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id_4900 | Relations between Sweden and the European Community had always been restricted in scope by Sweden's traditional neutrality and for many years any suggestion of Community membership was out of the question. But the upheavals in Eastern Europe in the early 1990s gradually led to the conclusion that membership of the EC was no longer incompatible with its neutral stance. People came to the conclusion that Sweden has already taken over a large part of the Community rules and began to weigh up the pros and cons of membership along the lines sought by Austria. | After abandoning its policy of neutrality, Sweden applied to join the European Community. | c |
id_4901 | Relations between Sweden and the European Community had always been restricted in scope by Sweden's traditional neutrality and for many years any suggestion of Community membership was out of the question. But the upheavals in Eastern Europe in the early 1990s gradually led to the conclusion that membership of the EC was no longer incompatible with its neutral stance. People came to the conclusion that Sweden has already taken over a large part of the Community rules and began to weigh up the pros and cons of membership along the lines sought by Austria. | Political changes in Eastern Europe led to a change in relations between Sweden and the European Community. | e |
id_4902 | Reports say that a male security guard was instrumental in planning an attempted robbery at a clothes store during the course of which the manager was injured. James Daniels was attacked in the Queens Meadow Shopping Centre at approximately 19:00 hours on 5 March as he was in the process of cashing up the days takings. Two men, Tony Main and Sydney Large, have admitted to conspiring to rob the store with two others. However, both have denied any responsi- bility for the attack on Daniels, and claim that his injuries were the result of an accident. It is also known that: One of the two men Tony Main has a criminal record. An ambulance was seen leaving the Queens Meadow Shopping Centre at 19:30 on the day of the attempted robbery. A shopper reported that she had seen two women hurrying towards the entrance to the car park at about 7:00 pm. When questioned Susan Main and Tessa White admitted to having been in the Shopping Centre on the evening of 5 March. Brian Jacks, a cousin of Tessa White is employed as a security guard at the Queens Meadow Shopping Centre. | Tony Martin and Sydney Large were co-conspirators in the attempt to rob the clothes store. | e |
id_4903 | Reports say that a male security guard was instrumental in planning an attempted robbery at a clothes store during the course of which the manager was injured. James Daniels was attacked in the Queens Meadow Shopping Centre at approximately 19:00 hours on 5 March as he was in the process of cashing up the days takings. Two men, Tony Main and Sydney Large, have admitted to conspiring to rob the store with two others. However, both have denied any responsi- bility for the attack on Daniels, and claim that his injuries were the result of an accident. It is also known that: One of the two men Tony Main has a criminal record. An ambulance was seen leaving the Queens Meadow Shopping Centre at 19:30 on the day of the attempted robbery. A shopper reported that she had seen two women hurrying towards the entrance to the car park at about 7:00 pm. When questioned Susan Main and Tessa White admitted to having been in the Shopping Centre on the evening of 5 March. Brian Jacks, a cousin of Tessa White is employed as a security guard at the Queens Meadow Shopping Centre. | The two women seen hurrying towards the car park at about 7:00 pm on 5 March could have been involved in the attempted robbery. | e |
id_4904 | Reports say that a male security guard was instrumental in planning an attempted robbery at a clothes store during the course of which the manager was injured. James Daniels was attacked in the Queens Meadow Shopping Centre at approximately 19:00 hours on 5 March as he was in the process of cashing up the days takings. Two men, Tony Main and Sydney Large, have admitted to conspiring to rob the store with two others. However, both have denied any responsi- bility for the attack on Daniels, and claim that his injuries were the result of an accident. It is also known that: One of the two men Tony Main has a criminal record. An ambulance was seen leaving the Queens Meadow Shopping Centre at 19:30 on the day of the attempted robbery. A shopper reported that she had seen two women hurrying towards the entrance to the car park at about 7:00 pm. When questioned Susan Main and Tessa White admitted to having been in the Shopping Centre on the evening of 5 March. Brian Jacks, a cousin of Tessa White is employed as a security guard at the Queens Meadow Shopping Centre. | The would-be robbers used information provided by Brian Jacks a security guard to plan the attempted robbery on the clothes store. | n |
id_4905 | Reports say that a male security guard was instrumental in planning an attempted robbery at a clothes store during the course of which the manager was injured. James Daniels was attacked in the Queens Meadow Shopping Centre at approximately 19:00 hours on 5 March as he was in the process of cashing up the days takings. Two men, Tony Main and Sydney Large, have admitted to conspiring to rob the store with two others. However, both have denied any responsi- bility for the attack on Daniels, and claim that his injuries were the result of an accident. It is also known that: One of the two men Tony Main has a criminal record. An ambulance was seen leaving the Queens Meadow Shopping Centre at 19:30 on the day of the attempted robbery. A shopper reported that she had seen two women hurrying towards the entrance to the car park at about 7:00 pm. When questioned Susan Main and Tessa White admitted to having been in the Shopping Centre on the evening of 5 March. Brian Jacks, a cousin of Tessa White is employed as a security guard at the Queens Meadow Shopping Centre. | James Daniel was taken to hospital in the ambulance seen leaving the Queens Meadow Shopping Centre at 19:30 on the evening of 5 March. | n |
id_4906 | Reports say that a male security guard was instrumental in planning an attempted robbery at a clothes store during the course of which the manager was injured. James Daniels was attacked in the Queens Meadow Shopping Centre at approximately 19:00 hours on 5 March as he was in the process of cashing up the days takings. Two men, Tony Main and Sydney Large, have admitted to conspiring to rob the store with two others. However, both have denied any responsi- bility for the attack on Daniels, and claim that his injuries were the result of an accident. It is also known that: One of the two men Tony Main has a criminal record. An ambulance was seen leaving the Queens Meadow Shopping Centre at 19:30 on the day of the attempted robbery. A shopper reported that she had seen two women hurrying towards the entrance to the car park at about 7:00 pm. When questioned Susan Main and Tessa White admitted to having been in the Shopping Centre on the evening of 5 March. Brian Jacks, a cousin of Tessa White is employed as a security guard at the Queens Meadow Shopping Centre. | The two women, Susan Main and Tessa White, were not in the shopping centre on the evening of 5 March. | c |
id_4907 | Research using twins. To biomedical researchers all over the world, twins offer a precious opportunity to untangle the influence of genes and the environment of nature and nurture. Because identical twins come from a single fertilized egg that splits into two, they share virtually the same genetic code. Any differences between them one twin having younger looking skin, for example must be due to environmental factors such as less time spent in the sun. Alternatively, by comparing the experiences of identical twins with those of fraternal twins, who come from separate eggs and share on average half their DNA, researchers can quantify the extent to which our genes affect our lives. If identical twins are more similar to each other with respect to an ailment than fraternal twins are, then vulnerability to the disease must be rooted at least in part in heredity. These two lines of research studying the differences between identical twins to pinpoint the influence of environment, and comparing identical twins with fraternal ones to measure the role of inheritance have been crucial to understanding the interplay of nature and nurture in determining our personalities, behavior, and vulnerability to disease. The idea of using twins to measure the influence of heredity dates back to 1875, when the English scientist Francis Galton first suggested the approach (and coined the phrase 'nature and nurture'). But twin studies took a surprising twist in the 1980s, with the arrival of studies into identical twins who had been separated at birth and reunited as adults. Over two decades 137 sets of twins eventually visited Thomas Bouchard's lab in what became known as the Minnesota Study of Twins Reared Apart. Numerous tests were carried out on the twins, and they were each asked more than 15,000 questions. Bouchard and his colleagues used this mountain of data to identify how far twins were affected by their genetic makeup. The key to their approach was a statistical concept called heritability. In broad terms, the heritability of a trait measures the extent to which differences among members of a population can be explained by differences in their genetics. And wherever Bouchard and other scientists looked, it seemed, they found the invisible hand of genetic influence helping to shape our lives. Lately, however, twin studies have helped lead scientists to a radical new conclusion: that nature and nurture are not the only elemental forces at work. According to a recent field called epigenetics, there is a third factor also in play, one that in some cases serves as a bridge between the environment and our genes, and in others operates on its own to shape who we are. Epigenetic processes are chemical reactions tied to neither nature nor nurture but representing what researchers have called a 'third component'. These reactions influence how our genetic code is expressed: how each gene is strengthened or weakened, even turned on or off, to build our bones, brains and all the other parts of our bodies. If you think of our DNA as an immense piano keyboard and our genes as the keys each key symbolizing a segment of DNA responsible for a particular note, or trait, and all the keys combining to make us who we are then epigenetic processes determine when and how each key can be struck, changing the tune being played. One way the study of epigenetics is revolutionizing our understanding of biology is by revealing a mechanism by which the environment directly impacts on genes. Studies of animals, for example, have shown that when a rat experiences stress during pregnancy, it can cause epigenetic changes in a fetus that lead to behavioral problems as the rodent grows up. Other epigenetic processes appear to occur randomly, while others are normal, such as those that guide embryonic cells as they become heart, brain, or liver cells, for example. Geneticist Danielle Reed has worked with many twins over the years and thought deeply about what twin studies have taught us. 'It's very clear when you look at twins that much of what they share is hardwired, ' she says. 'Many things about them are absolutely the same and unalterable. But it's also clear, when you get to know them, that other things about them are different. Epigenetics is the origin of a lot of those differences, in my view. ' Reed credits Thomas Bouchard's work for today's surge in twin studies. 'He was the trailblazer, ' she says. 'We forget that 50 years ago things like heart disease were thought to be caused entirely by lifestyle. Schizophrenia was thought to be due to poor mothering. Twin studies have allowed us to be more reflective about what people are actually born with and what's caused by experience. ' Having said that, Reed adds, the latest work in epigenetics promises to take our understanding even further. 'What I like to say is that nature writes some things in pencil and some things in pen, ' she says. Things written in pen you can't change. That's DNA. But things written in pencil you can. That's epigenetics. Now that we're actually able to look at the DNA and see where the pencil writings are, it's sort of a whole new world. ' | Bouchard advertised in newspapers for twins who had been separated at birth. | n |
id_4908 | Research using twins. To biomedical researchers all over the world, twins offer a precious opportunity to untangle the influence of genes and the environment of nature and nurture. Because identical twins come from a single fertilized egg that splits into two, they share virtually the same genetic code. Any differences between them one twin having younger looking skin, for example must be due to environmental factors such as less time spent in the sun. Alternatively, by comparing the experiences of identical twins with those of fraternal twins, who come from separate eggs and share on average half their DNA, researchers can quantify the extent to which our genes affect our lives. If identical twins are more similar to each other with respect to an ailment than fraternal twins are, then vulnerability to the disease must be rooted at least in part in heredity. These two lines of research studying the differences between identical twins to pinpoint the influence of environment, and comparing identical twins with fraternal ones to measure the role of inheritance have been crucial to understanding the interplay of nature and nurture in determining our personalities, behavior, and vulnerability to disease. The idea of using twins to measure the influence of heredity dates back to 1875, when the English scientist Francis Galton first suggested the approach (and coined the phrase 'nature and nurture'). But twin studies took a surprising twist in the 1980s, with the arrival of studies into identical twins who had been separated at birth and reunited as adults. Over two decades 137 sets of twins eventually visited Thomas Bouchard's lab in what became known as the Minnesota Study of Twins Reared Apart. Numerous tests were carried out on the twins, and they were each asked more than 15,000 questions. Bouchard and his colleagues used this mountain of data to identify how far twins were affected by their genetic makeup. The key to their approach was a statistical concept called heritability. In broad terms, the heritability of a trait measures the extent to which differences among members of a population can be explained by differences in their genetics. And wherever Bouchard and other scientists looked, it seemed, they found the invisible hand of genetic influence helping to shape our lives. Lately, however, twin studies have helped lead scientists to a radical new conclusion: that nature and nurture are not the only elemental forces at work. According to a recent field called epigenetics, there is a third factor also in play, one that in some cases serves as a bridge between the environment and our genes, and in others operates on its own to shape who we are. Epigenetic processes are chemical reactions tied to neither nature nor nurture but representing what researchers have called a 'third component'. These reactions influence how our genetic code is expressed: how each gene is strengthened or weakened, even turned on or off, to build our bones, brains and all the other parts of our bodies. If you think of our DNA as an immense piano keyboard and our genes as the keys each key symbolizing a segment of DNA responsible for a particular note, or trait, and all the keys combining to make us who we are then epigenetic processes determine when and how each key can be struck, changing the tune being played. One way the study of epigenetics is revolutionizing our understanding of biology is by revealing a mechanism by which the environment directly impacts on genes. Studies of animals, for example, have shown that when a rat experiences stress during pregnancy, it can cause epigenetic changes in a fetus that lead to behavioral problems as the rodent grows up. Other epigenetic processes appear to occur randomly, while others are normal, such as those that guide embryonic cells as they become heart, brain, or liver cells, for example. Geneticist Danielle Reed has worked with many twins over the years and thought deeply about what twin studies have taught us. 'It's very clear when you look at twins that much of what they share is hardwired, ' she says. 'Many things about them are absolutely the same and unalterable. But it's also clear, when you get to know them, that other things about them are different. Epigenetics is the origin of a lot of those differences, in my view. ' Reed credits Thomas Bouchard's work for today's surge in twin studies. 'He was the trailblazer, ' she says. 'We forget that 50 years ago things like heart disease were thought to be caused entirely by lifestyle. Schizophrenia was thought to be due to poor mothering. Twin studies have allowed us to be more reflective about what people are actually born with and what's caused by experience. ' Having said that, Reed adds, the latest work in epigenetics promises to take our understanding even further. 'What I like to say is that nature writes some things in pencil and some things in pen, ' she says. Things written in pen you can't change. That's DNA. But things written in pencil you can. That's epigenetics. Now that we're actually able to look at the DNA and see where the pencil writings are, it's sort of a whole new world. ' | Twins are at greater risk of developing certain illnesses than non-twins. | n |
id_4909 | Research using twins. To biomedical researchers all over the world, twins offer a precious opportunity to untangle the influence of genes and the environment of nature and nurture. Because identical twins come from a single fertilized egg that splits into two, they share virtually the same genetic code. Any differences between them one twin having younger looking skin, for example must be due to environmental factors such as less time spent in the sun. Alternatively, by comparing the experiences of identical twins with those of fraternal twins, who come from separate eggs and share on average half their DNA, researchers can quantify the extent to which our genes affect our lives. If identical twins are more similar to each other with respect to an ailment than fraternal twins are, then vulnerability to the disease must be rooted at least in part in heredity. These two lines of research studying the differences between identical twins to pinpoint the influence of environment, and comparing identical twins with fraternal ones to measure the role of inheritance have been crucial to understanding the interplay of nature and nurture in determining our personalities, behavior, and vulnerability to disease. The idea of using twins to measure the influence of heredity dates back to 1875, when the English scientist Francis Galton first suggested the approach (and coined the phrase 'nature and nurture'). But twin studies took a surprising twist in the 1980s, with the arrival of studies into identical twins who had been separated at birth and reunited as adults. Over two decades 137 sets of twins eventually visited Thomas Bouchard's lab in what became known as the Minnesota Study of Twins Reared Apart. Numerous tests were carried out on the twins, and they were each asked more than 15,000 questions. Bouchard and his colleagues used this mountain of data to identify how far twins were affected by their genetic makeup. The key to their approach was a statistical concept called heritability. In broad terms, the heritability of a trait measures the extent to which differences among members of a population can be explained by differences in their genetics. And wherever Bouchard and other scientists looked, it seemed, they found the invisible hand of genetic influence helping to shape our lives. Lately, however, twin studies have helped lead scientists to a radical new conclusion: that nature and nurture are not the only elemental forces at work. According to a recent field called epigenetics, there is a third factor also in play, one that in some cases serves as a bridge between the environment and our genes, and in others operates on its own to shape who we are. Epigenetic processes are chemical reactions tied to neither nature nor nurture but representing what researchers have called a 'third component'. These reactions influence how our genetic code is expressed: how each gene is strengthened or weakened, even turned on or off, to build our bones, brains and all the other parts of our bodies. If you think of our DNA as an immense piano keyboard and our genes as the keys each key symbolizing a segment of DNA responsible for a particular note, or trait, and all the keys combining to make us who we are then epigenetic processes determine when and how each key can be struck, changing the tune being played. One way the study of epigenetics is revolutionizing our understanding of biology is by revealing a mechanism by which the environment directly impacts on genes. Studies of animals, for example, have shown that when a rat experiences stress during pregnancy, it can cause epigenetic changes in a fetus that lead to behavioral problems as the rodent grows up. Other epigenetic processes appear to occur randomly, while others are normal, such as those that guide embryonic cells as they become heart, brain, or liver cells, for example. Geneticist Danielle Reed has worked with many twins over the years and thought deeply about what twin studies have taught us. 'It's very clear when you look at twins that much of what they share is hardwired, ' she says. 'Many things about them are absolutely the same and unalterable. But it's also clear, when you get to know them, that other things about them are different. Epigenetics is the origin of a lot of those differences, in my view. ' Reed credits Thomas Bouchard's work for today's surge in twin studies. 'He was the trailblazer, ' she says. 'We forget that 50 years ago things like heart disease were thought to be caused entirely by lifestyle. Schizophrenia was thought to be due to poor mothering. Twin studies have allowed us to be more reflective about what people are actually born with and what's caused by experience. ' Having said that, Reed adds, the latest work in epigenetics promises to take our understanding even further. 'What I like to say is that nature writes some things in pencil and some things in pen, ' she says. Things written in pen you can't change. That's DNA. But things written in pencil you can. That's epigenetics. Now that we're actually able to look at the DNA and see where the pencil writings are, it's sort of a whole new world. ' | There may be genetic causes for the differences in how young the skin of identical twins looks. | c |
id_4910 | Research using twins. To biomedical researchers all over the world, twins offer a precious opportunity to untangle the influence of genes and the environment of nature and nurture. Because identical twins come from a single fertilized egg that splits into two, they share virtually the same genetic code. Any differences between them one twin having younger looking skin, for example must be due to environmental factors such as less time spent in the sun. Alternatively, by comparing the experiences of identical twins with those of fraternal twins, who come from separate eggs and share on average half their DNA, researchers can quantify the extent to which our genes affect our lives. If identical twins are more similar to each other with respect to an ailment than fraternal twins are, then vulnerability to the disease must be rooted at least in part in heredity. These two lines of research studying the differences between identical twins to pinpoint the influence of environment, and comparing identical twins with fraternal ones to measure the role of inheritance have been crucial to understanding the interplay of nature and nurture in determining our personalities, behavior, and vulnerability to disease. The idea of using twins to measure the influence of heredity dates back to 1875, when the English scientist Francis Galton first suggested the approach (and coined the phrase 'nature and nurture'). But twin studies took a surprising twist in the 1980s, with the arrival of studies into identical twins who had been separated at birth and reunited as adults. Over two decades 137 sets of twins eventually visited Thomas Bouchard's lab in what became known as the Minnesota Study of Twins Reared Apart. Numerous tests were carried out on the twins, and they were each asked more than 15,000 questions. Bouchard and his colleagues used this mountain of data to identify how far twins were affected by their genetic makeup. The key to their approach was a statistical concept called heritability. In broad terms, the heritability of a trait measures the extent to which differences among members of a population can be explained by differences in their genetics. And wherever Bouchard and other scientists looked, it seemed, they found the invisible hand of genetic influence helping to shape our lives. Lately, however, twin studies have helped lead scientists to a radical new conclusion: that nature and nurture are not the only elemental forces at work. According to a recent field called epigenetics, there is a third factor also in play, one that in some cases serves as a bridge between the environment and our genes, and in others operates on its own to shape who we are. Epigenetic processes are chemical reactions tied to neither nature nor nurture but representing what researchers have called a 'third component'. These reactions influence how our genetic code is expressed: how each gene is strengthened or weakened, even turned on or off, to build our bones, brains and all the other parts of our bodies. If you think of our DNA as an immense piano keyboard and our genes as the keys each key symbolizing a segment of DNA responsible for a particular note, or trait, and all the keys combining to make us who we are then epigenetic processes determine when and how each key can be struck, changing the tune being played. One way the study of epigenetics is revolutionizing our understanding of biology is by revealing a mechanism by which the environment directly impacts on genes. Studies of animals, for example, have shown that when a rat experiences stress during pregnancy, it can cause epigenetic changes in a fetus that lead to behavioral problems as the rodent grows up. Other epigenetic processes appear to occur randomly, while others are normal, such as those that guide embryonic cells as they become heart, brain, or liver cells, for example. Geneticist Danielle Reed has worked with many twins over the years and thought deeply about what twin studies have taught us. 'It's very clear when you look at twins that much of what they share is hardwired, ' she says. 'Many things about them are absolutely the same and unalterable. But it's also clear, when you get to know them, that other things about them are different. Epigenetics is the origin of a lot of those differences, in my view. ' Reed credits Thomas Bouchard's work for today's surge in twin studies. 'He was the trailblazer, ' she says. 'We forget that 50 years ago things like heart disease were thought to be caused entirely by lifestyle. Schizophrenia was thought to be due to poor mothering. Twin studies have allowed us to be more reflective about what people are actually born with and what's caused by experience. ' Having said that, Reed adds, the latest work in epigenetics promises to take our understanding even further. 'What I like to say is that nature writes some things in pencil and some things in pen, ' she says. Things written in pen you can't change. That's DNA. But things written in pencil you can. That's epigenetics. Now that we're actually able to look at the DNA and see where the pencil writings are, it's sort of a whole new world. ' | Epigenetic processes are different from both genetic and environmental processes. | e |
id_4911 | Research using twins. To biomedical researchers all over the world, twins offer a precious opportunity to untangle the influence of genes and the environment of nature and nurture. Because identical twins come from a single fertilized egg that splits into two, they share virtually the same genetic code. Any differences between them one twin having younger looking skin, for example must be due to environmental factors such as less time spent in the sun. Alternatively, by comparing the experiences of identical twins with those of fraternal twins, who come from separate eggs and share on average half their DNA, researchers can quantify the extent to which our genes affect our lives. If identical twins are more similar to each other with respect to an ailment than fraternal twins are, then vulnerability to the disease must be rooted at least in part in heredity. These two lines of research studying the differences between identical twins to pinpoint the influence of environment, and comparing identical twins with fraternal ones to measure the role of inheritance have been crucial to understanding the interplay of nature and nurture in determining our personalities, behavior, and vulnerability to disease. The idea of using twins to measure the influence of heredity dates back to 1875, when the English scientist Francis Galton first suggested the approach (and coined the phrase nature and nurture). But twin studies took a surprising twist in the 1980s, with the arrival of studies into identical twins who had been separated at birth and reunited as adults. Over two decades 137 sets of twins eventually visited Thomas Bouchards lab in what became known as the Minnesota Study of Twins Reared Apart. Numerous tests were carried out on the twins, and they were each asked more than 15,000 questions. Bouchard and his colleagues used this mountain of data to identify how far twins were affected by their genetic makeup. The key to their approach was a statistical concept called heritability. In broad terms, the heritability of a trait measures the extent to which differences among members of a population can be explained by differences in their genetics. And wherever Bouchard and other scientists looked, it seemed, they found the invisible hand of genetic influence helping to shape our lives. Lately, however, twin studies have helped lead scientists to a radical new conclusion: that nature and nurture are not the only elemental forces at work. According to a recent field called epigenetics, there is a third factor also in play, one that in some cases serves as a bridge between the environment and our genes, and in others operates on its own to shape who we are. Epigenetic processes are chemical reactions tied to neither nature nor nurture but representing what researchers have called a third component. These reactions influence how our genetic code is expressed: how each gene is strengthened or weakened, even turned on or off, to build our bones, brains and all the other parts of our bodies. If you think of our DNA as an immense piano keyboard and our genes as the keys each key symbolizing a segment of DNA responsible for a particular note, or trait, and all the keys combining to make us who we are then epigenetic processes determine when and how each key can be struck, changing the tune being played. One way the study of epigenetics is revolutionizing our understanding of biology is by revealing a mechanism by which the environment directly impacts on genes. Studies of animals, for example, have shown that when a rat experiences stress during pregnancy, it can cause epigenetic changes in a fetus that lead to behavioral problems as the rodent grows up. Other epigenetic processes appear to occur randomly, while others are normal, such as those that guide embryonic cells as they become heart, brain, or liver cells, for example. Geneticist Danielle Reed has worked with many twins over the years and thought deeply about what twin studies have taught us. Its very clear when you look at twins that much of what they share is hardwired, she says. Many things about them are absolutely the same and unalterable. But its also clear, when you get to know them, that other things about them are different. Epigenetics is the origin of a lot of those differences, in my view. Reed credits Thomas Bouchards work for todays surge in twin studies. He was the trailblazer, she says. We forget that 50 years ago things like heart disease were thought to be caused entirely by lifestyle. Schizophrenia was thought to be due to poor mothering. Twin studies have allowed us to be more reflective about what people are actually born with and whats caused by experience. Having said that, Reed adds, the latest work in epigenetics promises to take our understanding even further. What I like to say is that nature writes some things in pencil and some things in pen, she says. Things written in pen you cant change. Thats DNA. But things written in pencil you can. Thats epigenetics. Now that were actually able to look at the DNA and see where the pencil writings are, its sort of a whole new world. | Epigenetic processes are different from both genetic and environmental processes. | e |
id_4912 | Research using twins. To biomedical researchers all over the world, twins offer a precious opportunity to untangle the influence of genes and the environment of nature and nurture. Because identical twins come from a single fertilized egg that splits into two, they share virtually the same genetic code. Any differences between them one twin having younger looking skin, for example must be due to environmental factors such as less time spent in the sun. Alternatively, by comparing the experiences of identical twins with those of fraternal twins, who come from separate eggs and share on average half their DNA, researchers can quantify the extent to which our genes affect our lives. If identical twins are more similar to each other with respect to an ailment than fraternal twins are, then vulnerability to the disease must be rooted at least in part in heredity. These two lines of research studying the differences between identical twins to pinpoint the influence of environment, and comparing identical twins with fraternal ones to measure the role of inheritance have been crucial to understanding the interplay of nature and nurture in determining our personalities, behavior, and vulnerability to disease. The idea of using twins to measure the influence of heredity dates back to 1875, when the English scientist Francis Galton first suggested the approach (and coined the phrase nature and nurture). But twin studies took a surprising twist in the 1980s, with the arrival of studies into identical twins who had been separated at birth and reunited as adults. Over two decades 137 sets of twins eventually visited Thomas Bouchards lab in what became known as the Minnesota Study of Twins Reared Apart. Numerous tests were carried out on the twins, and they were each asked more than 15,000 questions. Bouchard and his colleagues used this mountain of data to identify how far twins were affected by their genetic makeup. The key to their approach was a statistical concept called heritability. In broad terms, the heritability of a trait measures the extent to which differences among members of a population can be explained by differences in their genetics. And wherever Bouchard and other scientists looked, it seemed, they found the invisible hand of genetic influence helping to shape our lives. Lately, however, twin studies have helped lead scientists to a radical new conclusion: that nature and nurture are not the only elemental forces at work. According to a recent field called epigenetics, there is a third factor also in play, one that in some cases serves as a bridge between the environment and our genes, and in others operates on its own to shape who we are. Epigenetic processes are chemical reactions tied to neither nature nor nurture but representing what researchers have called a third component. These reactions influence how our genetic code is expressed: how each gene is strengthened or weakened, even turned on or off, to build our bones, brains and all the other parts of our bodies. If you think of our DNA as an immense piano keyboard and our genes as the keys each key symbolizing a segment of DNA responsible for a particular note, or trait, and all the keys combining to make us who we are then epigenetic processes determine when and how each key can be struck, changing the tune being played. One way the study of epigenetics is revolutionizing our understanding of biology is by revealing a mechanism by which the environment directly impacts on genes. Studies of animals, for example, have shown that when a rat experiences stress during pregnancy, it can cause epigenetic changes in a fetus that lead to behavioral problems as the rodent grows up. Other epigenetic processes appear to occur randomly, while others are normal, such as those that guide embryonic cells as they become heart, brain, or liver cells, for example. Geneticist Danielle Reed has worked with many twins over the years and thought deeply about what twin studies have taught us. Its very clear when you look at twins that much of what they share is hardwired, she says. Many things about them are absolutely the same and unalterable. But its also clear, when you get to know them, that other things about them are different. Epigenetics is the origin of a lot of those differences, in my view. Reed credits Thomas Bouchards work for todays surge in twin studies. He was the trailblazer, she says. We forget that 50 years ago things like heart disease were thought to be caused entirely by lifestyle. Schizophrenia was thought to be due to poor mothering. Twin studies have allowed us to be more reflective about what people are actually born with and whats caused by experience. Having said that, Reed adds, the latest work in epigenetics promises to take our understanding even further. What I like to say is that nature writes some things in pencil and some things in pen, she says. Things written in pen you cant change. Thats DNA. But things written in pencil you can. Thats epigenetics. Now that were actually able to look at the DNA and see where the pencil writings are, its sort of a whole new world. | Bouchard advertised in newspapers for twins who had been separated at birth. | n |
