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IYA2009 Updates
Galileo relics rediscovered: two fingers and a tooth
23 November 2009
Three exceptional Galilean relics, deemed lost for over a century, have been found again by chance by a collector.
Their story begins on 12 March 1737. The remains of Galileo were being moved from a secret storage room where they had first been laid to the monumental tomb in Santa Croce, opposite that of Michelangelo, where they still remain today. Some present decided to take "souvenirs", and removed parts of Galileo's corpse. One finger has been on display in the Florence Museum, and a bone in Padua. However, two fingers and a tooth went missing in 1905, leading many to believe they had been permanently lost.
These relics were rediscovered at a recent auction, where they were part of a mysterious lot consisting of a wooden case of unusual shape fabricated in the 19th century, surmounted by a wooden bust of Galileo. Inside it was an 18th century blown-glass vase containing two fingers and a tooth. A collector (who has asked to remain anonymous) realised that these items held additional interest. He purchased them and then followed the trail that led to their true nature being unveiled. The Soprintendente al Polo Museale Fiorentino, Cristina Acidini, and the Director of the Museo di Storia della Scienza, Paolo Galluzzi have confirmed the authenticity of these finds.
The relics will be displayed to the public for the first time in spring 2010 on the occasion of the reopening of the Istituto e Museo di Storia della Scienza di Firenze, which will then assume the name of Museo Galileo. More information about the Istituto e Museo di Storia della Scienza: http://www.imss.fi.it/
Festival of astronomy in London celebrates IYA2009
23 November 2009
The University College London is running a festival of astronomy for schools, families, and the general public. The aim is to celebrate IYA2009, and all events are free of charge.
Activities include a spherical projection device, 14-metre timeline, handling ancient rocks, building scale Solar Systems, using telescopes, talking to astronomers about their work, Stars r'us (an interactive exhibit to show how stars are born, live and die) and much more.
Pre-booked school groups: November 25th, 26th and 27th
Families and the general public (first come first served): Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th November from 11:00 to 19:00
Venue: University College London, Gower street WC1E 6BT (please use the main UCL gate in Gower Street, nearest tube Euston Square)
For school booking and general information, please contact Dr Francisco Diego: firstname.lastname@example.com
UCL Your Universe website: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/youruniverse/
IYA2009 Update
22 November 2009
Official Closing of the International Year of the Planet Earth in Lisbon
From 20 to 22 November 2009, a worldwide event will be held to highlight main results of the International Year of the Planet Earth (IYPE) and to launch new initiatives building on the IYPE legacy. Invited by the Government of Portugal, the Planet Earth Lisbon Event 2009 (PEL2009) is being organised by IYPE, the Portuguese National Committee for IYPE and Bombazine, a professional event organising company. More information: http://www.planetearthlisbon2009.org/
Romanian IYA2009 enthusiasts release new web pages
The Romanian Society for Meteors and Astronomy (SARM) has launched five new web pages in its international super-project (led by Andrei Dorian Gheorghe coordinator, Valentin Grigore SARM President, and Florin Stancu web designer), continuing the sky chronology of 2009 through astrophotography, artworks, astronomical poetry, journalism, mini-dramas, humorous debates, and essays, including framing pages, pillar pages and special pages. See these pages via http://www.cosmopoetry.ro/astropoetrytoiya/
Scotland's Galloway Forest awarded Dark Sky status
Galloway Forest Park is the first place in the UK landscape where dark skies are now safeguarded for people to experience for themselves after being awarded Dark Sky Park status by the International Dark-Sky Association. This marks a new high in the growing interest in the UK's dark skies. http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/617/
Meteoroid explosion inspires Sudanese IYA2009 activities
On 7 October 2008 a meteoroid exploded in the atmosphere 37 km above Sudan's Nubian Desert. More information is available here: http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/616/
Stunning new photos and time-lapse videos on TWAN website
There are new stunning photos and time-lapse videos on TWAN website, featuring starry nights of the planet's landmarks from across the world. http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/615/
Telecommunication conference now registering attendees
The conference "Wireless, Telecommunication, Spare: Frontier Research from Marconi to the Future" will be held in Brussels on 3 December 2009. Organised by the Embassy of Italy, it will celebrate the first centenary of the award of the Nobel Prize for Physics to Guglielmo Marconi.
For more information please visit http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/613/
Limburg among the stars during IYA2009
Europlanetarium in Genk, Belgium, has done something particularly special. Noting that there are about 55 constellations visible from the northern hemisphere and there are exactly 44 cities/communities in the province of Limburg, Belgium, they asked every area to "adopt" their own constellation. The aim was to place the province of Limburg in between the stars! Every city/community in Limburg gladly accepted and all 44 now have their own constellation in the sky. http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/612/
40 years of Space Age & Beyond celebrated in Sri Lanka
In support of IYA2009, the Royal College Astronomical Society has organised an innovative programme called "40 years of Space Age & Beyond". This is the largest school-based IYA2009 programme in Sri Lanka and it consists of a workshop, science fiction competition and an exhibition of Apollo 11 Moon rocks which will be held from 8 to 9 December 2009. http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/611/
Pakistan celebrates World Space Week in style
As a part of IYA2009, Pakistan fully embraced World Space Week during 5-10 October. Many activities pertaining to space awareness were carried out during the week. Students and teachers from various schools participated fully in the entire event. For details please visit: http://www.suparco.gov.pk/pages/wsw.asp?wswlinkid=2
Video interview with Fiami, author of The Lives of Galileo
Talented artist and author Fiami has been interviewed for a Swiss Italian channel. His comic "The Lives of Galileo" shows that the history of science is about sharing knowledge across the Earth over the centuries. The sky and astronomy have no owners; we belong to the sky and not the other way around. "The Lives of Galileo" shows this in a humorous yet educational way. See the video here: http://info.rsi.ch/it/home/networks/la1/telegiornale.html?po=6c0f5869-e5e6-486d-bc42-0d6d33e3dd36&pos=d23e09b8-52bd-4311-ae9d-1d21515f55c3&date=&stream=low#tabEdition
New Russian IYA2009 resources help to promote space science
A pair of new websites containing Russian-language resources are proving to be popular.
Astronomical blog Nebula Cast: http://www.nebulacast.com/
Accompanying YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/bizbur08
These feature a monthly vodcast "Pulse of the Live! Universe" devoted to most important astronomical news. There are almost no Russian speaking analogues to this available on the internet. The YouTube channel is currently averaging 1200 visits per day, impressive statistics which demonstrate the potential in digital media.
BLAST! educational DVD now for sale
BLAST!, a spectacular and suspenseful story of space exploration and IYA2009 Special project, is now available on DVD in a double disc set, specially designed for the educational and institutional markets. Five-time Emmy winner Paul Devlin follows his brother Mark Devlin, PhD to five continents, from the Arctic to the Antarctic to launch a revolutionary new telescope on a NASA high altitude balloon to reveal a hidden Universe. From catastrophic failure to transcendent triumph, their adventure reveals the real life of scientists. To buy the DVD, please visit: http://www.blastthemovie.com/buy.html
News round-up, 20 November 2009
20 November 2009
Have you heard the rumour? Have you have you have you? It's the talk of the town: the IYA2009 news round-up is here!
Well done Galloway Forest Park, for achieving Dark Sky status. BBC Online has commendable coverage, including a video. You know the publicity machine is doing its job when BBC Online includes a video. It features an interview with Steve Owens, from the UK IYA2009 effort. Says Steve, "you step out of your car on a dark night and the car just vanishes behind you." Sounds like thieves are making use of the darkness, too. The Galloway story even inspired an article for BBC Magazine. Steve Owens gets quotes in that, too. All hail Steve, the Media Machine! Alas he doesn't feature in the Daily Mail Online story. Next time aim for the hat trick, mate.
To The American Association for the Advancement of Science next, as they're making the world aware of their Caribbean Division's conference. Public engagement was a strong theme so it's only fair that they gave talks on IYA2009. I wonder if these were more or less popular than the "flashing colorful slides of Martians".
India is a good place to be now as an IYA2009-inspired astro-fortnight is kicking off. Press Trust of India has the details, but here's a synopsis: it had a scintillating start (good word, must use more often), Galileo is the main theme, and there are exhibitions and concerts.
Still in that part of the world, Indian Express reports that Punjab University is organising astronomy and astrophysics workshops, happening NOW. Speakers are delivering lectures on observational astronomy, star formation and evolution, galaxies, and practical astronomy. Run along to it if you're close by.
Star Bulletin was star struck this week as they've been investigating amateur astronomy in Hawaii. They've obviously taken it seriously, as it's a lengthy article and has two photos taken specially. Read it all and show that you appreciate the effort. A bit like what you should be doing with these round-ups.
STORY OF THE WEEK! "The planetarium at Raritan Valley Community College is featured in an episode of Cake Boss to be aired on Monday, Nov. 23 at 10:30 p.m. on the cable television network TLC. In the episode, 'Cake Boss' Buddy Valastro and his team create a space-themed cake at Carlo's Bake Shop in Hoboken for a celebration of the International Year of Astronomy at the RVCC planetarium." Thanks to nj.com for that gem.
