 4:02 left.
Then Duke�s end-game control took hold.
�That�s the biggest time,� Cook said.
�We executed down the stretch,� Plumlee said. �To win a close game on the road, to show that we�re together, you�d like to win every game by 20, but that�s not realistic.�
-- TIP-IN: Wake Forest announced earlier Wednesday that it will retire the No. 3 jersey of former star point guard Chris Paul at halftime of the March 2 game against Maryland. Paul�s will be the 11th Wake Forest jersey honored in the rafters of Joel Coliseum and first since Josh Howard�s No. 5 in January 2004. No Demon Deacons player has won No. 3 since Paul left after two seasons for the NBA in 2005.


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Via University Portal
Admin, Alumni, Freshers and Guests
SAW 6th Floor Studio
Join our Facebook community
Join our Mailing list
PLEASE WEAR: Comfortable clothing (we recommend a t-shirt and shorts or leggings) and comfortable indoor trainers
This class is energetic and upbeat, so if you're looking for an all-round body workout this one's for you!
Active LifeStyle is the social physical activity programme available to all students at LSE. From drop-in sessions, beginner courses, inter-hall leagues and one-off events, we offer a wide range of activities for you to create your own Active Life - all offering you something social, fun and stress relieving. You don't need to join a team, have any kit, or pay a lot of money! All our sessions are open to all, whether you have experience or not - or are any good! You can come to one, or many, whatever you feel like.
Being involved in Active LifeStyle helps make the most of your University experience, build skills to enhance your graduate employability and get to know you fellow LSE students. There is an opportunity for everyone across all abilities, so get involved now!.
London School of Economics & Political Sciences Students' Union.
Charity Number (Registered Charity: Charity Commission): 1143103; Company Number (Company Limited by Guarantee): 7710669; We are a London Living Wage employer.
Site powered by Membership Solutions.


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Last night the Manzo boys, Chris and Albie, kicked off their newest business venture: a restaurant called Little Town New Jersey.
The restaurant officially opens to the public today, but last night invited guests got to take a sneak peek ahead of the opening. We were among the invited, but none of us were able to attend
fearing for our safety due to scheduling and logistics issues.
According to the invite: "Little Town NJ offers a diverse menu of unique regional Jersey classics inspired by local ingredients, emphasizing New Jersey farms and purveyors, as well as wineries and breweries. LTNJ will also feature various dining programs from farm-to-table pre-fix brunch buffet to "Sunday Gravy" which will serve Caroline Manzo's famous meatballs and on weekends an on-site farmer's market, where local farmers and suppliers can share their produce, which will also be featured in menu items."
We grabbed the photos from the event, but only see the Manzo family posing for pics (along with business partners Michael Sinensky and Sean McGarr). The invitation promised that guests would include "the cast of the Real Housewives of New Jersey including Caroline Manzo, Teresa Giudice, Melissa Gorga, Jacqueline Laurita, Kathy Wakile, Joe Gorga and Joe Giudice." I'll keep checking to see if they update the photos!
Photo Credit: Dave Kotinsky/Getty and Little Town's PR


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The Central Connecticut men's track and field team completed the 2014 New England Outdoor Championships in 20th place out of 38 teams on Saturday in Westfield, MA. The Blue Devils added five points to Friday's team total.
CCSU competed in just four individual events on the final day of NEICAAA competition. Junior Jamal Fruster, who finished first overall in Friday's preliminaries, finished seventh Friday in a time of 48.78 seconds earning two points for the Blue Devils.
In the 100m dash freshman Jevon Elmore, who qualified yesterday in seventh with a time of 11.03, repeated his seventh-place finish in Saturday's finals for two more CCSU points.
The Blue Devil 4x100m relay squad earned the final point for CCSU, finishing eighth out of 18 teams in 42.32 seconds.
Central also fielded a 4x400m relay squad which finished ninth in 3:16.68.
Other notable performances for CCSU include a ninth-place finish in the 3,000m steeplechase from Brendan Callahan. The freshman raced a time of 9:34.92 for a new career-best time, surpassing his previous personal-best time of 9:51.18 which he raced at this year's NEC Championships.
Freshman Thomas Lupoli also raced for CCSU. He completed the 800m run in 1:54.33 for 25th out of 33 runners.