id_4913 | Research using twins. To biomedical researchers all over the world, twins offer a precious opportunity to untangle the influence of genes and the environment of nature and nurture. Because identical twins come from a single fertilized egg that splits into two, they share virtually the same genetic code. Any differences between them one twin having younger looking skin, for example must be due to environmental factors such as less time spent in the sun. Alternatively, by comparing the experiences of identical twins with those of fraternal twins, who come from separate eggs and share on average half their DNA, researchers can quantify the extent to which our genes affect our lives. If identical twins are more similar to each other with respect to an ailment than fraternal twins are, then vulnerability to the disease must be rooted at least in part in heredity. These two lines of research studying the differences between identical twins to pinpoint the influence of environment, and comparing identical twins with fraternal ones to measure the role of inheritance have been crucial to understanding the interplay of nature and nurture in determining our personalities, behavior, and vulnerability to disease. The idea of using twins to measure the influence of heredity dates back to 1875, when the English scientist Francis Galton first suggested the approach (and coined the phrase nature and nurture). But twin studies took a surprising twist in the 1980s, with the arrival of studies into identical twins who had been separated at birth and reunited as adults. Over two decades 137 sets of twins eventually visited Thomas Bouchards lab in what became known as the Minnesota Study of Twins Reared Apart. Numerous tests were carried out on the twins, and they were each asked more than 15,000 questions. Bouchard and his colleagues used this mountain of data to identify how far twins were affected by their genetic makeup. The key to their approach was a statistical concept called heritability. In broad terms, the heritability of a trait measures the extent to which differences among members of a population can be explained by differences in their genetics. And wherever Bouchard and other scientists looked, it seemed, they found the invisible hand of genetic influence helping to shape our lives. Lately, however, twin studies have helped lead scientists to a radical new conclusion: that nature and nurture are not the only elemental forces at work. According to a recent field called epigenetics, there is a third factor also in play, one that in some cases serves as a bridge between the environment and our genes, and in others operates on its own to shape who we are. Epigenetic processes are chemical reactions tied to neither nature nor nurture but representing what researchers have called a third component. These reactions influence how our genetic code is expressed: how each gene is strengthened or weakened, even turned on or off, to build our bones, brains and all the other parts of our bodies. If you think of our DNA as an immense piano keyboard and our genes as the keys each key symbolizing a segment of DNA responsible for a particular note, or trait, and all the keys combining to make us who we are then epigenetic processes determine when and how each key can be struck, changing the tune being played. One way the study of epigenetics is revolutionizing our understanding of biology is by revealing a mechanism by which the environment directly impacts on genes. Studies of animals, for example, have shown that when a rat experiences stress during pregnancy, it can cause epigenetic changes in a fetus that lead to behavioral problems as the rodent grows up. Other epigenetic processes appear to occur randomly, while others are normal, such as those that guide embryonic cells as they become heart, brain, or liver cells, for example. Geneticist Danielle Reed has worked with many twins over the years and thought deeply about what twin studies have taught us. Its very clear when you look at twins that much of what they share is hardwired, she says. Many things about them are absolutely the same and unalterable. But its also clear, when you get to know them, that other things about them are different. Epigenetics is the origin of a lot of those differences, in my view. Reed credits Thomas Bouchards work for todays surge in twin studies. He was the trailblazer, she says. We forget that 50 years ago things like heart disease were thought to be caused entirely by lifestyle. Schizophrenia was thought to be due to poor mothering. Twin studies have allowed us to be more reflective about what people are actually born with and whats caused by experience. Having said that, Reed adds, the latest work in epigenetics promises to take our understanding even further. What I like to say is that nature writes some things in pencil and some things in pen, she says. Things written in pen you cant change. Thats DNA. But things written in pencil you can. Thats epigenetics. Now that were actually able to look at the DNA and see where the pencil writings are, its sort of a whole new world. | Twins are at greater risk of developing certain illnesses than non-twins. | n |
id_4914 | Research using twins. To biomedical researchers all over the world, twins offer a precious opportunity to untangle the influence of genes and the environment of nature and nurture. Because identical twins come from a single fertilized egg that splits into two, they share virtually the same genetic code. Any differences between them one twin having younger looking skin, for example must be due to environmental factors such as less time spent in the sun. Alternatively, by comparing the experiences of identical twins with those of fraternal twins, who come from separate eggs and share on average half their DNA, researchers can quantify the extent to which our genes affect our lives. If identical twins are more similar to each other with respect to an ailment than fraternal twins are, then vulnerability to the disease must be rooted at least in part in heredity. These two lines of research studying the differences between identical twins to pinpoint the influence of environment, and comparing identical twins with fraternal ones to measure the role of inheritance have been crucial to understanding the interplay of nature and nurture in determining our personalities, behavior, and vulnerability to disease. The idea of using twins to measure the influence of heredity dates back to 1875, when the English scientist Francis Galton first suggested the approach (and coined the phrase nature and nurture). But twin studies took a surprising twist in the 1980s, with the arrival of studies into identical twins who had been separated at birth and reunited as adults. Over two decades 137 sets of twins eventually visited Thomas Bouchards lab in what became known as the Minnesota Study of Twins Reared Apart. Numerous tests were carried out on the twins, and they were each asked more than 15,000 questions. Bouchard and his colleagues used this mountain of data to identify how far twins were affected by their genetic makeup. The key to their approach was a statistical concept called heritability. In broad terms, the heritability of a trait measures the extent to which differences among members of a population can be explained by differences in their genetics. And wherever Bouchard and other scientists looked, it seemed, they found the invisible hand of genetic influence helping to shape our lives. Lately, however, twin studies have helped lead scientists to a radical new conclusion: that nature and nurture are not the only elemental forces at work. According to a recent field called epigenetics, there is a third factor also in play, one that in some cases serves as a bridge between the environment and our genes, and in others operates on its own to shape who we are. Epigenetic processes are chemical reactions tied to neither nature nor nurture but representing what researchers have called a third component. These reactions influence how our genetic code is expressed: how each gene is strengthened or weakened, even turned on or off, to build our bones, brains and all the other parts of our bodies. If you think of our DNA as an immense piano keyboard and our genes as the keys each key symbolizing a segment of DNA responsible for a particular note, or trait, and all the keys combining to make us who we are then epigenetic processes determine when and how each key can be struck, changing the tune being played. One way the study of epigenetics is revolutionizing our understanding of biology is by revealing a mechanism by which the environment directly impacts on genes. Studies of animals, for example, have shown that when a rat experiences stress during pregnancy, it can cause epigenetic changes in a fetus that lead to behavioral problems as the rodent grows up. Other epigenetic processes appear to occur randomly, while others are normal, such as those that guide embryonic cells as they become heart, brain, or liver cells, for example. Geneticist Danielle Reed has worked with many twins over the years and thought deeply about what twin studies have taught us. Its very clear when you look at twins that much of what they share is hardwired, she says. Many things about them are absolutely the same and unalterable. But its also clear, when you get to know them, that other things about them are different. Epigenetics is the origin of a lot of those differences, in my view. Reed credits Thomas Bouchards work for todays surge in twin studies. He was the trailblazer, she says. We forget that 50 years ago things like heart disease were thought to be caused entirely by lifestyle. Schizophrenia was thought to be due to poor mothering. Twin studies have allowed us to be more reflective about what people are actually born with and whats caused by experience. Having said that, Reed adds, the latest work in epigenetics promises to take our understanding even further. What I like to say is that nature writes some things in pencil and some things in pen, she says. Things written in pen you cant change. Thats DNA. But things written in pencil you can. Thats epigenetics. Now that were actually able to look at the DNA and see where the pencil writings are, its sort of a whole new world. | There may be genetic causes for the differences in how young the skin of identical twins looks. | c |
id_4915 | Researchers believe that there is growing evidence to support the hypothesis that attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) should not be dismissed as ordinary bad behaviour but should be recognized as a serious childhood disease. It is claimed that as many as one in five children are at risk of suffering this condition, which is linked to an increased risk of serious illness in adulthood. The disease is not caused by bad parenting, but a chaotic or difficult home environment in a childs early years acti- vates the syndrome where there already exists a genetic predisposition. If left untreated, sufferers were found to be four times more likely to suffer from mental illness as young adults. | ADHD is triggered by specific environmental circumstances. | e |
id_4916 | Researchers believe that there is growing evidence to support the hypothesis that attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) should not be dismissed as ordinary bad behaviour but should be recognized as a serious childhood disease. It is claimed that as many as one in five children are at risk of suffering this condition, which is linked to an increased risk of serious illness in adulthood. The disease is not caused by bad parenting, but a chaotic or difficult home environment in a childs early years acti- vates the syndrome where there already exists a genetic predisposition. If left untreated, sufferers were found to be four times more likely to suffer from mental illness as young adults. | It can be inferred from the passage that as many as one in five young children suffer a chaotic or difficult home environment. | c |
id_4917 | Researchers believe that there is growing evidence to support the hypothesis that attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) should not be dismissed as ordinary bad behaviour but should be recognized as a serious childhood disease. It is claimed that as many as one in five children are at risk of suffering this condition, which is linked to an increased risk of serious illness in adulthood. The disease is not caused by bad parenting, but a chaotic or difficult home environment in a childs early years acti- vates the syndrome where there already exists a genetic predisposition. If left untreated, sufferers were found to be four times more likely to suffer from mental illness as young adults. | Children with ADHD are more likely to suffer mental illness as young adults. | c |
id_4918 | Researchers in Pegasus Electronics found that a fifth of all sick leave in the company was stress-related. Very high work demands led to stress, but boring jobs were equally detrimental. The Board of Directors therefore decided to take corrective action by getting supervisors to re-organise the production lines so that all their employees had greater control over the rate of production. In addition, all supervisors are now being trained to recognise the early signs of stress-related problems and there is a possibility that if this training proves successful, remaining staff may follow suit shortly. | At Pegasus, most sick leave is due to stress-related illness. | c |
id_4919 | Researchers in Pegasus Electronics found that a fifth of all sick leave in the company was stress-related. Very high work demands led to stress, but boring jobs were equally detrimental. The Board of Directors therefore decided to take corrective action by getting supervisors to re-organise the production lines so that all their employees had greater control over the rate of production. In addition, all supervisors are now being trained to recognise the early signs of stress-related problems and there is a possibility that if this training proves successful, remaining staff may follow suit shortly. | The action taken has been shown to reduce stress-related sick leave. | n |
id_4920 | Researchers in Pegasus Electronics found that a fifth of all sick leave in the company was stress-related. Very high work demands led to stress, but boring jobs were equally detrimental. The Board of Directors therefore decided to take corrective action by getting supervisors to re-organise the production lines so that all their employees had greater control over the rate of production. In addition, all supervisors are now being trained to recognise the early signs of stress-related problems and there is a possibility that if this training proves successful, remaining staff may follow suit shortly. | Pegasus Electronics has now decided that all staff must be trained to recognise the signs of stress-related illness. | c |
id_4921 | Rise of the Robots If you are into technology, you are living in wonderful times. Things are developing in leaps and bounds, especially gadgets. Let us look at the technology that is set to break through. CELESTRON SKYSCOUT Backyard stargazing goes seriously hi-tech with the Celestron SkyScout, which was judged to be the Best of Innovations at the New York Consumer Electronics Show press preview event in November. It is not difficult to see why. The SkyScout is a hand-held viewing device that is capable of finding and identifying more than 6,000 celestial objects visible to the naked eye, thus transforming the night sky into your own personal planetarium. Using GPS technology and a substantial celestial database, the camcorder-sized SkyScout enables stargazers to point the device at any visible object in the sky, press a button, and then listen to a commentary. For the truly celestially challenged, if you want to view a star or planet but do not have a clue which bit of the heavens to look in, do not despair; the SkyScouts locate feature will guide you to it using illuminated arrows in the viewfinder. NOKIA N91 This amazing mobile jukebox is due out early in 2006. Nokias N91 looks set to be in a class of its own as a multimedia mobile phone. It will play music, take photos, surf the web and download videos, store contact details, and generally organise your life. The robust little phone, resplendent in its stainless steel case, is the first Nokia to be equipped with a hard drive (4Gb), which means that it can store up to 3,000 songs. The N91, which has a hi-fi quality headset and remote control, supports a wide range of digital music formats, including MP3, Real, WAV, and WMA. It uses wireless technology to allow users to find and buy music from the operators music store. You can also drag and drop music from your PC to the N91 and manage and share playlists. If you can find the time, you can get on the blower, too. SEIKO SPECTRUM E-PAPER WATCH The Seiko Spectrum is no ordinary wristwatch. At first glance, it is an attractive and futuristic bracelet-style watch. Look closer, however, and you will notice that its display is unlike any you have seen before. Rather than the usual LCD screen, the display is made of e-paper from the electronic paper pioneers E Ink Corp and shows a constantly changing mosaic pattern along with the time. Because e-paper is so flexible and thin, it allows the display to curve round the wrist along with the watch band something conventional liquid-crystal displays cannot do, as they have to be flat. Seiko says the e-paper display not only produces far better contrast than an LCD screen, but requires no power to retain an image, so the batteries last longer. Seiko is releasing only 500 of the watches next month, priced at about 1,250 so youd better lose no time. HIGH-DEFINITION TV HDTV, already available in the United States, Japan, and Australia, will hit the UK in 2006. When you watch a programme filmed in the HD format, you will see a much sharper, clearer and more vibrant image. This is due partly to the way a programme is filmed, but also to the high-definition TV set itself, which uses either 720 or 1,080 visible rows of pixels (depending on which format the individual HDTV uses) to display images, compared to the 576 rows of pixels used in current sets. ELECTROLUX TRILOBITE 2.0 ROBOT VACUUM CLEANER Next time you are expecting visitors, do not bother to vacuum first wait until they arrive, and then entertain them with this little gadget. The Electrolux Trilobite 2.0 is a robotic vacuum cleaner that navigates its way around your floors using ultrasound, just like a bat. It pings out ultrasound vibrations at surfaces to create a map of the room, which it remembers for future cleaning assignments. The Trilobite has no problem avoiding collision with things placed on the floor. Special magnetic strips are placed in doorways, near stairs and other openings. These act as a wall, keeping the Trilobite in the room. You can also programme it to glide round when youre at work or after youve gone to bed. When Electrolux introduced the original Trilobite in 2001, it was voted among the 100 most innovative designs (though whether the judges were dedicated couch potatoes, and thus biased, we were not aide to discover). The name comes from the hard-shelled sea creature from the Paleozoic era (between 250 million and 560 million years ago) that roamed the ocean floor feeding on particles and small animals. HONDA ASIMO ROBOT Need an extra pair of hands around the office? Look no further; this mouth, the Honda Motor Company showcased its second-generation humanoid robot, Asimo. The machine has come a long way since its first incarnation five years ago. The 1.3 metre-tall droid is now capable of performing a variety of office tasks, including reception duties, serving drinks and acting as an information guide, as well as making deliveries. Using multiple sensors, Asimo has the ability to recognise the surrounding environment and interact with people using integrated circuit tags. It can walk and run at a fair pace, and push a cart. Honda plans to start using Asimos receptionist functions at its Wako Building in Japan early in 2006, and it is hoped it will become available for leasing afterwards. It could soon be pushing a cart at an office near you. | Asimo is available for export. | n |
id_4922 | Rise of the Robots If you are into technology, you are living in wonderful times. Things are developing in leaps and bounds, especially gadgets. Let us look at the technology that is set to break through. CELESTRON SKYSCOUT Backyard stargazing goes seriously hi-tech with the Celestron SkyScout, which was judged to be the Best of Innovations at the New York Consumer Electronics Show press preview event in November. It is not difficult to see why. The SkyScout is a hand-held viewing device that is capable of finding and identifying more than 6,000 celestial objects visible to the naked eye, thus transforming the night sky into your own personal planetarium. Using GPS technology and a substantial celestial database, the camcorder-sized SkyScout enables stargazers to point the device at any visible object in the sky, press a button, and then listen to a commentary. For the truly celestially challenged, if you want to view a star or planet but do not have a clue which bit of the heavens to look in, do not despair; the SkyScouts locate feature will guide you to it using illuminated arrows in the viewfinder. NOKIA N91 This amazing mobile jukebox is due out early in 2006. Nokias N91 looks set to be in a class of its own as a multimedia mobile phone. It will play music, take photos, surf the web and download videos, store contact details, and generally organise your life. The robust little phone, resplendent in its stainless steel case, is the first Nokia to be equipped with a hard drive (4Gb), which means that it can store up to 3,000 songs. The N91, which has a hi-fi quality headset and remote control, supports a wide range of digital music formats, including MP3, Real, WAV, and WMA. It uses wireless technology to allow users to find and buy music from the operators music store. You can also drag and drop music from your PC to the N91 and manage and share playlists. If you can find the time, you can get on the blower, too. SEIKO SPECTRUM E-PAPER WATCH The Seiko Spectrum is no ordinary wristwatch. At first glance, it is an attractive and futuristic bracelet-style watch. Look closer, however, and you will notice that its display is unlike any you have seen before. Rather than the usual LCD screen, the display is made of e-paper from the electronic paper pioneers E Ink Corp and shows a constantly changing mosaic pattern along with the time. Because e-paper is so flexible and thin, it allows the display to curve round the wrist along with the watch band something conventional liquid-crystal displays cannot do, as they have to be flat. Seiko says the e-paper display not only produces far better contrast than an LCD screen, but requires no power to retain an image, so the batteries last longer. Seiko is releasing only 500 of the watches next month, priced at about 1,250 so youd better lose no time. HIGH-DEFINITION TV HDTV, already available in the United States, Japan, and Australia, will hit the UK in 2006. When you watch a programme filmed in the HD format, you will see a much sharper, clearer and more vibrant image. This is due partly to the way a programme is filmed, but also to the high-definition TV set itself, which uses either 720 or 1,080 visible rows of pixels (depending on which format the individual HDTV uses) to display images, compared to the 576 rows of pixels used in current sets. ELECTROLUX TRILOBITE 2.0 ROBOT VACUUM CLEANER Next time you are expecting visitors, do not bother to vacuum first wait until they arrive, and then entertain them with this little gadget. The Electrolux Trilobite 2.0 is a robotic vacuum cleaner that navigates its way around your floors using ultrasound, just like a bat. It pings out ultrasound vibrations at surfaces to create a map of the room, which it remembers for future cleaning assignments. The Trilobite has no problem avoiding collision with things placed on the floor. Special magnetic strips are placed in doorways, near stairs and other openings. These act as a wall, keeping the Trilobite in the room. You can also programme it to glide round when youre at work or after youve gone to bed. When Electrolux introduced the original Trilobite in 2001, it was voted among the 100 most innovative designs (though whether the judges were dedicated couch potatoes, and thus biased, we were not aide to discover). The name comes from the hard-shelled sea creature from the Paleozoic era (between 250 million and 560 million years ago) that roamed the ocean floor feeding on particles and small animals. HONDA ASIMO ROBOT Need an extra pair of hands around the office? Look no further; this mouth, the Honda Motor Company showcased its second-generation humanoid robot, Asimo. The machine has come a long way since its first incarnation five years ago. The 1.3 metre-tall droid is now capable of performing a variety of office tasks, including reception duties, serving drinks and acting as an information guide, as well as making deliveries. Using multiple sensors, Asimo has the ability to recognise the surrounding environment and interact with people using integrated circuit tags. It can walk and run at a fair pace, and push a cart. Honda plans to start using Asimos receptionist functions at its Wako Building in Japan early in 2006, and it is hoped it will become available for leasing afterwards. It could soon be pushing a cart at an office near you. | The Nokia N91 is strong. | e |
id_4923 | Rise of the Robots If you are into technology, you are living in wonderful times. Things are developing in leaps and bounds, especially gadgets. Let us look at the technology that is set to break through. CELESTRON SKYSCOUT Backyard stargazing goes seriously hi-tech with the Celestron SkyScout, which was judged to be the Best of Innovations at the New York Consumer Electronics Show press preview event in November. It is not difficult to see why. The SkyScout is a hand-held viewing device that is capable of finding and identifying more than 6,000 celestial objects visible to the naked eye, thus transforming the night sky into your own personal planetarium. Using GPS technology and a substantial celestial database, the camcorder-sized SkyScout enables stargazers to point the device at any visible object in the sky, press a button, and then listen to a commentary. For the truly celestially challenged, if you want to view a star or planet but do not have a clue which bit of the heavens to look in, do not despair; the SkyScouts locate feature will guide you to it using illuminated arrows in the viewfinder. NOKIA N91 This amazing mobile jukebox is due out early in 2006. Nokias N91 looks set to be in a class of its own as a multimedia mobile phone. It will play music, take photos, surf the web and download videos, store contact details, and generally organise your life. The robust little phone, resplendent in its stainless steel case, is the first Nokia to be equipped with a hard drive (4Gb), which means that it can store up to 3,000 songs. The N91, which has a hi-fi quality headset and remote control, supports a wide range of digital music formats, including MP3, Real, WAV, and WMA. It uses wireless technology to allow users to find and buy music from the operators music store. You can also drag and drop music from your PC to the N91 and manage and share playlists. If you can find the time, you can get on the blower, too. SEIKO SPECTRUM E-PAPER WATCH The Seiko Spectrum is no ordinary wristwatch. At first glance, it is an attractive and futuristic bracelet-style watch. Look closer, however, and you will notice that its display is unlike any you have seen before. Rather than the usual LCD screen, the display is made of e-paper from the electronic paper pioneers E Ink Corp and shows a constantly changing mosaic pattern along with the time. Because e-paper is so flexible and thin, it allows the display to curve round the wrist along with the watch band something conventional liquid-crystal displays cannot do, as they have to be flat. Seiko says the e-paper display not only produces far better contrast than an LCD screen, but requires no power to retain an image, so the batteries last longer. Seiko is releasing only 500 of the watches next month, priced at about 1,250 so youd better lose no time. HIGH-DEFINITION TV HDTV, already available in the United States, Japan, and Australia, will hit the UK in 2006. When you watch a programme filmed in the HD format, you will see a much sharper, clearer and more vibrant image. This is due partly to the way a programme is filmed, but also to the high-definition TV set itself, which uses either 720 or 1,080 visible rows of pixels (depending on which format the individual HDTV uses) to display images, compared to the 576 rows of pixels used in current sets. ELECTROLUX TRILOBITE 2.0 ROBOT VACUUM CLEANER Next time you are expecting visitors, do not bother to vacuum first wait until they arrive, and then entertain them with this little gadget. The Electrolux Trilobite 2.0 is a robotic vacuum cleaner that navigates its way around your floors using ultrasound, just like a bat. It pings out ultrasound vibrations at surfaces to create a map of the room, which it remembers for future cleaning assignments. The Trilobite has no problem avoiding collision with things placed on the floor. Special magnetic strips are placed in doorways, near stairs and other openings. These act as a wall, keeping the Trilobite in the room. You can also programme it to glide round when youre at work or after youve gone to bed. When Electrolux introduced the original Trilobite in 2001, it was voted among the 100 most innovative designs (though whether the judges were dedicated couch potatoes, and thus biased, we were not aide to discover). The name comes from the hard-shelled sea creature from the Paleozoic era (between 250 million and 560 million years ago) that roamed the ocean floor feeding on particles and small animals. HONDA ASIMO ROBOT Need an extra pair of hands around the office? Look no further; this mouth, the Honda Motor Company showcased its second-generation humanoid robot, Asimo. The machine has come a long way since its first incarnation five years ago. The 1.3 metre-tall droid is now capable of performing a variety of office tasks, including reception duties, serving drinks and acting as an information guide, as well as making deliveries. Using multiple sensors, Asimo has the ability to recognise the surrounding environment and interact with people using integrated circuit tags. It can walk and run at a fair pace, and push a cart. Honda plans to start using Asimos receptionist functions at its Wako Building in Japan early in 2006, and it is hoped it will become available for leasing afterwards. It could soon be pushing a cart at an office near you. | E-paper can be torn easily. | n |
id_4924 | Rise of the Robots If you are into technology, you are living in wonderful times. Things are developing in leaps and bounds, especially gadgets. Let us look at the technology that is set to break through. CELESTRON SKYSCOUT Backyard stargazing goes seriously hi-tech with the Celestron SkyScout, which was judged to be the Best of Innovations at the New York Consumer Electronics Show press preview event in November. It is not difficult to see why. The SkyScout is a hand-held viewing device that is capable of finding and identifying more than 6,000 celestial objects visible to the naked eye, thus transforming the night sky into your own personal planetarium. Using GPS technology and a substantial celestial database, the camcorder-sized SkyScout enables stargazers to point the device at any visible object in the sky, press a button, and then listen to a commentary. For the truly celestially challenged, if you want to view a star or planet but do not have a clue which bit of the heavens to look in, do not despair; the SkyScouts locate feature will guide you to it using illuminated arrows in the viewfinder. NOKIA N91 This amazing mobile jukebox is due out early in 2006. Nokias N91 looks set to be in a class of its own as a multimedia mobile phone. It will play music, take photos, surf the web and download videos, store contact details, and generally organise your life. The robust little phone, resplendent in its stainless steel case, is the first Nokia to be equipped with a hard drive (4Gb), which means that it can store up to 3,000 songs. The N91, which has a hi-fi quality headset and remote control, supports a wide range of digital music formats, including MP3, Real, WAV, and WMA. It uses wireless technology to allow users to find and buy music from the operators music store. You can also drag and drop music from your PC to the N91 and manage and share playlists. If you can find the time, you can get on the blower, too. SEIKO SPECTRUM E-PAPER WATCH The Seiko Spectrum is no ordinary wristwatch. At first glance, it is an attractive and futuristic bracelet-style watch. Look closer, however, and you will notice that its display is unlike any you have seen before. Rather than the usual LCD screen, the display is made of e-paper from the electronic paper pioneers E Ink Corp and shows a constantly changing mosaic pattern along with the time. Because e-paper is so flexible and thin, it allows the display to curve round the wrist along with the watch band something conventional liquid-crystal displays cannot do, as they have to be flat. Seiko says the e-paper display not only produces far better contrast than an LCD screen, but requires no power to retain an image, so the batteries last longer. Seiko is releasing only 500 of the watches next month, priced at about 1,250 so youd better lose no time. HIGH-DEFINITION TV HDTV, already available in the United States, Japan, and Australia, will hit the UK in 2006. When you watch a programme filmed in the HD format, you will see a much sharper, clearer and more vibrant image. This is due partly to the way a programme is filmed, but also to the high-definition TV set itself, which uses either 720 or 1,080 visible rows of pixels (depending on which format the individual HDTV uses) to display images, compared to the 576 rows of pixels used in current sets. ELECTROLUX TRILOBITE 2.0 ROBOT VACUUM CLEANER Next time you are expecting visitors, do not bother to vacuum first wait until they arrive, and then entertain them with this little gadget. The Electrolux Trilobite 2.0 is a robotic vacuum cleaner that navigates its way around your floors using ultrasound, just like a bat. It pings out ultrasound vibrations at surfaces to create a map of the room, which it remembers for future cleaning assignments. The Trilobite has no problem avoiding collision with things placed on the floor. Special magnetic strips are placed in doorways, near stairs and other openings. These act as a wall, keeping the Trilobite in the room. You can also programme it to glide round when youre at work or after youve gone to bed. When Electrolux introduced the original Trilobite in 2001, it was voted among the 100 most innovative designs (though whether the judges were dedicated couch potatoes, and thus biased, we were not aide to discover). The name comes from the hard-shelled sea creature from the Paleozoic era (between 250 million and 560 million years ago) that roamed the ocean floor feeding on particles and small animals. HONDA ASIMO ROBOT Need an extra pair of hands around the office? Look no further; this mouth, the Honda Motor Company showcased its second-generation humanoid robot, Asimo. The machine has come a long way since its first incarnation five years ago. The 1.3 metre-tall droid is now capable of performing a variety of office tasks, including reception duties, serving drinks and acting as an information guide, as well as making deliveries. Using multiple sensors, Asimo has the ability to recognise the surrounding environment and interact with people using integrated circuit tags. It can walk and run at a fair pace, and push a cart. Honda plans to start using Asimos receptionist functions at its Wako Building in Japan early in 2006, and it is hoped it will become available for leasing afterwards. It could soon be pushing a cart at an office near you. | HDTV is filmed differently to conventional TV. | e |
