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Folk dance

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 12:25:06 GMT

The term "folk dance" is sometimes applied to certain dances of historical importance in European culture and history; typically originated before 20th century. For other cultures the terms "ethnic dance" or "traditional dance" are sometimes used, although the latter terms may encompass ceremonial dances.

There are a number of modern dances, such as hip hop dance, that evolve spontaneously, but the term "folk dance" is generally not applied to them, and the terms "street dance" or "vernacular dance" are used instead. The term "folk dance" is reserved for dances which are to a significant degree bound by European tradition and originated in the times when the distinction existed between the dances of "common folk" and the dances of the "high society".

A number of modern ballroom dances originated from folk ones.

The terms "ethnic" and "traditional" are used when it is required to emphasize the cultural roots of the dance. In this sense, nearly all folk dances are ethnic ones. If some dances, such as polka, cross ethnic boundaries and even cross the boundary between 'folk" and "ballroom dance", ethnic differences are often considerable enough to mention, e.g., Czech polka vs. German polka.

Not all ethnic dances are folk dances; for example, ritual dances or dances of ritual origin are not considered to be folk dances.Ritual dances are usually called "Religious dances" because of their purpose.

Types of folk dance

Types of folk dance include clogging, English country dance, international folk dance, Irish dance, Maypole dance, Morris dance, Nordic polska dance, Ball de bastons, square dance, and sword dance. Some choreographed dances such as contra dance, Israeli folk dance, Scottish country dance, and modern Western square dance, are called folk dances, though this is not true in the strictest sense. Country dance overlaps with contemporary folk dance and ballroom dance. Most country dances and ballroom dances originated from folk dances, with gradual refinement over the years.

Asteroid Juno Grabs the Spotlight

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 11:19:39 GMT

Toward the end of September, the sun will turn a spotlight on the asteroid Juno, giving that bulky lump of rock a rare featured cameo in the night sky. Those who get out to a dark, unpolluted sky will be able to spot the asteroid's silvery glint near the planet Uranus with a pair of binoculars.

"It can usually be seen by a good amateur telescope, but the guy on the street doesn't usually get a chance to observe it," said Don Yeomans, manager of NASA's Near Earth Object Program Office at JPL. "This is going to be as bright as it gets until 2018."

Juno, one of the first asteroids discovered, is thought to be the parent of many of the meteorites that rain on Earth. The asteroid is composed mostly of hardy silicate rock, which is tough enough that fragments broken off by collisions can often survive a trip through Earth's atmosphere.

Though pockmarked by bang-ups with other asteroids, Juno is large; in fact, it is the tenth largest asteroid. It measures about 234 kilometers (145 miles) in diameter, or about one-fifteenth the diameter of the moon.

The asteroid, which orbits the sun on a track between Mars and Jupiter, will be at its brightest on Sept. 21, when it is zooming around the sun at about 22 kilometers per second (49,000 miles per hour). At that time, its apparent magnitude will be 7.6, which is about two-and- a-half times brighter than normal. The extra brightness will come from its position in a direct line with the sun and its proximity to Earth. (The asteroid will still be about 180 million kilometers [112 million miles] away, so there is no danger it will fall towards Earth.)

Skywatchers with telescopes can probably see Juno from now until the end of the year, but it is most visible to binoculars in late September. On or before Sept. 21, look for Juno near midnight a few degrees east of the brighter glow of Uranus and in the constellation Pisces. It will look like a gray dot in the sky, and each night at the end of September, it will appear slightly more southwest of its location the night before. By Sept. 25, it will be closer to the constellation Aquarius and best seen before midnight.

Burgundian Dance in the Late Middle Ages

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 14:18:06 GMT

Our primary knowledge of Burgundian dance in the late Middle Ages is based on a manuscript housed in the Brussels Biblioth�que Royale, Les Basses danses de Marguerite d'Autriche, published c.1490. The manuscript, printed on black paper and with gold and silver calligraphy, contains music and a shorthand form of tablature for the description of more than fifty bassesdanses.

Popular from the fourteenth century to the second half of the sixteenth, the bassedanse (It., bassadanza) was a regal processional dance consisting of only five steps. The simplest components were single steps and double steps (notated ss and d)--these were walking steps that progressed forward or backward. The single step consisted of a step and weight change; the double was composed of three steps. Each step was punctuated by a slight rising and lowering of the body. The branle (notated b) was a sideways step performed with a slight swaying motion. The reprise or d�marche (notated z, or s in other sources), was a backward step; and r�v�rence (notated R) was the formal bow or curtsy. No floor patterns were provided in this manuscript, but the bassedanse was usually danced with one couple standing behind another, partners holding inside hands. Delicate and tranquil in style, the bassedanse was intended to be danced by an unlimited number of noble performers, and its small steps perfectly accommodated the lady's long train and the exaggerated, pointed toes of the gentleman's shoes, known as poulaines.