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$ 1,480.00
18k White ladies pave diamond split shank coil ring
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18k White ladies pave diamond split shank coil ring:
- #13 RBC = .21 tw.
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text: Form meets function, but unfortunately not fashion. K-Pocke (say "kay po-kay") is a new line of shirts with a uniquely designed pocket to safely secure your mobile device. Shake, rattle and roll all you want. Nothing will fall out due to the convoluted way it's constructed, they claim. I'm as worried as the next person about dropping my phone. Unfortunately, I'm more worried about looking like Steve Urkel. Cool innovation, but it might have a better chance if it were still the 90's — and if pants didn't have pockets.


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Parsnip, cranberry & chestnut loaf
Nutrition and extra info
- Vegetarian
- kcal819
- fat36g
- saturates11g
- carbs117g
- sugars71g
- fibre15g
- protein14g
- salt0.86g
- 4 tbsp butter, plus a little extra for greasing
Butter is a dairy product made from separating whole milk or cream into fat and…
- 3 onions, chopped
Onions are endlessly versatile and an essential ingredient in countless recipes. Native to Asia…
- 15g pack sage, 6 leaves reserved, rest shredded
Popular in both Italian and British cookery, sage has long, grey-green leaves with a slightly…
- 200g pack cooked chestnut
'Chestnuts roasting on an open fire...' that kitsch old Nat King Cole song perfectly…
- 100g walnut
Walnuts are one of the most popular and versatile of all nuts. When picked young, they're…
- 100g breadcrumb
- ½ tsp mace
- 1 egg, beaten
The ultimate convenience food, eggs are powerhouses of nutrition packed with protein and a…
- 500g cranberry
A tart, ruby-red coloured berry which grows wild on shrubs throughout northern Europe and North…
- 175g caster sugar
- 550g parsnip, choose long, thin ones if you can, peeled then halved lengthways
The fact that the parsnip is a member of the carrot family comes as no surprise – it looks…
- 1 tbsp honey
Honey is made by bees from the nectar they collect from flowers. Viscous and fragrant, it's…
Melt 1 tbsp butter in a large non-stick pan, add the onions and gently cook for 10-15 mins until very soft. Stir in the sage for 1 min, then tip into a large mixing bowl. Pulse the chestnuts in a food processor until chopped into small bits, then tip these into the bowl with the onions and repeat with the walnuts. Now add the breadcrumbs, mace, beaten egg, 1 tsp salt and some pepper and mix everything together well.
Tip the cranberries and sugar into a pan and simmer for about 8-10 mins over a high heat. The sugar will melt and cranberries will pop and become saucy – keep bubbling until sticky. Set aside to cool. Grease a 900g loaf tin, line with a long strip of baking parchment that covers the bottom and two ends, then grease this as well.
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Throw in the parsnips and boil for 3½ mins. Drain well. From the thinner ends, cut off lengths of parsnip that fit widthways across the bottom of your loaf tin. Keep going until you have enough to snugly line the base of the tin. Roughly chop all leftover parsnip and mix into the nut mixture.
Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Mix the parsnip lengths with 1 more tbsp butter and the honey to coat, then fit them into the tin. Top with ¹/³ of the nut mixture – pack it down well and smooth the surface. Spread ¹/³ of the cranberry sauce on top, leaving a small gap around the edges. Top with the remaining nut mixture and pack down as before. The loaf can be made up to 24 hrs ahead, then covered and chilled, before continuing. Cover with foil then bake for 1 hr.
To serve, melt the remaining 2 tbsp butter in a small pan and sizzle the reserved sage leaves for a minute. Splash water into the remaining cooked cranberries until saucy. Loosen around the sides of the loaf with a round-bladed knife if you need, then turn out. Drizzle with the sage butter and leaves. Serve in slices with extra cranberry sauce.
Recipe Tip
MaceDon't be tempted to miss out the mace - it adds a real savouriness that is needed to balance the sweet chestnuts and parsnips.
You may also like
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Chicken stew recipe


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You searched for: Author: Thomson, John Image Date: 1870/1879 Image Ethnic Information: Koreans Image Format: engravings
1 entry found
Search Results
1. The Straits of Malacca, Indo-China, and China, or, Ten years' travels, adventures, and residence abroad / by J. Thomson ... illustrated with upward of sixty wood engravings by J.D. Cooper, from the author's own sketches and photographs Page 504
New York, Harper and Bros, 1875, pg. 504


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While a college's reputation and the availability of unique and varied course offerings remain the most important factors in the college selection process, research shows that students and their families are also deeply influenced by the escalating cost of higher education. This scenario is further complicated by the reality that the operating budgets of many small private colleges are entirely dependent on student tuition and fees to cover salaries and administrative costs. Although the value of the educational experience grows, tuition increases to cover operating costs often result in increased student loan debt and declining retention rates as students find themselves unable to pay for college.