id_4925 | Rise of the Robots If you are into technology, you are living in wonderful times. Things are developing in leaps and bounds, especially gadgets. Let us look at the technology that is set to break through. CELESTRON SKYSCOUT Backyard stargazing goes seriously hi-tech with the Celestron SkyScout, which was judged to be the Best of Innovations at the New York Consumer Electronics Show press preview event in November. It is not difficult to see why. The SkyScout is a hand-held viewing device that is capable of finding and identifying more than 6,000 celestial objects visible to the naked eye, thus transforming the night sky into your own personal planetarium. Using GPS technology and a substantial celestial database, the camcorder-sized SkyScout enables stargazers to point the device at any visible object in the sky, press a button, and then listen to a commentary. For the truly celestially challenged, if you want to view a star or planet but do not have a clue which bit of the heavens to look in, do not despair; the SkyScouts locate feature will guide you to it using illuminated arrows in the viewfinder. NOKIA N91 This amazing mobile jukebox is due out early in 2006. Nokias N91 looks set to be in a class of its own as a multimedia mobile phone. It will play music, take photos, surf the web and download videos, store contact details, and generally organise your life. The robust little phone, resplendent in its stainless steel case, is the first Nokia to be equipped with a hard drive (4Gb), which means that it can store up to 3,000 songs. The N91, which has a hi-fi quality headset and remote control, supports a wide range of digital music formats, including MP3, Real, WAV, and WMA. It uses wireless technology to allow users to find and buy music from the operators music store. You can also drag and drop music from your PC to the N91 and manage and share playlists. If you can find the time, you can get on the blower, too. SEIKO SPECTRUM E-PAPER WATCH The Seiko Spectrum is no ordinary wristwatch. At first glance, it is an attractive and futuristic bracelet-style watch. Look closer, however, and you will notice that its display is unlike any you have seen before. Rather than the usual LCD screen, the display is made of e-paper from the electronic paper pioneers E Ink Corp and shows a constantly changing mosaic pattern along with the time. Because e-paper is so flexible and thin, it allows the display to curve round the wrist along with the watch band something conventional liquid-crystal displays cannot do, as they have to be flat. Seiko says the e-paper display not only produces far better contrast than an LCD screen, but requires no power to retain an image, so the batteries last longer. Seiko is releasing only 500 of the watches next month, priced at about 1,250 so youd better lose no time. HIGH-DEFINITION TV HDTV, already available in the United States, Japan, and Australia, will hit the UK in 2006. When you watch a programme filmed in the HD format, you will see a much sharper, clearer and more vibrant image. This is due partly to the way a programme is filmed, but also to the high-definition TV set itself, which uses either 720 or 1,080 visible rows of pixels (depending on which format the individual HDTV uses) to display images, compared to the 576 rows of pixels used in current sets. ELECTROLUX TRILOBITE 2.0 ROBOT VACUUM CLEANER Next time you are expecting visitors, do not bother to vacuum first wait until they arrive, and then entertain them with this little gadget. The Electrolux Trilobite 2.0 is a robotic vacuum cleaner that navigates its way around your floors using ultrasound, just like a bat. It pings out ultrasound vibrations at surfaces to create a map of the room, which it remembers for future cleaning assignments. The Trilobite has no problem avoiding collision with things placed on the floor. Special magnetic strips are placed in doorways, near stairs and other openings. These act as a wall, keeping the Trilobite in the room. You can also programme it to glide round when youre at work or after youve gone to bed. When Electrolux introduced the original Trilobite in 2001, it was voted among the 100 most innovative designs (though whether the judges were dedicated couch potatoes, and thus biased, we were not aide to discover). The name comes from the hard-shelled sea creature from the Paleozoic era (between 250 million and 560 million years ago) that roamed the ocean floor feeding on particles and small animals. HONDA ASIMO ROBOT Need an extra pair of hands around the office? Look no further; this mouth, the Honda Motor Company showcased its second-generation humanoid robot, Asimo. The machine has come a long way since its first incarnation five years ago. The 1.3 metre-tall droid is now capable of performing a variety of office tasks, including reception duties, serving drinks and acting as an information guide, as well as making deliveries. Using multiple sensors, Asimo has the ability to recognise the surrounding environment and interact with people using integrated circuit tags. It can walk and run at a fair pace, and push a cart. Honda plans to start using Asimos receptionist functions at its Wako Building in Japan early in 2006, and it is hoped it will become available for leasing afterwards. It could soon be pushing a cart at an office near you. | The Trilobite 2.0 looks just like the original design. | n |
id_4926 | Rising concerns about pollution in major Indian cities have led to a dramatic increase in sales of home air purifiers. New Delhi, which has been called the most polluted city in the world by the WHO, is not only the biggest buyer of air purifiers but is also the city that is seeing the fastest growth in sales of these devices. | An air purifier removes contaminants from the air in a room. | c |
id_4927 | Rising concerns about pollution in major Indian cities have led to a dramatic increase in sales of home air purifiers. New Delhi, which has been called the most polluted city in the world by the WHO, is not only the biggest buyer of air purifiers but is also the city that is seeing the fastest growth in sales of these devices. | People are concerned about the rising pollution in the city. | e |
id_4928 | Rising concerns about pollution in major Indian cities have led to a dramatic increase in sales of home air purifiers. New Delhi, which has been called the most polluted city in the world by the WHO, is not only the biggest buyer of air purifiers but is also the city that is seeing the fastest growth in sales of these devices. | Major consumer electronics brands have launched newer models to make air purifiers affordable for the mass market. | c |
id_4929 | Rising concerns about pollution in major Indian cities have led to a dramatic increase in sales of home air purifiers. New Delhi, which has been called the most polluted city in the world by the WHO, is not only the biggest buyer of air purifiers but is also the city that is seeing the fastest growth in sales of these devices. | Air purifier is beneficial for those with allergies, asthma and other respiratory problems. | c |
id_4930 | Rising worldwide demand for champagne has meant that champagne producers have needed to increase supply by creating more wineries and planting more grapes. The Champagne region has been producing sparkling wines since the 16th century from the variety of grapes found across the region. Traditionally served at the coronations of French kings, the drinks association with opulence grew throughout the 19th century. Following on from 1891s Treaty of Madrid, the Treaty of Versailles after World War 1 reaffirmed the Champagne regions legal right for sole usage of the term champagne. Time-consuming and costly, the Champenoise method of production involves a second fermentation process. However this process has been replicated outside the French region. Champagnes grapes are not unique to the region either they can be grown elsewhere if their seeds are planted in a virtually identical climate. Currently, bottles that are labelled as using the Champenoise method may cause some consumer confusion as to whether they are real champagne or not. Clear labelling of a sparkling wines origin on the bottle is needed to tell consumers whether or not it came from Champagne. | The French monopoly on champagne production has led to worldwide shortages of the drink. | n |
id_4931 | Rising worldwide demand for champagne has meant that champagne producers have needed to increase supply by creating more wineries and planting more grapes. The Champagne region has been producing sparkling wines since the 16th century from the variety of grapes found across the region. Traditionally served at the coronations of French kings, the drinks association with opulence grew throughout the 19th century. Following on from 1891s Treaty of Madrid, the Treaty of Versailles after World War 1 reaffirmed the Champagne regions legal right for sole usage of the term champagne. Time-consuming and costly, the Champenoise method of production involves a second fermentation process. However this process has been replicated outside the French region. Champagnes grapes are not unique to the region either they can be grown elsewhere if their seeds are planted in a virtually identical climate. Currently, bottles that are labelled as using the Champenoise method may cause some consumer confusion as to whether they are real champagne or not. Clear labelling of a sparkling wines origin on the bottle is needed to tell consumers whether or not it came from Champagne. | A sparkling wines entitlement to the Champagne name lies solely with its country of origin. | c |
id_4932 | Rising worldwide demand for champagne has meant that champagne producers have needed to increase supply by creating more wineries and planting more grapes. The Champagne region has been producing sparkling wines since the 16th century from the variety of grapes found across the region. Traditionally served at the coronations of French kings, the drinks association with opulence grew throughout the 19th century. Following on from 1891s Treaty of Madrid, the Treaty of Versailles after World War 1 reaffirmed the Champagne regions legal right for sole usage of the term champagne. Time-consuming and costly, the Champenoise method of production involves a second fermentation process. However this process has been replicated outside the French region. Champagnes grapes are not unique to the region either they can be grown elsewhere if their seeds are planted in a virtually identical climate. Currently, bottles that are labelled as using the Champenoise method may cause some consumer confusion as to whether they are real champagne or not. Clear labelling of a sparkling wines origin on the bottle is needed to tell consumers whether or not it came from Champagne. | The Treaty of Versailles established legal protection for the term champagne. | c |
id_4933 | Rising worldwide demand for champagne has meant that champagne producers have needed to increase supply by creating more wineries and planting more grapes. The Champagne region has been producing sparkling wines since the 16th century from the variety of grapes found across the region. Traditionally served at the coronations of French kings, the drinks association with opulence grew throughout the 19th century. Following on from 1891s Treaty of Madrid, the Treaty of Versailles after World War 1 reaffirmed the Champagne regions legal right for sole usage of the term champagne. Time-consuming and costly, the Champenoise method of production involves a second fermentation process. However this process has been replicated outside the French region. Champagnes grapes are not unique to the region either they can be grown elsewhere if their seeds are planted in a virtually identical climate. Currently, bottles that are labelled as using the Champenoise method may cause some consumer confusion as to whether they are real champagne or not. Clear labelling of a sparkling wines origin on the bottle is needed to tell consumers whether or not it came from Champagne. | A single type of grape is found across the Champagne region. | c |
id_4934 | Rising worldwide demand for champagne has meant that champagne producers have needed to increase supply by creating more wineries and planting more grapes. The Champagne region has been producing sparkling wines since the 16th century from the variety of grapes found across the region. Traditionally served at the coronations of French kings, the drinks association with opulence grew throughout the 19th century. Following on from 1891s Treaty of Madrid, the Treaty of Versailles after World War 1 reaffirmed the Champagne regions legal right for sole usage of the term champagne. Time-consuming and costly, the Champenoise method of production involves a second fermentation process. However this process has been replicated outside the French region. Champagnes grapes are not unique to the region either they can be grown elsewhere if their seeds are planted in a virtually identical climate. Currently, bottles that are labelled as using the Champenoise method may cause some consumer confusion as to whether they are real champagne or not. Clear labelling of a sparkling wines origin on the bottle is needed to tell consumers whether or not it came from Champagne. | Champagne has built its luxurious connotations over time. | e |
id_4935 | Road signs and traffic lights at junctions and busy crossing points may be removed in order to improve road safety. The idea may seem contradictory and goes against the decades-long trend of separating and controlling traffic and pedestrians. The idea is to create anxiety, principally in the mind of the driver, so that he or she slows down and pays greater attention. Current demarcations between pavement and road will be made indistinct by removing railings and kerbs, resurfacing both in the same material, and re-laying them so that they are on the same level. Neither drivers nor pedestrians will then feel they have right of way and both, as a consequence, will behave more cautiously. When a driver reaches a junction at which there are no traffic lights he or she must take responsibility for deciding when it is safe to cross. Previously the driver relied on the traffic lights to decide his or her action and this created a dangerous state of denial of account- ability. Incredibly, the initiative is claimed to not only make the streets safer but also to reduce congestion. | If you observe a junction where the lights are out there is rarely congestion. | n |
id_4936 | Road signs and traffic lights at junctions and busy crossing points may be removed in order to improve road safety. The idea may seem contradictory and goes against the decades-long trend of separating and controlling traffic and pedestrians. The idea is to create anxiety, principally in the mind of the driver, so that he or she slows down and pays greater attention. Current demarcations between pavement and road will be made indistinct by removing railings and kerbs, resurfacing both in the same material, and re-laying them so that they are on the same level. Neither drivers nor pedestrians will then feel they have right of way and both, as a consequence, will behave more cautiously. When a driver reaches a junction at which there are no traffic lights he or she must take responsibility for deciding when it is safe to cross. Previously the driver relied on the traffic lights to decide his or her action and this created a dangerous state of denial of account- ability. Incredibly, the initiative is claimed to not only make the streets safer but also to reduce congestion. | The principal case made in the passage can be summed up as Removing lights removes barriers to traffic flow and improves behaviour. | e |
id_4937 | Road signs and traffic lights at junctions and busy crossing points may be removed in order to improve road safety. The idea may seem contradictory and goes against the decades-long trend of separating and controlling traffic and pedestrians. The idea is to create anxiety, principally in the mind of the driver, so that he or she slows down and pays greater attention. Current demarcations between pavement and road will be made indistinct by removing railings and kerbs, resurfacing both in the same material, and re-laying them so that they are on the same level. Neither drivers nor pedestrians will then feel they have right of way and both, as a consequence, will behave more cautiously. When a driver reaches a junction at which there are no traffic lights he or she must take responsibility for deciding when it is safe to cross. Previously the driver relied on the traffic lights to decide his or her action and this created a dangerous state of denial of account- ability. Incredibly, the initiative is claimed to not only make the streets safer but also to reduce congestion. | An explanation of the ultimate sentence in the passage would be Traffic moves more naturally and there are no more unnecessary delays at red lights when no other vehicle is in the vicinity. | e |
id_4938 | Road signs and traffic lights at junctions and busy crossing points may be removed in order to improve road safety. The suggestion to remove road signs to improve road safety seems contradictory and certainly goes against the fashion of separating and controlling traffic and pedestrians. The idea is to create anxiety, principally in the mind of drivers, so that they slow down and pay greater attention. Current demarcations between pavement and road will be made indistinct by removing railings and kerbs, resurfacing both in the same material and re-laying them so that they are on the same level. Neither the driver nor pedestrian will then feel they have right of way and as a consequence both will behave more cautiously. | The word principally in the passage means only. | c |
id_4939 | Road signs and traffic lights at junctions and busy crossing points may be removed in order to improve road safety. The suggestion to remove road signs to improve road safety seems contradictory and certainly goes against the fashion of separating and controlling traffic and pedestrians. The idea is to create anxiety, principally in the mind of drivers, so that they slow down and pay greater attention. Current demarcations between pavement and road will be made indistinct by removing railings and kerbs, resurfacing both in the same material and re-laying them so that they are on the same level. Neither the driver nor pedestrian will then feel they have right of way and as a consequence both will behave more cautiously. | The author is cynical of the proposal to remove road signs and traffic lights. | c |
id_4940 | Road signs and traffic lights at junctions and busy crossing points may be removed in order to improve road safety. The suggestion to remove road signs to improve road safety seems contradictory and certainly goes against the fashion of separating and controlling traffic and pedestrians. The idea is to create anxiety, principally in the mind of drivers, so that they slow down and pay greater attention. Current demarcations between pavement and road will be made indistinct by removing railings and kerbs, resurfacing both in the same material and re-laying them so that they are on the same level. Neither the driver nor pedestrian will then feel they have right of way and as a consequence both will behave more cautiously. | The views expressed in the passage are a statement of the findings of experimental investigations. | n |
id_4941 | Road signs and traffic lights at junctions and busy crossing points may be removed in order to improve road safety. The suggestion to remove road signs to improve road safety seems contradictory and certainly goes against the fashion of separating and controlling traffic and pedestrians. The idea is to create anxiety, principally in the mind of drivers, so that they slow down and pay greater attention. Current demarcations between pavement and road will be made indistinct by removing railings and kerbs, resurfacing both in the same material and re-laying them so that they are on the same level. Neither the driver nor pedestrian will then feel they have right of way and as a consequence both will behave more cautiously. | If the volume of traffic were to increase by 50 percent the case made in the passage would be weakened. | n |
id_4942 | Road signs and traffic lights at junctions and busy crossing points may be removed in order to improve road safety. The suggestion to remove road signs to improve road safety seems contradictory and certainly goes against the fashion of separating and controlling traffic and pedestrians. The idea is to create anxiety, principally in the mind of drivers, so that they slow down and pay greater attention. Current demarcations between pavement and road will be made indistinct by removing railings and kerbs, resurfacing both in the same material and re-laying them so that they are on the same level. Neither the driver nor pedestrian will then feel they have right of way and as a consequence both will behave more cautiously. | We can infer from the passage that the proposed removal of road signs and traffic lights is to go ahead. | c |
id_4943 | Robbers pretending to be police officers physically assaulted and tied up three members of staff at a city centre nightclub before making their escape with a substantial sum of money. A police spokesperson said that four individuals entered the nightclub at approximately 2:15 am on Saturday 20 January just as the owner was in the process of counting up the nights takings. The thieves were said to have been wearing uniforms (including yellow fluorescent jackets) that closely resembled those worn by the police. It is also known that: On arriving at the club the thieves said that they were responding to an urgent phone call for assistance, and that they needed to carry out an inspection of the premises to see that nothing was amiss. In carrying out the robbery one of the gang physically assaulted the owner of the nightclub. The club had been exceptionally busy that night with a large number of parties spending heavily at the bar. Afterwards the club owner said that he thought he recognized the voice of one of his assailants as being that of one of his former employees. The gang were seen to leave the scene of the robbery in a red transit van resembling one that was later found abandoned in supermarket car park. | At about 02:15 hrs on 20 January four individuals posing as police officers robbed the nightclub. | e |
id_4944 | Robbers pretending to be police officers physically assaulted and tied up three members of staff at a city centre nightclub before making their escape with a substantial sum of money. A police spokesperson said that four individuals entered the nightclub at approximately 2:15 am on Saturday 20 January just as the owner was in the process of counting up the nights takings. The thieves were said to have been wearing uniforms (including yellow fluorescent jackets) that closely resembled those worn by the police. It is also known that: On arriving at the club the thieves said that they were responding to an urgent phone call for assistance, and that they needed to carry out an inspection of the premises to see that nothing was amiss. In carrying out the robbery one of the gang physically assaulted the owner of the nightclub. The club had been exceptionally busy that night with a large number of parties spending heavily at the bar. Afterwards the club owner said that he thought he recognized the voice of one of his assailants as being that of one of his former employees. The gang were seen to leave the scene of the robbery in a red transit van resembling one that was later found abandoned in supermarket car park. | An accomplice working at the club had alerted the gang to the fact that the takings on the night in question had been unusually high. | n |
id_4945 | Robbers pretending to be police officers physically assaulted and tied up three members of staff at a city centre nightclub before making their escape with a substantial sum of money. A police spokesperson said that four individuals entered the nightclub at approximately 2:15 am on Saturday 20 January just as the owner was in the process of counting up the nights takings. The thieves were said to have been wearing uniforms (including yellow fluorescent jackets) that closely resembled those worn by the police. It is also known that: On arriving at the club the thieves said that they were responding to an urgent phone call for assistance, and that they needed to carry out an inspection of the premises to see that nothing was amiss. In carrying out the robbery one of the gang physically assaulted the owner of the nightclub. The club had been exceptionally busy that night with a large number of parties spending heavily at the bar. Afterwards the club owner said that he thought he recognized the voice of one of his assailants as being that of one of his former employees. The gang were seen to leave the scene of the robbery in a red transit van resembling one that was later found abandoned in supermarket car park. | The robbery was carried out with the threat of violence but no one was hurt in the perpetration of the crime. | c |
id_4946 | Robbers pretending to be police officers physically assaulted and tied up three members of staff at a city centre nightclub before making their escape with a substantial sum of money. A police spokesperson said that four individuals entered the nightclub at approximately 2:15 am on Saturday 20 January just as the owner was in the process of counting up the nights takings. The thieves were said to have been wearing uniforms (including yellow fluorescent jackets) that closely resembled those worn by the police. It is also known that: On arriving at the club the thieves said that they were responding to an urgent phone call for assistance, and that they needed to carry out an inspection of the premises to see that nothing was amiss. In carrying out the robbery one of the gang physically assaulted the owner of the nightclub. The club had been exceptionally busy that night with a large number of parties spending heavily at the bar. Afterwards the club owner said that he thought he recognized the voice of one of his assailants as being that of one of his former employees. The gang were seen to leave the scene of the robbery in a red transit van resembling one that was later found abandoned in supermarket car park. | The nightclub owner was able to give the police investigating the robbery a clue as to the identity of one of his assailants. | e |
id_4947 | Robbers pretending to be police officers physically assaulted and tied up three members of staff at a city centre nightclub before making their escape with a substantial sum of money. A police spokesperson said that four individuals entered the nightclub at approximately 2:15 am on Saturday 20 January just as the owner was in the process of counting up the nights takings. The thieves were said to have been wearing uniforms (including yellow fluorescent jackets) that closely resembled those worn by the police. It is also known that: On arriving at the club the thieves said that they were responding to an urgent phone call for assistance, and that they needed to carry out an inspection of the premises to see that nothing was amiss. In carrying out the robbery one of the gang physically assaulted the owner of the nightclub. The club had been exceptionally busy that night with a large number of parties spending heavily at the bar. Afterwards the club owner said that he thought he recognized the voice of one of his assailants as being that of one of his former employees. The gang were seen to leave the scene of the robbery in a red transit van resembling one that was later found abandoned in supermarket car park. | The robbers fled the scene of the robbery in a stolen transit van, which they abandoned in a supermarket car park. | n |
id_4948 | Robert Louis Stevenson A Scottish novelist, poet, essayist, and travel writer, Robert Louis Stevenson was born at 8 Howard Place, Edinburgh, Scotland, on 13 November 1850. It has been more than 100 years since his death. Stevenson was a writer who caused conflicting opinions about his works. On one hand, he was often highly praised for his expert prose and style by many English-language critics. On the other hand, others criticised the religious themes in his works, often misunderstanding Stevensons own religious beliefs. Since his death a century before, critics and biographers have disagreed on the legacy of Stevensons writing. Two biographers, KF and CP , wrote a biography about Stevenson with a clear focus. They chose not to criticise aspects of Stevensons personal life. Instead, they focused on his writing, and gave high praise to his writing style and skill. The literary pendulum has swung these days. Different critics have different opinions towards Robert Louis Stevensons works. Though today, Stevenson is one of the most translated authors in the world, his works have sustained a wide variety of negative criticism throughout his life. It was like a complete reversal of polarityfrom highly positive to slightly less positive to clearly negative; after being highly praised as a great writer, he became an example of an author with corrupt ethics and lack of moral. Many literary critics passed his works off as childrens stories or horror stories, and thought to have little social value in an educational setting. Stevensons works were often excluded from literature curriculum because of its controversial nature. These debates remain, and many critics still assert that despite his skill, his literary works still lack moral value. One of the main reasons why Stevensons literary works attracted so much criticism was due to the genre of his writing. Stevenson mainly wrote adventure stories, which was part of a popular and entertaining writing fad at the time. Many of us believe adventure stories are exciting, offers engaging characters, action, and mystery but ultimately cant teach moral principles. The plot points are one-dimensional and rarely offer a deeper moral meaning, instead focusing on exciting and shocking plot twists and thrilling events. His works were even criticised by fellow authors. Though Stevensons works have deeply influenced Oscar Wilde, Wilde often joked that Stevenson would have written better works if he wasnt born in Scotland. Other authors came to Stevensons defence, including Galsworthy who claimed that Stevenson is a greater writer than Thomas Hardy. Despite Wildes criticism, Stevensons Scottish identity was an integral part of his written works. Although Stevensons works were not popular in Scotland when he was alive, many modern Scottish literary critics claim that Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson are the most influential writers in the history of Scotland. While many critics exalt Sir Walter Scott as a literary genius because of his technical ability, others argue that Stevenson deserves the same recognition for his natural ability to capture stories and characters in words. Many of Scotts works were taken more seriously as literature for their depth due to their tragic themes, but fans of Stevenson praise his unique style of story-telling and capture of human nature. Stevensons works, unlike other British authors, captured the unique day to day life of average Scottish people. Many literary critics point to this as a flaw of his works. According to the critics, truly important literature should transcend local culture and stories. However, many critics praise the local taste of his literature. To this day, Stevensons works provide valuable insight to life in Scotland during the 19th century. Despite much debate of Stevensons writing topics, his writing was not the only source of attention for critics. Stevensons personal life often attracted a lot of attention from his fans and critics alike. Some even argue that his personal life eventually outshone his writing. Stevenson had been plagued with health problems his whole life, and often had to live in much warmer climates than the cold, dreary weather of Scotland in order to recover. So he took his family to a south pacific island Samoa, which was a controversial decision at that time. However, Stevenson did not regret the decision. The sea air and thrill of adventure complimented the themes of his writing, and for a time restored his health. From there, Stevenson gained a love of travelling, and for nearly three years he wandered the eastern and central Pacific. Much of his works reflected this love of travel and adventure that Stevenson experienced in the Pacific islands. It was as a result of this biographical attention that the feeling grew that interest in Stevensons life had taken the place of interest in his works. Whether critics focus on his writing subjects, his religious beliefs, or his eccentric lifestyle of travel and adventure, people from the past and present have different opinions about Stevenson as an author. Today, he remains a controversial yet widely popular figure in Western literature. | Critics only paid attention to Robert Louis Stevensons writing topics. | c |
id_4949 | Robert Louis Stevenson A Scottish novelist, poet, essayist, and travel writer, Robert Louis Stevenson was born at 8 Howard Place, Edinburgh, Scotland, on 13 November 1850. It has been more than 100 years since his death. Stevenson was a writer who caused conflicting opinions about his works. On one hand, he was often highly praised for his expert prose and style by many English-language critics. On the other hand, others criticised the religious themes in his works, often misunderstanding Stevensons own religious beliefs. Since his death a century before, critics and biographers have disagreed on the legacy of Stevensons writing. Two biographers, KF and CP , wrote a biography about Stevenson with a clear focus. They chose not to criticise aspects of Stevensons personal life. Instead, they focused on his writing, and gave high praise to his writing style and skill. The literary pendulum has swung these days. Different critics have different opinions towards Robert Louis Stevensons works. Though today, Stevenson is one of the most translated authors in the world, his works have sustained a wide variety of negative criticism throughout his life. It was like a complete reversal of polarityfrom highly positive to slightly less positive to clearly negative; after being highly praised as a great writer, he became an example of an author with corrupt ethics and lack of moral. Many literary critics passed his works off as childrens stories or horror stories, and thought to have little social value in an educational setting. Stevensons works were often excluded from literature curriculum because of its controversial nature. These debates remain, and many critics still assert that despite his skill, his literary works still lack moral value. One of the main reasons why Stevensons literary works attracted so much criticism was due to the genre of his writing. Stevenson mainly wrote adventure stories, which was part of a popular and entertaining writing fad at the time. Many of us believe adventure stories are exciting, offers engaging characters, action, and mystery but ultimately cant teach moral principles. The plot points are one-dimensional and rarely offer a deeper moral meaning, instead focusing on exciting and shocking plot twists and thrilling events. His works were even criticised by fellow authors. Though Stevensons works have deeply influenced Oscar Wilde, Wilde often joked that Stevenson would have written better works if he wasnt born in Scotland. Other authors came to Stevensons defence, including Galsworthy who claimed that Stevenson is a greater writer than Thomas Hardy. Despite Wildes criticism, Stevensons Scottish identity was an integral part of his written works. Although Stevensons works were not popular in Scotland when he was alive, many modern Scottish literary critics claim that Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson are the most influential writers in the history of Scotland. While many critics exalt Sir Walter Scott as a literary genius because of his technical ability, others argue that Stevenson deserves the same recognition for his natural ability to capture stories and characters in words. Many of Scotts works were taken more seriously as literature for their depth due to their tragic themes, but fans of Stevenson praise his unique style of story-telling and capture of human nature. Stevensons works, unlike other British authors, captured the unique day to day life of average Scottish people. Many literary critics point to this as a flaw of his works. According to the critics, truly important literature should transcend local culture and stories. However, many critics praise the local taste of his literature. To this day, Stevensons works provide valuable insight to life in Scotland during the 19th century. Despite much debate of Stevensons writing topics, his writing was not the only source of attention for critics. Stevensons personal life often attracted a lot of attention from his fans and critics alike. Some even argue that his personal life eventually outshone his writing. Stevenson had been plagued with health problems his whole life, and often had to live in much warmer climates than the cold, dreary weather of Scotland in order to recover. So he took his family to a south pacific island Samoa, which was a controversial decision at that time. However, Stevenson did not regret the decision. The sea air and thrill of adventure complimented the themes of his writing, and for a time restored his health. From there, Stevenson gained a love of travelling, and for nearly three years he wandered the eastern and central Pacific. Much of his works reflected this love of travel and adventure that Stevenson experienced in the Pacific islands. It was as a result of this biographical attention that the feeling grew that interest in Stevensons life had taken the place of interest in his works. Whether critics focus on his writing subjects, his religious beliefs, or his eccentric lifestyle of travel and adventure, people from the past and present have different opinions about Stevenson as an author. Today, he remains a controversial yet widely popular figure in Western literature. | Although Oscar Wilde admired Robert Louis Stevenson very much, he believed Stevenson could have written greater works. | e |
id_4950 | Robert Louis Stevenson A Scottish novelist, poet, essayist, and travel writer, Robert Louis Stevenson was born at 8 Howard Place, Edinburgh, Scotland, on 13 November 1850. It has been more than 100 years since his death. Stevenson was a writer who caused conflicting opinions about his works. On one hand, he was often highly praised for his expert prose and style by many English-language critics. On the other hand, others criticised the religious themes in his works, often misunderstanding Stevensons own religious beliefs. Since his death a century before, critics and biographers have disagreed on the legacy of Stevensons writing. Two biographers, KF and CP , wrote a biography about Stevenson with a clear focus. They chose not to criticise aspects of Stevensons personal life. Instead, they focused on his writing, and gave high praise to his writing style and skill. The literary pendulum has swung these days. Different critics have different opinions towards Robert Louis Stevensons works. Though today, Stevenson is one of the most translated authors in the world, his works have sustained a wide variety of negative criticism throughout his life. It was like a complete reversal of polarityfrom highly positive to slightly less positive to clearly negative; after being highly praised as a great writer, he became an example of an author with corrupt ethics and lack of moral. Many literary critics passed his works off as childrens stories or horror stories, and thought to have little social value in an educational setting. Stevensons works were often excluded from literature curriculum because of its controversial nature. These debates remain, and many critics still assert that despite his skill, his literary works still lack moral value. One of the main reasons why Stevensons literary works attracted so much criticism was due to the genre of his writing. Stevenson mainly wrote adventure stories, which was part of a popular and entertaining writing fad at the time. Many of us believe adventure stories are exciting, offers engaging characters, action, and mystery but ultimately cant teach moral principles. The plot points are one-dimensional and rarely offer a deeper moral meaning, instead focusing on exciting and shocking plot twists and thrilling events. His works were even criticised by fellow authors. Though Stevensons works have deeply influenced Oscar Wilde, Wilde often joked that Stevenson would have written better works if he wasnt born in Scotland. Other authors came to Stevensons defence, including Galsworthy who claimed that Stevenson is a greater writer than Thomas Hardy. Despite Wildes criticism, Stevensons Scottish identity was an integral part of his written works. Although Stevensons works were not popular in Scotland when he was alive, many modern Scottish literary critics claim that Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson are the most influential writers in the history of Scotland. While many critics exalt Sir Walter Scott as a literary genius because of his technical ability, others argue that Stevenson deserves the same recognition for his natural ability to capture stories and characters in words. Many of Scotts works were taken more seriously as literature for their depth due to their tragic themes, but fans of Stevenson praise his unique style of story-telling and capture of human nature. Stevensons works, unlike other British authors, captured the unique day to day life of average Scottish people. Many literary critics point to this as a flaw of his works. According to the critics, truly important literature should transcend local culture and stories. However, many critics praise the local taste of his literature. To this day, Stevensons works provide valuable insight to life in Scotland during the 19th century. Despite much debate of Stevensons writing topics, his writing was not the only source of attention for critics. Stevensons personal life often attracted a lot of attention from his fans and critics alike. Some even argue that his personal life eventually outshone his writing. Stevenson had been plagued with health problems his whole life, and often had to live in much warmer climates than the cold, dreary weather of Scotland in order to recover. So he took his family to a south pacific island Samoa, which was a controversial decision at that time. However, Stevenson did not regret the decision. The sea air and thrill of adventure complimented the themes of his writing, and for a time restored his health. From there, Stevenson gained a love of travelling, and for nearly three years he wandered the eastern and central Pacific. Much of his works reflected this love of travel and adventure that Stevenson experienced in the Pacific islands. It was as a result of this biographical attention that the feeling grew that interest in Stevensons life had taken the place of interest in his works. Whether critics focus on his writing subjects, his religious beliefs, or his eccentric lifestyle of travel and adventure, people from the past and present have different opinions about Stevenson as an author. Today, he remains a controversial yet widely popular figure in Western literature. | Robert Louis Stevenson encouraged Oscar Wilde to start writing at first. | n |