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to find out how to become a "cake boss". Until the next scintillating round-up, keep checking local sources for stories in your own language.
Romanian IYA2009 enthusiasts release new web pages
20 November 2009
The Romanian Society for Meteors and Astronomy (SARM) has launched five new web pages in its international super-project (led by Andrei Dorian Gheorghe coordinator, Valentin Grigore SARM President, and Florin Stancu web designer), continuing the sky chronology of 2009 through astrophotography, artworks, astronomical poetry, journalism, mini-dramas, humorous debates, and essays, including framing pages, pillar pages and special pages.
Astronomers and writers from all over the world have contributed to this project (still open for the 4th Quarter issue page), which also contains:
- Pages or chapters about activities and dedications for official IYA2009 projects: The World At Night, Dark Skies Awareness, 100 Hours of Astronomy, Galilean Nights, She Is An Astronomer, Cosmic Diary, Universe Awareness, From Earth to the Universe, Galilean Satellites, Star Peace.
- Chapters dedicated to great astronomers and international astronomical organisations.
- Pages about the most important international events of astronomical poetry in 2009, conceived around the International Meteor Conference of the International Meteor Organization in Porec (Croatia), and SARM's Galilean Nights festival of astronomy in Targoviste (Romania).
See these pages via http://www.cosmopoetry.ro/astropoetrytoiya/
IYA2009 retro-style posters now for sale
20 November 2009
A series of stunning IYA2009 posters, designed by talented graphic designer Simon Page, are now available to purchase. There are nine to choose from and they can be delivered internationally. See and buy them here: http://simoncpage.inprnt.com/
Simon's work is the latest in a series of products by graphic designers inspired by IYA2009. For example, James White has created a pair of posters:
The famous web designer Joshua Davis used the concept of IYA2009 and "space" in a presentation available here: http://workshop.joshuadavis.com/presentation_2009.zip
The IYA2009 team congratulates Simon, James, Joshua, and all designers who have helped popularise astronomy through their art.
Meteoroid explosion inspires Sudanese IYA2009 activities
20 November 2009
On 7 October 2008 a meteoroid exploded in the atmosphere 37 km above Sudan's Nubian Desert. More information is available here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_TC3
Linking this exciting event with IYA2009, Sudanese astronomers have organised outreach events to reach a large number of people:
The University of Khartoum organised three trips to the Nubian Desert to recover the fragments of the meteoroid: http://asima.seti.org/2008TC3/
A one day symposium was run on 21 June 2009 with the help of the Ministry Higher Education.
A conference was held from 17 to 19 November 2009, with help from the Arab Union for Astronomy and Space Science (AUASS): http://www.auass.com/
Students implemented a week-long show about astronomy.
Another conference will be held later in the year, from 5 to 15 December: http://asima.seti.org/2008TC3/workshop2008TC3.html
Stunning new photos and time-lapse videos on TWAN website
19 November 2009
There are new stunning photos and time-lapse videos on TWAN website, featuring starry nights of the planet's landmarks from across the world.
- Planets in Brittany by Laurent Laveder
- Moon and Venus in Brittany by Laurent Laveder
- Planets Meet in Harbour by Laurent Laveder
- Young Astronomers by Laurent Laveder
- Brittany from Horizon to Horizon by Laurent Laveder
- Nature Scene by P-M Heden
- Moonset Milky Way by P-M Heden
- Gotland Starry Night by P-M Heden
Caparra Startrails by Juan Carlos Casado
- Winter Moonrise in Hungary by Tamas Ladanyi
- Milky Way Lake by Tamas Ladanyi
- Milky Way from the End of the World by Babak A. Tafreshi
Asia and Middle East
- Desert View by Babak A. Tafreshi
- Bizzare Sky View by Babak A. Tafreshi
- The Color of Fall by Oshin D. Zakarian
- Shrine View by Oshin D. Zakarian
- Silk Road Night by Oshin D. Zakarian
- Eclipsed Landscape by Juan Carlos Casado
- Pingyao Circumpolar Stars by Juan Carlos Casado
- Milky Way over Pagoda by Juan Carlos Casado
Australia and Pacific
Chile (Easter Island)
- Moonbow above Moais by Stephane Guisard
- Moais at Dark by Stephane Guisard
- Moonlit Night of South Pacific by Stephane Guisard
Guest Gallery is a well-received section on TWAN website to feature selected outstanding Earth and sky photos by non-TWAN creative photographers from around the globe. If you have such remarkable photos to share with TWAN Guest Gallery, please contact us. There are new featured photos on the Guest Gallery:
- Zodiacal Light over Chile (Chile) by Yuri Beletsky
- Moon at Qutb Minar (India) by Atish
- Old Moon at Perigee (Italy) by Stefano De Rosa
- Moon and Jupiter over Bahai Gardens (Israel) by Dimitry Rotstein
- Vienna Star Trails (Austria) by Peter Wienerroither
- Jupiter and Shadowed Photographers (Iran) by Soroush Sotoudeh
- Space Shuttle over Italy (Italy) by Marco Meniero
- Steps to the Moon (Portugal) by Miguel Claro
- Milky Way CARMA (USA) by Tom Lowe
- Starry Night over Korosh Tomb (Iran) by Mostafa Kazemipour
- Setting Moon Panorama (Hungary) by Monika Landy-Gyebnar
- Night at Torremocha (Spain) by Vicente Aupi
- Cape Crescent Moon (Turkey) by Hakan Buyuktuncay
- Solar Eclipse Evolution (Turkey) by Cristina Tinta-Vass
- ISS over McDonald Observatory (USA) by Bryan R. Tobias
Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD), a NASA's world-known website, has featured new TWAN photos:
- Moon and Planets in the Morning by Stefan Seip
- TWAN is featuring six special galleries:
Latest Images
Dark Skies Importance
Cosmic Motions
World Heritage Sites
TWAN APODs
TWAN Podcast
TWAN is a global program of Astronomers Without Borders (www.astrowb.org) and a Special Project of International Year of Astronomy 2009, an initiative by IAU and UNESCO. The World at Night is to produce and present a collection of stunning photographs of the world's most beautiful and historic sites against the nighttime backdrop of stars, planets and celestial events. The eternally peaceful sky looks the same above all symbols of different nations and regions, attesting to the truly unified nature of Earth as a planet rather than an amalgam of human-designated territories.
Building bridges through the sky
The World at Night
Official Closing of the International Year of the Planet Earth starts tomorrow in Lisbon
19 November 2009
From 20 to 22 November 2009, a worldwide event will be held to highlight main results of the International Year of the Planet Earth (IYPE) and to launch new initiatives building on the IYPE legacy. Invited by the Government of Portugal, the Planet Earth Lisbon Event 2009 (PEL2009) is being organized by IYPE, the Portuguese National Committee for IYPE and Bombazine, a professional event organizing company.
More information: http://www.planetearthlisbon2009.org/
Telecommunication conference now registering attendees
18 November 2009
The conference "Wireless, Telecommunication, Spare: Frontier Research from Marconi to the Future" will be held in Brussels on 3 December 2009. Organised by the Embassy of Italy, it will celebrate the first centenary of the award of the Nobel Prize for Physics to Guglielmo Marconi.
The conference is multidisciplinary and will touch upon the fields of research related to Marconi's inventions and their further developments. It will start with telecommunications and proceed into astronomy and space research.
The speakers are farsighted scientists and managers, including the President of the Italian National Research Council and the Secretaries General of the Belgian FRS and FWO; scientists from academia; and the most important European companies in the sector of telecommunication and space research.
For more information and to register, please e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
Search IYA2009 Updates
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Marina History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The distinguished surname Marina originated in an area of Italy, known as the Papal States. Although people were originally known only by a single name, it became necessary for people to adapt a second name to identify themselves as populations grew and travel became more frequent. The process of adopting fixed hereditary surnames was not complete until the modern era, but the use of hereditary family names in Italy began in the 10th and 11th centuries. Italian hereditary surnames were developed according to fairly general principles and they are characterized by a profusion of derivatives coined from given names. The most traditional type of family name found in the region of the Papal States is the patronymic surname, which is derived from the father's given name. During the Middle Ages, Italians adopted the patronymic system of name-making because it perfectly complemented the prevailing Feudal System. In Italy the popularity of patronymic type of surname is also due to the fact that during the Christian era, people often named their children after saints and biblical figures. The surname Marina came from the name Marino, which is further derived from the Latin Marinus, which means of the sea. During the Middle Ages, parents frequently named their children after saints in the hopes of obtaining the grace and protection of the invoked saint for the child. The name Marino became popular because of devotion to several saints, including Saint Marino the Bishop of Rimini and Saint Marino who, according to tradition, founded the first Christian community on Mount Titano and from whom the Republic of San Marino takes its name. Alternatively, the surname Marini is of local origin, derived from the place named Marino, which is situated near Rome.
Early Origins of the Marina family
The surname Marina was first found in Orvieto, a small city which lies southwest of Perugia, where Ugolino Marini was consul for the town in 1068.
