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As a former mentor Christian is used to me asking him all sorts of random questions, but this time it's going to be published online. I'd also like to thank you for allowing me to be a technical reviewer in your latest book: Professional SQL Server 2012 Internals and Troubleshooting.
Before we start on the main part of the interview around being an established author, tell us all a little bit about yourself.
I'm 35 years old, married with two great kids, and I run the consulting practice at Coeo — a Microsoft Gold Partner based in the UK with a great deal of expertise in SQL Server. I enjoy supporting SQL Server community events and I've co-authored five books on SQL Server.
How did you start in SQL Server?
Sometime around 1998 I was a young, confident contractor focused on optimising NT4 domain environments. I'd transitioned from Novell Netware over the previous couple of years as Microsoft was the new, cool kid in town for managing directory services but I started to feel like I needed to specialise further and Microsoft Exchange 5.5 was the natural evolution of my skills. A contractor friend of mine already knew Exchange and convinced me to pick up SQL Server instead so we'd have all the bases covered — back then the application tier was only really Exchange and SQL Server so I bought a book on SQL Server 6.5 and never looked back!
So, you're an MVP, MCM and an MCA! Which if these would you say was your biggest accomplishment?
MCA was certainly the hardest so if I had to pick one it would have to be that but it's definitely the least well known. I'm a big fan of the MCM though and encourage all my team to pursue it which has had a really positive effect for the team and for the business because we now have more SQL Server MCMs than any other Microsoft customer or partner in the world. The best bit about that though is that they all passed the MCM because of the job they do at Coeo every day. Being an MVP is an honour and a privilege but I don't see it as an accomplishment because I don't do anything specific just to be an MVP, it's an award for doing what I do anyway.
How did you first become involved in a book project?
A good friend of mine had been involved in a BizTalk book 6 or 7 years ago and I approached his publisher to say I was interested in writing about SQL Server. A few months later I was invited to join the authoring team for Professional SQL Server 2005 Performance Tuning and that became my first published work. My mum was very proud!
You have been a lead author for a number of books now, how does the role of lead author compare to that of a contributor?
It's really, really hard and you never appreciate the role of the lead author until you've been on both sides of the fence or you write with someone that isn't good at it. The lead author owns the structure of the book so the chapter titles and themes come from them but a good lead will take a very active role in all the content of the book. If a multi-author book reads like the authors worked on it all together, it's usually because the lead author has done a good job in editing the chapters to ensure consistency and to add helpful cross-references. The lead author is often the only technical person that reads and edits the whole book. It's a tough job that has very little visibility but it's the only way to ensure the project stays true to the original vision.
Being a co-author or contributor also has a lot of challenges as your role can leave you feeling isolated when you're only involved as you need to be; you might write a chapter early in the project and then not have anything to do for 6 months when all of sudden you get a load of work back on a tight timescale. Technical feedback can also be hard to take during the project when you're an expert in your field and it takes practice to emotionally detach yourself from it and edit your work to make your points clearer. A technical editor represents the intended audience and while you might disagree with their feedback there's a good chance your readers might feel the same and you now have an opportunity to pre-empt those concerns by editing your work before it's published.
How do you go about building a crack team of authors for a book such as Professional SQL Server 2012 Internals and Troubleshooting?
You have to know a lot of good guys that you can trust to work hard and weather the up and downs that are a part of every authoring project. The success of the SQL Server 2008 version of the book helped a lot to recruit the team but the fact that the author list changed so significantly from the last version of the book reflects just how emotionally challenging it is to be an author outside of your day job.
You've worked on a couple of different kinds of technical books, is there a particular type of book that is easier to write than others?
No — I think you always feel like the grass is greener. When you have a blank piece of paper you yearn for some structure to help guide you but when you're given structure it can feel restrictive and less creative. When I wrote for an exam guide it was hard to make basic concepts sound compelling when they didn't excite me anymore and writing sample exam questions was a horrible experience; creating valid wrong answers is a long, painful process that produces a very unimpressive output.
On a more positive note, I think writing about something you don't know very well is probably the easiest from a motivational perspective because you're learning as you go and your enthusiasm seeps into your writing.
Do you think you'll take a leaf (or possibly a page being a SQL interview) out of Mark Russinovich's book and write a fiction book?
It's funny you should mention that, I have a passion for historical fiction and narratives and renaissance Italy is a particular interest of mine. I have an idea for a series of books set in that period that I'm slowing developing but it's a long term project and doesn't have a compelling event that is driving a timescale so I think it will be 5 to 10 years before anything solid comes from it.
We've spoken at great length before about your writing style and how easy you make it to break down and comprehend complex solutions. What process do you go through to make this happen when explaining a concept?
I like to think it's because I need things to be simple for me to understand them and once I've broken something complex down for myself, writing is just the process of passing it on for other people to benefit from. It works for me and people seem to respond positively to my writing so that's the process I try and reproduce as often as possible. I also use the "would my Mum understand what I've written" test to measure the readability of my work; if you need to be an expert to understand what I've written then I'm not doing it right.
I remember you telling me the story of your daughter drawing you a picture of a Princess to put in your book. How do you cope with running a company, having a family and on top of that a major project like a book?
It's certainly not easy to juggle those priorities. I'm lucky in that writing SQL Server books has a value to my business from a marketing perspective so that helps to justify some of the effort but the hardest part is managing time with your family. Its manageable if you're very efficient with your time but I find that inspiration for writing comes in bursts and I have to keep going when I'm in the zone so getting your family to buy-in to the end goal is absolutely critical. Ultimately, a writing project has a fixed timescale so it's not like a hard job that has no definite end but it does take about a year to create and finalize the content which is long time to lose so much free time. I've had to write during two family summer holidays which is a really hard thing to do so I try and involve my kids as much as possible and we hunt for Daddy's book whenever we see a bookshop. If they don't have it on the shelf, then it "must have sold out"; my kids must think it's the most popular book ever written
If somebody such as myself wanted to take the jump and go from blogger to author what would you recommend?
Approach a publisher for books that you like and tell them that you'd like to become an author. I'd definitely recommend being an author on someone else's book for your first project to get a feel for the level of work that one or two chapters requires. Writing severely impacts your free-time and it's vital that you complete whatever you commit to so start small and give yourself the best chance of success.
Without giving too much away what are your ambitions for the company in the New Year?
I enjoy developing people and helping them to discover and use their strengths to do their best work so I'm looking forward to doing more of that as we continue to grow Coeo this year and hire more great people.
From a company perspective, we're usually associated with Mission Critical SQL Server platforms but we also do a lot of great work in other areas like Private Cloud and Business Intelligence which we're less well-known for, so I really want make those projects more visible this year.
Thanks for your time Christian it's been a pleasure as always, all the best for the New Year.
You can find out more about Christian Bolton at his blog http://sqlblogcasts.com/blogs/christian/
You can find out more about Coeo's services at http://www.Coeo.com
Following this post from a syndicated source and want to read other interviews in the series? The anchor post for this series can be found here.


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- WordPress 3.8 Ready - Added new section Theme Info in admin panel - Fixed child theme css styles support - Added a new field for events post type - Event Date - Added a new field in theme options panel -> Typography section for advanced font attribute - Fixed the issue with menu post type items grid when the title is in two lines - Fixed the issue with toggle shortcode height problems - Fixed the issue with logo size on the login wordpress page in WordPress 3.8 - Added option to upload a custom pre loader animated image - Included a logo.psd file into download archive - Fixed the issue with custom post types icons in admin section in WordPress 3.8 - Added an upload button and text specification for gallery box in Admin panel - Fixed the responsive issue for images with captions. Now images with captions are responsive too - Added option to hide the Opening Hours from Theme options panel - Updated nicescroll.js plugin and updated custom scroll style - Added links into events block on Home pages styles 2 and 4 - Added a languages config xml file for WPML plugin for better multilingual support - Updated language po files,added newwords from new templates - Added 10 predefined colors schemes - Added Skins Selector box and option to disable it25.10.2013 v. 1.2
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- Fixed menu/navigation bugs - Optimized JS Scripts - Optimized framework scripts - Created a new template - about type 2 - Created a new template - about type 3 - Created a new template - contact 2 - Created a new template - contact 3 - Fixed gallery taxomony archive template - Created a new template - gallery 2 columns - Created a new template - gallery 4 columns - Created a new template - blog 2 columns - Created a new template - blog full width - Created a new template - Home 2 - Created a new template - Home 3 - Created a new template - Home 4 - Created a new template - Home 5
Initial release

subset: commoncrawl


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BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Jeremy Hill rushed for a career-high 184 yards and tied a career high with three touchdowns to help sixth-ranked LSU hand Auburn its first loss of the season, 35-21 on Saturday night.
Hill scored touchdowns of 49, 10 and 6 yards, and also set up another score with a 54-yard scamper in which he was shoved out of bounds at the 1. Fullback J.C. Copeland scored from there.
Tre Mason rushed for 132 yards and had two short touchdown runs in the third quarter for Auburn (3-1, 1-1 SEC), the second cutting LSU's lead to 28-14.
Zach Mettenberger completed his only touchdown pass - a 32-yarder to Jarvis Landry - early in the fourth quarter as LSU (4-0, 1-0) dimmed Auburn's hopes for a comeback.
Auburn's Nick Marshall was 17-of-33 passing for 224 and was intercepted twice.
(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)


