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Board of Trustees, Committees, Governance
The AAS Board of Trustees establishes formal positions of the AAS. Any member may suggest topics appropriate for development of a position and the appropriate committees will consider the issues and make a recommendation to the Council on the matter. The more recent official position statements of the AAS are available online.
Divisions of the AAS
The rules for establishing a Division are defined in Article VII of the Bylaws of the AAS. The Bylaws can be found online and in the printed version of the AAS Membership Directory.
No Division publishes its own journal. The DPS has a formal relation with the journal Icarus.
Divisions hold meetings that may be attended by any AAS member. The DPS and the DDA each hold one meeting a year separate from the AAS general Meetings. The HEAD and the SPD meet occasionally apart from and occasionally with the AAS. On occasion the SPD has also met jointly with the American Geophysical Union. The Historical Astronomy Division usually meets jointly with the AAS. Schedules for Division Meetings may be found on the Division websites.
Education - General Astronomy
Astronomy is a physical science concerned with the smallest particles and the largest natural objects. The name Astronomy comes from the Greek roots Astr- and -nomia to literally mean "name stars". Astronomy is the study of everything outside of the earth's atmosphere and their chemical and physical properties.
Astronomy is a science that studies everything outside of the earth's atmosphere, such as planets, stars, asteroids, galaxies; and the properties and relationships of those celestial bodies. Astronomers base their studies on research and observation. Astrology, on the other hand, is the belief that the positioning of the stars and planets affect the way events occur on earth. If you're interested in the solar system and the planets, other celestial objects like asteroids and comets, other galaxies and the rest of the universe, what makes up space, and the possibility of alien life or space travel, astronomy is the field you're considering.
There is no place where you can purchase a star. There are a few businesses which claim to sell or name stars, but the names they give are not recognized by anyone in the scientific community. Stars are named by the International Astronomical Union, headquartered in Paris, France. They are given numbers determined by their exact location in the sky. This system is organized so that it is most beneficial to the scientists who are studying them. Occasionally a comet or other solar system object is named after people, often by or after the person who discovered it, but stars are not. If you do locate a company trying to sell you a star, know that the star they "sell" you will never be known as your star by anyone but you. There is nothing stopping them from "selling" the same star over and over again. Here is the general policy that the IAU has for naming all other objects in the sky.
The AAS staff does not monitor the sky and most likely can not identify the event you witnessed. The best resources would be Sky and Telescope magazine's "Monthly Sky Highlights," the Ask the Space Scientist website, or your local planetarium or science center.
Contact the closest science center or planetarium for advice about how to determine if it is one. They will have to examine the item before rendering an opinion.
Transient astronomical phenomena such as comets, novae, supernovae, etc. can be reported to the Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams. Meteor(ite)/fireball reports to the International Meteor Organization. UFO reports to the National Institute for Discovery Science.
Education - Learn
Most research astronomers have doctorate degrees in physics or astronomy and also bachelor's and/or master's degrees in a physical science, usually physics or astronomy. It takes about 10 years of education beyond normal high school education to become a research astronomer. Astronomers are usually comfortable with computers, both usage and programming, in addition to being knowledgeable about basic science, especially physics. They also have extensive mathematical knowledge.
The web makes looking for colleges and universities easier than it used to be -- most institutions (and astronomy and physics departments) have comprehensive web pages. In addition there are websites that have already gathered a lot of this information. Two sources of information on colleges, with links to sites that list scholarships, grants, and other financial aid, are U.S. College Search and MatchCollege, which list thousands of US colleges and universities including school contact information, website addresses, enrollment information, and student demographics, as well as career guidance and financial aid information.
For Graduate School information try GradSchoolShopper, which lets you search for graduate schools in physics and related fields, e.g. astronomy, by degree (masters or doctorate) and/or location. It also provides links to career advice and resources.
Attend a school with a good physics or astronomy department and be prepared to work hard! Although it is hard to become an astronomer, most who get graduate degrees in the field are employed (fewer than 2% are unemployed) and most feel that their graduate education prepared them well for their current job.
There is no easy answer to your question as there isn't a one-size-fits-all program. Each department, and each school, offers different programs, opportunities, and environments. You will benefit from spending some time researching colleges and universities; they have web pages describing their programs, the schools, and so forth. You may wish to contact the department chair for additional information on the schools in which you are interested. The AAS maintains a list of programs that offer astronomy-related degrees.
How much school you go through depends on what you want to do with your degree. Typically an undergraduate degree requires four years of school, but a lot of positions in astronomy require a PhD, which is on average six more years of school.
At this time, the American Astronomical Society offers no scholarships. However, we do award the Bok Prize in Astronomy annually to the top two astronomy science fair projects in the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF). First prize is US $5000, second prize is US $3000. You may write to Science Service, Inc., 1719 N Street, NW, Washington DC 20036, to request a copy of the "Student Handbook for Precollege Science and Engineering Projects", and for information on "Intel ISEF participation."
If you are a high school student who wants to become an astronomer, the best advice is to study hard. It's important to take a lot of academic classes in high school if you want a career in any of the sciences, so make sure you fit in four years of science, math, english, and social studies. You should read magazines like Sky and Telescope or Astronomy and follow the new developments in astronomy that make it into the news. Any readings or research that you do early on can only help you later. Astronomy books are located in the 520s and Physics books are in the 530s according to the library's Dewey Decimal system.
A good place to get more information is the AAS Career Brochure which includes information about an education in astronomy and preparing for a career.
The AAS is not a reference library, however when we receive inquiries we will do our best to steer you toward reasonable sources of reliable information. We do not have regular staff dedicated to this, so do not rely on an immediate response. Such queries should be directed to email@example.com. There are many sources for school projects. Start with your school or local community library. NASA's site for students is particularly helpful: Kindergarten to 4th grade, 5th to 8th grade, grades 9-12, and post-secondary. Other useful websites include: Ask the Astronomer, Ask the Space Scientist, and Amazing Space (Space Telescope Science Institute).
Great! The best place to start is at the American Association of Amateur Astronomers. They offer tons of information about amateur astronomy, conventions, magazine subscriptions, and more. Access to much of the information is free, but membership to the society will cost an annual fee.
Sky and Telescope Magazine, the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, and the Astronomical League all list astronomy clubs.
A great resource for information about telescopes is the Antique Telescope Society.
The AAS does not give out names of astronomers. However, there's probably an astronomer near you. Check with your local community college, four-year college or university, planetarium, or science museum. Be sure to provide your name, school, and a specific description about your project. If you're working with time constraints, some online interviews with astronomers are available.
Meetings: Scientific results may be presented at the regular meetings of the AAS and its Divisions. AAS members can present a paper at any AAS meeting. Nonmembers may present only once and must be sponsored by a Full Member who is familiar with the work to be presented.
Journals: AAS journals publish significant and original research papers. Papers are accepted from both members and nonmembers. Each paper is subjected to a review by one or more qualified referees. The decision to publish or not publish the paper rests entirely with the editor of the journal. Papers must be submitted in accord with the instructions appropriate for each journal. Prospective authors should consult the journal's website for submission instructions. Any given research article may only be submitted to one journal at a time. An author must wait until one journal has rendered a decision on an article, or must formally withdraw the article before submitting to another journal.
The Astrophysical Journal and Supplement
Preprint servers: There are preprint servers that permit any author to post an article for consideration by the research community. The AAS does not operate any of these services, nor does it specifically endorse any of them. Articles posted as preprints in this way may subsequently be submitted for publication in the AAS journals.
The AAS career brochure, A New Universe to Explore: Careers in Astronomy, is available online and as a booklet (contact the Society to request copies). This guide covers all of the most frequently asked questions like what astronomers do, what kind of astronomers are there, how easy is it to get a job, how much do astronomers get paid, etc. Other websites with useful information about a career in astronomy include the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO) website and the Astronomy Cafe.
You should look at the AAS Internships & Summer Opportunities page. You may also be interested in the National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experience for Undergraduates page.
The AAS publishes a Job Register, which is the premier location for employers who are seeking astronomers. The Job Register is published on the first of each month and usually contains about 50 or more jobs each month.
The AAS provides a Job Center at each AAS meeting. The Job Center serves as a meeting place for employers and job seekers, as well as being a posting location for new jobs and jobs in the most recent Job Register. Interviews can be carried out and many job seekers have found it is a great place to network and meet potential employers.
At AAS meetings, the Committee on Employment tries to organize one or more sessions that deal with career issues. Authors of specialized books for physical scientists who are seeking employment have been popular sessions in the past. The AAS also organizes a career seminar at the winter meeting, which takes place on the day before the meeting officially begins. At this seminar, participants can learn how to search for a job and the ins and outs of networking, writing resumes, and other information.
Finally, the AAS provides links to a large number of career-related resources and a special page of links to astronomers who are working in industry or a non-traditional career.