In an effort to address this affordability challenge, the Executive Committee of the Friends University Board of Trustees is pleased to announce a tuition reset strategy for traditional undergraduate students whereby the University will offer the incoming class of 2015 a four-year tuition lock.
As Interim President Dr. Darcy Zabel explains, "A tuition lock is our way of investing in students and showing them, tangibly, that we are committed to making college affordable for them, not just for that first year to get them hooked on Friends, but for all four years."
The tuition lock is also designed to motivate students to complete their degrees within the four-year time span. Under the reset strategy, students entering Friends University in Fall 2015 will have their tuition rate locked in for four years as long as they continue their status as a full-time Friends student. Continuing students at the University will feel some relief from the tuition reset strategy as well, as the Board of Trustees further announced that tuition for those students will be frozen at the Fall 2014 rate for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Friends University is committed to the national agenda regarding the containment of college costs. Typically, private schools in Kansas and the surrounding states raise tuition approximately 4 percent a year, leading to a cost uncertainty which eventually can price many students out of the market before their studies are completed.
"As financial aid loans are capped and student grant money is cut from the federal budget, the gap between what college costs and what students can afford to pay has grown too wide," Dr. Zabel said. "We're doing everything we can think of to keep Friends University affordable so that students who want the person-to-person attention that a small college offers but with the excellence one expects from a university in a great city, like Wichita, with all of its internship and career exploration opportunities, can choose just that."
Integral to the plan is the University's commitment to recruit and enroll the most talented and the brightest of students. As such Friends will continue to offer more than $8 million dollars in scholarships as well as to engage students with on-campus employment opportunities, a cost which in fiscal year 2015 alone totaled more than $700,000 in wages and includes the University's federal work study allowance.
The tuition announcement comes in the same week that Friends University announced a two-year summer school pilot program that expands upon existing summer study abroad courses which are offered at a reduced tuition for undergraduate students.
"Federal Financial Aid is often exhausted during the academic year, leaving few resources for continued summer studies," explains Interim Vice President of Academic Affairs Heidi Hoskinson. "We've priced our summer courses competitively – about $100 dollars per credit hour – so that graduating high school seniors, or rising juniors, who want to get a jump on earning college credits in the summer can do so."
Hoskinson adds that summer courses are also ideally suited for Friends students who are following a three-year plan of study, for community members or for students home from out-of-state schools who want to pick up some college credits.
"At the end of the day, it's all about access and affordability," Dr. Zabel said. "By offering a college experience that is attainable, fiscally responsible and geared toward future employment, Friends University is demonstrating its commitment to providing a quality education that prepares students to be contributing members of society on a global level."
Friends University offers high-quality undergraduate and graduate academic programs for traditional students and working adults. Rooted both in the liberal arts tradition and the Christian tradition, students learn inside and outside the classroom. Friends University is a regional university with national programs and an international presence.


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Fiscal Cliff Could Cost Illinois More Than $1 Billion
State officials warned that Illinois stands to lose more than $1 billion if Congress and President Barack Obama cannot reach an agreement to prevent the "fiscal cliff" brought on by preset tax increases and budget cuts.
For full coverage of the fiscal cliff's impact on states and localities, click here.
State officials warned Thursday that Illinois stands to lose more than $1 billion if Congress and President Barack Obama cannot reach an agreement to prevent the "fiscal cliff" brought on by preset tax increases and budget cuts.
The prediction came during a hearing held by House lawmakers, where a top aide to Gov. Pat Quinn also said the administration plans to float a proposal to borrow money to help pay off more than $8 billion in overdue bills. Similar proposals pushed by Quinn have failed to gain traction in Springfield.
But it's possible the backlog could grow even larger if the fiscal cliff is reached, according to revenue officials, who say the state could lose $1 billion. That's because federal tax increases that would automatically go into effect would send a ripple through the state's economy, leaving less money for people to spend and resulting in less tax revenue for the state.