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RAVENSWOOD - Coach Wes Swain's Ravenswood Red Devils spotted visiting Roane County a 3-0 lead, but then roared back to dismiss the Raiders from the postseason, 6-3, Tuesday at soggy Wright Field. Roane lost to Ritchie County Monday in the double-elimination Class AA Region I, Section 2 Tournament's opening game.
Starting Ravenswood pitcher Isaac Crow suffered through a rough first inning, allowing two run to the Raiders who took advantage of miscues and the soggy infield. Roane added another run for a 3-0 led in the top of the third, before the Devils finally dented their half of the scoreboard.
In the bottom of the third, Logan Jarrett and Devon Crews swatted back-to-back singles with two outs, and Crow drove in Jarrett with an sharp RBI single. But the Devils stranded two in what could have been a bigger inning.
Momentum shifted in the top of the fourth when Crews gunned down a Raider at first after a Texas League blooper eluded Will Schindler's hustling charge from left field. But Schindler flipped the ball to Crews who double clutched and fired a dart to Jarrett who tagged out the base runner who had strayed too far toward second base. The close play was howled down by the Raider fans, but the runner likely bounced off the bag in his dive during Jarrett's swipe tag.
Catcher Trey Hatcher then gunned down another Raider to Crews on a steal attempt to end the half-inning.
Ravenswood tripped the Raider lead to 3-2 in the bottom of the fourth, and nearly blew th game wide open. Hatcher led off with a double to the right center field fence. Thomas Sturm followed with a sharp single, but Hatcher was thrown out at the plate trying to score on the play. Patrick Click drew a walk, and Ben Johnson's fielder's choice forced out Sturm at third. Nic Ballard then drilled an RBI single to score pinch runner Schindler. Jarrett walked to load the bases, but Crews' line shot to right field was caught to end the threat with the bases full of Red Devils.
Swain brought in Jesse Brown in relief of Crow and strategy neutralized the Raider bats who never got a hit after the third inning.
Ravenswood took total control in the bottom of the fifth. Crow led off with a line single and Sturm reached on an error. Brown helped his won cause by slapping an RBI single to right field to score Crow with the tying run (3-3). Johnson then blasted a towering drive to left field that turned the Raider fielder inside out with the ball skipping off the end of his glove. Sturm and Brown scored in the play to give the Devils' a 5-3 lead.
The Devils added another run in the bottom of the sixth. Jarrett reached on an error. Crews singled and Heath Burgess punched a nifty bunt single past the pitcher to load the bases. Hatcher's sacrifice fly plated Jarrett.
In the meantime, Brown and a solidified Ravenswood defense bageled the Raiders over the final three innings and out of the tournament.
Brown got the pitching win in relief, fanning three and allowing no hits over three innings. Crow fanned four, walked three and allowed five hits over four innings.
Eli Kucherawy took the loss for Roane, fanning two, walking three and allowing 11 hits.
At the plate, Isaac Crow (RBI), Devon Crews and Heath Burgess collected a pair of singles each; Trey Hatcher, a double; and Nic Ballard (RBI), Jesse Brown (RBI), Logan Jarrett and Thomas Sturm, one single each.
Quentin Corbitt had a double and two RBIs and Kucherawy a single and two RBIs to pace the Raiders.
Ravenswood (1-0) played at Ritchie County (1-0) Wednesday in the third game of the double-elimination sectional tournament.
Red Devils rally to dismiss Roane in home baseball sectional game
RAVENSWOOD - Coach Wes Swain's Ravenswood Red Devils spotted visiting Roane County a 3-0 lead, but then roared back to dismiss the Raiders from the postseason, 6-3, Tuesday at soggy Wright Field. Roane lost to Ritchie County Monday in the double-elimination Class AA Region I, Section 2 Tournament's opening game.


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My brother basking in the glow of the Sunday papers at our kitchen table, while off-stage my mother is slaving away preparing a big breakfast for everybody, both long-standing traditions around our house. He's reading the San Francisco Sunday Examiner and Chronicle; the two papers were separately owned and published independently on weekdays, but combined Sunday editions as well as sharing revenue generally under a controversial joint operating agreement. Yes, even 35 years ago print journalism was scrambling for profitable business models. The Chronicle supplied the features for the Sunday edition, thankfully, as they had the most interesting roster of columnists and contributors by far. I probably paused from perusing the Pink Section to take this Kodachrome slide. |
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California statewide water storage is more than 9 million acre-feet (MAF) less than it was a year ago, according to the Department of Water Resources (DWR).
That sounds a bit ominous; however, the 2006-2007 season was very wet. This season has been one of the driest.
Nevertheless, statewide water storage was at 20.4 million acre-feet at the end of August, which is about 84 percent of the average for that date.
Last year, storage was at 29.2 MAF at the end of August.
Lake Oroville, the State Water Project's principal storage reservoir, has 1,568,221 million acre-feet in storage, or 70 percent of average for the date. Lake Oroville, 70 miles north of Sacramento, has a capacity of 3.5 million acre-feet.
Lake Shasta, principal storage reservoir for the federal Central Valley Project, today has 1,879,144 acre-feet of water in storage, or 67 percent of average for the date. Lake Shasta, north of Redding, has a capacity of 4.5 million acre-feet.
An acre-foot is 325,851 gallons.
Those are not particularly encouraging figures. With normal or above normal winter snow and rain, those reservoirs could be recharged.
However, as the state begins its 2007-2008 water year, growers and cities are concerned about a possible "judicial drought" in the wake of a court ruling last month, which could severely limit pumping water through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to save Delta smelt.
All of those major reservoirs are north of the Delta and water from them for use by 25 million people and 3 million acres of farmland south of the Delta must be moved down-state by two banks of large pumps on the south end of the Delta.
The 2007-2008 winter and summer smelt management plan is being written, but water users are expecting it to be a moving management plan, subject to weekly decisions which could shut down those vital pumps if the judge so orders.
During this water year, hydrologists and meteorologists will measure precipitation (the combination of rain and snow) and runoff in the Northern Sierra and other key watersheds and produce runoff forecasts.
The northern Sierra and southern Cascades are of particular importance because that's where most of the state's water supply accumulates.
Measurements are taken in the watersheds of the major rivers, including the Sacramento, Feather, Yuba and American. Snow surveys are conducted throughout the Sierra range and other mountains to measure water content. The first snow survey will be around the first of December.
The data that is gathered is evaluated to forecast water supply for the spring and summer, the heaviest months of water use by farms and homes.
For the Sacramento River basin the past 2006-2007 water year finished as the 18th driest in the 102-year record of stream flow measurements.
The San Joaquin River region was drier, finishing up as 8th driest, based on preliminary information.
The northern Sierra snow pack was measured at 40 percent of normal on April 1 2007, which was the lowest since 1988. Early melting reduced the snow pack to only 25 percent of average by May.
Snowmelt, which normally continues through June, had virtually ended by June 1 this year. Overall precipitation for the state ended at 60 percent to 65 percent of average. The dry year may impact water deliveries further, but as of now, State Water Project Contractors are scheduled to receive 60 percent of requested deliveries.
National Weather Service (NWS) long-range forecasts indicate a somewhat above average chance of wetter than normal precipitation in Northern California through the coming fall and winter months, but show a good chance that dry conditions will persist in Southern California.
Storage for the four largest reservoir on the Lower Colorado River is now about 51 percent of capacity, down from 53 percent last year. California's allocation from the Colorado River is 4.4 million acre-feet.
Precipitation in the Sacramento River Basin is the source of much of California's water supply, and was about 62 percent of normal during the 2007 water year, compared with 150 percent of average the previous year. In the San Joaquin Basin, precipitation ended at 60 percent of average compared to 145 percent of average during the 2006 water year. As a result, water supply conditions have been designated as dry in the Sacramento Valley, and critical in the San Joaquin Valley.