I want a job as an Astronomer. Can the AAS find me one? In a word, no. But, by attending one of our career seminars, learning how to perform a job search, and regularly tracking opportunities in the Job Register, you stand a good chance of finding the kind of job you want.
Employment statistics are available on the AAS Career Services website, through the National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Science Resources Studies, and the American Institute of Physics (AIP) Statistical Research Center.
Yes, the AAS is qualified under section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code to receive tax-deductible donations.
Grants, Prizes and Awards
Yes, the AAS administers several grant programs. The International Travel Grant (ITG) funds travel to international scientific meetings for US-based astronomers. Generally, the ITG only funds the cost of a round-trip airline ticket. FAMOUS Travel Grants offer opportunities for members to secure funding to travel to a Society meeting in order to increase the number of astronomers from historically underrepresented groups. Finally, the Chrétien International Research Grant provides up to $20,000 each year for one or more individuals or groups to be used for the support of international observational astronomy with the emphasis on long-term, international visits. The Chrétien awards are open to astronomers around the world.
Since requirements sometimes change, it is best to check the AAS grants webpage for the latest information, requirements, and deadlines.
The deadlines vary, so be sure to check the webpage for each grant. Generally, the Chrétien applications are due on 1 April each year. The International Travel Grants are currently due in January and June each year.
Any astronomer may apply for the Chrétien grant. Only astronomers working at US institutions may apply for the International Travel Grant.
All of the grants have reporting requirements. Typically, they include receipts for travel and other expenditures and some kind of final report describing the work the grant funded. Reports are generally due within about a year of the grant award date. See the grants page for details.
This requirement varies from institution to institution. However, the International Travel Grant is paid in the form of a check made out to the individual and no institutional overhead can be charged to this grant. The AAS hopes that all institutions will value the benefits of these grant programs to their researchers and waive any claim to overhead. If overhead must be paid, the AAS will not issue the grant to the recipient.
Grants - International Travel Grants
The International Travel Grant program funds travel to international scientific meetings. Usually funding is limited to round-trip, coach-class airfare between the applicant's home institution and the airport closest to the meeting. Some exceptions for necessary ground transportation are possible.
No. Funds from this grant cannot be used to fund travel to any AAS or AAS Division meeting, whether held internationally or in the United States.
You must hold a doctorate in astronomy or a closely related science and work at a US institution. Some possibility for funding graduate student travel does exist. Applications from students who have not yet completed their PhD should be accompanied by an advisor recommendation letter. You also must be traveling to an international scientific meeting and your application must be approved by the ITG committee.
Apply online or download the application form from the AAS International Travel Grant page.
Please see the International Travel Grant page for the current deadlines.
You may apply for an International Travel Grant as often as you like, but you can only receive one travel grant per year, except in years in which an IAU General Assembly takes place when you can apply once for funds to travel to the IAU GA and once for fund to travel to another meeting. So, in IAU GA years only, you may receive two grants, one for the IAU General Assembly and one for another meeting.
The letter from your advisor needs to make clear to the committee why it is beneficial both to you personally as a graduate student and to the broader astronomical community that you attend the meeting in question. Letters should be no longer than one or two pages.
No. The ITG Application form is a comprehensive form for the ITG program. The General Assembly (or GA) only occurs every three years. If you are attending an IAU sponsored meeting, or any other meeting, simply write the title and dates on the lines below the General Assembly check box.
About one month after the proposal deadline, a check will be mailed to grant recipients. If you need funds more quickly, some exceptions can be made and expedited check delivery carried out.
Yes. You must turn in a brief description of the meeting you attended (usually one page or less) highlighting the benefit of your attendance. You must also provide receipts and plane tickets to prove you completed travel to the meeting.
The program will only fund travel to one international scientific meeting per person per year, plus attendance at the IAU General Assembly. In other words, when there is an IAU GA, you may apply for two trips, one to the GA and one elsewhere. When there is no IAU GA, you may only request funding for one international meeting. However, if some meetings occur close in time, the traveler may attend multiple meetings on one travel grant as long as the International Travel Grant funds are used only for two international travel legs (there and back only. Not between meetings and not between overseas locations). If you have specific questions, please contact Kevin Marvel.
The program only funds round-trip, coach-class airfare to the meeting; it does not provide additional funds for living expenses or lodging.
Unless you receive prior approval, you must return any unused portion of your grant. Please make checks payable to the American Astronomical Society and attach your check to the front of your final report.
Unless you have prior approval for a higher ticket amount, you must pay for the remaining balance from your own money.
Your final report must contain a brief summary of the meeting you attended, including a description of your participation and the benefits the meeting had for you professionally. Further, you should include your plane tickets or some other form of proof that you completed the travel along with any receipts.
Please send your final report to:
AAS Executive Office
2000 Florida Avenue, NW, Suite 300
Washington, DC 20009
A simple acknowledgement is adequate. For example: "I acknowledge the support of the American Astronomical Society and the National Science Foundation in the form of an International Travel Grant, which enabled me to attend this conference."
Journals and Publications
The AAS requires that you get the permission from the author and send a notification of the material to be used and where it will be used to firstname.lastname@example.com. Please see our copyright policy.
The Astrophysics Data System, sponsored by NASA, has an extensive, searchable archive of data on astronomical publications.
We only publish the abstracts. We do not publish full articles based on meeting presentations in the Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society (BAAS). You could search the NASA Astrophysics Data System to see if the BAAS author published in other journals on the same topic. You can also search the web for the author's institution and see if anything is published on the author's own website.
The AAS Photo-Bulletins are available through the Astrophysics Data System. To retrieve the issue, enter volume#24, highlight the American Astronomical Society Photo-Bulletin and hit the Send Request button.
The AAS will NOT review or comment upon research manuscripts unless they are submitted for publication in one of the AAS journals in accord with the instructions for that journal.
The AAS will only publish book reviews for books that cover astronomical education, career development, and public policy. Educational book reviews may be submitted to the Astronomy Education Review. The AAS News Digest occasionally contains summaries of non-scientific books in the areas of career development or public policy. The purpose of these summaries is to alert our members to the existence of publications which they may not find in any other way and which the staff judges to be of interest. It is not intended as a critical review.
Advertising is accepted in the annual AAS Calendar and on the AER site. Corporate Members and Publisher Affiliates may advertise in the AAS Meeting Program booklet. The AAS does not accept paid advertising in its journals, newsletter, Membership Directory, or website. AAS members receive Physics Today, which does accept advertising.
Journals - Author Instructions
In conventional mathematical notation, an italic letter with a subscript generally denotes a variable taken at or with reference to some condition (indexed by the subscript). Thus, R om , the subscript m appearing here in the same way as for other single italic variables, would be the correct notation for, say, observed resonance, optical radius, etc. ApJ generally prefers to set two-letter abbreviations roman (not italic) within equations, to distinguish them from strings of variables: thus EM for emission measure is set roman so it is not misread as "energy times mass." We have adopted the roman abbreviations Ro, Ra, Re for Rossby, Raleigh, and Reynolds numbers (and so for other named variables), as being most consistent with our general notation and least prone to misreading. Then, following conventional notation, magnetic Reynolds numbers are set Re
AAS journals close up dependent prefixes (non-, ultra-, sub-, super-, multi-, etc.). Multi- is a dependent prefix (you cannot say "the cell is multi"), and so is closed up. But "single" is not a dependent prefix; it is normal adjective (you can say "the cell is single"), and so the proper form is a hyphenated compound adjective, single-cell.
Compound terms such as "early type," "V band," and "intermediate redshift" are hyphenated when they are used as adjectives (as in "many early-type stars were seen in intermediate-redshift V-band observations") but open as nouns ("we find many early types at intermediate redshifts in the V band"), following conventional English style for compound nouns and adjectives.
AAS journals follow standard practice in capitalizing generic terms that form a part of a proper name of a distinct, unique geographical or celestial region. "Belt" is capitalized because it is part of the name of the Kuiper Belt, a distinct region in the solar system, in the same way that "Valley" is part of the place name "Red River Valley." However, although Galactic is capitalized when it refers to the Milky Way, the bar is (in the opinion of the Editors of the ApJ ) not as yet a distinct mappable named region, but rather a general descriptive term, and so it is not capitalized.
AAS journals follow the Chicago Manual of Style in not capitalizing the names of theories, concepts, and ideas, such as "fundamental plane."
"Comprise" means "contains, is made up of, embraces": the whole comprises the parts, the parts compose the whole. "Is comprised of" should properly be rephrased as either "comprises" or "is composed of" ("the galaxy comprises many stars" or "the galaxy is composed of many stars").
Split infinitives are an old chimaera of English grammar. Actually, it is not true that it is illegal to split infinitives in English. To quote the Chicago Manual of Style , "Although from about 1850 to 1925 many grammarians stated otherwise, it is now widely acknowledged that adverbs sometimes justifiably separate the "to" from the principal verb." (5.106) ApJ , as a modern journal, is happy to concur.