Such a loss could be detrimental to the state's already shaky financial situation, and the $1 billion estimate does not even include federal budget cuts that could mean less money from Washington for a variety of state agencies.
"The picture looks really bleak," said Natalie Davila, who heads the research department for the Illinois Department of Revenue. "And in our opinion, things could only get worse."
If an agreement is reached to prevent the fiscal cliff, officials say Illinois would see "modest" increase in tax money collected. But it won't be enough to cover all of the state's expenses, including an expected $1 billion increase in the state's annual pension contribution, which is projected to jump to $6.8 billion in the next budget year. The pension payment is made out of a state operations budget that is $33.7 billion.
Quinn budget director Jerry Stermer said the growing pension payment underscores the need for lawmakers to reach an agreement on how to overhaul the state's employee retirement system. Without major changes, he argued, the required contribution will continue to swell, leaving less money for other things, including education, health care and public safety.
The governor wants lawmakers to revisit the issue and pass changes by Jan. 9, when a new set of legislators is scheduled to be sworn in. Reaching a deal, however, is anything but certain.
Rep. Frank Mautino, D-Spring Valley, said that while he understands the importance of changing the pension system, he is just as concerned with finding a way to pay down the backlog of bills. He argued that it's a major drain on service providers, who have maxed out credit lines, cut programs and laid off staff as they wait months to be paid by the state.
Stermer said the governor is interested in working with lawmakers on a plan to borrow money to pay down the bills and said the administration plans to "come to the General Assembly with a proposal in the next number of weeks to consider a refinancing of some of that."
Stermer did not provide details, and Quinn spokeswoman Brooke Anderson later said that no new proposal was in the works. Anderson said that while the governor "has always been interested in refinancing as an option to help pay down old bills," he is focused on pension reform.
The governor previously has pushed a plan to borrow $8.75 billion to whittle down the backlog and rush payments to the thousands of vendors waiting on money. The loan would be repaid over 14 years using money generated by a portion of last year's income tax hike.
The plan historically has been met with skepticism by Republicans who say more borrowing would only worsen the state's money woes. Supporters argue that the state already is borrowing the money, but is getting it from small businesses who need it instead of Wall Street investors.
Talk of the fiscal cliff came as lawmakers were discussing a proposal by House Speaker Michael Madigan that would allow the General Assembly to limit how much the state can spend on employee pay increases when unions negotiate new contracts. Currently, that's an agreement reached by the governor's office and union representatives without input from legislators, who drive much of the budget-making process. The proposal was not voted on.
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Acta Amazonica
Print version ISSN 0044-5967On-line version ISSN 1809-4392
Acta Amaz. vol.35 no.2 Manaus April/June 2005
The drought of the century in the Amazon Basin: an analysis of the regional variation of rainfall in South America in 1926
A seca do século na Bacia Amazônica: Uma análise da variação regional de chuva na América do Sul em 1926
Earle WilliamsI; Alaor Dall' AntoniaII; Vitoria Dall' AntoniaII; Jorge Mathias de AlmeidaII; Francisco SuarezI; Brant LiebmannIII; Ana Claudia Mendes MalhadoIV
IParsons Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA USA
IIInstituto Nacional de Meteorologia (INMET), Brasilia, Brazil
IIINOAA CIRES Climate Diagnostics Center, Boulder, CO 80307, USA
IVSchool of Geography and Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, England
The most severe drought in tropical South America during the 20th century occurred in 1926. This extreme El Nino year is further documented anecdotally, in an update of the river stage observations at Manaus, and in annual rainfall records. The annual rainfall anomaly is an east-west dipole over tropical South America, with drought to the west over the Amazon basin whose discharge is documented at Manaus, and with a surplus to the east and including the Nordeste region of Brazil. Speculations about a role for aerosol in aggravating the drought are discussed.
Key words: Rainfall, climatic history, drought
A mais severa seca nos trópicos da América do Sul durante o século 20 ocorreu em 1926. Este ano extremo de El Niño é documentado nos níveis de observações do rio (Negro) em Manaus, nos registros anuais de precipitação e anedoticamente. A anomalia anual de precipitação é um dipolo leste-oeste sobre os trópicos da América do Sul, com seca a oeste sobre a bacia Amazônica cuja a descarga é documentada em Manaus, e um residuo para o leste incluindo a região nordeste do Brasil. Especulações sobre a função dos aerosóis na agravação da seca são discutidos.