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George B. Adams III
Telephone(not set)
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BiographyGeorge B. Adams III served as the Director of ManufacturingHUB.org from July 2011 until January 2014 and as the Deputy Director of the Network for Computational Nanotechnology (NCN) from September 2007 through August 2012. Currently he is pursuing technical interests privately. He earned the BSEE degree from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 1978 and the MSEE and PhD degrees in 1980 and 1984 from Purdue University. In 1983 he joined the Research Institute for Advanced Computer Science at the NASA Ames Research Center as one of the initial five staff members and worked in high-performance computing for scientific applications. He was a member of the founding Executive Committee for Supercomputing '88 (now known as the SC'XX conference series). In 1987 he joined the faculty of the School of Electrical Engineering, Purdue University. In 2000, he joined the planning team for what became the Birck Nanotechnology Center (BNC) facility in Purdue's Discovery Park, widely considered the preeminent university nanoscale research facility. He became Research Development Manager for BNC in 2004 and Special Projects Manager for Discovery Park in 2006. Dr. Adams has written over 50 papers and book chapters, held one US patent, and received three national awards for his distance education classes.


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Committee named to conduct search for AD
A five-member committee will conduct the search for a new Iowa State University athletics director.
Van De Velde announces resignation
Bruce Van De Velde, ISU athletics director, announced Monday (Aug. 8) that he is resigning, effective at the end of the year.
Cindy Browne
Browne appointed public radio director
Cindy Browne, a Minnesota-based public broadcasting consultant and former executive vice president for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, has been appointed executive director of Iowa Public Radio, effective Sept. 1.
Charges to go
Iowa State researchers are hoping to make Iowa-made solar technology wearable. The result would be a convenient way to charge your electronic devices.
Colletti named to interim Ag post
Joe Colletti, professor and interim chair of the department of natural resource ecology and management, has been named interim senior associate dean of the College of Agriculture.
Professor named engineering fellow
Mechanical engineering professor Atul Kelkar has been named a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers International.
ISU can help businesses find R&D support
Iowa State University can assist small Iowa companies and faculty startup businesses looking for federal grants to fund research and development work.
Statement on death of John Garang
"We were greatly saddened by the tragic death of John Garang," ISU President Gregory Geoffroy said recently. "Dr. Garang was a very prominent and important member of the Iowa State University family, and he has many friends here and among our university family throughout the world. We are very proud of the strong leadership he provided for the people of Sudan for so many years, and we hope his legacy will be one of peace and unity for the people of Sudan."
Find out about latest technologies
Sign up online and Iowa State's Office of Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer will automatically e-mail updates about the newest technologies developed on campus.
Great moments in Trice Stadium
Cast your vote for the greatest moment in the 30-year history of Jack Trice Stadium. Fans' picks will be revealed at home football games.
ISU state fair exhibit features gardens
Iowa State University is bringing a Reiman Gardens-style oasis to the state fair this year. The university exhibit will be on the northeast end of the Varied Industries Building.
Search committee formed for selection of ag dean
A 21-member committee is beginning the search for the new dean of Iowa State University's College of Agriculture and director of the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station. The search committee is chaired by Labh Hira, dean of the College of Business. Hira said the committee's goal is to name a new dean by the first of the year.
Geoffroy joins NCAA board of directors
ISU President Gregory Geoffroy has been named to the Division I board of directors of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as the representative of the Big 12 Conference.
Harkin views VR demo
U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, left, sees a 3-D demonstration of virtual reality technology that Iowa State University researchers believe can help the Air Force pilot swarms of unmanned aerial vehicles. Explaining the research is James Oliver, the director of the Virtual Reality Applications Center. Harkin toured the virtual reality center and the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory on Wednesday.
In the news
Madison Co. bridge watch
USA Today
Iowa State engineers are using high-tech surveillance to protect Madison County's covered, wooden bridges from vandalism.
Sudanese Vice President John Garang, ISU alum, dead at 60
BBC News
Sudanese Vice President John Garang, who received a doctorate in economics from Iowa State in 1981, has died in a helicopter crash just three weeks after taking office. His vice presidency was a move that united former enemies in a Civil War. Since his death, riots have broken out in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum and in Juba, the main city in southern Sudan.
Gene organizes corn kernels
San Francisco Chronicle
Two scientists -- Eric Vollbrecht, Iowa State University, and Robert Martienssen, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Long Island, recently identified the gene responsible for orderly rows of kernels on corn.