id_4951 | Robert Louis Stevenson A Scottish novelist, poet, essayist, and travel writer, Robert Louis Stevenson was born at 8 Howard Place, Edinburgh, Scotland, on 13 November 1850. It has been more than 100 years since his death. Stevenson was a writer who caused conflicting opinions about his works. On one hand, he was often highly praised for his expert prose and style by many English-language critics. On the other hand, others criticised the religious themes in his works, often misunderstanding Stevensons own religious beliefs. Since his death a century before, critics and biographers have disagreed on the legacy of Stevensons writing. Two biographers, KF and CP , wrote a biography about Stevenson with a clear focus. They chose not to criticise aspects of Stevensons personal life. Instead, they focused on his writing, and gave high praise to his writing style and skill. The literary pendulum has swung these days. Different critics have different opinions towards Robert Louis Stevensons works. Though today, Stevenson is one of the most translated authors in the world, his works have sustained a wide variety of negative criticism throughout his life. It was like a complete reversal of polarityfrom highly positive to slightly less positive to clearly negative; after being highly praised as a great writer, he became an example of an author with corrupt ethics and lack of moral. Many literary critics passed his works off as childrens stories or horror stories, and thought to have little social value in an educational setting. Stevensons works were often excluded from literature curriculum because of its controversial nature. These debates remain, and many critics still assert that despite his skill, his literary works still lack moral value. One of the main reasons why Stevensons literary works attracted so much criticism was due to the genre of his writing. Stevenson mainly wrote adventure stories, which was part of a popular and entertaining writing fad at the time. Many of us believe adventure stories are exciting, offers engaging characters, action, and mystery but ultimately cant teach moral principles. The plot points are one-dimensional and rarely offer a deeper moral meaning, instead focusing on exciting and shocking plot twists and thrilling events. His works were even criticised by fellow authors. Though Stevensons works have deeply influenced Oscar Wilde, Wilde often joked that Stevenson would have written better works if he wasnt born in Scotland. Other authors came to Stevensons defence, including Galsworthy who claimed that Stevenson is a greater writer than Thomas Hardy. Despite Wildes criticism, Stevensons Scottish identity was an integral part of his written works. Although Stevensons works were not popular in Scotland when he was alive, many modern Scottish literary critics claim that Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson are the most influential writers in the history of Scotland. While many critics exalt Sir Walter Scott as a literary genius because of his technical ability, others argue that Stevenson deserves the same recognition for his natural ability to capture stories and characters in words. Many of Scotts works were taken more seriously as literature for their depth due to their tragic themes, but fans of Stevenson praise his unique style of story-telling and capture of human nature. Stevensons works, unlike other British authors, captured the unique day to day life of average Scottish people. Many literary critics point to this as a flaw of his works. According to the critics, truly important literature should transcend local culture and stories. However, many critics praise the local taste of his literature. To this day, Stevensons works provide valuable insight to life in Scotland during the 19th century. Despite much debate of Stevensons writing topics, his writing was not the only source of attention for critics. Stevensons personal life often attracted a lot of attention from his fans and critics alike. Some even argue that his personal life eventually outshone his writing. Stevenson had been plagued with health problems his whole life, and often had to live in much warmer climates than the cold, dreary weather of Scotland in order to recover. So he took his family to a south pacific island Samoa, which was a controversial decision at that time. However, Stevenson did not regret the decision. The sea air and thrill of adventure complimented the themes of his writing, and for a time restored his health. From there, Stevenson gained a love of travelling, and for nearly three years he wandered the eastern and central Pacific. Much of his works reflected this love of travel and adventure that Stevenson experienced in the Pacific islands. It was as a result of this biographical attention that the feeling grew that interest in Stevensons life had taken the place of interest in his works. Whether critics focus on his writing subjects, his religious beliefs, or his eccentric lifestyle of travel and adventure, people from the past and present have different opinions about Stevenson as an author. Today, he remains a controversial yet widely popular figure in Western literature. | Galsworthy thought Hardy is greater writer than Stevenson is. | c |
id_4952 | Rogue theory of smell gets a boost A controversial theory of how we smell, which claims that our fine sense of odour depends on quantum mechanics, has been given the thumbs up by a team of physicists. Calculations by researchers at University College London (UCL) show that the idea that we smell odour molecules by sensing their molecular vibrations makes sense in terms of the physics involved. That's still some way from proving that the theory, proposed in the mid-1990s by biophysicist Luca Turin, is correct. But it should make other scientists take the idea more seriously. "This is a big step forward, " says Turin, who has now set up his own perfume company Flexitral in Virginia. He says that since he published his theory, "it has been ignored rather than criticized. " Most scientists have assumed that our sense of smell depends on receptors in the nose detecting the shape of incoming molecules, which triggers a signal to the brain. This molecular 'lock and key' process is thought to lie behind a wide range of the body's detection systems: it is how some parts of the immune system recognise invaders, for example, and how the tongue recognizes some tastes. But Turin argued that smell doesn't seem to fit this picture very well. Molecules that look almost identical can smell very different such as alcohols, which smell like spirits, and thiols, which smell like rotten eggs. And molecules with very different structures can smell similar. Most strikingly, some molecules can smell different to animals, if not necessarily to humans simply because they contain different isotopes (atoms that are chemically identical but have a different mass). Turin's explanation for these smelly facts invokes the idea that the smell signal in olfactory receptor proteins is triggered not by an odour molecule's shape, but by its vibrations, which can enourage an electron to jump between two parts of the receptor in a quantum-mechanical process called tunnelling. This electron movement could initiate the smell signal being sent to the brain. This would explain why isotopes can smell different: their vibration frequencies are changed if the atoms are heavier. Turin's mechanism, says Marshall Stoneham of the UCL team, is more like swipe-card identification than a key fitting a lock. Vibration-assisted electron tunnelling can undoubtedly occur it is used in an experimental technique for measuring molecular vibrations. "The question is whether this is possible in the nose, " says Stoneham's colleague, Andrew Horsfield. Stoneham says that when he first heard about Turin's idea, while Turin was himself based at UCL, "I didn't believe it". But, he adds, "because it was an interesting idea, I thought I should prove it couldn't work. I did some simple calculations, and only then began to feel Luca could be right. " Now Stoneham and his co-workers have done the job more thoroughly, in a paper soon to be published in Physical Review Letters. The UCL team calculated the rates of electron hopping in a nose receptor that has an odorant molecule bound to it. This rate depends on various properties of the biomolecular system that are not known, but the researchers could estimate these parameters based on typical values for molecules of this sort. The key issue is whether the hopping rate with the odorant in place is significantly greater than that without it. The calculations show that it is which means that odour identification in this way seems theoretically possible. But Horsfield stresses that that's different from a proof of Turin's idea. "So far things look plausible, but we need proper experimental verification. We're beginning to think about what experiments could be performed. " Meanwhile, Turin is pressing ahead with his hypothesis. "At Flexitral we have been designing odorants exclusively on the basis of their computed vibrations, " he says. "Our success rate at odorant discovery is two orders of magnitude better than the competition. " At the very least, he is putting his money where his nose is. | Turin left his post at UCL and started his own business because his theory was ignored. | n |
id_4953 | Rogue theory of smell gets a boost A controversial theory of how we smell, which claims that our fine sense of odour depends on quantum mechanics, has been given the thumbs up by a team of physicists. Calculations by researchers at University College London (UCL) show that the idea that we smell odour molecules by sensing their molecular vibrations makes sense in terms of the physics involved. That's still some way from proving that the theory, proposed in the mid-1990s by biophysicist Luca Turin, is correct. But it should make other scientists take the idea more seriously. "This is a big step forward, " says Turin, who has now set up his own perfume company Flexitral in Virginia. He says that since he published his theory, "it has been ignored rather than criticized. " Most scientists have assumed that our sense of smell depends on receptors in the nose detecting the shape of incoming molecules, which triggers a signal to the brain. This molecular 'lock and key' process is thought to lie behind a wide range of the body's detection systems: it is how some parts of the immune system recognise invaders, for example, and how the tongue recognizes some tastes. But Turin argued that smell doesn't seem to fit this picture very well. Molecules that look almost identical can smell very different such as alcohols, which smell like spirits, and thiols, which smell like rotten eggs. And molecules with very different structures can smell similar. Most strikingly, some molecules can smell different to animals, if not necessarily to humans simply because they contain different isotopes (atoms that are chemically identical but have a different mass). Turin's explanation for these smelly facts invokes the idea that the smell signal in olfactory receptor proteins is triggered not by an odour molecule's shape, but by its vibrations, which can enourage an electron to jump between two parts of the receptor in a quantum-mechanical process called tunnelling. This electron movement could initiate the smell signal being sent to the brain. This would explain why isotopes can smell different: their vibration frequencies are changed if the atoms are heavier. Turin's mechanism, says Marshall Stoneham of the UCL team, is more like swipe-card identification than a key fitting a lock. Vibration-assisted electron tunnelling can undoubtedly occur it is used in an experimental technique for measuring molecular vibrations. "The question is whether this is possible in the nose, " says Stoneham's colleague, Andrew Horsfield. Stoneham says that when he first heard about Turin's idea, while Turin was himself based at UCL, "I didn't believe it". But, he adds, "because it was an interesting idea, I thought I should prove it couldn't work. I did some simple calculations, and only then began to feel Luca could be right. " Now Stoneham and his co-workers have done the job more thoroughly, in a paper soon to be published in Physical Review Letters. The UCL team calculated the rates of electron hopping in a nose receptor that has an odorant molecule bound to it. This rate depends on various properties of the biomolecular system that are not known, but the researchers could estimate these parameters based on typical values for molecules of this sort. The key issue is whether the hopping rate with the odorant in place is significantly greater than that without it. The calculations show that it is which means that odour identification in this way seems theoretically possible. But Horsfield stresses that that's different from a proof of Turin's idea. "So far things look plausible, but we need proper experimental verification. We're beginning to think about what experiments could be performed. " Meanwhile, Turin is pressing ahead with his hypothesis. "At Flexitral we have been designing odorants exclusively on the basis of their computed vibrations, " he says. "Our success rate at odorant discovery is two orders of magnitude better than the competition. " At the very least, he is putting his money where his nose is. | The molecules of alcohols and those of thiols look alike. | e |
id_4954 | Rogue theory of smell gets a boost A controversial theory of how we smell, which claims that our fine sense of odour depends on quantum mechanics, has been given the thumbs up by a team of physicists. Calculations by researchers at University College London (UCL) show that the idea that we smell odour molecules by sensing their molecular vibrations makes sense in terms of the physics involved. That's still some way from proving that the theory, proposed in the mid-1990s by biophysicist Luca Turin, is correct. But it should make other scientists take the idea more seriously. "This is a big step forward, " says Turin, who has now set up his own perfume company Flexitral in Virginia. He says that since he published his theory, "it has been ignored rather than criticized. " Most scientists have assumed that our sense of smell depends on receptors in the nose detecting the shape of incoming molecules, which triggers a signal to the brain. This molecular 'lock and key' process is thought to lie behind a wide range of the body's detection systems: it is how some parts of the immune system recognise invaders, for example, and how the tongue recognizes some tastes. But Turin argued that smell doesn't seem to fit this picture very well. Molecules that look almost identical can smell very different such as alcohols, which smell like spirits, and thiols, which smell like rotten eggs. And molecules with very different structures can smell similar. Most strikingly, some molecules can smell different to animals, if not necessarily to humans simply because they contain different isotopes (atoms that are chemically identical but have a different mass). Turin's explanation for these smelly facts invokes the idea that the smell signal in olfactory receptor proteins is triggered not by an odour molecule's shape, but by its vibrations, which can enourage an electron to jump between two parts of the receptor in a quantum-mechanical process called tunnelling. This electron movement could initiate the smell signal being sent to the brain. This would explain why isotopes can smell different: their vibration frequencies are changed if the atoms are heavier. Turin's mechanism, says Marshall Stoneham of the UCL team, is more like swipe-card identification than a key fitting a lock. Vibration-assisted electron tunnelling can undoubtedly occur it is used in an experimental technique for measuring molecular vibrations. "The question is whether this is possible in the nose, " says Stoneham's colleague, Andrew Horsfield. Stoneham says that when he first heard about Turin's idea, while Turin was himself based at UCL, "I didn't believe it". But, he adds, "because it was an interesting idea, I thought I should prove it couldn't work. I did some simple calculations, and only then began to feel Luca could be right. " Now Stoneham and his co-workers have done the job more thoroughly, in a paper soon to be published in Physical Review Letters. The UCL team calculated the rates of electron hopping in a nose receptor that has an odorant molecule bound to it. This rate depends on various properties of the biomolecular system that are not known, but the researchers could estimate these parameters based on typical values for molecules of this sort. The key issue is whether the hopping rate with the odorant in place is significantly greater than that without it. The calculations show that it is which means that odour identification in this way seems theoretically possible. But Horsfield stresses that that's different from a proof of Turin's idea. "So far things look plausible, but we need proper experimental verification. We're beginning to think about what experiments could be performed. " Meanwhile, Turin is pressing ahead with his hypothesis. "At Flexitral we have been designing odorants exclusively on the basis of their computed vibrations, " he says. "Our success rate at odorant discovery is two orders of magnitude better than the competition. " At the very least, he is putting his money where his nose is. | The study at UCL could conclusively prove what Luca Turin has hypothesized. | c |
id_4955 | Rogue theory of smell gets a boost A controversial theory of how we smell, which claims that our fine sense of odour depends on quantum mechanics, has been given the thumbs up by a team of physicists. Calculations by researchers at University College London (UCL) show that the idea that we smell odour molecules by sensing their molecular vibrations makes sense in terms of the physics involved. That's still some way from proving that the theory, proposed in the mid-1990s by biophysicist Luca Turin, is correct. But it should make other scientists take the idea more seriously. "This is a big step forward, " says Turin, who has now set up his own perfume company Flexitral in Virginia. He says that since he published his theory, "it has been ignored rather than criticized. " Most scientists have assumed that our sense of smell depends on receptors in the nose detecting the shape of incoming molecules, which triggers a signal to the brain. This molecular 'lock and key' process is thought to lie behind a wide range of the body's detection systems: it is how some parts of the immune system recognise invaders, for example, and how the tongue recognizes some tastes. But Turin argued that smell doesn't seem to fit this picture very well. Molecules that look almost identical can smell very different such as alcohols, which smell like spirits, and thiols, which smell like rotten eggs. And molecules with very different structures can smell similar. Most strikingly, some molecules can smell different to animals, if not necessarily to humans simply because they contain different isotopes (atoms that are chemically identical but have a different mass). Turin's explanation for these smelly facts invokes the idea that the smell signal in olfactory receptor proteins is triggered not by an odour molecule's shape, but by its vibrations, which can enourage an electron to jump between two parts of the receptor in a quantum-mechanical process called tunnelling. This electron movement could initiate the smell signal being sent to the brain. This would explain why isotopes can smell different: their vibration frequencies are changed if the atoms are heavier. Turin's mechanism, says Marshall Stoneham of the UCL team, is more like swipe-card identification than a key fitting a lock. Vibration-assisted electron tunnelling can undoubtedly occur it is used in an experimental technique for measuring molecular vibrations. "The question is whether this is possible in the nose, " says Stoneham's colleague, Andrew Horsfield. Stoneham says that when he first heard about Turin's idea, while Turin was himself based at UCL, "I didn't believe it". But, he adds, "because it was an interesting idea, I thought I should prove it couldn't work. I did some simple calculations, and only then began to feel Luca could be right. " Now Stoneham and his co-workers have done the job more thoroughly, in a paper soon to be published in Physical Review Letters. The UCL team calculated the rates of electron hopping in a nose receptor that has an odorant molecule bound to it. This rate depends on various properties of the biomolecular system that are not known, but the researchers could estimate these parameters based on typical values for molecules of this sort. The key issue is whether the hopping rate with the odorant in place is significantly greater than that without it. The calculations show that it is which means that odour identification in this way seems theoretically possible. But Horsfield stresses that that's different from a proof of Turin's idea. "So far things look plausible, but we need proper experimental verification. We're beginning to think about what experiments could be performed. " Meanwhile, Turin is pressing ahead with his hypothesis. "At Flexitral we have been designing odorants exclusively on the basis of their computed vibrations, " he says. "Our success rate at odorant discovery is two orders of magnitude better than the competition. " At the very least, he is putting his money where his nose is. | The result of the study at UCL agrees with Turins theory. | e |
id_4956 | Role set Any individual in any situation occupies a role in relation to other people. The particular individual with whom one is concerned in the analysis of any situation is usually given the name of focal person. He has the focal role and can be regarded as sitting in the middle of a group of people, with whom he interacts in some way in that situation. This group of people is called his role set. For instance, in the family situation, an individuals role set might be shown as in Figure 6. The role set should include all those with whom the individual has more than trivial interactions. Role definition The definition of any individuals role in any situation will be a combination of the role expectations that the members of the role set have of the focal role. These expectations are often occupationally denned, sometimes even legally so. The role definitions of lawyers and doctors are fairly clearly defined both in legal and in cultural terms. The role definitions of, say, a film star or bank manager, are also fairly clearly defined in cultural terms, too clearly perhaps. Individuals often find it hard to escape from the role that cultural traditions have defined for them. Not only with doctors or lawyers is the required role behaviour so constrained that if you are in that role for long it eventually becomes part of you, part of your personality. Hence, there is some likelihood that all accountants will be alike or that all blondes are similar - they are forced that way by the expectations of their role. It is often important that you make it clear what your particular role is at a given time. The means of doing this are called, rather obviously, role signs. The simplest of role signs is a uniform. The number of stripes on your arm or pips on your shoulder is a very precise role definition which allows you to do certain very prescribed things in certain situations. Imagine yourself questioning a stranger on a dark street at midnight without wearing the role signs of a policeman! In social circumstances, dress has often been used as a role sign to indicate the nature and degree of formality of any gathering and occasionally the social status of people present. The current trend towards blurring these role signs in dress is probably democratic, but it also makes some people very insecure. Without role signs, who is to know who has what role? Place is another role sign. Managers often behave very differently outside the office and in it, even to the same person. They use a change of location to indicate a change in role from, say, boss to friend. Indeed, if you wish to change your roles you must find some outward sign that you are doing so or you wont be permitted to change - the subordinate will continue to hear you as his boss no matter how hard you try to be his friend. In very significant cases of role change, e. g. from a soldier in the ranks to officer, from bachelor to married man, the change of role has to have a very obvious sign, hence rituals. It is interesting to observe, for instance, some decline in the emphasis given to marriage rituals. This could be taken as an indication that there is no longer such a big change in role from single to married person, and therefore no need for a public change in sign. In organisations, office signs and furniture are often used as role signs. These and other perquisites of status are often frowned upon, but they may serve a purpose as a kind of uniform in a democratic society; roles without signs often lead to confused or differing expectations of the role of the focal person. Role ambiguity Role ambiguity results when there is some uncertainty in the minds, either of the focal person or of the members of his role set, as to precisely what his role is at any given time. One of the crucial expectations that shape the role definition is that of the individual, the focal person himself. If his occupation of the role is unclear, or if it differs from that of the others in the role set, there will be a degree of role ambiguity. Is this bad? Not necessarily, for the ability to shape ones own role is one of the freedoms that many people desire, but the ambiguity may lead to role stress which will be discussed later on. The virtue of job descriptions is that they lessen this role ambiguity. Unfortunately, job descriptions are seldom complete role definitions, except at the lower end of the scale. At middle and higher management levels, they are often a list of formal jobs and duties that say little about the more subtle and informal expectations of the role. The result is therefore to give the individual an uncomfortable feeling that there are things left unsaid, i. e. to heighten the sense of role ambiguity. Looking at role ambiguity from the other side, from the point of view of the members of the role set, lack of clarity in the role of the focal person can cause insecurity, lack of confidence, irritation and even anger among members of his role set. One list of the roles of a manager identified the following: executive, planner, policy maker, expert, controller of rewards and punishments, counsellor, friend, teacher. If it is not clear, through role signs of one sort or another, which role is currently the operational one, the other party may not react in the appropriate way we may, in fact, hear quite another message if the focal person speaks to us, for example, as a teacher and we hear her as an executive. | It is a good idea to remove role ambiguity. | c |
id_4957 | Role set Any individual in any situation occupies a role in relation to other people. The particular individual with whom one is concerned in the analysis of any situation is usually given the name of focal person. He has the focal role and can be regarded as sitting in the middle of a group of people, with whom he interacts in some way in that situation. This group of people is called his role set. For instance, in the family situation, an individuals role set might be shown as in Figure 6. The role set should include all those with whom the individual has more than trivial interactions. Role definition The definition of any individuals role in any situation will be a combination of the role expectations that the members of the role set have of the focal role. These expectations are often occupationally denned, sometimes even legally so. The role definitions of lawyers and doctors are fairly clearly defined both in legal and in cultural terms. The role definitions of, say, a film star or bank manager, are also fairly clearly defined in cultural terms, too clearly perhaps. Individuals often find it hard to escape from the role that cultural traditions have defined for them. Not only with doctors or lawyers is the required role behaviour so constrained that if you are in that role for long it eventually becomes part of you, part of your personality. Hence, there is some likelihood that all accountants will be alike or that all blondes are similar - they are forced that way by the expectations of their role. It is often important that you make it clear what your particular role is at a given time. The means of doing this are called, rather obviously, role signs. The simplest of role signs is a uniform. The number of stripes on your arm or pips on your shoulder is a very precise role definition which allows you to do certain very prescribed things in certain situations. Imagine yourself questioning a stranger on a dark street at midnight without wearing the role signs of a policeman! In social circumstances, dress has often been used as a role sign to indicate the nature and degree of formality of any gathering and occasionally the social status of people present. The current trend towards blurring these role signs in dress is probably democratic, but it also makes some people very insecure. Without role signs, who is to know who has what role? Place is another role sign. Managers often behave very differently outside the office and in it, even to the same person. They use a change of location to indicate a change in role from, say, boss to friend. Indeed, if you wish to change your roles you must find some outward sign that you are doing so or you wont be permitted to change - the subordinate will continue to hear you as his boss no matter how hard you try to be his friend. In very significant cases of role change, e. g. from a soldier in the ranks to officer, from bachelor to married man, the change of role has to have a very obvious sign, hence rituals. It is interesting to observe, for instance, some decline in the emphasis given to marriage rituals. This could be taken as an indication that there is no longer such a big change in role from single to married person, and therefore no need for a public change in sign. In organisations, office signs and furniture are often used as role signs. These and other perquisites of status are often frowned upon, but they may serve a purpose as a kind of uniform in a democratic society; roles without signs often lead to confused or differing expectations of the role of the focal person. Role ambiguity Role ambiguity results when there is some uncertainty in the minds, either of the focal person or of the members of his role set, as to precisely what his role is at any given time. One of the crucial expectations that shape the role definition is that of the individual, the focal person himself. If his occupation of the role is unclear, or if it differs from that of the others in the role set, there will be a degree of role ambiguity. Is this bad? Not necessarily, for the ability to shape ones own role is one of the freedoms that many people desire, but the ambiguity may lead to role stress which will be discussed later on. The virtue of job descriptions is that they lessen this role ambiguity. Unfortunately, job descriptions are seldom complete role definitions, except at the lower end of the scale. At middle and higher management levels, they are often a list of formal jobs and duties that say little about the more subtle and informal expectations of the role. The result is therefore to give the individual an uncomfortable feeling that there are things left unsaid, i. e. to heighten the sense of role ambiguity. Looking at role ambiguity from the other side, from the point of view of the members of the role set, lack of clarity in the role of the focal person can cause insecurity, lack of confidence, irritation and even anger among members of his role set. One list of the roles of a manager identified the following: executive, planner, policy maker, expert, controller of rewards and punishments, counsellor, friend, teacher. If it is not clear, through role signs of one sort or another, which role is currently the operational one, the other party may not react in the appropriate way we may, in fact, hear quite another message if the focal person speaks to us, for example, as a teacher and we hear her as an executive. | It is probably a good idea to keep dress as a role sign even nowadays. | e |
id_4958 | Role set Any individual in any situation occupies a role in relation to other people. The particular individual with whom one is concerned in the analysis of any situation is usually given the name of focal person. He has the focal role and can be regarded as sitting in the middle of a group of people, with whom he interacts in some way in that situation. This group of people is called his role set. For instance, in the family situation, an individuals role set might be shown as in Figure 6. The role set should include all those with whom the individual has more than trivial interactions. Role definition The definition of any individuals role in any situation will be a combination of the role expectations that the members of the role set have of the focal role. These expectations are often occupationally denned, sometimes even legally so. The role definitions of lawyers and doctors are fairly clearly defined both in legal and in cultural terms. The role definitions of, say, a film star or bank manager, are also fairly clearly defined in cultural terms, too clearly perhaps. Individuals often find it hard to escape from the role that cultural traditions have defined for them. Not only with doctors or lawyers is the required role behaviour so constrained that if you are in that role for long it eventually becomes part of you, part of your personality. Hence, there is some likelihood that all accountants will be alike or that all blondes are similar - they are forced that way by the expectations of their role. It is often important that you make it clear what your particular role is at a given time. The means of doing this are called, rather obviously, role signs. The simplest of role signs is a uniform. The number of stripes on your arm or pips on your shoulder is a very precise role definition which allows you to do certain very prescribed things in certain situations. Imagine yourself questioning a stranger on a dark street at midnight without wearing the role signs of a policeman! In social circumstances, dress has often been used as a role sign to indicate the nature and degree of formality of any gathering and occasionally the social status of people present. The current trend towards blurring these role signs in dress is probably democratic, but it also makes some people very insecure. Without role signs, who is to know who has what role? Place is another role sign. Managers often behave very differently outside the office and in it, even to the same person. They use a change of location to indicate a change in role from, say, boss to friend. Indeed, if you wish to change your roles you must find some outward sign that you are doing so or you wont be permitted to change - the subordinate will continue to hear you as his boss no matter how hard you try to be his friend. In very significant cases of role change, e. g. from a soldier in the ranks to officer, from bachelor to married man, the change of role has to have a very obvious sign, hence rituals. It is interesting to observe, for instance, some decline in the emphasis given to marriage rituals. This could be taken as an indication that there is no longer such a big change in role from single to married person, and therefore no need for a public change in sign. In organisations, office signs and furniture are often used as role signs. These and other perquisites of status are often frowned upon, but they may serve a purpose as a kind of uniform in a democratic society; roles without signs often lead to confused or differing expectations of the role of the focal person. Role ambiguity Role ambiguity results when there is some uncertainty in the minds, either of the focal person or of the members of his role set, as to precisely what his role is at any given time. One of the crucial expectations that shape the role definition is that of the individual, the focal person himself. If his occupation of the role is unclear, or if it differs from that of the others in the role set, there will be a degree of role ambiguity. Is this bad? Not necessarily, for the ability to shape ones own role is one of the freedoms that many people desire, but the ambiguity may lead to role stress which will be discussed later on. The virtue of job descriptions is that they lessen this role ambiguity. Unfortunately, job descriptions are seldom complete role definitions, except at the lower end of the scale. At middle and higher management levels, they are often a list of formal jobs and duties that say little about the more subtle and informal expectations of the role. The result is therefore to give the individual an uncomfortable feeling that there are things left unsaid, i. e. to heighten the sense of role ambiguity. Looking at role ambiguity from the other side, from the point of view of the members of the role set, lack of clarity in the role of the focal person can cause insecurity, lack of confidence, irritation and even anger among members of his role set. One list of the roles of a manager identified the following: executive, planner, policy maker, expert, controller of rewards and punishments, counsellor, friend, teacher. If it is not clear, through role signs of one sort or another, which role is currently the operational one, the other party may not react in the appropriate way we may, in fact, hear quite another message if the focal person speaks to us, for example, as a teacher and we hear her as an executive. | Today furniture operates as a role sign in the same way as dress has always done. | e |