Palavras-chave: chuva, história climática, seca
The zonal variation of land surface area in the tropics gives rise to three prominent 'chimney' regions of convective upwellingSouth America, Africa and the Maritime Continent. The tropical population of thunderstorms is largely contained within the chimneys (Orville and Henderson, 1986; Christian et al, 2003) which in turn are well recognized components of the global electrical circuit (Whipple, 1929). The chimneys are also dominant centers of latent heat release and conduits for the transport of water substance to the upper troposphere (Kent et al, 1995), thereby emphasizing their importance for global climate. Two of the chimneysSouth America and Africa, are drained by major rivers the Amazon and the Congo, respectively, which serve as giant natural raingauges for chimney rainfall (Riehl and Meitin, 1979; Richey et al, 1989; Marengo, 1995; Amarasekera et al, 1997). The zonal variation of land surface area also underlies the tropical Walker circulation. Variations in the Walker circulation on the ENSO time scale are recognized to cause systematic variations in chimney rainfall (Richey et al, 1989; Amerasekera et al, 1997).
In a landmark paper, Richey et al (1989) investigated the short-period climate implications in the 20th century record of discharge from that portion of the Amazon basin upstream from Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil. This record is reproduced in Figure 1. The location of the Manaus gauge, the boundaries of the upper Amazon basin it measures, and the total Amazon basin (drained mainly at Macapá on the Atlantic Ocean), are shown in Figure 2. The present study is concerned with the most pronounced anomaly in this record, noted initially in the raw river stage observations by Sternberg (1987), the minimum in discharge in 1926. This year is widely recognized as an El Nino year (Allen et al, 1996; Xavier, 2001). The magnitude of the anomaly is remarkable in showing a 50% reduction from the climatological mean in total discharge of the largest river basin in the world, and by inference a major perturbation in heat balance of one of three tropical continental chimneys.
This study is concerned with an examination of historical rainfall records over tropical South America during the 1920s toward verifying the driest year there in the 20th century. This work is also aimed at understanding the regional variation of the rainfall anomaly on a scale larger than the drainage area contributing to the river flow at Manaus, Brazil.
The period of river gauging in the Rio Negro at Manaus has recently exceeded 100 years. Figure 3 shows the century-long (1903-2003) records of annual maximum and minimum stage, in meters above local datum, to update the earlier analyses by Richey et al (1989) and Obregon and Nobre (2002) for the 20th century. The mean high water is 27.8 meters. The high water mark in 1926 was 6 meters less at 21.8 meters, more than five standard deviations below the mean. The1926 year is by far the most anomalous in this record. A minimum low water value was also documented in 1997, the most recent El Nino year. Local minima in both the low water and the high water marks are noted in 1983, another El Nino year.
The first author's initial exposure to the anomalous year 1926 in the Amazon basin came through discussions in the early 1980s from the late John Edmond at MIT, who had devoted considerable attention to the geochemistry of river water in this basin (e.g., Stallard and Edmond, 1981). Edmond's specific knowledge about the anomaly had in turn originated from Robert Meade, a colleague at the U.S. Geological Survey who had developed considerable expertise in the streams of the Amazon basin (e.g., Meade et al, 1985; 1991), in part through an effort to recover existing stage records throughout South America. But Meade's knowledge and interest in the 1926 anomaly had developed even earlier from a book that shaped his entire career as a hydrologist. As a teenager living in Venezuela, Meade had read an adventure story (Caroni Gold by Dennison, 1943) about an American who traveled to Venezuela for a mining company in the 1920s in search of gold. (The Caroni River is a tributary of the Orinoco in Venezuela.) Numerous quotations from Dennison (1943) pertain to the 1926 anomaly and a previous dry year (1912) in that part of South America.
"Do you really think that the Caroni (River) will go down as low as it did in 1912?", I asked, to see if he had any good argument to offer.
"Well, señor, one can never tell, but the seasons seem to run in cycles in this country. Fourteen years have now elapsed since the river went down low and the Indians say that it will go down this year. If it does as the Indians say, you will be a very lucky man, for you will see a sight that very few engineers will ever see." (p. 169).