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Experimental Investigation of Fluid-Mobile Element Transport in the Upper Mantle
DOEI Reserach Funded: 2005
Proposed ResearchAt convergent plate boundaries, such as Japan and the Cascade range in the western United States, the ocean floor is forced downward (subducted) into the upper mantle of the Earth. This process produces high heat flow and active volcanism on the overriding plate. It is a widely held view that, in subduction zones, a water-rich "subduction component" released from the oceanic crust infiltrates the upper mantle. This component modifies the composition of the mantle rocks, lowering their melting point and leading directly to active volcanism. Despite the importance of the subduction component as the principal agent of mass transfer between the subducting crust and the mantle, there is no consensus as to whether it is a fluid released by dehydration reactions, a small degree hydrous partial melt of the subducting oceanic crust, or a supercritical phase signifying the disappearance of the amphibolite/eclogite solidus. Results from analyses of accessory minerals in high-pressure rocks (eclogites) suggest that the subduction component may not be a fluid. Hydrous accessory minerals such as zoisite, phengite, and allanite retain "fluid mobile" elements in the subducting oceanic crust even after severe dehydration at eclogite facies conditions, suggesting that dehydration and geochemical fluxes from slab to the mantle wedge are decoupled. Further, new models for the thermal structure of subduction zones that incorporate temperature- and/or stress-dependent viscosity for the mantle wedge predict temperatures at the base of the wedge in excess of the H2O-saturated melting point of the subducted oceanic crust. These lines of evidence favor low-degree partial melting of the subducted crust at H2O-saturated conditions as the primary mechanism for mass transfer. As a test of this hypothesis, we will carry out an experimental determination of how fluid-mobile trace elements such as Rb, Sr, Ba, La, Pb, Th, and U are distributed between accessory minerals and aqueous fluids at pressure and temperature conditions corresponding to dehydration of the subducting oceanic crust (2.0 GPa, 600 °C to 3.0 GPa, 750°C). Experiments will be carried out in the experimental petrology laboratory at WHOI and the experimental run products will be analyzed at the Northeast National Ion Microprobe Facility at WHOI. Results from these experiments will allow a quantitative evaluation of the efficiency with which these minerals retains trace elements during dehydration at eclogite facies conditions and, thereby, provide new insights into the role of fluid flow as an agent of mass transport beneath volcanic arcs. This will lead to a better understanding of the processes that produce volcanism in heavily populated parts of the world. Introduction/overview
It is a widely held view that, in subduction zones, an H2O-rich fluid derived from the subducting oceanic crust infiltrates the lower portions of the mantle wedge and triggers peridotite partial melting [e.g., Gill, 1981; e.g., Davies and Stevenson, 1992]. This "subduction component" is also thought to be responsible for enriching the sub-arc mantle, and thereby arc magmas, in fluid-mobile elements such as K, Rb, Sr, Cs, Ba, light rare earth elements (LREE), Pb, Th, and U [e.g., Perfit, et al., 1980; e.g., McCulloch and Gamble, 1991; Tatsumi, 2003]. That a slab-derived H2O-rich fluidas opposed to a hydrous silicate meltis responsible for the flux of trace elements into the mantle wedge is consistent with the thermal structure predicted by most constant-viscosity models for subduction zones. Such models suggest that, unless the subducting lithosphere is young and warm, temperatures remain below the solidi of subducting materials (i.e. ~700 °C for basalt/gabbro and ~650 ° to 850 °C for sediment) [e.g., Lambert and Wyllie, 1970; Peacock, 1991; Schmidt and Poli, 1998]. Thus, geochemical and petrologic observations as well as results from geophysical models have generally been considered to support a scenario in which an H2O-rich fluid is continuously released from the subducting slab through the gradual breakdown of hydrous phases. The trace element composition of this fluid is determined by mineral/fluid partitioning relationships and, therefore, evolves continuously as the stable mineral assemblages in the subducting lithosphere change with pressure and temperature conditions.
However, there are recent indications, based primarily on in-situ analyses of metamorphic minerals, that this picture of mass transfer in the sub-arc mantle may not be entirely correct. Hydrous accessory minerals such as phengite, zoisite, and allanite have been found to retain fluid-mobile elements in the subducted oceanic lithosphere even after severe dehydration at eclogite facies conditions [e.g., Sassi, et al., 2000; Zack, et al., 2001; Spandler, et al., 2003]. Large partition coefficients for fluid-mobile elements between these accessory phases and the major eclogite minerals (omphacite and garnet) demonstrate that the former overwhelmingly account for whole-rock budgets of these elements. The stability of these minerals at pressures in excess of 2 GPa has been experimentally verified for both simplified (e.g., CaO-Al2O3-SiO2-H2O or CASH) and natural compositions [Poli and Schmidt, 1998; Schmidt and Poli, 1998; Hermann, 2002], and they occur in eclogites in apparent textural equilibrium with omphacite and garnet. This implies that the retention of fluid-mobile elements in natural eclogites represents equilibrium partitioning that is stable to high pressures. That reconstructed and measured whole-rock abundances of fluid-mobile elements in eclogites are within ranges of concentrations for altered oceanic crust indicates that dehydration was not accompanied by depletion of these elements. All of this evidence suggests that dehydration and geochemical fluxes from the slab to the mantle wedge are decoupled.
Recent developments in thermal modeling of subduction zones are also challenging the widely held view that "basalts dehydrate but do not generally melt". Numerical models for the thermal structure of subduction zones that incorporate temperature- and/or stress-dependent viscosity for the mantle wedge predict higher temperatures in shallow portions of the wedge beneath the volcanic front [e.g., van Keken, et al., 2002; Kelemen, et al., 2003]. This results in significantly elevated slab-top temperatures relative to those previously obtained, such that the H2O-saturated solidi for basalt and sediment could frequently be exceeded. Taken together with the evidence for retention of fluid-mobile elements by hydrous accessory minerals during dehydration of the subducting oceanic crust, the elevated temperatures predicted by the new thermal models appear to favor low-degree melting of the subducted oceanic crust as the primary mechanism for transferring volatiles and incompatible trace elements from the slab to the mantle wedge.
Given that these observations are in direct conflict with the widely held view of subduction zone mass transfer via fluid flow, we propose to carry out an experimental investigation of the mineral-fluid partitioning relationships for fluid mobile elements in hydrous accessory phases (phengite; zoisite; allanite; chloritoid) in a simplified system (CaO-Al2O3-SiO2-H2O or CASH) over a range of pressure-temperature (P-T) conditions corresponding to the advanced stages of amphibolite dehydration along realistic P-T trajectories for subduction zones. The data produced in the proposed study will provide a quantitative basis for evaluating the role of these accessory phases in controlling the flux of fluid mobile elements from the subducted slab to the overlying mantle wedge at convergent margins and, thereby, provide a test of the "dehydration transport" model for subduction zones. The proposed work fits into the Fluid Flow in Geologic Systems theme of the DOEI, and will provide new insights into the role of fluid flow as an agent of mass transport beneath volcanic arcs. Results from this study will be used to support our effort to obtain NSF funding for a larger study in which the phase relations for a natural amphibolite are determined at conditions corresponding to various stages of dehydration during subduction and the trace element composition of fluid evolved by the breakdown of hydrous phases at P-T conditions from 1.5 GPa, 450 °C to 3.0 GPa, 780 °C.Work Statement
Mineral-fluid partition coefficients will be experimentally determined for hydrous assessory minerals such as zoisite, phengite, allanite, and chloritoid. Zoisite is an important host for most fluid mobile elements (except for K and Rb) in natural eclogites, and determination of zoisite-fluid partitioning relationships is one of the key objectives of the proposed work. Using the results of Poli and Schmidt [1998] as a starting point, we propose to carry out experiments on a simplified system (CASH) to investigate the partitioning of trace elements between zoisite and aqueous fluid. For a bulk composition within the subsystem CaAl2Si2O8·2H2O-Ca2Al3Si3O12(OH)-Al2SiO5 (lawsonite-zoisite-kyanite), a simple assemblage of zoisite + kyanite + quartz/coesite + fluid can be obtained over a range of P-T conditions relevant for the advanced stages of dehydration along realistic P-T trajectories for subduction zones. In this assemblage, zoisite is the only phase that can host significant quantities of fluid-mobile elements, presenting an ideal analog for natural eclogites. Over a pressure range from 1.5 to 3.0 GPa, lawsonite becomes unstable at temperatures above ~520 °C at 1.5 GPa, 575 °C at 2.0 GPa, and 675 °C at 3.0 GPa [Poli and Schmidt, 1998]. Dehydration of lawsonite produces zoisite, kyanite, quartz/coesite, and H2O by the reaction: providing a lower temperature limit for the proposed experiments. Specifically, experiments will be conducted at 2.0 GPa, 600 °C; 2.0 GPa, 700°C; 3.0 GPa, 700°C; and 3.0 GPa, 750°C, using a starting composition of an equal-weight mixture of lawsonite, zoisite and kyanite (SiO2: 38.3wt%, Al2O3: 42.9, CaO: 14.3, H2O: 4.5) synthesized on an anhydrous basis from high-purity oxides and carbonates. A mixture of 10 wt% H2O and 90% anhydrous oxides of this composition would produce a system saturated with SiO2 and H2O over the proposed range of P-T conditions. Rb, Sr, Ba, La, Pb, Th, and U will be added to the oxide starting materials as ICPMS standard solutions at approximately 50 ppm levels. All experiments will be carried out using a solid-medium piston cylinder device. The major element composition of the crystalline run products will be determined by electron microprobe, while their trace element content will be determined by ion microprobe (SIMS). The trace element composition of the fluid phase will be determined by dissolving the fluid phase as a whole in HF-HNO3 and performing isotope dilution analysis.
References cited
Davies, J. H., and D. J. Stevenson (1992), Physical model of source region of subduction zone volcanics, J Geophys Res, 97, 2037-2070.
Gill, J. B. (1981), Orogenic Andesites and Plate Tectonics, 390 pp., Springer-Verlag, New York, NY.
Hermann, J. (2002), Allanite: thorium and light rare earth element carrier in subducted crust, Chemical Geology, 192, 289-306.
Lambert, I. B., and P. J. Wyllie (1970), Melting in the deep crust and upper mantle and the nature of the low velocity layer, Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors, 3, 316-322.
McCulloch, M. T., and A. J. Gamble (1991), Geochemical and geodynamical constraints on subduction zone magmatism, Earth Planet Sci Lett, 102, 358-374.
Peacock, S. M. (1991), Numerical simulation of subduction zone pressure-temperature-time paths: constraints on fluid production and arc magmatism, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London Series A, 335, 341-353.
Perfit, M. R., et al. (1980), Chemical characteristics of island-arc basalts: implications for mantle sources, Chemical Geology, 30, 227-256.
Poli, S., and M. W. Schmidt (1998), The high-pressure stability of zoisite and phase relationships of zoisite-bearing assemblages, Contrib Mineral Petrol, 130, 162-175.
Sassi, R., et al. (2000), Trace element distribution in central Dabi eclogites, Contrib Mineral Petrol, 139, 298-315.
Schmidt, M. W., and S. Poli (1998), Experimentally based water budgets for dehydrating slabs and consequences for arc magma generation, Earth Planet Sci Lett, 163, 361-379.
Spandler, C., et al. (2003), Redistribution of trace elements during prograde metamorphism from lawsonite blueschist to eclogite facies: implications for deep subduction zone processes, Contrib Mineral Petrol, 1462, 205-222.
Tatsumi, Y. (2003), Some constraints on arc magma genesis, in Inside the Subduction Factory, edited by J. M. Eiler, pp. 277-292, American Geophysical Union, Washington DC.
van Keken, P. F., et al. (2002), High-resolution models of subduction zones: implications for mineral dehydration reactions and the transport of water into the deep mantle, Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 3, 10.0056, doi:0010.0129/2001GC000256.
Zack, T., et al. (2001), Cs-Rb-Ba systematics in phengite and amphibolite: an assessment of fluid mobility at 2.0 GPa in eclogites from Trescolmen, central Alps, Contrib Mineral Petrol, 140, 651-669.