English has a strong preference not to split transitive verbs (such as "confirm") from their objects ("the result"); in particular, transitive+object pairs should not be interrupted by adverbs ("empirically"). The copyeditor could also have fixed this sentence by moving the adverb to the end, rather than the beginning ("to confirm the result empirically"), but having adverbs precede rather than trail verbs is a more vigorous style.
Physics, while plural in derivation, is generally construed as a singular noun except when referring to several "physics" (i.e., two or more different systems of physics). In this sentence, where the meaning is "uncertainty in the field of physics," the singular form "needs" would be correct.
Correct the proof as you normally would but also contact Dr. Greg Schwarz with the details of the table changes when you return proofs to the Press
That depends on the number of changes you need to make. If it is only a few minor corrections then you should wait until you are contacted by the copy editor or when you receive the proofs. If the changes are extensive, contact the editorial offices so that the paper can be pulled from its assigned issue. The revised paper will have to be sent to the scientific editor to review the changes. Once the changes are accepted, the paper will be assigned to another issue.
Image programs such as Adobe Photoshop can be used to make the conversion.
CMYK stands for cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. Most computer-generated figure files are created using the RGB (red, green, blue) color model, which is used for devices, such as computer monitors, that create color with light. The CMYK system uses the 4 process colors used in printing, and is therefore the necessary format for figure files to be used for printing.
Yes. This link will take you to a web based program that will take your formatted or delimited data and convert it into a machine readable table
The specifics are:
- Customers based in the EU who supply a valid VAT registration number do not get charged VAT.
- Customers based in the EU who do not supply a valid VAT registration number do get charged VAT at the UK prevailing rate.
- Customers based in the UK (not charities) do get charged VAT at the UK prevailing rate.
- Customer in the rest of the world (ROW) do not get charged VAT.
Nearly all EU research institutions possess a valid VAT registration number, so VAT should not be charged for page charges for the overwhelming majority of page charge contributors.
Journals - AASTeX
The basic version "requirement" of AASTeX v5.x is a running LaTeX 2e system.
We can be a little more granular than that, because aastex.cls asks for a LaTeX format file of 1995/12/01 or later. (That was the earliest version we had for testing). Format files dated earlier than 1995/12/01 will produce a warning message and may cause LaTeX errors.
Did you download it with Netscape 6? Users have reported that Netscape 6 corrupts the tar ball during download. Try a different browser or download the ZIP file instead.
Only the
aastex.cls file has to be copied anywhere. There is a "make install" capability for Unix systems, but one has to have the installation directory properly identified in the Makefile, and of course proper permissions are required.
In the Makefile for AASTeX:
Set INSTALLDIR to the directory that aastex.cls should be installed in. It would be canonical for it to go in the
tex/latex/misc area. So you probably only need to change the leading portion of this, once you know where your texmf installation is rooted.
If you have tetex installed, you can run "texconfig conf" to see what TEXMFMAIN is.
When the INSTALLDIR parameter is set correctly in the Makefile, you can just type "make install" in the usual way. You must have the necessary write permission in the system area where LaTeX files are installed.
Modern TeX installations often have a cache of all available files. This cache has to be updated after new files are added in the directory hierarchy.
If you have teTeX, you must type "texconfig rehash" to update the necessary table - this takes proper permissions.
If you have a TeX installation other than teTeX, you will have to explore its instructions for installing extra packages and for subsequently updating the cache.
Your problem may be that DOS is having trouble with the line endings in the .sty or .cls files. Convert the line endings to DOS—for instance, by opening each file with the DOS "edit" command and saving it—and the buffer message will probably go away. If it doesn't, you'll need to consult the documentation for your particular LaTeX installation to figure out how to increase the buffer size.
Dave Meisel has provided a README on how to use AASTeX with OzTeX, as well as an Excalibur dictonary containing most of the AASTeX extensions not contained in the original Excalibur dictionary:
Yes. You will need a working Windows LaTeX installation. One popular Windows package is MikTeX. A free download is available at http://www.miktex.org. Consult the MikTeX documentation for instructions on how to install the AASTeX class file.
Make sure that your
\tablerefs, and and
\tablenotetext command appear after the
\enddata command. Older versions of AASTeX were more forgiving of the commands being misplaced, but as of v5.2, they must appear after
Download and install the most recent version of the package. The
\rotate command was broken in older versions of the package.
Note that if you view the typeset table with the
xdvi LaTeX previewer, it may look like it is running off the page. It will, however, print properly. If you want to view the table without printing, redirect the
dvips output to a PostScript file and use a PS viewer like Ghostview to browse the output.
\rotate command needs to be in the table preamble, after your
\begin{deluxetable}. If you use
\rotate outside of the deluxetable environment, every table following the command will be rotated.
Use the
\tabletypesize command in your table preamble:
See the package documentation for the available type size options.
You can make the columns tighter by using \setlength with the \tabcolsep argument. For example,
In some instances, you may be able to tighten the columns enough to keep the table upright.
Download and install the most recent version of the package. As of v5.2, table end notes will break to a new page if they are too long to fit below the table body and users may also force table breaks with the
\tablebreak command.
Be warned that despite claims to the contrary in previous versions of the package documentation, the LaTeX \\* command for keeping lines of a deluxetable together on a page does not work with deluxetable. If you don't like where AASTeX is breaking the table, use
\tablebreak to force a break.
Download and install the most recent version of the package. A bug in older versions of the package broke stand-alone tables. This was fixed in v5.2.
If a \cutinhead appears immediately after the \startdata in a deluxetable, the text may format flush left or a blank row may be inserted above the head. In this instance, use \multicolumn with alignment "c" instead.
\cutinhead will work as expected if it appears elsewhere in the table.
No, athough decimal alignment can be faked by using the TeX
\phantom command to adjust the alignment cell by cell. Another option is to switch to the standard "table" enviroment and use the LaTeX 2e
dcolumn package.
This macro was reintroduced in v5.2, so download and install the most recent version of the package if you want to use it. You may, however, wish to consult the graphics documentation first. In most cases, you should be able to place your graphics in your paper using
\plottwo, or \includegraphics.
\AA in an
Instead of using
\plotone or
\plottwo, call the
graphicx package command
\includegraphics with the
angle option. For instance, to rotate a figure 90°, you would issue the command
Make sure you have put parentheses around the date in the square-bracketed arguments of your \bibitems:
\bibitem[Abt (1990)]{abt90}
If you do not delimit the date with parentheses in every \bibitem, natbib won't handle the cross-references properly and will put a number in place of the year or the whole citation depending on whether you used \citet or \citep. Even just one missing set of parentheses will cause the cross-referencing to fail, so check the argument of every single \bibitem in the reference list if you are having this problem.
Once you have inserted the missing parentheses, delete the
.aux file and LaTeX as usual.
Yes. Jonathan Baker from UC Berkeley has written a bibliography style package called
astronat that works with AASTeX. The package and documentation are available on the ADS website: http://ads.harvard.edu/pubs/bibtex/astronat
Please note that because AASTeX v5.x allows
\cite commands, you no longer need to run the
nat2jour.pl script on your document when preparing it for submission to the AAS journals.
In addition, when you submit your paper to the AAS journals or the PASP, be sure to include the
.bbl file with your manuscript. Manuscripts cannot be processed if the
.bbl file is not included. (See the
astronat documentation for more information on preparing your BibTeX document for electronic submission.)
Download and install the most recent version of the package. In previous versions of the package,
\authoremail command when used in the front matter of the document and produced no printed output. This behavior was changed in v5.0.2.
Download and install the most recent version of the package. The behavior of
Download and install the most recent version of the package. The latest version of the package will allow abstracts to run to more than one page in the manuscript and preprint styles.
The AAS does not maintain one, but Alexey Vikhlinin has written a LaTeX 2e style package,
emulateapj5.sty, that approximates the look of an ApJ page. It is available at http://hea-www.harvard.edu/~alexey/
Make sure that you have AASTeX v5.2 or later and then use the "longabstract" option when you invoke AASTeX:
This option should only be used in preprint2 mode and only when the abstract is too long to fit on the title page. Using it otherwise will have unpredictable consequences.
Journals and Publications - Subscriptions
The AAS News Digest, an email newsletter with the latest news from the AAS and the astronomical sciences, is sent to Society members every two weeks. If you are a member and not receiving the AAS News Digest emails, please contact Crystal Tinch.
The Astronomical Journal, Astrophysical Journal, Astrophysical Journal Letters and Astrophysical Journal Supplement are all included.
The member subscription rate for the AJ/ApJ/ApJS Electronic Package is US $25. See the member dues and subscriptions page for updates.
Members should contact the AAS Membership Department. Nonmembers should contact IOP Customer Service.
Media and Press
Journalists: See Join the Media Mailing List
Notable press-releases are posted to the AAS homepage under Astronomy in the News. Please note that inclusion in Astronomy in the News does not imply endorsement by the American Astronomical Society.