The evidence for the dry year in 1912 is also apparent in the Amazon discharge record in Figure 1, as the minimum discharge prior to 1926. Koch-Grunberg (1917, p.226) and Knoch (1926) have also written about the unusually dry summer in 1912 in the vicinity of the border between Venezuela and Brazil, an area impacting the discharge at Manaus (see Figures 1 and 3). Global maps of sea surface temperature (Allan et al, 1996) show elevated temperature surrounding South America for that yearevidence for an El Nino year.
Of the dry year 1926, the main focus for the present study, Dennison (1943) wrote:
"The dry season of 1926 again gave the opportunity for which they had waited fourteen years. That season was the driest ever known in Venezuela and thousands of beautiful diamonds, together with many ounces of gold, were recovered by the primitive use of bateasnative wooden mining pans. The river did not rise until the end of May. Then when the belated rains started in the back country the Caroni River, like a jealous mother, hid her treasures beneath an immense blanket of water.
Each year the natives anxiously watch for the river to recede once more, gathering upon its banks during the dry season and patiently waiting. The Caroni must be angry, they say, for another fourteen years has now passed and the rich treasures have not again been exposed." (p. xii)
And further:
"As there had been no rain for some time, an almost unheard of condition in Venezuela, the people hung their hammocks under the trees without bothering to build any protection. Jungle fires were common and the country experienced the driest season on record." (p. 241).
Several previous studies and reports (Knoch, 1926; Knoche, 1937; Carvalho, 1952; and Sternberg (1968; 1987)) discuss the anomalous dry year 1926, and the extensive fires and "grossa humareda" ("big smoke") that prevailed in Venezuela and the Rio Negro basin of the upper Amazon. Knoche (1937) documents the surface temperature anomaly in three Venezuelan cities for both 1925 and 1926. More recent studies of sea surface temperature (Allan et al, 1996) show the most enhanced anomaly in the 20th century surrounding South America, consistent with a pronounced El Nino period for both 1925 and particularly 1926. Knoche (1937) also notes that annual rainfall totals are less in 1925 than 1926 in three Venezuelan cities.
The major task in this study was the identification of archives for monthly rainfall for the decade 1920-1930 at any station within tropical South America. In light of evidence for the dry year in 1925 in Venezuela, stations were also sought within the Orinoco River basin adjacent to the Amazon to the north (Figure 2), and containing the Caroni River as a tributary.
The most important contributing archive for this study was the Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia (INMET) in Brasilia, where the great majority of Brazilian historical meteorological observations are stored, in their original data books. The search for station data in the Brazilian states of Acre, Amazonas, Rondônia, Mato Grosso, Para and Maranhao is believed to be exhaustive for the chosen decade, and many stations there had been operational for only a few years prior to 1926. Annual rainfall variations at 32 stations in northwest Brasil (from the states of Ceara, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraiba, Pernambuco, Alagoas, Sergipe, Bahia and Minas Gerais) were taken from an earlier study by Kousky and Chu (1978). Additional stations in southern Brazil may come to light in the data digitization effort currently underway in Brasilia, and may provide further information on the overall rainfall anomaly in future studies.
Additional rainfall data were obtained from the Venezuelan Ministry of the Environment for about thirty stations. A few additional stations were provided for Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia by INPE in Cachoeira Paulista, Brazil.
Given the spotty nature of the available rainfall data in the 1920's, and the substantial variance of the monthly estimates at any given station, it was decided to work with rainfall anomalies on the annual time scale. This strategy is also appropriate for an ENSO phenomenon with a time scale significantly longer than one year. The annual rainfall anomalies were computed against the mean annual rainfall, where the means were computed on the basis of the longest station record available. All annual rainfall anomalies are expressed as a percentage departure from the mean annual value.
The annual rainfall anomalies for ten selected Venezuelan stations for the period 1920-1930 are shown in Figure 4. Eight of these ten stations show the largest negative anomaly in 1925 rather than 1926, in agreement with the 3-station comparison found in Knoche (1937). Three of these annual anomalies are in the 40-70% range and hence are quite substantial. Two stations however show the strongest negative anomalies in 1926 rather than in 1925. In general, however, the evidence in Figure 4 is consistent with the idea that a dryer-than-normal year in 1925 helped set the stage for the 1926 drought.