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Court Report
Two weeks ago, the appointing division of the High Court appointed Marcellus Tala Uiagalelei as the Independent Prosecutor.
Uiagalelei told Samoa News that he's working on the cases against House Vice Speaker Talia Fa'afetai I'aulualo, former Deputy Commissioner of Public Safety Filifa'atali Mike Fuiava and former Manager of the Office of Motor Vehicles Marie Ripley.
The newly appointed IP replaces Faamomoi Masaniai, who claims he has taken up a job with the US Department of Justice in Washington DC. Masaniai told Samoa News that he is fulfilling a special request from the Department of Justice to assist them in understanding the Human Trafficking problem in American Samoa.
Uiagalelei told Samoa News that the Attorney General's Office has turned over caseload boxes for the Fuiava, Ripley and Talia cases. The newly appointed IP said he's currently reviewing the case that was handed to him last week.
The Acting Commissioner of the Department of Public Safety Leiseau Laumoli is reaching out to the public for assistance in the whereabouts of Sitau Ofoia of Vaitogi.
Ofoia is the main suspect in an alleged assault incident, where he allegedly hit another man with his vehicle and then took a cricket bat and struck the victim several times. The incident is said to have happened over the weekend following a fight in a restaurant at the Airport.
The Acting Commissioner said the suspect is still at large and they are exploring all options in looking for Ofoia. He added, the police are working on obtaining an arrest warrant for Ofoia.
Leiseau said the initial case, which was handled by the West Substation Patrol Division, has now being assigned to the Criminal Investigation Division. In the meantime the victim has been in critical condition at the LBJ hospital since Sunday morning.
According to police, they received a call early Sunday morning from bystanders that a man was lying unconscious after he was struck by a vehicle. Witnesses told police that the victim was running when the suspect allegedly hit him with his car, and when the victim fell, the suspect got out of his vehicle, fetched his cricket bat, and allegedly struck the victim several times.
Police said when they arrived at the scene the victim was lying unconscious and the suspect had fled, leaving his vehicle and the bat he allegedly used to strike the victim.
According to police, the victim suffered a severe cut on his head with injuries to his legs; and the victim was rushed to the hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery due to the severity of his injuries.
The Acting Commissioner said the suspect's vehicle has been impounded at the police lot and the cricket bat allegedly used has been confiscated as evidence.
The Attorney General's office has moved to amend the second degree property damage to a third degree property damage count against Western District Governor Satele Galu Satele Sr.
The third degree property damage is a lesser offense, a class B misdemeanor, which carries a jail term of up to six months and or a fine of up to $500.
Assistant Attorney General Blake Hanley explained that given the new information he has just received from the victim that day, the government was prompted to amend the charge.
Satele is charged in connection with ordering two village officials of Vailoa to damage a grave last year.
According to court filings, Satele Sr. was not happy with the victim's father's grave — it was taller that the graves of his ancestors — which led him to order Vailoa officials to damage the victim's father's grave.
Marcellus Tala Uiagalelei, who represents the defendant, told the court that given the new amendment he needs time to consult with his client.
District Court Judge John Ward re-scheduled this matter to April 24, 2012.


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Entertainment Tonight has this exclusive clip from Saturday's episode of The Nerdist, and in this one, Joseph Gordon-Levitt explains why he's not eager to let his grandmother see his new movie Don Jon. But grandma thinks she can handle it just fine.
You ready to watch? Good. The Nerdist with JGL, Gillian Jacobs, Arthur Darvill in London, and Paul Scheer and Rob Huebel, BBC America, Saturday night, 10/9c after new episodes of Doctor Who and Orphan Black, and in Canada, Sunday night, 7/6c/4p on Space.


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St. Martin Schools Expanding Virtual Classrooms
The system that offers a full online school program in St. Martin Parish will be expanding.
Last year, there were 240 students between seventh and twelfth grades that took advantage of the online school program offered through the district.
The program will now be offered to students in first through sixth grades.
Superintendent Lottie Beebe says she believes the program is a way to bring home-schooled and private school students back into the school system.
Beebe says they agreed to expand the program based on the amount of requests by parents. She says another reason for the decision to expand the program is because it has been so successful.
The superintendent says figures show that 130 students in St. Martin Parish are home-schooled and about 230 attend private schools.


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City man arrested on drug charge
Sangamon County�s Drug Interdiction Response Team, commonly called the DIRT Team, arrested a Springfield man Tuesday after it served a search warrant at his home in the 1700 block of Pope Avenue.
Broderick D. Brady, 33, is facing a possible charge of manufacture/delivery of marijuana.
Detectives from the sheriff�s office obtained the warrant after they reportedly made controlled buys of marijuana from Brady at his residence and business.
Authorities found about 180 grams of marijuana, scales, drug packaging, a cell phone and more than $16,500 during the search, which was conducted about 10:20 a.m.
Brady was arrested without any difficulties.


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Kim Kardashian & Anne V - MTV EMAs 2012 Red Carpet
Kim Kardashian and Anne V. glam up on the red carpet of the MTV Europe Music Awards 2012 held at Festhalle Frankfurt on Sunday (November 11) in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
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LONDON (AP) — The eurozone's labor market appears to have stabilized, official figures indicated Tuesday, another sign that the region's economy is recovering from its longest-ever recession.
Though Eurostat, the EU's statistics office, said the unemployment rate across the 17-member eurozone held steady at 12 percent in August, it found the number of people out of work fell for the third month running. That's the first time the region has enjoyed such a run since April 2011.
In total, the number of unemployed dipped by 5,000 to 19.18 million, triggering hopes that the 20 million threshold that many economists had been forecasting this year will not be struck and that the 12.1 percent record high booked in June may not be breached.
"The eurozone's jobless rate is past its peak for the current economic cycle," said Zach Witton, an economist at Moody's Analytics. "However, the unemployment rate will fall only gradually as the weak recovery provides limited support to profit margins, giving companies little incentive to boost hiring."
As usually happens in a recovery, the modest improvement in the labor market has lagged behind the region's emergence from recession by a few months. The economy grew in the second quarter by a modest quarterly rate of 0.3 percent after contracting for six straight quarters, its longest recession since the euro currency was launched in 1999.
Most surveys suggest the eurozone expanded further during the summer months and that the growth won't rely only on Germany, Europe's largest economy. Even Greece, mired in recession for the best part of six years as the global financial crisis morphed into a crippling sovereign debt crisis, is expected to start growing soon.
Hopes for an improvement in the eurozone economy were supported by a closely-watched manufacturing survey released Tuesday.
The purchasing managers' index for the manufacturing sector — a gauge of business activity published by financial information company Markit — was 51.1 points in September. Though down on August's 26-month high of 51.4, the survey points to continuing expansion — anything above the 50 threshold indicates growth.
"This is good news for the eurozone but also for the global economy," said Chris Williamson, chief economist at Markit. "The downturn in demand caused by the region's recession and the uncertainty generated by its debt crisis had cast a shadow over economic recoveries across the globe. But we must not get too carried away."
Over the past three years, the eurozone, which has a population of around 330 million, has been the laggard of the world economy as it grappled with a debt crisis that at various times threatened the future of the euro currency itself.
Countries across the region, but mainly in the south, such as Greece, Portugal and Spain, have had to enact tough austerity measures to convince bond market investors that they could get a handle on their public finances. A combination of recession, poor management and expensive bank bailouts had caused public debt to swell in the region.
The problems afflicting the eurozone have weighed on sentiment around the world, putting a brake on the global economic recovery. Though the U.S. unemployment rate may have fallen steadily over the past two to three years to 7.3 percent in August, many economists think the decline would have been steeper were it not for Europe's problems.
The wider 28-country European Union, which includes non-euro countries such as Britain and Sweden and has a population of a little over 500 million, has also struggled in the wake of the eurozone's woes in recent years. Here, too, the unemployment rate appears to have steadied, staying unchanged in August at 10.9 percent for the fourth month running.
Olli Rehn, the EU's commissioner for economic affairs, warned that despite the indications of a rebound, the crisis in the eurozone is not yet over. He said governments should continue their economic reforms and debt cuts, lest they stymie the budding recovery.
He also lamented the shutdown of the U.S. government, but said that he thought the impact on other economies would be limited if it didn't last very long.
"But, of course, the recovery in the global economy, and also in the European economy, is so fragile that they do not need any new risks or any new elements of political instability," he told reporters in Paris.
Few economists think the eurozone's current economic growth is enough to significantly bring down unemployment, particularly among the young. The manufacturing PMI survey, for example, showed companies in the sector were still shedding jobs in September, though at a slower rate than before.
The Eurostat figures also mask huge divergences across the eurozone: While Germany has an unemployment rate of 5.2 percent, Spain's jobless rate stood at 26.2 percent. The situation in Greece is even worse, with 27.9 percent of people out of work in June — Greek figures are compiled on a different timeframe.
The situation among the young — that is, potential workers under the age of 25 — is even more acute. Greece and Spain, for example, have over half their youth unemployed. In Greece, youth unemployment stood at a stunning 61.5 percent in June.
As well as being a burden to a country's coffers, sky-high levels of youth unemployment have an additional social cost of denying potential workers skills and experience — that's a long-term cost to the region's economic potential and has also fueled an increase in social tensions.
Sarah DiLorenzo in Paris contributed to this report.