id_4959 | Role set Any individual in any situation occupies a role in relation to other people. The particular individual with whom one is concerned in the analysis of any situation is usually given the name of focal person. He has the focal role and can be regarded as sitting in the middle of a group of people, with whom he interacts in some way in that situation. This group of people is called his role set. For instance, in the family situation, an individuals role set might be shown as in Figure 6. The role set should include all those with whom the individual has more than trivial interactions. Role definition The definition of any individuals role in any situation will be a combination of the role expectations that the members of the role set have of the focal role. These expectations are often occupationally denned, sometimes even legally so. The role definitions of lawyers and doctors are fairly clearly defined both in legal and in cultural terms. The role definitions of, say, a film star or bank manager, are also fairly clearly defined in cultural terms, too clearly perhaps. Individuals often find it hard to escape from the role that cultural traditions have defined for them. Not only with doctors or lawyers is the required role behaviour so constrained that if you are in that role for long it eventually becomes part of you, part of your personality. Hence, there is some likelihood that all accountants will be alike or that all blondes are similar - they are forced that way by the expectations of their role. It is often important that you make it clear what your particular role is at a given time. The means of doing this are called, rather obviously, role signs. The simplest of role signs is a uniform. The number of stripes on your arm or pips on your shoulder is a very precise role definition which allows you to do certain very prescribed things in certain situations. Imagine yourself questioning a stranger on a dark street at midnight without wearing the role signs of a policeman! In social circumstances, dress has often been used as a role sign to indicate the nature and degree of formality of any gathering and occasionally the social status of people present. The current trend towards blurring these role signs in dress is probably democratic, but it also makes some people very insecure. Without role signs, who is to know who has what role? Place is another role sign. Managers often behave very differently outside the office and in it, even to the same person. They use a change of location to indicate a change in role from, say, boss to friend. Indeed, if you wish to change your roles you must find some outward sign that you are doing so or you wont be permitted to change - the subordinate will continue to hear you as his boss no matter how hard you try to be his friend. In very significant cases of role change, e. g. from a soldier in the ranks to officer, from bachelor to married man, the change of role has to have a very obvious sign, hence rituals. It is interesting to observe, for instance, some decline in the emphasis given to marriage rituals. This could be taken as an indication that there is no longer such a big change in role from single to married person, and therefore no need for a public change in sign. In organisations, office signs and furniture are often used as role signs. These and other perquisites of status are often frowned upon, but they may serve a purpose as a kind of uniform in a democratic society; roles without signs often lead to confused or differing expectations of the role of the focal person. Role ambiguity Role ambiguity results when there is some uncertainty in the minds, either of the focal person or of the members of his role set, as to precisely what his role is at any given time. One of the crucial expectations that shape the role definition is that of the individual, the focal person himself. If his occupation of the role is unclear, or if it differs from that of the others in the role set, there will be a degree of role ambiguity. Is this bad? Not necessarily, for the ability to shape ones own role is one of the freedoms that many people desire, but the ambiguity may lead to role stress which will be discussed later on. The virtue of job descriptions is that they lessen this role ambiguity. Unfortunately, job descriptions are seldom complete role definitions, except at the lower end of the scale. At middle and higher management levels, they are often a list of formal jobs and duties that say little about the more subtle and informal expectations of the role. The result is therefore to give the individual an uncomfortable feeling that there are things left unsaid, i. e. to heighten the sense of role ambiguity. Looking at role ambiguity from the other side, from the point of view of the members of the role set, lack of clarity in the role of the focal person can cause insecurity, lack of confidence, irritation and even anger among members of his role set. One list of the roles of a manager identified the following: executive, planner, policy maker, expert, controller of rewards and punishments, counsellor, friend, teacher. If it is not clear, through role signs of one sort or another, which role is currently the operational one, the other party may not react in the appropriate way we may, in fact, hear quite another message if the focal person speaks to us, for example, as a teacher and we hear her as an executive. | The decline in emphasis on marriage rituals should be reversed. | n |
id_4960 | Role set Any individual in any situation occupies a role in relation to other people. The particular individual with whom one is concerned in the analysis of any situation is usually given the name of focal person. He has the focal role and can be regarded as sitting in the middle of a group of people, with whom he interacts in some way in that situation. This group of people is called his role set. For instance, in the family situation, an individuals role set might be shown as in Figure 6. The role set should include all those with whom the individual has more than trivial interactions. Role definition The definition of any individuals role in any situation will be a combination of the role expectations that the members of the role set have of the focal role. These expectations are often occupationally denned, sometimes even legally so. The role definitions of lawyers and doctors are fairly clearly defined both in legal and in cultural terms. The role definitions of, say, a film star or bank manager, are also fairly clearly defined in cultural terms, too clearly perhaps. Individuals often find it hard to escape from the role that cultural traditions have defined for them. Not only with doctors or lawyers is the required role behaviour so constrained that if you are in that role for long it eventually becomes part of you, part of your personality. Hence, there is some likelihood that all accountants will be alike or that all blondes are similar - they are forced that way by the expectations of their role. It is often important that you make it clear what your particular role is at a given time. The means of doing this are called, rather obviously, role signs. The simplest of role signs is a uniform. The number of stripes on your arm or pips on your shoulder is a very precise role definition which allows you to do certain very prescribed things in certain situations. Imagine yourself questioning a stranger on a dark street at midnight without wearing the role signs of a policeman! In social circumstances, dress has often been used as a role sign to indicate the nature and degree of formality of any gathering and occasionally the social status of people present. The current trend towards blurring these role signs in dress is probably democratic, but it also makes some people very insecure. Without role signs, who is to know who has what role? Place is another role sign. Managers often behave very differently outside the office and in it, even to the same person. They use a change of location to indicate a change in role from, say, boss to friend. Indeed, if you wish to change your roles you must find some outward sign that you are doing so or you wont be permitted to change - the subordinate will continue to hear you as his boss no matter how hard you try to be his friend. In very significant cases of role change, e. g. from a soldier in the ranks to officer, from bachelor to married man, the change of role has to have a very obvious sign, hence rituals. It is interesting to observe, for instance, some decline in the emphasis given to marriage rituals. This could be taken as an indication that there is no longer such a big change in role from single to married person, and therefore no need for a public change in sign. In organisations, office signs and furniture are often used as role signs. These and other perquisites of status are often frowned upon, but they may serve a purpose as a kind of uniform in a democratic society; roles without signs often lead to confused or differing expectations of the role of the focal person. Role ambiguity Role ambiguity results when there is some uncertainty in the minds, either of the focal person or of the members of his role set, as to precisely what his role is at any given time. One of the crucial expectations that shape the role definition is that of the individual, the focal person himself. If his occupation of the role is unclear, or if it differs from that of the others in the role set, there will be a degree of role ambiguity. Is this bad? Not necessarily, for the ability to shape ones own role is one of the freedoms that many people desire, but the ambiguity may lead to role stress which will be discussed later on. The virtue of job descriptions is that they lessen this role ambiguity. Unfortunately, job descriptions are seldom complete role definitions, except at the lower end of the scale. At middle and higher management levels, they are often a list of formal jobs and duties that say little about the more subtle and informal expectations of the role. The result is therefore to give the individual an uncomfortable feeling that there are things left unsaid, i. e. to heighten the sense of role ambiguity. Looking at role ambiguity from the other side, from the point of view of the members of the role set, lack of clarity in the role of the focal person can cause insecurity, lack of confidence, irritation and even anger among members of his role set. One list of the roles of a manager identified the following: executive, planner, policy maker, expert, controller of rewards and punishments, counsellor, friend, teacher. If it is not clear, through role signs of one sort or another, which role is currently the operational one, the other party may not react in the appropriate way we may, in fact, hear quite another message if the focal person speaks to us, for example, as a teacher and we hear her as an executive. | It would be a good idea to specify the role definitions of soldiers more clearly. | n |
id_4961 | Role set Any individual in any situation occupies a role in relation to other people. The particular individual with whom one is concerned in the analysis of any situation is usually given the name of focal person. He has the focal role and can be regarded as sitting in the middle of a group of people, with whom he interacts in some way in that situation. This group of people is called his role set. For instance, in the family situation, an individuals role set might be shown as in Figure 6. The role set should include all those with whom the individual has more than trivial interactions. Role definition The definition of any individuals role in any situation will be a combination of the role expectations that the members of the role set have of the focal role. These expectations are often occupationally denned, sometimes even legally so. The role definitions of lawyers and doctors are fairly clearly defined both in legal and in cultural terms. The role definitions of, say, a film star or bank manager, are also fairly clearly defined in cultural terms, too clearly perhaps. Individuals often find it hard to escape from the role that cultural traditions have defined for them. Not only with doctors or lawyers is the required role behaviour so constrained that if you are in that role for long it eventually becomes part of you, part of your personality. Hence, there is some likelihood that all accountants will be alike or that all blondes are similar - they are forced that way by the expectations of their role. It is often important that you make it clear what your particular role is at a given time. The means of doing this are called, rather obviously, role signs. The simplest of role signs is a uniform. The number of stripes on your arm or pips on your shoulder is a very precise role definition which allows you to do certain very prescribed things in certain situations. Imagine yourself questioning a stranger on a dark street at midnight without wearing the role signs of a policeman! In social circumstances, dress has often been used as a role sign to indicate the nature and degree of formality of any gathering and occasionally the social status of people present. The current trend towards blurring these role signs in dress is probably democratic, but it also makes some people very insecure. Without role signs, who is to know who has what role? Place is another role sign. Managers often behave very differently outside the office and in it, even to the same person. They use a change of location to indicate a change in role from, say, boss to friend. Indeed, if you wish to change your roles you must find some outward sign that you are doing so or you wont be permitted to change - the subordinate will continue to hear you as his boss no matter how hard you try to be his friend. In very significant cases of role change, e. g. from a soldier in the ranks to officer, from bachelor to married man, the change of role has to have a very obvious sign, hence rituals. It is interesting to observe, for instance, some decline in the emphasis given to marriage rituals. This could be taken as an indication that there is no longer such a big change in role from single to married person, and therefore no need for a public change in sign. In organisations, office signs and furniture are often used as role signs. These and other perquisites of status are often frowned upon, but they may serve a purpose as a kind of uniform in a democratic society; roles without signs often lead to confused or differing expectations of the role of the focal person. Role ambiguity Role ambiguity results when there is some uncertainty in the minds, either of the focal person or of the members of his role set, as to precisely what his role is at any given time. One of the crucial expectations that shape the role definition is that of the individual, the focal person himself. If his occupation of the role is unclear, or if it differs from that of the others in the role set, there will be a degree of role ambiguity. Is this bad? Not necessarily, for the ability to shape ones own role is one of the freedoms that many people desire, but the ambiguity may lead to role stress which will be discussed later on. The virtue of job descriptions is that they lessen this role ambiguity. Unfortunately, job descriptions are seldom complete role definitions, except at the lower end of the scale. At middle and higher management levels, they are often a list of formal jobs and duties that say little about the more subtle and informal expectations of the role. The result is therefore to give the individual an uncomfortable feeling that there are things left unsaid, i. e. to heighten the sense of role ambiguity. Looking at role ambiguity from the other side, from the point of view of the members of the role set, lack of clarity in the role of the focal person can cause insecurity, lack of confidence, irritation and even anger among members of his role set. One list of the roles of a manager identified the following: executive, planner, policy maker, expert, controller of rewards and punishments, counsellor, friend, teacher. If it is not clear, through role signs of one sort or another, which role is currently the operational one, the other party may not react in the appropriate way we may, in fact, hear quite another message if the focal person speaks to us, for example, as a teacher and we hear her as an executive. | Accountants may be similar to one another because they have the same type of job. | e |
id_4962 | Role set Any individual in any situation occupies a role in relation to other people. The particular individual with whom one is concerned in the analysis of any situation is usually given the name of focal person. He has the focal role and can be regarded as sitting in the middle of a group of people, with whom he interacts in some way in that situation. This group of people is called his role set. For instance, in the family situation, an individuals role set might be shown as in Figure 6. The role set should include all those with whom the individual has more than trivial interactions. Role definition The definition of any individuals role in any situation will be a combination of the role expectations that the members of the role set have of the focal role. These expectations are often occupationally denned, sometimes even legally so. The role definitions of lawyers and doctors are fairly clearly defined both in legal and in cultural terms. The role definitions of, say, a film star or bank manager, are also fairly clearly defined in cultural terms, too clearly perhaps. Individuals often find it hard to escape from the role that cultural traditions have defined for them. Not only with doctors or lawyers is the required role behaviour so constrained that if you are in that role for long it eventually becomes part of you, part of your personality. Hence, there is some likelihood that all accountants will be alike or that all blondes are similar - they are forced that way by the expectations of their role. It is often important that you make it clear what your particular role is at a given time. The means of doing this are called, rather obviously, role signs. The simplest of role signs is a uniform. The number of stripes on your arm or pips on your shoulder is a very precise role definition which allows you to do certain very prescribed things in certain situations. Imagine yourself questioning a stranger on a dark street at midnight without wearing the role signs of a policeman! In social circumstances, dress has often been used as a role sign to indicate the nature and degree of formality of any gathering and occasionally the social status of people present. The current trend towards blurring these role signs in dress is probably democratic, but it also makes some people very insecure. Without role signs, who is to know who has what role? Place is another role sign. Managers often behave very differently outside the office and in it, even to the same person. They use a change of location to indicate a change in role from, say, boss to friend. Indeed, if you wish to change your roles you must find some outward sign that you are doing so or you wont be permitted to change - the subordinate will continue to hear you as his boss no matter how hard you try to be his friend. In very significant cases of role change, e. g. from a soldier in the ranks to officer, from bachelor to married man, the change of role has to have a very obvious sign, hence rituals. It is interesting to observe, for instance, some decline in the emphasis given to marriage rituals. This could be taken as an indication that there is no longer such a big change in role from single to married person, and therefore no need for a public change in sign. In organisations, office signs and furniture are often used as role signs. These and other perquisites of status are often frowned upon, but they may serve a purpose as a kind of uniform in a democratic society; roles without signs often lead to confused or differing expectations of the role of the focal person. Role ambiguity Role ambiguity results when there is some uncertainty in the minds, either of the focal person or of the members of his role set, as to precisely what his role is at any given time. One of the crucial expectations that shape the role definition is that of the individual, the focal person himself. If his occupation of the role is unclear, or if it differs from that of the others in the role set, there will be a degree of role ambiguity. Is this bad? Not necessarily, for the ability to shape ones own role is one of the freedoms that many people desire, but the ambiguity may lead to role stress which will be discussed later on. The virtue of job descriptions is that they lessen this role ambiguity. Unfortunately, job descriptions are seldom complete role definitions, except at the lower end of the scale. At middle and higher management levels, they are often a list of formal jobs and duties that say little about the more subtle and informal expectations of the role. The result is therefore to give the individual an uncomfortable feeling that there are things left unsaid, i. e. to heighten the sense of role ambiguity. Looking at role ambiguity from the other side, from the point of view of the members of the role set, lack of clarity in the role of the focal person can cause insecurity, lack of confidence, irritation and even anger among members of his role set. One list of the roles of a manager identified the following: executive, planner, policy maker, expert, controller of rewards and punishments, counsellor, friend, teacher. If it is not clear, through role signs of one sort or another, which role is currently the operational one, the other party may not react in the appropriate way we may, in fact, hear quite another message if the focal person speaks to us, for example, as a teacher and we hear her as an executive. | Job descriptions eliminate role ambiguity for managers. | c |
id_4963 | Ron Study, a 20-year-old university student, was involved in a road accident on Friday night on the A1 in North Yorkshire. According to police, the accident occurred on the southbound carriageway at about 23.20. They said that the patrol car had been sent to the scene following a phone call they had received at 23.10 from a motorist who said that she had just seen two people walking along the side of the A1 South. It is also known that: Ron Study and Martin Less had been to a party at which they had been seen to be drinking heavily. They were almost knocked down as they attempted to cross the carriageway to get to the Easy Eater service area. Ron Study said that he had fallen asleep in a lay-by until he sobered up. He also said that he was awakened by blue flashing lights and realized that there must have been an accident. The driver of a car, which had been overtaking a lorry, said that he heard a thud and the lorry swerved towards him. He had managed to avoid a collision by applying the brakes. | Ron Study was asleep in a lay-by when the accident occurred. | n |
id_4964 | Ron Study, a 20-year-old university student, was involved in a road accident on Friday night on the A1 in North Yorkshire. According to police, the accident occurred on the southbound carriageway at about 23.20. They said that the patrol car had been sent to the scene following a phone call they had received at 23.10 from a motorist who said that she had just seen two people walking along the side of the A1 South. It is also known that: Ron Study and Martin Less had been to a party at which they had been seen to be drinking heavily. They were almost knocked down as they attempted to cross the carriageway to get to the Easy Eater service area. Ron Study said that he had fallen asleep in a lay-by until he sobered up. He also said that he was awakened by blue flashing lights and realized that there must have been an accident. The driver of a car, which had been overtaking a lorry, said that he heard a thud and the lorry swerved towards him. He had managed to avoid a collision by applying the brakes. | The police car was on a routine patrol of the A1 in North Yorkshire late on Friday night when it came across the scene of the road accident. | c |
id_4965 | Ron Study, a 20-year-old university student, was involved in a road accident on Friday night on the A1 in North Yorkshire. According to police, the accident occurred on the southbound carriageway at about 23.20. They said that the patrol car had been sent to the scene following a phone call they had received at 23.10 from a motorist who said that she had just seen two people walking along the side of the A1 South. It is also known that: Ron Study and Martin Less had been to a party at which they had been seen to be drinking heavily. They were almost knocked down as they attempted to cross the carriageway to get to the Easy Eater service area. Ron Study said that he had fallen asleep in a lay-by until he sobered up. He also said that he was awakened by blue flashing lights and realized that there must have been an accident. The driver of a car, which had been overtaking a lorry, said that he heard a thud and the lorry swerved towards him. He had managed to avoid a collision by applying the brakes. | Ron Study and Martin Less could have been the two people a motorist said she had seen walking by the side of the A1 South at 23.10. | e |
id_4966 | Ron Study, a 20-year-old university student, was involved in a road accident on Friday night on the A1 in North Yorkshire. According to police, the accident occurred on the southbound carriageway at about 23.20. They said that the patrol car had been sent to the scene following a phone call they had received at 23.10 from a motorist who said that she had just seen two people walking along the side of the A1 South. It is also known that: Ron Study and Martin Less had been to a party at which they had been seen to be drinking heavily. They were almost knocked down as they attempted to cross the carriageway to get to the Easy Eater service area. Ron Study said that he had fallen asleep in a lay-by until he sobered up. He also said that he was awakened by blue flashing lights and realized that there must have been an accident. The driver of a car, which had been overtaking a lorry, said that he heard a thud and the lorry swerved towards him. He had managed to avoid a collision by applying the brakes. | The Easy Eater service area is located next to the northbound carriageway of the A1 in North Yorkshire. | n |
id_4967 | Ron Study, a 20-year-old university student, was involved in a road accident on Friday night on the A1 in North Yorkshire. According to police, the accident occurred on the southbound carriageway at about 23.20. They said that the patrol car had been sent to the scene following a phone call they had received at 23.10 from a motorist who said that she had just seen two people walking along the side of the A1 South. It is also known that: Ron Study and Martin Less had been to a party at which they had been seen to be drinking heavily. They were almost knocked down as they attempted to cross the carriageway to get to the Easy Eater service area. Ron Study said that he had fallen asleep in a lay-by until he sobered up. He also said that he was awakened by blue flashing lights and realized that there must have been an accident. The driver of a car, which had been overtaking a lorry, said that he heard a thud and the lorry swerved towards him. He had managed to avoid a collision by applying the brakes. | Martin Less was killed in the accident on the southbound carriageway of the A1 as he attempted to cross it to get to the Easy Eater service area. | n |
id_4968 | Ron Study, a 20-year-old university student, was involved in a road accident on Friday night on the A1 in North Yorkshire. According to police, the accident occurred on the southbound carriageway at about 23.20. They said that the patrol car had been sent to the scene following a phone call they had received at 23.10 from a motorist who said that she had just seen two people walking along the side of the A1 South. It is also known that: Ron Study and Martin Less had been to a party at which they had been seen to be drinking heavily. They were almost knocked down as they attempted to cross the carriageway to get to the Easy Eater service area. Ron Study said that he had fallen asleep in a lay-by until he sobered up. He also said that he was awakened by blue flashing lights and realized that there must have been an accident. The driver of a car, which had been overtaking a lorry, said that he heard a thud and the lorry swerved towards him. He had managed to avoid a collision by applying the brakes. | The driver of a passing car said that she was almost in collision with a lorry. Verbal logical reasoning test | c |
id_4969 | Rooms at the Cozy Inn cost less than rooms at the Hide-Away Motel. Rooms at the Hotel Victoria cost more than rooms at the Hide-Away Motel. | Of the three lodging places, the Hotel Victoria costs the most. | e |
id_4970 | Rosetta Stone In 1799, a famous discovery was made in the small town of Rashid (known as Rosette by the French), 65 km from the city of Alexandria in northern Egypt. Napoleon Bonapartes army were digging the foundations of a fort when they unearthed a large basalt slab, over 1.1 metres tall, 75 cm wide and 28 cm thick, weighing about 760 kg. The Pierre de Rosette (Rosetta Stone) dates back to 196 BC when the Macedonians ruled Egypt. The stone is of great historical value because it is carved with the same text written in two Ancient Egyptian scripts (hieroglyphics and Demotic) and in Greek. At the time of the discovery, Egyptian hieroglyphic writing could not be understood, and by comparing the symbols with the Greek text it was eventually deciphered. This allowed scholars to understand the meaning of Egyptian hieroglyphs dating back almost 4,000 years. Napoleon was defeated by the British navy in the battle of the Nile in 1798 and he left Egypt two years later. The Rosetta Stone, together with other antiquities, was handed over to the British under the terms of the Treaty of Alexandria in 1801. It went on display in the British Museum and to this day remains one of the most popular exhibits. In 1802, Thomas Young, an English academic, translated some of the words in the Demotic section of the stone. Despite this early success, he made little headway with the hieroglyphic symbols, which proved baffling. The problem remained largely unsolved for a further 20 years until the French scholar, Jean-Francois Champollian, unlocked the code. He realized that the symbols used a combination of alphabet letters and phonetic sounds to convey the same meaning as the classical Greek writing. In 1828 he travelled to Egypt where he was able to read hieroglyphs off temple walls, obelisks and other ancient artefacts to establish, for the first time, the order of kings, when they ruled and how they lived. Champollian is acknowledged as the father of modern Egyptology. The Rosetta Stone has revealed its secrets. The hieroglyphs were written on the stone by Egyptian priests to proclaim the greatness of their Pharaohs, in this case, 13-year-old King Ptolemy V, the fifth ruler of the Ptolemaic dynasty, and son of Ptolemy IV. The stone was made on the first anniversary of the boy kings coronation in 197 BC and takes the form of a decree. It affirms the rightful place of Ptolemy V as the King of Egypt and instructs the priests to worship him and erect temples. The Demotic language was used in daily life in Egypt, and the classical Greek by the ruling Ptolemies, so it made sense to have these languages on the stone as well as the hieroglyphs so that the decree could be understood by everyone. The stone is not unique in that similar stones would have been placed at other Egyptian temples. In recent times, Egypts head of antiquities, Dr Zahi Hawass, has lobbied for the return of the Rosetta Stone to Egypt, along with other prized antiquities like the Elgin Marbles and the bust of Queen Nefertiti. The repatriation of artefacts of cultural herit age is a controversial and emotive issue. The problem is in deciding between what was taken on a fair basis and what was stolen. However, in 2002, 30 of the worlds leading museums issued the joint declaration that objects acquired in earlier times must be viewed in the light of different sensitivities and values reflective of that earlier era. Whilst this statement may suit the many museums that wish to conserve historically important artefacts, some of the objects are held sacred by the peoples and nations from which they originate. In the case of the Rosetta Stone, the British Museum donated a life-size replica of the stone to the town of Rashid (Rosetta) in 2005 and a giant copy in France marks the birthplace of Jean-Francois Champollian. Though not authentic items, these copies provide an opportunity for study and learn ing. The British Museum will loan treasured artefacts to other museums around the world, though in doing so it runs the risk of not getting them back. Today the term Rosetta Stone has been adopted by a language-learning company and is more likely to be recognized in this context than as an important cultural artefact. The term is also used as a metaphor for anything that is vital to unlocking a difficult problem, for example, DNA has become the Rosetta Stone of life and death, health and disease, according to the Human Genome Project. Nevertheless, it is the science of Egyptology that carries on the legacy of the Rosetta Stone. | The Rosetta Stone was the only stone of its type. | c |
id_4971 | Rosetta Stone In 1799, a famous discovery was made in the small town of Rashid (known as Rosette by the French), 65 km from the city of Alexandria in northern Egypt. Napoleon Bonapartes army were digging the foundations of a fort when they unearthed a large basalt slab, over 1.1 metres tall, 75 cm wide and 28 cm thick, weighing about 760 kg. The Pierre de Rosette (Rosetta Stone) dates back to 196 BC when the Macedonians ruled Egypt. The stone is of great historical value because it is carved with the same text written in two Ancient Egyptian scripts (hieroglyphics and Demotic) and in Greek. At the time of the discovery, Egyptian hieroglyphic writing could not be understood, and by comparing the symbols with the Greek text it was eventually deciphered. This allowed scholars to understand the meaning of Egyptian hieroglyphs dating back almost 4,000 years. Napoleon was defeated by the British navy in the battle of the Nile in 1798 and he left Egypt two years later. The Rosetta Stone, together with other antiquities, was handed over to the British under the terms of the Treaty of Alexandria in 1801. It went on display in the British Museum and to this day remains one of the most popular exhibits. In 1802, Thomas Young, an English academic, translated some of the words in the Demotic section of the stone. Despite this early success, he made little headway with the hieroglyphic symbols, which proved baffling. The problem remained largely unsolved for a further 20 years until the French scholar, Jean-Francois Champollian, unlocked the code. He realized that the symbols used a combination of alphabet letters and phonetic sounds to convey the same meaning as the classical Greek writing. In 1828 he travelled to Egypt where he was able to read hieroglyphs off temple walls, obelisks and other ancient artefacts to establish, for the first time, the order of kings, when they ruled and how they lived. Champollian is acknowledged as the father of modern Egyptology. The Rosetta Stone has revealed its secrets. The hieroglyphs were written on the stone by Egyptian priests to proclaim the greatness of their Pharaohs, in this case, 13-year-old King Ptolemy V, the fifth ruler of the Ptolemaic dynasty, and son of Ptolemy IV. The stone was made on the first anniversary of the boy kings coronation in 197 BC and takes the form of a decree. It affirms the rightful place of Ptolemy V as the King of Egypt and instructs the priests to worship him and erect temples. The Demotic language was used in daily life in Egypt, and the classical Greek by the ruling Ptolemies, so it made sense to have these languages on the stone as well as the hieroglyphs so that the decree could be understood by everyone. The stone is not unique in that similar stones would have been placed at other Egyptian temples. In recent times, Egypts head of antiquities, Dr Zahi Hawass, has lobbied for the return of the Rosetta Stone to Egypt, along with other prized antiquities like the Elgin Marbles and the bust of Queen Nefertiti. The repatriation of artefacts of cultural herit age is a controversial and emotive issue. The problem is in deciding between what was taken on a fair basis and what was stolen. However, in 2002, 30 of the worlds leading museums issued the joint declaration that objects acquired in earlier times must be viewed in the light of different sensitivities and values reflective of that earlier era. Whilst this statement may suit the many museums that wish to conserve historically important artefacts, some of the objects are held sacred by the peoples and nations from which they originate. In the case of the Rosetta Stone, the British Museum donated a life-size replica of the stone to the town of Rashid (Rosetta) in 2005 and a giant copy in France marks the birthplace of Jean-Francois Champollian. Though not authentic items, these copies provide an opportunity for study and learn ing. The British Museum will loan treasured artefacts to other museums around the world, though in doing so it runs the risk of not getting them back. Today the term Rosetta Stone has been adopted by a language-learning company and is more likely to be recognized in this context than as an important cultural artefact. The term is also used as a metaphor for anything that is vital to unlocking a difficult problem, for example, DNA has become the Rosetta Stone of life and death, health and disease, according to the Human Genome Project. Nevertheless, it is the science of Egyptology that carries on the legacy of the Rosetta Stone. | Egyptian scholars wrote the passages almost 4,000 years ago. | c |