Early History of the Marina family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Marina research. Another 151 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1251, 1414, 1528, 1571, 1653, 1627, 1715, 1569, 1625, 1605 and 1608 are included under the topic Early Marina History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Marina Spelling Variations
In comparison with other European surnames, Italian surnames have a surprising number of forms. They reflect the regional variations and the many dialects of the Italian language, each with its own distinctive features. For example, in Northern Italy the typical Italian surname suffix is "i", whereas in Southern Italy it is "o". Additionally, spelling changes frequently occurred because medieval scribes and church officials often spelled names as they sounded rather than according to any specific spelling rules. The spelling variations in the name Marina include DeMarini, DeMarinis, LaMarina, Marinacci, Marinaccio, Marinato, Marinazzo, Marinella, Marin, Marinetti, Marini, Mariniello, Marino, Marinolli, Marinoni, Marinotti, Marinotto, Marinucci, Marinuzzi and many more.
Early Notables of the Marina family (pre 1700)
Prominent among members of the family was Lucrezia Marinella (c.1571-1653), an Italian author; Onorio Marinari (1627-1715), an Italian painter and printmaker of the Baroque period; and Giambattista Marino (1569-1625), better known as Il Cavaliere Marino, a poet and...
Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Marina or a variant listed above:
Marina Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

subset: commoncrawl


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Bravo for finally addressing climate change head-on (December 2009). In the end, the images (such as your cover!) and the data behind them are not "scare tactics"; they are the reality we are facing, as Bill McKibben ("Why Copenhagen Matters") makes abundantly clear.
I wonder if "perfect love casts out fear" (the title of the article by Janet L. Parker) when the floodwaters are lapping at the foot of your child's bed or the last source of water for your one remaining cow dries to a trickle. As comfortable perpetrators of global warming, we need to be mindful of platitudes. Tables need to be overturned in the name of Ched Myers' "Sabbath economics" ("Pay Attention to the Birds"). We need to reduce our carbon footprint with every choice we make.
Katharine M. Preston
Essex, New York
Katharine M. Preston
Essex, New York
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Interesting Uses of the Camera in Mobile Phones
What do you use the camera of your mobile phone for? Other than capturing digital photographs, here are some creative and productive uses of camera mobile phones:
Computer Screen Capture - You can use the Mobile Phone cameras for capturing screenshots of error messages that popup while you are reinstalling a copy of Windows or modifying some BIOS settings. In situations like the dreaded Blue Screen, Print-Screen key is useless but any phone-cam will get the job done.
Remember Dates - Some time back, I had gone to a nursery school for submitting the admission form of my son. I don't remember the exact date now but luckily, I had snapped a picture of the school and so that date is automatically stored with the image.
Cable Connections - Before removing the cables from your home theatre system, gaming console or the computer, it is a good idea to capture the connections with your phone camera. Then you won't have problems plugging the cables again in the right ports as the pictures will show you "what goes where".
Use Mobile Phone as a Web Camera - There are some free utilities that will convert your mobile phone camera into a web cam for your computer. You can use the web camera via a USB cable or wirelessly through Bluetooth.
Car Parking - Most shopping malls here have huge underground parking but there aren't any signboards so it gets tough to locate the car. So when you park the car, just look towards the escalator (or the exit door) and take a picture or record some video. This will save lot of effort (and time) when you return with all those heavy shopping bags.
Scan Printed Documents - Mobile phone camera can work as scanners for capturing clippings of text from newspapers, library books and printed magazines. Just photograph the page and use a service like Qipit or ScanR that extract the text out of pictures taken with a mobile phone. (See "Use Mobile Phone as a Scanner")
Replace Paper and Pen - Your wife has prepared a long list of items that you are supposed to pick from the grocery story. Why tear down that paper from the diary or put extra pressure on your memory - just click. You can also use the camera phone for capturing information written on whiteboards, subway maps and notice boards.
Google Maps and Directions - You are traveling and need the driving directions from Google Maps onto your mobile phone. If your phone has no Internet or you are not too sure how to transfer data from computer to the phone, just open Google Maps, press F11 for full screen and click with your phone.
Rent A Car - If you are taking a car on rent, capture all the areas with dents and scratches so that you don't run into a dispute when returning the car to the agent. Thanks CraftyGirl.
Security Weapon - Before you board a taxi in some unknown place, take a picture of the license plate and driver details that are generally written near the passenger seat. Email the picture to your spouse or friend as a security measure.
Shopping Alone - If you are in a store shopping without your spouse, get his/her opinion on the stuff you are about to purchase by emailing pictures though your phone. A word of caution here - some shop owners may consider your action as "digital shoplifting" and this may lead to an embarrassing situation.
As a Mirror - When you are about to reach the party, take a self-picture with your mobile phone to make sure that that makeup and hair style is in perfect condition.
Also see – Scan Business Cards with Mobile Phone
If you have any interesting news related photos captured with your camera cell phones, here are some Citizen Journalism initiatives that may like to publish your pictures.
Amit Agarwal
Google Developer Expert, Google Cloud Champion
Amit Agarwal is a Google Developer Expert in Google Workspace and Google Apps Script. He holds an engineering degree in Computer Science (I.I.T.) and is the first professional blogger in India.
Amit has developed several popular Google add-ons including Mail Merge for Gmail and Document Studio. Read more on Lifehacker and YourStory


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Midwives are always yammering on about "evidence-based practice". This little catch-phrase seems to over-ride common sense and clinical experience. If the evidence sounds fishy and doesn't support patience and kindness towards pregnant women and unborn babies, be very sceptical about whose evidence it really is.
This is an expose of the poor "science" that started the induction epidemic back in the 1990s. Women continue to be induced to this day despite the publication of this article. Gloria
Routine induction of labour at 41 weeks gestation: nonsensus consensus
BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Vol: 109 Issue: 5pp: 485-491 PII: S1470032802010042. Copyright © 2002 RCOG All rights reserved..
Savas M. Menticoglou, Philip F. HallDepartment of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg , Canada. Accepted 16 2002
Article Outline:
1. Introduction
2. What are the true fetal and neonatal risks of reaching 41 weeks of gestation?
3. What are the maternal risks of reaching 41 weeks of gestation?
4. Resource consequences of a policy of routine induction at 41 weeks of gestation
5. Inevitable, unintended and undesirable consequences of routine induction at 41 weeks
6. Conclusion
* * * * *
"Falsehood flies and the truth comes limping after; so that when men come to be undeceived it is too late: the jest is over and the tale has had its effect." Jonathan Swift, The Examiner, No. 15, November 9, 1710
1. Introduction
Traditionally pregnancy has been considered 'post-term' at 42 completed weeks of gestation. At this gestation, if the cervix is unfavourable, debate over best practice has been between routine induction of labour and expectant management with some form of serial fetal monitoring.
Popular wisdom seems to be that meta-analysis of the available randomised controlled trials has settled the question in favour of routine induction[ 1 ]. The largest included trial, containing over half the cases ( n = 3407), was carried out in Canada and published in 1992[ 2 ]. The results of the meta-analysis led the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC) to issue Clinical Practice Guidelines in 1997[ 3 ]. The guidelines recommended that:
1. after 41 completed weeks of gestation, if the dates are certain, women should be offered elective delivery;
2. if the cervix is unfavourable, ripening should be undertaken; and
3. if expectant management is chosen, assessment of fetal health should be initiated.
It is presumed that randomised controlled trials or, even better, meta-analyses of randomised trials, provide the best evidence to determine appropriate care. However, once information has been declared 'the best available evidence', particularly if that assertion is used to justify clinical practice guidelines or 'consensus', further inquiry may be inhibited[ 4 ].
Since it is implied that 'the answers are all in', mutation from clinical practice guideline to standard of care is prompt and uncomplicated, particularly if the labels 'consensus' or 'policy statement' are used between the two as conceptual mutagens. The standard of care in Canada now is assumed to be routine induction at 41 weeks. This commentary is intended to give pause to those who have accepted and adopted this standard.
2. What are the true fetal and neonatal risks of reaching 41 weeks of gestation?
The SOGC Clinical Practice Guidelines assert that "women who reach 41 weeks should be counselled appropriately regarding the higher risk…to their babies if they should pursue a policy of expectant management"[ 3 ]. How large is this purported higher risk, and what is the strength of evidence used to support this assertion?
The following information comes from studies conducted before 1992 when '41 weeks undelivered' had not been categorised as vigorously as a time of higher risk. In that era, intervention by induction for gestation only was not routine practice, and fetal surveillance because the pregnancy was undelivered at 41 weeks of gestation was not used.
Such evidence does not describe the natural history of all pregnancies that would have reached 41 weeks without intervention. Women with identified maternal or fetal complications such as pregnancy-induced hypertension, other medical problems, or suspected fetal growth restriction likely would have been delivered sooner, and women with favourable cervices might have been induced, but the situation of the remainder would have been similar to that of women eligible for the Canadian study.
Based on data from New York City (1987-1989)[ 5 ], Japan (1989-1992)[ 6 ], Sweden (1982-1991)[ 7 ], and London (1989-1991)[ 8 ], the risk of stillbirth in the subsequent week to women undelivered at the beginning of their 41st week (41 weeks zero days) is about 0.1% (1.04-1.27 per 1000) – (Table: [ 1]. Similar estimates were presented in reports from New Zealand (1983-1986)[ 9 ] and England (1978-1985)[ 10 ]. The stillbirth rate in the expectant arm of the Canadian study was similar at two fetal deaths in 1700 women (1.18 per 1000)[ 2 ].