AAS meetings take place twice each year, once in early January and once in late May or early June. See Future Meetings page for dates. See Division websites for divisional meeting dates.
Meetings are held in a variety of locations, which are chosen by the Board of Trustees in response to proposals from interested institutions. See the Future Meetings page for the locations of upcoming meetings.
AAS meetings are dynamic gatherings of professional astronomers from around the world. The winter meetings typically boast 2,000 participants or more. The four days are filled with scientific sessions, both poster and oral, as well as invited sessions from prominent researchers with exciting results. The summer meetings have topical sessions, which are more lengthy oral sessions focused on particular topics. The meeting program is decided upon by the three Vice-Presidents with logistical details provided by the AAS meeting coordinator.
The Rodger Doxsey Travel Prize provides graduate students or postdocs within one year of receiving or receipt of their PhD a monetary prize to enable the oral presentation of their dissertation research at a winter meeting of the AAS. Other than the Doxsey prize, the the AAS does not have funds to support travel by members or nonmembers to its meetings. The AAS International Travel Grant Program only provides support for US-based astronomers to travel to meetings held outside the US. Four of the AAS Divisions (DDA, SPD, DPS, and HAD) do offer Student Stipend Awards for travel to their Divisional Meetings.
The AAS is primarily a society of researchers in astronomy and it wishes to assure that the members meet minimum qualifications in the area. Nomination by two Full Members of the AAS who are familiar with the qualifications of the nominee is one way of achieving this goal.
The AAS does not distribute the postal or email addresses of its members for any purpose. If a notice is deemed to be of sufficient interest and urgency to warrant email distribution, the AAS will distribute it as part of our regular Electronic Announcement Series. Commercial advertising will not be distributed.
The Policy Regarding the Use of Membership Data by the AAS is posted online and distributed with the yearly renewal notices.
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The AAS provides discounted AAS journal subscriptions to institutions in many developing countries. In addition, astronomers from any country may apply for Chrétien Research Grants, however the grant is not limited to those from developing countries and is often very competitive.
Public Policy
Public policy is a catchall phrase that includes actions of and interactions with both Congress and the Executive branch. It also captures activities of the AAS that can have an impact in the wider arena of public life, such as creating and endorsing statements related to science, science policy, or other issues.
The government has other impacts on astronomy besides the obvious one of providing funds for research and research facilities. Policies on education, such as stipend levels allowed under research grants, or student loan tax credits are both set by the government. Policies regarding land use can have an obvious impact on astronomy. Governmental panels can make decisions about how many federal agencies should fund astronomy. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) manages spectrum use and can have both helpful and harmful impacts on astronomy. At the local level, lighting policies can have both harmful and helpful outcomes for astronomy. In education, school boards can pass regulations preventing certain scientific ideas from being taught in local schools or printed in textbooks. The possibilities for both good and bad actions by government at all levels are tremendous.
Occasionally, an action by government that could have a negative (or positive) impact on astronomy must be stopped (or supported). At these times, a rapid, grassroots-level action on the part of the AAS membership can create a truly positive result in Congress or in other areas of government.
When one of these times arrives, the Policy Fellow works with the Executive Officer and the Committee on Astronomy and Public Policy creates an AAS Action Alert. This is then emailed to the appropriate sub-group of the AAS membership.
This email alert system is not utilized lightly. The alert system is only used when direct action on the part of our members themselves will have a tremendous impact. Typically, the action called for is writing a letter to or calling legislators on a specific issue. The alerts are structured for readability and ease of understanding. Comments on the alerts are always welcome.
No. A single letter to a Senator or Congressman once per year is simply not enough to make your elected representative notice your needs or issues. Regular communication can be tremendously beneficial and the AAS strongly encourages AAS members to develop personal relationships with their elected officials or their staff.
For an issue to become important in a Congressional office, approximately five letters must arrive in a given week. This number is a bit larger for Senatorial offices. When an AAS Action Alert is sent out, we have heard from Congressional offices that many hundreds of letters (from AAS members only in several cases) have convinced the member of Congress to take action on the issue.
To establish a personal contact, it is better to actually meet with the member's staff in Washington or at their home office. Contact the Policy Fellow for help in setting up appointments or information on particular members of Congress.
If you have a public policy question that isn't listed here, then you can email AAS Public Policy or call the Director of Public Policy (202-328-2010 x120) or the John N. Bahcall Public Policy Fellow (202-328-2010 x113). We'll do our best to provide you with the information that you need.


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A staggering 18,000 foodies and trend-seekers poured into San Francisco's Moscone Center this week, prowling the aisles, cheek by jowl, as they hunted for the newest, hottest and buzziest edibles at the 38th annual Winter Fancy Food Show, the biggest food trade show in the West.
Daunting in size and scope, this year's event showcased more than 80,000 new food products from 35 countries — and featured a taste marathon that often bordered on the ridiculous. For every flax-infused or coconut-laced item, there was a dash of quirk in the booth next door, thanks to the presence of Hot-Cans, self-heating cans of soup and coffee; tiny marinated peppers called "Sweety Drops"; and Fresh Origins Herb and Flower Crystals in flavors such as basil and fennel.
The big trends this year include the presence of coconut and flax in virtually every food group; mountains of low-fat, high-fiber, bean- and lentil-based chips; an explosion of "meal starter" sauces and kits; and low-calorie, low-fat, gluten-free, vegan everything you can imagine.
One of the trade show's most exciting components is always the hall devoted to products so new they are just making it to store shelves. Among the discoveries here was the month-old Nuttyness line. This line of chocolate-dipped marzipan bars was inspired by the sweets of Kristian Salvesen's childhood.
"This is what we eat in Norway," the Oakland resident says. "The bars are everywhere, and they are so much better than anything you can get here."
Unlike the very sweet marzipan candies typically found here, Salveson's are almond-forward, with just enough sugar to let you know it's candy. The flavors — orange-cayenne, lemon-ginger and almond-pistachio, for example — make them even more interesting.
After strolling and tasting my way through the entire show, these were the 10 most memorable bites. Some are available on store shelves now. We may have to wait a few months for the rest to arrive.
1 Magnolia All-Natural Tropical Avocado Ice Cream: Barely sweet, this unusual, ethereal ice cream offers a seductive, velvety texture and true avocado flavor. The ice cream is $3.99 per pint; $3.99-$4.99 for a pack of four bars. Other flavors include lychee, Thai tea, coconut, mango and a stellar purple yam.
2 Nuttyness Marzipan Bars: Fresh marzipan infused with creative flavors and dunked in top-notch chocolate make these hefty bars a perfect bite of dessert. One 2.5-ounce bar is $5.99. The bars are available at The Pasta Shop in Berkeley and Chocolate Covered in San Francisco's Noe Valley neighborhood. They can also be found at www.nuttyness.com.
3 Republic of Tea Watermelon Mint Tea: The booth reps were excited about their basil-flavored Moringa, a raw rooibos tea, but the unexpectedly juicy watermelon-mint is far more fun and delicious. The tea, sold in large pouches designed for iced tea pitchers, has a summery melon aroma and flavor. The tea will be available March 1. A box of eight pouches will sell for $6.99.
4 Sheila G. Brownie Brittle: A union of two addictive food genres, these flat, crunchy brownie-flavored chips have all of the rich flavors of a brownie, minus a lot of the fat. Unlike competing brands, Sheila G's brittle retains the fresh flavors of butter and vanilla. One serving has 120 calories. A 4-ounce bag is $5. Learn more at www.browniebrittle.com
5 Nettle Meadow Honey Lavender Fromage Blanc: This soft, spreadable goat cheese from New York has a smooth, luxurious mouth-feel and a gorgeous, yet not overpowering lavender flavor. A 5-ounce tub is $6.99. Find it at specialty cheese shops or online at www.nettlemeadow.com.
6 Brown Sugar and Apple Vinegar Skillet Pumpkin Sauce: This bold pumpkin paste is packed with attitude. It could work as a bruschetta topping, a panini spread or a sauce base for a skillet of shrimp. The Seattle-based company, which earned recognition for its bacon jam, sells at specialty grocers and wineries for $8 for a 7-ounce jar. Find a store near you at www.skilletstreetfood.com.
7 NewTree Pearls: These chewy, chocolate-covered bites of dried fruit and other sweets are packed with flavor. The pearls contain everything from biscotti to milk chocolate, but the best are orange, black currant and cherry. The chocolate is high quality, and the fruit is slightly tart. A 2.82-ounce bag is about $2. NewTree Pearls will be widely available beginning in April.
8 Lounge Attire Premium Cocktail Cranberries: At long last, the Day-Glo, sickly sweet maraschino has been replaced with a prettier and significantly tastier alternative. Even better: These sweet, marinated cranberries are a deep ruby hue. An 8-ounce jar of about 100 cranberries is $12.95. Find them at www.cocktailcranberry.com.