Figure 5 summarizes the annual rainfall anomalies for the low-discharge year 1926 for all stations for which data are available in this study over South America. In general, the station climatology was based on the decadal period 1920-1930. Also shown again are the sub-basins of the Amazon noted earlier in Figure 2. In general, negative rainfall anomalies are found in the sub-basin contributing discharge of the Amazon near Manaus (with a single exception), and positive anomalies are found further to the east, and including the Nordeste region (Kousky and Chu, 1978; Hastenrath et al, 1984). The overall rainfall anomaly is therefore a dipole with approximate east-west extent.
Rainfall anomaly records for three selected individual stations are shown in Figure 6. In all cases, a pronounced negative anomaly is evident in 1926, consistent with the independent evidence for major drought, widespread fire, and smoke.
The rainfall data for Venezuela for 1925 were investigated because of earlier suggestions for dryer-than-normal conditions in that year as well (Knoche, 1937). This evidence has been confirmed. The negative anomaly in rainfall in Venezuela documented at multiple stations in Figure 4 may have partial explanation in the low sea surface temperature on the northern boundary of South America, beginning in 1924 (a La Nina year) and sustained throughout 1925 (Allan et al, 1996). It is plausible that the dryness in the northern portion of the Rio Negro basin in 1925 also contributed to the major drought in 1926, by both a depletion of soil moisture and possibly a negative feedback on rainfall from abundant smoke aerosol (see below for elaboration). The 1925 event evidently had smaller regional extent because no negative anomaly is evident in either the discharge (Figure 1) or the stage (Figure 3) records.
Though the station observations are spotty even on the scale of the upper Amazon sub-basin (with only 6 stations within the upper basin), the annual rainfall deficits are broadly consistent with the deficit in annual discharge for 1926, estimated from Figure 1 to be 30-40 %. The deficit in peak discharge during 1926 is closer to 50%.
The year 1926 is without ambiguity a pronounced El Nino ("warm") year. Examination of the historical record on the Southern Oscillation Index (1876-2003) (http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/current/soihtm1.shtml ) shows a sustained negative index for 16 months associated with the 1926 dry year, beginning in May of 1925. (In contrast the maximum negative amplitude of the SOI for this El Nino period (-14.5) is unremarkable against many other El Nino episodes in the record.) In the 129 years of this SOI record, a sustained period of negative monthly values greater than 16 months occurs only three times, and one of them is the 1911-1912 period that is also a conspicuous drought in the Amazon records in Figures 1 and 3, and subject of discussion in Dennison (1943). The characteristic positive SST anomaly in the eastern Pacific Ocean is strengthening throughout 1925 (Murphy, 1926) and maximizes in April of 1926, when low surface pressure also prevails in the eastern Pacific and high pressure in the Maritime Continent (Allan et al, 1996). The major upwelling in the central and eastern Pacific and compensating enhanced subsidence over the tropical continental chimneys (Figure 7) provides a simple scenario for the tendency for reduced rainfall and river discharge over tropical South America in the warm phase of the ENSO (Richey et al, 1989; Xie et al, 1996; Amerasekera et al, 1997). The subsidence and reduction in cloudiness enhances the solar radiation reaching the surface, the most plausible explanation for the elevated surface temperatures in that year 1926 noted by Knoche (1937), and documented as a general feature of tropical continental chimneys in the warm phase (Hansen and Lebedeff, 1987; Williams, 1992). Knoche (1937) had suggested a contribution to elevated temperature from forest fire, but the fires are generally highly localized and the elevated temperatures in the warm phase of the ENSO are know to occur in the absence of fire.
Despite the broad consistency between the behavior in 1926 and in other El Nino years, two puzzles remain. Why the non-canonical distribution of rainfall indicated in Figure 5, and why the pronounced departure from the mean (five standard deviations in the maximum river stage) in Figure 3? These issues are discussed in turn.