Table 1: Stillbirth risk in following week per 1000 undelivered women at beginning of week. (6.49 KB) [unavailable]
These estimates are contemporary with the Canadian trial and are consistent, as they are with the situation contemporary to the Canadian study at one Winnipeg tertiary obstetric hospital – (Table: [ 2]. In the latter setting, from 1982-1991, induction for gestation only was not routine and fetal surveillance for post-term pregnancy was not begun until 42 weeks. Of 7725 pregnancies that reached 41 weeks undelivered, eight stillbirths occurred in the next week, and there were three neonatal deaths- two from disseminated herpes, one from birth asphyxia- in babies born between 41 weeks zero days and 41 weeks six days.
Table 2: Women's Hospital, Winnipeg 1982-1991. Exclusions:
1) Transferred from other institution with fetus already dead in utero;
2) No prenatal care before gravida arriving with dead fetus;
3) Fetus known to have died before 36 weeks;
4) Principal cause of death related to congenital anomaly. (8.85 KB)
The authors of the Canadian study suggested that, were it not for their fetal monitoring, perinatal mortality would have been higher than two babies in 1700 (1.18 per 1000).
However, evidence from six countries (one being Canada) suggests that, as of a decade ago, when such monitoring was not done for gestation alone, the stillbirth rate in the subsequent week was about one in 1000 and approximately 1000 inductions would have been necessary at 41 weeks to prevent one stillbirth in the ensuing week, presuming cause and effect relationship between that death and gestational age.
Since serial fetal assessment is now common in our setting, in part in defence against implications of the SOGC Clinical Practice Guidelines, most significant perinatal complications have been identified and dealt with by delivery before 41 weeks, and the odds of stillbirth in the following week likely have been further reduced.
What of the meta-analysis[ 1 ] which claims to demonstrate that "routine induction of labour after 41 weeks reduces perinatal death"? Meta-analysis attempts to describe what happened, but not why. As retrospective assessment, inevitably such efforts are subject not only to what happened in the past, but also to the accuracy and completeness with which those events have been described and analysed.
According to the aggregate data, seven nonanomalous perinatal deaths occurred in 3002 women randomised to expectant management, compared with 1 from 3071 women who were induced. Of the seven perinatal deaths in the expectant arms, two deaths occurred in the 1960s[ 11 ], before the availability of modern fetal testing.
Of those, one was a stillbirth in a mother with an abnormal glucose tolerance test; such a situation would not likely be allowed to reach 41 weeks now, and was a specific exclusion from the Canadian study.
The other was a neonatal death, from meconium aspiration, following refusal of induction by the mother after positive amnioscopy.
One perinatal death[ 12 ], in China, was caused by pneumonia in the newborn period, a cause unrelated to the duration of pregnancy.
One perinatal death[ 13 ] was caused by meconium aspiration in a baby born at 43+3 weeks, which is irrelevant to whether induction should be carried out at 41 weeks.
Of the two deaths in the Canadian trial[ 2 ], one was a stillbirth at 41+5 weeks, but the mother had not received any fetal testing.
The second was an intrapartum death of a 2600 gm infant at 42 weeks, ascribed to fetal distress, which presumably could have occurred and resulted in similar management difficulties during earlier induction. This death was plausibly preventable by induction at 41 weeks, as was a stillbirth in another study[ 14 ] from massive abruption at 41+5 weeks. However, 2600 grammes is an abnormal birthweight in Canada for 42 weeks of gestation, so the hypothesis that death occurred as a result of gestation alone is dubious.
Thus of seven perinatal deaths in 3002 women randomised to expectant management, only two occurred in women who received contemporary fetal testing, before 43 weeks, from a cause possibly related to pregnancy duration. This is against one death in the induction group. The higher risk that routine induction at 41 weeks aims to reduce is dubious, if it exists at all.
3. What are the maternal risks of reaching 41 weeks of gestation?
The SOGC Clinical Practice Guidelines asserts that "women who reach 41 weeks of gestation should be counselled appropriately regarding the higher risks to themselves…if they should pursue a policy of expectant management"[ 3 ].
Bias arising from improperly executed randomised designs threatens, and potentially invalidates, the conclusions of such efforts. Avoiding such errors requires not only eliminating bias from entry allocation, but also differing treatment. The Canadian study found that "the rate of cesarean section was significantly higher among women in the monitoring group (24.5%) than among those in the induction group (21.2%)"[ 2 ]. Its authors admit a bias that might have accounted for part of the induction cohort's lower rate of caesarean section, that prostaglandin gel was used for cervical ripening only in that arm of the trial.
Although the authors acknowledged later that "use of prostaglandin gels appears to be the best method for inducing labour, particularly when the cervix is unfavourable"[ 15 ], prostaglandin was proscribed in the expectant cohort "because we thought that most of the women in that group who would require induction of labour would have evidence of fetal compromise"[ 2 ].
In fact, a third (34%) of the women in the monitoring group were induced, but only half of them (17% overall) for 'fetal compromise', with the nature and validity of that generalisation undefined. The above-mentioned rationalisation for withholding prostaglandin from the monitoring group implies that the method was believed to be too dangerous given possible fetal compromise. It is more logical that suspected fetal compromise would make reduction in the number of contractions needed to accomplish vaginal delivery desirable.
Thus, prostaglandin cervical ripening would be indicated, not contraindicated, and rationalisation in the Canadian trial's is a non sequitur.
A second bias that could have contributed to the higher rate of caesarean section in the expectant cohort is that the trial was not blinded. Both accoucheurs and patients knew that what was being assessed was whether it was safe to let pregnancy continue past 41 weeks. It is likely that as the duration of pregnancy extended, both groups would have felt increasing pressure to intervene, possibly with caesarean section, in this so-called and so-conceived high risk situation. This assertion is not hypothetical, rather probable, given the revelations of Tversky and Kahneman about how humans make decisions in the presence of uncertainty[ 16 ].
There is a third important bias which could lead to greater use of caesarean section in the monitoring cohort.
Within that group, 17% of women were believed to have sufficient evidence of fetal compromise that "the fetus was to be delivered immediately"[ 2 ]. Envision a woman randomised to the expectant, possibly conceptually high risk group. The clinician is told that monitoring indicates that the fetus is 'compromised' or in distress and should "be delivered immediately". In such enhanced alarm, tolerance of typically benign intrapartum fetal heart rate changes or the passage of meconium would be reduced, and caesarean section for such imprecise signals would be more likely[ 17 ].
There is considerable evidence for such behavioural bias in obstetric settings, and that obstetric thinking confirms in vivo what Tversky and Kahneman described as the availability error[ 16 ]. The Toronto Tri-hospital trial revealed that labelling a woman gestational diabetic conferred a doubled rate of caesarean section, regardless of the fetal or maternal condition, and with no relationship to birthweight[ 18 ].
Elsewhere, false positive prediction by ultrasound of macrosomia provoked a 50% increase in caesarean delivery of same weight babies[ 19 ]. In a German study, the label growth retardation biased interpretation of, and action taken for, fetal cardiotocography and led to twice as many caesarean sections as occurred in undetected cases of growth restriction[ 20 ].
In a Swedish study, older nulliparae had dramatically increased odds of caesarean delivery, regardless of maternal or fetal condition[ 21 ]. A study from Iceland and Scotland of 522 twin pregnancies in 1990-1993 revealed no difference in management or outcomes of natural ( n = 453) versus assisted ( n = 69) conceptions, except that elective caesarean delivery was twice as likely in the assisted conception group[ 22 ].
A Canadian study of the definition and management of dystocia found that among the strongest determinants of a decision for casesarean section were acquisition of a dystocia perception and label, or its equivalent in the mind of the attending physician and the hospital in which the decision was made, although a significant proportion of such decisions were made before active labour[ 23 ].
The higher rate of caesarean sections in the Canadian study's expectant group was almost completely accounted for by more operations for fetal distress [8.3 versus 5.7%][ 2 ]. The authors suggested this occurred because fetuses become progressively compromised and more prone to intrapartum fetal distress as pregnancy becomes more post-term.
An alternative, better substantiated explanation is that monitoring created and reinforced bias toward inference of fetal distress and made it more likely that caesarean delivery would be the response to that inference. Imprecision of the term fetal distress in obstetric care, despite its liberal use, promotes the availability error in decision making, given uncertainty[ 16 ].
As the true risk, in contrast to the perceived risk, of a fetus dying between 41 and 42 weeks, in the absence of monitoring, is only 0.1%, it is extremely unlikely that the 17% of fetuses in the expectant group believed to be compromised were actually in trouble. Over 99% of the supposedly compromised fetuses detected by monitoring most likely were not, but were rescued from normalcy by operative delivery for enhanced provider and patient anxiety.
The assertion that induction at 41 weeks results in fewer caesarean sections than expectant management is doubtful at best. It is particularly difficult to reconcile with considerable and consistent evidence that induction, especially in nulliparae with unfavourable cervices, markedly increases the rate of caesarean sections[ 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32 ]. In a four-year period in southern Alberta, the caesarean rate for women induced in their 41st week was 23%, compared with 14% in those who laboured spontaneously in the 41st week[ 32 ]. The SOGC cautioned against induction before 41 weeks, in that "particularly in nulligravida…the likelihood of cesarean section may be twice as great when labour is induced as compared with spontaneous"[ 3 ].