9 Mange Le Gastronome Red Pepper Vinegar: A serious standout in the ever-expanding vinegar category is this line of brightly colored, viscous vinegars made with fruits and vegetables. The vinegars have just enough kick to brighten a salad or sauce and enough flavor to stand alone. The best-seller is the red pepper, which retails for $12.95, but even more fun is the sampler box of ten 40 mL. samples for $19.99. The line isn't yet available in stores, but you will find it online at www.mange-legastronome.com.
10 One Degree Organic Foods Vegan Bread: Unlike so many cardboard-flavored, vegan whole-grain breads, these loaves are soft, fresh and far too delicious to drown in butter. The line includes four types of bread — ancient whole wheat, lentil grain, flax and spelt, and sesame sunflower — plus a range of flours for bakers. A loaf is $5.49. Find it at Raley's, Zanotto's in San Jose and Nob Hill in Livermore.

subset: commoncrawl


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Economic opportunity
Watch the video above to learn how we're empowering young people in Africa to go after their dreams, start their own businesses, and succeed — no matter what challenges they may face.
A roadside stand in South Sudan selling soap; an internet start-up in Gaza; a tofu processing plant in Indonesia: The global economy is connected by complex and dynamic markets. Mercy Corps believes in harnessing this inherent power to provide better opportunities for the world's poor and vulnerable, half of whom live on less than $2/day.
Local communities themselves have the ability to drive this change and no two situations are alike. For this reason, we take a holistic, locally-led approach, working with communities, their systems and structures to build businesses, increase income and improve employment opportunities. Even in the most fragile and informal markets, we focus on intentional, market-based solutions, ones which can succeed and expand long after we've left.
Learn more about our approach to market systems development ▸
Mercy Corps promotes safe, decent and equitable income opportunities for individuals around the world.
Learn about our approach to make markets work in crisis ▸
Mercy Corp's market-driven approach to crisis response leverages the capacities of non-aid actors in local and global economic systems and gives crisis-affected individuals the ability to drive their own decisions and secure their own lives and livelihoods.
Learn about our approaches to the "world of work" — employment, employability, entrepreneurship and job creation ▸
Forty-two percent of the world is under the age of 25; Mercy Corps tailors employment programming to the unique needs of male and female youth.
Nigeria: How refugees get the job done in their new cities
From New York to Nigeria, refugees are breathing life into their new communities. The research bears it out: Refugees need work, but local economies also need refugees.
DR Congo: Cash and the family goat: Sifa's story of survival
When Sifa and her children fled their home, the only thing they had to rely on was the family goat. Learn how we helped her recover what she lost.
Steps toward a bright future
Against a backdrop of unemployment and scarce opportunity, we see youth as changemakers who are rising to meet the tough challenges they face with energy, optimism and success.
Lebanon: Economic stability in Lebanon helps both Lebanese and Syrian refugees
The Bekaa Valley is a picturesque, fertile valley in east Lebanon. Situated about 30 kilometers east of the capital Beirut, it is Lebanon's most important farming region.
Tunisia: How we're empowering young entrepreneurs in the wake of revolution
Revolution five years ago began the Arab Spring and brought democracy to Tunisia, but it also resulted in economic struggles. We're working with young entrepreneurs to revitalize the economy and build stability for the future.
Afghanistan: Addressing anger, not just income, is key to fighting instability in Afghanistan
We're tackling insecurity and violence in Afghanistan by providing young people with the support they need to build stable livelihoods, cope with life's challenges and bolster stronger, more just communities.
The truth behind 5 myths about global poverty
If the United Nations wants to truly end global poverty, its member nations will have to face some hard truths first.
Nigeria: In vulnerable communities, young women dream big
Abasiya used to be like many young women in Nigeria — out of school, poor, and with few opportunities in front of her. How did she build dreams for the future?
Guatemala: Tea and spice growers working for healthier futures
Growing tea ingredients is a precarious livelihood. That's why we've worked with Tazo Tea over the last decade to support farming communities in India and Guatemala. Meet a few people who now have a brighter future.
Central African Republic: Building towards a better future
As the only woman in her carpentry workshop, Berthe has to be tough. But the skills she's learning will help give her family the future they deserve.


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Chang has collected two medals at the November North American Cup (Gil Talbot).
Virginia Beach, Va. – Jerry Chang of the Harvard men's fencing team won his second medal in three days at the November North American Cup, earning a bronze in the Division I men's foil event Monday afternoon. The Harvard freshman won gold in the junior men's foil event Saturday.
Chang toppled Hazem Khazbak, 15-4, and Jan Maceczek, 15-6, in the tables of 64 and 32, respectively. Next, he edged his Crimson teammate, Michael Woo, 15-13, and Robert Nunziato, 15-11 to advance to the semifinals against Gerek Meinhardt. Meinhardt ended Chang's run en route to a gold medal.
Michael Woo and Brian Kaneshige also had strong showings in the event, as Woo placed 13th and Kaneshige finished 17th out of 178 competitors. In the junior foil event Saturday, Kaneshige and Woo earned 13th and 15th, respectively, in a field of 161 fencers.
After earning a bye in the table of 258, Woo held his first three opponents in table play to single digits, winning the bouts by scores of 15-5, 15-8 and 15-5 before falling to Chang in the table of eight.
Kaneshige also clinched a first round bye held a bye in the table of 256 with an unblemished record in his pools. He won two matches, but ultimately bowed out in the table of 32 with a 15-11 loss to Harry McGuire.
The Harvard men's fencing team next competes in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. against Vassar, NYU, Sacred Heart, North Carolina and Penn State.


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Truck Festival takes place this weekend (July 25th-26th) in a field in Steventon, near Oxford. We asked its founders to take over our DiScover column and tell us not only about the new bands on the bill, but also how they were chosen. They duly obliged.
Robin writes:
Since Truck made it on to the map of festivals people want to play at, each year we have been deluged with demos. We sometimes manage to listen through them - indeed, Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly! made it through the demo jury one year and opened the main stage, selected ahead of Test Icicles, no less. Still, most demos don't get listened to, and it seemed like a big waste of paper and plastic for people to be sending them in. I remembered the SonicBids website, through which my band had applied to SXSW, and thought it could be useful. I was also aware that there was a risk of us only booking our friends each year (we do, of course - that's one of the reasons we do a festival!) to the exclusion of new artists. This year we guaranteed 12 slots to artists who applied via this process. The result was that we listened to more new music than we had for years, with over 400 applicants for the 12 slots, and discovered some new favourites in the process. My brother Chris was given the task of making notes about each one...
Chris writes:
How the hell did we cut down that many artists to 14? It's half-past twelve at night, I'm in the middle of my university finals, I have an exam in two days! What am I doing making a phone call to my brother, who then puts me on speaker-phone so my other brother (who's on Skype) can hear what I'm saying, and I can hear what he's saying? It's like a conference-call, but everything's inaudible. Are we going to pick Nedry? They say they played at Truck last year as part of the Crossword Records showcase. None of us saw them, but they sound like they'd fit in there, and they have a nice picture. That's the strange thing about this website, the unexpected importance of the peripherals.
You can really spot the bands that have signed up to the site just so they can apply to play at Truck. Their Electronic Press-Kits (EPKs) feel distinctly more personal than the ersatz friendliness of the mass-application country rock bands from Arkansas, who probably couldn't play anyway. For the most part, though, it got to the point where I would have been really happy to have any of the last 50 or so bands at the festival. The standard was that high.
Getting the numbers down to 50 was hard enough, but the ones remaining were all really good. After that, the rationale for choosing one band over another became almost arbitrary. Of the fourteen bands chosen, a couple can't make it: Flowers Of Hell, and Polk Madre. Flowers Of Hell make great marble sculptures of anaesthetised Spacemen 3-shaded pieces, an orchestra-sized band centred around Greg Jarvis, a synaesthetic who can compose music that sounds uncannily like sunrise. Unfortunately, he also lives in Toronto. Polka Madre would have been great fun: a Mexican Klezmer-punk outfit that would've run the risk of upstaging the rest of the festival by just being too darned fun, so it's probably for the best that they'll be finishing a tour of Finland on the 25th. This alphabetically-ordered lot CAN play, though:
6 Day Riot (Market Tent, 1pm Saturday)
If there were an award for the most-listened-to song from the SonicBids bands, 'Go! Canada' would certainly have won it, just by being the most addictive Ukelele-led piece of summery pop (what else?) written about a member of your band quitting the day before travelling to a music industry conference. I for one will definitely be watching them play.
Listen to 6 Day Riot on MySpace
Their Hearts Were Full Of Spring (Truck, 12pm Saturday)
For a band named after a song the Beach Boys covered that was schmaltzy even by their standards, THWFOS (perhaps inevitably) don't share the over-arching naivety of the Wilsons before the fall of the endless Summer, but as their songs glide from one piece of lush melancholy to the next, and they can be just as sweetly melodic. Check out their dismantling of Winterlong as a lullaby on myspace so you can see why we chose them.