id_4972 | Rosetta Stone In 1799, a famous discovery was made in the small town of Rashid (known as Rosette by the French), 65 km from the city of Alexandria in northern Egypt. Napoleon Bonapartes army were digging the foundations of a fort when they unearthed a large basalt slab, over 1.1 metres tall, 75 cm wide and 28 cm thick, weighing about 760 kg. The Pierre de Rosette (Rosetta Stone) dates back to 196 BC when the Macedonians ruled Egypt. The stone is of great historical value because it is carved with the same text written in two Ancient Egyptian scripts (hieroglyphics and Demotic) and in Greek. At the time of the discovery, Egyptian hieroglyphic writing could not be understood, and by comparing the symbols with the Greek text it was eventually deciphered. This allowed scholars to understand the meaning of Egyptian hieroglyphs dating back almost 4,000 years. Napoleon was defeated by the British navy in the battle of the Nile in 1798 and he left Egypt two years later. The Rosetta Stone, together with other antiquities, was handed over to the British under the terms of the Treaty of Alexandria in 1801. It went on display in the British Museum and to this day remains one of the most popular exhibits. In 1802, Thomas Young, an English academic, translated some of the words in the Demotic section of the stone. Despite this early success, he made little headway with the hieroglyphic symbols, which proved baffling. The problem remained largely unsolved for a further 20 years until the French scholar, Jean-Francois Champollian, unlocked the code. He realized that the symbols used a combination of alphabet letters and phonetic sounds to convey the same meaning as the classical Greek writing. In 1828 he travelled to Egypt where he was able to read hieroglyphs off temple walls, obelisks and other ancient artefacts to establish, for the first time, the order of kings, when they ruled and how they lived. Champollian is acknowledged as the father of modern Egyptology. The Rosetta Stone has revealed its secrets. The hieroglyphs were written on the stone by Egyptian priests to proclaim the greatness of their Pharaohs, in this case, 13-year-old King Ptolemy V, the fifth ruler of the Ptolemaic dynasty, and son of Ptolemy IV. The stone was made on the first anniversary of the boy kings coronation in 197 BC and takes the form of a decree. It affirms the rightful place of Ptolemy V as the King of Egypt and instructs the priests to worship him and erect temples. The Demotic language was used in daily life in Egypt, and the classical Greek by the ruling Ptolemies, so it made sense to have these languages on the stone as well as the hieroglyphs so that the decree could be understood by everyone. The stone is not unique in that similar stones would have been placed at other Egyptian temples. In recent times, Egypts head of antiquities, Dr Zahi Hawass, has lobbied for the return of the Rosetta Stone to Egypt, along with other prized antiquities like the Elgin Marbles and the bust of Queen Nefertiti. The repatriation of artefacts of cultural herit age is a controversial and emotive issue. The problem is in deciding between what was taken on a fair basis and what was stolen. However, in 2002, 30 of the worlds leading museums issued the joint declaration that objects acquired in earlier times must be viewed in the light of different sensitivities and values reflective of that earlier era. Whilst this statement may suit the many museums that wish to conserve historically important artefacts, some of the objects are held sacred by the peoples and nations from which they originate. In the case of the Rosetta Stone, the British Museum donated a life-size replica of the stone to the town of Rashid (Rosetta) in 2005 and a giant copy in France marks the birthplace of Jean-Francois Champollian. Though not authentic items, these copies provide an opportunity for study and learn ing. The British Museum will loan treasured artefacts to other museums around the world, though in doing so it runs the risk of not getting them back. Today the term Rosetta Stone has been adopted by a language-learning company and is more likely to be recognized in this context than as an important cultural artefact. The term is also used as a metaphor for anything that is vital to unlocking a difficult problem, for example, DNA has become the Rosetta Stone of life and death, health and disease, according to the Human Genome Project. Nevertheless, it is the science of Egyptology that carries on the legacy of the Rosetta Stone. | There are three translations of the same passage on the Rosetta Stone. | e |
id_4973 | Rosetta Stone In 1799, a famous discovery was made in the small town of Rashid (known as Rosette by the French), 65 km from the city of Alexandria in northern Egypt. Napoleon Bonapartes army were digging the foundations of a fort when they unearthed a large basalt slab, over 1.1 metres tall, 75 cm wide and 28 cm thick, weighing about 760 kg. The Pierre de Rosette (Rosetta Stone) dates back to 196 BC when the Macedonians ruled Egypt. The stone is of great historical value because it is carved with the same text written in two Ancient Egyptian scripts (hieroglyphics and Demotic) and in Greek. At the time of the discovery, Egyptian hieroglyphic writing could not be understood, and by comparing the symbols with the Greek text it was eventually deciphered. This allowed scholars to understand the meaning of Egyptian hieroglyphs dating back almost 4,000 years. Napoleon was defeated by the British navy in the battle of the Nile in 1798 and he left Egypt two years later. The Rosetta Stone, together with other antiquities, was handed over to the British under the terms of the Treaty of Alexandria in 1801. It went on display in the British Museum and to this day remains one of the most popular exhibits. In 1802, Thomas Young, an English academic, translated some of the words in the Demotic section of the stone. Despite this early success, he made little headway with the hieroglyphic symbols, which proved baffling. The problem remained largely unsolved for a further 20 years until the French scholar, Jean-Francois Champollian, unlocked the code. He realized that the symbols used a combination of alphabet letters and phonetic sounds to convey the same meaning as the classical Greek writing. In 1828 he travelled to Egypt where he was able to read hieroglyphs off temple walls, obelisks and other ancient artefacts to establish, for the first time, the order of kings, when they ruled and how they lived. Champollian is acknowledged as the father of modern Egyptology. The Rosetta Stone has revealed its secrets. The hieroglyphs were written on the stone by Egyptian priests to proclaim the greatness of their Pharaohs, in this case, 13-year-old King Ptolemy V, the fifth ruler of the Ptolemaic dynasty, and son of Ptolemy IV. The stone was made on the first anniversary of the boy kings coronation in 197 BC and takes the form of a decree. It affirms the rightful place of Ptolemy V as the King of Egypt and instructs the priests to worship him and erect temples. The Demotic language was used in daily life in Egypt, and the classical Greek by the ruling Ptolemies, so it made sense to have these languages on the stone as well as the hieroglyphs so that the decree could be understood by everyone. The stone is not unique in that similar stones would have been placed at other Egyptian temples. In recent times, Egypts head of antiquities, Dr Zahi Hawass, has lobbied for the return of the Rosetta Stone to Egypt, along with other prized antiquities like the Elgin Marbles and the bust of Queen Nefertiti. The repatriation of artefacts of cultural herit age is a controversial and emotive issue. The problem is in deciding between what was taken on a fair basis and what was stolen. However, in 2002, 30 of the worlds leading museums issued the joint declaration that objects acquired in earlier times must be viewed in the light of different sensitivities and values reflective of that earlier era. Whilst this statement may suit the many museums that wish to conserve historically important artefacts, some of the objects are held sacred by the peoples and nations from which they originate. In the case of the Rosetta Stone, the British Museum donated a life-size replica of the stone to the town of Rashid (Rosetta) in 2005 and a giant copy in France marks the birthplace of Jean-Francois Champollian. Though not authentic items, these copies provide an opportunity for study and learn ing. The British Museum will loan treasured artefacts to other museums around the world, though in doing so it runs the risk of not getting them back. Today the term Rosetta Stone has been adopted by a language-learning company and is more likely to be recognized in this context than as an important cultural artefact. The term is also used as a metaphor for anything that is vital to unlocking a difficult problem, for example, DNA has become the Rosetta Stone of life and death, health and disease, according to the Human Genome Project. Nevertheless, it is the science of Egyptology that carries on the legacy of the Rosetta Stone. | The Rosetta Stone was unearthed in the city of Alexandria. | c |
id_4974 | Rosetta Stone In 1799, a famous discovery was made in the small town of Rashid (known as Rosette by the French), 65 km from the city of Alexandria in northern Egypt. Napoleon Bonapartes army were digging the foundations of a fort when they unearthed a large basalt slab, over 1.1 metres tall, 75 cm wide and 28 cm thick, weighing about 760 kg. The Pierre de Rosette (Rosetta Stone) dates back to 196 BC when the Macedonians ruled Egypt. The stone is of great historical value because it is carved with the same text written in two Ancient Egyptian scripts (hieroglyphics and Demotic) and in Greek. At the time of the discovery, Egyptian hieroglyphic writing could not be understood, and by comparing the symbols with the Greek text it was eventually deciphered. This allowed scholars to understand the meaning of Egyptian hieroglyphs dating back almost 4,000 years. Napoleon was defeated by the British navy in the battle of the Nile in 1798 and he left Egypt two years later. The Rosetta Stone, together with other antiquities, was handed over to the British under the terms of the Treaty of Alexandria in 1801. It went on display in the British Museum and to this day remains one of the most popular exhibits. In 1802, Thomas Young, an English academic, translated some of the words in the Demotic section of the stone. Despite this early success, he made little headway with the hieroglyphic symbols, which proved baffling. The problem remained largely unsolved for a further 20 years until the French scholar, Jean-Francois Champollian, unlocked the code. He realized that the symbols used a combination of alphabet letters and phonetic sounds to convey the same meaning as the classical Greek writing. In 1828 he travelled to Egypt where he was able to read hieroglyphs off temple walls, obelisks and other ancient artefacts to establish, for the first time, the order of kings, when they ruled and how they lived. Champollian is acknowledged as the father of modern Egyptology. The Rosetta Stone has revealed its secrets. The hieroglyphs were written on the stone by Egyptian priests to proclaim the greatness of their Pharaohs, in this case, 13-year-old King Ptolemy V, the fifth ruler of the Ptolemaic dynasty, and son of Ptolemy IV. The stone was made on the first anniversary of the boy kings coronation in 197 BC and takes the form of a decree. It affirms the rightful place of Ptolemy V as the King of Egypt and instructs the priests to worship him and erect temples. The Demotic language was used in daily life in Egypt, and the classical Greek by the ruling Ptolemies, so it made sense to have these languages on the stone as well as the hieroglyphs so that the decree could be understood by everyone. The stone is not unique in that similar stones would have been placed at other Egyptian temples. In recent times, Egypts head of antiquities, Dr Zahi Hawass, has lobbied for the return of the Rosetta Stone to Egypt, along with other prized antiquities like the Elgin Marbles and the bust of Queen Nefertiti. The repatriation of artefacts of cultural herit age is a controversial and emotive issue. The problem is in deciding between what was taken on a fair basis and what was stolen. However, in 2002, 30 of the worlds leading museums issued the joint declaration that objects acquired in earlier times must be viewed in the light of different sensitivities and values reflective of that earlier era. Whilst this statement may suit the many museums that wish to conserve historically important artefacts, some of the objects are held sacred by the peoples and nations from which they originate. In the case of the Rosetta Stone, the British Museum donated a life-size replica of the stone to the town of Rashid (Rosetta) in 2005 and a giant copy in France marks the birthplace of Jean-Francois Champollian. Though not authentic items, these copies provide an opportunity for study and learn ing. The British Museum will loan treasured artefacts to other museums around the world, though in doing so it runs the risk of not getting them back. Today the term Rosetta Stone has been adopted by a language-learning company and is more likely to be recognized in this context than as an important cultural artefact. The term is also used as a metaphor for anything that is vital to unlocking a difficult problem, for example, DNA has become the Rosetta Stone of life and death, health and disease, according to the Human Genome Project. Nevertheless, it is the science of Egyptology that carries on the legacy of the Rosetta Stone. | Thomas Young translated the entire Demotic text. | c |
id_4975 | Rosetta Stone In 1799, a famous discovery was made in the small town of Rashid (known as Rosette by the French), 65 km from the city of Alexandria in northern Egypt. Napoleon Bonapartes army were digging the foundations of a fort when they unearthed a large basalt slab, over 1.1 metres tall, 75 cm wide and 28 cm thick, weighing about 760 kg. The Pierre de Rosette (Rosetta Stone) dates back to 196 BC when the Macedonians ruled Egypt. The stone is of great historical value because it is carved with the same text written in two Ancient Egyptian scripts (hieroglyphics and Demotic) and in Greek. At the time of the discovery, Egyptian hieroglyphic writing could not be understood, and by comparing the symbols with the Greek text it was eventually deciphered. This allowed scholars to understand the meaning of Egyptian hieroglyphs dating back almost 4,000 years. Napoleon was defeated by the British navy in the battle of the Nile in 1798 and he left Egypt two years later. The Rosetta Stone, together with other antiquities, was handed over to the British under the terms of the Treaty of Alexandria in 1801. It went on display in the British Museum and to this day remains one of the most popular exhibits. In 1802, Thomas Young, an English academic, translated some of the words in the Demotic section of the stone. Despite this early success, he made little headway with the hieroglyphic symbols, which proved baffling. The problem remained largely unsolved for a further 20 years until the French scholar, Jean-Francois Champollian, unlocked the code. He realized that the symbols used a combination of alphabet letters and phonetic sounds to convey the same meaning as the classical Greek writing. In 1828 he travelled to Egypt where he was able to read hieroglyphs off temple walls, obelisks and other ancient artefacts to establish, for the first time, the order of kings, when they ruled and how they lived. Champollian is acknowledged as the father of modern Egyptology. The Rosetta Stone has revealed its secrets. The hieroglyphs were written on the stone by Egyptian priests to proclaim the greatness of their Pharaohs, in this case, 13-year-old King Ptolemy V, the fifth ruler of the Ptolemaic dynasty, and son of Ptolemy IV. The stone was made on the first anniversary of the boy kings coronation in 197 BC and takes the form of a decree. It affirms the rightful place of Ptolemy V as the King of Egypt and instructs the priests to worship him and erect temples. The Demotic language was used in daily life in Egypt, and the classical Greek by the ruling Ptolemies, so it made sense to have these languages on the stone as well as the hieroglyphs so that the decree could be understood by everyone. The stone is not unique in that similar stones would have been placed at other Egyptian temples. In recent times, Egypts head of antiquities, Dr Zahi Hawass, has lobbied for the return of the Rosetta Stone to Egypt, along with other prized antiquities like the Elgin Marbles and the bust of Queen Nefertiti. The repatriation of artefacts of cultural herit age is a controversial and emotive issue. The problem is in deciding between what was taken on a fair basis and what was stolen. However, in 2002, 30 of the worlds leading museums issued the joint declaration that objects acquired in earlier times must be viewed in the light of different sensitivities and values reflective of that earlier era. Whilst this statement may suit the many museums that wish to conserve historically important artefacts, some of the objects are held sacred by the peoples and nations from which they originate. In the case of the Rosetta Stone, the British Museum donated a life-size replica of the stone to the town of Rashid (Rosetta) in 2005 and a giant copy in France marks the birthplace of Jean-Francois Champollian. Though not authentic items, these copies provide an opportunity for study and learn ing. The British Museum will loan treasured artefacts to other museums around the world, though in doing so it runs the risk of not getting them back. Today the term Rosetta Stone has been adopted by a language-learning company and is more likely to be recognized in this context than as an important cultural artefact. The term is also used as a metaphor for anything that is vital to unlocking a difficult problem, for example, DNA has become the Rosetta Stone of life and death, health and disease, according to the Human Genome Project. Nevertheless, it is the science of Egyptology that carries on the legacy of the Rosetta Stone. | The hieroglyphs were more difficult to translate than the Demotic text. | e |
id_4976 | Rosetta Stone In 1799, a famous discovery was made in the small town of Rashid (known as Rosette by the French), 65 km from the city of Alexandria in northern Egypt. Napoleon Bonapartes army were digging the foundations of a fort when they unearthed a large basalt slab, over 1.1 metres tall, 75 cm wide and 28 cm thick, weighing about 760 kg. The Pierre de Rosette (Rosetta Stone) dates back to 196 BC when the Macedonians ruled Egypt. The stone is of great historical value because it is carved with the same text written in two Ancient Egyptian scripts (hieroglyphics and Demotic) and in Greek. At the time of the discovery, Egyptian hieroglyphic writing could not be understood, and by comparing the symbols with the Greek text it was eventually deciphered. This allowed scholars to understand the meaning of Egyptian hieroglyphs dating back almost 4,000 years. Napoleon was defeated by the British navy in the battle of the Nile in 1798 and he left Egypt two years later. The Rosetta Stone, together with other antiquities, was handed over to the British under the terms of the Treaty of Alexandria in 1801. It went on display in the British Museum and to this day remains one of the most popular exhibits. In 1802, Thomas Young, an English academic, translated some of the words in the Demotic section of the stone. Despite this early success, he made little headway with the hieroglyphic symbols, which proved baffling. The problem remained largely unsolved for a further 20 years until the French scholar, Jean-Francois Champollian, unlocked the code. He realized that the symbols used a combination of alphabet letters and phonetic sounds to convey the same meaning as the classical Greek writing. In 1828 he travelled to Egypt where he was able to read hieroglyphs off temple walls, obelisks and other ancient artefacts to establish, for the first time, the order of kings, when they ruled and how they lived. Champollian is acknowledged as the father of modern Egyptology. The Rosetta Stone has revealed its secrets. The hieroglyphs were written on the stone by Egyptian priests to proclaim the greatness of their Pharaohs, in this case, 13-year-old King Ptolemy V, the fifth ruler of the Ptolemaic dynasty, and son of Ptolemy IV. The stone was made on the first anniversary of the boy kings coronation in 197 BC and takes the form of a decree. It affirms the rightful place of Ptolemy V as the King of Egypt and instructs the priests to worship him and erect temples. The Demotic language was used in daily life in Egypt, and the classical Greek by the ruling Ptolemies, so it made sense to have these languages on the stone as well as the hieroglyphs so that the decree could be understood by everyone. The stone is not unique in that similar stones would have been placed at other Egyptian temples. In recent times, Egypts head of antiquities, Dr Zahi Hawass, has lobbied for the return of the Rosetta Stone to Egypt, along with other prized antiquities like the Elgin Marbles and the bust of Queen Nefertiti. The repatriation of artefacts of cultural herit age is a controversial and emotive issue. The problem is in deciding between what was taken on a fair basis and what was stolen. However, in 2002, 30 of the worlds leading museums issued the joint declaration that objects acquired in earlier times must be viewed in the light of different sensitivities and values reflective of that earlier era. Whilst this statement may suit the many museums that wish to conserve historically important artefacts, some of the objects are held sacred by the peoples and nations from which they originate. In the case of the Rosetta Stone, the British Museum donated a life-size replica of the stone to the town of Rashid (Rosetta) in 2005 and a giant copy in France marks the birthplace of Jean-Francois Champollian. Though not authentic items, these copies provide an opportunity for study and learn ing. The British Museum will loan treasured artefacts to other museums around the world, though in doing so it runs the risk of not getting them back. Today the term Rosetta Stone has been adopted by a language-learning company and is more likely to be recognized in this context than as an important cultural artefact. The term is also used as a metaphor for anything that is vital to unlocking a difficult problem, for example, DNA has become the Rosetta Stone of life and death, health and disease, according to the Human Genome Project. Nevertheless, it is the science of Egyptology that carries on the legacy of the Rosetta Stone. | Jean-Francois Champollian is the founder of the science of Egyptology. | e |
id_4977 | Rosetta Stone In 1799, a famous discovery was made in the small town of Rashid (known as Rosette by the French), 65 km from the city of Alexandria in northern Egypt. Napoleon Bonapartes army were digging the foundations of a fort when they unearthed a large basalt slab, over 1.1 metres tall, 75 cm wide and 28 cm thick, weighing about 760 kg. The Pierre de Rosette (Rosetta Stone) dates back to 196 BC when the Macedonians ruled Egypt. The stone is of great historical value because it is carved with the same text written in two Ancient Egyptian scripts (hieroglyphics and Demotic) and in Greek. At the time of the discovery, Egyptian hieroglyphic writing could not be understood, and by comparing the symbols with the Greek text it was eventually deciphered. This allowed scholars to understand the meaning of Egyptian hieroglyphs dating back almost 4,000 years. Napoleon was defeated by the British navy in the battle of the Nile in 1798 and he left Egypt two years later. The Rosetta Stone, together with other antiquities, was handed over to the British under the terms of the Treaty of Alexandria in 1801. It went on display in the British Museum and to this day remains one of the most popular exhibits. In 1802, Thomas Young, an English academic, translated some of the words in the Demotic section of the stone. Despite this early success, he made little headway with the hieroglyphic symbols, which proved baffling. The problem remained largely unsolved for a further 20 years until the French scholar, Jean-Francois Champollian, unlocked the code. He realized that the symbols used a combination of alphabet letters and phonetic sounds to convey the same meaning as the classical Greek writing. In 1828 he travelled to Egypt where he was able to read hieroglyphs off temple walls, obelisks and other ancient artefacts to establish, for the first time, the order of kings, when they ruled and how they lived. Champollian is acknowledged as the father of modern Egyptology. The Rosetta Stone has revealed its secrets. The hieroglyphs were written on the stone by Egyptian priests to proclaim the greatness of their Pharaohs, in this case, 13-year-old King Ptolemy V, the fifth ruler of the Ptolemaic dynasty, and son of Ptolemy IV. The stone was made on the first anniversary of the boy kings coronation in 197 BC and takes the form of a decree. It affirms the rightful place of Ptolemy V as the King of Egypt and instructs the priests to worship him and erect temples. The Demotic language was used in daily life in Egypt, and the classical Greek by the ruling Ptolemies, so it made sense to have these languages on the stone as well as the hieroglyphs so that the decree could be understood by everyone. The stone is not unique in that similar stones would have been placed at other Egyptian temples. In recent times, Egypts head of antiquities, Dr Zahi Hawass, has lobbied for the return of the Rosetta Stone to Egypt, along with other prized antiquities like the Elgin Marbles and the bust of Queen Nefertiti. The repatriation of artefacts of cultural herit age is a controversial and emotive issue. The problem is in deciding between what was taken on a fair basis and what was stolen. However, in 2002, 30 of the worlds leading museums issued the joint declaration that objects acquired in earlier times must be viewed in the light of different sensitivities and values reflective of that earlier era. Whilst this statement may suit the many museums that wish to conserve historically important artefacts, some of the objects are held sacred by the peoples and nations from which they originate. In the case of the Rosetta Stone, the British Museum donated a life-size replica of the stone to the town of Rashid (Rosetta) in 2005 and a giant copy in France marks the birthplace of Jean-Francois Champollian. Though not authentic items, these copies provide an opportunity for study and learn ing. The British Museum will loan treasured artefacts to other museums around the world, though in doing so it runs the risk of not getting them back. Today the term Rosetta Stone has been adopted by a language-learning company and is more likely to be recognized in this context than as an important cultural artefact. The term is also used as a metaphor for anything that is vital to unlocking a difficult problem, for example, DNA has become the Rosetta Stone of life and death, health and disease, according to the Human Genome Project. Nevertheless, it is the science of Egyptology that carries on the legacy of the Rosetta Stone. | Demotic language used phonetic sounds. | n |
id_4978 | Royal Botanic Gardens An oasis packed with a range of unusual trees, shrubs and flowers, as well as a great hothouse, says Jamie Byng. These 72 acres of horticultural heaven are home to more than 2,000 species of plants, tropical glasshouses, a bijoux art gallery (Inverleith House), and a. well-appointed tearoom with outside tables offering superb views of the city. If the festival has started to make use of the Botanics (last year saw several glitzy film premieres, plus Dannii Minogue giving her infamous Lady Macbeth), th e gardens remain a haven in the city. Still the best part of Edinburgh to chill out in, Kevin Williamson says. Where: Inverleith Row, 3km from Princes Street (0131 -552 7171). When: Daily 10am-4pm, open to 8pm during May -Aug Princes Street Gardens Earlier in the 20th century, this area was the infamous Nor Loch, an open sewer replenished each day by slops thrown down from the slum dwellings of the Old Town above it. Now, however, its the green heart of Edinburgh, positioned where the river would normally be, and divided into East and West by the Mound home to the National Gallery and the Royal Scottish Academy. Louts with lager, senior citizens on benches, Italian teens with daft wee backpacksall our life is here, says Pete Irvine. Its the place I go to for a bit of peace and quiet, says Mark Cousins. And I love the old -fashioned merry-go-round in the childrens area. Where: Parallel to Princes Street. The most popular entrance is by Waverley Bridge, near the Scott Memorial. When: Dawn to dusk. Arthurs Seat This is a place where the legendary British king is said to have rested his backside, this volcano, extinct for 350 million years, towers over the city. The easiest way up should take an averagely fit person no more than 40 minutes. The summit offers great views south towards the Borders and north towards Fife. Its an awesome place to watch the sunrise or sunset, says Jamie Byng. On the way down, thirsty walkers should visit the wonderful Sheep Heid pub in Duddingston village, once frequented by both Mary Queen of Scots and Bonnie Prince Charlie (though not at the same time). The name comes from a rams head given to the publican by King James VI of Scotlandthats James I of England Where: West of city centre. Best approach is through Holyrood Park, at the foot of the Royal Mile. When: Any time, elements permitting. Klownz The Edinburgh Festival can be an endurance test: small, hot, dark rooms, sleep deprivation, and (frequently) lack of food-theres not that much difference, it seems, between a festival goer and a hostage. Which is why Kelly Cooper-Barr recommends a day at Klownz in Stockbridge. This place is pampering heaven. Basically, there is everything you could wanta multitude of beauty treatments, a great hairdressers, San Tropez tan while you relax, right down to the freshly-squeezed orange juice. They will fulfill any request. Spoiling yourself is certainly the order of the day here. Where: 1 NW Circus Place, EH3 6ST (0131-226 4565). When: Mon, Tues, Fri 9am-6pm, Wed & Thur 9am-8pm, Sat 9am-4pm. Closed Sundays. Calton Hill For those too lazy to climb Arthurs Seat, Calton Hill fills the breach. Its this place that gave Edinburgh its nickname of the Athens of the North, thanks to the temple that is William Playfairs National Monument (dedicated to the dead of the Napoleonic Wars), and his City Observatory (based on the Temple of the Winds in Athens). Theres a small visitors center the Edinburgh Experiencebut the main attraction is the view. Kevin Williamson says: Stand tall and proud on top of the hill, looking northwards over Leith, Gods own country, with The Proclaimers jangling away on your Walkman. There is no more moving panorama anywhere in the world. And whats more, you can be back on Princes Street within five minutes or sitting in one of the bars on Broughton Street. Where: Entrance on Princes Street by Waterloo Place. Portobello Beach Jokingly referred to as Edinburghs Riviera, the former artists colony is now a bit tatty round the edges. But as the only bit of sea and sand within walking distance of the city, its a welcome haven when the sun comes out. The romantic in you cant help liking the penny arcades and the miniature fairground, Mark Cousins says. Its got a Brighton Rock quality, a bit of faded, end-of-the-pier charisma. Leave room for beer, fish and chips, and ice cream. Lucas ice cream shop in Musselburgh high street is probably the best on Scotlands east coast, says Sarah Smith. Where: 8km from city centre via London Road. When: Preferably when its sunny. Short-Hole Course in the Meadows It may look like a raggedy throw -and-putt course, but dont say that to the regulars: the 36-hole golf course on Bruntsfield Links is more than 100 years old. The mounds have been there for more than three centuries, ever since Edinburgh needed a mass -burial ground for plague victims. A round of golf is free (scorecards, with rules, are attached to a piece of string on the greenkeepers hut, but you will need your own clubs. There are no b unkers, but obstacles include sunbathers, dogs, cyclists and small children. If golfs not your game theres a funfair too, and during the festival this is where big circus acts tend to perform. Its generally safe but, as those who have read Trainspotting will know, the areas best avoided on your own after dark. Where: The Meadows. When: Dawn to dusk, when no one is sitting on the holes. The Commonwealth Pool This Olympic-sized pool, which was commissioned for the 1970 Commonwealth Games, has kept very busy over the last 30 years, and has undoubtedly seen better days. However, the recent addition of flumes has given it a new lease of life. Central enough for office workers to nip out to in their lunch breaks or for stressed-out festival-goers to cool their heels. Standing on the top board, you forget all the stresses and strains of city life. I think its a life-saver, says Sarah Smith . Where: Dalkeith Road, EH 16 5BB (0131 -667 7211). When: Mon - Fri 9am-9pm, Sat & Sun 10am-4pm. Early bird slots 6arn-9pm Mon-Sat. Opens 10am Wed. Water Of Leith The river runs 21 miles from its source in the Pentland Hills to discharge into the Forth of Firth at Leith. A walk along here takes you past the Botanical Gardens, the neo -classical St Bernards Well, through the leafy gorge that contains Dean Village, and westwards towards Belford Roadhome of the National Gallery of Modern Art and the recently -opened Dean Gallery. 4`Walking there from Leith up the Dean River is a great way to spend an hour or so, says Jamie Byng. Make sure you stop off for pastries in Patisserie Florentine, says Sarah Smith. Where: The waterway can be entered from various points. Call the Tourist Board on 0131-473 3800 for information. | The Commonwealth pool was used for the Olympics. | c |