Why this should not be the case for induction at 41 weeks is unexplained, and unlikely. Given the odds of stillbirth of 0.1% in the 41st week without induction for dates alone or special fetal surveillance, the influence of fetal risk is more likely that of perception than reality.
One of the most influential biases in the acquisition of evidence is choice of the question, and the best evidence in answer to the wrong question is useless. The rate of caesarean section were reported in the Canadian study by intention-to-treat, but they should be analysed also as actually treated. In the intended-to-induce group, 31% of women were not induced, and in the intended-not-to-induce cohort, 34% of women were induced.
In essence, one-third of each cohort were treated by the opposite method to that intended. In that true fetal compromise is rare at 41 weeks, the Canadian study was comparing elective induction compared with expectant management at 41 weeks. Comparing the rates of caesarean section in all women induced versus all women who laboured spontaneously at 41 weeks would be a more valid test of whether induction at 41 weeks alters the caesarean rate, or conveys any other advantage or disadvantage.
One can estimate the results presented as 'treatment actually received' using the Canadian study's reported percentage of women in each group treated by the method intended (Fig. 1a and b). Assuming a rate of caesarean section of 16% in women starting spontaneous labour, regardless of intention-to-treat allocation, one would obtain a caesarean rate of 16% in women who laboured spontaneously compared with 29% in those who were induced. If one recalculates using the 14% caesarean rate for spontaneous labour at 41 weeks in Alberta in the early 1990s[ 32 ], this difference becomes even more striking.
(11.4 KB)Fig. 1: (A) The numbers of women and caesareans at the bottom of the vertical columns from Hannah[ 15 ]. The numbers in each cell are estimates derived from ref. [ 2 ]; (B) the results if one assumes a 16% caesarean rate in women who start labour spontaneously. The numerators are numbers of caesareans, the denominators are numbers of women, and in parentheses is the percentage of caesarean sections.
The appropriate counselling "regarding the higher risks to themselves", that the SOGC Clinical Practice Guidelines assert must be provided to women who reach 41 weeks of gestation, should be that the higher risk is of caesarean delivery for dubious reasons, and that to avoid it they should labour and deliver where induction for dates alone is not the ritual at 41 weeks of gestation.
Despite excluding women with medical or fetal problems, an urgent need for delivery or contraindications to vaginal delivery, 31% of nulliparous women in the Canadian study were delivered by caesarean section[ 15 ]. Rather than establishing the case for routine induction at 41 weeks, the results of the Canadian trial reflect the high intervention rates of obstetric practice in Canada, which has the second highest rate of caesarean section in the developed world[ 33 ].
Given this specific intervention epidemic, it may be appropriate to note as well that since previous caesarean section was an exclusion criterion, the conclusions of the Canadian study even if valid, would be inapplicable to women in such circumstances.
4. Resource consequences of a policy of routine induction at 41 weeks of gestation
Left alone, a significant proportion of pregnancies are undelivered by 41 weeks of gestation. In one study using ultrasound dating, 19% of women were undelivered at 41 weeks, whereas only 3.5% were undelivered at 42 weeks[ 34 ]. In the aforementioned Swedish study, 30% of nulligravidae reached 287 days undelivered whereas 10% reached 294 days[ 7 ]. In our setting, 23% of women undelivered by 36 weeks remained as such at 41 weeks versus 7.5% at 42 weeks – (Table: [ 2].
Although proportions of pregnancies undelivered by 41 versus 42 weeks vary between populations, depending in part on the use of ultrasound dating[ 35 ], about 15%-20% more women will be induced given routine induction at 41 as opposed to 42 weeks. Using an annual delivery volume of 4000 births per year, about 1000 inductions would be done solely because gestation had reached 41 weeks, versus 140-400 per year (3.5%-10%) if induction for gestation only was deferred to 42 weeks.
Presuming that hospitals would reserve such induction for otherwise untroubled mothers and fetuses to five weekdays in each of 52 weeks, a hospital with 4000 births per year would have to provide for three added inductions per day, given a policy of such interference at 41 weeks. These would be in addition to those indicated for legitimate and significant maternal or fetal threat. This is a staggering imposition, given that at least 500 and more likely over 1000 inductions must be done to prevent one perinatal death from unspecified relationships to gestation.
We anticipate at least two objections to this analysis. One is that the SOGC Clinical Practice Guidelines do not state explicitly that induction must occur at 41 weeks zero days. The document is written vaguely enough to be interpreted that induction any time between 41 weeks zero days and 41 weeks six days is acceptable.
However, in response to the Clinical Practice Guidelines, Canadian obstetricians, at least the ones in the authors' hospitals, now book induction by, if not before, one week past the supposed due date, ignoring the modifier 'estimated', as well as biologic norms and realities. They fear medico-legal implications should the fetus die at seven or more days past the due date, with no regard for the true odds and likely causation of such outcomes.
The adverse consequences of Clinical Practice Guidelines have been described in various situations[ 36, 37, 38 ]. Lest we be perceived as criticising the best intentions of our competent and caring colleagues, the nonsensus consensus about management of uncomplicated undelivered pregnancy at 41 weeks is simply a Clinical Practice Guidelines-reinforced example of the availability error.
Thereby, adversity odds are significantly overestimated, normally odds are even more significantly underestimated, and both logic and behaviour are warped as a result[ 16 ].
A second anticipated objection is "Those to be induced at 41 weeks must labour and deliver sooner or later, so what is the difference?" The difference is between arriving in labour and delivering 5-10 hours later compared with induction with an unfavourable cervix, requiring ripening with its variable success, then labour for 10 hours or more. The workload increment for nursing, midwifery and medical staff is significant given the need to induce 15%-20% more of the pregnant population, and in that improved outcomes are dubious, indefensible.
5. Inevitable, unintended and undesirable consequences of routine induction at 41 weeks
Greatly increased obstetric workload may be argued to be an acceptable imposition because, otherwise, one baby in 1000 reaching 41 weeks might die. We concede that, rarely, one such fetus might be saved. No test of fetal wellbeing is or likely ever will be perfect.
But it is uncertain that routine induction at 41 weeks will reduce the number of fetuses who die, and it is arguable that such practice could increase perinatal mortality and morbidity. Attention is a limited resource[ 39 ]. The extra attention needed for such added induction and its consequences will draw attention away from women labouring spontaneously or who are being induced for more compelling reasons. A mother, or a fetus of less than 41 weeks who needed help, harmed because people were busy with somebody else who did not need help, will not be counted in morbidity and mortality analysis of intervention by induction of labour at 41 weeks of gestation.
In one of the authors' hospitals, a pregnant woman admitted because of hypertension complained of headaches while her blood pressure rose to 170/110 mmHg. Intravenous antihypertensive drugs were allowed to be given only on the labour floor. Transfer to the labour floor was delayed because there were no beds available, several being filled with 41-week inductions. The woman died from intracranial haemorrhage before transfer. Anecdotes are not the singular source of evidence.
But we wonder, whenever near-misses, near-catastrophes or true disasters occur on labour wards, whether they could have been anticipated and prevented had the staff not been so busy. As was stated in another context "preoccupation with the potential benefit to the numerator may make doctors less sensitive to the adverse effects on the population"[ 40 ].
The Canadian trial[ 2 ] resulted in a grave which we discovered during research into cervical cord injury[ 41 ]. A mother randomised to induction was induced, with prostaglandin. Precipitate labour ensued, with rapid progress to full dilation, severe decelerations, forceps rotation and extraction. The baby sustained high cervical cord injury and quadriplegia. This complication was not identified in the publication[ 2 ], a subsequent reinterpretation[ 15 ], nor in the SOGC Clinical Practice Guidelines[ 3 ] and there was no such incident in the study's expectant cohort.
6. Conclusion
The median and mode for uncomplicated singleton pregnancy are 40 weeks two days and 40 weeks three days, respectively[ 42, 43 ], not '40 weeks', and two standard deviations beyond that is approximately 13 days.
Approximately one-quarter of pregnant women have not laboured by 41 weeks. Their stillbirth rate in the subsequent week without fetal surveillance is approximately 1 in 1000. Routine induction at 41 weeks is ritual induction at term, unsupported by rational evidence of benefit. It is unacceptable, illogical and unsupportable interference with a normal physiologic situation.
Two decades ago it was argued "that any infant born at term should survive, provided the infant has no lethal malformation"[ 44 ]. If only a fragment of such hyperbole is used to rationalise ritual induction at 41 weeks, to be logically consistent, we should induce everybody at 40, or perhaps 39, or 38, or even 37 weeks. Although the stillbirth rate at those earlier gestations is less than at 41 weeks, the absolute number of fetuses who die is greater.
Since more babies die at those gestations than die in week 41 – (Tables: [ 2, 3], more lives could- we have not written would-be saved.
