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2010Copying Birds May Save Aircraft FuelBoth Boeing and Airbus have trumpeted the efficiency of their newest aircraft. The 787 and 350 respectively . Their clever designs and lightweight composites certainly make a difference . But a group of researchers at Stanford University , led by Ilan Kroo , has suggested that airlines could take a more naturalistic approach to cutting jet-fuel use and it would not require them to buy new aircraft.The answer, says Dr Kroo , lies with birds . Since 1914, scientists have known that birds flying in formation-a V-shape-expend less energy. The air flowing over a birds wings curls upwards behind the wingtips . a phenomenon known as upwash. Other birds flying in the upwash experience reduced drag, and spend less energy propelling themselves . Peter Lissaman, an aeronautics expert who was formerly at Caltech and the University of Southern California ,has suggested that a formation of 25 birds might enjoy a range increase of 71%.When applied to aircraft, the principles are not substantially different . Dr Kroo and his team modeled what would happen if three passenger jets departing from Los Angeles, San Francisco and I as Vegas were to assemble over Utah, assume an inverted V-formation occasionally change places so all could have a turn in the most favourable positions , and proceed to London. They found that the aircraft consumed as much as 15% less fuel (coupled with a reduction in carbon-dioxide output). Nitrogen-oxide emissions during the cruising portions of the flight fell by around a quarter.There are , of course , knots to be worked out . One consideration is safety , or at least the perception of it . Would passengers feel comfortable travelling in companion? Dr Kroo points out that the aircraft could be separated by several nautical miles , and would not be in the intimate groupings favoured by display teams like the Red Arrows , A passenger peering out of the window might not even see the other planes. Whether the separation distances involved would satisfy air-traffic-control regulations is another matter, although a working group at the International Civil Aviation Organisation has included the possibility of formation flying in a blueprint for new operational guidelines.It remains to be seen how weather conditions affect the air flows that make formation flight more efficient. In zones of increased turbulence, the planes wakes will decay more quickly and the effect will diminish. Dr Kroo says this is one of the areas his team will investigate further. It might also be hard for airlines to co-ordinate the departure times and destinations of passenger aircraft in a way that would allow them to gain from formation flight. Cargo aircraft, in contrast, might be easier to reschedule, as might routine military flight.As it happens, Americas armed forces are on the on case already. Earlier this year the countrys Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency announced plans to pay Boeing to investigate formation flight, though the programme has yet to begin . There are reports that some military aircraft flew in formation when they were low on fuel during the Second World War ,but Dr Lissaman says they are unsubstantiated. “My father was an RAF pilot and my cousin the skipper of a Lancaster lost over Berlin,”he adds. So he should know.41. Findings of the Stanford University researchers will promote the sales of new Boeing and Airbus aircraft.42. The upwash experience may save propelling energy as well as reducing resistance.43. Formation flight is more comfortable because passengers can not see the other plans.44. The role that weather plays in formation flight has not yet been clearly defined.45. It has been documented that during World War , Americas armed forces once tried formation flight to save fuel.2011Leading doctors today weigh in on the debate over the governments role in promoting public health by demanding that ministers impose “fat taxes” on unhealthy food and introduce cigarette-style warnings to children about the dangers of a poor diet.The demands follow comments made last week by the health secretary, Andrew Lansley, who insisted the government could not force people to make healthy choices and promised to free businesses from public health regulations.But senior medical figures want to stop fast-food outlets opening near schools, restrict advertising of products high in fat, salt or sugar, and limit sponsorship of sports events by fastfood producers such as McDonalds.They argue that government action is necessary to curb Britains addiction to unhealthy food and help halt spiraling rates of obesity, diabetes and heart disease.Professor Terence Stephenson, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said that the consumption of unhealthy food should be seen to be just as damaging as smoking or excessive drinking.