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I was in the lobby of the 13th floor of the Coleman A. Young Municipal Building Monday afternoon chatting with a reporter who was surprised about the so-called polls already calling the city council election.
The reporter is surprised that the polls being conducted do not reflect the grassroots political movement of the various campaigns on the ground.
Surprise, surprise?
Not really.
Because I'm always skeptical of polls that won't reveal the demographics, except the number of people being polled. In fact, we seldom know what kinds of questions are being asked of residents, which leaves a lot of questions about the motivation of the polling.
The other issue is the fact that some of the people conducting these polls are hardly pounding the political pavement.
Most of their polling is done from their ivory tower offices or suites, which is no service to the average Detroiter if you cannot navigate the rough political paths in this city to interact and ask those voting questions about their political decisions.
The intended consequences of such polling is that it imposes on voters pre-selected choices of candidates that appear as the complete and honest choices of the average Detroiter when, in fact, it serves an opium-like effect- that allows voters to settle with the poll results instead of making their own choices.
In the interest of democracy, it is not democratic to impose on voters or tell them who to vote for. Just like the so-called manufactured polls around the country that were claiming that the majority in the country doesn't want public option health care. It is a blatant lie meant to hijack real health care reform. The same is being done with some of the polls assessing the race for city council, charter revision commission and mayor.
If we are really interested in a free and fair local government reform in Detroit, it ought to be left with voters to choose their choices.
The business of us in the media and those in the polling trade serving as high priests and scribes over the elections is not necessary and certainly not within our purview.
Yes, the media serves as that space between the people and the government, and in this race we must pursue the course of providing platforms that allow the candidates to speak to the issues.
In doing so, voters are able to select the most competent, intelligent, passionate and compassionate candidates who understand that Detroit cannot do business the same way it did 20 years ago.


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I'll be your buddy if you go into my work and pretend to be me.Here is a picture of how I look at my desk.The civil service folks.
Star, you may see me post that on Facebook sometime for further "lols" I can say came from me.
We are only going off topic because clearly no one wants to be your friend and we are trying to save you the embarrassment of this sad truth.


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It was the linebackers' turn to run today at the combine in Indianapolis, and a couple prospects turned in performances that will be of interest to Eagles fans.
Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly ran a 4.58 40-yard dash, while Arizona State's Vontaze Burfict clocked in at 5.09.
Prior to the combine, NFL Network's Mike Mayock said he was looking for Kuechly to run 4.7 or better.
"He's the most instinctive pass defender that I've ever seen as an inside linebacker coming out of college football," Mayock said today. "The kid's a top-20 lock right now."
Cal's Mychal Kendricks had the fastest time for a linebacker at 4.47. North Carolina's Zach Brown was second at 4.50. And Kuechly was third.
Meanwhile, Burfict didn't help himself, clocking the worst time of the 29 linebackers who ran today.
"He's a guy that flashes two or three times a game with big hits, but his run-pass instincts, ability to get to the football on an every-snap basis, to me, are below average," Mayock said of Burfict.
I'll have more on Kuechly's combine experience later in the week in our Draft Diary series.
And if you missed it from earlier today, I wrote about the Eagles' trade chips in the event that they want to move up in the first round of April's draft.
You can follow me on Twitter or become a fan of Moving the Chains on Facebook.


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Delight your friends by sharing your music with these handy, powerful and compact speakers. Take them anywhere to plug and play with your MP3 player, CD player or laptop.
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The 'plug and play' feature saves you time because you simply connect the speakers to the portable audio player as you would normally connect the headphones, by using the jack plug.


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Tests confirm 10-year-old didn't have the flu
Tests confirm 10-year-old didn't have the flu
OMAHA, Neb. —
Test results confirmed a 10-year-old did not have the flu when he died last week.
Douglas County Chief Deputy Sheriff Martin Belik said Sydney Kola didn't have either Influenza A or Influenza B even though he complained of flu-like symptoms before his death Friday.
Belik said Wednesday that the investigation into Kola's death will continue. The initial autopsy didn't offer many answers, but lab tests might in a few weeks.
Kola died Friday after collapsing at his west Omaha home. Medics who were treated the boy found him unresponsive.
Sydney was a student at Omaha's King Science and Technology Magnet Center. He was a Kenyan national who moved to the United States last year to live with his mother.


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I like the first one although a looser crop might also work. Colors are well rendered and distortion (vertical converging lines) is well contained - a trip to Photoshop would fix the very small distortion issue for good. I also like the light beams.For the second photo, the one with dried food, it sufers - in my opinion - from a tilted horizon. You could also have played with different framing options. It's a pretty busy scene but I guess that it's alos the impression you get when you look at it through your own eyes.
I like the night shot, remind me of home when I used to live in HK. I think a panoramic shot will fit better for the cityscape of Hong Kong though, since it run along the Victoria Harbor. I don't know why, but when I look at your picture, it seems like its missing something. I also like the one from the dried food shop. Is this taken in Hong Kong Island? Somewhere near North Point?
Thanks Francois!A looser crop meaning a wider shot? With the vertical lines I would use free tranform, right? Some people don't care for distortion in these type of photos, some love the distortions of wide angles.In the second photo how tight would you crop it? Please feel free to upload your version of these photos!Thanks!
It seems since Digital took off, correcting vertical lines is like a fashion. I personally see nothing wrong with tilted buildings unless your aim is documentary. In the slide days only achitect photgraphers bothered with exact straight verticals using tilt-shift, very expensive, lenses. It is a beautiful striking shot, and the colour and design is well balanced. Since the image is pictorial in nature, I like as it is. With regard to the second image, to me, the oblique angles of the lines of the baskets-shelves combined with the bold colours give the image a dynamic quality.JMR
As one who has spent many years correcting converging verticals with view vamera controls (not tilt/shift lenses on 35mm), I welcome the opportunity to do the same with my digital files. I don't think it's just a fad to correct vertical lines. It's just a lot easier and less expensive so it gets done more often and by more photographers. However corrected verticals create their own distortion and sometimes crop too much from the top of the frame. Sometimes leaving the lines uncorrected can create a dynamic sense of perspective that works very well. It's not always best to correct them and sometimes better not to. I think I would like to see this one corrected but maybe not because it's going to take a lot from the top, especially the light beam from the tallest building. I would definately want to see it both ways before deciding if I were the photographer.
...BTW would you consider the second image as having a problem with horizontal distortion?JMR
Yes, I think so. But it does give a kind of motion to a very static shot, doesn't it? RGS


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For a vegetarian world. For
people. For animals. For the planet.
Be part of
this world: 8 - 14th
November 2004
your trip now! Costão
de Santinho Resort & Spa
Praia do Santinho - Florianópolis - Brazil
Congress Index
Application Form
for a grant* towards the cost of attending the World Vegetarian Congress
2004, Brazil
* the grant may include part or full funding of one place
at the congress to include registration fee and all accommodation and
meals at the event. It does not include travel to the venue or
optional extras such as excursions.
Grant Guidelines
Name of organisation:
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give details below if yes.
I certify that the above group exists to promote vegetarianism and
I will send a copy of the organisations constitution or other governing
document. I also enclose information as requested on the organisation
including a statement of current accounts.
Details of what your organisation has achieved so far, any particular
difficulties facing the organisation and what you expect to gain by
the attendance of your delegate (equivalent to one sheet of A4 paper).
to the Congress index