Table 3: Number of stillbirths at each week of gestation. (5.43 KB)
Almost a quarter of a century ago, the prescient authors of an article entitled Intervention and Causal Inferences in Obstetric Practice cautioned that "as … interventions are applied to an increasingly large proportion of the obstetric and fetal population, a threshold will inevitably be reached beyond which the marginal risks of the procedure will outweigh the marginal benefits"[ 45 ].
The 'evidence' on which current practice and popularity of routine or as we prefer to think of it, ritual induction at 41 weeks, is based is seriously flawed and an abuse of biological norms. Such interference has the potential to do more harm than good, and its resource implications are staggering. It is time for this nonsensus consensus to be withdrawn.
1. Crowley P. Interventions to prevent or improve outcome from labour at or beyond term. The Cochrane Library, Oxford: Update Software Issue 1:2001.
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3. Maternal-Fetal Medicine Committee of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada. Post-term pregnancy (Committee Opinion). SOGC Clinical Practice Guidelines, No. 15, 1997.
4. Hall PF, "The consensus cult", J Soc Obstet Gynaecol Can, Volume: 22, (2000), pp. 8
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7. Ingemarsson I, Kallen K, "Stillbirths and rate of neonatal deaths in 76,761 post term pregnancies in Sweden, 1982-1991: a register study", Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand, Volume: 76, (1997), pp. 658-662
8. Hilder L, Costeloe K, Thilaganathan B, "Prolonged pregnancy: evaluating gestation-specific risks of fetal and infant mortality", Br J Obstet Gynaecol, Volume: 105, (1998), pp. 169-173
9. Widjaja AH, Mantell CD, "Stillbirths in Auckland 1983-1986", NZ Med J, Volume: 101, (1988), pp. 768-770
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11. Henry GR, "A controlled trial of surgical induction of labour and amnioscopy in the management of prolonged pregnancy", J Obstet Gynaecol Br Commonw, Volume: 76, (1969), pp. 795-798
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13. Dyson DC, Miller PD, Armstrong MA, "Management of prolonged pregnancy: induction of labor versus antepartum fetal testing", Am J Obstet Gynecol, Volume: 156, (1987), pp. 928-934
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15. Hannah ME, "Postterm pregnancy: should all women have labour induced? A review of the literature", Fet Mat Med Rev, Volume: 5, (1993), pp. 3-17
16. Tversky A, Kahneman D, Judgment Under Uncertainty: Heuristics and Biases, (1982), Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
17. Alfirevic Z, Walkinshaw SA, "A randomized controlled trial of simple compared with complex antenatal fetal monitoring after 42 weeks of gestation", Br J Obstet Gynaecol, Volume: 102, (1995), pp. 638-643
18. Naylor CD, Sermer M, Chen E, Sykora K, "Cesarean delivery in relation to birth weight and gestational glucose tolerance: pathophysiology or practice style?", JAMA, Volume: 275, (1996), pp. 1199-1200
19. Levine AB, Lockwood CJ, Brown B, Lapinski R, Berkowitz RL, "Sonographic diagnosis of the large for gestational age fetus at term: does it make a difference?", Obstet Gynecol, Volume: 79, (1992), pp. 55-58
20. Jahn A, Razum O, Berle P, "Routine screening for intrauterine growth retardation in Germany: low sensitivity and questionable benefit for diagnosed cases", Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand, Volume: 77, (1998), pp. 643-648
21. Cnattingius R, Cnattingius S, Notzon FC, "Obstacles to reducing cesarean rates in a low-cesarean setting: the effect of maternal age, height, and weight", Obstet Gynecol, Volume: 92, (1998), pp. 501-506
22. Agustsson T, Geirsson RT, Mires G, "Obstetric outcome of natural and assisted conception twin pregnancies is similar", Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand, Volume: 76, (1997), pp. 45-49
23. Stewart PJ, Duhlberg C, Arnett AC, Elmslie T, Hall PF, "Diagnosis of dystocia and management with caesarean section among primiparous women in Ottawa Carleton", CMAJ, Volume: 142, (1990), pp. 459-463
24. Xenakis EM-J, Piper JM, Conway DL, Langer O, "Induction of labor in the nineties: conquering the unfavourable cervix", Obstet Gynecol, Volume: 90, (1997), pp. 235-239
25. Smith LP, Nagourney BA, McLean FH, et al. "Hazards and benefits of elective induction of labor", Am J Obstet Gynecol, Volume: 148, (1984), pp. 579-585
26. Macer J, Macer CL, Chan LS, "Elective induction versus spontaneous labor: a retrospective study of complications and outcome", Am J Obstet Gynecol, Volume: 166, (1992), pp. 1690-1697
27. Buist R, Ranchhod N, "Induction of labour: indications and obstetric outcomes in a tertiary referral hospital", N Z Med J, Volume: 112, (1999), pp. 151-153
28. Maslow AS, Sweeny AL, "Elective induction of labor as a risk factor for cesarean delivery among low risk women at term", Obstet Gynecol, Volume: 95, (2000), pp. 917-922
29. Coonrod DV, Bay RC, Kishi GY, "The epidemiology of labor induction: Arizona, 1997", Am J Obstet Gynecol, Volume: 182, (2000), pp. 1355-1362
30. Seyb ST, Berca RJ, Socol ML, Dooley SL, "Risk of cesarean delivery with elective induction of labor at term in nulliparous women", Obstet Gynecol, Volume: 94, (1999), pp. 600-607
31. Yeast JD, Jones A, Poskin M, "Induction of labor and the relationship to cesarean delivery: a review of 7001 consecutive inductions", Am J Obstet Gynecol, Volume: 180, (1999), pp. 628-633
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33. Stephenson PA, Bakoula C, Hemminki E, et al. "Patterns of use of obstetrical interventions in 12 countries", Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol, Volume: 7, (1993), pp. 45-54
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text:
"The most important thing a spiritual Master does for his spiritual children
is to make them consciously aware of something vast and infinite within themselves, which is nothing other than God Himself."
– Sri Chinmoy
Guru is a Sanskrit word which means "he who illumines." The one who offers illumination is called a Guru. According to my own inner realisation I wish to say that there is only one real Guru, and that is the Supreme. No human being is the real Guru. But although the Supreme alone is the real Guru, here on earth we value time. If we Find someone who can help . us on our journey towards illumination, we take his help, and we may call him our Guru.
A spiritual Master or Guru is like the eldest child in the family, and the seekers are like his younger spiritual brothers and sisters. Spiritual Masters tell and show their younger brothers and sisters where their Father, the Absolute Guru, is.
The real Guru is not in the vast blue skies. He is inside the very depth of our heart. You may ask, "If He is inside our heart, then why is it necessary for us to take help from somebody else to find Him?" Although this invaluable treasure is inside our heart, we cannot see it or feel it, so we need help. A friend of ours, who we call our Guru or spiritual teacher, comes to us and teaches us how to find our own treasure.
It is not obligatory to have a living Guru, but it is certainly advisable. You know that there is a goal, and you want to reach that goal. If you are wise, you will accept help from someone who can show you the easiest, safest and most effective path to the goal. If you want to take hundreds and thousands of years to realise God, having a spiritual Master is not necessary. But if you want to reach the goal as soon as possible, then certainly it is a necessity.
If you have a Master, it facilitates your inner spiritual progress. A spiritual Master is your private tutor in the spiritual life. There is a big difference between a private tutor and an ordinary teacher. An ordinary teacher will look at a student's paper and then give him a mark. He will examine the student and then pass him or fail him. But the private tutor personally encourages and inspires the student at home so that he can pass his examination. At every moment in life's journey, ignorance tries to examine you, but your private tutor will teach you how to pass the examination easily. It is the business of the spiritual teacher to inspire the seeker and increase his aspiration so that he can realise the Highest as soon as possible.
In order to learn anything in this world you need a teacher in the beginning. To learn mathematics you need a teacher. To learn history you need a teacher. It is absurd to feel that for everything else in life you need a teacher, but not for meditation. Why do people go to the university when they can study at home? It is because they feel that they will get expert instruction from people who know the subject well. There have been a few, but very few, real men of knowledge who did not go to any university. Yes, there are exceptions; every rule admits of exceptions. God is in everybody, and if a seeker feels that he does not need human help, he is most welcome to try his capacity alone. But if someone is wise and wants to run toward his goal instead of stumbling or merely walking, then certainly the help of a Guru will be immeasurable.
Without a Guru, your progress will be very slow and uncertain. You may get high, elevating experiences and not give them adequate significance. Or doubt may enter your mind, and you may think, "I am just an ordinary person, so how can I have that kind of experience? Perhaps I am deluding myself." Or you will tell your friends about your experiences, and they will say, "It is all a mental hallucination!" But if there is someone who knows what the inner reality is, he will be able to assure you that the experiences which you have are absolutely real. The Master encourages the seeker and inspires him. And if the seeker is doing something wrong in his meditation, the Master is in a position to correct him.
Once you complete a course, you no longer need a teacher. If you want to learn how to sing, you go to a singer and learn from him. If you want to be a dancer, you go to a dancer. Once you become a good singer or dancer, you don't have to go to the teacher anymore. In the spiritual life it is the same. You need help in the beginning, but once you become extremely advanced, you will not need anybody's help.