“Thirty years ago, it would have been inconceivable to have imagined a ban on smoking in the workplace or in pubs, and yet that is what we have now.Are we willing to be just as courageous in respect of obesity? I would suggest that we should be,” said the leader of the UKs childrens doctors.Lansley has alarmed health campaigners by suggesting he wants industry rather than government to take the lead. He said that manufacturers of crisps and candies could play a central role in the Chang for Life campaign, the centerpiece of government efforts to boost healthy eating and fitness. He has also criticized the celebrity chef Jamie Olivers high-profile attempt to improve school lunches in England as an example of how “lecturing” people was not the best way to change their behavior.Stephenson suggested potential restrictions could include banning TV advertisements for foods high in fat, salt or sugar before 9 pm and limiting them on billboards or in cinemas. “If we were really bold, we might even begin to think of high-calorie fast food in the same way as cigarettesby setting strict limits on advertising, product placement and sponsorship of sports events，”he said.Such a move could affect firms such as McDonalds, which sponsors the youth coaching scheme run by the Football Association. Fastfood chains should also stop offering “inducements” such as toys, cute animals and mobile phone credit to lure young customers, Stephenson said.Professor Dinesh Bhugra, president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said: “If children are taught about the impact that food has on their growth, and that some things can harm, at least information is available up front.”He also argues councils to impose “fast-food-free zones” around schools and hospitalsareas within which takeaways cannot open.A department of Health spokesman said: “We need to create a new vision for public health where all of society works together to get healthy and live longer. This includes creating a new responsibility, deal with business, built on social responsibly, not state regulation. Later this year, we will publish a white paper setting out exactly how we will achieve this.”The food industry will be alarmed that such senior doctors back such radical moves, especially the call to use some of the tough tactics that have been deployed against smoking over the last decade.A “fat taxes” should be imposed on fast-food producers such as McDonaldsB the government should ban fast-food outlets in the neighborhood of schools41.Andrew Lansley held thatC “lecturing” was an effective way to improve school lunches in England42.Terence Stephenson agreed thatD cigarette-style warnings should be introduced to children about the dangers of a poor diet43.Jamie Oliver seemed to believe thatE the producers of crisps and candies could contribute significantly to the Change4Life campaign44.Dinesh Bhugra suggested thatF parents should set good examples for their children by keeping a healthy diet at home45.A Department of Health spokesperson proposed thatG the government should strengthen the sense of responsibility among businesses2012“Universal history, the history of what man has accomplished in this world, is at bottom the History of the Great Men who have worked here,” wrote the Victorian Thomas Carlyle. Well, not any more it is not.Suddenly, Britain looks to have fallen out with its favorite historical form. This could be no more than a passing literary craze, but it also points to a broader truth about how we now approach the past: less concerned with learning from forefathers and more interested in feeling their pain. Today, we want empathy, not inspiration.From the earliest days of the Renaissance, the writing of history meant recounting the exemplary lives of great men. In 1337, Petrarch began work on his rambling writingDe Viris IllustribusOn Famous Men, highlighting the virtus (or virtue) of classical heroes. Petrarch celebrated their greatness in conquering fortune and rising to the top. This was the biographical tradition which Niccolo Machiavelli turned on its head. InThe Prince, he championed cunning, ruthlessness, and boldness, rather than virtue, mercy and justice, as the skills of successful leaders.Over time, the attributes of greatness shifted. The Romantics commemorated the leading painters and authors of their day, stressing the uniqueness of the artists personal experience rather than public glory. By contrast, the Victorian author Samuel Smiles wroteSelf-Helpas a catalogue of the worthy lives of engineers, industrialists and explorers. “The valuable examples which they furnish of the power of self-help, of patient purpose, resolute working and steadfast integrity, issuing in the formation of truly noble and manly character, exhibit,” wrote Smiles, “what it is in the power of each to accomplish for himself.” His biographies