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How do you know if you are depressed? Usually you feel tired, cry, feel sad, can't concentrate, are irritable, lose interest in your job, and life doesn't seem fun anymore. You may also feel guilty or worthless, may sleep too much or too little, lose or gain weight and have various aches and pains.
If you are sad and tired and have several of the above troubles for two weeks or more, this is called a major depression. In such a case be certain to check with your health care provider for the cause and best treatment.
At times, a major depression may be due to the side effects of prescription drugs, street drugs, or alcohol, or from thyroid problems or poor nutrition. Medical research has found more than one cause for depression.
Prescription drug treatment of major depression calls for a drug called an antidepressant or the new serotonin uptake inhibitors. These drugs work 80% of the time to help depressed people feel well again, as along as they keep taking the drugs. These drugs change the brain's chemistry and when they are stopped the major depression usually comes back very fast, and the drugs have to be restarted and continuously taken. Antidepressant drugs, like Prozac and tricyclics, require a prescription because of potential serious side effects.
Most doctors treat depression only with antidepressant pills or electroshock because that is all they have been taught in medical school. Most doctors have never heard of, or studied, other ways such as music therapy, transcranial electrostimulation or the homeopathic medicines listed in the official Homeopathic Pharmacopeia of the United States.
There are over 200 different homeopathic medicines that have been used to naturally treat various types of depression in the past 150 years. These homeopathic medicines are usually made from plants, minerals, and a few animal substances like snake and bee venoms and animal milks.
Homeopathic drug companies put the medicines in special solutions of alcohol, water, or sugar, that retain the healing properties and get rid of all the poisonous properties and side effects. This special homepathic way of making medicines makes them tasty and safe and much less expensive than chemical drugs. When homeopathic medicines are taken in 6X or higher dilution there is no possiblility of poisoning, anaphylactic shock, or allergic reaction.
The key to helping depressed people with homeopathic medicines is to find a medicine that is similar to the depressed person's mind and body traits and complaints. Since there are over 200 homeopathic medicines for sadness, the health care provider must take the time to talk with and examine the patient, completely understanding all their bodily complaints. This often requires more than one hour of time and the use of reference books and other tools to find the most similar medicine that includes the treatment of all the patient's complaints, and not just the depression.
For example, a woman with a serious depression who lost her desire to do anything responded to the homeopathic medicine AURUM metallicum which is the official homeopathic Latin name for gold. Her depression left her several days after taking tablets of Aurum metallicum. She was one of the 20% who did not improve by taking prescription antidepressant medications and she did not want electroshock treatment. Even after she stopped the Aurum, she remained free of sadness for months. At times her depression returned but never as severe as the first time, when, at the age of 65, her husband of 45 years died.


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BANGKOK (AP) — A weaker-than-expected U.S. manufacturing report sent Asian stock markets down Tuesday.
U.S. manufacturing shrank in November to its weakest level since July 2009. The Institute for Supply Management said Monday that its index of manufacturing conditions fell 49.5 from October's 51.7. Numbers above 50 signal growth, while those below indicate contraction.
One reason for the downturn, the trade group said, was that businesses are concerned about the so-called fiscal cliff — a package of tax increases and government spending cuts that will take effect in 2013 unless lawmakers take action. Worries about automatic tax increases cut demand for factory orders and manufacturing jobs.
"Once again, there were few tangible signs of any material progress on the fiscal cliff, the single biggest issue in markets right now and one that will influence how all asset classes trade into year-end," said Cameron Peacock of IG Markets in Melbourne in a market commentary.
Japan's Nikkei 225 index fell 0.2 percent to 9,441.75. Hong Kong's Hang Seng lost 0.2 percent to 21,728.80. South Korea's Kospi fell 0.5 percent to 1,930.68. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 shed 0.3 percent to 4,518.10.
The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 0.5 percent to close at 12,965.60. The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 0.5 percent to close at 1,409.46. The Nasdaq composite fell 0.3 percent to 3,002.20.
Benchmark oil for January delivery was down 18 cents to $88.91 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose 18 cents to close at $89.09 in New York on Monday.
In currencies, the euro fell to $1.3050 from $1.3060 late Monday in New York. The dollar fell to 82.07 yen from 82.24 yen.
Follow Pamela Sampson on Twitter at http://twitter.com/pamelasampson


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The Accused
A young neighbor's unfounded claims put my family in danger. Should we allow the girl back into our lives?
Get Dear Prudence delivered to your inbox each week; click here to sign up. Please send your questions for publication to firstname.lastname@example.com. (Questions may be edited.)
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Dear Prudie,
My husband and I live next door to a nice man who is a single father of two: a 6-year-old girl and an 8-year-old boy. We have a boy and a girl around the same ages. We get along well with the neighbor, and our children all played together until recently. My children alerted me about a month ago that Child Protective Services came and talked to them at school. Following that, we got a call from CPS explaining that the little girl next door told her therapist that she and my daughter willingly participated in inappropriate sexual behavior with each other. Thankfully, the CPS investigation found no evidence to support the allegation. Now that the case is closed, my neighbor wants things to go back to how they were, except more closely monitoring his daughter when she plays with our children. Recently I discovered the neighbor was aware of the allegation before we were, and he never had the courtesy to come and talk to us about it. I'm furious, hurt, and concerned about my children's reputation. I don't want either of my children to be around this little girl. My husband wants me to "drop it" and "put it behind us," but I can't. What should I do?
—Wish I Wasn't Your Neighbor
Dear Wish,
There are so many things that could have prompted the little girl's accusation. She could have recently received a lecture about "inappropriate touching" then misinterpreted a tickling session between herself and your daughter. She could have a therapist who sees everyone as a potential molester. She could have someone in her life who is doing sexual things to her, and in fear and confusion she deflected her accusation onto your daughter. The problem is that now she is the grenade next door—you don't know whether she'll go off again or what the consequences will be if she does. Last year, I ran a letter from a man who was haunted by making a false accusation against a stranger in a public bathroom. In his 6-year-old mind, he was trying to save himself from his abusive father. In response, I got a harrowing letter from a woman whose family was destroyed when she was a girl and a 6-year-old friend of hers, known for making up stories, accused the letter writer's father of touching her. That girl may have been trying to send a signal saying, "Help me," but it resulted in ruining the father's life.
You are very lucky that CPS found nothing to support the charges. But having faced this once, you should be on red alert about the possibility that there could be a next time. This girl could escalate and make an accusation against your husband. Even Sigmund Freud flip-flopped about whether the stories of childhood sexual abuse he heard from his adult patients were truth or fantasy. You don't want to have to rely on a second CPS investigation clearing your family. Your goal should not be to ostracize these children, but I would be wary of letting them over your house or your children over theirs. Playing together should probably be limited to an open front yard so they're always on public view. It's understandable that your neighbor didn't alert you when he thought something bad might have happened to his daughter at your home. It's also understandable that he wants her supervised if she plays there now. He needs to understand that given the gravity of what you've just been through, you think it best if the children take a hiatus from play dates for the time being.
Dear Prudence: Halitosis Hell
Dear Prudence,
My great-aunt, with whom I am very close, is dying. She is in good hands at our local hospice and she is one of the rare people who isn't afraid to go. I find this comforting. My problem comes with her funeral request. She doesn't want everyone moping around and crying and wearing black. She wants to put the fun in funeral! She wants me and a few other members of the family to hand out party hats to everyone and to instruct people to wear bright clothes. During the burial she would like us to throw confetti into the open grave. After she is buried, she wants us to have a big bonfire or barbecue and celebrate her life and passing. However, certain family members find this absolutely horrifying. A few older ones have even threatened to not attend the funeral (as we affectionately call it). I basically told them it's their loss. Is it so wrong to celebrate the end of a life this way?
—Un-Real Funeral Girl
Dear Girl,
Auntie may mean well, but I can't imagine anything that would take the jollity out of her event faster than forcing a bunch of old, sad people sitting in pews to wear party hats (please don't throw in noise-makers to add to the enjoyment). What you need to do is keep to the spirit of what your aunt envisions, without quite following her suggestions to the letter. After all, it's one thing to be ready to go and to know how you'd like your funeral to be. It's another, once you've gone, to make many of the people who loved you feel miserable by being forced to honor your wishes. You can put the word out that if people desire, festive colors would be appropriate for this funeral. The eulogies can emphasize the joyful parts of a long life well-lived. At the cemetery, you can have a box of confetti and say that, for those who would like to, Auntie requested some be strewn in her grave. For more conventional strewers, have a backup box of flower petals. Then at the gathering afterward, you can model it somewhat on Day Two of an Irish wake. After the tears have been shed, the booze comes out, along with the stories and the laughter. But again, it won't be sullying your aunt's memory if the gaiety is tempered enough so that those who want to talk quietly and contemplate their loss have a place to do so without feeling like killjoys.
Dear Prudence,
Last year an intense five-year relationship with my live-in boyfriend came to an end when I learned that he was living a double life with a second girlfriend who wasn't aware I existed. About a year after our very unhappy breakup, I have largely forgiven him for his terrible actions, and we have developed a platonic friendship that I cherish dearly. I understand the factors that contributed to his actions, and I see that he is contrite and wants to become a better person. However, sometimes the pain and betrayal hits me like a ton of bricks and I find myself as distraught as I was when I first learned of his infidelity. When this happens, I react in various ways. I'll call him up and berate him, refuse to speak to him, or just want to cry in his arms. When I take these steps backward, he is usually dismayed and confused, and irritated that I am bringing up something he thought we had moved beyond. Is my behavior unreasonable? How can I explain to him that grief is fluid and I will never be truly past these feelings of betrayal?
—Still Hurt
Dear Still,
I'm trying to imagine what the understandable "factors that contributed to his actions" were. Perhaps he was raised by polygamists. Possibly he was a supporter of the presidential campaign of John Edwards. Whatever led to him having a romance with another woman while living with you should be of no concern to you anymore. That is because this louse should be out of your life and your mind. It's undeniably painful to have to accept that a long relationship is over, but you are just continuing to slowly rip off the bandage by moving him from lover to "cherished" platonic friend. Having done so allows you to run through an incessant, apparently addictive, panoply of emotions. No wonder he's confused: He thought you caught him cheating and dumped him. Instead you keep coming back with the full Sarah Bernhardt. Guess what, he's not your friend, he's your ex. Ending contact with him will be a healthy first step toward moving beyond these feelings of betrayal.
Dear Prudence,
I recently submitted my résumé for a new job. However, I mistakenly wrote a date as 2010, instead of 2011! Though most likely this will go unnoticed, I can't help but wonder about the gaffe. In an otherwise carefully crafted résumé, how much does a mistake like this matter? And what is the best way to correct this sort of situation—resend the résumé to human resources or ignore it and laugh off the mistake?
—Looking Four (Ha!) Advice
Dear Looking,
You're taking too big a risk in hoping the incorrect date will be overlooked. The best you can do is try to turn your error into a virtue. Send a new version of the résumé and a cover letter. Explain in the letter that as much as you'd like to guarantee you will never make a mistake, you know no one can promise perfection. But you can assure them that in the rare instances you do make one, you will notice it, own up to it, and fix it. Explain you had a typo in a date on your original résumé, and you hope they will use the attached, corrected copy. Let's hope your honesty about the need to change a 0 to a 1 will win you the job
More Dear Prudence Columns
"Financial Affairs: I want to bequeath money to my mistress in my will. Is that wrong?" Posted March 24, 2011.
"A Fool for Love: My wife is super hot but dumb. How can I make the best of our union?" Posted March 17, 2011.
"I Can't Relate: My estranged half-sister wants to get to know me, but I'm afraid my parents won't approve." Posted March 10, 2011.
"Diamonds Aren't a Girl's Best Friend: My ex is blackmailing me for sex. How can I get out of it?" Posted March 3, 2011.
More Dear Prudence Chat Transcripts
"This Baby Shower Is a Wash: Dear Prudence advises a reader who thinks her brother impregnated his girlfriend to steal her own baby's thunder—in a live chat at Washingtonpost.com." Posted March 21, 2011.
"Teacher Gone Wild: Dear Prudence advises a schoolteacher caught on tape acting a drunken fool—in a live chat at Washingtonpost.com." Posted March 14, 2011.
"Dead Letters at the Office: Prudie counsels an office worker who found love letters while cleaning out the desk of a recently deceased colleague that are not from her widower—and other advice-seekers." Posted March 7, 2011.
"Nightmare Vacation: Prudie counsels a reader who regrets her promise to take an ailing family member to Disneyland—in this week's live chat." Posted Feb. 28, 2011.
Like Prudie on the official Dear Prudence Facebook page and like Slate on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter.