If someone becomes a true disciple of a Master, he does not feel that he and his Guru are two totally different beings. He does not feel that his Guru is at the top of the tree and he is at the foot of the tree. No! He feels that the Guru is his own highest part. He feels that he and the Guru are one, that the Guru is his own highest and most developed part. Therefore, a true disciple does not find any difficulty in surrendering his lewdest part to his highest part. It is not beneath his dignity to be a devoted disciple, because he knows that both the highest and the lowest are his very own.
He who inspires you is your real teacher
He who loves you is your real teacher.
He who forces you is your real teacher.
He who perfects you is your real teacher.
He who treasures you is your real teacher.
By: Sri Chinmoy
Extract from: Sri Chinmoy.org


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Tom Vick is curator of film at the Freer|Sackler.
Jeju Island, off the southern coast of South Korea, has been called "Korea's Hawaii." A favorite destination for honeymooners and other vacationers, the island is famous for its natural wonders, luxury resorts, and "black pork," a delicacy so sought after that Seoul-ites have been known to make the trip just to gorge on it. (Having tasted it myself, I can attest that it's worth the trip.)
In 1948, however, Jeju was the site of a horrific crackdown by the Korean military on its own citizens. Following an uprising during which protesters were fired upon by soldiers, Jeju residents were ordered to report to the authorities or be executed as communists. It has been estimated that some 30,000 people died in the strife, which lasted until 1954—with the full knowledge of the American military forces stationed there.
Director O Muel dramatizes this little-known tragedy in his elegiac film Jiseul, which will screen at the Freer on Sunday as part of both the Korean Film Festival DC and the Environmental Film Festival. A Jeju resident himself, the reclusive O Muel crafted his film from starkly beautiful black-and-white images of the island's snowy winter landscape, and even had his actors speak in Jeju's dialect instead of standard Korean.
When Jiseul premiered at Korea's Busan International Film Festival last year, experts opined that, despite its undeniable power, the film would never appeal to audiences outside of Korea because its subject matter was too local. (Screen Daily's assessment that "international viewers are bound to find it perplexing" was a typical response.)
But the experts were proven wrong when Jiseul won three awards in Busan and was invited to the Sundance Film Festival, where the jury took less than a minute of deliberation to unanimously make it the first Korean film to ever win the World Cinema Dramatic Grand Jury Prize. Harvard Film Archive curator Haden Guest named it one of the best films of 2012 in Film Comment, and the director of a major American film festival told me over dinner that it was one of the best films he saw in Busan.
I agree with him. The only thing perplexing about Jiseul is how a nation could slaughter its own citizens, but you certainly don't have to be Korean to wonder about that.


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Poetry in Black and White
In 1972, after four years of teaching English at Berkeley High's ninth-grade West Campus, I quit. Cleaned off my bulletin boards and returned to Arizona. Packed away my experiences and sealed them tight. Twenty-two years later, I peeled off the tape and began to remember. I distilled those memories into a book of prose poems, Nothing Between Us: The Berkeley Years, published last year by Del Sol Press.
The narrative of Nothing Between Us is based on my own experiences, but as the poems began to collect and as I saw a narrative building, I realized the book needed to be set free as fiction. Names are changed throughout, and characters are loosely drawn from memory. A number of incidents are imagined rather than recalled.
I could not have composed a chronologically driven narrative. I've never thought in terms of plot, but rather in images, metaphor and sound. The prose poems that eventually comprised the novel came like memories burbling to the surface, one bubble at a time. Why prose poems? I'd been reading and writing them in the early 1990s, fascinated with the way they didn't depend on line breaks, the way they're self-contained, using poetic strategies but relying on the pacing and rhythm of sentences. A hybrid form, the prose poem blurs boundaries.
In 1968, along with throngs of young people who flocked to the Bay Area, I moved to Berkeley. I had begun my teaching career in Phoenix, where the Beatles had hit, and Aretha and Ray, and a little dope, but not much else. It was the year of the Chicago riots and the assassinations of Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. And 1968 was when the Berkeley Unified Public School District became one of the first in the country to desegregate its schools voluntarily.
I wanted to go to Berkeley to make a difference. I had wept along with millions of others when I heard King in 1963. As a white person, I wanted to share his dream. I'd admired Guess Who's Coming to Dinner in 1967, and I'd taught To Kill A Mockingbird during my two years as a beginning teacher at Saguaro High School. I believed I was not a bit racially prejudiced. I had no idea how challenging my new teaching assignment would be. Nothing prepared me for the move from suburban, WASP Phoenix to urban, hip, rainbow-colored, let-it-all-hang-out Berkeley.
I began teaching at West Campus, a diverse, all-ninth-grade school in a primarily African-American neighborhood on the west side of Berkeley. The school I had taught in previously was entirely white. That first fall, I felt surrounded by black faces, and at times I was downright frightened. The Black Panthers' national headquarters was a few blocks down the street in Oakland. Many kids were justifiably angry and were finding an outlet. At times I became the focus of their rage, as I describe in this passage from the prose poem "Half and Half," which is from Nothing Between Us (along with the rest of the poems in this piece).
Naturals swirled black halos around me till even at home at night I thought I would disappear. By Halloween I knew it was more like half and half. That was around the time I heard the whispering outside my classroom door after everyone else had gone home, felt afraid as I had during the riots in South Side Chicago. The whisperings grew louder, what they would do to me. I stood up from my desk and walked right past them and down the hall to the principal's office before I started to cry.
Friendly gestures I tried failed because of my cultural ignorance, as the poem "Folks" suggests:
I didn't know what I'd been doing wrong in the Track 2 class. Till one of the counselors told me to stop saying folks. Not a friendly word, especially since the assassinations, Martin Luther King and Malcolm. Almost as bad as coloreds, nigras. Didn't even realize I'd been saying it—okay folks, time to get out your pencils. Thought of it as a neighborly word, an offering, sort of like a covered dish at a pot luck. A long way from my own folks in Phoenix. Family. During that first semester James Carmichael would stay after second period and help straighten the desks. Don't you worry Miss, he'd say, they'll most of them be fine. Just take them a little time to get used to you.
One Friday around the middle of October, Calvin Jones cussed so much in class I led him out to the hall and leaned into his face: look at me, look me in the eyes when I'm talking to you. At lunch the other teachers told me he was just being polite—you looked down, showed respect, never looked straight into the eyes of your teacher, especially your white teacher, especially your white woman teacher.
It was later in the year that James Carmichael joined the Black Muslims. New black slacks and tie, stiff white shirt. He'd been right, most everybody, even Calvin, had come around. But James had stopped smiling, his eyes gone somewhere else. He still turned in his work on time, still made B's. But there was nothing between us, never had been.
Among the people I learned I could count on for support were the hall guards, three big guys who could talk the talk with black as well as white kids and who kept the halls from churning into chaos. One in particular gave me advice, made me feel safe. And attractive.
In my mid-20s and married, I not only believed in absolute monogamy, I was barely aware there was an alternative. I had never thought of myself as pretty—so when the boys' PE teachers moved through the halls "like syrup through a snow cone," as I say they did in "After School," I was amazed and flattered by their persistent attention. I ultimately entered a long relationship with the school's African-American tennis coach. Nothing Between Us traces the development and ending of the affair.
Remembering that intense relationship is painful. At the time I had wanted to leave my husband and marry "Ty," as I call him in the book. But as Ty says to the narrator in the poem "Bullshit," "I don't think you know how hard it could get." Not until 1967, after all, had the U.S. Supreme Court ruled interracial marriage legal in all 50 states. The tensions surrounding race often entered our most intimate conversations. One of those discussions is evoked in "Bullshit." Here is the poem:
You shouldn't listen to that bullshit, he said. I was lotioning my legs. All those guys are full of bullshit, they're just trying it out on you, see how far they can get. You shouldn't listen to me either. I pulled on my pantyhose, up to my waist. Is it bullshit, then, everything you've said to me? Ty looked down at the bed, top sheet mostly on the floor. No. But it was at the first. You shouldn't have listened. You should stay with your husband. I zipped up the back of my dress. He moved away from the jungle sheets, brown, yellow, black and white tigers, giraffes, panthers, and stood over me, his head bent down to my eyes. His index finger brushed my chin. I didn't expect to be feeling this way about you. Get it? I didn't expect. You just looked like some good pussy. You hear me? You should stay with your husband, have some nice white babies. I turned to the mirror, put in one earring. Tiny ivory flowers. Bullshit, I said. I put in the other earring and turned around. Tell me something. What do you mean when you ask if it's your pussy? His arms were around me, stroking me, and he rested his cheek on the top of my head. Fingered my left earring, swaying it back and forth. Stroked my cheek. You be here. That's what it means. Doesn't sound like bullshit, I said. Doesn't sound all that hard, either. His mouth was moving my name through my hair. I don't know, he said. I don't think you know how hard it could get.
In "Clay," when the novel's narrator plunges her arms up to her elbows into brown clay, "not thinking of what could be made with the stuff," metaphorically she is trying on how it would feel to inhabit a dark skin. As relationships with Ty, her colleagues, and her students deepen, she empathizes, even at times identifies, with their points of view.