of James Watt, Richard Arkwright and Josian Wedgwood were held up as beacons to guide the working man through his difficult life.This was all a bit bourgeois for Thomas Carlyle, who focused his biographies on the truly heroic lives of Martin Luther, Oliver Cromwell and Napoleon Bonaparte. These epochal figures represented lives hard to imitate, but to be acknowledged as possessing higher authority than mere mortals.Not everyone was convinced by such bombast. “The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles,” wrote Marx and Engels in The Communist Manifesto. For them, history did nothing, it possessed no immense wealth nor waged battles: “It is man, real, living man who does all that.” And history should be the story of the masses and their record of struggle, As such, it needed to appreciate the economic realities, the social contexts and power relations in which each epoch stood. For:“Men make their own history, but they do not make it just as they please; they do not make it under circumstances chosen by themselves, but under circumstances directly found, given and transmitted from the past.”This was the tradition which revolutionized our appreciation of the past. In place of Thomas Carlyle, Britain nurtured Christopher Hill, EP Thompson and Eric Hobsbawm. History from below stood alongside biographies of great men. Whole new realms of understandingfrom gender to race to cultural studieswere opened up as scholars unpicked the multiplicity of lost societies. And it transformed public history too: downstairs became just as fascinating as upstairs.A emphasized the virtue of classical heroes.41. PetrarchB highlighted the public glory of the leading artists.42. Niccolo MachiavellliC focused on epochal figures whose lives were hard to imitate.43. Samuel SmilesD opened up new realms of understanding the great men in history.44. Thomas CarlyleE held that history should be the story of the masses and their record of struggle.45. Marx and EngelsF dismissed virtue as unnecessary for successful leaders.G depicted the worthy lives of engineer industrialists and explorers2013A Shopkeepers are your friendsB Remember to treat yourselfC Stick to what you needD Live like a peasantE Balance your dietF Planning is everythingG Waste not, want notThe hugely popular blog the Skint Foodie chronicles how Tony balances his love of good food with living on benefits. After bills, Tony has60 a week to spend,40 of which goes on food, but 10 years ago he was earning130，000 a year working in corporate communications and eating at Londons best restaurants at least twice a week. Then his marriage failed, his career burned out and his drinking became serious. “The community mental health team saved my life. And I felt like that again, to a certain degree, when people responded to the blog so well. It gave me the validation and confidence that Id lost. But its still a day-by-day thing.” Now hes living in a council flat and fielding offers from literary agents. Hes feeling positive, but hell carry on bloggingnot about eating as cheaply as you can“there are so many people in a much worse state, with barely any moneyto spend on food”but eating well on a budget. Heres his advice for economical foodies.41._Impulsive spending isnt an option, so plan your weeks menu in advance, making shopping lists for your ingredients in their exact quantities. I have an Excel template for a week of breakfast, lunch and dinner. Stop laughing: its not just cost effective but helps you balance your diet. Its also a good idea to shop daily instead of weekly, because, being-human, youll sometimes change your mind about what you fancy.42._This is where supermarkets and their anonymity come in handy. With them, theres not the same embarrassment as when buying one carrot in a little greengrocer. And if you plan properly, youll know that you only need, say, 350g of shin of beef and six rashers of bacon, not whatever weight is prepacked in the supermarket chiller.43._You may proudly claim to only have frozen peas in the freezerthats not good enough. Mine is filled with leftovers, bread, stock, meat and fish. Planning ahead should eliminate wastage, but if you have surplus vegetables youll do a vegetable soup, and all fruits threatening to“go off”will be cooked or juiced.44._Everyone says this, but it really is a top tip for frugal eaters. Shop at butchers, delis and fishsellers regularly, even for small things, and be super friendly. Soon youll feel comfortable asking if theyve any knuckles of ham for soups and stews, or beef bones, chicken carcasses and fish heads for stock which, more often than not, theyll let you have for free.45._You wont be eating out a lot, but save your pennies and once every few months treat yourself to a set lunch at a good restaurant1.75 a week for three months gives you21more than enough for a threecourse lunch at Michelinstarred