The annual rainfall anomaly map in Figure 5 departs significantly from the canonical El Nino year (Ropelewski and Halpert, 1987; Kiladis and Diaz, 1989) in showing enhanced rainfall over the Nordeste region of Brazil. There is little question about enhanced rainfall in the Nordeste in 1926. 32 of 36 stations examined by Kousky and Chu (1978) showed positive annual rainfall anomalies in 1926. Later analysis by Hastenrath et al (1984) is consistent for 1926. According to Xavier (2001), for 135 raingauges in Ceara in the year 1926, 22% were in the category VERY RAINY, 26% were in the category RAINY, 33% were in the category NORMAL, and only 16% in the categories DRY and VERY DRY. Ordinarily, severe drought manifests itself in this region in El Nino years, in addition to dryness in the Amazon basin further west (Markham and McLain, 1977; Hastenrath et al, 1984; Ropelewski and Halpert, 1987; Marengo, 1992). The droughts of the Nordeste are also associated with lower-than-normal SST in the South Atlantic Ocean. Though this condition is common during many El Nino events, such a condition did not exist during the El Nino of 1926. SST maps in Allan et al (1996) show elevated SST in the South Atlantic beginning in late 1925, and persisting through 1926 into early 1927. This feature is included in the illustration in Figure 7 as an enhancement in upwelling and attendant rainfall over the Nordeste region in 1926. Regarding the situation in southeastern South America, the 1926 El Nino year is more canonical (Ropelewski and Halpert, 1987; Ferreira et al, 2002), with evidence for enhanced streamflow in the Parana River (in southern Brazil) during 1926 (Amerasekera et al, 1997).
The second puzzle in this study, less easily resolved, is the extreme magnitude of the negative anomaly in river records in 1926. As previously noted, this El Nino event was meteorologically extreme in its duration, but the apparent change in the water balance is really extreme. Given the presence of fire and abundant smoke in 1926 (Knoch, 1926; Knoche, 1937), one can speculate about the possible negative feedback effect on the rainfall with abundant aerosol (Rosenfeld, 1999; Williams et al, 2002). The aerosol may serve to reduce the size of cloud droplets and thereby suppress further the process of warm rain coalescence that is ordinarily the predominant mechanism for tropical rainfall. The impact of aerosol is likely to be greatest in a drought phase because the abundant convection and rainfall is absent that efficiently removes the aerosol from the troposphere. Model calculations are needed to quantify the speculation on the negative rainfall feedback.
As a final note, it is important to emphasize the regional nature of the rainfall anomaly within the South American chimney documented in Figure 5. Despite an extraordinary negative rainfall anomaly in the western Amazon basin (consistent with the negative anomaly in the river records in that year), and an extraordinary positive anomaly further east, the overall anomaly for South America for 1926 is greatly diluted, and is in fact aliased by the river record. This removes the concern about the major adjustment in heat balance for the South American chimney, and further emphasizes the need to consider regional effects in understanding ENSO anomalies.
The 1926 drought year has been verified as the most extreme dry period in the century-long record of discharge from the western sub-basin of the Amazon. The regional rainfall anomaly for 1926 is negative over this sub-basin and positive further east. The magnitude of the rainfall deficit is broadly consistent with the annual deficit in discharge from that sub-basin (30-40%). The enhanced rainfall in the Nordeste in this pronounced El Nino year is attributed to an anomalously warm South Atlantic Ocean, consistent with earlier studies. The integrated anomaly for the entire South American chimney in 1926 is modest. Aerosol effects may have been contributed significantly to the magnitude of the negative rainfall anomaly.
Discussions on this topic with John Edmond, Robert Meade, Hilgard O'Reilly Sternberg, Fatih Eltahir, Carlos Nobre, Pedro Dias, Teresinha Xavier, Tom Rickenbach, Jeff Richey and Jose Marengo are greatly appreciated. Maria Teresa Martelo, Lelys Bravo, Alicia Moreau, Horacio Torres, Guillermo Obregon, Ignacio Rodriguez-Iturbe, and Colin Price all played important roles in providing access to rainfall data for South America. Robert Meade provided a detailed review of the text. Discussion and collaboration with Daniel Rosenfeld on aerosol effects in Brazil, and the support of the U.S.-Israel Bi-National Science Foundation, are acknowledged. Frederic Changnon found several important references on ENSO-related rainfall observations. Nilton Renno provided early information on the rich archive of meteorological data for South America in Brasilia. Ines Moreira de Araujo and Christina Moyses were also helpful in retrieving archived data at INMET. Rosangela Gin assisted in translation. Marie Dow provided all illustrations. This study was enabled in its early stages by a NASA TRMM grant (NAG5-9637) to participate in the 1999 TRMM LBA field experiment in Rondonia, Brazil. We thank R. Kakar, O. Thiele and R. Adler at NASA for their support. Later support from the U.S. National Science Foundation (ATM 0003346) enabled its completion, and we thank R. Rogers and A. Cooper for their assistance.
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Recebido em 10/07/2003
Aceito em 19/05/2005


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