But over the four years I taught at West Campus, I could never forget I was white. Every year it took a full semester to win the trust of many of those kids. The issue of race made continuing the relationship with "Ty" all but impossible. I became intellectually frustrated, wanting to teach novels and poems I was eager to read but that would be unsuitable for 14-year-olds. I needed to get myself back to grad school, aim to teach in a university.
Strange that it wasn't until 1994, while a Rockefeller fellow at the Villa Serbelloni in Bellagio, that I finally began to write about these years. The impetus came during a discussion about the functions of poetry. I confided to a colleague, a distinguished economist, that there was a subject I wanted to write about but felt was too controversial, probably politically incorrect, even offensive. After I'd described the subject matter in more detail, my friend practically shouted, "Hang incorrectness! You've got to write about this." The next morning I began.
Maybe the memories flooded back because the flowering hills around Lake Como reminded me of the azaleas and camellias, the fuchsia-covered hills of Berkeley above the San Francisco Bay. Maybe the lush surroundings of the villa reminded me of my grandfather's garden in New Jersey, which, for a toddler, was a paradise of daffodils, tulips, and roses, one place in my childhood where I felt secure. Somehow, at Bellagio I felt safe for the first time to revisit those years when, as I say in "After," "the students swirled like uprooted flowers, seeds with no good dirt to drop down into," when Ty and I would "spend nights, go out for ice cream late. 31 Flavors." The years when "Double cones rose from our hands, so many, so many possible combinations."
Wendy Barker is poet in residence and a professor of English at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Nothing Between Us is her fifth full-length collection of poems.


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BOTHELL, WA - February 23, 2011 - Sonosite, Inc. (Nasdaq:SONO), the world leader and specialist in bedside ultrasound for the point-of-care, today announced that Marcus Smith, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, will present at the Washington Biotechnology and Biomedical Association (WBBA) Life Science Innovation Northwest Conference. The conference will be held at the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle from March 2-3, 2011. Mr. Smith will be presenting on March 2nd at 9:30 a.m. Pacific Time.
About Sonosite
Sonosite, Inc. (www.sonosite.com) is the innovator and world leader in bedside and point-of-care ultrasound and an industry leader in ultra high-frequency micro-ultrasound technology and impedance cardiography equipment. Headquartered near Seattle, the company is represented by fourteen subsidiaries and a global distribution network in over 100 countries. Sonosite's small, lightweight systems are expanding the use of ultrasound across the clinical spectrum by cost-effectively bringing high-performance ultrasound to the point of patient care.


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In January, the job search websites go crazy as people start the new year resolved to find work that's more satisfying.
"While thousands of people are dealing with the tragedy of unemployment, many others are looking for jobs that are more fulfilling than the ones they have," says attorney and author Pamela Samuels Young, www.pamelasamuelsyoung.com, whose newest novel, "Anybody's Daughter," is one of five nominees for NAACP Image Awards' Outstanding Literary Work, Fiction.
In January 2013, job search website Indeed.com had a record 17.3 million unique visitors — a 24-percent jump, and January 2014 will likely see a similar increase. Many of those job seekers won't be looking for just a job, but one they're passionate about.
"It's great if your day job is your passion," Young says. "But if it's not, you don't have to give up a position that pays the bills in order to pursue your dream. You can do both."
Since 2006, Young has pursued her passion —writing legal thrillers —as well as her day job as managing counsel for Labor and Employment Law for Toyota Motors Sales, U.S.A., Inc. She was described by one reviewer as "John Grisham with a sister's twist."
"I enjoy practicing law and I didn't want to leave Toyota, nor could I afford to. But I also had a burning desire to write mystery novels," says Young. "Anybody's Daughter," her sixth novel, is described by Kirkus Reviews as a "fast-paced, well-written thriller that's grounded in social issues." The book takes readers inside the world of child sex trafficking in the United States.
"I've always believed that if you have a dream, you should formulate a plan and make it happen. So that's what I did."
Young's plan included rising at 4 a.m. to squeeze in some writing time before heading off to work, and turning weekends and vacation time into creation time.
"Sometimes it's hard to believe that I've published six novels while still practicing law," she says. "The hard work and commitment have definitely paid off."
Young offers these tips for busy professionals itching to pursue their own passions.
• Schedule time to devote to your passion. "On my calendar, you'll find a few hours or full days blocked out as 'Writing Time' every week," Young says. "You have to schedule time for your passion. If you don't, the day-to-day demands of life will get in the way."
• Put "passion" time ahead of "pleasure" time. If you're working full-time and pursuing another "job," you won't have a lot of free time. "You'll have to cut back on watching television, socializing with friends and even family time," Young says. "Explain your goals to friends and family. People who have your best interests at heart will support you. But do take an occasional break to relax. Otherwise, you'll burn yourself out by working around the clock."
• Learn from others. Surround yourself with people who share your passion. Sign up for newsletters, read books and join communities of other like-minded people, Young says. "There are tons of professional groups whose sole function is to help their members develop their creative talents and business goals." Young is a diehard member of Sisters in Crime, an organization that promotes the advancement of women mystery writers. "Not only will you get energy and inspiration from networking with others, you'll grow."
• Don't put your day job on the back burner. Young says it's important to give your day job 100 percent. "I never want my co-workers to think I'm phoning it in because I also have a writing career." That attitude has paid off. "I have a strong support system at work. My coworkers read my books, critique my manuscripts and come to book signings." Many of the people Young thanks in the Acknowledgements in each of her books are coworkers. Her fourth novel is even dedicated to another Toyota attorney.
"Don't just dream about pursuing your passion," Young says, "make it happen!"
About Pamela Samuels Young
Pamela Samuels Young is a novelist, motivational speaker and Managing Counsel for Labor and Employment Law for Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., the sales and distribution arm for Toyota and Lexus vehicles in North America. She published the first of her six legal thrillers in 2006. "Anybody's Daughter" is her latest. Her novel "Buying Time" won the American Library Association's Black Caucus 2010 Fiction Award.
The NAACP Image Awards celebrates the accomplishments of people of color in the fields of television, music, literature and film and also honors individuals or groups who promote social justice through creative endeavors. Winners will be announced Feb. 21-22.
NAACP Image Award Nominee Shares Tips For Combining Career And 'Burning Desire'
In January, the job search websites go crazy as people start the new year resolved to find work that's more satisfying.


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Twitter has made no secret of its interest in machine learning in recent years, and on Monday the company put its money where its mouth is once again by purchasing London startup Magic Pony Technology, which has focused on visual processing.
"Magic Pony's technology — based on research by the team to create algorithms that can understand the features of imagery — will be used to enhance our strength in live [streaming] and video and opens up a whole lot of exciting creative possibilities for Twitter," Twitter cofounder and CEO Jack Dorsey wrote in a blog post announcing the news.
The startup's team includes 11 Ph.Ds with expertise across computer vision, machine learning, high-performance computing and computational neuroscience, Dorsey said. They'll join Twitter's Cortex group, made up of engineers, data scientists and machine-learning researchers.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The acquisition follows several related purchases by the social media giant, including Madbits in 2014 and Whetlab last year.
This time, Twitter stands to benefit in three ways.
1. Better videos
Video quality is surely the most obvious reason Twitter undertook the move.
"Though video and live video are becoming increasingly critical parts of social and sharing sites, image quality often leaves much to be desired," said Charles King, principal analyst with Pund-IT. "That's a problem that Magic Pony's team has tackled successfully by developing algorithms that automatically sharpen and fix low-resolution and blurred images."
The deal should help Twitter enhance the quality of videos shared on its site, thus improving user experience and enjoyment. That's a big deal for a site that's been struggling to attract and retain loyal users.
2. A sharper focus on events
Indexing and categorizing unstructured data like pictures and videos isn't easy, but it's critical to making sure they can be found and promoted. That's especially important for real-time news, which is Twitter's specialty, said Rob Enderle, principal analyst with Enderle Group.
"With this they can take an event like the Orlando shooting and collect, near instantly, all the user-created video and pictures into a single stream and provide a level of coverage a network would envy," Enderle said. "You could literally watch the stories emerge through the virtual eyes of the folks there."
Combined with commentary, that content could essentially form a news service, either from Twitter or through another business that pays Twitter for the technology, Enderle said.
Machine learning "could become one of their best paths to profitability, because the result could be both compelling and a huge ad revenue generator," Enderle said.
Of course, "I'd anticipate a huge spike in spending before they get the benefit of the result," he added. "That could be problematic for investors."
3. Deeper analytics
Machine learning and neural networks are becoming "a very hot part of the overall big data and analytics market space," and with investments like this one, Twitter can "move beyond being a data source of human comments" and push further into analytics, said Nik Rouda, a senior analyst with Enterprise Strategy Group.
For example, it could use the new capabilities to start offering intelligence services to analyze the Twitter streams of businesses that don't yet have machine-learning capabilities of their own, Rouda said.
It could also move beyond just hashtags and text analytics to find trending topics in the images and videos that get tweeted, he added.
Twitter could use the technology to identify specific people, locations and things in photos and video, and to profile users for marketing ads or driving more engagement, he suggested.
Finally, it could tap machine learning to identify copyrighted materials — "even those that have been modified in memes," he said.
"This helps Twitter continue to evolve beyond just short text comments into some potentially more valuable areas," Rouda said.