id_4979 | Royal Botanic Gardens An oasis packed with a range of unusual trees, shrubs and flowers, as well as a great hothouse, says Jamie Byng. These 72 acres of horticultural heaven are home to more than 2,000 species of plants, tropical glasshouses, a bijoux art gallery (Inverleith House), and a. well-appointed tearoom with outside tables offering superb views of the city. If the festival has started to make use of the Botanics (last year saw several glitzy film premieres, plus Dannii Minogue giving her infamous Lady Macbeth), th e gardens remain a haven in the city. Still the best part of Edinburgh to chill out in, Kevin Williamson says. Where: Inverleith Row, 3km from Princes Street (0131 -552 7171). When: Daily 10am-4pm, open to 8pm during May -Aug Princes Street Gardens Earlier in the 20th century, this area was the infamous Nor Loch, an open sewer replenished each day by slops thrown down from the slum dwellings of the Old Town above it. Now, however, its the green heart of Edinburgh, positioned where the river would normally be, and divided into East and West by the Mound home to the National Gallery and the Royal Scottish Academy. Louts with lager, senior citizens on benches, Italian teens with daft wee backpacksall our life is here, says Pete Irvine. Its the place I go to for a bit of peace and quiet, says Mark Cousins. And I love the old -fashioned merry-go-round in the childrens area. Where: Parallel to Princes Street. The most popular entrance is by Waverley Bridge, near the Scott Memorial. When: Dawn to dusk. Arthurs Seat This is a place where the legendary British king is said to have rested his backside, this volcano, extinct for 350 million years, towers over the city. The easiest way up should take an averagely fit person no more than 40 minutes. The summit offers great views south towards the Borders and north towards Fife. Its an awesome place to watch the sunrise or sunset, says Jamie Byng. On the way down, thirsty walkers should visit the wonderful Sheep Heid pub in Duddingston village, once frequented by both Mary Queen of Scots and Bonnie Prince Charlie (though not at the same time). The name comes from a rams head given to the publican by King James VI of Scotlandthats James I of England Where: West of city centre. Best approach is through Holyrood Park, at the foot of the Royal Mile. When: Any time, elements permitting. Klownz The Edinburgh Festival can be an endurance test: small, hot, dark rooms, sleep deprivation, and (frequently) lack of food-theres not that much difference, it seems, between a festival goer and a hostage. Which is why Kelly Cooper-Barr recommends a day at Klownz in Stockbridge. This place is pampering heaven. Basically, there is everything you could wanta multitude of beauty treatments, a great hairdressers, San Tropez tan while you relax, right down to the freshly-squeezed orange juice. They will fulfill any request. Spoiling yourself is certainly the order of the day here. Where: 1 NW Circus Place, EH3 6ST (0131-226 4565). When: Mon, Tues, Fri 9am-6pm, Wed & Thur 9am-8pm, Sat 9am-4pm. Closed Sundays. Calton Hill For those too lazy to climb Arthurs Seat, Calton Hill fills the breach. Its this place that gave Edinburgh its nickname of the Athens of the North, thanks to the temple that is William Playfairs National Monument (dedicated to the dead of the Napoleonic Wars), and his City Observatory (based on the Temple of the Winds in Athens). Theres a small visitors center the Edinburgh Experiencebut the main attraction is the view. Kevin Williamson says: Stand tall and proud on top of the hill, looking northwards over Leith, Gods own country, with The Proclaimers jangling away on your Walkman. There is no more moving panorama anywhere in the world. And whats more, you can be back on Princes Street within five minutes or sitting in one of the bars on Broughton Street. Where: Entrance on Princes Street by Waterloo Place. Portobello Beach Jokingly referred to as Edinburghs Riviera, the former artists colony is now a bit tatty round the edges. But as the only bit of sea and sand within walking distance of the city, its a welcome haven when the sun comes out. The romantic in you cant help liking the penny arcades and the miniature fairground, Mark Cousins says. Its got a Brighton Rock quality, a bit of faded, end-of-the-pier charisma. Leave room for beer, fish and chips, and ice cream. Lucas ice cream shop in Musselburgh high street is probably the best on Scotlands east coast, says Sarah Smith. Where: 8km from city centre via London Road. When: Preferably when its sunny. Short-Hole Course in the Meadows It may look like a raggedy throw -and-putt course, but dont say that to the regulars: the 36-hole golf course on Bruntsfield Links is more than 100 years old. The mounds have been there for more than three centuries, ever since Edinburgh needed a mass -burial ground for plague victims. A round of golf is free (scorecards, with rules, are attached to a piece of string on the greenkeepers hut, but you will need your own clubs. There are no b unkers, but obstacles include sunbathers, dogs, cyclists and small children. If golfs not your game theres a funfair too, and during the festival this is where big circus acts tend to perform. Its generally safe but, as those who have read Trainspotting will know, the areas best avoided on your own after dark. Where: The Meadows. When: Dawn to dusk, when no one is sitting on the holes. The Commonwealth Pool This Olympic-sized pool, which was commissioned for the 1970 Commonwealth Games, has kept very busy over the last 30 years, and has undoubtedly seen better days. However, the recent addition of flumes has given it a new lease of life. Central enough for office workers to nip out to in their lunch breaks or for stressed-out festival-goers to cool their heels. Standing on the top board, you forget all the stresses and strains of city life. I think its a life-saver, says Sarah Smith . Where: Dalkeith Road, EH 16 5BB (0131 -667 7211). When: Mon - Fri 9am-9pm, Sat & Sun 10am-4pm. Early bird slots 6arn-9pm Mon-Sat. Opens 10am Wed. Water Of Leith The river runs 21 miles from its source in the Pentland Hills to discharge into the Forth of Firth at Leith. A walk along here takes you past the Botanical Gardens, the neo -classical St Bernards Well, through the leafy gorge that contains Dean Village, and westwards towards Belford Roadhome of the National Gallery of Modern Art and the recently -opened Dean Gallery. 4`Walking there from Leith up the Dean River is a great way to spend an hour or so, says Jamie Byng. Make sure you stop off for pastries in Patisserie Florentine, says Sarah Smith. Where: The waterway can be entered from various points. Call the Tourist Board on 0131-473 3800 for information. | Arthurs Seat is 350 million years old. | c |
id_4980 | Royal Botanic Gardens An oasis packed with a range of unusual trees, shrubs and flowers, as well as a great hothouse, says Jamie Byng. These 72 acres of horticultural heaven are home to more than 2,000 species of plants, tropical glasshouses, a bijoux art gallery (Inverleith House), and a. well-appointed tearoom with outside tables offering superb views of the city. If the festival has started to make use of the Botanics (last year saw several glitzy film premieres, plus Dannii Minogue giving her infamous Lady Macbeth), th e gardens remain a haven in the city. Still the best part of Edinburgh to chill out in, Kevin Williamson says. Where: Inverleith Row, 3km from Princes Street (0131 -552 7171). When: Daily 10am-4pm, open to 8pm during May -Aug Princes Street Gardens Earlier in the 20th century, this area was the infamous Nor Loch, an open sewer replenished each day by slops thrown down from the slum dwellings of the Old Town above it. Now, however, its the green heart of Edinburgh, positioned where the river would normally be, and divided into East and West by the Mound home to the National Gallery and the Royal Scottish Academy. Louts with lager, senior citizens on benches, Italian teens with daft wee backpacksall our life is here, says Pete Irvine. Its the place I go to for a bit of peace and quiet, says Mark Cousins. And I love the old -fashioned merry-go-round in the childrens area. Where: Parallel to Princes Street. The most popular entrance is by Waverley Bridge, near the Scott Memorial. When: Dawn to dusk. Arthurs Seat This is a place where the legendary British king is said to have rested his backside, this volcano, extinct for 350 million years, towers over the city. The easiest way up should take an averagely fit person no more than 40 minutes. The summit offers great views south towards the Borders and north towards Fife. Its an awesome place to watch the sunrise or sunset, says Jamie Byng. On the way down, thirsty walkers should visit the wonderful Sheep Heid pub in Duddingston village, once frequented by both Mary Queen of Scots and Bonnie Prince Charlie (though not at the same time). The name comes from a rams head given to the publican by King James VI of Scotlandthats James I of England Where: West of city centre. Best approach is through Holyrood Park, at the foot of the Royal Mile. When: Any time, elements permitting. Klownz The Edinburgh Festival can be an endurance test: small, hot, dark rooms, sleep deprivation, and (frequently) lack of food-theres not that much difference, it seems, between a festival goer and a hostage. Which is why Kelly Cooper-Barr recommends a day at Klownz in Stockbridge. This place is pampering heaven. Basically, there is everything you could wanta multitude of beauty treatments, a great hairdressers, San Tropez tan while you relax, right down to the freshly-squeezed orange juice. They will fulfill any request. Spoiling yourself is certainly the order of the day here. Where: 1 NW Circus Place, EH3 6ST (0131-226 4565). When: Mon, Tues, Fri 9am-6pm, Wed & Thur 9am-8pm, Sat 9am-4pm. Closed Sundays. Calton Hill For those too lazy to climb Arthurs Seat, Calton Hill fills the breach. Its this place that gave Edinburgh its nickname of the Athens of the North, thanks to the temple that is William Playfairs National Monument (dedicated to the dead of the Napoleonic Wars), and his City Observatory (based on the Temple of the Winds in Athens). Theres a small visitors center the Edinburgh Experiencebut the main attraction is the view. Kevin Williamson says: Stand tall and proud on top of the hill, looking northwards over Leith, Gods own country, with The Proclaimers jangling away on your Walkman. There is no more moving panorama anywhere in the world. And whats more, you can be back on Princes Street within five minutes or sitting in one of the bars on Broughton Street. Where: Entrance on Princes Street by Waterloo Place. Portobello Beach Jokingly referred to as Edinburghs Riviera, the former artists colony is now a bit tatty round the edges. But as the only bit of sea and sand within walking distance of the city, its a welcome haven when the sun comes out. The romantic in you cant help liking the penny arcades and the miniature fairground, Mark Cousins says. Its got a Brighton Rock quality, a bit of faded, end-of-the-pier charisma. Leave room for beer, fish and chips, and ice cream. Lucas ice cream shop in Musselburgh high street is probably the best on Scotlands east coast, says Sarah Smith. Where: 8km from city centre via London Road. When: Preferably when its sunny. Short-Hole Course in the Meadows It may look like a raggedy throw -and-putt course, but dont say that to the regulars: the 36-hole golf course on Bruntsfield Links is more than 100 years old. The mounds have been there for more than three centuries, ever since Edinburgh needed a mass -burial ground for plague victims. A round of golf is free (scorecards, with rules, are attached to a piece of string on the greenkeepers hut, but you will need your own clubs. There are no b unkers, but obstacles include sunbathers, dogs, cyclists and small children. If golfs not your game theres a funfair too, and during the festival this is where big circus acts tend to perform. Its generally safe but, as those who have read Trainspotting will know, the areas best avoided on your own after dark. Where: The Meadows. When: Dawn to dusk, when no one is sitting on the holes. The Commonwealth Pool This Olympic-sized pool, which was commissioned for the 1970 Commonwealth Games, has kept very busy over the last 30 years, and has undoubtedly seen better days. However, the recent addition of flumes has given it a new lease of life. Central enough for office workers to nip out to in their lunch breaks or for stressed-out festival-goers to cool their heels. Standing on the top board, you forget all the stresses and strains of city life. I think its a life-saver, says Sarah Smith . Where: Dalkeith Road, EH 16 5BB (0131 -667 7211). When: Mon - Fri 9am-9pm, Sat & Sun 10am-4pm. Early bird slots 6arn-9pm Mon-Sat. Opens 10am Wed. Water Of Leith The river runs 21 miles from its source in the Pentland Hills to discharge into the Forth of Firth at Leith. A walk along here takes you past the Botanical Gardens, the neo -classical St Bernards Well, through the leafy gorge that contains Dean Village, and westwards towards Belford Roadhome of the National Gallery of Modern Art and the recently -opened Dean Gallery. 4`Walking there from Leith up the Dean River is a great way to spend an hour or so, says Jamie Byng. Make sure you stop off for pastries in Patisserie Florentine, says Sarah Smith. Where: The waterway can be entered from various points. Call the Tourist Board on 0131-473 3800 for information. | Princes Gardens is on Princes street. | c |
id_4981 | Royal Botanic Gardens An oasis packed with a range of unusual trees, shrubs and flowers, as well as a great hothouse, says Jamie Byng. These 72 acres of horticultural heaven are home to more than 2,000 species of plants, tropical glasshouses, a bijoux art gallery (Inverleith House), and a. well-appointed tearoom with outside tables offering superb views of the city. If the festival has started to make use of the Botanics (last year saw several glitzy film premieres, plus Dannii Minogue giving her infamous Lady Macbeth), th e gardens remain a haven in the city. Still the best part of Edinburgh to chill out in, Kevin Williamson says. Where: Inverleith Row, 3km from Princes Street (0131 -552 7171). When: Daily 10am-4pm, open to 8pm during May -Aug Princes Street Gardens Earlier in the 20th century, this area was the infamous Nor Loch, an open sewer replenished each day by slops thrown down from the slum dwellings of the Old Town above it. Now, however, its the green heart of Edinburgh, positioned where the river would normally be, and divided into East and West by the Mound home to the National Gallery and the Royal Scottish Academy. Louts with lager, senior citizens on benches, Italian teens with daft wee backpacksall our life is here, says Pete Irvine. Its the place I go to for a bit of peace and quiet, says Mark Cousins. And I love the old -fashioned merry-go-round in the childrens area. Where: Parallel to Princes Street. The most popular entrance is by Waverley Bridge, near the Scott Memorial. When: Dawn to dusk. Arthurs Seat This is a place where the legendary British king is said to have rested his backside, this volcano, extinct for 350 million years, towers over the city. The easiest way up should take an averagely fit person no more than 40 minutes. The summit offers great views south towards the Borders and north towards Fife. Its an awesome place to watch the sunrise or sunset, says Jamie Byng. On the way down, thirsty walkers should visit the wonderful Sheep Heid pub in Duddingston village, once frequented by both Mary Queen of Scots and Bonnie Prince Charlie (though not at the same time). The name comes from a rams head given to the publican by King James VI of Scotlandthats James I of England Where: West of city centre. Best approach is through Holyrood Park, at the foot of the Royal Mile. When: Any time, elements permitting. Klownz The Edinburgh Festival can be an endurance test: small, hot, dark rooms, sleep deprivation, and (frequently) lack of food-theres not that much difference, it seems, between a festival goer and a hostage. Which is why Kelly Cooper-Barr recommends a day at Klownz in Stockbridge. This place is pampering heaven. Basically, there is everything you could wanta multitude of beauty treatments, a great hairdressers, San Tropez tan while you relax, right down to the freshly-squeezed orange juice. They will fulfill any request. Spoiling yourself is certainly the order of the day here. Where: 1 NW Circus Place, EH3 6ST (0131-226 4565). When: Mon, Tues, Fri 9am-6pm, Wed & Thur 9am-8pm, Sat 9am-4pm. Closed Sundays. Calton Hill For those too lazy to climb Arthurs Seat, Calton Hill fills the breach. Its this place that gave Edinburgh its nickname of the Athens of the North, thanks to the temple that is William Playfairs National Monument (dedicated to the dead of the Napoleonic Wars), and his City Observatory (based on the Temple of the Winds in Athens). Theres a small visitors center the Edinburgh Experiencebut the main attraction is the view. Kevin Williamson says: Stand tall and proud on top of the hill, looking northwards over Leith, Gods own country, with The Proclaimers jangling away on your Walkman. There is no more moving panorama anywhere in the world. And whats more, you can be back on Princes Street within five minutes or sitting in one of the bars on Broughton Street. Where: Entrance on Princes Street by Waterloo Place. Portobello Beach Jokingly referred to as Edinburghs Riviera, the former artists colony is now a bit tatty round the edges. But as the only bit of sea and sand within walking distance of the city, its a welcome haven when the sun comes out. The romantic in you cant help liking the penny arcades and the miniature fairground, Mark Cousins says. Its got a Brighton Rock quality, a bit of faded, end-of-the-pier charisma. Leave room for beer, fish and chips, and ice cream. Lucas ice cream shop in Musselburgh high street is probably the best on Scotlands east coast, says Sarah Smith. Where: 8km from city centre via London Road. When: Preferably when its sunny. Short-Hole Course in the Meadows It may look like a raggedy throw -and-putt course, but dont say that to the regulars: the 36-hole golf course on Bruntsfield Links is more than 100 years old. The mounds have been there for more than three centuries, ever since Edinburgh needed a mass -burial ground for plague victims. A round of golf is free (scorecards, with rules, are attached to a piece of string on the greenkeepers hut, but you will need your own clubs. There are no b unkers, but obstacles include sunbathers, dogs, cyclists and small children. If golfs not your game theres a funfair too, and during the festival this is where big circus acts tend to perform. Its generally safe but, as those who have read Trainspotting will know, the areas best avoided on your own after dark. Where: The Meadows. When: Dawn to dusk, when no one is sitting on the holes. The Commonwealth Pool This Olympic-sized pool, which was commissioned for the 1970 Commonwealth Games, has kept very busy over the last 30 years, and has undoubtedly seen better days. However, the recent addition of flumes has given it a new lease of life. Central enough for office workers to nip out to in their lunch breaks or for stressed-out festival-goers to cool their heels. Standing on the top board, you forget all the stresses and strains of city life. I think its a life-saver, says Sarah Smith . Where: Dalkeith Road, EH 16 5BB (0131 -667 7211). When: Mon - Fri 9am-9pm, Sat & Sun 10am-4pm. Early bird slots 6arn-9pm Mon-Sat. Opens 10am Wed. Water Of Leith The river runs 21 miles from its source in the Pentland Hills to discharge into the Forth of Firth at Leith. A walk along here takes you past the Botanical Gardens, the neo -classical St Bernards Well, through the leafy gorge that contains Dean Village, and westwards towards Belford Roadhome of the National Gallery of Modern Art and the recently -opened Dean Gallery. 4`Walking there from Leith up the Dean River is a great way to spend an hour or so, says Jamie Byng. Make sure you stop off for pastries in Patisserie Florentine, says Sarah Smith. Where: The waterway can be entered from various points. Call the Tourist Board on 0131-473 3800 for information. | The Meadows Golf Course may not be entirely safe at night. | e |
id_4982 | Royal Botanic Gardens An oasis packed with a range of unusual trees, shrubs and flowers, as well as a great hothouse, says Jamie Byng. These 72 acres of horticultural heaven are home to more than 2,000 species of plants, tropical glasshouses, a bijoux art gallery (Inverleith House), and a. well-appointed tearoom with outside tables offering superb views of the city. If the festival has started to make use of the Botanics (last year saw several glitzy film premieres, plus Dannii Minogue giving her infamous Lady Macbeth), th e gardens remain a haven in the city. Still the best part of Edinburgh to chill out in, Kevin Williamson says. Where: Inverleith Row, 3km from Princes Street (0131 -552 7171). When: Daily 10am-4pm, open to 8pm during May -Aug Princes Street Gardens Earlier in the 20th century, this area was the infamous Nor Loch, an open sewer replenished each day by slops thrown down from the slum dwellings of the Old Town above it. Now, however, its the green heart of Edinburgh, positioned where the river would normally be, and divided into East and West by the Mound home to the National Gallery and the Royal Scottish Academy. Louts with lager, senior citizens on benches, Italian teens with daft wee backpacksall our life is here, says Pete Irvine. Its the place I go to for a bit of peace and quiet, says Mark Cousins. And I love the old -fashioned merry-go-round in the childrens area. Where: Parallel to Princes Street. The most popular entrance is by Waverley Bridge, near the Scott Memorial. When: Dawn to dusk. Arthurs Seat This is a place where the legendary British king is said to have rested his backside, this volcano, extinct for 350 million years, towers over the city. The easiest way up should take an averagely fit person no more than 40 minutes. The summit offers great views south towards the Borders and north towards Fife. Its an awesome place to watch the sunrise or sunset, says Jamie Byng. On the way down, thirsty walkers should visit the wonderful Sheep Heid pub in Duddingston village, once frequented by both Mary Queen of Scots and Bonnie Prince Charlie (though not at the same time). The name comes from a rams head given to the publican by King James VI of Scotlandthats James I of England Where: West of city centre. Best approach is through Holyrood Park, at the foot of the Royal Mile. When: Any time, elements permitting. Klownz The Edinburgh Festival can be an endurance test: small, hot, dark rooms, sleep deprivation, and (frequently) lack of food-theres not that much difference, it seems, between a festival goer and a hostage. Which is why Kelly Cooper-Barr recommends a day at Klownz in Stockbridge. This place is pampering heaven. Basically, there is everything you could wanta multitude of beauty treatments, a great hairdressers, San Tropez tan while you relax, right down to the freshly-squeezed orange juice. They will fulfill any request. Spoiling yourself is certainly the order of the day here. Where: 1 NW Circus Place, EH3 6ST (0131-226 4565). When: Mon, Tues, Fri 9am-6pm, Wed & Thur 9am-8pm, Sat 9am-4pm. Closed Sundays. Calton Hill For those too lazy to climb Arthurs Seat, Calton Hill fills the breach. Its this place that gave Edinburgh its nickname of the Athens of the North, thanks to the temple that is William Playfairs National Monument (dedicated to the dead of the Napoleonic Wars), and his City Observatory (based on the Temple of the Winds in Athens). Theres a small visitors center the Edinburgh Experiencebut the main attraction is the view. Kevin Williamson says: Stand tall and proud on top of the hill, looking northwards over Leith, Gods own country, with The Proclaimers jangling away on your Walkman. There is no more moving panorama anywhere in the world. And whats more, you can be back on Princes Street within five minutes or sitting in one of the bars on Broughton Street. Where: Entrance on Princes Street by Waterloo Place. Portobello Beach Jokingly referred to as Edinburghs Riviera, the former artists colony is now a bit tatty round the edges. But as the only bit of sea and sand within walking distance of the city, its a welcome haven when the sun comes out. The romantic in you cant help liking the penny arcades and the miniature fairground, Mark Cousins says. Its got a Brighton Rock quality, a bit of faded, end-of-the-pier charisma. Leave room for beer, fish and chips, and ice cream. Lucas ice cream shop in Musselburgh high street is probably the best on Scotlands east coast, says Sarah Smith. Where: 8km from city centre via London Road. When: Preferably when its sunny. Short-Hole Course in the Meadows It may look like a raggedy throw -and-putt course, but dont say that to the regulars: the 36-hole golf course on Bruntsfield Links is more than 100 years old. The mounds have been there for more than three centuries, ever since Edinburgh needed a mass -burial ground for plague victims. A round of golf is free (scorecards, with rules, are attached to a piece of string on the greenkeepers hut, but you will need your own clubs. There are no b unkers, but obstacles include sunbathers, dogs, cyclists and small children. If golfs not your game theres a funfair too, and during the festival this is where big circus acts tend to perform. Its generally safe but, as those who have read Trainspotting will know, the areas best avoided on your own after dark. Where: The Meadows. When: Dawn to dusk, when no one is sitting on the holes. The Commonwealth Pool This Olympic-sized pool, which was commissioned for the 1970 Commonwealth Games, has kept very busy over the last 30 years, and has undoubtedly seen better days. However, the recent addition of flumes has given it a new lease of life. Central enough for office workers to nip out to in their lunch breaks or for stressed-out festival-goers to cool their heels. Standing on the top board, you forget all the stresses and strains of city life. I think its a life-saver, says Sarah Smith . Where: Dalkeith Road, EH 16 5BB (0131 -667 7211). When: Mon - Fri 9am-9pm, Sat & Sun 10am-4pm. Early bird slots 6arn-9pm Mon-Sat. Opens 10am Wed. Water Of Leith The river runs 21 miles from its source in the Pentland Hills to discharge into the Forth of Firth at Leith. A walk along here takes you past the Botanical Gardens, the neo -classical St Bernards Well, through the leafy gorge that contains Dean Village, and westwards towards Belford Roadhome of the National Gallery of Modern Art and the recently -opened Dean Gallery. 4`Walking there from Leith up the Dean River is a great way to spend an hour or so, says Jamie Byng. Make sure you stop off for pastries in Patisserie Florentine, says Sarah Smith. Where: The waterway can be entered from various points. Call the Tourist Board on 0131-473 3800 for information. | The Commonwealth Pool is not in very good condition. | e |
id_4983 | Rules for the St. James Students Residence No illegal substances such as drugs or firearms may be brought into the dormitories. Please respect our need for the safety and security of all students. Cooking can only be done in the shared kitchens on each floor. No portable stoves, toasters, or microwaves may be operated in the dormitory rooms. Such items are a potential fire hazard. Single rooms or shared dormitories are for the living enjoyment of registered tenants only. No unregistered arrangements for living in these quarters, without the expressed authorization of the Student Housing Office will be permitted. Students must extend courtesy to their neighbours and ensure that an environment conducive to study is maintained. Thus, no loud noise is permitted during the evenings and weekends. Students who wish to change location with another dormitory student must first register with the Student Housing Office. This is done to ensure that those living in a dwelling are accountable for the dwelling in which they are registered. Any damage done to a dwelling is the liability of the registered occupant, whether he or she was living there at the time or not. If you have any questions please notify the Student Housing Office at 658-9832 from 9:00 am 6:00pm from Monday to Friday | No microwaves may be operated in the shared kitchen. | n |
id_4984 | Rules for the St. James Students Residence No illegal substances such as drugs or firearms may be brought into the dormitories. Please respect our need for the safety and security of all students. Cooking can only be done in the shared kitchens on each floor. No portable stoves, toasters, or microwaves may be operated in the dormitory rooms. Such items are a potential fire hazard. Single rooms or shared dormitories are for the living enjoyment of registered tenants only. No unregistered arrangements for living in these quarters, without the expressed authorization of the Student Housing Office will be permitted. Students must extend courtesy to their neighbours and ensure that an environment conducive to study is maintained. Thus, no loud noise is permitted during the evenings and weekends. Students who wish to change location with another dormitory student must first register with the Student Housing Office. This is done to ensure that those living in a dwelling are accountable for the dwelling in which they are registered. Any damage done to a dwelling is the liability of the registered occupant, whether he or she was living there at the time or not. If you have any questions please notify the Student Housing Office at 658-9832 from 9:00 am 6:00pm from Monday to Friday | If you want to change rooms with another person in the dormitory, the Student Housing Office must approve of the arrangement before you can go ahead with it. | e |
id_4985 | Rules for the St. James Students Residence No illegal substances such as drugs or firearms may be brought into the dormitories. Please respect our need for the safety and security of all students. Cooking can only be done in the shared kitchens on each floor. No portable stoves, toasters, or microwaves may be operated in the dormitory rooms. Such items are a potential fire hazard. Single rooms or shared dormitories are for the living enjoyment of registered tenants only. No unregistered arrangements for living in these quarters, without the expressed authorization of the Student Housing Office will be permitted. Students must extend courtesy to their neighbours and ensure that an environment conducive to study is maintained. Thus, no loud noise is permitted during the evenings and weekends. Students who wish to change location with another dormitory student must first register with the Student Housing Office. This is done to ensure that those living in a dwelling are accountable for the dwelling in which they are registered. Any damage done to a dwelling is the liability of the registered occupant, whether he or she was living there at the time or not. If you have any questions please notify the Student Housing Office at 658-9832 from 9:00 am 6:00pm from Monday to Friday | There is more than one shared kitchen in the dormitory. | e |
id_4986 | Rules for the St. James Students Residence No illegal substances such as drugs or firearms may be brought into the dormitories. Please respect our need for the safety and security of all students. Cooking can only be done in the shared kitchens on each floor. No portable stoves, toasters, or microwaves may be operated in the dormitory rooms. Such items are a potential fire hazard. Single rooms or shared dormitories are for the living enjoyment of registered tenants only. No unregistered arrangements for living in these quarters, without the expressed authorization of the Student Housing Office will be permitted. Students must extend courtesy to their neighbours and ensure that an environment conducive to study is maintained. Thus, no loud noise is permitted during the evenings and weekends. Students who wish to change location with another dormitory student must first register with the Student Housing Office. This is done to ensure that those living in a dwelling are accountable for the dwelling in which they are registered. Any damage done to a dwelling is the liability of the registered occupant, whether he or she was living there at the time or not. If you have any questions please notify the Student Housing Office at 658-9832 from 9:00 am 6:00pm from Monday to Friday | No visitors are allowed to stay overnight in the dormitory. | n |
id_4987 | Rules for the St. James Students Residence No illegal substances such as drugs or firearms may be brought into the dormitories. Please respect our need for the safety and security of all students. Cooking can only be done in the shared kitchens on each floor. No portable stoves, toasters, or microwaves may be operated in the dormitory rooms. Such items are a potential fire hazard. Single rooms or shared dormitories are for the living enjoyment of registered tenants only. No unregistered arrangements for living in these quarters, without the expressed authorization of the Student Housing Office will be permitted. Students must extend courtesy to their neighbours and ensure that an environment conducive to study is maintained. Thus, no loud noise is permitted during the evenings and weekends. Students who wish to change location with another dormitory student must first register with the Student Housing Office. This is done to ensure that those living in a dwelling are accountable for the dwelling in which they are registered. Any damage done to a dwelling is the liability of the registered occupant, whether he or she was living there at the time or not. If you have any questions please notify the Student Housing Office at 658-9832 from 9:00 am 6:00pm from Monday to Friday | Cooking cannot be done anywhere in the dormitory. | c |
id_4988 | Rules for the St. James Students Residence No illegal substances such as drugs or firearms may be brought into the dormitories. Please respect our need for the safety and security of all students. Cooking can only be done in the shared kitchens on each floor. No portable stoves, toasters, or microwaves may be operated in the dormitory rooms. Such items are a potential fire hazard. Single rooms or shared dormitories are for the living enjoyment of registered tenants only. No unregistered arrangements for living in these quarters, without the expressed authorization of the Student Housing Office will be permitted. Students must extend courtesy to their neighbours and ensure that an environment conducive to study is maintained. Thus, no loud noise is permitted during the evenings and weekends. Students who wish to change location with another dormitory student must first register with the Student Housing Office. This is done to ensure that those living in a dwelling are accountable for the dwelling in which they are registered. Any damage done to a dwelling is the liability of the registered occupant, whether he or she was living there at the time or not. If you have any questions please notify the Student Housing Office at 658-9832 from 9:00 am 6:00pm from Monday to Friday | if you damage something from the kitchen, you will be liable. | n |
id_4989 | Rules for the St. James Students Residence No illegal substances such as drugs or firearms may be brought into the dormitories. Please respect our need for the safety and security of all students. Cooking can only be done in the shared kitchens on each floor. No portable stoves, toasters, or microwaves may be operated in the dormitory rooms. Such items are a potential fire hazard. Single rooms or shared dormitories are for the living enjoyment of registered tenants only. No unregistered arrangements for living in these quarters, without the expressed authorization of the Student Housing Office will be permitted. Students must extend courtesy to their neighbours and ensure that an environment conducive to study is maintained. Thus, no loud noise is permitted during the evenings and weekends. Students who wish to change location with another dormitory student must first register with the Student Housing Office. This is done to ensure that those living in a dwelling are accountable for the dwelling in which they are registered. Any damage done to a dwelling is the liability of the registered occupant, whether he or she was living there at the time or not. If you have any questions please notify the Student Housing Office at 658-9832 from 9:00 am 6:00pm from Monday to Friday | If you want to bring in illegal substances, you must register it first. | c |
id_4990 | Running Dry Government water commission maps in Mexico show 96 overexploited aquifers. Seawater has polluted 17 others because of too much pumping, while toxic seepage is spreading fast. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Mexican children are contracting digestive diseases due to poor water storage. Mexico City, built eight centuries ago atop vast lagoons, cannot adequately supply water for its 22 million inhabitants. Like many cities in the world, less than half of the citys waste is treated. The rest sinks into underground lakes or flows toward the Gulf of Mexico, turning rivers into sewers. This presents an extremely difficult prospect for Mexicos future. The Mexican National Water Commission lists some 35 cities that must shrink dramatically unless more water can be found. A forced exodus from parched cities seems far-fetched, and no one suggests it will happen next week but it is a spectre haunting Mexicos future. Much of the water that Mexico depends upon is the same water that is badly needed in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. One forecast is that Corpus Christi, Texas (population: 277, 454), will run out of water around 2018. In the meantime the problem is getting worse. Deputy director of the Mexican National Water Commission Cantu Suarez reports, In Oaxaca, south of Mexico City, women line up at dawn to fill a few plastic containers from a passing water truck. In Alamos, far to the north, ancient aquifers are pumped at five times the sustainable rate. Mexico is only one example of desperation in a world running short of water. Parts of the earth are dying, with fields poisoned by salt and village wells running dry. And there are legal battles looming. The Colorado River, drained by 10 U. S. states with their own water crises, is a muddy trickle by the time it reaches the rich farmland of Baja California. Under complex water agreements with the United States, Mexico can take water from the Rio Grande but must pay it back. President Vicante Fox has promised to pay the debt, which amounts to enough to put the state of Delaware under a flood of water. But with Mexico already so short of water, it is not realistic to think it can happen. Canada with its thousands of lakes and rivers would be viewed by most people as having an inexhaustible water supply. In comparison to Africa and other dry places, most of Canadas waters are pristine. But the cumulative effect of mistreatment over the years has taken an evident toll. The cities of Victoria on the west coast and Halifax on the east still dump billions of litres of raw sewage into their oceans. The worlds biggest freshwater basin, the Great Lakes, are described as a chemical soup not fit to drink from or swim in. Some concerned experts view them as loaded with toxic chemicals, heavy metals, pesticides and sewage. Far too many rivers and streams in Canada have been badly contaminated by industrial activity. Humans can live about a month without food but only a few days without water. Because 70 percent of the human body is water, weight loss in some quick diets is dramatic due to water loss. Of all the water in the world, only about 2.5 percent is fresh and two thirds of this is locked up in glaciers and ice caps. Nobody knows how much water is underground or in permafrost. All life on earth is sustained by a fraction of one percent of the worlds water. If a five-litre jug (about 1? gallons) represented the worlds water, the available fresh water would not quite fill a teaspoon. Overall, in most parts of the planet there is enough water to supply human needs. The huge problem however, is the rapidly increasing populations in places that lack adequate water resources, as well as mismanagement of available resources. Canada, with only 0.5 percent of the worlds population, has 5.6 percent of its usable fresh water supply. China, with 22 percent of the population on earth, has only 5.7 percent of usable fresh water. We cannot just move fresh water to where it is most needed like in the Sahara, Ethiopia, Somalia or India. In January 2000, the Newfoundland government identified a dozen of its communities with high levels of potentially dangerous THMs (trihalomethanes) in water supplies. In an attempt to solve this issue the main solution put forward by scientists is sterilisation of the water. However, this approach can also be the cause of problems. Drinking such water over a long period can cause bladder and colon cancers, but health experts maintain the benefits far outweigh these risks. As a result, the bottled water business is booming. In just one decade, sales have surged from $2.6 billion to $7.7 billion in the United States of America alone. This represents a 10 percent growth rate for the past 10 years. But is it safe? Canadian standards for testing bottled water are lower than those for municipal supplies, so there are no assurances that bottled water is any better than tap water. At the start of the 20th century, there were 1.65 billion people; 100 years later there are more than 6 billion, and the United Nations estimates there will be nearly 9 billion by 2050. But the annual supply of renewable fresh water will remain the same, so the amount of water available to each person decreases and the population grows, raising the possibility of water shortages. The supply of water to the future is a major issue that will confront tomorrows leaders. | Unhealthy water is causing illness amongst Mexican children. | e |