Listen to Their Hearts Were Full Of Spring on MySpace
Cat Matador (The Barn, 12:50pm Saturday)
One of the local bands that got through the process, Cat Matador absorb all our favourite indie bands and chew them up into their own thing.
Listen to Cat Matador on MySpace
Dial F For Frankenstein (The Barn, 12pm Saturday)
Local lads doing pretty good, Dial F For Frankenstein have been bubbling up in the Oxford music scene of late, and a set at the Oxford gigathon The Punt went down so well that they got an encore. They'll be a great band for kicking off the barn on Saturday.
Listen to Dial F For Frankenstein on MySpace
Disasteradio (Beat Hive, 2.50pm Saturday)
Without a doubt the most oddball of the bunch, Luke 'Disasteradio' Rowell is reportedly something of an underground legend in New Zealand, but the bewilderingly addictive 8-bit electro-pop (with a strong emphasis on the pop) of songs like 'Awesome Feelings' deserves international recognition. Insanely fun electronica always does seem to go down better on Sunday than Saturday; Disasteradio don't look like breaking that trend.
Listen to Disasteradio on MySpace
From Light to Sound (Beat Hive, 2pm Saturday)
Another Oxford band that have only started out relatively, but in truth the musical history of each member (Mark Wilden seems to have been in bands forever) shows in the tightness of their sound, sometimes Motorik, other times reaching for Explosions in the Sky-esque crescendos,.
Listen to From Light To Sound on MySpace
Joe Allen Band (Village Pub Broadcasting Corporation presents, 1pm Saturday)
Joe Allen and Angharad Jenkins met while studying music at Oxford Brookes university, have now been making music for the best part of two years now, and have gradually been getting more and more people's attention – and deservedly so – to the point if being front-cover stars of this month's Nightshift and playing a gig at the Holywell Music Room. This weekend they'll be playing in the slightly more down-to-earth environs of the 'Village Pub', but you can expect hushed silence nonetheless!
Listen to Joe Allen Band on MySpace
* Mañana* (Truck, 1:10pm Saturday)
Mañana's sound is far from a scratchy demo, being produced by Ken Thomas (Sigur Ros, Coldplay). They've even supported the aforementioned Icelanders on tour and share their expansiveness. Even more notably, they are from Switzerland, hardly renowned for rock 'n' roll. This could be what the Alps would sound like if they were music.
Maybeshewill (The Barn, 10:40 Sunday)
I missed seeing them on their last UK tour with And So I Watch You From Afar, but briefly considered putting on a gig in Manchester just so I could see them live. The inevitable Mogwai comparisons (this is p*-rock, after all) don't do them justice, as they have a concision that sets them apart from their peers, and are all the more awesome for it.
Listen to Maybeshewill on MySpace
Nedry (Beat Hive, 12:30pm Sunday)
Second-time round at Truck for Nedry (last year they were called Thugz), everyone kinda thought that these guys were the perfect glitchy type of act to play in the beat-hive on a Sunday. Taking influences from the more esoteric end of electronica from Battles to The Knife, and filtering it through the murk of dubstep, they were one of the first acts to really stand out from the crowd and I'm really looking forward to (hopefully) seeing them.
Talons (The Barn, 11:30 Sunday)
I was blown away by their explosive energy at a recent Pulled Apart By Horses show, and Talons are certainly ones to get you out of your tent early Sunday morning. Clearly demonstrating the complexities of their math rock counterparts, Talons are rapidly filling the void that Aereogramme left behind.
Younghusband (Village Pub, 11am Sunday):
Pet project of erstwhile member of Emmy The Great's band Euan Hinshelwood, Younghusband makes it clear that his formative years were the mid-90s. Rather than the "British Pop" sound, though, The Olivia Tremor Control, Pavement and Grandaddy feel like the real roots here, like generation-X slacker rock that woke up at the end of the wrong decade.


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Nestled in Sony Ericsson's feature phone past is a rich history of Walkman devices, some good, some bad, all purporting to offer enhanced music features, something that many phones will now offer you.
The Mix Walkman is a Walkman feature phone and by feature phone we mean that it isn't an Android device like the Xperia line, it's a return to the proprietary OS of before. If it's Android you're after, you'll want the Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman.
The Sony Ericsson Mix Walkman has taken some design cues from smaller Xperia Android devices however, most notably the Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini, moving the main control icons of the home screen to the corners.
In many ways the interface looks like Android, so it is at least consistent with other Sony Ericsson phones. From an apps point of view basic social networking is covered and you do get a reasonable selection on the phone. Beyond that we're not certain of the degree to which you'll be able to expand what your phone does.
The 3-inch screen on the front offers up a slightly low 400 x 240 pixels, but it is at least capacitive and in our brief hands-on we found it to be fairly responsive, although this was a pre-production model and some software bugs are still to be ironed out.
To help you find tracks you'll find a Zappin key on the top, along with the Walkman key and 3.5mm headphone socket. Zappin will play snippets of your tracks to help you quickly find something you want to listen to.
All in, the Sony Ericsson Mix Walkman is a compact handset. It won't compete with smartphone rivals, but at first glance it appears to cover the bases whilst staying affordable. Of course, it won't bring with it much of the excitement and expandability that cheap Android devices do.
Available for £90 on PAYG, it is available now and we'll be getting it in for a review as soon as we can.


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"That damn priest," thought the Dragon, his thoughts playing back to the oddly long struggle with what should have been easy prey.
When most priests would have been up in the thick of it, laying on hands and whatnot, this one held back, singing odd songs. It took longer to dispatch them, and the priest had had one last surprise. While devouring the unarmoured priest, he bit something unexpectedly hard. He spit out part of a tooth and a horseshoe. Why was he carrying of those?
Since then, bad luck hung like an aura around him. Adventurers taking wrong turns away from his lair, some of his Wyverns getting lost while hunting, terrible weather, and finally this unending cold. Several parties of useless adventurers had tried to find a cure, but either gave up, got lost or met other fates.
So, apparently a god had it in for him. Now what?
The dragon was able to determine that it was The God of Small Things that he offended. Knowing that he could not destroy a divinity, even one as 'weak' as Arkon, he sought instead to make amends and free himself from his curse of bad luck.
His wyvern servants managed to find another priest of Arkon and brought the priest before him. After long negotiation, the dragon convinced the priest to help him. Casting an augury using various random odds and ends, the cleric told the dragon a long tale regarding Chard's Folly.
Chards Folly
Chards Folly is the name for the Farrier's nail and horseshoe that had loosened through Arkons intervention, resulting in General Chard's defeat and execution. After the battle was lost, and Chard gave his confession, a priest of Arkon was sent to the site to recover the nail, for surely it was a powerful relic. After months of searching, sifting, praying, and undoubtably, cursing, the correct farrier's nail and horseshoe were found. This relic is considered the single most important relic of the Farrian sect of Arkon - the usual holy symbol of this sect is either a ring crafted from farrier's nails, or a horseshoe. The original nail still holds a touch of Arkon's power and the bearer gains the ability to call down Arkon's favour on occasion. As the God of Small Things, this favour is very minor, being no more then what a mouse-sized being could generally accomplish. A strap could be cut, writing smeared, a candle snuffed, etc.
The price for the god's forgiveness was for this relic to be returned to the Farrian sect. After the priest left, the dragon then bent his mind towards finding the god's trinkets. Still of frail health, he would need others to help him, someone smarter then his wyverns.
Enter the PCS.
The Adventure
This short adventure is broken into five main parts and is of a rather linear nature.
The Offer Contacted by the wyverns (or an intermediary), who provided a token gem the value of a warhorse, the PCs meet with the dragon who will explain his predicament. He will offer the PC's a reward in return for their bringing him the relics - Chards Folly.
Vendawan Acting on information provided by the Dragon, the PCs attempt to contact the odd and reclusive mage for the secret to bypass a dangerous trap guarding the relics.
Harad Wood With secrets revealed, or bravely pressing on without them, the PCs now need to traverse Harad Wood to get to the Crypt. There they will encounter the odd being Quidly before reaching their destination.
The Crypt The tomb of a lost Ophidian priest, it is guarded by a lethal trap. The PCs had best be prepared or face crushing defeat.
The Return Relics in hand, the PCs make their way back to the Dragon, to return the Relic and attempt to claim their reward…
Additional Ideas (6)
Act I: The Offer
Never dice with a dragon, and to deal with one is dangerous as well. Fortunately, this dark beast is both sick and desperate, so the dealing is less one-sided. He will meet the PC's in his false lair - earthen piles covered in a thin layer of coins, and various items dressed up by minor magics. His true lair will have been blocked off by tons of earth piled there by him and his servants. He will not reveal the true lair intentionally. The Dragon will offer up to the choice of his horde per pc, but if can get away with less, he will try, starting with 'his gratitude'. However, there are plenty of adventurers in the world, so they had best be deferential to him. He may be sick, but still is a dragon, and his wyverns could be a serious problem as well.