Soft, mellow musical instruments such as the vielle, (a bowed string instrument), or recorders were used for small, indoor occasions. The most popular musical accompaniment, however, consisted of an ensemble of three loud, shrill instruments: two were double-reed woodwind instruments called shawms (the forerunner of the oboe) and one was the sackbut, a brass instrument that later was developed into the trombone. One shawm played the notes of the music (tenor melody), while the other instruments improvised on the tenor.

Vaccination and Treatment for H1N1 Virus in Humans

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 07:41:07 GMT

There currently is no commercially available vaccine to protect humans against this H1N1 virus. The H1N1 flu virus strains causing the current outbreak are very different from human H1N1 viruses and, therefore, vaccines for this past human seasonal flu would not provide protection from these H1N1 flu viruses.

Antiviral Medication

If you get sick, antiviral drugs can make your illness milder and make you feel better faster. They may also prevent serious influenza complications. In treatment, antiviral drugs work best if started as soon after getting sick as possible, and might not work if started more than 48 hours after illness starts.

Influenza antiviral drugs also can be used to prevent influenza when they are given to a person who is not ill but who has been or may be near a person with H1N1 influenza. When used to prevent the flu, antiviral drugs are about 70% to 90% effective. When used for prevention, the number of days that they should be used will vary depending on a person's particular situation.

There are four different antiviral drugs that are licensed for use in the U.S. for the treatment of influenza. At this time, CDC recommends the use of oseltamivir (brand name Tamiflu �) or zanamivir (brand name Relenza �) for the treatment and/or prevention of infection with H1N1 influenza viruses. The other two antivirals, amantadine and rimantadine, are ineffective for treating the most recent H1N1 flu viruses in humans.

2009 H1N1 Influenza A Virus

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 10:21:27 GMT

Soon after the emergence of the H1N1 virus in April 2009, ARS scientists at the National Animal Disease Center in Ames, Iowa, began research using virus samples provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The first step was to evaluate whether current U.S H1N1 swine influenza vaccines can protect pigs from infection with the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus circulating in people. This research study also evaluated whether pre-existing titers in pigs previously infected with endemic H1N1 swine influenza viruses circulating in the U.S could protect against the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus. Second was to address whether meat, blood and tissue from pigs infected with the new 2009 H1N1 Influenza A Virus would be free of infectious virus.

Classical swine influenza virus infections are enzootic among pigs in North America. Sporadic cases of human infection with swine influenza virus have been reported in the United States and elsewhere. Worldwide, more than 50 human cases of swine influenza virus infection, mostly due to classical swine influenza virus, have been documented in the past 35 years, with the greatest risk of infection among people with occupational exposure to live pigs.

Experts believe pigs can act as a "mixing vessel" for the reassortment of avian, swine and human influenza viruses, and might play an important role in the emergence of novel influenza viruses that could be capable of causing a human pandemic similar to the virus in the current outbreak.

Between the 1930s and the 1990s, the most commonly circulating swine influenza virus among pigs-classical swine influenza A, known as H1N1-underwent little change.

However, by the late 1990s, multiple strains and subtypes of triple reassortant swine influenza viruses-whose genomes include combinations of avian, human and swine influenza virus gene segments-had emerged and became predominant among North American pigs. The 2009 H1N1 influenza virus is also a triple reassortent, but its lineage is different than the H1N1 influenza viruses currently circulating in U.S. pigs.

World's Last large Forest under Threat

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 13:05:05 GMT

The world's last remaining "pristine" forest - the boreal forest across large stretches of Russia, Canada and other northern countries - is under increasing threat, a group of international researchers has found.

The researchers from the University of Adelaide in Australia, Memorial University of Newfoundland in Canada and the National University of Singapore have called for the vital preservation of existing boreal forests in order to secure biodiversity and prevent the loss of this main global carbon sink.

The boreal forest comprise about one-third of the world's forested area and one-third of the world's stored carbon, covering a large proportion of Russia, Canada, Alaska and Scandinavia.

To date it has remained largely intact because of the classically sparse human populations in boreal regions. That is now varying says researchers and co-authors Associate Professor Corey Bradshaw, University of Adelaide, Associate Professor Ian Warkentin, Memorial University, and Professor Navjot Sodhi, National University of Singapore.

"Much world attention has alert on the loss and degradation of tropical forests over the past three decades, but now the boreal forest is poised to become the next Amazon," says Associate Professor Bradshaw, from the University of Adelaide's Environment Institute.

"In history, fire and insects have driven the natural dynamics of boreal ecosystems," says Associate Professor Warkentin. "But with rising demand for resources, human turbulence caused by logging, mining and urban development have increased in these forests during recent years, with extensive forest loss for some regions and others facing heavy fragmentation and exploitation."

Causes of a Tsunami

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 11:34:13 GMT

Tsunamis can be created by the fast displacement of water when the sea floor lifts and/or falls due to crustal movements that accompany very large earthquakes. The shallow nature of the sea floor off the coast of Alaska could raise the destructive potential of a tsunami wave in the Pacific.

Earthquake behavior is difficult to forecast in this region which is a transition zone between two of the world's most active plate boundary faults; the Fair-weather fault, and the Aleutian subduction zone. In 1899 and 1979, large earthquakes occurred in the region but did not trigger a Tsunami because the rupturing was restricted beneath the land instead of the sea floor.