id_4991 | Running Dry Government water commission maps in Mexico show 96 overexploited aquifers. Seawater has polluted 17 others because of too much pumping, while toxic seepage is spreading fast. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Mexican children are contracting digestive diseases due to poor water storage. Mexico City, built eight centuries ago atop vast lagoons, cannot adequately supply water for its 22 million inhabitants. Like many cities in the world, less than half of the citys waste is treated. The rest sinks into underground lakes or flows toward the Gulf of Mexico, turning rivers into sewers. This presents an extremely difficult prospect for Mexicos future. The Mexican National Water Commission lists some 35 cities that must shrink dramatically unless more water can be found. A forced exodus from parched cities seems far-fetched, and no one suggests it will happen next week but it is a spectre haunting Mexicos future. Much of the water that Mexico depends upon is the same water that is badly needed in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. One forecast is that Corpus Christi, Texas (population: 277, 454), will run out of water around 2018. In the meantime the problem is getting worse. Deputy director of the Mexican National Water Commission Cantu Suarez reports, In Oaxaca, south of Mexico City, women line up at dawn to fill a few plastic containers from a passing water truck. In Alamos, far to the north, ancient aquifers are pumped at five times the sustainable rate. Mexico is only one example of desperation in a world running short of water. Parts of the earth are dying, with fields poisoned by salt and village wells running dry. And there are legal battles looming. The Colorado River, drained by 10 U. S. states with their own water crises, is a muddy trickle by the time it reaches the rich farmland of Baja California. Under complex water agreements with the United States, Mexico can take water from the Rio Grande but must pay it back. President Vicante Fox has promised to pay the debt, which amounts to enough to put the state of Delaware under a flood of water. But with Mexico already so short of water, it is not realistic to think it can happen. Canada with its thousands of lakes and rivers would be viewed by most people as having an inexhaustible water supply. In comparison to Africa and other dry places, most of Canadas waters are pristine. But the cumulative effect of mistreatment over the years has taken an evident toll. The cities of Victoria on the west coast and Halifax on the east still dump billions of litres of raw sewage into their oceans. The worlds biggest freshwater basin, the Great Lakes, are described as a chemical soup not fit to drink from or swim in. Some concerned experts view them as loaded with toxic chemicals, heavy metals, pesticides and sewage. Far too many rivers and streams in Canada have been badly contaminated by industrial activity. Humans can live about a month without food but only a few days without water. Because 70 percent of the human body is water, weight loss in some quick diets is dramatic due to water loss. Of all the water in the world, only about 2.5 percent is fresh and two thirds of this is locked up in glaciers and ice caps. Nobody knows how much water is underground or in permafrost. All life on earth is sustained by a fraction of one percent of the worlds water. If a five-litre jug (about 1? gallons) represented the worlds water, the available fresh water would not quite fill a teaspoon. Overall, in most parts of the planet there is enough water to supply human needs. The huge problem however, is the rapidly increasing populations in places that lack adequate water resources, as well as mismanagement of available resources. Canada, with only 0.5 percent of the worlds population, has 5.6 percent of its usable fresh water supply. China, with 22 percent of the population on earth, has only 5.7 percent of usable fresh water. We cannot just move fresh water to where it is most needed like in the Sahara, Ethiopia, Somalia or India. In January 2000, the Newfoundland government identified a dozen of its communities with high levels of potentially dangerous THMs (trihalomethanes) in water supplies. In an attempt to solve this issue the main solution put forward by scientists is sterilisation of the water. However, this approach can also be the cause of problems. Drinking such water over a long period can cause bladder and colon cancers, but health experts maintain the benefits far outweigh these risks. As a result, the bottled water business is booming. In just one decade, sales have surged from $2.6 billion to $7.7 billion in the United States of America alone. This represents a 10 percent growth rate for the past 10 years. But is it safe? Canadian standards for testing bottled water are lower than those for municipal supplies, so there are no assurances that bottled water is any better than tap water. At the start of the 20th century, there were 1.65 billion people; 100 years later there are more than 6 billion, and the United Nations estimates there will be nearly 9 billion by 2050. But the annual supply of renewable fresh water will remain the same, so the amount of water available to each person decreases and the population grows, raising the possibility of water shortages. The supply of water to the future is a major issue that will confront tomorrows leaders. | Mexicans are moving to other cities because of water shortages. | c |
id_4992 | Running Dry Government water commission maps in Mexico show 96 overexploited aquifers. Seawater has polluted 17 others because of too much pumping, while toxic seepage is spreading fast. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Mexican children are contracting digestive diseases due to poor water storage. Mexico City, built eight centuries ago atop vast lagoons, cannot adequately supply water for its 22 million inhabitants. Like many cities in the world, less than half of the citys waste is treated. The rest sinks into underground lakes or flows toward the Gulf of Mexico, turning rivers into sewers. This presents an extremely difficult prospect for Mexicos future. The Mexican National Water Commission lists some 35 cities that must shrink dramatically unless more water can be found. A forced exodus from parched cities seems far-fetched, and no one suggests it will happen next week but it is a spectre haunting Mexicos future. Much of the water that Mexico depends upon is the same water that is badly needed in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. One forecast is that Corpus Christi, Texas (population: 277, 454), will run out of water around 2018. In the meantime the problem is getting worse. Deputy director of the Mexican National Water Commission Cantu Suarez reports, In Oaxaca, south of Mexico City, women line up at dawn to fill a few plastic containers from a passing water truck. In Alamos, far to the north, ancient aquifers are pumped at five times the sustainable rate. Mexico is only one example of desperation in a world running short of water. Parts of the earth are dying, with fields poisoned by salt and village wells running dry. And there are legal battles looming. The Colorado River, drained by 10 U. S. states with their own water crises, is a muddy trickle by the time it reaches the rich farmland of Baja California. Under complex water agreements with the United States, Mexico can take water from the Rio Grande but must pay it back. President Vicante Fox has promised to pay the debt, which amounts to enough to put the state of Delaware under a flood of water. But with Mexico already so short of water, it is not realistic to think it can happen. Canada with its thousands of lakes and rivers would be viewed by most people as having an inexhaustible water supply. In comparison to Africa and other dry places, most of Canadas waters are pristine. But the cumulative effect of mistreatment over the years has taken an evident toll. The cities of Victoria on the west coast and Halifax on the east still dump billions of litres of raw sewage into their oceans. The worlds biggest freshwater basin, the Great Lakes, are described as a chemical soup not fit to drink from or swim in. Some concerned experts view them as loaded with toxic chemicals, heavy metals, pesticides and sewage. Far too many rivers and streams in Canada have been badly contaminated by industrial activity. Humans can live about a month without food but only a few days without water. Because 70 percent of the human body is water, weight loss in some quick diets is dramatic due to water loss. Of all the water in the world, only about 2.5 percent is fresh and two thirds of this is locked up in glaciers and ice caps. Nobody knows how much water is underground or in permafrost. All life on earth is sustained by a fraction of one percent of the worlds water. If a five-litre jug (about 1? gallons) represented the worlds water, the available fresh water would not quite fill a teaspoon. Overall, in most parts of the planet there is enough water to supply human needs. The huge problem however, is the rapidly increasing populations in places that lack adequate water resources, as well as mismanagement of available resources. Canada, with only 0.5 percent of the worlds population, has 5.6 percent of its usable fresh water supply. China, with 22 percent of the population on earth, has only 5.7 percent of usable fresh water. We cannot just move fresh water to where it is most needed like in the Sahara, Ethiopia, Somalia or India. In January 2000, the Newfoundland government identified a dozen of its communities with high levels of potentially dangerous THMs (trihalomethanes) in water supplies. In an attempt to solve this issue the main solution put forward by scientists is sterilisation of the water. However, this approach can also be the cause of problems. Drinking such water over a long period can cause bladder and colon cancers, but health experts maintain the benefits far outweigh these risks. As a result, the bottled water business is booming. In just one decade, sales have surged from $2.6 billion to $7.7 billion in the United States of America alone. This represents a 10 percent growth rate for the past 10 years. But is it safe? Canadian standards for testing bottled water are lower than those for municipal supplies, so there are no assurances that bottled water is any better than tap water. At the start of the 20th century, there were 1.65 billion people; 100 years later there are more than 6 billion, and the United Nations estimates there will be nearly 9 billion by 2050. But the annual supply of renewable fresh water will remain the same, so the amount of water available to each person decreases and the population grows, raising the possibility of water shortages. The supply of water to the future is a major issue that will confront tomorrows leaders. | Mexican food crops will fail without water from America. | n |
id_4993 | Running Dry Government water commission maps in Mexico show 96 overexploited aquifers. Seawater has polluted 17 others because of too much pumping, while toxic seepage is spreading fast. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Mexican children are contracting digestive diseases due to poor water storage. Mexico City, built eight centuries ago atop vast lagoons, cannot adequately supply water for its 22 million inhabitants. Like many cities in the world, less than half of the citys waste is treated. The rest sinks into underground lakes or flows toward the Gulf of Mexico, turning rivers into sewers. This presents an extremely difficult prospect for Mexicos future. The Mexican National Water Commission lists some 35 cities that must shrink dramatically unless more water can be found. A forced exodus from parched cities seems far-fetched, and no one suggests it will happen next week but it is a spectre haunting Mexicos future. Much of the water that Mexico depends upon is the same water that is badly needed in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. One forecast is that Corpus Christi, Texas (population: 277, 454), will run out of water around 2018. In the meantime the problem is getting worse. Deputy director of the Mexican National Water Commission Cantu Suarez reports, In Oaxaca, south of Mexico City, women line up at dawn to fill a few plastic containers from a passing water truck. In Alamos, far to the north, ancient aquifers are pumped at five times the sustainable rate. Mexico is only one example of desperation in a world running short of water. Parts of the earth are dying, with fields poisoned by salt and village wells running dry. And there are legal battles looming. The Colorado River, drained by 10 U. S. states with their own water crises, is a muddy trickle by the time it reaches the rich farmland of Baja California. Under complex water agreements with the United States, Mexico can take water from the Rio Grande but must pay it back. President Vicante Fox has promised to pay the debt, which amounts to enough to put the state of Delaware under a flood of water. But with Mexico already so short of water, it is not realistic to think it can happen. Canada with its thousands of lakes and rivers would be viewed by most people as having an inexhaustible water supply. In comparison to Africa and other dry places, most of Canadas waters are pristine. But the cumulative effect of mistreatment over the years has taken an evident toll. The cities of Victoria on the west coast and Halifax on the east still dump billions of litres of raw sewage into their oceans. The worlds biggest freshwater basin, the Great Lakes, are described as a chemical soup not fit to drink from or swim in. Some concerned experts view them as loaded with toxic chemicals, heavy metals, pesticides and sewage. Far too many rivers and streams in Canada have been badly contaminated by industrial activity. Humans can live about a month without food but only a few days without water. Because 70 percent of the human body is water, weight loss in some quick diets is dramatic due to water loss. Of all the water in the world, only about 2.5 percent is fresh and two thirds of this is locked up in glaciers and ice caps. Nobody knows how much water is underground or in permafrost. All life on earth is sustained by a fraction of one percent of the worlds water. If a five-litre jug (about 1? gallons) represented the worlds water, the available fresh water would not quite fill a teaspoon. Overall, in most parts of the planet there is enough water to supply human needs. The huge problem however, is the rapidly increasing populations in places that lack adequate water resources, as well as mismanagement of available resources. Canada, with only 0.5 percent of the worlds population, has 5.6 percent of its usable fresh water supply. China, with 22 percent of the population on earth, has only 5.7 percent of usable fresh water. We cannot just move fresh water to where it is most needed like in the Sahara, Ethiopia, Somalia or India. In January 2000, the Newfoundland government identified a dozen of its communities with high levels of potentially dangerous THMs (trihalomethanes) in water supplies. In an attempt to solve this issue the main solution put forward by scientists is sterilisation of the water. However, this approach can also be the cause of problems. Drinking such water over a long period can cause bladder and colon cancers, but health experts maintain the benefits far outweigh these risks. As a result, the bottled water business is booming. In just one decade, sales have surged from $2.6 billion to $7.7 billion in the United States of America alone. This represents a 10 percent growth rate for the past 10 years. But is it safe? Canadian standards for testing bottled water are lower than those for municipal supplies, so there are no assurances that bottled water is any better than tap water. At the start of the 20th century, there were 1.65 billion people; 100 years later there are more than 6 billion, and the United Nations estimates there will be nearly 9 billion by 2050. But the annual supply of renewable fresh water will remain the same, so the amount of water available to each person decreases and the population grows, raising the possibility of water shortages. The supply of water to the future is a major issue that will confront tomorrows leaders. | Drinking water in Canada, has been polluted by industry. | e |
id_4994 | Rural isolation occurs when communities are left without access to essential economic and social components of modern life. Large tracts of the countryside have only one bus a week and there are many villages that are served by a single shop. It is easy to understand why residents feel betrayed if it closes. If that shop is also the local post office the place in which, traditionally, pensions and state benefits are paid then people often feel that the death knell of their community has been sounded. The UK has over 14,000 rural post offices, almost all located in community shops, and it is planned that 2,500 will close. They will be selected on the basis of commercial viability. Mobile post offices, internet services and the payment of benefits directly into claimants bank accounts are proposed as a replacement for this vital national network. | To describe rural isolation is the main theme of the passage. | c |
id_4995 | Rural isolation occurs when communities are left without access to essential economic and social components of modern life. Large tracts of the countryside have only one bus a week and there are many villages that are served by a single shop. It is easy to understand why residents feel betrayed if it closes. If that shop is also the local post office the place in which, traditionally, pensions and state benefits are paid then people often feel that the death knell of their community has been sounded. The UK has over 14,000 rural post offices, almost all located in community shops, and it is planned that 2,500 will close. They will be selected on the basis of commercial viability. Mobile post offices, internet services and the payment of benefits directly into claimants bank accounts are proposed as a replacement for this vital national network. | The author would agree that public transport, government services and shops are examples of essential economic and social components of modern life. | e |
id_4996 | Rural isolation occurs when communities are left without access to essential economic and social components of modern life. Large tracts of the countryside have only one bus a week and there are many villages that are served by a single shop. It is easy to understand why residents feel betrayed if it closes. If that shop is also the local post office the place in which, traditionally, pensions and state benefits are paid then people often feel that the death knell of their community has been sounded. The UK has over 14,000 rural post offices, almost all located in community shops, and it is planned that 2,500 will close. They will be selected on the basis of commercial viability. Mobile post offices, internet services and the payment of benefits directly into claimants bank accounts are proposed as a replacement for this vital national network. | The author would agree that when a post office is closed and that post office is based in a community shop then it too will close. | n |
id_4997 | SAVING LANGUAGE For the first time, linguists have put a price on language. To save a language from extinction isnt cheap but more and more people are arguing that the alternative is the death of communities There is nothing unusual about a single language dying. Communities have come and gone throughout history, and with them their language. But what is happening today is extraordinary, judged by the standards of the past. It is language extinction on a massive scale. According to the best estimates, there are some 6,000 languages in the world. Of these, about half are going to die out in the course of the next century: thats 3,000 languages in 1,200 months. On average, there is a language dying out somewhere in the world every two weeks or so. How do we know? In the course of the past two or three decades, linguists all over the world have been gathering comparative data. If they find a language with just a few speakers left, and nobody is bothering to pass the language on to the children, they conclude that language is bound to die out soon. And we have to draw the same conclusion if a language has less than 100 speakers. It is not likely to last very long. A 1999 survey shows that 97 per cent of the worlds languages are spoken by just four per cent of the people. It is too late to do anything to help many languages, where the speakers are too few or too old, and where the community is too busy just trying to survive to care about their language. But many languages are not in such a serious position. Often, where languages are seriously endangered, there are things that can be done to give new life to them. It is called revitalisation. Once a community realises that its language is in danger, it can start to introduce measures which can genuinely revitalise. The community itself must want to save its language. The culture of which it is a part must need to have a respect for minority languages. There needs to be funding, to support courses, materials, and teachers. And there need to be linguists, to get on with the basic task of putting the language down on paper. Thats the bottom line: getting the language documented recorded, analysed, written down. People must be able to read and write if they and their language are to have a future in an increasingly computer- literate civilisation. But can we save a few thousand languages, just like that? Yes, if the will and funding were available. It is not cheap, getting linguists into the field, training local analysts, supporting the community with language resources and teachers, compiling grammars and dictionaries, writing materials for use in schools. It takes time, lots of it, to revitalise an endangered language. Conditions vary so much that it is difficult to generalise, but a figure of $ 100,000 a year per language cannot be far from the truth. If we devoted that amount of effort over three years for each of 3,000 languages, we would be talking about some $900 million. There are some famous cases which illustrate what can be done. Welsh, alone among the Celtic languages, is not only stopping its steady decline towards extinction but showing signs of real growth. Two Language Acts protect the status of Welsh now, and its presence is increasingly in evidence wherever you travel in Wales. On the other side of the world, Maori in New Zealand has been maintained by a system of so- called language nests, first introduced in 1982. These are organisations which provide children under five with a domestic setting in which they are intensively exposed to the language. The staff are all Maori speakers from the local community. The hope is that the children will keep their Maori skills alive after leaving the nests, and that as they grow older they will in turn become role models to a new generation of young children. There are cases like this all over the world. And when the reviving language is associated with a degree of political autonomy, the growth can be especially striking, as shown by Faroese, spoken in the Faroe Islands, after the islanders received a measure of autonomy from Denmark. In Switzerland, Romansch was facing a difficult situation, spoken in five very different dialects, with small and diminishing numbers, as young people left their community for work in the German-speaking cities. The solution here was the creation in the 1980s of a unified written language for all these dialects. Romansch Grischun, as it is now called, has official status in parts of Switzerland, and is being increasingly used in spoken form on radio and television. A language can be brought back from the very brink of extinction. The Ainu language of Japan, after many years of neglect and repression, had reached a stage where there were only eight fluent speakers left, all elderly. However, new government policies brought fresh attitudes and a positive interest in survival. Several semispeakers people who had become unwilling to speak Ainu because of the negative attitudes by Japanese speakers were prompted to become active speakers again. There is fresh interest now and the language is more publicly available than it has been for years. If good descriptions and materials are available, even extinct languages can be resurrected. Kaurna, from South Australia, is an example. This language had been extinct for about a century, but had been quite well documented. So, when a strong movement grew for its revival, it was possible to reconstruct it. The revised language is not the same as the original, of course. It lacks the range that the original had, and much of the old vocabulary. But it can nonetheless act as a badge of present-day identity for its people. And as long as people continue to value it as a true marker of their identity, and are prepared to keep using it, it will develop new functions and new vocabulary, as any other living language would do. It is too soon to predict the future of these revived languages, but in some parts of the world they are attracting precisely the range of positive attitudes and grass roots support which are the preconditions for language survival. In such unexpected but heart-warming ways might we see the grand total of languages in the world minimally increased. | The rate at which languages are becoming extinct has increased. | e |
id_4998 | SAVING LANGUAGE For the first time, linguists have put a price on language. To save a language from extinction isnt cheap but more and more people are arguing that the alternative is the death of communities There is nothing unusual about a single language dying. Communities have come and gone throughout history, and with them their language. But what is happening today is extraordinary, judged by the standards of the past. It is language extinction on a massive scale. According to the best estimates, there are some 6,000 languages in the world. Of these, about half are going to die out in the course of the next century: thats 3,000 languages in 1,200 months. On average, there is a language dying out somewhere in the world every two weeks or so. How do we know? In the course of the past two or three decades, linguists all over the world have been gathering comparative data. If they find a language with just a few speakers left, and nobody is bothering to pass the language on to the children, they conclude that language is bound to die out soon. And we have to draw the same conclusion if a language has less than 100 speakers. It is not likely to last very long. A 1999 survey shows that 97 per cent of the worlds languages are spoken by just four per cent of the people. It is too late to do anything to help many languages, where the speakers are too few or too old, and where the community is too busy just trying to survive to care about their language. But many languages are not in such a serious position. Often, where languages are seriously endangered, there are things that can be done to give new life to them. It is called revitalisation. Once a community realises that its language is in danger, it can start to introduce measures which can genuinely revitalise. The community itself must want to save its language. The culture of which it is a part must need to have a respect for minority languages. There needs to be funding, to support courses, materials, and teachers. And there need to be linguists, to get on with the basic task of putting the language down on paper. Thats the bottom line: getting the language documented recorded, analysed, written down. People must be able to read and write if they and their language are to have a future in an increasingly computer- literate civilisation. But can we save a few thousand languages, just like that? Yes, if the will and funding were available. It is not cheap, getting linguists into the field, training local analysts, supporting the community with language resources and teachers, compiling grammars and dictionaries, writing materials for use in schools. It takes time, lots of it, to revitalise an endangered language. Conditions vary so much that it is difficult to generalise, but a figure of $ 100,000 a year per language cannot be far from the truth. If we devoted that amount of effort over three years for each of 3,000 languages, we would be talking about some $900 million. There are some famous cases which illustrate what can be done. Welsh, alone among the Celtic languages, is not only stopping its steady decline towards extinction but showing signs of real growth. Two Language Acts protect the status of Welsh now, and its presence is increasingly in evidence wherever you travel in Wales. On the other side of the world, Maori in New Zealand has been maintained by a system of so- called language nests, first introduced in 1982. These are organisations which provide children under five with a domestic setting in which they are intensively exposed to the language. The staff are all Maori speakers from the local community. The hope is that the children will keep their Maori skills alive after leaving the nests, and that as they grow older they will in turn become role models to a new generation of young children. There are cases like this all over the world. And when the reviving language is associated with a degree of political autonomy, the growth can be especially striking, as shown by Faroese, spoken in the Faroe Islands, after the islanders received a measure of autonomy from Denmark. In Switzerland, Romansch was facing a difficult situation, spoken in five very different dialects, with small and diminishing numbers, as young people left their community for work in the German-speaking cities. The solution here was the creation in the 1980s of a unified written language for all these dialects. Romansch Grischun, as it is now called, has official status in parts of Switzerland, and is being increasingly used in spoken form on radio and television. A language can be brought back from the very brink of extinction. The Ainu language of Japan, after many years of neglect and repression, had reached a stage where there were only eight fluent speakers left, all elderly. However, new government policies brought fresh attitudes and a positive interest in survival. Several semispeakers people who had become unwilling to speak Ainu because of the negative attitudes by Japanese speakers were prompted to become active speakers again. There is fresh interest now and the language is more publicly available than it has been for years. If good descriptions and materials are available, even extinct languages can be resurrected. Kaurna, from South Australia, is an example. This language had been extinct for about a century, but had been quite well documented. So, when a strong movement grew for its revival, it was possible to reconstruct it. The revised language is not the same as the original, of course. It lacks the range that the original had, and much of the old vocabulary. But it can nonetheless act as a badge of present-day identity for its people. And as long as people continue to value it as a true marker of their identity, and are prepared to keep using it, it will develop new functions and new vocabulary, as any other living language would do. It is too soon to predict the future of these revived languages, but in some parts of the world they are attracting precisely the range of positive attitudes and grass roots support which are the preconditions for language survival. In such unexpected but heart-warming ways might we see the grand total of languages in the world minimally increased. | Research on the subject of language extinction began in the 1990s. | c |
id_4999 | SAVING LANGUAGE For the first time, linguists have put a price on language. To save a language from extinction isnt cheap but more and more people are arguing that the alternative is the death of communities There is nothing unusual about a single language dying. Communities have come and gone throughout history, and with them their language. But what is happening today is extraordinary, judged by the standards of the past. It is language extinction on a massive scale. According to the best estimates, there are some 6,000 languages in the world. Of these, about half are going to die out in the course of the next century: thats 3,000 languages in 1,200 months. On average, there is a language dying out somewhere in the world every two weeks or so. How do we know? In the course of the past two or three decades, linguists all over the world have been gathering comparative data. If they find a language with just a few speakers left, and nobody is bothering to pass the language on to the children, they conclude that language is bound to die out soon. And we have to draw the same conclusion if a language has less than 100 speakers. It is not likely to last very long. A 1999 survey shows that 97 per cent of the worlds languages are spoken by just four per cent of the people. It is too late to do anything to help many languages, where the speakers are too few or too old, and where the community is too busy just trying to survive to care about their language. But many languages are not in such a serious position. Often, where languages are seriously endangered, there are things that can be done to give new life to them. It is called revitalisation. Once a community realises that its language is in danger, it can start to introduce measures which can genuinely revitalise. The community itself must want to save its language. The culture of which it is a part must need to have a respect for minority languages. There needs to be funding, to support courses, materials, and teachers. And there need to be linguists, to get on with the basic task of putting the language down on paper. Thats the bottom line: getting the language documented recorded, analysed, written down. People must be able to read and write if they and their language are to have a future in an increasingly computer- literate civilisation. But can we save a few thousand languages, just like that? Yes, if the will and funding were available. It is not cheap, getting linguists into the field, training local analysts, supporting the community with language resources and teachers, compiling grammars and dictionaries, writing materials for use in schools. It takes time, lots of it, to revitalise an endangered language. Conditions vary so much that it is difficult to generalise, but a figure of $ 100,000 a year per language cannot be far from the truth. If we devoted that amount of effort over three years for each of 3,000 languages, we would be talking about some $900 million. There are some famous cases which illustrate what can be done. Welsh, alone among the Celtic languages, is not only stopping its steady decline towards extinction but showing signs of real growth. Two Language Acts protect the status of Welsh now, and its presence is increasingly in evidence wherever you travel in Wales. On the other side of the world, Maori in New Zealand has been maintained by a system of so- called language nests, first introduced in 1982. These are organisations which provide children under five with a domestic setting in which they are intensively exposed to the language. The staff are all Maori speakers from the local community. The hope is that the children will keep their Maori skills alive after leaving the nests, and that as they grow older they will in turn become role models to a new generation of young children. There are cases like this all over the world. And when the reviving language is associated with a degree of political autonomy, the growth can be especially striking, as shown by Faroese, spoken in the Faroe Islands, after the islanders received a measure of autonomy from Denmark. In Switzerland, Romansch was facing a difficult situation, spoken in five very different dialects, with small and diminishing numbers, as young people left their community for work in the German-speaking cities. The solution here was the creation in the 1980s of a unified written language for all these dialects. Romansch Grischun, as it is now called, has official status in parts of Switzerland, and is being increasingly used in spoken form on radio and television. A language can be brought back from the very brink of extinction. The Ainu language of Japan, after many years of neglect and repression, had reached a stage where there were only eight fluent speakers left, all elderly. However, new government policies brought fresh attitudes and a positive interest in survival. Several semispeakers people who had become unwilling to speak Ainu because of the negative attitudes by Japanese speakers were prompted to become active speakers again. There is fresh interest now and the language is more publicly available than it has been for years. If good descriptions and materials are available, even extinct languages can be resurrected. Kaurna, from South Australia, is an example. This language had been extinct for about a century, but had been quite well documented. So, when a strong movement grew for its revival, it was possible to reconstruct it. The revised language is not the same as the original, of course. It lacks the range that the original had, and much of the old vocabulary. But it can nonetheless act as a badge of present-day identity for its people. And as long as people continue to value it as a true marker of their identity, and are prepared to keep using it, it will develop new functions and new vocabulary, as any other living language would do. It is too soon to predict the future of these revived languages, but in some parts of the world they are attracting precisely the range of positive attitudes and grass roots support which are the preconditions for language survival. In such unexpected but heart-warming ways might we see the grand total of languages in the world minimally increased. | In order to survive, a language needs to be spoken by more than 100 people. | e |
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