Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Energy-efficient walk
Humans, bears and apes have the greatest advantage of all the mammals when it comes to walking around, according to the latest University of Utah research. It takes less energy to walk the way we do, planting our heels first rather than running around on tiptoes like horses and deer, or on the balls of feet like dogs, cats, raccoons and most of the rest of mammalia. "You consume more energy when you walk on the balls of your feet or your toes than when you walk heels-first," said David Carrier, U. biology professor and author of the study. http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700009200/University-of-Utah-research-Humans-walk-the-most-correct-walk.html

Female Orders of Knighthood
The order of the Hatchet (orden de la Hacha) in Catalonia was founded in 1149 by Raymond Berenger, count of Barcelona, to honor the women who fought for the defense of the town of Tortosa against a Moor attack. The dames admitted to the order received many privileges, including exemption from all taxes, and took precedence over men in public assemblies. In Italy, the Order of the glorious Saint Mary, founded by Loderigo d'Andalo, a nobleman of Bologna in 1233, and approved by pope Alexander IV in 1261, was the first religious order of knighthood to grant the rank of militissa to women. This order was suppressed by Sixtus V in 1558. In the Low Countries, at the initiative of Catherine Baw in 1441, and 10 years later of Elizabeth, Mary and Isabella of the house of Hornes, orders were founded which were open exclusively to women of noble birth, who received the French title of chevalière or the Latin title of equitissa. In England, ladies were appointed to the Garter almost from the start. In all, 68 ladies were appointed between 1358 and 1488, including all consorts. Several established military orders had women who were associated with them, beyond the simple provision of aid. The Teutonic order accepted consorores who assumed the habit of the order and lived under its rule; they undertook menial and hospitaller functions. Later, in the late 12th century, one sees convents dependent on military orders are formed. In the case of the Order of Saint-John (later Malta), they were soeurs hospitalières, and they were the counterparts of the frères prêtres or priest brothers, a quite distinct class from the knights. In England, Buckland was the site of a house of Hospitaller sisters from Henry II's reign to 1540. In Aragon, there were Hospitaller convents in Sigena, San Salvador de Isot, Grisén, Alguaire, headed each by a commendatrix. Modern French orders include women, of course, in particular the Légion d'Honneur (Legion of Honor) since the mid-19th c., but they are always called chevaliers. The first documented case is that of Marie-Angélique Duchemin (1772-1859), who fought in the Revolutionary Wars, received a military disability pension in 1798, the rank of 2nd lieutenant in 1822, and the Legion of Honor in 1852. The first woman to be granted a knighthood in modern Britain seems to have been H.H. Nawab Sikandar Begum Sahiba, Nawab Begum of Bhopal, who became a Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India (GCSI) in 1861, at the foundation of the order. Her daughter received the same honour in 1872, and granddaughter in 1910. The order was open to "princes and chiefs" without distinction of gender. The first European woman to have been granted an order of knighthood was Queen Mary, when she was made a Knight Grand Commander of the same order, by special statute, in celebration of the Delhi Durbar of 1911. Thanks, Beth
http://www.heraldica.org/topics/orders/wom-kn.htm

Coffee Party mission statement: The Coffee Party Movement gives voice to Americans who want to see cooperation in government. We recognize that the federal government is not the enemy of the people, but the expression of our collective will, and that we must participate in the democratic process in order to address the challenges that we face as Americans. As voters and grassroots volunteers, we will support leaders who work toward positive solutions, and hold accountable those who obstruct them. http://coffeepartyusa.com/
I find one mission statement for the Coffee Party and many, many mission statements for the Tea Party, so include two examples for Tea Party.
Great American Tea Party mission statement: Our mission is to lower taxes for all Americans by encouraging the public to voice their opinion to the White House. http://www.teabagtaxes.com/great-american-tea-party.php
Indianapolis Tea Party mission statement: To restore limited government, fiscal responsibility, and accountable representation through citizen activism and education, in order to preserve the Constitution for the United States of America.
http://www.teapartypatriots.org/Group/Indianapolis_Tea_Party

Travelers' Health from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Use the map or scroll down to the A-Z list of countries below to select a destination and get travel health information for that location: http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/list.aspx#C

What is a GW deed? A general warranty deed is a type of deed where the grantor (seller) guarantees that he or she holds clear title to a piece of real estate and has a right to sell it to you. The guarantee is not limited to the time the grantor owned the property—it extends back to the property's origins. http://homebuying.about.com/cs/realestateglossary/g/generalwarranty.htm

Economic view by Richard H. Thaler, professor of economics and behavioral science at the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago
By simply reallocating the way we use the radio spectrum now devoted to over-the-air television broadcasting, we can create a bonanza for the government. Because we can’t create additional spectrum, we must make better use of the existing space. And the target that looks most promising in this regard is the spectrum used for over-the-air television broadcasts. Interested readers should examine a detailed proposal made to the F.C.C. by Thomas W. Hazlett, a professor at the George Mason University School of Law who was formerly the F.C.C.’s chief economist. Professor Hazlett estimates that selling off this spectrum could raise at least $100 billion for the government and, more important, create roughly $1 trillion worth of value to users of the resulting services. Those services would include ultrahigh-speed wireless Internet access (including access for schools, of course) much improved cellphone coverage and fewer ugly cell towers. Read much more at: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/28/business/economy/28view.html

Me, Myself or I?
The word “I” is the subject of a sentence. It is the noun that is performing the action: I write articles for a living. If there is more than one subject in the sentence, you still use “I” to refer to yourself: John and I enjoy eating pho. It would not be correct to use “me” in this sentence. The easiest way to remember this notion is to remove the second noun from the sentence: I enjoy eating pho vs. Me enjoy eating pho.
That’s because the word “me” is the object of a sentence. It is the noun that is receiving the action of the sentence in some way: A free book was given to Lucy and me. With our habit of over-correction, it is very common to hear someone insert the word “I’ in place of “me” here, because “me” sounds too casual to be correct… but it is correct. As before, alleviate the confusion by removing the second noun: A free book was given to me vs. A free book was given to I.
What about myself? It is generally incorrect to use “myself” unless “I” was used earlier in the same sentence. We have a habit of using “myself” when a simple “me” will do. It would be an error to say, “A free book was given to myself,” using a variation of the example earlier. http://btr.michaelkwan.com/2009/03/09/grammar-101-me-myself-and-i/

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