The task is simple - retrieve Chards Folly and bring it back. He will not elaborate on why he needs the item, other then to repay a debt. The Dragon has the following information available:
1. The relic provides good luck to the bearer, along with the ability to manipulate small events.
2. The relic was stolen from the nearby church of Arkon.
3. The relic was last located inside a mysterious crypt in Harad Wood, brought in by the thief who never returned.
4. The crypt is guarded by a dangerous trap which seemed nearly impossible to bypass (at least for his wyverns).
5. The dragon knows of someone who might know how to bypass it, a mage by the name of Vendawan. Vendawan is a scholar of the ancient cult, known as the Sha-Guthroians, which built the crypt, 6. This mage lives nearby in a well known estate. Additional information could be provided at GM's discretion, but the PCs best watch out extending the negotiations and cross examination.
Complication : As soon as the PC's accept employment with the dragon they will begin to suffer the effects of Arkon's disfavor. Arkon has no intention of making the retrieval of the artifacts easy, for the dragon, or his proxies. If they think of it, taking appropriate actions to appease Arkon themselves would greatly help them and could alleviate the effects. Otherwise, they will frequently be subjected to minor misfortunes at times which could make them members. See Table 1 for suggested misfortunes.
If they continue to interact with the Dragon after closing the deal, they could end up provoking a possibly deadly conflict. Assuming the PC's survive the encounter, and are his employ, the PCs either seek the aid of Vendawan or perhaps hurry towards Harad Wood directly..
Act 2: Vendawan
This eccentric mage had a great interest in the forgotten sect of the Ophidians, and has in his possession a prayer book which describes the necessary patterns. All the PCs need to do is convince him to let they at least look at it. Generally, Vendawan is reasonable and accommodating, so long as they let him at least examine whatever they loot from the tomb, he will be more then happy to allow them access to the book. However... Vendawan's domicile is well known to the townspeople of his village, and PCs will find it easy to obtain directions. They will of course also be warned that today is not a good day to bother him
Complication: When the PCs arrive, the mage is deep in the middle of one of his more dangerous experiments. As a result, magical defenses to deter visitors (illusions, non-lethal traps, etc) have been set out by his assistants. If the PCs wish to see him, they need either to somehow convince the extremely reluctant staff, or bypass these defenses to see him. If the PCs are unnecessarily destructive, then Vendawan will have nothing to do with the PCs, possibly teleporting them somewhere inconvenient.
It is possible - especially with Arkon's Disfavor, that the PCs will somehow disrupt the experiment in the process of contacting Vendawan. GMs are encouraged to be creative with the possible outcomes in this event.
Complication :
The book is written in ancient script, and has no pictures. The PC's will need to translate it in some manner - perhaps with Vendawan's assistance. Translation errors could be dangerous... He will not allow the PCs to take the book with them.
Complication :
Of course Arkon's disfavor could wreck any of the negotiations.
Complication :
At least one of the pages of the book is damaged, missing or wrong. Vendawan is quite knowledgeable about many things, and could perhaps advise the PCs to petition Arkon to clear his disfavor. He does not have personal knowledge of the Crypt apart from knowing that the creation of the crypt and it's expensive defenses served to cripple the local cult and led to it's eventual downfall. He will not accompany the PCs - his current line of experimentation is important and is tied to celestial alignments.
Act 3: Harad Wood
This wild forest is largely shunned by humanity. There are legends of dangerous creatures, wild and fae, who haunt the mostly oaken forest. In truth, it is indeed the home of unfriendly Folk - no less the four separate Queendom's exist within the boughs. These realms have no precise borders and conflicts between the queens are commonplace.
It is in one of these border regions that the Crypt lies, in an area claimed by two queens, but controlled by neither. Instead, a rogue fae by the name of Quidly holds court, attended to by swarms of unusually intelligent selvaks.
Once a courtier of Queen Illsithia, Quidly was caught stealing from her. As punishment his shape-shifting abilities were shorn from him and instead he was forced into the form of a were-selvak. Banished as well, he retreated to one of the contended zones on the border of Illsitha's lands and took command of a group of selvaks in that area.
The selvaks posed little danger to most of the Folk, but have made life difficult for several villages of Glen Gnomes who live nearby. Now with Quidly leading them, the selvak ambushes have been more deadly and more then a couple of gnomes have been killed by the Selvaks. The Gnome's requests for aid from Queen Illsithia have been mostly ignored - she pays little attention to her duties as a queen - and the gnomes are bitter and resentful. If the PCs happen across the Gnomes, the Gnomes will attempt to make peaceful contact and then request aid against the selvaks. The Gnomes are aware of the location of the crypt and would be more then happy to help the PC's find the best route there if they help them against the Selvaks.
The Selvak lair is high above the ground in the boughs of oaks of unusual size. If attacked in force, the selvaks will retreat to their tree home. There they will engage the PCs in hit and run tactics, leaping from branch to branch to avoid counter attack. PCs without special skills or magic in climbing trees will be at a distinct disadvantage, especially with Quidly using illusions. Quidly will use his illusions to create false branches, distract with phantom selvaks and to hide real ones. In addition, the ground beneath the lair is seeded with many simple traps (punji-sticks, deadfalls and snares). These cannot be easily bypassed as the selvaks do not travel on the ground here - anything that does is either an enemy or prey. If the PCs do not make contact with the gnomes, then they will be blundering around a dangerous forest, tripping into the different realms of the folk. They may be subject to simple harassment - which will be very similar to the effects of Arkon's disfavor- or direct attack by the folk. They could even be captured and brought before one of the Queens for judgment.
Complication : The Selvaks posed no danger to the Wyverns, and so will not have been reported by them to the Dragon. The Dragon is ignorant of the situation and politics in Harad Wood.
Act 4: The Crypt
The Crypt is quite a simple location - from the outside, this place appears as little but an overgrown earthen mound. After clearing away some of the vegetation, the PCs can find a small passage that leads inward into darkness. Not far inside is the first of the 10 Pegoran Doors, arranged similarly to the Hall of Gods in the main submission. In this case these doors are exceptionally thick, nearly 2' thick. Unlike the Hall of the Gods, these are used in a much more deadly way. The doors are spaced barely 2' apart, so the hallway, 20' long, is filled solid with the doors. As each is successfully opened, it rolls out of the way for about 30 seconds, and then rolls back. As a result, one must be able to quickly open each door or they will be crushed as the doors roll back - apart from the first door, there is no safe place to stand. Each door has 3-5 contact points among scores of glyphs which need to be contacted in the correct order to unlock.
If desired, the 3rd door will not open if the 1st door is held open. The thief Edreal was naturally unlucky - he had stolen Chard's Folly to offset fate's heavy hand. Through its influence and blind luck, he managed to make his way through the Pegoran Doors, but ran afoul of an additional obstacle. The burial chamber at the end of the Pegoran Doors is infested with a deadly crypt fungus. It can be avoided by powerful magics which grant immunity to poison, diseases or remove the need to breathe, or one can simply wear a cloth mask of some sort. Edreal took no such precautions and quickly fell to the deadly fungus. Spores cover every surface and are kicked up easily.
The chamber is simple and unadorned - the walls are carved stone with no carvings or details of note. In the center of the chamber is a similarly unadorned sarcophagus, still closed with a heavy stone lid. At its foot are the moldering remains of Edreal. Everything organic has been infested with the fungus, leaving little intact apart from a corroded dagger, a few buckles and Chard's Folly. Fishing through the remains will definitely subject the searcher to the spores. As for the sarcophagus, it contains naught but dust and spores - the remains have long since decayed away and the cult did not believe in burying items of value.
Complication : Replace the empty Sarcophagus with an undead creature of your choice.
Complication : Add a trap to the Sarcophagus itself - perhaps the room begins to fill with sand.
Act 5: Endgame
Assuming the PCs have managed to obtain the relics, they need to make their way back through Harad's wood and back to the Dragon's lair. With the relic in hand, they will find their luck changing - the bearer will not be subject to Arkons Disfavor, especially if it is actively used.
The final negotiation with the Dragon is perhaps the most hazardous point of the adventure - the Dragon will seek where possible to twist the wording of their agreement to get out of any payment. If the Dragon is out-negotiated, the PCs still will be selecting their 'prize' from his dummy treasure room, and so are unlikely to get much of value, but... Arkon is not done with the Dragon.
If the PCs have managed to be selecting their reward Before turning Chards Folly over, then during their selection, a minor cave-in will reveal a small opening to the true treasure room, a vision of wonder with shiny coins and glimmering gemstones. His treachery revealed, the PCs will need to handle the encounter carefully to avoid a dangerous battle with the Dragon and his wyverns. The PCs may be still be able to negotiate a peaceful settlement - the Dragon will be cautious until he holds the relic. Properly handled, each PCs should be able to get away with an item of great monetary value (or other item at GMs discretion, of course). On the other hand, if they turn the relic over prior too early, they will be roughly escorted out by the wyverns with scant opportunity to pick their reward. Discovering that the items are worthless at this stage (magic, skill, etc) could easily lead to a confrontation as well.