Prof Ron Bruhn from the University of Utah said: "If the larger earthquake that is suggested by our work hits the region, the size of the potential tsunami could be significantly larger than in 1964 since a multi-rupture quake would displace the shallow continental shelf of the Yakutat microplate."

"In the case of a multi-rupture event, the energy imparted to the tsunami will be better but spread out over a longer strike distance. But for the small communities at the tsunami source in Alaska, the longer length will have more of an effect on areas farther from the source such as southeastern Alaska, British Columbia, and the US west coast from Washington to California."

Safety Measures for Swine Flu

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 07:36:49 GMT

"Swine flu" or the "H1N1" flu virus (a more scientific name for the same virus) is a public health emergency that the Indian government is keeping a close watch on so that people are aware, informed and ready to take action steps to keep themselves and their families healthy and safe.

Take some time to review the five flu-safety tips, which will help you avoid swine flu (or any flu). They'll also help to ensure that the virus doesn't spread unnecessarily.

1: Stay home if you're sick.

2: Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

3: Wash your hands often and avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.

4: Cover your mouth or nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing.

5: Keep up with health information in your own community.

Flu-safety basics are the correct same whether you get the human flu or the swine flu. The swine flu is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza viruses that cause usual outbreaks in pigs. People don�t generally get swine flu but infections can and do occur.

This virus spreads the precise same way that regular flu viruses spread -- person-to-person transmission through coughing, sneezing and touching of infected people or surfaces: door knobs, shopping carts, countertops, etc. So, it�s also a excellent idea to carry your alcohol-based, disinfecting wipes, sprays and gels with you, as well.

There is some fine news: First, there are antiviral medicines to prevent and treat swine flu. They can also prevent serious flu complications. Second, swine influenza viruses are not spread by food. So, you don�t need to throw away or stop eating your pork products. Eating properly handled and cooked pork products is still secure.

Now, if you live in areas where swine influenza has been identified contact a health care provider, mainly if you are worried about your symptoms. The symptoms of influenza-like include: fever, body aches, runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea. Your health care provider will decide whether influenza testing or treatment is needed.

By practicing these flu-safety basics, you�ll lesser your chances of getting a host of illnesses, including the swine flu.

NASA to Provide Web Updates on Objects Approaching Earth

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 12:10:20 GMT

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory is introducing a new Web site that will provide a centralized resource for information on near-Earth objects - those asteroids and comets that can approach Earth. The "Asteroid Watch" site also contains links for the interested public to sign up for NASA's new asteroid widget and Twitter account.

"Most people have a fascination with near-Earth objects," said Don Yeomans, manager of NASA's Near-Earth Object Program Office at JPL. "And I have to agree with them. I have studied them for over three decades and I find them to be scientifically fascinating, and a few are potentially hazardous to Earth. The goal of our Web site is to provide the public with the most up-to-date and accurate information on these intriguing objects."

It provides information on NASA's missions to study comets, asteroids and near-Earth objects, and also provides the basic facts and the very latest in science and research on these objects. News about near-Earth object discoveries and Earth flybys will be available and made accessible on the site via a downloadable widget and RSS feed. And for those who want to learn about their space rocks on the go, a Twitter feed is offered. "Asteroid Watch" also contains a link to JPL's more technical Near-Earth Objects Web site, where many scientists and researchers studying near-Earth objects go for information.

"This innovative new Web application gives the public an unprecedented look at what's going on in near-Earth space," said Lindley Johnson, program executive for the Near-Earth Objects Observation program at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

NASA supports surveys that detect and track asteroids and comets passing close to Earth. The Near-Earth Object Observation Program, commonly called "Spaceguard," also plots the orbits of these objects to determine if any could be potentially hazardous to our planet.

JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

Pigs at risk from people as new flu spread

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 05:59:11 GMT

There is a growing risk that pigs will catch the new H1N1 flu strain -- generally known as swine flu -- from humans, German researchers said.

Widespread transmission from people to pigs could mix up virus strains further, leading to random changes in the disease.

There have already been a handful of supposed cases of humans passing the current pandemic H1N1 virus to swine. The latest German research confirms it is infectious to pigs and can spread quickly.

Thomas Vahlenkamp and colleagues from the Friedrich Loeffler Institute, Germany's national research center for animal health, experimentally polluted five pigs with the new flu.

Four days later, the virus had spread to three uninfected pigs housed with them and all the pigs showed clinical signs of disease, they reported in the Journal of common Virology.

"With the rising numbers of human infections, a spill-over of this human virus to pigs is becoming more likely," Vahlenkamp said.

"The prevention of human-to-pig transmissions should have a high priority in order to avoid taking part of pigs in the epidemiology of this pandemic."

Positively, though, while the virus spread quickly among the pigs, it did not spread to five chickens housed with them.

The World Health Organization confirmed a pandemic last month following the spread of the new flu virus, which mixes swine, avian and human elements. It has killed more than 400 people internationally and likely now infects millions.