Arbutus. Its16.95 thereor12.99 for a large pizza from Dominos: I know which Id rather eat.2014Emerging in the late Sixties and reaching a peak in the Seventies, Land Art was one of a range of new forms, including Body Art, Performance Art, Action Art and Installation Art, which pushed art beyond the traditional confines of the studio and gallery. Rather than portraying landscape, land artists used the physical substance of the land itself as their medium.The British Land Art, typified by Longs piece, was not only more domestically scaled, but a lot quirkier than its American counterpart. Indeed, while you might assume that an exhibition of Land Art would consist only of records of works rather than the works themselves, Longs photograph of his work is the work. Since his “action” is in the past, the photograph is its sole embodiment.That might seem rather an obscure point, but it sets the tone for an exhibition that contains a lot of blackandwhite photographs and relatively few natural objects.Long is Britains bestknown Land Artist and his Stone Circle, a perfect ring of purplish rocks from Portishead beach laid out on the gallery floor, represents the elegant, rarefied side of the form. The Boyle Family, on the other hand, stands for its dirty, urban aspect. Comprising artists Mark Boyle and Joan Hills and their children, they recreated random sections of the British landscape on gallery walls. Their Olaf Street Study, a square of brick-strewn waste ground, is one of the few works here to embrace the commonplaceness that characterises most of our experience of the landscape most of the time.Parks feature, particularly in the earlier works, such as John Hilliards very funny Across the Park, in which a long-haired stroller is variously smiled at by a pretty girl and unwittingly assaulted in a sequence of images that turn out to be different parts of the same photograph.Generally however British land artists preferred to get away from towns, gravitating towards landscapes that are traditionally considered beautiful such as the Lake District or the Wiltshire Downs. While it probably wasnt apparent at the time, much of this work is permeated by a spirit of romantic escapism that the likes of Wordsworth would have readily understood. Derek Jarmans yellowtinted film Towards Avebury, a collection of long, mostly still shots of the Wiltshire landscape, evokes a tradition of English landscape painting stretching from Samuel Palmer to Paul Nash.In the case of Hamish Fulton, you cant help feeling that the Scottish artist has simply found a way of making his love of walking pay. A typical work, such as Seven Days, consists of a single beautiful black-and-white photograph taken on an epic walk, with the mileage and number of days taken listed beneath. British Land Art as shown in this well selected, but relatively modestly scaled exhibition wasnt about imposing on the landscape, more a kind of landscape-orientated light conceptual art created passing through. It had its origins in the great outdoors, but the results were as gallery-bound as the paintings of Turner and Constable.A originates from a long walk that the artist took41. Stone CircleB illustrates a kind of landscape-orientated light conceptual art42. Olaf StreetStudyC reminds people of the English landscape painting tradition.43. Across the ParkD represents the elegance of the British land art44. Towards AveburyE depicts the ordinary side of the British land art45. Seven daysF embodies a romantic escape into the Scottish outdoorsG contains images from different parts of the same photograph.2015A You are not aloneB Dont fear responsibility for your lifeC Pave your own unique pathD Most of your fears are unrealE Think about the present momentF Experience helps you growG There are many things to be grateful forSome Old Truths to Help You Overcome Tough TimesUnfortunately, life is not a bed of roses. We are going through life facing sad experiences. Moreover, we are grieving various kinds of loss: a friendship, a romantic relationship or a house. Hard times may hold you down at what usually seems like the most inopportune time, but you should remember that they wont last forever.When our time of mourning is over, we press forward, stronger with a greater understanding and respect for life. Furthermore, these losses make us mature and eventually move us toward future opportunities for growth and happiness. I want to share these old truths Ive learned along the way.41._Fear is both useful and harmful. This normal human reaction is used to protect us by signaling danger and preparing us to deal with it. Unfortunately, people create inner barriers with a help of exaggerating fears. My favorite actor Will Smith once said, “Fear is not real. It is a product of thoughts you create. Do not misunderstand me. Danger is ve
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