A series of Unfortunate Events
All of these events are more likely to occur where they will cause the most damage and disruption.
1. Buckle securing a saddle releases.
2. Sheath ceases up, slowing drawing of weapon.
3. Painful migraine headache arrives, temporarily impeding spells and most skills.
4. Important item dropped while in precarious position (while looking over bridge, etc).
5. Sparks from campfire carry unusually far, possibly causing a fire.
6. Horse rears, startled by a figment.
7. Critical component (key, spell component, spare bowstring) misplaced, taking longer to find.
8. Muscle spasms kick in, making precise efforts difficult.
9. Unfortunate flatulence.
10. Meat spoils, possibly causing food poisoning.
11. A comment made is misheard, badly.
12. Beverage spilled upon something non water-resistant (books, tinder, small fire, etc).
13. Important item is misused and breaks.
14. Bug swallowed or enters ear.
15. Stinging insect randomly stings someone.
16. Sudden rainstorm.
17. An attempt to gauge direction or distance fails, badly.
18. Laces on footwear comes undone.
19. Buckle on armor releases or ceases up.
20. Visor on helmet malfunctions and blocks vision.
CodexChards Folly ( Plots ) Mystical - Side-Quest
A simple mission for a Dragon, but of course, nothing is ever simple with Dragons.
Pegoran Doors ( Dungeons ) Any - Doors
"The Pegoran saw the circle as the link between this world and the next," the mage said. Before he could pontificate further, "So the door rolled in Raygar to send him to the next?" the rogue blathered, "What a mad peoples!"
Selvaks ( Lifeforms ) Fauna - Forest/ Jungle
While Selvaks have some resemblance to their timid and weaker cousins - squirrels, they are far from cute and fluffy.
The God of Small Things ( Systems ) Divine/ Spirit - Defining
For want of a nail a horse was lost
For want of a horse a rider was lost
For want of a rider a message was lost
For want of a message a battle was lost
For want of a battle a kingdom was lost…
Which serves as a warning not to get on the wrong side of the God of Smalll Things.
The Wheezing Dragon ( Plots ) Discovery - Side-Quest
Jaelric the Black, Shatterer of the Countryside isn't feeling up to par. And he needs a little bit of help.
Vendawan ( NPCs ) Campaign - Mystical
An old, wise and learned wizard, he tends to forget more about the world than most people have learned, most often the most basic things.


text:
New DU hockey coach inherits thin roster, but players and staff looking ahead
New DU hockey coach Jim Montgomery will return to Dubuque, Iowa, and lead his Dubuque Fighting Saints into a USHL Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Muskegon Lunmberjacks. The five-game series begins Wednesday in Dubuque. Montgomery, 43, said he will return to Denver and begin work two days after the Saints are eliminated or win the Clark Cup playoffs as league champions. The latest the finals could go is May 22.
Dubuque has a USHL-best 45-11-8 record, so, as usual, Steve Miller, David Lassonde and David Tenzer are running things for the Pioneers. George Gwozdecky's former support staff will keep the ship afloat — obviously a huge reason why Montgomery retained those guys.
Make no mistake, DU has huge holes to fill. The Pioneers finished the season with just 21 players, including 18 forwards and defensemen, and sophomore goalie Juho Olkinuora (Winnipeg Jets), sophomore defenseman Scott Mayfield (New York Islanders) and junior center Nick Shore (Los Angeles Kings) have signed NHL deals since Gwozdecky was axed April 1. Four seniors — forwrds Shawn Ostrow and Chris Knowlton, defenseman Paul Phillips and goalie Adam Murray — have expired eligibility, so DU only has 14 scheduled returning players. Most of them attended Montgomery's press conference today.
"Looking at the chairs, we might not even have 20 players next year, which is insane," DU sophomore forward Daniel Doremus said, after being asked about losing six players — including four sophomores — to NHL deals in a little more than a year. "(But) you don't need those guys to win championships. Look at Yale (which won the national championship Saturday). They had just a handful of (top NHL prospects) maybe. If you come together, you can do a lot of things. I'm not worried about that. I'm excited about next week, beginning training and a relationship with the new coach."
Coach Miller, who served as associate head coach under Gwozdecky, told me today that recruiting has stabilized. With Phillips and Mayfield gone, DU can't afford to lose U.S. 18-under defensemen Will Butcher and Gage Ausmus. Both are currently in Russia playing for the red, white and blue in the Under-18 World Championship. Ausmus has reportedly de-committed but Miller said he was contacted last week and is optimistic he will embrace Montgomery. Miller said nothing has changed with Butcher.
DU could be fine at D next season, with goalie Sam "Great" Brittain scheduled to have the job by himself as a senior. Brittain won the Keith Magnuson Award as DU's best defensive player as a freshman, and reconstructive knee surgery before his sophomore season helped Olkinuora take over the job this past season.
"We're ready to move on. I'm excited about (next) year," Brittain told me. "Coming back from that injury, they said it always takes a year and a half, two years, so that's underneath the bubble of recovery. So for me, it's all about making sure I'm ready for (next) year."
I briefly talked to freshman center Quentin Shore, Nick's younger brother. Nick signed with the Kings the same day the job was offered to Montgomery, and there was no communication between the two.
"Nick's decision was not based on who our coach was. I don't think George leaving or Jim coming in had any weight," Quentin said.
Quentin and the rest of his teammates, like most alumni and program supports (and media), will miss Gwozdecky, but are enthusiastic about the seemingly hard-nosed Montgomery, who has built a giant in Dubuque and has experience as an NHL player and NCAA assistant coach.
"Big shock for all of us. I definitely didn't see it coming," Quentin said. "Coach Gwozdecky did an unbelievable job of preparing us to win here. I have no doubts that our new coach, Coach Montgomery, will come in and continue that tradition."
Keep tabs with Mike Chambers on Twitter: @MChambersDP
Read more of Mike Chambers at All Things Avs.


text:
BeatTrader needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 46 designs submitted by 16 freelance designers.
We are looking for a new logo for our site TheBeatTrader.com. The logo should be more 'producer' centric. The current logo is geared more towards Dj's.
Desired Color Scheme:
Desired Style:
Clean, professional, high energy. Should contain the text TheBeatTrader.com and a stylized 'beat making' image.
Accepted File Formats:
The logo should include the text TheBeatTrader.com, and some stylized illustration of a drum machine, or other beat making equipment. The color scheme is your choice, as the site will be redesigned.
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


text:
Differentiate yourself and get ahead with ACF certification. Discover the benefits, value and relevance of certification and congratulate those who have accomplished this goal.
Determine which of the 14 ACF certification levels is right for you based on specific qualifications.
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Chapter leaders can utilize and customize valuable tools that will promote certification in their chapters and provide support and encouragement to candidates.
Access resource material describing the mission, goals and governance of the certification program.


text:
This 180CM Aquarium LED set kit is specially put together by us for aquariums of approximately 180-195CM. This set is complete and needs nothing more. It is also possible to extend with our controller for all lighting effects to create such effects as sunrise and sunset.
When you want to make use of the endless possibilities such as sunrise and sunset or night light then you have our controller. Select this option in the drop down menu on this page.
You can also choose for a heavier power adapter so you can add more lights later on when you want. You can also order extra mounting clips.
Any questions about our products? please visit our contact page.Look at our facebook page to stay informed about our products.


text:
Net::DNS::RR::RP - DNS RP resource record
use Net::DNS;
$rr = new Net::DNS::RR('name RP mbox txtdname');
Class for DNS Responsible Person (RP) resource records.
The available methods are those inherited from the base class augmented by the type-specific methods defined in this package.
Use of undocumented package features or direct access to internal data structures is discouraged and could result in program termination or other unpredictable behaviour.
$mbox = $rr->mbox;
A domain name which specifies the mailbox for the person responsible for this domain. Its format in master files uses the DNS convention for mailbox encoding, identical to that used for the RNAME mailbox field in the SOA RR. The root domain name (just ".") may be specified to indicate that no mailbox is available.
$txtdname = $rr->txtdname;
A domain name identifying TXT RRs. A subsequent query can be performed to retrieve the associated TXT records. This provides a level of indirection so that the entity can be referred to from multiple places in the DNS. The root domain name (just ".") may be specified to indicate that no associated TXT RR exists.
Copyright (c)1997-2002 Michael Fuhr.
Package template (c)2009,2012 O.M.Kolkman and R.W.Franks.
All rights reserved.
This program is free software; you may redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as Perl itself.
perl, Net::DNS, Net::DNS::RR, RFC1183 Section 2.2