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After Japan's stock market soared 80 percent over the course of six months, it hit a roadblock. The rapid climb of the Nikkei 225 index, the market's benchmark, came to an abrupt end on May 22. Over the next three weeks, the market plunged 20 percent -- the definition of a bear market.
However, since June 13, the day it entered bear territory, the Nikkei has bounced back 13 percent. The quick turnaround has led many to ask if this market correction is a buying opportunity, or merely a head fake as the Japanese market returns to the doldrums it's been sitting in for the past two decades.
"The historical template for Japan over the last 20 years has been, the government announces measures, markets do well, and six months later we're back where we started," says Christopher Dodson, Japan capital markets specialist at Auerbach Grayson, a New York broker that provides access to international markets. "That history was the prime reason for the severity of the dive."
The Japanese market began its rally in November with the dissolution of Japan's parliament, which paved the way for the election Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. But it was Abe's package of policies to grow Japan's moribund economy that really sent stocks soaring.
The prime minister proposed a three-sided plan to spark economic growth. Nicknamed "Abenomics," the plan consists of loosening monetary policy, increasing public works spending and making structural reforms throughout the economy. The monetary stimulus aims to end the problem of deflation, or falling prices, by decreasing interest rates to ultimately produce 2 percent inflation within the next two years. Finally, the structural reforms include tax cuts and an easing of regulations.
So far, the monetary stimulus has had the biggest effect. From November through May, the yen declined in value against the dollar by 30 percent, which is good for Japanese exporters because it raises the value of their overseas earnings and helps make their products less expensive abroad. After a short recovery, the yen is down 25 percent as of July 3.
"Monetary policy by itself is not enough," says Paul Attwood, portfolio manager of the Huntington International Equity fund (HIETX) and Huntington Global Select Markets fund (HGSIX). He says corporate tax rates must be lowered and some regulations eliminated in order to see sustainable economic growth. Even so, the country is his top pick among international markets, and his funds have a 20 percent stake in Japan. Attwood says the stocks are attractively valued and the downside is limited, so he's looking to buy more. He suggests U.S. investors put 5 percent of their portfolios in Japan.
The trigger for the Nikkei's tumble was the U.S. Federal Reserve. On May 22, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke said if the U.S. economy continued to improve, the central bank could begin to wind down its policy of buying Treasury bonds, known as quantitative easing. Fears that ending the policy would slow down the U.S. economy sparked a worldwide sell off in stocks. The same day, China, Japan's second-largest trading partner, released poor economic news. That one-two punch sent the Nikkei reeling.
Over the five weeks ended June 26, U.S. mutual funds holding only Japanese stocks saw net outflows of $472 million, or 21 percent of their assets, according to Morningstar.
Emerging markets are down a lot this year and Europe is still struggling. "Japan is in the best shape in the world," says Campbell Gunn, portfolio manager of the T. Rowe Price Japan fund (PRJPX). He says Japan is "pulling out all the stops to recover and the valuations are still attractive."
At this point, everyone is waiting for the end of July, when Japan's parliament holds elections for its upper house. If Abe's party wins, he'll be able to push through all of his policies.
Dodson of Auerbach Grayson says if investors want Japanese stocks they should focus on domestic asset plays, companies that aren't heavily influence by events outside of Japan. He likes real estate, construction, railroads, and domestic retail such as Mitsubishi Estate (MITEY), East Japan Railways (EJPRY) and Seven & I (SVNDY). Also, small-capitalization stocks generally outperform given their domestic bent, he says.
Martin Jansen, the lead portfolio manager for the ING International Value fund (NIIVX), also likes domestic retail and financials, and boosted his fund's Japan weighting to 21 percent over the past 7 months.
If you want to get in on Japan's potential turnaround, Japan funds are the way to go. Even with the recent bear market, Japan funds declined 1.86 percent in the last month, that's less than any other international stock sector fund, according to Morningstar. They still lead that group year to date. But it's a turnaround story. Investors have lost money in Japan over the last decade, so you'll want to limit your stake and keep tabs of the developments, as Abenomics is an unfolding story.
Although many say this is indeed a buying opportunity, there are some caveats. John Browning, the executive director of Incapital's unit trust division and a creator of international portfolios says historically, throwing money at a problem doesn't necessarily work. Japan's stimulus may result in inflation without real economic growth. What's more, Japan also faces increased competition in terms of innovative new products from China and other emerging market countries.